Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

Review: X-Treme X-Men #9

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on February 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

X-Treme X-Men #9

X-Treme X-Men #9

On the tail of learning that X-Treme X-Men has been cancelled, issue number 9 was released. I have to admit, I took my time getting to it because I’ve enjoyed X-Treme’s run so much and didn’t really want it to be over so soon.

I did break down and read issue 9 and, amazingly, I was kinda disappointed. For the first time since issue 3, there was a drop in the quality of the storytelling. It wasn’t a bad issue, just, well, kinda basic and predictable.

Nothing very special about Dazzler surviving her stabbing. Nothing too off-kilter about the current world. Then the alt-Dazzler storyline is neatly wrapped up and she’s out of the picture.

Considering some of the stuff that has happened in these comics and how they have been defying convention, I just expected more. This wouldn’t have been enough to make me consider dropping the title (if it wasn’t already cancelled), but I really do hope this was just a dip and that the title will go out with a bang.

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Review: All-New X-Men #7

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on February 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

All-New X-Men #7Can we just stop and give a round of applause to Mystique?

I mean, seriously, I was on the fence about how she was going to come into things and what she wanted with Scott… but she really just blew me away here. I could go on for ages about her short but important role in this issue, but it all comes down to this: She treated young Scott like who he is, not who he will be.

True, she had her own motives. True, she may have just set off a time bomb. But so far no one has actually sat down and just talked to Scott, listened to him, accepted that he’s not the same person as old Scott. She didn’t pre-judge him. She was sympathetic and listened. It was one of the most honest and legit conversations Scott has had since he got there.

Which means because she had the audacity to treat him like a person, she’s had the biggest impact, for better or for worse. If the X-Men had simply treated young Scott with the same courtesy, then we wouldn’t be in the mess this is surely going to make.

A few other nice touches in this issue (which, at this point, I’m going to say is the best issue so far) is the bank lady who so much wanted to ‘be a mutant’ because being human is so boring.

“Everyone has something that makes them special.”

I heart you Scott, please don’t change into old Scott, please be spared suffering through an onslaught of writers using you as their whipping boy.

Also, Kitty makes an interesting teacher, focusing on combat training which only seems to prove Mystique’s point. Of course this is subtly hid under some fun young Bobby moments. He’s just so adorable in an annoying kind of way.

And the end, well, that’s food for thought… was Scott trying to remind Jean that he isn’t his future, right now he’s only his past, which included an undying love for her? Or was that Scott’s way of giving up, accepting that they will never have what they once had.

With the Avengers showing up in the next issue… only time will tell.

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Review: Arrow S01E13 “Betrayal”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on February 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CW's Arrow

Review: Arrow S01E13 “Betrayal”

For about five seconds there I thought he said “Wade Wilson” and I was “OMG THIS SHOW GOT A ZILLION TIMES BETTER” then I realized, duh, Slade Wilson.

This episode was actually better than the last few, well, up to a point. Could have done without the continued ‘parental issues’ theme because, come on, haven’t we had enough of that? Now it’s Laurel and Dresden. At least this was ‘somewhat’ reasonable here under the circumstances and therefore somewhat tolerable… until the end. Seriously, the dude just saved your life, risked everything for you, his job, his beliefs, all to save your whiney little butt. That’s how you repay him? Hold still so I can throw my shoe at you.

Diggle continues to be one of the most interesting and fun characters in the show, the voice of reason as well. Of course, Oliver doesn’t take it to well that his mom lied to him about the Queen’s Gambit. Come one, we just went through this with the sister, are these episodes on the wash-rinse-repeat cycle?

Once again the villain is an after-thought and only made interesting because, dude, Dr Whale! There was no real sense of peril, and not because we know Arrow will save her, but because the villain might as well be a fairy-tale character for all we know. The audience is given nothing to work with, it’s all a bunch of soap opera nonsense. Now, I like a little soap in my superhero fun, but I don’t want to drown in it.

The ending was interesting but somehow I doubt we’ll get a good payoff in the next episode… if we do then color me impressed… for the first time in this show.

Also, if that was Slade then who was in the suit? Guess we’ll find out.

Though, you know what I really want to happen in Arrow… I know she’s technically a ‘Batman villain’, but have Harley and some of her clown goons roll into town looking to expand operations for Mr J. No Joker, no Batman, just Harley with her bad-a attitude and big freaking mallet. She’s had to deal with Bats so she would be able to give Oliver a run for his money for at least a three episode arc. It would be epic!

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Review: X-Men Legacy #5

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on February 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

X-Men Legacy #5

X-Men Legacy #5

Review: X-Men Legacy #5

Just because a title is about a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder doesn’t mean it has to be schizophrenic.

That being said, issue #5 of X-Men Legacy is much more grounded and balanced than previous issues. The story isn’t all over the place and even through three things are going on at once it’s all very well laid out. Blindfold’s background is rather interesting and I admit I did not see that coming with her brother. At the same time though, it is one big trope with very little originality in it, just one of the issue’s faults.

Continued is the constant belittling of the X-Men. It’s gone from a legitimate point of view to just down right blog worthy trolling (well, he does have the hair for it). Okay, we get it, he doesn’t like the X-Men because they have done some stupid things in the past, let’s move on. Blindfold’s scene in an earlier issue where she says “I think I am meant to be your nemesis” totally has the wind taken out of its sail by blotchy dialogue from David.

This comic isn’t really bad, not like Uncanny Avengers #3 was really bad, but it’s just not good either. It’s still worth keeping on the pull list, there is places this could go that would make it a rather spectacular title… I just hope it gets there.

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Review: Arrow S01E12 “Vertigo”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on January 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CW's Arrow

CW’s Arrow

Review: Arrow S01E12 “Vertigo”

Can we just kill off the little sister? I’m down with that.

She’s annoying, bratty, and pointless. “It was just me and mom, you were dead!” “I hate mom, wish she had died!” “Oh, dad was the cheat? I’m so sorry!” We might give a crap about this plot line if it wasn’t so, well, bratty and pointless. What do we gain through all this? Character development? Nope. We already knew who the dad was and what everyone was like, the only person figuring this out now is Thea, a character that does absolutely nothing for the show but go around and whine. But of course, everyone jumps to her rescue after she mucks up. I say the brat should have been put in jail.

I suppose there was some kind of mimic here where Oliver is trying to ‘save her’ like he’s trying to protect the city, but it’s fail, utter fail.

Speaking of which, we have what should have been the main storyline and that is of Oliver going after The Count, another villain who is woefully addressed, not to mention badly acted. What was he going for? Joker on speed?

SSSSSSSSSssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooo much potential in this episode to really take the ‘mind bending’ aspect and run with it. Instead it’s pushed aside to make room for Thea’s plotline and a flashback which was totally obvious and pointless at the same time. Seriously, if the flashbacks are going to be nothing but ‘let’s see how many times Oliver can get caught and escape’ I’m going to start throwing things.

Lastly, come on Dresden, really? REALLY? You’re just going to take Oliver’s word that he was ‘just trying to get eyes on The Count’ when his own sister was caught with the drug? You’re a cop, even though Oliver was ‘technically right’ he still lied and you shouldn’t have just taken his, or anyone’s, word for it.

This show just continues to frustrate me, but at least I’m getting a lot of good advice on how not to treat a superhero show.

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Review: Deadpool #4

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on January 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Deadpool #4

Deadpool #4

Review: Deadpool #4

Quick! How many US Presidents can you name!

That’s pretty much the gist of this issue of Deadpool. We’ve had 44 Presidents and 39 of them are currently undead and tearing things up. It’s still one of the most off the wall plot lines I’ve ever seen, even for Deadpool, but in a way it kinda works. You have the underlying political satire (which may or may not be on purpose) and the fact that this is Deadpool, this is like a Thursday for him.

But back to the Dead Presidents, there have been several Presidents that either had a lackluster run or were simply forgotten to time by the average Joe. This issue sees Deadpool quickly dispatching all the “D-List Presidents” and getting them out of the way for the “A-List Presidents” like Lincoln, Nixon, and J.F.K…. which, yeah, Deadpool should never, EVER, be allowed to dress up like Marilyn Monroe ever again. Just saying.

This leads up to a cage-match fight with Abe Lincoln, wherein Deadpool asks: “Did you ever go to Canada and put a short, hairy baby in a woman?” I can only guess he is referring to Logan but… why? That’s not something I want to envision!!!

Lastly, the art work on this issue still presents us with some of the grossest renderings of Wade’s skin and/or mutilated body. It really is gross.

The most remarkable thing about this title so far is that while it seems to be ‘all over the place’, it’s really not. There is a distinct train of thought, as crazy as it is, and each point is leading to the next. It’s definitely making for one of the strangest reads…

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Review: A+X #4

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on January 26, 2013| 1 Comment »

A+X #4

A+X #4

Review: A+X #4

Ever listen to a conversation that goes over your head but because of the way it’s told you either find it fascinating or hilarious? That’s pretty much what happens in the Beast and Spider-Man story of A+X #3.  Beast is in true form with his scientific laden speech and ‘Mr. Spider’ holds his own with his particular style of snark.

The story itself isn’t that clearly explained, but that’s okay, the point behind it is very well received in one of the best ‘odd couple’ scenes to be put to print in a long time (Spider-Man’s wrecked costume pretty much makes the scene). We’re also left to ponder just how strong Beast is, as a scientist, because of what he did and is capable of doing. I wonder if this means Beast will be having a larger role soon in the Marvel universe… or perhaps it’s best he stays low-key, otherwise he could end up pwning the whole galaxy, on accident.

As for Captain America and Kid Omega… nothing really new here. It’s your typical ‘stand up guy tries to teach troubled kid’ kind of story we’ve seen a thousand times. The only thing that saves it from being a very ‘meh’ story is the visuals that we’re given, such as Quentin’s shoulder angel and demon. I would have loved to seen them really try to go for something here but I guess that was too much to ask in just half a comic. It’s the kind of relationship that would need to be explored over a much larger arc.

The next issue sees none other than Iron Fist and Doop… they get this right and they will own the internets.

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Review: Uncanny Avengers #3

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on January 23, 2013| 2 Comments »

Uncanny Avengers #3

Uncanny Avengers #3

Review: Uncanny Avengers #3

My first thoughts upon finishing Uncanny Avengers #3 was: “What the frack was that?”

Seriously? What happened? It started off pretty decent, a nice not-too-subtle-but-workable social commentary, Red Skull using his new powers to cause mischief… then it all goes down hill very quickly.

Red Skull uses his new telepathy (which he shouldn’t be that well trained in) to literally cause average New Yorker’s to kick the living crap out of everyone they believe to be a mutant. Not a single bit of remorse in any of them, no one tries to resist as if they had only been waiting for an excuse to break into a riot (which, if I was a New Yorker, I’d be really angry about, I’m insulted and I’m a Southerner!). Only Captain America can resist and even that is suspect. Wolvie and Havok resist easy enough though.

However, the girls apparently don’t have enough willpower, they have to wait for Red Skull to get temporarily depowered before they can break free. And once they are free they stand around and do almost nothing while the boys fight and play hero. Why isn’t Rogue trying to absorb these bad mutants, or Red Skull himself? And why isn’t Wanda using her magical power to try to counter-act the spell Red Skull cast?

And again, I mention the massively violent level of the mob and the great lengths the writer goes to explain just how violent it is… and is apathetic about it at the same time. “Oh, this person was just having a day, suddenly they’re dead, huh, sucks for them.” So many thought bubbles go into describing the mob/riot as this amoralistic rampage of mindless killing machines, an instant post-apocalyptic dystopia where the blood runs red… it’s almost like the writer himself is getting off on it which is creepy.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Rogue is in this title, I’d be very seriously considering cancelling it already…

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Review: Gambit #8

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on January 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Gambit #8

Gambit #8

Review: Gambit #8

After a nice little run of issues where Gambit grinned his way across the UK and proved he’s no one’s patsy, this issue does leave one a bit wanting.

Yes, we do get a shirtless Remy, something you can never get enough of, but Asmus decided to get a little too long-winded in his thought bubbles for Gambit. It worked for the first couple of issues because he was setting the stage, but here, it completely distracts from any sense of movement or action that might be taking place.  It was a good back-story Asmus was telling… just wrong place, wrong time.

Basically, this is the comic equvalant of something I always complain about in tv and movies, which is too much ‘speechifying’ of the character’s emotions. Gambit is also always better when you don’t know what is going on behind that Cajun Devil smile of his.

Number 8 really felt like a bridge-issue, something to get us from point A to point B. This isn’t neccesarly a bad thing, we need those issues, but this one could have used a bit more polish.

And possibly more dinosaurs.

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Review: WatX #24

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , on January 23, 2013| 2 Comments »

Wolverine and the X-Men #24

Wolverine and the X-Men #24
Possibly the most awkwardly drawn kiss… ever.

Review: Wolverine and the X-Men #24

This was quite possibly the most meta issue of an X-Men comic… ever.

I really don’t know where to begin. There are several couples getting together, either on actual dates, just to talk, or your basic hookup. There isn’t anything wasted in this comic. Not only do we have the visual and written humor we’ve come to love from this title, but each conversation is poignant in its own right for vastly different reasons.

At the crux is the fact that the X-Men are not normal people, this has never been ignored in the comics but it is nicely highlighted here through self-aware dialogue that could have been groan-worthy but was instead thoughtful and introspective (and in a few cases hilarious).

Yes, the Bobby/Kitty date was cliché but the honesty in which it was written forgives it. Quentin’s thoughts on Jean Grey are spot on for a boy his age and Jean’s reaction was equally appropriate. Broo and Idie couldn’t have been any more touching. And if Sabretooth is telling you that you need to get a girlfriend… that should tell you something.

This kind of issue could have gone very, very wrong, and in the beginning it nearly did as the relationship between Storm and Black Panther has been treated poorly since its inception. But once that is out of the way, Storm is able to reassert her individuality in a great segway into the non-adjective X-Men title that will be releasing later this year.

After the poor showing in the last three WatX issues, this issue more than makes up for it.

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