DoctorFinger
10-26-2008, 07:59 AM
Welcome to Week Two of the Official Colony of Gamers Comic Book Reviews
Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.
Colony of Gamer’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 1 – Week 3
Special blockbuster, mega event edition!
Secret Invasion #7 (of 8 )
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Lenil Yu
Inker: Mark Morales
Colorists: Laura Martin w/ Emily Warren
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Tom Brevoort
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/SI-7.jpg
I have certain expectations when I see that a story is going to be told in eight or more parts. Namely that the last issue will deal less with the story than with the aftermath; the mop-up; the denouement. So I'm pleasantly surprised that at the end of the seventh issue of Secret Invasion, the outcome is still up in the air.
We begin where we ended last time: with the combined forces of Earth about to layeth the smacketh down on the Skrull invaders in Central Park. Most of this issue is that fight scene, and it's pretty much everything you wanted or feared. A metric ton of characters, some of whom are very well know, others are esoterica known only to the likes of Dan Slott, Mark Waid and Kurt Busiek. Unfortunately as happens all too often in brawls like this, the book becomes muddled. For way too long there's maybe one panel or line per page that do anything to advance the story. The fight isn't bad, it just could have been better. A number of major players get their moment to shine, including a really funny page with Spider-Man and Uatu the Watcher. Ultimately I get the sense that there's this unbelievable collection of powers present, but only Thor really seems to be using even a fraction of that power. The good guys are trying their best to get to the Skrull Queen, still masquerading as Spider-Woman. The bad guys still have a mad on for Reed Richards, but their religious fervor overwhelms any sense that they could actually lose the fight. The stalemate breaks when Noh-Varr, formerly Marvel Boy now seemingly the new Captain Marvel, enters the fray. Clint Barton takes up his bow and arrows once again, and delivers the killing blow to the Skrull Queen. With his liege dead, the Skrull playing Yellowjacket - already down an eye - decides to play his trump card. If the Skrulls can't have the Earth, no one can. He pushes a button, and as teased a few issues back, the Wasp begins to grow exponentially. As she grows - obviously in great pain - she begins to shimmer and glow, with all of the Earthlings feeling the pain as well.
So you have a mega brawl that feels a little light. And ending with the Wasp that feels a bit too much like Deus Ex Machina (unless you read one of the recent Avengers books, it comes out of left field). On the other hand, when I flipped that last page I felt a good deal of tension. The body count is pretty low at this point; the only name character I can think of that has been bumped off to date is the Skrull Queen/Spider-Woman, so I keep expecting a blood bath. We still don't know what's up with the Sentry (memo to Marvel: please either come up with an interesting use for the character, or throw his ass into the sun) and we still don't know how the replaced heroes make it back to Earth. In the end this issue feels like a slight disappointment.
Bottom Line:
Not bad, but just a little empty. The penultimate installment to a series of this magnitude should be better, though.
CoG Says: "Borrow It!" (3 out of 5 Cogs)
<img src="http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3.png" border="0" alt="" />
Final Crisis #4 (of 7)
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Grant Morrison
Pencillers: J.G. Jones & Carlos Pacheco
Inkers: J.G. Jones & Jesus Merino
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Eddie Berganza
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/FC-4.jpg
Darkseid Says
I could make a whole bunch of 'Crisis' jokes about the scheduling and production of this book, but I won't. For now. Suffice it to say it's been a while (nearly 3 months) since we last saw Final Crisis. Things did not look good for humanity at the end of that issue, and if you can believe it things only get worse here.
Unlike the earlier issues of the series, the narrative is pretty much linear here. We revisit the moment that Anti-Life was unleashed onto the Earth. By broadcasting it across every electronic device, it infects most of the world instantaneously. In short order (I think they said last issue it was a month) the world goes to hell. Justifiers in their trademark helmets ravage the population. The entire world is dark, and the strains of Anti-Life - enforcing the futility of free will - are everywhere. Most of the name brand heroes are out of action, and the remaining White Hats are hunkered down in a series of Watchtowers around the globe. It's at the JLA's Hall of Justice that The Ray brings news. And I mean news: the Watchtower at the Fortress of Solitude is cranking out analog copies of the Daily Planet to spread the good word. As he was entering the Hall, Ray grabbed the Tattooed Man. Tattooed Man and his family had been saved by Black Lightning (in this week's Final Crisis: Submit), and he'd been given a message to give to the heroes. A circuit, now imprinted on his skin, which matches the Metron design from earlier in the series. While this happens, the bad guys await the return of Darkseid. The god of Evil's soul now inhabits the body of Dan Turpin, and the only thing needed now for the incubation phase to be complete is the corruption of a powerful, noble spirit. Dan Turpin, strapped to a chair and fighting for his life is a powerful image, made all the more so by later events. But, back to the heroes. The Ray had been visiting the other Watchtowers (Checkmate's castle, the Fortress of Solitude, The Great Wall, Superbia, the Global Guardians' Dome and the Rock of Eternity) to set up one short burst of communication. Alan Scott knows where Darkseid's forces have entered the Earth, through the blasted city of Bludhaven, and he's organizing a massive attack on it for the next day. The heroes at the Hall of Justice escape - using the Ray as a carrier wave for the teleporter - but Green Arrow stays behind to cover their escape. He's captured and the Helmet is placed on his head: he's now a Justifier. Elsewhere the Flashes take down the new Female Furies, then go to rescue Barry's wife Iris from Anti-Life. Back at the Castle, the new Forever People, Sonny Sumo and Mister Miracle teleport in. Mister Miracle has a way to save the world, but he's shot by a SHADE agent before he can divulge (or was he?). Finally in the end Dan Turpin's spirit is crushed under the weight of Darkseid, a dark crown is placed upon his head, and he gives humanity a thumbs down.
Phew. Like it not, you can't deny that Final Crisis is dense. Very few wasted panels and pages. And this time that density is enhanced by a much more linear storyline; it jumps around a lot, but you feel like those are just quick glimpses instead of real shifts in perspective. The sense of oppression is palpable while reading, making the few fleeting victories for the good guys stand out even more starkly. There are a few story threads from previous issues that are completely absent here - the Monitors, the fate of Hal Jordan and Batman's captivity to name a few - but you never really miss them in this one issue. The art - the source of so much consternation - works well, but is also clearly rushed in spots. On my first read thru, I couldn't tell which pages were drawn by which artist, which is pretty much the best you could hope for given the circumstances. There was one scene near the end where I thought the coloring errors of the previous two issues were rearing their ugly head again - Mister Miracle is drawn as Asian instead of Black - but I think that was intentional. Most Excellent Superbat was missing from the scene, so I have a feeling that he and Mister Miracle switched places. Read in a vacuum, this was a damn good issue, maybe even great. But between the long delays and the art situation I just felt like they dragged the issue down a notch.
Bottom Line:
A densely packed story that absolutely exudes menace.
CoG Says: "Love It!" (4 out of 5 Cogs)
<img src="http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png" border="0" alt="" />
Superman: New Krypton Special
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: DC Comics
Writers: Geoff Johns, James Robinson, Sterling Gates
Pencillers: Pete Woods, Gary Frank, Renato Guedes
Inkers: Pete Woods, Jon Sibal, Wilson Magalahes
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Matt Idleson
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/Superman-NKS.jpg
You may notice a triangle with a '1' in it on the cover. That is the signal that the Superbooks - Superman, Supergirl and Action Comics - are going back to the 90s way of doing business. Three books, three writers, all contributing to a single over-arching storyline. In this case the story is New Krypton, or "What happens when you dump 100,000 Kryptonians on Earth at once." In case you didn't read it in the last issue of Action, Supes saved the Bottle City of Kandor from Brainiac and in doing so allowed it do return to size, this time near his fortress in the Arctic. But these hundred thousand Kryptonians are not what's occupying Superman. What consumes him is the death of his father, who died saving his wife from Brainiac. Clark is going through the stages of grief, but knows he has to deal with this sudden influx of super powered aliens. The Kryptonians are pretty well meaning, but they're also insufferably contemptuous of Earth and Earthlings. Meanwhile, the humans are not so much insufferable as justifiably paranoid. The new Cadmus project - as seen in last week's Jimmy Olsen special - is picking Brainiac's..well brain.. for info, but he's a tough nut to crack. Lois has to deal with a sister, following in their father's military shoes, who doesn't seem to like her devotion to Superman. Finally Jimmy goes to Lois with everything he saw about this new Cadmus - developing weapons specifically to take down Kryptonians, including Atlas - he just doesn't know who leads the project. The leader reveals himself when he goes to recruit Lex Luthor out of jail: the assumed to be dead General Lane himself.
So this one is pretty much all set-up. We know the Kryptonians are going to be trouble, and we begin to see how. We know Clark and his Mother aren't dealing with Pa Kent's death well, and it shows. We know that the humans are going to be none too happy about this influx of Supermen, and they go to the logical place: Lex Luthor. By far the best part of the book was the section showing how Clark and his Mother deal with Jonathan's death. Gary Frank absolutely hits it out of the park, showing Clark running the gamut of emotions. The art by the rest of the regular Super-artists is nice, although I still think Pete Woods' art is a little too sterile, and those great expressions never show themselves in his section. However for all of those positives the whole just didn't pop for me. Maybe it's the casual retcons being thrown about - General Lane died in the 'Our Worlds at War' event a few years back, and Supergirl's parents were evil and sent her to Earth to kill baby Kal-El - that bothered me. I know the medium requires them occasionally, but when you're retconning stuff from only a few short years ago it's not a good sign.
Bottom Line:
A decent set up, that just never seems to 'click'.
CoG Says: "Borrow It!" (3 out of 5 Cogs)
<img src="http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3.png" border="0" alt="" />
Quick Hits
Final Crisis: Submit - A nice 'ground level' story showing Black Lightning saving the family of the Tattooed Man.
GI Joe: A New Beginning #0 - Three stories, each setting up one of the three Joe books starting next month, and all three stories have me hooked.
Ms. Marvel #32 - An absolutely brutal look at how Captain Carol Danvers became an Air Force intelligence officer. The torture scenes were something out of a Saw movie, and almost crossed the line in my opinion.
Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.
Colony of Gamer’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 1 – Week 3
Special blockbuster, mega event edition!
Secret Invasion #7 (of 8 )
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Lenil Yu
Inker: Mark Morales
Colorists: Laura Martin w/ Emily Warren
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Tom Brevoort
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/SI-7.jpg
I have certain expectations when I see that a story is going to be told in eight or more parts. Namely that the last issue will deal less with the story than with the aftermath; the mop-up; the denouement. So I'm pleasantly surprised that at the end of the seventh issue of Secret Invasion, the outcome is still up in the air.
We begin where we ended last time: with the combined forces of Earth about to layeth the smacketh down on the Skrull invaders in Central Park. Most of this issue is that fight scene, and it's pretty much everything you wanted or feared. A metric ton of characters, some of whom are very well know, others are esoterica known only to the likes of Dan Slott, Mark Waid and Kurt Busiek. Unfortunately as happens all too often in brawls like this, the book becomes muddled. For way too long there's maybe one panel or line per page that do anything to advance the story. The fight isn't bad, it just could have been better. A number of major players get their moment to shine, including a really funny page with Spider-Man and Uatu the Watcher. Ultimately I get the sense that there's this unbelievable collection of powers present, but only Thor really seems to be using even a fraction of that power. The good guys are trying their best to get to the Skrull Queen, still masquerading as Spider-Woman. The bad guys still have a mad on for Reed Richards, but their religious fervor overwhelms any sense that they could actually lose the fight. The stalemate breaks when Noh-Varr, formerly Marvel Boy now seemingly the new Captain Marvel, enters the fray. Clint Barton takes up his bow and arrows once again, and delivers the killing blow to the Skrull Queen. With his liege dead, the Skrull playing Yellowjacket - already down an eye - decides to play his trump card. If the Skrulls can't have the Earth, no one can. He pushes a button, and as teased a few issues back, the Wasp begins to grow exponentially. As she grows - obviously in great pain - she begins to shimmer and glow, with all of the Earthlings feeling the pain as well.
So you have a mega brawl that feels a little light. And ending with the Wasp that feels a bit too much like Deus Ex Machina (unless you read one of the recent Avengers books, it comes out of left field). On the other hand, when I flipped that last page I felt a good deal of tension. The body count is pretty low at this point; the only name character I can think of that has been bumped off to date is the Skrull Queen/Spider-Woman, so I keep expecting a blood bath. We still don't know what's up with the Sentry (memo to Marvel: please either come up with an interesting use for the character, or throw his ass into the sun) and we still don't know how the replaced heroes make it back to Earth. In the end this issue feels like a slight disappointment.
Bottom Line:
Not bad, but just a little empty. The penultimate installment to a series of this magnitude should be better, though.
CoG Says: "Borrow It!" (3 out of 5 Cogs)
<img src="http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3.png" border="0" alt="" />
Final Crisis #4 (of 7)
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Grant Morrison
Pencillers: J.G. Jones & Carlos Pacheco
Inkers: J.G. Jones & Jesus Merino
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Eddie Berganza
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/FC-4.jpg
Darkseid Says
I could make a whole bunch of 'Crisis' jokes about the scheduling and production of this book, but I won't. For now. Suffice it to say it's been a while (nearly 3 months) since we last saw Final Crisis. Things did not look good for humanity at the end of that issue, and if you can believe it things only get worse here.
Unlike the earlier issues of the series, the narrative is pretty much linear here. We revisit the moment that Anti-Life was unleashed onto the Earth. By broadcasting it across every electronic device, it infects most of the world instantaneously. In short order (I think they said last issue it was a month) the world goes to hell. Justifiers in their trademark helmets ravage the population. The entire world is dark, and the strains of Anti-Life - enforcing the futility of free will - are everywhere. Most of the name brand heroes are out of action, and the remaining White Hats are hunkered down in a series of Watchtowers around the globe. It's at the JLA's Hall of Justice that The Ray brings news. And I mean news: the Watchtower at the Fortress of Solitude is cranking out analog copies of the Daily Planet to spread the good word. As he was entering the Hall, Ray grabbed the Tattooed Man. Tattooed Man and his family had been saved by Black Lightning (in this week's Final Crisis: Submit), and he'd been given a message to give to the heroes. A circuit, now imprinted on his skin, which matches the Metron design from earlier in the series. While this happens, the bad guys await the return of Darkseid. The god of Evil's soul now inhabits the body of Dan Turpin, and the only thing needed now for the incubation phase to be complete is the corruption of a powerful, noble spirit. Dan Turpin, strapped to a chair and fighting for his life is a powerful image, made all the more so by later events. But, back to the heroes. The Ray had been visiting the other Watchtowers (Checkmate's castle, the Fortress of Solitude, The Great Wall, Superbia, the Global Guardians' Dome and the Rock of Eternity) to set up one short burst of communication. Alan Scott knows where Darkseid's forces have entered the Earth, through the blasted city of Bludhaven, and he's organizing a massive attack on it for the next day. The heroes at the Hall of Justice escape - using the Ray as a carrier wave for the teleporter - but Green Arrow stays behind to cover their escape. He's captured and the Helmet is placed on his head: he's now a Justifier. Elsewhere the Flashes take down the new Female Furies, then go to rescue Barry's wife Iris from Anti-Life. Back at the Castle, the new Forever People, Sonny Sumo and Mister Miracle teleport in. Mister Miracle has a way to save the world, but he's shot by a SHADE agent before he can divulge (or was he?). Finally in the end Dan Turpin's spirit is crushed under the weight of Darkseid, a dark crown is placed upon his head, and he gives humanity a thumbs down.
Phew. Like it not, you can't deny that Final Crisis is dense. Very few wasted panels and pages. And this time that density is enhanced by a much more linear storyline; it jumps around a lot, but you feel like those are just quick glimpses instead of real shifts in perspective. The sense of oppression is palpable while reading, making the few fleeting victories for the good guys stand out even more starkly. There are a few story threads from previous issues that are completely absent here - the Monitors, the fate of Hal Jordan and Batman's captivity to name a few - but you never really miss them in this one issue. The art - the source of so much consternation - works well, but is also clearly rushed in spots. On my first read thru, I couldn't tell which pages were drawn by which artist, which is pretty much the best you could hope for given the circumstances. There was one scene near the end where I thought the coloring errors of the previous two issues were rearing their ugly head again - Mister Miracle is drawn as Asian instead of Black - but I think that was intentional. Most Excellent Superbat was missing from the scene, so I have a feeling that he and Mister Miracle switched places. Read in a vacuum, this was a damn good issue, maybe even great. But between the long delays and the art situation I just felt like they dragged the issue down a notch.
Bottom Line:
A densely packed story that absolutely exudes menace.
CoG Says: "Love It!" (4 out of 5 Cogs)
<img src="http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png" border="0" alt="" />
Superman: New Krypton Special
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: DC Comics
Writers: Geoff Johns, James Robinson, Sterling Gates
Pencillers: Pete Woods, Gary Frank, Renato Guedes
Inkers: Pete Woods, Jon Sibal, Wilson Magalahes
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Matt Idleson
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/Superman-NKS.jpg
You may notice a triangle with a '1' in it on the cover. That is the signal that the Superbooks - Superman, Supergirl and Action Comics - are going back to the 90s way of doing business. Three books, three writers, all contributing to a single over-arching storyline. In this case the story is New Krypton, or "What happens when you dump 100,000 Kryptonians on Earth at once." In case you didn't read it in the last issue of Action, Supes saved the Bottle City of Kandor from Brainiac and in doing so allowed it do return to size, this time near his fortress in the Arctic. But these hundred thousand Kryptonians are not what's occupying Superman. What consumes him is the death of his father, who died saving his wife from Brainiac. Clark is going through the stages of grief, but knows he has to deal with this sudden influx of super powered aliens. The Kryptonians are pretty well meaning, but they're also insufferably contemptuous of Earth and Earthlings. Meanwhile, the humans are not so much insufferable as justifiably paranoid. The new Cadmus project - as seen in last week's Jimmy Olsen special - is picking Brainiac's..well brain.. for info, but he's a tough nut to crack. Lois has to deal with a sister, following in their father's military shoes, who doesn't seem to like her devotion to Superman. Finally Jimmy goes to Lois with everything he saw about this new Cadmus - developing weapons specifically to take down Kryptonians, including Atlas - he just doesn't know who leads the project. The leader reveals himself when he goes to recruit Lex Luthor out of jail: the assumed to be dead General Lane himself.
So this one is pretty much all set-up. We know the Kryptonians are going to be trouble, and we begin to see how. We know Clark and his Mother aren't dealing with Pa Kent's death well, and it shows. We know that the humans are going to be none too happy about this influx of Supermen, and they go to the logical place: Lex Luthor. By far the best part of the book was the section showing how Clark and his Mother deal with Jonathan's death. Gary Frank absolutely hits it out of the park, showing Clark running the gamut of emotions. The art by the rest of the regular Super-artists is nice, although I still think Pete Woods' art is a little too sterile, and those great expressions never show themselves in his section. However for all of those positives the whole just didn't pop for me. Maybe it's the casual retcons being thrown about - General Lane died in the 'Our Worlds at War' event a few years back, and Supergirl's parents were evil and sent her to Earth to kill baby Kal-El - that bothered me. I know the medium requires them occasionally, but when you're retconning stuff from only a few short years ago it's not a good sign.
Bottom Line:
A decent set up, that just never seems to 'click'.
CoG Says: "Borrow It!" (3 out of 5 Cogs)
<img src="http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3.png" border="0" alt="" />
Quick Hits
Final Crisis: Submit - A nice 'ground level' story showing Black Lightning saving the family of the Tattooed Man.
GI Joe: A New Beginning #0 - Three stories, each setting up one of the three Joe books starting next month, and all three stories have me hooked.
Ms. Marvel #32 - An absolutely brutal look at how Captain Carol Danvers became an Air Force intelligence officer. The torture scenes were something out of a Saw movie, and almost crossed the line in my opinion.