Weekly Pull List 2-18-15

It's been a few weeks and I have quite a stack built up of almost all the books I am currently reading. Therefore I will be doing snap reviews apart from a handful of them.

I'll start with Wolf Moon 3 of 6. An epic showdown in a mall between the wolf, Dillon, and the mysterious hunter. An epic book that takes place in towns I'm familiar with. Beautiful art. 4 out of 5.

Green Arrow 39. Another story of the bad guy not approving of Arrow's intentional lack of killing. Felicity ets broken out of jail in a story just like the supposed screenplay for the green arrow movie: "Escape from Super Max." Loads of fun and I wish that movie ended up getting made. 2.5 of 5.

Star Wars 2. This issue expertly follows the previous one. I love this series so far. Aaron does good work and I've loved Cassaday's art since I read his and Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men. 4 our of 5.

Loki Agent of Asgard 11. Loki is running around looking for some friends after his big revelation that he isn't who they thought he was. An interesting issue. Could definitely be considered "whiny" or "emo" if it wasn't written so well. Pretty solid issue, but better in it's build up than this story itself. 3.5 out of 5.

Magneto 15. Turns out Magneto allowed himself to be captured in order to get inside and access SHIELD's cerebro substitute. Turns out he has many agents hidden throughout the world. It seems to be building towards a war between Magneto's mutants and SHIELD. 4.5 out of 5.

Thor 5. This issue is all about girl power and it's great. The Goddess of thunder stops a burglary by Crusher Creel and his wife, who refuses to fight Thor because girl power. Sif turns down the Odinson's advances, and Freyja confronts the new Thor to have a discussion. An excellent issue all around and they promise to start addressing who this new Thor is by having the Odinson hunt through his list of possibilities. 5 out of 5.

To wrap up Marvel, Storm 8! An incredible issue that wraps up this arc of Storm's story which involves Davis Harmon picking up scrap from the now destroyed Utopia. An excellent addition to the story and I'm curious as to how this will come back later as it hints toward the end of the issue. 4 out of 5.

IDW put out G.I.Joe 5. Pawns are being moved into place as the three powers continue building. This series has done some incredible world building and I hope the story warrants the slow-burn approach to this book. 3.5 out of 5.

Velvet 9 came out and it's excellent. Velvet now has a companion on her road to freeing herself from the setup. Still a brilliantly written and gorgeously drawn book. 4 out of 5.

Lazarus 15 was released this week and ends the Conclave with a fairly serious trial by combat situation. I really need to go back and read the backmatter to explore more of the extended world and to be more familiar with the other families. 4 out of 5.

Now time for the new book: Sparks Nevada: Marshall on Mars 1. This is the comic adaptation of one of the tales from the Thrilling Adventure Hour. It is certainly the best comic adaptation of a new-time podcast in the style of old-time radio. 3.5 out of 5.

Now some Cullen Bunn time starting with Terrible Lizard 4 of 5. As the penultimate issue in this first series, the action ramps up quite well. It feels like it is coming to an end. It's a great story, but doesn't quite match the brilliance of Super Dinosaur going all out. 2.5 out of 5.

Brides of Helheim 4 pits Rikard against a valkyrie. The serpent-tongue old guy runs off and Rikard's witch friend chases after him to try to take him out. Bad things are about to happen next issue. 3 out of 5.

I also picked up Sixth Gun 46 and Days of the Dead 5. Both great books. The main story wraps up this arc next issue and then there's one last arc before the end of the series. Days of the Dead wraps up in this issue and it definitely deserves a re-read. A very touching story about Drake and Jesup's past and how death changed their relationship. I'll give them both 4 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List 1-14-15

Light weeks these past two weeks. I will start with Terrible Lizard 3. Cullen Bunn and Drew Moss bring us the time displaced Tyrannosaur. After being chased into the city by the military, Wrex has to battle a pair of giant, armored, roly polys appear through a time portal. A great escalation of the story. This is still a kid focused book, so it's not super complex, but it is great fun. I'm excited to see where it's going. 3 out of 5.

Lazarus 14 from Image came out and escalates all the tensions as Forever helps her brother break out into the middle of the ocean and the conclave agrees the conflict will be decided with trial by combat. Forever vs. one of her other Lazarus friends. Another excellent tale which promises a wonderful climax. 3.5 out of 5.

And on to the big surprise of the week. Marvel's Star Wars 1 by Jason Aaron. The flagship book of Marvel's triumphant reboot of the Star Wars universe comics. Taking place shortly after the destruction of the first Death Star, this book perfectly captures the grandeur and style of the original trilogy. It's going to be a tricky book as it will have the same problems as any sort of prequel where the stakes won't be too high since we know the end game. The story involves a raid on Cymoon, the fully automated largest weapons factory in the galaxy. Naturally, things go awry when the Falcon gets dismantled and Vader shows up. Cassaday's art superbly captures the beauty of the movies. Like most of Aaron's work, I'm super excited for some more. 4 out of 5.

Now onto this week's books. First off is Loki: Agent of Asgard 10. A wonderful little tale of brotherly love, disappointment, and betrayal. This issue gets into some history of the characters that I don't remember. I'm guessing its from the Matt Fraction Mighty Thor era which I own, but is still on my reading stack. This book continues to surprise me. It has a totally light-hearted, fun feel to it and has enough mystery to keep things fresh. Ewing's words are beautifully matched by the gorgeous stylings of Lee Garbett. This issue took some very serious turns and drove some wonderful tension between Loki and his adopted brother. The only problem I have with this book is that it references the fight between Odinson and the goddess of thunder in Thor 4. Which comes out next week. A minor problem that could easily be fixed by delaying this issue for one week. 4 out of 5.

Magneto 14 picks up with SHIELD moving in on Erik as he wanders Genosha. He takes them all on after doping on some mutant growth hormone and takes most of them out before surrendering. There's an extremely tense flashback scene where Magneto tries to stand up to the mega sentinel the last time Genosha got leveled. He magnetizes some metal into his legs to make braces so he can walk. This book can be a potential turning point for the character. He surrenders after admitting that along with SHIELD, Magneto was also not there when the mutants faced one of their biggest tragedies. Unsurprisingly, I am a fan of Cullen Bunn and his work, and Walta's art is a natural companion to the mysterious story. 4 out of 5.

Lastly, IDW came out with G.I.Joe: Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra 1. This is another book that seems to skip over something big that came out of what I haven't read yet. It's a very interesting take on the character as he is working with Cobra to rescue and be an errand boy for Destro. It's a very odd scenario and the question of why is enough to keep me around for a bit. We find out what Snake Eyes' main goal is for the time being: getting close to Cobra Commander's son. It's quite strange having a book whose main character is mute. They made it work in this one by having Destro around and talking nonstop, but we will see how things continue from there. A decent start to a series. I have no idea how it will continue to do, but I'm in for a bit at least. 3 out of 5. 

Weekly Pull List 11-26-14

A few books this week. I'll start with Rasputin 2. As intriguing as the first issue was, there isn't a whole lot that's new from this issue. He is drinking at a bar when a kindred spirit, Antoine, gets in a tussle. Rasputin joins in and brings him back when he gets shot in the throat. Later, Antoine shows up and invites Grigori on an adventure. Hence the start of a story... This runs the same trouble I've had with a handful of recent number 1s. It feels like the end of issue two is the real starting point (inciting incident if you will) of the series. It feels a tiny bit cheap to have that feeling after issue two. The bar fight takes up a good chunk of the first half of the book. It's a great scene, but feels a bit too early to take up that much of the book for a fight whose purpose could have come across in half the pages. The artwork if pretty freaking gorgeous. There's a nice cool palette which makes it feel like you're in a tundra wasteland. The book has potential, but is still finding its legs. I will stick with it for a while and hope for the best. 3 out of 5.

Also from Image comes Rucka and Lark's Lazarus 13. Politics abound at the Conclave. Everyone is on edge and carefully plotting their next move in the insane chess match taking place on a tiny island, with stakes as high as entire countries. While this book isn't the action packed thrill ride I was hoping for, Rucka is pretty awesome at the slow game of building up the world and raising the stakes. Lark, as usual, does some fine work in making these characters lovable and intriguing in this grim tale of family and what they do for each other. This issue is a pretty great read, but it's a "calm before the storm scenario". Especially after the last page. Some bad stuff is about to happen. 3.5 out of 5.

Lastly, G.I. Joe issue 3 was put out by IDW. In a plot that feels similar to Retaliation, the Joes are fighting to keep themselves alive as an organization since their funding has been pulled. This series is interesting as it's growing out of the last "season" of G.I.Joe comics. They have been running 2 year series' to make it easier for new people to jump on board. It's been working quite well story-wise as it allows creators to tell the story they want and then hand it off for a fresh new start. I recently read the Cobra Command event from a few years ago and there are some similar themes (mostly Cobra trying to fix its public face. Really this new series is showing a near direct result of that book. I', loving this new direction and the only actual complaint I have is that some of the characters can seem juvenile in their depictions. Great issue and I am excited to see where Traviss and Kurth are going to take us. 4 out of 5.

Monthly Pull List Oct. 2014 Part 1.

Well I am getting settled into new job and new apartment. It's been a while since I've had the time and energy to post my weekly pull list. I have quite a stack of books to catch up on. I'll keep it quick. Over at IDW I got two issues of the brand new G.I.Joe series. The first arc is the fall of G.I.Joe. New writer Karen Traviss starts off after an apparent ceasefire. Cobra has foregone all its bad things and claims it is all about peace now. G.I.Joe is about to be disbanded as they no longer have any major purpose. Espionage, betrayal, complicated family ties crossing the boundaries of Cobra and a man named Rashidov and his separatists. Art is by Steve Kurth. His work is incredible. The watercolored painting with beautifully realistic pencils. Great story so far. Looking forward to seeing more from Traviss and Kurth. Especially after reading the letters in the back of issue two. Great stuff. 4.5 out of 5.

Over at Image, Rasputin #1. A supernatural version of the tale of Russia's greatest love machine. The premise is Rasputin telling the story on the day of his death. There's flashbacks to his childhood with an abusive dad. He beats up Rasputin's mom and he uses his mystical powers to heal her. He does the same to a bear that his dad fights later on. I picked it up because I have an unhealthy obsession with this song:

Also, I like the idea of a supernatural historical figure. Written by Alex Grecian and drawn by Riley Rossmo who work together to bring out a mysterious fun story. Strong first issue. Looking forward to more. 4 out of 5. 

Image also sent out Lazarus 12. Part of the conclave story, this issue is really the calm before the storm. A world of politics and counterintelligence building up to a big explosive conflict. There's a really cool scene where three different Lazaruses train with each other. A great story is unfolding. Rucka and Lark still work like a dream to bring you one of the best series around. 3.5 out of 5 as it's kind of a filler issue. 

Lastly from Image is Velvet 8. More gritty espionage and beautiful artwork as Velvet invades the Arc-7 headquarters to access a phone and make a mysterious call. This issue reads as an excellent heist movie. Lots of twists and turns Brubaker and Epting do not disappoint in their latest excellent issue. 5 out of 5. 

Batman '66 meets the  Green Hornet 5 is next. More of the same. Lots of fun, but nothing too dramatic. Only one more book, which is fine. Still feels like this is one episode split up over 6 issues. 3 out of 5.

My other books from DC are Green Arrow 35 and 36. Issue one of the Kingdom story. Also the first issue written by CW's Arrow writers Andrew Kreisberg and Ben Sokolowski. It's a perfectly fine issue. Standard Green Arrow. Biggest problem I have with the book is they try so hard to make it closer to the TV show. They introduce us to the new version of Felicity Smoak. She's a "evil" version of the show character. Hired to kill Oliver Queen. I think it should be fine. I'm still in. The new art is alright. Nothing compared to Sorrentino's work so I'm going into it with an open mind. Fun action-packed Green Arrow story. Nothing special on this front, but I will keep reading as I like Green Arrow. They should just call this book Arrow since it fits perfectly into the TV world. 2.5 out of 5.

Now over to Boom! for some Cullen Bunn action. The Empty Man 5. The calm before the storm. Everything in this book is building tension before next month's final issue. A brilliant book that creeps the heck out of me. It's been a fun ride so far and I'm confident that things will continue into the epic finale. Del Rey's art enhances the creep factor. 4 out of 5.

There were many books from Marvel over the last month or so. The new Thor #1 came out and teased the identity of the controversial, and mysterious female version of Thor and the next arc involving Malekith and frost giants. There's new art by Russell Dauterman. It's pretty great. It's not quite Ribic's smooth watery beauty, but it totally works with this new direction. I really like this direction it's going in, especially since it's still Jason Aaron. 4.5 out of 5.

The next two issues are Death of Wolverine tie in issues. They're fairly interesting as they contain some cool stories about the characters' pasts. Storm 4 has Ororo meeting up with an old friend, Yukio and helps with a secret underground mob fight. She promises to be Wolverine's replacement. It ends with a nice Cliffhanger as Storm is set up for a massive beating. Still an okay book. Probably my favorite issue so far. 3.5 out of 5

Nightcrawler 7 is pretty fun. It explores his relationship with Wolverine by revisiting some moments from the past in the danger room. This might be my last issue of this book, but it is a good issue to send off on. I like how honest it feels and think that Claremont has done some solid work with this book. It's not the best, but a solid book and I could understand people enjoying them. 4 out of 5. 

This is only about half of them. I have a bunch of stuff from Marvel in the Axis category and some stuff from Cullen Bunn and Oni Press to take a look at. 

Weekly Pull List August-September 2014

Well I moved. I have now caught up on my comics purchases and am mostly moved in out east so it's time to catch up. I will start off over at image. Velvet number 7 follows Colt and Roberts as they work counter-espionage on the official side of things. It's another brilliant issue. Brubaker and Epting are still a glorious pair. Beautifully realistic art really makes me wish it was a TV show. It would be incredibly awesome to see this on a high quality network like AMC or HBO. 5 out of 5.

Next up is Lazarus 11. Conclave part 1 has a wonderful scene exploring the politics of the world. Seeing interactions between two Lazaruses (Lazari?) is always interesting A lot of buildup and anticipation for something that I'm not sure where it's going to go. We're at the peak of the chain lift on the roller coaster getting ready to go over the edge. 4 out of 5.

Now over to DC. We have two Futures End tie-ins. The first is Justice League United which is a surprisingly interesting story. A classic "getting the band back together" story set in the future. Several members of the old JLU congregate to hunt down the Martian Manhunter, who has been captured by Gorilla Grodd and the guy behind the whole thing: Captain Atom!?! it's a decent story. I was interested enough to want to go get the next part of the story in the Justice League tie in. I want to read the main story, but I really wish it was much shorter. 52 is a lot of commitment for a mediocre story. I'll give it 3.5 out of 5 for a surprise ending, even though they just seem to be trying way too hard to find a place for Captain Atom in the New 52. 

The other tie in is Green Arrow which is a solid issue. It's a nice wrap up to this creative team. Has a few nice callbacks and such to other moments in the recent issues. Oliver fakes his own death on live TV in a fight with Deathstroke only to realize it was Magus. His sister Emiko is acting as the Green Arrow in Seattle. Not a bad issue. Sorrentino is amazing as usual. Another book that piques my interest in the Futures End story. 4 out of 5.

Last book from DC is Batman '66 meets the Green Hornet 4. Comic hilarity continues as the two teams continue to torment each other due to ill timed torment from the kings of crime. Another middle story that serves its purpose and not much else. Fun book all around, but I'm glad it's only six issues so I can get the next two and not have to worry about it any more. 3 out of 5.

Now over to Marvel! First up is Nightcrawler 6. This issue follows Kurt and the young Rico as they hunt down the mysterious mutant girl that the pirates are also after. An exciting battle ensues and they manage to rescue her. A fun story that doesn't seem to have any real impact on the world as a whole, apart from introducing the new mutant, Ziggy, and the mysterious bossman who promises his revenge. Another fun series that I will probably not be picking up anymore as it is not very exciting. It's a few minutes of joy, but I have no real connection to it and am trying to buy fewer comics. 2.5 out f 5.

Next up we have 3 issues in the Thor saga: Thor and Loki The Tenth Realm 4 and 5 and Thor God of Thunder 25. Battles rage until Loki brings Odin out of his prison in Asgard and back to the Tenth Realm. He halts the war upon realizing Angela is his long-lost daughter. Which begs the question: Have they truly never met before? Apparently not as Odin isn't around nearly as much as he seems to be and Angela showed up about 20 years ago and was mostly a Spawn character until merely a few years ago when she starting hanging out with the Guardians of the Galaxy. A mildly anticlimactic ending to the tale, but it works as a great setup to the new Thor series as Thor gets told a secret by Fury in Original Sin that makes him unworthy to wield the hammer. Making way for a lady Thor in a new upcoming series. In issue 25, King Thor's granddaughters are reading ancient stories about his past exploits when they come upon one in chains. It is revealed that this book is titled Unworthy and the book ends with Thor Odinson trying desperately to hoist Mjolnir off the surface of the moon. This book is and always has been fantastic! Looking forward to seeing where Aaron is taking us on this ride. The art on both of these series has been incredible. Different artists provide wonderful different takes on the characters as they traverse different realms or appear in different eras. These books are truly masterpieces. Overall they get 5 out of 5.

The last of my Marvel books and the first off my Cullen Bunn books is Magneto 9: A March to Axis. Eric breaks into a concentration camp of sorts in order to assassinate the Red Skull and save some of the kids in there. Everything goes to hell, of course. This issue is a setup to some massive war between the Avengers, X-Men, and the Red Skull who has apparently taken Xavier's mental powers? Interested to see where this is going. Walta does a wonderful job with the gritty looking art. Great issue that has me hooked until next issue. 4 of 5.

Now over to Boom! for the Empty Man 3. Apparently the Empty Man isn't a disease, it's an invasion! *gasp* We get a creepy scene where we see some Frankenstein seeming doctor talking to an apparent carrier of the Empty Man or something. Still a gloriously creepy mystery that promises an awesome finale to this story in a few issues. Del Ray's art is once again brilliantly murky. Love this book. 4 out of 5.

Now for the Sixth Gun 42 and Days of the Dead 2. The prequel uses Jesup to tell us some history of the Knights of Solomon and the Sword of Abraham. There's also the mysterious Yum Kimil who seems to be a cajun god of some sort. Real cool series and history. The main series is setting up the grand finale where the Grey Witch will be using Jesup and the six to recreate the world. Drake, Becky, and Nidawi are trying to plan a way to stop her, and the Knights of Solomon are doing the same. It's amazing how these two series are being released along side each other and are so entertwined. Of course I love these books. It has been well documented. 4.5 out of 5.

Monthly Pull List 8-12-14

Time to catch up a bit. I got carried away with reading other comics I borrowed from my brother: Superman: New Krypton stuff and now IDWs Ninja turtles series. I also only had one or two books most weeks. Anyways, onto the books! We will start with Marvel. First up is a new series: Storm #1 written by Greg Pak with art by Victor Ibanez. It starts with Storm rescuing Santo Marco from a tsunami. With political tensions high due to their ban on mutants Ororo argues with Beast about being there. This is the basis of the story which this issue is merely made to kickstart the series and let Storm go off on her own. It's a great start having political strife as well as a personal conflict to build up the stakes and make it an intriguing series. Art-wise, this book is pretty solid. It really shines in the darker exterior scenes while the bright interiors are oddly cartoonish. Great start to the book and I hope it continues to be a good series. 3.5 out of 5.

Next up Magneto 7. Magneto infiltrates a mutant slave ring where they are forced to fight a predator x, or a mutant hunting machine. Naturally he decimates the whole operation and frees the mutant captives. It is still an excellent book. I love the anti-spy feel of the book and the way the story is progressing. Art is still very good. The use of the overly willing sidekick is pretty cool. A single hero (or antihero as the case may be) is rarely awesome on their own and typically need another person who is the brains behind the operation. Someone to gather more information whilst the title character is off fighting their enemies or taking down slave rings. Briar Raleigh is an excellent assistant and I can't wait to see what Bunn has in store for her and where she has come from. Great book still. 4 out of 5.

To polish off Marvel I have Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm 2 and 3 where we explore the realm of Heven and at least the Angels' side of the war with Asgard. Still an incredibly intriguing story. I love the retcon happening across Marvel due to the Original Sin story. Well, I don't consider it a retcon as it gives new information more so than changing things we thought we knew. I love the dark Asgardian history though I'm not sure if I believe the queen of the angels and her version of history yet. Loki is deceptive and conniving as usual and I'm curious to see how it would play out (Which is why Loki is great, he can always go either way). Only two issues left before Thor becomes unworthy to wield Mjolnir and a female picks up the mantle (Angela?) so I am ver much looking forward to finishing the series. Great series. 4 out of 5.

On the other side we get to see Batman 66 Meets the Green Hornet 3. It continues the fun, light-heartedness of the series. It's not super great, but it's a lot of fun. I'm just very okay about the book and there's not much to discuss that hasn't been said already. I would suggest waiting for the trade as the series is very serialized, but feels like it should be read all at once. The one thing I want to say about this is that it greatly captures the feel of a TV show where each issue, while not a full story, ends on a cliffhanger. It's like you get to the commercial break in the show. Interesting way to read the comics, but it feels like the whole series would be the equivalent of at least a two episode story arc. 3 out of 5.

My other DC book is Green Arrow 34. As the conclusion of the Broken story this issue raises the bar in seriousness of tone and incredible art. Ollie gets his ass kicked by Dragon before he pierces Dragon's femoral artery and leaving him. It's an incredibly clean and solid finale to the story and sets up the direction the next story will go with Emiko agreeing to be Oliver's apprentice and Diggle agreeing to stick around. Another issue ideal for setting up where the story wants to go. Lemire is great and Sorrentino is amazing at translating his words. So, if you have any interest in picking up one of the best books at DC, grab the trades. Absolutely worth it. If you like Arrow then pick up issue 35 when show veterens Kreisberg and Sokolowski are taking over. 5 out of 5!

Now to the independent side of things. Outcast 2 comes from Robert Kirkman's side of Image: Skybound Publishing. If you want a book that'll creep you out and possibly make you lose sleep. Demon possession, rape and domestic abuse, questions of faith and possible matricide are all represented in this fantastic book. One of the creepiest things I've ever seen/read/watched/experienced. Outcast is a lot darker than anything else Kirkman has done. Although Invincible is apparently absurdly evil and vicious. Paul Azaceta's art is grim and dark, but not too vile. It helps to lighten the creepiness a bit. There's a solid cliffhanger that really seduced me. Looking forward to checking out more from this series. 5 out of 5.

Also from Image is Lazarus 10. This issue expands our knowledge of the world a bit and raises the stakes  as it sets up for a world-wide gang war. This story looks far more interesting than the last one. I hope things play out epically. It's really nice to see Rucka expand the universe appropriately and having another solid looking story. Not much else to say apart from This is my favorite issue of this series in a little while and I hope it continues. 4 out of 5.

Last Image book I picked up was Velvet 6. In this book we follow Velvet as she meets a few of her assets and decides to go on the offensive to clear her name. Brubaker doesn't disappoint with his espionage, crime thriller. Steve Epting's work is incredible gorgeous and sufficiently noir, perfectly matching the tone of this book. There's some more backstory and a couple twists. Great book! I love everything about this book! 4.5 out of 5.

Lastly, I picked up Sixth Gun: Days of the Dead 1. A new miniseries to give a little more backstory to the world of the Six and their history. It introduces us to Yum Kimil, an apparent god or embodiment of death itself who is set to be reawakened as villains tend to be in stories. If you've read any of my blog posts, you know I love anything to do with this series. Great start to the story and we'll see how what it builds into the mythology before the last streak of issues before the end in issue 50. 5 out of 5!