This is the last time I do one of these posts. The last time that I can see myself writing about the weekly haul ever again. So, obviously, everyone involved should feel especially proud.
Avengers #3: That felt a little anticlimactic. I really like the way that Opena draws the Hulk. I also really liked the last panel. Some moments in there worked, but... this felt a little underwhelming given the build up. Not as clever as you'd like. A bit simple. [***3/4]
Before Watchmen: Minutemen #6: The part where Byron gives Hollis the garage? That was my favourite page of the entire Before Watchmen project. These characters did need any of this, but it was still nice. Also, the stuff with Blake was funny. [***1/2]
FF #3: I also liked John Storm and Wyatt Wingfoot together... apparently, this week, I'm all about men hugging and calling one another brother. It's sweet and important. Fraction's writing is a nice mix of light and DOOM. Apparently, there's another comic he's writing that's related to this, but it's shitty, apparently. How does that work exactly? Sometimes I wonder if Matt Fraction is actually two little people who take turns being the torso (that's why he sometimes has a beard and sometimes doesn't, by the way). [***3/4]
Hell Yeah #6: So this comic is back. I reread issues 1-5 on Tuesday night and it's not really the comic that Joe Keatinge describes. A big part of why it's not is that he says it's about being young and stupid and realising you need to stop being young and stupid... except none of that shit is in there except for a few scenes where Ben is young and stupid. Otherwise, a bunch of shit happens all around him and he has so little agency that you wouldn't know he was the protagonist if he didn't appear on the covers more than anyone else. I like the conceipt that he now works for a guy who resembles Stan Lee and acts, basically, as a continuity editor. That's funny. And he's got some agency in this issue, but it's so caught up in implying things and talking around what's really happening that it's hard not to roll ones eyes. I dig Szymanowicz's art more when he's inked by Redivo than when he's not. This series is flawed and I find it interesting that part of that flaw seems to be that the comic isn't at all what the writer thinks it is -- or, it doesn't come off like he thinks it does. [***]
The Massive #8: I love the little moments. Like Lars refusing to follow orders. Or Cal seeming crazy. Or that final page. Or the difference between Soviet and Russian. I dig this book. [***2/3]
Prophet #33: Another book of little moments. I've been drawn to stuff that has those lately, I think. The poop joke made me laugh, especially at the end. "Ma'am! You forgot your shit, ma'am!" [****]
Punk Rock Jesus #6: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand he didn't stick the landing. He came close, but this sort of collapsed under its own weight. Maybe I'm being too hard. After all, I had to wait extra time to get the final issue. Expectations are a killer, Sean. Sorry. [***3/4]
The Ultimates #20: See, the joke is that, in the Marvel Universe, Nick Fury used a hologram disguise that looked like Ultimate Nick Fury, so, now, Ultimate Nick Fury is using one that looks like regular Marvel Universe Nick Fury. Now you can skip this comic. [*1/2]
Uncanny Avengers #3: This story should end with someone looking at the Red Skull, noticing the X gene in his grafted brain and him being torn apart by a big crowd of people. Oh. Shit. Spoilers, asshole! [***1/4]
Winter Soldier #14: A perfect ending. The hero wins the external fight and loses the internal ones. He can't really complain, but he's worse off than if she was dead. He's a good guy, so he'll pretend that it's okay, but it's not. It's fucking not. His heart has been ripped out. Well done, sir. [****]
Wolverine and the X-Men #24: More like Wolverine and the SEX-Men, am I right? I'm mostly impressed with Wolverine's ability to cut Storm's hair in a mohawk, obtain such a clean shave, and not leave a single cut... with his fucking claws. Apparently what he does is be the best barber in the world. I also approve of the Quentin Quire/Jean Grey subplot. I want more of that. [***3/4]
Wonder Woman #16: Sometimes, I read this comic and think that it's the least Azzarello-like comic I've ever read written by Azzarello. The way he writes Orion is that. I still like that War resembles Azzarello. [****]
Young Avengers #1: The opening scene is that moment when you get to university and meet someone who loves something you dismissed as being old. Who wants to listen to their parents' music? Well, a new adult does. Because it turns out that your parents weren't the cultural morons you thought they were and their music is pretty fucking good. Will our kids feel the same way? Sure, they'll discover things like Radiohead and the White Stripes and it will be like when we discovered Led Zeppelin and the Velvet Underground. But, what if they don't? Is that possible? I hope not. It's a big moment when you leave that teenage wasteland of hating everything that seems 'uncool' or 'old' and begin to find a way back to your parents through music. it was for me. It was. [****]
Later
Wolverine #3 annotations
3 hours ago
