Fantastic Four #571

Creative Team
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Dale Eaglesham
Colorist: Paul Mounts

Story – Solve Everything Part 2

Review
I love the first issue of Hickman and Eaglesham’s run on the Fantastic Four and this issue continues the momentum from the first issue as they combine to deliver another fantastic (pun slightly intended) issue. One of the things many writers have forgotten about the Fantastic Four is that they aren’t a typical superhero team. This team is more about the grand adventures the group has in locations that can only be seen in a reader’s imagination. And many writers have forgotten this Fantastic Four has not been the same since Waid and Wieringo’s run on this title. But Hickman and Eaglesham are able to tap into this aspect of the Fantastic Four and show why when done right this is one of the most fun comics on the market.

What I love about what Hickman is doing is that he is exploring more of what makes Reed Richard’s tick as we see him deal with the decision of leaving his family to join The Council to help all universes or stay in his universe with his family. For a man like Reed that likes to be able to solve all the world’s problems this is one of the hardest decisions he can make since he wants to help make all worlds a better place but at his heart is a family man. And it was great to see the exploration of these ideas especially all of Reed’s conversations with his other versions from the other universes. Hickman allows his imagination run wild in these scenes which is great to see as it is something not normally done anymore by comic book writers.

Also I really enjoyed how Hickman broke down the relationship between Reed and Susan. Out of all the couples in comics this is the strongest relationship we have. Hickman does a nice job showing that no matter what Reed and Susan know each other better than anyone else so they know when something is off with the other one. The conversation the two have in this issue makes Reed’s choice even more interesting as we see how conflicted Reed really is without him telling Susan everything.

I also did enjoy the scene between Johnny and Franklin. I love that Hickman continues the sub-plot that Dan Slott set-up in the Spider-Man/Human Torch mini-series by showing Franklin as a fan of Spider-Man which pisses his Uncle Johnny off. The banter between the two was spot on and injects some much needed comedy to a very high concept issue.

Eaglesham’s artwork in this issue was phenomenal. It was even better than his work on the first issue he did on this series. Though I wish Eaglesham would tone down the muscular look he is giving the 616 Reed there is no doubt his artwork is phenomenal. I love how Eaglesham portrays the different Reeds and all the different worlds. His artwork does a wonderful job bringing Hickman’s story to life.

Issue Rating
Story: 9.1/10 – Hickman again delivers a strong issue. He has a great understanding what makes each character in this title great especially Reed.
Art: 9.7/10 – Eaglesham’s artwork is great yet again. He does an excellent job bringing Hickman’s wild story to life.
Overall: 9.4/10 – Fantastic Four #571 was another phenomenal read. This title is quickly becoming one of the best comics on the market. If you haven’t read these first two issues of Hickman and Eaglesham’s run I highly recommend picking them up as you will not want to miss out on what should be a awesome run.

Nova #29

Creative Team
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artist: Kevin Sharpe
Inker: Nelson Pereira
Colorist: Bruno Hang

Story – Starstalker

Review
Since the beginning of this series Nova has been one of the most consistently entertaining comics I get each month and this issue is no different. DnA continue to do a great job developing Richard Rider as a A-list superhero who no matter the situation is able to handle everything that comes with being Nova Prime.

What is fun to see is how Richard interacts with the new Nova Corps members as everyone in the new corps are still rookies. Even though the group he takes with him on the mission to survey the aftermath of War of Kings have some experience they are still rookies to the Nova powers. And it is great to see Richard being shown to be a great leader as he continues to have the aura that has earned him the respect of those around him.

And I like that we are seeing Robbie becoming much more mature and trusting with what his brother has to do. At first Robbie was a very annoying character who I thought would die in the last story arc but now I am starting to like the character. It is nice to see him tell the other Nova Corp members in the control to trust that Richard knows what he is doing.

I liked the ending of this issue as it came to a surprise with how quickly everything happened. It is clear DnA have a wealth of stories to tell spinning out of War of Kings and this issue is a perfect example of some of the great ideas they have in store for Marvel’s cosmic characters heading into Realm of Kings.

Issue Rating
Story: 8.5/10 – DnA continue to make this a fun read as they have a strong grasp of all the characters involved in the story.
Art: 7.8/10 – Kevin Sharpe’s artwork did a very good job with the cosmic environment for the story. The only thing keeping the art from being great is some minor inconsistencies.
Overall: 8.15/10 – Nova #29 was another fun read. With everything that has happened with War of Kings and the aftermath of the event this is a great time to jump onto Nova, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy, as the stories are only going to get better.

Superman: Secret Origins #1

Creative Team
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Inker: Jon Sibal
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Story – Book One: The Boy of Steel

Review
Originally I was not going to pick up this mini-series but after being convinced by my LCS to read it I must say I am glad I picked it up. Just as the work Johns and Frank’s did in the Brainiac arc last year the team combined to tell a great Superman story.

Before I continue I will say that this issue, and most likely the entire series, does not add anything to Superman’s origin. The truth is Superman’s origin isn’t anything new and an origin that does not need to be retold. Superman’s origin is one of the simplest origins in comics and is the one most fans and the general public knows.

The good thing is that this is the only weakness of this issue. Johns does a solid job telling Clark’s origin and presenting it in a very intriguing way that both Superman fans and non Superman fans, like me, to enjoy this mini-series. The greatest complement I can pay to this issue is that it very much feels like what Bendis and Bagley did with Spider-Man’s origin in Ultimate Spider-Man. And the truth is after reading this issue I wouldn’t mind it if after this mini-series Johns and DC Entertainment somehow used this to launch their own Ultimate Universe. Something like this is very much needed to get new readers into the DCU just like the Ultimate Universe did to re-invigorate the Marvel 616-Universe.

What also helped to make this a great read is that at no time does Johns try to make it feel like this is the first time the reader is reading Superman’s origin. Instead he is just trying to make Superman’s origin fit in with what has happened in today’s world, like Ultimate Spider-Man did to Peter’s origin. This is not the campy version of Clark’s origin instead we see a Clark who is vulnerable and yet to have the confidence he has in the current DCU as Superman one of the greatest heroes ever.

And even though he does have these amazing powers this issue grounds Clark’s origin much more and makes him much more relatable than the God like figure he becomes in the future. What helped this story more was Clark’s interaction with Lana. It is fun seeing Clark’s early relationship with Lana before Lois ever came into the picture and both characters have some nice chemistry.

The same goes for the interaction between Clark and Lex though for different reason. It is interesting to see the two meet and how they don’t even know what the future holds with one another and how their lives will be in the future.

What really sold me with this series though is Gary Frank’s artwork. His artwork in this issue is just plain phenomenal. He does a great job with all of the various emotional expressions of the characters in this issue. I also love the Clark vs. the Tornado where we see Clark save Lana in his first time using his super flight.

Issue Rating
Story: 8.2/10 – Johns does a very good job retelling Superman’s origin and grounding the character as he is still a confused teenager trying to figure out who he is.
Art: 9/10 – Frank’s artwork is phenomenal. Frank is my favorite Superman artist. This is how a Superman book should look like.
Overall: 8.6/10 – Superman: Secret Origins #1 was a great read. Johns and Frank combine to tell a fun story about what Clark was like before becoming Superman. Even though I am not a fan of Superman Johns and Frank have me very interested in reading the history of the character. I highly recommend picking up this mini-series even if you are not a Superman fan.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1

Creative Team
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Steve McNiven
Inkers: Dexter Vines and Mark Morales
Colorist: Morry Hollowell

Story – Old Man Logan: Conclusion

Review
After a long delay the conclusion of “Old Man Logan” is here and what an ending it was. Even with all the delays this was well worth the ending that we got here. Millar and McNiven combined to give us a kick-ass ending.

The only negative this issue has other than the long delay is the $4.99 price tag Marvel placed on this issue. But that is more about what Marvel did as this supposed Giant-Size issue didn’t have many good extras since the extras was basically a collection of all the covers for this story arc and some sketches. They were very lame extras for the price this issue had and would have preferred it if the whole page count was more of a continuation of Wolverine vs. Hulk since the fights seemed shorter than it should have been.

With that out of the way I must say I enjoyed the hell out of this issue. This was just a spectacular ending to this epic story Millar has been telling. What I liked that Millar did most in this issue is that he kept all the dialogue to the minimum. He knew that he had to let McNiven tell the story with his artwork. And man no one tells a story like McNiven. His artwork is just phenomenal and just an example why it is worth the wait to let a great artist to take his time with the artwork. McNiven is one of the only artist in the industry I am willing to wait to get an issue/series with his artwork as his artwork is just phenomenal with how much detail he puts in his art.

As for the story Millar told in this issue I like that he decided to end the story with Wolverine vs. Hulk. Even though the story of both these characters fighting one another has been told before I must say this is the best fight I have seen the two participate in. The fighting was just brutal and seeing Wolverine kill each member of Hulk’s incest created family was incredible and not for the squeamish. It was fantastic thing to see as it is not something seen in comics often. It showed us the Wolverine that is the best at what he does and not the PC version of the character we have often gotten lately in the X-titles and New Avengers.

I also like that Millar had Hulk be the one responsible to bring back the Wolverine side of Logan. Wolverine’s origin will forever be tied with the Hulk as he made his first appearance back Incredible Hulk #180. And having Logan take the last surviving member of Hulk’s family to raise for himself brings everything full circles as we see one of his greatest enemies baby and turn him into a force for good to fight side by side with.

And much credit to Millar for the ending. While the whole riding into the sunset is a bit of a cliché it is one of the harder endings for a writer to pull of successfully. But Millar pulls it off as Logan sets of to bring the law back to a lawless country. Hopefully if Marvel ever comes back to the Old Man Logan world it is Millar and McNiven as the creative team for the sequel as it would be hard for any creative team to follow-up what has been done with this world they created.

Issue Rating
Story: 10/10 – Millar does a great job with all the dialogue and it is great to see a writer know when to allow an artist to tell the story. Millar did a fantastic job giving us the best fight between Wolverine and Hulk we have ever had.
Art: 10/10 – McNiven’s artwork was just breathtaking. His artwork brings the story to life and no one does epic stories like McNiven.
Overall: 10/10 – Wolverine: Old Man Logan #1 was a phenomenal read. I love the world Millar and McNiven has created as being very rich and detailed. I highly recommend picking up this story when it comes out in hardcover next month.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Weekly Comic Book Reviews for 9/23/09

Amazing Spider-Man #606

Creative Team
Writer: Fred Van Lente (Story 1 and 2); Brian Reed (story 3)
Artists: Javier Pulido (Story 1); Luke Ross (Story 2); Yanick Paquentte (Story 3)
Inkers: Rick Magyar (Story 2); Mark Framer (Story 3)
Colorists: Javier Rodriguez (Story 1); Rob Schwager (Story 2); Nathan Fairbairn (Story 3)

Stories – The Girl (Story 1); Models Stink (Story 2); Match.Con (Story 3)

Review
If I were to sum up Amazing Spider-Man #606 in a few words it would be that this is just another solid issue of Amazing Spider-Man. I know that a lot of Spider-Man fans were turned off by the whole One More Day and Brand New Day thing, but I am here to say that it is time to forgive Marvel for those two storylines and return to this title. Amazing Spider-Man has really returned to the form it once was back when I first started reading this title as it continues to turn in one good read after another. I would even say that for the past 6 months I have not read one issue of this series that I did not like.

This issue was a nice epilogue to what Fred Van Lente did with The Red Headed Stranger. Van Lente tied up some loose ends with this issue, mainly Peter’s relationship with Michele, in the second story which was a nice story of Peter trying to ignore Michele the entire time. I will say that when Peter revealed that it was Chameleon, who was impersonating Peter at the time, that Michele actually made out with was very funny. And it was interesting that Van Lente left the relationship open between the two so that they may end up going out later on.

Also while the Raptor story in this issue was interesting I will say I am going to pass on the “Who is Ben Reilly?” arc that is going to happen after the Black Cat arc since I am not too interested in revisiting the Clone Saga again. And this is one of the nice things about this series right now as I am sure that I can skip this story and pick it up again for the Deadpool one-shot story and The Gauntlet.

The first story also did a nice job with answering some of the questions of what happened between Peter and MJ and what lead to them breaking up. I am glad that the Van Lente showed it wasn’t simply the deal Mephesto that broke them up but that it was Peter continuing his life as Spider-Man that was the cause of them breaking up. By doing this it helps make the break up between the two more grounded and realistic as it is belivable that MJ would be frustrated by keeping Peter’s secret of being Spider-Man and unable to deal with the constant worry of Peter’s disappearances.

Also I liked that MJ got have a heroic moment in this issue as she showed she wasn’t just some damsel in distress and was the one to save her then boyfriend. It was cool how Van Lente parallel MJ keeping Peter’s secret with her boyfriend asking to keep his addiction to MGH a secret from the cops which lead her to breaking up with him.

The final story was my favorite out of the three. Brian Reed, in his first job as part of the Spider-Man Brain Trust, did a fantastic job mixing some great drama, comedy, and action in this series. And it actually was not an easy thing to do since the final story was yet another story about Peter and Harry’s friendship and them trying to get some dates which has been told plenty of times the past year.

What made the story stand out was that it was more of a Peter Parker story than a Spider-Man one as the Spider-Man part of the story played a small part and used to inject some action into the story. It was great seeing Peter luck not working for him as he struggles to get a girlfriend, which nicely parallels his break-up with Michele. Also this nicely sets-up Black Cat’s return as she is sure to cause even more trouble in Peter’s love life.

Also I got to give Javier Pulido, Luke Ross, Yanick Paquentte for each providing some great artwork for each story. Javier Pulido had a nice Marcos Martin look to his artwork while Luke Ross art felt similar Phil Jimenez Spider-Man artwork. Though the stand out of the three is Paquentte who provide some of the best artwork I have seen from him. It was just great and kudos for all the great artwork the three provided.

Issue Rating
Story: 8.5/10 – Van Lente and Reed did a great job with the writing for their stories. The writing was a great mix of the drama, comedy, and action you expect from an Amazing Spider-Man issue.
Art: 8.8/10 – Pulido, Ross, and Paquentte all provide some great artwork that fit the feel of each story. Hopefully each one of these artist are given an Amazing Spider-Man arc in the future as they are a great fit for this series.
Overall: 8.65/10 – Amazing Spider-Man #606 was another solid read. If you have yet to give Amazing Spider-Man a try I highly recommend picking up this series up as this series has been solid for the past six or so months.

Batgirl #2

Creative Team
Writer: Bryan Q. Miller
Artist: Lee Garbett
Inkers: Trevor Scott and Sandra Hope
Colorist: Guy Major

Story – Batgirl Rising: Point of New Origin Part Two

Review
Just like Red Robin I want to like this series. But unlike Red Robin this Batgirl is not a badly written series. Bryan Q. Miller has a good handle of all the characters involved especially Stephanie. The problem with this series is that the story is just average and it doesn’t feel like much is going to happen other than Stephanie becoming and being accepted as the new Batgirl.

Even though Miller tries to show that Stephanie can carry her own series I just don’t think Stephanie is that type of characters as she is more of a supporting character than a star of a series. Miller did do a good job trying to give Steph a supporting cast but so far none of them seem to be characters that will stick around.

Also I didn’t like that Steph went in not asking any questions after her friend was given spiked punch. Instead Steph just took out her torn up Batgirl costume and took out the guy she thought was the one who drugged her friend without any serious backing to prove he was the person. Instead we see that she was completely wrong and it was Scarecrow who provided the drug. Steph needs to develop more detective skills as she is seriously lacking in that department.

The thing I did like about this issue was Steph and Barbara’s conversations throughout the issue. I am starting to like the idea that Barbara has to mentor Steph even though she may not want to risk the life of another teenager. It puts Barbara in an interesting parallel to Dick’s current situation with Damian as they both have to mentor someone who does not want to be mentored. I hope that as the series progresses Barbara starts letting people in as this whole distancing herself from people can get annoying, that is if I stay on this title long enough to see it.

Issue Rating
Story: 6.3/10 – Miller provided some solid dialogue but it was nothing that convinced me of the longevity of this series.
Art: 6.7/10 – Lee Garnett provided some good artwork, though it was inconsistent in certain points of the issue.
Overall: 6.5/10 – Batgirl #2 was an average read. While fans of Batgirl and Stephanie specifically will enjoy this issue I am not sure this series has enough to draw in your casual fan yet.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #4

Creative Team
Writer: Paul Dini
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Inker: Derek Fridolfs
Colorist: John Kalisz

Story – Business

Review
Paul Dini is really showing to be one of the best Batman writers as he has made Streets of Gotham the best out of all the Batman books currently published. Which is what makes it sad that Chris Yost will be filling in with the writing duties in the next issue as it feels like it kills the momentum of this series. But thankfully Dini will be back in December.

As for this issue this was my favorite comic book of the week. Dini continues to show that Batman does not have to be around the whole issue to make a Batman issue interesting. Like Morrison pointed out in this week’s Batman and Robin Gotham City is a living, breathing city were something is always happening somewhere in the city. And Dini does a great job exploring this issue as he gives focus to Hush, The Great White Shark, Zsasz, and a new character in The Broker.

Even though Dick did not appear until the end of the issue as Batman it made his appearance in the issue feel more special and keeps to the whole keeping in the shadows thing Batman has going. It was great seeing Batman at the end of the issue to beat the snot out of The Broker to make him know that Batman knows what he is up to. Very good scene to show that Dick is becoming adopting more of the aggressive ways of doing things like Bruce used to do while also making him a different Batman than Bruce was.

All the villain scenes in this issue were great and I especially loved Hush part of the story with the Creeper watching him. They had a great interaction with one another. The only thing I wished was that we got to see Zsasz vision again.

The only real weak part of this issue was the Manhunter back-up. After the last back-up showed that the story had promise I thought this one was just average. I am still hopeful this back-up will get better.

Issue Rating
Story: 9/10 – Paul Dini gave us another excellent issue of Streets of Gotham. Dini does a great job showing the challenges Dick faces now that he is Batman.
Art: 8.2/10 – While I am not a big fan of Dustin Nguyen I have to say he did do a very good job with the main story of this issue. His art did a nice job fleshing out this issue that was mostly a talking heads issue.
Overall: 8.6/10 – Batman: Streets of Gotham #4 was another phenomenal read in what is the best Batman title on the market. If you have yet to pick up this series I recommend picking up this initial arc on trade paperback.

Captain America: Reborn #3

Creative Team
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice
Colorist: Paul Mounts

Story – Reborn part 3

Review
This is the first issue in this mini-series that I actually enjoyed. The first two issue have been okay but they have never been up to the quality that an Ed Brubaker written Captain America. While this issue wasn’t at that level yet is was still a fun issue.

What made this issue better than the first two is that was the first time were I felt for Steve and his predicament. I am actually starting to wonder what Steve will do once he reaches the point when he is arrested and is taken to court. It will be an interesting choice that Steve will have to make most likely in the next issue.

Also I really liked everything that happened with Bucky in this issue. They were some nice scenes. I especially liked how Ant-Man got involved. And with the ending things should get interesting for Steve and Bucky.

What made this a good issue was how Brubaker explored some of the major events in Captain America’s life during his life as part of the Avengers. What made these scenes great was Bryan Hitch’s artwork which was the best it has been in this series. It was just phenomenal artwork that we got in this issue. This issue makes me hope that whenever Marvel has their next big event that they consider Hitch to be the artist as he provided some great artwork for the big Avengers events.

Credit also has to go to Butch Guice who helped give this issue a similar grounded look that Captain America has had throughout Brubaker’s run. This issue makes me hope that whenever Marvel has their next big event that they consider Hitch to be the artist as he provided some great artwork for the big Avengers events.

Issue Rating
Story: 7.3/10 – While still having some rough moments Brubaker delivered a much better read in this issue. All the dialogue was really solid in this issue.
Art: 9.5/10 – Hitch and Guice combined to deliver some incredible artwork in this issue. They are giving this mini-series a big event feel to it even though Marvel is saying it isn’t.
Overall: 8.4/10 – Captain America: Reborn #3 was a very good issue as the story begins to move and sets things up for the final two issues to be great.

Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #1

Creative Team
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Steve Kurth
Inker: Jeff Huet
Colorist: Guru eFX

Story – Ultimate Armor Wars Part 1

Review
Just as Warren Ellis showed in the Extremis storyline a few years ago he writes a great Tony Stark. And with everything going on with the 616 version of the character it is great to read the Tony I have been reading since I was kid. This is the Tony that is most interesting. I just don’t know why 616 Tony can’t be like Ultimate Tony because this is the version of the character everyone should be reading.

Now this first issue of the newest Ultimate Comics series, though just a mini-series, was mostly a set-up issue. But Ellis does a fantastic job setting up all the pieces for the story to make this mini-series a fun action packed series. What I liked most about this issue is how Ellis gives this series feel like I am reading a big budget movie and is almost Bond-esque in how it is set-up. We meet the love interest, an enemy is quickly shown, an important artifact is stolen and our hero will save the day while having a drinking martini.

Steve Kurth provides some great artwork in this issue and he makes this feel like an Iron Man book as he does a great job drawing all the tech and the various characters involved in this series. And with this being the first time I see Kurth’s artwork he really impressed me with how well he drew everything and am wondering why I’ve never seen his artwork before. Also credit to his inker and colorist Jeff Huet and Guru eFX, respectively, for giving his artwork a nice clean look to it.

Issue Rating
Story: 8.6/10 – Ellis did a fantastic job setting up the pieces for his story. He writes one of the best Tony Starks around and he really nails the character in this series.
Art: 8.8/10 – Kurth did a great job on the artwork for this issue as he gives this mini-series a big blockbuster feel to it.
Overall: 8.7/10 – Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #1 was a great read. I highly recommend picking this four issue mini-series up as it looks to be a highly entertaining mini-series. Now if only Invincible Iron Man could be this good.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Weekly Comic Book Reviews for 9/16/09

Also be sure to catch my reviews for Batgirl #1 and Daredevil #500 that I will be posting later this week over at Rokk’s Comic Book Revolution. Alright time to get to this week’s reviews.

Amazing Spider-Man #603

Creative Team
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Robert Atkins
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Jeromy Cox

Story – Red-Headed Stranger: Deconstructing Peter

Review
After two issues of average issues in this “Red-Headed Stranger” arc Van Lente finally picks things up with a great third part to this story arc. Amazing Spider-Man #603 is the best issue so far in this story arc that has so far been average.

While it felt as though Chameleon was able to get away with BS his way through acting like Peter Parker to easily it was a lot of fun seeing how he was able to mess Peter’s life up more than it already was. From doing it with Michele to calling Flash puny to showing MJ a picture of Gwen it was all great way to mess with Peter’s life in a subtle way for Van Lente give this series more drama in Peter’s life when he beats Chameleon and returns to his life. The best part was how he pointed out that Peter hangs around a bunch of gorgeous woman. It is something we have all noticed and it was nice seeing someone outside of Peter’s circle pointing this out.

Though I wish that we would finally get to see an actual Peter and MJ meeting. So far Van Lente has been able to get away with having the two actually having a conversation but I hope we see them have a conversation in person so that we can get an answer to the question left unanswered.

Still Van Lente did a nice job with the meeting between “Peter” and MJ in this issue as we see that not all things were pleasant in that relation. It actually makes me wonder even more what happened between the two and if MJ really does know Peter is Spider-Man.

As for the art in this issue, it was some solid artwork provided by Robert Atkins. It was nothing spectacular but for a talking heads issue it was still good artwork. Though I wish Amazing Spider-Man could get one artist working on an arc instead of changing in each issue.

Issue Rating
Story: 8.4/10 – Fred Van Lente did a great with having Chameleon live Peter’s life and mess Peter’s life up even more. The developments in this issue should lead to some interesting conversation for Peter once he takes his life back from Chameleon.
Art: 7.8/10 – Atkins provided some solid artwork for an issue that was mostly talking heads.
Overall: 8.2/10 – Amazing Spider-Man #602 was a step up from the average issues that we have gotten so far from “The Red-Headed Stranger.” Look forward to seeing how Spider-Man and Chameleon’s confrontation ends in the next issue.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #3

Creative Team
Writers: Paul Dini (main story); Marc Andreyko (back-up)
Artists: Dustin Nguyen (main story); George Jeanty (back-up)
Inkers: Derek Fridolfs (main story); Karl Story and Jack Purcell (back-up)
Colorists: John Kalisz (main story); Nick Filardi (back-up)

Story – Hush Money (main story); Under My Skin (back-up)

Review
Paul Dini continues to show why Batman: Streets of Gotham is currently the strongest out of the Bat-titles right now. Even though this third issue isn’t as strong as the second issue of this series overall Dini has been doing a fantastic job with what life without Bruce around actually looks like.

What is most enjoyable about this issue, and this series so far, is that we get to see how much the deck is stacked against Dick Grayson as his transition into being Batman is being met with plenty of challenges. Though I haven’t been the biggest fan of Hush, Loeb’s Hush story was good but didn’t like the Heart of Hush story arc, I like the new role of him posing as Bruce Wayne as it gives Dick a more personal challenge to face as he sees some stealing his father’s identity right in front of him. I loved how Dr. Elliot used some of the Wayne fortune to buy the factory that turned Joker into what he is, and as Elliot told Batman and Robin, it does a nice job giving a middle finger to the Wayne legacy.

I didn’t really like that Dick used his allies to intimidate Dr. Elliot to stop messing with his father legacy. It just to easy for Elliot to call Dick out on his bluff as it is hard to believe that all of the superheroes would rotate shifts just to keep an eye on what Elliot does as Bruce Wayne.

Still what I did like about this is we see the difference between Dick and Bruce as Batman as Dick has always been seen as the second most trusted hero in the DCU next to Superman. So it is in-character, and it is unsurprising, that unlike Bruce that Dick would call in his friends from the superhero community for some help. Though I wish we would have seen Dick interact a bit with some of the heroes he called in as we have yet to really see him interact with them since becoming Batman.

I liked the meeting between Black Mask and Zsasz. I love seeing how Zsasz saw the people in Penguin’s place as a bunch of dead bodies. It reaffirms him as a deadly character especially since it has been a while since I read a story with him in it. I will be interested to see how Dick as Batman handles the threat of Zsasz in the next issue as it will be one of his first test against the Batman rogue gallery.

Still I can’t say I am enjoying Black Mask involvement in the gang war. I just don’t find the character to be very interesting. Even though Dini tried his best to make Black Mask sound like a credible villain I just have never liked the character and find him to be on the lower end of Batman’s rogue gallery.

Also while Dustin Nguyen does a good job giving this series a dark and gritty feel that Batman should have I am just not a fan of his work. At times the art comes of as a bit flat. And I just don’t like how Nguyen draws Black Mask as he looks. Also he draws Damian to look a bit to much like Tim as Damian looks like he 16 or 17 and not 12 as he should be.

The Manhunter back-up continues to be average though this issues back-up was much better than the previous two installments. There really isn’t anything wrong with the story but I did like the horror movie chase feel Andreyko gave to the confrontation between Kate and Jane Doe. What hurt the story was Jeanty’s artwork as it was really inconsistent at times with some facial expressions that just did not look right.

Issue Rating
Story: 8.5/10 – Dini continues to tell a great story as he does a nice job balancing the troubles Dick is facing both personally and as Batman.
Art: 7.5/10 – While not a fan of Nguyen artwork he continues to do a good job showing how Gotham continues to take a dark turn without Bruce around.
Overall: 8/10 – Batman: Streets of Gotham #3 was another great read. Though I had a couple problems with the issue overall this was still a very well written issue that continues to make this series the best title out of the current Batbooks.

Wolverine: Weapon X #4

Creative Team
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ron Garney
Colorist: Jason Keith

Story – The Adamantium Men Part 4

Review
Wow! Just wow! I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a Wolverine as much as I enjoyed Wolverine: Weapon X #4. This was just a fun issue to read. Jason Aaron and Ron Garney are just kicking ass with this series. Reading issues like this one is want reminds me why Wolverine is such the big star he is now.

The great thing that Aaron has been able to do in this first arc is to build up a new threat for Wolverine to face that is a great addition to what has become a very small rogue’s gallery for one of comics most famous characters. Chief Executive is just your typical evil CEO that Aaron does a great job making you hate the character because he is evil and not because he is dull like many new villains come off when a writer wants to introduce someone new to a heroes rogue gallery. And the Adamantium Men are also a great addition as his henchmen and challenge for Wolverine.

What I also liked about this issue is the addition of Maverick and HAMMER into the story. HAMMER actually doesn’t come off as evil bastards that work for Norman but just people doing their jobs to protect the country. And it was cool how Maverick used one of the agents to get information in order to help out Wolverine.

Were this issue kicks ass is the fight between Wolverine and one of the Adamantim Men. The fight between the two was just plain awesome that was beautifully drawn by Ron Garney. Wolverine and the guy he was fighting come off as complete badasses. Garney does a heck of a job telling the story with his artwork alone during the fight as it is just one brutal fight.

Issue Rating
Story: 9.6/10 – Aaron just knows how to write a great Wolverine story. He does an excellent job building a new threat for him to face that actually come off as viable villains for Wolverine to face.
Art: 9/10 – This was some of the best work I’ve seen from Garney. His artwork for the fight we get in this issue was just plain awesome.
Overall: 9.3/10 – Wolverine: Weapon X #4 was just a spectacular read. If you have not given this series a try I definitely recommend getting it as this is a comic that is a blast to read.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Weekly Comic Book Reviews for 8/19/09

Adventure Comics #1 (#504)

Creative Team
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Francis Manapul (main story); Clayton Henry (back-up)
Colorist: Brian Buccellato (main story); Brian Reber (back-up)

Story – Superboy The Boy of Steel Part 1 (main-story); Long Live The Legion Part 1 (back-up)

Review
DC has always had a problem trying to get me hooked on their titles outside of Batman. It has only been recently with Sinestro Corps War that I started reading Green Lantern. While I have tried giving several different DC titles a shot I just have DC has never hooked me with most of their titles. This is especially true with Superman related titles. I have probably given Superman and his family of titles more chances to hook me than any other but I just have never read many stories outside of The Death and Return of Superman and the recent Brainiac storyline that I have actually liked. So coming into Adventure Comics #1 I wasn’t very optimistic about this title even if I liked Geoff Johns run on Teen Titans and how he wrote Superboy.

With that said Adventure Comics was a solid start to the new Superboy comic. Johns does a very good job with his characterization of Connor and his relationships with Superman, Krypto, and Ma Kent. It was nice to see that Connor’s death helped him realize that his life with Ma and Pa on the Kent Farm was much better than he originally thought.

Also I liked the mystery that Johns gave us with the swamp monster and how it is looking for Connor. I am not sure if this is a new threat or just an old Superman villain but I am interested to find out what the swamp monster wants with Connor.

With the mystery and Connor new outlook on life I am going to leave this title on my pull list for at least the Blackest Night tie-ins. The only negative about the main story was that not much really happened in this issue as this the main story was more about establishing Connor back to the present which is not such a bad thing.

Now I only wish the back-up was as good as the main-story. I not really too familiar with the Legion of Superheroes but the back-up really did not get me interested in the cast of characters. Overall nothing really happened in the back-up as it was only an introduction to the characters and I didn’t really get a good sense of who the characters really are. And since I am going to be getting the rest of this up to at least the Blackest Night tie-ins I hope Johns does a better job with the Legion story

Issue Rating
Story: 7.3/10 – Geoff Johns did a solid job with the main story with Connor but the Legion back-up story he wrote wasn’t very good.
Art: 8.4/10 – Francis Manapul’s artwork for the main story was gorgeous. Too bad that Clayton Henry’s artwork wasn’t as good as his artwork was just average.
Overall: 7.85/10 – Adventure Comics #1 was a solid start to this new Superboy title and it was enough for me to at least pick up the next few issues of this title.

Amazing Spider-Man #602

Creative Team
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Barry Kitson
Inkers: Barry Kitson and Rick Ketcham
Colorist: Jeromy Cox

Story – Red-Headed Stranger: Tenth of September

Review
The last time Fred Van Lente wrote Amazing Spider-Man was back in the one and done story involving The Spot, which was also his first issue as part of the Spider-Man Brain Trust. In that issue he showed a great sense for Spider-Man and that his writing style is a great fit for Spider-Man. But now after that one and done story he did Van Lente finally gets a shot at writing a multi-issue Amazing Spider-Man arc. And this first issue of this new Chameleon story arc was a good, but not great, start to the latest Spider-Man story.

In truth this wasn’t a great issue of Amazing Spider-Man there really isn’t anything wrong with this issue. Van Lente provided plenty of solid dialogue and Barry Kitson did a good job with his artwork and keep the look of the issue consistent.

I liked that Van Lente continued to show Harry is in worse shape than he was before the “American Son” arc. Though I am not really excited to see Harry fall into another state of depression and alcoholism I like that Van Lente used Harry’s problem as a way to get Peter and MJ together to help out a friend.

I also liked the new job Peter got in JJJ’s office. It is a new setting for Peter as he will not be able to wisecrack his way through this job as he won’t be allowed to mess around as much as he did back in the Daily Bugle.

Now the best part of this issue was the Chameleon. Van Lente did a great job making this new and improved Chameleon a much more menacing threat than he was before. I liked what Chameleon did to his victims after he stole their faces. It gave Chameleon a Batman villain feel with how violent it was.

Issue Rating
Story: 7.6/10 – Van Lente writing style is a great fit for Spider-Man as he did a great job giving this issue a nice mix of humor and drama.
Art: 8/10 – Kitson did a good job with the artwork. Hopefully he is given a little more action to illustrate in the next few issues.
Overall: 7.8/10 – Amazing Spider-Man #602 was a solid read that did a good job starting the new Spider-Man arc.

Batman #689

Creative Team
Writer: Judd Winnick
Artist: Mark Bagley
Inkers: Rob Hunter
Colorist: Ian Hannin

Story – Long Shadow Part 2: New Day, New Knight

Review
I feel a bit bad for Judd Winnick because out of the three Batman titles (Batman and Robin, Streets of Gotham, and Batman) the work he has been doing on Batman feels average when compared to the work Morrison and Dini are doing on over on the other two Bat-titles. This isn’t a bad thing as I am enjoying the work Winnick has done so far but so far he hasn’t done enough to set this title apart from the other two Bat-titles. So far Batman has given us good but not great reads, and this issue is no different, which is why this title is third among the three Batman titles.

With that said I did enjoy Batman #689. While I have not liked any of Winnick’s recent work over the past few years I actually like what he is doing on Batman. I am actually surprised that Winnick hasn’t really written anything that has made me hate his writing.

What I like about what Winnick is doing on Batman is exploring the relationship between Dick and Alfred now that Bruce is gone. Dick and Alfred were the closest and most trusted allies to Bruce both in his personal life and in fighting crime as Batman. And while Morrison and Dini have briefly touched upon how both these characters are handling Bruce’s death Winnick is fully exploring this aspect of the characters. And it is actually good to see that both Dick and Alfred are having a hard time with the aftermath of Bruce’s death and that each one of them is helping the other person ease the pain of losing a father and son, respectively. It gives Batman a nice family feel as both Dick and Alfred are showing how close of a family they were with Bruce and that these two characters have a nice father/son relationship that is similar to the one Bruce and Alfred had.

Also it is good to see that Winnick isn’t trying to force Dick to become like Bruce when he puts on the cowl. It makes sense that Dick would be a different Batman in his early adventures as Batman. As of right now he still seems to be acting as he did when he was Nightwing just in the Batman costume. While he will have to adopt more of the darker aspects that made Bruce successful as Batman even in his later years I like that we are seeing a transitional phase with Dick going from being Nightwing to Batman.

And I like that Winnick is using Two-Face as one of the main villains that Dick will have to face in his first adventure as Batman. If done right Two-Face could really become the new Joker for Dick as Batman. Tomasi did a great job in his final arc showing that Dick and Harvey share a long history with one another and it is good to see that Winnick picks up on this fact as it looks like Harvey knows that Nightwing is now the one under the cowl.

As for the art Bagley does a great job with the artwork in this issue. Bagley’s artwork is a great fight with this title as he gives plenty of energy to the fights that Dick’s acrobatic fighting style should have. And I especially liked the scene were we the Batmobile transformed into its flight mode and I look forward to seeing how he illustrates the big fight that was set up in the final page of the issue.

Issue Rating
Story: 7.5/10 – Winnick does a good job exploring more of the emotional aspect of Dick taking up the cowl but has yet to set his story apart from the one Morrison and Dini are telling in their books.
Art: 8.3/10 – Bagley’s art continues to impress. He gives this title a lot of energy and does a good job illustrating the dark scenes as much as the more light and action heavy scenes.
Overall: 7.9/10 – Batman #689 was a good solid read. While it is nothing special it does do a good job giving the reader their money’s worth.

Green Lantern Corps #39

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

Story – Fade to Black

Review
While I have not been enjoying much of Geoff Johns work on Green Lantern and Blackest Night over the past few months I have been immensely enjoying the work that Peter Tomasi has been doing on Green Lantern Corps. And this issue of GLC does a great job not only developing the whole dead are rising aspect of Blackest Night that Johns has been focusing on in the first two Blackest Night and one Green Lantern issues he does an even better job developing the other aspects of the story by giving attention to what is going on with the Sinestro/Mongul Corps, the people in Daxam having powers, and the reaction of the whole Green Lantern Corps to the Black Lantern rings bringing back the dead.

First and foremost Blackest Night is a Green Lantern event and the Green Lantern Corps and the other six Lantern Corps have yet to appear in the event much less react to the Black Lantern threat. And Peter Tomasi does a great job showing that the Black Lanterns are a threat to the whole universe and not just one planet (cough*Earth*cough).

And that is what I have been complaining about with Blackest Night so far as Johns has yet to convince me this is an event that affects the whole universe. Tomasi doesn’t even show us the War of Light but what he does do is show us that the universe is about to go through one of its worse disasters in history by showing us how the Black Lanterns are already starting their attack on Oa.

I also liked that Tomasi continued to develop the Daxam storyline and Mongul’s takeover of the Sinestro Corp. What made those two scenes even more powerful by Patrick Gleason’s artwork. Gleason does a great job giving all the characters plenty of emotion and knows how to use light and darkness in scenes to make them more powerful.

The only thing I would have liked is that we would have gotten this issue before Blackest Night #2 as this issue, just like Blackest Night#1, felt like a set-up to the event. This issue would have benefited much more by being released before Blackest Night #2 as by now the dead rising from the grave isn’t the “WOW” feeling it had in Blackest Night#1.

Issue Rating
Story: 8/10 – Tomasi continues to tell a superior story than the one Johns is telling and he did a great job showing us how big Blackest Night really is.
Art: 8/10 – Gleason’s artwork is as great as it has always been. He does a great job capturing the sci-fi feel of this book.
Overall: 8/10 – Green Lantern Corps #39 was another solid issue by Tomasi and Gleason. GLC #39 did a much better job convincing me that Blackest Night is a big epic event that threatens to destroy the whole universe and not just one planet.

Red Robin #3

Creative Team
Writer: Christopher Yost
Artist: Ramon Bachs
Colorist: Guy Major

Story – The Grail Part 3

Review
Out of all the Batman: Reborn books out Red Robin has shown itself to be the weak link in the bunch. Yost has not made me invested in the story that Bruce is alive and that Tim is not crazy for believing it. So far Yost hasn’t made me believe that Tim is not crazy as he has yet to show the reader that there is one shred of evidence for our protagonist, Tim, to believe it other than he has a gut feeling. Even in this issue Yost tries to use that it may have to do with when Tim was infected with the Anti-Life Equation that he feels this way which is still not believable.

The Tim I am reading in Red Robin just does not look or read like the Tim Drake that has been written before this series. Tim continues to say that no one is trying to help him other than Ra’s but we have seen in these first three issues that Dick, Stephanie, and Cassie are trying to reach out to help him. Tim isn’t showing himself to being one of the best detectives around. Instead Tim just comes off as a very crazy and unstable person.

Also what doesn’t help Yost story is that the character already went through a similar storyline after Infinite Crisis when he became depressed and reclusive after Connor, and later Bart, died. And with both of his best friends back I don’t see why Tim is really pushing everyone one away and only trusting Ra’s. If anything Tim just seems like another version of Jason Todd, who also used the Red Hood name to cross lines that Batman and the Batfamily couldn’t cross. Yost really needs to give the reader more than just pure gut feeling by Tim to believe that this is a useless adventure that will only lead the character to become worse.

Issue Rating
Story: 4.7/10 – Yost story does far has been very thin read. He has yet to make me believe that Tim’s journey to find Bruce holds any logic to it.
Art: 5.5/10 – The art for this issue doesn’t make matters better. Red Robin #3 wasn’t a very good looking book as most of Ramon Bach artwork is very inconsistent through the issue.
Overall: 5.1/10 – Red Robin #3 was another weak read. So far out of all the Batman: Reborn titles this has been the weak link in the group.

The Marvels Project #1

Creative Team
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting
Colorist: Dave Stewart

Story – The Beginning

Review
When a series has the creative team of Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting you do not need much to convince me to get the series. The team of Brubaker and Epting has been just money on Captain America. What makes this story of the same team telling the story of the Golden Age characters from Marvel’s history is that they have already been exploring some of the Golden Age throughout their run. And just looking at Captain America it can be said that they have been setting up to tell this story for a while on Captain America.

For a first issue Brubaker and Epting do a good job hooking me into this story. While this first issue was a slow start to this mini-series I really enjoyed the narrative focus on of this issue being told mostly from Thomas Halloway, who is the future Angel. It is an interesting choice made by Brubaker and for this first issue it works as an introduction to the WWII setting of Marvel’s Golden Age.

There isn’t much to say about this issue other than it was just good solid story telling that sets up the rest of this mini-series. And really that is all this issue was, as it works as a set-up for the rest of the series to introduce all the heroes of Marvel’s WWII stories in Captain America, Human Torch, Namor, Angel, and others.

Issue Rating
Story: 7.7/10 –Brubaker used this whole first issue to set-up the rest of this story. He provided plenty of solid dialogue to establish the main players of this mini-series.
Art: 9.2/10 – As always Epting’s artwork is very impressive in this issue. He does a great job giving The Marvels Project #1 a very grounded and gritty look that feels like we are going to be in store for a great espionage story.
Overall: 8.45/10 –The Marvels Project #1 was a solid start to the re-telling of Marvel’s Golden Age. If you have been enjoying Brubaker and Epting’s run on Captain America than this series is definitely worth checking out.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #001

Creative Team
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David LaFuente
Colorist: Justin Ponsor

Story – A World According to Peter Parker

Review
There isn’t anywhere else I can start this review for Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #001 than by saying that this was another quality issue by Bendis that this series was known for throughout the 133 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man. In truth, while this series has been renumbered with a new #1 this issue very much feels like issue #134 of Ultimate Spider-Man.

This issue is everything I expect an Ultimate (Comics) Spider-Man penned by Bedis to be like. It has great humor, action, drama and solid character dialogue. It is an interesting dynamic that Bendis gave this issue as Spider-Man is seen as a hero and well liked by New York City but is having trouble with his new job. It is a interesting change from were Ultimate Spider-Man used to be as before the 6 month time skip Peter was actually holding down a solid job at the Daily Bugle and was hated as Spider-Man by the city.

And Bendis does a great job building up Ultimate Mysterio as a credible threat already with the actions he took at the end of the issue. Even though Bendis introduced to the character back in the third annual we never got to really see Ultimate Mysterio as a viable threat. But with the actions the character took in this issue it looks like Peter will be having his hands full in later issues

There were only two complaints I had with this issue. The first is the $3.99 price increase. We aren’t getting anymore content than we did when this series was simply called Ultimate Spider-Man. What I recommend Marvel to do to make the price increase not seem as bad is instead of publishing a four Ultimate Comics title is to put back-ups for the Ultimate Fantastic Four, X-Men, or other ultimate characters in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man to make up for the price increase.

As for the issue itself I really did not like the new Peter/Gwen relationship Bendis introduced in this issue. It just doesn’t feel since Bendis have always shown these two characters to share a brother-sister relationship and the new relationship just feels wrong.

Now as for the art David LaFuente artwork kicked ass in this issue. I loved his artwork for this issue. LaFuente inserts plenty of energy into every scene. The manga/anime style that LaFuente gave this issue does a good job giving this Ultimate Comics Spider-Man a much different look than most comic books Marvel and DC published that is refreshing to see.

Issue Rating
Story: 9.4/10 – Minor complaint aside Bendis provided some great mix of humor, drama, action and character work that this series has been known for.
Art: 9.2/10 – LaFuente provide some great artwork and his manga/anime style gives this series a great look that is different from most comics.
Overall: 9.3/10 – Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #001 was just a great read. Bendis was able to make this issue very reader friendly while still not missing a beat from his run on Ultimate Spider-Man. It is great to see that after going through the horror that was Ultimatum that this title continues to be one of the best titles being published right now.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Weekly Comic Book Reviews for 8/12/09

Now it looks like my pull list for this week is dominated by Marvel as I won’t be getting any DC titles this week. This isn’t anything for me new as other the Batman and Green Lantern franchises there isn’t any other titles/project to be excited about that DC is publishing right now. At the same time Marvel just seems to want all my money until I am broke as they publish more titles and projects that peek my interest. What a difference in approaches between the two companies right now. Hmmm!

Oh well! Enough of my small rant for this week now onto this week’s releases:

Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #601 – For the past few months Amazing Spider-Man has actually been providing some very good stories. And after the huge anniversary issue two weeks ago with issue #600 it seems as though this title is going to provide us with some great stories these next year. With this issue bringing back MJ back this issue and story arc should be very interesting as she interacts with both Peter and Spider-Man. Hopefully the supporting cast that the Spider-Man Brain Trust have built up still plays a large role in this issue and is not pushed aside because of MJ’s return. I also look forward to Mario Alberti’s artwork as I was a huge fan of his work on the X-Men/Spider-Man mini-series from last year.

Captain America: Reborn #2 – The first issue of Steve Rogers return was a lack luster return of the character. Even though I did not like the way Ed Brubaker revealed that Steve is still alive I still have faith that he and Hitch can deliver a much better story with this second issue.

Invincible Iron Man #16 – So far I have been mixed with “World’s Most Wanted” arc going on in this title. Matt Fraction has done a good job with building the problems facing Tony and Maria Hill but his execution sometimes makes this story arc read too much like other Iron Man stories from the past. Though with the announcement at SDCC of issue #19 being the final showdown between Tony and Norman I am hopeful Fraction can turn things around and start providing more solid reads on a consistent basis till then.

War of Kings #6 – I can’t believe the final issue is finally here. Time sure flies by when an event comes out on time doesn’t it? DnA and Paul Pelletier have been doing a fantastic good showing all current and future writers and artists of big events should execute big events. War of Kings has done an excellent job in both being a fast paced and methodical read as it has built up to the big confrontation between Black Bolt and Vulcan. And this should be one hell of a final issue as DnA and Pelletier have yet to disappoint with War of Kings. I can’t wait to read this issue.

Movies
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra – Though at first I was very hesitant about this movie being any good, but the more I see of this movie through the commercials and trailers the more I think this won’t be half as bad as I originally thought. If anything I going to go into the movie theater with the same mentality I went in with for Transformers 2: this should be a fun action packed summer blockbuster movie. As long as the movie can deliver with the entertainment like Transformers 2 I will look past the flaws in the story.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Previewing this Week’s Releases: 8/3/09 – 8/9/09

Creative Team
Writer: Bryan Q. Miller (main story) and Sean McKeever (Ravager back-up)
Artist: Joe Bennett (main story) and Yildiray Cinar (Ravager back-up)
Inker: Jack Jadson (main story) and Julio Ferreira (Ravager back-up)
Colorist: Rod Reis (both main and Ravager back-up)

Story – Child’s Play Part 2: Upstairs, Downstairs…

Review
After going through an endless amount of turnover with the team it is finally looking like Teen Titans is getting back on track. Bryan Q. Miller has really done a great job with these two issues bringing back this title to the prominence it once had. Though two issues isn’t enough to ensure that this title will continue to be a quality read it is a good start.

While Teen Titans #73 didn’t have any action Miller was able to make up for it by being able to do plenty of character work for the new team of Teen Titans. While I still do not like Bombshell, as I still find her to be a second rate Ravager, I like the new dynamic that Miller has given the new team. Miller gives each character a distinct voice which is usually the thing most writers of team books have.

Even though the new team of Titans has yet to go on a mission together yet it was fun seeing how Static, Blue Beetle, Eddie, Aquagirl, and Miss Martian act with one another without their leader, Wonder Girl, around. Unlike the previous dozen issues this new team actually acts not like just another team but a group of friends. And when it comes to Teen Titans that is how the team should act.

It was especially fun seeing how without Wonder Girl that everyone on the team turned to Blue Beetle to be the leader even though he has not shown to be a leader yet. It was funny seeing his reaction to everyone turning to him to lead and his nervousness to do so and then having Aquagirl stand up and put everyone in place. In just a few short issues I gotta say Aquagirl is probably my favorite member on the team right now.

The addition of Traci 13 into this story arc is a good use of a guest star in this story arc. In the last issue we saw that Aquagirl and Traci 13 had some animosity between the two, mostly from Aquagirl’s part, because of Aquagirl showing attraction to Blue Beetle. And it is was cool seeing the two girls working together in this issue in order to save Wonder Girl.

Also I liked how Miller developed the latest version of the Fearsome Five. Miller does a good job making the Fearsome Five into a viable threat for the Teen Titans to face and makes it almost even as both teams have plenty of heavy hitters on each side. And the addition of the Calculator telling the Fearsome Five what to do makes the fight between the two teams more unpredictable.

Now I will say there were a couple weaknesses with this issue. The first being the Calculator’s involvement in this story. The last time we saw him he was being taken away by the authorities in Oracle: The Cure mini-series. It would have been nice to see how he escaped just so that we have some continuity with what has recently happened to the character.

The other problem I had with this issue was with the Ravager back-up story we got in this issue. Back during Sean McKeever’s run on Teen Titans the one of thing that he was able to do right with this title was how he handled Rose’s character. Which is it is surprising that he is writing such an underwhelming story with the Rose back-up story. There really isn’t much to the Rose story in this issue as the story involving Rose feels one-dimensional. What would be best for McKeever’s back-up story is if he adds one of the current or former teammates of Rose from the Teen Titans to her story as she is a much better character when she is able to bounce of another character with her dialogue.

Issue Rating
Story: 7.8/10 – Millar does an excellent job building the team dynamic for the new group of Teen Titans and the story with the Fearsome Five return and Calculator’s revenge was well done in this issue. Though I wish I could say the same thing for McKeever’s story but sadly his story was the only real disappointment in the issue.
Art: 8/10 – Joe Bennett’s artwork for the main story and Yildiray Cinar provide plenty of good artwork throughout the issue for both stories.
Overall: 7.9/10 – The problems with the back-up story aside, Teen Titans #73 was another solid issue. Millar and Bennett are doing a great job with the main story in this title. And I can’t wait to see how the battle with the Fearsome Five ends up in the next issue, which is something I have not said about Teen Titans in a while.

Copyright © 2009 Good Books

Teen Titans #73 Review