Summer Reading, pt. 4

by Brandon

There are three essentials for my summer vacation; relaxation, napping, and comic books. Fortunately for you, I just talk about comic books here. My Summer Reading series continues with reviews of Iron Man, Punisher, Ultimate Spider-Man, Daredevil, X-Men Legacy, Squadron Supreme, Captain America: Reborn, The End League, Star Wars Legacy and Knights of the Old Republic. About half of the books hit, whereas the other half missed. Find out who performed above and below expectations by reading on!


Captain America: Reborn #1
I haven't been keeping up with Captain America at all. I know he was killed a few years ago in the Civil War crossover. I know he's coming back. What do I care, right? A few of the Bad Genious guys were talking about this issue the other day and the method for Captain America's return just sounded so incredulous and out there that i just had to read it to believe it. They were correct; Captain America was hit with some type of magic bullet that made him unstuck in time. This was a pretty big "WTF" moment for me too. From all accounts, Brubaker's run has been pretty grounded. This magically delicious approach to bringing Captain America back just feels wrong. The issue was decent enough, but the series as a whole is not worth keeping up with for $3.99 a pop.

Daredevil #119
Daredevil's life continues to reflect some Bizarro-esque emo song. We find Matt Murdoch whinny here (suprise, surprise) as his alliance with Kingpin becomes stickier than he planned (surprise, surprise). I feel a strong sense of deja vu that all of this has happened before. I think Kingpin has become a "no-fly zone" for Daredevil writers for at least another 100 issues. Every Kingpin story has seemingly been done before. These Daredevil and Kingpin stories practically write themselves now and that's not a good thing. Wilson Fisk is being used in the upcoming PunisherMax series. Let's hope Jason Aaron finds a better way to use the Kingpin character because at this point he's pretty much a time killer.

Invincible Iron Man #14
With this issue, the "World's Most Wanted" story has stayed past its welcome. How long can we read about Tony being on the run? How long can we watch Norman Osborne harass the no ironclad Pepper Potts? How many Iron Man costumes does Tony Stark having lying around to wear now? Don't get me wrong, this title is expertly written. Of the titles I've read from Matt Fraction, this has been consistently his best. Salvador Larroca's art is superb as well, much improved over his days in the X-Universe. However, this Dark Reign business in general just seems to be chugging along with no end in sight. I can see Fraction scratching his head as he comes up with new ways to to make Tony run due to some editorial mandate stating that Iron Man has to continue to be on the run while Dark Reign plays out for the rest of the calendar year. The "hero on the run" story has been done quite a bit in the last few years and this offers nothing new to the concept.


Punisher #6
The Hood really has it out for poor ol' Frank. Can't a vigilante just kill the bad guys and be done with it? Apparently not. The Hood resurrects a whole gaggle of d-list villains with the charge of taking out Frank Castle, your friendly neighborhood Punisher. Reading a comic where Punisher is forced to take out d-listers is not really my idea of a great Punisher comic book. I'm sure someone, somewhere, is excited by all these crap villains being resurrected. I hope the one Basilisk fan out there creamed his jeans. But for the rest of us, plowing through the d-lister source book provided at the end of this issue was just torture. I'm sure Frank will come up with all sorts of inventive ways to blow away these chumps, but why does it matter? The Hood can presumably just bring them back again. Kind of makes you wish for the golden days of Frank acing crack dealers, doesn't it? Like Iron Man, the writing here is solid and the art is great. But I just want something more, something better for Punisher. Garth Ennis brought about a revitalization of the character. It seems that goodwill is going to be gambled away on the hope that people want to read about Punisher interacting with people who wear capes and funny tights. Anyone who read Punisher under Ennis know that's just not the case.

Squadron Supreme #12
My prediction a few weeks ago about this series ending on a thud was correct. There was so much potential here for a good story, but that was all wasted. The original Squadron Supreme, the characters we all cared about, are pretty much ignored for much of this issue. Instead, we get to revisit the lame characters Chaykin created in the first six issues that no one, and I do mean no one, cares about. Those characters that do remain become powerless, rendering this universe pretty much dead for the foreseeable future. To add insult to injury, Ultimate Nick Fury is still trapped in this universe with no real resolution as to how he gets out. I hope Ultimatum will provide a satisfactory answer. In teh final analysis, this series just served to highlight the failure of Marvel and J. Michael Straczynski to get their act together and publish a decent end to this series. An ending that these characters deserved.


Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem #1
I promise this won't turn into my usual anti-Ultimatum rant. Of all the issues to come out of Ultimatum, this first issue of the two planned Spider-Man Requiem was the best thus far. Granted, this issue was a flashback issue featuring a fun story where Spider-Man helps Tony Stark out when Hydra decides to bust into his office building. As per usual, Bendis was on his A-game with this character. For all of the perceived faults Bendis has in his writing, there's no denying an electricity when he writes this title character. It's evident to the reader that he enjoys writing Ultimate Spider-Man stories and that the character works best when not involved with soul-crushing crossovers like Ultimatum. Bagley and Immonen also turn in great art for this issue. It's sad to think that Ultimate Spider-Man may be MIA from his own title in the coming months, but if the creative team can get back into the groove, Ultimate Spider-Man will once again become the premier Ultimate title.

X-Men Legacy #225
Mike Carey expertly puts an an end to the long Xavier Legacy arc. I've enjoyed this titles Xavier-centric focus in the last couple of years. Mike Carey has made Legacy one of the more thoughtful and well written X-books while exploring the theme of Xavier's redemption. This issue works as a lovely conclusion to that and offers a hint as to where the series will go from here. Xavier shows he's no louse by evenhandedly invading the Acolytes' hangout and defeating them without much of a fight. Professor Xavier is kind of a lame character, but Carey reinvented him as a brainy powerhouse who is not to be trifled with. It is my hope that this isn't the last we see of Professor Xavier in this type of context. I would hate to see him float back to his old digs of being the dead weight of the X-universe. As this chapter closes on Legacy and the Rogue chapter begins, one can't help but feel a sense of wonder at what Carey has accomplished. Kudos to Mike Carey. I hope we'll see more great stuff out of this title in its second chapter.

The End League #8
Damn. This book is still ending, isn't it? With every issue that comes out of this title, I want more. There's just so much going on in this title that it can't possibly end next issue. It just can't. Clones of Astonishman have captured Soldier American and Blur Gil and are attempting to find the Hammer of Thor. A team of heroes rush to get the Hammer of Thor before the Smiling Man picks it up. Alas, it appears that all engines are go for the final issue in #9. The pace of the storytelling is picking up, which is fine, but I hope everything gets a satisfactory conclusion next issue. There are a lot of plot lines floating out there. How can they possibly be wrapped up without leaving the reader feeling cheated? I don't think Remender can do it. So, um, Mr. Remender, please come back as soon as possible to this book as soon as possible. Please?


Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic#42
The moment many KoTOR fans have been waiting for finally arrived in this issue. The rogue Jedi Knight Revan, who eventually adds the title of "Darth" out front, makes his appearance here. We get a small, but important origin story for Revan here as related to the reader and Zayne's gang by future Sith Lord Malak. There is a killer fight here between Malak and Mandalorian Rohlan that has been boiling up for a while. The gears of war are4 just getting started, and with appearances by Revan and Malak here, the reader gets a sense that things are about to go from bad to worse for our fair adventurers. Miller turns in a solid, action-packed script that many fans have been begging for since the first issue of the series. There's no hyperbole involved there either; go back and read the earliest letter columns to find people begging for Revan to show up. I think this appearance will only ramp up demands for more Revan, especially as the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic promises to not finish the story set up in KoTOR's 1 & 2.

Star Wars Legacy #37
Legacy continues to be not only one of the best ongoing Star Wars titles out now, but ranks amongst the best ever published. Why? This issue exemplifies all that is right with Legacy and all that works with a good Star Wars story. Cade Skywalker continues to walk the fine line between scoundrel and hero, mixing equal parts of Han Solo and Anakin Skywalker seamlessly. We find Cade leading the crew of the Mynock on a mission to rob Imperials. We also find ample amounts of intrigue within the remnants of the Empire. While the galaxy at large does not know the true fate of Darth Krayt, buzz around the Empire has all the Moffs in a tizzy. Add in the appearance of Bounty Hunters at the end, and you have a fun read for any Star wars fan. It's a simple equation; Skywalker + scruffy looking scoundrels + Bounty Hunters + Sith + Imperial Forces = great Star Wars story. Legacy has great writing from John Ostrander that is backed up by consistently great art from Jan Duursema. These two creators are woefully ignored when it comes to "great" modern comic book runs.
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Spring Break Reading, Part 2 - Dark Horse, Vertigo, & Wildstorm

by Brandon

The saga continues! But I'm afraid there won't be any foil-embossed, polybagged, or variant editions. I'm so sorry. What you are likely to find here is a ton of comic reviews. I continue my quest to catch up on the piles and piles of reading I have neglected the past few months. Enter all that are brave!


Conan the Cimmerian #'s 8-9
There are only a few individuals I would trust writing Conan these days and Tim Truman is one of them. I'm convinced he was born to write this title. With these two issues, the Cimmeria arc has ended and readers find Conan entering a pivotal part in his adventuring experience. Conan becomes are mercenary in only the way Conan can. The writing is crisp and appropriately "pulpy" while never entering farcical territory. The art provided by Tomas Giorello is just superb. With more action and intrigue than you can shake a battle-axe at, Conan remains ones of the better titles on the stand.

Kull #'s 2-5
I was never a huge Kull fan. Of the Robert E. Howard properties, I was always more partial to Conan and Solomon Kane than any of the others. I picked this mini up more out of respect to Robert E. Howard's creations than any desire to read a story about Kull. Imagine my surprise as I simply devoured these issues in rapid succession last Saturday night. The creative team of Arvid Nelson and Will Conrad have sculpted a fine story in this mini. Kull has been crowned King, but an ancient order of serpents has infiltrated Kull's kingdom with the desire to crumble it before any foundation is built. twists and turns abound in this mini. If you skipped this mini, shame on you! It''s probably the best story from a Howard property to see print from Dark Horse thus far. What are you waiting for? Get it now!

Solomon Kane #5
There's just something immensely appealing to me about stories crafted around a Puritan with a sword and gun. This mini comes to an end with this issue, and it's a shame. This was also a superior miniseries. The setting of Germany's Black Forest is creepy enough, but couple that with Mario Guevara's haunting art and Scott Allie's writing, and you have one chilling story. I want to see more Solomon Kane in the future. I have the old Marvel mini which adapted several of the old stories, but there is almost limitless potential here for future stories. He's a puritan with a gun. Come on, give us more already.


Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #'s 3-4
It's been almost a year since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released, and we finally have the last issue of a miniseries that was intended to capitalize on the buzz of said film. Way to go Dark Horse! This miniseries dredges up several familiar items to the Indiana Jones mythos (Nazis, hidden temples, Marcus Brody, beautiful girls) but never catches a single spark of that previous glory. There were many things going against this title right from the outset. There wasn't too much that was special or memorable about this miniseries to set it apart from that previously mentioned mythos. It was a lot of "been there, done that" moments for both Indy and the reader. I would love to read a new Indiana Jones ongoing series. There are so many great stories to be told where you don't have to be restricted to Harrison Ford's aging acting abilities.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #'s 38-39
Now that Zayne Carrick, inept Jedi Padawan and titular hero of this book, has been cleared of all his wrongdoings, John Jackson Miller & Crew have a little fun with the book. Sith serial murderers and swoop-racing take center stage here in these issues. Each issue is just fun to read. And guess what kids? We get to see some more fisticuffs between Zayne and a Sith! Too bad Zayne fails miserably as usual to take on the Sith. For once, this reader would like to see some competency out of Zayne. Instead, it appears that Miller wants to make Zayne the Potsie Weber of the Star Wars universe. To each his own, I suppose. Regardless, these were some fun issues to read. They won't be winning Eisner Awards, but they were entertaining!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars #4
I loved the first season of the cartoon series from Cartoon Network. Don't believe me? Read here. The comic series has been okay thus far, but it hasn't been stellar. It's hard to translate the fluid nature of the animated cartoon series to a comic book page. The cartoon has its own style and it just dones't work as well when the comic books try to ape it. The story of trying to save slaves from the clutches of the Confederacy is decent, but not exactly original. Woohoo, Anakin wants to save the slaves. Woohoo.

Star Wars: Legacy #'s 33-34
Issue number 33 wraps up the Mon Calamari story, and not a moment too soon. Who. freaking. Cares. Nuff said. The next issue takes the reader back to what is actually important, dealing with the aftermath of the Vector storyline and the death of a certain main villain that has been plaguing Cade Skywalker since the first issue. The new status quo set up by Vector will be interesting to watch over the next few months, so long as they can avoid Mon Calamari stories in the process. This still remains the best Star Wars book on the stands.

Grendel: The Devil Inside #'s 1-3
This is an oldie, but goody. The second Grendel is dead, but her boyfriend's slow decent into madness leads to the arrival, albeit short, of the third Grendel. Matt Wagner's exploration of violence is frantic and dark, drawing the reader in one maddening journal entry at time. The journey Brian Li Sung takes to the bottom is fascinating. If somehow you missed any of the old Grendel tales, please do yourself a favor by seeking them out. You will not be disappointed!

The End League #7
This series continues to shine with each successive issue that hits the shelves. First designed as a monthly title before delays forced it into a bimonthly schedule, this title has now been placed on an indefinite hiatus. This issue only serves to highlight what the comic world will be missing. What's not to love about a world where the heroes are on the ropes struggling for survival? The Smiling Man (think Joker) has shot Thor's hammer, the magical key to all the heroes problems, into space. Or has he? I won't spoil the ending, but it sets up an interesting dynamic for the next issue. Only two more issues to go before Remender's self-imposed hiatus for this title. Damn.

The X-Files #5
Oh, this was great. Thus far, the new Wildstorm mini featuring everyone's favorite FBI agents has been serviceable, but nothing special. The fifth issue, however, was the first issue to really capture that eerie quality the series managed to maintain for much of its run. You could just feel the ambiance of the series bleeding through the pages. It's too bad the mini didn't catch on because I think the further adventures of Agents Mulder and Scully could be fun to read in this format.

Top 10: Season Two #3 & Special #1
You get the feeling that this series could be better if Moore were still on the creative team, but the premise of this series is just so wacky and strange that it is impossible not to find some joy in the series. While the special was pretty much useless, the main miniseries has been fun. In the third issue, readers are treated to a self-help Origin Weekend put on by the Premise Keepers for heroes who are having a costumed identity crisis. The results are hilarious. Peregrine's husband apparently no longer wants to be the costumed hero he is. Despite having reservations a deep-seeded feelings of shame over her husband's identity problems, she supports his going on a Origin Weekend. This story is so clever and unique that it seems like something that Moore really would come up with. I hope there are future seasons of this title around the corner. I'm a sucker for a good cop drama and the art always provides the keen reader with some unusual and fun treats.

Top 10: Beyond the Farthest Precinct #'s 1-5
I found these issues swirling around some dollar bin recently and I had to pick them up. This was a great miniseries about a drug epidemic amongst robots. There were subplots galore and plenty of zany action in this miniseries that takes place five years after the Smax miniseries of a few years ago. This really should be considered a "season" of the series. As I mentioned above, look carefully at the art for some nice Easter Eggs.

Fables #'s 81-82
This is another one of those books that always delivers in terms of quality, and these two issues are not exceptions! These issues deal with a major death from the Fables crew. Longtime readers will be crestfallen by the death, but the knowledge that a fable may return from the dead does keep some alive, though Willingham goes to great lengths in issue #82 to point out that this character only appears in one short nursery rhyme and may be dead for good. On the villainous end of things, Mr. Dark is being established as the new bad guy in Fabletown and he's turning out to be a worthy replacement for the Adversary. Many comic books claim to change the status quo nearly on a monthly basis, but Fables is the real deal. The new setup will service a wide range of new stories that should continue to maintain the quality of this book for quite some time to come.

That's it for today... and for the remainder of the week! I'll be back next Sunday or Monday with the third and final installment of Spring break Reading. Why? Because I'm actually going to do something with my Spring Break; I'm going camping! But fear not, I'm bringing a whole stack of comic books for my reading pleasure. Be back next week for some reviews of some golden oldies including The Spirit, Elementals, Justice League International, Savage Dragon, Suicide Squad, and much, much more.
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Driveby Comic Reviews (April '08, Part 2)

by Chris

In this installment, I review Mighty Avengers #12, Witchblade #117, Spawn: Godslayer #8, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #27, and Thor #8.










MIGHTY AVENGERS #12
When Bendis is on his game, he is very good. He is definitely on for this issue. This is the best issue of this series to date. Gone are the thought bubbles that Bendis never figured out how to use effectively (they were more annoying than anything). Gone are the double page spreads of things exploding and the pages with no dialogue. This was a well written issue with an excellent balance of intrigue and action. However, it was only tangentially related to the team we've been seeing in this book. It was more of a one shot tying Secret War to Secret Invasion starring Nick Fury with an appearance by Spider-Woman. Not really what you'd expect from this book. Despite that, it was enjoyable read. Alex Maleev's artwork doesn't do much for me, but it was solid here and was very
effective at setting the tone of the story.
Grade: B+


WITCHBLADE #117
Month after month, Ron Marz makes this book a very compelling read. He's taken what had been a Bad Girl book and turned it into an intelligent supernatural crime book. The antagonists in this book are truly creepy and this issue continues Sara's investigation of the murders that are reenactments of how the Twelve Apostles were killed. Meanwhile, it seems Dani's gotten in over her head with the guy she'd been seeing and we just knew there was something off about him. It seems the two storylines are linked somehow and the reveal of that should be quite interesting. Stjepan Sejic turned in another gorgeous issue. That he can turn in painted work like this on a monthly basis is astounding.
Grade: A-


SPAWN: GODSLAYER #8
This is the final issue of this book. Apparently, sales weren't sufficient to continue publishing it. There is no closure to any of the storylines that had been going on. The book is left mid-story and I suppose we'll never find out what was to happen. Not only that, but they actually introduced some new plot elements. How craptastic. Being the fantasy fanatic that I am, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It wasn't the best fantasy I'd ever read, but it took the quest story and gave it an interesting twist. Gorgeous artwork from Philip Tan (I look forward to seeing what he's got lined up at DC) made for some amazing eye candy. Unfortunately, none of that saved this particular issue. If they knew they were going to cancel the book, it would have been nice if they could have wrapped up at least one or two storylines. Ending it like they did left a bad taste in my mouth.
Grade: D


STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF OLD REPUBLIC #27
I've enjoyed this book since the beginning. A lot of that enjoyment had to do with Brian Ching's artwork. Since he left, the art in the book has been going downhill. For the last few months, it's been solid if not spectacular, but this month it got downright ugly. Not that Scott Hepburn is a bad artist per se, but his style does not fit at all with this book. It's way too cartoony and exaggerated. Looking past the art, however, the story introduces a couple of new twists that
promise to take the book an interesting directions. A character introduced in the last issue seems to question her allegiance to The Covenant and then the last page shows us something that my drastically change the direction of her life.
Grade: B-


THOR #8
I like the covers Marko Djurdjevic has done for various books, but his pencil work on the interiors of this issue and the previous one is gorgeous. He lends a visceral sense of power and violence to the battle between Thor, Odin, and Surtur. While not as effective in the quiet moments between Donald Blake and Jane Foster, he still does solid work. I may even like his stuff better than Oliver Coipel, of whom I am a big fan. On top of the gorgeous artwork, we have JMS's excellent writing. His prose lends a sense of grand drama to the book and his dialogue captures the inherent nobility of the Asgardians (though I do miss the Shakespearean English that previous writers have utilized). While the action in this issue was anchored to the battle, the plot itself was driven more by the scenes between Blake and Foster. Plus, those scenes introduced an element I am sure will drive the book in future issues.
Grade: A
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