Comic Reviews for June 12, 2002
Starting today, the reviews will be posted on Thursdays. It'll give me more time to write longer reviews, and go a bit indepth into each of them. Now on with the reviews.
Cable 106
How to Find an A-Bomb - By Darko Macan, Mike Huddleston, and John Stanisci; Published by Marvel
Cable finds himself in Kazakhstan on the hunt of a nuclear weapon. Darko as already made a turnaround with the character, putting a more human quality into him. He's doing something with Nathan that Robert Weinberg did with his run, which is a developed Cable sympathizing with the characters around him. This time around, it's with an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Macan has a simple plot going right now, with Nathan's powers still on the fritz. He has what appears to be a nice setup for the last issue of Cable next month. Guest art comes from Mike Huddleston, a name I am not familiar with. It's a nice fill-in job, and I especially liked the grittier portions of this issue.
Score: 7/10
Elektra 11 (POTW)
By Greg Rucka, Carlo Pagulayan and Danny Miki; Published by Marvel
Well, it's 'Elektra Gone Nuts as Nutcase in Wheelchair Says He's Going to Kill Her' part one. I'd like to point out something from the last issue, in which I expressed my displeasure about the pacing of it. The book seemed to go nowhere until the end. The ramafications though are answered here, as Elektra is going everywhere looking for a job. The writing here is splendid, as Rucka crafts emotion in so very few words. Elektra is desperate to find anything to do, going as far as to killing random people. On top of that, a new art team is on board, and the change is immediately noticable. What I really like to comment on is the change of colors, which was really needed. Pagulayan does a marvelous job of expression Rucka's script. Hopefully this book can continue on the right track next month. By the way, this book is actually on time for the first time since October. Just felt like mentioning that. My pick of the week.
Score: 9/10
Punisher 13
A Good Clean Fight - By Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon; Published by Marvel
The Punisher Super Team has returned. And what a good way to come back. All the humor and over-the-top violence that we have come to love is back in a good way. Oh, the plot. Well, Castle is in South America, rescuing a godfather to restore order in the east coast mobs. Ennis has some good narrative moments as well as dialogue throughout. Dillon does some good art in this issue as well. Very much enjoyed it.
Score: 8/10
Robo Dojo 5 (of 6)
By Marv Wolfman, Greg Lane, and Vince Russell; Published by DC/Wildstorm
More action this month, as the students begin a plan to take back the academy. It's a fairly simple plot, namely 'Use the Same Exact Thing on the Enemy' type fare. It hasn't been implemented yet, which begs the question of whether the last issue can pull it all off. There is a lot of stuff going about, though, which is a plus. The one thing I truly like about anime/magna is the plotting. The writers seem to put one on top of another, and it actually works, though in some instances, a little convulted. As we can see here, the plots are all coming together, leaving room for the big fight scene next month as well as that aforementioned plot point. Art continues to shine, though it is a little confusing in places. The back up strip continues to do what it's doing. It's six pages of action and adventure. I'm not sure how all of it will be resolved though, as there continues to be a revolving door of villains here. This one might be the last though, hopefully. Solid package all told though.
Score: 7/10
Sabretooth Mary Shelly Overdrive 1 (of 4) *New*
By Dan Jolley and Greg Scott; Published by Marvel
Jolley takes a somewhat classic Marvel villain and puts him in a rather dangerous situation. The premise is nice, with bad guys that can take it and give it like Sabretooth can, who interrupts a murder attempt on a young lady. Very action packed to say the least. Which also leaves the reader wanting something for more. It was a very quick read, and I hope that the rest of the mini doesn't follow suit, which in the end would leave a rather shallow experience. For now though, I did enjoy it while I did. The art is something of a mixed bag. Creed at times looked really old and at times in his mid-twenties. Some of the movement panels also don't have their intended effect. There are some good moments though. Overall though, its a fast paced comic which leaves you wanting more.
Score: 6/10
Spider-Man Blue 2 (of 6)
Let's Fall in Love - By Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale; Published by Marvel
Forget what I said last month. There appears to be a change in the way the story is going - at least at the nice cliffhanger at the end. As for the rest of the story, Spider-Man fights the Rhino, and some evil dude lurks in the shadows. Not bad, but not very good either. It remains to be seen what the point of this series is going to be, whether or not at the end Peter is with Mary Jane or Gwen. Still, this has captured my interest enough that I'd like to see where it goes. I'm not familiar with Spider-Man during this period, so this book will help fill in some sort of gap. The art remains good, with Tim Sale being Tim Sale. I don't know of any other artists whose style looks like his. Overall though, an average book for the second month running.
Score: 6/10
X-Treme X-Men 14
All or Nothing - By Chris Claremont, Salvador Larroca and Liquid!; Published by Marvel
Claremont's plot moves forward at a snails pace this month as several subplots continue to overrun the now cringingly long main plot. First the main plot, in which the column is now close to completion. Yahoo. If only that was done a couple months ago, then I'd give some sort of good reaction. If I must say though, there are some bright spots in this issue. Heather's transformation into Shi'ar royalty, while being seen for the last few months, isn't all that bad, and it helps try to setup something for a character that I really don't care for. Sage's actions are probably the most interesting of all the subplots, which includes the return of Vargas. Besides that, there are some bad moments. Besides the constant strain that I get from the dialogue, there's also the credibility of the news report on page four. Not particularly good, to say the least. Larroca's art this issue is better than previous issues, as he is including black lines in his drawings, which helps separate Liquids! colors from the characters and backgrounds. That inverted double splash on page two and three is fantastic. Mixed bag overall this month, but it's getting there.
Score: 5/10
Wow, an X-Treme book that I actually got something from. Anyway, next week brings us a total of six books, none of which I think are new. There is the Batman: Murderer? TPB that I might consider. I will also do some backshopping on some anime collections. I still have five more books of Akira to collect, and I'm also gunning for Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell. By the way, I need to watch that movie again, cause I am thoroughly confused. Looks spectacular though. Until next week, be safe. Peace.