Weekly Comic Book Pulls for 01-31-08

Captain America #34
It's the biggest comic of the week, at least for me (I read Y: The Last Man in trades). Does it live up to the hype? Well, it's just another piece in the rather large puzzle that Ed Brubaker has created since he took over the series. Brubaker resists the urge to make this a very special issue, and just keeps his story chugging along, while keeping it accessible enough for people just picking up this issue. Yes, the new Captain takes up the shield this issue, we all know who it is. That's almost the B plot of the issue though, as the more important stuff goes on between Tony Stark and a government official who won't accept the Red Skull is back, and then there's an exchange between the Skull and Armin Zola and a rather shocking ending with some of the Skull's sleeper agents. Perfectly paced story, and great action and design from artist Steve Epting (with beautiful inking by Butch Guice). If you're going to do a big character event, this is the way to do it. ---5 out of 5
...come see what else Henchman21 has been reading at GEEKS OF DOOM!

January 2008 Comic Pull Round-Up

January has been a slow month for me, comics-wise, so I’m combining a few weeks worth of books together. You should still be able to find any of these books at your local comics’ emporium. Enjoy!

Ultimates 3 #2
On the plus side, I found the art to be better in this issue. I don't know if it's just Joe Mad clearing out the cobwebs, or if the coloring didn't bother me as much this time, but I found the action easier to follow and felt like this was classic Joe. I can't say as much for the story or dialog, which were both pretty stupid. Hawkeye comes off as whiney and weak, and what should be his big emotional display while talking about his family rings hollow. Cap sounds like an idiot who would be behind the times in the 40's. Tony Stark isn't a lovable drunk anymore; he's just a regular drunk. The only one who comes off well this issue is the Wasp, but she seems more like the regular Marvel U version, and not her Ultimate self. The story stops and stalls, we still have no explanation who the Black Panther is and why he's hanging around, and the Brotherhood of Mutants show up for no good reason. I'm getting the feeling that this will be a lot of set up with little payoff. Not nearly as good as the Millar/Hitch run. On the plus side again, at least it's on time. ---2 out of 5
...come see what else Henchman21 has been reading at GEEKS OF DOOM!

Year In Review - Comics Books of 2007

We come to the end of another year, and now is the time to look back in fondness of the good stuff as to we try to drink away the bad stuff. And so it goes with the comics world, as every reviewer and blogger has fun making their list and checking it twice as we expel the virtues of the great works of the past year. Who am I to resist the siren's song of the "Best of" list, so I present to you, my fine readers, a selection of categories chosen by me, with a bunch of winners and also runner-ups, also selected by me. Love it, hate it, agree with it, disagree with; please do me the favor of commenting below.

 

Best Writer – Ed Brubaker

Runner ups – Brian Michael Bendis, Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Darwyn Cooke

Not a very difficult choice to make on this one. No writer had a more varied line-up of titles while keeping on schedule and making every book a great read. Let's look at Bru's hit list for this year: Daredevil, which is maybe not his stand-out book, but is good every month; Immortal Iron Fist, co-written by Matt Fraction, admittedly I've switched to trades on it, but the first arc was very exciting and this is well regarded by a lot of people: Criminal (see below); Uncanny X-men, I had a blast with Bru's first arc on the title, and I'm hearing good things about his issues of Messiah Complex. Finally, there's Captain America, which had a lot of buzz early in the year, thanks to a certain big event, but that buzz was stupidly squandered through no fault of his own because of Marvel's production. Brubaker is telling a very long, involved plot here with a ton of characters, but the reader never feels lost. What other writer can boast having one of the best series on the market without a single appearance by the title character?...continue reading this article at Geeks of Doom!

Weekly Comic Book Pulls for 12-28-07

Ultimate Power #9
Yep, that sure was an ending, wasn't it? Jeph Loeb brings this series to a close, not with a bang, but a whimper. There are maybe two surprises in the whole thing, although if you've been reading Ultimate Spider-man, it kind of explains a pretty major plot point. It's not awful but like the whole series, it's just way underwhelming. The series rushes to a conclusion without any major drama. The art from Greg Horn is his usual work, so you can take it or leave it. Again, not bad just largely lifeless. If this was supposed to be a major event, than Marvel really missed the boat. ---3 out of 5
...come see what else Henchman21 has been reading at GEEKS OF DOOM!

Weekly Comic Book Pulls for 11-07-07

Criminal #10
If you're looking for a book to get your non-comic reading friends interested in comics, give them this book. Smart, gritty, exciting, dark, suspenseful. It's any interesting crime movie you've ever seen done in comic form. Brubaker is doing things in this book that you've seen a million times before, but he does it with such skill you never even notice. You know exactly what is going to happen, but it's fun to watch the pieces fall into place. It's also good because it feels like a full meal of a book, and I never feel like I was paying too much for too little of a book. Sean Phillip's art sets the perfect mood and he is a modern master at creating expressive characters. The back matter of the book has covered so many different topics and I'm never sure what to expect. This issue ends the “Lawless” arc in a bit of a surprising way, and I can’t wait to see the next few issues. February is too long to wait.
---5 out of 5...come see what else Henchman21 has been reading at GEEKS OF DOOM!