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5 (77) 4 (188) 3 (88) 2 (12) 1 (2) 4.0 starsAverage score of 244 user reviews
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Underwater Lair, rerally? 2
Starting with the cover: I wouldn't have known this had I not just read Supergods, but the cover is a parody/homage to a famous Flash cover.This story features the Sinister Six, as promised on the cover. They have been promoted as the villains of the next big Spidey-event and this issue felt like both a filler issue between arcs and an intro to the motives of the current Sinister Six team. It's funny that there's been so much talk of comic book death over the last few months, because the main im...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Where Do We Go From Here? 0
So the big reveal (for the members of X-Force) last issue was that Fantomex had cloned the Apocalypse kid that he shot back in the first story arc. In this issue he explains why he did it. The part between Psylocke and reborn Angel was heartbreaking. It's interesting that they've decided to send Young Apocalypse where they did. I wonder if that leads to him discovering that his time the The World is a lie and whether that leads to him becoming evil.It's definitely tough to fit this within the co...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Quire Steals the Show 0
This issue is the end of the first arc involving the NY State Board of Regents and the Hellfire Kids. And so while I'll momentarily get into why I loved this issue, I hope we have time now for a few issues of peace and getting to better know the students. For example, what's up with Kid Gladiator and Warbird. What's going to happen with Broo and Oya. And so on. A one to two issue breather arc would be greatly appreciated.As far as this issue, it was once again a great balance of action and humor...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Ruined by the New 52 0
I'm not a blindly-following Grant Morrison fanboy. While I think he can be quite masterful, I have found some of his work to be confusing and sometimes his dialog is pretty hard to follow. And it's not hard to find yourself finishing a Morrison collection and feeling like you missed half of the references in the book. That said, this book and how neatly it wraps up everything Morrison had been doing on Batman during his run is a master work. And some, if not all, of this did not happen thanks to...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
What Happens when Batman is gone? 0
Everything goes to crap and not even the 7 Bat-family characters depicted on the cover (and the half-dozen more inside) can do anything to stem it. At first I felt that was a bit cheap. After all, these are mostly very capable people, some of whom trained directly under Bruce. Surely all of them together can hold back the tide. But I regained respect for the idea when it was revealed that it wasn't the fact that Bruce was gone, but that Batman was gone; a very subtle distinction.Although some (o...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Good in Trades - Probably Agony Monthly 0
This trade is a slow burn as Xavier's mind is rebuilt following his apparent death in Messiah CompleX. Mike Carey explores Xavier's past within the frame story of some mutant who is trying to undo the brain damage caused by the bullet he took to the head. This story was definitely made for the X-Men geeks like me who know what parts of the X-Men past Carey is revisiting and filling in. Of course, now that Deadly Genesis had taken place, there's room for showing some of the shady things he did in...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
And there's Hope 0
This trade collects one of the most important story lines for the X-Men in the past 10-12 years. Why? Ever since Morrison's refresh of the X-Men in 2001, things have been building up to this point. We had M-Day which depowered most mutants. We had Civil War which showed that the X-Men were essentially in an internment camp post-M-Day. Deadly Genesis escalated what the Onslaught arc started with Xavier's fall from grace. And then we end up here. FINALLY there's a mutant born! Everyone fights to g...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Not A Villain 0
This mini-series continues with some pretty great story. Let me just get it out of the way - the undoing of the comic book death is dumb. It barely even makes sense within the Marvel universe. But let’s just leave that aside. The story is a good Magneto character study. Both he and Professor X have grown a LOT since Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run. They’ve been picked apart and shown to be not all that different. The phrase two sides of the same coin wouldn’t be too cliche to describe them as all...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Guns 0
There’s good dialog here both internal and external. The action is well written and well “choreographed”. It’s pretty believable. The whole thing about him KILLING each of the Avengers seems to be a misdirect. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say that the marketing hype may have over-promised there. Overall, this appears to be one of those ancient Greek stories where the Oracle tells you something, but it’s vague enough that you might end up causing what you are trying to prevent. ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A little emo 0
This issue’s a little bit emo, but these Pinocchio plots always are. Superboy continues to try and figure out who he is and where he comes from and how he can fit in. We’re slowly being walked away from his sense of wonderment as he begins to feel and act as if he’s empowered. (emotionally) He has some interesting and fun to read outbursts in NYC. And I thoroughly enjoyed what happened when he met up with the Pulp Fiction Homage couple that was introduced in the last issue. I almost forgot - we ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Father and Son 0
The book opens up right where the last one left off. This leads to a great action scene as Nobody monologues a deconstruction about Batman’s desire not to kill anyone. It’s a little tired for me, having seen The Red Hood OAV recently, but it’s delivered well. Both during and after this we get a great father and son moment between Bruce and Damian. I hope to see this be the book where both Bruce and Damian continue to grow emotionally. While Bruce is certainly an archetypal character that can’t c...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Better than a Gas-filled Umbrella 1
The story is still great as Penguin continues to prove his bonafides as a ruthless gangster. I love the twists and turns that the story takes as the death of his mother in issue 2 seemed to have derailed the main thread of the story up to that point. We get a great artistic moment where panels alternate between an example of his ruthlessness and beneficence There's also another GREAT Joker sight gag. I think there's been one in each issue - at the very least there've been 2 in the past 3 - in wh...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A Little Deeper into the Vulture's Arc 0
What I loved most about this issue is that it was the perfect ASM issue - it starts off with the Spider-humor right away! Also, Carlie is one of the best forensic scientists on the force, so it's nice to see her using her detective skills. As a Peter/MJ shipper who hopes they are meant to be, I was alarmed to see they planted the seeds for Pete and Carlie MAYBE getting back together. At the very least, it's good they can work together at a professional level. I'm reading the FF John Byrne collec...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Man of Steel 0
Back during the old DC Universe, Man of Steel was a dude who was helping fill the Superman void after the Death of Superman. In Grant Morrison's retelling, he's someone who was working on a metal power suit who quit because of Lex Luthor's policies. He then demonstrates why people tend to be escorted out when they quit - he kept one of the suits for himself. This type of thing happens a lot in comics, but it would probably not be allowed to happen in the real world.The issue is mostly him and Su...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
This is even more awesome than I thought it'd be 0
I have no other experience with Matt Fraction other than Marvel Point One so I had no idea what I was getting into. I decided to pick up this issue because it has Namor in it and because it supposedly has something to do with a secret at the Heart of the Marvel Universe.But it will go on my pull list because I love pretty much everything about this issue.I love that there are strange notes at the bottom of each of the pages. I like the opening scene with Dr Strange. I LOVE the dialog. And I love...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
The Fantastic Spider-Brain Trust 0
This is the storyline that took place right before I got back into comics this May (2011). Originally this was as far back as I was going to go with the Amazing Spider-Man trades. Then I got Brand New Day at my comic shop as part of their buy two get one sale. And, having read that, I now see that Dan Slott and the others involved with Spidey have decided to take the X-Men approach of recursive levels of stories. I thought when I started reading with the Spider-Island story arc which then moved ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Mister Sinister's Xanatos Gambit 0
I had a lot of fun reading this issue because I LOVE Xanatos Gambits (and the closely related Batman Gambit). And the crux of this issue is that Mister Sinister has one such plan up his sleeve. So it's fun to see how he's planned for everyone's possible powers thanks to how much he's studied the X-Men over the years. Will this be enough for him to defeat the team or will they find a way around it? That's what makes this issue so much fun!There's some commentary about Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Emma...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Batman is ALWAYS prepared!!! 0
If there is a simple message to this trade it's that Batman is always prepared! The narrative starts off a little incomprehensible as Grant Morrison is want to do. But once it gets into high gear, I think this is one of the most well-written of his Batman books. I love how he fishes into the past for silly things from the olden days like Bat-Mite and makes it make sense in the post-Year One world of Batman.I love the art in this book. There are many ways to portray Joker and I'm a huge fan of hi...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Bachalo on Spider-Man! 0
(This is copied over from my comic-related blog Comic POW! On the Entry this is copied from I take a look at how well Volume 1 and Volume 2 fit together as a whole story. See that here)So as this volume starts, I’d like to see things start to come together a bit more. Or, at the very least I’d like to see some more of Mr. Negative. I’d like to know the resolution to the Spider-Tracer killings and I’d like to know who Menace is. Finally, I want to know about Jackpot and if she has any ties to Mar...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
How "reboots" should be done 0
(This is copied over from my comic-related blog Comic POW! On the Entry this is copied from I take a look at how well Volume 1 and Volume 2 fit together as a whole story. See that here)This volume starts out with an introduction to Spider-Man — what’s changed and what’s the same starting with Brand New Day. The result is an interesting mix of retaining the old and starting over. It seems a lot like the status quo of Batman in the new 52 DC Universe. I would actually have preferred to have had a ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
And he's back up ! 0
Issue #2 was a bit of a dip for me in terms of story-advancement and all that. Plus there was the semi-cheesy teenage dialog. This time, however, Lobdell does a great job with a team book. (As I would expect from a former X-Men writer) It jumps around between the different groups of heroes and lets all their stories advance. I enjoy that much more than having an issue per dude. It keeps things from getting stale and gives a reason for all our heroes to be together in the next issue.Speaking of w...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
OK, maybe this is going somewhere 0
This issue picks up where the last one left off. Overall, of the four Batman series, I'm really enjoying this one the least, but I liked this issue a bit more than the other two. Maybe it's because he does a little bit more detective work. What I don't like is that the main villainess is either extremely obvious or a really strangely done misdirection. I do wonder if my general dislike for her is being sown by CV podcast's distaste for the White Rabbit and the fact that she's meant to be a chees...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
There's a movie quote that'd be spoilerific to use here 4
So Fantastic Four is back! (At least for a few issues) Great! This book starts off by advancing the main story for the first bit of the issue. We're talking about the story that has been going on since Hickman started his F4 run and which continued through the FF. We get some pretty good movement there although it's MOSTLY just stalling for either FF #12 or F4 #601. We then get the bulk of the issue which is the HUGE REVEAL. And you can probably guess what that is. Then we get 3 more mini storie...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
At least it was free 0
Picked this collection up in hardcover form when my shop was having a buy two get one free sale on hardcovers. I wanted to get caught up to where I started reading Astonishing in monthly form - Monstrous/Meanwhile. In a way, the constant delays that plagued Astonishing X-Men have been a mixed blessing. While the book had to cede the flagship title spot back to Uncanny X-Men, it had the luxury to develop stories that fit in the cracks of the other books. So this story, it appears, occurs before t...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
More like Confusing X-Men, amiright? 2
Like everyone else, ever since the image for this month's cover was released I've been pretty curious about what's going on. After all, it's 1990s Storm and present-day Cyclops. The good news is that the cover is not a lie. In fact, I think it's an actual panel with the background photoshopped out. So it's not like Marvel pulled a bait-and-switch on us. But what does happen leaves me extremely confused! Unlike the Logan/Jean kiss in Grant Morrison's New X-Men which made sense under the emotional...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Another great issue 0
Once again Bachalo and Aaron bring it. A continuation of last month's issue, the Hellfire Club's attacks on the new school continue. The issue is funny and fun and the art once again matches it. The only bad thing about the art is that a few times I was a little unsure of who someone was when they went SD form. The battles were also a little strangely drawn in that I wasn't always 100% sure what was going on - see the Broo part for a good example.It's interesting that Krakoa is the bad guy consi...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Things Continue for those Who Came back from Space 0
So those who came back from space in The Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire have a new problem to deal with - the morlocks apparently have a book that predicts the future. And it leads them to crazy acts of terrorism. You might want to get the Endangered Species paperback instead because apparently this was part of a larger meta-story going on at the time.Storm comes back - she was taking time off from the X-Men at the time and helps them deal with O*N*E and the Morlocks. This takes place more o...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Good, but Not as Epic 0
This is a continuation of Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire. This was only 5 issues vs 12, so it didn't have room to be quite as epic as the other tale. It also has a much less satisfying ending - it seems as though it ends mid-story, but I guess it's probably continued elsewhere. Actually the absolute ending (last page or two) is extremely satisfying, but the general ending to the story - just seemed to end mid-story.Basically The Starjammers have to team up with Vulcan midway t...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
This Explains a Lot 0
I jumped back into comics this year and I was wondering why a few X-Men were stuck in space in X-Men Legacy. Well, this is the origin story. Technically this all started back with Deadly Genesis. This is a direct continuation from that story in which you discover that Scott Summers has a second younger brother named Vulcan. He goes on a rampage of revenge against the Shi'ar empire who killed his mother and made him a slave.The year-long (in our time) saga in this trade covers his revenge and Xav...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The book I most look forward to every month 0
This is definitely a Snyder #3 issue. Just like Swamp Thing #3 it is very wordy, but there's a lot to get out there about this Owl Society Court of Owls. And Snyder manages to pull it off in such a way as to keep it from seeming that he's holding your hand too much. In fact, this story almost feels like it should be in Detective Comics with all the detective work going on. But it has my favorite Batman story device - he has all these different conversations with people where hints are getting dr...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
I Kinda Wish it was Published More Often 0
Of course, my wallet is glad that it isn't. But I feel like so much story is not getting told because they have too much to do in 20-something pages. Usually with the X-Men there's an action-y book and a personal drama book. I tend to prefer the drama books because the action tends to be repetitive. Heck, the X-Men are even fighting Sentinels again! But Generation Hope is a book divided between the drama and the action and I feel that a lot of good story is being pushed to the side. I think, mut...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Why Are They Cancelling this book?!? 0
Marjorie Liu is a great writer. Sure, I was going to start collecting X-23 in trades, but that's just because I don't have infinite money and some books have to fall by the wayside, but I thought the book was selling so well. And this issue is a great example of Liu's great story-telling and how dynamic she is. Within this volume we've gone from X-23 the uncontrollable killer to X-23 the FF babysitter.This is like the funny episode of a drama and it works sooooooo well! I love the way she writes...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A Mixed Bag 0
This issue has a GREAT plot device for exploring the characters' backstory. It is horrible for advancing the current arc. I would have preferred for this issue to take place a little later after this arc is over. Basically, the team goes trekking through an Escher painting while some god-like dude looks at their most cherished memories.I know Lobdell is trying to make Kory out to be proud (as she's from royalty) but her cherished memory makes her look like a HUGE jerkRoy's memory is pretty coolJ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Spider-Island Epilogue Part 2 0
Dan Slott does a good job of using the end of Spider-Island as one of the motivating factors for some characters in this issue. It works pretty well, as if his run on Amazing Spider-Man is one giant story arc made up of mini-story arcs. It's pretty refreshing considering that some of Marvel's other books have such an abrupt discontinuity between story arcs that it's almost as if the previous story arc didn't happen until we need to refer to it again in the future. We have Kingpin lamenting the l...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Hey!?! Where's Catwoman's Undies?!? 0
This issue picks up right where the last one left off, with Bone having captured Catwoman. Winnick does a good job writing Bone's early dialogue because I actually felt for him a bit. He seemed to have a pretty good reason to be pissed off at Catwoman. Of course, he makes the James Bond villain mistake of leaving her death to his minions and she gets free. Her escape is pretty believable for a comic book protagonist.Some stuff happens and we get to see a continuation of the Batman relationship.O...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
They're going to be a team? 0
Wonder Woman joins the fray. There's a hilarious opening scene with her exploring the modern human world. After that it's just a great action issue. I really enjoyed each part of the book even though there isn't really much time for the team to gel. If I remember correctly, after this arc the book goes back to the present day. That seems like it would be a big mistake because I'm not really sure how this team ends up coming together as a team. Right now they're just all fighting Darkseid's minio...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
For a Good Time Call Red Hood 0
The title of this review comes from the funny graffiti on the Gotham subway train and it's a great example of the detail Syaf puts into his art. While it's not the best art out there, it's a very good style that works very well with this book.The issue picks up right where the previous one left off, with Babs at The Mirror's old lair. He tells her she has a limited amount of time to find his next victim before the subway train he's on is blown up. Babs comes up with an ingenious way to foil that...
2 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Bruce and Damian CAN be compelling 0
There's something to be said for the great possibilities of having a former Robin with his own Robin. And Batman and Robin Vol 1 did a good job exploring that. This one had a bit of a rocky start. It felt to some of us readers that it was a regression for Damian. But this issue really picked things up.First of all it has one of my favorite Bat-elements - metaphors. Of all the comic book properties, Batman has always trucked in visual metaphors and tying them into the story. We get a few here wit...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Luck About to Change? 0
This continues the great story that started in issue #1. Huntress is freeing sex slaves in Italy. It's pretty cool that she's so kick-ass, but it's also a bit boring. So I'm guessing that next issue, being the middle of the series, will bring in some drama. Otherwise, she's getting to be a Mary Sue and that's boring.I picked up the first issue because she's supposed to be the Earth-2 daughter of Batman and Catwoman and that seemed pretty cool. The authors seem content not to explore whether or n...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
They Found a Way to get us to pay for Marketing 0
In a way, this one-shot is ridiculous. It's just a bunch of teasers for what's coming up in a few months. You don't have to read this one-shot - just read Comic Vine's news stories and you'll find out about all of this. Or they could have put out a preview comic like with Avenging Spider-Man or Defenders. However, given that they did put this out this way - it wasn't half bad.There's a cool framing device of the Watcher seeing all and we get to see what he sees. It has a bit of a saturday mornin...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
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