Christian Kern's Comic Reviews

Reviewer For: PopCultHQ Reviews: 29
6.9Avg. Review Rating

7
Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #1

Jul 11, 2018

I love this book"but"UGH! Volume 5! Another volume. I'm not a fan of this rebooting a series and starting the issue numbers over at 1. It becomes irksome. Especially for those of us who have collections that reach back deep in the annals of time. Agreed though, Marvel has never been the easiest when it comes to numbering series or having series change titles while keeping the same numerical count. The whole Marvel Fresh Start has left a bad taste in my mouth. Is this enough to kill my overall thoughts of the book? Not really, it reflects more on Marvel Editorial's arm than on the writer and artist of the book. This book is worth your coin and attention this week.

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7
Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #2

Jul 25, 2018

So far I'm loving Amazing Spider-Man, like last issue it truly is a breath of fresh air. It's not to say Dan Slott was a bad writer, just when you're at the helm of a book which focuses on one character for ten years, things can become a bit stagnant. This is why I feel Superior Spider-Man was so good; while it was Peter's body, it was also Doctor Octopus inside Peter's body, hence a new character and a whole new way of portraying Spider-Man which was different from the norm of the book.

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8
Avengers (2018) #5

Jul 18, 2018

Jason Aaron is a fantastic writer. For myself, it's usually his dialogue which works wonders in his books. He never comes onto a book without a plan. Such as I stated earlier, he took on Thor for various titles and each one built upon the next with a beginning, middle, and an end in which we have not quite reached yet. He also likes to play with past, present and future of his characters. This is apparent as his use of King Thor in his work on Mighty Thor and the use of the Prehistoric Avengers in the flashbacks throughout his current Avengers run.

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9
Britannia (2016): Lost Eagles of Rome #1

Jul 10, 2018

This series delivers! If you like mystery and a bit of Cthulhu-style investigative horror, then this book is for you! Again, Milligan has crafted a great ancient parallel to Sherlock Holmes, which is fantastic! In today's age with the BBC's Sherlock and America's Elementary,the tale of a modern-day Holmes was becoming rather boring. So here you have Antonius Axia is Sherlock Holmes, Bran is his Doctor Watson and Achillia is very much the Britannia version of Irene Adler. What is even more compelling is Emperor Nero serves as an amalgam of two Holmes characters. One would be Mycroft Holmes, as Nero is constantly assigning orders and missions/"cases", to Antonius while he acts as a sort of Professor Moriarty, always making moves which can make both life and the solving of a mystery hard for Axia. All these aspects make Britannia a cake of excellence and Lost Eagles of Rome is yet another slice of that cake.

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5
Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) #1

Jul 4, 2018

It's interesting. I know Cosmic Ghost Rider gained popularity and became a thing during the whole Marvel Legacy 'Thanos Wins' story arc in the Thanos book. Some of those issues saw multiple printings galore. I was never a huge fan of future characters like this set in a definitive, or what is meant to be a definitive, future (for now). But there are some exceptions; I enjoy Spider-Man 2099, and Doom 2099 wasn't bad back in the day. This isn't half bad either. I can see where people actually thought Cosmic Ghost Rider may have been Deadpool back in the beginning of Thanos Wins. The Ghost Rider persona has almost zero Frank Castle/Punisher in him. However, he remains an interesting enough character for me to care enough to turn the page.

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6
Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) #2

Aug 1, 2018

It was hilarious enough in the first issue to bring me back for more. Now it just got down right peculiar and I'll be back for the 3rd issue for sure. It's a cosmic odyssey of the Marvel Universe, but done Deadpool-style and without Deadpool for once. Least I hope he doesn't show up in one of these issues before the end of the series. But yeah, I had fun with this issue.

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7
Death Of The Inhumans #2

Aug 1, 2018

It's an end. Perhaps not the most befitting end, but really, who ever stays dead in the Marvel Universe? Black Bolt may not even be dead. Perhaps Vox didn't cut deep enough? Perhaps he is saved in the end? Perhaps some MacGuffin comes down from the Heavens and stops this "join us or die" genocidal attitude? The point is, it's a swan song but maybe not the best befitting characters of this age. Having been around since Fantastic Four #45, one would imagine perhaps Marvel could have waited for the Fantastic Four to return to the Marvel Universe and include them, thus making the life of the Inhumans seem full circle.

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10
Fantastic Four (2018) #1

Aug 8, 2018

I loved it! I didn't think I would. It starts off incredibly boring, cramming as many cameos as possible of previous Fantastic Four members, from Wyatt Wingfoot to Medusa, and Crystal to Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk), and even Luke Cage. The story does pick up for me when Ben asks Alicia to marry him. Showing once again that Slott is not afraid of married main characters or marriages in general. The dichotomy between Ben and Johnny is amazing. For the time being, the two both know that Reed and Sue are gone for good and more than likely dead, even after their own personal search across the multiverse yielded nothing. Ben has come to accept it and moved on to a mourning stage for his best friend and his would-be sister. Johnny, however, has not accepted they are gone.

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9
Immortal Hulk #2

Jul 4, 2018

I know I look forward to more issues of Immortal Hulk (although I wish we'd simply get "Incredible Hulk" back as the title) by Al Ewing. It very likely could be Mr. Ewing will become the next Peter David if he can keep this atomosphere up.

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7
Immortal Hulk #3

Jul 18, 2018

What can I say? I loved it! Three issues in and The Immortal Hulk has not failed me. I still wish it was called 'The Incredible Hulk' but at least it carries the Legacy Number for the Incredible Hulk, as well as the numbering for Immortal Hulk (although I wonder just how long that will remain?). I think Al Ewing has a fantastic grasp on this character!

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7
Immortal Hulk #4

Aug 1, 2018

Again, simply a book worth following. It has the flavor of the classic Hulk, it has a nod to television in a sense. Al Ewing knows his Incredible Hulk history and he completely utilizes, as well as taking some inspiration from crazy places one would never imagine"but hey, it works! Just like he did for issue two.

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8
Infinity Wars (2018) #1

Aug 1, 2018

For a starting series it quasi-lends itself well. I've been following all this Infinity Stone build up since the Marvel Legacy One-Shot a year ago, so it's been fairly easy to understand what's happening. But aside from Gamora's backstory and just how everyone ended up with an Infinity Stone"Turk? Again, really? You may want to go back into the back issue bins before picking this book up.

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10
Justice League Dark (2018) #1

Jul 26, 2018

This book was fun! It was creepy and it was full of cameos galore! If you can think of someone in the magical spectrum of the DC Universe, then they were likely in this book. My money's worth was when John Constantine tells Zatanna he can't attend the meeting because Baron Winters won't let him in his house again after he made several people burst into flames. Which is a direct reference to "Crisis on Infinite Earths" from the pages of Swamp Thing.

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7
Marvel Rising: Squirrel Girl/Ms. Marvel #1

Jul 4, 2018

I tried. I tried to be impartial and I just couldn't, but I can honestly walk away from this by saying something nice.

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8
Mr. and Mrs. X #1

Jul 25, 2018

I'm not sure if this is a miniseries or not, but if not, I cannot imagine it going on forever. Now with that said, it's the start of a fantastic story and series! It was fun. I love married couples in comics; Peter and MJ, Lois and Clark, even the brief time they shipped Batman and Wonder Woman in the Joe Kelly run of JLA in the 90s. I've also always enjoyed Kelly Thompson's humor. Like with her Jem series, she can appreciate and have fun with the subject matter, yet respecting and making sure to keep to the core of what she's working with. NOT once do Gambit and Rogue not seem like their original selves, which I have grown up with since I was a child; since first seeing her in Avengers Annual 10 and he in Uncanny X-Men 266.

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9
Punisher (2016) #228

Jul 25, 2018

FANTASTIC! This issue really was a great read. It was fun, which is what comic books should be. The entire arc from start to finish is amazing. See, I was never one of the people who lost their shit over the whole Hydra Captain America incident, especially since it was explained with complete transparancy after the announcement. What Rosenberg has given us here is a form of epilouge/sequel to Secret Empire. Answering the question, what has happened to the Sumpreem Commander since we know he still exists in the Marvel Universe? I also truly enjoy armored charcters; Iron Man, X-O Manowar, Prototype, and The Guyver, to name a few. So when you throw the Punisher into a suit of armor, I'm going to be all over that.

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7
Rick and Morty (2015) #40

Jul 24, 2018

As the first real Rick and Morty issue I read cover-to-cover, and not simply glanced at, I felt it was fun. It captures the spirit of the series down to a tee. When the words and the art are spot-on, you have a fantastic story that feels like you're reading Rick and Morty. I won't lie, I read their dialogue in my head in their voices.

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4
Sentry (2018) #1

Jun 27, 2018

This is a hard one. Would I recommend The Sentry? It's hard to say, I'm a bit biased, although I came into this project with no expectations and pushed my dislike for the Marvel Superman aside. The first issue is not newbie-friendly; the series is one that comes with heavy baggage. For current fans of the character who want to know what became of their favorite hero after the events of The Seige, then this is your oasis, this is the book for you. People who want to get to know the Sentry, this book is NOT for you. NOT until you've done some reference and research.

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9
Sentry (2018) #2

Jul 25, 2018

I liked it. I'm willing to check out issue 3, if only so I can find out who Cranio might be. It's obvious Billy knew who his real world counterpart was. As I understand it, each of the characters in Bob's make-believe Sentry world were based on real people in the real world. Billy was actually once Scout, while Jenny was actually Sentress. The issue answers some of the questions from the first issue but also gives us way more to ponder, such as Billy, given his somewhat venomous attitude in issue 1. I can see where he would be the one who is plotting against Bob Reynolds. All he wants is to matter again, missing his one arm can't be helping matters for him, and seeing Bob run to the real heroes like Doctor Strange and Iron Man over him has to hurt.

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3
Spawn #288

Aug 1, 2018

Unless you already read Spawn and are a fan for some reason of this character, there is nothing in this book. It's not newbie-friendly, it's not exciting. It's darker than a Warner Bros. DC film in a bad way. I couldn't recommend this series to anyone who didn't already A) like Spawn, or B) appreciate McFarlane and everything he does

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1
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Adaptation #5

Aug 3, 2018

Waste of time, save your money. It's not like back in the 80s when comics were 55 and 60 cents. For the price a new book today, keep your money, buy the DVD. Usually the attractions to a comic adaption is for added material that maybe didn't make it into the film or a writer's own spin on something. The Dark Horse Comics adaptions of the Star Wars prequels are actually better than the films.

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5
Superman (2018) #1

Jul 11, 2018

Just once I want someone on a Superman book who doesn't want to try and outdo John Byrne. If he doesn't, then why all these drastic changes that seem at the core so superfluous at best? Time will only tell with this book and the whole world will be watching!

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8
The Life Of Captain Marvel #1

Jul 18, 2018

As much as I haven't enjoyed Carol Danvers since her assuming the mantle of Captain Marvel, this book was really enjoyable. It's nice to read true origin stories for established characters. Sure, we know Captain Marvel's origin, but do we truly know Carol's origin? What makes Carol tick? I feel through this I may be able to understand Carol Danvers a lot better and perhaps understand these choices she has made in the last couple of years through a different set of eyes. Sure, these characters are fictional, but when you spend your entire life reading their adventures, you can't help but think of them as old friends and it's fun learning new things about old friends. Margaret Stohl is crafting a story about emotional pain, regret, baggage, and most of all a story about family. These are all concepts we can relate to. Heavy concepts which Stohl grounds within the fictional comic book world. Certainly a great combination of real life concepts and comic book action.

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6
Weapon H #5

Jul 18, 2018

While the issue itself is nothing to write home about, the overall story is well worth your time and investment. As we see in the final two pages, there are some heavy Lovecraft themes with Roxxon and I love anything Lovecraftian. Unspeakable horrors from another dimension whose sole purpose is to destroy every living thing on the planet Earth makes one wonder if Weapon H can stay sane?

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4
Weapon X (2017) #21

Aug 1, 2018

I don't usually feel this book when I read it. I either pick it up because it ties into something I do read (such as with Totally Awesome Hulk and the "Mutants of Mass Destruction" arc, which indeed gave us Weapon H). Same reason why I followed the book beyond that with the "Hunt for Weapon H" arc. Perhaps with Omega Red as a regular series member of the Weapon X-Force team, I might be a bit more inclined to take a peek every issue.

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8
X-23 (2018) #1

Jul 11, 2018

I'd like to see Lara go the distance again as she did in her All-New Wolverine book. However, it's too early to tell. Usually with a new series, longevity is determined by the 5th or 6th issue solicitation orders from Diamond. Usually by then, Marvel and DC decide if a new series is worth pursuing. More than enough time for a comic to pick up with the reader market. The book is indeed worth your time and hard-earned coin.

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8
X-23 (2018) #2

Jul 25, 2018

So far this story, 'Two Birthdays and Three Funerals,' has been about moving forward and not looking back. That's what the Cuckoos are doing and that's what Laura is doing, which is why she doesn't dwell on her birthday (unlike Gabby). In all of this, there is a muted kinship shared between Gabby and Mindee. One that I hope is explored further in-depth in the series.

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7
X-Men: Gold (2017) #33

Aug 2, 2018

I think this is going to be a deeper story. One where I hope Storm sees the problems with being a careless Goddess. I hope that this story delves deeper into what it's like to be Storm, to be revered like a Goddess.

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5
Youngblood (2017) #11

May 7, 2018

On its own, Youngblood #11 isn't a book you want to rush out and buy before it vanishes. It's a comic issue, it tells a story from page 1 to page 32. However, itis a story which is a part of a greater whole. The pacing is well-done and itdoesn't drag its feet. Not a dramatic page turner, mind you, but it does make me want to move forward without making it feel like a job to read it cover to cover. The dialog is what gets me, the inter-character relations; unlike past Youngblood series I can actually believe that Chad Bower's characters are real, they speak like real people. If you were a fan of the earlier Youngblood stuff then you'll eat this up as the world is no different than what we were once use too.

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