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Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Comic Book Reviews Super-duper quickie comic review: Dark Avengers No. 14
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Mike Deodato.
The Verdict: Wow. Who knew this series would be this good. This month's issue, as usual, is entertaining as hell. Tense, fast-paced with engaging dialogue and — honestly — the best lineup of characters in any Marvel comic on the stands. Buy it.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Comic Book Reviews Quickie comic review: Daredevil No. 504
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 7:24 PM
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Andy Diggle. Penciled by Roberto De La Torre. Inks by Matt Hollingsworth.
The Deal: In this latest issue of Daredevil, Matt's life is falling apart (as usual) — but he runs a ninja army and a secret real estate development of some kind. Oh and the Kingpin is plotting something.
The Verdict: Am I the only one who thinks Daredevil needs a reboot — or maybe a jump start? The comic feels like its been running on one long story line since Brian Michael Bendis was handling writing chores. And it's getting tired ... as am I. It's waaaaay past time to switch things up in a big way.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Comic Book Reviews / Four-Color Commentary Comic books I hate: Round 2
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Fri, Feb 12, 2010 at 10:38 AM
Well, here I am — back to share another list of ... shit, you get the idea.
Before I dive into the deep end of this post, let me give a big shout out to all the Deadpool fans who sent me such wonderful comments. I love hate mail! Keep it coming!
Anyway, here's my latest list of loathing:
Mighty Avengers: I actually liked this book when Bendis was writing it and Frank Cho was drawing it. But Dan Slott's terrible dialogue, lame cast and hokey situations just ruined it. Khoi Pham's art, also, just never felt "epic" enough for such a heavyweight team. Luckily it's getting canceled.
Black Panther: Writer Christopher Priest penned the best version of this character; after him, Reginald Hudlin took over and screwed it up a bit. Now it's just downright unreadable. A female Panther? Did this book really need a new Panther? Just write good stories, OK?
Green Arrow: Again, this comic book was actually good not too long ago — back when Kevin Smith wrote it. Hell, even Brad Meltzer had a good run on GA. Then came Judd Winick. Winick's first pass on the comic wasn't so bad, but after GA married Black Canary, the comic tanked, and now — post-Winick — it's ureadable. I know there's a big GA story line on the way (about him going to prson or something), but it sounds sucky. Knowing DC, GA will become Solomon Grundy's bitch or something.
The Shield: This comic actually contains a few cool elements — like how the lead hero's powers and costume manifest — but it just seems superfluous. What's the point of having another patriotic hero when we have so many on the stands already? I just don't think the Red Circle heroes have enough of a following to warrant a line of books.
Cable: I'm amazed that a book all about two people (Cable and Hope) running from Bishop has lasted this long. A complete waste of a series. Can we get this thing over with already?
The Outsiders: Such a troubled comic. A lot of creative teams have tried a lot of different approaches, but it's just a mess. At this point it changes focus too much, and the characterizations are just all wrong. Peter Tomasi's stint started out with promise, but DC bigwig Dan Didio is writing it now; after reading the first issue, I'm not impressed. I'm a fan of the original series (a guilty pleasure), but my eyes bleed when I read it these days.
All Wildstorm comics: I used to love Wildstorm comics. Alan Moore's Wildcats and his ABC line? Incredible. Warren Ellis' Authority? Stellar. Jim Lee's art? Fantastic. So, who's idea was it to make the heroes operate on a post-apocalyptic Earth and then publish nothing else but videogame tie-ins? Mr. Lee, you've gotta do something about this!
More to come ...
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Quickie comic review: New Mutants No. 10
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 1:31 PM
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Zeb Wells. Art by Paul Davidson, David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez.
The Deal: Fresh from the "Necrosha" crossover with X-Force, things with the New Mutants get back to normal ... well as normal as they cane be.
The Verdict: This issue wasn't as strong as other issues, but it was still enjoyable. The big event of the month was that Cyclops revealed why he even has a team of "New Mutants" ... turns out it's fairly valid. Honestly, I think the whole "Necrosha" arc threw this book off way too early in its run. But I guess it brought Doug "Cypher" Ramsey back so we should be happy, eh? What's really needed right now in this book is to establish a unique set of supporting characters, locales, villains and such; it sort of feels like an X-Men Jr. title, not a comic about characters with decades of continuity. All of that said, it's a decent issue but the world won't end if you skip it.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Comic Book Reviews / Four-Color Commentary Comic books I hate ...
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 4:11 PM
I was talking to a guy yesterday who doesn't read my weekly comic book review column or this blog on a regular basis and he (let's call him DUSTIN) remarked that I don't really write negative reviews about the comics I read. And, although I do slam books regularly, his words got me to thinking that maybe I don't write enough about the comics I actually don't like. That said, here's a list of comics I currently detest:
Justice Society of America and/or JSA All-Stars: The JSA worked well under the talented pen of Geoff Johns — but he's gone and now the current creative teams just seem content to revel in lameness. Stale villains, bland action sequences, terrible dialogue and characterization that's just wrong. I love the team and even I can't read this shit anymore.
Booster Gold: Time travel comics suck. Why? Because nothing of consequence can actually happen due to the fact that you can't change the past. Just bring Booster to the present, and make him a money-grubbing hero again.
The Hulk: Who is Red Hulk? Who gives a shit?! Jeph Loeb and Marvel have been stretching this story out for so long, whoever ends up being revealed as the man behind the red bad guy — even if it's Jean Grey or something — won't be worth the wait.
Deadpool: I can't believe people read this. It's the most inconsequential book on the stands — yet, it sells. Amazing.
Uncanny X-Men: Yeah, I've given up on this title. It's just dull. How dull? Well one of the big sub-plots for the last few issues has been: How can the X-Men keep their island from sinking? The solution? Namor ended up building a pillar under it. Now, I'm no engineering genius, but how was this a big deal? The X-Men figure out ways to jump from one side of the universe and back every other month; they can't figure out how to build a pillar?!
More to come ...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Quickie comic review: Seige No. 2
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 2:19 PM
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Pencils by Olivier Coipel. Inks by Mark Morales.
The Deal: Marvel unveils the second issue of its latest blockbuster limited series, featuring a whole bunch of Avengers, Asgardians, and big-time super villains.
The Verdict: I don't care what anybody says ... hate on Bendis all you want, but this is a great comic book. It's a great Avengers story. As a matter of fact, years from now, folks will look at this as a classic Avengers story. It's tight — no decompression here — fast-paced, action-packed, and filled with a lot of ultra-cool moments. Most writers don't get a chance to put a cap on such a long-form story, but you gotta give it up to Bendis and Marvel for hanging in long enough to wrap things up. And here's my last word on the book: If you only have $4 to spend on comics this week, buy Siege No. 2. There I said it.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Comic Book Reviews Comic book review: Wonder Woman No. 40
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 2:52 PM
For a review of the latest issue of Wonder Woman, check me out on the Heroes Aren't Hard to Find blog.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Comic Book Reviews Quickie comic review: Secret Warriors No. 12
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 3:38 PM
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Jonathan Hickman. Art by Stefano Casseli.
The Deal: It's the newest issue of Marvel's only (I think) espionage comic, starring Nick Fury ... and a bunch of other folks.
The Verdict: Look, I really enjoy this series. I really dig spy-oriented shit. I do. But, honestly, I'm not really sure what's going on in this comic. This issue makes some attempts to explain things, but the plot is still pretty convoluted. That said, Secret Wariors IS engrossing — so I'll keep picking it up.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Comic Book Reviews Quickie comic review: The Walking Dead
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 3:28 PM
Published by Image Comics. Written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Charlie Adlard.
The Deal: The latest issue of Image Comics' beloved zombie comic. You should know the deal by now.
The Verdict: I'm still loving this series and it's current direction. Judging from what happens in this issue, I think calmer things are in store for our cast of characters ... and that's a good thing. Kirkman understands that a horror book, like TWD, needs a few moments of peace to make the moments of pure gore, violence and mayhem even more gory, violent and, uh, mahemy(?). Buy it mofos!
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Comic Book Reviews Quickie comic review: Orc Stain No. 1
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 4:26 PM
Published by Image Comics. Written and illustrated by James Stokoe.
The Deal: It’s the first issue of writer/artist James Stokoe’s new fantasy series about a cunning orc (you know, those creatures from sword-and-sorcery-type works of fiction?) who’s better at stealing than fighting, trying to survive in a violent, blood-stained world. I think.
The Verdict: This comic works from the first page, which quickly dives right into the action (ala the first Lord of the Rings film). The lead character is interesting and morally complex; and the world Stokoe has built for the series is rich and expansive. On top of that, the art — although highly stylized — is amazing; detailed and cinematic ... kind of like Geoff Darrow mixed with Ariel Schrag. I’ve been raving about Image lately … and here’s yet another reason to rave.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
