CBR Review: Ultimate Comics Avengers 2 #1

I recently reviewed Ultimate Comics Avengers 2 #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Only one week after the conclusion of the first volume of Ultimate Comics Avengers, the beginning of the second ships. Unlike the first volume where the threat was readily apparent with the team of Nick Fury’s Avengers already in place, this story begins with a focus on teambuilding without a known enemy -- or, at least, not one that we’re told about. The first new recruit of Fury’s Avengers: Frank Castle, the Punisher."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Siege: Secret Warriors #1

I recently reviewed Siege: Secret Warriors #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "The main plot here is Phobos’ reaction to seeing his father ripped apart by the Sentry on national television. Nick Fury made the decision to leave him behind and, after seeing his father die at the hands of a government agent basically, Alex pays a visit to the White House to speak with the president regarding what’s happening. What follows is Alex versus an army of Secret Service agents, basically, and we can see what the god of fear, son of war can do when properly provoked. We’ve always known that Phobos is dangerous, but not this dangerous. It’s a kid with a sword and we goes through the trained agents like they’re nothing."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Detective Comics #864

I recently reviewed Detective Comics #864 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Hine’s writing in the main story is very solid, as he has Arkham narrate as he learns what it’s like to live in Arkham Asylum as a patient. His voice is cold and somewhat twisted, not entirely divorced from his Black Mask persona as he’d like everyone to think he is. One scene where a fellow patient explains that every day from now on, Arkham will be eating food containing various bodily fluids from the various patients he oversaw for years shows how Arkham could be the Black Mask. His response is cold, methodical, and utterly cruel in its threat of violence. The plot picks up when one of the Black Mask’s loose ends attracts Batman’s attention and he’s forced to deal with Arkham to save a man’s life. Except Arkham apparently has no knowledge of his time as the Black Mask."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Iron Man 2: Public Identity #1

I recently reviewed Iron Man 2: Public Identity #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Originally title 'Iron Man 1.5,' Iron Man 2: Public Identity #1 begins the three-issue mini-series that bridges the gap between the two Iron Man movies, picking up with the final scene of the first movie at the beginning of the issue. From there, the issue explores the fall-out of Tony Stark’s decision to reveal that he is Iron Man to the world with a special emphasis on his relationship with the military, something that seems to be important in the upcoming movie, judging from the trailers."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: X-Force #26

I recently reviewed X-Force #26 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "With the various mutant groups separated in an effort to divide Bastion’s forces, Cable has stayed with members of X-Force, Colossus, and Psylocke to throw off the Sapien League’s tracking, while Hope makes a mad dash for Utopia with Nightcrawler teleporting her and Rogue. The divided forces allows for Kyle and Yost to jump around a bit to establish what losses the mutants have taken — and what they’ve dished out in the process, showing us the aftermath of the Cannonball’s team’s encounter with Cameron Hodge and Cable and company doing some heavy damage."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Green Hornet #3

I recently reviewed Green Hornet #3 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "While Lau overdraws the book, that goes well with Kevin Smith’s overwriting in the form of overwrought, painful narrative captions that are too over-the-top. In the build-up to the death of Britt Reid, the original Green Hornet, Smith piles captions upon captions on the page to somehow give this event more meaning, but it makes the death almost comical. He writes of how Reid came home each night after fighting crime as the Green Hornet because of his wife, which is a nice sentiment, but the Green Hornet most people know was single, so it lacks the punch Smith is going for."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Conan the Cimmerian #20

I recently reviewed Conan the Cimmerian #20 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Conan the Cimmerian #20 continues the 'Kozaki' story, which explains how Conan, leading an army of roaming raiders, managed to lead the group to ruin and find himself on the run, sick and poisoned. The downfall of Conan and his band of marauders was teased last issue, but it seemed less than likely until this issue showed how Conan’s pride and arrogance resulted in his downfall, a lesson you’d think he would have learned by now. Still, this issue is an entertaining read with some great art."

You can read the rest HERE!

Quickie Reviews (Apr 28 2010)

Another week, another stack of comics. This was a bigger week (for me) and it looks like the same next week. Heavy Marvel week this week, too. Next week, DC is heavier. Weird. As always, anything else I bought will be reviewed for CBR.

Captain America #605: There's something a little too simplistic about this conclusion to "Two Americas." I don't know what I wanted, but I wanted more. Maybe James killing the '50s Captain America is enough for some, but it's too easy. I already know James will kill if necessary as a last resort, so him doing so isn't a huge payoff necessarily. There's an element at the end of him questioning what being Captain America means and I guess I'm glad that that wasn't made too explicit since it could become very cheesy very quickly. Still, maybe a little bit more questioning. I do like the question "What does being Captain America mean?" What version of America should he represent? It's a good question and I don't mind if Brubaker takes his time with it, slowly drawing it out, talking around it, because there is no answer. It's a question where asking it is what matters. I enjoyed Luke Ross's art on this arc, but am looking forward to Butch Guice. Definitely liking Dean White as colourist. It suits the book much better than Frank D'Armata's colours did despite him functioning as a key element in maintaining the consistent art style. I only skimmed the Nomad back-up strip. What an awful pairing of mismatched stories. [***1/2]

New Avengers #64: The final regular issue of the series and I kind of like that it's just another issue. A Siege tie-in focusing on the Hood as we see the build-up to him and his crew joining the fight in Asgard. Some people haven't liked the strong focus on the Hood in New Avengers since the end of Civil War, but it's been a good counterpoint to the team. The Hood is their constant nemesis -- New Avengers as a larger ensemble book than anyone thought it was. This book wasn't just about the heroes, it was also about the villains. A longform story where you see both sides moving against one another. The Hood was never meant to be a typical villain with one storyarc. If this was a TV show, the guy playing the Hood would have his name in the regular cast credits, possibly in the first two or three spots. It's a nice, subtle thing that Bendis was doing -- something that we've seen in superhero comics, but not really to this extent. Maybe other people saw that and I think I did, too, just not as consciously as now. Here, we get the emotional payoff of the Hood's journey as he seems primed to become a bigtime player, nearly loses the only other person he cares about (mirrored by Hawkeye/Mockingbird), and then loses it all except for the woman he loves. Good stuff. Mike McKone was a good choice to do these final two issues since his style isn't too far from Stuart Immonen's with Dave McCaig's colours helping that consistent look. I'll save any thoughts on this part of Bendis's Avengers Era ending for the finale issue. [****]

Scalped #37: Shunka! Unknowable killer! Shunka! Secretly gay! Shunka! Muthafucka will fuck ya up! I don't know why, but I love that sort of thing. And, yet, I can never execute it as well as I want to. Fuck. This issue plays out how we think it will until the twist. Not sure I buy the twist since it's too planned, too calculated, especially when it comes to someone like Shunka. Then again, it does put the narration in a new light -- an unreliable, possibly untuthful light, which I like. Davide Furnò on art is something I always enjoy. Him being a regular fill-in artist is fine by me. His style suits the book. [****]

Secret Warriors #15: See, here, it's obvious that the Hydra folks are part of the ensemble, not just villains that are here one arc, gone another. Why was that obvious here and not as much in New Avengers? Is it because the other is an Avengers title? What? The behind-the-scenes stuff with Daisy and the gang is good -- the stuff with Viper is better. Unexpected and logical. And, oddly, another instance of Earth X possibly being more influential than I gave it credit for. Fury and the Contessa at the end was great, too. Hickman's Fury is a take on the character that I really like. Caselli's art was a bit more cartoony here, his facial expressions more wild and loose -- Contessa is totally vamping it up at times, but Sunny Gho's colours balance it out to keep it grounded, making the cartoony stuff work a little better with the tone of the writing. I guess we're halfway through the run of this book now? Fuck. [****]

Thor #609: I've been enjoying Kieron Gillen's run on the book, especially his stuff with Loki. His discussion with Balder in this issue is great. Gillen uses JMS's run and builds on it in a logical manner. His Loki is definitely one of my favourite takes on the character -- someone as damaged and twisted and brilliant as that one JMS issue where Loki goes back in time and ties everything together. Too bad the art is just ugly. Rich Elson's pages aren't awful, simply mediocre -- they tell their bits fine enough. The Billy Tan pages are simply awful. Ugly messy things that exist only to give me an idea of who says what and maybe if someone hits someone else. [***]

Later

CBR Review: Do Anything Volume 1: Jack Kirby Ripped My Flesh

I recently reviewed Do Anything Volume 1: Jack Kirby Ripped My Flesh for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Do Anything Volume 1: Jack Kirby Ripped My Flesh collects the 24 'Do Anything' columns from Bleeding Cool, albeit in an altered form. The 24 columns become 15 chapters here as columns are combined and edited to read better on the page. It’s a strange journey of freeform connections as Ellis begins with Jack Kirby and moves on from there to Philippe Druillet, George Lucas, Will Eisner, Archie Goodwin, Moebius, David Bowie, and dozens of others. It’s an odd mishmash of comics history and pop culture history mixed with Ellis’ own flights of fancy and personal anecdotes."

You can read the rest HERE! (And, if you're wondering why it lists Warren Ellis as the artist, it's because CBR's reviewing system won't accept it without an artist. Huh. Now you know.)

The Splash Page Podcast Episode 13.2

The second podcast episode of the week is up and it's a long one. It was almost half the length, ending with our discussion of The Spirit #1 because of some audio problems that I managed to fix (mostly). There are still some issues with Tim's side of the conversation in a few places, but, for the most part, it sounds like it always does. Besides The Spirit #1, we also discuss DV8: Gods and Monsters #1, Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield #1, Ultimate Comics Avengers #6, Joe the Barbarian #4, plus we continute some of the conversation from last episode, preempting the argument that, since I demand writers and artists challenge themselves and do new things, how can I enjoy works by writers like Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison that people think keep repeating themselves. This leads to us creating a new four-point critiquing system for writers. Want to know what it is? Listen to the episode!

You can download and listen to the Splash Page Podcast episode 13.2 HERE!

The Splash Page Podcast Episode 13.1

It's Sunday, so that means another episode of the Splash Page Podcast with your hosts, Tim Callahan and me, Chad Nevett. This week's episode is a little more broad and theoretical as we talk a lot about our reviewing process and different ideas on how to approach/write comics criticism. Tim says some really good stuff in this episode. We also trash The Brave and the Bold #33 and use it as a case study for what do you do when you review a book where the writing and the art differ in quality greatly. Plus, "We're Hardcore" by Gord Downie to kick things off.

You can download and listen to the Splash Page Podcast episode 13.1 HERE!

CBR Review: DV8: Gods and Monsters #1

I recently reviewed DV8: Gods and Monsters #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Brian Wood has said that relaunching DV8 has been something he’s tried to make happen for years. Gods and Monsters #1 is an interesting take on the concept. The DV8 crew are dropped on what they think is Earth, but is cleaner and far less advanced. And there’s a red moon. And two suns. Slowly, members go off and never return, almost like a horror movie. Told by Copycat to whoever dropped them on the planet at a later date, she mostly relates details told to her by Frostbite since she didn’t land until much later for some reason."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Superman/Batman #71

I recently reviewed Superman/Batman #71 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Despite what the cover says, the finale of 'The Big Noise' doesn’t feature Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes on art, and Joe Casey has a co-writer, which could be why this is a weak, uninspired finish to the story. While 'The Big Noise' hasn’t been a classic Superman/Batman story, it’s one that’s been building nicely, structured in a somewhat unconventional fashion, and this issue has it finish in a rather typical, mundane fashion coupled with inconsistent, sloppy art."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: The Spirit #1

I recently reviewed The Spirit #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "The appeal of comics featuring the Spirit has (almost) always been the art. Whether it was Will Eisner creating a new visual language for comics or Darwyn Cooke’s bold cartooning in DC’s last Spirit comic, a big reason for interest has been in the art, with the stories acting as a secondary concern. The new relaunch of The Spirit as part of the First Wave line of books takes a similar approach with the series having Moritat as its regular artist and a string of black and white back-up stories beginning with Bill Sienkiewicz in this issue."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Doomwar #3

I recently reviewed Doomwar #3 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Thankfully, a part of this issue is very interesting, giving it something to make it worthwhile: Doom passing through the final security measure in T’Challa’s vault containing Wakanda’s vibranium. The final lock is a test of purity where any lies or negative motives will result in the death of whomever seeks access to the vault. T’Challa is mystified as to how Doom made it past this final stage and the issue bounces between Doom confronting Bast, the guardian and panther god of Wakanda, and T’Challa and the Fantastic Four preparing to take on Doom."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Kato Origins #1

I recently reviewed Kato Origins #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "The opening issue to Kato Origins does an effective job of catering itself to him and his concerns, showing Britt Reid through his eyes somewhat and creating a story that’s uniquely tailored to his perspective and experience. With a focus on the idea that Kato is a Japanese man posing as a Korean in 1942 America, Jai Nitz hones in on something that separates Kato from every other sidekick, making him less generic."

You can read the rest HERE!

Quickie Reviews (Apr 21 2010)

Yeah, I should really change the name of these posts to Quickie Responses since these aren't reviews really. Just reactions, responses, random thoughts... whatever.

Gravel #18: If you've never read an issue of Gravel before, this is the issue for you as Ellis and Wolfer recap every Gravel story from Strange Kiss right up to the present in a series of three-panel pages with some slightly obtuse, suggestive narration as Gravel lays down the law to the new Minor Seven (of which there are only five). A fine issue, nice to see Wolfer doing some of the older stories in three panels like that. [***1/2]

Joe the Barbarian #4: Man, this issue just couldn't hold my attention. My mind kept wandering to what I was going to do after reading my comics and what's going on today and... some ideas and pieces of dialogue jumped out at me -- and the art is lovely as always, but... something just isn't clicking with me. I'll think on this and maybe say more when talking to Tim this week. [***]

Ultimate Comics Avengers #6: Anyone else getting flashbacks to The Authority #20 when they faced the evil Doctor? Horrible bastard with powers to bend reality... fucks with the good guys (who are bastards somewhat) instead of just killing them only to be undone by their overconfidence. Not as wonky an ending as that Authority issue, but still a little off. The stuff with the Red Skull in the hospital was so out of place that it came off as cliched and cheesy rather than heartfelt, while Nick Fury at the end was somewhat interesting. An enjoyable action comic and satisfying conclusion, but not exactly brilliant. Pacheco's art was serviceable with some pages/panels looking better than others. [***]

See, not a proper review in the house...

CBR Review: Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield #1

I recently reviewed Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Oh, ye gods, a comic meant to make me laugh that actually accomplished that goal. It’s been a while, good sir, but I’m happy to say that Who Won’t Wield the Shield #1 is an irreverent and gloriously inane book that is actually funny. It’s a comic aimed directly at Marvel’s current regime, taking on overly violent comics, the oversaturated nature of Deadpool, and, I guess, the lack of awesome comics by Matt Fraction and Brendan McCarthy? We could always use more of them like the 'Doctor America' story included here. It’s not quite a parody of Captain America, more a parody of Marvel done in the tradition of Not Brand Echh.

You can read the rest HERE!

Non-CBR Review: Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield #1

[I reviewed Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield #1 for CBR this week, but the review published wasn't the first review I wrote. I wrote another one inspired by the nature of the book, treating the whole thing as a joke somewhat. Sadly, it couldn't be used -- for reasons that should be obvious. Not sure how funny this 'review' is, but figured I'd stick it up anyway. Enjoy.]

Title: Captain America: Who Won’t Wield the Shield #1
Story by: Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Stuart Moore
Art by: Mirco Pierfederici, Brendan McCarthy, Joe Quinones
Colors by: Mirco Pierfederici, Brendan McCarthy, Howard Hallis, Javier Rodriquez
Letters by: Todd Klein
Cover by: Gerald Parel
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover price: $3.99 (USD)
Release Date: April 21st, 2010
Rating: 5
Blurb: Does anyone read these blurbs? Anyone? Whatever.

Yeah, I didn’t read this book. Didn’t need to. It’s obviously a five-star book and I’ll tell you how I know: a little thing called the ‘positive review bonus’ that’s been added into my next reviewing check from Jonah. You see, a publisher like Marvel Comics understands the importance that a positive review from an Eisner-winning site like Comic Book Resources can have and, sometimes, likes to remind us reviewers that Marvel Comics is, in fact, the best comic book publisher there is (buy Siege!). Captain America: Who Won’t Wield the Shield #1 being one of their brilliant books and written by exceptional talents like Jason Aaron (buy Wolverine: Weapon X, Punishermax, and Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine!), Matt Fraction (buy Uncanny X-Men, Invincible Iron Man, and Thor!), and Stuart Moore (buy Cloak and Dagger!), they would be remiss if they didn’t do everything in their power to push it. After all, a positive CBR review can be the difference between angry retailers demanding that Marvel take back the stacks of unsold copies cluttering up shops and that oh-so-coveted fifteenth printing.

So, I didn’t read it, because no one said I had to. Besides, all anyone cares about is the star rating. Five stars. Boom. Done. Easiest twenty bucks I ever made.

But, apparently, to save face, these reviews need to be a few hundred words more. Since I’ve got nothing left to say, I’ll just let my editor, Augie De Blieck fill in the rest. Augie?

Thanks, Chad! Hi, boys and girls, this is Augie De Blieck of Pipeline Commentary and the Pipeline Podcast, both of which are available here at Comic Book Resources. Like Chad, I didn’t have a chance to read this comic, because of work and family obligations, but, from what I’ve seen of the preview pages, I would have had to fire Chad if he didn’t give this book at least five stars. Captain America: Who Won’t Wield the Shield #1 is just that fantastic a comic. I hope to read it someday when I finally get an iPad since I’ve given up reading actual paper comics in favor of the sleek, sexy, efficient iPad. I don’t have one yet, but I hope to get one soon and, then, I can get back to reading all of the comics I somehow enjoyed when they were only available in ink and paper.

After all, can ink and paper truly provide the high resolution and picture quality of an iPad? Don’t you owe it to yourself to only view the stunning art of Mirco Pierfederici, Brendan McCarthy, and Joe Quinones on an Apple device that shows them in the best possible manner? Paper comics are so antiquated and bulky. As you can read in next week’s Pipeline Commentary, I did a comparative study between comic book shops and iPads where I determined that iPads are much smaller and compact than brick and mortar comic book shops, proving their efficiency and that we must do away with comic shops immediately. Digital is the future, my friends!

Also, don’t forget to check out the Pipeline Podcast where I’ll be running down this week’s releases from the best publisher in comics, Marvel Comics, who happen to have an app for the iPad that I can’t wait to try out. Here are some previews of the biggest books of the week that I’ll be discussing on my podcast: Sif #1, Ultimate Comics Avengers #6, Siege: Spider-Man #1, X-Men Forever annual #1, Firestar #1, Her-oes #1, and, of course, the number one comic of this week, a five-star book if I ever saw one, Captain America: Who Won’t Wield the Shield #1. You can follow me on Twitter at @augieshoots and my e-mail address is augiedb@comicbooksresources.com. Thanks for reading.

The Splash Page Podcast Episode 12.2

This week's second episode of the Splash Page Podcast is up. Another long episode with Tim and I discuss lots of stuff like J. Michael Straczynski's upcoming DC work, our reactions to reactions to our reviews, Doc Savage #1, and some discussion of my past online, including some of the comics I wrote and drew. Yeah. All that plus "We're Hardcore" by Gord Downie.

You can download and listen to the Splash Page Podcast episode 12.2 HERE!