The Pull List: Weekly Comic Reviews for 10/4/2013

Before I into the reviews I just want to apologize for going MIA these last couple of weeks. My timetable is more regular for the foreseeable future so I can promise all who give my posts a gander that I will be putting up reviews every Thursday from now on. Cheers.

Now to business.

Action Comics #19:

I have been reading A C's since the start of the New 52 and haven't reviewed one because I'm still rereading them and trying to come to a decision on whether or not I liked Morrison's run so it was with relief and high hopes that I awaited Andy Diggle's mark on the man of steel. In one respect Diggle delivers; he brings a more linear form of narrative and succeeds with a hint of flirtation between a certain two reporters and intrigue courtesy of the ever neurotic obsessive scheming of one Lex Luthor. Alas the issue on it's on is centered around much too simple a thing; Supes bashing some big robots and this blasé affair is made frustrating by a 'wtf' twist that feels forced.

Daniels art is cool but more showboating than storytelling with lots of big robots exploding but what else could it be when that's all she wrote!

Score 6/10

Batman #19:

Capullo is the star of this issue as his deft style elevates the story to a higher level of customer satisfaction complementing Snyder's best bits like the bat-pod going into 'lateral drive' etc. Rather than being a highly intriguing plot this issue was a collection of golden nuggets add to these the fact that the 'wtf' fold out cover reveal actually had an organic and substantial place inside the book and #19 flies straight and true.

The backup story was great but it felt like a Legend of the Dark Knight story. A nice straight forward tale of uneasy mystery that was more about the relationship between the bat and the kryptonian. Maleev sets the tone and it is well set, the only problem is Superman comes off a bit naive in the company of Batman which I found unfair.

Score 8/10

Batman and Robin #19

Here we are introduced to Carrie Kelley who has only appeared (as far as I know) as Robin in The Dark Knight Returns and it's follow-up and this is all well and good. She seems feisty, charismatic and funny but her role is as of yet solely complementary to the after math of Damien's death and she there is no real pathos of her own (yet). One hopes she isn't just going to fade out. The good stuff is with Batman as he further alienates Alfred and everybody else and in grief hunts down Frankenstein to do mad science of his own. 

It is only right that Batman and Robin is the title that succeeds best at showing the pain of loss and it's symptoms with such convincing drama bottled in great storytelling at the hands of Tomasi and Gleason.

Score 8/10

Green Lantern #19

This whole First Lantern business finally starts to make some ground but it's still far from smooth sailing. Volthoom targets Sinestro, and yet again, we are indulged with his memory changing and I don't want to go on about it too much but at the end something actually happens that rocks Sinestro's world! Still the best bits are with Hal as he finally makes a decision on whether or not he should die and the last page is exciting but not all that convincing.

There is 3 different pencillers on this issue (why?) and whoever does the dead world pages wins.

Score 7/10

Green Lantern Corps #19

This is a really enjoyable issue. Why? Mogo, that's why. The Planet corps member intrudes on the First Lanterns buffet del Lantern and rescues all of his teammates by using his outer core! What happens after is a bit of a 'and they wok up and it was all a dream' i.e nothing really happened but still there were loads of pages of dynamic hard light construct battling that entertained the eyeballs. The ending is cliche but one can't help but feel inspired when a planet literally teaches you a lesson.

Pasarin's page layouts are fluid and well paced especially on the action pages. 

Score 8/10

Thor; God of Thunder #7

Present day Avenger Thor meets Future All-Father Thor in this highly entertaining issue with some great back and forth between the young and old. As has been the case so far Thor GoT remains one of Marvel Now's best items on an overloaded shelf. The book is balanced in action and character with solid pacing and humor to fill the gaps. 

This issue doesn't slip, if anything it up's the ante becoming even grander in scale as all Gorr's moves start to make sense and you get a really satisfying 'ohhh right' moment at the end.

Ribic's art is beautiful, with life in every page and perspectives that bring extra punch to each panel. A lot of fun and a must read.

Score 9/10

Hawkeye #9

Another ace in Marvel Now's deck but for very different reasons. This issue sees Aja return and readers are once again witness to a finely tuned co-op between artist and writer (Fraction). The  story is split into 4 each one based on a leading lady in Clint's life as they all start to learn that the Hawkguy's recent choices may be leading him into choppy seas. 

Color and style rarely have went so well with dialogue the way it does here. My only irk is the dress choice on some of the women; a bit outta time!? but this is a little thing.

Score 9/10

Uncanny X-Men #4

If you've read the last issue of All New X-Men then you can immediately see that this is the same events at the same time just from the oppositions (Cyclops') perspective and there isn't a whole lot else to it. The issue moves from Emma Frost confronting the Cuckoo's to the newbies back at base getting a little closer and just at the end Magik has a fit and limbo seems to reach out and grab her. The last one is definitely the high point but gets the least attention, being left for later issues obviously, while Cyclops and Co have very limp reactions to Magik's instability are unbelievable forcing the whole affair to fall flat and create no great expectation.

A book that didn't have it's priorities straight leaves one adrift but for a few glimmers of banter between characters.

Oh and the 'mystery' person who left the Jean Grey school for The New Xavier school in ANX-Men #1 is revealed on the very last page. Poorly executed plotting for this issue.

Score 6/10

Uncanny Avengers #6

Remender is really starting to find his form with this book as he draws on his experience with Apocalypse from his run on Uncanny X-Force and he further expands the mythos of the Celestials Evolutionary Caretaker by intersecting it with that of Jason Aaron's newly born Young Thor and also includes an English ancestor of Wolverine. Meanwhile Kang continues to move certain events over time towards an endgame that is still unclear but highly intriguing. Whats it all leading to? Guess we'll have to stay tuned.

Acuna's art is pulp-tastic with real vibrant colors that both make the book feel retro and come alive. 

Score 8/10

Age of Ultron #5

After the excitement of last issue this one seems to fall back into slower streams with a lot of dialogue and a lot of planning on the part of the surviving superheroes. In fact the only bit of action is a bunch of Ultrons blowing up Austen. The whole thing reads like a 'LOST' episode with a flashback, a bunch of survivors in a jungle, a bunker, a surprise character reveal. 

Hitches art is on form for the most part with only minor hiccups in line work but more often the landscape/wide shoot panel layouts disrupt reading leading one to miss bits of dialogue but not enough to miss any real plot advancement mainly cause nothing really happened this issue.

Score 7/10

The Pull List 27/3/2013: Weekly Comic Reviews

Injustice; Gods Among Us #3

This is fruit you reap when you loosen the reigns on things and it is some badass fruit. Superman has stepped up and started playing hardball with the world and it's governments. The good ol' U.S of A try to reign him in with some dirty work and the Justice League have to make a choice; stand with the world or stand with Superman!

The book is a thrill and the writing is consistent setting a grittier tone than is usual for the League, and this League is being pushed in a direction that is ballsy and, honestly, badly needed.

The high point is the last third of the book which focuses on Wonder Woman and the influence she has on how the whole Superman Vs. World plays out.

The art is done by two artists;Jeremy Raapack and David Yardin. Raapack does the bulk of the work with Yardin jumping in on the last third. Raapack is solid and plays up the grit of the book but some panels drop the ball and Yardin overshadows with finer linework and the colors (also by Yardin) are finely tuned.

A great action packed yarn promising even greater things ahead. Can't wait!

Score 8/10

Red Lanterns #18

Volthoom continues to charge his batteries by taking Atrocitus down memory lane and stirring up some unusual emotions for the normally mono-emotive Red Lantern.

Unfortunately the First Lanterns projection of what might have been if Ryutt hadn't been destroyed is thin and hard to believe especially when you weigh it against the fact that Atrocitus has been around for a while now and his defining lynch pin is his home worlds destruction and the happy life as a family man being lost forever. To suggest that Atrocitus' rage is simply innate rather than a result of fate and the red power ring makes both the pathos of his character defunct and belittles the power of the red lantern. 

I could give out till the cows come home about Volthoom but I'll leave it out.

The art is super. It's the saving grave of this bolok, Sepulveda has a nice balance of flashiness and sketchy linework parred by good panel layouts.

Score 5/10

Ultimate Comics; Wolverine #2

This book got off to a decent start last week but this issue starts to spin it's wheels a bit.

Continuing with the past and present stories of father and son the book returns to Wolverine as he and a team of S.H.I.E.L.D agents track down Mothervine and it's associate acronym ready group H.E.L.L (Human Engineering Life Laboratories = Lame) while Jimmy and Blackbox play catch up following the message secretly given to Jimmy by his dead dad. Making their way into the same secret lab that Logan had been in just a few pages previous, but now it's all dusty and deserted, they start to find clues and then get interrupted by a group of baddies and it all becomes bit predictable. If you read last weeks issue then you know that Quicksilver is involved and he makes his entrance by giving Jimmy a hand and it is a crazy entrance which may be the best part of the issue. 

For the final couple of pages we are returned to Logan who is stopped in his tracks by a mysterious femme fatale (also seen in last issue). We find out who she is and her identity, unfortunately, harks back to a part of the Ultimates that is better off forgotten.

Messina's art is much like Raapacks in Injustice; it is good for the most part but some images fail in perspective or depth which kills the immersive quality of the story.

Score 5/10

Uncanny Avengers #5

A new evil is born! Remender continues to get all the pieces on the board for the first major shake up since the birth of 'Unity Division' Avengers. It all relates to Apocalypse and Remender's run on Uncanny X-Force so this steers the title toward positive horizons but here in this issue a classic Avengers Villain pops up in a very intriguing introduction to issue #5. 

The majority of the book is based around the new band of earths mightiest as they settle in and try not to get on each others nerves but this becomes a bit more difficult as the roster grows with the addition of Wasp, Wonder Man and Sunfire. The add-on's are a welcome sight but for the matter of Wonder Man's recent actions with the short lived Revengers and how blatantly and poorly that all has been swept under the rug! 

The book is overall a success; it finally finds it's feet story-wise and is helped further by good pacing in this issue and the art by Coipel is just more of the top grade stuff that readers have come to expect from the french man. #5 also ends on a strong note with a bold cliff-hanger that brings much needed weight to the central issue of human mutant co-habitation that hangs over the title.

Score 8/10

Guardians of the Galaxy #1

This issue makes a strong case for the latest Marvel Now release and what is even more impressive is that it adds more original and convincing developments to a father son relationship that tasted a bit stale in the 0.1 issue a while ago. In fact the best thing that this issue offers is the father son relationship of Peter Quill and his father the Spartax Emperor.

 The two have a lighthearted confrontation after Dad catches his son in a dodgy bar hitting on a hussy and then warns him not to return to earth because doing so would go against an agreement the emperor has made with all the other galaxy royals and rulers. The nuances of manipulation and upper class sensibility are what make the whole thing more fun and compelling as the emperor puffs up with pomp and status and plays games with other kings and people even with his son who ,try as he might, oozes with the self -righteousness of a prince trying to make his own way out from under the role he was born into. It is really good stuff! Shame that it all is let down with the overtaking of Iron Man who monologues his own weak reason for being involved with the guardians but this is relieved by action courtesy of The Badoon. 

The fighting is well played out and allows sorely needed screen time for the rest of the Guardians. Long term fans vary in opinion of the new origin of Quill; what being StarLord means now and his new outfit. I have no strong complaints about any of it although I do miss the old helmet but his costume is fine especially when compared to the  Mass Effect like uniform worn by every other teammate bar Ironman, of course.

Dillon's art is very impressive, it doesn't falter and the indulgent splash pages are well worth the space plus Ponsor's coloring is just cool. 

Like I said this is a good start and would have been even better if Tony had stayed at home AND if they just stopped trying to invent Alien curse words, seriously just frackin stop!

Score 8/10

East of West #1

Just buy the book!! Seriously, I could go on and on and on about how entertaining, enchanting and captivating this book was but I don't want to spoil it for you.

It involves the horsemen of the apocalypse, space cowboys, the rewriting of earths history and a mystery so epic that only Hickman can hold it together.

The book from cover to cover is a joy and though the story is pretty out there you never feel lost because it is so well written, paced and drawn that it just flows like a kayak on a calm river. Kudos to Dragotta who makes the whole thing come alive panel to panel and really makes it his own and to the colorist Martin who chose well and made the pencil work pop.

Nuff Said!!

Score 10/10

  

Irish Comic Spotlight: The League of Volunteers

For this week's Irish comic spotlight I'm casting some well deserved attention on Rob Curley's and Barry Keegan's League of Volunteers!

The League of Volunteers is one of Atomic Diner's newest publications and is currently 3 issues in with one nicely honed arc under the belt.
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The title follows a band of Irish heroes and is set during the 1940's and the turbulent events of World War II.
The league consist of 6 main members so far: (In order of appearance in the above pic from left to right) The Archer, Blood Rose, Glimmer Man, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, The Emerald Lady and The Druid. Some of these heroes are taken from Irish Mythology and Paganism while others are Curley's and Keegan's own iteration on comic hero archetypes e.g The Archer = Hawkeye/Green Arrow. The origins and inspirations for this eclectic group is an enjoyable mix of mythology, pulp and superhero but better yet is the character design and outfits which are simple but sharp and very distinct again drawing from the time period and myths of Irish lore, all of this results in a bunch of comic characters that are accessible, stand out and are, most importantly, memorable.
On top of the main caste of protagonists is Ireland's own Nick Fury; Lee Thompson the eye patch sporting commander of G2's Meta Human division who makes for a great supporting caste member and the Leagues first main villian; The Bocanah, a Celtic demon of Battle with the body of a man and a goat skull for a head.
The demon is brought forward by Nazis (who else!) but immediately turns on his summoners and enacts his plans to summon a demon horde and lay waste to the mortal world!!
Through Druid's foresight and Lee Thompson's instruction, the League come together to stop The Bocanah and save the world! Classic.
The fast pace and action orientated panels set an exciting tone matched with clear dialogue and pencil work that never gets muddled making a thoroughly enjoyable book. Curley's use of celtic mythology and Irish/World History give the book depth and bring a smile to the face of anyone with half an interest in either one. Above all, this titles greatest strength is the potential it alludes to, the potential of a new Mythology born of Curley's and co.'s imaginations, one of Irish heroes and villains, a modern mythology and an Atomic Diner shared universe that is just starting to connect and expand.

Bonus!: The League of Volunteers was listed as #5 in The Irish Times top 50 Things to love about Ireland right now!! It's a bloody national treasure!

Top 10: Rogues Gallery

Who has the best Rogues Gallery?

 

Send a list of you're top 10 Comic Book Rogues Gallery and if you have the time give a bit of info like the rogues names and why they are the baddest of the bad. 

I'll just post mine here to get the ball rolling:

1. Batman: The Joker! Two-Face! Raz-Al-Ghul! Black Mask! Bane! Killer Croc! There is just so many and if even one of them ever came to my hometown I would $#!T my pants. Sure some of them are bit camp but most are frightening sinister and extremely capable of giving any hero a kick into the coffin. The Bat's rogues are half the reason he is so successful across so many mediums from tv to video games.
2. The X-Men: Time and again the X-Men have had to face off against some seriously nasty pieces of work, examples include Mr.Sinister, Apocalypse, The Hellfire Club, The Phalanx, Bastion and of course; Magneto. Like Batman, alot of the X-Mens villains are much darker than other titles evil-doers and thanks to the 90's cartoon they had some of the best voice actors. Who doesn't hear the voice of David Hemblen when reading the words of Magneto in comics?
3. Spider-Man: Some of Spidey's villains are a bit naff but a lot have developed into characters who are fully nuanced and intriguing albeit horribly evil S.O.Bs. Venom, Kraven, Hobgoblin, Doc Ock, The Lizard, The Jackal and the Green Goblin. The top tier of the Web-Slinger's rogues always know how to get at Spidey where it hurts making for very compelling stories.
4. Superman: Supes doesn't have too many top grade villains but the ones he does have more than make up for it. Luthor, Brainiac, Bizarro, Darkseid and Zod are probably the easiest to remember and that is because they are the cream of the rotten crop. Unfortunately alot, alot of the man of steels villains are very superficial, only looking for victory by out punching Superman making for weak reading e.g Doomsday.
5.  Fantastic Four: Like Superman, marvels first family are plagued by a long list of villains that are poor in premise and action but among them are true classics. Dr.Doom, Annihilus, the Skrulls, Namor, The Frightful Four and the devourer of worlds; Galactus. Some of these guys are truly badass like Doom and on top of being a world eater Galactus has also created many other thorns in the Fours collective asses i.e heralds like Terrax.
6. The Avengers: Kang the Conqueror, Ultron, Thanos, Loki and more recently Norman Osborn. The villains that Earths Mightiest Heroes face are the very thing that defines them; threats too great for one hero to face alone and that is exactly what these guys are. Unfortunately the whole all powerful thing gets a bit outta hand sometimes like with Onslaught . . . nuff said.
7. Invincible: I don't get this book regularly but I often wish I did cause it seems like a whole lot of old fashioned superhero fun and this is largely due to the cast of baddies. Omni-Man (possibly worst dad ever??), Angstrom Levy,The Viltrumites especially Conquest and Thragg. It's early days for Invincible but like the title the villains are becoming more and more recognizable.
8. The Justice League: Alot of the leagues villains are syndicates or teams consisting of rogues from individual league members' galleries but among them are some who are widely considered Justice League villains. The White Martians, Amazo, Eclipso, Simon Magus, Prometheus, The Crime Syndicate of America, these are just a few who are defined as JL baddies.
9. The Flash: It's The Flash's most famous enemy gang that own the name 'The Rogues' and over time they have proven themselves far more deadly than the name might imply yet it is hard to move past the campy origins and names of so many of Flash's villians; Captain Boomerang, The Pied Piper, The Trickster. Characters like Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold and Reverse Flash help raise the bar a bit.
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Thanks mainly to the tv shows there are millions who know the turtles and can name a few of their greatest enemies. Shredder, Krang, The Rat King, Bebop and Rocksteady; these are the most recognizable but there are others who are just as or even more deadly just less known. All n all the Turtles have a strong repertoire of villains that just haven't become either as well utilized or known.

The Pull List 20/03/2013: Weekly Comic Reviews Part 2

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

 

The Pull List 20/3/2013: Weekly Comic Reviews

There was a lot of stuff out this week but thankfully the bulk of it is really good. Here's some  reviews;

Nova #2

This issue from the 'previously' page right up to the last page reveal is extremely well paced with really enjoyable dialogue that makes the whole thing a fun read that ends too quickly.

 Issue 2 continues to set up Sam Alexander as the new Nova and there is nothing that hasn't been seen or done before inside the book that sets it apart but everything is done very well; Jeph Loeb is writing a believable and endearing youth in Sam, and McGuinness' art is amazing along with Gracia's colors which are slick and are completely in sync with the tone of the book. A straight up superhero book done really well.

Score 9/10

All New X-Men #9

Kitty gets her teach on and rocks it as the new Prof.X! The original X-Mens team dynamic is put into question and Mystique puts her plans into motion though the aim is flimsy and makes one think there is more to the blue lady's plot than getting rich (lame). 

Bendis is knocking it out of the park and Immonen is awesome also this another great book being colored by Gracia; dude is on fire.

Bonus!: last page links up to Uncanny's last issue!

Score 8/10

Avengers #8

This book was good and going into it, (it being a comic book where two different heroes are meeting for the first time) I had a feeling that what happened was inevitable; spoiler! The Avengers get into a fight with the newly born Starbrand. This fight was really unconvincing; here we have a bunch of adult veteran heroes who have been and done it all, and their best way of dealing with a S#!£ scared omega level teen who has a 'loser' complex is to try and beat him up!! Wow. 

Captain Universe and Nightmask step in to break up the kids and take Starbrand off to do some wordy explaining of the current universe encompassing dilemma.

Weaver's art is the gold in this book; it is fun, detailed  and some of the panels e.g Hulk in Earth's outer orbit are super.  

Part of me enjoyed the action in the issue but another was just annoyed at the flimsy reasoning for said action.

Score 6/10

New Avengers #4

A double dose of Hickman! Certainly my favorite of the two Avengers titles out this week; this issue continues the Illuminatis attempts to defend the earth against oncoming 'incursions' from parallel earths without having to destroy the other earth but all their plans seem to involve some sort of massive loss of life or sacrifice. 

Up till now I've been on the bench with this title but I'm starting to accept the unforgiving nature that Hickman is instilling in it; it doesn't apologize for it's premise which has led the heroes towards hopelessness and dire action. I love the appearance of a certain someone's herald in the last quarter but his presence and that of his master make the gang take a bit of u-turn in their ethical resignation.

Epting's art is solid as always but D'Armata's pink and whites of the incursion sites is beginning to detract from the scenes.

Score 7/10

Justice League of America #2

JLA #2 continues on a strong path as readers see A.R.G.U.S director Amanda Waller and Steve Waller pull on different strings to further strengthen their team both from within and with the American people. The opening pages are great, giving an introduction to the new JLA's first real enemy; The Secret Society.

The polarity between the teammates makes for fun banter and the Manhunter's backup story reaffirms the less wholesome motivations of this books heroes.

Finch's art is really nice; sketchy and gritty and well suited to the story and any flashy panels/pages are a joy.

Score 8/10

Green Lantern; The New Gaurdians

Okay so now we have the First Lantern infect the pages of NG but thankfully we get a refreshing change of pace. Generally I'm not a fan of artist switches in an issue but here it works because each artist is working on 3 different stories; first is Danvers as the First Lantern tries to do the usual by screwing with her memories, the he does the same with Larfleeze and then White Walker. The best part of this book is that all 3 lanterns fight back in a much more convincing way and recognize that they're being screwed with, rather than just curling up and sucking their thumbs. YAY! 

I think because I find the First Lantern to be extremely annoying that I love seeing him be rebuffed (especially by Larfleeze!) that this issue is a win for me.

Score 7/10

Star Wars Legacy #1

The second Star Wars title that I have added to my pull list Star Wars Legacy is an ambitious and well instigated book that not only sets up the current status quo of the universe but competently balances a lot of new characters and character dynamics. By knit-picking I could complain that sometimes the name-dropping of species and the quick change of planet can be confusing but this is greatly overshadowed by top notch story telling.

On top of the great execution, the action is awesome and all the panels are beautifully rendered by artist Gabriel Hardman. 

This book with it's triumvirate politics and vast scope is a good counter to the tight character focused book by Woods.

I'm sure the book would be all the more satisfying for one who has read all the previous Legacy stuff but I haven't and still found it generally accessible and highly enjoyable.

Score 8/10

Irish Comic Spotlight: EarthRuler #1

Darrin O’Toole’s and Shawn Langley’s new superhero comic; ‘EarthRuler’ has been chosen as the first in a series of posts focused on Irish comic titles to help encourage interest and discussion that is centred around the ever expanding home-grown comic industry.

EarthRuler is the story of Rykaal, a humanoid from a distant world who has crash landed on earth after being exiled from his own galaxy. On arrival in our star system the protagonist is quick to discover that the laws of physics and science do not apply to him and he has been endowed with an array of powers form flight to telepathy.

 He himself narrates the events of his rebellion, exile and crash to earth to a group called the consensus while awaiting their sentence for his disobedience against them; his rulers.

As Rykaal begins to relive the epic events that have shaped him and his predicament readers are shown how the alien man has become both enemy number one on his home world and a cape-clad wonder on earth. Rykaal’s power range and costume immediately puts him under the supermanesque umbrella but the main characters personality is very different to the man of steel. With issue #1 we see someone who is called a hero but who shows a range of traits that are far from heroic. A troubled soul; bitter, clinical, self-pitying but at the same time righteous and driven to fight for a good cause Rykaal is a complex fellah with a lot of baggage and ridiculous super-powers to boot; what can go wrong? . . . right?

 The final pages of this first issue offers uncertainty as to what Rykaal’s coming to earth will mean; is he their hero or their ruler, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.!

The setup is solid but a lot is going on in this book, the narration takes readers across a range of events and the journey is intersected upon by an alien father and son bed time story who’s relevance isn't made clear. The highlight both in writing and art is Rykaal’s violent exit from home with the narration matching the depth of the black forever that is space and the close-ups of Rykaals face as his molecules are blown upward are stellar. Like I said previously; the last pages bring an uncertainty with regards to Rykaal’s eligibility as a hero, his coldness to destruction and death is a warning for the people of earth but intriguing for readers.

A super start from DOT comics that weaves an intriguing plot with some amazing panel imagery.