Martin's Profile

I honesty thought DC K.O. Boss Battle #1 was going to be one of those “must-read” comics, I was wrong. About three pages in I realized what a mistake I made. A silly contrivance is used to stop the battle for the fate of the universe - so our final four champions could team up with four defeated champions to battle characters from outside the DC Universe. That is the gist of this book and there is honestly nothing more to it. Having already read DC K.O. #4, I know that the events of this issue have zero impact on that story, rendering this book entirely moot. All the characters (DC and otherwise) are pretty much caricatures of themselves, leaving me scratching my head as to why they were chosen. The art is pretty good and the story could be considered big dumb fun … but too much dumb and not enough fun. Unless you are a DC K.O. completest, I highly recommend you skip this book. more

Void Rivals #27 represents the third part in the Quentesson War, meaning it ends at the halfway point. The story moves at a quick pace and a most of our main characters get a bit of “screen time” including Pythona. This standout issue features some solid action pieces and a twist ending that no one saw coming. Darak’s solution to turn the tide against the Quentessons came at the right time. This w as a fun, exciting, and highly enjoyable comic. Not sure how any of this will play into the other Energon books, but I really don’t care right now because it’s so enjoyable on its own. more

The plot keeps moving forward with G.I. Joe #19. Though no real action or any sign of Cobra, this was still a satisfying read. Felt like a “bridge issue” between The Dreadnok War and what is to come, though that destination isn’t clear yet … especially considering the big twist regarding Hawk. There was a bit too much Transformers in my G.I. Joe … but it’s that whole “shared universe” thing. I can handle the Transformers (to a point) because those brands have been tied together in small and large ways for decades, it’s all the M.A.S.K. stuff that doesn’t really jive with me. It’s good to see that Image will be launching a M.A.S.K. book soon - to get these clowns out of my G.I. Joe comics. That being said … interesting way of using Scrap Iron (one of my favorite toys as a kid). The art was a little “off” with this issue … but not in a horrible way. I still highly recommend this series! more

In art and story The Muppets Noir #1 feels like something from a different time … a simpler time … a better time. The narrative is simple and pretty much only exists to tie the gags together and there are plenty … including some “musical” pages. When reading the dialogue I could almost hear the voices of Jim Henson & Frank Oz (something that is lacking from the Disney Muppets). I think this is the first Muppet comic from Dynamite … so I have to wonder why they rated it “teen” when clearly this story is for everyone, young and old. There is a slight edge to the comic, but nothing as edgy as those early days of the OG Muppet Show. I would recommend this book for young readers and those young at heart who read the old Muppet strips and comics while growing up. more

The “twist” of the Crimson Queen was well plotted, well written, and a great reveal … however the story is going places that are the opposite of why I picked up this title to begin with. The series opened with Arthur and his growing band of heroes on a very exciting forward moving quest … and that’s not happening here. I don’t want to spoil Aquaman #14, so I can’t say too much, but outside of some background noise, the heroes who helped Arthur on his quest are pretty much absent from this issue. I get that with Arthur away off fighting to be the Omega King in the “big” DC K.O. event the story has shifted to focus on Mera and I respect how Adams is folding the Omega elements into the plot making this a solid tie-in. All that being said this just isn’t the same book that captured me last year, also the ending … sigh … I’m not sure I like where it’s heading. I’ll stick around a little longer … but while still well written … I’m starting to lose interest. more

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #2 was a better outing than the first. More story and more action helped this comic move past its overly wordy script. The plot is fully revealed and each of the main characters were given something to do that pushed the narrative forward. The main problem I have with this issue were all the new characters introduced are just used to keep the story going an d are not fleshed out enough, which is strange since the script is so dialogue packed. Another issue I had was the evil cookie cutter corporate bad guy - he is super evil for no real reason. There are a lot of great ideas at play here, but some of the connections are missing.
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Wow, DC K.O. #4 delivers! The battle with the Absolute characters was epic, exactly what I wanted and Superman of the regular DC Universe proved why he is the greatest of all time … hands down the BEST superhero in any pantheon. For the first 3/4 this was all combat, all action, then there was a surprise twist … that stopped EVERYTHING. The story delivered … however the epilogue was a bit confusin g. I guess there is a dark Legion of Superheroes (or Absolute version) and they had a hand in laying down the groundwork for all that happened in this issue. Plus (no spoilers) they dropped in hints about another character who will most like be the ex machina saving grace of the final issue. So over 3/4 of the issue was spun gold … but the last section seemed to derail the momentum of the book. more

Not gonna lie, the cover for Transformers #29, had me concerned … the cover A art just isn’t that good, however EVERY page of the interior was spectacular. This was an all-out, straight-up, action packed issue! Picking up right where issue 28 left off, Megatron was literally eating Trailbreaker and Optimus Prime has had enough. He goes after Megatron with full force and before you can say “one sha ll stand, one shall fall” it becomes a massive brawl between all of the Autobots and all of the Decepticons. Each page is rendered with beautiful precision by Dan Mora … this guy is an Action Master (see what I did there). No humans … no M.A.S.K. … just robot on robot combat! Well done and exactly what the series needed. Arcee, Magnus, even Beachcomber all got their moments, top tier from the first page to the last. Best book of the week … maybe the month! more

People love to hate on poor Jar Jar, and I get it, he was not a character adults expected to see when they sat down in that darken theater back in 1999. However my 5 year old son loved him … he was the right character for that age bracket and I never had a problem with him. Finally he gets the spotlight in his own comic - Star Wars: Jar Jar #1, written by Jar Jar Binks himself Ahmed Best (with Mar c Guggenheim doing the heavy lifting). What can I say, I enjoyed the story … I really liked this comic. Set between Episode II & III (probably closer to III) it finds Jar Jar teaming up with Best’s other Star Wars character - Jedi Master Beq (the guy who rescued Grogu from the Jedi temple). Beq shows Senator Binks some horrible working conditions on a remote planet to get him to do something about it. It’s a solid tale with a good bit of action provided by bounty hunters Run Sleg (a background character from Episode I) and Aurra Sing. There is another tie to the large Star Wars cannon in the form of the mother of a major character from another Star Wars property (I don’t want to spoil it for you). It was a story that fits nicely in cannon and gave Jar Jar something important to do that won’t effect or contradict anything we’ve seen in the movies. The story wraps up at the end … I think it was just a one-shot … but I frankly would like to see these plot threads continued. more

I honestly expected to hate Thundarr: The Barbarian #1, I mean Dynamite is hit or miss these days, this one was pretty much on target. I know I watched the show as a kid, these characters are somewhat known to me, but the details have faded into the past. So while familiar, I didn’t go in with preconceived notions. The introduction was pretty much what I remembered and the characters all rang true , but where the book succeeded for me was in the execution. The plot had a very Saturday morning cartoon vibe, yet was also layered in a way that it never felt silly or overly predictable. The story was fun and moved with the right amount of speed, the cliffhanger plus epilogue was enticing enough to bring me back for a second helping. This isn’t high art, but it’s comfortable and I would give this book to a 7 year old in a heartbeat. A solid effort all around, I recommend this book. more

The guy at my LCS convinced me to buy Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1 and I'm torn over it. It's an interesting story that is focused on The Question investigating some shady business going down in his city ... that then spirals into some larger international intrigue (if you want to call it that). Green Arrow is pulled in because this shady business is tied to his old company Queen In dustries, so that makes sense - I guess the Question and Olly have a relationship of sorts. Batman is pulled into the whole thing because he encounters some environmental terrorists and that brings Bruce to an event also tied to Queen Industries. It's a very gritty street level story, that then starts to feel like a James Bond plot. The art is nice (could use some inks) and the story is interesting ... if not over written ... this feels more like a film script than a comic book story. So much of the narrative is pushed forward through very long conversations and not the art ... which is odd because the writer is also the artist! I like most of the book, though I can already feel the environmental subtext creeping in all over the plot, to the point that calling it "subtext" is generous. All-in-all, I think it was an above average comic and I will be back for issue two ... but not sure if I would recommend it. more

The last issue failed to impress me, however Void Rivals #26 was the exact opposite. This was a straight up action packed story that was squarely focused on the Quintessons invading The Sacred Ring, no Cobra-La, no Transformers, no Skuxxoid, just one singular narrative and the book was better off for it. I have an idea where all of this is going ... but I could be 100% wrong - so I am just enjoyin g the ride. This issue was a much needed adrenaline push that the series needed. I highly recommend and am eagerly looking forward to the next installment. more

G.I. Joe #18 was a super fun little interlude. A great way to introduce a fan favorite character into this new Energon version of G.I. Joe. Sadly he doesn't speak in rhyme, but he is a fully fleshed out character who has the heart of previous iterations. After the high energy roller coaster ride that was the Dreadnok War, this was a great break. Not saying there wasn't some crazy fun action ... Xa mot and Tomax show up trying to pay Marvin (Roadblock) to head up their food truck division, when he turns them down, THAT's when the fun begins. Artist Marco Fodera steps in and delivers solid artwork to accompany Williamson's writing. Another great issue for an already great series. Yo Joe!!!more

I've had a run of bad luck with Iron Man relaunches ... so I was hesitant to check out Joshua Williamson's new Iron Man #1, the hesitation was unfounded. It took a minute to get going but once it got up to speed I found myself enjoying it. The writing is tight and all the characters feel authentic ... the plot streamlined, with an odd villain plot and an even odder cliffhanger, but I'm here for th e ride. The art I feel let the book down in a few places, but not enough to bring me out of the story. I hope the second issue is as strong as this as I will be adding Iron Man to my pull list for the first time in a while (I think the last run I actually enjoyed was back in 98). more

Aquaman #13 opens by focusing on Mera trying to figure out what happened to Atlantis (something we still don't know), and drops in some history about her character, that I had no idea about. We then get a small flash to the events of DC K.O. #3 that is presented differently than it was in the actual book. There is also a hint that Arthur is losing his overpowered-powers ... but nothing comes of it as the scene changes again. We then find the adult daughter of Arthur and Mera - Andrina fighting with Parademons (also a result of the DC K.O. event) when she decides that she is going to unite all the kingdoms of the sea ... and our plot flys forward.

I find that this book has strayed far from the original storyline that launched the series. The forward moving plot of the first arc was so good as Arthur picked up new companions with each issue ... they formed a well rounded team. Now those characters (outside of Andrina) have been dumped into the background. So the story isn't hitting with me and then the art in this issue also failed to hit the mark. I plan on sticking with the book through all this K.O. stuff in hopes that things turn back arounmore

Alright ... Transformers 28 was STACKED with all sorts of story points and some action mixed in for good measure. Megatron is going cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, Arcee is becoming the new Magnus, Spike & Carly are getting back to normal, Autobots "roll out", and Trailbreaker has a bad day. This was a great Transformers comic, giving everyone a little something while dropping a cliffhanger at the end. T he story & pace are on point and the art ... WOW ... Optimus Prime has seldom looked so good. My only issue was that they keep putting peanut butter in my chocolate ... I really think the MASK plot should be in GI Joe or it's own book. Still an excellent issue and I highly recommend it! more

While I enjoyed the fun of DC K.O. #3 ... it was much like eating McDonalds ... nothing of any real substance. A DC event always seemed to have some emotional weight to it ... but I'm getting none of that here. It all feels hollow, and after Dark Crisis & Absolute Power I don't expect it to stick any sort of satisfying landing (as the last two events failed to as well). As I said I am enjoying the "main series" for the popcorn fun that it is ... but have given up on any of the tie-ins - so what does that say about this event?

The individual matches in this issue were fun to read and there was some minor character moments. The artwork and pacing were top tier, so it's worth the price of admission, just don't expect to walk away feeling overly satisfied. Fast food comics. more

The Dreadnok War was an exciting chapter in this new G.I.Joe / Energon series ... however I feel this last chapter - G.I. Joe #17, fell a little short of expectations. Well ... no ... it was exactly what I expected and that was the problem I had with this issue. Outside of the last few pages - everything that happened in this issue was pretty much what I thought would happen. Not saying it's bad . .. no ... just the opposite - it was a quality ending, I guess I just wanted more. Without too many spoilers - the sequences played out in a very predictable way and frankly after such an "epic event" I expected more of a status quo shift. Yes, Yes there was the epilogue (which I also predicted - just with a different Joe) ... I just wanted more. That's on me though ... technically the book checked all the boxes and wrapped up this story nicely with one or two dangling plot threads to keep me coming back for more.
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Well this is unfortunate ... I was ready to drop Batman from my pull-list ... and then issue #5 comes along and is really good. This was a fun, fast paced comic that was nonstop action and speed. It's a simple "bad guys are after us" chase ... but was so well done! As much as I was losing interest in this series this issue pulled me right back in. If issue 6 keeps up this quality - I might be in for the long haul. I can do nothing but HIGHLY recommend this issue. more

I am just not feeling this new Batman series and issue 4 helped me see why. There just isn't enough happening in these issues. Just little sequences that set things up without enough pay off. First off the book was sold as being self contained stories ... that's been tossed out the window. There are too many plots running off into the ether and I just don't think any are all that interesting. The book is beautiful to look at and the writing is solid ... but not captivating. In this issue they put Bruce and this scientist Dr Zeller together and she was written so insufferably bad ... there was nothing about her that played well. Unless the plan is to make her the villain ... I don't see how they can redeem her. Maybe this series will read better as a trade paperback ... but as $5 floppies ... I can't justify it. I have one more issue left in my to-read stack ... unless that floors me ... I think it's time to say goodbye to Batman. more