Comic Reviews for April 23, 2003
Well, I have an extended weekend right now, so I'm currently at home. So of course, that means more books to review. Nine in total, and a rather mixed batch that we have here. Let's get on with it.
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Amazing Spider-Man 52
Dig This - By J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna; published by Marvel Comics
Next part of Revived Gangster story, this time with Spider-Man taking a job to protect a gangster from big green nuclear waste mobster. It's all right stuff. Straczynski can write a humorous story, that he can, but this hasn't been one of his better stories. Romita, like always, is on top form. Like I said, perfectly all right stuff, just nothing really to write home about.
Score: B
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Elektra 22
Everything Old is New Again Part 5 of 5 - By Greg Rucka, Carlo Pagulayan, Dani Miki and Victor Olazaba; published by Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights line
End of Rucka's run on the book (and the last issue I'm collecting of this as well), as Elektra takes on the Hand in a final showdown. Pretty much a closing fight scene, though it's nicely done. It's a bummer that everything that Rucka did in the book is pretty much being written out of it now, but oh well. I would have continued collecting this if it kept with that trend. As it stands, a solid conclusion to the story line.
Score: B
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Green Arrow 24
Black Circle: Urban Knights Part 3 of 6: Hero Worship - By Ben Raab and Charlie Adlard; published by DC Comics
Required Crossover Part Three, and it has still done nothing to change my mind that crossovers are good or needed in this world. Ollie and Kyle still fight, and we still haven't figured out why aliens need massive amounts of detergent bleach. We are finally moving forward in the plot though, as Kyle goes into space to intercept a transport ship of sorts with last weeks mystery guest, someone's name I can't be bothered to remember at this time. So yeah, nothing here to change my mind.
Score: C
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Mystique 1
Dead Drop Gorgeous Chapter 1 of 6 - By Brian K. Vaughan and Jorge Lucas; published by Marvel Comics
First of three Vaughan books (two from this week, one hungover from last week), and it's a pretty good book. The concept is interesting: Xavier having a covert team of operatives doing his "dirty" work that he wouldn't have his own X-Men do. The story goes as this: his best operative has been killed attempting to steal something from Moscow. He goes to Forge in the hopes of enlisting Mystique to do this work, simply because she is one of the best at what she does.
She's also a wanted criminal. Good luck Charles.
The writing itself is pretty topnotch stuff, no complaints. The art I have some quarrels with. Lucas is pretty good as an artist, but he has this cheesecake quality that really doesn't still well with an espionage book like this. Sleek and stylish, not volumptuous, which is what the female characters are looking like at times. I'm liking this setup though. Very intriguing, and I recommend it as a person whole likes spy books, if that's their thing.
Score: B+
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Punisher 25
Hidden Part Two - By Garth Ennis and Tom Mandrake; published by Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights imprint
More of the same from last time. Punisher pulls out the big guns, the bad guy is revealed, and more of an attempt to write something creepy into this storyline. Still not really successful, but just okay stuff.
Score: B-
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Uncanny X-Men 422
Rules of Engagement Part 2 of 2 - By Chuck Austen, Ron Garney and Mark Morales; published by Marvel Comics
Ah, Uncanny X-Men. Last time I reviewed this was issue 416, in which I gave this a B+. Oh how things have changed. The last arc finished off rather unsuccessfully, and this two parter has been a mystery within itself. In a double sized issue, Alpha Flight has come down from Canada, threatening to take all the students out of Xavier's because of the danger risk involved. So, of course, they fight.
I do say, this is a rather boring and pointless fight scene. Juggernaut, with that glaring powerdown, got the crap kicked out of him by Sasquach, someone who should be significantly weaker than Cain. It just goes nowhere, and the ending pretty much could have avoided this entirety by just having Sam go with them in the first place.
Elsewhere, that idiot group Church of Humanity (rejects from Joe Casey's run for the uninitiated) has made a comeback, and you can tell I don't like it. Infusing a radical terrorist group in Christian garbs was a dumb idea to begin with. Why Austen is bringing them back is beyond me.
Throw in the usual soap opera melodrama (Chamber makes a random appearance, trying to somehow win back Paige from Warren, Stacy X still trying to get Warren (finally she's gone)) and some really inconsistent (that's putting it nicely) art from Garney, and you get a rather jumbled mess of things. Below average, at best.
Score: C-
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X-Statix 10
The Diaries of Edie Sawyer: Portrait of the Mutant as a Young Woman - By Peter Milligan and Philip Bond; published by Marvel Comics
Well, at least I can rely on X-Statix for a pick me up. This issue, like the title says, focuses on Edie Sawyer, the U-Go Girl. A simple flashback issue that adds a nice touch to an already great character, it explores Edie from when she arrives in Hollywood until she meets Zeitgeist and joins X-Force (the former name of the group). Excellent all around, with some beautiful art from Philip Bond.
Score: A+
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X-Treme X-Men 24
Prodigal - By Chris Claremont and Slavador Larroca; published by Marvel Comics
Single issue, as Cannonball in reintroduced into the fold. The story takes place a day after the Weapon XII attack at the English-French Tunnel, where Sam is pretty much just helping out with finding people. Claremont, of course, throws in his usual mix of cliches and the whatnot. It works though, in some odd way. The latter part of the story brings in a rather obscure character from the X-Men's past, someone that Sam apparently had a relationship with, and is continuing with. Perfectly acceptable stuff, and I have no quarrels with it.
You see how much better the book is now since that dreadful Dimension X storyline?
On the negative side, Larroca's art this issue really is a let down. It's good at times, and at others... subpar at best. Unfortunate, really, since this is the last issue of this book he's doing (moving onto other the Namor relaunch). Maybe if they had an inker for this book. Oh wait, nevermind, though it's something I've been begging for since the beginning of this damn book. I do like his art though, but he really needs some better consistency. It's pretty much that point that lowers the grade some. Otherwise, it would have been a solid issue.
Score: B-
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Y The Last Man 10
Cycles: Conclusion - By Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan, Jr.; published by DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Conclusion to the second arc, as Yorick and friends finishes their business in Marrisville, Ohio. It turns out that the townswomen are just going to imprison the Amazons and eventually reintroduce them into society as reformed women. Meanwhile, the Israelis have turned up in America on Yorick's tail, and a startling discovery is made on the Space Station. Good stuff, though the novelty has started to wear off on this. It's still an incredibly good book. I wonder about that quote on the front cover.
Score: B+
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For your consideration:
Runaways 1
Pride and Joy - By Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona and David Newfold; published by Marvel Comics
Another new book from Marvel, this one being the only one I've read introducing all new characters. Six kids get together every year as their parents meet in the library of one house, keeping a strange and haunting secret. This is pretty much a setup issue, considering the fact that a whole horde of people get introduced. The setup is nice though, and the art - something that turned me off in the dotcomic preview - is actually quite nice. There is an obvious manga influence to it, but there is only a hint of it, mostly just in the hair. I like it though. Good start.
Score: A-
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Well, that was fun. As for next week, well, I'm not sure. I'm hitting finals week, so review might have to be postponed for a week. If I get to it, then I get to it. If not, then look for them to come back in two weeks. Not sure what is coming out, though there is a Wolverine mini that's starts next month, quite possibly on the first week.