Apparently I completely missed that New Mutants was new this week. Thanks to Arnab for pointing that out.
New Mutants 7 (**1/2)
Unfortunately, it offsets the awesome week of comics I had already read by being not so awesome. Not that it was bad, but I think compared to how much I enjoyed Uncanny, GL and BN, it was just sorta 'meh.' I didn't feel that anything of substance happened. I will admit that apart from knowing technically who the Hellions are, I know nothing about them, so them coming back doesn't have the emotional significance it perhaps should. Also, while I loved Uncanny and don't want to mess with that, how do all these different storylines get rectified with each other? That continuously annoys me, and I have to wait for a huge event to tie all the different X-Men arcs together so I know exactly where we are.
In other news, Phoenix Lantern Corps is now listed at Comic Blog Elite. You can see the badge to the right and everything. Aren't we fancy? To any new readers that have found us via CBE, hope you like what you see and will keep reading!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Gashapon Reviews: November 25, 2009
After fighting with the god-awful wireless connection on my Dad's new router, I am back and ready for reviews! I really enjoyed all of the comics I read this week, so let us get started with the reviews.Spoilers abound. Read at your own risk.
Uncanny X-Men 517 (****)
This issue is basically how the X-Men deal with the 5 Predator X's that were sent in the plane by... I'm not entirely sure who (they showed it, but I was never clear who those people were). Namor wastes no time illustrating why I hate him as a character when he dashes off completely ignoring Scott's orders and then, for good measure, shouting his LAME battle cry. I do not get why he is on the X-Men if he has no intention of actually being on a team. The next Predator was handled by the X-Men, with Magneto's help, and I just thought this was awesome. I'm very interested to see why Magneto was spent so quickly, I wonder if his powers are not what they appear to be. Storm shows up with the best line of the book. Then Rogue does exactly what I've always wanted her to do, and single-handedly kicks the SHIT out of a Preadtor by absorbing all of the students powers. So freaking cool and it makes me like Rogue much more than I do in that stupid Emplate storyline. And then, in what was my favorite scene, the Phoenix force leaves the Cuckoos (which forced me to go back and read Phoenix Warsong). Just one more piece of the puzzle for Jean's return. I don't think much happened plot wise, but I so loved the action scenes I have to say I don't care. Also, I love the art of this book; I can never remember artists, but I LOVE the way it looks.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Blackest Night part one
A little note before I start. I have a habit of just liking things in general, especially because I haven't particularly ever needed to review anything. I will be following Matt's guidelines for ratings (which can be found to your right), however it needs to be kept in mind that we do have different tastes (rare, but it happens). I will most likely become a tad bit more critical as this process continues. To begin, I will be covering a fairly large realm of comics: Blackest Night Tie-Ins. Blackest Night is a pretty big deal, if you haven't noticed, and the tie-ins can be a nice addition or a waste of time. I will attempt to lead you in the right direction. As Blackest Night is separated into three parts, I will do the same.
Forgive me if I leave anything out.
Part One:
Blackest Night: Batman ****1/2
Over all I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries. Although I am a big fan of the Bat-verse, I am not being biased.
I gave it 4.5 stars because I feel if you are a fan of Batman, then you definitely need to read this. However, if you aren't a fan (who isn't, though) then there isn't a necessity to read this, although it will inevitably bring you joy and pleasure. It's fun, the story line is pretty good, the art is nice, and it does what it set out to do: bring Blackest Night to Batman. Blackest Night Batman #1 does what the first issue of any miniseries should, it lays our the foundation of the series as well as generating enough interest to further read the series. The whole series will focus on Batman, Robin, and Red Robin's reaction to the reanimation of their loved ones. This plays along with the rest of Blackest Night, with the resurrection of dead loved ones, but it also toys with the recurring theme in Batman, which is the death of one's parents igniting the course of action. The scenes/panels/pages, call them what you will, that displayed the relationship that Tim and Dick have as well as their relationships with their parents were good. The scenes portraying the dynamic of the newly formed "Dynamic Duo" were also done very well. Blackest Night brought back guests, such as Boston Brand, aka Deadman, as well as brought recurring cast members, Commissioner Gordon and Barbara aka Oracle. Deadman was an unexpected guest, but was thoroughly amusing. As a long time fan of Barbara's, I can't say that I'll ever not appreciate a cameo on her part. You won't leave this miniseries knowing more about Blackest Night, but that's ok because I don't think you are meant to. There are bits and pieces of information that you can carry on to the main Blackest Night series, but the story is pretty self-contained, which isn't a bad thing mind you. I personally enjoyed the story very much and urge you to read it as well.
Blackest Night: Superman ****
I will be honest and say that I've never been a huge Superman fan. I like him fine, but personally I don't see any reason why the DC universe needs to him to be its savior. That being said, I did like this tie-in. I am a huge fan of Superboy and while I haven't read much on Supergirl, I do like her. On to the story. I did not know that New Krypton existed, so that threw me off for second, a short second I promise. Other than that, I liked seeing the interaction between Superboy and Superman. It's nothing like a Batman and Robin moment, but it's almost like watching two brothers interact when one is living in the other's shadow. I thought that choice for the antagonist was interesting and somewhat unexpected. I personally would have thought it would have been Pa Kent, shows how much I know. The most interesting thing to take from this, in my opinion, was the machine that the Kryptonians built to repel the power of the Black Rings. I know that they are an advanced race, but man, who knew. The possibilities. If they weren't so obsessed with themselves they could probably save everyone by trapping the Black Lanterns in the same sort of force field on their home planet (whatever that is.) Besides that, it was nice seeing Supergirl interact with her mother (Who, again, I did not know was alive.) Moving on, I never knew that one person could be feeling as many emotions at once as both Superman and Superboy did. What a display of, hmm, I don't know if I would consider a lack in controlling one's emotions or a complete control of one's emotions. Either way, the resulting artwork is fantastic.
Overall, nice tie-in. It had a little bit of everything you need in a good read. Some nice writing, great artwork (which I feel most people ignore comics, but some of the greatest artwork I've come across in recent years can be found in comics), a strong leading cast, as well as a likeable supporting cast, like Ma Kent and Krypto. Stop reading me, and go read it! Along with Batman!
Sidenote: I find it a tad strange that my spell-check finds nothing wrong with Superman, but throws red flags when I type Superboy or Supergirl.
Blackest Night: Titans ****1/2
This tie-in is probably the most revealing of all the Tie-ins I've read. Even if you haven't been following the Titans I'd suggest reading this one if only for the understanding that will come with reading it. While the other tie-ins (Superman and Batman) were great, they didn't particularly tie into the main story nor did they enlighten readers with further knowledge. This, to reiterate, is not the case with Titans. The non-regular readers will need to look up characters, that much at least is to be expected. Also, just like the other tie-ins this one does follow its own story, why wouldn't it. But, and that is a big but my friends, there are two things that happen in Titans that I found to be very important. The first was that Don Hall, the original Dove, did not rise when summoned by the black rings. The Black ring circled his grave, but alas, Don Hall did not rise because he was "at peace." This gives the reader just the slightest insight into the powers of the Black Rings. It should be mentioned that the being who bears the name "Dove" is usually an embodiment of peace. Furthermore, later in Titans, the current Dove (Dawn Granger) encounters some Black Lanterns, one being her now deceased sister. During their tussle, it became appear to us all (us being the readers) that the Black Lanterns could not "read" Dove as they do all other sentient beings. In a scene that seems to have shocked even Dove, Dove's peace (personified by her light) repelled the darkness of the Black Lantern and severed the Ring's connection to its body host. This lead my fellow comic book aficionados and I to conclude that Dove, and all her white Light, was the embodiment of all of the emotions (and colors of the spectrum.) Which goes along with the path that Indigo has taken Hal (combination of Lanterns and spectrums.)
This was a pretty good read. I knew the Titans well enough to know who was who, but even beyond that this tie-in brought with it the most twists and information. It is definitely a must read, even if you just read it once.
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps ***
I wouldn't particularly consider this a tie-in, mainly because it's more of a history lesson. If you want a brief overview of the different Corps, this is where you'd go. I thought the writing is great (as I've come to expect from Geoff Johns.) I will admit that it was a fairly interesting read. I can't say for sure why, but the story of Hope slightly disturbed me (blind faith tends to have that effect on me.) The story behind Fear didn't impress me any. It made it's point but nothing stood out in a good or bad way. I will admit that I allow myself to get a bit sappy when it comes to fictional characters (especially comic book characters) so the story behind Carol and her love ring did pique my interest a bit. I also would like to learn more about these supposed Violet Lanterns. Enough that I'll probably end up going back and reading her journey and interaction with Hal. I don't know if I like that the Orange Lanterns aren't "real." The Red Lanterns do intrigue me. I won't lie, I was fairly pleased when Bleez turned and killed the Yellow Lantern, I only wished she caused him a tad bit more pain first. What I found to be the most confusing were the Indigo Lantern. I didn't particularly perceive their actions to be all too compassionate. To clarify, I mean what they did to the Yellow Lantern wasn't compassionate, what they did to the Green Lantern could be perceived as putting him out of his misery (if he was not healable at least.) The stories behind Kilowog and Arisia, I thought, were touching. I didn't know too much about either and this story did a good job in getting me somewhat emotionally attached to the both of them.
I'm not sure if I should add a short review on Blackest Night #0 with Director's Commentary. I figure Geoff Johns and Adam Schlagman did a great job covering the issue. I always like reading commentary because it just gives you the slightest bit of insight.
Overall I thought the tales were a nice little insert thrown in, but not completely necessary to read. They're good to read if you enjoy absorbing the history and every aspect of the the story (Blackest Night) but not needed to follow Blackest Night.
Stay tuned for Part Two next month. In the following weeks, I will be reviewing individual issues. Read long and hard folks!
Forgive me if I leave anything out.
Part One:
Blackest Night: Batman ****1/2
Over all I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries. Although I am a big fan of the Bat-verse, I am not being biased.
I gave it 4.5 stars because I feel if you are a fan of Batman, then you definitely need to read this. However, if you aren't a fan (who isn't, though) then there isn't a necessity to read this, although it will inevitably bring you joy and pleasure. It's fun, the story line is pretty good, the art is nice, and it does what it set out to do: bring Blackest Night to Batman. Blackest Night Batman #1 does what the first issue of any miniseries should, it lays our the foundation of the series as well as generating enough interest to further read the series. The whole series will focus on Batman, Robin, and Red Robin's reaction to the reanimation of their loved ones. This plays along with the rest of Blackest Night, with the resurrection of dead loved ones, but it also toys with the recurring theme in Batman, which is the death of one's parents igniting the course of action. The scenes/panels/pages, call them what you will, that displayed the relationship that Tim and Dick have as well as their relationships with their parents were good. The scenes portraying the dynamic of the newly formed "Dynamic Duo" were also done very well. Blackest Night brought back guests, such as Boston Brand, aka Deadman, as well as brought recurring cast members, Commissioner Gordon and Barbara aka Oracle. Deadman was an unexpected guest, but was thoroughly amusing. As a long time fan of Barbara's, I can't say that I'll ever not appreciate a cameo on her part. You won't leave this miniseries knowing more about Blackest Night, but that's ok because I don't think you are meant to. There are bits and pieces of information that you can carry on to the main Blackest Night series, but the story is pretty self-contained, which isn't a bad thing mind you. I personally enjoyed the story very much and urge you to read it as well.
Blackest Night: Superman ****
I will be honest and say that I've never been a huge Superman fan. I like him fine, but personally I don't see any reason why the DC universe needs to him to be its savior. That being said, I did like this tie-in. I am a huge fan of Superboy and while I haven't read much on Supergirl, I do like her. On to the story. I did not know that New Krypton existed, so that threw me off for second, a short second I promise. Other than that, I liked seeing the interaction between Superboy and Superman. It's nothing like a Batman and Robin moment, but it's almost like watching two brothers interact when one is living in the other's shadow. I thought that choice for the antagonist was interesting and somewhat unexpected. I personally would have thought it would have been Pa Kent, shows how much I know. The most interesting thing to take from this, in my opinion, was the machine that the Kryptonians built to repel the power of the Black Rings. I know that they are an advanced race, but man, who knew. The possibilities. If they weren't so obsessed with themselves they could probably save everyone by trapping the Black Lanterns in the same sort of force field on their home planet (whatever that is.) Besides that, it was nice seeing Supergirl interact with her mother (Who, again, I did not know was alive.) Moving on, I never knew that one person could be feeling as many emotions at once as both Superman and Superboy did. What a display of, hmm, I don't know if I would consider a lack in controlling one's emotions or a complete control of one's emotions. Either way, the resulting artwork is fantastic.
Overall, nice tie-in. It had a little bit of everything you need in a good read. Some nice writing, great artwork (which I feel most people ignore comics, but some of the greatest artwork I've come across in recent years can be found in comics), a strong leading cast, as well as a likeable supporting cast, like Ma Kent and Krypto. Stop reading me, and go read it! Along with Batman!
Sidenote: I find it a tad strange that my spell-check finds nothing wrong with Superman, but throws red flags when I type Superboy or Supergirl.
Blackest Night: Titans ****1/2
This tie-in is probably the most revealing of all the Tie-ins I've read. Even if you haven't been following the Titans I'd suggest reading this one if only for the understanding that will come with reading it. While the other tie-ins (Superman and Batman) were great, they didn't particularly tie into the main story nor did they enlighten readers with further knowledge. This, to reiterate, is not the case with Titans. The non-regular readers will need to look up characters, that much at least is to be expected. Also, just like the other tie-ins this one does follow its own story, why wouldn't it. But, and that is a big but my friends, there are two things that happen in Titans that I found to be very important. The first was that Don Hall, the original Dove, did not rise when summoned by the black rings. The Black ring circled his grave, but alas, Don Hall did not rise because he was "at peace." This gives the reader just the slightest insight into the powers of the Black Rings. It should be mentioned that the being who bears the name "Dove" is usually an embodiment of peace. Furthermore, later in Titans, the current Dove (Dawn Granger) encounters some Black Lanterns, one being her now deceased sister. During their tussle, it became appear to us all (us being the readers) that the Black Lanterns could not "read" Dove as they do all other sentient beings. In a scene that seems to have shocked even Dove, Dove's peace (personified by her light) repelled the darkness of the Black Lantern and severed the Ring's connection to its body host. This lead my fellow comic book aficionados and I to conclude that Dove, and all her white Light, was the embodiment of all of the emotions (and colors of the spectrum.) Which goes along with the path that Indigo has taken Hal (combination of Lanterns and spectrums.)
This was a pretty good read. I knew the Titans well enough to know who was who, but even beyond that this tie-in brought with it the most twists and information. It is definitely a must read, even if you just read it once.
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps ***
I wouldn't particularly consider this a tie-in, mainly because it's more of a history lesson. If you want a brief overview of the different Corps, this is where you'd go. I thought the writing is great (as I've come to expect from Geoff Johns.) I will admit that it was a fairly interesting read. I can't say for sure why, but the story of Hope slightly disturbed me (blind faith tends to have that effect on me.) The story behind Fear didn't impress me any. It made it's point but nothing stood out in a good or bad way. I will admit that I allow myself to get a bit sappy when it comes to fictional characters (especially comic book characters) so the story behind Carol and her love ring did pique my interest a bit. I also would like to learn more about these supposed Violet Lanterns. Enough that I'll probably end up going back and reading her journey and interaction with Hal. I don't know if I like that the Orange Lanterns aren't "real." The Red Lanterns do intrigue me. I won't lie, I was fairly pleased when Bleez turned and killed the Yellow Lantern, I only wished she caused him a tad bit more pain first. What I found to be the most confusing were the Indigo Lantern. I didn't particularly perceive their actions to be all too compassionate. To clarify, I mean what they did to the Yellow Lantern wasn't compassionate, what they did to the Green Lantern could be perceived as putting him out of his misery (if he was not healable at least.) The stories behind Kilowog and Arisia, I thought, were touching. I didn't know too much about either and this story did a good job in getting me somewhat emotionally attached to the both of them.
I'm not sure if I should add a short review on Blackest Night #0 with Director's Commentary. I figure Geoff Johns and Adam Schlagman did a great job covering the issue. I always like reading commentary because it just gives you the slightest bit of insight.
Overall I thought the tales were a nice little insert thrown in, but not completely necessary to read. They're good to read if you enjoy absorbing the history and every aspect of the the story (Blackest Night) but not needed to follow Blackest Night.
Stay tuned for Part Two next month. In the following weeks, I will be reviewing individual issues. Read long and hard folks!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Hello and Everything that Encompasses
"Good Morning Starshine, the Earth says 'Hello'! " (Willy Wonka)
For today and the rest of your time spent in our universe, you can refer to me as Arnab. I've never written for a blog before, so forgive me if I may sound (non-vocally of course) a tad out of sorts. As Matt has mentioned, we are indeed friends and he has invited me to share with you all my thoughts, views, and everything I think about comics in general. Matt is pretty much one of two of my comic buddies, and definitely a person to be held in high regard, both in and outside of the realm of comics, superheroes, and everything awesome.
I thought it would behoove any, if not all, the readers to know which comics I follow and thus will probably be reviewing. I should also mention that I am more than willing to read and review any comic that is offered up and this list will most likely grow. Like Matt, I will divide them by publisher.
MARVEL:
X-Men Legacy
Uncanny X-Men
New Mutants
X-Force
Cable
Deadpool
Necrosha
New Avengers (sometimes)
Dark Avengers
Dark X-Men
The List
Psylocke (miniseries)
DC:
Green Lantern
Green Lantern Corps
Blackest Night-All Tie Ins
Batman
Batman and Robin
Red Robin
Gotham City Sirens
Streets of Gotham
Adventure Comics
Teen Titans (although I'm not completely up to date)
World's Finest (miniseries)
Superman Secret Origin (miniseries)
Green Arrow and Black Canary
Image:
The Walking Dead
Top Cow:
Berserker
I will also probably end up reviewing TPB's and any other collected issues I read. My first real post will probably come later today, hopefully, although most likely it will be a work in progress.
Watch for it!
For today and the rest of your time spent in our universe, you can refer to me as Arnab. I've never written for a blog before, so forgive me if I may sound (non-vocally of course) a tad out of sorts. As Matt has mentioned, we are indeed friends and he has invited me to share with you all my thoughts, views, and everything I think about comics in general. Matt is pretty much one of two of my comic buddies, and definitely a person to be held in high regard, both in and outside of the realm of comics, superheroes, and everything awesome.
I thought it would behoove any, if not all, the readers to know which comics I follow and thus will probably be reviewing. I should also mention that I am more than willing to read and review any comic that is offered up and this list will most likely grow. Like Matt, I will divide them by publisher.
MARVEL:
X-Men Legacy
Uncanny X-Men
New Mutants
X-Force
Cable
Deadpool
Necrosha
New Avengers (sometimes)
Dark Avengers
Dark X-Men
The List
Psylocke (miniseries)
DC:
Green Lantern
Green Lantern Corps
Blackest Night-All Tie Ins
Batman
Batman and Robin
Red Robin
Gotham City Sirens
Streets of Gotham
Adventure Comics
Teen Titans (although I'm not completely up to date)
World's Finest (miniseries)
Superman Secret Origin (miniseries)
Green Arrow and Black Canary
Image:
The Walking Dead
Top Cow:
Berserker
I will also probably end up reviewing TPB's and any other collected issues I read. My first real post will probably come later today, hopefully, although most likely it will be a work in progress.
Watch for it!
Labels:
AdventureComics,
Batman,
BatmanandRobin,
Berserker,
DC,
GCSirens,
GreenArrow,
Image,
RedRobin,
StreetsofGotham,
SupermanSO,
TeenTitans,
TopCow,
WalkingDead,
WorldsFinest
Dark Reign: The List
Dark Reign started almost concurrently with my renewed interest in comics. In fact the whole reason I got started reading again is I saw a teaser for Dark X-Men from my buddy Adrik and thought "Hey! Mimic! I like Mimic, let's catch up" (Sidenote: I like Exiles Mimic, not Earth 616 Mimic. Who knew?). So I read the Dark Avengers books, and read through the Dark X-Men arc to get to Utopia and what not.
Then I heard tell of the Osborn's List. A crossover event in which
Osborn would check things off his to-do list. These things range from revenge to murder to neutralization. Not really giving a crap about most of the Marvel Universe, i thought "Ehhh." I read the Avengers issue because I thought the preview on IGN was interesting, and I read X-Men because I do not intend on missing out on the X-Universe. Then randomly I read Wolverine, which, for anyone that's ever heard me talk about Wolverine before, knows is a very strange thing indeed. I despise his character for numerous reasons, but check in every so often to see if I've become a big enough fan boy to like his character. No dice yet, I'll keep you posted. But I thought I'd never read any of the others because I just don't care. But Spiderman came out, and I want to like Spiderman, so I read that. By that point I'd read more than I hadn't, and I had heard on a podcast that Punisher was worthwhile, so I figured I'd bite the big one and read all of them.
And actually, I'm kind of glad that I did. When I was just reading pieces of them, I thought "Wow, these are kind of disjointed stories that would probably mean a lot more to me if I was up-to-date with these series." But having read all 8 issues now I'm actually glad I did. Three of the more interesting twists happened in books I was not planning on reading. And they all start to show just how unhinged Osborn is and just how precarious his position.
Here's a very brief review of all of the titles, in publication order (I read them very out of order). There are spoilers, so be warned:
Avengers: Clint Barton is a badass. He manages to break into Avengers HQ and take out almost every single Dark Avenger. Had even one of his friends backed him up he would have succeeded in taking out Osborn. I get the whole "This is a slippery slope" argument, but there are things that need doing. ****
Daredevil: The fact that Bullseye blew up a building full of people should come as a red-flag for Osborn. I'm still not entirely clear on why Osborn doesn't think this whole thing was a bad plan (or maybe he does and he's got that plan in place too?). Not that the Daredevil universe really concerns me at all, but I the building blowing up surprised me. ***
X-Men: I don't like Namor. I don't like Namor as an X-Man. I don't like blue people. And scene. *
Secret Warriors: I don't care much for Nick Fury, but it wasn't a bad issue. Better than X-Men, but that's saying nothing. That Zodiac/Leviathan thing at the end sounds complicated in a fun way, and I enjoyed Nick's own list in response to Osborns. This is actually the first time I think the list was written out, although the first one I saw was in Hulk, which I think was a better reveal. ***
Wolverine: Cybernetic Zombies run by a giant Brain. Okie dokie then. It wasn't bad, I really just didn't quite understand what was going on here, and I was decidedly unmotivated to find out given past bias. Fantomex was cool, since this was my first time meeting him. I hate Captain Marvel. **1/2
Hulk: Not having read a Hulk book in years, I was kind of surprised that he got the radiation sucked out of him. But I liked the twist that Osborn's goal was to neutralize Banner rather than kill Hulk, because Banner is so smart. This is why I thought revealing the actual list was good here, because it made me go "Oh, this is more complicated." ***1/2
Punisher: Uhm, wow. Daken made Frank Castle fall apart. Literally. Ballsy of the writers to do that in a one-shot. I know I said spoiler alert, but this one needs to be read. ****
Amazing Spiderman: Already reviewed this in the main blog, but it's interesting to see Peter fight Osborn, since they have the most history. I'm interested to see the world start to turn on Osborn. ****
I found the series in general to be interesting. As with anything, there were some issues which were stronger than others. I think it's a good set-up for Seige, which I will only be reading pieces of. With Homecoming and Necrosha wrappping up, and Second Coming starting shortly, and Blackest Night ongoing in the DC universe, priorities have to be set.
Then I heard tell of the Osborn's List. A crossover event in which
Osborn would check things off his to-do list. These things range from revenge to murder to neutralization. Not really giving a crap about most of the Marvel Universe, i thought "Ehhh." I read the Avengers issue because I thought the preview on IGN was interesting, and I read X-Men because I do not intend on missing out on the X-Universe. Then randomly I read Wolverine, which, for anyone that's ever heard me talk about Wolverine before, knows is a very strange thing indeed. I despise his character for numerous reasons, but check in every so often to see if I've become a big enough fan boy to like his character. No dice yet, I'll keep you posted. But I thought I'd never read any of the others because I just don't care. But Spiderman came out, and I want to like Spiderman, so I read that. By that point I'd read more than I hadn't, and I had heard on a podcast that Punisher was worthwhile, so I figured I'd bite the big one and read all of them.And actually, I'm kind of glad that I did. When I was just reading pieces of them, I thought "Wow, these are kind of disjointed stories that would probably mean a lot more to me if I was up-to-date with these series." But having read all 8 issues now I'm actually glad I did. Three of the more interesting twists happened in books I was not planning on reading. And they all start to show just how unhinged Osborn is and just how precarious his position.
Here's a very brief review of all of the titles, in publication order (I read them very out of order). There are spoilers, so be warned:
Avengers: Clint Barton is a badass. He manages to break into Avengers HQ and take out almost every single Dark Avenger. Had even one of his friends backed him up he would have succeeded in taking out Osborn. I get the whole "This is a slippery slope" argument, but there are things that need doing. ****
Daredevil: The fact that Bullseye blew up a building full of people should come as a red-flag for Osborn. I'm still not entirely clear on why Osborn doesn't think this whole thing was a bad plan (or maybe he does and he's got that plan in place too?). Not that the Daredevil universe really concerns me at all, but I the building blowing up surprised me. ***
X-Men: I don't like Namor. I don't like Namor as an X-Man. I don't like blue people. And scene. *
Secret Warriors: I don't care much for Nick Fury, but it wasn't a bad issue. Better than X-Men, but that's saying nothing. That Zodiac/Leviathan thing at the end sounds complicated in a fun way, and I enjoyed Nick's own list in response to Osborns. This is actually the first time I think the list was written out, although the first one I saw was in Hulk, which I think was a better reveal. ***
Wolverine: Cybernetic Zombies run by a giant Brain. Okie dokie then. It wasn't bad, I really just didn't quite understand what was going on here, and I was decidedly unmotivated to find out given past bias. Fantomex was cool, since this was my first time meeting him. I hate Captain Marvel. **1/2
Hulk: Not having read a Hulk book in years, I was kind of surprised that he got the radiation sucked out of him. But I liked the twist that Osborn's goal was to neutralize Banner rather than kill Hulk, because Banner is so smart. This is why I thought revealing the actual list was good here, because it made me go "Oh, this is more complicated." ***1/2
Punisher: Uhm, wow. Daken made Frank Castle fall apart. Literally. Ballsy of the writers to do that in a one-shot. I know I said spoiler alert, but this one needs to be read. ****
Amazing Spiderman: Already reviewed this in the main blog, but it's interesting to see Peter fight Osborn, since they have the most history. I'm interested to see the world start to turn on Osborn. ****
I found the series in general to be interesting. As with anything, there were some issues which were stronger than others. I think it's a good set-up for Seige, which I will only be reading pieces of. With Homecoming and Necrosha wrappping up, and Second Coming starting shortly, and Blackest Night ongoing in the DC universe, priorities have to be set.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Additional author
So, he's all shy and such, but my very good friend Arnab is going to help me with this blog for now. As things go on I may add other authors, but seriously, this blog would not exist without his help and all-around being-there. His interests mirror mine, except he also is a big Batman follower. Look for his posts coming soon!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Gashapon Reviews: November 18, 2009
My first weekly set of reviews! I know a blog that has weekly "capsule" reviews of TV every week, so I'm basically taking his idea for comics. These are short paragraph or so reviews of each comic just passing on my basic ideas. The name comes from the Japanese capsule toys that I love oh-so-much.X-Men Legacy #229 (**)
I realize that not every storyline can be a grand arc. Seriously, I get it. You need small stand-alone issues, or issues with short arcs. But at least make them interesting. This whole Emplate thing is just monster-of-the-week far as I can tell, and it's nothing exceptional. I'm not the biggest fan of Rogue, especially what she's apparently become since Messiah Complex. And her going all Casper-meets-Dr.Manhattan bores me. I'm intrigued about what's up with Gambit, but I think the split personality is currently being handled better with Angel/Archangel in X-Force. I'll definitely watch where that goes, though. But to be honest, the whole reason this got two stars instead of three is because one character is named "Bling!" With the exclamation point o.o
Labels:
DarkAvengers,
Gashapon,
Legacy,
List,
Marvel
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Books I Follow
I should throw in an "As of November 19th, 2009" since this changes on a regular basis. But it will help me to set-up the tags from the beginning, which speaking from experience is a pain in the ass to set up later. I'm including the current events in each list, even though they won't last forever.
So, divided among publishers:
Marvel
Astonishing X-Men
X-Men Legacy
Uncanny X-Men
New Mutants
X-Force
Cable
X-Factor
Deadpool (just started this one)
Necrosha
Nation X
Dark Avengers
Dark X-Men
The List (various titles here. I've read X-Men, Avengers, and Wolverine, and will read Punisher and Spiderman)
Anything remotely relating to Jean Grey or Phoenix in any way, shape, or form.
DC
Green Lantern
Green Lantern Corps
Blackest Night (including the tie-ins for the major other characters, namely JLA members)
Dark Horse
Buffy Season 8
On my 'to-catch-up-on' list is Wonder Woman, and Arnab has been pushing me to read Batman forever. I'm a little sketchy on books that don't fit into the canon easily, but I've always loved Batman. I'm also contemplating getting into another Marvel book, either Avengers or Spiderman, although my hearts not really in either endeavor. I'm thinking especially about Young Avengers purely because there's a gay storyline there.
I'm fairly up-to-date on all of these titles, although there is a chunk of the X-Universe that I skipped over (Manifest Destiny and Divided We Stand, and all the Emperor Vulcan stuff after Rise and Fall). I will catch up on that, but right now my goal is just to stay current.
So, divided among publishers:
Marvel
Astonishing X-Men
X-Men Legacy
Uncanny X-Men
New Mutants
X-Force
Cable
X-Factor
Deadpool (just started this one)
Necrosha
Nation X
Dark Avengers
Dark X-Men
The List (various titles here. I've read X-Men, Avengers, and Wolverine, and will read Punisher and Spiderman)
Anything remotely relating to Jean Grey or Phoenix in any way, shape, or form.
DC
Green Lantern
Green Lantern Corps
Blackest Night (including the tie-ins for the major other characters, namely JLA members)
Dark Horse
Buffy Season 8
On my 'to-catch-up-on' list is Wonder Woman, and Arnab has been pushing me to read Batman forever. I'm a little sketchy on books that don't fit into the canon easily, but I've always loved Batman. I'm also contemplating getting into another Marvel book, either Avengers or Spiderman, although my hearts not really in either endeavor. I'm thinking especially about Young Avengers purely because there's a gay storyline there.
I'm fairly up-to-date on all of these titles, although there is a chunk of the X-Universe that I skipped over (Manifest Destiny and Divided We Stand, and all the Emperor Vulcan stuff after Rise and Fall). I will catch up on that, but right now my goal is just to stay current.
New Blog!
So, if all goes according to plan, this will be a blog dedicated to comics and all things pertaining, including comic books, trades, toys, animated offerings, and the occasional superhero movie. If I find time, I may also put some manga and anime stuff here, although I'm not sure.My goal is to post at least once a week, with a review of all the capsule review of all the comics I've read that week. On some weeks I may have to split it between DC and Marvel, but we'll see. Now that I've got a new apartment that's closer to work, I hope to have time in the morning to pound out some quick reviews.
Anyone that has seen my other blog will know I don't get with the updating so often, but I will do my best. I want Great Herring War to be mainly TV and Movies, with the occasional music, picture, or personal offering (If I ever get my ass in gear, Great Herring War will become solely TV/Movies. I use twitter and Facebook enough for the personal updates). I hope to have a post up tonight about the comics from this week.
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