Spider-Man/Red Sonja #1

July 31, 2007

Quick Rating: Fair
Rating: T+

An ancient foe returns – and Spidey comes face-to-face with the She-Devil with a sword.

Writer: Michael Avon Oeming
Pencils: Mel Rubi
Colors: Brian Buccellato
Letters: Simon Bowland
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Cover Art: Michael Turner
Publisher: Marvel Comics/Dynamite Entertainment

In those happy, pre-Civil War days when Spider-Man’s identity was a secret, Peter Parker is off to try to sell some photos to the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, meanwhile, is meeting with a senator who finds himself fascinated with a museum piece – one that literally has the power to change the world.

This isn’t the first time Spidey has met Red Sonja – it happened before in those days when Marvel had the license to the character and indiscriminately mixed their licensed properties into the Marvel Universe. I’m not entirely certain whether this new crossover considers that old one canon, but seeing as how the villain of this piece has made appearances in both continuities since then, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch of the imagination.

The story is pretty basic – Manhattan turns into a medieval wonderland, there’s a little mistaken identity there, and so on. Mel Rubi and Brian Buccellato’s art is okay, as is the cover by Michael “Going for the Guinness Record for Most Comic Covers Drawn” Turner. It’s an okay book, but just okay. I don’t really see this being of interest to anyone but the hardcore Red Sonja completists.

Rating: 6/10

Super Zombies #1

March 14, 2009

Super Zombies #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
By Marc Guggenheim, Vince Gonzales & Mel Rubi

I picked up this book because I usually enjoy Marc Guggenheim’s work, but if there’s any more evidence we need that the zombie craze has reached its apex, this is it. Super Zombies #1 comes across as a typical zombie story that happens to take place in a typical superhero universe, with only the fact that the two phenomena share a mutual origin to give the book any originality at all. Unfortunately, this issue doesn’t really use that much. In all fairness, the way it’s structured I do expect it to play more heavily into the rest of the miniseries, but we don’t see enough here to really compel us to keep reading. The characters are bland, generic heroes with bland, generic names, not unlike the series itself. Mel Rubi’s artwork is pretty good, and tells the story, but there isn’t enough of that story to keep me wanting to come back.

Rating: 5/10