This week we have more anthologies featuring Superman, a new Power Rangers book, and I only bring up Infinity War twice and neither time is with spoilers. Take that, Internet!
Action Comics Special #1
Writers: Dan Jurgens, Mark Russell, Max Landis / Artists: Will Conrad, Jill Thompson, Francis Manapul / Colors: Wil Quintana, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Francis Manapul / Letters: Rob Leigh, Steve Wands
Oh goodie, another Superman anthology. Haven't had a lot of those recently, right? Well, this one seems to be more a preview of things to come for Action Comics or at least one final hurrah on the book for a few creators. Or, maybe, this was just the creators' way of getting a few good Lex Luthor stories in, because two of the three places heavy emphasis on Lex, with one, the middle story, making him basically the protagonist.
It's still a fairy long read and it, unfortunately, feels that way at times. The middle story, written by Mark Russell and drawn by Jill Thompson, is probably the worst of the bunch since while it does do a good job establishing Lex's character and his backstory, showing how he's a different sort of businessman than his wormy father, it doesn't do great with showing Clark off. I think the third story, by Max Landis and Francis Manapul, does that best, showing how truly human Clark can be and showing how loving he is to everyone, from a random criminal to his wife.
My favorite story of the bunch was the first if only because it felt like a true Superman vs. Lex Luthor story, even if there were a few twists on the ol' tale involved. It just felt good to see the two going at it again, both mentally and then physically throwing down. It showed Superman at his finest as he thwarted Luthor's plans and managed to always be just in time to save the day; it's typical Superman, but, it worked well.
Oh, did I mention Dan Jurgens was the writer for this story? That might have something to do with it.
It's still a fairy long read and it, unfortunately, feels that way at times. The middle story, written by Mark Russell and drawn by Jill Thompson, is probably the worst of the bunch since while it does do a good job establishing Lex's character and his backstory, showing how he's a different sort of businessman than his wormy father, it doesn't do great with showing Clark off. I think the third story, by Max Landis and Francis Manapul, does that best, showing how truly human Clark can be and showing how loving he is to everyone, from a random criminal to his wife.
My favorite story of the bunch was the first if only because it felt like a true Superman vs. Lex Luthor story, even if there were a few twists on the ol' tale involved. It just felt good to see the two going at it again, both mentally and then physically throwing down. It showed Superman at his finest as he thwarted Luthor's plans and managed to always be just in time to save the day; it's typical Superman, but, it worked well.
Oh, did I mention Dan Jurgens was the writer for this story? That might have something to do with it.
Avengers #1
Writer: Jason Aaron / Artist: Ed McGuinness / Inks: Mark Morales / Colors: David Curiel / Letters: VC's Cory Petit
Hot off the heels of Marvel Studio's biggest movie ever, and possibly the biggest and most hyped movie ever made, we have a new jumping-on point for Earth's mightiest heroes featuring Marvel's mightiest writer, Jason Aaron. I was hesitant to get into ANOTHER new Avengers book, but, Jason Aaron has done incredible work with Marvel. His run on Thor, still going, has been nothing short of legendary, and he completely brought the Star Wars Marvel comics to life. I loved The Unworthy Thor and thought there were good parts to Original Sins, barring the stupid ending.
And yeah, this book meets the hype. It's a little longer than normal, but it manages to cram in all the information anyone would need to get going. It establishes where the chief characters are, where they've been, what their relationships are like, and how they may be able to come to terms with the coming crisis, which is very well established throughout the book. As always with an Avengers book or story, the important thing is the character interactions, and for my money, they were handled excellently. Seeing Thor, Cap, and Iron Man all bicker and debate the return of the team was fantastic, but even better was the road-show of Dr. Strange and Black Panther. I still find Dr. Strange's new nonchalant character turn a bit odd, but it makes for good comedy against the stoicism of Black Panther.
She-Hulk, unfortunately, gets skirted to the side a bit but we do see that she's taming her Hulk-nature. Captain Marvel is the one that literally brings the plot to Earth and I like seeing her here. I'm glad Aaron decided to skip any awkwardness between Tony and Carol and just have them focus on the crisis at hand. Also, Ghost Rider is in this book. He looks cool.
Oh, but speaking of looking cool, this book looks really good. All the characters are distinguishable, their designs fresh but also carrying some classic edge to them, and everything is just very well designed overall; there was a lot of attention to detail paid to these pages. Emotions are easily determined (by characters not wearing masks) and it feels like a real superhero book, with just the right amount of flare added in to give this the proper bombast it needs.
Mark Morales and David Curiel do excellent complementary work for McGuinness as they bring these characters to life. We've seen these designs before, but the extra shadows and coloring allow them to feel fresh again. The coloring in particular makes this feel like an action movie, like it's a real superhero book, especially by the end.
I was a bit hesitant on this book, but this first issue has me sold. If you've got an itch to scratch after Infinity War and need more Avengers in your life, check out this issue. It's great.
And yeah, this book meets the hype. It's a little longer than normal, but it manages to cram in all the information anyone would need to get going. It establishes where the chief characters are, where they've been, what their relationships are like, and how they may be able to come to terms with the coming crisis, which is very well established throughout the book. As always with an Avengers book or story, the important thing is the character interactions, and for my money, they were handled excellently. Seeing Thor, Cap, and Iron Man all bicker and debate the return of the team was fantastic, but even better was the road-show of Dr. Strange and Black Panther. I still find Dr. Strange's new nonchalant character turn a bit odd, but it makes for good comedy against the stoicism of Black Panther.
She-Hulk, unfortunately, gets skirted to the side a bit but we do see that she's taming her Hulk-nature. Captain Marvel is the one that literally brings the plot to Earth and I like seeing her here. I'm glad Aaron decided to skip any awkwardness between Tony and Carol and just have them focus on the crisis at hand. Also, Ghost Rider is in this book. He looks cool.
Oh, but speaking of looking cool, this book looks really good. All the characters are distinguishable, their designs fresh but also carrying some classic edge to them, and everything is just very well designed overall; there was a lot of attention to detail paid to these pages. Emotions are easily determined (by characters not wearing masks) and it feels like a real superhero book, with just the right amount of flare added in to give this the proper bombast it needs.
Mark Morales and David Curiel do excellent complementary work for McGuinness as they bring these characters to life. We've seen these designs before, but the extra shadows and coloring allow them to feel fresh again. The coloring in particular makes this feel like an action movie, like it's a real superhero book, especially by the end.
I was a bit hesitant on this book, but this first issue has me sold. If you've got an itch to scratch after Infinity War and need more Avengers in your life, check out this issue. It's great.
DC Nation #0
Writers: Tom King, Brian Michael Bendis, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson / Artists: Clay Mann, Jorge Jimenez / Pencillers: Jose LuisGarcia-Lopez / Inks: Dexter Vines / Colors: Joride Bellaire, Alex Sinclair, Alejando Sanchez / Letters: Clayton Cowles, Josh Reed, Andworld Design
Hey, another anthology book, except this one is only a quarter. Gotta love $.25 cent comics. Normally a comic like this would fall on Free Comic Book Day (which is this Saturday, check your local area for a participating comic book store!) but given the importance of it and who is involved, I don't mind paying a quarter for a preview of what's to come this summer.
I'm not too sure how to feel, though. Again, I feel the best story was the first one, which is previewing the wedding between Batman and Catwoman and how excited the Joker is to be invited. It was a great Joker story, and from what I can remember, it's also the first time Tom King has really taken his voice to the Joker in the "Rebirth" era for DC. It's very tense, with suspense mounting at every page as the Joker holds some random guy hostage. The story wraps in a very Joker-esque way, and there's even a really funny joke in it that got me. It made me very curious to see just what the Joker will do in order to get involved with the wedding.
The second story is a preview for The Man of Steel, the miniseries piloted by Brian Michael Bendis in his big debut. And if I said I was disappointed, I think it would be mostly because of the major push and hype that Bendis is getting. We shouldn't expect something huge and extraordinary from two short-stories that are nothing more than teasers for a real story. I found the plot and voice a bit strange, but this is also the man's first shot at Superman and he's had a pretty tight schedule to get this stuff done, and it's kind of noticable. Am I still looking forward to The Man of Steel? Yeah! Just now I've had those expectations tempered a bit.
The final story is arguably the most disappointing, but, again, I think it has something to do with the format. We get our introduction to the premise of Justice League: No Justice, the 4-part weekly miniseries starting next week, and Snyder, Williamson, and Tynion have to cram four different "Justice League" teams in as well as establish what the threat is as well as how the teams were assembled as well as who is on the teams. The art is the best of the collection; Jorge Jimenez does a great job with each individual team, bringing all the characters to life, some with new designs and some with familiar designs. But, still, I just didn't get as pumped as I would've wanted; I think this needed it's own half-issue to really establish its presence. Those final two pages were arguably the most effective (and no, it's not just because Green Arrow appears....althought that is like 75% of the reason why).
I'm not too sure how to feel, though. Again, I feel the best story was the first one, which is previewing the wedding between Batman and Catwoman and how excited the Joker is to be invited. It was a great Joker story, and from what I can remember, it's also the first time Tom King has really taken his voice to the Joker in the "Rebirth" era for DC. It's very tense, with suspense mounting at every page as the Joker holds some random guy hostage. The story wraps in a very Joker-esque way, and there's even a really funny joke in it that got me. It made me very curious to see just what the Joker will do in order to get involved with the wedding.
The second story is a preview for The Man of Steel, the miniseries piloted by Brian Michael Bendis in his big debut. And if I said I was disappointed, I think it would be mostly because of the major push and hype that Bendis is getting. We shouldn't expect something huge and extraordinary from two short-stories that are nothing more than teasers for a real story. I found the plot and voice a bit strange, but this is also the man's first shot at Superman and he's had a pretty tight schedule to get this stuff done, and it's kind of noticable. Am I still looking forward to The Man of Steel? Yeah! Just now I've had those expectations tempered a bit.
The final story is arguably the most disappointing, but, again, I think it has something to do with the format. We get our introduction to the premise of Justice League: No Justice, the 4-part weekly miniseries starting next week, and Snyder, Williamson, and Tynion have to cram four different "Justice League" teams in as well as establish what the threat is as well as how the teams were assembled as well as who is on the teams. The art is the best of the collection; Jorge Jimenez does a great job with each individual team, bringing all the characters to life, some with new designs and some with familiar designs. But, still, I just didn't get as pumped as I would've wanted; I think this needed it's own half-issue to really establish its presence. Those final two pages were arguably the most effective (and no, it's not just because Green Arrow appears....althought that is like 75% of the reason why).
Go-Go Power Rangers #9
Writer: Ryan Parrott / Artist: Dan Mora / Colors: Raul Angulo / Letters: Ed Dukeshire
This is the first issue I've read of Go-Go Power Rangers since the debut one, and now I regret not picking up this book. Parrott brings such depth and life to the original Ranger team, making them all distinct and giving them their own feel as people. It arguably does a better job than its sister series at this, since in this one issue I got a perfect grasp of where the teens were in their lives at the moment. There were some things that I couldn't quite follow, like who their friend Matt is or what's up with Jason's dad and all that, but those are minor details.
The reason I got this issue was because of its tie-in to "Shattered Grid," and it's definitely an interesting one. It's not directly tied to the events, like it doesn't feature Drakkon invading with an army of faux-Rangers, but it does have a surprise appearance and, AGAIN, another absolutely amazing Ranger design.
God I want these to be real.
The art by Dan Mora feels right at home with the other two Power Rangers-related BOOM! Studios books, and there are actually a few shots that still stand out to me as really darn awesome, like the five-way morphing sequence done at the first major action setpiece. Angulo's colors also do well to match the tone of the book, like when the Rangers are in combat the colors are a bit more drowned out but when they're together it's brighter and more vibrant, reflecting their attitudes about things.
Overall I really enjoyed this issue and look forward to the next. I'll probably go back and get the series in trade form to try and catch up; if you're a fan of the Mighty Morphin' era of Power Rangers and don't feel like catching up on the other series, definitely give this a shot.
The reason I got this issue was because of its tie-in to "Shattered Grid," and it's definitely an interesting one. It's not directly tied to the events, like it doesn't feature Drakkon invading with an army of faux-Rangers, but it does have a surprise appearance and, AGAIN, another absolutely amazing Ranger design.
God I want these to be real.
The art by Dan Mora feels right at home with the other two Power Rangers-related BOOM! Studios books, and there are actually a few shots that still stand out to me as really darn awesome, like the five-way morphing sequence done at the first major action setpiece. Angulo's colors also do well to match the tone of the book, like when the Rangers are in combat the colors are a bit more drowned out but when they're together it's brighter and more vibrant, reflecting their attitudes about things.
Overall I really enjoyed this issue and look forward to the next. I'll probably go back and get the series in trade form to try and catch up; if you're a fan of the Mighty Morphin' era of Power Rangers and don't feel like catching up on the other series, definitely give this a shot.
Green Arrow #40
Writers: Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly / Artist: Marcio Takara / Colors: Marcelo Maiolo / Letters: Deron Bennett
Right so apparently this was a two-part story and I had no idea. But, you know what, I'm okay with that. This story may have been stretched one more issue if need be, but it also deflated by the end. The premise for this issue was certainly interesting, seeing a shambly version of the "Justice League" form up. It was mostly a group played for laughs as Oliver counted down the various archetypes they'd been given as well as their names (with the best moment in the book coming when he learned the name of the tech-guru for the team). Although there's a very odd meta-moment where someone quotes Man of Steel and somehow everyone knows that Superman said that. Was that a public statement he made? Does Man of Steel exist in the DCU?
The actual plot is a rushed training arc, a desperate battle, and someone's struggle for humanity. All or most of the intrigue surrounding Nothing is thrown out the window in place of this group of freedom fighters, but they really don't get much growth. Oliver doesn't experience much growth either, and most of his development is told in word balloons rather than shown through his actions. He even says at the end that he never belonged in this story. So what was the point, then?
Marcio Takara's art is as good as the last issue, if not a little better as he gets to toy with the new character designs. They are't anything groundbreaking, but they're still a good bit of fun and do match the aesthetic of the comic.
The actual plot is a rushed training arc, a desperate battle, and someone's struggle for humanity. All or most of the intrigue surrounding Nothing is thrown out the window in place of this group of freedom fighters, but they really don't get much growth. Oliver doesn't experience much growth either, and most of his development is told in word balloons rather than shown through his actions. He even says at the end that he never belonged in this story. So what was the point, then?
Marcio Takara's art is as good as the last issue, if not a little better as he gets to toy with the new character designs. They are't anything groundbreaking, but they're still a good bit of fun and do match the aesthetic of the comic.
Infinity Countdown #3
Writer: Gerry Duggan / Pencillers: Aaron Kuder & Mike Hawthorne / Inks: Aaron Kuder & Terry Pallott / Colros: Jordie Bellaire / Letters:
Much as I want to rag on this book for sort of dragging its feet and not giving us anything regarding the Space, Time, Reality, or Mind stones, I'm also getting the distinct impression that this book is way more focused on getting things set for the next big event coming up regarding certain Infinity Gauntlets and Infinity Stones that I can't be too mad; plus, in how many other comics do you get to see Adam Warlock have to fight off Pymtron who has brainwashed Silver Surfer into getting an Ultron aesthetic all while fighting for the survival and ownership of the Soul Stone?
Didn't see that in Infinity War did you?
Unlike last issue, both have the feeling of a goofy space adventure, though most especially, again the Adam Warlock stuff. Seeing those three square off is one of the stranger things I've read this year, and that includes Ice Cream Man. And the way the the Guardians wrap up their battle is nothing short of fantastic, probably the best scene in the series so far (beyond Pymtron killing Magus or Black Widow finding the Space Stone in a toilet).
While the overall comic has dipped a bit in excitement and overall enjoyment, I'm still having a great deal of fun with this building miniseries. There are dozens of flaws, sure, and I don't think this is something I NEED to be reading, but it's certainly something worth reading if you're a fan of the Marvel Cosmic. Plus, the ending leaves us on a pretty intriguing cliffhanger that has been building for a good while now, probably since the first few issues of the recent Ultimates 2 by Al Ewing.
Didn't see that in Infinity War did you?
Unlike last issue, both have the feeling of a goofy space adventure, though most especially, again the Adam Warlock stuff. Seeing those three square off is one of the stranger things I've read this year, and that includes Ice Cream Man. And the way the the Guardians wrap up their battle is nothing short of fantastic, probably the best scene in the series so far (beyond Pymtron killing Magus or Black Widow finding the Space Stone in a toilet).
While the overall comic has dipped a bit in excitement and overall enjoyment, I'm still having a great deal of fun with this building miniseries. There are dozens of flaws, sure, and I don't think this is something I NEED to be reading, but it's certainly something worth reading if you're a fan of the Marvel Cosmic. Plus, the ending leaves us on a pretty intriguing cliffhanger that has been building for a good while now, probably since the first few issues of the recent Ultimates 2 by Al Ewing.
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