Steven Viscido Comic Reviews

Overall, this was a top-notch issue and another great example of Gail Simone's masterful skill at plotting, characterization, and dialogue.  She's layered a great deal of complexity into this story, so much so that it's hard to believe the whole thing will only last 2 more issues.  It's significant that the 3rd issue will be #25. We don't yet know what DC will do for "25 month" for the 50% or so of their line that has made it through without cancellation so far, but traditionally 25th issues are double-sized. If so, that might explain why this is only a 3-parter.

Overall this was another fine issue from Gail Simone, whose writing I continue to enjoy on this series.  There is one major annoyance, however: The next issue (25) is not going to be the 3rd and final part of the Wanted story arc.  DC is interrupting it to include a "Batman Year Zero" crossover. Then, presumably, Wanted concludes in issue 26.  It's bad enough they have to do these non-stop events and crossovers, but do they have to interrupt the ongoing story arc every time? We already had a one month gap between parts 1 and 2 because of Villain Month. And now we get another gap thanks to Year Zero. To add insult to injury, although she had a story ready to go, according to Gail, she is not going to be writing the Year Zero story. So I almost might as well not get it. (In fact, if it weren't too late to change my pull list for next month, I very well might not.) I just want to smack someone at DC when they do stuff like this.

Overall, this is a weak issue that does not live up to the standard quality of the Batgirl series. It fails across the board -- as a Batgirl story, as a Batman tie-in, and just in terms of the basic plot.  In future days when I re-read the whole Batgirl series, I probably will not bother to pull this one out of the bag and re-read it.

Overall, this was a solid comic that was worth a read and had a lot going for it. There are definitely some issues, and I'm not sure that I will keep on reading it for the long term, but it was definitely good enough that I will pick up the next couple of issues and see where it goes.

Overall, this was a reasonably good story with very good art, and it definitely held my interest.  The opening story arc supposedly concludes on issue 3, and I can't guarantee how much longer I will keep up with this series, but it's good enough that I will certainly at least get the next issue... and I may well put it on my pull list after that.

All that said, I think that the overall story was fairly good, and I enjoyed it well enough. The confusing parts, and the elements that bore further explanation, detracted from the story a little bit, but in the end it wasn't bad. The artwork was quite strong, and actually a bit better than the story. I will try issue 4 at least, before deciding whether to put this series on my permanent pull list.

Overall, this is a well-done comic-book.  The art and story taken together were interesting and worth a read.  I'm not sure how much longevity this series will have, but they definitely have my curiosity pricked, and I will be along for at least the first story arc.

Overall, this series has quickly impressed me, and in two fast issues has earned the distinction of being put on my in-shop pull list.  I'm still not sure if the basic premise has the legs to go the distance, or if the series will be short-lived, but however long it goes, I'm on board for the ride now.  What I have most enjoyed are the well-drawn characters and the interesting character interactions.  This book has what so many of the DC comics I've been reading lately have sorely lacked -- character development.  Williamson and Sudzuka have put together a really good team here, and I am already waiting impatiently to read the next installment.

Overall, this was another solid performance by the creative team, and so far the most enjoyable of the three issues. The characters are really starting to come into their own, and the story has become more and more interesting.  The only negative thing I have to say is really about the future -- although the premise is good to this point and I am really enjoying it, I find it hard to picture how the team will stay together once they capture the Trask ghost and deliver it to Schrecken.  I certainly hope they do stay together and have more adventures like this one... but I'm not really seeing how Williamson is going to get them there.  Perhaps this means that the series will be short-lived, but if so, I'm certainly along for the ride at this point.

Overall this was another very good issue.  I enjoyed it a great deal.  I do have concerns about the longevity of this series, as it is being presented, as I stated above.  However, the story in this issue is still very good, and I enjoyed it a great deal.

Overall, this was a fairly good comic that shows some promise, although it certainly didn't blow me away during the first issue. It did, however, interest me enough to read the next few and see what happens.

That said, probably the biggest flaw in the first two issues of this series is that absolutely no one in the story is remotely likable.  The kids all come off as brats, and the adults as judgmental and intolerant.  Sheldon is too rigidly trusting of politicians; Walter is too willing to impose martial law "for the greater good."  I'm not quite sure who Millar thinks I'm going to root for in this series, but so far, there isn't anyone I feel like cheering on.  Therefore, although this book is technically good, I can't see myself continuing with it long term unless something changes to improve the likability of the main characters.

Overall, I didn't really like this issue. I didn't find it exciting, or heart-breaking, or anything like that. I don't like any of the characters much, so I don't care what happens to them.

I will probably pick up JL 24 and 25 and see how they are, but if something doesn't change for the better quickly in this series, it's going the way of its little brother (JLA) and getting yanked from my pull list.

Overall, this was a mediocre issue. I will give them one thing -- at least the plot seemed to go someplace this time. But it got there by traveling through a jumbled mess, and the art did nothing to help the story along. I remain on the fence about this series. I don't like it enough to formally put it on the pull list... but it's close enough to being actually good that I keep waiting for it to improve enough to make a formal committment worth it. At this stage, however, there is a very strong chance that I will not be back to this series once Villain month concludes. My score for this issue: 6/10.

Overall, this is a very well-done comic. As a first issue, it hits all the right notes. It introduces the main character, provides us with the background of the world setting, and sets up the long-term conflict that we will see in the coming months.  I can definitely see why there were such rave reviews of this issue a couple of months ago when it first came out.  I slightly regret coming to the game late, but I'm definitely glad I came. I already own issue 2, and I can't wait to read it.  DC and Marvel ought to buy this issue and take notes. This is how it's done.

Overall, this is another excellent issue from Rucka and Lark.  From the gorgeous cover to the final page of the letter column, the issue is top quality all the way around. In only two issues, I am ready to put this one on my comic-shop pull list. Can't wait to see what happens in #3.

Once again, Rucka and Lark hit it out of the park with this issue.  At a time when I have been very unhappy with the direction of the various DC titles I'm collecting, a time when I might have started second-guessing whether I really should have returned to, and spent lots of money on, the comic-book collecting hobby, along comes this excellent new title, to remind me why I loved comics in the first place. No, it's not a bronze-age styled series of the  type I grew up on -- it's far more grown up and "adult." But it has all the key ingredients that make serialized fiction worth reading -- an engaging, slowly developing, but easy to follow plot; great characters; snappy dialogue; and amazing art. This is one of the best series out there right now.

If you want to be beaten over the head with an obvious story, then this series is not for you. Go read Forever Evil or Age of Ultron instead. But if you like a solid story in which the characters are well drawn, and their interactions drive the plot (instead of the plot driving them), the way good fiction is supposed to be, then you might want to give Lazarus a try. This series is only four issues old, and it's already shot to the very top of my pull list, sharing a place with the likes of the new Astro City, and the work of Gail Simone. And that's some pretty rarified air, up there.

Overall, this was a strong first issue and definitely made me want to read more.  My only real criticism is about the gratuitous bloody sex scene and "nearly naked" shots of Marla in the tub. Those really are not necessary -- they add nothing to the story and are clearly just there for the titillation factor. I understand that titillation sells comics, and in a weaker story I could see it being needed to make a few sales. But I don't think these were necessary here, when the rest of the story was strong enough to carry the book, and the art was so good in general.  However, that's a minor beef, and otherwise this is a very solid comic-book.

Overall, this is another solid outing for the creative team, and definitely an above-average comic-book.  There is, once again, the gratuitous sex and partial nudity, including close-ups of Marla's bare derriere, which are not at all necessary to the story.  But as they don't really harm the book, I can't complain too much. I just wish the creative team would have enough confidence in themselves to realize that they do not need to show a few panels of Marla naked or having sex in every issue just to sell this book. It's solid enough without that; it should sell fine on its own. And honestly if it's not selling, I don't think a couple of pages of R-rated sex scenes per issue are going to do the trick.  Besides that, however, this is a darn good comic.

Overall, this is another solid installment from the creative team. The story is really shaping up, and we are starting to understand some of what is really going on. The longer "stays" in each time period definitely helped the narrative.  And Miss Fury is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. She has a good heart, but there are enough flaws to make her interesting and human.  I'm not sure yet that this series will go on my pull list permanently, but I will be sticking around for at least the next couple of issues.

Overall, this was a reasonably enjoyable comic with a decent story and good artwork.  I've continued to have fun with this series, and look forward to the next issue.

Overall this was a good issue, with a solid story and lovely art.  Of the first five issues, I have liked this the best so far.  I am definitely going to stick around for a while and see how this series develops.

Overall, this was a pretty good book that could have been fantastic if only the writer and artist had been a little clearer about what is going on.  The art is generally strong, wtih some moderately weak panels here and there, and the story is good, but has a few logic holes in it.  The strongest part of the story is the characterization of Miss Fury.  Williams has definitley made me like this character, and I feel a great deal of empathy for her.  I definitely want Miss Fury to straighten out the timeline and be able to get back to Chandler (although I suspect that this will probably never happen, since we know that in the "correct" timeline of events, Chandler dies).

The art by Geovani is good, and the heavy, moody inks help to set the tone of the world. The layouts are interesting, and a few pages are designed quite originally, but Geovani manages to do this without being distracting. It's not as good as Rubi's work, but it was certainly enjoyable.

Overall, this was a good issue, with a story that is paced well and interesting to read, but also raises some logic/continuity questions.  These questions are not impossible for Gail to answer satisfactorily, but they definitely do require some exposition in the next couple of issues.  Otherwise, the story runs the risk of being contrived.  However, those logic questions aside, we have an excellent character study of both Sonja and Annisia here, and I absolutely loved the fact that Sonja gave up her sword (which is the most important item she owns, at least to her) to save the village. This is classic Sonja behavior -- risking everything about herself to save others.  I've often thought of Sonja as the world's first super-heroine (not in print, but in terms of the era when she lives), and she definitely lives up to that role in Gail Simone's hands.

The only (minor) complaint I have with this entire issue is the final panel, where the girls shout that Red Sonja is dead.  Come on, now. This is a new series, and so far its sales are a hit for Dynamite.  This is really a false cliffhanger -- every reader knows that Sonja can't be dead, so it's not really very suspenseful.  However, that is really a minor issue.  The art by Geovani and story by Simone are otherwise absolutely fantastic, and make this one of the best Red Sonja stories I have ever read.  And that's saying something, since I very much liked the work of Oeming and Rubi on the last series.

Overall, this is another strong story.  I sense that this first arc may be nearing an end either in issue 5 or 6, and I can't wait to see how Gail resolves this story and gets us ready for what is to come.

Overall, this was another strong outing by Gail and Walter, and Sonja is definitely in good hands with this new creative team.  The story is well paced. The art fits the story.  The fantasy setting is immersive and believable. This series is well worth a read.

Overall, my impression of this comic is mildly positive. It is a decent opening, but nowhere near as compelling as other recent first-issue starts like Astro City or Lazarus. I'll probably try another issue or two of it and see how things go. But if it doesn't get somewhat better, it probably won't make the pull list cut -- especially since at this point I would have to drop something I currently collect in its favor.

Overall, this was not just a poor issue, but stands as the lowest quality issue of the New 52 Supergirl series to date. The art was sloppy and looked rushed, and many of the panels did not make clear what was actually happening. The dialogue was stilted and awkward. And Kara's characterization was about as unrealistic, and particularly un-Kryptonian, as one could possibly imagine. I hate to say it but if this series doesn't get better quickly, I don't think I'll even have to make a decision whether to keep reading it or not. Not enough people are going to be willing to pay money for this kind of sewage on a monthly basis for DC to keep it in print.

Overall, this was another weak issue from the New 52 Supergirl.  I've been reviewing issues of The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl from the 1980s over at the Supergirl Home Page, and I have been plenty blunt, and sometimes even brutal, about badly written plots in that series as well -- but there is nothing as bad as this issue in TDNAOS.  Because even at his worst, TDNAOS writer Paul Kupperberg knew how to write dialogue, and how to develop character... two things about which Michael Alan Nelson seems to have not a clue.

Overall, this is another weak issue full of plot contrivances, melodrama, and generally bad writing.  H'el is as annoying as ever, although Kara's not quite as irritating as she had been previously -- probably because Nelson didn't write much of the story.  Additionally, because there are four or five different threads going on and each one only gets a few pages, hardly anything happens to actually advance the plot very much.  The result is one of the weakest issues of Supergirl to date, although it's probably not quite as bad as issue 24, which remains the worst in the entire series.

Overall, this was another outstanding issue from Aaron and Ribic, and I am absolutely along for the ride now with Thor, God of Thunder.  The story was excellent -- epic and sweeping, yet deeply personal for both Thor and Gorr. The villain was intensely evil and insane, yet still human and believable.  And the art has been a visual feast -- highly stylized yet appropriate to the character and scope of the tale.  The other creative teams out there for both major companies -- DC and Marvel -- ought to read this 11-issue story and take note. This is how it's done, people.

The only negative about this book is the artwork, which is simply mediocre.  Klein gets the job done, but his work suffers badly in comparison to the first 11 issues by Ribic.  I had to dock this issue a point for that.  Hopefully the next artist will turn in  better work.  Still, this issue was outstanding otherwise.

Overall, this was another excellent issue of Thor, God of Thunder. The story was excellent, with good pacing and strong dialogue, and interesting character interactions.  The art was significantly better-looking in this issue than last month's, and definitely has an appropriate fantasy "feel" to it, but I really miss Ribic, who was so perfect on this book. But I can't really argue with the end result. Thor is outstanding again this month as usual.

Overall this is solid issue with top-notch story and art. Jason Aaron is doing amazing things in this series, and he has definitely got me along for the ride, permanently.  He did mention in the letter column the possibility of a crossover with Wolverine, and I really hope he was just throwing that reader a bone. I absolutely detest Wolverine as a character, and I have no desire to read about him in the pages of Thor.  But that's a problem for the future. This issue as it stands is a gem.

Overall, this was another very good issue for this series. Wonder Woman has been surprisingly consistent for two solid years now. I only hope DC's silly "Forever Evil" event doesn't louse it up.