Eric "djotaku" Mesa Comic Reviews

Unlike Red Hood and the Outlaws, this issue doesn't explicitly tie in with Night of the Owls. In fact, the only way I can meaningfully see it tying in with Night of the Owls is that the group they're trying to infiltrate will end up being part of the Court. Of course, Hex is in New Orleans right now so unless the Owls are all over the US or later moved to Gotham, it seems like it may be a bit of a stretch. However, I'm not too bothered because I had fun with this issue. In fact, I'm currently debating whether to add it to my pull list or just collect the trades. Either way, while this isn't the perfect issue for jumping on to the book, it's not a bad one either.

When I first jumped onto ASM after a decades-long hiatus, Dan Slott was in a bit of a funk, but I have been enjoying nearly every issue starting with Spider-Island. You can't go wrong picking up this issue and following this story arc.

I think this arc has proven that Dan Slott is pretty darned good at writing Spider-Man. There have been some critics - particularly of the way Spider-Man reacts at the end of this issue, but that aside, he's doing a great job. I'm really looking forward to his new arc. One of the things he's doing so well is planting the seeds for the n+1 arc during the break issues. During the last issue where we were between arcs he showed that Morbius was experimenting on The Lizard and I think that's the arc coming up next. This continues to be a fun read and I think you should pick it up (but the next issues's probably going to be better for that than this one).

It's a great time to jump into The Amazing Spider-Man. With this new story arc you can be in on the ground floor of new developments as Dan Slott works us towards the huge surprise planned for issue #700.

Overall, this arc seems to have a lot less direction than Ends of the Earth. Based on my last year of reading ASM, it appears that Dan Slott does a much better job when he has a larger Spider-Man story. I tried to get my younger brother into ASM when I first got into it, but pre-Spider-Island was pretty weak. I thought Spider-Island was some of the best Spider-Man I've ever read. And Ends of the Earth was also great. But this arc seems to be a bit directionless. Also, Lizard's part of the story seems to be progressing along a little too typically.

I think my favorite thing about this book is that Liu has these X-Men off on their own. They aren't dealing with mutant threats. It isn't taking part in Avengers vs X-Men (in fact, I think it officially takes place afterwards). It's a more private look at these characters and some of what they have to deal with when they aren't teaching or leading official teams. I think the story continues to be compelling and I'm unable to predict where Marjorie will take the story - I like that.

Comparisons to Morrison aside, this is an excellent issue and a GREAT example of the fact that Super Hero comics don't have to be stagnant. You don't have to go the indie route just to get an amazing story. Scott Snyder is here, giving Batman the kinds of stories he deserves and the kinds of stories that you need to be buying.

Despite my small issues with the way Batman wrangles his way out of this mess, I think this continues to be the TOP storyline of the past six months and may end up being the best story of the year. Part one of the story wraps up next month, so if they release a trade with the first seven issues and you haven't read it yet, it will really be worth the money!

Overall, because this is the climax of Night of the Owls there is little to no plot development. There's one scene where Bruce realizes he didn't know Gotham as well as he always thought he did, but overall it's just a bunch of fighting. Sndyer continues to do a good job of balancing Batman's awesome abilities with the fact that he just took a serious beating (and stabbing). I think he's doing the best he can do in a super hero comic and the story continues to excel. This is definitely NOT the issue to pick up if you haven't read the first seven issues. Wait for the trade. But you might want to make sure you start picking it up with issue #10. If you're already a Batman collector, this issue does NOT disappoint - make sure you don't miss it!

With this arc over, I think the next issue is the perfect time for new readers to jump on. If you've been reading my reviews and thinking that Scott Snyder's run on Batman sounds awesome - you'll want to jump on before the next story arc which will feature Joker.

I'm still strongly recommending Chew. Even though this issue doesn't seem to advance the story, it's still full of fun and fascinating characters. Layman continues to surprise me with how adept he is at coming up with cases for the cast of Chew to solve. Every time I read the prologue to an issue I can't wait to see just how it all ties in and how the agents will solve the mystery. So pick this issue up when it comes out next week on 12 September.

My gripes with the trade are so trifling and the book has so much humor that I think you really need to own this book. And if you don't have the first four trades, make sure you get those too!

Overall, I can't say this series really succeeded in pulling me in. Whether or not you would like it probably depends on whether you are really into fairy tales and aren't getting your fix from Fables or Fairest (which seems to potentially have a similar setup). I just don't really end up caring who the girl with the red hair is. Again, next month will tell if the writers are writing for the trades or if it's just a story that doesn't gel with me.

That criticism aside, I really enjoyed this issue. The dialog seemed right. The art and fight choreography didn't leave me feeling lost. And I enjoyed it a lot more than the Justice League. I think the biggest thing that might keep me from enjoying the book to the maximum is that I don't really care too much about the DC universe. So I don't know if I'll appreciate the differences between the origin of, say Earth Prime Flash and Earth 2 Flash. But I definitely intend to get issue #2. So if you didn't pick up Earth 2 on Wednesday, grab it when you go to your shop this Saturday for free comic book day.

I don't want to be too critical of Rafaelo Ienco. I have tried and failed at writing comics many times. He has a published graphic novel. He writes scripts for tv shows and movies. So who am I to tell him how to write his Image mini-series? Still, I think he could have done a better job communicating the universe we're in. Admittedly it's hard to level this accusation on a first issue, but I feel like Song is way too overpowered. If she can't be killed by bullets and she's faster than anything - if her firsts can cut through bone and muscle - then who or what can face her? I will review Epic Kill #2 and I hope that Rafaelo can change my mind because right now I think no one should waste money on this story.

It's a real pity to see this kind of stuff out of Hickman when I know he can do so much better. He's constantly wowing me on The Manhattan Projects and, as I mentioned above - he's done such a great job on both Fantastic Four and FF. In the end, it just makes me with Marvel would cut Hickman loose early since his run is coming to an end very soon. Either that, or give him another three years so he could do another epic story and excel on these books. This issue is a pass unless you either must have every Fantastic Four issue or must have everything Hickman writes.

While this isn't really a great issue to get this week if you haven't been collecting Fantastic Four - it does potentially point to Hickman setting things up for the next writer. And, with the NOW! initiative, Marvel wants to have tighter cohesion among their different titles, so I wouldn't say that it's a bad time to jump on with Hickman only having about 3 issues left. Just know that whoever takes the reigns next is probably not going to have the same style so it's up to you if you want to wait and see.

I'm really excited about this series and I'm glad it's only five issues long - so it shouldn't drag on as each issue needs to move the story forward. Buy it!

Those criticisms aside, and some of them are larger than others, this issue does succeed in once again dropping a pretty huge cliffhanger in this issue. I'll definitely be taking a look at the next issue to see how this is resolved, but I'd advise you take a look at the first few pages in your comic shop before you drop your hard-earned currency on it. Or wait until my next review so you know whether it's worth it.

Overall, I think this book has a lot of promise. I think if you're looking for something a bit different and if my news story sounded like something fun, you should definitely check it out. Since not all comic book stores carry all the Image Comics, you may want to call your store to make sure they will have it and that they save you a copy.

I was very disappointed in the ending to this mini-series. It's really hard to discuss what was so disappointing about this issue without getting into details, but I felt that the resolution to Helena's plot was handled so badly - after what was happening to these girls the ending is just so unsatisfying. And the person she meets functions as an almost literal deus ex machina. My recommendation would be to skip this issue unless you're committed to learning the ending of the mini-series.

All that said, I think Terry Moore is doing some fascinating stuff with Rachel Rising both story-wise and artistically. If there were ever a point to start reading, it'd be with this issue. After all, my younger brother, who lent me this issue, has been having a very hard time getting a hold of back issues. The longer you wait to start reading Rachel Rising, the harder it's going to be to get filled in on what's happened.

If, like me, you're a history buff and enjoy World War II historical fiction then you'll probably enjoy Hickman's alternate timeline. Think steampunk, but instead of steam.... insert whatever you'd characterize 40s technology as. I think after the next issue I'll know for sure where it's going and whether I'd recommend that you keep reading it.

The art continues to be top notch and really give a lot of punch to Hickman's writing.

Hickman has once again changed the game on The Manhattan Projects. He has now blown the door open to where the series could go from here. He has also finished up his first few arcs. I think the next issue could be a key to determining the direction of the series in 2013. I still say it's strongly recommended and you should definitely be checking it out. Also, don't forget that if you missed earlier issues you don't need to fret - you can get them all on ComiXology.

That bit of confusion aside, Remender is really doing something special with Uncanny X-Force. He's combining really neat concepts with really neat battles. If there's ever going to be as good a place to jump in, it's with this issue, but you're really going to be missing out on a lot if you don't get the trades.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - you really should be reading Uncanny X-force. This particular arc isn't TOO far in - you could jump in here and still enjoy the rest of it. But you really should go back and get the trades because this run is going to be counted among the best.

I was OK with Phil Noto's work on the last issue. In this issue we have Totino Tedesco whose gritty style works perfectly with the themes and emotions running in this issue. He also does a great job with some key emotional panels.

I'm really enjoying this story arc and I think you should be reading it - it is a good mix of cheeky humor and action, but this may not be the best time to jump on.

If you haven't been reading Uncanny X-Men don't get this issue. The next issue starts up a new arc and I think you'd be better off starting there.

Should you pick up this book? It depends on what you like from your comics. This is definitely not your usual comic. There are no super heroes. It barely even follows the narrative structure of most indie comics. Think of it more as a short story that happens to be illustrated. You should also be the type of person who enjoys having to think about your comics. This is not a nice vacation from thinking - it's the exact opposite of an action movie. I know I enjoyed it and I will definitely buy a physical copy.

This issue ends with a huge shocker that, on second read, they have been foreshadowing since the first few pages. And that leaves me wondering just where this book goes. I'm glad they're done with the annoying fight against the Hellfire Club Kids. This issue seems to introduce the last of the new characters for now. So the next issue will probably start the next big story arc. And I think that's when we'll finally get the best feel for where this series is going " will it mostly take place on the school grounds? Will the kids adventure around? With X-Men Legacy also taking place on the school grounds, although focusing on the adults surrounding Rogue, we could have one book end up focusing on school adventures and another on the around the world stories we had back during Xavier's School for the Gifted. Regardless of where it's headed, I have been enjoying this book since the first issue and this one did not disappoint.

While Bachalo still has not returned to art duties, the book continues to match his style and it works very well for the light-hearted tone of the book. And it also works quite well for the serious sections. Nick Bradshaw does a great job capturing the facial expressions on all the emotions Kitty is going through - from exasperation to pain. Bradshaw also continues to pepper the backgrounds with various easter eggs and jokes for the eagle eyed readers.

While this isn't the best jumping on point in the middle of a story arc, you should strongly consider adding X-Factor to your weekly pull list.

Overall, this issue's a lot of setup for a two-issue arc. So I'm hoping the next issue doesn't seem too rushed. We need to have some battles as well as find out why in the world these dorks were being targeted and murdered. X-Factor continues to be a book I look forward to every two weeks. If the humor matches yours, you really should have this book on your pull list.

Peter David continues to do good work with X-Factor - you should pick up this issue as it appears to be a great jumping on point before the next major arc.