Sketch Reviews (August 25 2011)

Not much to add this week... let's get to it...

Batman: Gates of Gotham #5: Well, that was underwhelming. A decent ending, but fairly typical. I have no real complaints, no real compliments. [***]

Batman, Incorporated #8: And the new contender for 'worst issue from Morrison's run on Batman' is... My god, this is an ugly comic featuring mediocre writing. [*]

Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing #3: Three issues building up to... not a goddamn thing. What was the point of this book besides proving that DC really will publish anything no matter how fucking awful it is? No, really, get me the e-mail addresses of everyone who approved this piece of shit so I can ask them what point it served, because I sure as fuck can't see it... [-****]

Captain America & Bucky #621: The closest thing I have to buying a book primarily for the art. Chris Samnee is wonderful. The writing is okay, but this is a bit of a downgrade from the 'first' issue of this series. Will it actually go anywhere beyond "Bucky: Year One?" Let's see! [***1/2]

Flashpoint: Project Superman #3: This comic wasn't as funny as the second issue, but it was still pretty funny with its visual allusions and the constant look of "I... I think I wet my pants" on Kal's face. I don't know... I just couldn't take it seriously. It had none of the genuine humanity of the Azzarello/Risso Batman mini but all of the superficial crap... it's just a funny comic. I wish they'd gone all out and just did the parody of Action Comics #1 for the cover. [***1/4]

And a special bonus:

A Few Things You May Need to Know from Ultimate Fallout to read The Ultimates #1
* The man in the helmet on the first page is Reed Richards. He's escaped from the Negative Zone with the goal of creating an environment that will create the next generation of superpeople to help remake the world as he wants it. I think. Those people in the white Future Foundation-esque uniforms are his followers and they live by the code 'evolve or die.'
* Captain America quit at some point. It was mentioned briefly in Ultimate Fallout #6 with Steve Rogers last appearing in the second issue at Peter Parker's funeral. He got slapped by Aunt May. We've yet to be told why he quit, but I assume it has to do with Parker's death.
* Nick Fury was ordered to increase S.H.I.E.L.D. operations by 30% only to be told shortly thereafter that the budget is being cut by 30%. That has put him under a little stress.
* The threat in S.E.A.R. is a metahuman of some kind.
* Brian Braddock has cancer, so his brother has replaced him as Captain Britain.
* This may be important later: Tony Stark has been asked to take his brother Gregory's place in an organisation of 50 very wealthy and powerful (mostly self-made) people who are going to try to change the world from behind the scenes. We don't know if he's accepted yet.

And, not that this has anything to do with anything, but look at Quicksilver's face in the final panel of the preview for Ultimate X-Men #1. Isn't that just fucking awful?

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Later

Sketch Reviews (August 4 2011)

On Tuesday, Michelle and I saw Titus Andronicus in Stratford as part of their yearly festival. The only reason why we chose that play was I had a code to get tickets for $10 each and it was a day that I wasn't working. I have never read the play and Michelle has read a lot less Shakespeare than I. I knew a little bit about it (violent, over-the-top, not respected usually) and was rather impressed with the production. You could tell that there were some big weaknesses in the play -- and if you're not willing to go along with some fucked up shit, you just won't like it. The director also designed the stage and made good use of the space, the lighting, and the sound. John Vickery's performance as Titus stood out -- like a lot of men who do Shakespeare, he's developed such a commanding voice capable of a very broad range. Oddly, I was also taken with the character of Aaron, a moor who basically engineers the destruction of everyone, because... well, he's evil. Now, having the black character as the all-evil villain is not something you're supposed to like or get behind... but, Dion Johnstone was so charismatic that I was reminded of the Joe Casey style of villain. The villain who flat out loves being a bad guy and is so over-the-top in his love of villainy that he can't not be entertaining. You got the impression that, had he never been discovered and managed to destroy Titus's family completely, Aaron would have turned on his allies and destroyed them, because that's what he does. I do love a good villain. So, if you have the chance, go see it.

Batman: Gates of Gotham #4: The art was a step up here with Dustin Nguyen and Derec (Aucoin) Donovan. For plot reasons, I found this issue less compelling. I don't know what they could have changed, but moving towards the end of the series, there's less room for cool revelations -- although, that final page has me wondering. [***1/4]

The Boys #57: The Hughie/Annie relationship is oddly complex. Nice to see Ennis not have it all return to normal right away with Hughie still struggling with exactly what he wants. That shit at the end is fucked up. Then again, who wants to see Jack Kirby fucking Wonder Woman? NOT ME. [**3/4]

Flashpoint: Batman: Knight of Vengeance #3: Wow. That was some harsh shit. Any time Brian Azzarello gets near Batman and his world, there's always some giant mindfuck right around the corner. Revealing to Martha what Bruce is like in the regular DCU... jesus. [****1/4]

Flashpoint: Secret Seven #3: This title also turned out to be fairly fucked up by the end. I imagine this will partly lead into Milligan's Justice League Dark next month, but was an oddly compelling little story. Some people didn't really dig this mini... I did. Moreso as it progressed. [***1/2]

Moon Knight #4: I didn't really dig the third issue and this was a nice recovery. Character-driven with some good action, and a nice cliffhanger. Solid, entertaining superhero comics. [***1/2]

Scalped #51: Hey, new paper! BURN IT ALL. [****1/4]

Ultimate Fallout #4: I've got to say: I don't really care if Ultimate Spider-Man is black. Or a woman. Or gay. Or anything else that isn't straight white male Peter Parker. It's a neutral move for me, as a reader. It neither attracts me to the book or makes me want to avoid it. The introduction we get here is entertaining... yet, until the mask came off, it didn't really seem like someone who wasn't Peter in the costume aside from not knowing who the Kangaroo is or not fully understanding his powers. Otherwise, same personality. After my remark about Ultimate Tony Stark entering into a Future Foundation-esque group last issue, Hickman one-ups that and has Ultimate Reed start a twisted, fucked up version of the group... kind of. And, apparently, the US government created mutants. That is about two hundred times less interesting, honestly. When I picked up my books this week, I added Ultimates and Ultimate Hawkeye to my pull list. Good call. [**1/2]

Later

CBR Review: Batman: Gates of Gotham #3

I recently reviewed Batman: Gates of Gotham #3 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Ah, the ‘middle of the story’ downturn issue. You’re almost guaranteed when you see that ‘3 of 5’ on the cover of a comic that you’re in for a quieter, less exciting issue than the two that preceded it and the two that will follow it. Thankfully, the writing team of Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins, and Ryan Parrott write an issue with enough intriguing developments to keep boredom at bay. In fact, it’s a pretty good issue of this mini-series exploring the creation of Gotham City into the major urban center it is now, and how that creation has come back to haunt the city."

You can read the rest HERE!

Sketch Reviews (June 23 2011)

Batman: Gates of Gotham #2: The first issue left me a little lukewarm, but I really enjoyed this one. Great character work, an interesting backstory, and a pretty awesome end. [****]

Brightest Day Aftermath: The Seach for Swamp Thing #1: When I saw the previews for this comic, I wondered if that was supposed to be Chas with John and, apparently, it was. Good thing someone wised up and said that the art looked nothing like Chas and had it changed. That's about the only good thing about this comic. Just a fucking mess of a comic that doesn't seem to have any sense of any characters. I wonder if Vankin knew which version of Batman he was even writing, because that wasn't Dick despite the costume indicating it's Dick. Ugh. Just not good. But I knew that when I bought it. Just wanted to see how fucking awful this John Constantine story would be... and make reviewing any future issues easier if I wanted. [-**]

The Mighty Thor #3: Colour me surprised, but I really enjoyed this issue. The disparate threads connected up and make for a lively, entertaining read. Fraction manages to write engaging dialogue -- the stuff with the Silver Surfer was great. Probably my favourite Thor comic he's written since that last one-shot he did a few years back. [****]

Secret Avengers #14: What the fuck was that shit? I'm not buying any more of this shit until Ellis arrives. [BAD FUCKING COMIC]

Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #5: You knew Nick Fury would have something up his sleeve... and it's magic Hulk pills... huh. That's... was it ever mentioned that Black the First Hulk took pills to maintain his Hulkness? 'Cause I don't remember any mention of that. There is something comedic about Fury and his Avengers getting Hulked out. They just look like bodybuilders and that's kind of funny. They don't look scary. Hell, Clint Barton just looks a little absurd and weird. Shit, I don't know what to make of this comic. I liked some parts and hated others. On the whole, this is still my favourite Ultimates stuff from Millar, especially of the Ultimate Avengers bunch. Looking forward to the final issue. One final thought: that's all Spider-Tao does? What a fucking waste... [**3/4]

Later

Sketch Reviews (May 19 2011)

[Last Thursday, Blogger decided to crash, so I couldn't do my usual Sketch Reviews. I just folded them into this week's batch, because I'm lazy like that.]

Avengers #13: And the Oral History shows up in the present. I like how it merged into what Bendis is doing and is a clever way to discuss the events of Fear Itself. My only complaint is that it's coming too soon -- we haven't hit the present yet in that telling. Now, if it flowed right out of prose pieces into a story, that would have been much better. Still, a strong character issue. That first panel at the Asgardian banquet was great. And Chris Bachalo on art... hey, he makes it work. A strong issue. [****1/4]

Batman: Gates of Gotham #1: A decent story and inconsistent art. The colours really fluctuate here with some panels just looking like awful backgrounds for an animated series. I'm intrigued. [***]

Batman, Incorporated #6: I've said a lot about this comic between the podcast and Random Thoughts. So, yeah, I dug it, wonder about the tone of the art... [****]

Deadpool MAX #8: Bob's past isn't quite as fucked up/funny as Deadpool's, but still good. Nothing here is that surprising, but I do love how we keep getting a remixed version of the Marvel universe. And this version of Cable is awesome. The way that Baker draws this issue is looser and darker. I love the texture of the art by the end. [****1/4]

Journey into Mystery #623: Pencil crayons! [****]

Punishermax #13: Damn good comics right here. [****1/2]

Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #4: The guy at my shop accidentally put this week's issue of Ultimate Spider-Man in my stack, because they look the goddamn same. I only noticed when he was ringing me up. Designs are cool and all, but if you can't tell what the fucking comic is... Still enjoying this mini, more than any of the previous ones. The Spider-Man stuff just kind of shows up and is dropped, which is odd. Gregory being the man behind it all was obvious and I'm glad Millar didn't even try to drag that out. Where the book goes from here is a bit of a question mark. [***3/4]

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #2: I'm getting Schism and enjoyed the first issue of this lead-in series enough that I figured I'd just stick with it. Oddly, this issue takes place within the first issue, but mostly before it. It would be weird if it actually moves backwards, ending with the reveal of the threat. Otherwise, this was a step down. The Magneto story was more heavy-handed and inorganic than the Xavier one last issue. The art wasn't as good. I'm curious to see what the broad shape of this series will be, though. Whatever, it's half over and the world is ending on Saturday anyway. You can't stop that, Cyclops. You can't stop God. [**3/4]

Later