Book of the Week- 7/13/11: The Amazing Spiderman #665

The Amazing Spiderman #665

Writer: Dan Slott

Penciller: Ryan Stegman
Inker: Michael Babinski
Colorist: John Rauch
Letterer: Joe Caramanga
Assistant Editor: Ellie Pyle
Editor: Stephen Wacker

Crossroads

After having been a fan of Spiderman longer than I can remember I had walked away from the book when Peter made a deal with the devil to fix his problems.  To me it violated everything that the character was about and after having stayed through all of the other poor story decisions to hit the Spiderman titles in the last several years, but for me that was it.  I recently decided to give the book another chance.

After a mild adjustment period I can now count Spidey as one of my favorite titles once again and issues like this are why.  The story did not focus on Spiderman vs a villain, it was a personal story that affected his life as Peter rather than as Spiderman.  The issue has a few very emotional moments, especially between Peter and Aunt May.  May convinces him to abandon his revenge and be there for his best friend when she needs him.  Even MJ is amazed that he was able to let Peter come before Spiderman.  Although Spiderman does get to do his part later.

The friendship between Peter and Betty adds a humanizing element.  His reaction and his guilt over not having been there bring back to the surface his guilt over Uncle Ben's death.  Even May makes a parallel to that event.  The lengths that Peter went through to find the man who hurt his friend sent the entire New York criminal underground running scared.  This is typical behavior for Peter as he had a similar reaction when Aunt May was shot due to his identity having gone public.  He hunted the shooter and the man who gave the order, Wilson Fisk, and reigned fury upon him humiliating him in front of the criminal world.

We also see May and her new husband leave New York and head out to Boston.  I had long thought Aunt May to be irrelevant to the books once Peter grew up, but I changed my mind when she learned his identity and became a part of his world and the story rather than someone it was all hidden from.  I was disapointed when her memory was erased also as she went back to a side character who didn't quite gel anymore.  Since they don't seem likely to let her know again I think this is the better route to take and remove her from the focus of the story without killing her off... yet.

COMING SOON

Spider Island!

Book of the Week- 7/6/11: Batman: Knight of Vengeance #2

Batman: Knight of Vengeance #2

Writer: Brian Azarello

Penciller: Eduardo Risso
Inker: Eduardo Risspo
Colorist: Patricia Mulvihill
Letterer: Clem Robbins
Cover Art: Dave Johnson
Assistant Editor: Rex Ogre
Editor: Eddie Berganza


All I can say about this one is "WOW!!!" They were definitely not afraid to take a few chances with the story. The Joker's speech about the loss of a child made sense after the shock reveal at the end.You can see why Thomas Wayne was so eager to help change the timeline. Not only did he watch his son die in a mugging, but his wife from the trauma was turned into that timeline's Joker. Yeah I'd say that would be more than enough to get me to want to change time.

Also they were not afraid to show that the good guys don't always win and that children aren't always safe, even in a world of superheroes. Gordon is tricked into killing Harvey Dent's daughter as Harvey's son watched helpless to say anything with his mouth taped shut. Gordon is then killed himself as he leans over the dying child.

Batman arrives too late to prevent their deaths, but what will he do in response to them?

COMING SOON

Wayne vs Wayne!

Book of the Week- 6/29/11: Hal Jordan #1

Hal Jordan #1

Writer: Adam Schlagman
Penciller: Ben Oliver
Inker: Ben Oliver

Colorist: Allen Passalaqua
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover Art: Rags Morales with Gabe Eltaeb

Assistant Editor: Darren Shan
Editor: Brian Cunningham

Rising Tides

The Flashpoint books continue to be entertaining overall.  The reworked origin of Hal Jordan was much more in line with the new film version bridging the gap a bit between the two.    The book answers one question that readers may have wondered about.

Hal Jordan had never become a Green Lantern.  This does raise some interesting questions about the fates of other Earth born Lanterns as it would appear that there has not yet been a human Green Lantern.  When Hal meets Abin Sur it would appear to be Earth's first contact with the Corps.

For the most part the book is a character piece focused on Hal and what makes him tick and who he is in this new version of the world.  However the book does have a few action moments to keep the interest level up and I am curious to see what happens next.

COMING SOON

The Battle of Coast City!

Book of the Week- 6/22/11: Ultimate Spiderman #160

Ultimate Spiderman #160

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Mark Bagley
Inker: Andrew Lanning with Mark Hennessey

Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: Cory Petit
Cover Art: Mark Bagley and Justin Ponsor

Assistant Editor: Sana Amanat
Editor: Mark Paniccia

Death of Spiderman: Part 5 of 5


The opening scene with Mary Jane sets the forboding tone for what is to follow.

Peter makes his literally final stand against Norman Osborn with the help of his friends and loved ones.  The battle was epic as Peter showed that at his core when the chips re down that he cared more for the safety of those he cared about than his own safety.  Even with the help of The Human Torch and Iceman  Spidey is not faring well against the Goblin.

Help arrives offering a very brief reprieve for Peter as MJ runs into Norman with a truck.  Peter is able to  have a final moment with his love before returning to face Norman.  With a surge of energy Peter manages to end the fight with Norman, but in the process he lost two things.  He lost his secret identity as he was publicly unmasked during the battle and he lost his life after ensuring the safety of those he cared about.

The scale of the conflict and the emotion seemed to have been taken almost directly from the Death of Superman, in fact you can almost see where the scrap of cape should go in the panel below.  Despite the lack of any originality and almost direct concept plagiarism, I did enjoy the issue and am curious to see what comes next in the Fallout.

Having saved Aunt May, Mary Jane, and Gwen Peter Parker closes his eyes for the last time, knowing his family and friends are safe.

Reunited with Uncle Ben, Peter finds peace. 

COMING SOON:

Marvel has announced that there will be a new Spiderman in the Ultimate Universe and someone new under the mask, but who it is we have to wait to find out, but popular rumors point towards one or more clones. 

Film Review: Green Lantern

A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.

Director: 
Martin Campbell

Writers: 

Greg Berlanti (screenplay), Michael Green(screenplay), and 5 more credits »

Stars:

 Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard

As a long time Green Lantern fan I went into the film expecting quite a lot.  I wanted an entertaining story that was faithful to the source material.  I wanted incredible CG effects and mind blowing battle sequences.  I also wanted to see actors nail those characters in their portrayals.  I was not disappointed.

While it would be impossible to fit decades worth of continuity into one film they managed to squeeze quite a bit of story in without bogging it down with too many elements.  The character portrayals were pretty spot on to their comic book counterparts or were at least close enough.

The visuals were amazing and the use of 3D was well done.  The film drew you in and made you feel immersed in the action.

Hal must defeat not only the Mindworm, Hector Hammond, but also Parallax, in this version a former guardian corrupted by the yellow energy of fear. The action sequences are amazing and the constructs are very well done, even the costume is achieved believably as a CG ring construct.

Of course Hal isn't welcomed to the corps with open arms, but skepticism, and after saving the Earth from Parallax he finally earns their respect.  They should really have listened to him about the yellow ring being a bad idea though.

I did like the nod to Carol Ferris as Star Sapphire, by her call sign "Sapphire".

All in all I was impressed with the story and with the FX, they managed to maintain a good balance.

I also liked the lead-in to the sequel, which as you guessed it will be Sinestro taking on the Green Lantern Corps and forming his own Sinestro Corps.

Book of the week of 6/15/11

Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1

Book of the week 6/15/11

Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1

Writer: J.T. Krul
Penciller: Mikel Janin
Inker: Mikel Janin

Colorist: Ulises Arreola 
Letterer: Patrick Brosseau
Cover Art: Cliff Chang & Jared Fletcher

Assistant Editor: Sean Mackiewicz
Editor: Pat McCallum

The Show Must Go On

This was by far my favorite of the Flashpoint companion books.  In a world where Bruce Wayne never became Batman Dick Grayson also never became Robin.  


You get to see the life that Dick would have had if his parents were never murdered and raised him themselves.  It was also interesting to see Boston Brand in the mix.  The character has really come to prominence recently.  Some things must subconsciously bleed through from the original reality as Dick is garbed in a Nightwing-esque costume as his stage attire.

Doctor Fate plays a prominent part as well as his helmet seems to be of great interest to Diana and the Amazons.  In fact the Amazonian search for said artifact leaves us with a foreboding feeling about the fate of Dick Grayson and family.

Legion of Doom #1

Writer: Adam Glass
Penciller: Rodney Buchemi
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr

Colorist: Arthur Fujita
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Cover Art: Miguel Sepulveda & Jose Villarrubia

Assistant Editor: Sean Mackiewicz
Editor: Pat McCallum

Hot Blooded




For the most part I was bored with this issue.  Not much interesting happens.  Even the death of Jason Rusch had no build up and left me not really caring.

For the most part the issue is Heatwave in prison after he kills Jason Rusch and is captured by Cyborg.  The fight between Cyborg and Heatwave is very cliche, complete with the 'just in time' arrival and the classic 'stopping a train'.  Cyborg seems so far to have more build up than substance.

There was one thing however that did manage to grab my interest at the end.  Plastic Man, Eel O'Brian, was smuggled into the prison inside of Cluemaster and proceeds to exit his host... painfully.  The last two pages and especially the last one made the book worth reading.  Plastic Man had a very cool and sinister look to him and I really want to see what this version of him does next.

Wonder Woman and the Furies #1

Writer: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Penciller: Scott Clark
Inker: Dave Beaty

Colorist: Nei Ruffino
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Cover Art: Ed Benes with Pete Pantazis

Assistant Editor: Darren Shan
Editor: Brian Cunningham

Part 1- The Arrangement




An interesting new take on Wonder Woman.  In the altered timeline rather than going out into the world to be a champion of justice Diana and her amazonian furies wage war against Aquaman and the atlanteans.

Rather than Steve Trevor in need of rescue being Diana's first contact with the outside world it was Aquaman saving her from a kraken.  The amazons are grateful to the king of atlantis for saving Diana and both civilizations decide to help the world with their wisdom and advances.  To solidify their effort the two nations would be joined by the marriage of Diana and Arthur.

There are traitors on both sides as an assasination attempt on Diana's life is carried out by Artemis, who instead accidently kills Hippolyta.  She frames Garth for the murder and kills him before he can reveal the truth that Arthur's brother Orm is in league with Artemis to stop the union.

We've seen the seed that the war between the amazons and the atlanteans sprang from, I'm intrigued to see the rest of its evolution.

Grodd of War #1

Writer: Sean Ryan
Penciller: IG Guara
Inker: Ruy Jose

Colorist: Stephani Rennee
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Art: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato

Assistant Editor: Kate Stewart
Editor: Joey Cavalieri

I have always been a fan of stories told from the point of view of the villain.  Grodd of War lived up to my hopes for it.  The story addresses the question of what happens when the conquerer has nothing left to conquer and the warrior has nothing left to wage war on.  

I suppose in Grodd's case, getting there was more than half the fun.  Grodd seems to have come to the realization that it's the conquest, the fight, the violence that fuels him and makes life worth living.   Old soldiers are not meant for peace and the boredom that comes in a life after struggle and combat. 

Grodd has an attempt on his life that he believes to have been coordinated by his aide, Malavar, but he lets him live and does not let on that he is aware of the treachery.   Grodd is tired of life without a worthy fight and hopes that Malavar will try again and succeed.  Grodd also allows one of the young humans who tried to assassinate him to live after mind controlling him into killing his friends.  He tells the boy to grow up hating him and to one day kill him.

Grodd, hoping to die in a blaze of glory, decides to take on both Wonder Woman and her Amazon Furies and Aquaman and the Atlanteans.  The book started off on solid footing and I am looking forward to the next issue.

Teen Titans #96

Writer: J.T. Krul
Penciller: Jose Luis

Inker: Sandro Ribeiro & Jonad Trindade

Colorist: Jason Wright

Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

Cover Art: Scott & Hazlewood with Wright

Assistant Editor: Ricky Purdin

Editor: Rachel Gluckstern

Beast of Legend

While overall a straight forward slugfest the issue shines a spotlight on an underrated character as Beast Boy takes center stage against demon king Rankor and his hoarde of demons.    Beast Boy demonstrates a level of power never before hinted at and manages to go to toe with a demon king and hold his own.

Beast Boy has help from newbie Solstice, whom Raven gets a bad reaction from, and manages to free his friends.  Solstice realizes it is her destiny to face Rankor the demon king.  I couldn't help but think of Return of the Jedi every time I read that name.

The issue leads up to the climactic battle between Solstice and Rankor and leaves us waiting to see who wins.

Overall it was an entertaining read and I really enjoyed seeing Beast Boy shine.  He has been an underrated character for a long time and its good to see him use his potential.  I'm looking forward to next issue.

Supergirl #65

Writer: Kelly Sue Deconnick

Penciller: Chriscross

Inker: Marc Deering

Colorist: Blond

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Art: Mahmud Asrar & Guy Major

Editor: Wil Moss

This Is Not My Life- Part 1 of 3

In general I was a little disappointed in this issue.  After the excitement of the last story arc this one falls a little flat.  The silk pajama society, I mean come on.  

I did like the interaction between Kara and Lois though.  Lois' failed attempts at humor gave me a chuckle, but otherwise the supporting cast of the issue is rather annoying.  Hopefully this story will pick up a bit in part two.

Batgirl #22

Writer: Brian Q. Miller

Penciller: Pere Perez

Inker: Pere Perez

Colorist: Guy Major

Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

Cover Art: Dustin Nguyen

Assistant Editor: Katie Kubert

Editor: Janelle Asselin

Five Minutes Fast

From an artistic standpoint I love the bookends made by the first and last pages of the story.

As Stephanie is sent abroad on a mission from Batman under an alias she encounters Beryl Hutchinson, better known as Squire.  The interplay between the two of them is great.  Stephanie is trying to be serious and focused and taking her mission from Batman very seriously, while squire prefers to hide in plain sight and not be so stuffy.

When innocents are threatened its time for Batgirl and Squire to save the day, and ultimately the world.  The Orphan, a villain of Knight and Squire's (who is a bad walking Charles Dickins joke) has opened a rift in time with the Greenwich Mean (its a thing apparently).  Orphan stops time in an attempt to kill Knight. Batgirl and Squire save the innocents, who were left with bombs strapped to them that only the pausing of time was preventing from blowing them to tiny bits.  They went on to defeat the bad guy and save Knight, and the world by closing the time rift and sealing the Greenwich Mean.

The girls share a bonding moment and its nice to see Stephanie enjoy herself after all the crap she's had to go through.  But then its back to business as Batman shows up to lead us to the crossover in Batman Incorporated #9.

Batman #711

Writer: Tony S. Daniel

Penciller: Steve Scott

Inker: Ryan Winn

Colorist: Ian Hannin

Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher

Cover Art: Tony S. Daniel

Assistant Editor: Katie Kubert

Editor: Mike Marts

Pieces- Part 2- The Long Way Back

An opening which brings flashes of George Romero movies to mind starts us of on getting some answers as to the mystery which began last issue.  We are told right off the bat that Two-Face is alive and well... or unwell actually.  

The Riddler saves Harvey, who seems confused as to wether he has hallucinated the last several hours, not wanting to believe he had been double betrayed and that his presumed dead ex, Gilda, was actually alive and working with a rival of his, mob boss Mario Falcone.  The Riddler Tells Harvey that he helped stage his death and that Gilda needs his help.

The issue features mostly on Two-Face, but also does not leave out its star character as you get to see why Dick Grayson was given the cowl.  There is classic detective work, with a touch of the light humor that Dick brings to the character.  We also get to see Batman in action as he makes a dramatic entrance to save Catgirl, who is a fly in the ointment yet well meaning.  I would like to see a Damian/Catgirl team-up.  Two arrogant heroes with something to prove and a legacies they feel are theirs to carry on, could be interesting.

Damian does have his usual arrogance and defiance, but it seems as if he is growing more comfortable in the world he has found himself in since leaving his mother's side.  Although I doubt he will ever be "warm and fuzzy" I think Damian could grow into a worthy eventual successor to the mantle of the Bat.

We get our lead in to next issue when a wounded Catgirl tells Batman what she overheard and then a cut to Two-Face and his new ally The Riddler preparing to rally the troops and show mob boss Mario Falcone that nobody double crosses Two-Face.

Fear Itself: The Home Front #3

 
Speedball: Going Viral (3 of 7)

By: Christos Gage & Mike Mayhew

Color Art By: Rain Beredo

Jimmy Woo: The Age of Anxiety (3 of 4)

By: Peter Milligan & Ella Bonetti

Color Art By: John Rauch

Edited By: Rachel Pinnelas

A Moment With... The People of Paris

By: Howard Chaykin & Edgar Delgado

Cardiac: "Breakdown"

By: Ben McCool & Mike Del Mundo

The Speedball segment was very well done.  There was obvious character growth on the part of not only Robbie Baldwin but more so Mirian Sharpe, who put her grief and anger aside in order to do what was right and to help prevent others from suffering the same loss that she feels.  Robbie keeps his promise and while it does not appear as if they'll be getting together for tea anytime soon, that the hatred and blame had been put aside and the rebuilding had begun.

Jimmy Woo's story I just cannot seem to get into.  There seems to be some interesting character potential with the cast, but the story just isn't grabbing my attention and rather than skip Jimmy altogether I skimmed through the rest of it just in case something interesting happened.  It didn't.

The people of Paris bit was an interesting side note.  Though not of any story importance it does make the loss of life due to the events of Fear Itself seem more tangible as it puts a human face on the casualties.

Cardiac is a character I always kind of liked ever since he started popping up in the pages of Spiderman. He was and remains a unique character who I would like to see more of.  That being said (or written rather) I was not impressed with his story here.  It seemed like a half hearted attempt to rehash Cardiac's origin in the context of the Fear Itself story.  Unlike some other tie-in stories in Fear Itself this one feels like forced filler.

Avengers Academy #15

Writer: Christos Gage
Penciller: Tom Raney
Inkers: Scott Hanna & Andrew Hennessy
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Art: Billy Tan & Leonardo Olea
Assistant Editor: John Denning
Editor: Bill Roseman




I was relieved that this issue broke the trend of big event tie-ins that have an obligatory panel reference or a reprint of a scene from the main series qualifying it as a tie-in.  This issue however went the other way entirely as the events of Fear Itself feature very prominently and do not seem forced in any way.

The emotion in the story was intense, and if you have ever gone to war or watched someone you love go off, you will completely empathize with the inner turmoil that Hank Pym and Tigra go through.   The students also have very human reactions to their situations.  Even the most arrogant of them, Stryker, has doubts until Tigra helps him face them.

The reactions of everyone involved, the fear, the doubt, the drive to do what they feel is right.  These kids are not the villains of tomorrow, they are the heroes of today.

Book Reviews for the week of 6/15/11

The issues that will be reviewed this week are:

Avengers Academy #15
Fear Itself: The Home Front #3
Batman #711
Batgirl #22
Supergirl #65
Teen Titans #96
Wonder Woman and the Furies #1
Grodd of War #1
Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1
Legion of Doom #1