JohnnyDarkness

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3.3 stars

Average score of 110 user reviews

Batman #513 0

You know you're reading a 90's comic when someone utters the words "cyberspace sabotage to the max". But the rule remains true. Even if the writing is mediocre, Batman is still entertaining. In this issue, Two-Face is on the loose, and Commissioner Gordon is getting fed up with this new Batman....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Identity Crisis 0

This standalone tale is a serious gem. Written by Peter Milligan, this story has a definite a twilight Zone vibe to it, and is quite creepy. I loved the penciling by Tom Mandrake, it's a nice change of pace. This is a great read, and deserves to be discussed more than it does....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Three stars. 0

I don't like this storyline. I don't like The Idiot. I mean, he's The Idiot. But as I've said before, no Batman comic pencilled by Norm Breyfogle can completely bad. The art is superb as usual, and the storyline allows for Norm to go all out. I hope the idiot doesn't show up again....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Hearts 0

This one, written by Peter Milligan, was a kind of creepy, certainly macabre. The Queen of Hearts and how she goes about what she does is pretty creeped out. I see why I thought Batman comics were scary when I was a kid. But so far, this isn't an above average story. It's part one of three, so we'll see. If nothing else, I appreciated Norm Breyfogle's art, as usual....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Dragon Man and Spider-Man. 0

I have a soft spot for Dragon Man, especially as he was portrayed during this era. This is a particularly good issue if you're a fan of Dragon Man. He's a sympathetic character for sure. The kids were all very endearing in this issue, with how they look up to Spider-Man, and can't even believe they got the chance to talk to him....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Mike Hoffman and Garth Ennis 0

This was my introduction to Ennis' Hellblazer. It wasn't a good introduction. But it wasn't necessarily Ennis' fault. No, most of the blame lies with the hideous artwork by Mike Hoffman. It's astoundingly bad. It is really, really just so bad. At some points it was hard to discern what was happening. Other than that, it was a forgettable story. I really do love this series, just not this issue, apparently....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Love stories 0

This annual features two love stories. The first is by Alan Moore, and it does not disappoint. A chilling story. The second story is by Max Collins, and it holds up quite nicely next to Moore's. Here we get a sympathetic look at Penguin's personal life, and it's just great....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Body Horror 0

This is one of those Hulk stories that could be described as "body horror". It reminded me of a Cronenberg movie at some points, and was interestingly disturbing. I mean, at one point Banner is trying to kill himself, while Thunderbolt Ross schemes to kill Banner and the Hulk. It's a pretty intense issue. Luckily there was a bit of comic relief, in the form of Doc Samson lumbering around in a full body cast! This was a good era for the Incredible Hulk....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Are you afraid of the dark? 0

This is the kind of Batman story that could only be told in the Golden or Silver Age. Batman becomes afraid of the dark! Yes, THE Batman becomes afraid of the dark. It's not his most heroic moment. Actually, the second story, starring the Elongated Man is better and more enjoyable. Without the second story, I would have given this issue 1 or 2 stars....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Tommy Carma 0

This issue finishes up the story from last issue. An ex cop named Tommy Carma is obsessed with Batman, impersonating him, and killing people. The opening scene is effectively creepy, but I have a lot of questions after reading this. For instance, how close is Wayne Manor to Arkham Asylum? Why Batman so sympathetic to these murderers? Anyway, a solid issue. Next up is Year One....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Big War, Little War! 0

This is a case where I actually enjoyed the backup story more than the Unknown Soldier story. The Unknown Soldier story was a quality tale, but the tale after that, written by Archie Goodwin, is what really got my attention. It concerns a small squad of soldiers in the South Pacific, 1943. They are about to engage in amphibious warfare, when without warning, they are all gunned down, save one soldier. It's a powerful and disturbing short tale....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Roster Shake Up 0

This isn't a good issue, but there are a couple interesting thing. First is the Nebulon reveal, which was unexpected and gross. That was the only thing this story had going until the end. There is an apparent roster shake up, as well as Nighthawk converting from villain to hero. Namor getting pissed off at the end was very Namorish and appropriate....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Shadow Monster 0

This issue had promise. Mostly excellent writing by Len Wein, some interesting story elements and a good ending. But it was hopelessly bogged down by a crappy shadow monster villain. Otherwise a good issue. Other than that, there is an interesting letter in the letters column. A reader was talking about Wolverine (who had just made his first appearance a few issues ago), and how he would like him to be a member of the upcoming X-Men reboot, and that he had potential to be a very "complex" chara...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Police Drama 0

This is a gritty crime drama, rooted in the real world. We don't have any twisting, personal character arcs, just a slice of NYPD life. The dialogue is fairly realistic, nice art from Ernie Colon. If you can find it, I would recommend picking up this 4 issue limited series....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Judge Dredd? 0

I can't help but wonder, was this a ripoff of Judge Dredd? Was it a forced attempt at being "edgy"? I can't assume these things because I haven't heard anything about Marshal Law's origin, but it does seem to be the case. Needless to say, it falls well short of the genius of Judge dredd. I can recommend a good Marshal Law story, though. Check out Pinhead vs Marshal Law: Law in Hell, if you can find it....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Jungle Action 0

Ka Zar has had some good runs, but this isn't one of them. This issue isn't good. It's not horrible, it's perfectly readable in fact. It's just a bit dumb. Especially the villains. Actually, when the villains aren't talking, it's downright decent. Don Heck doesn't do his best art here, either. Most likely he knew this was a second tier title....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Thing, Deathlok, Wrestling 0

This issue is written and illustrated by Mark Gruenwald and John Byrne, so we're off to a good start. Add Deathlok, and you've got a good guest star, and every Marvel Two in One needs a guest star. Finally, we get some wrestling with Thundra, and I always love it when Thing comics explore the wrestling scene. Good issue....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Peter and Betty 0

This issue features a villain that no one really cares about. But that's not really important. The important stuff is the drama between Peter Parker and Betty Brant. Marv Wolfman is very good at writing the personal lives of heroes, and this is an example of that. Ross Andru's depiction of Peter is very good, too....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Spidey, Wondy, Griffin 0

Griffin is one of my favorite villains, and somehow, I feel this issue could have been a bit better. It was good, solid. But perhaps a little rushed, especially the Griffin's dialogue. Anyway, this seems to be the first meeting between Spidey and Wonder Man, so that's a bonus. Wonder Man has always been an underrated character in my opinion....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Godzilla vs Cowboys 0

Godzilla vs Cowboys! It's definitely a great idea for a Godzilla comic. One thing that bothers me, though, is Godzilla's design. He doesn't look like Godzilla. He looks like any generic giant lizard. So that takes away a bit of the fun, for me. Other than that, a solid 3 star issue....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Valley of the Dolls 0

This is not the kind of story I expected from Spider-Woman, and I mean that in a good way. From the opening panel, it's clear this is different from your average Marvel tale of that time. It's creepy, definitely has horror aspects to it. Aside from that, the cover by Carmine Infantino amuses me. If it came out today, the internet would explode....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Worst team ever 0

The New Warriors was a horrible comic. I understood this, even as a child. But I liked the characters, so I read anyway. Peter David is one of my favorite comic writers, but his contribution (he wrote only this issue) isn't enough to raise this series out of the gutter. Terrible series....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

World War H 0

Another entry in the World War Hulk saga. WWH was a great storyline, and this issue is a nice piece to the story. I like the art by Gary Frank, although he does draw some characters oddly. The writing by Greg Pak is also very good. The scene where Hulk seriously beats up Hercules made me feel really bad for Herc. A 4 star issue....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

The Flow 0

The laughable dialogue continues. The writing in this series is so bad, it becomes an art form. And that's why I like this series. It's very entertaining. So kudos to Fabian Nicieza. No kudos for the art, though, the art was pretty bad (Pat Olliffe)....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

He who hungers 0

I've come to expect a lot from Larry Hama after his runs on Wolverine and GI Joe. His writing definitely fits with Conan's world, and this is a good read. The gritty artwork by Senior and Buccellato works well, too, and I actually mistook it for Hama himself. The last page really ratchets this one up a notch....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Quicksilver's wedding 0

There are two stories in this double sized issue. The first one is a somewhat forgettable Fantastic Four story. But I'm a sucker for wedding issues, so the second story was more enjoyable for me. Then again, Quicksilver is kind of an a-hole, so should we really be happy about this wedding!? Overall, an average 3 star issue....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Civil War stories 0

This issue contains two and a half stories. The first one is actually fairly important to the Civil War crossover event. SPOILER: Iron Man reveals his identity to the people. Great writing and great art by Jenkins and Bachs. We also get an update on Speedball's whereabouts in the second story....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

World War Bats 0

Earth 2 Batman teaming up with Sgt. Rock in 1944 sounds like a great premise. Unfortunately, this issue doesn't live up to the potential of that idea. It's a very competent issue of course, I mean, this is Jim Aparo here. But this is just a run of the mill team up. Too bad, it could have been much better....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Pun is white again. 0

And thus ends one of the most bizarre events in Punisher history. Yes, he's done being black, and now he's white again. Despite that weirdness, it's not a bad issue! But most importantly, he's back to normal now. And I really like the pin up art at the end....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Make Me a Hero 0

It's hard to give a low rating to a Batman comic by Grant, Breyfogle, and O'neil. While Anarky isn't the most interesting villain, the real drama lies in what's happening with Tim Drake and his parents. This was an important era in Tim Drake's life....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Strange saga 0

Written by Jim Shooter, this series is a strange, sometimes downright bizarre saga. And for that, I applaud Shooter. This particular issue gets weird. You see... Beyonder just became human and doesn't understand certain... things. So it's up to Peter Parker to... well... teach him how to take a crap. So... I guess it's worth reading at least for that....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

2 horror stories 0

In this case, I think the second story is actually better than the first. I enjoyed the first one, especially because boxing/sports is a setting not often used in horror. But the second story was simply more disturbing, in part due to the grisly deaths!...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Thing and Black Panther 0

I like this issue, because we see more than just heroes fighting bad guys. We get more of a glimpse into their lives. Ben making a pizza, Black Panther teaching a class, etc. That's why I've always liked Ben Grimm, we see more of his civilian life, compared to other heroes of the time. ...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

The Blind Eye of God. 0

This issue also contains a story about a couple nurses. While it's not a bad story, I would have preferred a longer Unknown Soldier story, or two US stories. But anyway, this isn't the greatest issue, but it is of good quality, just like the rest of the series....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Return to Electrocutioner 0

Gotham PD descends into disorder as Jim Gordon recovers from a heart attack in the hospital. Electrocutioner is taking out criminals. I wasn't that invested in the Electrocutioner, but there was some creepy violence, and great atmosphere, courtesy of Wolfman and Aparro. No wonder Batman comics scared me back in the 80s....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Ducks and dinosaurs 0

Anytime I see Howard the Duck and the Savage Land together, it's a must read for me. The cover art by Maguire and Quinones was enough to get me to buy a copy. This was a fun read, with some of my favorite characters (especially Howard, She Hulk, and Daredevil). If you like ducks and dinosaurs, this should be a nice, light hearted read for you....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Only one can win 0

This had some cool scenes, and even some touching moments. It was too wordy, but of course it is. It's Claremont, and it's 1970s comics. Had potential to be better. It really should have been a four star issue, but it didn't quite get there. Milgrom's art is good. Not as good as Starlin, though....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Not a good series 0

All in all, this is not a good series. I remember liking it quite a bit as a child. In fact, I still think Sleepwalker looks pretty cool, and could have been a better book. But reading it now as an adult... this is a d-list product of the 90s. If you're into it, the good news is you should be able to pick up the whole series for cheap, cuz no one cares about it anymore....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Juggernaut vs Spidey 0

If you've ever wondered what would happen if Spider-Man fought the Juggernaut, then here's a story for you. In my opinion, this is something of a minor classic, as it features the conclusion of the first meeting between these two, and because it features Spider-Man at his best. Outgunned, but never outwitted....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Tiny Doom 0

There's a great panel of a shrunken Dr. Doom attacking a full size Red Skull. It pretty much sums up what I like about this issue. Some good 70s zaniness, but nothing too crazy. Captain America trying to work as a team with Doom, and failing miserably, was amusing. A solid issue from Bill Mantlo and Bob Hall....

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.