LeandroMDuarte's Profile

Joined: Aug 18, 2013

Filter By:
8.4
Overall Rating

Unfortunately, this issue is a mess. The artistic changes and overall rush job on the visual side ruin even further a story that doesn't provide a satisfying conclusion to the confusing plot that has been developed for the past 5 issues.

A ridiculously thin issue that doesn't justify the cover price at all. One interesting scene with Eden and nothing else.

I'll just be blunt: as an individual issue of a serialized monthly series, this was just terrible. Doesn't feel like a satisfying chapter at all, just a sequence of barely connected scenes. Might work just fine as part of a collection, but definitely not as a single issue. Also: the cover advertises the appearance of a character that is nowhere to be seen. Very disappointing, even though Nick Bradshaw's artwork remains consistently great.

Yet another issue of super-slow plot development and little emotional payoff. There is also a jarring and annoying switch of artists halfway through.

A fun, light hearted issue that suffers a massive strike from the exploitative depiction of Talisman (and the Puck's ugly uniform makes a return - he really should have stuck with the Uncanny X-Force version).

As the series goes on, its problems become more and more noticeable. Mainly the fact that the overarching storyline moves too slowly and that the structure has become very formulaic, leading to the perception that each issue is but a slight variation on the same story. The art is not without its problems, too: for all the flair and style of Noto's pencils and colors, it lacks some flexibility and fluidity when dealing with charaters' faces. Natasha seems to always be sporting the same bored, frozen look in her face, no matter the situation she is in. This doesn't seem to be an intentional choice, aiming to denote how stoic the character is, but rather a failure to convey subtler emotions with drawings.

Very uneven issue. The cosmic half suffers from an ill-explained, convenient, rushed, and completely devoid of drama conclusion. On the other hand, the Earth-bound story maintains its focus on the characters and builds up the tension.
6.5
 Infinity: The Hunt #2 Oct 8, 2013
7.0
 100th Anniversary: Spider-Man #1 Jul 28, 2014
7.0
 100th Anniversary: Fantastic Four #1 Jul 29, 2014

Good issue, but the change in artists right at this point of the story does hurt the book a lot. Considering that this was sort of a mirror of the first issue of Avengers Arena, it is a terrible shame that Kev Walker doesn't draw this. Artists aren't interchangeable like that.

We finally get an explanation for the hook of the last Secret Avengers run (also helmed by Nick Spencer). It is an OK reveal, but it does feel a bit forced and it also discredits the version of the future being presented in this issue, since it doesn't seem very likely that the new characters revealed here would ever exist in the main Marvel Universe timeline.
7.0
 Black Widow (2014) #9 Aug 8, 2014
7.0
 Deadpool vs. X-Force #1 Jul 11, 2014
7.0
 Wolverine and the X-Men (2014) #4 Jun 11, 2014
7.5
 Avengers (2012) #29 May 17, 2014

Another intriguing issue that creates more questions than it solves them. Most of the space is filled with info dump, leaving little space to explore how the characters are reacting to the information they are receiveng and the world they are visiting. On the other hand, it is fun to speculate about how this future will tie to the present and what that last page means. Inconsistent art throught the issue also hurts it. Leinil Yu excels at drawing the wide-scope scenes, but has problems at micro level, especially while trying to portray subtle emontions on the characters faces and poses. There is also a ridiculous and completely gratuitous Black Widow buttshot that ruins the storytelling in the page where it appears.
7.5
 Avengers A.I. #3 Sep 26, 2013
7.5
 Avengers A.I. #4 Oct 15, 2013
7.5
 Black Widow (2014) #8 Jul 4, 2014

Interesting setup. Curious to see where this goes.

Entertaining read, but it also has a couple of terrible lines of dialogue and too many artistic changes.
7.5
 Nightcrawler (2014) #4 Jul 18, 2014
7.5
 Wolverine (2014) #6 May 17, 2014

Wolverine's journey under the pen of Paul Cornell is finally coming full circle, and this issue showscases a character that has made peace with his current predicament and that is fully aware of who is and who he wants to be. The Wolverine is back, as focused as ever. A couple things push the score down: some of the plot elements fall into place in too convenient ways (i.e. the attack on the bar, SHIELD's arrival at a crucial point) and Pete Woods art looks scratchy and unpolished, even though his storytelling remains good.
8.0
 All-New X-Men #26 May 16, 2014
8.0
 Amazing X-Men (2013) #8 Jun 23, 2014
8.0
 Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1 May 16, 2014

An enjoyable all-fight issue. The plot itself doesn't progress very much, but the good action and character interactions keep the series entertaining.
8.0
 Fantastic Four (2014) #5 May 29, 2014
8.0
 Inhuman #2 May 29, 2014
8.0
 Iron Patriot #4 Jun 23, 2014
8.0
 Legendary Star-Lord #1 Jul 3, 2014
8.0
 Magneto (2014) #6 Jul 7, 2014

Great first issue that sets the tone of the series and some of the themes that probably will be developed as the stories unravel. Brilliant characterization and very good pacing. The links to Infinity feel natural and make for a good reason for the fledgling team to assemble. On the art side, Greg Land alternates between dynamic action pieces and awkward faces and poses. There are definitely moments that may throw the reader off with their sheer weirdness, but the bad bits are not enough to ruin the comic. Frank D'Armata's colors complement Land's art nicely and really make the drawings pop. And the book also features an appearance from the Plunderer, who might just be the character find of 2013.
8.0
 Nightcrawler (2014) #2 May 28, 2014
8.0
 Nova (2013) #17 May 28, 2014

Great issue, but Rocket Raccoon is portrayed in a slightly too murderous way, as far as I am concerned.

Nice first issue. Beautiful art with gorgeous colors. Can't help but feel, though, that the writing could (and should) have avoided some of the clichés that plague the representantion of other countries, especially Mexico. Whenever we see mexicans, they are portrayed as poor people living in desolate small cities in the middle of nowhere, which is boring and dumb.
8.5
 All-New Doop #2 May 23, 2014
8.5
 All-New Doop #3 Jul 2, 2014
8.5
 All-New Ghost Rider #4 Jul 2, 2014
8.5
 All-New Invaders #6 Jun 13, 2014

Solid issue, with an interesting exploration of the events revolving around World War 2 in the Marvel continuity. Also, good showcasing of Jim Hammond and Radiance, who is turning out to be a nice addition to the Marvel Universe. Hopefully she becomes permanent member of the cast.
8.5
 All-New X-Men #29 Jul 11, 2014
8.5
 Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #4 Jul 26, 2014

Super dense storytelling with high-stakes action and great character interactions.

Yet another very good issue, but Timothy Green's art doesn't reach the same heights as Kev Walker's. Particularly weird is the way he draws Death Locket, who appears to be much older than she actually is.
8.5
 Captain Marvel (2014) #5 Jul 20, 2014
8.5
 Daredevil (2014) #4 Jul 28, 2014
8.5
 Fantastic Four (2014) #6 Jul 2, 2014
8.5
 Iron Man (2012) #25 Jun 3, 2014
8.5
 Magneto (2014) #5 Jun 6, 2014
8.5
 New Avengers (2013) #22 Aug 8, 2014
8.5
 Original Sin #2 May 22, 2014

Good first issue, but I wish we saw a bit more of that war between the realms. If it was as epic as it is said to have been, it deserved some more pages dedicated to the recounting of its story. But not enough space, I suppose.
8.5
 She-Hulk (2014) #4 Jun 23, 2014
8.5
 She-Hulk (2014) #5 Jul 7, 2014
8.5
 Uncanny Avengers #22 Aug 5, 2014
8.5
 Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #4 Jun 3, 2014
8.5
 Wolverine (2014) #7 Jun 22, 2014

The weirdest (and most fascinating) issue so far.

9.0
 All-New Ghost Rider #3 May 15, 2014
9.0
 All-New Ghost Rider #5 Aug 5, 2014

So good to see Kev Walker back. Shame he couldn't draw last issue.

Yet another excellent issue in this underappreciated series.

Unfortunately this seems to be Kev Walker's last issue, but he definitely goes out with a bang. Excellent issue.
9.0
 Captain America (2012) #21 Jun 4, 2014
9.0
 Captain America (2012) #22 Jul 3, 2014
9.0
 Daredevil (2014) #2 Jul 20, 2014

A surprisingly dark and tense issue, crafted with great skill by the creative team.
9.0
 Elektra (2014) #2 May 27, 2014
9.0
 Elektra (2014) #3 Jun 23, 2014

The final page will make the wait for the next issue an arduous one...

A bit of a heart-wrenching issue, but a very good one at that. The emotional struggles of each character were palpable, and the visual storytelling by both Kirk and Haspiel were top notch.

Interesting exploration of Danny's current psyche and Brenda's story.
9.0
 Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #5 Aug 8, 2014
9.0
 Justice League (2011) #29 May 22, 2014

An exciting ending to the first arc, neatly wrapping up the ties to Infinity and the coming together of the team. Land presents his best work so far in this series.
9.0
 Mighty Avengers (2013) #10 Jun 2, 2014
9.0
 Mighty Avengers (2013) #11 Jun 17, 2014
9.0
 Original Sin #3 Jun 5, 2014

The Punisher/Rocket Racoon panel alone makes this issue worth the read, but there are plenty of other great moments.
9.0
 Original Sin #5 Jul 3, 2014
9.0
 Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm #2 Jul 26, 2014

Great debut issue. However, I believe the first scene might have been a tad too violent for a purported all-ages book.
9.0
 Secret Avengers (2014) #3 May 27, 2014
9.0
 She-Hulk (2014) #6 Jul 20, 2014
9.0
 Superior Foes of Spider-Man #13 Jul 20, 2014
9.0
 Superman (2011) #32 Jul 28, 2014
9.0
 Thor: God of Thunder #22 May 27, 2014
9.0
 Thor: God of Thunder #24 Jul 8, 2014
9.0
 Uncanny Avengers #20 May 30, 2014

An excellent - and tragic - finale to this series. There is an element of character fridging that feels quite disturbing, though.
9.0
 Wolverine (2014) #8 Jun 22, 2014

Great issue. The thematic threads of this run are starting to come together, and in a really neat way.
9.0
 X-Force (2014) #5 Jun 4, 2014
9.0
 X-Force (2014) #6 Jul 2, 2014

This series just gets better and better. And the best work by Rock-He Kim on interiors so far.
9.5
 Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #1 Jul 7, 2014
9.5
 Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #2 Jul 9, 2014

Big, emotional issue. Hopeless hits all the right notes to make you care about the characters and their predicament, and Kev Walker presents some of his best work yet in this series.
9.5
 Daredevil (2014) #1 Jul 20, 2014

Masterful.
9.5
 Loki: Agent of Asgard #4 Jun 21, 2014
9.5
 Loki: Agent of Asgard #5 Jul 19, 2014

I was already expecting an excellent script by Al Ewing, but I definitely wasn't expecting to enjoy Greg Land's art so much. The cast grows, the plot thickens, but the humour never leaves sight in this expertly put together title.

9.5
 Moon Knight (2014) #5 Jul 8, 2014
9.5
 Moon Knight (2014) #6 Aug 8, 2014
9.5
 New Avengers (2013) #21 Aug 5, 2014
9.5
 New Avengers (2013) Annual #1 Jul 7, 2014
9.5
 Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm #3 Aug 8, 2014
9.5
 Superior Foes of Spider-Man #4 Oct 4, 2013
9.5
 Superior Foes of Spider-Man #12 Jul 9, 2014
9.5
 Thor: God of Thunder #20 May 19, 2014
9.5
 Uncanny Avengers Annual #1 Aug 5, 2014

Best issue of the run so far. Extremely tense. Exquisitely drawn. Wolverine pushed to the limit.

Reviews for the Week of...

November

27th 20th 13th 6th

October

30th
More
© 2024