Amazing Spider-Man #611

Creative Team
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Eric Canete
Colorist: Andres Mossa

Story – This Man, This (Expletive Deleted)

Review
Though Amazing Spider-Man #611 wasn’t as great as I was expecting it to be Joe Kelly still provided a very good issue. This issue makes me wish that Kelly would write a team-up title with Spider-Man and Deadpool or at the very least a mini-series. It is actually incredible that we haven’t had more issues with Spider-Man and Deadpool meeting up in the past as it just seems like a natural team-up with how great both character’s play off one another.

As Kelly has done anytime he has been penned to write a story on Amazing Spider-Man he just showed why he is one of the best Spidey writers on the Spider-Man Brain Trust. And at the same time he showed a great handle of a character he is long been familiar with. The two characters had a great chemistry. And I really like how Kelly choose to open the first scene between the two with a Looney Toons-type joke. It was really great way to open up the rest of the scenes between the two for the rest of the issue.

Also of note were the jokes about Blackest Night joke and the need for internal monologue. But what really sealed the deal was the yo mama jokes in the basketball courts. Because seriously how can you not laugh at “You mother’s so stupid she thinks cheerios are donut seeds,” or “Your mother’s so fat, Hank Pym had to beat her up in the back of a Quinjet.” Great stuff by the two of them as Kelly really did a fantastic job with all the jokes in the issue.

What sort of took steam out of this issue was the artwork. Even though this issue with Spider-Man and Deadpool needed an artist that could draw more in a more cartoony style Eric Canete artwork was just way to inconsistent. There were points in the issue were the characters just look distorted which does take you out of the issue at times. It also seemed that the art was rushed and not much effort was put into this issue.

Also another thing that I did not like was the unnecessary need to tie it into the Gauntlet storyline that is going to start in the next issue. Though we saw that something was going to happen to Maddie with the preview of things to come during ASM #600 it just felt out of place in this issue. It just felt that Kelly forced the Gauntlet storyline in even though he did not need to as we have in this issue which had a very light and humorous tone.

Issue Rating
Story: 9.2/10 – Kelly turned in some great writing with Spider-Man and Deadpool. The only thing that kept it from being a perfectly rated story is the unnecessary insertion of the Gauntlet story line.
Art: 5.7/10 – Though Eric Canete artwork had an interesting cartoony look the inconsistency, which at times lead to characters looking distorted, really hurt this issue’s story in certain parts.
Overall: 7.45/10 – Amazing Spider-Man #611 was a fun issue to read. Even though some of the weaknesses of the issue did hurt the story this was still a fun issue to read. If you are a Spider-Man or Deadpool fan I highly recommend picking this issue up as Kelly does a great job writing both characters.

Batman #693

Creative Team
Writer and Artist: Tony Daniel
Inker: Sandu Florea
Colorist: Ian Hannin
Story – Life After Death Part 2: Charades

Review
Though I was not blown away by Tony Daniel’s second turn at writing Batman I was impressed with how much his writing improved over his work on Battle for the Cowl. The previous issue of Batman was actually a fun read with my only complaint in that issue was the turn to a Nazi type character that Dr. Death became. Daniel continues in this issue what he did in this issue by giving us another solid issue.

And what was good about this issue is that Daniel placed Dick Grayson in a situation where he really hasn’t been in since becoming Batman: a social party with all of Gotham’s most well known and richest people. Though it felt Daniel could have milked it a bit but it was a nice change of pace for Dick’s character as it is a different situation finds himself in. By being in this type of social situation it kind of takes Dick out of his comfort level of being a performer.

I would like to see him in more similar social situations just as Dick Grayson as it can help evolve his character into really being seen as the heir to Bruce’s throne as he not only has to handle wearing the cowl, as he is already doing, but also dealing with Wayne Enterprise which hasn’t dealt with much. And these types of situations are made more interesting with the use of Hush still posing as Bruce Wayne.

What made things more interesting was the choice for the wingman that Alfred choose for Dick being Helena, aka Huntress. I don’t know but originally I actually thought it was going to be Barbara that Dick was going to go to the event with but the choice of Helena made things much more interesting. Daniel did a very good job building up the love triangle since both Helena and Barbara have had relationships with the former “boy wonder.” This is nice sub-plot that I hope continues even after this storyline is over.

Also, it was good to see Daniel had Dick used different versions of the Batsuit to fit the situation Dick was in. His Batsuit he used at the end of the issue looked like it integrated the Winger-tech as it looked very similar to the Wingers Dick used when he was Nightwing. Though I did think the ending was a very cliché ending and did not really hook me for the next issue.

Issue Rating
Story: 8/10 – Daniel provide a solid second issue to his return arc to Batman. He told a very fun story throughout the issue though the ending was a bit to cliché.
Art: 8/10 – As always Daniel provide some great artwork though some of the pages in this issue felt rushed and not the typical Daniel artwork he has done in the past.
Overall: 8/10 – Batman #693 was a solid issue. If you are a Batman fan this is a very good issue to read as there was a good balance between Dick’s personal and Batman life. Daniel is building a very good story that is a massive improvement to his work on Battle for the Cowl.

Green Lantern Corps #42

Creative Team
Writer: Peter Tomasi
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Inkers: Rebecca Buchman and Tom Nguyen
Colorists: Randy Mayor and Gabe Eltaeb

Story – Hungry Heart

Review
Green Lantern Corps #42 was another great issue, and as was the case with Green Lantern #47, also showed that the quality between Blackest Night and Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps is incredible. Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps continue to show that there really is a story that Blackest Night has failed to do with the event. Tomasi also continues to show why GLC is really one of DC’s premier titles as he just makes this a fun action packed issue with plenty of character development/interactions.

GLC #42 is actually my favorite issue of Blackest Night so far. Tomasi just kicked so much butt with this issue that he really has set the bar high for what he is going to do with the next issue and what I expect from Geoff Johns in Blackest Night and Green Lantern. It was just a fun read from start to finish as he packed this issue with a ton of emotion to go along with all the action that was going on in this issue.

I really liked Kilowog’s depressed look on his face as he looked around at what was going on in Oa. It was a very powerful scene as Kilowog has always shown to have a tough exterior as he has been the tank of the Green Lantern Corps. And to see such a warrior with a very depressed look on his face effectively showed the how much emotional weight Blackest Night has to the universe.

What really did it for me in this issue was how Tomasi portrayed Kyle Rayner. Tomasi did an incredible job showing why Kyle has the heart of hero and is seen as one of the best Green Lanterns in the Corps. His intense willpower and bravery to do what is right is second to almost none. The ending with him carry the power battery and taking out most of the Black Lanterns with him was the best scene we have had so far in Blackest Night. And the last page of this issue carries a lot of ramifications for what may happen in Blackest Night.

Patrick Gleason provided plenty of quality artwork with a lot of kudos to his inking and coloring crew. He provided some of his best artwork on this issue. I especially liked his artwork in the last half of the issue was awesome. And those last few issues of Kyle making the ultimate sacrifice were just incredible and will definitely make my Highlights of the Week.

Issue Rating
Story: 10/10 – Tomasi provided an incredible story in GLC #42. He just packed this issue with so much incredible writing that it will be interesting to see how he, and Johns, can top this issue.
Art: 9.2/10 – Patrick Gleason provided some great artwork. His artwork was great for this emotional and action packed issue.
Overall: 9.6/10 – Green Lantern Corps #42 is the best issue of Blackest Night we have had so far. If you are reading the event than do not miss this issue as it was an incredibly well done issue both in the writing and art. This is just a must buy.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Weekly Comic Book Reviews for 11/11/09

Amazing Spider-Man #611

Creative Team
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Eric Canete
Colorist: Andres Mossa

Story – This Man, This (Expletive Deleted)

Review
Though Amazing Spider-Man #611 wasn’t as great as I was expecting it to be Joe Kelly still provided a very good issue. This issue makes me wish that Kelly would write a team-up title with Spider-Man and Deadpool or at the very least a mini-series. It is actually incredible that we haven’t had more issues with Spider-Man and Deadpool meeting up in the past as it just seems like a natural team-up with how great both character’s play off one another.

As Kelly has done anytime he has been penned to write a story on Amazing Spider-Man he just showed why he is one of the best Spidey writers on the Spider-Man Brain Trust. And at the same time he showed a great handle of a character he is long been familiar with. The two characters had a great chemistry. And I really like how Kelly choose to open the first scene between the two with a Looney Toons-type joke. It was really great way to open up the rest of the scenes between the two for the rest of the issue.

Also of note were the jokes about Blackest Night joke and the need for internal monologue. But what really sealed the deal was the yo mama jokes in the basketball courts. Because seriously how can you not laugh at “You mother’s so stupid she thinks cheerios are donut seeds,” or “Your mother’s so fat, Hank Pym had to beat her up in the back of a Quinjet.” Great stuff by the two of them as Kelly really did a fantastic job with all the jokes in the issue.

What sort of took steam out of this issue was the artwork. Even though this issue with Spider-Man and Deadpool needed an artist that could draw more in a more cartoony style Eric Canete artwork was just way to inconsistent. There were points in the issue were the characters just look distorted which does take you out of the issue at times. It also seemed that the art was rushed and not much effort was put into this issue.

Also another thing that I did not like was the unnecessary need to tie it into the Gauntlet storyline that is going to start in the next issue. Though we saw that something was going to happen to Maddie with the preview of things to come during ASM #600 it just felt out of place in this issue. It just felt that Kelly forced the Gauntlet storyline in even though he did not need to as we have in this issue which had a very light and humorous tone.

Issue Rating
Story: 9.2/10 – Kelly turned in some great writing with Spider-Man and Deadpool. The only thing that kept it from being a perfectly rated story is the unnecessary insertion of the Gauntlet story line.
Art: 5.7/10 – Though Eric Canete artwork had an interesting cartoony look the inconsistency, which at times lead to characters looking distorted, really hurt this issue’s story in certain parts.
Overall: 7.45/10 – Amazing Spider-Man #611 was a fun issue to read. Even though some of the weaknesses of the issue did hurt the story this was still a fun issue to read. If you are a Spider-Man or Deadpool fan I highly recommend picking this issue up as Kelly does a great job writing both characters.

Batman #693

Creative Team
Writer and Artist: Tony Daniel
Inker: Sandu Florea
Colorist: Ian Hannin
Story – Life After Death Part 2: Charades

Review
Though I was not blown away by Tony Daniel’s second turn at writing Batman I was impressed with how much his writing improved over his work on Battle for the Cowl. The previous issue of Batman was actually a fun read with my only complaint in that issue was the turn to a Nazi type character that Dr. Death became. Daniel continues in this issue what he did in this issue by giving us another solid issue.

And what was good about this issue is that Daniel placed Dick Grayson in a situation where he really hasn’t been in since becoming Batman: a social party with all of Gotham’s most well known and richest people. Though it felt Daniel could have milked it a bit but it was a nice change of pace for Dick’s character as it is a different situation finds himself in. By being in this type of social situation it kind of takes Dick out of his comfort level of being a performer.

I would like to see him in more similar social situations just as Dick Grayson as it can help evolve his character into really being seen as the heir to Bruce’s throne as he not only has to handle wearing the cowl, as he is already doing, but also dealing with Wayne Enterprise which hasn’t dealt with much. And these types of situations are made more interesting with the use of Hush still posing as Bruce Wayne.

What made things more interesting was the choice for the wingman that Alfred choose for Dick being Helena, aka Huntress. I don’t know but originally I actually thought it was going to be Barbara that Dick was going to go to the event with but the choice of Helena made things much more interesting. Daniel did a very good job building up the love triangle since both Helena and Barbara have had relationships with the former “boy wonder.” This is nice sub-plot that I hope continues even after this storyline is over.

Also, it was good to see Daniel had Dick used different versions of the Batsuit to fit the situation Dick was in. His Batsuit he used at the end of the issue looked like it integrated the Winger-tech as it looked very similar to the Wingers Dick used when he was Nightwing. Though I did think the ending was a very cliché ending and did not really hook me for the next issue.

Issue Rating
Story: 8/10 – Daniel provide a solid second issue to his return arc to Batman. He told a very fun story throughout the issue though the ending was a bit to cliché.
Art: 8/10 – As always Daniel provide some great artwork though some of the pages in this issue felt rushed and not the typical Daniel artwork he has done in the past.
Overall: 8/10 – Batman #693 was a solid issue. If you are a Batman fan this is a very good issue to read as there was a good balance between Dick’s personal and Batman life. Daniel is building a very good story that is a massive improvement to his work on Battle for the Cowl.

Green Lantern Corps #42

Creative Team
Writer: Peter Tomasi
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Inkers: Rebecca Buchman and Tom Nguyen
Colorists: Randy Mayor and Gabe Eltaeb

Story – Hungry Heart

Review
Green Lantern Corps #42 was another great issue, and as was the case with Green Lantern #47, also showed that the quality between Blackest Night and Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps is incredible. Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps continue to show that there really is a story that Blackest Night has failed to do with the event. Tomasi also continues to show why GLC is really one of DC’s premier titles as he just makes this a fun action packed issue with plenty of character development/interactions.

GLC #42 is actually my favorite issue of Blackest Night so far. Tomasi just kicked so much butt with this issue that he really has set the bar high for what he is going to do with the next issue and what I expect from Geoff Johns in Blackest Night and Green Lantern. It was just a fun read from start to finish as he packed this issue with a ton of emotion to go along with all the action that was going on in this issue.

I really liked Kilowog’s depressed look on his face as he looked around at what was going on in Oa. It was a very powerful scene as Kilowog has always shown to have a tough exterior as he has been the tank of the Green Lantern Corps. And to see such a warrior with a very depressed look on his face effectively showed the how much emotional weight Blackest Night has to the universe.

What really did it for me in this issue was how Tomasi portrayed Kyle Rayner. Tomasi did an incredible job showing why Kyle has the heart of hero and is seen as one of the best Green Lanterns in the Corps. His intense willpower and bravery to do what is right is second to almost none. The ending with him carry the power battery and taking out most of the Black Lanterns with him was the best scene we have had so far in Blackest Night. And the last page of this issue carries a lot of ramifications for what may happen in Blackest Night.

Patrick Gleason provided plenty of quality artwork with a lot of kudos to his inking and coloring crew. He provided some of his best artwork on this issue. I especially liked his artwork in the last half of the issue was awesome. And those last few issues of Kyle making the ultimate sacrifice were just incredible and will definitely make my Highlights of the Week.

Issue Rating
Story: 10/10 – Tomasi provided an incredible story in GLC #42. He just packed this issue with so much incredible writing that it will be interesting to see how he, and Johns, can top this issue.
Art: 9.2/10 – Patrick Gleason provided some great artwork. His artwork was great for this emotional and action packed issue.
Overall: 9.6/10 – Green Lantern Corps #42 is the best issue of Blackest Night we have had so far. If you are reading the event than do not miss this issue as it was an incredibly well done issue both in the writing and art. This is just a must buy.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Weekly Comic Book Reviews for 11/11/09

Batman #693 – Though the I wasn’t blown away by Tony Daniel’s first issue I was impressed with how much his writing improved from the work he did in Battle for the Cowl. I am glad that he brought back the Falcone family but at the same time I still am not digging Black Mask. Still, I am looking forward to reading this issue to see if Daniel can give us another solid issue of Batman.

Batman and Robin #6 – The last issue of Batman and Robin was highly disappointing. It was Morrison’s worst issue on this title which has so far been enjoyable. Though I am interested to learn about the Flamingo and how Dick and Damien will get themselves out of the situation they have found themselves in last issue.

Daredevil #502 – For the past six or seven months Daredevil has been the comic I look forward to reading the most. This series has been on a role and Andy Diggle did a fantastic job with his first issue on this series. The last few pages from the last issue were freaking awesome and can’t wait to see more of Matt as the leader of The Hand.

Green Lantern Corps #42 – The last issue of Green Lantern Corps issue was nothing but popcorn for the brain with some it being completely dominated by the fight between the Green Lantern Corps and Black Lanterns, but I enjoyed it. While I don’t expect things to change in this issue Tomasi always provides some solid character work so this should be another fun issue.

Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #1 – I have become a complete sucker for everything related to the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe. And I loved War of Kings. DnA did a fantastic job with that event and I can’t wait to see what they have in store with Realm of Kings, though it is weird that Imperial Guard is coming out before the Realm of Kings one-shot.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Preview of the Week’s Releases for 11/11/09

Story – Gathering

Review
After reading Green Lantern #46 a few weeks ago I really believed that Geoff Johns was ready to actually shift the story of Blackest Night from the neutral position it has been since the end of issue one into the next gear. But sadly after reading Blackest Night #4 it seems that all momentum that Johns built with that Green Lantern issue was thrown to the side a bit. Instead of moving the story forward this fourth issue of Blackest Night is more of the same that we have gotten in the first three issues: Slow, boring story with little to no plot progression.

And after reading Green Lantern #47 it is clear that Johns is falling into similar trappings that Brian Bendis fell under during Secret Invasion. In truth Blackest Night is nothing more than DC’s version of Secret Invasion. Almost everything that is important to this event, if not everything, is happening in the main tie-in books of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. Hell, even the Batman and Titans mini-series revealed more about this event than this main series has so far in its four issues.

This supposed main series actually reads more like a tie-in. It reads like it should have been re-titled to be called Blackest Night: Earth and cut down to four or five issues. This whole issue focuses on what is going on Earth. At no point do we see how the rest of the galaxy is handling the Black Lantern situation along with the War of Lights that is going on.

Other than knowing that the Earth is in danger there is no real sense that this event will contain the darkest days of the whole universe. This continues to be an event all about Earth with no true difference to other events that we have seen DC do were in the end Superman comes in and beats the big bad.

Now while I am complaining a lot about the story I will give Johns credit for his solid writing of all the characters involved. Johns has a great handle of Barry, Mera, and Atom as well as the other of Earth’s heroes he uses in this issue. Even Lex Luthor does get his own moment in this issue. It was all solid dialogue if this was a story and event that only affected the Earth.

But again this event is not taking place just on Earth. This is supposed to be an event that looks to shatter the whole universe in pieces. Even though Johns is providing solid dialogue with all of the characters there is just no clear plot progression. Even the ending felt like it was more of an ending for the second issue.

The real story of Blackest Night is actually being told in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. Green Lantern #47 had more plot progression in that one issue alone than these first four issues of Blackest Night. It is freaking amazing reading the clear discrepancy in the quality of storytelling between the two GL books and this series that is supposed to be able to stand alone without relying on other titles to help it.

I would even say that the Batman and Titans tie-in mini-series were much better told, and that we actually found out more about what the Black Lanterns are in those tie-ins. I was actually surprised that Batman (Dick Grayson) and Dove did not play a more important role in this issue as they both found out key information to helping the rest of the hero community on Earth.

Finally, the whole ending with Nekron showing himself to be the big bad to Barry at the end was just the ultimate ‘meh’ ending. Thanks to early spoilers on DC and Johns part the Nekron reveal wasn’t much of a reveal, as it was expected to be coming into these last two issues. Honestly while having Nekron be revealed as the supposed big bad of the series that controls the Black Lantern Corps may hold more weight with older DC fans for me, as a casual DC reader, this does nothing to excite me. When I got to the end of this comic and saw Nekron appear I couldn’t have cared less for a villain who, from what I’ve been told and read, is a D-list villain, at best.

I think what hurts this ending more is actually not that it was spoiled a few months ago or that I don’t care about Nekron. What really hurts this reveal is that after four issues the Black Lanterns are boring villains. Johns just continues to hit the same note with the Black Lanterns that have made them very dull villains, and because they have dominated these four issues along with the two GL books and tie mini-series that this event needs more. And that is where the War of Lights would have helped this title much more as then maybe the Black Lanterns would not have become so dull by the midway point of this event.

Now the saving grace of this issue, and this whole event, is Ivan Reis phenomenal artwork. Even with a dull and slow story involving the Black Lanterns he continues to shine with all of his artwork. And a lot of credit must also go to his inkers Oclair Albert and Joe Prado and colorist Alex Sinclair for making the art look so great. Even though I couldn’t have cared less about the Nekron reveal at the end Ivan Reis and his crew did a great job at least making him look like a bad ass at the end of the issue.

Issue Rating
Story: 3.7/10 – While Geoff Johns provides some solid dialogue he does a poor job creating a story that is interesting. So far this has been a perfect example of good dialogue does not equal good story. Johns is making each passing issue of this main book more boring than the last.
Art: 9.6/10 – Ivan Reis continues to be providing this event some great artwork. His great artwork, with the help of his inkers and colorist, is able to breathe some life into what has been a dull and slow story.
Overall: 6.65/10 – Blackest Night #4 was yet another disappointing chapter in DC’s big event. This event just continues to be one slow moving story with villains that have already become boring. Johns is going to need more than just the Nekron reveal in the last half of this event to make this a much more interesting story.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Blackest Night #4 Review