So, I haven’t written a comic book review in ages. Instead of jumping right in, let’s run down the books currently on my pull list, how much I love them, and what to look forward to in the months ahead. Ready, set, go. (If you’re looking for D.C. reviews, jog off. Not currently getting any D.C. titles.)
Alice Cooper (Dynamite) – Only 3 issues in and I’m loving this series. I’m a big fan of mixing music and comics. Gerrard Way did it with Umbrella Academy and got stellar results. Tom Morello did it with Orchid and produced a fun comic with an all original soundtrack. This one isn’t written by a musician, but features the greatest shock-rocker of all time: Alice Cooper. I’ve seen Alice in concert at what was the greatest live show I’ve ever seen. (Cleveland, OH 2005?). This comic is just the right mix of dark magic, other dimensions, and action that ties Cooper’s musical career in to the storyline. I don’t know if it will hold up for the long haul, but for the next couple months, it looks to be a fun read. Currently rank it a 6 out of 10, only because I am skeptical about how long a comic featuring a real-life musician as its main character can last.
Cyclops (Marvel) – My favorite X-Man. This title focuses on a young Scott Summers, brought forward in time, who has recently discovered his space-pirate father, Corsair, is alive. Corsair sees this as an opportunity to get to know his son as he never did before, and actually try to be a father. The two set off for a road trip across the galaxy. It’s great. I’m excited to see where this series ends up. Will we ever see a confrontation between the 2 different Cyclopses? One being raised as an X-Man by Charles Xavier and currently leading a mutant rebellion; the other being taught by his swashbuckling father in outer space. I love Cyclops, and this is just great character development for his younger self. Plus, it’s just fun to read. Comics should be fun. Current Rank: 7 out of 10.
Daredevil (Marvel) – Daredevil. Please. This title has been just about perfect under the direction of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. It looks like their run will be coming to a close though… and that worries me. I’m not as big a fan of Daredevil as I am a fan of how great this book has been over the past few years. I will probably keep reading Daredevil, because I have become invested in the character, but I’m leery. I can’t focus on that though. I need to just enjoy Waid and Samnee’s run while it lasts. I really like this book, but I think the critics love it just a little more than I do. Current Rank: 8 out of 10.
Godzilla (various series, all by IDW) – Godzilla is a staple of my childhood, and bears an impact on how I view nearly every facet of entertainment. I will ALWAYS support Godzilla comic books and movies. The mini-series from IDW have been great: Gangsters and Goliaths, Legends, The Half-Century War, and now Cataclysm. I think IDW should give up on a Godzilla ongoing, and just maintain a long run of back-to-back mini-series. The current ongoing, Rulers of Earth… meh. The art is solid, but I think it’s becoming just a contest to see how many great battles we can cram in to this comic before it’s cancelled. Give me shorter, better written stories that maybe pit some of these monsters against each other that we haven’t seen before. Mini-series’ current rank: 9 out of 10. Ongoing current rank: 5 out of 10.
Mega Man (Archie) – This series has been good. I like how they are trying to closely follow the storyline presented in the video games, and all the small nods to the various game series and moments. I thought the crossover with Sonic sucked (sorry, honest). And the story gets just a little old and predictable now that we are 40 some issues in. I really enjoy reading it, but it’s not a must read. If they ever launch a Mega Man X ongoing comic, I will drop this series in a heartbeat for it. But for now, this is a fun comic to read. And sometimes, that’s all a comic needs to be. Current rank: 6 out of 10.
Nova (Marvel) - *Stands on soapbox* I hate when people instantly dislike something because it’s different from what came before. I loved the last series of Nova, featuring Richard Rider, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Absolutely loved it. Maybe my favorite run of all time, starting with Annihilation and ending with The Thanos Imperative. So I was not excited when I found out the new Nova series would feature a new Nova. But I gave it a chance, because I grew to love the mythos of the Nova Corps and the characters that would inevitably crossover. I also started reading it because I hoped for the eventual return of Richard Rider. Enter Sam Alexander: the new, young, black-helmeted Nova. 20-some issues in, and this book is killing it! I hate getting on message boards and seeing “OMG I hate this new kid Nova, bring back Richard Rider.” Calm down. He will come back. It drove me crazy not knowing what happened at the end of The Thanos Imperative, but now that we know… just cool it. This new Nova is entertaining as he becomes integrated in to the Marvel Universe. This is probably the book I look forward to most every month, and while it’s still not up there with Abnett and Lanning’s Nova run, this is wildly entertaining. Current rank: 9 out of 10.
Uncanny X-Men (Marvel) – The adventure of Cyclops and his mutant revolution. I love the growth of Cyclops since the events of Avengers vs X-Men. I think it’s cool to see him hit his breaking point, frustrated with the world around him after trying for so long to follow Xavier’s ideals. I really wish this book was a little more centered on the young mutants that Cyclops has recruited. The stories that are focused on them seem to be the best of this series. I just wish that this title wasn’t affected by so many crossovers and big events. Battle For The Atom, Original Sin, now Axis… I want this book to stand on its own feet for a while. Until then, I will just sit back and enjoy Bachalo’s artwork. Current Rank: 7 out of 10.
X-Force (Marvel) – I’m a longtime Cable fan. At first I did not like this book, but it has been seriously growing on me. Especially over the last 3 or 4 issues. I can’t wait to see what happens next, and I really hope that this series has a long life ahead of it, unlike most recent books titled “X-Force”. They seem to be lucky if they last 20 issues or so. The previous Cable and X-Force is still better, in my opinion. And I would love to see this book integrate some of that roster (Colossus!). I mean that book made me care about characters that I didn’t care about at all beforehand (both Colossus and Domino). As long as we keep Cable, Hope, and Dr. Nemesis, I’m a happy camper. Current rank: 7.5 out of 10, but on the rise.
Saga (Image) – I trade wait on Saga. So, you won’t get month-by-month reviews. But I will review the trades as they come out. Is there any way I don’t give this series a 10 out of 10? Nope. 10 it is.
No comments:
Post a Comment