Thor (2007 Series) #2

July 31, 2007

Quick Rating: Good (and getting better)
Rating: T+

With Thor back on Earth, can Asgard be far behind?

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: Olivier Coipel
Inks: Mark Morales
Colors: Laura Martin
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Warren Simons
Cover Art: Gabrielle Dell’otto (Cover A); Olivier Coipel (Cover B)
Publisher: Marvel Comics

After a first issue I felt took itself a bit too seriously (to quote Homer Simpson, “Less artsy, more fartsy”), this issue is a definite improvement. Back on Earth, Donald Blake begins setting up life for himself in a small town in Oklahoma. For his alter-ego, the Mighty Thor, this means it’s time for the big question – do they bring back Asgard? Do they seek out the lost Aesir gods?

The first issue was mostly concerned with dancing around the question (with a foregone conclusion) of whether or not Thor would come back to life. Now that he has, the plot really starts to get underway. There’s a clever little scene here where Thor has to face the realities of land development, and there’s a definite direction indicated for this title to go in, something we didn’t have before. My only concern is that the mission laid out before Thor here feels extremely similar to Neil Gaiman’s Eternals series. Hopefully, Straczynski will be able to pull out the proverbial rabbit in the execution.

Olivier Coipel’s artwork is still wonderful. It’s a great task, to go from a mundane, dusty small town to the grandeur of a place like Asgard, but he manages to pull it off perfectly in a matter of panels.

I was on the fence last issue. I’m still there, but I’m starting to lean towards approval.

Rating: 7/10

Fantastic Four (1961 Series) #588

March 1, 2011

Title: Three, Epilogue: Month of Mourning & Uncles

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Nick Dragotta & Mark Brooks
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Cover: Alan Davis, Mark Farmer & Javier Rodriguez
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

In the :cough cough: “final” issue of Fantastic Four, the world is reeling from the news of the death of Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. In a wordless story that takes place over the month following Johnny’s death, Jonathan Hickman brilliantly shows just how the extended family is reacting, from the too little too late appearance of the Avengers moments after Johnny’s death to a bit of (what seems to be) conclusive proof that Johnny is really dead, all the way to Valeria’s plan to exact revenge. Maybe the best part of the issue, though, is how the Thing copes. He watched Johnny, a man who was essentially his little brother, die to save his life, and that’s not an easy thing for Ben Grimm to take. The way he turns to (of all people) Thor and the Hulk to help him cope is nothing short of brilliant. The one weak point of this main story is the artwork. Nick Dragotta appears to be going for sort of a Jack Kirby riff, but he isn’t doing a great job of it. It looks like an attempt to copy Kirby, and as such loses its own personality.

There is no such problem in the second story this issue, “Uncles.” Spider-Man, who (we know because nothing in the world of comic books is allowed to be a secret anymore) will be joining the team in the new FF title is also mourning the loss of his friend, but he recognizes that there’s someone in agony who may be feeling a little neglected… so as one nephew who once lost a beloved uncle, he reaches out to Franklin Richards. This is perhaps the best Spider-Man story I’ve read in years – something so wonderfully classic and true to the character that I could even forget, for a few pages, all the stupid continuity hula hoops he’s been forced to jump over for the past few years. Hickman clearly understands the spirit of the wallcrawler, and I feel very good now about him taking Peter Parker into the cast of FF.

“Final Issue?” Sure – until FF reaches #12, which coincidentally would also be Fantastic Four #600. Ain’t no way that’s a coincidence. But for the next year, I have every faith that Hickman and company will give us some truly brilliant stories.

Rating: 8/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #52

Sepember 5, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Living Planet Part One

On a Earth infected by Ego, the Exiles must face off against the Avengers and their ally… Doctor Doom!

Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Jim Calafiore
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

While I appreciate the fact that this book doesn’t restrict itself to only X-Men related characters, even with the Avengers and Doctor Doom as the focus of this arc, I can’t help but feel the title is getting a tad repetitive.

This time out, the Exiles are dropped into a universe where Earth is being overwhelmed with “antibodies” from Ego the Living Planet, the Fantastic Four is MIA, and the Avengers and Doctor Doom seem to be the only hope for saving the world.

In a time where most comic books are artificially elongating their storylines, wasting issues and issues on pointless filler, Tony Bedard’s Exiles is a book that suffers from the exact opposite problem – he’s not taking enough time to tell the stories to their utmost potential. The very nature of this title, with heroes that are dropped into one universe after another with imminent dangers to fight against, doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for downtime and character exploration, which is what the book is somewhat lacking. The versions of the Avengers in this world, while incredibly interesting on the surface, are sort of glossed over – a modified Captain America, female versions of Yellowjacket and Iron Man (still inexplicably called “Man”), and a much more classically Nordic Thor than we have in the core Marvel Universe. I’d love to see how “our” heroes got this way, but we don’t in this issue and I don’t suspect we will next issue either.

As Andrea has stated elsewhere, that problem also afflicts the main characters of the series. Namora and Beak have effectively been on the team for eight issues now, but neither have had too much development or too much to do. Bedard needs to find a balance between character development and alternate-reality cookiness.

Jim Calafiore, the “regular” fill-in penciller, does a good job this issue, particularly with all of the character redesigns. The changes made in the looks of existing characters doesn’t seem too capricious, change for change’s sake, but instead leave you wondering exactly what happened to make the characters that way (with the exception of Hawkeye, who looks a bit too “90s,” if you know what I mean).

I’m still enjoying this book, but not as much as I should. I hope that once this storyline wraps, whatever comes next, Bedard will pull it back out.

Rating: 6/10

Mini-Marvels: Secret Invasion TPB

February 13, 2009

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Conspicuous Invasion and Other Stories
Rating: All Ages

The Skrull invasion of Earth – Mini-Marvels style!

Writers: Chris Giarrusso, Marc Sumerak, Sean McKeever, Paul Tobin & Audrey Loeb
Pencils: Chris Giarrusso
Inks: Chris Giarrusso
Colors: Chris Giarrusso
Letters: Chris Giarrusso
Editors: Nathan Cosby & Warren Simons
Cover Art: Chris Giarrusso
Publisher: Marvel Comics

There are few things in comics right now that are more entertaining than Chris Giarusso’s Mini-Marvels. What began as a short newspaper-style strip that ran on the Bullpen page has become an eagerly-anticipated back-up feature that can show up in any Marvel comic at any time, lampooning current events or telling brand-new stories, and always stealing the show.

This second digest collection of Mini-Marvels adventures begins with Giarrusso’s parody of Secret Invasion. The Skrull invasion of Earth goes somewhat differently in this universe, as the Skrulls’ initial attempt to discredit the Fantastic Four doesn’t work as planned. Can even the amazing Super-Skrull turn the tide? And is he really more invisible than the Invisible Girl?

Mark Sumerak handled the writing on the Civil Wards storyline. Fired from the Daily Bugle after Iron Man got him to reveal his identity to the world, Spidey takes a job babysitting the Power Pack kids. The job turns dangerous, however, when he tries to find them a place to play, only to get caught up in a struggle between Iron Man and Captain America over whether kids should have to register to use the playground. The story is a great little parody, and the way Spidey gets his identity back under wraps in this issue is about a thousand and twelve times more logical – and more entertaining – than the way it happened in the real Marvel Universe.

We get a series of shorts by other writers next – a wonderful Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends story by Sean McKeever, a few Hulk/Power Pack gags by Paul Tobin, and the really funny “Green Hulk/Red Hulk/Blue Hulk” pages by Audrey Loeb. All of these have their moments, and fit just fine in Giarusso’s universe.

The next – and most recent – story in the book is “Welcome Back Thor,” a reprint from this week’s Thor #600. Giarusso gives his take on the resurrection of Thor, from the beginning of J. Michael Stracszynski’s run right up to the most recent developments, and he’s funny as heck as he does it. “World War Hulk : The Final Showdown” wraps up that storyline as well. This is the one slightly incongruous bit in the book – the rest of the World War Hulk parody appeared in the first digest, Rock, Paper Scissors. I’m not quite sure why they felt the need to break it up.

The last story in the book is “Hawkeye and the Beanstalk,” a great series of gags that begins with Hawkeye trying to borrow the weapons of his teammates and concludes with him trying to save Earth from the appetite of Galactus! Giarusso’s version of Hawkeye, is enormously entertaining, second only to his Spidey, so it’s great to see him get a starring role.

The digest wraps up with a series of one-page gags and older strips from the original run of this series. There’s a ton of great stuff here, all funny, all sweet, and all a lot of fun. This is that rare comic that kids will read and enjoy, and that adults will read and laugh for a whole different set of reasons. It’s an awesome, awesome series, and I hope Giarusso gets to keep doing it for a very long time.

Rating: 9/10

Thor: Ages of Thunder #1

April 28, 2008

Quick Rating: Average
Title: Ages of Thunder
Rating: T+

Tales of Loki’s betrayal and the Enchantress’s torment!

Writer: Matt Fraction
Pencils: Patrick Zircher & Khari Evans
Inks: Patrick Zircher & Victor Olazaba
Colors: June Chung & Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Warren Simons
Cover Art: Marko Djurdjevic
Publisher: Marvel Comics

I’m not quite sure what to make of this book. It’s a one-shot, but the story is to be continued, but it gives us two stories, but it really just gives us one.

Let me try to explain.

The story begins during the age of the Third Ragnarok (I’m guessing this has something to do with how Asgard used to cycle through Ragnarok over and over before Thor broke the cycle), when a war with the frost giants has left a gaping hole in the walls of Asgard. A mason offers to patch the hole, but at a high price – the Enchantress herself. Loki cooks up a scheme to spare her, but as a deadline for finishing the wall approaches and the wall nears completion, he seeks a way to weasel out.

All in all, this is a decent enough story. The real problem comes in part two, where Matt Fraction tells virtually the same story again. Oh, it’s not building a wall this time, but the broad strokes are identical. At the end, I was left wondering how many people are going to pay for a double-sized issue that repeats itself.

The artwork isn’t bad – Zircher, Evans and Olazaba do a good job illustrating the ancient Norse times, making the book feel much more like a fantasy title than a superhero one, which is what the story calls for.

Not bad, really. The only problem, like I said, is why did I have to read the first story again?

Rating: 5/10

Somebody’s First Comic Book: Avengers (1963 Series) #189

Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!

TITLE: Wings and Arrows

CREDITS:
Writer: Steven Grant (Plot by Grant, Mark Gruenwald & Roger Stern)
Penciller: John Byrne
Inks: Dan Green
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Roger Stern
Publisher: Marvel Comics

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: I recognize Captain America, of course… saw that Thor trailer during the Superbowl. I thought Hawkeye was from MASH, though.

IMPRESSIONS: As this issue starts, the Avengers (seems to be your basic superhero team) is finishing up a mission and an old member, the Falcon, is coming back to re-join the group. But evidently, there’s some government rule that the team can only have seven members, so Hawkeye is getting kicked out.

Most of the book follows the now-unemployed Hawkeye as he attempts to find new employment as head of security for a big corporation, which just happens to be attacked by a supervillain called Deathbird. The fight scene between the two of them is pretty good, actually – a guy with a bow and arrow trying to take down a girl who can fly works out surprisingly well, and the writer gives us a very good feel for just who Hawkeye is.

In fact, even though we don’t see the rest of the team for more than a few pages each, we get to know them all pretty well. Especially Yellowjacket, the Vision, and the Scarlet Witch, all of whom are totally new characters to me. And hey, Iron Man and the Beast are in this too! I thought Beast was one of the X-Men though… anyway, we get a feel for what’s going on in all of their lives, and there are even several footnotes that seem to refer to other stories featuring these characters. Neat feature – the script gives you everything you need to know, but if you want to know more, it tells you where to look. I like that.

This was a pretty cool story. Lots of characters, although there’s really a spotlight on just one. Clearly there’s a lot of history here, but it’s nothing that’s particularly intimidating. I’d definitely read more of these characters.

GRADE: B+

Thor (2007 Series) #1

July 2, 2007

Quick Rating: Average
Rating: T+

The return of the God of Thunder!

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: Olivier Coipel
Inks: Mark Morales
Colors: Laura Martin
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Warren Simons
Cover Art: Olivier Coipel
Publisher: Marvel Comics

When last we saw Thor, he managed to break the endless cycle of Ragnarok, finally allowing his fellow gods and the Golden Realm of Asgard to find piece in death. Then, some months ago, his hammer fell to Earth and was picked up by a mysterious Dr. “D. Blake.” This issue seems to tell us what happened in-between, and… um…

I’m still scratching my head.

Have you ever read a book that seemed to think it was really, really important, but just leaves you wondering what it’s all about? That’s exactly what I got from Thor #1. The mechanism by which Thor was resurrected, frankly, doesn’t make any sense to me, even in terms of comic book logic. A lot of it seems dependent on an assumption about Thor and his alter-ego that, last I checked, was proven untrue many years ago, and that makes it harder to grasp. On the other hand, it may just be a split personality thing, which… still makes it hard to figure out.

Olivier Coipel’s work, fortunately, is really quite good. I really like his redesign of Thor, and he does some nice monsters and fights in here.

I gave the book an “average” rating, but “undecided” would probably be more accurate. This first issue left me confused and unsatisfied, but I’m still willing to pick up another issue or two before I write it off to see if Straczynski can start to make sense out of all this.

Rating: 5/10

Onslaught Reborn #3

March 6, 2007

Quick Rating: Poor
Title: Might Makes Right
Rating: T+

Controlled by Onslaught, Thor battles the Hulk!

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Art: Rob Liefeld
Colors: Matt Yackey
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: John Barber
Cover Art: Rob Liefeld
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Since the last issue of this weekly series came out three months ago, I’ve spent a lot of time pondering why, exactly, Marvel thought this would be a good idea. A belief that sales will justify it is the obvious answer, of course, but when a book is this consistently mediocre, there’s absolutely no logic behind the choice. Here’s the issue in a nutshell: Onslaught possesses Thor. Thor fights the Hulk. Hulk smash. Hawkeye gets a big reveal that makes me curl up into a fetal ball and whisper “Not him, not him, please GOD anybody but HIM…”

This issue is almost entirely fight scene, which I have no objection to in principle. When you write a story like that, though, you need to be sure you’re dealing with an artist whose style can carry a fight scene for that long and keep it exciting. That’s not what we have here. Instead we have a book full of awkward, unrealistic poses, teenage girls with chests that would fit in with the Swiss Alps and the same two facial expressions photocopied onto one head after another.

And the thing is, virtually anybody who remembers the 90s could have told you that’s exactly what you would get from this book before the first issue was even printed.

We expect that from the art, of course, but the writing… well, there have been worse stories, of course, but Jeph Loeb is capable of better. It’s hard to look at this comic and believe this is the same writer who crafted Batman: The Long Halloween. It’s like Shakespeare writing an episode of “Welcome Back, Kotter.” It just ain’t right.

I can’t call this issue disappointing, because that would imply I expected something better… but it’s not worth reading at any rate.

Rating: 2/10

Avengers/JLA #4

April 4, 2004

Review by: Blake M. Petit & Mike D’Alfonso
Quick Rating: Excellent/Excellent
Title: The Brave and the Bold

With Krona amassing enough power to destroy two worlds, the Avengers and the Justice League face off with a legion of villains to save all creation.

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Art: George Perez
Colors: Tom Smith
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Tom Brevoort, Dan Raspler & Mike Carlin
Cover Art: George Perez
Publisher: Marvel Comics & DC Comics

The Avengers and the Justice League have one chance to take down the mad Guardian Krona. Through sifting timestreams and an army of foes, the heroes never yield. Reviewers Blake Petit and Mike D’Alfonso give you their impressions of the final chapter of this crossover event.

MIKE: Well ladies and gents, we have the grand finale of the DC/Marvel intercompany crossover, starring the premiere teams of both universes respectively and I think that after a few months delay, it was well worth the wait.

BLAKE: More than worth it, I’d say. Busiek and Perez have woven an incredible story that really lives up to the 20 years it took to get on the page.

MIKE: I have to hand it to Kurt Busiek, he certainly did his homework when it came to researching the history of the principal cast in this story. When I read issue number three a few months back, he touched base on the pivotal moments of all the main characters. I was almost afraid that Busiek would never be able to top it. It would seem my fears have disappeared, when the book further delves into the heart of the conflict both between the two teams and the crisis that is presented before them.

BLAKE: In fact, if there’s any strike against this issue, it’s that it may be TOO continuity heavy. With timeline shifts hitting the heroes, changing out players and turning heroes into different incarnations of themselves, people without an in-depth knowledge of the teams may be at a loss Still, since these crossovers are done mainly for the die-hard fans, that shouldn’t be too big an obstacle.

MIKE: I would have to agree with you on that, but I think that it is somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of things. For example: Captain America and Superman are seen as revered iconic figures in both their universes respectively. The only difference is that Captain America has years of experience both as a hero and a soldier. He has guided men of humanistic and godlike qualities alike, without very much hesitation.

BLAKE: Oh, of course. In fact, I thought one of the best things about this issue is how Busiek didn’t shy away from crowning certain heroes the best in certain things. Superman immediately defers to Captain America as the leader, Cap recognizes Superman as being the most powerful. A lot of crossovers dance around that sort of thing for fear of alienating some fans, but Busiek took it head on and settled the debates.

MIKE: I really don’t know if anybody has noticed this but, the current title holders of the Green Lantern and Flash legacies did not appear for most of this crossover. I really think that the inclusion of Barry Allen (Flash II) and Hal Jordan (Green Lantern II) was only because they were supposed to be in the original crossover that was supposed to be released over 20 years ago.

BLAKE: Well, no, Kyle Rayner and Wally West were featured in the first two issues. I think the reason Busiek brought in Hal and Barry once the timelines started to fall apart was because — regardless of your opinions of the current GL and Flashes, Hal and Barry in their primes were easily the most heroic.

MIKE: Well that’s true. I have to admit that I did like the shared moments between all the heroes before the final battle actually begun. This was around the time they realized that separate tragedies have befallen each of them in their personal lives. Out of all the people who had not taken to the sudden impact, Vision seemed to emote a lot of turmoil. Considering that he is an android, it is very ironic that anything that could be viewed as a cold calculating machine would seem more human than his contemporaries (Well he does have the brain engrams of Wonder Man).

BLAKE: Not to mention the impact on Hal and Barry, both of whom knew full well that in saving the universe they were condeming themselves to death and, in Hal’s case, madness. I thought Busiek handled the scenes with those two especially well.

MIKE: In the respect of Barry Allen, there were some scenes in this book that is very reminicent of his final fate in the Crisis maxi series.

BLAKE: Which, of course, George Perez also got to draw, giving the book some poetic symmetry.

MIKE: I really think that George Perez is the undisputed king when it comes to cramming as many characters in a single book as possible. If I’m not mistaken, just about every person that has been affiliated with both teams make an appearance in this book.

BLAKE: Well, he did get literally every character in the team’s histories onto the cover of issue #3 — no one else could do that. I think that may have been one of the reasons they went with the shifting timelines as well — to make sure they could represent as many characters as possible. And Perez did them all beautifully, even the dreaded Electric Blue Superman.

MIKE: Perez could have also taken the easy way out by presenting just the prominant members of each team and leave the obscure characters out of it all together. Fans of Perez know that he would go 120% to please the masses. With any character both popular and obscure, Perez has captured the visual aspect of each character from various timepoints, with very sharp accuracy. I really thought it was a kick to see the Great Lakes Avengers and Animal Man.

BLAKE: And here I thought I was the only one who remembered the Great Lakes Avengers.

One can’t discount the contributions of Tom Smith on colors either. Perez’s artwork is beautiful, but without great colors to pull the images off the page, it wouldn’t have mattered. A lesser colorist would have muddied this book up. Smith stepped up and made it beautiful.

MIKE: These fine collaborators, as well as the technology to enhance the richness of the art clearly defines the magnitude of what is to be expected of a mini series of this caliber. Anything less would have been a sheer blow to both companies if it went south. I had the utmost confidence that all would go well and I think it did.

BLAKE: This is a book that has suffered from 20 years of hype. I know there are people who were disappointed in it — I honestly believe that in most of those cases it was because they had built it up in their minds to be something it could never possibly have lived up to. People who wanted a fun story featuring lots of heroes, lots of action and great characterization and artwork couldn’t be disappointed.

MIKE: I think that you could use movies as an analogy in this instance. If the advertising over-emphasizes the product that a movie studio is trying to sell, it could be a hit or miss no matter what. I think that if it was announced in another fashion rather than plastering it throughout both publishers and comic guides alike, we would here a different tune.

BLAKE: I think that’s a problem with comics in general these days, actually, but that’s another topic entirely.

MIKE: Well all in all, I think that people want a general consensus of how I felt about this issue as well as the overall mini. I would honestly say that it has filled my expectations as both a fan, and an avid reader of various forms of sequential literature. I admit that there were times where I thought that Busiek and Perez would muck up the characterization and visuals of the numerous characters that appeared. However I think that these two individuals pulled together a story that is valid and not a throw away story just to rake in some extra dollars.

BLAKE: I couldn’t agree more. For a book so long in the making, this miniseries delivered for me, and I’ll put it on my shelf right next to the Crisis itself.

Blake’s Rating: 10/10

Mike’s Rating: 10/10

Onslaught Reborn #2

December 26, 2006

Quick Rating: Below Average
Title: Born to Die!
Rating: T+

Franklin tries to convince the heroes about the truth of their reality.

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Art: Rob Liefeld
Colors: Matt Yackey
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: John Barber
Cover Art: Rob Liefeld
Publisher: Marvel Comics

So Onslaught (apparently he’s “Death” now) has arrived on the Heroes Reborn Earth. So has Franklin Richards, who created said Earth. But the heroes of this world, who are ostensibly the heroes of OUR Earth transplanted and transformed, don’t believe him. Of course, if they ARE the heroes of our Earth, how did they get back there, since they got sent home ten years ago when this story first ended? And why isn’t anyone (and by “anyone” I mean “Bucky”) acting as if they ever left? And if they got sent BACK from our Earth, how does that work in current continuity, with Thor currently “dead” (ish) and the Hulk off on some other planet?

The logical problems alone with this series are enough to give even the most dedicated fan a massive headache, and the execution honestly doesn’t help matters. The only bright spot in the writing is Jeph Loeb’s characterization of Captain America. The story is pretty painful, but he’s got that character, at least, spot-on… enough that I’d like to see him get his hands on Cap on a regular basis in the future.

And the artwork… ugh. Criticizing Rob Liefeld’s artwork is like fishing in an aquarium with sticks of dynamite, but I’ll give it a shot. Everything you’ve ever heard about awkward poses, impossible anatomy, hideous costumes (particularly on Hawkeye and Thor) and a cast of a dozen characters who display a combined total of three facial expressions throughout the entire issue… well, it all applies here.

So far, all this miniseries is doing is confirming the fears of those who thought putting it out at all was a mistake.

Rating: 3/10