Archive
Recent Reviews: August 31 Releases
It was a small week for new comics, but I still got in a few reviews. Here are the August 31 comics I talked about at CXPulp…
Recent Reviews: August 24 Releases
A lot of DC comic books last week. This week will probably be not so much…
Recent Reviews: August 17 Releases
So what’d I review over at CX Pulp in the last seven days? Here’s the list…
- Avengers Academy #18
- Batman #713
- Darkwing Duck #15
- DC Retroactive: Batman-The 90s #1
- DC Retroactive: The Flash-The 90s #1
- DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman-The 90s #1
- Fables #108
- Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #3
- Flashpoint: Abin Sur-The Green Lantern #3
- Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #3
- Green Lantern Corps #63
- Justice League of America #60
- Power Girl #27
- Superboy #11
- Tiny Titans #43
- The Walking Dead #88
- X-Men: Schism #3
Recent Reviews: August 10 Releases
I’m a tired, tired man. But I’ve turned out some reviews. Just for you. You’re welcome.
- Batgirl #24
- Batman and Robin #26
- Booster Gold #47
- DC Retroactive: Green Lantern-The 80s #1
- DC Retroactive: Justice League of America-The 80s #1
- DC Retroactive: Superman-The 80s #1
- Fear Itself #5
- Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3
- Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #3
- Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3
- Life With Archie #12
- Mega Man #4
- Morning Glories #11
- Red Robin #26
- The Red Wing #2
- Teen Titans #99
- War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath #2
- X-Men #15.1
Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #2
July 21, 2011
Title: Our Army at Gore
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Art: Ibraim Roberson, Alex Massacci
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Cover: Doug Mahnke, Rod Reis
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Publisher: DC Comics
Frankenstein leads his new Creature Commandos through a Flashpoint world torn apart. But Velcoro, Griffith and Nina don’t know that their old ally’s daughter is tracking them down, with the help of G.I. Robot. Even if the world doesn’t tear itself apart, they may not make it out alive. Out of the Flashpoint spin-offs I’ve read, this is probably the one that has the least to do with the overall crossover. In fact, if they made only minor changes they probably could have used this to launch the new Frankenstein series that’s beginning in September. The team Jeff Lemire has created is about as classic as you can get – a vampire, werewolf, and gill creature teamed up with Frankenstein’s monster? Excellent combination. And with Shrieve playing Inspector Javert to their Jean Valjean, there’s definitely room here to build a rich, expansive universe. I know I’m being kind of presumptuous here – it’s possible that Lemire’s new Frankenstein series will bear very little resemblance to this miniseries – but I know that what I’m reading is cool enough that I want it to be like the new series. Roberson and Massacci do wonderful art as well – something soft and fanciful, but dark enough that it feels like it spilled from between the frames of a Universal Pictures classic. This is some of the most fun Flashpoint has provided yet.
Rating: 8/10
Recent Reviews: August 3 Releases
Another Tuesday, another heapin’ helpin’ of reviews from last week’s comics. Here’s what I put on CX Pulp this week…
Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #2
July 21, 2011
Title: Emperor Aquaman Part Two
Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Vicente Cifuentes
Inks: Diana Egea & Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist: Kyle Ritter
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover: Ardian Syaf & Vicente Cifuentes
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics
With the isle of Britain thrust into the sky to be used as an Amazon fortress, Aquaman gathers Siren and Ocean Master to plan for an attack. This issue lays out much more of the Flashpoint universe, really helping to connect the dots. We see how Terra and Geo-Force became pawns in the Atlantis/Amazon war, how Mera’s death changed Arthur, and how Arthur’s own origin was twisted around in this universe. More and more, the theory that this world isn’t simply the result of Professor Zoom’s vendetta against Barry Allen is gaining ground, as each of the core Justice League members seems to have been targeted. This issue also helps to establish more of the timeline of this world, which seems to coincide with comments that the “New 52” will feature younger versions of the characters. We already know from Project: Superman that Kal-El crashed to Earth 28 years ago, and from the core miniseries we learn that Martha Wayne was pregnant with Bruce at the time (Superman and Batman are both just 28 in this world?), while this issue establishes Aquaman at about 25 years of age. It’s strange to think of these classic heroes as being younger than me, frankly, but at least in terms of the Flashpoint world, it’s working. Vicente Cifuentes is a great choice for the artwork, doing nice stuff underwater. Again, Kyle Ritter steps up, using his different color palettes not only to differentiate between the underwater and surface scenes, but other colors entirely for the flashbacks to Aquaman’s origin. It’s a nice package that entertains and pushes the world forward.
Rating: 7/10
Recent Reviews: July 27 Releases
I went to town on the reviews at CX Pulp this week, guys. Here’s everything I chimed in on…
- Action Comics #903
- Archie #623
- Avengers Academy #16
- Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search For Swamp Thing #2
- DC Retroactive: Justice League of America-The 70s #1
- DC Retroactive: Superman-The 70s #1
- DuckTales #3
- Fables #107
- Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #2
- Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #2
- Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance #2
- Flashpoint: Project Superman #2
- Green Lantern Corps #62
- Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #12
- Invincible #81
- Teen Titans #98
- Terminator/Robocop: Kill Human #1
- X-Men: Schism #2
- Young Justice #6
Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1
July 12, 2011
Title: Emperor Aquaman Part One
Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Ardian Syaf
Inks: Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist: Kyle Ritter
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover: Ardian Syaf
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics
Like many of the Flashpoint spin-offs we’ve been following, Emperor Aquaman seems dedicated to showing how the past of the Flashpoint universe differs from the DCU we know, leading up to the point of the Atlantis/Amazon war that’s currently threatening the world. Emperor Aquaman, however, seems to be one of the few books showing both the past and the present. The book brings us up to date on the past year’s worth of activity, including Aquaman’s attempt at a treaty with King Brion of Markovia (Geo-Force of the Outsiders in the main DCU), the destruction of Rome, and a tragedy that is probably driving him harder than anything else that’s happened in this altered timeline. This is most definitely not the Aquaman we’re used to. He’s militant, angry, and violent, and while I’d never like to see him take this path in the core DC Universe, it makes for an interesting counterpoint. All of those snobs who crack jokes about Aquaman’s effectiveness really need to crack this book open to see what he’d be capable of if the surface world pissed him off enough. Ardian Syaf, one of the best guys working at DC these days, continues doing that great work in this issue. Underwater scenes can be difficult to pull off, but he captures the different physics and staging of the scenes well, and Kyle Ritter’s shift in color palette from Atlantis to Markovia helps the scenes stand apart from one another and really pop on the screen. It all works for me, and works pretty well.
Rating: 7/10
Recent Reviews: July 20 Releases
So today I’m back from a lovely wedding for some friends in Maine, followed by an excruciating 23-hour ordeal of trying to get the hell home despite US Airways’ best efforts to prevent that from happening. Unfortunately, I was a bit tired today and didn’t get to knock out the last few reviews for the July 20 releases. But here are the comics I reviewed over at CX Pulp before I left for Maine.
The Back Issue Bin 