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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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Dangling that Carrot 0
Man, at the end of issue #1 I thought Superboy was on his way to get the Teen Titans. Nope..... Or maybe yup, but we went back in time a little. And so Lobdell teases us for a little longer.My favorite thing about Superboy as written by Lobdell is his thought process as he tries to figure out this alien world. The actual story - and if/when it's every going to catch up with Teen Titans is coming in drips. But at least the thought process is fun.Also loved the couple who learned the horror movie ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Agua 4
Batwoman has a great opening. I have to say that the art on this book continues to be fantastic and is almost unlike anything else out there in mainstream comics. The way the panels are drawn and everything - this book is pure art. And the writing is, overall, great. I especially liked the dichotomy on one page of Batwoman undressing intertwined with panels of Flamebird dressing. The story, unfortunately, was a bit weak on story beats. I felt like I finished the issue way too quickly. I don't kn...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Like a Mutant Soap Opera 0
Comics can be an interesting story-telling medium. They always want you to think unlikely things are going to happen in each story arc and mini-series. But if you read long enough you start to see through the hyperbole. So I went into this booking thinking - Magneto didn't really suddenly turn terrorist. What's going on? Mind control? Someone dressed like him? While the issue is an entertaining read, it really fails to live up to what it claims to be.As for the ending of this issue:SPOILER WARNI...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Getting Reckless? 0
This book picks up right where the last one left off, Batman embarrassing Penguin in the one place where he is respected. Then it continues in the same vein as the last book - going back and forth between Mr Cobblepot's past and present. The art is done masterfully and we get almost cinematic transitions. Sometimes it can be a little confusing to tell if a speech bubble belongs in the present or past, but it's not too hard. Overall, we get the picture of someone what was made ruthless through hi...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Ages Pretty Well On Average 0
I recently picked up the 20th Anniversary edition of this seminal issue for a few reasons. First of all, I thought it was great timing what with Uncanny X-Men Vol 2 #1 coming out as a great point of comparison. Second, as someone who has always really been into the X-Men, I thought it would be neat - especially since I've been so steeped in it recently - collecting trade paperbacks and whatnot. Third, these are the X-Men I knew from the 1994 cartoon.Just like Uncanny Vol 2 #1, this issue spends ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A Top Notch Spider-Issue 0
Dan Slott really brings his A-Game with humor on the first page. I was literally laughing out loud for the first few pages.And there's some great fanservice for both the guys and the girls, but it doesn't feel scummy at all. It's mostly done in the service of humor. This issue also ties up all the loose ends from all the mini-series. Again, this was the best-handled event at Marvel for 2011. Everything led into everything else and it all worked so perfectly together.I KNEW Carlie would remember ...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Making This Team Relevant Again 2
I read comics in the late 90s - focusing on the big names they sold at Incredible Universe's newstand (X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man) and then I started up again in May of this year. So I really don't know who the New Mutants are. (I haven't taken advantage of the awesome comic encyclopedia that is Comic Vine) They say in this book that they were the first team assembled after the original team. So I guess they're older than the kids introduced in Grant Morrison's New X-Men and Whedon's Asto...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
This was actually a lot better than I thought it'd be 0
Parodies are hard to do well. Take a look at the Not Another ____ Movie movies, for example. I also didn't read fear itself. So I wasn't sure if I'd like this issue. But I like Wyatt Cenac, so I picked it up.I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, this issue has almost nothing to do with Fear Itself. As far as I can tell, only the first and last story are parodies of fear itself. That was the first good surprise - this is actually a collection of short (sometimes only one page long) stories th...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Good, but not as good as the other team 3
So here we are after Schism. I think this is going to turn out to be a highly personal thing, but I found Wolverine And the X-men to be a better #1. You can't help but compare the two as they've come out back to back. I enjoyed not just the writing and art on Wolverine, but also the subject matter. Wolverine was about the school. Uncanny is an action book. (At least this issue is)In this issue, Cyclops sets up an "Extinction Team" which is basically his para-military to deal with the new Sentine...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
The Perfect Spidey Issue 3
This issue has everything I want in a Spider-Man issue - funny quips, action, introspection, MJ, clones..... Well, I don't know about clones. I'm old enough to have gone through the first clone saga. And boy what a clusterf---- that was. However, that was back in the day when the comic companies were going nuts because everyone was buying for collecting and selling. Both major companies seem to have given up the silliness (Marvel's unending events Notwithstanding) and picked up a thing or two fr...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Getting Ready for Climax 0
This book is going a great job as the penultimate book before the story climax that has been years in the making (since Hickman started his Fantastic Four run). It successfully weaves together all the threads he's presented - the Cult of the Negative Zone, Anihilus, The Interdimensional Reeds, and the Kree. The only thing missing is Doom.It also does a great job blending everything that makes a great story. It was my favorite book this week. With how complicated Hickman's storytelling is, it's n...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
An Improvement 2
Last issue was WAY to derivative of Snyder's book. With this issue Jenkins has gone off to blaze his own trails. I'm actually intrigued by this story even if the premise seems a tad overused - bad guys juicing up on something that's also bad for them. With the last issue I was ready to give up on The Dark Knight. With this issue I'm willing to give it to the end of the arc.It is kinda silly that the rabbit is there - since she's supposed to make fun of cheesecake - but there's actually a story r...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Bad Webbing on the Cover 1
This is not a bad issue, but that last one was so great so this one seems pale in comparison. Tim and Cassie are still together, but she's still not sure whether to trust him. We get some weird hints that maybe Cassie isn't as young as she looks. Then the main part of the story kicks in. The B story has Kid Flash in NOWHERE jail trying to get free.It's a setup issue and it suffers a a bit for it. Really the only real problem I had with this issue is the way Lobdell writes her dialog and personal...
1 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
I just don't care about old Superman 1
This may just be the issue that convinces me that I'm just not a fan of old Superman. Maybe it's Perez's writing. Or maybe Grant Morrison "tricked" me into thinking I'd like anyone else's take on Superman. It seems as though his take on what Superman should be is a series of fights with bad guys. And maybe that's what Superman is supposed to be. But it just seems a little too much like those old 1940s Superman cartoons I used to watch on VHS.I also had a hard time with the fact that Lois figures...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Wolverine Just Can't Catch a Break 5
So all us X-fans know that Wolverine took a bunch of mutants back East with him to the Jean Grey school. Some amount of time has passed and the school is up and running. However, to actually count as a school, they need the approval of the Board of Regents. So we got one of the best X-Men stories of 2011 - a comedic issue in which every single thing that can go wrong goes wrong for Wolverine and Kitty as they try to walk the inspectors around. It almost makes me wish that every issue of Wolverin...
6 out of 7 found this review helpful. -
Filler 3
This story's just a one-shot and an average one at that. My lack of enthusiasm for the issue started with the premise - back during Whedon's run Emma made a deal with Danger, a sentient AI born from the Danger Room tech (only in Whedon's mind....), in exchange for help on Breakworld. The deal was to deliver Prof X and Emma works it. So I didn't buy the fact that she was still on the hook for a favor to Danger. Emma ALSO called BS on that, but Danger is able to manipulate her. So they go off on a...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Yo, Beast is an a-hole 3
This was a good ending to Uncanny X-Men. It'd probably mean a lot more to me as an ending if next month it wasn't about to restart with #1 - they should have named the new book something else. Still, it was good, although I didn't understand the beginning with Mr Sinister and his destruction/rejuvenation.Where Regenesis focused on what teams everyone was going on, this one focuses on how it's affecting Scott. I think it did an excellent job at that. As I say in the title of this review, Beast do...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
This Could Have Been Better 2
It's freakin' Wolverine and he's working with a kung fu master! How is this not a five-star-worthy book? Well, mostly because of the talking Gorilla. I have nothing against talking Gorillas. I do have something against talking Gorillas that are a little too clever for their own good and who are leaning on the fourth wall with all their weight if not quite breaking it. The dialog was also a little flat between Wolverine and his girlfriend. It just seemed too much like they were getting rid of her...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
How does Snyder Do It? 3
Snyder's batting 1.000 for Batman. We begin this issue in media res and then rewind to the previous day. Although it can be overdone I've always liked these kinds of stories. I guess it goes along with that research that came out recently saying we enjoy stuff more if we know the ending.As he did last month, Snyder keeps the noir in Batman that he brought over from Detective Comics. We have some shady cabal in Gotham that wants Wayne dead for some reason. Bruce thinks it's all horse crap for now...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Decompression Still in Full Effect 0
Even though things are still nice and slow in this issue, we get intimations that the next one will be at a bit of a more normal pace . I absolutely love the beginning of the issue, which starts off as a flashback on Krypton. We get a bit of Kryptonian lore as well as the reason for the fight. (The cover is not a lie)I think the writing continued to do this retelling of Supergirl well. She reacted as she should have to this dude claiming to be Kal-El. The biggest question is where we go from her...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
I really enjoyed Catwoman #2 0
So the last issue ended with the fanfiction-y cheesecake ending of Catwoman and Batman getting it on or about to get it on. This issue seems to make it clear they hadn't done the nasty just yet. So it starts off with a bit more fan service as Batman and Catwoman snuggle post-coitus.When Batman tries to pry and find out if she's actually OK, she bolts. I think this helps bring the whole sex thing back from having gone a little too far. It's not just a booty call for Batman. He actually has feelin...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
So...um...how long is this arc? 5
I guess DC tends to do 6 issue arcs while Marvel tends to do 5 issue arcs. There are always exceptions possible on both sides and I'm curious if this isn't one of them. I only say this because of the slow pace we seem to have going here considering we still have at least two more characters to meet plus the villain: remember you aren't supposed to know who Darkseid is because the new 52 is all about new readers. Sure, there are 80 pages of storytelling left if this is a six issue arc and a lot c...
4 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
Mirror, Mirror on the Cape... 0
So after this issue of Batgirl I'm having mixed feelings. The issue itself was good overall. But I'm not excited about Batgirl anymore. Maybe Gaile Simone was oversold or maybe I just had fond memories of Babs, but I'm not dying to read the next issue.Babs is a little too wordy with her thoughts. I like seeing into the thoughts of characters, but for some reason I found it a little distracting here. Also, from her thoughts, there are perhaps some more hints that she was never Oracle.The fighting...
2 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
Slightly Unnecessary 0
This issue of Generation Hope was slightly unnecessary and it seems like the creative team was just trying to skip ahead to the next month after all the Schism and Regenesis stuff is done. The middle section of the book is lifted straight from Regenesis which was a bit cowardly in that they should have just told people to buy both books instead of reprinting it.Things between Zero, Transonic, and Hope come to a head, but I'm not 100% satisfied with how it was handled. There is some explanation o...
1 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
The Epilogue to Schism (kinda) 2
So this issue actually somewhat takes place before the end of Schism #5 because that ends with Wolverine's flight to Westchester. So this is more of an explanation of why those specific people were on his Blackbird. This also takes place after at least the NEXT X-Men Legacy issue and Uncanny X-Force issue. (Which is a little weird narrative-ly) Also, Generation Hope #12 sandwhiches this issue.The art was great, including the metaphorical tribal fight between Cyke and Wolverine. The issue was gre...
4 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
A Breather 0
I've started to understand Hickman's rhythms. He throws a lot at you and then you and the characters get an issue to reflect on all that to greater understand it. This is one of the reflection issues. There's no action, just a regrouping after the huge fight.If there's one continued criticism I have of Hickman it's that there was no reason to break this off into FF when it depends HEAVILY on his run on Fantastic Four. There are tons of things you cannot and will not understand if you havne't rea...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Still Great - but how much does it affect? 0
This week's Uncanny X-Force falls into the same strange valley as X-Men Legacy. It presumably takes place before the events of Schism. And as of Regenesis we can see whether or not Apocalypse's plan has succeeded and whether or not Betsy is his bride.That aside, if you view this book in a vacuum - away from the rest of the X-books, remember hit it out of the park once again. He has a great balance between humor and drama as he has throughout this entire arc. The combination between the absurd an...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Possible Profound Consequences 0
I had a feeling I'd like this issue after I saw the MJ pinup on the front cover. Just kidding, but it is fun, semi-innocent cheesecake compared to what DC's been offering recently with their straight up Bat-boning.So this story picks up where the last one left off - MJ FINALLY has Spider-Powers. I'm not sure if they saved her for last so that she can play an important role in this story or so that poor MJ Watson never turns into a spider. Unfortunately, her part of the issue is what caused it to...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
The timeline's gone all Screwy 3
I really hope they finish this story arc by the next issue, because it's already narrative-ly irelevant. If you've read X-Men: Regenesis you already know what happens to Rogue's team. So at this point - where can the drama come? You know who can and can't die and who will make it back to Earth.That said, this issue continues where the last one left off. Some alien who was never hugged as a child wants to kill everyone. Everyone else wants to survive. There's a slight plot twist involving one of ...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
This might be for you. It was not for me. 0
I'm going to drop the bomb right away - this issue convinced me that I should drop Suicide Squad from my pull list.Why? There were a few reasons, let me enumerate in no particular order:I hate the dialog. It seems off. Also, it seems like they're trying too hard to be cool. I literally cringed when I read "BOOM! HEADSHOT!"Harley's personality sucks. I don't know if she's meant to be like Joker now, always changing her personality, but this depiction feels way off. And coming off of Gotham City S...
3 out of 7 found this review helpful. -
Wah Wah Wah! 6
Hurwitz has done something I didn't think could be done - he kept Penguin's "wah wah wah" squawk and also made him into a menacing criminal. Penguin's been (from my various exposures to his character) a hard character to portray well. I think the idea (perhaps originating around the time of Batman: The Animated Series) of making him a gangster with a night club as a front has worked well. But this is the first book to make me care about the Penguin.It starts off with his youth and showed that on...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
The Perfect Ending to An Era 2
So, Schism....what a roller coaster, right? It started off well, then we had the Hellfire Kids and then they were able to really give it a good close. It's funny, because it has all the makings of the types of endings where Cyclops and Wolverine will kiss and makeup. Unfortunately, in this day of internet news, we knew that wasn't going to be the case. I think what I liked best about the issue is that it left things in a gray area. Neither Wolverine or Cyclops were completely right. And, I think...
2 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Action without Action 2
The great team of Morrison and Morales work together to make an issue in which Superman spends an inordinate amount of time in a chair an exciting and tense issue. In addition, Morrison, ever on his game, teases at least three new plots that will keep us wanting to read Action Comics for a long time. Here we see the US Goverment, with Luthor's help, figuring out exactly what Superman is. Morrison continues the trend in this DC revamp of exploring and deconstructing what a modern, cynical world w...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
There's Always Two of Me Around 1
Remender proves he can write well for Venom as well as for the X-Force with this issue. We get to see the behind-the-scenes fight between Venom and Anti-Venom that was hinted at in ASM #670. The church imagery with Anti-Venom together with his revival preacher speech makes for a great scene and is completely believable for a Spider-Island situation. But this issue wasn't just about Spider-Island - as a cross-over and not a mini-series it also has to further the Venom story - and that it does. We...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
No One Likes Superman Anymore 3
When this issue opened up, here's the thoguht that went through my head, "some media mogul is buying The Daily Planet. Ok...." Not exactly a Superman story, is it? I wouldn't really know because I haven't read a Superman book since "The Death of Superman" trade paperback. And, if Action Comics didn't exist, I would not be reading any Superman at the end of this first month of DC's New 52. Actually, that's completely the opposite, because it's the fact that Action Comics found room for both ...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Stand in the Place Where You Are 3
So here's the fourth and final Batman book. There seems to be a lot of nice, tight interplay between the four books. (of course that’s easy now before everyone gets out of sync) This one seems to crossover slightly with Batman with the revitalization project Bruce is working on. The biggest flaw with this book is that although it's the exact (hint: not actually exact, per say) mirror image of Batman, it just doesn't work as well. What do I mean about mirror image? Batman starts at Arkham a...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Smells like Teen Spirit" 6
So here's Lobdell's second foray into the teen story lines. (After Superboy) Thankfully, since they're mostly (or all) underaged, no one's naked in this issue. The quick and dirty: while the Teen Titans of the past still were TT members (Dick, Starfire, etc) the history of the current lineup (with Red Robin) appears to have been erased. I never read Teen Titans before, so I couldn't care less. I came to this book because of Red Robin and I like his characterization. More on that later.One t...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Strange Things Are Happening To Me 2
I love this issue for the same reason I think most people will hate it: it's a jumbled mess. If it were a TV show, it would probably be a soap opera with it's constant jump cuts to what's happening with the rest of the cast. But as I mentioned before, Slott is doing an amazing job of keeping all the mini-series tightly involved with the main book. This really should be the template for all future Marvel events. Unlike Fear Itself, there's a reason to grab up all the extra issues. For example...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
I think You're Crazy 2
I'm not quite sure how he does it, but Hickman (along with his artists) manages to make a book in which most of the action happens off screen extremely interesting. I think it's because he fundamentally understands the characters he's writing and the tensions between them. Particularly great is the writing and art when it comes to Reed Richards and Black Bolt. Black Bolt doesn't even speak and we get the tension there between deep friends (or at least long-time colleagues) and what each belie...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
The Past DECADE of X-Men comes Full Circle 0
As I've said in my previous Schism reviews, this is a very divisive event. There's the barely credible super smart, super rich, super spoiled bad guy kids. There's the fact that issue 1 starts off with Wolverine affirming his fealty to Summers. Of course, this is to ensure a bigger payoff when they fight, but it also stretches credibility when it comes to a FIVE issue arc vs a year run (like Morrison or Hickman). This issue does a lot to help make it believable.Another thing I've mentioned i...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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