CBR Review: Daken: Dark Wolverine #7

I recently reviewed Daken: Dark Wolverine #7 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Acting as both the finale the second act of 'Empire,' the opening story arc of Daken: Dark Wolverine, and as a prologue to 'Collision,' the crossover with X-23 that officially begins with that title’s seventh issue, Daken #7 is something of a mishmash issue. It tries to serve two masters by providing a satisfying conclusion to the story that’s been the title’s focus since its relaunch, and also providing an introduction to the upcoming crossover story. The emphasis is more on the former than the latter, but that doesn’t stop it from seeming mechanical and without any drive beyond the one to simply end things and move on."

You can read the rest HERE!

Sketch Reviews (March 2 2011)

For the first time since the end of October 2008, every comic I bought and read this week was just for me. That's both strange and kind of nice. This month's '28' post is late because, well, I kind of forgot. Second one and already off schedule. To be fair, there's no February 29 this year. I wrote part of a post last night and then abandoned it. Not at all what I wanted. Maybe something will get written in the next few days. I also hope to write about Dark Entries for my series of posts on Hellblazer. But, for now... every single comic book I bought today!

Annihlators #1: The argument for why this group works makes sense. They're too powerful to be effective, because they'll always be afraid of letting loose. Works for me. Quasar's narration was annoying and didn't work with the flow of the issue. This was also some of the most generic art I've seen from Tan Eng Huat. It's like every rough, interesting element of his work has been smoothed over. I had to double-check the credits to make sure it was him. The Rocket Raccoon/Groot first issue story was alright. I dig Tim Green II's art. The plot isn't nearly as funny or wacky as it's supposed to be. [***]

The Boys #52: The cover says Russ Braun, but this is all John McCrea. I have not enjoyed his constributions to The Boys so far. He can't match the expressive art of Robertson or Braun, his characters never acting quite as much, looking more like blank slates much of the time. But, Ennis's writing is strong as Hughie and Mallory meet... again. I'm waiting for Hughie to reveal to Annie his association with the Boys. The art drags this issue down, but it's still pretty good. [***]

Deadpool #33.1: I liked the mocking bit about how this issue doesn't really fit between issues 33 and 34. I liked when Deadpool's mask wasn't in the right place on head to sell his beating. Otherwise... not funny, just sort of goofy in that stupid way. Another reminder of why I ignore this title's existence. [*3/4]

First Wave #6: I don't know what to do with this. Maybe this will read better when I reread the whole mini-series, but, on its own, it's a mess. The writing just falls flat under the weight of an overly complicated plot that goes nowhere and the art continues its downward spiral into ugliness. How this was supposed to make me want to read more comics featuring these characters is beyond me. [*1/2]

Incognito: Bad Influences #4: An enjoyable issue, but not great. Simply good. It's settled into a nice little rhythm... and seems to have little direction. I have a feeling next issue will illicit a "That's it?" response. [***1/4]

Joe the Barbarian #8: Love the art, but the writing continued to leave me unaffected. Like First Wave, this could read better as a whole... but I doubt it. A big miss from Morrison when it comes to me. [***]

Secret Warriors #25: Huh. So, that's the Zodiac Event. That's... disappointing, I must admit. Not at all what I expected, but is that Hickman's fault? Is that my fault? I'm not sure yet. This does explain Leviathan... it leaves the connection between SHIELD and SHIELD unexplained (if there is one beyond the name). No, not what I expected. I don't know. A comic hasn't left me at a loss for words like this in a while. [n/a]

Ultimate Captain America #3: Wait, am I supposed to be rooting for Captain America? Or for 'Nuke'? Because I'm pretty sure I've got things backwards... I wonder, when people write a character like Captain America, do they consider how readers outside of the US will respond? Same with Superman... I figure non-American writers do, of course, but what about American writers? I'm curious. I liked this issue more than the first two, but it's still not rocking my world. [***]

Later

CBR Review: Dark Wolverine #87

I recently reviewed Dark Wolverine #87 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Situated between a crossover with Wolverine Origins and another with Frankencastle, this issue is an interlude of sorts with Daken in Rome, stewing about his father cutting out his wrist claws, which were covered with the Muramasa blade, the only weapon that can kill Logan. What ensues is 22 pages of empty words and vague hints at what Daken is thinking despite him narrating the issue. A woman pickpockets him and he nearly kills her before stopping, seeing it as an exercise in power. After, we get that same scene played out in a much longer, tedious fashion."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Dark Wolverine #83

I recently reviewed Dark Wolverine #83 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Dark Wolverine #82 ended with Daken running Norman Osborn through with his claws during the Siege of Asgard. It was a shocking way to end the issue since no one would expect Osborn to get killed A) by Daken and B) in the pages of Dark Wolverine. Well, he didn’t, but the manner in which he wasn’t makes sense and sets up a pretty interesting story for Daken in his Siege tie-in issues, picking up on a plot point in Michael Avon Oeming’s contribution to Thor wherein he had the character break the cycle of Ragnarok by severing Asgard’s ties with the Three Fates."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Deadpool #19

I recently reviewed Deadpool #19 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Deadpool arrives in New York, hoping to find Spider-Man and learn to be a hero, because he’s back doing that again. The issue begins with the two crossing paths with only Spidey aware of who the other truly is before a room full of dead bodies makes an official meeting unavoidable. There is some initial humor in Deadpool welcoming Spider-Man with open arms only to receive various punches and kicks, and Way uses a running hot dog-related gag to good effect in places. Largely, though, it’s pretty standard fare as Deadpool protests his innocence, Spider-Man doesn’t believe him, Deadpool proves his innocence and wants to help, and Spider-Man reluctantly agrees."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Dark Wolverine #79

I recently reviewed Dark Wolverine #79 and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "After a surprisingly impressive first arc, Dark Wolverine has sunk to being one of the worst comics I’ve read all year and all it did was change artists. Normally, an art change, no matter how drastic, wouldn’t affect a book this much, but Stephen Segovia’s utter lack of competence is so shocking in its ineptitude that I can’t help but wonder how he got this gig and who could possibly think this art is anything close to quality."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Dark Wolverine #76

I recently reviewed Dark Wolverine #76 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Entering Daken into a conflict with Bullseye is a smart move since he seems like the group’s ‘wild card’ at a first glance. As it is, we don’t know exactly what has happened, and neither does Norman Osborn as both men try to turn their boss against the other. The repetition of discussions Osborn has with each is humorous, but overplays the structure here of having the second part of the book mirror the first."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Wolverine #74

I recently reviewed Wolverine #74 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "In this final issue before Wolverine becomes Dark Wolverine, the two stories from issue 73 conclude solidly. The tactic of doing two 11-page stories split over two issues instead of two self-contained issues featuring complete stories is an interesting one, but it highlights that writers have been so trained in doing 22-page stories that changing it up leads to problems in at least one of these stories."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Wolverine Origins #36

I recently reviewed Wolverine Origins #36 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Wolverine Origins is, ostensibly, a book for the continuity buffs, the hardcore fans who want to delve into Wolverine’s past to examine all of those small, forgotten moments and, then, tie it all together into one bigger unified picture. There’s nothing wrong with that, but what a book like that needs is a feeling of purpose, of forward drive, but issue 36 has little of that, preferring to simply go through the motions in an effort to arrive at a predetermined destination."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Deadpool #6

I recently reviewed Deadpool #6 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Maybe if any of the senseless violence was funny, I would have enjoyed this issue, but it wasn’t. Here I thought Deadpool was supposed to be a funny comic. And my tastes run dark when it comes to humor, so it’s not a case of liking the old, lighter, more breezy Deadpool comedy, it’s a case of this not being funny and, in fact, just being brainless. Not fun, not simple, plain old dumb."

You can read the rest HERE!