Well its a pretty light week for comics so there are not a lot of new ones. There was not much in the way of huge releases so I was able to catch up on some ones that had to fall by the way side recently so off we go!
Murder Falcon #1
Image Comics Writer, Artist, & Letterer Daniel Warren Johnson, Colorist Mike Spicer, Letterer Rus Wooton
From the creator of Extremity comes a wild mix of music and magic that might not be the best comic book that you have ever read but is one of the wildest ones that I have read in quite a while. The one thing that the book does have going for it is that Warren keeps things pretty basic here and doesn’t try and make the story bigger than it is. It’s tale of a boy and his guitar that when he plays it brings Murder Falcon that battles monsters from another dimension and gets his strength from Jake playing Heavy Metal music. Yep that the whole thing in a nut shell and what it may not have in-depth of storytelling it more than makes up for in an energy that the story and art deliver a nice light read and pretty wild visuals. There are nice little touches to the story that give it a nice charm with Jake’s backstory and tragedy and depression but with the help of Murder Falcon they are going to need to get the band back together to save the world. The one thing that I love about Warren is his frenetic kinetic energy of his artwork that is the real driving force of this book. While the big fight scenes are impressive its the more subtle drama scenes that is where he really shines and it really delivers the heart of the story.
Is this book worth your time and money? I was not blown away by this book but I did find the set up quite fun and there is enough here to see where Warren takes the story from here. The book does grow on you as you read this first issue and is worth checking out if you’re in the mood for something off beat and different.
Supergirl #23
DC Comics Writer Marc Andreyko, Penciller Kevin Maguire, Inkers Sean Parsons & Wade Von Grawbadger, Colorists FCO Plascencia & Chris Sotomayor, Letterer Tom Napolitano
Andreyko and Maguire continue to breathe new life into this book and this third chapter really seals the deal that this is becoming a must read book back month. What they are doing so well here is that they are simply delivering an entertaining comic and that is why its working so well. They are laying a great mythology down with the story and really giving Kara a voice of her own. This book is no longer in the shadow of the Superman books and in fact I’m finding that I’m enjoying it just slightly more than Bendis’s Superman stories but I am really liking his work on those books so there is no disrespect here on that. What is setting this book apart is that Andreyko is making this book fun, smart and charming and is hitting all of the story beats perfectly. Sure in a way it’s just a good superhero story but that is why you read books like this is because you want a good superhero comic and you have come to the right place here. While Andreyko’s scripts are spot on here its the combination of that and Maguire’s gorgeous artwork that is making this work so well. They are working perfectly together that is always a challenge with a creative team and Maguire is able to bring the script off perfectly with the emotional core that is why its working so well. And let’s be really honest here that the Ch’p and Krypto scene is worth the price of admission here and why Maguire is so perfect for this book among many other great visual reasons.
Is this book worth your time and money? I’m delighted to say that Andreyko and Maguire are setting this book apart from the Bendis Superman stories and yet it does tie together but indirectly and this book firmly stands on it’s own. The other great thing is that we need more strong female characters now in comics and Andreyko and Maguire are delivering that in spades here. This is a comic that I truly look forward to each month now and cant wait to see where the story goes next. VERY RECOMMENDED!
Infinite Dark #1
Image Comics/Top Cow Writer Ryan Cady, Artist Andrea Mutti, Colorist K. Michael Russell, Letterer Troy Peteri
In a slow week like this I will sometimes pick up a comic that I would normally pass on because there is simply too many comic books to read each week. So I was willing to give Infinite Dark a chance and it sadly falls into the meh pile. The biggest problem with the book is that Cady’s concept is not that bad but there is just not much to any of the characters that gives you a reason to care about anything that is going on. The other issue is that he is setting up this epic story but it a bit on the fuzzy side as to what is really going on and while I get that he is not revealing everything here in this first issue, but honestly after reading this first outing there is nothing compelling I read to come back for more. Having a mystery is one thing but you have to care about what is happening to the characters otherwise there is no incentive to invest in the story. Mutti’s artwork shows promise but while the book looks decent there were sadly far too many times where the art was inconsistent with the facial expressions and the detail was kind of hit and miss. I will say that her layouts for the story were good and overall it was more positive than negative. I think that the so-so story didn’t help her out much either.
Is this book worth your time and money. This is one of those comic books that had great intentions but the follow through didn’t come together as well as it should have. It’s not that I hated the book but it just ended up being a pretty boring read. I chalk it up to not ever book is going to be a winner. SKIP IT!
The Quantum Age #3
Dark Horse Comics Writer Jeff Lemire, Artist Wilfredo Torres, Colorist Dave Stewart, Letterer Nate Piekos
I will be very honest here that while I’m a huge fan of Lemire’s Black Hammer Universe main story and the spin-off stories, this one has been a bit disappointing compared to the others. But I have to say that this issue and particularly the final page dramatically changed the direction and got the book back on a solid foundation. This issue goes back to how the Legion of Super Heroes, sorry I mean Quantum League got their start and how this side story ties into the main Black Hammer Universe. What made this issue so good is the way that Lemire gives Archive a great balance of human and machine and plays out the theory of what if computers had a soul and what would happen to them. Torres may not be the flashiest artist he is however perfect for this book in that he has an art style that fits the retro tone and feel of this story and this issue is one of his best so far. The one thing he really does well in this issue is capture the emotions of Archive goes through in this story and he really delivers it perfectly in the artwork.
Is this book worth your time and money? While this is not my favorite side story from the Black Hammer Universe this latest issue really gave me hope and shows that maybe I just need to be more patient with this one and let it unfold. It’s hard when Lemire sets the bar so high with each passing story he tells. If you’re a Black Hammer fan then stick with it and the payoff is starting to become more clear.
Bully Wars #2
Image Comics Writer Skottie Young, Artist Aaron Conley, Colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Letterer Nate Piekos
The first issue of this book was a nice little surprise and Young and Conley build quite nicely here in the second issue. What is working so well for this book is that Young has nicely given the cast strong character development and never forgets to make it fun and charming at the same time. This issue keeps the alliance between Rufus and Spencer going and there are some nice little surprises along the way. Where the books best assets are is with Conley’s spot on artwork that really brings Young’s script to life. A lot of the script is visual and the strong artwork really brings it all together very nicely. The one thing that Conley does best here is with the characters facial expressions and its making this book hit the sweet spot perfectly.
Is this book worth your time and money? I’m enjoying this light-hearted romp that Young and Conley are doing here and while it’s not deep or meaningful, it doesn’t try for that at all. It’s a simple story that is a lot of fun and charm and captures high school perfectly in an exaggerated way of course. Still keeping this one on the pull list.
Kick-Ass #8
Image Comics Writer Steve Niles, Artist Marcelo Frusin, Colorist Sunny Gho, Letterer John Workman
I had hoped that the first issue from Niles had been more exciting and different and I was willing to give the book a second chance but the problem isn’t with Niles writing at all, it’s just that I had hoped that he would bring some new fresh ideas and spark to the book but simply ends up being more of the same abet with snappier dialogue than Millar usually delivers. It just seems like the book is on the same usual corse and doesn’t really stretch Andy new boundaries with this storyline. For those who love the past stories of Kick-Ass are going to be fine with this story that is a decent read and has nice artwork but I was looking for more outside the box storytelling that Niles brings to his own work and has done so with his work on Batman and other company characters. It feels as if Niles was given an outline of what to do here and he followed it well but that is what I don’t want from this book. On the plus side I do like Frusin’s artwork on the book and he gives the story a great gritty feel and look but as with the script it feels like a been there and done that over all and he can only follow what he is give with the script.
Is this book worth your time and money? I did enjoy the story but in the end it’s just more of the same that has come before and that is what disappoints me with this book. I love Niles writing but this doesn’t feel like his style and if that what he wants to do here then great but I had hoped for a more bold direction but I’m guessing that wasn’t his choice here. If you’re looking for the Kick-Ass that you have known to come to love then you will enjoy this but if your like me and hoping for something different then you can steer clear.
Justice League Dark #3
DC Comics Writer James Tynion IV, Penciler Alvaro Martinez, Inker Raul Fernandez, Colorist Brad Anderson, Letterer Rob Leigh
Yea I know this came out a few weeks ago but thanks to DIamond’s spot on track record for getting book to comic shops on time (yes I’m being facetious here) now with that’s over on with the review.
So far the relaunch of the Justice League has been a huge disappointment with this book being the only one that I have been able to stick with and for good reason. Tynion has some good things going in his favor on this book. First the whole dark side of the DC Universe is always a very fun playground to build your sandbox world in. Getting to use characters that most other writers don’t care about that allows him to do whatever he wants to with and of course he gets Wonder Woman and now that is a huge plus because now everyone knows how great she is. He is really diving deep into the dark side with this book and this issue has some of the most F**CKED UP elements so far. I like that he is not afraid to go to the edge and then jump off the cliff with this book and the stories are greatly benefiting from it. Having characters that inhabit the darker side of the DC Universe there is a lot he does with them both in the present and the past that is giving them really rich elements to the story at hand. Plying with magic and the dark side is alway a plus because it allows you to go anywhere you can think of and Tynion goes for it here and doesn’t look back and end this first story arc on a really strong note and leaves lots of room for stories going forward. The other HUGE win for this book is the artwork from Martinez and that he is able to bring all of Tynion’s horrific images to life is simply amazing. As with the script he really goes for the outside the box layouts for the book that breaks it from the usual standard superhero shackles that would have killed this book if it wasn’t allowed to breath the way that Martinez is able to go to.
Is this book worth your time and money? Tynion is getting this book into a great groove here. He has dispensed with the heavy dialogue that the first couple of issues struggled with and this third issues is lean and hits the ground running. There is some truly messed up stuff here but that is what is making it so good is that Tynion and Martinez are willing to take risks with this book and its better because of that. Strong story and stunning art are making this the only Justice League comic worth buying. RECOMMENDED!
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