April 11th-18th, 2007 Reviews
Iron Man #16
The Good: Tony’s new position as Director of SHIELD is definitely being utilized here. The writers aren’t missing the great opportunity that they have been given when it comes to Tony’s new job. I like the idea of the Mandarin making a comeback. Iron Man’s rogues gallery has never been the strongest, but the Mandarin, his most noteworthy villain (other than a bottle of Jack Daniels) making a reappearance is a lot cooler than having some third rate bad guy show up.
The Bad: This issue suffers from a lot of talking heads. There isn’t much action here, and that doesn’t really work for an Iron Man title. Plus, Roberto De La Torre isn’t given any cool splash pages, or action scenes to draw. The guy does wonders with fight scenes, and when he’s stuck drawing Tony talking to people, then his art is wasted.
The Verdict: The last issue gave me high hopes for this story arc, but this issue has caused me to cool off a bit. Hopefully this issue was the calm before the storm. The biggest plus for this book right now is that the new status quo is definitely being utilized. Hopefully the next issue will hit us with some more action, and fewer scenes where Tony is just jabbering.
Grade: 7/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
New Avengers #29
The Good: The story continues to be told in an interesting way, but it isn’t without its’ flaws (check out the bad for more on that). All of the characters are spot on as well. Plus, Leinil Yu continues to draw pretty pictures.
The Bad: Yes, the storytelling method is interesting, but there really hasn’t been much plot advancement in the last couple issues. We keep getting more details about what has already occurred, rather than the story actually moving forward.
The Verdict: The issue works well enough. It is by no means unreadable. It would just be nice if Bendis moved the plot forward a bit faster. Overall, it was the worst post Civil War issue from this title.
Grade: 7/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
52 #49
Review Coming Soon
Grade: /10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
New X-Men #37
The Good: Niko Henrichon! Man, this guy’s art is top notch! Every page he draws pulls you in, and is so detailed that every time you look at the page, you find something new. The story gives us a nice set up for what is to come, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued. I wouldn’t necessarily equate the New X-Men with a tale of mysticism and demons, but hey, who am I! The Bad: I had to read this issue a couple times to really understand what was going on. I also had to wiki a couple characters, and check out a summary of the New X-Men series to feel like I was up to date. This arc is supposed to be a jumping on point, so the one negative is that it’s not exactly new reader friendly. The Verdict: This issue is an intriguing start to an arc with great potential. The art really ties everything together in a nice package, and gives even the newest noobs some pretty pictures to gape at.
Grade: 8.5/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #1
The Good: This is just a really fun read. Jeff Parker gives us a light and fun story, and Mike Wieringo does wonders with the art. This comic is a nice change of pace from the earth shattering comics that seem to be the norm of today’s market. The Bad: Just like BPRD, nothing is wrong! Is it a perfect story? No. Is it fun, and a good way to spend your money? Yes! The Verdict: If you’re tired of the Civil War’s, and Infinite Crisis’s, then give this story shot. It’s fun, and a nice change of pace.
Grade: 8/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
BPRD: The Garden of Souls #2
 The Good: There isn’t always one single component that makes Mike Mignola’s BPRD titles great. Each facet of the comic is important, and every part of the creative process is important as well. So the good basically is that this issue flows well, has solid dialogue, gives us some more pieces to the mystery of who and what Abe Sapien used to be, and the art fits the horror/dark comedy feel of the story. The Bad: There is nothing really wrong with this issue. No, it wasn’t the best comic of the week, but it did give me three bucks worth of entertainment. The Verdict: A solid story, with fitting art. What’s not to love?
Grade: 8/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
All Star Superman #7
Review Coming Soon
Grade: /10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
52 #50 and World War III One Shots
The Good: WWIII packs more punch, and exciting moments than Civil War. Plus, the entire story comes out in one week! This weeks issue of 52 could have stood alone and told the story of WWIII, but the four one shots flesh out the battle against the raging Black Adam, and shed some light on the changes that were made to the DCU "One Year Later." I guess, there's only one thing left to say; 52 has cemented its’ spot in comic book lore as one of the most inventive, daring, and awesome stories ever to be published. Nuff' said! The Bad: The price. It cost me $12.50 to buy all four WWIII one shots, and the main issue of 52. However, the price was okay with me after reading the story, because it ROCCCCCCKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEED! The Verdict: If you haven’t picked up any of 52, then you need to stand up, walk to your car, and go to your local comics shop. Then, pick up one copy of each week, and then set aside a 24 hour block to read this epic story. It is just that good.
Grade: 9.5/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
The Brave and the Bold #3
Review Coming Soon
Grade: /10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
Justice League of America #8
The Good: The dialogue is impressive, and the art, provided by fill in artist Shane Davis, works well. The interactions of the JLA and JSA really makes the characters from each team seem like a real extended family.
The Bad: Just like the last couple issues of JLA, there is great dialogue, but a lack of cool action scenes. Like I’ve said, character moments, and good dialogue can only take you so far.
The Verdict: This issue is an essential part of the JLA/JSA crossover (seeing as it’s the beginning of the story). The issue does do a good job of setting up the events to come. However, this issue keeps with the tradition of the last couple of installments of JLA; not a whole lot of interesting stuff happens. It’s all just kind of “blah.”
Grade: 7/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
Nightwing Annual #2
The Good: This was the biggest surprise of the week. This issue splices flashbacks with more recent flashbacks to explain some loose ends revolving around the Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon marriage proposal. Overall, I felt like I got a good amount of story for the price.
The Bad: Like I said, biggest surprise of the week. There is nothing extremely wrong in this book. The one slight negative is that people who didn’t read Infinite Crisis might be a bit lost.
The Verdict: If you’re a regular Nightwing reader, then this is a must have. Despite the continuity heavy story, this issue really delivered.
Grade: 9/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
Mighty Avengers #2
The Good: The art is stunning, and the storytelling style with the thought balloons is fresh and different.
The Bad:Meh. Nothing notable happens. There is very little plot advancement, and even with Frank Cho’s awesome art, things just dragged along for 22 pages.
The Verdict: A bit of a letdown from the awesome first issue of the series. I’m not too worried yet because Bendis knows what he’s doing, but this was the biggest disappointment of the week.
Grade: 6/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann
Ultimate Spider-Man #108
The Good: The identity of Ronin in the Ultimate Universe is revealed a lot quicker than his 616 counterpart. This issue strikes a nice balance between action, and drama as well. Nothing feels forced, and things flow smoothly.
The Bad: Marc Spector is interesting, but I think too much of this issue is devoted to him, and his mind games.
The Verdict: Good, but not spectacular. Nothing to write home about really, but it is another solid entry into the Ultimate Spider-Man series.
Grade: 8/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann |
