Storm Dogs #4
It's a fine coincidence that at the same time that I read Storm Dogs I am also, for the first time, reading Orson Scott Card's Ender's Saga. The over arcing themes of both saga and comic have strong parallels; both deal with the influence of humanity upon an alien race; the problems that occur over differences in culture, nature, tradition and the misconceptions that one race has with the other leading one or both to judge the other as primitive.
With so much less text than a novel Storm Dogs does a superb job, thanks to Hine, at presenting the reader with a complex plot that engages in all the themes I have just mentioned. On top of this readers are given well fleshed out characters and a mystery that is fluid and compelling.
Braithwaite's panels are spot on in their story-telling and in this issue there is a fight scene at the start that is one of the best laid out and convincing fights that I have seen in comics.
Score 9/10
Saga: Chapter 11
Not a lot needs to be said here except check out that first page, hiyo!! Best post sex chat I have come across in any visual platform. Overall the title remains on top form as the story chugs away nicely and we are, as always, treated to some of the best text in comics. Staples panels are so good; she delivers superb storytelling with simple clear panels and images that make it so easy for the reader to follow what is happening. This is a beautiful, uncluttered book that is a joy to flick through.Score 9/10
Daredevil #24
Waid starts to tie everything together and gives us a glimpse of the mastermind behind Murdock's recent woes and it makes reading this issue all the more sweetly impelling; who is the puppet master!? On top of this is the all too human situation that Foggy is in and a true bromance (I said bromance, deal with it!) between him and the man without fear. Plus the pages with Matt and Kirsten are great fun.A whole lot is happening and its all good. Chris Samnee continues the good work, matching the highes and lows of Waid's story but is it just me or are Foggy's legs a little short in that bed?
Score 8/10
X-Termination #1
Lapham takes the wheel in the cross over special alpha title and he does a sound job of pulling most of the cast together, except maybe for the X-treme X-Men.
It feels like I need to go back and read some of the previous astonishing and X-treme stuff for this to make more sense and that doesn't sit well with me; the astonishing gang don't seem to know why Logan wants this nightcrawler caught and nobody seems to know why the X-treme team is there at all.
Like I said;it is all well written up till AoA Kurt makes a jump for home then the story starts to feel forced and the villains that show up at the end are ridiculous, their whole look and purpose feels like it belongs in D.C's New 52 Superman not in an X book.
Lopez's art is solid and even makes the weaker parts of the plot look a little less . . . weak.
Score 6/10
Superior Spider-Man #6
The penny that is 'Otto as Spidey' must have been dropped from a great height cause it ain't dropping for too many that are aptly considered close to the web slinger but it must be getting closer cause in this issue we see, a paper thin, response by the Avengers to the severe action taken by Spidey in the previous issue.Instead this issue looks forward as Otto faces viral villians; Screwball and Jester and it all ends with another clear message for all to see; this isn't Peter Parker! It's effective but the point of this issue feels too similar in its delivery as #5 and #5 did it better.
Ramos has a great handle on things with his fast pacing and dynamic panels matching the speed of the story and capitalizing on the action. He even makes ghost spidey look slightly more appealing (less of him; the better).
Score 7/10
Cable and X-Force #6
Hopeless and Larroca are a great team and they are really delivering with this title. If you can only get one X-Force book then it should be this one.
Issue 6 gets things back on track plot wise after #5's reprieve but on it's own this one isn't as succesful. There are 3 stories going on; first is Colossus who is in jail and has a real heartwarming visit from a not-so-old flame, second is Cable, Forge and Nemesis who break into a secret S.W.O.R.D hanger to steal a spacecraft and Nemesis spouts one of the best one-worders ever, and lastly is Domino and new addition, erm, I think I have this right, . . . Boom Boom (!!? What kinda lame ass name is that!!) who are breaking into the same prison that Colossus is in, not to rescue their comrade but to find an alien.
Separately these stories are fun and have their own strengths but they don't gel well and this disparity ruins the read as the book jumps from one story to the next.
Still there is more good here than bad and the last page has me giddy waiting for the next issue.
Score 7/10
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