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Galactus
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Farmers Branch
Posts: 30,626
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The Good, Bad, Ugly Reviews: 11/1506
Hey guys:
Man, just finished reading a slate full of good to great comics. What a joy! Not to mention that reading Absolute Sandman has been such a blast. I've got so many good trades to read that slimming down my monthly titles has been much easier than I thought.
52: Week Twenty-Seven
Well, this series for the most part proves all the nay-sayers cough**miamiloco**cough wrong. While a few issues have been underwhelming, I've appreciated the many well thought out plot lines that have developed over the year.
This issue is a great case in point. Ralph Dibney, poor Ralph Dibney, has spent the better part of two months being led by Dr. Fate's helmet into various magic realms into what he hopes will be the way to bring back Sue from the dead. Dibney visits the (at this time) host-less Spectre to try to find a way to bring back his wife. Spectre leads Dibney to Eclipso (current host Jean Loring, who murdered Ralph's wife), who is still orbiting the sun thanks to the shadowpact. The Spectre gives Ralph a chance to avenge his wife by letting him be his host to find a proper punishement for Jean. Ralph, hosting Spectre, feels the best way for punishement is to make Jean sane and have to re-watch her killing Sue over and over again, letting her witness eternally the pain she caused. Too bad that means Ralph has to witness his wife's murder at least once, which he does not have the power, too. Ralph, unable to continue, leaves Jean (as Eclipso) orbiting the sun and asks Fate to take him to Nanda parbat.
Which is just where the Question and Renee Montoya left! Renee is being trained by Richard Dragon, but unfortantely it looks like she is going to lose another partner (a trend for her). The Question has lung cancer and only has a short time to live. More trouble looms, as after perusing the Criminal's Bible (handbook of Intergang) she discovers Kathy Kane (former lover and current Batwoman) is prophesied to die at Intergang's hand. Its off to Gotham for these two. Oh yeah, and Skeets, the seemingly innocent robot now cold-blooded killer, kills Waverider after he fails to tell him where Rip Hunter is. All that, and a great Chaykin drawn Origin of Black Canary!
52 Week Twenty-Eight
Ok, I admit, this issue was boring. The best thing about it was Dale Eaglesham's Origin of Catman! The issue starts promising enough, as Montoya and the dying Question summon Batwoman by using an impromptu bat-signal to warn her of her prophesied death. Well, she doesn't die as she's supposed, but it seems Montoya and the Question are to play some par in this according to the prophecy. Weird.
Ok, some Austrialian aboriginee mades Red Tornado's head into some robot but it gets destroyed, blah blah blah. And Lobo, Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire do more stuff in space, but its pretty boring. Turns out the Emerald Eye of Ekron is part of a ship that was piloted by a Green Lantern of Vengar and was one of its primary weapons. That and some Stygian Passover is commencing that is turning planets into dust. Its on Earth's path, and guess which four heroes are gonna have to fight it!
New Avengers #25
The Good: Ok, now this is more like it. On Bendis's best arc of this series (and seemingly the last), he's taken us through civil war through the eyes of each member and teamed up with a great artist in the process. Each issue was a home run (except for #24's aweful, vomit inducing Sentry story), and this is no exception.
This issue highlights both "villains" of Civil War, Iron Man and Maria Hill. Iron Man and Stark Tower are held hostage by a former employee of Stark's who inadvertantly designed the "Cape Killer" armor and using it to bring down super-heroes he believes in (esp Cap). He plans to use an anti-matter device to destroy the tower in an effort to stop the war, to stop the hereos from fighting each other. The only person in his way is Maria Hill, who dons fulls combat gear to go into Stark Tower and stop him, showing a different side, a more sympathetic side, than has been shown before. Great ish! And the future of Tony Stark, especially in light of Joe Q's comments, are made clear.
The Bad: I hate to say it, but Jim Cheung's art looks like recycled Young Avenger art. His Maria Hill looks EXACTLY like Asgardian. Yuck.
The Bad: Just how does Hawkeye get the next issue before Spiderman and Wolverine! Isn't he supposed to be dead?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre #1
The Good: Well this is one Wildstorm title Sam won't be covering, I bet. First off, anyone who knows me knows I love a good (or even bad) horror movie, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre will always have a special place in my heart. It was, after all, the first movie my dad took my mom on a date, too.
This issue starts with a great scene of cops chasing down the wrong truck. However, the main plot of this arc (???? you mean this isn't a mini???) is of FBI agents trying to open the cold case of the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE! Its been one year since Jessica Biel chopped off Leatherface's arm and ran for help (yes this is based off the new version of the series, not the classic movie from the 70's), and the Hewitt's have still not been brought to justice. This FBI team is gonna try to find out exactly why that has happened, why such a high profile, nationally coveraged case went cold. Its only supposed to take two days, but I bet things are gonna go awry quick! And don't forget a team of television reporters (read chainsaw fodder) are making their way to Fuller, TX too.
Its hard for a comic to really display horror or terror, but this comic has my attention from the first scene alone. Lets see where this goes.
The Bad: If you want to read only one comic based on a classic horror/suspense movie, read Se7en instead.
The Ugly: So far, only Leather face is ugly here. Great cover, too.
Next week, hopefully, my Seven Soldiers recap begins in earnest.
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