Secret Invasion: Inhumans – Review – The Prelude to War of Kings
The beginning to the sci-fi epic War of Kings begins with the Inhumans during Secret Invasion. Black Bolt is kidnapped by the Skrulls, and the kingdom of Attilon furiously sets out on a rescue mission to retrieve their king. Collecting issues #1-4 of the mini-story arc, Secret Invasion: Inhumans is a decent deal at it's current price of $10.19 on Amazon.com
Hot:
- Medusa going on a rampage to save her husband
- Tom Raney's gorgeous art
- Triton destroying an entire band of Pelagians
Cold:
- Few twists or turns in the story
- Lacks character development
- Short
Luke-warm:
- Not the best bang for buck
- Everything art-wise in War of Kings series just can't match up to Raney's pencils
Classics Recommendation – Street Fighter Volume 1 by Ken Sui-Chong and Alvin Lee
The much awaited Akuma / Ryu showdown
In lieu of the repopularized Street Fighter series, thanks to the long-awaited release of SFIV and the HD remake, it's time to look back at probably one of the best video-game comic adaptations. When Capcom handed over their beloved series to the hands of the talented Udon press, they did their fans well and were rewarded with rich color art that lives up to the SF style. While the story isn't anything mind-blowing, it fills some of the gaps of the video-game story in, and stays true to the mythology by being steeped in revenge plots (Guile and Chun Li after Bison for Charlie and her dad; Ryu after Akuma for the death of his master).
Abundant in fan service
Collecting issues #0-6, Volume 1 is a solid deal at the $5 it goes for used, although for full price, you probably should pass on it and go for the original issues (though those will cost you a pretty penny). Two cons to be aware of though- Udon released the TPB in 5" x 8", pocket manga sized format- when the single issues came in full comic size. The other thing they skimped on was all the extra side-stories that included some amazing guest artists, which was another blow to fans.
Honey, I'm home.
But even ignoring the lack of extras in this trade, SF Vol 1 is worth every penny, sticking true to the artwork with loads of shots inspired straight from the game moves, and great match-ups and cameo appearances from the whole cast. If you can afford it, go for the original individual issues, though expect quite the search. If you're looking for a cheap but rewarding hit though, the TPB is worth every penny.
Comic Deal's Rating 4/5
Deadpool – Suicide Kings HC by Mike Benson and Carlo Barbieri
Classic cover spoofs unfortunately don't make it any funnier
Mike Benson just doesn't compare to Daniel Way's witty portrayal of everyone's gun-loving, psychotic assassin. The art is completely right with help from Carlo Barbieri, as close as it gets to Carlos Medina's stuff, but even nailing the artwork, I just couldn't get into Suicide Kings.
The story is pretty simple, Deadpool gets hired by local rich kid Conrad to make a hit, but it's not really Conrad running the show, it's Tombstone, who wants Deadpool dead because of an old debt. Deadpool ends up in the crosshairs of the Punisher on the way, but gets his butt saved by both Daredevil and Spiderman. Despite introduction of some awesome characters (putting Spidey with Deadpool is usually a good idea), there just isn't enough snappy wit. The hallucinations (aka Deadpool Vision) that usually add some comic relief to battles just aren't funny in this one, and end up breaking up action scene flow, as the plot is rambles along. You never give a flying crap about Conrad or Tombstone, and Tombstone getting to outfight Deadpool to the very end just doesn't mesh well with Deadpool's ways. He might seem incompetent, but as far as Way has written Deadpool out to be, Deadpool still is a guy who can finish the job at the end especially without the help of a "posse".
Still, not completely devoid of humor
Barbieri is on his game at least, and Deadpool looks fluid in his usual skinny ninja like ways. As expected, there are big explosions and hot girls (though we don't see enough guns, I'd say). Colors are on target too, except for issue #5, where things just look godawful.
Deadpool without girls wouldn't be Deadpool
ComicDeal's Rating - 3/5 - Has enough laughs to make it Deadpool, but if you compare it to Daniel Way's stuff, it's pretty subpar.
TPB of the Week – The Sword Vol 2 : Water by Luna Brothers
Dara's character continues to evolve as we look into her past
The Sword, the hot new title by the Luna Brothers just keeps getting better.
Collecting issues #7-12, the Luna Brothers continue to show their talent for a cliffhanger action-oriented mythical revenge story, and even with an over the top introduction, they manage to keep the pace going with a touch of incest, backstory, and a whole lot of limb-hacking. If you thought Girls or Ultra was any good, The Sword is probably the best Luna Brothers story to date. While it might be a bit more action-saturated in this arc than most, there's still the occasional well-written flashback that delves into Dara's character.
After getting a Sword that gives her near invincible god-like powers, the weaknesses of possessing the item begin to show, which throws in more than a few twists and turns as Dara begins to find those limitations.
And of course, the over the top gore continues
This series arc puts her face to face with Zakros, of the three gods that murdered her family, ending with a climatic showdown that comes out to something like an R-rated Naruto drawn in Western-styled comic art.
Get ready for a major showdown
ComicDeal's Rating - 5/5
At $10 for 5 issues jam packed with action and gore, Luna continues to entertain. Get it at Amazon.com
Classics Recommendation – JLA Vol 1 – by Grant Morrison
Superman takes on an angel
If you've ever wanted to see Superman face off against an angel, or Batman take down a handful of Martians to save the rest of his team, you've arrived at Morrison's JLA, packed top to bottom with epic moments that show just why the JLA are the coolest superhero team out there. If any JLA movie is to be made it should take some cues from this book, which collects JLA #1-9 and JLA Secret Files #1.
Can you spot the not-so-subtle Marvel cameos?
Story (5/5) - Grant Morrison's JLA is in a word, epic. His panels are filed with little jokes/details, his superheroes face the greatest and most ridiculous dangers ever, from the supernatural to the science-fiction. He ranks the JLA appropriately by their powers, and then in times of need, incapacitates the most useful ones with some wild plan. This is some of Morrison's best work right here and a must get.
Artwork (5/5) - Sure the colors are a tiny bit dated, but the artwork is equally eye-popping and Howard Porter's talent for pacing and pretty much be seen from the page up top when Supes tells Martian Manhunter to take a break and let him do the packing. From the expression to the way Supes dives in, Porter's work is consistent and filled with action and details.
TPB of the Week – The Sword Vol 1 : Fire by The Luna Brothers
The creator of The Girls, a sci-fi/horror book about girls gone cannibalistic, The Sword is the latest offering from The Luna Brothers, and it exceeds expectations. Anyone with a stomach for Quentin Tarantino gore, violence and a touch of the supernatural will like this one.
Collecting issues #1-6, The Sword is best read so that the book unveils the plot, so I'll be vague about things. The core premise is like this, a handicapped girl Dara, finds a sword left behind by her deceased dad, Alex Brighton (aka Demetrius) that gives her mystical powers, but both the government and three mysterious strangers want to kill her for it. She's got to find out with the help of her friends, Daniel and Jules what is going on while eluding capture.
The premise might sound a bit wild and crazy, but it's actually executed well enough that it's believable to an extent, and there's plenty of story in each issue, making this a hefty trade and a good value for six issues. Joshua Luna can pretty much saturate his pages with back and forth dialog, so expect a slow read. He also holds no restraints on his characters, who often times can be crude, and evil- some what like the style of Garth Ennis.
Artwork is fantastic and Jonathan Luna definitely takes it up a notch in their new series. There's really good use of special effects in the colors, and the gory panels that his previous work had loads of are ever the more stylistic and strangely entertaining.
Comic Deal's Rating - 5/5 - Fans of something like X-Files meets Kill Bill will enjoy this one.
Quick Review – Batman: The Resurrection Of Ra’s Al Ghul
Sure it says Grant Morrison and Paul Dini on the cover and features Kubert's art on the cover, but don't be fooled. This is like a Round Robin story gone bad- collecting a slew of issues including Batman Annual #26, Batman #670-671, Robin #168-169, Robin Annual #7, Nightwing #138-139, and Detective Comics #838-839 with writing from Peter Milligan, Grant Morrison, Fabian Nicieza, Paul Dini and Keith Champagne and art by Don Kramer, Jason Pearson, Tony Daniel, David Lopez, Freddie Williams II, Ryan Benjamin and others. With all the collaboration and no clear direction, this story is a total mess.
The story feels like something ripped off of Naruto- except instead of Ochimaru, it's Ra's Al Ghul looking for someones body to possess, and that body isn't Sasuke, it's Damien. It's got some needlessly ugly drama between Robin, Damien and Nightwing, and not much action from Batman other than him facing off Ra's in some combat. Most alarming is that this is Batman requiring no detective smarts at all, because the plot is something you can imagine off the title of the book devoid of twists or turns, not to mention cameos from villains no one cares about like the Charlie's Angels-like Silken Spider, Dragonfly, Tiger Moth.
Super inconsistent art only hurts the story, and the artists can't seem to even make an effort to make Ra's Al Ghul look at least remotely the same from one title to the next. He'll be older and green in one book, and then look like a Chinese sage in the next.
Comic Deals Rating 1/5 - DC Comics just doesn't seem to care for their crossover titles. Don't waste your money on this one unless you are a collector.
Quick Review – Ex Machina Vol 3 – Fact V. Fiction by Brian K. Vaughan
Collecting issues #11-16, Ex Machina takes a turn towards mediocrity. Vaughan's starts to meander a bit from topic to topic. Issue #11 is a standalone that really doesn't offer much to the overarching plot and is nothing but a short tale about Mayor Hundred's decision to ban fortunetellers from setting up shop. Then some more maddeningly useless storylines- Mayor Hundred serves for jury duty, finds his life under threat again by yet another homicidal nutjob while another vigilante killer in a costume who calls himself Automatron and claims he was made by The Great Machine runs loose in the city. He finishes it off with a short two issue story about him going back to find his mother.
Hate to say it, but by now Vaughan is starting to repeat himself a bit on a broader concept. The first book had a serial killer, the 2nd one a symbol caused a series of murders, and now a guy dressed up claiming to be made by him is causing another string of vigilante crime. The first book had an assassination attempt with a gun, then came the guy with the bow and arrow, then the agent who had seen the symbol, and now, well a paranoid schizophrenic. It's just the same cycle of threats, and what worked before isn't workng again because of a simple reason- he's not advancing his character. He's revealing tidbits of his past, but it's all off the same stuff we knew already, making this a book you could pass up.
Comic Deals Rating - 3/5
Quick Review – Ultimate Spiderman Vol 4: Legacy by Bendis and Bagley
Collecting issues #22-27, Ultimate Spiderman Vol 4: Legacy brings back the Ultimates universe's Green Goblin for a second comeback but Bendis' take is not as good as the original. Perhaps the biggest eyesore is the Oz drug that the Green Goblin takes makes him green, bulky and more demon-like, making him more like Bane than a schizophrenic costume-wearer.
Harry Osborn returns to school after being away for therapy after the transformation of his father into the villain, and things seem normal. But things quickly turn bad when his father, Norman Osborn makes threats on Parker's family if Spiderman refuses to do what he says. Nick Fury steps in to guarantee protection to Parker if he refuses to do what Osborn says, but Spiderman soon realizes that only he can really protect the people he loves the most.
Lots more action in this one and less focus on Parker's life. Bendis continues to deviate further from classic mythology with this arc, and while it's not bad, it's not very impressive either. Spiderman's safety net is challenged by Norman, but he doesn't really seem to come up with a solution other than to stick with Nick Fury's plan- which isn't all that great to start with. It seems to lack a sense of danger and an engaging finale.
Who It's For - if you tolerate Spiderman cartoons well, this is about on the same par as an episode. It's got enough story, but for a comic arc it does feel a bit light and fairly shallow.
Comic Deal's Rating 3/5 - Skip it.
Quick Review – Ex Machina Vol 2: Tag by Brian Vaughan
Ex Machina Vol 2: Tag collects issues #6-10 of the series- and after having circumvented a PR meltdown and a serial killer, Mayor Hundred continues to run into kinks on his early days on the job. He now has to deal with the touchy issue of supporting gay marriage in New York City while a symbol from his past that might have something to do with his mysterious powers causes a unexplainable string of deaths in NYC. So, despite having retired his uniform, Mitchell finds himself still forced to turn to his power to control machines to get him out of hairy situations.
Comic Deals Rating - 5/5
The story starts to pick up from the first volume and with awesome art and story- Ex Machina: Tag is one worth checking out.