The New 52: Month 2 - Week 1

What? Again? Really? Oh for Pete’s sake yes were here again to do this… again. You know the deal and if you don’t really you should check the site. What’s left to say about the new DC? Well, this week we’ve dwindled down the choices from the “buy” pile and we’ll keep doing that until… well I don’t know. Any ways let’s begin.

Huntress #1

What the? A new #1? Yup it looks like DC wasn’t happy enough with it’s awesome sales figures and decide that it needed some mini-series to accompany all of the other 52 choices you have. Here’s my biggest problem with this book… it’s on Earth 2. That’s right, for some reason DC felt that after cleaning up its entire universe that it should screw it all up by making a multiverse. Hey DC… YOU’RE THE ONLY ONES THAT LIKE THE MULTIVERSE! It’s an archaic device that was originally used to incorporate all of the companies DC was purchasing. So why the hell would they intentionally bring it back? Again, the writers who grew up as fan boys of DC for some reason thought that it was a good idea and now we’re all stuck with it. Any ways, this issue was pretty boring. Huntress saves some woman from a sex trade operation that I didn’t feel was believable. Overall the only thing decent about this book is the art.

Score – Pass, not worth the effort and doesn’t do anything of value to the new 52.

Penguin: Pain and Prejudice #1

This is how you do the Penguin. This is basically his origin story and yeah that’s all it really does, but it’s good. I really enjoyed it and it added a level of depth that has always been missing from the character in my opinion. Also they finally cleaned up his criminal organization which always felt really hallow before. The art was pretty unique for a Bat book and I really liked it. It works as a mini-series and hopefully they use this formula and possibly even this team to tackle other Bat-villains.

Score – Buy.

Swamp Thing #2

I liked this, it was interesting still and I like that they brought up the “Red.” It shows that maybe two of the writers had some foresight in mapping out something interesting to underline the world of the DCnU. I also like the ending as it put a little bit of guilt on Alex’s shoulders as he watched a fellow Swamp Thing die in front of him… for him. There’s not much to say about this book other than it was good and worth picking up.

Score – Buy.

Animal Man #2

Another really good book and again it felt strangely connect to Swamp Thing, but this issue introduce a third player in the Red/Green world and that I liked. I liked and enjoyed the layers that were being added and I hope that Stormwatch plays a part in this group as well because that would be really bad ass. Also after talking to Kevin about the book I have to agree that Travel Foreman is knocking this book out of the park. He’s a great artist and he matches Lemire’s writing style perfectly. Hopefully this creative team is in it for the long haul. Since this is another book that went to second print I’m sure you bought so keep buying it.

Score – Buy

Batman: Detective Comics #2

Yeah, that’s what this book is called. Not Detective Comics, but Batman: Detective Comics. Guess what he detects in this issue? Nothing, he has to overhear it told to Jim Gordon. Sadly this is the best Batman book thus far which isn’t saying much other than the fact the rest is just terrible. No Joker in this issue, but he leaves his face behind which I thought was kind of cool. Also the new take on a shitty character was a nice touch and probably the only thing I liked. I just hope that Batman doesn’t become the new Superman and have a huge stock pile of villains that he always defeats. The trick DC is to let the villain win sometimes… ah why do I bother. Any ways, I’m still not sure why this book is called Detective Comics since Batman has yet to detect anything other than reading a police report and snooping on Gordon’s calls. Still I like the villain angle and until it does something to really piss me off it’ll probably be the only Bat book I continue reading.

Score – Buy, I’m still ready to drop this book at a moment’s notice. I haven’t forgotten about naked Joker.

Justice League International #2

I still like this book. I like the new Booster and frankly they’re building him into the key player that everyone seems to want him to be. Guy Gardner can go straight to hell and if he’s not gone by the next issue we’ve got a problem. Otherwise I like the conflict and it seemed like something the team could handle. The group is still a little too chatty and a few of the characters are very one dimensional, but this book has potential of making it on its own without the JL drop ins.

Score – Still a buy!

Stormwatch #2

This issue was a little annoying because everyone was complaining about the leadership the entire time. It got to the point where I just wanted to kill the leader myself and I’m not really sure that’s how I’m supposed to feel. I like the team and Cornell does the group dynamic the way you should, by splitting them up and cutting back and forth between the mini-groups. It gives everyone a chance to develop and speak as natural characters rather than being given dialog so you don’t forget who’s on the team. I hate Midnighters new suit, I can understand changing it up and I’m okay with that, but he looks like he’s into S&M. Also in general everyone is talking too much and needs to shut up and act. Hopefully that’s what happens in the next issue, because otherwise this book is really working for me.

Score – Buy, if this book gets cancelled I blame you.

Red Lanterns #2

Snorefest. Seriously this book was so boring I could barely finish it. Not what I had pictured for a Red Lanterns book. I get that the main character has lost his way and all that, but two issues of it? And it continues into a third… I might just jump back on issue four and pray that something has actually happened. Atrocitus visits a planet with two warring races and one guns down some kids… rage, rage, kill, kill and a whole lot of talking. I spent more time listening to the races talking about the war and their family knowing that A) I would never see them again and B) more than likely they were going to die. The art is still good, but my gut feeling told me that Milligan was the wrong choice for this book and I’m afraid that I’m right.

Score – 50/50, I bought it but can’t say you should. Really it comes down to how much you like Green Lantern.

Batwing #2

Black Lightning gets his hand chopped off and that was pretty cool, but the rest of it was convenient writing and more Batman appearances. Batwing gets stabbed in the chest and is out for two weeks and when he wakes up he’s just in time for “Massacre” and Black Lightning’s battle… Bullshit, pick up the entire pile. Massacre tries to kill an entire police station and basically makes it out Scott-free, but he waits two weeks to fight the guy whose location he’s known since before the police station business? I doesn’t make any sense and really the only part was good was when Batwing showed up, but only because of his narration of the situation. I really enjoyed the art and pray for the day Winick leaves the book. Too bad he usually stays on until DC kicks him off.

Score – Buy, but the next issue could go either way.

Action Comics #2

I actually liked this issue a lot more than the first. It’s clear that Morrison is either taking a cue for JMS’ Earth One: Superman or DC’s forcing a bit of that angle into the book. Lex Luthor is actually pretty cool because they allow him to be a psychopath. I’m kind of digging this new meaner Superman that’s not afraid to kick some teeth in, my only fear is that they’ll make him incredibly strong and smart and basically nothing will be able to stop him again making it just a slugfest which he will always win. Lois is annoying and sucks. If you need more on that then read my review for Superman. Sure she’s not boning anyone in this issue, but there’s evidence of a past with Mr. Mustache and frankly she was once again watered down and not the same bold, beautiful character she once was.

Score – Buy, I think this book will continue getting good but I’m worried about the amount of villains that they’re introducing.

Hey look at that we made it through. You may notice that Green Arrow didn’t make the cut. That first issue may have been worth buying, but there was something about the second issue that just really made me pass. Maybe once they get a real writer on the book I’ll check it out again, but for now… no thank you. More than likely I’ll check out Green Arrow and Static Shock once they go cheap on the app store, but until then I can do without. The first issues may have been worth the purchase, but I stopped myself when I went to reach for issue two. We’ll add that to the bottom from now on if we think you should just wait till the book goes on sale to buy. Until later in this week, it’s clear sailing from here.

Review: Brilliant #1

I remember when Marvel’s Icon imprint started, it was supposed to be a way for anyone to get a comic made… then it quickly became a Vertigo style imprint for Marvel where their contract writers could release creator owned books and have the Marvel marketing in charge of pushing the book. That meet with a lot of success with titles like Trouble, Powers, Kick Ass and other books from big name creators. Now it’s become an imprint for, well three creators: Bendis, Millar (who’s jumping ship) and Brubaker. What started as a line full of potential has seen that potential continue to dwindle with every passing month and every new series. The latest series from Bendis and his Ultimate Spider-Man cohort Bagley is Brilliant.

The series reeks of pop culture and movie reference that takes a very generic comic book superhero idea and plugs it into the middle of it all. The concept is simple: College students have discovered superpowers... scientific superpowers. Now throw in a mixture of The Social Network and The Town then steal from other comics like Preacher and of course Ultimate Spider-Man and you have a book that’s so convoluted with dialog and characters that are beyond annoying. Frankly if you’ve read anything by Bendis in the past two years you’ll find that this book is par for the course. If it were a movie (which its really trying to be), then if you looked away from the screen you would have no idea who was talking. Every character talks exactly the same and frankly I don’t know what a middle-aged white man knows about minorities living in the big city and going to college, but I’m going to guess not much. There are two main characters that are African-American and I’m not saying that they need to talk like rappers, but I don’t think they need to talk like nerdy white guys either.

The art on the other hand has grown and changed so much from Ultimate Spider-Man… alright let’s just stop right there because that’s not true at all. Bagley’s art is Bagley’s art and that’s all you can say. He’s a fast artist and that’s great for deadlines, but pretty piss poor when you want fine details on anything other than the characters to look good. Also I’m not sure if he’s coloring his own work now, but it was extremely faded looking and gave it a dated look. I’m mean the book is already dated in concept and in its weak attempt at capturing an audience of a best-picture nominee from last year, but that doesn’t mean the art should follow suit.

I’m sure that others will say that this book is in fact brilliant while others will make the easy joke saying that it is anything but. I’ll take a different route and say I understand why the name was picked, but if you’re going to be cocky enough to title it that you should make sure you deliver a product that changes the course of comics. Instead Bendis is taking an old concept of science creating super powers and putting it in a modern setting.

Score: 2/5

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Mark Bagley Publisher: Marvel Comics and Icon Price: $3.95

The New 52: Week 4 - Part 2

Finally, we’re done with this first month of books. Did you make it? Do you even still care? Did anyone else find the last week of releases to be lack-luster and just meh with only a few exceptions? Well we’re down to the last five books and after that we start all over! Let’s start with the shit first and work our way, well away from it.

The Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Men #1

That’s the proper title by the way, and it’s just long enough to make you not want to buy it anymore just because. This marks the last series done by an artist/writer book from the New 52 and hey, guess what? It’s just bad. Also when the hell did Van Sciver’s art start to suck? Here’s the story… I don’t care. Literally couldn’t care less about it, I hate the characters that they were using that we became stuck with after Blackest Night and really they should have picked anyone else in the world to be Firestorm than those two annoying brainless characters. Also the fact that there were multiple Firestorms was almost interesting, until one of them said, “Sweet Cheeks.” I thought Gail Simone was helping on the writing how’d that slip through? Oh that’s write she’s a mediocre writer so it doesn’t matter. I hated this book, it did nothing and also introduced yet another clandestine group to the DCnU, seriously how many of these groups are running the world and how do they not know about each other? If they do and they begin fighting then we’ve got something. Otherwise I call bullshit.

Score – Pass, Firestorm still sucks.

Justice League Dark#1

I wanted to like this book, but it felt like a hallow attempt at making another Justice League book, because it was. Enchantress is going nut sand the regular JL can’t stop her! We better create a magic based team asap! I hate when a Justice League team is created when the regular team fails to get the job done. It’s not believable and never addressed in regular team’s book so it’s like it never happened. Easy way to start this story… don’t have the JL init! What’s wrong with just a bunch of crazy magic users seeing a threat and doing something about it? That’s what’s happening, but there is this weird inclusion of the JL for no reason other than showing the relation to the “Dark”team. Batman sucked, but I liked the new Zatanna. I dug her old costume, but that shit was getting dated. I’m on the fence with this one, I might give it a second chance but if they even mention Supes and the others I’ll bail. That being said I can’t recommend anyone else picking up this book.

Score – Pass, did you read Justice League Elite? It’s different, but just as bad.

Voodoo #1

So Ron Marz leaves Top Cow to come write this shit? I’m not sure who wins in this situation since he hasn’t even managed to finish Artifacts or put out any of Top Cow’s other flagship books on time.Voodoo’s an alien stripper. Did you watch Striptease? Yes you did you fucking nerd. This is just one long scene from Striptease, but at the end she’s an alien that kills a dude! Also the government is looking in on Voodoo or it’s another clandestine group… my money’s on the latter. Aside from Marz making her a stripper for the stupidest of reasons, he even takes the power that was associated with her name by making it the name of the stripper that’s the most popular… what an asshole. I was happy as shit to see a Wildstorm character getting their own book, but Marz just fucked this shit up bad. He’s also a formula writer so this book isn’t terrible, just not very good. I’ll give him one more issue as well, but if he doesn’t change the formula… we’re done.

Score – Buy, but be ready to drop.

I, Vampire #1

Loved it. Hands down probably my favorite book of the launch tied with All-Star Western #1. I just wish it wasn’t part of the DCnU. If this book had gone to Vertigo it would be one of their top selling books instantly. As it stands it’s a great addition to the world though. The narration was interesting and it had an I Am Legend (the book not the crappy movie) feel to it. Fialkov did a great job of slowly introducing us to this world and creating an interesting Vampire situation that could actually work in the DCnU, unlike what Marvel did with the X-Men last year. This book will probably be a sleeper hit as some core comic readers will not take to it and that’s their loss. This book actually does what the new DCnU was meant todo and that’s make a new and accessible world for new readers. This book can actually appeal to non-comic readers with the hook of vampires and once it has them in, it’s over. Pedigree their ass because they just became hooked on comics. This is exactly what all of the books should have been, a new and interesting writer and a very talented and fresh artists. Too bad there weren’t more books like this the reboot could have been something special.

Score – 5/5 Buy!

Superman #1

Now this isn’t a best for last deal, but I will say you should probably buy this book. First thing, it should have been a $3.99 book because it’s got content galore! After reading this, I can finally see what the hell they were doing with Supes. They Peter Parker’ed him. They changed his career from the dying print industry (ironic!) and updated the Daily Planet for a new generation. I liked that, but it was boring as shit setting that all up. Thankfully we got it out of the way, but that’s all this issue does is clean up and change Superman.So what was missing from this book? Clark Kent. Perez adds and subtracts the supporting cast, but guess what there are still too many people and I just wanted Clark. The opposite approach seems to have been taken with Superman when compared with Batman. In Bat’s we finally get Bruce Wayne, almost too much Bruce, but with Superman… Clark is absent in both titles with the exception of the end of the issues. Now with all its faults and Perez just doing work to get the set-up of the series out of the way it still had me until the end.

I don’t need to know who Lois is sleeping with. I don’t like that fact that DC Peter Parker’ed Clark so much that they took his marriage away, but at least Marvel didn’t have MJ banging some random new dude the next issue after. I don’t mind mature content or adults having sex (preferably outside of their costumes), but I did not need LOIS FUCKING LANE sleeping with some dick bag. Perez neutered her character from the strong tough as nails character that she’s always managed to be and turned her into what writer’s think self-sufficient woman are. She’s literally a dude with boobs and I hated that. Also I didn’t need it spelled out to me that they were having sex I could tell by the way it was drawn and the awkward moment between Clark and Lois, but to have her say, “Get back in bed” was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m done with her and frankly they should just kill her off instead of trying to hold on to this idea of her character that frankly doesn’t work anymore. As modernized as everything was in the book she still felt old and I think that was the worst part. They didn’t try anything new with her, but they needed to because what they ended up doing was making her obsolete. In my mind, Lois is dead because they don’t know what the fuck to do with her anymore.

Score – Buy, but you’ll probably want to drop it once Perez is off the book… or after the next issue.

Well that's it... did you like this format of review? Good because I'll probably keep doing this until I've dwindled down the amount of books that are worth buying. See you for Month 2 real soon!

Would You Wear This? Spider-Man Hoodie

Ah comic related merchandise... you used to be a rare find. Now companies understand that the more companies slapping their characters on a shirt the better. Today we have a hoodie from ThinkGeek featuring Spider-Man. I thought it was cool looking, but I'm not going to pay 65 bucks for it. What the hell is it made out of Spider-Man's silk? Is it designed to disintegrate after 24 hrs?

"That's why I can never find any of your webs to keep!"

Extra points if you know what that's from. Any ways, 65 bucks worthy?

Review: Coldboy #1

I think we can all agree that people soliciting outside of supermarkets are annoying. Be it Girl Scouts, high school football players selling candy or the voter ballot goons. I'm a registered voter and I don't like being bothered by them, so it surprised me when yesterday I was approached by a young man selling something different. Usually I would have brushed past him like the lady walking in front of me, but she was so rude I decided to at least give the kid the time of day and hear his pitch. Much to my surprise he was selling his comic book, not his collection, but his very own self made comic book. And not for some worthy cause bull either. This kid had it down too. He told me he was looking for 3 to 5 dollars for it which was smart since comics fall in that general price range any ways and then he used the best line ever, "or whatever you think it's worth." How can you undervalue his work at that point? Since I love comics and there was no way I was going to let this brave soul walk away empty handed I offered him a buck for his book (I don't carry cash, we're a debit society... at least until Bank of America starts charging that is) which he accepted and I walked away with the very first issue of Coldboy.

Upon reading it I really wanted to believe that this kid did it all himself, but I have a feeling that his loving parents (the same ones letting him stand outside of a supermarket selling comics) helped him at least with the story and layouts. For kid he did a pretty decent job of telling a story and doing breakdowns that actually were pretty good. I'm not saying he's dropping out of school to join Marvel, but over time he could develop to be a heck of an artist. The story of Coldboy is basically about a kid that finds an asteroid or "space rock" and it changes him into Coldboy after he says the planet is "so cold." Of course he says this after his parents force him outside to play and he gets beat up. If I wanted to psychoanalysis this kid I could easily go no a tangent, but I'm not.

Really the reason I'm even posting this is to highlight the innocent nature of his storytelling. This comic is written by a kid that's clearly into superpowers and getting lost in the idea of overcoming the feeling of powerlessness. Here's the thing, people will always say that comics are for kids and even publishers say that they want to get kid readers, but I don't think any of them speak to a kid like this. Do you think Bendis' new Ultimate Spider-Man is going to tackle issues like getting picked on when you're forced to play outside? No, he's probably going to deal with the fact that he's a minority and not the first Spider-Man.

My point is, that comics today have no idea what kids want to read. I used to know plenty of people that would pick up Marvel's Marvel Adventure line of books because they loved the stories, so I read a few and they still weren't for young kids. In fact the audience that would be old enough to understand them would probably just pick up the normal version of the book. Comics used to sell in the millions because they were about over-coming weakness and feeling empowered. That was a really common theme back when comics were starting and that's when kids read them by the millions. Maybe Marvel and DC should take a look at that formula again and actually put out some comics for children. Until then you can enjoy Coldboy and if you're interested in the issue or future issue then email the creator and his family at JoshuaComics@gmail.com.

At the end of the book there's a letter to the reader thanking them for support and encouraging them not to give up on their dreams and I have to say... its a compelling argument. After all, I've always wanted to make a comic and here this young man has and he's sold an issue... not many others can say that can they. Maybe we can all learn from Joshua and stop waiting for companies to make books we like and actually go out and make the books we like regardless of quality and quantity. Maybe then we can usher in the new golden age of comics.

Review: Haunted City #1

This book is puzzling to me; I really enjoyed a lot of what they did with the story and I disliked other things just as much. It walks this very fine balance of being cheesy and serious and that’s really its strength as a comic. The concept of the story isn’t horribly original, hell the characters aren’t very original, but it’s the fact that the two are paired together that makes the book enjoyable.

The story begins with a boy in class drawing frantically as kids pick on him from behind. He’s drawing a beautiful ghostly woman who is clearly above his skill level. After school the same kids pick on him and for some weird reason really hate his shoes. At any rate they take said shoes and tell him to get new ones. Once he gets home his father tells him that he is in fact, not going to buy him new shoes so our battered and beaten little boy begins praying to a statue that resembles his drawing from before. The next day we find him dead and nearly 700 feet below ground! Now that’s how you do an opening!

After that we wake up with Tom, a cop who is in the hospital because of a bad drug deal. I know you’re thinking “undercover cop!” but no; Tom is a dirty cop and the deal that went bad was between him and one of his suppliers that were up to no good! He wakes up with a man named Peter Hopkins explaining that he’s in deep shit and gives him his card to talk to him when he can't swim anymore. Tom flees the hospital and heads to his favorite drug/prostitute bar to get a quick high before he realizes just how screwed he is. He decides to take Peter up on his offer, but what he soon finds out is that the world he’s just entered is a lot stranger than he’s used to.

I have to say I liked just about everything in this story except for Tom and his involvement. A dirty cop that is a drug dealer with a drug problem is not the most likeable character surprisingly enough. Not that I hated him, but it’s really obvious that his character is going to go down the road of redemption and that’s he’s going to be really “special” in the end as he plays the reluctant hero. Suddenly he’ll do things that supporting characters could never do and so and so on. That’s the part I disliked because it was all so obvious. What writers Chap Taylor and Peter Johnson do well is their take on the tired fairy tale story; they give it a darker modern twist. Even though the book is supernatural based the elements are so grounded in reality that I believed it over the drug dealing cop angle.

The art is solid and I’m really glad that I can consistently say that about Aspen’s products. They’re really a company that understands that story and art need to have a balance and even if they don’t always find it, it’s clear that they’re always trying. Artist Michael Ryan creates a visually striking world that captures what I said about the writing; supernatural based,but grounded in reality. The only thing I took an issue with was having Tom runaround town with his head wrapped. I’m sure it was in the script, but it was just goofy to see the main character wearing so much gauze around his head.

Haunted City comes out on the 12^th, so you’re being given enough warning that it’s worth picking up. What it lacks in concept originality it more than makes up for in story and execution. There are a lot of #1 issues out right now, but frankly this is a good one to pick up. Be sure to check out our first look of it as well.

 

Score: 4/5

Review: Grandpa Won't Wake Up

Now if you don’t instantly think something morbid from that title… then you should. At first glance this masterpiece from Simon Max Hill and Shannon Wheeler seems innocent enough, but it’s not. The story is very simple,Grandpa... won’t wake up and his two grandchildren are going to do anything they can think of to try to wake him up. Some of those things include checking to see if he’s peed himself, they bounce him on a trampoline and even lay him naked in the lawn. But alas, nothing will wake Grandpa up.

It’s a fast read so I won’t spoil much of what the kids go through to try to wake their Grandfather up, but there are some gasping moments of unbelief when you see what they’ve chosen to do. Probably the funniest thing about the book is that it just keeps going on and on leaving you to wonder if it will ever end; or if the outcome that is apparent to everyone at the beginning of the book is ever going to come or if you’ll be left with these children exploring the outreaches of their imaginations.

As funny and simple as the story is, it’s really Wheeler's art that makes everything stand out. An example of his execution is the page where the kids lay grandpa out on the lawn naked. The narration reads, “We laid him naked on the lawn, but Grandpa won’t wake up.” Wheeler takes the narration to a new level as he places the Grandpa just above the waist stretched out on the lawn with the kids and everyone else just staring at his naked body only covered by a bird standing on his pecker. Wheeler just amplifies each page with hilariously disturbing images that would make you feel uncomfortable if placed in any other setting. I have a great example of this, but I can’t ruin it for anyone that might read it. It was shocking, disturbing and graphic to say the least and stumbling upon it made it all the funnier. The great thing about the art is that it maintains an innocent flair to it while producing morbid images, these conflicting natures work strangely well together.

The book is made to resemble a children’s book from yesterdays and hell maybe if it wasn’t demented it could have been published by the company that’s being spoofed. As it stands though I will be picking up Grandpa Won’t Wake Up when it’s released by Boom Town and recommend that if you have any interest in Shannon Wheeler’s work, that you do the same. My last bit of thoughts on the book... I'm 50/50 on if you should actual give this to a child... I seriously think they could learn something, but you could also teach them horrible things at the same time.

Score: 5/5

Review: Severed #3

This issue mostly focused on standing around and talking,but as the reader I couldn’t help but sit on the edge of my seat and yell at the main characters. This entire issue was basically that scene in any horror movie where you have more information than the characters and you’re forced to watch them make every stupid mistake possible and it’s exciting and infuriating at the same time. Still this is one of the best suspense/horror comics I’ve read in comics, period!

Jack and Sam (I totally just got that reference! IMDB it, you’ll see) any way, they begin hitting the streets to earn enough money for Jack to head down to Mississippi and continue chasing after his father. They start to make a killing at it due to Jack’s natural abilities and training and soon enough he's ready to set off. Sam opens up to him about why she’s out on the road and Jack asks her/him to come along with him. The next day the fellas are out, hard at work when the "monster" approaches. He’s taken on the identity of the man he killed in the last issue and he begins sweat talking them and eventually talks them into dinner at his place. Can we say duh, duh, duh!

That’s as much of the story I’m going to give you because the rest is intense and you’ll be flipping through the pages just waiting for the shit to hit the fan. Tuft and Synder did a great job with this issue and they accomplish a much different goal than the last issue. With this one it literally puts our main characters in the line of fire and that’s good, but as good as it is I figured it out with this issue. I’ll still stick around for the next two, to see how it plays out. If you want to hear my guess then ask me via Twitter, but this is still one of the best horror comics I’ve read in years.

Just a quick blurp about the art as it is still fantastic. Attila Futaki continues to just be stunning on the visuals and without him on the book; this story wouldn’t be half as good. An interesting fact, Futaki is working on the graphic novel version of the second volume of Percy Jackson. I’m not a fan of that series, but I would check it out due to his art. Hopefully after he’s done working for Disney he’ll continue putting out amazing horror fiction like Severed.

Did you miss the first two issues of this series? Well you’re in luck because they’re both available digitally on Graphicly and Comixology, where… this issue is also available today. That’s right Severed is one of the newest titles added to Image’s Day-and-Date initiative and frankly it’s a worthy addition. So, if you missed it you now have no excuse as to why you’re still missing one of the best books of 2011.

Score: 5/5

Review: Kult #3

For starters this issue was a bit different from the last issue. It was full of great character moments and really ignored the world that it was set it for the most part. I really enjoyed the fact that it did something different compared to the last issue, but my fear is that we’ll never truly experience the world that story is set in and that would be tragic.

The second issue left off with Tomas in front of a mental institution. His daughters are inside somewhere and he’s hell bent on finding them. Too bad he has to tear through the entire place first to do it. He’s helped out by Mark, a man he helped after arresting him so many times. Mark goes through a story about how their work there really helps people and that Tomas’ words helped him change his life. What are those words? “The only way you’ll stay clean is if I hold a gun to your head for the rest of your life.”Pretty chilling and those words thrown back in Tomas’ face made him re-evaluate part of his own life.

The story ends on a pretty big cliffhanger that as they say,“takes the gloves off” for the next issue. Jeremy Barlow sets the stage for a thrilling conclusion and I’m curious to see if the fourth issue will be inherently different for the previous two. I really enjoyed the dialog involving or coming from Tomas in this issue, but he supporting cast feel a bit short at times. They became pretty irrelevant in this issue and added nothing to the story. The art was just as good as the last issue and the cover is very strange, as it almost makes you want to look away, but peaks your interest at the same time.

This is a pretty entertaining book and I’m looking forward to the next chapter. It may not strike me on every chord, but it does a lot right and I think that makes it worth picking up. After reading fifty-two first issues from the “Big Two”, I found it very refreshing to pick up something somewhat familiar and have it surprise me by how good it was. If you find yourself in the same boat then check out Kult#3.

Score: 3/5

The New 52: Week 4 – Part 1

If you don’t know the drill on this crap yet, then read the first batch of reviews here, the second batch here and here and guess what? The third batch here and here. Let’s jump right into the book that pissed me off the most.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1

Why does this book exist? Why didn’t they simply cancel Batman and Robin or put Finch on that series? Also if I have to read one more book with Bruce Wayne at a charity event I’m going to puke. I like that they’re not forgetting his social life, but it’s a bit overkill by now. Also they’re just going to forget about it in six issues anyways so stop giving it so much emphasis now or you’ll just piss people like me off when we haven’t forgotten about it. The only thing this book had going for it was one scene in which Batman tells everyone not to be distracted by the first appearance of the White Rabbit. It felt like Batman, but the problem was hat he knew everything that was happening before anyone else and it didn’t make a lick of sense. How did he know it was Two-Face? Seriously that bothered me a lot that Finch and Jenkins Ramboed this story. Let me explain: in Rambo:First Blood there is a scene where Rambo jumps down from a tree perfectly on top of a “bad guy” and kills him. There in a forest and this guy just happens to pick the tree that Rambo is in, it’s called convenient storytelling and that’s what the entire Asylum scene was. Also the new Two-Face, or“One-Face” as he asked to be called was lame as hell. The art okay, but Finch needs to practice drawing Bruce’s face more so he doesn’t look mentally ill.I’m sure Jenkins is on this book to keep Finch from missing deadlines like he did before, but his storytelling presence wasn’t felt.

Score – Buy. This is the first book I’m going to buy out of morbid curiosity and that’s it. Otherwise I'd pass on this real quick.

Green Lantern: NewGuardians #1

Yet another book from Tony Bedard and it was surprisingly decent. In fact the only disappointment from the Lantern books has been Green Lantern itself. In this little ditty we’re reintroduced to Kyle Ryner’s origin and frankly it was kind of needed. I also liked that fact that the different colored rings abandoned their owners in favor of Ryner. DC has long said that he plays a “special” role in the GL universe, but really it seems like they shoehorn him into any situation they can to prove the point. It was a good start to the series and it’s good that basically every earth GL has their own book at this point.

Score – Buy

The Savage Hawkman #1

This is yet another title that has erased the annoyances of the characters past, but did nothing even remotely interesting in the issue. I don’t know when Tony Daniel’s became a writer extraordinaire for DC, but they should really just put him back on art duties. I can’t say I loved the whole smash, smash Hawkman for yesterdays and thank god the whole “tragic lovers”angle is absent, but this new Hawkman… talks to damn much. Seriously, shut up.Philip Tan’s art is decent, but you’d think another artist would know who really showcase the art, but I guess that’s two things that Daniel’s isn’t good at.

Score – Pass

Aquaman #1

I liked this book, how could anyone not like this book it classic Johns fixing another broken DC character and how better than Aquaman. My only real problem with this book was the fact that the story was so self-aware that it practically slaps you in the face with the fact they’re trying to make Aquaman cool. In general it was still good and teaming Johns and Reis together again is delightful as the pair did some of their best work on Green Lantern together.It makes sense that they would work well together on Green Lantern Jr. Aquaman as well. Mostly I just wish more had happened in this book to warrant metal king about it.

Score – Buy

Blackhawks #1

Hey it’s another clandestine team of heroes fighting against a clandestine group of villains. This book was decent even if was like the six time I’ve read this same scenario and Costa basically turned the Blackhawaks into G.I. Joe, which is cool, but when you look at his writing credits (he wrote a lot of G.I. Joe)it’s less impressive. Still a decent book and hopefully readers are receptive to it, after all G.I. Joe in the DCU is a very cool concept… even if it’s not very original.

Score – Buy

Flash #1

Yet another damn book written by an artist. So I guess anyone that was married got the “Brand New Day” treatment and had their marriage absolved which teaches kids that marriage is okay to reboot whenever you want. You know what I hated about this book? The fact that I had no idea what the fuck was going on. It sure as hell wasn’t picking up from the last series and it didn’t try to explain anything. Usually I’m fine with skipping the origin story, but when you do the way Manapul did it, it feels like you’re missing more than the origin.The story telling was poorly organized; the narration was pointless and uninformative. Also it felt like Manapul was sucked by Johns take on the blond in the last series so he just switched everything so that they could date.Literally this read like fan-fiction more than a professionally made comic book. The art was okay, but lacked any detail in the inking and coloring department. Also I hate clone stories.

Score – Pass, saddens me to say that but I’m not picking this book up again until they get a new writer and frankly Manapul just fucked up everything Johns fixed in the last series. Way to go!

Teen Titans #1

There are seven “Titans” on the cover, but you can bet your ass that only four of them make an appearance in the book. Also I hope you wanted some recycled Superboy pages, because you’re getting them! Other than that this was a decent story. For those keeping track at home this is Lobdell’s third reboot book and the second or third clandestine group introduced way back in Superboy #1. I liked the fact that it was just, “Hey were all sidekicks, we should hangout.” In fact other than Red Robin, none of them have worked with their namesakes. Wasn’t crazy about Wondergirl’s costume, I like that its Donna Troy inspired, but a one piece with a hood just makes her look weird. Keep the pants though! I find it strange that Lobdell who used to work with current DC EIC back at Marvel, has gotten a good to great artist for all three of his books while other writers have gotten stuck with crap. If you were a fan of the old Teen Titans or Young Justice then this probably going to rub you the wrong way so either go in with an open mind or don’t bother.

Score – Buy… for now.This reeks of formula writing so it could easily become stale.

All-Star Western #1

This was the first book that when I finished it I wanted to read the next issue! We found it damn it! Now, I do have a soft spot for Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, especially since Jimmy was one of my first interviews with a comic professional. I’m also a big softy for Moritat’s art and frankly how can anyone not be? He’s one of the best artists in the business and he’s very, very underrated. He seriously should be on books like Superman, Avengers and all that top selling crap. Personally though, I’m happy to see him work on stuff like The Spirit and this new title All-Star Western. Moritat shows what a versatile artist he with this book, his career has included futuristic Sci-fi, 50’s mobsters and now a western and he’s nailed it each time. Gray and Palmiotti continue their run on Jonah Hex and basically just keep him the way they always have, but now have thrown him into a new element which is really good. This is the only book that I can honestly say is a “must buy” and maybe that’s just my personal taste or it could just be that this is one of the best reboot books that DC’s managed to put out.

Score – 5/5 BUY!

Cover Talk

I believe that the covers for comic books play a major role in grabbing readers in, especially new ones. So its understandable that some people would go all out to impress us with their art to make that particular issue stand out above the rest, even if the cover has nothing to do with what happens inside. Browsing through my comic store I found two covers that made me more than just double take. These were titles I don't even collect but had to pick up just for a look see. So let me start by showing you the awesome cover.

As if this is not an awesome looking cover. Mice killing each other. This is Mice Templar Vol III issue #5. I think the art on this is amazing and has what makes a great cover. I know nothing of this series except there are mice in it. Michael Avon Oeming is responsible for the cover. But to balance such a great cover I found one that was pretty bad.

And now for my very own WTF Cover. Daredevil #3 features the characters Daredevil and Klaw. I mean I am all for bringing back old characters but wouldn't you wanna try and make it look better? As if you can't tell me what is wrong with this artwork. This is bad, this is disgusting. This is WTF?!?!?!?!? I really don't get what they are trying to do but its out there.d

The New 52: Week 3 – Part 2

Yay the first month of DC madness is over! Now we can all watch as sales plummet for books that no one gave a shit about and the indie market can finally start to grow again since the DC overload has finally set in. You’ll be getting two updates today as I’ve actually sat down and wasted a lot of time reading DC books instead of other more enjoyable stories. Here’s the first of the day.

Nightwing #1

Did you ever read Nightwing before they cancelled it and made Dick Batman? Well this is the exact book they cancelled due to low sales and small fan base. I have to say it’s one of the more disappointing re-launches as they seem to have learned nothing from the previously failed Nightwing. At least they kept him in Gotham, but they instantly pulled a Batman on him and brought up his parents deaths. Eddy Barrows art on the book is some of his best, but I don’t see that being enough to save the book. The villain of the story is dressed like Draken from Marvel and even has the same claws minus the fact that his are removable. I honestly won’t be reading this book ever again, any interesting aspects added to Dick in his time as Batman have been completely wiped away in favor of returning him back to Nightwing.

Score – Pass, they messed up Nightwing the way they used to mess up Supergirl which is really sad.

Legion of Superheroes#1

The only interesting aspect that writer Paul Levitz was able to add to the Legion on his fifth or sixth crack at the book, was making them more of a military unit (which is a very popular theme in the new DCnU!). Too bad everything else that was wrong with the Legion is still in the book:Uninteresting characters, too many characters, no visible plot line in sight due to fact that every character has to talk for an entire page and the biggest problem… it’s in the future of the DCnU which basically ruins the current continuum. None of these characters are like-able or even come across as characters because they all share the same voice and there is noway to get a feel for any of them due to the short dialog chunks. If they wanted to fix this they should have cut the team down to five and then maybe,just maybe it would be interesting. I can’t really say that the art was good,it was passable, but due to the clutter on the pages and the shitty costume designs I wouldn’t say it’s good.

Score – Pass, if it doesn’t get cancelled right away it’s due to long time Legion fans but it should get cancelled.

DC Universe Presents:Deadman #1

This book was decent, it’s a bit rough around the edges and everyone is correct in calling it Quantum Leap starring Deadman. That’s essentially what this is, but with a bit of a twist as Deadman is jumping into people’s lives and he has no idea what he’s doing and if he’s even making a difference. The storytelling is a bit choppy which is unusual from Paul Jenkins, but it jumps around from past to present to past to present which makes sense when explained. When you’re reading it the changes are very abrupt and keep you from becoming emerged in the story. The art was really good from Bernard Chang and I think that this book has some potential to be really good and it has a new and fresh feel that a lot of the other launch titles don’t have. Personally this book is a keeper so I’ll definitely be back for the second issue.

Score – Buy

Blue Beetle #1

This book is a bit strange as it mixes part of the last Blue Beetle series with a new lore or at least explained lore for BB. I personally liked the new BB lore of the scarabs being sent to new worlds so that the Beetle’s masters can go Galactus on the planet. I liked that they kept Jamie as the Blue Beetle, but I don’t like how they basically told the exact same story as the last series. I mean without the new lore added this was like reading that issue again which I did not like. Still, writer Tony Bedard did a good job with the rest of the book and I like the new element added enough to come back to the book. If it just regurgitate the last series again then I’m not sure this book will have much to offer outside of the new planet dominator aspect. Hopefully the characters dialog gets better in the next issue, because right now I could barely stand to read it. All in all though I’ll be back for the second issue and really like that there are two intergalactic Corps’in the DCnU.

Score – Buy, but if it doesn’t pull out some new tricks it could fall into the drop it category.

Captain Atom #1

Hey another JT Krul book that’s not any good. Seriously why do people like this guy’s writing? Krul took Captain Atom and made him Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen…without the doctorate or intelligence. That’s all this is and it further solidifies that Captain Atom is a shitty character that needs to be put to rest until someone can actually do something interesting with him. Freddie Williams II’s style is interesting, but no a good match for this type of story. Also the issue really seems stretched out and I’m going to go ahead and blame the writer for that one having read enough of his work. Every scene in which Atom is out “doing work” suddenly becomes three panel pages which give Williams less work to do. I don’t know if this was an adjustment made so that they could reach their three issue deadline imposed by DC, or just bad storytelling. Either way the result is a quick read with very little substance.

Score – Pass, I’ll never pick up this book again.

Birds of Prey #1

Finally this book is interesting! For all you Gail Simone fans you can keep her runs on the book because I never found it interesting or even remotely praiseworthy. This new series puts the team in a new direction and adds a real sense of danger to the team. I could have done without the Babs cameo as it just came across as fan service and made me cringe reading it. Otherwise Swierczynski manages to take this concept to a new level by adding a spy-thriller aspect to it that just happens to be set in the superhero world. He also makes both female leads strong, powerful self-reliant woman that both get to wear pants! Seriously it makes their characters and the action much more believable by putting pants on them. There was a damsel in distress for the book that was of course male, but it worked due to his line of work. Really the disposable character could have been either gender, and it wouldn’t have matter. Jesus Saiz’s art has grown a lot from his days of drawing Checkmate and there couldn’t have been a better choice for the book. I’ve always wanted to like BOP due to the characters and usually the artists on the title, but never could get into the cheesy story or the poor writing. This new series though instantly hooked me and has to be one of the best I’ve read for the reboot thus far.

Score – Buy the damn thing!

Well there you have it, week three is done and I actually liked some titles. Now the questions becomes did DC save the best for last with week four? Since I’ve already read some of them I’ll tell you right now… no they did not, but find out why on the next installment of this sales gimmick bonanza.