***Book of the Week***
Captain America: Reborn #2Writer: Ed Brubanker / Artist: Bryan Hitch
No one is more surprised than I am about how good this book turned out to be. The first issue did nothing but reinforce how dumb of an idea bringing back Steve Rogers is. This issue doesn't do anything to appease that, but it does help you forget the absurdity. Rogers' dilemma comes across as very captivating and, in a very clever way, provides a great reintroduction to some of his key moments in history. Brubanker also finds a plausible way to tie this whole thing into Dark Reign. As a matter of fact, Widow and Bucky actually lose to the Dark Avengers, thankfully (there's no way the two of them could take on two super-powered villains). Hitch's art also improves this issue, although I still don't care for his depiction of Black Widow compared to Steve Epting's. I may still think bringing Cap back is a stupid idea, but stories like this start to make me glad about his return.IGN - 8.7/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5
War of Kings #6
Writer: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning / Artist: Paul Pelletier
War of Kings has been built around one thing: Black Bolt vs. Vulcan. This issue certainly doesn't disappoint in that regard. Their battle is both entertaining and epic. I was a little disturbed how Vulcan was actually able to put up a fight, but thankfully Black Bolt asserts his dominance and absolutely destroys Vulcan's lame ass. Also, the two voices of the series, Gladiator and Crystal, end up with some interesting new found power. And once again, Paul Pelletier treats us with some spot-on art. One thing that did disappoint though, was the ending. There was no ending! Instead, the end will be told next month in a one-shot that will effectively be part 7 of 6 in this series.IGN - 9.2/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 4.5/5
Amazing Spider-Man #601
Writer: Mark Waid / Artist: Mario Alberti
Mary Jane's return is handled very well in this issue. It's obvious both she and Peter need to talk to each other, but through a funny little twist, she misses the date instead of him. More interesting than what they need to talk about though, is what we find out while MJ watches Spidey on the TV. Remember in One More Day when Mary Jane whispered something into Mephisto's ear before he changed everything? I think we may find out what that was all about pretty soon. Other than Mary Jane, not much else happened, but Waid gives us some very funny comedic moments throughout the issue. Not as effective, was Alberti's art. In fact, some of the characters come across as downright ugly in a few panels. Despite the art though, this story has started off nicely and I look forward to finding out some of Mary Jane's new secrets.IGN - 7/10
Comics Bulletin 3.5/5
Invincible Iron Man #16
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Salvador Larroca
World's Most Wanted continues to progress pretty slowly, but Fraction does a great job providing us with great character moments when the plot comes to a crawl. This issue belongs to Madame Masque. Her actions provide a great sense of tension and unease within the story. From the building suspense to the reveal of her scarred face to her creepy seduction of Tony, every panel she was in totally captured my attention and imagination. One thing I didn't like was her inevitable fight with Pepper. There's no way Pepper could ever be a match for Masque. Another disappointing aspect of the issue is Maria Hill. After 15 issues of building her great character, Fraction decides to totally break her this issue. Out of nowhere, she has a lame nervous breakdown. On a good note, Larroca's art is vastly improved. Some of the faces are still expressionless, but his people are definitely less shiny and kind of appealing too.IGN - 8.5/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment