Finally I have the chance to finish my post from Yesterday. My brother has not only taken to staying glued for hours to the computer screen he also has the annoying habit to shut down the computer before someone else uses it. So that while he can have it going for hours as long as he´s on it everytime someone else uses it that person has to restart it. But hey - it´s not like I have not enough time to post a single entry in the few minutes I manage to get on the thing. But enough of the unpleasant other offspring of my family since this blog is about comics. Well, comics and ME.Now I did not write this post in one sitting. Again. Because I have been busy with all the preparations for Erlangen and everything else. So I am beginning to write this on the night of Thursday to Friday from midnight to....exactly 02.09 in the morning. From which I had to take a break and now am putting the finishing touches on as of Friday 16.31 hours. So let´s get right to the reviews :
Squadron Supreme 3 - Very good issue. The resolution of the fight between the two fractions of the team was not like expected and we learned more about the new members on the team. And the little voice in the back of my head wondering how the uncut version of this issue might have been keeps getting lower. But it´s still there.All Star Batman & Robin 4 - This issue went by too quick as six pages were wasted for the whole fold out spread. Don´t get me wrong, I like it if artists try new things. But this is not a new thing, it has been done before ( in the WildC.A.T.S. series by Mr. Jim Lee himself )and I don´t think it was necessary. I don´t understand what has been shown here that could not be shown in a normal double page spread. So reading the issue I was thinking the whole time what could have happened in those lost four pages. Apart from that a very good read although I´m still a bit surprised about how slow the story unfolds.
When I first read about the project it was said that this would be about Robin experiencing Batman at the height of his career with all the available women of the DC universe thrown in. At the pace the story goes we won´t see Robin in costume before issue 11. An so far we have only seen Vicky Vale and Black Canary with Wonder Woman appearing in the next issues soon. Well, with luck Catwoman or Zatanna will make an appearance before the series is over.Yes, I know.....bitch, bitch, bitch......anyway, I´m still reading the book and I hope issue 5 will be better ( or more to my personal liking - maybe there are thousands of fans who loved the six page spread ) .
52 week 1 - 3 - So this is the big event between Infinite Crisis and One Year Later. It seems that history is not unfolding as Booster Gold expected it. Which in my opinion might be because he altered the outcome of Batman´s battle against the OMAC satellite helping him find it. Therefore a shift happens in the time - pace - continuum and what began as small divergencies become greater differences between what should have been and what is. But I could be wrong. So far I really like the idea of bringing characters like Black Adam and the Question to the forefront of the series. I mean with all the fan interest in The Question ( which primarily has to be credited to the Justice League Unlimited cartoon series ) DC would be stupid not to capitalize on that. And it is an interesting character. The art is not bad and better than on other " event books " that have come out.Wolverine 42 - I´m so glad I kept this book on my pull list. Now, as you may remember ( if you have read the previous posts ) I had doubts about the future of this series. Especially since the strange art in the last issue. But since the restart the stories have all been top notch as has the art. So I decided to give it a chance since it has done all right by me so far. And I wasn´t disappointed. I don´t know who this Guggenheim guy is ( or if he´s related to the famous museum ) or what he has done so far but this guy can write Wolverine like nobody´s business. He nailed the character in one issue. Just perfect characterisation.
From Wolverine anticipating the reactions of the public regarding the mutants in the whole civil war mess, to his dialogue with Luke Cage and especially Wolvie giving Luke the wake up call....that´s just Wolverine gold. The comparison between Sentinels and burning crosses was pure genius and also the hint that logan is old enough to know the results of racism during the third reich firsthand. It´s just so typical that he has to go off on his own to bring Nitro to justice. This issue has the best dialogue in a long time. Especially the last page says it all. One of the top books of the month. I can´t wait to see what happens next.She Hulk 8 - I liked this issue much better than the last. Not only was the art by Paul Smith gorgeous like always but the story was well crafted. It just is sad that a talented writer like Dan Slott keeps getting cancelled with books like THING which was quickly becoming a favorite of mine. But more on this when I will write about issue 7 of the Thing. Like Wolverine 42 you don´t have to read this issue to understand CIVIL WAR but it fills out a small part of the bigger picture. Namely what happens now with the remaining members of the New Warriors.
It was really tragic ( and very realistic ) that the family members of the victims had learned nothing from their own loss and just were causing more death and misery. It´s a vicious circle of destruction and blaming others when all you want is revenge and basically an eye for an eye. But sometimes people are so focused on getting their revenge that they don´t realize that they have become the very thing they hate. A good issue.Now my brother didn´t like the art by the new artist Paul Smith so I will ask him if he intends to keep the series. If not I would put it on my pull list. Before I forget to mention it I really liked the quick cameo by Captain America who has a history with Jen´s possible husband. Nice use of the character´s continuity ( see, that´s how you use it ) and a very good characterisation which helped to remind the readers that Cap has experience with wars. He´s probably the most prepared for what will soon sweep over the Marvel Universe.
Aquaman Sword of Arlantis 40 - 42 - This series did not appear on my pull list and I only bought this issues because I saw them in the comic shop and the art looked soo good. The story was interesting so far and it still has not been revealed what exactly is going on. Who is this guy ? Is he Aquaman or not ? And if not then why are there so many similarities between them ? How are they related ? Man, I just love a good mistery. I think my nose is beginning to twitch. Or does it just itch ?Butch Guice is one of the few artists who has successfully managed the jump from my " artists who get me to cancel books " list ( back when he started on Action Comics ) to my " artists who get me to subscribe books " list. First with his excellent work on Resurrection Man ( one of DCs best series and due for his own resurrection ) and Birds of Prey and finally with his mindblowing art on RUSE, one of CrossGen´s best series.
If you haven´t checked out this series and you are a fan of Butch Guice ( or just love good detective comics ) you definitely owe it to yourself. The story was finished and you should be able to get all the issues. There are even a few trades available but you should get the single issues since almost all pges are double page spreads. And it goes without saying that the art is spectacular. Even the guest artists are such high calibre artists like Jeff Johnson or Paul Ryan.
Secret Six 1 - The art in this one was a small shock for me after the first mini and the special. But I knew that going into the book. I´m reading this mainly for the story and wasn´t disappointed. The issue keeps playing the motif of the Secret Six as DCs Mission Impossible squad. And the depiction of the villain on the last pages were scary. Finally some writer who realizes the potential of the character. He´s really mad as a hatter. I wonder if they have found an ally now that time has run out on the secret six.Shadowpact 1 - I don´t want to dis Bill Willingham but I had hoped that we would get the same art team for the ongoing as in the mini ( that must be the new thing to get different art teams for the sequels - it´s not like the art team has anything to do with the successs of a book ). Now I know Justiniano is busy ( I think with a new Creeper series ) but I would have prefered him on the book. Now this issue has not too much to judge the ongoing so I will not say much about that. I found it kind of strange to jump back and forth between the now and one year earlier but there may be a point to it. And the art was really good by Bill Willingham altough I always expect the main characters to get buck nekkid and get their funk on since I read Ironwood. It really has been too long since Bill did some interior work for comics. I recall the issues he did for Batman. I liked them. End of story.
And that´s all for today. May the force be with you.
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