This was a smaller week than ususal so I will cover the comics from this week and a few that didn’t make it last week reviews.
1872 #3
Marvel Comics Writer Gerry Duggan, Artist Nik Virella, Colorist Lee Loughridge, Letterer Clayton Cowles
1872 has been a really fun What If story of the Marvel heroes set in the wild west. The first two issues have been quite fun and while the third issue is good is did start to drag a bit with the story. Duggan script seemed a little padded this issue and while there was some good things that happened in the story overall is tended to drag on. With there only being one more issue I ‘m not overtly worried about the book. Virella’s art continues to give the book a great feel for the period and feels more like an old school Marvel book back in the day. He is doing a great job of giving the artwork the right tones to make it visually work very well. I also love Loughridge’s color work that is giving the book a sepia tone look that matches the period. Very few colorist today would have done that and hats off to him for making the book look great because of it. Is this book worth your time and money? While this issue may have not been the best, overall the book has been a lot of fun and is still a lot better than the majority of the Secret Wars tie in books. Still worth reading for me.
Batgirl #44
DC Comics Writers Cameron Stewart & Brenden Fletcher, Artist Bengal, Colorist Serge Lapointe, Letterer Steve Wands
After the cliffhanger of the last issue with Velvet Tiger this issues story wraps up the story with guest artist Bengal. Stewart and Fletcher keep the pacing of the last issue and really have a lot of fun making this second act of the story and filling it with lots of action. They also continue the ongoing threads for the title and introduce some new elements that are going to be quite interesting in the upcoming stories. The thing that I am liking about the stories is how they are keeping the book simple and fresh. While some might consider this not care for this style of story telling I rather enjoy it. While I love Babs Tarr’s artwork Bengal has really impressed me with his artwork on recent Batgirl Annual and Endgame issues. He has a wonderful style that really brings the book alive with both the very well lay-out action scenes and the nice subtle emotions in the dramatic scenes. DC really needs to get him on a regular book! Is this book worth your time and money? Batgirl is one of those books that may not be super deep but is very satisfying. It one of the few books that just makes you feel good while reading it. The story and art are like a warm blanket that just makes you feel comfortable. As long as they keep it up I will be buying the book. RECOMMENDED!
Power Cubed #1
Dark Horse Comics Writer and Artist Aaron Lopresti, Colorist Hi-Fi Design, Letterer Michael Heisler
Lopresti more know for his artwork is now in a long line of artist turned writers for his creator owned book. As with most artist turned writer he pick a pretty safe story for this book and this is where it kind of suffers. The script is basic bad guy is looking for something and young kid is given a gift from estranged dad that the bad guy wants and there is a sidekick from the gift to help our young hero. If that sound familiar then you’re not alone. The problem is that the story is just average and you have read it a million times before. It’s certainly not terrible but Lopresti doesn’t bring anything new or innovative to the story either. The artwork side is where the book does shine and that is not surprising considering that Lopresti is a very good artist. Being that it’s his own book he put a lot of detail into the artwork and helps the story along that helps you forget that the story is pretty average. Is this book worth your time and money? The shame is that the story is just too average to recommend. It was not terrible to read but just not worth the money for the series. With so many good books coming out I just can’t recommend this book in the end. SKIP IT.
Public Relations #1
Devils Due/First Comics Writers Matthew Sturges & Dave Justus, Artist David Hahn, Colorist Hi-Fi, Letterer Jared K. Fletcher
One of the first books from the newly formed Devils Due and First Comics merger has some decent promise but also has some problems. Sturges and Justus do a nice job of setting up the premiss of the story and while the first issue does drag a bit under the weight of the exposition there is a good idea with the story in there. The characters have a good natural feel and are very relatable to the reader. Dan and Threnody have a nice chemistry to them and help ground the wild events that pop up later in the story. While there is a lot to get through with the story I will say that they did a pretty good job on the pacing considering all of the information overload. Hahn artwork has some real potential at times but overall a lot of the art is flat and stiff. While it is not overtly distracting there are many time where it brings the story to life and that is a problem. Is this book worth your time and money? I like a lot of the ideas that Sturges and Justus set up in the book and I could see the second issue being better in the story department now that all of the exposition has been dealt with. Sadly Hahn’s artwork really hampers the book from taking off and puling the book together. His artwork is not terrible by any means but I just don’t think that he has the skills needed to bring the story to life. The book ends up being both good and not so good. If you are willing to give a pass on the artwork then you might want to give the book a shot. It does have promise.
Wild’s End: The Enemy Within #1
Boom! Studios Writer Dan Abnett, Artist and Letterer I.N.J. Culbard,
I was a big fan of the original mini series of Wild’s End and this continuation mini series is as good if not a bit better than the first story arc. The story picks up right after the events of the first series but the good news for new readers is that missed the first series you should be able to pick up most of the story in this issue but you would be better off getting the trade that is available. With that being said this new series gets off to a fantastic start with the fallout from the alien attack on the town of Peak Hill. Abnett also give some nice back story to Slipaway’s past that was alluded to in the first series. Abnett has really struck story gold with this book and is a real pleasure to read. He has really expanded the scope of the story with this new series and hits the ground running with this new series. I love how he builds on the mystery of the attack yet he never forgets that the book works so well because of the characters and that is what draws you into the story. Culbard’s art brings the world to life. He gives the characters such wonderful life and the wonderful subtle details of them are what really bring this story together. He does such a great job that you tend to forget that they are animals and not human. Is this book worth your time and money? This is a book that you should be reading with a great story and wonderful artwork. Abnett and Culbard have really built upon the first book and have taken the story to a whole new level with the opening of this series and simply the best book this week. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!
Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #12
DC Comics Writer Sholly Fisch, Artist Dario Brizuela, Colorist Franco Riesco, Letterer Saida Temofonte
Scooby-Doo Team-Up has been a consistently fun book and while it’s aimed at kids it’s a nice fun little romp for adults who love Scooby-Doo. This issue has Harley Quinn (in her classic costume that is sorely missed) and Poison Ivy who get the gang to try to solve the mystery of a ghost that has followed a stolen jewel. Fisch has always done a nice job on keeping the tone of the book true to the original Scooby-Doo series but adding great guest stars into the series. While the story is very basic so that younger readers can enjoy, I still find it fun to read as an adult. This is one of those books that is simple and fun and nothing else and for three bucks every other month is a treat. Brizuela’s art keep in line with the animated style of all of the characters and it’s nice to see Harley and Ivy back in those styles that have been all too long absent from comics. Is this book worth your time and money? While this book is always a quick read they are alway a simple and sweet done in one story. If you’re a fan of Scooby-Doo and love them teaming up each issue there is a lot to like here.
Invader Zim #3
Oni Press Writer Eric Trueheart, Additional Dialog Jhonen Vasquez, Penciller Aaron Alexovich, Inker Megan Lawton, Colorist Rikki Simons, Letterer Warren Wucinich
I was very worried about this book with Vasquez leaving the regular writing duties of the series and thankfully Trueheart has kept the book on track with a nice little on issue story. He keeps all of the wacked out bizarreness of the animated show and has squeezed it into a story that is on par with the original show. The thing that made Zim such a great show was that it was always on the edge of the story falling off the rails but being able to have it all make sense. Trueheart not only keeps that spirit but because a comic book allows you to have a huge unlimited budget, he really goes for it with the story and makes it a real joy to read. This issues story has a fantastic ending that had me laughing out loud and that is pretty rare feat for a comic today. Alexovich and Lawton deliver another great issue of artwork that brings the comic to the great level of the animated series. It’s one of the few comic adaptations that looks exactly like the source material but still works as a good comic book. Is this book worth your time and money? I have praised this book from day one and continue to give the creative team huge props for bringing this property back to life. It’s a real shame that Nickelodeon never did anything with this property but thankfully Oni Press has not only revived it but has made it one of the most enjoyable comic books being published now. VERY RECOMMENDED!
Black Canary #4
DC Comics Writer Brenden Fletcher, Artist Pia Guerra, Colorist Lee Loughridge, Letterer Steve Wands
This new incarnation of Black Canary is really starting to come into its own. This issue is a real win for Fletcher and the feel of the story. The book is really finding it’s voice and this issue is starting to get into the meat of both the background and the continuing story arc. Fletcher does a great job of mixing the back story of how Canary came to be in the band and we start to uncover secrets to her past and yet things are unfolding very nicely and he still keeps things a mystery to be uncovered later. I like the fact that Maeve is not written as a typical bad guy but there is a deeper story to both her and Ditto that is leading into the next issue. One of the best things about the book has been Annie Wu’s artwork but luckily Pia Guerra has stepped in to fill in on this issue and does a fantastic job on the artwork. I loves the way that she did the flashback scenes to look a bit different from the present day that is nice subtle touch that a lot of artist might not think to do. Is this book worth your time and money? This is a really solid book with a strong female superhero that we are thankfully seeing again. Fletcher is laying some great groundwork with the story and unfolding it at a very nice pace. While there may not be a lot of action I would rather the book take its own time instead of the typical super-heroics that is by the numbers. There are far too many of those and I like that this book is making its own distinctive path. RECOMMENDED!
0 Comments