Comic Reviews for November 13, 2002

Short week...how lame. Yeah, not much money is spent. But there is nothing to read. Grr. Let's get on with this. Make this quick too. Don't know why I decided to do this on Monday. It'll be quicker than normal.


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Call of Duty: The Precinct 5
By Bruce Jones and Tom Mandrake; published by Marvel Comics

Hehe...they expect us to collect the regular series after going through this? Oh well. This is marginally better than the last issue of this mini...but it too late now to even consider it. Did I mention that there is going to be a regular series?

Score: 5/10

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Project Arms 3
No. 5: Out of Control, No. 6: The Past - By Ryouji Minagawa and Kyouichi Nanatsuki, English translation by Lance Caselman; published by Viz Comminucations

Let's see...Ryo's ARMS goes whacky and the kids escape the abandoned building, then get a bit of history from about Hayato's ARMS, and then they decide to be partners in finding the other two ARMS. It's just a bunch of story building, nothing too bad. As I said before, I really don't have a problem with this kind of stuff.

Score: 7/10

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Punisher 18 *Pick of the Week*
Downtown - By Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon; published by Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights imprint

Serious story time, as the Punisher ends up in Ireland for some business. A lot of stuff which is rather informative of what is currently happening in Ireland. This I really enjoyed. Even though there was a lot of info to take in, it's all done with the intensity of Ennis and Dillon. Compared with the more recent issues, this is the best of them all. Excellent.

Score: 9/10

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Ultimate X-Men 24
Hellfire and Brimstone: Part 4 of 5 - By Mark Millar and Kaare Andrews; published by Marvel Comics/Ultimate imprint

The real problem with this arc is the fact that it lacks any central plot, the possibility that nothing will tie together, and the glaring differences in the art style for the collecting of the trade. Besides that, this book has never been better. Millar has really matured as a writer on this book from the earlier days of one dimensional cyphers. The Iceman plot ends nicely, though a bit cliched with the local senator bad guy. The Beast online plot, though rather slow, brings out a nice touch with the Brotherhood, having them not tell Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch of their plans. Jean seems to be better now, though it remaining that way remains to be seen. Scott and Logan...don't settle their differences, though they get into a heap of trouble and get out of it with a little luck from Kitty. And the Hellfire Club show up finally with the intent of controlling Jean for their own wishes. The way they have manipulated Xavier - without him even knowing - is a brilliant touch. Good solid stuff all told.

Score: 7/10

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From last week:

Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra 1
By Greg Rucka, Salvador Larroca and Danny Miki; published by Marvel Comics/Ultimate imprint

First part of mini-series, as Rucka introduces College Elektra and College Matt. Elektra has some changes to her character, the most notable being that she isn't as closed up as she is in the MUverse. Matt has no notable differences, although he hasn't said a single word yet. Nice little cliffhanger there too. Great start.

Score: 8/10


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Starting in January, I will be changing the scoring system from numbers to letters. I'll be using a A+ through D- grading system. I think it'll be more accurate than the numbering system used now. Yes, others do use it, but I don't think it's working too well for me. I can say a book is bad, but I can't always use a '2' or '3' for books that are below average or average. I'll also be working on a Year-in-Review for the reviews. Look for that at the end of December. Next week....erg, eleven books right now. Someone save me from my misery. Until then, peace.