Review: 'Amazing Spider-Man' #667

By Don M. Ventura

The Amazing Spider-Man #667

DC Comics

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Okay, so here’s the thing. Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. And I have thoroughly enjoyed the fun that Dan Slott has brought to this book. But darn it, the book has just gotten fun to the Nth degree.

The Spider-Island story has been quietly building for months. In the last issue we followed the calm before the storm as Slott put all of Spidey’s amazing supporting cast in place for the impending torrential downpour. Things go nutty for Peter when Carlie explains that she suddenly has Spider-powers (in a very clever opening page). Ever the scientist Peter (quite delicately) wonders if he is somehow responsible for—uh, transmitting—his Spider-powers to his girlfriend.

Shang-Chi and Madame Web are observers to a criminal underground meeting in which a gaggle of gangsters show-off their spidery powers. The Jackal sets them loose to loot the Big Apple, but not before giving them all Spider-Man garb. All hell breaks loose as the Avengers try to protect the city from dozens of wall-crawling baddies—unfortunately for the real Spider-Man, he looks like every other hood now.

Slott builds the tension perfectly from the last issue as hell starts breaking loose and Manhattan is overcome with Spider-men and women. Peter gets a taste of his own medicine as Carlie swings off into action, leaving her boyfriend dumbfounded. Adding to the energy of Slott’s script is the perfectly matched Humberto Ramos who gets another shot at the Avengers (who he drew in issue #648).

Take heed event writers—this is how to start off a BIG EVENT!

Review: 'Batgirl’ #24

By Don M. Ventura

Batgirl #24

DC Comics

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Life can be unfair. When DC relaunches all of their books to what they are hopeful will be great fanfare in a couple of weeks, two of my favorites titles not be a part of the festivities: Power Girl and Batgirl. Well, not this Batgirl at least.

I’ve been following the exploits of Stefanie Brown since she teamed up with Supergirl to fight a few dozen Draculas in the re-readable Batgirl #14. It’s great to see the character go out on a high note—although it is far, far too soon. At the conclusion of the last issue Stephanie had come face-to-face with her criminal father, the Clue Master.

In this issue, the two have a quick showdown between father and daughter before Stephanie is taken down by a whiff of the Black Mercy (DC horticulturists will know what the plant is). What follows is a powerful scene between the young heroine and her mother that ties their relationship up nicely and a sweet cameo by Robin (writer Bryan Q. Miller know precisely how sweet he can go with Damian Wayne).

In the final scene, Stephanie shares a moment with Barbara Gordon on a rooftop where we are treated to seven beautiful pages by artist Pere Perez as we see Stephanie’s “heart’s desire.” I won’t spoil what she experienced while subjected to the Black Mercy, but it was touching, dramatic, funny and everything you would expect from Miller, who has given his protagonist one of the strongest, most confident voices in comics. After a beloved two-year run, Miller sends Gotham’s brightest crime fighter off with undeniable class.

Review: 'Punisher’ #1

By Don M. Ventura

Punisher #1

Marvel Comics

«««½

I hadn’t tried reading the Punisher since about 2001 when Garth Ennis was writing the character for the Marvel Knights imprint. For me, Frank Castle has always been one of those one-note characters that writers are unable to sustain for long runs.

But I found myself more than pleased with what Greg Rucka accomplished on The Punisher #1, a book that is a dark and gritty (perhaps even more so) than one could expect. The Punisher is not front and center in this inaugural issue however; he’s an angel of vengeance who appears out of nowhere to inflict a violent eye for an eye.

The book opens with carnage—there has to be to get Frank to come out of his dark corner—as a gang war violently disrupts the wedding of a doctor and his Iraq War veteran bride. Rucka (Gotham Central) is no stranger to writing crime stories and does so ably here. But this turns out to be more of a nightmare than a crime.

It’s hard to get a take on how Rucka will present Frank in future stories because this issue is more about establishing the violent world he inhabits and centers on Detective Walter Bolt, a man with the Punisher as his guardian angel. Nonetheless, this is a powerful opener with a solid back-up story that continues to flesh-out the character of Detective Bolt.

Mark Checcheto’s artwork is incredibly striking in most of this book, but it falls a little flat in others. There were a couple of missteps with the character design of Detective Clemmons. It looked as though Checcheto used Morgan Freeman as the inspiration for Clemmons which was distracting.

Rating Scale:

Excellent ««««

Good «««

Average ««

Poor «

Review: 'Flashpoint' #4

By Don M. Ventura

Flashpoint #4

DC Comics

««

“Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”

Unknown

I stopped for a minute while I was reading Flashpoint #4 and asked myself a question, “has Geoff Johns ever made me laugh?”

Not that I could recall. The question came to mind because I got the distinct feeling that the writer was trying to push my gut in with his wacky new creation Element Woman, a character who I expect will inspire more grimaces than smiles. After the Flash, Batman and Cyborg are cornered by soldiers, Element comes to the rescue and offers the heroes a juice drink. She does the same again when visiting the home of the Captain Thunder kids.

Element Woman is supposed to be eccentric I suppose, because she is easily distracted and begins conversations at inopportune times. But this is extremely superficial and lacking the finesse that someone like Brian Michael Bendis has achieved in establishing Mark Spector’s idiosyncrasies in his brilliant Moon Knight.

The issue plods along and simply feels like it’s on a mission to get to the final page, and we’re left feeling empty when a major character is executed. As readers we don’t really care because, while we are familiar with the character in the regular DCU, the book has taken almost no time to establish him in this series.

I feel as though Flashpoint started with a great deal of energy, but it’s winding down unsatisfactorily.

Rating Scale:

Excellent ««««

Good «««

Average ««

Poor «

Review: 'The Infinite’ #1

By Don M. Ventura

The Infinite #1

Image Comics

«½

I’m going to start off by saying that I’m not a fan of Rob Liefeld. However, I am a fan of Robert Kirkman, and I—like many—believe that Invincible is one of the best superhero comic books being published today. I figured, even if I don’t care for the artwork, there would be something to enjoy with this time travel yarn.

This wasn’t the case. The story felt as passionless as Kirkman’s previous creator-owned title, Super Dinosaur. The setup of the story is simple, to a fault, and there’s little energy to compel the reader to continue following. Once the book had reached its conclusion, I didn’t feel as though the story had veered into unfamiliar territory. In fact, I’m sorry to say, it felt all to safe and by-the-numbers.

The Infinite begins 18 years in the future with Bowen, a soldier with the resistance who realizes that his present is lost to the villain Imperius and a group of beings (from ever further into the future) called the Infinite. Bowen travels to the present to recruit his younger self (what an egomaniac) to help him fight the good fight. As the story closes, Imperius and the Infinite also travel back to the present as Bowen assures his younger self that he will win this battle.

And there we are. None of Kirkman’s trademark wit, clever dialogue, or sense of fun is here. It all feels as though it taken just a few degrees too seriously, and Bowen and Bo lack the charisma you would expect at the heart of a Kirkman story.

While I admittedly do not care for Liefeld’s work, it becomes a handicap because the artist seems incapable of conveying the expressions of the characters in the story. Everyone is scowling or staring intensely in this book, which does not help to illustrate what Kirkman was going for in his script.

Rating Scale:

Excellent ««««

Good «««

Average ««

Poor «

Book of the Week: 'Secret Avengers' #15

By Don M. Ventura

Secret Avengers #15

Marvel Comics

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I was starting to get the feeling that Nick Spencer’s work at Marvel was a bit restrained; especially so with his work on Iron Man 2.0, a book that hasn’t featured the strong characterization or layered storylines that we have already come to expect from the guy who introduced Morning Glories and The Infinite Vacation in 2010.

Things began to turn for me with Secret Avengers #13, which was an unusual tie-in to Fear Itself in that it was a quiet character piece with a message about staying strong in the face of adversity. Perhaps stronger was issue #14, which featured a doomed love story set against the backdrop of Fear Itself as well as tying into an origin story or sorts for the Valkyrie.

However, it’s Spencer’s post-modern take on comic book deaths in the amazing Secret Avengers #14 that the writer presents one of the best reads in comics this year. In it, the suffering (though you’d never know by looking at her) Black Widow infiltrates a “news” website office which has just run a story that Captain America isn’t dead—the “Bucky” Cap that she has been cavorting with the past few years.

Book of the Week: 'Daredevil' #1

By Don M. Ventura

Daredevil #1

Marvel Comics

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Do you have any prejudices that you’ve carried over into adulthood from your childhood? I do.

Daredevil.

As a young comic book enthusiast in the early 80’s, the brilliance of Frank Miller’s work on the book was lost on me. I was much more interested in the X-Men fighting the Brood or the Masters of Evil attacking Avengers Mansion while She-Hulk washes the car (Avengers #222). But the Man Without Fear just never did it for me because, as I’ve said before, he was always fighting some big fat guy.

Review: 'SVK'

By Mark Frankland

Quick show of hands of hands—who has heard of SVK?

Just me then? *Sigh* Oh well. I shall tell you what SVK is anyway. It is something that I personally have never come across for two reasons: one, it is very hard to get a hold of. Probably down to the rather elongated process one had to go through to actually obtain a copy (i.e. you had to join a special mailing list—the only link that I could find was from the writer’s personal website: WarrenEllis.com). Then you had to wait for the email some two months down the line to appear in your inbox. After this, instantly purchase it lest other very unemployed people (such as myself some three weeks ago) get it before you do. Reports of fighting dragons and untying the Gordian Knot with one’s teeth were also reported, although all I had to do was punch out an Orc with one leg, so your results may vary. Secondly, it’s written in UV ink. Right, WTF?

SDCC '11: Review: 'Locke & Key' Pilot

By Don M. Ventura

Friday at Comic Con, the makers of Locke & Key were finally able to air the pilot adapted from the Eisner Award-winning comic by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez of the same name, after Fox decided not to pick it up as a series for the 2011/2012 Fall season.

And I assure you, a mistake has been made. Director Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) and writer Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds) faithfully adapted the comic book in a way that maintains the book’s dark core themes and characters, while still presenting entertainment that could air on network television. The production on this pilot felt cinematic for certain; one of the more surprising aspects of the pilot is that it covers the first volume of the series, “Welcome to Lovecraft.”



Review: 'Ultimate Fallout' #1

By Mark Frankland

Do you want to know something that I just don’t do? Cry. Seriously, name a sad movie that you cried at in the last ten years that made you cry. I have probably watched it and it may have made me sad but I damn sure didn’t cry. Seriously I have watched Up, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Requiem for a Dream, Stand by Me, Rent and Grave of the Fireflies and not one of them left me reaching for the Kleenex—I can’t say that anymore and it’s because of comics.

And I bet we can all guess which comic I am talking about. Yes, this is a review of the first issue of Ultimate Fallout.

All I am going to say is that this book is the single most emotionally affecting comic book I HAVE EVER READ! Easily beating most of the stuff that I have read and just edging ahead of Magneto Testament as the most likely to reduce someone to tears (seriously a friend of mine who didn’t even like comic books read it and spent an hour crying into a tub of Ben and Jerry’s).

Video Review: 'X-Men' #14

Cristian is thoroughly enjoying Christopher Yost’s current “First to Last” storyline in adjectiveless X-Men #14—an epic story with great art by Paco Medina (on the present day piece of the story). Medina will get a shot at the mutants again when he and Nick Spencer relaunch Ultimate Comics: X-Men in September.

Unfortunately Cristian was not thrilled with Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force by Rob Williams and Simone Bianchi—the book is missing Rick Remender. In Superboy #9, Jeff Lemire really gets things going as the book begins winding down before DC relaunches the title (with everything else) in September—Cristian was blown away by the book’s quality. But the best of the week? Check out Jonah Hex #69 with fantastic art by Lemire.

You can see more of Cristian’s video reviews here.

Video Review: 'Detective Comics' #878

Cristian has a new batch of reviews of last weeks’ comic books—at the top of the batch is the finale to Detective Comics’ “Hungry City” arc. Is there anyone who doesn’t love Scott Snyder fantastic run on this book? Check out Cristian’s excellent YouTube channel for more of his reviews—we dig his enthusiasm for the medium! You’ll find reviews for Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine #1, Batman, Incorporated #7, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6, and American Vampire #16.

Video Review: 'Ultimate Spider-Man' #160

Cristian is as enthusiastic about Ultimate Spider-Man #160 as we were! The “Death of Spider-Man” storyline, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, has gotten a lot of deserved attention and it doesn’t disappoint!

Check out Cristian’s YouTube page where he reviews Captain America #619, Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing #1, Batman: Gates of Gotham #2, and Action Comics #902. Cristian is also excited about the direction of Bucky’s storyline in Captain America and the fantastic artwork by Butch Guice. Cristian was not too pleased with John Constantine’s first official story in the DCU in Brightest Day Aftermatch: The Search for Swamp Thing by Jonathan Vankin—but the art by Marco Castiello, Vincenzo Acunzo is appealing.

Thanks for sharing Cristian!

Video Review: 'Power Girl' #25

Cristian has a ton of reviews to share with us this week! First off is his review for Judd Winick’s final issue of Power Girl. We agree that this has been a really fantastic run for Winick and this character. Visit Cristian’s YouTube channel to watch his reviews of X-Men #13, Superman/Batman #85, Invincible Iron Man #505, Batgirl #22, and Avengers #14. Watch and enjoy!

Comic Review: 'Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons’ #1

By Cristian Casares

Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1

DC Comics

««½

With his parents still alive and well, Dick Grayson (now an adult) never became Robin and is still part of a traveling circus show with its star, Deadman.  This is one of the mini-series that really interested me right off the bat; however, it really didn't live up to my expectations.

For the most part I like J.T. Krul. Most recently his Teen Titans book has been great, so I don't know what happened here. I may be in the minority but I was so uninterested by this. What each Flashpoint tie-in has done so far has been to expand the world of Flashpoint and its respective characters. In this book these characters felt kind of two-dimensional. I like Dick Grayson but he just blends in along with his parents and Deadman is too much of a jerk to find likable—even one bit. However, not everything is bad about this book.

There were some really interesting things that happened in this issue. Not to spoil it, but Dr. Fate seems to have a very important role in this. I'm not familiar with Fate at all, and I don't find him all that interesting to be honest, but the little panel time he had was really good, and I can't wait to see what happens.

Mikel Janin is on pencil duty while Ulises Arreola is working on colors. Over all, it looks beautiful. Seems kind of like Frazier Irving's work just not as dark. It was kind of hard to distinguish the Graysons and Deadman when they weren't in costumes.

So far, each mini has done well enough in part that they are there to expand the world of Flashpoint and that none are essential to the main story. While I didn't completely love this issue, it wasn't terrible, and things did pick up towards the end. There's a feeling in my gut that someone might not live through the next two issues, and I can't wait for the next issue.

Rating Scale:

Excellent ««««

Good «««

Average ««

Poor «

Video Review: 'American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest' #1

This week Cristian (and just about anyone else who read it) absolutely loved Scott Snyder’s American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #1. Additionally, Sean Murphy’s magnificent art perfectly compliments Snyder’s perfect script. Check out Cristian’s YouTube channel (here) to watch more of his reviews of last week’s titles. Cristian is happy to see a turnaround on Red Robin with issue #24, he’s continues to be happily perplexed by the excellent Morning Glories #10, and he didn’t think there was much of a payoff in New Avengers #13.

Thanks for sharing Cristian!

Cape Town Capsule Reviews, 06/08/11 Releases

By Cristian Casares

Journey Into Mystery #624

Marvel Comics

«««½

After Loki sacrificed himself in Siege, he is now reborn in the body of a child, but appears to be more of an ally then the evil god we have grown to know. A Fear Itself tie-in book, the first page takes some time to recap his part in helping Thor escape and breaking out the Hel-Wolf for his own use.

Kieron Gillen's run on Thor is some of my favorite work. Over all, I think he's a great writer. In this particular issue we get to see him explore these almighty gods a little more. Something that is growing out of this series is the relationship between Volstagg and young Loki. I've never know Volstagg to be one of the deeper characters and Gillen gives us a different side to him, doing a terrific job just exploring his character and, as I mentioned before, his growing relationship with Loki.

Gillen is able to give every character on the page a very distinct feel and voice. I found it very easy to imagine Odin's booming voice as I read his lines of dialogue, for example. Loki is the star of this book however, and some interesting things are being put on the table for him, and elements from his previous Thor run are also being brought back in the picture in a way that makes perfect sense. Even as a kid, we are beginning to get these moment where we aren't so sure if Loki will stay on his path to help his brother, or if he's already planning something completely on his own agenda. He still is the God of Mischief and definitely shows his cunning and conniving ways

Every line of dialogue is written so poetically and every page looks outstanding. This is a really heavy tie-in to Fear Itself, and is definitely recommended, especially if you're reading Marvel's big event.

Video Reviews: ‘Detective Comics’ #877 and ‘Wolverine’ #9

Christian reviewed, among other things, Wolverine #9 (a 4 out of 5) and Detective Comics #877 (4.5 out of 5)! I’m going to have to agree with you Christian that these were two of last week’s best reads. I might go out on a limb and say that I enjoyed Wolverine a mite more—but I think we can agree and say these are two fantastic runs for these books.

Christian is ready to catch you up on some last week’s other comic books—and it was a damn good week for books (though, not all were perfect)! Head to Christian’s YouTube channel to watch more of his reviews. This week he also reviewed The Tattered Man one-shot, Secret Avengers #13, and Amazing Spider-Man #662.

Detective Comics #877

Wolverine #9

Cape Town Capsule Reviews, 5/18/11 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

Batman: Gates of Gotham #1

DC Comics

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Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins are proving that there are still stones to be upturned in their new mini-series Batman: Gates of Gotham.

The story opens in the late nineteenth century Gotham, the city is as dark as we have come to know it, but its forefathers are filled with the hope that their city can eventually out-metropolis nearby Metropolis. We come to learn that those forefathers are the Waynes, the Cobblepotts, and the Elliots—considering their descendants have been destined to war with one another, there is little hope that these men will walk away from this mini on amicable terms.

The story feels like an epic mystery right from the outset—something we have come to expect from Snyder whose American Vampire and Detective Comics have set high expectations for any future work. Before long we are transported to present day Gotham where the bridges of Gotham are taken out by simultaneous explosions. The scene below the Gotham River is a nightmare. Batman and Red Robin are unable to save all of the unfortunate Gothamites who found themselves in the middle of the destruction

The breakout star of the book is Trevor McCarthy, who has recently done some fantastic work on Batman Annual 28 and the recent Superman 80-Page Giant. I’m glad the dynamic artist has gotten an opportunity to spread his wings on a long-form story—he proves here to be up to the challenge for sure.

There is a truly haunting scene in which Batman is submerged below the Gotham River, surrounded by the victims of the bridge explosions. Guy Majors colors keeps all of artwork dark, but all of the images are distinct and not muddled. This can be a problem with some artists who work with night scenes.

Snyder and company have started off Batman: Gates of Gotham with a bang (or three?) and I can't wait to see what more they plan to add to the already dense Batman mythos.

Wednesday's Finest: 'Rocketeer Adventures’ #1

By Don M. Ventura

Rocketeer Adventures #1

IDW

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One of the things about getting an anthology, especially one that is based on a single character, you sometimes have to put yourself in the mindset that one of the stories might be weak because these types of books tend to be somewhat uneven.

Rocketeer Adventures does not follow suit.

After I continued through this book, the thought that spread to mind was that everyone involved was committed by doing right by the late Dave Stevens’ classic character. Beginning with the stunning cover by Alex Ross, an artist whose work sometimes is a bit stiff for my taste. Not here though. The Rocketeer is dramatically soaring high above the earth and beyond the clouds, his gloved fist firmly pressing the button that ignites his rocket pack. This guy is ready to save the day.