Comic Round Up of the Stars for the week of 8/20/14

I know I know, I promised you all Guardians of the Galaxy review, life’s tough all over.   Seriously though I will have one for you, things have just been a little busier than usual lately so as soon as I polish it up I’ll have the review up.

Meanwhile the Comic Round up is back and to make up for the lack of GOG I’m taking the round up into SPACE! 

Out here in the vastness of the stars you can Marvel at flying Nova’s while pondering the mysteries of the Mulitiverse.  But don’t be a Daredevil and try to fly straight into a meteor Storm I would hate for anyone to get pulled over by a Lantern of any color. Also remember be wary of hostile spoilers and if you your fascinated by any the strange life forms  we review here today  you can pick them all up at comixology.com.  So put on your space suites and let’s get out there and explore this week’s comic frontier.

Original sins #05

1/5

*NF: 2

Issue features three short stories featuring Nick Fury, the Young Avengers and a comedy sketch.  LMD Dum Dum Dugan is stupid, the Young Avengers are lame and Marvel is nowhere near as funny as they often think they are.  There, that’s it, blog finished, go back home to your loved ones and do something more productive with your lives then reading this comic.

Daredevil #07

3/5

NF: 2

Daredevil infiltrates Wakanda to rescue his mother and along the way finds out the truth of his past.   After failing so spectacularly in the last issue it was about time DD actually showed off some of his moves, even if I don’t buy his “I meant to get caught” plan, He so got busted and just bluffed his way out of trouble. Apparently his dad wasn't abusive it was his mom who was crazy? *eyeroll* these sins are getting more and more purposely, not to mention annoyingly, misleading.

Nova #20

3/5

NF: 2

Nova and rocket discover a secret. Wow, nova too? We really going to trip right here at the finish line Marvel? One of the things I loved about Original Sin was that it was trudging up all these dark secrets for major marvel cast members but of late we’ve just been kind of wimping out, to honestly no one’s real surprise, once again on any kind of dramatic or intellectual change to the marvel verse.  The writing is tolerable but the characterization is pretty awful as we just pretty much turn Rocket Racoon into a violence quipping machine, though I guess to be fair what else should I expect from book crossovers.

Mighty Avengers #13

3/5

NF: 1

The mighty avengers locate Blade and rush to save him from this newest vampire clan.  Standard comic book beat ‘em up affaire, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  If you enjoy classic comic book story that’s all about heroes doing their hero thing without any overly complicated drama then this is a good pick up.

New Avengers #23

5/5

NF: 0

The Illuminate decides how they plan on spending their last day on earth.  This was a fantastic issue, I loved how somber and meditative it was focusing on every member of the illuminate and how they were dealing with the consequences of their choices.   Also Namor has resurrected the cabal!  That has me on the edge of my seat right there.

Ms. Marvel #07

5/5

NF: 2

Miss marvel and wolverine team up to fight sewer monsters.  I’m getting used to the new artist, though I much prefer the previous one, so it’s not as irritating as when they first took over.  Kamala is still adorable and offers a nice teenage female alternative to the now grownup spider-man , she’s even becoming best friends with wolverine.  Now I just need to see the new Nova and Ms. Marvel team up.

Storm #02

2/5

NF: 3

Storm searches the city for a runaway that may be in danger.   If you enjoy watching Storm go through a midlife crisis and  flirt with wolverine, which is rather unnerving if you ask me, then this is the book for you because they only other thing they do in this comic is make morally questionable decisions.  Pretty much all storm does is make a decision then back track on it because some hip teenager told her that she’s wrong simply because she’s and adult making her too old to get how life really is, there’s a bizarre flip of circumstances for you.

All New X-Men #30

4/5

NF: 1

Jean Grey and Emma Frost finally duke out there long unresolved issues.   The stuff with Emma and Jean were priceless and makes the comic a definite read.  I did have issues with the X-23 segments since I feel we jumped the gun a bit on her personality. When we last left her she was still struggling with the concept of emotions and just being a regular teenage girl, granted we’ve been growing her to this point but she wasn’t quite at this level of normalcy when we left her comic and pairing her up with young Angle was a bit too much.

Wolverine Annual #01

4/5

NF: 3

Wolverine takes Jubilee out into the woods to teach her survival training.  I’ve always loved the Jubilee Wolverine relationship.  Logan has had bad luck with his own kids but Jubilee became like a daughter to him and showed him that not everything he touches is ruined.   This issue is a nice exploration of that father/daughter relationship they have and how much jubilees grown.  The art can get a little weird mostly because when drawing them close up their wolves look like bears.

Green lantern new guardians #34

3/5         

NF: 1

Kyle Raynor and Carol Ferris come face to face with the Psimons as the other guardians struggle to free themselves.   Average story telling for an average book the Psimons look kind of cool and they certainly seem threatening as mad space geneticists but the dialogue is where it takes a big hit as the banter seems forced and unconvincing.

Supergirl #34

2/5

NF: 2

Supergirl gets saved by a kid in a wheelchair and almost nothing related to doomed occurs in this issue.  Well this issue was boring.  There are a lot of boring comics out there but when absolutely  nothing happens other then Supergirl making out with a some random guy it kind of begs the question why should anyone continue to support your book?

Teen Titans #02

3/5

NF: 2

Bunker and Beast boy save STAR labs from burning to the ground.   I think it’s a bit early to start focusing on individual titans instead of the team dynamic.   If you really want to showcase bunker or beast boy then give them their own comic instead of letting them steal the spotlight.  And is this really what I have to look forward to with bunker? Just him whining about how hard it is being gay and does this mean this is going to turn into a one of those angsty teen titan books where everyone just mopes around about their personal problems instead of actually fighting bad guys.

The Multiversity #01

3/5

NF: 1

The lat Monitor sends a lone hero to gather 52 of the multiverses greatest heroes to stop the advance of physic changing villains.  So 42 pages of confusion, pointless characters and very  stretched storytelling is what makes up just one issue of Multiversity.   This is not a book for anyone who is not a comic veteran and used to some of the more stream of conciseness’ type storytelling some issues tend to use.  I also wouldn’t want to leave out the D.C answered Marvels multiverse justice league with there own multiverse avengers then ripped off savage dragon from image comics. I will say though that I loved Captain Carrot and will keep reading just for him. 

Fables #143

5/5

NF:0

Dark power do their work as fables continues into its final story.   Have I said how much I love fables?  Strong story, fantastic characters, interesting art and all around just epic tales of heroism adventure war and everything in between.  So why are you just sitting there go pick up a trade or issue #1 and support this great comic.

Justice inc. #01

4/5

NF: 2

Doc Savage creates a time vortex and gets stuck in the past.  If you like those old 50’s pulp hero stories then you’ll like this one.  However if you’re not familiar with the Doc Savage or the Shadow then you’re really not going to understand a lot of what’s going on in the story.

Now before we head back to earth behold the wonder of the pic of the week in where I think I've found the best line from Doctor Doom,middle panel, I've ever read.

Carnival Comic Round Up 8/06/2014

Welcome one and all to comic round up day! Step right up we've got the wildest assortment of freaks and abominations this side of the coast! See! The amazing super doom and his never ending story arc! Gasp at the escapades of Rocket the talking raccoon and his daring prison break!  Marvel at the half man half plant that can only be referred to as some sort of Swamp thing while he battles otherworldly creatures! And you simply won’t believe your eye when a normal high School is transported to an alien world full of strange creatures and savage hunters.  All this and more you will find inside remember the oddities inside need your support so if you  like what you see support the comic of your choice and send money to comixology.com or your local comic book provider. If you would like to further donate to the house of comic oddity’s then like, comment or share this blog and let us know you care!  Now on to the show!

* NF Rating refers to Newcomer friendliness. See last week’s blog for more details. Also there will be no Roundup next week but that doesn’t mean there won’t be anything posted keep an eye out for my Review/Reflection of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Superman/Wonder-Woman Annual: #01

1/5

*NF Rating: 1

Cyborg Superman launches and invasion force on the earth and only superman can stop it if he wasn't still possessed by doomsday.   Where do I even begin with this issue?  the fact that 80% of the story is babble while the rest reads like a fan-fiction, that Cyborg superman is in possession of the Stargate, or maybe it’s the awkward scene where the artist try to draw WW running but instead just end up with a gratuitous breast shot?, Or maybe it’s trying to find a good reason as to why I should be afraid of a giant space whale?  Well whatever you consider the height of absolute stupidity or silliness this issue probably has it.

Action comics Annual: #03

2/5

NF Rating: 1

Batman brings in some of superman’s old foes to help come up with a plan to stop super doom once and for all.   Still stupid but a lot less babbling helps the comic flow slightly better.  The weird little blue Nightcrawler monster was kind of neat when it turned into a big blue monster, but the name, Baka, frustrates me like crazy since all I can think of is the Japanese term of the same spelling that means stupid or fool.  Reader be warned, if you haven’t been following this comic you won’t have any clue who is who or what’s going on because I haven’t and I’m like “ who’s that guy? And that lady? Who on earth are these people and why are you in my superman book?”

Action comics: #34

1/5

NF: 1

Superman works with all of his friends and foes to find a away to defeat Brainiac.  ARRRGHH! Won’t this thing just end! He’s cured of being Were-doomsday let’s just end the stupid arc!  Alright, look if you absolutely love everything the New 52 has done and sing the praises of the D.C studios for being “bold” and “innovative” then you probably won’t mind anything that’s happened in the superman comics series but if you’re like me and don’t appreciate having someone completely stomp all over your favorite heroes then remind you of how badly they messed everything up every chance they get then I highly recommend avoiding action comic as it is the arch bishop of the new 52 proclaiming it’s gospel as loud as it can.

Detective comics: #34

2/5

NF: 1

The conclusion to Icarus as batman and bullock confront the source of the dangerous drug.   The whole arc this comic had been simply ok. Not to mention how easy it’s been to get lost during the story even when you follow it issue by issue. I love bullock and I always like seeing him but neither he nor batman really do anything that special so it’s just kind of a bland arc that is easily skippable.

Grayson: #02

3/5

NF: 1

Dick Grayson continues his job as a double agent for both batman and spiral.  The first four pages and the last two were honestly the most interesting parts of the issue.  The actual spy work really wasn’t as engaging as it should have been and the object they were after was kind of well…weird.  I mean who make an artificial stomach that gives you super speed and turns you into a cannibal?  So far there’s nothing in this comic that makes it stand out among the rest. 

Green Lantern: #34

4/5

NF: 3

Hal returns of Mogo to find Kilowag has brought his family up to visit.   A nice epilogue issue to the whole Durlan war, and a much needed breather issue. I loved seeing Hal’s brother and his family being brought up into space to visit with him and the worst thing that happens was a prisoner getting a little rowdy but quickly taken out.  But I must say the most hilarious thing about this issue is the cover, which claims bad things in store for Simon Baz …except all he does is show up with Hals family then stands in the background for the rest of the issue.  Comic book sensationalism for the quick cash grab at its best, nice work D.C. 

I feel like this sums up D.C v.s The Readers point of view on the green lantern cover.

Swamp Thing: #34

5/5

NF: 1

 Lady Weeds puts her final plan into action to try and kill the Swamp Thing.  This is another solid issue with good fights and a satisfactory conclusion.  The wolf’s monster form was really cool looking and felt like it was going back to Swamp Things horror roots.  I loved  the fate of Lady weeds very fitting.

Green Arrow: #34

3/5

NF: 0

Green Arrow faces off against Richard Dragon for control of Star city.   Wow, I’ve been reading this from the beginning of this arc and I’m still horribly confused. It’s not a bad read, unless you don’t like the Arrow TV show then I would avoid this comic, it’s just hard to follow.  I found it funny that Green Arrow has his own Damian type character now, making him even more like Batman.

Legendary Star- Lord #02

4/5

NF: 3

Star-Lord and his half sister come up with a plan to steal money from the mysterious Mr. Knife. Huh, star lord having a sister is news to me, I like her though.  I’m a little uneasy with how much Peter is waffling between his comic version and his movie version in this issue. It’s like the writers cant decided which version of peter quill they want to use.

Rocket Raccoon #02

4/5

NF: 2

Rocket escapes from a maximum security prison.   It’s fun and funny but the jokes are starting to wear a little thin and their illogical context becoming more apparent. I don’t understand why aliens would understand let alone use earth pop culture jokes.  I’m also unaware of anytime Rocket and Deadpool have ever had an encounter yet he talks like he knows him, logic issues.  However the book still has a silly space story vibe and that’s fine, if you loved the GoG movie you’ll probably love this comic.

Original Sin: Thor & Loki: #03

5/5

NF: 2

Thor and Angela fight while Loki and the Queen of Angles make a bargain.  This was definitely a more interesting issue as we see what kind of threat the Angles are in both power and cunning making me look forward to future stories with them.   Though I kind of chuckled to see the return of the female Loki, which is a little confusing since I always thought female Loki was using Sif’s body to do what he did, but whatever it’s not like comics are ever consistent.  I always enjoy it when I actually learn something new from a comic book, in this case the phrase “ shall I be mother” a popular British term that is used when pouring tea.  

Original sin 3.4 Hulk vs. Iron Man: #04

3/5

NF: 2

Stark discovers the real truth behind his tampering with the gamma bomb.   On one hand this was a nice character moment between Stark and Bruce but on the other hand what a cop out.  Pride is the real sin, oh brother, why even make this story if the end was going to be so unimportant.  

New Avengers #22

4/5

NF: 0

The illuminate have to deal with the aftermath of their decisions.   The art style was a little off as Panthers head would often look a little too big for his body.  I like the melancholic ending to this arc and seeing that another universe encroaching was a nice touch.  

She Hulk: #07

4/5

NF: 3

She-Hulk is hired to look for a missing scientist who shrunk himself using Pym particles.   Back to the regular art wich is so much easier to look at then the substitute artist from last month. While the story isn’t anything groundbreaking it is nicely put together and if you’ve been enjoying she-hulks lawyering adventures then this issue fits nice and snug in all those stories.

The Punisher: #09

3/5

NF: 3

The Punisher stops crossbones plans to blow up a ship.   Not the strongest issue of punisher but not a bad one either just kind of in the middle somewhere.  Random black widow cameo for no reason other than to put Castle in South American prison.

Superior Spiderman: #32

4/5

NF: 2

Ock Spidey begins gathering an army of spider men to stop an interdimensionl serial killer.  It’s cool to see all these different spider men and the story is not dull, but the big bad is a little underwhelming. We basically have some steam punk guys with a diving helmet and with what looks like an energized tuning fork is popping off all the spiders, I just was kind of hoping for something a little more ominous.

Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-man: #04

5/5

NF: 1

Miles fights against the green goblin with and an unexpected ally comes to help.  Ok so *spoiler* Peter Parker may or may not be alive.  I’m still eyebrowing the whole thing, my money is still on a clone or some weird spiderverse tie in thing. Still confusion aside the issue is fantastic and the goblin is as frightening as ever.

Figment #03

4/5

NF: 1

Blair and Figment put their brains together to figure a way out of the sound fairies dungeon.  This book still continues to be weird.  I just can’t get the pulse of this book whether its childish or mature whether it’s simple or complex. The only thing I can say for sure is that it’s family friendly and in all honestly more entertaining than I thought it would be.  I can also say that I love figments eternal optimism humorously never getting down or frightened but looking at the world as glass half full.

Fairest: #28

5/5

NF: 0

The witches of the 13 floor come up with a solution to the glamour issue and Reynard finds love.  Fairest has been the strongest spin off of fables and this issue continues to be of caliber. However both Fables and Fairest are both very heavy in story and as a result it’s not really meant for people just coming in.

Invincible: #113

5/5

NF: 0

Invincible child is born and Robot tries to make and alliance with the kryptoni… Sayie…. Viltrumites, yeah that’s the right one.   This has been a crazy arc with crazy stuff…so business as usual for image comics. Seriously these guys just sit around there offices thinking of all the ways to mess with their readers heads. If you’re looking for a superhero comic that takes all the kid glove off and gives you graphic violence and uncensored subject matter then this is for you.

The Woods: #04

5/5

NF: 1

The kids find a Mayan temple in the middle of the woods and trouble ensues back at the school.  Love this comic.  I like seeing the survivalist storytelling coming out into full play and dealing with generational issues in a far more mature and intelligent way than most other stories. Plus you can never go wrong with monsters. 

Step right up folks! Come see the crazy fantastic Pic of the week attraction! 

This week I couldn't just decide on a single picture because you all really needed to see some of the highlights of this week’s Superman Doomed story line.

First up, Super doom snorts kryptonite gas.  I believe you can all insert your own joke here.

Second that is so obviously the Stargate that it practically teeters on copyright infringement.

But it’s not all bad here’s something cool.

There are so many more hilarious moments I could share, along with some cool ones, but if you want to see the rest I suppose you will actually have to buy the comics.

Comic Round up for the week of 7/30/14

 Welcome comic lovers to this week’s round up! And this week we have a new feature!  That’s right loyal followers after many agonizing hours of toil and sacrifice I have created a new component to the reviews.* Introducing the Newcomer Friendliness Rating System, It basically is going to work like this: after the book title and initial quality rating your will See something that looks like this, NF rating: 2 ,  this new rating system will tell you how easy it is to just jump into the comic series in question based on how much continuity is need to enjoy the story.

3: this is the perfect jumping on point. Everything that is necessary is explained and the reader shouldn't be lost at all.  This mostly refers to first issues or the beginning of new arcs but sometimes can be seen in middle issues.

2: It’s complicated. Technically you should be reasonably fine jumping into this story. Most of what you need is explained or at the very least doesn't matter to the enjoyment of the book. 

1: No good.  This is a terrible jump in spot. There’s lots of continuity and back-story that the reader needs to know for the full effect. Better to read from the beginning of the arc.

0:  Don’t even bother.   This is the absolute worst place to jump in. it’s so bad in fact that you might as well go all the way back to the beginning of the series or just jump in here because cannon and lore is so tightly tide to the story that no matter where you jump in your going to miss out on things.

So that’s are new feature I hope you enjoy it and as always there are mild spoilers in some of the description and  if you like any of the comics you see here you can always visit comixology or your local comic shop to pick up and issue or ten.  Also feel free to comment, like or share this blog as this helps me know people are actually reading this crazy thing and I don’t look like some jerk who likes  talking to themselves.

  Now without further adieu let us delve into the world of Galaxy Guardians, Lanterns that come in every color of the rainbow and Ghost exterminators.

Guardians of the Galaxy #17

4/5

*NF rating: 1

Starlord escapes from J’son with the help of Captain Marvel and searches for the rest of the guardians.  This was a pretty solid issue even if the art seemed to almost change style mid book, it was weird.  I am surprised that we wrapped this little mini arc up so quick I think it really only lasted like three issues.  But the big  elephant I the room  that I needs addressing is that next issue  were FINALLY going to get answers about what Happened to Richard Rider, the Cancer verse and why the heck Thanos and Starlord are back without a scratch. For crying out loud they have been yanking are chains for the last three years about this nonsense, This better be a really good explanation.

Avengers #33

4/5

NF rating: 2

Captain America continues his trek into the future when he lands an insane amount of years past the original starting point. This issue wasn't so bad, it was kind of fun to see cap travel this ludicrous amount of time into the future to fight a super A.I, that grew out of Ultron apparently.  It’s a bit existential but it kind of adds to the charm and on the plus side it’s almost like its own individual story so long as you’re not all that concerned how cap got here in the first place. I will say though I miss my homicidal robot Ultron instead of existential Computer A.I Ultron the former was just way more fun than the latter.

Uncanny X-men #24

4/5

NF rating:2

The X-Men gather up Scott Summers and his merry band of mutants so they can all be present at the reading of Xavier’s will but soon they all  find that Xavier had his own secrets.   This was a lot of fun to read and really only avoids a 5 because I am so sick and tired of listening to the x-men whine and moan about how terrible a person Cyclops has become.  Ok, we get it, he killed Xavier and even though he was possessed at the time he’s still partially to blame because he’s such an arrogant jerk.   But aside from that all the characters were handled well and each personality was captured perfectly even if they had only one line of dialogue. Best part of the comic is the actual reading of the will where I share Emma’s sentiments when we learn who Xavier’s secret wife is.

Original Sin Hulk vs. Iron Man #03

2/5

NF:  1

Iron man and Hulk duke it out over Tony’s future city. This is slightly better than the previous issues as it’s got a good knock down drag out fight between iron man and the hulk which is really exciting.  But other than that it’s hardly a blip on the Original Sin continuity.

Iron man Special #02

2/5

NF: 1

Iron man unknowingly teams up with Cyclops’s X-Men in order to located death’s-head.   The comic had some nice strong moments but in the end the overall tale was rather blasé and didn’t showcase anything special. In fact it was more an iron-man x-men crossover then it was an ironman special.  I wouldn’t completely condemn this comic, but if you’re looking for a great iron man story this isn’t it. 

New Avengers #21

5/5

NF: 0

The Illuminate deliberates over whether or not they should destroy an entire world to save their own.  Deep stuff especially for an avenger’s comic. I really appreciated the way the book handled the moral issues of the choice they had to make and managed to keep the personality of every character intact. Of course after reading this issue I do believe someone needs to punch panther’s ghost dad in the face .

Cyclops #03

4/5

NF: 3

Young Scott and his dad crash land on an alien planet and are forced to survive. Nice heart to heart between Scott and his dad I would like to see more of these types of moments from the series. I was also surprised to see mention of emperor Vulcan, I didn’t think marvel even remembered War of Kings considering the only thing still in effect is that Gladiator is ruler of the Shi'ar, oh and I suppose as introduced in this issue  that Corsair is only “mostly dead”.  

X-Men #17

3/5

NF: 1

The X-men raid The Futures (hate that name, messes with my head) hideout to rescue jubilee.  Better then the last issue but still just barely ok, But Jubilee busting out her vampire powers was pretty awesome.  The issue also makes me realize that the X-men need to do something about this revolving time door they have, there are at least seven different X people that are now stuck in the present that came from the future or the past and that’s not even counting people like Bishop, Cable and Hope who tend to exist outside of time.

Aquaman Annual #02

2/5

NF:2

Aquaman and Wonder Woman team up to fight the giant born.  Well, the monsters were nice to look at. Seriously though if you just want to look at Aquaman and Wonder Woman punching a bunch of monsters then pick up this book; it fulfills monster punching in spades. If you’re looking for story or interesting character development leave this one on the shelf as it really doesn’t have much of either.

Red Lanterns annual #01

4/5

NF: 2

Atrocitus launches his attack on earth to draw out Guy Gardner into a final fight.  This one’s tricky, the action and scale of the story are fantastic and really generate the awesomeness that a comic book should generate.  On the flip side of the coin because it’s an annual the writing and art style seems a tad bit off.  The pacing of the story is rather lighting fast and just about everything in the book happens with such convenience that it’s hard to suspend disbelief. I also must point out that I am disappointed by the lack of understanding all these new lanterns writers have of the universe Geoff Johns set up whether it be Atrocitus, larfleeze, the Star Sapphires or the now forgotten Indigo Lanterns  they all have lost the subtly that made them such lovable and interesting characters.

Sinestro #04

NF:2

3/5

Sinestro faces a new threat in the form of an anti emotional cult. Well that was…something.  We build up the These Anti-emotion guys, still not clear what their actual name is, and they even look all scary and evil but apparently there nothing more than paper tigers.*  they just get their butts handed to them when two or more colors are combined. You know that sounds awfully familiar, where have I heard that before, Oh wait that’s right.

Sinestro is fun and the story is alright but considering how easily these new bad guys got wasted I’m hoping the writing improves as it I love Sinestro and I would hate to see his comic end poorly.

Ghostbusters # 18

5/5

NF: 1

The Ghostbusters try and find out if Tiamat is really gone and if not how can they stop her.   If you love Ghostbusters you’ll love this book.   There’s not much else to say except that this is a fantastic comic and almost the entire run has been wonderfully entertaining full of the same humor and horror that the original movies had and is a must pick up.

Your pic of the week is Gamora and Angela standing over their slaughtered enemies.  This is the kind of thing that the movie should have had Gamora doing…but that’s a topic for a different post.

 ** Paper Tiger: Noun, a person, group, nation, or thing that has the appearance of strength or power but is actually weak or ineffectual.  See look at that you just learned something. Now, aren't you glad you stayed till the end of the page?