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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Cape Town Capsule Reviews, 1/19/11 Releases


Well, our first podcast took up a lot of my time over the past week, but I expect to have more time for writing my regular weekly reviews. That said, we’re going to handle last week’s reviews in spitball fashion.

Here we go.

Supergirl #60
DC Comics
Nick Spencer and James Peaty have written a solid opener to this new arc, and kept from besmirching the work of former series writer Sterling Gates. Add to this, the gorgeous art of Bernard Chang who seems instantly at home on the book. Spencer and Peaty have created a truly vile new villain who might just be the “other son” of the Man of Steel’s bald nemesis. This was the best thing I read all week.


Morning Glories #6
Image Comics
Unfortunately, this is the weakest entry yet of the series. We jumped ahead about 20 years and found that life at Morning Glories Academy was just as confusing as ever. This was hopefully just a brief misstep in what has been an otherwise strong run by series writer Nick Spencer.

Iron Man #500
Marvel Comics
Matt Fraction tells an engrossing one-shot future-story in which Mandarin seems to be on the brink of world-domination as Tony Stark’s children attempt to stop the villain’s doomsday weapon. This is a great story in which Fraction establishes the resilience of Tony Stark’s character in the face of utter defeat. We also revisit Tony and Peter Parker’s relationship as it has been on rocky ground since Civil War.



Superman/Batman #80
DC Comics
This is one throwbacky story. You’ve got Bronze age Robin in his old speedos and wisecracking as he fights, Lois Lane with a thin striped tie, Batman smiling more than once, and a time travel story straight out of DC Comics Presents. The dialogue and story are all tongue and cheek and seems to be in writer Chris Roberson’s comfort zone.


Memoir #1 (of 6)
Image Comics
Memoir reminded me of 27 in that it didn’t really feel like the book that was solicited. The book’s dialogue was somewhat stiff and might have benefited from another draft or two. The plot was intriguing from afar, but in the end it did not grab me. John Cassaday has illustrated a mesmerizing cover.


Amazing Spider-Man #652
Marvel Comics
Dan Slott is really seeming a lot more comfortable with the world he’s established in this issue, the first part of his second arc on the title. Alistair Smythe, the Spider Slayer, is out for revenge on J. Jonah Jameson and plans to take out everyone he loves with the help of his insect army and Mac Gargan, the original Scorpion. This is a really strong story by Slott, but the surprise hear is the gorgeous art by Stefano Casselli. The last few pages with Spider-Man scaling the side of a rocket to save John Jameson are quite stunning.

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