NateTieman Comic Reviews

Overall, Hickman and Spencer have crafted a fun book, with great interplay, exciting dangers, and great moments for Caselli to illustrate. My main problem is the lack of completion in this issue. I know it's a #1 issue, and I know that it's setting up a six-issue (at least) arc, but I couldn't help but wish there was something that played out in this issue. The entire story was a set-up for the next issue. There was no back story or recap, only a series of half-events that were set up like dominoes. It's a small complaint, and one not limited to Avengers World, but it's still disappointing not to get any closure on anything. Even so, I'm already looking forward to next month, if only to get a better glimpse at a Madripoor dragon.

My worries about Avengers World are, for now, at least, gone. The book is delivering on story and art, has some great characters, and, most importantly, makes me excited for the next issue. I'm not sure how I feel about the $3.99 price tag on a bi-weekly title, but for now, I'll gladly continue to give Hickman and company my money.

If you're looking to give Constantine a try, grab this issue. If you're looking for a title that gives a reprieve from "Forever Evil," grab this issue. If you're looking for a solid story, or fantastic artwork, keep looking. Hopefully this title will hit its stride soon, because I'd hate to see DC cancel yet another of my monthly must-reads.

I never thought I'd say it, but I'm actually looking forward to issue #2 of The Punisher. Here's hoping the book stays close to the ground and doesn't find itself woven up into superhero games. Frank works best when he works alone.

I'm really rooting for this book. I want to like it. There are a lot of fun characters for Marvel to work with in this book, and I'm truly hoping it finds its groove soon. Many of these characters have been shelved for far too long, and it would be a shame to see them go back on the shelf because of the quality of this story. I'll try it again next month, but if things don't change, I can't see any of these characters benefitting from this story.

Overall, Snowpiercer is a good read, and one of the best science fiction stories I've read in the comic/graphic novel medium. Sadly, the story suffers from an inability to commit to itself. Wide swaths of painful exposition give way to thrilling action sequences. A strong, unique protagonist is paired with forgettable stock characters. A story crafted as a condemnation of class divides shows no class conflict, nor does it offer any suggestions for the integration of the Snowpiercer's society. I am interested to see the second and third volumes of Snowpiercer, to see if there's more to this world than this volume lets on. If you read Snowpiercer (and, ultimately, I think you should), read it for the story it's meant to be, for the subtext it's meant to carry, and not necessarily for the story it is.

Uncanny Avengers #16 feels like the penultimate chapter in the "Apocalypse Twins" arc, but I'm hoping Remender and company surprise me with a few more issues. The ending of the whole affair seems like it's leading towards a convenient time travel fix, and I'm hoping that's not the case, as recent events in the series have helped to change the status quo for many characters on the team. Sadly, I feel like the use of certain characters in the X-Men and Avengers movie franchises will keep any changes from being permanent. Hopefully, Remender can wrap everything up nicely without being too convenient. I don't know how everything will end, but if Remender and McNiven continue offering up this level of quality, you can be sure I'm planning to stick around to see how it all plays out.

I've never been a big reader of Wolverine's solo series, and Wolverine #1 certainly doesn't change my views of the book. I'm hoping Marvel can bring in new readers with this title. Sadly, though, with its unrecognizable main character and lackluster story, I'm thinking Wolverine will need to wait a few issues before it has a real "jumping on" point.