Sam Johnson's Comic Reviews

Reviewer For: Geek Smash Reviews: 16
8.2Avg. Review Rating

You can check out a Preview of what's coming up for the Superior Spider-Man at reviewer Sam Johnson's Blog!

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In Happy, Morrison brings flashes of his trademark weirdness to an otherwise dark mob world, and it looks like it's gonna be fun"

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Five issues in and "Superior Spider-Man" has cemented itself at the top of my reading list. Writer Dan Slott is delivering on his promise of 'dark and creepy,' as opposed to 'grim 'n' gritty,' particularly in the conclusion to Superior's face-off with Massacre, and in the visit he pays to Miranda Pullman thereafter; but there is increasing evidence of a 'starting-to-warm' heart within Ock's cynical shell, as well.

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Writer Chris Yost sets up Dan Slott's forthcoming "Superior Spider-Man" series excellently here, aided by the appealing, atmospheric art and colors of Paco Medina and Juan Vlasco. "Avenging Spider-Man" #15.1 illustrates that although Otto may have switcheroo'd himself into a strong, vibrant body, the state of his mixed-up mind is less than healthy. Here we have a man experiencing an identity crisis. A man who, without fully-consciously making the decision to do so, is attempting to U-turn his existence"and I'm excited to see how things play out.

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Writer Phil Hester throws quite a lot at us in this first issue, grounding his characters with more 'normal' flaws and ticks than is commonplace in the world of tights and capes; but for me, there's not enough 'bringing-up-to-speed' here for readers, like myself, who didn't pick up the original series. For example, I assume Le Brusier's talents extend beyond smoking cigarettes and that there's a reason Robot is called 'Robot' despite this not being evident in his physical appearance " but am left wondering.

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Although this is a set-up issue, it's a very strong one, as "Superior Spider-Man" is really finding its groove now; Ghost Peter isn't too obtrusive, and Ock's actions become ever-more intriguing as they continue to ramp up; Horizon Labs featuring in a far more interesting way than it ever did when it was the real Peter there. Artist for this arc Giuseppe Camuncoli's work isn't as expressive or dynamic as previous artist Ryan Stegman's but is still strong, and a good fit, and he delivers a killer final panel.

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The #0 issue " well written by John Arcudi, with a well-defined, melancholy feel to its world, and good dialogue " gripped me, and #1 strengthens that hold by taking things a little deeper. 'Slow' fits the feel of The Creep's world, but things need to advance in #2, after two issues that have been so similar.

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Quite a dense read, this Milestone issue " mining Spawn's long history as it does " it's accessible enough to make this first of a 'redefining' two-parter an entry point for those who've never read the book, though; and lapsed Spawn fans will likely get a sense of coming home " the book populated to the degree that it is with 'old friends' " before things head off in the Obama Term II-connected direction, however tenuous that may or may not be"

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Set in the same world as "The Amazing Spider-Man" but with quite a different feel, writer Dan Slott has delivered an intriguing beginning for the story of Otto Octavius as Spider-Man; and if you're a Spidey fan who wasn't planning on following the pseudo-hero's adventures, I'd recommend checking this book out before you make your final decision on that.

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Steeped in Marvel history, with quirks, humor, retro touches and heart, only two issues in, "FF" is already one of my favorites of the current Marvel books. Matt Fraction's writing style and Michael Allred's art fit the fantastical, not-taking-itself-too-seriously set-up like a glove and deliver a fun feel that has me hoping the new FF's stay will extend a long way beyond their planned four minutes"

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Daniel Way's writing in this issue of "Thunderbolts" is much denser than it was on his "Deadpool" run, and with the messed up anti-love triangle he's establishing here, it's clear he's still got fresh stories to tell for the Merc with a Mouth.

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Aside from this qualm, writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talijac render a well-crafted conclusion to the 4-issue mini-series " with, thankfully, more time given to the Deadpool/Taskmaster battle that'd been coming than others have been afforded " but if, like me, you were expecting a conclusion that's more than 'It's just funnybooks' " rather than having that itch scratched, you'll be left scratching your head.

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Phil Noto's art, colored by Guru eFX is very nice; Daniel Way's attempt at British dialect is the right side of cringe-inducing, and although " like last month's " this is essentially a build-up issue, with the next one to be writer Daniel Way's final of the series, this is a stronger issue " and one with little nuggets thrown in that long-time Deadpool fans like myself will find welcome. The biggest criticism is of the cover, which had me wondering at what its context would be, ahead reading "Thunderbolts" #10. It has none, bearing no relation to the content of the comic. Whether it will factor into "Thunderbolts" #11, which has the potential to be highly explosive, we shall see"

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If you enjoy a heavy dash of 'weird' with your super-heroics like me, then "X-Men Legacy" #8 is a good jump-on point for this series. I recommend you take the opportunity to do so.

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“Thunderbolts” #8 is all right, but like with last issue (where it was more justified), I'm left waiting for things to really kick in.

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I really enjoyed what was going on here pre- this issue but I'm now left wondering whether we're now going to go back to that (while Carly sets about trying to find the truth) or whether the "Superior Spider-Man" will now constantly star the new Spider-Man and his invisible wise-cracking conscience, Peter Parker. I'm still in for issue #3, and we'll see what it brings"

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