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

Pull List for 19 Nov 2008

1. Ambush Bug: Year None #4 (of 6)
2. Conan the Cimmerian #5
3. Deadpool #4 *
4. Fantastic Four #561 *
5. The Flash #246
6. Ghost Rider #29 *
7. Red Sonja #39
8. Savage Tales #10
9. The Spirit #23
10. The Spirit Special #1

* — Denotes those wavering at the edge of the Culling List.
§ — Denotes my last issue of this misbegotten series.

Wow… Three on the watchlist this week.  Deadpool has just been “off”, and I’m not sure Way’s going to get the hang of writing him any time soon.  Fantastic Four has been hit-and-miss.  Ghost Rider has been pissing me off more and more.  I’m curious to hear the Danny Ketch story (without buying another miniseries), but I’m not sure I care any more.

The Spirit Special didn’t indicate if it was a one-shot, ongoing, or limited series.  I’m hoping it’s just a one-shot, since I have some of the older Spirit TPBs already.

Red Sonja I’ve taken off the watchlist since it seemed to be headed back towards standard Red Sonja fare.

Quick Reviews for 16 Oct 2008

I’m still getting caught up from vacation and illness delays.

1. Conan the Cimmerian #4 — This series has been solid since it started. Nice to know the quality remains consistent in this issue, too. A
2. The Corps! #0 — A somewhat different take on the military/mercenary theme.  Not sure it’s interesting enough to pick up on a monthly basis, though. C
3. Deadpool #3 — All the pieces are there, but something just seems “off” in the execution.  I’m giving this a few more issues, and seeing if it gets better or worse once we get away from “Secret Invasion” tie-in. C
4. Detective Comics #849 — Like most everyone else, I find Hush stupid, but Dini’s handling of him superb. I’m still having a few issues with the plot, but it’s a well-told story nonetheless. B
5. Epilogue #2 — The plot remains pretty formulaic, but Hotz still draws some really good horror. I’m kind of torn, as the $4 price tag requires some serious consideration. B
6. The Flash #245 — I don’t know about this storyline.  I think the new creative team is still trying to get a feel for the characters. B
7. Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #3 — Outstanding character study of the Rogues and a good plot to boot.  A
8. Ghost Rider #28 — Okay, the story improved again, but WTF is up with the $4 price tag? Am I supposed to believe that including Danny’s Wikipedia page with accompanying illustrations justifies the extra buck? For an extra buck, I expect at least a few extra pages of story, or at least a reprint of a prior issue.  I was going to give this a “B”, but wasting my money takes it down another grade. C
9. Secret Six #2 — Good exchange with Catman and Batman, but the jailbreak plot made me lose interest.  B
10. The Spirit #22 — Typical done-in-one Spirit story. B
11. Ultimate Origins #5 — Um… okay. Yeah, this was pretty much a waste of time.  While some of the origin stories were interesting, it was mostly just a set-up for the upcoming “Ultimatum” storyline. C
12. Wonder Woman #25 — Mostly light-hearted fun, which there’s nothing wrong with.  I could’ve used without some of the sugar-sweet sentimentality towards the end, but otherwise perfectly fine. B

Pull List for 16 Oct 2008

1. Conan the Cimmerian #4
2. The Corps! #0 (of 6)
3. Deadpool #3 *
4. Detective Comics #849
5. Epilogue #2
6. The Flash #245
7. Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #3 (of 3)
8. Ghost Rider #28 *
9. Secret Six #2
10. The Spirit #22
11. Ultimate Origins #5 (of 5)
12. Wonder Woman #25

* — Denotes those wavering at the edge of the Culling List.
§ — Denotes my last issue of this misbegotten series.

I was out of town last week, so this is really two weeks’ worth of books.  Plus, I’m still recovering from some nasty bug I caught where my fever peaked up around 102°F, so I’m not feeling especially wordy right now.

Most anticipated: Detective and Conan.

Least anticipated: Ultimate Origins and Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider #27 [Nov 2008]

I thought this book seemed to be heading in the right direction, which is why I gave it a “B” last month. However, it turns out I spoke too soon.

What started out as a bad idea by Daniel Way (really, don’t look so shocked) is getting out of control. This whole Zadkiel angle couldn’t be any less interesting if it was a dissertation on dryer lint and its relation to global warming.