Archive
Herc #4
June 11, 2011
Title: All Versus All
Writers: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
Pencils: Neil Edwards
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Cover: Michael Kaluta & Jim Charalampidis
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics
A powerless Hercules has found himself helping defend a group of escaping supervillains against the son of Ares, Kyknos. But when the people of Brooklyn see Herc fighting on the side of known villains like the Basilisk, they turn on the hero, forcing him into a fight he didn’t want.
Herc has been de-powered for this entire series, but this is the first time we really see the sort of toll it can take on the former Prince of Power. We see Hercules not just hurt (he’s been hurt before), but worse than that: weary, exhausted and worn-down. It’s clear, both from the writing and some great artwork, that he’s not used to feeling that way. It’s also kind of stressful for him to have to worry about PR, of all things, but it puts a nice, different kind of spin on the book.
The whole Fear Itself thing has felt pretty tenuous. I’m still not getting just how or why this book ties into that main crossover, except for some vague sensation that “fear” is spreading across the Marvel Universe, but the writing team of Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente are at least making the most out of what’s been handed to them. The book is exciting, well-written, well-illustrated, and full of real character drama and development in the midst of all the action. That’s how Herc has always been at his best with this creative team, and this arc is no different.
Rating: 8/10
Recent Reviews: June 22 Releases
I usually try to do this on Tuesdays. I forgot on Tuesday. I hope this didn’t ruin anybody’s day. Anyway, here’s the comics from last week that I reviewed at CX Pulp.com:
Legion of Super-Heroes (2005 Series) #2
January 24, 2005
Quick Rating: Great
When the children of Dream Girl’s world lose the ability to sleep, the Legion of Super-Heroes sets out to investigate.
Writer: Mark Waid
Pencils: Barry Kitson
Inks: Gray, Pascoe & Kitson
Colors: Chris Blythe
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Cover Art: Barry Kitson & Dave McCaig
Publisher: DC Comics
The second issue of the new Legion of Super-Heroes is just as strong as the first, and even better for the old-school Legion fans. While the first issue was very much an introduction, this issue gets much deeper into a few of the characters, particularly Brainiac 5 and Dream Girl, and furthermore, it sets up some events for the ongoing arcs that will underlie the single-issue storylines.
This issue, the young people of Naltor, a planet of precognitive telepaths, have lost their ability to sleep, and it is only in sleep that their powers are at their strongest. The Legion dispatches a team to investigate, including Naltor’s own daughter Dream Girl.
We get to play with clashing characterization here. While last issue showed us how the Legion is ideally, here we see how deep the characters can be when Brainiac 5 begins to Dream Girl’s powers, seeing precognition as a shortcut to what he tries to achieve through his vaunted intelligence. The mystery in and of itself isn’t that difficult to piece together, but what it heralds for the future of this title is very interesting.
This book, again, is extremely new-reader friendly. It’s a self-contained story,, and we get an updated version of the old-fashioned “Legion Roll Call” so that new readers get a quick primer on the main characters of this issue’s story and what their abilities are.
Barry Kitson’s artwork, again, is beautiful. He does a great job with the characters, and we get to see a few more this issue as well. It’s also nice to get off Earth for most of the issue – his vision of Naltor is quite entrancing. He also does some nice fight scenes, and he gives us a beautiful cover. It would be a bit hypocritical of me, however, if I didn’t deduct at least a fraction of a point for Irrelevant Cover Syndrome – Star Boy gets the cover treatment, along with Shadow Lass, but he doesn’t even appear in the issue. On the other hand, man that’s a great cover.
So let’s look at the checklist – two issues and two home runs from the new Legion of Super-Heroes team. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Rating: 9/10
The Lone Ranger (2006 Series) #10
December 8, 2007
Lone Ranger #10 (Dynamite Entertainment)
By Brett Matthews, Sergio Cariello & John Cassaday
The “Lines Not Crossed” storyline ends with a bang this issue. John lies bleeding from a gunshot wound, and Tonto races off to capture his attacker. Once our hero is on his feet again, he begins to dispense his own unique brand of old west justice. The last few scenes in this issue really give the Lone Ranger something of a Batman vibe, right up to his relationship with the one good sheriff in a corrupt town (sound familiar?), but I don’t mean that as a criticism. It actually works very well. You finish this comic book with the feeling that you’ve just witnessed the beginning of a legend, and as this series is about the early days of the Ranger, that’s a perfectly valid (and entertaining) angle to take. A very strong issue of a really good series.
Rating: 8/10
The Back Issue Bin 