Andy Bentley's Comic Reviews

Reviewer For: IGN Reviews: 25
7.5Avg. Review Rating

Sweet Tooth is a great read, albeit a quick one. I found, like many titles, that the story was more satisfying in a complete arc. Once I finished issue six, I found myself lamenting the fact that issue seven was a month away. That only means Jeff Lemire is doing his job well.

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Sweet Tooth asks a lot of tough questions about the nature of life and the role humans have played on this planet. These themes have been raised before in countless films, but only in a Vertigo comic could Lemire present the more fantastical elements (like a boy with antlers) and make them believable. The human animal hybrids make us question our superiority as a race and our definition of intelligent life. Lemire's creation is a challenging series that pushes the medium forward.

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As Bryan Joel mentioned in issue three's review, this mini-series was a bit of a mystery and I approached it with some trepidation. Marvel has been mining their WWII characters fairly extensively over this past year and most readers know the outcome of the Golden Age. Brubaker and Epting have instead given us half of an excellent character piece focusing on the unsung heroes from this era. I look forward to the series' second half.

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Although Remender has crafted a fine crime noir, it's the socio-political aspect that won me over. I hope he continues to explore the impact of America's political activities and provide enough twists and turns to counteract the implied bleak ending offered up on the opening page.

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Ultimate Spider-man remains a perfect gateway into modern comics. I think the genre is probably the best fit for Bendis' dialog and the stories are fun, exciting, and easily accessible. Even though the Ultimate Universe has become a bit of a relic, the Spider-Man stories are still a breath of fresh air.

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If you tried CNV last month and were so-so on it, I urge you to give it another try. The follow-up avoids the confusion of the first issue, telling a straightforward, entertaining tale with fun characters and dynamic art. Kudos to Image for giving this title a shot.

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N. shares a lot of elements with the hit television show LOST, which makes sense considering that the writers are huge Stephen King fans. King, via Guggenheim, taps into our nature to seek answers to the unexplained while also exploring our inherent fear of mental illness. Whether you check out the original novel, the webisodes, or this comic adaptation, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

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As evident by the letters column in the back, this current run on the Fantastic Four has polarized comic readers. Some find Hickman's scripting obtuse and disconcerting. Many comic readers continue to read titles because they find the familiarity comforting. I am firmly in the other camp. I like writers like Hickman, Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison - anyone who tries to push the medium forward. I think the final fan letter sums it up best: "It dares to be big and small, epic and quiet, and we are all the better for it!"

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After a shaky start, this middle issue featured a lot of action combines with some great dialog. I'd ultimately like to see less action and a focus more on the title characters as the arc draws to a close. If DC decides to make this crossover an annual event ala JLA and JSA, I'm totally on board - as long as it's Simone and Ostrander.

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Instead of a Legion of Superheroes backup, extra pages were added to help Johns wrap up his five-part story arc. Next issue will feature the Legion of Superheroes as the major story with longtime Legion writer Paul Levitz at the helm. If you're a Conner Kent fan, don't worry. He should appear soon enough in either Teen Titans or one of the Superman titles. And, hopefully, he'll appear under the advisement of his caretaker, Geoff Johns.

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There is no way to fully replicate The Muppet Show in comic book form, but Langridge and Paroline provide a story that could be filmed as a lost episode of the show. The title is a solid buy for the true fans of Jim Henson and his work and for younger readers who may just be discovering the show.

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This particular issue was enjoyable but a bit on the light side. However I know Usagi has had more epic adventures in the past that I might find more satisfying. The most rewarding part of picking up the book was venturing into unknown territory and cleansing my palette of the myriad of superhero titles I have become so familiar with. So if you have a title you've been putting off for awhile, give it a try. Chances are you'll enjoy it.

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The writers of this book are solid and exciting storytellers as all of you Fables readers already know. "The Bad Seed" has been a solid story, but there hasn't been any great or defining moments. Now that the large task of splitting the team into two has been addressed, the JSA should hopefully return to a satisfying and balanced mix of character depth and intense action.

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Obviously this series has a lot of back story, but the story arcs are relatively easy enough to jump into. Twilight is probably the first arc of the series I was a bit underwhelmed by, but with Whedon's final act rapidly approaching, I'm on board for the rest of the "season."

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The story of a rookie Green Hornet in modern times is a good fit for Smith's writing and will hopefully reinvigorate the character. However, the fourteen (!) variant covers and four ancillary titles advertised within this issue are cause for alarm. If anything, the series will be an interesting companion piece to the feature film to be released later this year.

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Perhaps it is unfair for me to compare Alias to Spider-Woman, but Bendis evokes it by choosing his to write his muse. We've established Jessica Jones is a superhero with a complicated past living in a morally ambiguous city. Now let's move things forward.

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All of this simply makes one wonder if this series will be able to maintain a consistent identity throughout these transitions. We've seen numerous examples of books falling by the wayside as readers stop trying to figure out what the book is and move on to more solidified offerings. I'd hate for the same to happen to Adventure Comics. It had a really strong beginning, one that deserves to be upheld.

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The backup feature continues Manhunter's, (Kate Spencer's) attempt to bring down Two-Face (Harvey Dent) for the murder of the former Gotham District Attorney. The most entertaining scene in this portion of the story involved the opening hearing between Spencer and Two-Face who has elected to represent himself. Two-Face is most interesting when he's interpreted as an actual dual personality with the good natured Harvey Dent side still intact. When Dent uses some legal maneuvers to obfuscate Kate's case, you're reminded of the tenacious attorney Dent originally was. However, the following scenes left me at a loss. Kate comes home to find a handwritten note by her young son, Ramsey, indicating he has left (with his dog) to find and help his mother in Gotham. Instead of rushing out to find him, Kate goes to the hospital to secure Cameron Chase as a witness! I understand Kate is an independent woman who has some emotional issues, but her small child is out in the world alone. Hopefully this

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The issue had all the ingredients I loved from the last issue, but the proportion and preparation were off. The fourth issue should bring the conflict between Ghislain and Blaq to a head and also delve further into Duncan's state of mind. Cowboy Ninja Viking should never take itself too seriously, but it's time to push the premise forward.

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The art team of Mark Brooks, Walden Wong and Emily Warren do a fine job illustrating this tale. Their combined work comes together seamlessly and is reminiscent of mid 80's japanese animation. Environments are fully realized and Cloaks shadow powers are cosmically spooky. I'd love to see these artists in future books.

A twenty two page one shot is a tough sell in this era of comics and this creative team pulls it off. Moore paced the story well, avoided cliche' dialog, and offered up several quick info dumps on characters to bring the reader up to speed. Cloak and Dagger are second tier characters in the Marvel U and these type of brief appearances fit them well. The book doesn't break new ground, but it could be another person's introduction to these characters.

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There is a very good chance that The Light could turn out to be a solid story. In the next four issues, the connection between Edmonson's written piece may come into focus and the story and characters will crescendo into a sight to behold. The problem is that comic readers are stingy and superstitious lot, so a first issue must reveal what will make a series great. The Light has a decent premise, but I'm still not drawn towards it.

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So how could Boom! get me to return to the Wall-E comic? By giving me enough bang for my buck. I'd continue to by this title either at a lower price point or by increasing the page count. Additionally, I'd really enjoy an anthology style book where various artists and writers could offer their unique take on the character. The creators should be allowed to tell stories from different times and areas of the Wall-E universe perhaps a story about EVE's early days or a story aboard the Axiom before Wall-E's arrival. Although I was unsatisfied, this is ultimately a Boom! Kids title. An younger reader who had this title bought for them may find it much more enjoyable. For me, I'll just pop in my Wall-E Blu Ray.

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Green Hornet: Year One could very well go on to provide ample motivation for the character's war on crime and chronicle the struggle to become established vigilantes, but it isn't in the first issue. Unfortunately, this trend of opening issues providing only setup has become quite common in modern comic book storytelling. Dynamite Entertainment has yet to prove to me that they have anything interesting to add to the Green Hornet mythos. Perhaps I'll save my money and go see the new Green Hornet movie instead.

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The problem here is that there aren't any future issues of Catwoman, or any of these resurrected books, planned for the future. That means that there has to be a complete story that resolves by the final page. J. Michael Straczynski is doing an excellent job of this in the pages of The Brave and the Bold. If that can't be accomplished, readers at least deserve a palpable connection to the Blackest Night event. This is why the Atom/Hawkman title written by Blackest Night creator Geoff Johns will no doubt be the winner among these books.

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I'd like to say Origin serves a purpose for novice comic book fans, but the monthly Avengers titles are relaunched so often that readers can get situated easily. I think the book could have been fun as a 48 page one-shot with Casey channeling his inner Grant Morrison. But as it stands now, its a slow retread of a story which has been recently retold in bolder and better ways.

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