Last week was a pretty tough week to follow up on, but this Marvel-centric set of the Weekly Crisis Comic Book Reviews is trying its best to out do the previous week's outing. Not sure where DC's at this week, as there's only a few Countdown related books that made it onto my pull list, but Marvel has more than made up for it with Annihilation Conquest, Messiah Complex, Iron Fist and several other must have books. As always, I'll be updating throughout the day with more reviews as I work my way through my stack of comics, so check back regularly. With that said, on with the reviews!UPDATE - Since the original posting, I've added several books, including, Superman, Search For Ray Palmer: Red Rain, Countdown to Final Crisis and Silver Surfer: In Thy Name.
UPDATE 2 - Held back my Illuminati review from yesterday as I didn't want to spoil the big reveal on anyone. If you haven't read or heard about this issue yet, know that my review has all the big spoilers concerning the issue, so read at your own risk.
Comic Book of the Week
NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI # 5Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Jim Cheung
Alright, I held off posting my review for the Illuminati because I wanted to specifically talk about the big reveal on who was the Skrull and didn't want to spoil it for anyone. If you still haven't read this issue, skip down to the next one because there'll be plenty of spoilers in the rest of this review.
With that said, this was an incredible issue. Easily the best comic this week for me. However, even with the action throughout this issue, it's still a Bendis book, so there's lots of talking heads, which doesn't bother me in the least, but could be a concern for others.
As for the big reveal, it came as the Illuminati were discussing back and forth what to do with the corpse and what it actually meant in the grand scheme of things. Did it signal an invasion? Were Skrulls involved in all the random events over the past year or two? Was it just a single Skrull acting on his own? Before they can answer these questions, Blackbolt begins to speak, confirming he is a Skrull, and tells the Illuminati their world is forfeit as he destroys the complex they were meeting in. It was an awesome reveal and seeing the Skrull casually speak as Blackbolt, not caring if it revealed him as a Skrull, before attacking was a huge 'Oh sh--!' moment for me. The entire scene pretty much blew me away.
What follows this huge reveal is an all out battle royale with the Illuminati that sees Dr Strange's powers barely working yet again as the team is nearly taken down by the lone Skrull mimicking all of the groups powers. Another huge surprise was that Namor eventually ends up killing the Skrull only to have two more Skrulls bust in before the team can even catch their breath. These two arrive wearing clothes and using the powers of Thor and Colossus. Iron Man has the Dr Strange teleport the Illuminati away as he uses his Extremis powers to tap into nearby nuclear power plants as he basically nukes the two Skrulls into oblivion.
The entire issue was perfect in my opinion. If you weren't excited about the Skrull invasion by now, this issue is sure to get the adrenaline pumping and you can be sure that the internet will be talking about this issue for months to come.
However, it's not all fun and games with this issue. While the reveal for Blackbolt was handled incredibly well, it still poses the question of how and when the hell did they replace arguably the most powerful being on Earth (well, the Moon if you want to be technical)? Marvel has some explaining to do. My only guess is they'll make it after WWH and Silent War. There's no way this is the same Blackbolt that fought the Hulk or was in Silent War. Also, why would the Skrull reveal himself at this time? It made no sense in my opinion. He couldn't honestly expect to kill the entire Illuminati and he had a much better chance picking them off one by one than taking them all on at the same time. The book posed more questions than it answered if you ask me.
One other thing I'd like to point out is Dr Strange's behaviour. At the beginning of the issue he specifically tells Blackbolt that they are waiting for the others after Tony arrives with the body. Blackbolt looks like he's ready to fight but Strange simply tells him again that they are waiting with a stern look that seems to cause Blackbolt to settle down. Combine this with his later non-functioning powers during the fight and he's still looking very much like a second sleeper Skrull. If he does end up a Skrull, it would basically make my top two choices for Skrulls come true, as seen in my Usual Skrullspects post.
Verdict - Must Read. Explosive conclusion to the Illuminati series that actually manages to deliver on all the hype surrounding the issue. This basically overshadowed every other issue this week, pushing things like Conquest or Messiah Complex on the backburner in terms of hype and reader interest. If you intend on reading Marvel comics in the next year, you need this issue as it sets up the major event that will most likely touch every comic in the months to come.
With that said, this was an incredible issue. Easily the best comic this week for me. However, even with the action throughout this issue, it's still a Bendis book, so there's lots of talking heads, which doesn't bother me in the least, but could be a concern for others.
As for the big reveal, it came as the Illuminati were discussing back and forth what to do with the corpse and what it actually meant in the grand scheme of things. Did it signal an invasion? Were Skrulls involved in all the random events over the past year or two? Was it just a single Skrull acting on his own? Before they can answer these questions, Blackbolt begins to speak, confirming he is a Skrull, and tells the Illuminati their world is forfeit as he destroys the complex they were meeting in. It was an awesome reveal and seeing the Skrull casually speak as Blackbolt, not caring if it revealed him as a Skrull, before attacking was a huge 'Oh sh--!' moment for me. The entire scene pretty much blew me away.
What follows this huge reveal is an all out battle royale with the Illuminati that sees Dr Strange's powers barely working yet again as the team is nearly taken down by the lone Skrull mimicking all of the groups powers. Another huge surprise was that Namor eventually ends up killing the Skrull only to have two more Skrulls bust in before the team can even catch their breath. These two arrive wearing clothes and using the powers of Thor and Colossus. Iron Man has the Dr Strange teleport the Illuminati away as he uses his Extremis powers to tap into nearby nuclear power plants as he basically nukes the two Skrulls into oblivion.
The entire issue was perfect in my opinion. If you weren't excited about the Skrull invasion by now, this issue is sure to get the adrenaline pumping and you can be sure that the internet will be talking about this issue for months to come.
However, it's not all fun and games with this issue. While the reveal for Blackbolt was handled incredibly well, it still poses the question of how and when the hell did they replace arguably the most powerful being on Earth (well, the Moon if you want to be technical)? Marvel has some explaining to do. My only guess is they'll make it after WWH and Silent War. There's no way this is the same Blackbolt that fought the Hulk or was in Silent War. Also, why would the Skrull reveal himself at this time? It made no sense in my opinion. He couldn't honestly expect to kill the entire Illuminati and he had a much better chance picking them off one by one than taking them all on at the same time. The book posed more questions than it answered if you ask me.
One other thing I'd like to point out is Dr Strange's behaviour. At the beginning of the issue he specifically tells Blackbolt that they are waiting for the others after Tony arrives with the body. Blackbolt looks like he's ready to fight but Strange simply tells him again that they are waiting with a stern look that seems to cause Blackbolt to settle down. Combine this with his later non-functioning powers during the fight and he's still looking very much like a second sleeper Skrull. If he does end up a Skrull, it would basically make my top two choices for Skrulls come true, as seen in my Usual Skrullspects post.
Verdict - Must Read. Explosive conclusion to the Illuminati series that actually manages to deliver on all the hype surrounding the issue. This basically overshadowed every other issue this week, pushing things like Conquest or Messiah Complex on the backburner in terms of hype and reader interest. If you intend on reading Marvel comics in the next year, you need this issue as it sets up the major event that will most likely touch every comic in the months to come.
ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST # 1Written by Dan Abnett
Art by Tom Raney
Last year, Marvel revived their long forgotten cosmic heroes with the smash hit Annihilation event. Actually, event makes it sound like some generic and forced line wide crossover designed to cash in on fans. Annihilation was built around characters and their stories first and then made into an event once Marvel realized people were enjoying and, most importantly, buying the books in droves, unlike typical events that were designed with the cash draw tag line first and then add in whatever characters fit the bill later.
Like any business, Marvel saw the success of the first Annihilation and quickly gave the green light to a sequel in the form of this week's Annihilation: Conquest. Does Conquest live up to expectations? Is it just a cheap cash grab on Marvel's part? Read on for these answers and more.
I'm going to just say it right away. Conquest is so much more than a simple cash in on the newly revived space heroes. The same creative team behind the original Annihilation is back in full force with this very solid opening issue. There's lots of big reveals, from the villain to what Adam Warlock has been up to, combined with a well paced plot that hits all the right notes.
If you were too weak willed, much like myself, you spoiled the big reveal of the villain behind the Phalanx. Despite knowing who it was going in, I was still impressed with everything the issue had to offer and, while the villain's presence is explained in this issue, I'm sure it will quickly be addressed by the end of the series.
If you missed last week's Quasar, you'll be surprised to see Adam Warlock's appearance in this issue. The issue does an excellent job bringing readers up to speed on the events of Quasar's mini-series and the brunt of this issue was dedicated to Warlock and his premature rebirth. As many speculated, he's not quite up to snuff and his memory is full of holes.
It appears the billions of souls from the deaths caused during the first Annihilation Wave caused Adam to enter the cocoon. What many of the spoilers from last week's issue don't tell you, however, is that Adam has been working with the man that gave him his name - none other than the High Evolutionary, himself. If the villain reveal was spoiled on you and you happen to know anything about Adam Warlock's past, this was quite the shock reveal in and of itself.
As far as the bad in this issue, I honestly can't see anything to complain about. The art is top notch. Plenty of shocking reveals and the return of several popular characters to the Marvel Universe combined with a tight plot make this just about as good a read as you can expect from any book.
Verdict - Must Read. This is the start of the sequel to the incredible Annihilation from last year. It's got everything that made the last one great and looks to be following in its predecessor's footsteps.
Like any business, Marvel saw the success of the first Annihilation and quickly gave the green light to a sequel in the form of this week's Annihilation: Conquest. Does Conquest live up to expectations? Is it just a cheap cash grab on Marvel's part? Read on for these answers and more.
I'm going to just say it right away. Conquest is so much more than a simple cash in on the newly revived space heroes. The same creative team behind the original Annihilation is back in full force with this very solid opening issue. There's lots of big reveals, from the villain to what Adam Warlock has been up to, combined with a well paced plot that hits all the right notes.
If you were too weak willed, much like myself, you spoiled the big reveal of the villain behind the Phalanx. Despite knowing who it was going in, I was still impressed with everything the issue had to offer and, while the villain's presence is explained in this issue, I'm sure it will quickly be addressed by the end of the series.
If you missed last week's Quasar, you'll be surprised to see Adam Warlock's appearance in this issue. The issue does an excellent job bringing readers up to speed on the events of Quasar's mini-series and the brunt of this issue was dedicated to Warlock and his premature rebirth. As many speculated, he's not quite up to snuff and his memory is full of holes.
It appears the billions of souls from the deaths caused during the first Annihilation Wave caused Adam to enter the cocoon. What many of the spoilers from last week's issue don't tell you, however, is that Adam has been working with the man that gave him his name - none other than the High Evolutionary, himself. If the villain reveal was spoiled on you and you happen to know anything about Adam Warlock's past, this was quite the shock reveal in and of itself.
As far as the bad in this issue, I honestly can't see anything to complain about. The art is top notch. Plenty of shocking reveals and the return of several popular characters to the Marvel Universe combined with a tight plot make this just about as good a read as you can expect from any book.
Verdict - Must Read. This is the start of the sequel to the incredible Annihilation from last year. It's got everything that made the last one great and looks to be following in its predecessor's footsteps.
ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST - STARLORD # 4Written by Keith Giffen
Art by Timothy Green III
Keith Giffen wraps up the Starlord mini-series with a solid effort. It's probably the weakest issue of the run, but with the bar set so high with the first three issues, you'd be hard-pressed to call this offering bad in comparison to anything else on the market.
If you were here last issue, you know that Captain Universe was left bloodied and alone in the sewers after fighting off an entire wave of Phalanx drones and his entire team captured. You'd expect some major follow up on his part with this issue. However, you'd be wrong. Giffen jumps ahead and has him meet up with the only other member to avoid capture, Mantis. From there, Giffen has to free the team, find a cure for the Phalanx virus, fight their way out of the Phalanx installation, steal a ship and escape from the planet - all in one issue.
To say this final issue falls victim of trying to wrap up everything in a single issue is an understatement. I think if Giffen had another 5 or so pages, it would have made a huge difference in the pace of this issue. As it is, everything felt rushed with a lot of random plot devices that seem to have been put in just to get the characters where they need to be, the Kree squad that stopped fighting with the escaped heroes is one example.
The book was still great. It just fell a little short of expectations. I was happy to see everyone make it out alive, as every single one of these D-listers have been more entertaining than just about any supposed A-lister hero's book I've read in recent memory. I look forward to seeing more of them in the main Conquest mini-series.
Verdict - Must Read. It may not be as good as the first three issues, but it's still a damn good read compared to everything else out there and is easily one of the best Conquest tie-ins. While not immediately present in the debut issue of Conquest, the events of this series should be felt as the team is set to show up in the near future.
If you were here last issue, you know that Captain Universe was left bloodied and alone in the sewers after fighting off an entire wave of Phalanx drones and his entire team captured. You'd expect some major follow up on his part with this issue. However, you'd be wrong. Giffen jumps ahead and has him meet up with the only other member to avoid capture, Mantis. From there, Giffen has to free the team, find a cure for the Phalanx virus, fight their way out of the Phalanx installation, steal a ship and escape from the planet - all in one issue.
To say this final issue falls victim of trying to wrap up everything in a single issue is an understatement. I think if Giffen had another 5 or so pages, it would have made a huge difference in the pace of this issue. As it is, everything felt rushed with a lot of random plot devices that seem to have been put in just to get the characters where they need to be, the Kree squad that stopped fighting with the escaped heroes is one example.
The book was still great. It just fell a little short of expectations. I was happy to see everyone make it out alive, as every single one of these D-listers have been more entertaining than just about any supposed A-lister hero's book I've read in recent memory. I look forward to seeing more of them in the main Conquest mini-series.
Verdict - Must Read. It may not be as good as the first three issues, but it's still a damn good read compared to everything else out there and is easily one of the best Conquest tie-ins. While not immediately present in the debut issue of Conquest, the events of this series should be felt as the team is set to show up in the near future.
FANTASTIC FOUR # 551Written by Dwayne McDuffie
Art by Paul Pelletier
If you've been following Fantastic Four, or even my reviews of it, over the last few months, you'll notice that McDuffie has been highly erratic in terms of quality. One issue could be great while the next is just a train wreck of a story. With quiet trepidation I approached this Doom from the future storyline. I'm happy to report that this was a solid first part to what could be a classic Fantastic Four tale.
Building on the foundations of Reed's role in Civil War, McDuffie has Dr Doom, Black Panther and Namor come back from the future to stop Reed and the rest of the Fantastic Four from taking over Earth. Apparently, Reed will take his '100 ideas', which spawned the Thor clone and Negative Zone prison, and expand on them with a 101st idea - an idea which involves curing all disease, hunger, poverty and equalizing wealth around the world, in essence creating a utopia.
I really enjoyed some of the scenes with Reed reacting to this supposed tyranny in the future. In the span of a few panels, he goes from disbelief to contemplation to, finally, curiosity as he asks what causes this future to come about. It just felt like the way someone who has had lots of time travel experience and is as intelligent as Reed would act.
However, the issue wasn't perfect. There's still a bit of a kinetic pacing - as if McDuffie can't control his urge to hurry through the plot, throwing random characters and plot elements at the reader without proper development, similar to the last issue which featured the introductions of about 10 separate characters as they tried to save the universe. He is no where near as bad as the last issue, but I have to point out there were a few hiccups here and there in this one.
Despite the few minor complaints, McDuffie delivers an incredible cliffhanger with the revelation that Sue leaves Reed in the future for Namor which results in Reed pulling out an energy weapon and blowing future Namor's head off. It caught me completely off guard and has me chomping at the bit to find out what happens next. I know the evil future Reed must have something to do with this, but I honestly can't wait to find out what McDuffie has in store for the rest of this arc.
Verdict - Check It. I almost want to give this a Must Read, but McDuffie's run has been all over the place and I'm hesitant to suggest people jump in based on this single issue. He could easily come back next month with another dud or it could be a masterpiece. His run has really been that erratic. If you're interested in the Fantastic Four or future stories with evil versions of our heroes, this is a solid first issue that you'll probably want to check out.
Building on the foundations of Reed's role in Civil War, McDuffie has Dr Doom, Black Panther and Namor come back from the future to stop Reed and the rest of the Fantastic Four from taking over Earth. Apparently, Reed will take his '100 ideas', which spawned the Thor clone and Negative Zone prison, and expand on them with a 101st idea - an idea which involves curing all disease, hunger, poverty and equalizing wealth around the world, in essence creating a utopia.
I really enjoyed some of the scenes with Reed reacting to this supposed tyranny in the future. In the span of a few panels, he goes from disbelief to contemplation to, finally, curiosity as he asks what causes this future to come about. It just felt like the way someone who has had lots of time travel experience and is as intelligent as Reed would act.
However, the issue wasn't perfect. There's still a bit of a kinetic pacing - as if McDuffie can't control his urge to hurry through the plot, throwing random characters and plot elements at the reader without proper development, similar to the last issue which featured the introductions of about 10 separate characters as they tried to save the universe. He is no where near as bad as the last issue, but I have to point out there were a few hiccups here and there in this one.
Despite the few minor complaints, McDuffie delivers an incredible cliffhanger with the revelation that Sue leaves Reed in the future for Namor which results in Reed pulling out an energy weapon and blowing future Namor's head off. It caught me completely off guard and has me chomping at the bit to find out what happens next. I know the evil future Reed must have something to do with this, but I honestly can't wait to find out what McDuffie has in store for the rest of this arc.
Verdict - Check It. I almost want to give this a Must Read, but McDuffie's run has been all over the place and I'm hesitant to suggest people jump in based on this single issue. He could easily come back next month with another dud or it could be a masterpiece. His run has really been that erratic. If you're interested in the Fantastic Four or future stories with evil versions of our heroes, this is a solid first issue that you'll probably want to check out.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST # 10Written by Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction
Art by David Aja
I should have enjoyed this issue more than I did. I have no idea why I came away from it feeling unsatisfied. The writing and dialogue was spot on as usual. The art was fantastic. We even continued to see more of the Iron Fist history with Danny's father and Davos in the flashback scenes and lots of behind the scenes intrigue as the tournament continued on.
With all that happening, I still felt like the entire issue was filled with nothing but sound and fury, signifying nothing. Danny even doesn't appear in this issue despite the claims of the solicit saying he returns to the fight armed with the secrets of Orson's past. On top of that, the Dog Brother #1 and Bride of the Nine Spiders fight was done almost completely off panel and all of the plotlines have barely moved since last issue despite having an Annual's worth of story last month to compliment everything that happened in this issue. The entire issue felt almost like filler, despite all these random developments.
It might sound like I hated the issue, but I didn't. It's just the issue felt like filler and I hate paying money and feeling like I was ripped off. This issue is what I would call a trade paperback issue. This will read great with the inevitable trade, but that doesn't make me feel any better about it now. The only thing of note from this issue concerns the Thunderer. He has an interesting conversation with the Prince of Orphans, which shows that they know each other, and he follows that up with an interesting dialogue with Rand's granddaughter, which seems to hint at a conspiracy of some sort on their part.
Verdict - Check It. It's still Iron Fist and a lackluster issue of Iron Fist is still better than just about any book out there. On the plus side, all the plots are building to what should be an explosive climax over the next two issues.
With all that happening, I still felt like the entire issue was filled with nothing but sound and fury, signifying nothing. Danny even doesn't appear in this issue despite the claims of the solicit saying he returns to the fight armed with the secrets of Orson's past. On top of that, the Dog Brother #1 and Bride of the Nine Spiders fight was done almost completely off panel and all of the plotlines have barely moved since last issue despite having an Annual's worth of story last month to compliment everything that happened in this issue. The entire issue felt almost like filler, despite all these random developments.
It might sound like I hated the issue, but I didn't. It's just the issue felt like filler and I hate paying money and feeling like I was ripped off. This issue is what I would call a trade paperback issue. This will read great with the inevitable trade, but that doesn't make me feel any better about it now. The only thing of note from this issue concerns the Thunderer. He has an interesting conversation with the Prince of Orphans, which shows that they know each other, and he follows that up with an interesting dialogue with Rand's granddaughter, which seems to hint at a conspiracy of some sort on their part.
Verdict - Check It. It's still Iron Fist and a lackluster issue of Iron Fist is still better than just about any book out there. On the plus side, all the plots are building to what should be an explosive climax over the next two issues.
SILVER SURFER: IN THY NAME # 1Written by Simon Spurrier
Art by Tan Eeh Huat
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect with this issue. I haven't kept up with this title in the least and didn't what it was about or even know if it was in or out of continuity before reading it. It's out of continuity for those curious.
With that said, I love the concept of the Silver Surfer and I believe the early Stan Lee days of his first series are some of the best stories featuring the Surfer. The 90's and beyond were not kind to our resident Surfer and I'm quite pleased with his recent resurgence post-Annihilation. In Thy Name continues the trend of great Surfer stories with a classic portrayal of the philospher Surfer, ever surfing the universe in search of knowledge and trying to aid people whereever the cosmos take him.
The bulk of this issue deals with the Silver Surfer meeting a new race so advanced and foreward thinking that they have created a confederation of over 100 planets that all live in peace and harmony in a utopian society. The Surfer spends most of the issue conversing with the people and exploring this culture's world.
While this race appears to live in a true utopia, there are hints at things hidden beneath the surface throughout the issue and by the end of the issue, it appears the aliens have brought the Surfer to an undeveloped world that worships a deity similar in nature to the Surfer under the pretense of helping said race. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if they are trying to use the Surfer to possibly subjugate this undeveloped race or if their intentions are actually benign as they say.
What I do know is that this was a great first issue that pretty much anyone can pick up and enjoy and I'm looking forward to the remaining issues of this series. However, it would be a disservice to the artist if I did not mention the exquisite artwork in this issue. It is truly top notch and does an incredible job displaying the vivid imagry of the various alien races and the utopian society they have created.
Verdict - Must Read. Excellent first issue that features a perfect portrayal of the Silver Surfer in what could be one of his greatest stories based on this first issue alone. Here's hoping they can follow up on this incredible first issue.
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #25
Story by Paul Dini
Breakdowns by Keith Giffen
Script by Adam Beechen
It's not a new week of comics without an issue of Countdown or, should I say, Countdown to Final Crisis. I thought last issue was a drastic change in the quality of the book. The pacing and panel layouts combined with significantly improved art made for a much needed jumpstart to the second half of the series. This issue continues the trend in terms of art and pacing, but dips a bit due to the amount of page time devoted to the Karate Kid storyline. While the art is better than anything in the first half of Countdown, it's still no prom queen in terms of looks, but an improvement none the less.
As I said, Karate Kid and friends get a lot of page time this issue and, picking up on the brief glimpse from last issue, Firestorm has joined up with them. I know a little about Firestorm, but have no idea what he's doing in Bludhaven or who Dr Stein is or why he's helping Val out here. Further compounding the problem with this week's issue is the introduction of the Atomic Knights. I have absolutely no clue who they are, but assume they were set up as the protectors of Bludhaven after it was destroyed.
So, while there was lots of progression in Val's story, there's just too many random plot devices thrown in from out of no where with little to no explanation, making the entire sequence a confusing mess. Having Desaad show up out of no where at the end of this issue torturing someone that we know nothing about and merging with Firestorm further compounds the problems with this issue's main storyline.
While the Kid story took most of the issue, they still managed to give a little Mary Marvel and Rogues loving. Eclipso presented Mary to Darkseid while the Rogues continue their on the run escapades with Deadshot in hot pursuit.
Verdict - Avoid It. I'm sure someone out there likes Firestorm and the Karate Kid storyline, so they'll probably enjoy this issue much more than me. The only bright side for me was knowing that the faster the Karate Kid storyline progresses, the sooner I won't have to read about it anymore. Hopefully they get back to the more tolerable storylines next week.
COUNTDOWN PRESENTS: THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: RED RAIN #1
Written by Peter Johnson
Art by Kelley Jones
This issue is exactly what I was hoping for with these Search for Ray Palmer romps through the Multiverse. It's a great done-in-one tale that highlights all the best parts of a unique Earth, giving us just a taste of what that Earth has to offer and keeping us wanting to know more about it while, at the same time, keeping the actual search for the Ray Palmer going.
If you haven't guessed by the cover or title, this issue focuses on an Earth based on the classic Elseworlds tale Batman & Dracula: Red Rain. It's a world where vampires are real and, if it's true to its Elseworlds roots, a world where Batman fought and killed Dracula, but not before he, himself, was turned into a vampire. He continues his unholy crusade against the villains of Gotham as a true Bat-Man.
This issue builds upon the basic premise and gives us a nice murder mystery with some nice nods to our Earth, like Barbara Gordon as a vampire or Dick Grayson as the one seeking vengence on Batman. The Challengers are our window into this mystery and we see the events through their eyes as they piece together the assorted clues until they finally meet up with Dick Grayson, who is about to drive a stake through the resting Batman. Their distraction awakens the Batman who bites Dick and flies off with the dead body. The Challengers, who had believed it was possibly Ray Palmer instead of Dick involved with the mystery let Batman take him away and move on to another Earth to continue their search.
What makes this issue a real treat is the artwork by Jones, who pencilled the original Red Rain. His style fits this issue perfectly and was exceptional in every regard. The final splash page of the Batman and the newly turned Dick Grayson as his new Robin was fantastic.
Verdict - Must Read. Probably my favourite Countdown tie-in to date. If you're unfamiliar to the Red Rain Elseworlds story, you'll more than likely be inticed to pick it up after reading this excellent one-shot.
SUPERMAN #670
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Rick Leonardi & Dan Green
I enjoyed the first two parts of this introduction to the "third" [Kirk's note: 9th or 10th, but who's counting] Krytonian, but that all went out the window with this final chapter.
First and most noticable problem is the god awful, assault on the eyes artwork. What the heck happened here? There's a scene with Lois that looks like a blob with 2 black dots and a receding hair line. I had to do a double take when she first showed up as I thought it might be a nanny for Chris. The second panel she's in, she has no eyes or nose. Literally.
Okay, the art's bad. The artwork doesn't matter if the stories good, right? Well, when the story ends up this bad, the art just makes it that much worse. Busiek jumps all over the place, from multiple fight scenes, featuring people that haven't appeared in the arc until now, to villian origins to even Batman in a Kryptonian battle armour fighting the villain. It's just one big mish-mash of generic fight scenes featuring villains with convient anti-Kryptonian weapons that never really pose a credible threat to our heroes. For an example of how bad this issue is, Superman bounces his heat vision off a satellite and then the railing outside his apartment and writes a message, in cursive no less, on the wall telling Lois to get out of the apartment. WTF Busiek?
Oh ya, that third Kryptonian? She's in about 3 pages this issue. Ya, the whole arc about her features her running away to space and then magically showing up at the last second to stop the villain and then leaving to go turn herself in for her supposed crimes. Ya. Superman sends one of the last members of his race off to prison or execution. Don't ask her to stick around and tell you about your race or it's history or anything. Make sure she does not pass go and goes directly to jail.
Verdict - Avoid It Like The Plague. This was a complete waste of money. This whole third Kryptonian just turned out to be a cheap gimmick and will hopefully be quickly swept under the rug and never mentioned again.
With that said, I love the concept of the Silver Surfer and I believe the early Stan Lee days of his first series are some of the best stories featuring the Surfer. The 90's and beyond were not kind to our resident Surfer and I'm quite pleased with his recent resurgence post-Annihilation. In Thy Name continues the trend of great Surfer stories with a classic portrayal of the philospher Surfer, ever surfing the universe in search of knowledge and trying to aid people whereever the cosmos take him.
The bulk of this issue deals with the Silver Surfer meeting a new race so advanced and foreward thinking that they have created a confederation of over 100 planets that all live in peace and harmony in a utopian society. The Surfer spends most of the issue conversing with the people and exploring this culture's world.
While this race appears to live in a true utopia, there are hints at things hidden beneath the surface throughout the issue and by the end of the issue, it appears the aliens have brought the Surfer to an undeveloped world that worships a deity similar in nature to the Surfer under the pretense of helping said race. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if they are trying to use the Surfer to possibly subjugate this undeveloped race or if their intentions are actually benign as they say.
What I do know is that this was a great first issue that pretty much anyone can pick up and enjoy and I'm looking forward to the remaining issues of this series. However, it would be a disservice to the artist if I did not mention the exquisite artwork in this issue. It is truly top notch and does an incredible job displaying the vivid imagry of the various alien races and the utopian society they have created.
Verdict - Must Read. Excellent first issue that features a perfect portrayal of the Silver Surfer in what could be one of his greatest stories based on this first issue alone. Here's hoping they can follow up on this incredible first issue.
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #25Story by Paul Dini
Breakdowns by Keith Giffen
Script by Adam Beechen
It's not a new week of comics without an issue of Countdown or, should I say, Countdown to Final Crisis. I thought last issue was a drastic change in the quality of the book. The pacing and panel layouts combined with significantly improved art made for a much needed jumpstart to the second half of the series. This issue continues the trend in terms of art and pacing, but dips a bit due to the amount of page time devoted to the Karate Kid storyline. While the art is better than anything in the first half of Countdown, it's still no prom queen in terms of looks, but an improvement none the less.
As I said, Karate Kid and friends get a lot of page time this issue and, picking up on the brief glimpse from last issue, Firestorm has joined up with them. I know a little about Firestorm, but have no idea what he's doing in Bludhaven or who Dr Stein is or why he's helping Val out here. Further compounding the problem with this week's issue is the introduction of the Atomic Knights. I have absolutely no clue who they are, but assume they were set up as the protectors of Bludhaven after it was destroyed.
So, while there was lots of progression in Val's story, there's just too many random plot devices thrown in from out of no where with little to no explanation, making the entire sequence a confusing mess. Having Desaad show up out of no where at the end of this issue torturing someone that we know nothing about and merging with Firestorm further compounds the problems with this issue's main storyline.
While the Kid story took most of the issue, they still managed to give a little Mary Marvel and Rogues loving. Eclipso presented Mary to Darkseid while the Rogues continue their on the run escapades with Deadshot in hot pursuit.
Verdict - Avoid It. I'm sure someone out there likes Firestorm and the Karate Kid storyline, so they'll probably enjoy this issue much more than me. The only bright side for me was knowing that the faster the Karate Kid storyline progresses, the sooner I won't have to read about it anymore. Hopefully they get back to the more tolerable storylines next week.
COUNTDOWN PRESENTS: THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: RED RAIN #1Written by Peter Johnson
Art by Kelley Jones
This issue is exactly what I was hoping for with these Search for Ray Palmer romps through the Multiverse. It's a great done-in-one tale that highlights all the best parts of a unique Earth, giving us just a taste of what that Earth has to offer and keeping us wanting to know more about it while, at the same time, keeping the actual search for the Ray Palmer going.
If you haven't guessed by the cover or title, this issue focuses on an Earth based on the classic Elseworlds tale Batman & Dracula: Red Rain. It's a world where vampires are real and, if it's true to its Elseworlds roots, a world where Batman fought and killed Dracula, but not before he, himself, was turned into a vampire. He continues his unholy crusade against the villains of Gotham as a true Bat-Man.
This issue builds upon the basic premise and gives us a nice murder mystery with some nice nods to our Earth, like Barbara Gordon as a vampire or Dick Grayson as the one seeking vengence on Batman. The Challengers are our window into this mystery and we see the events through their eyes as they piece together the assorted clues until they finally meet up with Dick Grayson, who is about to drive a stake through the resting Batman. Their distraction awakens the Batman who bites Dick and flies off with the dead body. The Challengers, who had believed it was possibly Ray Palmer instead of Dick involved with the mystery let Batman take him away and move on to another Earth to continue their search.
What makes this issue a real treat is the artwork by Jones, who pencilled the original Red Rain. His style fits this issue perfectly and was exceptional in every regard. The final splash page of the Batman and the newly turned Dick Grayson as his new Robin was fantastic.
Verdict - Must Read. Probably my favourite Countdown tie-in to date. If you're unfamiliar to the Red Rain Elseworlds story, you'll more than likely be inticed to pick it up after reading this excellent one-shot.
SUPERMAN #670Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Rick Leonardi & Dan Green
I enjoyed the first two parts of this introduction to the "third" [Kirk's note: 9th or 10th, but who's counting] Krytonian, but that all went out the window with this final chapter.
First and most noticable problem is the god awful, assault on the eyes artwork. What the heck happened here? There's a scene with Lois that looks like a blob with 2 black dots and a receding hair line. I had to do a double take when she first showed up as I thought it might be a nanny for Chris. The second panel she's in, she has no eyes or nose. Literally.
Okay, the art's bad. The artwork doesn't matter if the stories good, right? Well, when the story ends up this bad, the art just makes it that much worse. Busiek jumps all over the place, from multiple fight scenes, featuring people that haven't appeared in the arc until now, to villian origins to even Batman in a Kryptonian battle armour fighting the villain. It's just one big mish-mash of generic fight scenes featuring villains with convient anti-Kryptonian weapons that never really pose a credible threat to our heroes. For an example of how bad this issue is, Superman bounces his heat vision off a satellite and then the railing outside his apartment and writes a message, in cursive no less, on the wall telling Lois to get out of the apartment. WTF Busiek?
Oh ya, that third Kryptonian? She's in about 3 pages this issue. Ya, the whole arc about her features her running away to space and then magically showing up at the last second to stop the villain and then leaving to go turn herself in for her supposed crimes. Ya. Superman sends one of the last members of his race off to prison or execution. Don't ask her to stick around and tell you about your race or it's history or anything. Make sure she does not pass go and goes directly to jail.
Verdict - Avoid It Like The Plague. This was a complete waste of money. This whole third Kryptonian just turned out to be a cheap gimmick and will hopefully be quickly swept under the rug and never mentioned again.
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6 comments:
I thought this was one of the best issues of Countdown. But can see your point. You have to have read Battle for Buldhaven to really get this. That series shows the Atomic Knights protecting the city(and a mysterious underground bunker) when the govt. was doing experiments on the inhabitants. Fun Fact, it was the Atomic Knights who found Cap Atom and placed him in the Monarch armour to keep him stable.
The issue read much better for me also because I knew Prof. Stein was kidnapped by Darkseid, or his thugs, at the end of the Firestorm series.
So seeing Dessad working on Stein was quite the oh sh!t moment for me followed by an even bigger oh sh!t moment when Desaad became Firestorm.
That's pretty much what my problem with the issue was. I never read Firestorm or the Battle for Bludhaven and this was the first time I have had absolutely no idea what was going on in a story I had been following since day one.
If they had gradually introduced the Firestorm plotline or gave some backstory or even a little editorial note telling me what I needed to read to understand, I think I would have felt a little better about the issue.
The actual pacing and layout of the issue, as well as the art, was very good though. Everything seemed to flow much better than typical issues of Countdown which just felt like pages of disjoint stories stuck together to make a 22 page book. Hopefully next issue will fill me in a bit more on all these new characters and story elements.
I'm in between. I didn't read neither BfB nor Firestorm but I enjoyed the ish. Arguably Countdown's best cliffhanger to date, and I do like Karate Kid. And the Jimmy Olsen storyline that I hate suddenly got interesting. This event ids def. picking up.
I agree completely about Superman #670. I liked the idea of another Kryptonian; I liked it was a tough "old woman". I liked her character when she first showed up.
This issue wasted all my good will in that regard. She disappears, then comes back to heroically save the day (blech), no further information or delving into her backstory/information. The art was somewhat inconsistent as well, with some of the faces in particular being pretty rushed-looking at the end. That and the standard "heroes are fighting separately but come together to triumph!" trope didn't do it for me.
Actually one last rant - the Kandor aspect...really unnecessary and poorly done.
You make some good observations about Strange in The Illuminati and overall I thought the issue was very good. My pick of the week goes to the FF though, which is McDuffie's finest issue so far.
I've just been burned by Bendis too much to get too excited by Secret Invasion. House of M and many of his NA storylines started out promising the world but delivering nothing. I have to think that Black Bolt has only recently been replaced, if at all. For all we know he's still being held prisoner by his brother.
I agree about McDuffies' inconsistency on the FF. And, as you noted, next issue could be a dud. Yet based on just this issue's merits I thought McDuffie hit it out of the park. Nice mystery and certainly a shocking last page. My personal theory right now is that Reed's idea #101 is in fact a big success, and future Doom wants to sabotage it so he can live in a reality more to his liking. Reed has figured this out and shot his Namor Doombot. Despite anticipated revelations in both Illuminati and Annihilation, this moment would get my moment of the week award.
Conquest was very good as well. Although I'm no big fan of Warlock, I'll be patient and see how he develops.
@dr shallot - I was tempted to give FF a Book of the Week, but couldn't in good faith based on the inconsistencies. If next month does a good job following up on this issue, I'll definitely give it the credit it deserves though.
I gave Illuminati the nod this week simply because Bendis actually delivered on all the promises and hype surrounding the issue. He and Marvel in general have had problems following through on their high concepts though, so I might end up looking back on this as a mistake once everything is said and done.
I think my moment of the week would have to go to Cyclops in Astonishing. Whedon gave probably the greatest Cyclops moment I've ever seen in that issue. The FF ending would be a close second.
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