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5 (20) 4 (26) 3 (9) 2 (6) 1 (1) 4.1 starsAverage score of 62 user reviews
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Millions of miles from Earth, yet worth the trip... 1
Original PostAt this point, it's official. John Carter has become the biggest box office bomb in film history.And yet, as I exited the theater, all I could ask myself was, 'Why?' Actually I wasn't asking myself anything. My reaction was more of a 'OH MAN, THAT MOVIE WAS COOL', but still.The point I'm trying to make is that John Carter, from a purely technical standpoint, is too competent to be looked upon as a failure. Furthermore, it has too much heart, too much attention paid to its characters...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Coming together... 0
This post was originally posted on my Wordpress. HERE'S that link for you...The flagship of the New 52, Justice League has a lot riding on the broad shoulders of its squad of superhero protagonists. Despite a solid first issue that teased a few different plot lines and slowly introduced a few members of the team, many felt a little underwhelmed by the offering. I was not among this crowd, but the impression remained that Justice League #2 had to bring more to the table to impress the comic-buyin...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Kickin' it new school 0
This here post was posted on my Wordpress site, originally. Check that out HERE.Despite the X-Men animated series being probably number 3 on my favorite Saturday morning cartoons list (NOTE: List does not actually exist)- topped only by Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series- I've never truly been a hardcore X-Fan. I know the characters, sure, I even love some of them. But as a team, the X-Men have felt a bit anachronistic to me in the prevailing years. They're a team of...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
The Spider-Train is Losing Steam... 0
This review's original home was on my Wordpress blog. That's right HERE, btw.Spider Island rolls along... and along... and along... I certainly love Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos' Spidey run this far, and I've maintained a loyal reading of Spider Island since it started up, but I can't help but think the event (like many in Marvel) is starting to wear out its welcome.THE GOODI feel like a broken record at this point praising both Slott and Ramos for their respective roles in this book, but it bea...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Black Magic Woman 0
The original version of this review can be found on my Wordpress blog. Check that out HERE.The DC Comics "New 52" has taken quite the beating over the course of a short time due primarily to the portrayal of some of DC's female characters. Fan service is certainly nothing new, and not having read any of the titles where these portrayals were, I can't comment honestly myself.But I DID read Voodoo #1 by Ron Marz and Sami Basri, and whilst there's plenty of exposed skin, it at least seems justified...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
The Right Kind of Different... 0
This was originally posted on me blog. Check that out HERE, me hearty. Yargh. *pirate solicit*If you happened to be one of the three or four people who read my Green Arrow #1 review, you may remember me not being too keen on writer JT Krul's first effort in DC's New 52. Perhaps it's because I hold such personal affection for the character that I just couldn't separate his past adventures from the reinterpretation Krul made in this whole revamp... thing.Or maybe it just wasn't a very good comic. ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Torturous Fun 0
This blog was originally posted on my review. Wait... I think I got that wrong... LOOK, HYPERLINK!Suicide Squad is a fun book. If I knew nothing else whilst reading it, I knew I was having a great time. It's far from the most "put-together" title I've read thus far in the DC "New 52", but writer Adam Glass here has put forth a title with interesting and fun characters put into absurd and unpleasant situations. It's just a shame that a handful of problems prevent this from being a perfect debut.T...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Missing the Mark 0
This review originally appeared on my Wordpress blog. That's right HERE, if you were curious...Green Arrow is one of my all-time favorite characters in comic books. Like many fans, I too was concerned that, in DC's new reboot/revamp/rewind effort, old Oliver Queen would suffer. I remained optimistic, but there was always that pang of fear. The attachment of J.T. Krul, who had done a solid job in taking Ollie in some interesting new directions following Blackest Night, and the crafty veteran of D...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Contagion 0
This review was originally posted on my Wordpress blog. Check it out HERE!Spider-Island is in full effect in issue #669, and I couldn't be happier with the direction its taken. Where many events have such a perpetual glut of doom and gloom, Spider-Island has been nonstop fun. This isn't the strongest issue of the arc thus far, mainly because we're in the midst of some pretty goofy stuff going on, but the reader is still getting Dan Slott's hilarious and inspired writing and Humberto Ramos' incre...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Soaring to New Heights 0
This review originated on my Wordpress blog. THIS one. Right HERE."The Batman of Africa" is the most used tagline people attach to DC's new Batwing series. It's not wholly inaccurate. After all, lead character David Zavimbe was appointed by the Dark Knight himself to fulfill that exact role.But tagging Batwing #1 with such a dull/singular description would be to sell this book drastically short. Out of the books that the "New 52" has put out, this is the first one to feel genuinely special. Inde...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Heroes and Casualties 1
This review was posted concurrently on my Wordpress blog. To check that out, clicky HERE. The veritable "odd man out" among a sea of flashy titles and primary colors, it'd be easy to overlook Men of War in DC Comics' "New 52". Its seemingly sobering focus on modern infantry would at first appear to be more of a reaction to the Call of Duty kids that permeate all parts of today's society than a genuine attempt at expanding the DC Universe in a significant way.Of course actually taking a look i...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A Brave New World... 3
This review was originally posted on my Wordpress. Click HERE if you don't believe me! But seriously, do...It is a officially here, ladies and gentleman. Call it a re-boot, a re-launch, a travesty or a blessing, but DC's "New 52" has finally arrived. It's difficult, even for me who fancies himself an impartial reviewer, to disconnect this singular issue from the gravity that it holds. This one issue is perhaps the most important thing DC has put out in years- saddled with the impossible...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
War Days 0
This post was originally from my Wordpress blog. That, and other long-winded musings, can be found HERE. Captain America's stock in the world of comics has always been relatively high. Considered a top tier character in his own right, it may surprise the casual observer (and those that just recently peeped the fantastic Captain America film by Joe Johnston) that Steve Rogers hasn't actually been Cap for quite a while now. In fact, aside from being DEAD for a while, Steve's been more of an a...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
The (Turtle) Boys are Back 1
This post originated on my new Wordpress blog. To see that, and other silliness, click HERE. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may just be the biggest part of my childhood. Those heroes in a half-shell have had a long and storied career, but despite trying several times to break-through into the hearts and minds of newer generations, I'm not sure the turtles have been all that successful.And maybe because of this, those turtle boys find themselves going back to their roots, with a new comic book s...
7 out of 7 found this review helpful. -
Ultimate Comeback 0
This post was originally posted on my Wordpress blog. For that (and more nonsense), click HERE. The original run of Marvel's The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch is the series I attribute to getting me into comics seriously. Oh yes, I'd read comics before that, watched plenty of animated features based on comic characters, but never really FOLLOWED a series. The Ultimates, with its familiar characters put in a universe with its plausibility (and oddly enough, its craziness) amp'd u...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Together in Imperfect Harmony 0
Cloak and Dagger are more accessory than actual team at this point in comic continuity. Certainly, their current place in the Marvel Universe is a far cry from the paling around with Spider-Man that I remember so vividly from my childhood. Hell, Cloak and Dagger are the team that I remember most vividly from my youth, but have read nearly next to nothing from in the prevailing years that I've come back to reading comic books. Out of the void (the Darkness Dimension one might say) comes a Clo...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan 0
Despite Cap being one of my very favorite comic book characters ever, I had little faith in the ability of anybody being able to bring him to life on the silver screen. Regardless of my affection for ol' Steve Rogers, it's just a little tough to picture the red, white, and blue boy scout being taken seriously when given flesh and blood. But somehow, some way, not only is Captain America: The First Avenger a wholly entertaining piece of period fiction and faithful to the hero's long lineage,...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Brand New Devil 0
Daredevil hasn't been himself for a while. The amount of times Matt Murdock has veritably been screwed over is reaching a Peter Parker level of ridiculous at this point, and this DD fan was sick of it. Yep, I haven't read a new comic from one of my favorite characters in some time, mainly because I don't feel like he's been the character who made me fall in love with comics in just about forever. After reading Mark Waid's first issue of this new Daredevil series, I can say that Matt Murdock i...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Genesis of a Mad Man 0
Red Skull is one of those villains that, although he's considered legendary in the Marvel Universe as one of its greatest villains, I honestly have trouble accepting him outside of the context of the war that created him. That's a non-issue with Red Skull: Incarnate, as we see the coming of age of the man who would become Red Skull. Whilst it's difficult to feel sympathy for someone who has done so much evil in his life, but thanks to a stellar first issue, readers can actually see the tragic ...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
The Villain in his own Story... 0
For those not in the "know", Flash Thompson (childhood bully to Peter Parker yet biggest fan of Spider-Man) has taken over as the Marvel Universe's Venom. Thanks to Rick Remender and Tony Moore, this potentially puzzling successor to the legendary mantle has been nothing short of amazing. Now 4 issues in and with the first arc of the Venom story concluded, does the series have a bright future, or has Flash peaked even before his career has begun? Soldier of Misfortune Issue #4 continues the c...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Back to the Future... 0
Time After Time... Flashpoint has been an event comic series worth reading. Not because the alternate reality schtick hasn't been done before (because it has) or because it'll have a significant and lasting effect on the soon to be revamped DC Universe (because I don't think it will). No, Flashpoint's been fun to read because of all the kooky spin-offs we've got that remain wholly familiar, but bring something new to sink your teeth into. Reverse Flash #1 leans more heavily on one of these q...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Have an Ice Day... 0
Rogue Status I love the Flash and his rogues gallery of... well, Rogues. There's few characters I so enjoy reading about their villains in the same way that I enjoy reading about the hero themselves, but the Flash is one of those. In Flashpoint, the baddest of these blue collar baddies, Captain Cold, gets his own mini series. To say the least, I was excited. Were my lofty expectations met? Kicking Some Ice Like was seen in Flashpoint #1, Captain Cold in this reality is actually a member of...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
On the Sea of Madness... 2
As a Painted Ship Upon a Painted Ocean.The DC Universe is being remade (or revamped, or whatever the heck they're trying to call it), but Flashpoint rolls on. These kinda non-committal, alternate reality stories usually don't do much for me, as I usually can't get into a series if I know that the events will have little lasting impact on the universe as a whole, but pretty much ALL DC books won't have much lasting impact on the universe at large at this point so... WHATEVER, RIGHT? Anyway,...
6 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
(Almost) All Wounds Heal... 0
Heart to Heart Thanks to some intervention from Daken, I've found myself finally completely on board with the X-23 series. After such a big event, you'd figure that Laura would need some time to decompress. Not so. Even as Laura moves towards finding atonement for her past sins, she finds herself opening old wounds.X-23 #10 has Laura and Gambit in Paris. Remy tries to console a chronically depressed X, even attempting a birthday celebration for her. However, the knowledge she gained from h...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
12 Claws of Fury 0
Daken and X-23. Both are relatively new characters with family ties to Wolverine, with very similar struggles with inner strife. Both have risen to mainstream prominence in their own individual series penned by Marjorie Liu. Most importantly, both personalities collide in this crossover mini-series which comes to a close with Part 4. Did the series live up to the potential of having these two unstoppable forces clash and, more importantly, does the mini-series end in a satisfying manner?Sibl...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Most Worthy... 0
Since the so-called "Avengers Initiative" was put into place by Marvel Studios; building up characters and franchises in anticipation of the huge crossover film directed by Joss Whedon; they've been putting out consistently solid film efforts. Many of these could even be called great. However, where Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk are somewhat grounded and based in technology and science, Thor concerns itself with deities and Shakespearean melodrama. Does this dramatic shift in tone sink Mar...
7 out of 8 found this review helpful. -
Giant Monsters All Out Attack 0
Amongst the tales of daring do and superheroism I picked up this week at the local comic shoppe, the one book I looked forward to more than all was actually about a monster mindlessly destroying Japanese cities. Maybe that's why Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters by Phil Hester and Eric Powell has so much of my attention; because it's something different.Of course differentiation doesn't necessarily mean quality, so how does the second issue of Godzilla hold up?Tokyo SOS Godzilla #2 picks up from th...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Meet Karen Starr 0
Power Girl might just be the most consistently good book I've been reading since I've thrown my hat back into the crazy world of comic books. Whether that's because the character herself is just about everything I like in my superhero(ine) protagonist, or because the writing of Judd Winick and the the art of Sami Basri has genuinely been THAT good is beyond me, but quite frankly I don't care. Power Girl's awesome, and #23 continues that streak of awesomeness.Every Little Thing She Does is Magi...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Smitten Kitten 6
What is Love? The romance comic is something that's all but disappeared from modern comic shoppe shelves. I would argue that this is because romance comics were terrible, misogynistic drivel, but that'd be beside the point. Modern comics have moved far beyond that to the point where two potentially lethal, vigilante loners can have a relationship that is both fun and realistic (well, as much as a relationship between two such people can be). Is there love in the air between Catman and Huntres...
6 out of 7 found this review helpful. -
Do What You Want, 'cause a Pirate is Free! 2
X-23 has been a series that I can't quite figure out if I like or not. While I like Laura and want to know more about her, I really don't know where this whole thing is going. Issue #7 is somewhat of a transitional point in the wayward story, is it an entertaining one? On the High Seas Laura and Gambit are attempting to secure passage into Madripoor, hopefully to find the head of the Weapon X project and stop him from restarting the accursed program anew. However, in order to garner a ri...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
With a Purposeful Grimace and a Terrible Sound 3
Timing aside, the return of the King of Monsters to the world of sequential art is one that should be heralded. Headed by a dynamite creative team, does Gojira make a strong first impression? The Folly of Man The story in this Godzilla adaptation is much the same as it is most every Godzilla iteration; the dreaded reptilian beast rises from the shores of Japan and proceeds to go on a rampage. Although the military attempts to intervene, even their strongest attempts are brushed aside. With...
6 out of 7 found this review helpful. -
Like a Dream. 0
I'm not a fan of seemingly "pointless" character deaths in comic books. If characters absolutely HAVE to die, I'd like their to be some greater purpose, or else make it be the grandest stand of that character's career. When Dan Slott killed off Marla Jameson two issues back in Amazing Spider-Man, I was all set to drop the series as diving right back into the same old crushing story-lines about Spidey being dragged through tragedy after tragedy. I'm not wholly prepared to say that's NOT what's...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Missing Pieces. 0
This is my intro where I'd normally say how I love Power Girl and then make some double entendre about boobs or something... I'm going to resist doing that here and just say that Power Girl continues to be a very fun and enjoyable series. The current arc suffers somewhat from having so much tie-in with Justice League: Generation Lost, but if you can sew together just what is going on in the DCU right now, Power Girl #21 is a piece of the puzzle worth checking out. Lost and Found This Power Gir...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Class is in Session. 1
Taskmaster is one of those fringe characters that walks the line between being a total badass, and being somewhat of a joke. He's an unparalleled fighter who can mimic the fighting styles of anyone he sees, and yet he really hasn't gotten the spotlight he deserves. With the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (in which Taskmaster is a playable character), I decided to check out the recent Taskmaster mini-series that finished some months ago, to get a better perspective on the master of 1,000 moves....
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Let the Madness Begin 0
I expressed (fairly explicitly), my displeasure with the recent turn that Spider-Man's story has taken. Where once it looked like poor old Pete was finally catching all the breaks and a completely new direction was being taken with this series, the recent Alistair Smythe story has me fairly miffed out how quickly things seem to have returned to their normal, hopeless regularity for the old web-head. While I still am leery about where this series goes from here, issue #654.1 at least takes its ...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Stumbling At the Finish... 0
I had been really liking Dan Slott's new direction on Amazing Spider-Man. I enjoyed the fun, and more importantly, DIFFERENT approach he had been taking. It seemed like we were actually going to see old Pete's luck change for good here, after being surrounded by such death and depression throughout his fictional life, and indeed that had dragged down much of his story arcs in recent history. Well excuse my French, but Slott fucked that up. The Good We're at the tail end of Alistair Smythe's ...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Strange Beginnings... 1
Doctor Strange is a character that has a lot of potential for story-telling, but one that writers don’t really seem to use properly. What I mean is that, instead of getting his own stories that flesh out his character, he’s typically used as some sort of mystic advisor or a deus ex machina to end a particular event comic. He’s become more plot device than character, but there do exist really good stories for him even in modern times. Luckily, this is the case with this Roger Stern and Nei...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
An Absolute Riot... 0
I've been wanting to jump onto the Secret Six train for some time. I know all about the wonderful writing of Gail Simone, and for all the villain-centric books that both DC and Marvel, this is the title that people consistently laud as a must-read. Unfortunately, the book's popularity means that my comic shoppe is almost always running out of back-issues of Secret Six, leaving me searching for a decent point to jump on. With Secret Six #30, I decided the start of a new story-arc was good eno...
6 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends! 1
Spidey's always had a posse. Whether he was part of a team, doing Marvel Team-Up, or was just on one of his amazingly "normal excursions, the wall-crawler is rarely away from some form of super-being. That's lucky for him, because as Spider-Man finds himself in some deep doo-doo with Alistair Smythe and his Spider-Slaying cohorts, his buddies at the Avengers have his back. It's EXTERMINATIN' Time! Alistair Smythe has been a busy boy, and issue #653 starts with Spider-Man in a pickle as spider-...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
If Only There Were More... 4
Magneto's one of those cases where a "villain" should really have an on-going series. He has a rich history, an extremely complex moral compass, and a unique personality that could make him an interesting character to follow around from month to month. Unfortunately, such a thing we many never see, but this one-shot written and drawn by Howard Chaykin has potential. Is it squandered, or does the "MASTER OF MAGNET" (reference...) get a good self-contained story here? Ambitious Youth This is a...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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