Review Scale:
The mythical A+: Classic comic book material. Belongs next to your copy of The Notebook and The Joy of Cooking.
A: Would definitely recommend to all comic book readers. Even more so to fans of the genre or characters
B: Enjoyable read. Fans of the genre or characters will especially like.
C: Non-essential read. Can be enjoyable for fans of the genre or characters, but likely for only one or two events in the books.
D: Unenjoyable book. Read at your own risk. Might find satisfaction if major flaws are overlooked.
F: Please don’t buy this book. Donate your money to a local comic book writer’s workshop instead to inspire future generations to write something better than this trash.
Pick of the Week:
Ms. Marvel #17 – A
It’s the Ms. Marvel team-up you’ve been waiting for! Captain Marvel herself, Carol Danvers, pays Kamala a visit in New Jersey to warn her of the impending doom. Beyond the standard cute dialogue that writer G Willow Wilson injects into each issue, there’s also a lot of substance in this book. Under the guidance of Captain Marvel, which feels so much more like a mentorship than the “babysitter” role other hero cameos have been, Kamala learns of the tough decisions that heroes are faced with. And it involves kittens. This book is precious. – Sherif
Other Reviews:
DC/Vertigo Comics:
Batman Beyond #3 – C+
This month, I just did not connect at all. The part with Tim trying to get out of Brother Eye’s watch seemed long, and Terry McGinnis’s kid brother is a total dick. But now that Tim brought Brother Eye to Gotham, it looks like things will be getting more interesting. One thing I did like was Tim finally admitting he is Batman now, not Tim and not Drake. Just Batman. – Adrian
Detective Comics #43 – D-
Books like this are why I have trust issues with DC. Leave it to them to compromise decades worth of character development just to sell issues for one stupid book. I was under the impression that Detective Comics was getting a chance to start anew with Jim Gordon being the Batman now. La Morte was a legit set of new bad guys, the Internal Affairs investigation with Yip was solid, but they pissed it all away to introduce Joker’s Daughter as a formidable bad guy – complete with unnecessarily-large robot – and revealed Harvey’s plan to murder Yip… Stupid. – Sherif
IDW Publishing:
Transformers #44 – A
Thank baby Jesus there was no Earth. This was a good issue: intrigue, Arcee being a badass, Starscream being Just The Worst, secret Decepticon uprising. Biz be legit. Finally. Ugh. Combiner Wars was worse than a thousand Hitlers. – Montgomery
Image Comics:
Dark Corridor #1 – A
It’s fairly rare that an issue grabs my attention so firmly from the very first panel. There’s nothing too special about an unfamiliar dog barking at the back door of a stranger’s house, but there was something about it that really drew me in. Maybe it was because the dog was covered in blood… With Archie Comic style artwork and a total Sin City, noir type story line, Dark Corridor is a winner. The other highlighting aspect of this comic is that it will ultimately be a collection of short stories that overlap in crazy ways that will certainly blow our happy little nerd brains (think Pulp Fiction or Sin City). The funny thing is nothing was particularly unique, or cutting edge or entirely thought provoking, but the finished piece was so perfectly paced and put together that I couldn’t help but love the issue. It’s also pretty funny seeing what an Archie style drive-by looks like. I don’t know about you, but the sound effect “BLAM” is just wonderfully silly to me. If you like noir, mobsters, dogs, and “BLAM” then Dark Corridor is absolutely for you! – Taylor
Second Opinion (C+): Color me unimpressed. The entire issue was built around some sort of murder-mystery that juuuuust barely scratched the surface of the female motorbike assassins. The art reminded me of poorly-drawn [adultswim] commercials. It has high potential, but this was too much of a slow-burn for me. – Sherif
Kaptara #4 – A
I absolutely love this series and its vast amount of imagination. If this is what Chip Zdarsky’s mind is like on the inside, when can I book a trip there through Airbnb? This issue is a great flashback for Manton which features a younger version of him, but it covers a pretty horrible event he caused and gives you quite a bad taste in you mouth afterwards. This event leads all of our heroes into trouble, despite the presence of so many cat tanks… So here is hoping we can figure out how everyone can recover from Manton’s mistakes as it seems he likely has a ton. Kagan McLeod absolutely kills it with his art yet again and bring the craziness of Chip’s imagination to life perfectly and makes for one of the most visually entertaining books on the shelves. – Jacob
Second Opinion (D): Not a fan of this issue. Compared to the others, it just wasn’t as funny or intriguing. Dartor is my least favorite character and so far this was its been my least favorite issue. – Jené
Nailbiter #15 – B
I am just as surprised as you are that I am giving Nailbiter a B this week, I’ve never given it such a low score! However, the sad truth is that this story just keeps getting dragged out further and further with minimal payoff. I feel like we are no closer to knowing the secret of the Buckaroo Butchers at this point, and this issue was the end of the second story arc. I suppose I was just expecting more. On the plus side, we were at least given some interesting things to look forward to (holy shit, Carroll is awake (!), Alice is [SPOILER]’s daughter (!), Finch is under arrest (!), and what happened to Warren?!) but on the whole it feels like the story cannot properly build if not even a little light is shed on what we’ve been itching to find out since issue #1. – Keriann
Second Opinion (B+): I can’t believe we have to wait until October for the next issue. There were lots of questions left unanswered. The Butcher is working for someone? Who is the Butcher? Why are Carroll’s limbs missing again? I NEED ANSWERS, WILLIAMSON! – Adrian
Deadly Class #15 – B+
Make no mistake, this has never been a “fun” book. Deadly Class is manically-paced, yet visually awing. It’s dark and depressing, yet introspectively beautiful. However, since Maria’s departure from the series, Marcus’ life has been a snowball of shit, and we get to hear and witness his slip into drug addiction, dangerous paranoia and unlikeability. As uncomfortable as it can be, it opens up the discussion for, and accurately pinpoints, a lot of what it feels like to feel empty and alone. The angst that Marcus feels is an embodiment of an entire generation reeling from conformity. There’s still so much more to explore with the story, but Marcus’ fall into insanity is going to have to play its course before that goes any further. – Sherif
We Stand on Guard #2 – B+
Oh Canada, you got so screwed in this book… I can’t help but take the Nucks’ side in this debacle. Canada has been invaded and the resistance is slowly being put in a stranglehold – all coincidentally at the same time they let in a young Canadian girl, our main protagonist. For a story about Canada, it’s getting really spicy. Plus, this issue has naked butts a gay cyborg with a cyote-wolf hybrid. – Sherif
8House: Arclight #2 – C
Again, I find myself having a hard time talking about this particular series. I know that I like it. It’s different from anything that I’m reading both in terms of story and art. But, I almost feel the story is better suited for a graphic novel than a comic book run. I never feel like I get enough story in one sitting. Though, this might be because I haven’t read the mini-series before it that encompasses this unique universe. It might have been a smoother read had I started out with 8House: Kiem. I do like Arclight and think it’s an intriguing story. But in the future I’m going to wait for when I can read a couple issues at a time and get more absorbed into it. – Jené
Marvel/Icon Comics:
Spider-Island #2 – A
Man, who would have thought a book with such a silly concept would be so much fun. But that’s Spidey for you. Venom and his variously serum-augmented team is closing in on taking down the Spider Queen, and then… DRAMATIC REVEAL! The Spider-Woman story is also pretty good. Enthralla (Gryffindor minus 10 points: stupid name) has Enthralla’d SW’s friends and now they hunt her. Gryffindor plus 10 points: no exploitative Spider-Woman shots. – Montgomery
Darth Vader #7 – B+
This was kind of a strange issue. There was a lot of bureaucracy, for lack of a better word. We have Aphra with all of the henchmen taking care of their dirty work and we have Vader dealing being under the Emperor’s thumb. Vader seems absolutely obsessed with tracking down the young pilot who destroyed the Death Star. This seemed like a slow issue but it was more like a kettle about to boil over. There is a lot of tension bubbling under the surface and it’s getting ready to burst and time now. – Scott
Second Opinion (B): Nothing beats a rousing space heist pulled off by four of the most deadly bounty hunters in the galaxy. Damn it feels good to be a smuggler. – Taylor
Red Skull #2 – B+
Red Skull is a character that never interested me. He’s just (Captain America X Germany) – Face. But I’m digging this book, if because of Magneto’s participation (probably the best villain ever, yes, I’m including Joker in that equation) than any other. The two strike a bargain with Annihilus’ horde to take down the shield and then Doom after that. Magneto is another no duh when it comes to fighting Doom. In fact, I feel like I need to read the research paper on how Doom built this world, because for being god, he seems significantly underpowered compared to almost his entire universe. – Montgomery
Ultimate End #4 – B+
Multiple iterations of Marvel heroes we actually know (i.e. Ultimate and vanilla versions of the Avengers) are duking it out in Battle World’s Manhattan. Does Doom care? This is how I want my super worlds to end. – Montgomery
Giant-Sized Little Marvel: AvX #3 – B
The cuteness factor is getting to be a bit too much for me. The series is getting quite formulaic; even the introductory theme song is completely half-assed. The only winning factor with this book is seeing every niche-y character and Marvel reference played out in Scottie Young’s flawless Young style. Each full-page spread is worthy of a poster in your room, and the puns run wild and free. If you’re looking for substance, you won’t find it here. But it sure is cute! – Sherif
Groot #3 – B-
Although this Groot series is one of my favorites from Marvel at the moment, mostly because of Brian Kesinger’s art, this issue seemed pretty flat and uneventful. This being the second Groot and Silver Surfer story this month was kind of weird, but with this issue actually having dialogue separated the stories a bit. Overall the issue felt like it ended exactly as is started and it was more for the writer and artist to get a chance at Silver Surfer more than anything. The story is still enjoyable and is a great stand alone story, but not much has changed since the ending of issue #2 as far as Groot finding Rocket. But with me enjoying Kesinger’s art so much, I found it hard to give this a C and not keep it in B range. – Jacob
Civil War #2 – B-
As much as I’m enjoying this retcon of the classic Civil War story, it’s starting to feel much more like an Oceans 11 adaptation. Everything is built around some scheme to get some kind of leverage over the other side. It’s actually very interesting, but wears on the pace of the book. Peter Parker being Cap’s new lacky – and Bucky being Stark’s – has made for some interesting changes in Spidey, who is no longer making jokes. Even if the story is being convoluted, the characters and environment are very convincing; even Colossus is showing signs of rust. If you’re into retcons, this is one of the better ones to come out of Secret Wars. – Sherif
Age of Apocalypse #2 – C+
So, Magneto’s X-Men finally catch Doug Ramsey, the most important/least impressive mutant ever. Unless your mutant power were something like 10% thicker finger nails, it’s hard to imagine something more underwhelming than “good at language” when compared to people who blast lasers from their face. And then apocalypse. This is one of the (many) Battle World books that loses its edge and importance when viewed in its context of just a single shitty place in a world of shitty places. Plus, in Apocalypse vs. Doom, Apocalypse wins err’day, all day. The art, however, continues to knock it out of the park. Gerardo Sandoval’s Apocalypse is seriously cool, and would have been the feature image if it weren’t also the climax of the book. So far, the story of this AoE is underwhelming, but please definitely read it for the art. This is one guy I hope becomes a Marvel mainstay after Battle World settles down into Disgruntled Planet. – Montgomery
Siege #2 – C+
Man, I wish there was a second opinion on this book. This thing seems so incoherent to me. Uh, some people? The Shield? Now there are Ultron traitors? Uh, oh, stuff happens? I seriously cannot sum this book up. But, the two page spreads had some fantastic art. Srs bns. – Montgomery
Funniest Panels:
Panels with the Most Awesomeness:
That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!
All images taken from ComiXology app and the credit for them goes to the respective publishers; thanks to all the publishers for putting out great books.
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