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Monday, January 11, 2010
Comic Book Reviews Quickie comic review: Siege No. 1
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 6:36 PM
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Penciled by Olivier Coipel. Inks by Mark Morales.
The Deal: Marvel rolls out its latest blockbuster event — one that promises to offer closure on seven years worth of Avengers stories ... as well as comics like Civil War, Secret Invasion and more.
The Verdict: I guess the sign of a great comic is when you get to the last page and think: "I want more!" Well, that's exactly how I felt when finished reading Siege. Entertaining story. Incredible art. Can't wait to the second issue.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Events Big sale at Heroes Aren't Hard to Find
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 11:07 AM
Looks like the comic shop has tons of stuff on sale and lots of giveaways. Starts today and runs through next Tuesday. Check their site for all the details: HeroesOnline.com.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Quickie comic review: The Anchor No. 1
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 3:34 PM
Published by Boom! Studios. Written by Phil Hester. Art by Brian Churilla.
The Deal: Introducing God's weapon against demonic hordes — aka The Anchor (or Clem, as he is often called in the comic) — an inhuman "creature" who stands guard at the gate between Hell and Earth. I think that's the general concept ... at least that's what I get from reading the book.
The Verdict: Here's a great example of a comic with a great concept — but it's executed poorly. What doesn't work? Well, writer Phil Hester just doesn't effectively build the "world" of The Anchor. We — the readers — are asked to accept a lot of bizarre concepts and characters way too soon into the story. The stuff here is interesting ... it's just rammed down our throats way too fast.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Comic Book Reviews Quickie comic review: Murderer No. 1
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Murderer No. 1
Published by Top Cow/Image Comics. Written Robert Kirkman. Pencils by Nelson Blake II. Inks by Sal Regla.
The Deal: Writer Robert Kirkman hooks up with artist/CEO Marc Silvestri and folks from the Top Cow side of Image to bring you the first salvo in the company's latest "Pilot Season" program. This particular one-shot introduces readers to a new "hero" — called Murderer I guess — who is sort of forced to hear peoples' evil thoughts ... and can only block the voices from his mind by committing homicidal acts.
The Verdict: I like the concept of Murderer; it's simple — and most great comic book ideas are fairly simple. The actual execution of the concept is pretty entertaining — a nice mix of action, tragedy, mystery, humor and heart. The art — by Sal Regla (a guy I've never heard of) — is nice; crisp and clean, yet detailed, and displaying a great command of facial expressions and emotion. I like it.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Comic Book Reviews Comic review: Sweet Tooth No. 4
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 4:27 PM
Published by Vertigo (DC Comics). Story and art by Jeff Lemire.
The Deal: Vertigo’s tale of an animal-human hybrid making his way across a ravaged future version of America keeps on keeping on.
The Good: You know, it’s really easy to screw up a so-called “post apocalyptic” story. Honestly, those dour tales of fucked up futures are a dime a dozen. It takes a skilled creator to elevate that type of speculative fiction from cliché to groundbreaking — and writer/artist Jeff Lemire has done just that four months in a row in Sweet Tooth. Like all great sci-fi, this title is exploding with eye-popping action and suspense, but — at the same time — is bubbling over with subtext about violence, civilization and the true nature of humanity. On top of that, Lemire makes you care about (and feel very afraid for) the characters and their fragile place in a dangerous world.
The Bad: As I’ve said before, I can see some folks not loving Lemire’s art. It’s not “pretty,” but it works with the story about an “ugly” future. Still, if you’re into artists like Jim Lee ... or even Steve Dillon ... you may not like Lemire.
The Verdict: How many times do I have to tell you to buy this comic? Just go down to the comic book shop now. Seriously. Skedaddle.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Comic Book Reviews Quickie comic review: Dark Avengers Annual No. 1
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Penciled by Chris Bachalo.
The Deal: Writer Brian Michale Bendis finally catches readers up with what ex-Dark Avenger Marvel Boy has been up to since leaving the teaming (after he found out they were psychos and villains).
The Verdict: Just when you thought Bendis didn't know what to do with Marvel Boy, he churns out a story that sets the formerly ill-defined character on a cool new path. Bachalo's art is uncharacteristically clean and clear — and the end of the comic sort of spoils the end of another blockbuster Marvel event. Anyway... buy Dark Avengers Annual.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Comic Movie News Quickie comic review: JSA All-Stars No. 1
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Published by DC Comics. Written by Matt Sturges. Art by Freddie Williams II.
The Deal: The world's first superhero team — the Justice Society of America — splits into two different units with the launch of its JSA All-Stars group. The new crew, led by familiar face Power Girl and new kid Magog, seems to be focused on more hardcore training of young heroes and being a little more aggressive with bad guys. I guess.
The Verdict: I've been worried about this series since I first heard about it months ago. I know the JSA has way too many members and the idea of having two teams is a logical one; however, the actual rationale that's presented for breaking off into a new team is silly. And, honestly, the new team's mission seems pretty identical to the old team's mission. The art, by Freddie Williams II is fresh, modern and full of kinetic energy — bu the story is lacking. Oh and, by the way, why is DC so intent on shoving Magog down everybody's throat? I actually enjoyed the first few issues of Magog's solo book, but — seriously — there is nothing extraordinarily exciting about the character. Is this part of the Alex Ross-ification of the DC Universe? Red Robin, Red Arrow, Starman's new costume ... and now Magog in every DC comic. I'm not feeling it.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Ultra-quickie comic reviews: Green Lantern, Chew, Powers and more
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 4:21 PM
Before Wednesday hits and it's time for new comics, let me get a few reviews of last week's book out of the way:
Chew No. 6: Love, love this comic (pictured above). It's so damned good. Are you buying it yet? If not, you are buggin' for real.
Green Lantern No. 48: Amazingly detailed art by Doug Mahnke and a pretty entertaining story by Geoff Johns, but I'm about ready for this story line to reach a climax. This thing has been building for a long time.
Powers No. 1: My favorite thing about comics by writer Brian Michael Bendis is the dialogue, but I found the dialogue in this issue to be a little disjointed and clumsy. I guess I've been spoiled. Still, it was entertaining all the same.
Justice League: Cry For Justice No. 5: Wow, this issue sucked. It sucked really bad. And I'm a James Robinson fan. I just don't get why every writer at DC feels the need to take a shit on Roy Harper. I mean, do they want people to think he's lame? If so, mission accomplished.
Beasts of Burden No. 3: Again — I love, love, love this comic. It's sort of what would happen if Robert Kirkman wrote a Disney cartoon. It's amazing.
Fantastic Four No. 573: Way to drop a turd on Mark Millar's work. I liked Millar's run on FF, but I guess no one else did.
Wonder Woman No. 38: All the mythological references are causing me to feel a bit lost, but the art is great and the story is engrossing. Writer Gail Simone is on a roll.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Quickie comic review: Image United No. 1
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Published by Image Comics. Written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino.
The Deal: All the founding partners of Image Comics — Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino (but not Jim Lee) — unite for their own blockbuster limited series. The comic not only brings the creators and their most famous creations together, it also combines the collective artistic talents of the entire group by letting each founder draw his own character on every page (like in those "jam" type drawings). And new image partner Robert Kirkman handles the writing chores.
The Verdict: This comic is pure schlock — but it's good schlock, dripping with the same manic energy and enthusiasm that crackled during Image's earliest days. The art, which could have come off disastrous, is a lot more cohesive than one might think ... and, shit, it's just fun to look at. Flipping through the pages is sort of like going on an artistic scavenger hunt, trying to pin the correct style on the correct illustrator. Just go ahead and buy it, OK?
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Comic Book Reviews Quickie comic review: Adventure Comics No. 507
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 4:04 PM
Published by DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates. Art by Jerry Ordway and Bob Wiacek.
The Deal: The villain Superboy Prime takes over Adventure Comics — a book usually starring the Conner Kent Superboy — for a Blackest Night tie-in.
The Verdict: I've said it before and I'll say it again: Superboy Prime is just too silly to be a viable villain. And now that he's trapped in a world where the DC Universe is merely a comic book story, he's even sillier. I miss Conner Kent.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
