Will Morin Comic Reviews

ACTION COMICS #994 is a fun, thrilling ride for fans of Silver Age zaniness, but doesnt offer much beyond that. At a higher price, it may be a pass, but at $2.99, its a solid option for Booster Gold fans, or anyone looking for something light.

Across both his previous series and the current All-Star Batman, Snyder has rarely looked back, and not for very long. Where many books featuring major heroes can get lost in nostalgia, Snyder's emphasis on new villains, scenarios, and visual styles (pink was the most common color in his initial Batman series after black and grey) have offered a fresh take on a hero that has been too prominently featured to not be at the risk of growing stale.

Spider-Man is in a place thats hard for anyone to hate. Slott isnt relying heavily on gimmicks, which should please purists, but his personal life is as cutting edge as ever. From his costume to his villains, theres a certain iconic quality to Spider-Man that isnt likely to change, but Peter Parker is in constant flux. Its why hes the most relatable Marvel hero, and his current stories are an indication that isnt changing.

Caspar Wijngaards rendition of Prices design gives life and color to the post-apocalypse in a way many stories are afraid to do. Soft pinks and blues make up most of the colorways, juxtaposed by the brown and grey of Qoras home kingdom (a decimated and unnamed city.) While conflict and struggle are important themes in ANGELIC, one cant help but get the feeling of being on vacation: a laid back look to match the action-free pages. This isnt a book about war, though with a climactic splash page near the end of the issue, theres some suggestion it may soon be.

Angelic #5 is beautifully written and drawn, though some awkward lettering techniques are noticeably out-of-place in its otherwise smoothly rendered world. If you havent been following this series, it might be worth waiting for the trade at this point, but if youve been checking in month to month wondering when things were really gonna kick off, consider them kicked. If you want to feel bad about the idea of animal-driven warfare, you can pick this issue up for $3.99.

This issue sets up a narrative that is bound to be both a great flip on the status quo and a story that stays faithful to what makes the X-Men great. While theres a lot of crossover between the two, doing it right is still no easy task. If you missed out on the first arc, ASTONISHING X-MEN #7 is the perfect spot to get into the action!

If youre following this book monthly, you can pick back up next month and not miss anything. As a single, isolated story, BATMAN #38 doesnt stack up to Kings previous issues, or much else of the Batman stuff released recently. That isnt any reason to shy away from an otherwise solid run thus far, and if you arent following the series already, its easy to recommend everything before this month as something to binge-read before the kids go back to school.

Batman #39 is available now. The issue continues a genre-bending tale that sees some DC fan favorites how you never knew you wanted to see them Anybody who likes stories that break the mold should give it a read.

There isnt much reason to knock BATMAN THE DEVASTATOR #1. This event has offered two things: non-stop action and chaos, since its launch and this issue keeps that momentum going. Its definitely worth checking out, even if you havent been following the Metal event, and is definitely the most brutal incarnation of Batman weve seen so far in these stories.

All-in-all, BUFFY SEASON 11 #12 is more of the same in the best way. Like Star Wars or Dragon Ball Z, there is so much Buffy out that at this point it acts more as a portal into the everyday lives of fantastic people than a concise story with a beginning, middle and end. This is why Buffy, unlike some other series, is so well suited for comics, and why it will likely always have a place in the medium.

While Snyder is a unique voice in comics, its tough to bring your all as a scribe to an event this far-reaching. Instead, DARK NIGHTS METAL #3 continues a narrative that is compelling if you already dig the formula. Capullos signature visual style, which bridges the gap between retro and contemporary vibes, is the real draw here. The story doesnt break any barriers or cross any lines that werent already crossed 20-some-odd years ago, but it definitely isnt one you should sleep on either.

I had no major qualms with this book. If youre looking for some light entertainment, and have enjoyed the character designs and visual vibe of Bombshells since DC first brought them on the scene, BOMBSHELLS #3 continues an arc that provides all this in a neat little package. If the price of comics has made you picky with your stories, this may not be the one to add to your monthly list.

Overall, this issue is worth the price of admission if only for the clever nod to those more off-the-rails RPG groups that are, let's face it, the most fun groups to be in. It's also a good issue to read even if you haven't been following the story to this point, as it's mostly self-contained and tells a full story within the confines of its 20-some-odd pages. Definitely a must-read for RPG fans, and it might make a nice pick-up if you're the kind of person who likes a little fun in their fantasy.

There'sa lot of reasons Extremity #11is worth your dollar, and the book as a whole is deserving of at least a nomination for one of the major comics awards. The visuals arent just amazing, theyre bizarre in the best way, so the only reason not to get into this thing is if you like a more conventional style. Other than that, its the perfect way to fill that Cronenbergian void youve noticed in most other dystopian comic works.

One outdated joke isnt enough to mark Fujitsu off by a long shot. The first issue is a great introduction to the world and sets up a story of international criminal intrigue & Eastern thought. Matt Fractions Casanova has played with this concept since 2006, but Nitz keeps the concept more centered. As fun and mind-bending as a high concept spy story can be, something more straight-forward, though still well-written can be just as thought-provoking. Thats Fujitsus strength, and if Nitz can keep momentum, this may be one to add to your pull list.

If you havent been following GOTHAM CITY GARAGE, youre missing a book with some real heart. Fans of Batman, or alternate tales that put story before concept, . GOTHAM CITY GARAGE #3. Overall, the issue is solid, and like with DCs BOMBSHELLS, takes the opportunity to form a world with real depth, not just a cash grab based on a series of collectibles.

Most of the creators on this book have been making comics a while, which means they know what theyre doing. Its tempting in an era with so many good comics to completely tear apart something thats just okay, but this story has its merits, it just depends what youre looking for. HAWKMAN #3 is worth it if youre just looking to have some fun.

Overall, the issue doesnt do much to captivate. More than anything, we get 20 pages of familiar action and a predictable cliffhanger, which sort of defeats the purpose of a cilffhanger. It will be interesting to see how the Return to Planet Hulk evolves from here, but for now the story doesnt feel like a follow up as much as a rehash.

With subtleties like this readily present, Justice League/ Power Rangers has offered a bit more depth than other books of its kind. With the final issue logically returning the Justice League back to their own world, the book has been a great standalone story in a sea of standalone crossover stories. If you havent been following it month-to-month, this is definitely one worth having on your bookshelf in collected form.4/5

There are no glaring issues with this book. Its engaging, mind-bending, and visually stunning at points thanks to artist Felipe Watanabes contribution to the narrative. Still, with DCs recent successes like Batgirl and Gotham Academy giving artists more opportunity to help tell the story, Watanabes visuals seem wasted. As the issue goes on, dialogue becomes so prominent that the story feels like it could almost exist with Watanabe at all. For fans of DCs more high-concept books, the issue is still a great read, as it does the approach justice. It just feels like weve been here before.

If youve been following the Justice Leagues adventures in suburban Rhode Island over the past few months, issue #23 is an amazing conclusion to that story. Again, if thinky books arent your thing, this may not be for you. If thinky books arent your thing and youd like that to change, then you might want to go back a couple issues and read this arc in full. Its definitely worth it.

Overall, KID LOBOTOMY follows Black Crowns mission as well as it can for the time. Its a lot harder to shock people than it used to be, especially in comics. What was once a dirty secret of the industry 50 years ago now exists almost anywhere but the big two. That being said, Both Milligan and Fowler bring their a-game to this good, and if you can reconcile their different styles, youll find a book that rests somewhere in between American Horror Story and the young adult horror genre, to name drop some works with a similar tone.

If you havent been following LEGENDARY" RED SONJA, this isnt the place to hop on, and if youre the type of comics fan who likes those dialogue-heavy thinky books, you dont get that here. If youre a 14-year-old looking to be entertained, ask your mom to get you this and the two issues before. Its a hoot.

Still, the book holds its own, throws in a few humorous and witty elements and sets up the impending multi-part crossover well. If youve been following either book as of late, youll be happy to see these worlds collide, just dont expect something as sophisticated as those old Vertigo stories.

As a tool for coping, Dominos growth in this issue is of the kind many of the readers will likely relate to. Its a technique Joss Whedon used to great effect in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and anybody whos sick of happy endings, or at least characters who at the end of the day get what they want because theyre the hero, will likely leave this book satisfied. Nobody comes off as perfect, and in fact everybody seems a little selfish, and by the final pages, when the focus begins to shift back to the larger drama of villains and street gangs, we get the feeling that Domino will be ok.

Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #3 starts strong and fails to keep momentum, though the few final pages of this otherwise exciting tale dont ruin the issue as a whole. If youre excited for the return of Jean Grey, or if you want to be but need some convincing, this is the issue where things really take off, and despite a few issues, the payoff is well-earned.

With what can now be seen as ten-ish years of build up, you could say this story has a lot to prove. Rosenberg could have tried to craft this epic homage to all things Jean Grey, and in a lot of ways he has, but in a lot of ways he also kept it simple. The return of Jean Grey is a piece of the decade-long Phoenix saga that has continued to appear, disappear, then reappear in the X-books. Kind of like a Phoenix, its gone in cycles, and this is just a piece of the story. Heck, it may not even be the end.

The veins of the story are still being fleshed out, but superheroes and demons notwithstanding, RETCON #2 doesnt seem to be a book about fantasy. What I mean by that is it isnt escapist. Its entertaining, theres plenty of cussing and zany visual moments thanks to Cypress chaotic style, but the problem faced by the hero, arguably by the entire world both real and within the pages of this story, isnt one that can just be wiped away.

Rugrats #4 is on stands now. Everything about the writing channels that old Nickelodeon vibe, and with only minimal changes made when adapting the art to the comic format, its basically a new episode of the series in book form. If youre yearning for something nostalgic, or even if you're looking for a well made story for all ages, you might find this book worth the $4.

Overall, SHADOWMAN/RAE SREMMURD #1 is a book that starts strong and doesnt seem too sure where to go from there. Its a nice story that meets its logical conclusion, but if you arent a diehard fan of Shadowman or hip-hop like myself, it likely wont be enough to satisfy you the way other Valiant books have been praised for doing month to month.

Overall, the issue is enjoyable, but its tendency to read like a 22 page previously on.. makes it skippable. In an age when a comic book habit costs a good chunk of your paycheck to maintain, one wants to feel like every page is being used to the best of its ability. As has been established in comics, long-winded dialogue is the trademark Bendis style, so diehards and casual fans of his work likely wont take issue. For everybody else, SPIDER-MAN #234 probably isnt worth the dough.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #78 ends suggesting this is just the start of things to come. Fans of a more fantasy-driven Turtles may put this issue down feeling that this world is getting overrun with realism, but those who know the legacy of these books will likely see it as a new take on a classic formula, one that has been done better at times than others.

INFINITE LOOP #2 continues a narrative that is equal parts espionage, politics, and commentary on the conflicts that love brings us. There are no heroes in this book, but heroic actions by the few characters you should care about. While you probably havent broken through the timestream, you more than likely have felt helpless under a narrow-minded government, or dealt with a fragmented family life. Colinet and Charretier navigate these uncomfortable topics with an ever present hope, which is hard in an era where it is so tempting to give up.

THE JETSONS #3 continues to show the Hanna-Barbera comics to be more than a cheap cash grab from DC. The storytelling on all parts is great, even with a cliffhanger that one cant help but find a bit corny. If you havent been following this series, you can get all issues to date for 3 bucks each, and see for yourself why this book is more than the same story with more chiseled jawlines.

Its really these meta quirks that make Gwenpool what it is. The actual plot is nothing too crazy where modern Marvel is concerned, because modern Marvel is crazy by default. Gwenpool is one of those books that keeps the zany, often silly tone of some of Marvels titles from being pushed into a new norm. If you like comedy with a deep metaphysical side, GWENPOOL #22 continues the complex mystery of where this character fits in the Marvel Universe, the short answer being not at all.

WONDER WOMAN #37 provides amazing large-scale action in spite of a plot unfitting of its characters. The issue is a great reminder that visuals are half of comics, and a good artist can easily be the star of any given issue. For that reason, theres definitely no reason to shy away from this issue or arc, especially if you were a fan of Paz or Pagulayan beforehand.

WWE #10 is a solid continuation of the WWE story in comics that highlights the strengths of both media. A superhero fan could easily pick up this book knowing nothing about wrestling and be at home, while a wrestling fan might see it as a natural extension of the medium they love. Whats undeniable is that the WWE comic is one of those rare adaptations that works, and will continue to work for as long as the book runs, same as it has on televsion.