With the fat DC week it means there had to be a lean Marvel week (but my The Rest is comparable to DC). Anyways, here's the only Marvel book I bought this week.
DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #3
Words by: Dan Way and Marjorie Liu
Art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli
It's weird seeing Mystique actually care about someone. It's also weird to know Daken cares about someone. But over all the issue isn't weird... it's good. The restaurant from #2 has turned into a crime scene with Logan raising hell in all kinds of ways. Mystique escapes, saddened by Daken's death... or should I say, his fake death. There is a body burnt up inside the restaurant, that is taken away, but Daken watches from a nearby building, flashing back to a lesson from Romulus about the benefits of invisibility. Way and Liu deliver a pretty good story and have really made me want to go back and read their previous work on the character. Camuncoli's art is amongst my favorites right now and this series has me hooked for quite some time.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)
So that's all I've got from the Marvel front... stay tuned for The Rest.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Comic Book Wednesday Part 1:DC
Last week was a lean week, this week was a fatter week (especially in the realm of DC). I never know what to say in these intros, so I say to heck with this and let's get right into the comics.
BATMAN: THE RETURN (1 Shot)
Words by: Grant Morrison
Art by: David Finch
Unless you've been living under a rock you know that Bruce Wayne was officially brought back last week in Return of Bruce Wayne #6 (sure Batman and Robin #16 came out first... but... So to return Bruce to the DCU a one shot was needed, and here it is. Mainly the issue concerns itself with establishing Wayne's intentions for Batman Inc. which I feel is a really dumb idea. But the issue is alright, the art is good, exciting me for Batman: The Dark Knight with Finch's words and art. That being said, if you don't plan on reading at least one of the new post return Batman series than this issue won't have anything for you. In terms of story telling this issue is more akin to the amazing Batman and Robin and not the less than zero Return of Bruce Wayne.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)
BRIGHTEST DAY #14
Words by: Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi
Art by: Ivan Reis
The cover promises White Lantern Batman... but in all honesty we only get WL Batman for about 3 pages, a let down for sure. But the issue also serves as a bit of a let down because now the series, it seems, is getting back to the heroes running around with their hands in the air going "Why were we brought back?" only now the cry will be "Who's the chosen one?" But, I've read worse entries into the Brightest Day series. Some highlights, especially for me, include the final panels with Batman uttering the phrase "We need to talk about Maxwell Lord." Peaking my "Generation Lost" fan boy nature. Also in the final panel (bizarre when the title of the next issue can get one excited) the foreshadowing piece of "Whatever happened to the Manhunter from Mars?" again touching the soul of m being. For a Brightest Day issue it's pretty good, but that's a relative good when most of the Brightest day stuff has gotten negative feedback from this blog.
Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7.5/10)
THE FLASH #6
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Francis Manapul
If you haven't jumped on this series, wait until #7, seeing as #6 is the end of an arc... a decent end of an arc. The Renegades have gotten a hold of Flash... or so they thought and faster than you can say 'it's just a jump to the left' The scarlet Speedster is back in our time to save Iris and bring The Top to justice. There's a high speed fight where The Top confesses to everything, only to be stopped when the Flash enters him and spins him the other way, stopping him and allowing the Renegades to capture the traitorPhantom Limb The Top and return him to the future for some justice. The issue actually has an interesting commentary on the nature of justice in both the future and our modern time, with an innocent man being cleared. Although the issue's not the best issue I read this week it is very good and Manapul has become one of my favorite current artists.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.5/10)
GREEN LANTERN #59
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Doug Mahnke
This issue is kind of hard to judge, mainly because nothing really happens. Sure there's great dialogue between Allen and Jordan, but it seems weird how it just... happens while Adara is a few feet away. Also of note is a conversation with the Guardians who are plotting to have someone watch Hal because he's trying to avoid detection. I like the way Johns handles the dialogue and the set up of Parallax becoming the fastest man on Earth is pretty enticing, but the subplot of having the Indigo lanterns essentially a mind washed cult seems forced, I think mainly because all the characters are freaking out because Blank Hand is now peaceful and compassionate... the fate they sentenced him to. Why would they complain that he's not a murderous creep obsessed with death anymore? THAT WAS THE POINT OF SENDING HIM OFF WITH THE INDIGO CORPS IN THE FIRST PLACE!! In what's more a set up issue, 59 isn't entirely strong but far from weak.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #54
Words by: Tony Bedard
Art by: Tyler Kirkham
In another case of the cover betraying the interior, the readers are expecting an epic duel between Rayner and Sinestro... but what we actually get is Sinestro beating the shit out of Rayner... three times over as many pages. But, the rest of the issue makes up for the apparent lie on the cover. Carrying on from previous issues The Weaponer has Soranik captured, but Sinestro won't pay the piper and go to try and save his daughter. I especially like how The Weaponer is being painted as a tragic character, trying to redeem himself and save his world (I've had little to no introduction to him before now). It's kind of weird, but I actually am looking more forward to the next issue of this than the main Green Lantern series.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)
BATMAN: THE RETURN (1 Shot)
Words by: Grant Morrison
Art by: David Finch
Unless you've been living under a rock you know that Bruce Wayne was officially brought back last week in Return of Bruce Wayne #6 (sure Batman and Robin #16 came out first... but... So to return Bruce to the DCU a one shot was needed, and here it is. Mainly the issue concerns itself with establishing Wayne's intentions for Batman Inc. which I feel is a really dumb idea. But the issue is alright, the art is good, exciting me for Batman: The Dark Knight with Finch's words and art. That being said, if you don't plan on reading at least one of the new post return Batman series than this issue won't have anything for you. In terms of story telling this issue is more akin to the amazing Batman and Robin and not the less than zero Return of Bruce Wayne.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)
BRIGHTEST DAY #14
Words by: Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi
Art by: Ivan Reis
The cover promises White Lantern Batman... but in all honesty we only get WL Batman for about 3 pages, a let down for sure. But the issue also serves as a bit of a let down because now the series, it seems, is getting back to the heroes running around with their hands in the air going "Why were we brought back?" only now the cry will be "Who's the chosen one?" But, I've read worse entries into the Brightest Day series. Some highlights, especially for me, include the final panels with Batman uttering the phrase "We need to talk about Maxwell Lord." Peaking my "Generation Lost" fan boy nature. Also in the final panel (bizarre when the title of the next issue can get one excited) the foreshadowing piece of "Whatever happened to the Manhunter from Mars?" again touching the soul of m being. For a Brightest Day issue it's pretty good, but that's a relative good when most of the Brightest day stuff has gotten negative feedback from this blog.
Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7.5/10)
THE FLASH #6
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Francis Manapul
If you haven't jumped on this series, wait until #7, seeing as #6 is the end of an arc... a decent end of an arc. The Renegades have gotten a hold of Flash... or so they thought and faster than you can say 'it's just a jump to the left' The scarlet Speedster is back in our time to save Iris and bring The Top to justice. There's a high speed fight where The Top confesses to everything, only to be stopped when the Flash enters him and spins him the other way, stopping him and allowing the Renegades to capture the traitor
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.5/10)
GREEN LANTERN #59
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Doug Mahnke
This issue is kind of hard to judge, mainly because nothing really happens. Sure there's great dialogue between Allen and Jordan, but it seems weird how it just... happens while Adara is a few feet away. Also of note is a conversation with the Guardians who are plotting to have someone watch Hal because he's trying to avoid detection. I like the way Johns handles the dialogue and the set up of Parallax becoming the fastest man on Earth is pretty enticing, but the subplot of having the Indigo lanterns essentially a mind washed cult seems forced, I think mainly because all the characters are freaking out because Blank Hand is now peaceful and compassionate... the fate they sentenced him to. Why would they complain that he's not a murderous creep obsessed with death anymore? THAT WAS THE POINT OF SENDING HIM OFF WITH THE INDIGO CORPS IN THE FIRST PLACE!! In what's more a set up issue, 59 isn't entirely strong but far from weak.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #54
Words by: Tony Bedard
Art by: Tyler Kirkham
In another case of the cover betraying the interior, the readers are expecting an epic duel between Rayner and Sinestro... but what we actually get is Sinestro beating the shit out of Rayner... three times over as many pages. But, the rest of the issue makes up for the apparent lie on the cover. Carrying on from previous issues The Weaponer has Soranik captured, but Sinestro won't pay the piper and go to try and save his daughter. I especially like how The Weaponer is being painted as a tragic character, trying to redeem himself and save his world (I've had little to no introduction to him before now). It's kind of weird, but I actually am looking more forward to the next issue of this than the main Green Lantern series.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Once Upon a Review in the West
As I'm sure you've figured out , I like Westerns. Although, my dear reader, I don't know if you, knew that my favorite sub genre of the Western genre is the Spaghetti Western, mainly for the unflinching way that this particular sect of movies handles the true violence and degenerate nature of the real west, with that being said, I felt like a bad fan being that I had not seen one of the true classics of not only the sub genre, or even the genre... but instead cinema itself. Of course I'm talking about Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) directed by a true master Sergio Leone.
There is a lot going on in this movie (think Inglorious Basterds in a Stetson). But the movie can be boiled down to three main plots...
1) Frank (Henry Fonda) being hunted by Harmonica (Charles Bronson)
2) Cheyenne (Jason Robards) being accused of the murder of a child
3) Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) trying to hold onto her land, despite Frank wanting it.
With this much going on, I'm afraid, that there was a high potential for cinematic fat. True, Leone has The Dollars trilogy to support that his movies have all the fat content of an apple... but this movie is more along the lines of a burger, delicious... but not entirely healthy. I know I don't have a film degree or any credentials as a critic, but I feel like West has several scenes that border on unneeded, such as the opening scene on the homestead which continues for several minutes where the only important thing to happen is a fly buzzing around. There are other scenes later on that Leone allows the camera to linger too long, resulting in a movie that has some love handles, but is by no means obese.
The movie is classic Leone, the Monument valley filming location reflects the barren wastelands that the characters call souls, mixing arid desert with bleak horizons. As stated in my reviews of various other westerns I prefer the real desert feel to the panoramic vistas. As would be expected Morricone's score is gorgeous with the true highlight being "The Man with a Harmonica," mixing the haunting harmonica of... Harmonica with an anachronistic electric guitar to create one of the greatest "character" scores of all time.
In terms of the four Leone movies I've seen, this one certainly has the best acting with Bronson, Fonda, and Cardinale being specifically strong. I've seen Charles Bronson in a few movies, all tough guys, but Harmonica stands above the rest of his roles, mixing the revenge themes of Death Wish with the intensity of his role in The Magnificent Seven. But, I don't mean to discredit Fonda who plays the first villain I've seen him play. He plays the role of Frank with a level of sleaze I didn't expect him to be capable of, but I was wrong.
The movie is definitely a classic, changing the Western genre, but the movie seems to be too epic in scope for one movie... not really an insult, I know, but a critique all the same. Perhaps this movie could have been improved (only slightly though) by predating Kill Bill in dividing the movie into two volumes, but it didn't, and as such I can't bring myself to give it a perfect score. The movie receives my recommendation, yes, but a 10/10... no.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.75/10)
There is a lot going on in this movie (think Inglorious Basterds in a Stetson). But the movie can be boiled down to three main plots...
1) Frank (Henry Fonda) being hunted by Harmonica (Charles Bronson)
2) Cheyenne (Jason Robards) being accused of the murder of a child
3) Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) trying to hold onto her land, despite Frank wanting it.
With this much going on, I'm afraid, that there was a high potential for cinematic fat. True, Leone has The Dollars trilogy to support that his movies have all the fat content of an apple... but this movie is more along the lines of a burger, delicious... but not entirely healthy. I know I don't have a film degree or any credentials as a critic, but I feel like West has several scenes that border on unneeded, such as the opening scene on the homestead which continues for several minutes where the only important thing to happen is a fly buzzing around. There are other scenes later on that Leone allows the camera to linger too long, resulting in a movie that has some love handles, but is by no means obese.
The movie is classic Leone, the Monument valley filming location reflects the barren wastelands that the characters call souls, mixing arid desert with bleak horizons. As stated in my reviews of various other westerns I prefer the real desert feel to the panoramic vistas. As would be expected Morricone's score is gorgeous with the true highlight being "The Man with a Harmonica," mixing the haunting harmonica of... Harmonica with an anachronistic electric guitar to create one of the greatest "character" scores of all time.
In terms of the four Leone movies I've seen, this one certainly has the best acting with Bronson, Fonda, and Cardinale being specifically strong. I've seen Charles Bronson in a few movies, all tough guys, but Harmonica stands above the rest of his roles, mixing the revenge themes of Death Wish with the intensity of his role in The Magnificent Seven. But, I don't mean to discredit Fonda who plays the first villain I've seen him play. He plays the role of Frank with a level of sleaze I didn't expect him to be capable of, but I was wrong.
The movie is definitely a classic, changing the Western genre, but the movie seems to be too epic in scope for one movie... not really an insult, I know, but a critique all the same. Perhaps this movie could have been improved (only slightly though) by predating Kill Bill in dividing the movie into two volumes, but it didn't, and as such I can't bring myself to give it a perfect score. The movie receives my recommendation, yes, but a 10/10... no.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.75/10)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Review the High Country
If you believe the Leonard Maltin quote on the back of the 2006 DVD Ride the High Country (1962) is "considered by some to be Peckinpah's finest film," and being that this is the man who directed The Wild Bunch (1969) and Straw Dogs (1971) that is a doozy of a claim. I will let you down now, it is not better than the two movies I listed, but being shy of two movies which combine to attain a 20/20 is not an insult by any stretch of the imagination.
Thematically this movie seems more like it should be an adopted child of Peckinpah, surely not his by... blood. (Pun sort of intended). Arguably, that is a true case, being that this movie was not in fact written by Peckinpah as the other movies of his reviewed on this blog have been. Not to try and take away from N.B. Stone, Jr., the writer, but where as TWB and SD circumvent convention and turn stereotypes and formulas on their heads, with TWB changing westerns (and cinema) forever... this movie seems to play more in the conventional sense of both westerns and buddy films. That being said, the movie does succeed in being funnier than the other two combined matching sly zingers with great interactive dialogue the script is stronger than most, but weaker than some.
The storyline is quite straightforward, a few men, trying to make a buck, set out to gold mine to try and bring back some treasure for their employers, inventive yes, but regrettably the men are typical cowboys. Both are aging lawmen with eyes on that final ride into the sunset, but of course there's one more mission they've got to complete before they can meet history on an amber horizon. And as such, one could plug in any cowboy actor of the early sixties (i.e. John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart) and the movie would have progressed the same way, not a bad thing, but not a great thing.
Next is the direction, which is another place where I felt let down by the film again. The Wild Bunch is a brutal western, parched Mexican landscapes matched with vicious men made it feel exciting and new, on par with such classics as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966) when it comes to an unforgiving west, but this movie in everything from the sprawling vistas to the shots of the characters whilst conversing is just so typical of ever other western at the time.
Although I did say they could be filled by most any veteran western actor, Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott are quite good as the two aging gun men, but there's nothing really done here acting wise that hasn't been done with the character type better else where.
Much of this movie boils down to standard western fare, but luckily there are enough inventional plot devices to make this movie more than an AT LEAST WATCH and into the realm of the LIKE.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)
Thematically this movie seems more like it should be an adopted child of Peckinpah, surely not his by... blood. (Pun sort of intended). Arguably, that is a true case, being that this movie was not in fact written by Peckinpah as the other movies of his reviewed on this blog have been. Not to try and take away from N.B. Stone, Jr., the writer, but where as TWB and SD circumvent convention and turn stereotypes and formulas on their heads, with TWB changing westerns (and cinema) forever... this movie seems to play more in the conventional sense of both westerns and buddy films. That being said, the movie does succeed in being funnier than the other two combined matching sly zingers with great interactive dialogue the script is stronger than most, but weaker than some.
The storyline is quite straightforward, a few men, trying to make a buck, set out to gold mine to try and bring back some treasure for their employers, inventive yes, but regrettably the men are typical cowboys. Both are aging lawmen with eyes on that final ride into the sunset, but of course there's one more mission they've got to complete before they can meet history on an amber horizon. And as such, one could plug in any cowboy actor of the early sixties (i.e. John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart) and the movie would have progressed the same way, not a bad thing, but not a great thing.
Next is the direction, which is another place where I felt let down by the film again. The Wild Bunch is a brutal western, parched Mexican landscapes matched with vicious men made it feel exciting and new, on par with such classics as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966) when it comes to an unforgiving west, but this movie in everything from the sprawling vistas to the shots of the characters whilst conversing is just so typical of ever other western at the time.
Although I did say they could be filled by most any veteran western actor, Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott are quite good as the two aging gun men, but there's nothing really done here acting wise that hasn't been done with the character type better else where.
Much of this movie boils down to standard western fare, but luckily there are enough inventional plot devices to make this movie more than an AT LEAST WATCH and into the realm of the LIKE.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Comic Book Wednesday Part 3: The Rest
And last but not least is the Image comic I bought and read this week...
NANCY IN HELL #4 (of 4)
Words by: El Torres
Art by: Malaka Studios, Antonio Vasquez, and Juan Jose Ryp
In what I think might have been the most underrated and missed gem of the year, Nancy Simmons (with a little help from Lucifer) fought her way through and out of Hell. Perhaps it was because I'm lamenting this being the series end, but this issue seemed to be a little bit on the anticlimactic side. Yes the last few pages were a great end and one of the "best" endings in that manner since the original Doom. But, I expected a grander fight at the Gates and a little bit more of a showdown with the beast, but the art remained visceral and the writing maintained it's impact, establishing Nancy Simmons as a truly great heroine. Although not the best of the series, NiH #4 is one of the best issues I read this week and is a fitting cap to the series, even though it's not the best one that could have been.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)
NANCY IN HELL #4 (of 4)
Words by: El Torres
Art by: Malaka Studios, Antonio Vasquez, and Juan Jose Ryp
In what I think might have been the most underrated and missed gem of the year, Nancy Simmons (with a little help from Lucifer) fought her way through and out of Hell. Perhaps it was because I'm lamenting this being the series end, but this issue seemed to be a little bit on the anticlimactic side. Yes the last few pages were a great end and one of the "best" endings in that manner since the original Doom. But, I expected a grander fight at the Gates and a little bit more of a showdown with the beast, but the art remained visceral and the writing maintained it's impact, establishing Nancy Simmons as a truly great heroine. Although not the best of the series, NiH #4 is one of the best issues I read this week and is a fitting cap to the series, even though it's not the best one that could have been.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)
Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: Marvel
Let the record show that for one of the first times on this blog the DC section is bigger than the Marvel section. But, that doesn't mean Marvel didn't have anything good to offer.
INVADERS NOW! #3 (of 5)
Words by: Christos Gage
Art by: Carlo Reis
If you remember I trashed issue 1 and loved issue 2, and issue 3 falls somewhere in between the two. There's less drama than 2, but more plot than 1, although it just doesn't escape the "good" zone. The Invaders fight the Axis team from the end of last issue, and that is cool, I'm really starting to like Reis's visuals. But Gage is starting to slide closer to the stilted writing that made the dialogue of #1 unbearable. The story remains creative, but poor writing kills creative story lines. I know it seems like I've been bashing this issue quite a bit, but there are some redeeming qualities such as the dramatic final panels where Steve Rogers outlines the Invaders plan and some parts in the middle where Union Jack and Spitfire encounter some troubles, but all in all the the issue is pretty generic and average.
Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (6.75/10)
SHADOWLAND: DAUGHTERS OF THE SHADOW #3 (of 3)
Words by: Jason Henderson
Art by: Ivan Rodreiguez
It makes me sad that Shadowland is ending, with this month being the final nail in the coffin and this series being one of the first tie ins to take the bow before the curtains, but for this tie-in at least, the third act was the weakest. SL:DotS started strong, with plenty of drama that helped develop Shadowland, but this last issue was a little too... small in scope. Instead of the wide spread stories that have made Shadowland good, we are given a story that focuses on two duels between various Daughters of the Nail. There is little to no talk about the events of Shadowland that are coming up, and as such I felt a little cheated by this issue. It's not bad, with the writing and art consistently good, it just wasn't a good tie in.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (7.5/10)
And there, dear readers, is my Marvel section, with very little to rave about.
INVADERS NOW! #3 (of 5)
Words by: Christos Gage
Art by: Carlo Reis
If you remember I trashed issue 1 and loved issue 2, and issue 3 falls somewhere in between the two. There's less drama than 2, but more plot than 1, although it just doesn't escape the "good" zone. The Invaders fight the Axis team from the end of last issue, and that is cool, I'm really starting to like Reis's visuals. But Gage is starting to slide closer to the stilted writing that made the dialogue of #1 unbearable. The story remains creative, but poor writing kills creative story lines. I know it seems like I've been bashing this issue quite a bit, but there are some redeeming qualities such as the dramatic final panels where Steve Rogers outlines the Invaders plan and some parts in the middle where Union Jack and Spitfire encounter some troubles, but all in all the the issue is pretty generic and average.
Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (6.75/10)
SHADOWLAND: DAUGHTERS OF THE SHADOW #3 (of 3)
Words by: Jason Henderson
Art by: Ivan Rodreiguez
It makes me sad that Shadowland is ending, with this month being the final nail in the coffin and this series being one of the first tie ins to take the bow before the curtains, but for this tie-in at least, the third act was the weakest. SL:DotS started strong, with plenty of drama that helped develop Shadowland, but this last issue was a little too... small in scope. Instead of the wide spread stories that have made Shadowland good, we are given a story that focuses on two duels between various Daughters of the Nail. There is little to no talk about the events of Shadowland that are coming up, and as such I felt a little cheated by this issue. It's not bad, with the writing and art consistently good, it just wasn't a good tie in.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (7.5/10)
And there, dear readers, is my Marvel section, with very little to rave about.
Comic Book Wednesday Part 1:DC
Another week, another grouping of comics that I'm going to review, but sadly (like last week) there wasn't a lot on the racks that I was desperately wanting to buy, but these 6 titles did make the cut so here's the first subgroup: DC.
BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #6 (of 6)
Words by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Lee Garbett
So... Grant Morrison is an enigma. I've been reading through his Batman and Robin series and I've been loving it, his ability to weave characters is amazing, but at the same time... B:TRoBW remains to be the clusterfuck I've accused it of being for the last few issues. In quite possibly the most scattered issue yet, Morrison officially returns Bruce Wayne to the limelight, bringing him out of the time stream and... well... I don't even know what happened. I mean, Batman gets fused with some bizarre robot thing that's apparently sent from Apokolips to kill Batman, yadda, yadda, yadda. There's no period work like the first 5 issues, and there's less plot. Most of the issue is spent flipping around with panels out of order and random voice bubbles to show that the time stream is being tampered with, but that just makes the issue seem like it's just trying to be trippy.
Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS on this issue (4/10)
GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #4
Words by: Peter J. Tomasi
Art by: Fernando Pasarin
There are two distinct story lines in this issue, but they aren't equally good. The first is the continuing road trip of Guy, Arisia, Kilowog, and (as of last issue) Bleez deep into the unknown sector, and the other is an entirely expository talk of Sodam Yat doing... something. I think it's implied he's going to blow up or just move a planet, but... that's not really fleshed out (hopefully next month). But, back to the first plot line, the Road Warriors stop on Daxam, for a few pages, just to tie their arc in with the new Sodam arc. The issue isn't really great, it's good, but when compared to the last few issues this issue seems more like a typical Green Lantern issue than Emerald Warriors.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (7.75/10)
JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #13
Words by: Judd Winick
Art by: Joe Bennett
As the last issue closed readers knew that #13 was going to give readers an epic fight between Magog and Captain Atom, and Winick and Bennett deliver. But, the pacing of this issue was slightly off. The fight was spectacular and the way Booster and Blue Beetle appeared scared, but trying to be heroic was a needed addition to the issue's script that broke up the fight with a human element, though there were too many panels of fighting and not enough of furthering the plot, with this issue JL:GL has crossed the halfway point and as such issues here can't be devoted to full on brawls with only a few panels of Max Lord being a basterd. That having been said, the issue is among the better issues that I read this week, and it does carry on the legacy of this great series.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)
And there's the DC part of this weeks Comic Book Wednesday, stay tuned for Marvel and The Rest
BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #6 (of 6)
Words by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Lee Garbett
So... Grant Morrison is an enigma. I've been reading through his Batman and Robin series and I've been loving it, his ability to weave characters is amazing, but at the same time... B:TRoBW remains to be the clusterfuck I've accused it of being for the last few issues. In quite possibly the most scattered issue yet, Morrison officially returns Bruce Wayne to the limelight, bringing him out of the time stream and... well... I don't even know what happened. I mean, Batman gets fused with some bizarre robot thing that's apparently sent from Apokolips to kill Batman, yadda, yadda, yadda. There's no period work like the first 5 issues, and there's less plot. Most of the issue is spent flipping around with panels out of order and random voice bubbles to show that the time stream is being tampered with, but that just makes the issue seem like it's just trying to be trippy.
Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS on this issue (4/10)
GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #4
Words by: Peter J. Tomasi
Art by: Fernando Pasarin
There are two distinct story lines in this issue, but they aren't equally good. The first is the continuing road trip of Guy, Arisia, Kilowog, and (as of last issue) Bleez deep into the unknown sector, and the other is an entirely expository talk of Sodam Yat doing... something. I think it's implied he's going to blow up or just move a planet, but... that's not really fleshed out (hopefully next month). But, back to the first plot line, the Road Warriors stop on Daxam, for a few pages, just to tie their arc in with the new Sodam arc. The issue isn't really great, it's good, but when compared to the last few issues this issue seems more like a typical Green Lantern issue than Emerald Warriors.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (7.75/10)
JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #13
Words by: Judd Winick
Art by: Joe Bennett
As the last issue closed readers knew that #13 was going to give readers an epic fight between Magog and Captain Atom, and Winick and Bennett deliver. But, the pacing of this issue was slightly off. The fight was spectacular and the way Booster and Blue Beetle appeared scared, but trying to be heroic was a needed addition to the issue's script that broke up the fight with a human element, though there were too many panels of fighting and not enough of furthering the plot, with this issue JL:GL has crossed the halfway point and as such issues here can't be devoted to full on brawls with only a few panels of Max Lord being a basterd. That having been said, the issue is among the better issues that I read this week, and it does carry on the legacy of this great series.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)
And there's the DC part of this weeks Comic Book Wednesday, stay tuned for Marvel and The Rest
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