Asaph Bitner Comic Reviews

"'68 Rule Of War #3″ is a book with a good premise that's well realized. At its best it's engaging and dramatic, telling a story that's a unique mash-up of genres. Sadly, the multiple storylines are uneven in quality, making for a book that doesn't rise as high as it probably could.

"Action Comics #32″ is a fairly standard tale of a superhero losing control, with a few interesting character dynamics thrown in. While the former doesn't necessarily inspire confidence in this new story arc, the latter keeps me interested in where this might go.

"Alex + Ada #6" is a great exploration of how a machine might start develop into a person. The growing relationship between Alex and Ada feels realistic and yet special, in this series' fantastically realized "ordinary" science-fiction universe.

The only truly "big" thing about it is the page count, and the reason it's a #1 is because Marvel wanted it to be so. This could just as easily be "Superior Spider-Man #32". However, on its own merits this is a good issue, with good promise.

"Amazing Spider-Man #2″ is quick and fairly entertaining, with likable characters and a continued story that long-time readers of Superior Spider-Man still have reason to be invested in. The issue's flaw seems to be the attempt at juggling many story-lines, and the result makes none of them as strong as they could be.

"Black Science #6″ is flawed, but the complex characters and bold story choices make up for its shortcomings, leaving readers with an ending they'll be pondering until issue #7 comes out in July.

"Chew #41″ is a somewhat mundane issue, with only minor progress in the large-scale plot, but even mundane issues of Chew are worth your while.

"Chew/Revival #1″ is a book that bucks the traditional route of a comic book crossover by giving two separate stories by Chew and Revival's creative teams. Each incorporates characters and story elements from the other's book in order to put an interesting twist on their own story. The result is a book that will surely delight Chew fans, will be accessible to new readers of Revival, and will perhaps encourage people to pick up these two series individually.

"Clive Barker's Nightbreed #1″ tells two interesting horror stories that happen in two interesting time periods. It doesn't feel like anything extraordinary yet, but it does leave readers interested in what's going to happen next.

"Daredevil #1″ is a great first issue for veteran daredevil fans and quite a good first issue for new fans. If you want to start here, you'll be able to, but I would suggest that you read the previous volume first; not only will it add to your enjoyment of this first issue, but it will create enjoyment on its own (it's a great run)!

"Daredevil #2″ was a fun issue, filled with the standard high level of writing ant artwork we've come to expect from Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. Samnee often manages to excel in small ways that show his great skill, such as the way he portrays Daredevil and The Shroud's different "radar senses". Overall, this was another pretty great issue, with a cliffhanger that leaves us curious and eager.

"Daredevil #3″ was a standard issue of the series, which is to say it was pretty great. Mark Waid's writing and Chris Samnee's art were on point here, as Matt tried to tackle an old villain who might be more formidable that his laughing response in issue #2 indicated.

"Daredevil #4″ brings a few hints for the future, and shows that The Shroud could be a very cool reborn character. It also has a few notable missteps, with timing and emotional responses that don't feel very appropriate.

"Detective Comics #31" is a good, engaging issue of this crime-mystery arc, which keeps the Batman sharp and tempered. The setting of Gotham is well-established, with the art giving us a different feel than the usual dark depiction of Bruce Wayne's home city. As Batman gets closer to the truth, so do we, with a good balance of revelations and hidden information keeping us interested but not frustrated.

"Harbinger #23″ has very good action, deep and interesting characterization, and a well-conceived plot. And yes, as Valiant pointed out, the death of a Renegade. This issue, however, is worth reading not because of a cheap gimmick like the death of a character; rather, its worth reading on its own merits, one of them being that Harbinger is a series where the death of a character isn't really just a cheap gimmick.

"Hulk #2″ has an interesting idea at its core, but so far the book's story and characters aren't developed or compelling enough.

"Hulk #3″ gets just a little bit right, but the rest needs to improve. Somewhere in this book is a good story, but so far it hasn't come out to play.

"Littlest Pet Shop" is a surprisingly good book. I'm not familiar with the Hasbro toy brand much, but this story was still accessible to me. When toy franchises take on comic book adaptations it has the potential to be great, and it has the potential to be a terrible book that feels like a money-grab and nothing more. I can happily say that "Littlest Pet Shop #1″ leans much more toward the "great" side of things. If you have a young child relative, this book is a good choice to read to/with them. It'll bring a smile to their face, and surprisingly, probably to yours as well.

"The Field #3″ is an encouraging issue, showing readers that sometimes mysteries (even outlandish ones) can still have satisfying answers. If you're not reading this hidden gem of a comic, you're missing out.

"Moon Knight #3″ delivers good action, as Marc Spector brings peace to troubled citizens and troubled souls alike. While not giving us much character or story depth, this simple story is told very well, with Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey showing us what Moon Knight can do, while subtly but powerfully conveying emotion and environment.

"Nailbiter #2″ is a solid follow-up to the series's good first issue. The characters are slowly but surely developing, and the progression of the story gives us a good mix of questions and answers, with multiple small mysteries to keep us guessing.

"Quantum And Woody #11″ is another solid issue of one of the funniest, wittiest comic books on the stands. The carousel of artists is a bit of a downer, but James Asmus' humor and character work shine through.

Real Heroesis a comic book with a big premise, and treated correctly it just might produce a great series. But as of "Real Heroes #2″, the characters are annoying, the dialogue feels strange and forced, and the story doesn't seem to be leading us anywhere that makes sense.

"Saga #18″ wasn't one of the series' best, with some noticeable holes in the plot. Still, even in its weaker issues Saga maintains quality storytelling, characters and artwork. It also gives readers the usual combination of feeling satisfied, yet wanting more.

"Star Mage #2″ is a slightly flawed, but overall enjoyable sci-fi/fantasy tale for kids, with a good, relatable lead character. JC De La Torre's confidence in his grasp of the story is encouraging, and hopefully will allow him to give Franco Cespedes more interesting and challenging work in the issues to come.

"Starlight #3″ gives us Duke's return to the planet he once saved, making us wonder if he can live up to his own legend after all this time has passed. Can the old man come back from retirement and make a successful run at the title?

"Superior Spider-Man #31″ gave us some good, satisfying moments. It set up some interesting story elements for the future, but seemed to only give closure to some storylines of the present while neglecting others. The main story had Spider-Man's past with the Green Goblin giving the story more weight. While not totally satisfying, this finale gave a mostly proper conclusion to Superior Spider-Man, along with a look toward the future.

"The Walking Dead #127″ gave us a truly new beginning, with a time jump that gives Kirkman's heroes a new little world to protect, and probably a new set of unforeseen troubles.P.S. It was nice to see Carl refer to Andrea as "Mom".P.P.S. You thought Jesus couldn't really be more of a badass? Well, here's Jesus in Samurai armor.

"The Walking Dead #128″ gives us a further glimpse into Rick Grimes' grand new society, and also provides us a fair dose of suspicion regarding the parts of the story that aren't being told. I do hope that a goal is set for these characters soon, since my personal investment in seeing the day-to-day goings-on of a doomed world are limited. So far, however, I'm still enjoying the post-time jump story.