Sorry I missed my comic reviews last week. I almost missed this week too - hooray for snow days! It's a heavy Geoff Johns week with FOUR titles of his being released this week. It was also a big week for comics in general - I couldn't cover everything so picked a few of my faves from this week. There are no MUST READS this week, but lots of great titles worth a consideration of picking up (Daredevil!)
Daredevil #23Marvel Comics - Written by Mark Waid, Art by Chris Samnee
Mark Waid, I love you, you sick bastard. This issue was advertised as a "jumping on point." I'm not sure I'd agree with that, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. The opening "origin story" was both disturbing and awesome, and the fight scene was tense and horrifying. This single issue had me seesawing between horror, wonder, laughter, suspense, and heartbreak. It was great. Check out this Eisner award-winning series and writer. Overall score: A.
Indestructible Hulk #4Marvel Comics - Written by Mark Waid, Art by Leinil Francis Yu.
It's true what they say - find a writer you like and follow them, not the characters they make famous. I've never liked The Hulk. He's dumb. He hits things... sorry... SMASHES things. Mark Waid is a fantastic writer, but he has made me look forward to this book about my least favorite Marvel big-name character. I mainly enjoy this title for all of the scenes with Bruce Banner trying to prove his intellect by making the world a better place. I loved the introductory pages of a day in the life of Bruce Banner, SHIELD scientist, finding it sweet, slightly creepy, and hilarious all at once. And then Hulk started smashing things, and I guess that was ok. Yu's artwork is fantastic. I wish DC's Throne of Atlantis were half as successful as Yu and colorist Sunny Gho's underwater work in this issue. Overall score: B.
Justice League #17DC Comics - Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Ivan Reis and Paul Pelletier
This is a great conclusion to the Throne of Atlantis crossover between Aquaman and Justice League. There are a lots of players on the field here between the Justice League, the JL JVers, the Atlanteans, and the Trench. Ivan Reis' art is absolutely fantastic, and he really shines in this issue. The detail and beautiful chaos in the fight scenes are spectacular. There are a couple of awesome one-pagers. My favorite moment of the issue is the spectacularly drawn scene of Aquaman claiming the kinghood of Atlantis. My While I have complained about this being a summer popcorn flick, this was a GOOD summer popcorn flick. I really liked how far the public opinion of Aquaman has changed since Aquaman #1 (great setup with a payoff 18 months later!). My biggest complaint of this particular issue was the inconsistency in artwork and inking style. The story has 3 different inkers of varying quality and Paul Pelletier's artwork in the last 3 pages is a shocking drop in quality from Reis'. In the final few pages of the issue, in typical JL fashion, the leaders of the league deliberate over who to add to the team, but it's not who you think! (Hint: It's not Vibe!) Overall score: B+.
Justice League of America #1DC Comics - Written by Geoff Johns, Art by David Finch
World's Most Dangerous - Chapter One. I don't know if Johns and Finch have ever worked together before, but they make a fantastic combination for this series. The entirety of the book takes place in Amanda Waller's office as she and Steve Trevor discuss the members for the new team. The title definitely has a darker government conspiracy vibe to it - and Amanda Waller - yay! Finch's art style is perfect for the genre this book seems to be going for. For a team formation origin book, I really like how Johns approached this title. There is no big cheesy team meeting scene, but yet, each team member is given their own effective character moment in no more than a page or two. There are a couple of surprises in the book, including why the team is formed to begin with - and why they are chosen. (Surprisingly, Vibe makes some of the MOST sense why he was chosen!). I'm really intrigued, and despite the gluttonous 52 variant cover debacle, I'm intrigued to see more here. Overall score: B+.
Justice League of America's Vibe #1DC Comics - Written by Geoff Johns and Andrew Kreisberg, Art by Pete Woods
Pretty standard story. Kid gets powers. Kid beats up extradimensional demon to get revenge for loved one's death. The kid's pretty stupid, buying Random_Government_Agent_001's story and getting into a car with a complete stranger after he sells him a story. There's not a lot of character development here. Meh. The art is pretty flat and character-less, but the colors are good. Anything that has Amanda Waller has potential though with some cool foreshadowing in the issue's last couple pages. Overall score: C
Saga #10Image Comics - Written by Brian K. Vaughan, Art by Fiona Staples
"Yeah, Dad always had a way with the ladies." I can't believe we're in double digits on this amazing series already. I loved the flashback showing the burdgeoning love between Marko and Alana while he was still in prison. There's a bit too much going on in this particular issue, with multiple subplots. Nearly all the major characters have their time, with my favorite being Alana and her father-in-law having a sweet and hilarious new parenthood moment. Vaughan handles all the moving parts extremely well, giving each subplot its due, but overall, the issue feels a bit rushed to me. The issue's cliffhanger made me gasp and look forward to the next issue, hoping for the best. The art is amazing as always, with some particularly beautiful sci-fi coloring. Overall grade: B.
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