CBF by Mister J.

Marvel NOW readings (2013)

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:04:41 +0100

It’s been too long. But I never promised regular posts :P

OK, so what did I read:

The newest Iron Man series starts pretty quick with a nice story about his new armor and the struggle with Tony Starks competitors on earth. It’s new-reader-friendly written, but the art might annoy some hardcore fans because of Greg Land’s typical female model faces. The tech scenes, however, look very good. Issue 6 starts the second story arc that brings Iron Man into space fights. So far it’s quite enjoyable, if you don’t expect too much. (7/10)

The first thing you might notice about the Marvel Now Thor series is the phenomenal art by Essad Ribic. But also writer Jason Aaron starts big with a story about a god slayer (that looks a bit like Harry Potter’s Voldemort). After 5 issues I can definitely recommend that title. (9/10)

Another entertaining new beginning is the double reading joy of Fantastic Four and FF - both series are written by Matt Fraction, who does a great job. You don’t need to follow both series. One is about the core team on a “far away mission” and the other deals with a kind of “substitute team” on earth. (8/10)

Ultimate Spider-Man #9

Sat, 01 May 2010 20:15:55 +0200

From one Spider-Woman to another. :-P
Yes, also the Ultimate Universe features a character named Jessica Drew - but then there are major differences.

Anyway… a new storyline kicks off with the Human Torch hitting on Spider-Woman - a fact that freaks Peter out (which is understandable). And Kitty (Shadowcat) gets into trouble.
That’s about it what happens in this issue of Ultimate Spider-Man. The book continues to be a constant joyride. All the characters make it feel like a TV show with a great cast.

Last but not least I was happy to see the return of regular penciler David Lafuente who also makes this book special.

[8/10]

Spider-Woman #7

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:20:40 +0200

Although the cover might come across as sensual this series definitely has more in stock. Or may I say “had”?

Yes, according to the last page Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev are finishing this book after the initial story arc. So you could call it a limited series. And maybe that’s the best way to publish the adventures of Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) who is also featured is some Avengers titles.

As for now I can say that I’m sad not to get more of the high quality espionage tales with lots of SciFi influences and hints to the Marvel universe. But on the other side I’m happy that it has an ending at all. And who knows what comes next when Bendis and Maleev are already working on a new (creator owned) title which will probably be launched under the Icon banner.

With “Spider-Woman” those two creators once again prove that they are a dream team for any comic book reader. The mix of sharp dialogues, realistic art and incredibly intense coloring is truly one-of-a-kind.

The collection of those seven issues should be out in summer and is probably a must-buy for any fan (as it also is said to contain the referring motion comics on DVD).

[9/10]

Detective Comics #861-863

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:51:26 +0200

Wow… that was pretty creepy. And I would not suggest those books for children.

One could argue whether this isn’t just a Batman story changed for the charakter of Batwoman. But that would be kind of silly because writer Greg Rucka really made her a more human charakter than Batman might have been in a long time.

This story works on two different time levels and it’s nice to see how well they were blended into each other. But the plot was very forward like a hunt and didn’t contain as much private moments as in previous issues.
Somehow it made me miss the old Bat-logo (with the yellow oval background).
Bette Kane (as the cousin of Kate, aka Flamebird) had a guest appearance. And the ending was quite a cliffhanger.

Note: as I just read on wikipedia the original ‘Betty’ was the niece of ‘Kathy’ and became her sidekick. Who knows how this will relate to the current story. ;-)

And gorgeous cover artwork apart (thanks to JHW3)… the interior art by Jock is better than I expected it to be. (OK, part 3 also featured art by Scott Kolins). And the colors by David Baron were top-notch, of course.

[9/10]

Ultimate Spider-Man #8

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:54:36 +0100

Note: the solications refer to that series as “Ultimate Comics Spider-Man”. But for me it is “Ultimate Spider-Man” (Volume 2 if you like)

Now since the reboot this book is just shining. Brian Michael Bendis seems to love writing teenie Spidey. And thus the stories are very enjoyable. In fact I would say that the reboot was worth it (though after “Ultimatum” nobody was sure how the Ultimate Universe could go on… thanks to Jeph Loeb who likes to destroy good ideas).

Anyway… the situation of aunt May having all these superpower kids in her home might be a bit over the top. But it’s really fun to read. The main plus are the dialogues and interactions. But also the pencils are solid with some manga influences.
The whole issue deals with Rick Jones (in an ultimate teenie version) and his newly developed superpowers. It even features an appearance of the Serpent Squad which was last seen in the “Ultimate Power” crossover. Those female villians led to very funny punch lines.

[9/10]

Batman and Robin #10

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:34:00 +0100

The fourth story line starts here. And Andy Clarke is on board for pencils which is very nice because his fine lines are perfect for this book.

The story, however, isn’t that great because it’s more a prologue for the upcoming limited series about the return of Bruce Wayne. Does anyone else think that this whole time travel thing feels like a rip-off of Captain America’s death last year?

It’s like the “light version” of killing a character -> just throw him away in time. Captain America had a chrono-bullet or whatever. And Batman got the “death beams” of Darkseid.

Also the element of Damian being controlled by his mother to harm Dick Grayson is kind of stupid. He has a new spine… ok… but they build in a remote control? WTF!

[6/10]

That was the ending of the third story arc of this series (drawn...

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:25:00 +0100

That was the ending of the third story arc of this series (drawn by Cameron Steward).

It was okay, but eventually the whole guest appearance of Batwoman didn’t seem to fit. And no word on that Batman vs. Batman part. I’d say that story was the weakest so far.

[7/10]

Hello 2010

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:20:00 +0100

Here I am posting my thoughts on comic books that I’ve read.

R U ready?