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BATMAN WIDENING GYRE #1 |
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Writer:
Kevin Smith
Artist:
Walt Flanagan |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
082609 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Once again, Kevin Smith - the fan-favorite creator
behind GREEN ARROW and Daredevil - teams up with Walter Flanagan - the artist on
the acclaimed series BATMAN: CACOPHONY - for an all-new adventure starring The
Caped Crusader. The stakes are high as Batman encounters a new vigilante under
his wing amidst what Smith describes as a "backdrop of romance, intrigue, and
geek-bait guest stars galore." Trust us when we say that it's as awesome as it
sounds. BATMAN: WIDENING GYRE is just the start of things for Kevin in the
Bat-Universe so get on board now! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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America’s favorite fanboy, Kevin Smith, has returned
to his old stomping grounds of Gotham City, which he left only a scant few
months ago at the end of “Batman: Cacophony”. His latest outing, “Batman: The
Widening Gyre” takes a look at Bruce Wayne’s (the currently deceased, former
Batman) decision making surrounding his taking on an older student, someone he
may be able to hand the city over to one day. In typical Kevin Smith fashion
there’s some jumping around, which helps keep the pace moving at a steady clip,
while Flanagan’s pencils are a clean, smooth contrast to the Bill
Sienkiewicz/Gene Ha cover.
I got into this a bit, not only because Smith is one of the more intriguing
comic writers of MY generation, but because it felt a lot like what I’d expect
from a Batman motion picture/cartoon rather than just a traditional comic.
There’s a lot of ground to cover in Gotham and Smith is like a kid with ADD in a
toy store; we get treated to Baron Blitzkrieg, Atomic Skull, along with cameos
by Jervis Tetch, Joker, Two-Face, the Demon, and a deliciously naughty extended
scene with Poison Ivy (probably the most sexually charged Batman scene I’ve ever
read, especially if you’re hip to the subtext). Everything culminates with a big
fight at the end that results in Batman both getting the living S*** kicked out
of him, as well as having his butt saved by some weirdo in an obviously
difficult-to-see-out-of mask that could only exist in comic books.
I’m actually kinda glad I checked this out. Walt Flanagan is a great artist who,
when everyone else is trying to squeeze as much detail as possible into a panel,
takes a different direction and allows the reader to fill in the blanks. His
rendering of Poison Ivy rivals J. Scott Campbell and Michael Turner in terms of
hot-comic-chick-art, and he’s definitely got Guillem March beat (over on “Gotham
City Sirens”). I’m hoping that Kevin keeps laying it on thick, throwing
everything in Walt’s path, including the Bat-sink, because it’s fun seeing his
take on the DCU. |
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MARVEL'S PROJECT #1 |
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Writer:
Ed Brubaker
Artist:
Steve Epting |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
081209
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The centerpiece of Marvel's 70th Anniversary
celebration! Who is the mysterious old man who lies on his deathbed in a
hospital in 1939, and how does his passing mark the beginning of the first
heroic age of the Marvel Universe - and signal the rise of the superhumans? Ed
Brubaker and Steve Epting unveil the defining story of the origin of the Marvel
Universe, revealing the hidden connections that unite the earliest costumed
champions, and whose reverberations are felt dramatically into the present day!
It's a world on the brink of war, and the race is on to create the world's first
super-soldier! Witness the first days of the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and
many more-- how they shaped the world to come, and how the future they would
create in turn shaped them! The must-read event of the season for any Marvel fan
from the Award-Winning creators who redefined Captain America for the modern
audience! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I love a good noir take on the tights-and-capes
genre, and it’s a known fact that I’m a big Ed Brubaker fan (despite my opinion
of “Captain America: Reborn”), so it shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise that I
think that this is one hell of a good book. And because I usually wait until the
end of my reviews to comment on the art in a book (for no particular reason) let
me just say that Steve Epting is in a class all his own over at the House of
Ideas. I’ve never been so taken by his work as I was with the pages he’s churned
out for this; he’s part Alex Ross and part John Romita Sr., and his pencils are
made all the more magnificent by the fantastic color art by Dave Stewart.
Set in the late 1930’s, during what we fans would call the ‘Golden Age’, Ed
Brubaker does what he does best by combining the elements of the fantastic that
inspired the characters we all follow so closely today with the noir
sensibilities he’s honed through the years writing books like “Criminal”,
“Sleeper”, and most recently “Incognito.” He’s a writer’s writer, taking threads
of stories told ages ago and tweaking them ever so slightly, so that none of the
essence of the character is ever sacrificed to bring their adventures to a
younger, slightly more jaded audience.
I find the golden-age Angel to be the most interesting of the bunch, so you can
imagine my delight in finding him front and center as the book began. He’s a
doctor by day, as so many daring-doer’s seemed to be back then, whose council of
an elderly man during his final days leads to an unexpected posthumous gift, and
a startling revelation. There’s the Human Torch, who’s ripe for a revamp (and
will be receiving one soon courtesy of somebody), whose story is one of the most
unfortunate things I’ve ever read. I’d almost expect such an unexpected and
dreary fates in a Morrison or an Ellis story, but not Bru; color me impressed.
And a new twist on old-favorites wouldn’t be complete without the Prince of
Atlantis, Namor, who of course is his smarmy, self-absorbed self (in spades) as
he witnesses the atrocities committed against his people by the good old United
States Government, which leads to a splash-page truly embracing the literal
definition of the word.
Anyone who isn’t picking this book up is missing out. I didn’t realize it was
eight issues long, and that to me seems a bit excessive, but we’ll see where the
story goes, and who knows I may get served up a nice big plate of crow (which
I’ve been feasting upon a lot lately). With the resurgence in these characters
as of late, what with the 70th anniversary celebration and all, I wouldn’t be
surprised to see these guys play a much more prominent role in the Marvel U, or
at least I would hope that this is where this is going. With Robert Kirkman
reinvigorating “Destroyer” and the stellar job Brubaker has already proven he
can do with old-school favorites like “Captain America”, I don’t really see a
reason why Marvel isn’t investing more creative energy in these concepts; maybe
an “Ultimate Marvels” guys?! (Make checks payable to “Sweet” Dan Sweet, thanks
Joe!) |
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INFERNO #1
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Writer:
J. Michael Straczynski
Artist:
Greg Scott |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
081209 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The mysterious stranger was brought into the
hospital with one name on his lips: "Frank Verrano." He has no memory of who he
was, where he came from, or how he could possibly be the only survivor of a
bombing attack on a cruise liner that killed hundreds of people. But as deep as
that mystery runs, a violent attack on the hospital opens a deeper one. How can
this man burst into flames...and survive? And why does the man who stands in
those flames, the man know as the Inferno, look nothing like the one who stood
in his place just seconds before? Blaze into this thrilling issue featuring art
by Greg Scott (GOTHAM CENTRAL)! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Boo! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
Don’t bring back old characters for nostalgia’s sake, do it because there’s
something left to be said, or because there’s a phenomenal story left in there
somewhere and you found someone to dig it out. Don’t bring back classic
characters because your competition has found a legitimate way of doing so and
because they’ve been “copying [you] for years” you feel a need to jump on the
bandwagon. This isn’t DC’s first attempting at bringing back the characters
Archie Comics created when they introduced their Red Circle Line forever and a
day ago, they tried it in the early 90’s with the ‘Impact’ line (and it wasn’t
successful then), but this is their first time trying the characters out with
superstar/hack job J. Michael Straczynski at the helm (WOO HOO!).
In a direct continuation from the crap-fest that was “The Hangman” JMS continues
to drive home the fact that these heroes’ powers came with a price. In the case
of some-guy-who-can’t-remember-who-he-is it’s the way his body bursts into
flames and he spontaneously gains fifty pounds of muscle, and an ugly mustache.
When a hit-man tries to take him out while he’s still in the hospital things go
a little haywire, and when he transforms into Inferno to protect his own ass he
nearly burns down the whole building. Oh yeah, and his acting physician just so
happens to be a superhero too, The Hangman. So there’s a throwdown, which
quickly turns into a team-up (of sorts) as the two of them attempt to stop a
bomb from destroying a cruise ship. The events of which set up the following
story which will be coming shortly in “The Red Circle: The Web #1”
I thought the art in this issue was better than what was used in “The Hangman.”
Greg Scott is definitely capable of great storytelling and his line work leaves
little to be desired. I think that with the right character and a different
writer he could really develop into a break out star. I will be looking for more
of his work in the future |
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HERCULES KNIVES OF KUSH #1
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Writer:
Steve Moore
Artist:
Cris Bolson |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Radical Comics
Shipped On:
081209 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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RADICAL'S SYNOPSIS:
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The sequel to Radical's sold-out hit miniseries!
Steve Moore returns to take the hero of myth across the seas and into the land
of ancient Egypt. While Hercules and his remaining band of mercenaries recover
from the bloody brutality of the Thracian Wars, they face a threat that cannot
be solved with just the edge of a sword: intrigue, spies, assassination, and the
mystery of a death cult known only as... KUSH. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Just because a character resides within the Public
Domain doesn’t mean every Tom, Dick, and Steve needs to script a comic book
featuring them. I love Marvel’s take on the character, but they’ve had decades
to hone their character and really limit the similarities between him and
others. Here Radical Comics brings a much more traditional, if not Conan-esque
take on the son of Zuess, and it’s an utter bore.
The action kicks off right away, which is good because the poor excuse for what
passes for characterization on page one made me want to toss the book almost
immediately. Pirates; that’s what is supposed to stand in the way of Hercules
and his shipmates as they make their way to Piramesse in the Delta. As expected
Herc makes short work of the savage sea scum, but fails to save the ship. He and
his crew are forced to swim to shore, but finding themselves shipwrecked in
Egypt may be worse than being forced to walk the plank.
I wasn’t a big fan of the art in this book, and I wasn’t a big fan of the story
either. I felt that the characterization was off; I know it’s unfair to compare
it to the stories Marvel is churning out, but that’s one of the latest
references I’ve been exposed to. I think this is a step up from the Kevin Sorbo
T.V. series, but it’s definitely not strong enough to carry an on-going series.
The art by Cris Bolson with colors by Doug Sirois is reminiscent of Clayton
Crain, with a lower budget. I thought the Clint Langley cover was great, but I
have no idea why they’d ship this with three different covers on the same day as
Marvel’s title. I’m sure they were hoping to ride the wave of fans that have
been supporting one monthly Herc book, but they seriously missed the mark with
this stink bomb. |
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the SPIDER #1
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Writer:
CJ Henderson
Artist:
J. Anthony Kosar
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Moonstone Comics
Shipped On:
082609 |
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MSRP:
$3.50 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MOONSTONE'S SYNOPSIS:
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The Spider: the most violent and ruthless of all
crime fighters. More just than the law, more dangerous than the underworld,
hated, feared, and wanted by both. A cloaked, fanged, borderline crazy denizen
of the dark force-feeding hard justice with a pair of '45's! Senseless slaughter
accompanies a new string of bold and audacious heists, and only the Spider can
stop it, but at a price so steep, can even the Spider hope to pay it? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Ok, here’s something that I just can’t get behind.
Why advertise that your story is “told in Widevision”, when a.) far as I can
tell that’s not even a real thing; and b.) it’s more or less a prose piece with
ten two-page spreads featuring some really crappy art. There’s nothing ‘wide’
about Moonstone’s ‘vision’ for the properties they’ve managed to get their
amateurish paws on, in fact it’s the utter lack of imagination with which they
approach these characters that leave readers feeling empty, and the comics
collecting dust on store shelves.
The Spider is a pulp hero who runs around his crime filled city dressed in a
suit, with a fedora on his head, a cape draped over his shoulders, and twin .45
caliber hand guns. I’m sure this wasn’t the decision of the collective genius
over at Moonstone, in fact, I’m sure this is how the character was originally
conceptualized whenever the hell he was dreamt up; my problem rests with the
traditional, done-to-death take on old favorites. Isn’t this the reason comic
book stores have back-issue bins? If readers wanted to see a 30’s take on the
characters there’re plenty of places to find them. Why not recreate the idea to
allow for current reading audiences to at least possibly embrace it, as opposed
to shun it for lack of a way to relate to dated material.
The artwork by J. Anthony Kosar is either photo-reference, or some other form of
photo-manipulation (if it isn’t then kudos for fooling me) which I didn’t get
into at all. There wasn’t any imagination in the way the spreads were laid out.
The book was full of words that I thought were going to be represented on the
page by the artist, but alas, I was fooled again, because “widevision” obviously
refers to no such thing, as there were only ten pictures and every single one of
them failed to deliver on the scope that was promised to readers on the cover. I
hated this book, as I do most material from Moonstone, which isn’t a surprise at
all seeing as how they approach comics in a very out-dated fashion, and the
properties they have in their possession all have such wonderful potential it’s
disappointing to see them wasted in this way. I’m interested to see how
Moonstone reacts to the acquisition of Doc Savage by DC, and how it may or may
not affect the book they currently advertise. |
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FANTASTIC FOUR #570 |
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Writer:
Jonathan Hickman
Artist:
Dale Eaglesham |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
082609
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Brand new creative team - Brave new comics
experience! Be there as Marvel's newest exciting creator, Jonathan Hickman,
teams up with superstar artist, Dale Eaglesham, to give you the Fantastic Four
experience you've been waiting for! It's adventure, it's family, it's tough
questions in dark times...See what happens when Reed Richards tries to SOLVE
EVERYTHING. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Ok, with the departure of Mark Millar goes the
wide-screen, larger than life superstar Fantastic Four; with the arrival of
Jonathan comes the return of the multiverse spanning,
more-colossal-than-the-cosmos Fantastic Four that I remember from days of old.
This book has a certain feel to it that other comics don’t; the family aspect is
one, but it’s played so pitch perfectly here by Hickman that you’re hardly
prepared for the twist at the end of the book that sets up what the arc is going
to be about.
There’s a little bit of everything in this issue, from giant-robots attacking
the city of New York (an FF-staple), to a matching of wits between Reed and “The
Wizard”, to family fun with Valeria and Franklin, to a construct set in a pocket
reality built by other Reed Richards’ from around the multiverse. It really goes
to show just how much of himself Reed puts into his work; after being on the
not-so-correct side during the superhero Civil War Reed crafted a list of 100
ideas he knew would change the world, and then he added another one, ‘Solve
Everything’. When he’s shuffled off to this pocket reality he finds himself
surrounded by, well, himself, and he’s invited to join their brotherhood.
I think Hickman has the BIG-imagination to go along with the BIG-science
concepts that he’s going to be throwing around in this title. His Ben and Johnny
are HILarious, and he has quite a grasp of the children’s distinct voices as
well. I think that’s one of the things that draw me to the FF over other
superhero books, and that’s the fact they may be the only book that grows with
its readers, seeing the marriage of Reed and Sue, to the birth of their first,
then second child; I mean, what haven’t we gone through with the Richards
family?
Dale Eaglesham is a top-notch artist, and when I found out he was going to be
illustrating “Fantastic Four” I think I left some cosmic rays in my underpants,
and as I expected I was anything but let down by his debut. He has the chops to
illustrate anything that Hickman throws at him, and if this issue is any
indication there’s going to be a lot thrown at him. My only complaint is that
way that Reed resembles some kind of physically fit athlete as opposed to his
traditional older, sci-fi, geeky self. Seriously, ditch the six-pack. |
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RED CIRCLE THE SHIELD #1 (special) |
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Writer:
Michael Straczynski
Artist:
Scott McDaniel |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
082609
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Lieutenant Joe Higgins was dying in the dirt of a
battlefield in Afghanistan when they whisked him away to a top-secret facility
and saved his life with nanotechnology so experimental they couldn't dare to use
it on a living man. Now Higgins has been enlisted to a whole new mission - to be
the public face of the American fighting man as the patriotic Shield! But
today's grueling military battles test the limits of patriotism and the limits
of the technology that keeps him alive. And the shocking secret behind that
technology may be too much for his bullet-riddled heart to bear. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So did the Red Circle gamble pay off in the end? Was
J.M.S. able to bring these characters into the spotlight and update them in such
a way which makes the current readership interested enough to buy a pair of
$3.99 monthlies featuring two out of four of the characters in each title?! In
my opinion, and that of the Chicago Public School system from which I
gradudicated, delivering on one out of four titles is still only 25%, and out of
a potential score of 100, 25% is a resounding failure.
“The Shield” pre-dates Captain America as comic books’ first patriotic-themed
super hero. In this installment in the never-ending relaunch/reimagining/re-release
of the Red Circle franchise, J.M.S. makes a few necessary advancements of the
origin, bringing the character into the 21st century, as well as layers on a
decent mystery surrounding the belief he’s had that his family has been killed.
I wanted to like this book, but overall it just didn’t ‘pop’ for me the way that
“The Web” did. Sure there was a heart-wrenching story of loss, and the typical
soldier’s background tale; there was political and military hard-asses jockeying
for a position of dominance over the recently created super-being; there was
even a few lines of dialogue that didn’t seem completely forced outside of space
station ‘Babylon 5’ (ZING!), but none of it helped over come one of the story’s
biggest obstacles, the horrible artwork of Scott McDaniel.
Wow, I’ve seen some crappy looking comics, and this isn’t by far one of them,
but it’s just such a let down in terms of delivery and follow-through. A certain
amount of blame has to be shared with inker Andy Owens and Colorist Tom Chu, who
make McDaniel’s pencils even more clunky and bulky than they already are. I
don’t know what it is about it; maybe it’s the way every one’s face looks alike
or that the human anatomy is very easily referenced in Biology texts and the
internet, people aren’t shaped the way Mr. McDaniel sees them, and that makes it
a hard read for me. I don’t know why DC doesn’t try to get their hands on some
more top-tier artists for titles like this. |
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INCREDIBLE HERCULES #132
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Writers:
Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente
Artists: Reilly Brown |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
081209
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Beginning a storyarc so earth-shattering, so
momentous, so, well, incredible, we just had to give it to you TWICE A MONTH!
(Well, for the three months, anyway). When terrible threats rise in Svartalfheim,
the land of the Dark Elves, only Mighty Thor, Son of Asgard, can hope to
triumph! But what happens if the Odinson is temporarily...unavailable? It's
Hammer Time for Hercules as the Lion of Olympus gets his thunder on! Meanwhile,
in Incredible Hercules 133, the Secret Origin of AMADEUS CHO begins! Who really
killed Amadeus' family? What is his true relation to Hercules? And, most
importantly, what is the connection between him and The Twelve's MASTER MIND
EXCELLO? Everyone's favorite irascible boy genius is after the answers himself
-- but to get them he's going to have to go through his arch-nemesis, PYTHAGORAS
DUPREE, the sixth-smartest man on Earth! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I’ve been on board with this title ever since it
began, way back when at the end of “World War Hulk”. I think that the writing
team of Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente have developed the ‘Lion of Olympus’ into a
viable property by infusing the classic Greek Mythology on which he’s based and
the classic Marvel flawed-hero formula. He’s a drunk; he’s a womanizer; he’s
headstrong; and he’s not necessarily the sharpest knife in the drawer, but all
of those things combine to make him one of the more likable heroes on shelves
these days.
There’s been a shake up in the realm of Asgard, and as a result of his actions
whilst in combat with his own grand-father, Thor has once again been cast out of
his kingdom. When Hercules is approached by Balder and asked to impersonate the
God of Thunder his first reaction isn’t exactly modesty. Through the use of some
simple magic Hercules’ traditional outfit is transformed into the mighty-mail of
the blonde bad-ass, which is all well and good except he still doesn’t wield
Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. No problem; through some more clever sorcery Balder is
able to create an illusion that makes Herc’s golden mace look like the real
deal. There’s also some great stuff with Zuess, Herc’s father, who since his
return from Hades has been reborn in a much, much younger body, which fills the
gap left be Amadeus Cho’s departure.
I think Greg Pak’s specialty is taking characters and finding their true
essence, then he’s able to channel that essence and take the character in a bold
new direction without making it feel forced or stupid (anyone remember the
demon-slaying Angelic Punisher re-vamp?). Combine his creativity and focus with
Van Lente’s ability to craft clever dialogue and exciting action and you’ve got
a team of guys more than capable of tackling the Gods. Reilly Brown may be the
real star here though. His pencils are a sight for sore eyes, as this book has
been in need of a regular penciller for quite a while. As long as Marvel is
willing to keep pushing lesser-known properties into the spotlight I’ll be
sticking around; I’m glad to see characters like Hercules, Iron Fist, Daredevil,
and others prospering amidst the drek of X-Comics and other crapola. Just my
$0.02. |
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BLACKEST NIGHT BATMAN #1
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Writer:
Peter Tomasi
Artist:
Adrian Syaf
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
081209
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Deadman can't shut out the cries of the dead rising
as he comes to the aid of the new Batman. It's just in time, too, as the duo
face a circus of zombies including the Black Lantern Flying Graysons! BLACKEST
NIGHT blankets Gotham City in this 3-issue miniseries from writer Peter J.
Tomasi (GREEN LANTERN CORPS, THE MIGHTY) and hot new talent Adrian Saef! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So readers are still chomping at the bit to get more
and more insight as to what’s exactly going on in DC’s “Blackest Night”
mega-event, and while “Blackest Night: Batman” is likely to leave readers with
more questions than answers, it’s still a fun read that plays nicely against the
Green Lantern-heavy story (hey, it’s a GL event, I know) by seeing how the new
Dynamic Duo fare in their first post-Crisis crisis. Peter Tomasi, whom I’ve
given mixed reviews to before, pens the issue, and Adrian Syaf brings it to
life, and I really have to say: the both of them did a bang-up job.
Boston Brand, a.k.a. Deadman, was sought out by the Black Lantern Corp as a
worthy candidate for a Black Lantern Ring, which he just so happen to view
seeing as how he’s already dead and it’s his soul that’s running around
interacting with everyone all these years. When he tries to jump into his own
freshly-risen corpse and prevent himself from leaving he’s driven out by the
power of the Black Lantern, which he finds extremely unnerving. Who better to
help you solve a mystery than the World’s Greatest Detective? So that’s exactly
who BB seeks out, but when he jumps into the body of Batman he’s doesn’t find
who he was expecting.
Damian Wayne’s reaction to the possession of his mentor is priceless, in a way
only he would be capable of getting away with. It’s not long before Deadman
jumps out of Dick’s body and into Damian’s so he can convey the importance of
his mission to the new Dark Knight. Together they start putting together the
pieces of the puzzle and quickly discover that their dead loved-ones are being
brought back with a disturbing purpose. Dick calls in former-Robin, Tim Drake,
to help with the situation; and that’s all before Hal Jordan comes crashing into
the Bat-signal (see “Blackest Night” #2).
For some reason I liked this a lot. I don’t have a lot invested in the BN
mini-series, so I wasn’t exactly worried about the tie-ins, even the ones that
involved characters I was reading. Nevertheless, this turned out to be an
exciting lead issue to a mini that’s likely to tug on a whole lot of
heart-strings. I’m not too familiar with Adrian Syaf, but he sure gets the job
done, and with a great deal of style too. |
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DOOM PATROL #1
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Writer:
Keith Giffen
Artist:
Matthew Clark
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
080509
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Come one, come all! The world's strangest Super
Heroes are back, and they brought those robot guys along with 'em! Thrill to the
strange adventures of the Doom Patrol, with script by Keith Giffen and art by
Matthew Clark! Whether you think you know 'em or you wouldn't know 'em if they
bit you on the behind, this Doom Patrol's for you! But that's not all! Read all
the way to the back cover for the all-new adventures of those elemental
everymen, the Metal Men, featuring the triumphant return of the creative team
that brought you JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL! That's 40 full pages of comic-bookery
for just under four American dollars. So why not try some Doom Patrol with a
side order of Metal Men today? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Before today I’d never read a “Doom Patrol” story in
my life. I knew it was one of the books that helped launch Grant Morrison’s
career, but other than that they were a complete mystery to me. Let me preface
my review with a warning: this isn’t going to be a book for everyone, especially
the fans of DC’s typical squeaky-clean cape and cowl set. There’s an
above-average level of quirky-ness that comes along with this book and the
characters that inhabit its pages, and I’m sure the name ‘Doom Patrol’ carries
with it a certain gloomy air that is kind of hard to escape.
Sci-Fi and super-heroics, now that’s my kind of comic book, and there’s plenty
of both to be found within the pages of DC’s “Doom Patrol” re-launch. The action
kicks into high gear right off the bat as the DP take on Dr. Amanda Beckett in
an illegal cloning laboratory, but when the Doc begins an impromptu striptease
in front of the patrol, she doesn’t stop at her underwear. After tearing off her
own skin, revealing a insectoid/human hybrid the gloves come off and the fight
really starts.
Keith Giffen wastes no time letting readers know just how attached they should
become to some of the characters, as he wastes one in the first half of the
first issue. The group makes it back to Oolong Island, the location of their
home-base, short two members, which sets the stage for the remainder of the
issue: a series of visits with the team shrink. This gives us a chance to get to
know each of the survivors a little bit better, but not much, but I liked it
nevertheless. Giffen is able to handle the deranged personalities quite and his
words are complimented by the better-than-most pencils by Matthew Clark. The
action and life that radiates from each panel shows how much respect the artist
has for the work; some of his panels even remind me of a favorite of mine,
Travis Charest, and anyone who is even vaguely reminiscent of Mr. Charest is
good people in my book.
Overall, I hope this book finds an audience, or more precisely, I hope an
audience finds this book. I think that the blend of sci-fi and Superheroes goes
hand-in-hand, and I love to see them played off of each other by a master of the
craft like Keith Giffen. I wasn’t at all amused by the ‘Metal Men’ co-feature
that bumps the price tag on this book to $3.99, but I’ve never liked the Metal
Men anyway, so go figure. Even Kevin McGuire’s pencils seemed lacking; I wasn’t
impressed at all, and I love Kevin Mcguire. |
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INCREDIBLE HULK #601 |
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Writer:
Greg Pak
Artist:
Ariel Olivetti |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
082609
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Gamma fans rejoice -- the rumors are true! The
INCREDIBLE HULK book returns as an ongoing series written by acclaimed PLANET
HULK and WORLD WAR HULK scribe Greg Pak! Get ready for Bruce Banner as you've
never seen him, the Son of Hulk in a whole new world of smash, and an insane new
adventure that changes everything for everyone's favorite Green Goliath! With
art by Ariel Olivetti (CABLE) and introducing a new, regular bonus backup SAVAGE
SHE-HULK story written by Fred Van Lente and drawn by Michael Ryan! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
|
Fresh off the anniversary issue that supposedly
changed everything about the Hulk forever, Greg Pak returns to the title he
dragged from the edge of obscurity, and with the help of a little spit and
polish he was able to continue his epic contribution to Bruce Banner’s
incredible continuity. Jeph Loeb’s pet-project ‘Rulk’ was last seen extracting
all the gamma radiation out of the Hulk’s body, leaving only puny Banner; Pak
picks up threads from that story and weaves in some of his own making a Hulk a
must-read book once again.
Bruce Banner may be physically puny when compared to his alter ego, but he’s
still one of the 8 smartest people on the planet, and that’s something Greg Pak
never forgot. This issue is great; from the opening scene where Bruce is able to
confront an abusive father despite being the weaker of the two, still coming out
ahead by using his brain as opposed to brawn, to him pulling a fast one on Reed
Richards and a group of other smarty-pants’ to get back his Green-Scar Gear. It
all boils down to Banner tracking down Skaar and deciding to train the young
Hulk/Alien hybrid to kill the Hulk should he ever return, which I didn’t see
coming at all.
Pak is at his best once again, crafting a story that feels more like the ‘Karate
Kid’ meets ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ than it ever does a comic book. I wasn’t
completely sold on Skaar as a character and the disappointing “Planet Skaar” was
just that, disappointing, so I didn’t have a lot of hope going into this series
despite Pak’s name on the marquee. I was even more impressed with the work of
Ariel Olivetti, whose work on “Messiah War” is vastly out done by his great
rendering of the massive Skaar in comparison to tiny Bruce Banner. I’m looking
forward to seeing what these two have in store for the father/son combo of BB
and Skaar, and with the Juggernaut coming their way I’m sure there’s going to be
a lot of smashing going on. |
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INCREDIBLE HERCULES #133 |
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Writers:
Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente
Artists:
Rodney Buchemi |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
082609
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Beginning a storyarc so earth-shattering, so
momentous, so, well, incredible, we just had to give it to you TWICE A MONTH!
(Well, for the three months, anyway). When terrible threats rise in Svartalfheim,
the land of the Dark Elves, only Mighty Thor, Son of Asgard, can hope to
triumph! But what happens if the Odinson is temporarily...unavailable? It's
Hammer Time for Hercules as the Lion of Olympus gets his thunder on! Meanwhile,
in Incredible Hercules 133, the Secret Origin of AMADEUS CHO begins! Who really
killed Amadeus' family? What is his true relation to Hercules? And, most
importantly, what is the connection between him and The Twelve's MASTER MIND
EXCELLO? Everyone's favorite irascible boy genius is after the answers himself
-- but to get them he's going to have to go through his arch-nemesis, PYTHAGORAS
DUPREE, the sixth-smartest man on Earth! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
|
There aren’t a lot of sidekicks in comics that are
as interesting or as intelligent as Amadeus Cho, the Sonny to Hercules’ Cher,
the green eggs to Hercules’ ham; the, well, I’m sure you get it. I’m really
liking this series, and I was worried that the momentum would come screeching to
a halt once they split the story arcs up on a bi-monthly basis, but you know
what, it didn’t, not even a little bit.
I’m a big fan of academic competition, so you can imagine my disappointment in
finding out the Excello Soap Company’s Brain Fight 2009 is nothing more than a
farce, but never the less, I continued reading. There are certain things a guy
has to do in his life, and when your house is blown up killing your entire
family, figuring out the ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘why’ of it all is one of those
things. So Amadeus finds himself on a Greyhound back to his old town of Excello,
where all the madness started after he won a contest very similar to the one
advertised in the beginning of the book. There’s a lot of weird stuff going on;
the town may or may not even really exist, but one thing’s for sure, there are a
lot of angry, disembodied brains capable of shooting lasers that want to make
sure Cho doesn’t find the answers he seeks. And all that happens before we’re
introduced to the sixth smartest person on the planet, Pythagoras Dupree.
I’ve already gushed about Greg Pak in an earlier column, so despite his
contributions I’m going to do a little Van Lente-gushing to even the scales a
bit. I think Fred is well on his way to becoming a key writer in the House of
Ideas. He may not be tackling this book single handedly, but he’s definitely got
the skills it takes to take the reins at any time and maintain the course. I’m a
big fan of Rodney Buchemi’s artwork, and it’s just as nice in this issue as
anything else he’s done. I’d be happy to seem him stick with the book for a nice
long time, but given the title’s track record of going through artists like
toilet paper at a chili-cook off I wouldn’t be surprised to be let down.
Nevertheless, this book is solid gold and has been from day one; READ IT! |
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SUPERMANS PAL JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #2 |
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Writer:
James Robinson
Artist:
Bernard Chang |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
082609
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MSRP:
$4.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Jimmy Olsen has put all the pieces together
regarding the mysterious Project 7734, and it's worse than he imagined. With The
Man of Steel temporarily out of the picture, though, it's all up to Superman's
Pal to take action. Thankfully he has the help of Mon-El and Steel's niece
Natasha Irons - but will they be enough to defeat Codename: Assassin? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Remember the ‘Countdown’ campaign ads that read
“Jimmy Olsen Must Die!”? All we got was his crappy role in a crappy series that
ate 52 weeks of my money, and he didn’t even die at the end. Writer James
Robinson has been tearing it up over on “Superman: World of New Krypton” but I
was anxious to see how he’d handle a main character that was very much an
everyman and completely the opposite of what we’ve been seeing from him over the
past few months.
In this marvelously illustrated issue readers are treated to a cat-and-mouse
yarn, with our intrepid boy reporter tracking down the scoop on Projects 7734
(type that number into a calculator and turn it upside down…spooky, huh?) and
Breach, and he’s up against HUGE odds, as the organization behind the respective
black-book projects seems to have more than an eye on Jimmy. There’s a pretty
lame bad guy named Codename: Assassin, but luckily he doesn’t show up too much.
Mon-El, current star of the book “Superman” talks with Jimmy in the beginning of
the book, only to let him down much later…which leads me to the ending. If this
isn’t copped out, or dreamt, or time-traveled out of continuity then it may just
be the BIGGEST surprise ending I’ve read from DC in a long time. I can’t even
tell you the name of the story out of fear that it’ll spoil the surprise, but
rest assured it was a great read.
Bernard Chang. I’ve never heard the name before picking up this issue but his
style is certainly one that I’ll look forward to seeing again soon. It’s a
little bit Phil Noto, it’s a little bit J.R. Jr., it’s even a little Adrian
Alphona, but at the same time it’s new and fresh and carries the reader from
page to page beautifully. I’m pretty impressed by how fun this book was; I
didn’t go in to this giving this book a fair shake and by the last page I
realized how badly I wanted to go back and read it again. |
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PUNISHER NOIR #1 |
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Writer:
Frank Tieri
Artist:
Paul Azaceta |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
081909
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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It's the Roaring Twenties and mobster Dutch
Schultz's iron-fisted reign is about to meet its greatest challenge. But will
the greatest threat to his criminal empire come from Thomas Dewey and the
government? Will it come from fellow mobsters like Lucky Luciano or Al Capone?
No, it'll come in the form of a man sporting a familiar skull symbol and a gun
in his hand. Because once the Punisher hits the scene, the mean streets are
about to get a whole lot meaner. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Of all the characters that could potentially benefit
from the Noir treatment, Frank Castle isn’t one of them. In a week that saw what
could amount to a glut of “Punisher” titles (Remender’s 616 title, and Marvel
MAX imprint both shipped on the same day as this), all of which I’ve read, I
have to be honest and say that this is the weakest one. I’m a big Punisher fan,
but it seems his latest surge in popularity has led to his being included in
some of the bigger more blanketing marketing schemes Marvel has had of late;
beginning with his ‘War Journal’ series that started back up after “Civil War”,
or his involvement in the ‘Dark Reign’-post event-event, and now this crap fest.
I mean, what exactly is it about this title that qualifies it for the Noir
sub-genre? I guess any crime fiction set during the prohibition-era, starring
hard-as-nails tough guys standing up to vile Mob henchmen counts these days,
huh? Honestly, this is nothing more than a poor re-imagining of The Punisher’s
origin replacing Vietnam with WWI. The rest is back story and set-up, with no
real hook whatsoever. By skipping this title you’re doing the rest of the
comics-reading-community a favor by voting with your dollars; let Marvel know we
don’t need an emphasis on alternate realities, but rather on quality
story-telling and artwork (and try doing both in the same book, and on time for
Christ’s sake).
I mean, with the success crime-fiction writers like Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and
Charlie Huston have shown injecting their brand of storytelling into the
mainstream, I find it hard to believe that anyone thought reversing the process
and shoehorning characters into a genre they were never meant for was a cash cow
just waiting to be flame broiled. I’d rather see something like this applied to
characters that would benefit from the exposure, and fit the theme just the
same; Moon Knight, Shang Chi, Black Tarantula, or The Runaways would all have
been better candidates (in my opinion) for the Noir treatment. Instead they move
the big white skull from Frank’s chest to his face and put a business suit on
him…because apparently that’s what Noir is. |
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PROJECT SUPERPOWERS BAD GUYS-BLOODLUST |
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Writer:
Joe Casey
Artist:
Jonathan Lau |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Dynamite
Comics
Shipped On:
081909
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DYNAMITE'S SYNOPSIS:
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A series of special one-shots plotted by Alex Ross
and scripted by Joe Casey debut here as Dynamite invites you to "Meet the Bad
Guys!" As the heroes return, the villains rise and this debut issue -
illustrated by the next Dynamite artistic sensation Chasen -- features the Green
Lama and the debut of Blood Lust! What's this powerful new villain's connection
to the Green Lama? Find out in this special one-shot! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
|
If you haven’t gotten your fill of retro-superhero
goodness (or run of the mill-ness in this case) then fear not! Perpetual
poo-poo’er of all things new and exciting Alex Ross’ ‘Project Superpowers’ is
back and less exciting than ever. In this installment of the never ending series
of mini-series Ross hands the pen and pencil over to one of my favorite writers
(which still wasn’t enough to redeem this book) and a talented artist whose work
I’m not too familiar with, as the three creators team up to introduce the evil
villains who populate the Superpowers Universe.
Bloodlust; just the word alone invokes images of savage violence, and brutality.
Y’know what images it doesn’t invoke (in me anyway)? Chicks in their underwear,
with four foot pony-tails with blades woven into the braids, that’s what. But
that’s what Alex Ross came up with, so I guess everyone should just shut the
f*** up and be glad the guy still occasionally does covers for REAL comic book
companies, and not just Dynamite. Anyway, not even the imaginative mind of Joe
Casey is capable of bringing this drek back from the edge of obscurity; in fact,
I’m of the opinion that the more Ross tries to force this garbage into the
mainstream the more he validates what Marvel and DC do with their classic Silver
and Golden-Age characters.
Oh yeah, I guess I’m supposed to review the book a bit huh? Well, the Green
Llama seems to have quite the unfair advantage, not just in this story, but in
the universe as a whole. I’m less interested in what he can do as I am
interested in what he CAN’T do; I mean the guy has blanketed New York City in
lush plant life, he can fly, he’s strong, he’s capable of bringing people back
from the dead in LARGE numbers, and it seems he’s incapable of dying; I mean WTF?!
Why should some broad with knives on her fingers and knives in her hair (and
probably a knife in her…) even be in the same league as The Green Llama if he’s,
for all intents and purposes, God. Hmm? Anyway…Bloodlust kills a lot of Green
Llama’s followers (can anyone say David Caresh?) and then they fight, then they
stop fighting long enough for Green Llama bring all his dead friends back to
life at what seems to be the cost of his own, but it’s not, and no, I’m not
spoiling anything.
Jonathan Lau isn’t anything special, but his art is good. It’s not good enough
to make this worth not-missing, but it was a valiant effort. Now I know a lot of
people are going to say that I’m biased, and that because I’m not a fan of Alex
Ross’s opinion on the comic book industry as a whole I’m more than likely
slamming this book as part of some sort of personal agenda/vendetta, which
couldn’t be further from the truth. I, as much as anyone, enjoy Alex Ross’s art;
I’d just prefer it if he left the writing to the writers, just painted pretty
pictures, and shut the hell up. |
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DAREDEVIL #500 |
Writers:
Ed Brubaker, Ann Nocenti, Andy Diggle and Frank Miller
Artists:
Michael Lark, David Aja, Billy Tan, and Frank Miller |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
081909
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MSRP:
$4.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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This is it! The 500th issue of DAREDEVIL! What is
the Kingpin's true plan? What do he and Lady Bullseye have in common? What will
Matt Murdock do to make things right again? And just how will Ed Brubaker and
Michael Lark leave this story for the next creative team to pick it up? Don't
miss the twists and surprises that will have everybody talking! An all-star
anniversary issue featuring new stories by Ann Nocenti, David Aja, and others! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
|
The majority of this gigantic, phone-book of a comic
is the culmination of Ed Brubaker’s run. While it wasn’t as long or as
critically-acclaimed as Brian Bendis’s, or as ground-breaking as Frank Miller’s,
or as accessible as Kevin Smith’s, it has been a roller-coaster ride from Hell,
and a fun one at that. Teaming with Michael Lark after Bendis and Maleev threw
Matt Murdock in the slammer Brubaker has seen ol’ hornhead from prisoner, to
pardoned ex-con, to divorcee, and finally, well, you’ll have to read it to find
out.
Everything about his book is great, as most if not all of this run has been,
from the cover (which one, take your pick, a classic styled Alex Ross piece, or
a gatefold Marko Djurdjevic, and those aren’t even the variants!) to the very
end of Ed’s piece, through Ann Nocenti’s trip through her old stomping grounds,
the preview of Andy Diggle (the follow up writer on the book) and Billy Tan’s
“The List: Daredevil”, and all the way until the end of a Frank Miller classic
(DD and Bullseye play Russian Roulette?! WTF>?!) this book delivers the goods.
I can’t talk too much about the main story for fear of ruining the ending, which
is what the passing of the proverbial billy-club has really become all about.
Each writer has made it his mission to write the next into a box, and while
Bendis started the trend and took it quite literally, I think the twist at the
end of Brubaker’s run is actually more of a doorway to a brand new direction for
the book AND the character. If you’ve been following the series regularly there
isn’t much of a surprise, but if you’re new to the book, this is a great
jumping-on point, both by clearing the previous story threads and setting the
stage for new ones.
The back-up stories in this are some of the best out of all the throngs of
anniversary specials Marvel has recently vomited into the marketplace. David Aja
is seriously one of the best in the biz, and his work with Ann Nocenti makes me
long for his take on the book. Everyone knows Frank Miller was a turning point
in Daredevil’s existence, bringing the character out of the 70’s and into the
dark dreary real world of the 1980’s and while the times may change the song has
really stayed the same since Miller laid the groundwork. Anyone who isn’t
reading this book needs to hop on with the next issue, because there are strange
things in-store for Matt Murdock, and if his involvement in ‘The List’ series of
one-shots is any indication his role in the Marvel U as a whole may be on the
rise (which would be excellent). |
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BATGIRL #1 |
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Writer:
Bryan Q. Miller,
Artist:
Lee Garbett |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
081909
|
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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In the wake of "Batman R.I.P." and BATTLE FOR THE
COWL, a new heroine has emerged in Gotham City, and as she begins her nocturnal
crusade to take back the night, she will truly learn what it means to wear the
mantle of the Bat. But who is this young woman, and why has she donned the cape
and cowl? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Of all the titles surrounding the “Batman: Reborn”
re-launch, this was the one with the most mystery surrounding it. After the
‘Battle for the Cowl: Oracle’ mini-series there was much debate surrounding
whether or not Babs would be the one to retake her former namesake, or if
Cassandra Cain, formerly of the League of Assassins would continue in the guise,
or if it would be someone different altogether. I’m sure anyone that’s been a
follower of the Bat-family of titles won’t be surprised at the results, but I
think everyone will be rather taken with the direction Miller chooses to take
the character (s) in.
Street racing is still rather quite popular in America, and Gotham City is no
different; as two drivers leave the finish-line it’s quite easy to tell that the
stakes in this contest are higher than ever. Batgirl shows up on the scene and
kicks the crap out of some generic gang-bangers, which is met with some rather
condescending remarks from the new dynamic duo. This is all to play up the
reveal of who Batgirl is, and unlike some comics (*cough*“HULK”*cough*) readers
are treated to the big reveal only a scant few pages into the book.
I think the book plays to its strengths and doesn’t fall into the rut that a lot
of comics dig themselves early. By not trying to sell us on the WHO, but rather
the WHY of this new Batgirl I think they succeed in showing the readers that
they’re going to let the story talk and bulls*** walk. Lee Garbett is a great
artist who draws these women like real people, and not caricatures of what some
horny fanboy thinks women look like. I do think that Trevor Scott’s inks would
be better suited on a book that didn’t star a young woman; his lines are too
sharp and thick, and only serve to muck up Garbett’s line work. |
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RED CIRCLE THE WEB #1 |
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Writer:
J. Michael Straczynski,
Artist:
Roger Robinson |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
|
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
081909
|
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Billionaire John Raymond has it all - fame, fortune,
and a brilliant mind! He also has a brother with the one trait John lacks:
compassion. No matter how relentlessly awe-inspiring John's achievements get,
it's his brother who's always seen as the hero. So John sets out to upstage his
brother one more time. He'll show the world just how much heroism money can buy
as the amazing (and suspiciously well-equipped) Web. But when a dark fate
arrives for his brother, John learns first-hand what a hero leaves on the line,
and that there are worse losses than the ones that hit your checkbook! Featuring
art by Roger Robinson (THE BRAVE & THE BOLD, BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS)! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Of all the stories in all of comics featuring the
origin of some rich jerk who decides being wealthy and powerful isn’t enough,
that they should be playing costumed crime fighter with all the millions and
other assorted resources at their disposal, I found this latest chapter of The
Red Circle series of one-shots to be the most thoroughly enjoyable. Believe me,
I was as surprised as you are, but it would seem that JMS may have just won me
over (with this chapter) this time.
John Raymond has been rich beyond belief since before he can remember, and since
he can do what he wants, when he wants to it’s led to what he considers quite a
boring existence. Through a series of confidential connections John sets himself
up with a state of the art costume, a hideout, and bunch of advertising space so
he can let the world know about his mission. Setting up a website where people
in trouble can send for his help, John goes about helping those who can’t help
themselves; too bad he can’t deal with his own problems.
John’s never been able to get out of the shadow of his brother, whose noble and
selfless acts have been tarnished by a gambling problem the rest of his family
knows nothing about. When John is contacted by kidnappers demanding five-million
dollars for the safe return of his brother it’s The Web who comes to the rescue.
The end of the story perfectly sets up an arch-villain on both a physical and
mental level with John; it’s the only one of the series of titles so far that
seems to stand on it’s own, as both a great one-and-done take on the character,
and sets readers up for the continuation which is undoubtedly coming in the new
monthly series.
I thought the art by Roger Robinson was really cool. It was clean, and yet very
detailed, which is a thin line for artists to walk. I thought he did a great job
illustrating the characters and the emotive qualities that so many artists leave
behind. I don’t know if he’ll be the artist on the monthly series, but if he is,
or if it’s anyone who’s style is similar, well, count me in. |
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ADVENTURE COMICS #1 |
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Writer:
Geoff Johns,
Artist:
Francis Manapul |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
081909
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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It's the return of one of DC Comics' longest running
books and one of its greatest modern-day heroes - Conner Kent! In our first
heroic issue, Superboy can't wait to jump back into his life - but which life
will it be? With a clarity he's never had before, Conner makes a beeline for the
greatest place on Earth...Smallville? Plus, in the wake of FINAL CRISIS: LEGION
OF THREE WORLDS, Starman heads off on an all-new mission in the present. And
it's one that will not only impact Superboy, but the future of the DC Universe
itself. Fortunately, the off-kilter Legionnaire won't be dong it alone! And in
the upcoming months of ADVENTURE COMICS look for Lex Luthor! Brainiac! Lightning
Lad! Superboy's pal Simple Simon! Sun Boy and Polar Boy! Ultra, the Multi Alien!
Wonder Girl! Black Lantern Alexander Luthor! And many, many more new and
familiar faces! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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To be completely honest, I’ve never really given a
flying-f*** about Superboy other than the stuff from way (way, way, way) back
when he had a book featuring the Legion of Superheroes. Well here we are,
however many decades later, and Superboy is starring in a book that features
back-up stories featuring the Legion of Superheroes…go figure.
So I still don’t give a flying-f*** about Superboy, but I approached this with
the typical optimistic style I approach all of Geoff Johns’ books; I drank. So
it starts off kinda like any Superman origin story (although that’s NOT what
this is): a boy and his dog in a cornfield playing catch. Except the boy is
Conner Kent and the dog is Krypto. There’s a lot of emo super-babble and self
doubt as Superboy attempts to find himself by emulating Superman, and he’s made
a list of things that he believes will make him more like the last son of
Krypton.
This is all well and good and all that, but I still wasn’t sold on the story,
until the last page that is. That’s where Johns tosses a tease in there that
insinuates to the reader that all may not be as it seems with this newly
back-from-the-dead Superboy. Manapul’s artwork is nice, but borders on the
cartoony/lazy end of the spectrum. There were almost as many pages without
backgrounds as there were with, which is something I hate.
The back-up feature, starring the Legion of Superheroes is HILARIOUS, but be
warned, it stars the out-of-his-F***ing-nut Starman, so it borders on the
ridiculous. The artwork by Clayton Henry is out of this world; this is easily
some of his best work yet. While I’m curious to see how the Superboy main story
plays out, I’m much more anxious for another installment of “Legion”. Who knows
maybe this will be some kid’s gateway into comics the same way that “Superboy
and the Legion of Superheroes” was for me. |
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ULTIMATE AVENGERS #1 |
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Writer:
Mark Millar,
Artist: Carlos Pacheo |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
081209
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Guess who's back!! That's right, kids, MARK MILLAR (THE ULTIMATES, WOLVERINE:
OLD MAN LOGAN) and superstar artist CARLOS PACHECO (AVENGERS FOREVER, X-MEN)
blast into the Ultimate Universe for a mind-blowing, heart-pounding and
gut-wrenching event of epic proportions! When a highly-classified secret
threatens Captain America, only the newly-returned Nick Fury has the tools to
bring 'em in! As the first of a series of blockbuster arcs begins: PROJECT
AVENGERS is a go! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So the wait for the Ultimate Comics relaunch is over
fanboys and fangirls! Mark Millar, one of the original architects of the
Ultimate U., has stomped back into the sandbox post-Ultimatum-wave, and he’s
taking back the reigns of some of the most popular characters whose lives he’s
made a living ruining. This is touted at the ‘summer-event comic’ that will up
the ante for the rest of the new Ultimate U., but does it deliver everything
that the fans have been clamoring for? Yes and no.
If you’ve read any of the solicits for this issue, or any of the multitude of
interviews Millar and Co. have done promoting this series then there isn’t
anything in this issue that will come as a surprise. Millar and Pacheo introduce
Ultimate Red Skull into the as-of-yet un-reset continuity, but the big twists
come at the end when readers discover his connection to the star-spangled
Ultimate…er…Avenger.
Recently returned from his exodus to the Supreme Power Universe after the events
of “Ultimate Power”, Nick Fury finds himself back in the mix when current Head
of S.H.I.E.L.D. Carol Danvers, by way of Hawkeye, seeks out his assistance
taking down an AWOL Cap. The rest of the story is told in flashback as Clint and
Steve take on a troop of A.I.M. henchmen attempting to steal from the Fantastic
Four’s Baxter Building. There’s a lot of explosions, and Cap throws a bunch of
guys out of a helicopter (even I thought it was a bit harsh) before getting his
ass handed to him by the Red Skull, who doesn’t seem nearly as cheesy as his 616
counterpart.
Millar’s story is just getting started, so it’s kind of hard to judge what he’s
done in just the first issue. Consider my curiosity piqued, and my appetite whet
with anticipation; so I guess his job is done. Carlos Pacheo’s art treads a very
fine line between the hyper-detailed styling of Bryan Hitch and the cartoony
action Joe Mad was able to bring to the characters. His renderings of Cap and
Hawkeye are spot on, and his Nick Fury looks more like Samuel Jackson than Sam
Jackson himself (alright maybe I’m reaching). His action scenes aren’t bogged
down or stiff, in fact it’s some of the more graceful illustrated combat I’ve
ever seen.
Sure the book is $3.99, but so was “Ultimates 3” and that sold through the roof
even while everyone was bitching about how different it was from “Ultimates 2”.
I see it like this: editors took a big gamble with “Ultimatum” and they didn’t
let us down (in my opinion), so if this is the next logical progression for the
characters then I don’t have a problem shelling out the extra buck as long as
the crazy Scotsman is at the helm. |
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GHOST RIDER'S HEAVENS ON FIRE #1 (of 6) |
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Writer:
Jason Aaron,
Artist:
Roland Boschi |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
080509
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The acclaimed GHOST RIDER run of writer Jason Aaron reaches its fever-pitched
conclusion with six more issues of insanity, all jam-packed with new villains,
old allies and the same old grindhouse action that Flamehead fans have come to
know and love. The renegade angel Zadkiel is out to thwart Biblical prophecy by
assassinating a young boy bred by Satanists to rule the world, so if Ghost
Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch are going to save the world, they'll first
have to save the Anti-Christ. Guest-starring Hellstorm, the Son of Satan. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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There’s a lot to be said about the writing talents
of Jason Aaron. He’s breathed new life into Wolverine along with Ron Garney; his
creator-owned series “Scalped” is hotter than ever over in DC’s Vertigo
Universe; the most impressive of them all may just be what he’s been able to do
with a certain biker with quite a dry scalp problem. Ever since he stepped onto
Marvel’s “Ghost Rider” series the stories have gotten more epic, and sales on
the title have (somewhat) reflected that fact.
Continuing Marvel’s trend of cutting a popular but low selling series off at the
knees, and relaunching it as a mini to juice an extra dollar out of faithful
readers we’re presented with “Ghost Riders: Heaven’s on Fire”. Note the title
‘Ghost Riders’; plural, meaning you shouldn’t plan on just seeing one flaming
spirit of vengeance but quite possibly any and all of them. The story starts at
place of Satanic worship, where a troop of angels came in and committed a gross
act of slaughter, massacring any and everyone they could find, even children.
Now, I’m sure you’re asking ‘Just what the hell were children doing in a place
of Satanic worship?!” Well apparently the caretakers of the ‘church’ were
attempting to breed a suitable Anti-Christ. With the renegade angel Zadkiel on
the loose, hunting the Anti-Christ children there’s chance that if he’s
successful the Book of Revelations will not come true, which could prove
disastrous to those of us on Earth. Johnny Blaze is hunting Zadkiel, so by
default he’s found a new ally in only potential Anti-Christ to survive the
massacre.
There’s some cool action in this opener; instead of laying groundwork for a lot
of threads Aaron thrusts readers into the conflict head-on. The pencils of
Roland Boschi are pretty impressive, aside from his rendering of Daimon
Hellstrom which didn’t follow continuity considering his last appearance was
only a month or so ago over in Bendis’ “New Avengers”. Other than that I found
his art to be some of the best I’ve seen on GR title since Clayton Crain teamed
up with Garth Ennis. Sure flaming-skull biker demons may not be on everyone’s
short list of candidates for Saint-hood, but the brothers Blaze/Ketch may be
humanity’s last line of defense against Heaven, and that makes for good reading. |
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AGENTS OF ATLAS #9 |
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Writer:
Jeff Parker,
Artist:
Dan Panosian |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
080509
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The Agents of Atlas find themselves racing around the world to rescue their
leader! Jimmy Woo and M-11 find themselves under the talons of the most terrible
power in China...the deadly- and beautiful- JADE CLAW! With more minions than
the Atlas Empire and the more advanced killer robot M-25, it seems nothing can
stop her, and Jimmy has now set off war with her organization THE GREAT WALL.
Lesson: never look up your ex-girlfriend! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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The adventures of Agent Jimmy Woo and his band of
misplaced 50’s throwback heroes never fail to amuse me. From the consistently
naked goddess Venus/Aphrodite, to the brazen attitude of Ken ‘Gorilla Man’ Hale
there’s enough personality packed into each panel to sustain multiple comics for
years, instead we get to enjoy multiple doses on a monthly basis, all inside
Jeff Parker’s “Agents of Atlas”.
After taking control of the Atlas Agency from his arch-nemesis ‘The Golden Claw’
Jimmy Woo is shocked to find out that his former love has become the newest
embodiment of evil, ‘The Jade Claw’ leader of a rival Dragon Clan. Gorilla Man
and Bob ‘The Uranian’ track down the rest of the deranged mutated monsters that
were roaming the southwest desert, and Bob teases that he may have just the
thing that could help poor Bruce Banner control his greener side. Jimmy and M-11
are trapped in the clutches of ‘The Jade Claw’ but are able to make a daring
escape with a little help from their friends.
I’ve heard rumblings that this title may be on the verge of becoming a backup in
a different book, and if this is true color me extremely disappointed. I know
that these kinds of sci-fi/superhero stories just don’t click with the
mainstream audiences, but when books like this receive the critical acclaim
(myself aside) this has achieved there has to be somewhere to draw the line. I’m
not exactly sure that an 8-pager in the back of ‘Thunderbolts’ (which would then
raise the cost of that book without a doubt) is enough to keep me interested in
the characters the way that Parker and his never ending slew of guest pencilers
are able to whet my appetite each month. Dan Panosian’s pencils aren’t
outstanding but they fit the out-there nature of the subject matter, and for the
record I think he’s one of the better guys to have illustrated this book, next
to Pagulayan. |
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RED CIRCLE THE HANGMAN #1 |
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Writer:
J. Michael Straczynski,
Artist:
Tom Derenick |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
080509
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The Civil War claimed many lives...but one of those lives still hasn't ended!
Union doctor Robert Dickering found himself on the wrong side of the battle
lines, and despite his heroic treatment of a fallen enemy soldier, he also found
himself on the wrong end of a noose! But a shadowy power stepped forth in the
twilit moments between life and death and offered him a deal he couldn't refuse:
to forever roam the Earth, saving the lives of innocents condemned like himself
- or hastening the deaths of the guilty! But in taking the seemingly righteous
mission of the Hangman, has he accepted God's work? Or has he become the
vengeful fist of the Devil himself? Featuring art by Tom Derenick and Bill
Sienkiewicz, the acclaimed team behind REIGN IN HELL! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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To be very honest there wasn’t much I liked about
this book. From the dull story that’s anything but memorable, to the below
average art from Tom Derenick, I just found the book to be pretentious and
boring, which is an odd combination. JMS is hailed in the world of comics, and
I’m not exactly sure why. His Spider-Man run is a joke in many circles; “Rising
Stars”, his debut work for Top Cow, doesn’t seem to stand on its own all these
years later; now DC has welcomed him with open arms and given him free reign
over the Red Circle brand of characters they managed to pull from death’s icy
grip in order to maintain the titles’ trademarks (I’m assuming).
It’s the Civil War, and Union Soldier Robert Dickering has been left behind
enemy lines by his fellow troops. When he stops to help a blind and wounded
soldier of the Confederacy it’s his selfless act of compassion that leads to his
demise, or rebirth, or whatever plot device JMS used this time around. Yeah I
know, JMS has/had nothing to do with the creation of the character or his
origin, but if you’re going to go ahead and resurrect these guys from the void
of comic limbo isn’t it worth it to update the characters and their backgrounds
so that maybe, just maybe, people won’t find it dull.
Apparently, a lot like Spawn, however more than 50 years prior to Todd
McFarlane’s creation, guys were still making deals with the Devil in order to
get out of an eternal dirt nap. In this case Dr. Dickering must wander the Earth
for all eternity seeking out those who’ve been, much like himself, accused of
wrongdoing they didn’t commit. Oh, and since the Confederates were going to hang
him he’s called The Hangman, *sigh*. At least when he becomes his super-self the
transformation causes him to lose his cheesy porno stash.
I guess if boring takes on boring characters is your thing then this book is all
yours. The art by Tom Derenick is sketchy at best, and in many places I found it
completely lacking anything really eye-catching. To call it ‘run-of-the-mill’ is
to insult fill-in artists all over who produce average work on a somewhat
regular basis, but who knows how much of it is Derenick’s fault and how much of
the blame belongs to Sienkiewicz who seems to have tried and amalgamate
Derenick’s style and his own (a huge misfire in my own not-so-humble opinion). |
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AMAZING SPIDERMAN #601
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Writer:
Mark Waid,
Artist: Mario Alberti |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
080509
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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A new era begins for the Justice Society of America as writers Bill Willingham
(FABLES) and Matthew Sturges (BLUE BEETLE) take over the series with new artist
Jesus Merino (SUPERMAN ANNUAL) just as two new recruits make their debut with
the team! Strange happenings at the JSA Mansion are weird precursors to an
all-out attack on all members of the team - all but one! And what is the strange
connection that new members King Chimera and All-American Kid might have with
the turmoil? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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What better way to follow up the landmark,
giant-size six-hundredth issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man” than by bringing back
the focus of one of the most highly debated story lines in the character’s
history and then amp up the intrigue to ten? The gorgeous J. Scott Campbell
cover lets readers know right off the bat that Mary Jane Watson’s appearance at
the end of the last issue was no fluke, and she is going to be sticking around
for a while. Can’t say I’m surprised by this change of events, nor can I say I’m
displeased.
Picking up directly after May and J. Jonah Jameson Sr.’s big wedding day, Mark
Waid is able to craft a perfect story that manages to illustrate everything
about Peter Parker that makes him the ‘every-man/loser’ that we’ve all come to
know and love over the course of the character’s existence. After waking up next
to a beautiful woman, who just happens to be his bull-headed roommate Michelle,
Vin Gonzalez’s sister, and proceeding to immediately make an awkward moment even
more awkward (and possibly leave himself homeless), after he makes a quick exit
in only the way Spider-Man can he realizes he has another date, with another
beautiful woman, only he can’t recall where or when. In the typical Spider-Man
fashion Pete has a whole crap-load of hurdles he tries to take care of all while
figuring out his own problem, but will he figure it out in time?
Of course with the return of Mary Jane comes the return of the questions that
surround the departure of her character from the book in the first place,
namely, how much does she still know? IF that’s a question that’s been lingering
in your mind for a while, well, it doesn’t get answered here, BUT a huge nugget
of teaser-info is dropped on the last page that might just crack the internet
message boards in half. There’s also a short back-up tale by Brian Bendis and
Joe Quesada that sets up a series of events that will likely play out in the
pages of New Avengers, and I must say that it’s nice to see Spidey’s role in the
larger Marvel U play out in his own title once in a while, but only once in a
while.
Mark Waid knows Spider-Man. That means he knows that it doesn’t take some major
baddie, or some flash-in-the-pan event story to make him shine, but rather a
tale that cuts right to the core of who the character is, and that’s a
thoughtless a-hole, whose great responsibility leaves him with a
less-than-stellar social life, despite all his efforts. Mario Alberti’s art is
so phenomenal, and he handles Spider-Man so well I wouldn’t mind seeing him on
the title full time. One of the greatest things about this book, and its
rotating cast of creators, is that it gives readers a sneak-peek at those who
may become some of the next generation of great comic book artists. |
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ABSOLUTION #1 |
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Writer:
Christos Gage,
Artist: Roberto Viacava |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Avatar
Comics
Shipped On:
080509
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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AVATAR COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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You've seen Christos Gage's work for Marvel, WildStorm, IDW and others, but
you've never seen his imagination unleashed with absolutely no
restrictions...until now. ABSOLUTION introduces John Dusk, a superhero in a
world where they're a sanctioned arm of law enforcement. But this veteran hero
has been scarred by his exposure to man's infinite capacity for evil, and he's
seen one too many perpetrators escape justice. One day he crosses the
line...lets a murderer die...and discovers it feels good. Surrounded by
sociopaths, both human and superhuman, who he knows will prey on others if
they're not stopped--permanently--how far will he go, knowing every step he
takes puts him further on a collision course with his teammates Alpha and The
Servant, not to mention his homicide detective girlfriend? Drawing on his
experience writing for TV crime dramas like Law & Order: SVU, and his years of
acclaimed work on comics like G.I. Joe: Cobra, StormWatch: PHD, and Avengers:
The Initiative, Gage and artist Roberto Viacava bring you a riveting,
no-punches-pulled saga that fans of shows like The Shield and Dexter, or comics
such as Powers and Sleeper, won't be able to put down. He wants to be
forgiven...but he doesn't want to stop. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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As far as vigilante crime fighters go, John Dusk is
one of the good guys. He’s been on the job for quite a while, works very closely
with authorities, is a strict follower of protocol and procedure when he’s on
patrol, and even carries on a romantic relationship with a fellow police
officer, but lately he’s been feeling fatigued, and the pressure of the
responsibility he possesses is starting to get to him. Imagine after a career of
fighting some of the worst scum the world has to offer what might go through a
guys head at any given moment; it’s like shell-shock on a daily, and on an
infinitely personal level.
After routing the super-villain known as White Power, John finds himself with a
decision to make; when he discovers the bodies of two women WP kept chained nude
to a pair of twin beds John isn’t thrown into some mindless rage, senselessly
slaughtering his enemy, even though he could, and quite easily at that. No, what
happens is actually rather mundane; John simply lets his prisoner bleed to dead
as a result of the injuries he’s inflicted upon him (John kinda ripped his arms
off…yikes). That’s what I loved about this book more than anything; Gage plays
it so cool with his character’s actions that it’s almost hard to find anything
John Dusk does as wrong, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
There’s blood, violence, sex, and foul language. It’s a lot like “Falling Down”,
starring Michael Douglas; kinda what happens when a cape has a really sh***y
day, and decides to throw their moral code out the window. Gage is a great
writer and for this creator owned project from Avatar (easily one of my current
favorite indy publishers) he’s teamed with an incredible artist, Roberto Viacava.
Dark subject matter is often played out behind sketchy, gritty pencils and dark
colors; here Viacava and colorist Andres Mossa go in a different direction.
Vicava’s pencils are clean and neat and the colors aren’t too bright, but they
aren’t too dark either; they allow the story’s mood to shape itself, without
forcing it upon readers. |
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All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2009 by their respective
owners. No rights given or implied by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.
Reviews © 2009 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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