Jonathan Semoneit Comic Reviews

Buy this book. It's really that simple. It's got tragedy; it's got style; it's even got a certain X-factor quality about it that's indescribable. That's a very good thing this early on. And let me be clear about this: Tradd Moore's art isn't just great, it's powerful enough to summon the Spirit of Vengeance!

High speed chases, roided out orcs and even a bit of the old ultra-violence. Ghost Rider delivers all you (secretly) want from a comic book.

This issue exemplifies everything interesting about Arthur, both as a hero and as a man. We even get a nice tease of what's to come with this series. It's become apparent that with Parker writing Aquaman this book could do no wrong, but now that Pelletier is on full art duties this just became one of DC's best superhero books!

Aside from some minor coloring and lettering problems, this makes for quite an issue. Parker and Pelletier continue to deliver one of DC's finest superhero books and, considering its $2.99 price tag, this book remains a bargain and a must buy!

This isn'tParker's best issue of the series but it still has its moments. Plus, Pelletier is turning in some fine artwork. So, if this is the worstAquamancan do right now,we have little to worry about.

The New 52 has done more for Aquaman than any other character in the DC Universe. Sadly, this particular issue does little to help his cause. The character lineup is set up and has come together but this story could have benefited from a little more background, and quite a bit more intrigue. At any rate, it's hard not to see the promise of a new Aquaman book.

Snyder is writing one of the freshest takes on Batman I've ever seen. It's truly something to behold. That would be enough, but Capullo is unwaveringly good and the coloring by Plascenia is a perfect complement.Rife withaction, characterization and some thoughtful sociological subtext, Batman #42 is a must read.

Bloodshot & H.A.R.D. Corps #0 doesn't wow us like Valiant's previous zero issues. It's not wholly necessary either. But there's enough over-the-top gore and intrigue, that we often like to see from this series, to keep us satisfied.

Remender, Klein and White are all on the top of their games here. Yet they all steal the show in their own way - Remender with his ever-resilient take on Steve Rogers, Klein with his gorgeous lines, and White with his breathtaking colors. Now let's all raise our glasses, for a stellar issue and for a fallen comrade, and personal favorite,Dr. Mindbubble. You didn't think he died, though, did you? Not to burst your bubble but we didn'tseeanything.Long live Dr. Mindbubble!

First Punisher, now Daredevil. It seems Marvel is keen on sending their big name heroes out west. Specifically California. It's not a bad idea considering New York was as crowded as it is (like, I'm pretty sure Spidey's got this, guys). The only surprising thing is that it took this long for it to happen!

It's all too apparent that Matt is unfamiliar with this new city as he's falling off buildings, miscalculating jumps and requiring navigation help from friend, Kirsten McDuffie, by way of an ear-bud communicator. Just like Daredevil, we too are being thrust into a new world. It's probably even scary for some long time fans; Daredevil leaving New York and all, but it's a damn good time! This is easily one of the best comic books being published right now, period. If I could have it my way, Waid and Samnee would be on this book for a thousand more issues. In the meantime I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The World's Greatest Comic Magazine is in good hands! Robinson and Kirk have hit a sweet spot with this series and things are just heating up - even if Johnny is cooling off. This issue in particular offers up plenty of intrigue, character development,action and hard sci-fi to keep anyFantastic Fourfan chomping at the bit. A definite, must read!

The sins of the Fantastic Four have come back to haunt them.Not only has Johnny lost his powers, but Reed seems to be in deep with S.H.I.E.L.D. It will be interesting to see if Robinson can keep up his already good work on this title. As long as he and Kirk are firing on all cylinders,Fantastic Fourshould be a great read every month. This issue, in particular, is mighty fun.This series is definitely worth a look.

Stay tuned for Gambit Vol. 3: King Of Thieves Review!

Lemire is building quite a story with Outsiders War and, now with the big reveal that his father is actually alive, I can't wait to see what's in store for Ollie and Co. Will Ollie learn to accept what his father has done to him? I surmise that, whether he likes it or not, Ollie will need to enlist the help of Shado and his father to defeat the Outsiders. And, as a fan of the ArrowTV series, I couldn't be happier to see Dig make his appearance in the comics!

Writer Charles Soule handles these characters well. He's played the role of "fixer" for both Marvel (with Thunderbolts) and now DC (with Red Lanterns), taking failing books and breathing new life into them. He's become a fan favorite and is steadily creating a big name for himself in the industry. But for now, let us enjoy having top level talent on a smaller book like Red Lanterns.

Robert Venditti delivers the goods by way of a solid character driven series. While the interior art by Coccolo is sufficient, the cover isn't Tan's best work. That being said, this book continues to be an engaging read.

Part 1 of Uprisingkicks off in a big way. I thought we might have to wait a bit longer for some epic action scenes in this Green Lantern crossover, but Venditti and friends deliver all the goods here. If you aren't keeping up withtheGreen Lanternside of the DC universe, you are doing yourself a disservice.

Once again, things continue to heat up for the Green Lantern Corps. The reveal on the last page nearly had me crapping my pants! I think, considering a certain solicitation for a new Lantern book, we have a pretty good idea of what this means. Alright, I'll just say it. The Sinestro Corps is back, people! Fear hath returned.

Justin Jordan and Brad Walker are killing it with this title and each issue seems even better than the last! The Green Lantern titles as a whole have been so solid that it goes back and forth between which one is the best (that's not a bad problem to have, DC). But with these past couple issues,New Guardianstakes the lead.

Hulk can't help but feel like a cop out from Marvel. After all the development that Waid had created with Banner (over only 20 issues), it all gets wiped away. It was inevitable but far too soon. If anyone can right the ship, it's Waid. So at least there's that. But for right now, it's hard to like an issue that erases so much character development from the previous series, a truly great one,Indestructible Hulk.

Iron Fist is an experience, unlike any comic out there. The only downside with this issue is that it has an ending. Be warned: After reading this issue, Andrews will spark a craving in you and that craving can only be satiated with more Iron Fist. You'll want more, and you'll want it immediately! There, now don't say I didn't warn you.

I can't remember the last time a series took a nose dive so fast. The writing has fallen apart in the span of one issue, and the art isn't looking up to par. The breathtaking fight scenes that made the first issue such a delight are nowhere to be found. Here's to hoping this issue turns things around with the next issue.

Magic vs. technology. It's an interesting storyline that has worked wonders for Iron Man in the past. So I applaud Kieron Gillen for treading these waters. If Malekith's presence is explained a bit more, especially his motives, I could see this becoming a compelling read. It's a bit too early to tell but if this issue is our only indication, this story arc is not going to live up to its potential.

Rings of the Mandarin may not be the most ingeniousIron Manstory, but this issue is worth its weight in iron when it comes to lighthearted banter and enjoyable action scenes. Not to mention Michael Del Mundo has been killing it on the cover art for this story arc. These aresome of bestIron Mancovers I've seen in a long time.

This book really feels like a labor of love by all those involved and that type of energy rubs off on the reader. I really like these characters already. I sympathize with them; understand them. I want to know more about Kamala and what is going to happen with her now that she got her wish. I got a hunch that it isn't going to be everything she expected. But as for Ms. Marvel #1, it more than meets expectations.

I've heard New Warriors described as Marvel's version of Teen Titans. Now, depending on the connotation, that can be a good or bad thing. Truth be told, the only real similarity is that they're both groups of young heroes. Young superhero teams may offer up all the teen drama you can handle, but for some reason teen drama and superhero fantasy make quite the pairing. We've seen it countless times with the X-Men; we saw it before with Marv Wolfman's Teen Titans; and I sense we'll see it again with Yost's New Warriors. Now, what about that sounds like a bad thing?

Claremont and Nauck's Nightcrawler is shaping up to be another fine addition to the X-Men lineup. You best make room on your pull list for this one, or you just might miss out on something pretty great.

Claremont and Nauckare a match made in Nightcrawler heaven. With plenty of character work and gorgeous art to go around,Nightcrawlercontinuesits rise to the top of the Marvel elite.

Nova #13.NOW is one of the best jumping on points in the whole All-New Marvel NOW! line. In just this one issue we meet Sam, understand where he's at in his life - with peers, girls and family - and where he's at as a superhero. Take that, add a bit of Beta Ray Bill and you have one of Marvel's funnest books at the moment, and the space adventure is just beginning! Pick this issue up. You won't regret it, Novanators.

ScoreI haven't been high on all the events going on lately, but this one delivers. The writing, the character work, the intrigue, the art - this is shaping up to be one awesome whodunit. Another great thing about this book is you don't need to know any complicated back story to read it. Just pick it up and dive in. Good work, Marvel. This is how you properly kick off an event.

So in spite of its flaws, Punisher is still an enjoyable read.

Aside from Gerads best Aja impersonation, this still feels like a cheap Hawkeye knockoff. The art is actually good, though. The story, however, lacks interest. That and Electro randomly showing up, at this stage, deals a big blow to the series.

Kindt could have given Rai more personality in this issueand "Grandmother" being turned into "Father" is an unnecessary change. All that being said, this is way better than your average comic, and much more ambitious too. There's a lot to take in here, and it requires a lot from the reader but I respect that. It's almost too early to judge how effective this first issue isbecause there is such anexpansive world that needs to be unraveled. As it stands, though, this is a stellarfirst issue.

Shadowman has finally found the tone it's been looking for. Thanks to Peter Milligan, this has become a horror series dark and rife with character development. It's even tinged with just enough DNA from the superhero genre to please that crowd as well. With only two more issues to go for this mini-series, I'm jonesing for some more Shadowman!

I've never read a She-Hulk comic before this, but I'm already a fan thanks to Soule and Pulido. It's flawless. And when I say thatI truly mean I found virtually nothing wrong with this issue. Not one word misplaced, nor one artistic stroke amiss. She-Hulk is comic book fun at its best.

Though this wasn't as stellar a first issue as I'd hoped, this series has all the potential in the world. Even if the story is lacking,the art more than makes up for it. It seems this comic may need a couple issues to stretch its legs first.

Did they do this? Did theyreallyjust do this? Yep. Believe it or not, DC just released another Lantern title and they pulled it off once again! Another solid title added to the evergreen line ofGreen Lanternbooks. Make that 5 (not counting Larfleeze because, well, it just does it's own thing). Thanks to everyone involved, theGreen Lanterncorner of the DC Universe continues to thrive in new ways.This issue might be a bit slow for some but if you love Sinestro like I do, you'll be loving Eaglesham's rendition of him too much to notice.

SCORECullen Bunn and Dale Eaglesham are the new all-star team over at DC.This is an extremely strong entry in theGreen Lanternline of books. In fact, theGreen Lanternmythology is turning out to be such an evergreen source for storytelling, that there's no reason this can't be as expansive as something like theX-Men. There's 5 books right now and all of them are good - this one especially.Whoever ismanagingall these Lantern books over at DCdeservesa raise. Huzzah!

It's sad to know this is the last arc in theSuperior Spider-Manseries. But it's good to know Peter will be returning soon, and what better way to cap it all off than with a showdown with Goblin Nation?

This is Max Level Geek's first look into IDW's TMNT series and we are loving what we are seeing. For $3.99, this book is well deserving of your money.The cover alone is worth the price of admission.

This issue in particular isn't the greatest of the run thus far, but this title has been too good to suggest we're worried about this becoming a problem.

T-Bolts is all sorts of awesome. Sure, it's sad to see Flash leave but this is still the funnest team book around. So if you're still not reading this comic, get on it! You're seriously missing out.

Thunderboltscontinues to have the funnest team dynamic going right now. It's sad how under read this title is, especially with the talented Charles Soule at the helm. As long as he sticks around,Thunderboltscan do no wrong.

It's official: this is the new title to beat in Marvel's All-New Marvel NOW! Excellent writing, excellent cover, excellent interiors. If nothing else, all I can think about is that I want to read issue 2, right now! Is that not the best indicator of a great issue? If that isn't, I don't know what is.

The big thing about this comic is what happens at the end. There's something that Wolverine does at the end of this issue which is totally out of character and makes little to no sense. I surmise there is more at play here but I have to judge the merits of this issue with what is given.

This issue starts off simple enough: the team meets for a briefing, discusses their next mission and then carries it out. This is what any reader would expect from an issue of X-Force. The problem is, that through all of this, we wonder why they even need to do any of this anyway? We still have yet to understand why what X-Force does is in anyway helpingmutantkind. That and the inclusion of Marrow's confusing narration makes this issue hard to grab a hold of.