Comic Book Rebel Reviews: Marvel 10/26/11
- Details
- Written by Kevin
Welcome to the first Comic Book Rebel Reviews. With as many titles I have been getting lately I am unfortunately unable to give full Revolution style reviews to them all. So I have decided to start a new column to review all the comics I do not give solo reviews to. This week I tackle Amazing Spider-Man #672, Annihilators: Earthfall #2, Daredevil #5 and FF #11 from Marvel and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 from IDW.
Amazing Spider-Man #572
Creative Team
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Victor Olazaba and Karl Kesel
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Review: In a year of countless events Spider-Island has stood out as the best. Every issue of this event has been a pure joy to read. Dan Slott has been on his A-game for this story and Amazing Spider-Man #572 was no different as it concludes the story.
What Amazing Spider-Man #572 showed above all else is Dan Slott’s fantastic ability to not only juggle various plots but characters as well. Slott is one of the few writers that doesn’t see having a massive amount of characters as a challenge but something that is fun to have. He relishes the opportunity to get to play with Marvel’s large cast of great characters. Each of the Avengers in this issue sounded like they should
Not only that but he understands how to bring in so many A and B-list but still have Spider-Man be the star of the show. This is a Spider-Man story and Slott never forgets that. As Kaine says when he takes out the Queen at the end it was Peter’s suit, ideas and moves that won the day.
As a fan it was very cool to see Peter actually enjoying his big moment to shine as he saves the city. So much crap has happened to him that as Spider-Man he rarely gets to enjoy being the hero but not now. This was his time to feel like the big hero and it’s was great that he actually enjoyed saving the city.
At the same time, Slott does a good job making Kaine his own distinct character. Though he is a clone of Peter Parker he is still his own person. Slott shows us that Kaine is the version of Peter that will go that extra step that Peter won’t. This helps separate how he will act in his own series as the Scarlet Spider.
I also enjoyed how Slott gave MJ a big role at the end of the story. As one of Peter’s biggest supporting characters MJ has been shown minimally since Brand New Day. With such a big story it was nice to see her be given a big role as she fought alongside Peter and helped save the day.
The one part of the story I did find odd was the scene with Captain America and Venom that kicked off the issue. Since I am not reading the Venom series I was a bit confused that this is how it started since we weren’t shown how the Queen ended up fighting Venom. This didn’t take the fun away from this issue but definitely not the best way to kick off the issue since this has been a mostly self-contained story.
Though I am still not a big fan of Humberto Ramos art style his art was very good in this issue. Slott gave Ramos plenty of energetic action to draw which is right up Ramos wheel house. Ramos gives us a lot of great non-stop action sequences that flowed well together.
Overall: Amazing Spider-Man #672 was highly entertaining end to the Spider-Island event. Dan Slott continues to show how he is the definitive Spider-Man writer. From top to bottom Slott understands Peter Parker’s world. Not only that but he knows how to juggle various characters and plotlines without breaking a sweat. With everything that happened in the story I am looking forward to all of the aftermath. If you are a Spider-Man fan I recommend picking up this story when it comes out in hardcover format. It is something you don’t want to miss out on reading.
Annihilators: Earthfall #2
Creative Team
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artists: Tan Eng Huat (main story); Timothy Green II (back-up)
Inker: Andrew Hennessy
Colorists: Wil Quintana (main story); Nathan Fairbairn (back-up)
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Review: Picking up directly were they left of the last issue DnA deliver a fast paced, action heavy issue that was just fun read for the main story. At the same time they also deliver a fun adventure story with the Rocket Raccoon and Groot back-up.
The thing that DnA do better than any creative team is there great balance between big action sequences and great story developments that will throw curveballs at the team and reader. With Earthfall DnA have finally brought everything they have work with over the years in the Marvel Cosmic Universe to Earth. And of course that means our team of Annihilators come face to face with the Avengers. The outcome is just one big slobber knocker of two incredibly powerful teams.
With so many powerful characters battling DnA give each member of both teams time to show of why they can hold their own. There is a great back-and-forth throughout the issue as we have a lot going on with some match-ups we haven’t seen in a while such as Wolverine vs. Gladiator and Captain America vs. Ronan.
What makes this battle between the Annihilators and Avengers even more fun to read is the fact that the Annihilators are a team with characters that have villainous pasts. It was fun seeing how the team butted heads because the Avengers do not know everything that has happened outside of Earth. It really help give more of an edge to the battle because we have Avengers that don’t know everything that has happened and the Annihilators that have been fighting all around the universe.
At the same time, DnA make sure that we get more development with the Universal Church of the Truth. DnA did a fantastic job showing how far of a reach they have and how much they have been up to. The ending with Quasar, Ikon and Spider-Man meeting a character from the past in a different form gave us a fun ending that has me looking forward to more in the next issue.
For the Rocket Raccoon/Groot back-up it was just a fun adventure story. DnA continue to deliver some great comedic timing between Rocket and Groot. The inclusion of Mojo makes things even better as the duo are forced into Star Wars-esque sequences that just put a smile on my face.
As for the art, I continue to love the artwork that Timothy Green II is providing for the back-up. It perfectly fits with what DnA are going for as it is light and cartoony. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing for Tan Eng Huat which was highly inconsistent. There were flashes of the art being good but then we are hit by awkward pages and panels with characters expressions looking odd.
Overall: Annihilators: Earthfall #2 was another great read in DnA’s cosmic epic. While the art for the main story did not match the high quality of the story it did not take away from how entertaining it was. DnA just nail every character they juggle in this issue as they have the Annihilators, Avengers and Universal Church of Truhth in the issue. The story has a big event feel which is nicely balanced out by the fun and light adventure story with the Rocket Raccoon/Groot back-up.
Daredevil #5
Creative Team
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Marcos Martin
Colorist: Javier Rodriguez
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
Review: With Bendis, Brubaker and Diggle runs on the title Daredevil has been through Hell countless times. Matt Murdock has not been able to catch a break. With all the dark times he has been through it was hard to think of things getting worse for Matt as Daredevil. In many ways the character needed some sort of reboot. Step in Mark Waid.
Though there are still elements from previous runs in these five issues Waid has gone back to basics with the character. There is a more adventure mystery feel to this book that continues with this issue. With this approach to the book Waid has brought back Matt’s cocky attitude the character had before things went to hell. It is refreshing to get this portrayal of the character as it is something different from what we have been getting the past decade.
At the same time, Waid gives us plenty of opportunity to see Daredevil as badass. From taking out six highly trained AIM assassins to a huge wrestler like AIM member we get to see Daredevil in action.
Waid also does a good job bringing AIM back as a big threat. It has been a while since we’ve seen the organization as a main villain and it’s nice to see them returning. They provide an interesting foil for Daredevil since they aren’t his typical mafia or ninja villains he faces
And as with all great solo books Waid does a good job continuing to flesh out the supporting cast. Foggy trying to prove to the two new girls for this book that Matt is not Daredevil is a nice carry over from previous stories. With how many times Matt has been outed as Daredevil it’s nice to see it addressed.
As good as the story is Marcos Martin artwork just elevates it to another level. I have said it various times before but Martin is an artist on a completely different level. He gives this issue a cool old school look especially with how he uses sound effects and panel construction. Martin gives plenty of energy to each panel as seen from how he shows Foggy searching the apartment for something.
Overall: Sometimes change is a good and that is definitely the case with Mark Waid’s Daredevil run. Daredevil #5 is just further proof of how much fun Waid’s current run is. He provides a lot of great dialogue that gives Matt Murdock and his cast a fresh new start after everything they have been through over the years. Marcos Martin artwork perfectly complements the story and then some as he gives us some gorgeous artwork to look at. This is a book no old or new Daredevil fan will want to miss out on.
FF #11
Creative Team
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Barry Kitson
Inkers: Scott Hanna, Scott Koblish, Jay Leisten and Mark Pennington
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
Review: With all of the foundation laid out over his run on Fantastic Four Jonathan Hickman is finally kicking things off into high gear on this title. Everything he has been building up is coming to a head. The outcome of so many things coming together is just one big story that feels like the next Marvel event being held within the Fantastic Four proper titles and not a mini-series.
Hickman is really picking things up in his story that has the FF finally coming face to face with the giant threat. This issue does a very good job continuing to build up Ronan and his Kree army as a force to reckon with. I love the fact that Hickman continues to build on what DnA have done with Ronan and the Kree. Hickman does a good job making sure that Ronan’s relationship with Crystal is at the fore front and can’t wait to see what he has in store for them especially with the wicked thing Ronan does that I won’t spoil here.
I also like the fact that he is having the FF realize they cannot handle all of the threats heading towards Earth just themselves. Here we see them bring in the Avengers and X-Men into the fold which continues to show the tight unity within the Marvel Universe. Not only is this a smart move by the characters but also gives the story a much larger scale as this is an attack on all of Earth, not just the Baxter Building.
At the same time, Hickman establishes the fact that the Baxter Building is still the center of all of this with what Annihilus has planned. The Annihilus sub-plot adds more to the scale of the upcoming story which is great because it is happening within the Fantastic Four titles and not a mini-series.
Barry Kitson continues to provide some of his best work with this arc. Kitson is really at home with the FF as Hickman is giving him various types of characters to draw. From the Kree to Annihilus Kitson is able to let his imagination go with his artwork. The final page gives what is about to happen an epic feel. I now want him to stay on the book because this is the perfect title for him.
Overall: FF #11 was another home run of an issue. Jonathan Hickman is firing on all cylinders with this latest arc that have the Kree return to the Fantastic Four. With Annihilus plot in the Negative Zone and the return of the Inhumans as well things are only going to get more epic. If you have drop Hickman’s FF I highly recommend you pick the series back-up as things continue to get more exciting.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3
Creative Team
Writers: Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman
Artists: Kevin Eastman and Dan Duncan
Story Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
Review: Ah, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Like most I have a lot of great memories watching the 80s and 90s cartoon as well as the first movie. Even though it wasn’t until a few years after I got into comics that I realized the Turtles were also a comic when I did I read every issue I could find from the original series. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles original comic was great but unfortunately their comics have not been on the stands consistently. Not anymore with IDW gaining the rights to the franchise.
Three issues in I have to say I am digging the new version of my favorite team of Turtles. Tom Waltz, with help from TMNT creator Kevin Eastman, is doing a good job re-establishing the team with a fresh new start. This third issue finally gets into the TMNT’s origins and is overall a solid update to the characters origins.
I will say that I did scratch my head a bit since the turtles are all adult size over 15 months instead of years. I always liked that the Turtles where raised as children by Splinter as it allowed for exploration of the characters history as kids. But now that isn’t the case anymore and they now learned all their skills in just over a year instead of 10-15 years.
At the same time I like that Waltz is going to have Raphael’s rebellious attitude be because he has been separated from his brothers during the 15 months they were transformed into humanoid turtles. It is an interesting approach that does explain why Raph will be more up for question orders from both Leo and Splinter.
And like the previous issues Waltz displays a good voice for each of the Turtles. They all sound like they did in the original series which is a good thing. Just like teenage brothers Waltz has Leo, Don, and Mikey argue about what to do in finding their lost brother Raph. It’s good to see that they don’t all just salute and follow orders as it allows us to get more of personality to each of them.
Much like the original artwork, Dan Duncan’s art style for this new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series is highly stylized. Duncan’s art reminds me a lot of the type of artwork we would see from a manga, albeit colored. I understand that this art style won’t be for everyone but I like it because it is different from what we get in most comics and works well for this title.
Overall: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 was a solid read. This new series for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is still lacking that special something to separate itself into being a great title. Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman and Dan Duncan have laid down all the elements for this title to get to the next level, they just have to flip that switch to do so. Still, it is good to have the Turtles back on my pull list again after so many years.
Amazing Spider-Man