1. Wolverine: Giant-Sized Old Man Logan #1
Creative Team
Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Steve McNiven
Inks: Dexter Vines
Art Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
I already praised this issue in my review last week. I know that I should not have chosen such an obvious or trendy pick for the top spot, but the fact is that this issue was the most entertaining read of the week.
It was a tough choice as there were several other great reads. However, in the end I had to give the number one spot on the Comic Book Revolution’s rankings to this issue. And as the number one rated issue of the week, Wolverine: Giant-Sized Old Man Logan #1 is the winner of the Che for the best read of the week.
2. Fantastic Four #571
Creative Team
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Dale Eaglesham
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
I loved Fantastic Four #571. This was a well paced issue that moved the story along at a steady pace. This issue was nicely potted as Hickman delivered a rich story with several layers that moved with a clear direction and purpose in mind.
The dialogue and character work were both well done. Hickman has a good feel for all the characters. Reed gets the bulk of all the attention in this issue. I have to admit that Hickman is making me a fan of Reed Richards. I have never found Reed’s character all that compelling.
However, Hickman is changing my opinion by giving us an Alpha Male Reed who is supremely confident in his abilities. Hickman also gives Reed the appropriate ego that a man with his intelligence and abilities should possess.
Having said that, I am not at all interested in reading yet another plotline dealing with marital problems between Sue and Reed stemming from Reed’s work schedule, the subject matter of his work or Reed’s goals. We just went through this at the end of Civil War.
I love that Hickman is making this story a cosmic tale that is grand in scope. I always enjoy any Multiverse, so I am naturally attracted to the fact that Hickman is playing with the Marvel’s Multiverse with this story arc. This is a story where I get the feeling that absolutely anything could happen at any given moment.
Hickman ended this issue with a great hook ending with the arrival of the Celestials. Next issue should offer up some pretty wild action scenes.
Dale Eaglesham delivered some fantastic looking artwork. I dig the Kirby-esque feel that Eaglesham is invoking on this title. Eaglesham certainly can draw some awesome cosmic scenes.
3. Superman: Secret Origin #1
Creative Team
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Gary Frank
Inks: Jonathan Sibal
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
This was a fantastic read. I have a review set to be published on this issue so I won’t get into details at this moment.
Suffice it to say that I thought that Johns did an absolutely marvelous job tweaking and massaging Superman’s origin for the current DCU. This title is going to be an excellent mini-series.
4. Incredible Hercules #135
Creative Team
Writers: Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak
Artist: Rodney Buchemi
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
This issue was another great read. Incredible Hercules rarely disappoints. This title has so much heart and is always a fun and enjoyable read. As always, the reader gets treated to plenty of solid dialogue, great character work and some well timed and properly placed humor. The story is well paced as the story is advanced in a steady and measured pace. This was also a well plotted issue as Van Lente and Pak answer a few questions with this issue.
Van Lente and Pak shed a bit more light on Amadeus Cho’s abilities. I enjoyed seeing Cho work his magic without having to rely on Hercules’ help. This solo mission is going to help mold Cho into a well rounded hero who can stand on his own.
I have to admit that I am not that crazy that Van Lente and Pak are choosing to focus solely on Herc’s plotline in one issue and then solely on Cho’s plotline in the next issue. This slows down the pacing of the story. I would rather see the two plotlines touched on in every issue.
5. Invincible #66
Creative Team
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Cory Walker
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
It comes as no surprise that I found this issue to be an entertaining read. Invincible has quickly become my favorite super hero title currently being published. Kirkman continues his wild style of plotting as he loves to throw so many twists and turns at the reader. Kirkman is tough to predict other than you know he is going to try and surprise you with each and every issue.
Kirkman is like a mad scientist with the plotting on this title as he is always building toward something. And we always have more than one plotline brewing at all times. The character work was solid. I liked that Allen the Alien and Nolan got to star in this issue. They are both great characters.
There was not much action in this issue. Kirkman spent this issue laying the foundation for the next big story arc. I thoroughly enjoyed learning the dark secret behind the Viltrumite Empire. This back-story on the Viltrumites certainly made this issue an interesting read and was the strength of this issue.
6. Nova #29
Creative Team
Writer: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Pencils: Kevin Sharpe
Inks: Nelson Periera
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
This was another solid read. Nova #29 was well paced and plotted. DnA stay focused and keep the story moving at a steady pace. As always, DnA moved along multiple plotlines with ease. DnA moved the Ego the Living Planet plotline back to the front burner with this issue. Worldmind finds herself in trouble as Ego begins to recover at a much more rapid pace and is threatening to take over Worldmind once again.
We also got the plotline involving the old Nova starship that houses an old Nova Corps member and his prisoner. Unfortunately, the bounty Hunter, Starstalker, was added to the mix and he wants the Nova Centurion’s prisoner for himself. As always, DnA have numerous factions competing with each other in order to ratchet up the tension on the story.
We got a fair amount of action in this issue in order to keep it a lively read. We got a great hook ending as Starkstalker and the Nova Centurions have to put aside their differences concerning custody of the prisoner and deal with the threat of the Mindless Ones who appear on the scene to free the prisoner.
The character work and dialogue were well done. You get the usual DnA effort in both those categories. I liked the two characters that are introduced in this issue. Both Philo, the old Nova Centurion, and Monark Starstalker are neat characters. I particularly enjoyed Starstalker. This is a neat roguish character with interesting powers and plenty of potential.
The artwork was well done. This was a slick and clean looking issue. Each panel was nicely detailed. This style of art is a good match for a Sci Fi title like Nova.
7. Blackest Night: Superman #2
Creative Team
Writer: James Robinson
Pencils: Eddy Barrows
Inks: Ruy Jose
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
This issue was a disappointing read. The strength of this issue was the tons of action that we got in this issue. Blackest Night: Superman #2 is a giant brawlfest that runs from cover to cover. Action fans are sure to love this issue much more than me. If you like mindless action and zombies then you will probably dig this issue.
Unfortunately, I found this issue to be an incredibly thin read. The pacing and plotting on this issue was incredibly poor. Absolutely nothing at all happens in this issue. All we see is the zombie Black Lanterns attacking Smallville and talking about the emotional spectrum inside of our heroes.
Seriously, Robinson just pounded into the ground the fact that Black Lanterns can see the emotional spectrum inside of humans and that the Black Lanterns feed off emotion. This is a pretty basic plot device that I clearly got with the first issue of Blackest Night #1. The constant referring to it in this issue gave this story an incredibly repetitious feel.
No plotlines were advanced. Nothing other than some mindless action and banter takes place in this issue. The reader is at almost the exact same position they were at the end of the first issue as they are at the end of this issue.
Having said that, I certainly did enjoy the artwork. Barrows and Jose deliver a pleasant looking issue. Each panel was packed full of details. Barrows can draw some dynamic action scenes and is also able to properly convey the emotions of each character.
8. Guardians of the Galaxy #18
Creative Team
Writer: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artist: Wesley Craig
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
This was another fun issue. DnA served up tons of action scenes. The reader never has to go more than a couple of pages without getting some fighting. The action scenes were well done and are accompanied by the proper amount of witty banter between the characters.
This issue was well paced and plotted. The story never slows down for a minute. DnA never lose focus and moved the story with a purpose. DnA have excellent long term vision and are able to juggle a large cast as well as multiple plotlines flawlessly.
The dialogue in this issue was wonderful. DnA have a nice sense of humor that they manage to fit nicely into the flow of the story. The chemistry between the characters continues to be top notch and some of the best that you will find on any team title.
I like the plot twist concerning Jack Flagg being “the chosen one.” Evidently, Jack Flagg is extremely important is going to be the one who will save the universe. That is a nice bit of irony concerning a character in Flagg who absolutely hates anything and everything cosmic related. Flagg hates cosmic adventures and cosmic characters. Flagg would much rather deal with traditional urban crime or standard Earth based super villains.
What I did not like was the flow of the story. This issue was a bit choppy. I also did not like the art in this issue at all. I found it to be a bit sloppy and it simply lacked detail. This is not the style of art that I would pick for a slick Sci Fi title like the Guardians of the Galaxy.
9. The Web #1
Creative Team
Writer: Angela Robinson and John Rozum
Pencils: Roger Robinson and Tom Derenick
Inks: Hilary Barta and Bill Sienkiewicz
Art Rating: Main Feature: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Co-Feature: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: Main Feature: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Co-Feature: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: Main Feature: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Co-Feature: 5.5 Night Girls out of 10
This issue was a solid read. I preferred the Main Feature starring the Web much more than I did the Co-Feature starring the Hangman. The Web story was a technically well written story. Robinson did all the necessary tasks that must be accomplished by a debut issue of a new title. Robinson properly introduces the main characters. Robinson gives the reader a good sense of the Web’s character including his motivation for being the Web and how he operates.
The Web story was new reader friendly. You absolutely did not have to read the Red Circle issue starring the Web in order to understand this issue. At the same time, readers like me who did read the Red Circle issues will not be bored by Robinson’s story. Robinson does a fine job striking the balance so both Red Circle readers and new readers would find this issue interesting.
The only problem with the Web is that it is your standard issue super hero story. There was nothing about this story that distinguishes itself from what you can already get from tons of other super hero titles already on the market offer. I would only recommend the Web if you simply find his gimmick and powers particularly compelling.
The Hangman Co-Feature was rather dull. If you read the Red Circle issue starring the Hangman then you will probably be bored with this story. Rozum does nothing but re-hash what we already got in the Red Circle issue.
Having said that, Rozum does outline the mission statement for the Hangman with the final page. It appears that Hangman is going to be visited by supernatural beings named “Lifesavers” who will give him direction on what he should be doing next.
10. Amazing Spider-Man #606
Creative Team
Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Mike McKone
Inks: Andy Lanning
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
I am going to have to break with my boys here at The Revolution with this issue. Kevin and Andrenn both loved this issue. And Kevin wrote a great review for this issue already.
This issue was just a total and complete miss with me. I found this issue to be rather annoying. Kelly made Peter come across like a loser and a moron while Black Cat came across like an unlikable bitch.
This issue read like a bad episode of Three’s Company with Peter starring in the role of the bumbling Jack Tripper. I found this issue to be far below the quality of writing that we got from Kelly on the excellent American Son story arc.
11. Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #5
Creative Team
Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Eduardo Pansica
Inks: Sandro Ribeiro
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
This title continues to be a miss with me. This mini-series has failed to deliver what I was hoping. I really liked these characters when Morrison introduced them during Final Crisis. Unfortunately, Casey has done next to little with these characters in this mini-series.
This story has lacked much of a real direction or purpose. The story itself has been rather thin and shallow. The pacing has been incredibly slow and Casey has been unable to get me hooked into this story. I hope that DC does not give up on these characters and is able to find a writer with a good idea and purpose for these characters within the DCU.
12. Uncanny X-Men #515
Creative Team
Writer: Matt Fraction
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Jay Leisten
Art Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 4 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
This was another unimpressive issue. Fraction lacks any focus with this title as he has done nothing but constantly “re-invent” the X-Men since he came aboard this title iwth issue #500. Fraction spend several issues going on and on about their new base outside of San Francisco and now, just one year later, is already focusing on yet another new base for the X-Men.
The mission directive for this team has gone from helping the San Francisco police solving crimes to generally running around like chickens with their heads cut off. A year ago the X-Men were focusing on their giant “mutant rec center” that would stand as a beacon of hope and a safe haven for mutants everywhere to now having the X-Men focus on building their own secluded city nation.
It would be nice if Fraction could pick a clear direction and purpose for this title and stick with it. So far Fraction’s run has been a bunch of sound and fury that has amounted to relatively little in the way of actual substance.
Fraction is also struggling to handle the large roster of characters on this title. The result is that no character gets any real panel time outside of Scott, Emma and the Beast. The character work continues to be completely absent on this title. Each character possess the same basic generic personality. The dialogue is average at best and cheesy at worst.
None of the characters have much of a developed personality. Any type of personality that Fraction has been able to cultivate for certain characters has been based more on the stereotype perception of that character rather than actual character work. There is also a total lack of chemistry between the various characters.
This title continues to lack originality and creativity as all Fraction does is reach back into the X-Men’s history and present the reader with a mash-up of past X-Men stories. It would be nice for something new and different to be done on this title.
Greg Land’s art is not helping Fraction’s weak writing out at all. Normally, a talented talented artist who is a master storyteller can mask many of the defects from a story written by an average writer.
That is not the case with Uncanny X-Men #515. Land does not know how to properly frame and tell the story. The panels often do not match or enhance Fraction’s script. Often the character’s facial expressions do not match up to what is going on in the story.
As the lowest rated comic book of the week, Uncanny X-Men #515 is the winner of the Sequential Methadone Award of the week for the worst read of the week.
_________________________________________________
Rokk