Martin's Profile

Emperor Aquaman #15 was a great ending to the story started in issue one (that got muddled with the K.O. event). It was a also a clear NEW beginning for the series, that I think this book needed. Once Aquaman and his group of heroes returned to earth after the first arc, the story felt like it was spinning it’s wheels, however now everything seems back on track. The way Arthur returned and Mera’s mother was dealt with were comic book perfection. The stage set by the events of the ending of this issue are pointing Aquaman and all of Atlantis in a new direction and I can’t wait to see where this all goes. I highly recommend this issue. more

I didn’t remember exactly how the Scarlet mini-series ended so it was nice that they got me up to speed with this one. They took the story forward catching up to current events in the Energon Universe. This was a quasi-silent issue and frankly I’m over that concept. Image seems to be beating that poor horse well past the point of being dead. The problem with silent issues is that they read super f ast, so I was done pretty quick and there was very little nuance to what was happening. Cobra attacks to steal the lightsaber (or whatever it’s called) while the Joes are trying to extract Scarlet, not a ton of story here. It was nice to see my favorite Joe Snow Job again and it was doubly nice NOT to have Transformers or MASK lurking around. While I didn’t hate this issue - I’m looking forward to getting back to some Joe/Cobra meat and potatoes. more

I was excited for this NEW Fury of Firestorm series as I was a fan of the character in the 1980s. Over the years I felt that writers mishandled him and drifted a bit too far away from the original concept. When I started reading this issue - I got the sense that Lemire missed the whole point of the character, but as I read further I saw what he was doing. Without spoiling too much this seems to be the next evolution of the character, however the narrative seems to be pointing back to the core of the original book as the salvation for this current dilemma. While not what I expected - I was pleasantly surprised with what I read. I eagerly look forward to where this story is going. I highly recommend this series. more

I was not a fan of issue 30 - so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Transformers #31 … what I got was a mixed bag. While I enjoyed switching the focus to Megatron, it did feel a little like filler. Granted we were introduced to some new Decepticon lore, none of it seemed that relevant to the story at hand. Of course this could all make sense in future issues, I guess I wanted more after the flat en ding to the previous issue. Still a good read and I would recommend … however I am slowly starting to lose interest more

Void Rivals #28 folds in a few story elements that feel like an after thought, however the action and pace of this issue allows that to pass by without derailing the narrative. Not a ton of plot in this issue just more intergalactic combat, where the tide turns one way and then the other to build into the cliffhanger. Kirkman also reminds us that Cobra-La is still part of the story and probably w ill have some role to play in the ultimate conclusion. Not the best Quintesson War installment, still superior to most comics in story and style … with two chapters left I am excited to see what is yet to come. more

Thundarr the Barbarian #2 is a “good” book, true to it’s Saturday morning roots, with a touch of the new. The art from Kewber Baal (not 100% on model - but pretty close) is solid and pairs well with the Jason Aaron script. Last issue we were treated to a nice bit of world building for the world of Thundarr and it seemed to be as I remembered it from the 70s with a bit of an edge. This issue throws all that away, for a time travel plot and an alternate timeline. Not a great place to go on just the second issue. For one, we leave the world of Thundarr behind without truly understanding it (unless you are a die-hard fan of the cartoon). Second creating an alternate timeline is pointless, as we know it will be fixed eventually, so nothing that happens in the alternate timeline really matters. Also with no explanation Ariel understands the world of 1994 … how? I didn’t hate the book … but time travel was a bad call - in my opinion. more

I have no clue what happened with Iron Man #2 … I enjoyed the first issue, but had to force myself just to finish this one. I honestly got so bored while reading this comic, I put it down BEFORE the staple. The art is fine, but the story seems lost, the concept isn’t all that interesting and feels like it’s been done before. Tony had an idea, the villain is using it against him and he’s going to s olve this problem all by himself. I have enjoyed a few Iron Man launches, but more than often I haven’t and sadly this one is falling into that second category. The best relaunch had to be the 1998 Heroes Return (volume 3) series by Kurt Busiek … it was exciting and heroic, things that are lacking with this new series. more

It took me a minute to process DC K.O. #5 and I don’t think I was satisfied with the ending. By page six they introduced a deus ex machina that sort of renders the first four issues moot. So ultimately winning the contest was pointless, it was just about energy and (without spoiling much) another character had a storehouse of Alpha energy … or whatever, nothing really mattered. This issue just und id the “crisis” introduced in the first issue and left things open-ended, it resonated with the same disappointment of Final Crisis. I know some people will find the ending interesting with an underpinning of social commentary … however that ultimately betrayed the promise of this crazy concept. more

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.
more

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