Quick Reviews for 26 Nov 2008

1. Batman #681 — While I’m totally not buying “the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman” as this arc was billed, the execution story-wise was flawless.  I’ve never thought very highly of Tony Daniel, but the art is serviceable.  I’m going to err on the side of generosity and give it an A.
2. Captain America #44 — Yeah, pretty much as long as Brubaker’s writing this title, it’s also getting an A.
3. The Incredible Hercules #123 — Tritto. A
4. Ms. Marvel #33 — Okay, I see what’s going on here.  The flashback last issue set up the story for this one.  It would’ve been nice if that had been clearer.  Decent execution on this one, so I’ll continue to get it for another month.  B
5. Northlanders #12 — Still excellent storytelling and artwork.  A
6. Reign in Hell #5 — Still a bit too much going on in this series.  Trying to connect all of these separate plotlines can be challenging.  B
7. She-Hulk #35 — Meh.  David’s really missing the mark on this series.  As I’ve said before, I really like Qualano’s art, except on She-Hulk herself.  There just seems to be a lot of missed potential on this series.  With only three issues left, however, I suppose it doesn’t really matter.  C
8. Thor: Man of War #1 — Great art, great story.  What more can you ask for?  A
9. Unknown Soldier #2 — The action picks up a bit this issue, and I’ll pick a few more issues up.  B
10. X-Factor #37 — I think X-Factor is David’s true love, as he does extremely well here, while phoning She-Hulk in.  The gang closes in on Darwin’s abductor, and Val and Siryn have it out.  A
11. X-Force #9 — This series has come a long way since #1.  Kyle and Yost seem to have gotten the right voice for the series, and I think the addition of Domino does a lot for the team.  The only complaint would be a little too much happening in this issue, but that’s about it.  B

Quick Reviews for 19 Nov 2008

1. Ambush Bug: Year None #4 — This frustrates me.  It can be extremely hilarious one month, and the next, be so random, it’s nearly incomprehensible. This month, it’s the latter.  C
2. Conan the Cimmerian #5 — Conan continues dealing with his first love.  Darn women are always trouble.  A
3. Deadpool #4 — I think I figured out what Way’s problem is: Instead of writing Deadpool as an idiot savant, he writes him as an idiot with good luck (i.e. Get Smart or Inspector Gadget). As I’ve said all along, the plots aren’t bad, it’s that Deadpool just feels “off”.  I’ll finish this arc, but I don’t know if I’ll continue buying it from that point on.  B
4. Fantastic Four #561 — This is another book that frustrates me.  Millar does good plot twists, but the actual plot is about as deep as a shot glass.  Did anyone else not see the ending to this last issue?  At least Hitch’s artwork, especially his Dr. Doom, is pretty to look at.  B
5. The Flash #246 — Linda’s life hangs on the line, and Flash looks back at their past.  Albeit sappy, it is a nice tale.  B
6. Ghost Rider #29 — Yeah, I don’t think I’m buying any more of this.  D
7. Red Sonja #39 — Sonja finds her old armor and sword. A typical Red Sonja tale, so at least you know what you’re getting now.  B
8. Savage Tales #10 — As always, some hits and misses here. “Red Sonja” and “Battle for Atlantis” feel uninspired.  “Hercules” was a bit of fun.  “Valaka” had a nice twist.  B
9. The Spirit #23 — The story was pretty consistent with Aragonés and Evanier’s run.  I didn’t care much for Amancio’s art, though, as it seemed like he was trying too hard to ape the style of the previous artists on the series.  B
10. The Spirit Special #1 — I don’t know how many more of these I’ll get if it is an ongoing or limited series, but this is definitely worth looking at if you don’t own any of the other Spirit reprints.  The stories in this issue introduce us to the Octopus and Sand Saref.  A

Quick Reviews for 12 Nov 2008

1. Black Terror #1 — A little too much recap of the Project: Superpowers finale, and not enough new story.  I’ll give this one another issue to actually get going, but I’m not super-excited about this one, either.  C
2. Detective Comics #850 — Damn, but Dini knows how to tell a good yarn.  Very good.  A
3. Neozoic #7 — The invaders attempt to turn the people against their former defenders.  People die, and Lilli has an idea.  Have I mentioned how much I love this series?  A
4. Scarlet Veronica #1 — Pretty standard origin stuff.  The art could use a little refinement, as it looks like it was inked with a Sharpie instead of a pen.  The heavy inks might work okay in the night scenes, but it really detracts from the story in the daytime ones.  If the creators haven’t come up with a creative twist to the story, it’s probably going to be generic Chaos!-style fare.  I’ll probably flip through #2 in the store before I pick it up.  C
5. Wolverine #69 — Ah, here we go.  Wolverine finally starts kicking ass again.  We’re promised the story of whatever “broke” him next issue.  McNiven’s art is top-notch once again.  A

Quick Reviews for 5 Nov 2008

1. Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns — Not being a regular reader of the Green Lantern books really hurts in trying to understand some of the exchanges. Still, you do get a feel for the seriousness of the threat of the Red Lanterns. I doubt I’ll be motivated to follow the subsequent plots in the GL books, though. B
2. Final Crisis: Resist — Wow… Who would’ve thought this mish-mash of characters could be assembled into an interesting chapter of “Final Crisis”?  Good stuff. A
3. Hack/Slash #16 — Hack/Slash is essentially a guilty pleasure.  The plot takes a predictable twist, and you can pretty much guess where it’s going.  It’s still fun, though.  B
4. Kull #1 — Darn you, Dark Horse.  I wasn’t really interested in picking up any more of this series, and here you had to go and tell an exciting and intriguing tale.  I guess we’ve got another series to pick up each month. A
5. Reign in Hell #3–4 — Having missed the first two issues, I wasn’t totally sure what was going on. There seems to be a lot of plots going on simultaneously, and the various Hell-lingo doesn’t help anyone just jumping on. B
6. Secret Six #3 — Loving this series, and the reveal of the nature of the card makes it all worth it. A

Quick Reviews for 29 Oct 2008

1. The Astounding Wolf-Man #9 — Gary’s training is a little more intense than he though it would be. Dissension in the vampire superheroes’ ranks. A
2. Captain America Theater of War: Operation Zero-Point #1 — An old Steve Rogers Cap adventure from WWII.  Fun, albeit unnecessary. B
3. Hellboy: In the Chapel of Moloch — Eerie Hellboy story with Mignola art. How can you go wrong? A
4. The Incredible Hercules #122 — Poor Amadeus… Don’t you hate it when the opposite sex only appreciates you for your mind? What happened to using someone just for their body? A
5. Northlanders #11— We’re moving to Ireland this time. Looks like a promising start. A
6. Project Superpowers #7 — Some good bits in here, but I’m left feeling just a bit flat. We’ll have to see if the follow-up series amount to anything. B
7. Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude — Mostly a preview of up the upcoming solo series as well as some sketch work. It was $1, so I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. B
8. Red Sonja #38 — The story picks up a bit, so this series may have earned a stay of execution for now. B
9. Secret Invasion: Thor #3 — Awesome all around. A
10. Thor #11 — Thor deals with the one-year anniversary of Cap’s death in a very suitable manner. The Asgardians get a bit restless being cooped up in the castle.  Good stuff. A
11. Unknown Soldier #1 — While I’ve got nothing bad to say about this, I’m not exactly enamored with it either. Depending on how the schedule falls, I might pick up a few more issues out of curiosity, but I’m not chomping at the bit for more. B
12. Wolverine: Origins #29 — I don’t read X-Men: Legacy, so I might be missing some details, but I’m not enjoying all the pseudo-conspiracy they’re injecting into the X-Men’s back history. C
13. X-Force #8 — Kyle and Yost seem to be getting their rhythm in this second arc. While it’s not flawless, I am enjoying how this story is progressing. B