Comic Book Round up for the week of 10/01/14 *New* edition

Hey all! Its Roundup time again and the word of the day is NEW everything is new this week!   There’s a new Captain America and a new Thor. There are  Lots of new comics and new story arc starting this week,  though we do have one ending, we have some new villains old stories  and some old heroes in new stories.  There’s new insight into the inner workings of Gotham’s academia and there’s new legends being created about some classic characters.  So what are you waiting for?  If there was ever at time to jump into this crazy world of comics this is it!  Remember if you’re interested in any of the stories here to yourself a favor and head over to  comixology.com or your local comic shop and pick up an issue. also a reminder that there may or may not be a roundup next week, it depends on how chaotic the next week is.

Captain America #25

4/5

*NF: 3

Captain America gathers several avenger members together to announce his new role in the Avengers and the new Captain America.  Well, Falcon is now cap, and cap is now oracle. I’m ok with this change, mostly since I know nothing is ever permanent in comics and, unlike Thor’s replacement, Sam is the natural pick for replacing cap. The writers did a lot of heavy lifting pre announcement to make sure the transition flowed as smoothly into the story as possible. I can believe that Cap has to be sidelined for the time being and that his best friend /sidekick would be who he wanted to take over.  Of course now we have this secret council that apparently boast a traitor to the avengers in its midst, my money’s on Hyperion or one of the other recently added avengers, or a Skrull, it could always be a Skrull.

Thor #01

3/5

NF: 3

Malekith has made a deal with the frost giants and leads an army upon Midgard.  I have a million questions about this new run of Thor but the only one that seems to matter right now is, why? Why is it so necessary to replace our Thor with this new female Thor?  There is no real reason why Thor even needed a replacement at all male or female and the mystery shrouding the whole thing just make the whole thing more frustrating.  Captain America did it right, it established a very real and logical reason why cap could not be cap issues ahead of Sam being announced so when it came time to announce his replacement it just proceeded down the logical conclusion of the new cap. This new Thor is just shoehorned in because of reasons that no one will find out until at least 4 months in.  I can think of anything other than “surprise your adopted!”  that fury could say that would make Thor “unworthy”    I’ll have to wait and see how the story progresses  since I feel like we already lost  a little of the fine caliber of storytelling that was in Thor god of thunder.

Legendary Star Lord #04

3/5

NF: 3

Starlord confront Thanos and Mr. Knife places his sinister plans in motion.   It’s an ok read but not a great one.   Its biggest problem is that it’s so 10^th grade reading level that it comes across as hokey and silly rather then interesting and exciting.  We get a few more insights into what went down in the cancer verse but no mention of Nova.  I want to like this boo,k but it’s just comes across too childish for my tastes but at the same time it does have a certain charm.   If you Really like Starlord or are feverishly following the “what happened in the cancer verse “ story then this isn't a bad pick up but if you’re looking for awesome space adventures or cosmic wars  then stick with Silver Surfer or the main GOG.

Guardian’s 3000 #01

4/5

NF: 3

The Original Guardians of the galaxy host a meeting of the most influential members of the cosmic universe.   This was actually a lot more fun then I was anticipating.  I’ve never been much of a fan of the original Guardians of the Galaxy but this comic was actually pretty fun and closer to the cosmic events of old then most of the current space stories running around right now.  But let’s take a head count  3000 year in the future Gladiator and Starlord are still around and kicking, The Kree are on their last legs and there’s not even a mentioning of the Skrull, some New alien that I've never heard of,  Annillus has somehow allowed one of his spawn to grow and take over the family business and finally this thing representing the hunger.  What’s the hunger I don’t…Oh Galactus, hunger, I get it, funny.

Silver Surfer #06

5/5

NF: 2

Silver Surfer and Dawn begin their journey through the cosmos but Surfer finds that traveling with a human might be more challenging than he expected.  I love this comic.  It never ceases to make me laugh, I love this infinitely powerful alien being that has seen stars born and planets die and yet he is completely bossed around by this rather unassuming young woman who simply takes all these things in stride.  The story isn’t complex but it’s very heartwarming and full of adventure and as surfer says at the end “it might not be perfect but some things are better than perfect”

Fantastic Four Annul #01

4/5

NF: 2

Susan Richards launches and all out war against Latveria in order to retrieve her daughter.   I like the concept of Sue being the aggressor and doom for once being the innocent party and actually the good guy in the story.  It’s a great set up to show how upside down the FF’s world has become and how far Sue has been pushed.  There’s also the tease that sue might not be quite acting like herself due possible outside interference we will have to see how that one goes.

Bucky Barnes winter solider #01

2/5

NF: 2

Bucky takes over Nick Fury’s job as man on the wall to protect earth from unknown invaders.   Is something happening?  I can’t tell?  I see text boxes some shadows and a heck of a lot of red and black but very few distinguishable shapes.  Now some people may praise this art style and call it artistic and innovative creating mood, and for a normal painting you might be right, but for a superhero comic book it tends to defeat the purpose of the story if you can’t actually see what’s going on. 

Death of wolverine #03

5/5

NF: 1

Wolverine and Kitty Pryde track down Ogun only to find out he’s been closer then they realized.  I’ve never heard of Ogun until this story but from what I’ve seen he’s a fun villain.  The story continues to feel like all those great Wolverine tales of old where Wolverine is almost like a wandering ronin trying to reclaim his honor by hunting down his oppressors.   The artwork is also rather spellbinding to look at and the images that are painted of the Japan are beautiful.

X-men #20

2/4

NF: 1

The X-men look through the ships security images to try and figure out what happened on bored.   Well were back to X-Men being dull and pointless again.   The story really just kind drags on with either things we already know or things that we still don’t understand with the end result just being a big yawn. I also really wish the artists would stop drawing Psyloke and Monet back to back as it’s hard enough to tell the two  apart.

Spiderman 2099 #04

3/5

NF: 1

Spiderman fights scorpion and the spider slayers.  The battle was fun but the story aspect was only ok.  It’s not that this was a terrible issue just that is was rather average and a little mediocre compared to previous issues.  Unfortunately there really isn’t much more to say about this issue hopefully it will pick back up next month.

Edge of the Spider-verse #04

4/5

NF: 2

This is the story of Patton Parnel who decides to use his new powers for a more sinister purpose.   Ok so what? Morlun is just dimension hopping eating “totems” arbitrarily?  I mean I fail to see how this is any different or anymore threatening then what he’s done in the past.   He’s been beaten by several heroes not just Spider-man but this time because she can pop through dimensions he’s supposed to be more formidable?  I don’t know, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see where this goes. I also have to point out that the tag in the beginning of these books says they will introduce us to  a new spider-man that plays a role in Spider-verse every issue, but if Morlun eats them all how are they playing a role? 

Swamp Thing #35

5/5

NF: 2

After his battle with the Wolf and Lady weeds Swamp Thing is visited by a most peculiar being.  Ok, I’m saying it here; Calculus is my new favorite antagonist.   The idea of sentient machines as a kingdom is a lot of fun, and done better then marvels machine gods, and the laid back, fast talking personality of calculus piles on to that fun and makes the book a very enjoyable read.  I look forwards to the inevitable conflict of life versus artificial life that’s sure to come in future issues.

Green Lantern #35

3/5

NF: 1

The green lantern corps locates the indviduals who have stolen Mogo and Saintwalkers rings and go to take them back.    Having Highfahter and the new gods be antagonists is honestly rather frustrating.  First off it really doesn’t make any sense as to why a group so against what Darkseid stands for would be so aggressive and cruel.    I’m also a little vexed about the lantern rings once again being useless against and enemy, it’s an old trick and it’s not interesting anymore, especially when there’s no logical reason why they wouldn’t work on the new Gods when they were pretty effective against Darkseid’s hordes.  This is the problem with new 52 is that they can even keep their new canon straight.

Detective Comics #35

5/5

NF: 3

Batman’s weekend excursion Is interrupted by a plane crashing into the airport carrying a deadly cargo.  I was unimpressed with the first few pages ready to write the comic off as just another batman comic were nothing very interesting happens, but then that plane crashed through airport and the whole story took a new turn add in a killer virus and a ticking clock  and my interest level spiked way up.  I loved the tightness and down to earth style of both the art and writing I really feel like I’m there in this airport watching batman and the police investigate the crash.

Grayson #03

3/5

NF: 1

Dick Grayson next mission it to take out and subdue a man with incredible revolver skills.  This was the best issue of the series so far, that said it still was only so interesting.  The shot between Dick and Old Gun were really nice and when Spiral handles the situation in a way Grayson doesn’t approve of it’s fun to see some of his façade break down and his righteous fury peak out a bit. And dang he really didn’t waste any time sleeping with the enemy. I’ll give this comic one more issue to give a reason to stay on but if it Grayson doesn’t pick up its story I’ll be dropping it’s book.

Green Arrow #35

3/5

NF: 2

Oliver begins his movement to start fixing up star city while also receiving a visit from two unlikely people.  First we got a brand new artist on bored so the book is now being drawn in a more typical comic book fashion instead of highly stylized artistic brush strokes, which I’m ok with.   Second nothing really happened in this book other then the writers trying to force characters to do things they normally wouldn’t do.  I mean the way Bruce Wayne acted in here is completely ridiculous especially the idea of partnering up with Luthor, I just don’t see it that ever happening.  Also worth mentioning is that diggle looks like Luke Cage now.

Wonder Woman #34

3/5

NF: 1

Wonder Woman is brought out of despair and continues her fight against the first born.  I still don’t like that WW’s comic has more of everyone else then it does Wonder Woman. Add In this whole ridiculous family lineage  they been pushing since the beginning and the comic ends up kind of dumb and draws too much attention away from who Wonder Woman who tends to be sub-cast in her own book.

Lobo #01

1/5

NF:2

Handsome Lobo kills traditional Lobo then ends up taking a job to take out the world’s worst assassins.  Ok, I gave this a shot just to see if maybe the Lobo we all know and love would get top billing, but nope just sexy lobo taking over. Seriously if the Main Man is not going to be Lobo then I have no interest in a lobo story.  Besides this book is pretty lame in its storytelling and is littered with hundreds of text boxes winch is a huge turn off so I’m not even going to wait three issues I’m dropping this book. No hold on dropping is to good for it I want it obliterated! 

There that's better!

Gotham academy #01

4/5

NF: 3

Olive Silverlock is attending Gotham Academy where she finds herself getting into all kinds of strange adventures.  I don’t know what to make of this but I think I like it. I mean it’s like this weird combo of Saved by the Bell, Harry Potter and *Adventures in Babysitting but all centered in Gotham City with the main character having some unknown personal connection to batman. Its very different comic for D.C and I’m curious to see where it goes.

Fairest #30

5/5

NF: 0

A glamour is stolen from the farm so Clara and the chief detective of the mounted mouse police set out to solve the mystery.  I always enjoy reading anything from the fables series.  The wit and craft of storytelling are so incredibly literary in speech and presence it easy to forget I’m reading a comic book and not a novel.   I’m very interested in seeing how this whole thing wraps up and what the final fate of our fairy tales companions will be.

Figment #05

4/5

NF: 1

Blair and his crew of misfits find themselves back in London only to discover the articulate army has taken control.  I loved this comic and the ending was just as satisfying as the whole journey.  It’s not super mature or super childish but just the right balance of storytelling to stay family friendly and in a world full of cynical writers and sadistic readers it’s nice to see a book that is simply and unashamedly positive.   The message to encourage kids to follow their dreams is one that has gotten drowned out in today’s society and many children grow up believing that they will never be able to be anything then what they are and that dreams are just that, dreams.   Figment takes that notion and completely dismantles it and shows that as figment says “sometimes a dream can be a dream come true”

The Woods #06

5/5

NF: 2

Calder’s back story is revealed and it seems that the woods continue to hold more mysteries and perils.    This was fantastic!  I really like the way the books have been focusing each issue on one of the kids and giving us their backstory adding a little humanity to each character so they’re not just meat to throw in a grinder but living and breathing people that we can connect to and feel for.  I’m also a big fan of finding out Doctor Robot is part of a more savage species then we originally thought.

The Names #02

5/5

NF: 2

Katya continues her search for her husband’s killer and is joined by her husband’s son from a previous marriage.   I really like this puzzle piece mystery we have going here as walker try’s to communicate to his wife from beyond the grave helping her to understand what exactly happened to him.  Plus were beginning to dance on the edge of fiction and science fiction which is always a ton a fun, throw in a psychotic surgical assassin and you’ve got fun book on your hands.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini #01

4/5

NF: 3

Houdini arrives in London for a show but the great Sherlock Holmes is there to reveal how it was done but when angry spritist  begins to murder people the two men must work together to find the killer.   Ok. Its official I am reading far too many comics.   Still I won’t lie this was entertaining and I want to read the rest of it, but that might having something to do with Sherlock Holmes teaming up with anybody especially historical figures , or batman that’s always a fun one to.   The book is standard crossover affair, no real surprises or unusual takes on the characters, well aside from the fact that Houdini was a real person and Holmes is not, so don’t go in looking for anything other than what’s promised.

Cutter #01

2/5

NF: 3

 A group of friends in  high school  did something terrible at prospect creek and now Emily Higgens the girl they tortured has come back from the  to seek her revenge.  Ehh, this wasn’t as good as I was hoping for  the idea is still interesting but the story is pretty rushed and poorly  constructed making it difficult at times  to figure out who exactly is who and why certain things are even happening.   The black and white panels try to add ambiance but in the end it feel more like a cover up for mediocre art work.

Since everything is so shiny and new on the blog today I thought it would be appropriate to make the pic of the week center on our new villain calculus!

The line he delivers here is so cryptic and sinister yet so very true it turns into a very powerful statement about our society.

*Newcomer friendliness.

* Ok you got me.  I've never seen Adventures in Babysitting but I bet it’s something like this.

Comic Round Up for 09/24/14 *Cute Puppet Edition*

Hey everyone in internet land! Do you know what time it is? It’s Comic Book Round Up Time!  And your favorite blogger has taken up a new hobby in puppetry so here is Mr. Sunshine to… wait what!

Who are you? You’re not supposed to be the one hosting this blog!  What friend?

He’s got knives for hands! This is a family friendly blog you can’t just …..

alright fine have it your way.  Apparently the blog today is being hijacked by evil puppets but despite their best efforts we still got a ton of great comics to review today so tighten your strings because we’re going to see Doctor Doom be the most BA character in comic history, the future of space being far more interesting then the future of earth, Godzilla and Anguirus becoming BFF’s and Winston Zedomore enter the running for best Ghostbuster.  All this and more below so long as these puppets stop staring at me,

Brrrr they give me the creeps.

Remember if you like any of the comics you see here today they can all be purchased at comixology.com or at your local, hopefully, puppet free comic store. also roundup will be moving to Tuesdays while I readjust my schedule.

Superman Doomed #02

2/5

*NF: 1

Were-Doom confronts Brainiac on the mental plain as his body tears through the alien tyrant’s ship.  Why is this not over yet? This comic should have ended 3 issues ago.  I’m also asking why were pushing this concept of superman being a killer instead of emphasizing his no kill policy that has become such a staple of his character.  But the real kicker of the issue is the tease of pre new 52 universes at the end that was lame, just a reminder of everything we lost, nothing like rubbing salt in a wound.

Superman: Futures End #01

3/5

NF: 2

The identity of the imposter Superman is revealed.   *spoiler* it’s Captain Marvel/Shazam. Not that it really matters as this was only a sort of a plot point for Futures End, and it seems to have no bearing on present cannon so make of that what you will.   Still, it was an alright read but not one I would go rush to pick up.

Aquaman and the others: Futures End # 01

2/5

NF: 2

Aquaman and the others go to war with the dead king of Atlantis.  Well no one but the bad guy died this time so I suppose that’s kind of something.  I just find myself not really caring about this issue. It had a decent fight but  the story itself  really didn't make all that much sense and kind forces you to read Futures End which is just as boring and tedious.

Sinestro: Futures End #01

4/5

NF: 2

Sinestro breaks out of the universes most secure prison and seeks to reclaim his corps. This was actually pretty good. Really great prison break issue and it was far enough away from all the stuff happening in the other comics that it’s more like a standalone else world tale then any kind of publicity tie in. Sinestro was as Sauvé and arrogant as ever, even after he’s lost everything this guy still walks around with an air of superiority around him. I liked the Apex league and hope to see them show up in official canon as opponents for Sinestro or even the green lantern corps.

Red Lanterns: Futures End #01

4/5

NF: 2

Guy Gardner and Bleeze hunt down the last remaining red lanterns.  The space stuff is kind of nice as they act as more elseworld kind of tales and don’t carry all the baggage of Futures End.  I have to admit it is really off-putting to see Guy Gardner as a blue Lantern.  I don’t think he’s ever been written this calm or this friendly  it was actually kind of nice to see him mellowed out a bit.

Booster Gold: Futures End #01

2/5

NF: 1

Booster Gold is hurled through both time and the Multiverse by forces unknown.  Wow! This issue was confusing, not a good way to start your run.  Booster Gold himself was just fine but it’s hard to understand what Booster we are following, is this Pre 52 booster? Or is that the booster he meets during his time jump? and is boosters sister even canon in new 52?  Did he have the adventures he had pre 52?  I can feel the smoke leaving my ears as I try and process all this time and space nonsense.

The Flash: Futures End #01

3/5

The Flash rushes home to stop reverse flash but his future self beats him there.  Time Travel is  confusing. I...I just don’t get what actually happened in this comic and what’s canon, why isn't Thawane or Zolomon  the reverse flash? is this even five years later? I don’t know whats real anymore!  Ahem, sorry sudden mental breakdown for a moment.  Honestly I don’t know what to say about this comic there seems to be a trend going around in new 52 about handicapping all are heroes with some ridiculously over complicated power restriction, whether it’s the Lanterns depleting an emotional reservoir or The flash using up too much of the speed force when he runs, at the end of the day these ideas are simply stupid and they need to stop.

Guardians of the galaxy #19

4/5

NF: 1

Peter continues to tell his story about what happened to nova in the cancer verse.   JUST TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO NOVA ALREADY!!!  This is starting to get a little ridicules, I mean it’s an exciting tale and all and it’s nice to revisit old stories but come on!  I've only been waiting almost four years for a simple answer.  I’m also not a fan of how much GoG is starting to reflect the movie in design, not the biggest fan of Gamora with pupils or super bulky Drax.  But that aside I like seeing Gamora having a hard time with the story as the possible fate of Nova looks grimmer and grimmer alluding to the feelings she obviously still has for him.

Cyclops #05

4/5

NF: 2

Cyclops and Corsair lure in a bounty hunter ship to help them off the planet.  Well were finally off the shipwrecked planet, a little surprised we stayed there so long, but it offered some excellent character moments and provided growth for both leads so points to the writers for not wasting time.  I do enjoy watching corsair teach his son about life even if he doesn't always realize it, the bit about honor was a particularly nice touch.  I’m still hoping that after young Scott is through with his space adventures he can come back to earth and talk some sense into present day Scott so that he will stop being such @#$%&!  All the time.

New Avengers #24

5/5

NF: 0

Namor pleads with Dr. Doom to help him control the Cabal but doom refuses and places his own plans into motion.  Doom is so BA,  seriously  no one  in  the Marvel U is as elegant, intelligent, or in control as doom is at all times, I feel like he and Sinestro would be good friends.  The guy already know about the incursions but plays the patsy just so he can go ahead with his own plans, and the way he just schools Namor is fantastic.   I will add a bit of warning that this is issue is heavy on philosophy and grim storytelling so if those things don’t appeal to you  I would steer clear of this entire run because this is not super hero fun time it’s a surprisingly mature and deep look at morality, inevitability and the consequences of the choices we make.

Loki Agent of Asgard #06

4/5

NF: 2

Doom discovers that old Loki has set plans in motion to destroy Latveria so he seeks to do away with the young Loki.  It’s true; you really can’t get enough of Doctor Doom.  Very few things are better than a scientist sorcerer that waxes philosophic while battling a trickster god who’s trying to be more human.   This is a much more light hearted comic then New Avengers  but also still paves the way for some interesting future stories as we try and find out what Loki has up his sleeve, since he obviously plans on doing more than simply  taking Asgard.

Mighty Avengers #14

4/5

NF: 1

Luke Cage and his crew go up against the death walker prime.   The thing I like about mighty avengers is that it’s back to basics old school Super hero vs. Super Villain. Sure the stories are very surface level but that’s the charm, the themes and messages are worn right on the books sleeves and there all positive ones with plenty of fist to face action.  If you want just a fun superhero book without all the drama that’s so prevalent in most titles this is definitely a pick up.

All New Invaders #10

3/5

NF: 1

Cap and crew clean up the mess left behind there rescue attempt while a Martian war machine attacks London.   Ok this one was pretty dull.  Once we took out the person controlling all the deathlok’s it stopped being as interesting.  I mean the conspiracy with the Martian is sort of interesting but it really doesn't mean much other than just another invading alien species. The issue ends with cap basically outright stating that there’s more story to go but I’m losing interest fast so I’ll give it one more issue and if it’s still as uninteresting I’ll pull this title.

Deadpool #35

3/5

NF: 1

Deadpool seeks out assistance for his friends who are undergoing cellular break down.   This one was very close to being a 4 but it was just lacking something extra to really make me care about what was happening in the story.   The stories are still just underwhelming and not quite living up to the potential past Deadpool issues have but there at least still  entertaining just not as entertaining as they could be.

Edge of the Spiderverse #03

3/5

NF: 2

This story follows Aaron Akiman’s adventures as spiderman. It’s an ok story for a Spiderman you've never met and will never see again.  They throw out some interesting ideas but because this is a one shot concept you’ll never see those ideas fully fleshed out so you just shrug your shoulders and say “what’s next?”  Oh yeah and Morlun shows up, so now I’m confused as to who’s hunting down the Spider Men? Is it Morlun or that steampunk guy or is the steampunk guy working for Morlun?  Well I guess we will find out.

Storm #03

3/5

NF: 3

Strom travels back to Africa to work with forge on a new weather machine. Is it just me or does storm always seem a little raciest, bah who am I kidding all the X-Men are a little raciest.  I’ve actually come to start disliking storm quite a bit as she lately been written less and less as a leader and more of a pretentious snob who is only interested in what makes her feel better at the moment.  She also seems to have an ax to grind with everyone but Logan, and that might only be because she’s dating him now.   I feel as though she buys into her “goddess” role a little too seriously silently passing judgment down on all the mere mortals of the marvel U.  But all in all this was a much better issue then the previous one but not enough to keep me on bored. Nothing really ever seems to happen in these comics aside from Storm whining or blaming someone for something so Consider this title dropped!

Amazing X-men #11

4/5

NF: 2

The x-men find a temporary fix for the Wendigo problem but they find that its source is a war among the great beast of the sprit land.  Wow, still doing the Wendigo arc? Thought we would have wrapped this up by now.  Still it’s a fun issue and even though I know very few members of the Alpha Flight team the issue does a good job at familiarizing you with each of them and what they can do.   The story is actually still fun to read and  even though I am unfamiliar with the Great Beasts I can easily get into who they are and what their motivations are.

Godzilla rulers of the earth #16

4/5

NF: 1

Godzilla and Anguirus Battle Showa Mecha-Godzilla and Mech- King Ghidorah which are being controlled by aliens.   Fun monster battles and weak dialogue the typical standard for the IDW Godzilla comics. That said there still fun to read there just very campy and tend to read more like internet fan fiction then solid stories.  It was also really fun to see Godzilla and Anguirus team up all showa style and use old Angy like a mace.

Ghostbusters #20

5/5

NF: 1

Winston offers himself as a sacrifice but Tiamat wants something far more painful as tribute.  So wait? Is the comic over? Or just this arc? It says the end of volume 2 but does that mean there’s going to be a hiatus? Or that it’s finished? Well it looking it up they seem to split the series into sections each one being a volume so I’ll assume that this hiatus break and the comic will be back.   so getting back to the comic itself it was a very strong and I will admit not coping out and actually having Winston sacrifice something of value and not just zap the bad guy away  was a pretty good twist, even if I really want the Ghostbusters to go  round 2 with Tiamat .

Alright I’ve had it with you pint sized freaks! This is my blog and I’m taking it back!

While my new Anti-Puppet puppet cleans out the blog here is the pic of the week!  

Doom explains exactly how he feels about his people and his position completely ripping  Namor apart, who made a slight jab about  dooms position as dictator.

*Newcomer friendliness