Vince’s Recommendations BOOM! Studios Irredeemable #24 DC Comics Batman Beyond #4 Brightest Day #23 Secret Six #32 Image Comics Who Is Jake Ellis? #3 Marvel Comics Annihilators #2 Fear Itself #1: The beginning of Marvel’s new big event. Early reviews are positive. Herc #1: The new adventures of the Lion of Olympus, now a mortal man. Heroes for Hire #5...
The Walking Dead has been on a major roll with the “No Way Out” storyline. The peaceful life Rick and the rest were building for themselves came to a crashing end when a horde of zombies breached the walls. Last issue, Rick swore to get Carl and the rest of his loved ones out of danger, no matter the cost. This month, plans go awry and the body count rises. The issue ends with one of, if not the most shocking events in the comic’s history. The Walking Dead #83 Image Comics Story: Robert Kirkman Art: Charlie Adlard...
It’s widely accepted that the first Green Lantern trailer was disappointing. There’s a definite “Iron Man” feel to it, with Hal Jordan’s portrayal seeming less like the comics and more like… well, every other Ryan Reynolds character. I didn’t like it, though for some reason, many of my friends did. Well, this weekend at WonderCon, Warner Bros. showed off some new footage. First of all, the tone and story of the movie come across much better than in the first trailer. With so much of the movie being CGI, WB didn’t have much to work with for the first trailer, and had to use a lot of the Earth scenes. However, the thought that this trailer “makes everything better” is kind of pointless. All those stupid scenes from the first trailer are still in the movie, and we don’t know which “version” will have the majority of the screen time. For all we know, this is the entirety of the Oa footage, and the rest of the film is Ryan Reynolds making dick jokes. Visually, I just don’t like it. There’s entirely too much CGI; the whole movie just looks artificial. Obviously, a franchise like Green Lantern will require a large amount of special effects, but it still has to look at least remotely believable. The primary full-CGI characters like Kilowog and Tomar-Re look pretty good on their own, but as soon as you see them interacting with Ryan Reynold’s floating head, the effect is lost. Hal Jordan looks like crap. Abin Sur looks like crap. Sinestro looks like crap. All the “background” Lanterns look very crap-ish. Hector Hammond actually looks pretty good, since that’s actual makeup instead of CGI. And what the hell is this? A character whose powers are defined only by his imagination and his willpower, who can make literally anything a reality, from dinosaurs to Gurren-freaking-Lagann: How does he make use of his powers? He creates a BFG. Well, how else are you supposed to sell crappy toys to kids. At this point, the movie character is an amalgamation of all four Earth-based Lanterns; Hal Jordan’s origin, Kyle Rayner’s ugly costume, Guy Gardner’s attitude and John Stewart’s complete lack of creativity. Yet despite all these issues, everybody is raving about how awesome the movie is going to be. Even those who were most against it after the first trailer are already lining up to be the first to see the movie when it comes out. Honestly, I’m even less interested in this move now than I was before. I guess I just don’t get it....
New Mutants #23 is the fourth chapter of the “Age of X” miniseries running between this title and X-Men Legacy. Mike Carey has created an alternate (or is it?) reality where the X-Men never existed and humanity has driven mutants to near extinction. The remaining mutants band together behind Magneto to defend themselves. However, cracks are starting to show in Fortress X, and not just physically; something is seriously wrong here. This issue follows Legacy (Rogue), Gambit and Magneto as the attempt to uncover the mystery with the help of Kitty Pryde and a comatose Charles Xavier. In a comic franchise where alternate realities are a regular event, “Age of X” has set itself up as something different; something that will matter. New Mutants #23 Marvel Comics Story: Mike Carey Art: Steve Kurth...
It’s another “Grab Bag” week, this time focusing on SIX comics that I recommend for anyone looking for something new to read: Xombi #1 by John Rozum & Frazer Irving, Morning Glories #8 by Nick Spencer & Joe Eisma, 5 Ronin #3 by Peter Milligan & Laurence Campbell, Amazing Spider-Man #656 by Dan Slott & Marcos Martin, Avengers Academy #11 by Christos Gage & Tom Raney and Hulk #30.1 by Jeff Parker & Gabriel Hardman....
Max Lord, one of the most dangerous villains in the DC Universe, has made the entire world forget he exists. The only heroes left to stop him are his former Justice League International teammates: Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice, along with the new Rocket Red and Blue Beetle. In this issue, Booster and team have suffered a string of crushing defeats and have to deal with the tremendous loss of life Max Lord has left in his wake. JL:GL and its sister series, Brightest Day, have been some of the best comics coming out of DC lately, with JL:GL proving to be the better of the two as time goes on. Justice League: Generation Lost #21 DC Comics Story: Judd Winick Art: Fernando Dagnino...
5 Ronin is a miniseries where five of Marvel’s most dangerous heroes (Wolverine, Hulk, Punisher, Psylocke and Deadpool) have been re-imagined as part of an epic samurai story. The first issue focuses on Wolverine, who now wanders the countryside as a ronin, a masterless samurai. What follows is a bloody tale of honor and revenge. Mind you, this is not Weapon X Wolverine transplanted 400 years in the past, instead it is a familiar character we all know, without the crazy backstory and powers. The art is very stylish, fitting for the setting, with a great use of color. Fans of the old samurai films will definitely want to check this out. 5 Ronin #1 Marvel Comics Story: Peter Milligan Art: Tomm Coker...
I haven’t had as much time to read comic books since stopping our comics podcast several months ago. It isn’t that I haven’t wanted to read specific titles, but rather that I’ve been working on several novels. I’ve read the two newest Guild Wars novels, which I will most likely write about soon, as I loved them so entirely… as well as the first in the Diablo: The Sin War trilogy, Birthright, which I’ve not yet finished as I find I have to muscle through various parts due to my dislike of Richard A. Knaak’s style. However I’m not here to discuss his shoddy writing....
If you haven’t read Issue 587 yet, there’s some serious spoilers here. This issue picks up directly where the previous one left off, with one of the Fantastic Four dead. This issue focuses on how the rest of the family deals with the loss, as well as setting the story on the oath to the future. The “Three” storyline opened a lot of doors, and the remainder of the Four are going to have their hands full closing them. Most impressively, this great story is told without a single line of dialog. Nick Dragotta, a relative unknown, steps in and delivers some of the best pencils I’ve ever seen. Emotional, groundbreaking and impactful, Fantastic Four #588 will definitely be a serious contender for best issue of the year. Fantastic Four #588 Marvel Comics Story: Jonathan Hickman Art: Nick Dragotta (Backup by Mark Brooks)...
Avengers Academy follows the next generation of super heroes (or villains?) under the instruction of Hank Pym and a staff of Avengers All-Stars. In the previous issue, some of the students assaulted villain the Hood, in an attempt to gain revenge for one of their instructors, Tigra. Tigra is not pleased with their actions and kicks them out of the Academy. Meanwhile, student Finesse uses this opportunity to track down the man she believes to be her father, one of the Avengers’ greatest enemies, the Taskmaster. Avengers Academy #9 Marvel Comics Story: Christos Gage Art: Mike McKone...
