Robert Bernstein Comic Reviews

I think the main draw of this series is the possibility that Spider-Man might lose his good-guy credibility with the people of New York. It's terrible to think what might happen to Spider-Man if it isn't Peter Parker under the mask, especially if the person under the mask is a super villain.

The Amazing Spider-Man #700 truly has an epic feel to it and while this is mostly attribututable to Dan Slott's writing, it is also important to take note of the artwork and coloring. #700's original cover adds to the overall impact of this issue. Humberto Ramos' is the equal of any top name artist to date and is well deserving of becoming a part of comic book history. Personally, my favorite page is the one in which Spider-Man is standing over Doc Ock's body. Olazaba's inking looks great and Edgar Delgado's colors are vibrant and simply add to the greatness that is #700.

After the story, Batman tracks down one of the guards at Arkham Asylum who gives Batman more details about The Joker's big plan. Batman #15 ends with Batman standing at the entrance to Arkham Asylum. But, more excitement follows at the end of the issue. There is a seven page conversation between The Joker and The Riddler in which Joker enlists Riddler's help with his master plan. While we haven't seen a Riddler iteration yet in the darker Batman comics, I have a feeling that Snyder's Riddler will fill that void.

Greg Capullo's cover for this issue is spectacular to say the least. The ever-smiling Joker is wearing Robin's signature red vest and mask with a facial expression that would strike fear into anyone. It's right along with the rest of Capullo's artwork--delightfully dark.

The cover of The Dark Knight #15, drawn by Finch, is a cool concept. It depicts Batman and Scarecrow sitting down to play a game of chess, except the chessboard is a miniature replica of Gotham. Finch has drawn the entire cover with wonderful detail and it is an intriguing idea.

I hate to trash Gregg Hurwitz this time around because he hasn't let me down in the past, but this issue doesn't get a pass. It was almost saved by the creative artwork and psychedelic cover, but not quite. Hopefully, Hurwitz will limit the Mad Hatter storyline to just one or two more issues, as I'd love to see who he is going to bring to the Dark Knight next!

Overall, this is one of the best issues of Catwoman to date. It looks great and is action packed.

Not only does this comic make the mind do what it does best--think--but it is also drawn with great detail. For example, readers can see that the wife isn't just wearing sneakers, but that she is wearing a red pair of Nike shoes (as a major shoe geek, thank you Juan Jose Ryp for that detail!) Juan Jose Ryp also shows that not all Image Comics have to be drawn in dark tones, but can be just as effective in bright colors and cool blues as well. We are starting to see a lot of 5 issue comics coming from Image Comics and it is a good change of pace from the #700 Marvel's and #39 DC Comics. Overall, nice job to Schulner Ryp, and Serrano for a creative new comic concept, and I cannot wait for the next issue to be released.

David Schulner has truly written a fantastically creative new title based in the world of science fiction, yet the science fiction portion could actually be a reality in humanity's future, which is probably the reason we like this book so much. His writing thinks outside of the box, and includes details (such as the use of petocin) which many writers would not have included. As far as Juan Jose's artwork, it is just as good as the previous two issues. Jose's artwork isn't the main focus of the book, Schulner's story is--but that doesn't mean Jose's artwork is lackluster by any means. His art is well drawn and detailed in all of the right places, for the most part. However, his panels can become sloppy, at times. While the sloppiness is minimal, it's noticeable to the trained eye. As I touched upon earlier, Felix Serrano's coloring of the baby on the last page shouldn't have been so purple, but I will forgive the mistake, as the rest of the book looks fantastic.

Once again, Image Comics is responsible for another potential hit and has created another interesting concept. But, it is too soon to tell. Comeback is still raveled in mystery. Brisson has definitely caught my interest wtih this story. For one, we don't know if the entire company that is time traveling to help people for money is shad, or just the one man who pulls a gun at the end of the issue. Secondly, we don't know what mysteries Seth and Mark will find on their journey into the past to rescue the rich man's wife (it has the potential for awesomeness, though!)

Titan books has released a graphic novel entitled Dead Space: Liberation that is a prequel to the events for the video game Dead Space 3. The book is drawn by Christopher Shy (Soul Stealer) and written by Ian Edginton (Scarlet Traces, Victorian Undead).Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a video game based comic book (which typically tend to be crap). Dead Space: Liberation is anything but crap. The artwork created by Christopher Shy is very stylized. It is very dark and eerie, but that's what you would expect from a Dead Space themed comic book, right? Where Shy's artwork stands out is in the texturized look throughout. The pages are very detailed in some spots, but very texturized in others, giving it a sort of manic feel. The colors are mostly bluish-gray hues, containing a lot of dark gray at first, but then more colors make their appearance in the middle of the novel.[Related: Dead Space 3, Review]

Tony Moore is also a winner in this issue with his artwork. The elephant being electrocuting by Deadpool looks awesome--definitely one of the coolest things we've seen drawn in comic books this year! This issue is just as colorful as the previous issue, with colors bouncing off every page.

Posehn and Duggan have written another hilarious Deadpool comic. If you've ever heard Brian Posehn's stand-up material, you can tell that his mark is all over Deadpool #3. It's intentionally crude, but in a good way. This new iteration of Deadpool comics is thoroughly enjoyable and I can't wait for Deadpool #4.

After Joe Kelly's run, I rarely found a Deadpool I liked, although Gail Simone's is also noteworthy. Now, Posehn and Duggan's version of everybody's favorite regenerating superhero deserves to be added into that mix, with their first story arc being a success. Hopefully, Posehn and Duggan will be able to have Deadpool continue on his journey of awesomeness.

A sci-fi western with an alternate version of history about the Four Horsemen with a racial war apparently coming into play appears to be what East of West is, and I LOVED every minute of it. Hickman, Dragotta and Martin have crafted a quality introductory issue and the fact that they chose to use Image Comics to express themselves is fitting, being that Image has an extensive catalog of unique comic books. A second printing of East of West #1 has already been ordered, so you had better go out and grab this one while you can!

Darick Robertson's artwork is very creative in this dark tale. Aside from the priest punching, and Santa injecting on the toilet, there is (of course) the blue little hallucination that is Happy. There's something for everyone, right? Robertson's detailed and dark artwork lends itself perfectly to Morrison's writing, and I particularly enjoyed the awesome artwork during the priest versus Nick panels. Happy! #4 is certainly a mixed bag. You'll find some goodies in there, but there are some duds as well. If you can look past the excessive adult language, it's well worth the pick-up.

It is rare that we see a Hulk who wants to work co-operatively with anyone else; he is typically a lone ranger. While we have seen him do this, it is obvious that he prefers to be on his own. Hulk has always straddled the line between good and destructive, so he probably wants to work alone so as to not hurt anyone else. Hopefully, Bruce Banner will make his mark on the world of inventions and be able to compete with Tony Stark. Bruce curses Tony's name in this issue and Waid hints that next month's issue will focus on a struggle between Hulk and Iron Man.

Mark Waid's writing of this issue is also top notch. Iron Man and The Hulk clash just the way they should, as do Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. It's important that Waid made the two fight without actually killing each other. The issue was a little slower than I would've liked, but I'll let it slide because I know the first few issues are still considered set-up issues. Waid might even be focusing a little too much on Bruce Banner, instead of focusing on The Hulk, but I am sure he will change this in the next few issues.

Thirdly, Sunny Gho's colors are fantastic, rounding out the creative team behind Indestructible Hulk #3 quite well. I said the same thing last month about Hulk's color, that it's great that Gho went with a different shade of green than the usual hue we are used to seeing. There's a little hint of blue in there which makes this Hulk unique. Indestructible Hulk #3 is action packed and looks stunning!

Merlin isn't really a foe; she is more of a playful enemy, but certainly not evil. She creates five sets of iron armor with five different soldiers in them, each with their own specialties. Iron Man adjusts his armor between each match-up, switching out thrusters for dohickies and whatnot. He defeats all of Merlin's warriors without any issues. Iron Man barely gets a scratch from the fights.

Kieron Gillen's writing is good, however it does lack action as I said. The story is a good story, at its heart, just add some more fight sequences. Stark is as witty as ever, though and Kieron has mastered that very well.

Not to beat a dead horse here but Gillen's run, so far, has felt like three issues of filler. The only exception is Iron Man #3, which outshines the rest of the issues. The Believe storyline has only one issue left and it would really have to be a spectacular issue to change my mind about the newest iteration of Iron Man.

There are four variant covers, the best of which depicts a sexy Miss Fury on the shoulders of a lone gunman. Another of the variants shows Shadow, Spider, Green Hornet and Zorro lined up in a profile position (it's a little inaccurate because Zorro isn't quite yet Zorro; so far we haven't seen him in his mask).

Juan Jose Ryp's artwork is very well done, to say the least. His character modeling and creation are all really detailed and well drawn. Ryp's few action sequences were great. I especially liked Robin grabbing Nightwing's arm as he's raining down blows. Brett Smith's color work takes from a large palette of colors, although it heavily favors the dark hues, which is perfectly fitting for a Nightwing book. Overall, Nightwing #17 was the transitional issue I was expecting, but worth the pick-up, as it's undoubtedly necessary for what's next for Dick Grayson.

The book is solid all around, and we cannot wait to see what's next for our newly-mutated characters. With great design and an intricate story that has the potential for a truly expansive universe, Nowhere Men #3 has given the series an electrifying jolt straight to the top of my list of must-read monthly titles. Seriously, if you aren't reading Nowhere Men, pick up the first three issues before it's too late and you're missing out on the conversation.

Number 13 has attracted my interest. I'm not a follower of many things Dark Horse, but this comic book appears to be a dark view of an apocalyptic and mutant world. We have already seen some creative mutants in this prequel issue and it has been a good introduction to the series for those who were not introduced to Number 13 in Dark Horse Presents. Number 13 #0, while a mouthful to say, is a good introduction to the series and we will be following the next issue to see if it is something we should be reading.

From the very first page, Brennan Wagner's colors are gripping. They pop off the page and create an aesthetically pleasing sense of mayhem. Also of note is the very last page, which is a full page depiction of the newly introduced Mother Goose. This page is beautifully colored, with lavenders and purples in her hair, surrounding her bronze skin and emerald eyes. Very well done, Mr. Wagner.

Now, as far as Mark Texiera's artwork goes, one word sums it up...WOW! This is some of the best comic book artwork we've seen in a while and probably the best we've seen for The Punisher, period. I love comic book art that takes a darker view of the story rather than taking the "bubble gum" approach and Texiera definitely delves into the dark and gritty with his artwork. We also must take note of D'Armata's coloring: fantastic use of colors and lighting, period.

Superior Spider-Man #1 is definitely the start of something new for Spidey. It has an epic feeling right from the first page. There's still a lingering feeling of good versus evil for the new Peter Parker, but hopefully Slott won't hold that for too long, as I could see that aspect of the book getting stale after a short period. We can't help but wonder what's on the horizon, especially since we've already seen some previews of future issues, courtesy of Marvel. We are excited about the possibilities Dan Slott has created for Spider-Man, and hope to see this new book take him in directions we haven't seen before. Regardless of where Slott takes us next, Superior Spider-Man #1 is a creative, exciting and intriguing comic.

Charlie Adlard's artwork is as highly stylized and detailed in this issue as it has been in his previous issues. However, the cover is very misleading, as it depicts Carl holding a gun with zombies in his eyes; a cover that, on its own, is dynamite. To any normal person, this would imply that Carl will be fighting a horde of zombies in this issue. Unfortunately, that is not the case and the issue was a little lackluster compared to awesome past issues.

Charlie Adlard's art is good, but some of the panels look muddy and rushed. I've said it before and I'll say it again (and I'll probably get attacked by my followers for this), but I'd like to see Walking Dead make the transition to color. You're over 100 issues through, and the novelty of black and white is starting to wear off. It's the perfect time to make the change.

I'm not going to rate this issue highly just because it is my favorite comic book series. Walking Dead has gotten away from what made it great in the first place--zombies! Where are the damn zombies? The closest thing to a zombie in this issue is Rick biting Negan, and that just won't cut it. While I do understand that not every issue can be action packed and littered with zombies, I think Kirkman is going a little too far with the character development. Overall, Walking Dead #107 is an unwelcome break from the action that is middling, at best.