A weekly column in which Jake gives
short blurbs about the comics he’s
picked up that week. Reviewed in the order read, which varies but generally by
increasing anticipation. Disclaimer: he
knows very little about art, at least not enough to considerably honor such
tremendous undertakings, so…yeh,
there’s that.
New Avengers: Ultron Forever #2 of 3
Writer: Al Ewing
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Mark Farmer
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenburg
Letter: Travis Lanham
Marvel Comics
The halfway point of this mini-series
arrives and Doom’s
machinations (heh) come to the forefront as the time-displaced Avengers he
gathered do battle with the forces of All-Father Ultron. There are significantly more references to
past issues this time around, but Ewing uses all of them well, giving each moment
enough room to breath and contribute to the story in a meaningful way. Davis, Farmer, and Rosenburg do a great job
portraying the three separate battles occurring in this issue. In particular, there’s a pretty great splash page during the Thors’ fight with All-Father Ultron that
has that classic feel. Ultron Forever
has been just the right amount of action and fun.
Invincible #119
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Penciler: Ryan Ottley
Inker: Cliff Rathburn
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letter: Rus Wooton
Image Comics
The Grayson family’s growing pains continue as
they try to settle in to their new home on an alien world. We get a glimpse of how Mark acts as a
concerned parent, and how he’s
settling in (or rather not) to civilian life.
Kirkman guides us through the drama and the art team really sells the
expressions in this issue. We also check
in on Battle Beast and Thragg’s
epic throwdown, and, while its only for a page, it really tells you all you
need to know and does a good job at keeping the stakes high. This is an odd issue as, for the most part,
it looked as if Invincible might be heading in a new direction. The cliffhanger, however, seems to threaten a
return to the violent status quo. Where the next issue goes remains to be
seen.
Bitch Planet #4
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artist: Valentine De Landro
Colors: Cris Peters
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Image Comics
After a bit of delay, Bitch Planet
spins into its fourth issue and we learn the rules of the game Kam and her
girls will be competing in. While we
only get an instructional video, its enough of a tease to want to see more of
the sport actually played. If also get
the girls’ first practice
and while things seem to be going well, it feels like a case of waiting for the
other shoe to drop. DeConnick keeps the
dialogue fresh and brisk, with the main character Kam often saying more with
less. Landro and Peters do a great job
throughout, particularly with the noted tricky shower scene. Bitch Planet feels like a comic waiting to
kick into high gear, but the revving going on currently is enjoyable as we
learn more about the dystopian society DeConnick and De Landro have
created.
Silk #3
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Stacey Lee
Color Artist: Ian Herring
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Marvel Comics
The trials and tribulations of Cindy
Moon continue as she has another bout with the Black Cat’s lackey, Rage. Oh
that’s right, Black Cat is
a bad guy now. While I would’ve preferred Cindy to have more
of her own baddies to fight, the Black Cat and her gang provide a nice foil for
the up and coming Silk. Though I enjoyed
her as an anti-hero, BC also makes a good villain with her new ruthless streak
giving an edge to her dialogue. Thompson’s script is earnest, which can
be a bit of a double-edged sword at times.
Cindy’s dialogue
with Rage is one of the issue’s
best and purest moments, but her quips and monologue can wear a bit thin at
times. Lee and Herring are the stars of
the issue. Lee’s linework gives the comic a great cartoon feel while still
providing great action sequences.
Herring compliments Lee nicely, with a muted color palette that gives
the present and flashback sequences a cool vibe. One qualm I have with the book so far is that
we’ve gotten little more
information on Cindy’s
past and, with the next issue seemingly a guest-starring one, it does not seem
like we’ll be getting
anymore next month. Still, if Thompson
and Lee can keep up the pace and the fun, I don’t see Silk slow down any time soon.
Moon Knight #14
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Pencilers: Ron Ackins w/ Steven
Sanders
Inker: Tom Palmer
Color Art: Dan Brown
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Marvel Comics
I honestly don’t know how I feel about this issue. Normally, I go in for the mystic side of the Lunar
Avenger, but this issue, one where Moon Knight tracks down a pack of killer
dogs, doesn’t sit right
with me. It probably doesn’t help that the issue callback
to some of the better issues of previous volumes, those that feature Werewolf
by Night, Jack Russell, without actually doing anything to contribute to the
mythos. Bunn, whose work I thoroughly
enjoy on Magneto, gets off on the wrong foot here by having Moony pull Batman’s
vanish-when-your-head-turned-gag. The
further Moon Knight can get from Batman comparisons, the better. It doesn’t help that the moment isn’t well portrayed by Ackins and Stewart. Bellaire’s absence on colors is distinctly noticeable, though Brown
does a serviceable job of trying to keep the feel the same. The art team, who did a serviceable job on
the previous issue, sort of flounders here, with several moments not feeling as
great as they should’ve
been. Overall, this issue feels like a
misfire. The basic set-up should work
and there are several elements, particularly the twist, that do, but it just
doesn’t come together as
it should.
BONUS: Batman #40
Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciler: Greg Capullo
Inker: Danny Miki
Color Art: Dave McCaig
Letterer: Steve Wands
DC Comics
Hello, folks. It's CharlieDanger82 here to add to Jake's awesome column
with a comic that I do not necessarily like, but I can recognize its
importance for the Batman status quo... Until Convergence or something
retcons it and renders it completely moot.
So the final chapter
of endgame has finally arrived, bringing a conclusion to the long and
winding butler maiming, commissioner chest hatcheting, JLA guest
starring, heroes & villains uniting and possible Joker immortaling
tale. It's filled with Batman '66 style misdirects, DC's take on the
Fastball Special, plot foiling last minute exposition, a needlessly
brutal fight and an ending that satisfies for the story that was told,
even if I wasn't necessarily a fan of this story. Snyder hit it out of
the park with Court of Owls, but by the time Death of the Family came
along it seemed like the American Vampire was writing "shock for shock
value" rather than to help tell a story. By the time the finale hit,
Batman uses his ears as an impaling weapon. His short, stubby
Capullo/Lee/Miller ears drew blood. Was that really necessary? On the
plus side, it was interesting to see Batman use a weapon I hadn't seen
him use before to as great effect as it did in this issue: Sarcasm. I'm
just glad to see the story end to be honest.
But hey, Snyder has a
brand new way to "revolutionize" Batman! Let's see how Robot rabbit
suited Jim Gordon fairs as the new Batman. I'm sure his dark and gritty
Mohawk and lack of glasses or mustache will make him fit in just fine
with motorcycle Superman, hoody Green Lantern and
Battle-Armor-Eric-Larsen offending Wonder Woman. I'm sure it'll be
awesome.
Labels: Avengers, Batman, Bitch Planet, Comic Books, Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, Invincible, Joker, Marvel Comics, Moon Knight, Silk
