Weekly Pull List 4-9-14

Big spender this week as this post will serve as a slightly more in-depth review than normal as I picked up only one book. Nightcrawler #1. Written by Chris Claremont and art by Todd Nauck. Spinning straight out of Aaron's Amazing X-Men story, Nightcrawler is back from the dead and doing his best to teleport back into the swing of day to day life. It starts with a sweet scene between Nightcrawler and Wolverine (recently sans healing factor) fighting in the Danger Room as a training exercise to test their limits, as they are both experiencing major life changes of sorts. Nauck does amazing work with this scene. Some very dynamic and iconic poses that suck you into the story. My favorite panel is Storm and Kurt talking in the rain. Nightcrawler is perched on a box and Storm is kneeling in front of him. It's a gorgeous silhouette of the two of them.

The next third of the book involves Kurt getting reacquainted with life and the now Jean Grey School for Mutants. He has a very loving and brotherly scene with Marvel Girl who he knew from Excalibur and then visits his love, Amanda. There's a hilarious panel of Kurt in the classic Burt Reynolds "Sexy" pose, surrounded by his little Bamf friends.

The final act is a fight with a robot who breaks into Amanda's apartment. This introduces the first story arc of the series. As they demolish the apartment during the battle the ceiling collapses, taking out the intruder. Kurt and Amanda vow to hunt down whoever sent the robot. Amanda's magical powers mixed with Kurt's teleportation promise to be a great combination and I look forward to seeing where this goes.

Overall this is a very solid start to the series. The art is great and there are several amazing panels that are beautifully set up and take the art to the next level. 4 out of 5.

Pull List 4-2-14

It's been a few weeks due to family visiting and general busy-ness so I have quite a few books to catch up on. We'll start with Superman Unchained 6. All the Nuclear Missiles are launched. Superman tries to stop them all with the help of Wonder Woman and Batman. Wraith is still a villain version of Superman. The story is fairly lame and feels familiar and I'm pretty over it. It's got one more issue to hook me or I'm out. The art is beautiful, but I'm just bored with it. 2 out of 5.

Sixth Gun 39 is another great issue. Death, visions, flames of perdition. All this and more are brought together for a very action packed issue that keeps you reading and waiting for number 40. While this issue doesn't matter a ton in the grand scheme of things, it's a very suspenseful episode. There's still one or two issues of this arc so I'm interested in seeing where they're taking it since this feels like the end of it already. Great stuff as usual. 4 of 5.

Next up: Thor God of Thunder 20. King Thor is fighting Galactus to prevent him from eating the Earth while Thor the Avenger is trying to prevent Roxxon corporation from damaging the world to make a profit. Another great issue. Loads of fun. Seeing King Thor taking on the Devourer of worlds is great. The only problem I have with this issue is I just read a Mighty Thor trade where they fight Galactus from only a few years ago. Apart from the redundancy of that aspect of the story, it's nice to see a hero trying to save the world from humans instead of an evil villain. Ribic's art is as incredible as ever. The faces are a lot more detailed than a lot of books out there, which in itself is a great touch. When everything looks great, the book feels top notch. 4 of 5.

Lazarus 7. Forever visits her sister Johanna and has her interrogate the hostage to get info of the "terrorsist cell" while the nomads head to lift. Solid filler issue. Most interesting part was Johanna interrogating Emma, though it was more of a bribery situation. Great intrigue and mystery. Keeps me interested in the next issue which is the goal of comics really. Not much else to say. Don't know what lift is apart from there's a lot of people trying to get to it. It's fun and original. 3.5 out of 5.

Onto week 2. Amazing X-Men 5. Another super interesting story. Nightcrawler and friends are fighting Azazel and his crew in an action packed issue that brings Nightcrawler back to life! (What? I know I am shocked.) Story-wise it's alright. Art and lasting impact-wise it's an excellent issue. Looking forward to see where the next plot is going to take us and who will be joining the cast. 4 out of 5.

Serenity number 3 came out and it was great. River dreams about the academy and what they did to her and she wants to go rescue the other children, Zoey gets transferred to a remote prison camp, and our old friend tries to take over the ship. The first two are interesting developments and promise to lead to good things. The last plot was super abrupt and not as believable or interesting. There's a few good moments, but not super great. The art is growing on me this issue, so that's definitely a plus. The characterization and dialogue feels like a continuation of the show. I love this book and can't wait for the next one. 4.5 out of 5.

This week was pretty villain-centric. I'll start with Pretty Deadly 5 which wraps up the first arc of the series. I read it and was thoroughly lost and confused. I then reread all 5 and the series is very dark and interesting. The narrative function of a dead bunny and a butterfly telling each other the story of death's daughter and the heart of the world. It's got a lot of complex legends and tales all interwoven masterfully. The art is excellently dark and dirty, very fitting for the darkness of the story. Wonderful work all around, but I will wait for the trade on the second story methinks. Much more enjoyable that way. 4.5 out of 5.

Let's head back over to the mind of Cullen Bunn with Magneto 2. While hunting down his lead on the Omega Sentinel Erik remembers his time in the holocaust and how he witnessed the death and betrayal of a couple of friends. Naturally, he sets up a trap and manages to take out several of the people who work for those who created those sentinels. Vigilante Magneto is a sweet take on the character. And flashbacks to World War 2 are always fun. The design for Magneto has already grown on me so that's no longer an issue. This issue was structured quite well and flowed nicely. Great story with excellent history and art that will blow you away. 5 out of 5.

Now for the follow-up to Loki speed dating in Loki Agent of Asgard 3. I don't know what it is about this issue, but I had a hard time reading this one. It has old Loki go back in time and manipulate a young Odin into owing him a favor and giving him a sword that is special for some reason. Just didn't excite me at all. The art was pretty cool but I paid for a Loki story and there was too much Odin that didn't seem to matter. I hope it pays off in the future, but right now it's just a meh story with pretty good art. 3 of 5

Green Arrow 30. Another incredibly beautiful issue by Andrea Sorrentino. Interesting build up to the so called "Outsiders War." Turns out the supposedly dead body of Green Arrow last issue was just Magus pulling a trick. it's a nice issue, just a little odd that it undoes everything we thought we knew at the end of last issue. It's good stuff. Just another middle of the story issue. Good stuff. It's a good suspense builder. Waiting for the powder keg to blow. 4 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List 3-5(12)-14

Two weeks to catch up on today. I will start with a new number 1. Cullen Bunn, creator of Sixth Gun, started a new Magneto series. I picked it up because it's Bunn. Magneto hunts down a mutant killer when he turns all sentinel and tries to kill Magneto. I like the idea of a cyborg type sentinel and Magneto hunting down the people who did that to the poor kid promises to be an exciting fun ride. The creative/dark storytelling of Bunn taking on the intriguing character of Magneto is a wonderful match and I love it a lot so far. Gabriel Hernandez Walta on art is pretty good. The design of Magneto is a little odd. His face is more round and less tall than the normal look for him. It's a little jarring and feels like more of a Lex Luthor than Magneto. Otherwise the backgrounds are gritty and dark. Showing the not best side of the world. 4.5 out of 5.

Also in the Marvel villains category, Loki Agent of Asgard 2. I love this issue. It has Loki at a speed dating event. He's there talking to a human who has a power to see through any lies, including Loki's mirage. It's an extremely absurd premise for a book, but Ewing perfectly portrays Loki's charm so it shines through to the reader. A great book. It portrays a heist scene the best I've ever seen on a page. This issue sets up a plot that promises to be Loki's Eleven which is always a fun story to follow. Art is by Lee Garbett and isn't the most detailed, but when mixed with Nolan Woodard's colorization it provides a basic, flat look that works perfectly for the story. While the first issue caught my interest, this one has certainly caught my attention. 4 out of 5.

Now we'll hop over to Image for Velvet 4. Ms. Templeton attends the Carnival of Fools and hunts down an old rival from the KGB who is being hunted. After saving his life they discuss the situation he is in until he reveals a twist that turns her past upside down. More great work by Brubaker. I've been reading some of his Captain America and Winter Soldier stuff over on Comixology. They were both stellar, but don't have as excellent espionage as Velvet though. This story is still unravelling fairly slowly, but gives enough intrigue and mystery each issue to make it exhilarating. The art manages to capture the intensity of the moments and the joy and fun of the carnival only a couple pages apart. There's a 3/4 page panel that just glows with the excitement of the carnival and is 100% mesmerizing. Once again, can't wait for the next issue. 5 out of 5.

Now we will head over to DC for a bit of Green Arrow 29. Book 4 of the Outsiders War. This issue is just as good as the previous few. It does feel like it's dragging on too long to get to the actual story, but still a fun read. Oliver heads to Prague to take on Komodo and the spear clan and believes he has saved the city, but alas, he only stopped one of the four ships of sarin gas. Solid issue. I've already raved about Sorrentino's art in this book and this issue keeps up that trend. There's a lot of similarities to the Arrow show at the moment, but not in a bad way considering there's a limited number of characters who work well in a Green Arrow story. This issue is good more for the setup than for the actual events. Especially the cliff hanger which is mildly intriguing in the sense I want to know how Lemire gets out of it. Even though it's obviously a misdirection. Good, but nothing too impressive. 3 out of 5.

Now for this week. Justice League of America 13. This book is alright. Stargirl fights with Despero some more. It has possibly the worst twist I've read in a while. It's a cliched "by the way, what's been happening isn't really happening" story. It's also a story that just doesn't feel very fresh or exciting in any way. It's not horrible, just a resounding okay. 1.5 out of 5

Lastly, I got The Mercenary Sea 2. Fun book. This issue sets up the plot for the first full arc. The crew gets a job and sets off to do it. It's a very unique book and one that I never really thought I'd see. It's a beautiful book on top of it. Second issue is a whole lot of fun. Looking forward to reading the whole story. I said I was going to wait for trade on this one, but might pick up the first run in issue format. Like Loki, this book has grown in excellence. 4 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List 2-26-14

Well I'm back. Last week was a short week as well as this week. I only have 2 new books to discuss so I'll review a trade or two I've read. First up Amazing X-Men 4 came out last week. It's a great continuation of Wolverine and friends through hell whilst trying to find Nightcrawler. Beast and Storm had come across Azazel last issue when Beast got stabbed in the back which makes him go a little nuts. Which is when Nightcrawler shows up!! He gathers the rest of the lost X-Men and they prepare for the final battle with Azazel's fleet. It's a great book. The writing is spot on and rather compelling. Jason Aaron works well with his pacing. This story flows great and leaves you wanting more. The art is decent but it's still a little juvenile, which actually does work for the light-hearted nature of the book. Story-wise I like most of the characters involved. Nightcrawler has been a favorite since the intro to the second film where he assaults the White House. I'm not a huge fan of Wolverine in general, but his interactions with Northstar are handled well enough for me to care about both of them. I've always liked Storm, apart from her hairstyle in the recent series. Firestar is a new character for me, but works as a foil to Ice Man. Loving this book and am really glad I took a chance based on Jason Aaron and the cover for issue 1. 4.5 out of 5.

Now for this week. I picked up Serenity Leaves on the Wind 2.The crew of the Serenity take Zoe to a medical ship. When the alliance get wind of it they rush to capture them forcing Mal to leave her behind.They contemplate how to get the alliance to give up Zoe so River decides to go into a coma to try to remember what other secrets they told her when another ship docks with them and Jayne Cobb appears with Bea. When Mal tries to get them to leave they realize Bea's crew has been killed by an old acquaintance. Where the first issue was quite a bit of setup, this issue turns the game on and gets the ball rolling. It's interesting to see how the dynamics have shifted since the Serenity movie. Mal and Jayne are at odds, which was hinted at happening during the show. They've now built up the conflict between Mal and crew and the Alliance, some good internal conflict twixt the crew and the imminent danger of an intruder lurking on the serenity. All of these plots are interesting and promise to unfold in classic Whedon glory. I love Zach's work and the voice sounds just like the show. The art still feels more along the lines of Buffy, but it's all good for this story. All around great book. 4 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List 2-12-14

Solid week this week. Got a few great books and took a chance on a new one. I'll start with the new one. I saw the cover of The Mercenary Sea which looks straight out of a James Bond comic. It's a fun read and pretty quick. Follows a crew of a mercenary ship floating the seven seas. Imagine Pirates of the Caribbean meets Firefly, set in modern times, with a bit of spy thriller thrown in.   The art is pretty cool, but the colors are rather flat. Not a ton of shading and detail, but it works. It's a pretty light story so far and the simplistic art matches quite well. I like it, but I think I'm going to watch for the trade to get the full story. 4 out of 5.

Next up is Justice League of America 12. Still following Martian Manhunter and Stargirl as they fight Despero and try to save the rest of the League as well as the world. J'onn tells an old Martian children's tale which relates to Stargirl's trials in the issue. Decent book as usual. It's just fun, not overly important in the grand scheme of things. The art is spot on with a solid realism and vibrant colors to keep things interesting. The whole Forever Evil thing is rather boring to me which is why I enjoy this smaller, more personal story. 3 out of 5.

Now I jump over to Marvel for Thor God of Thunder 19.Now. First, Marvel's decimal numbering is stupid. For more, go listen to the Watchtower Podcast as I share much of their views on the subject. In this case, however I think it works on this round as it's a new storyline that's pretty simple to jump into. Now for the book! Great start to the new story! Back on Midgard, Rosalind Solomon is following whales when attacked by some whalers. She's saved by Thor and arrives at a press release where Dario Agger of Roxxon is announcing his new ice harvested from a moon of Jupiter. Thor thwarts his plan of world domination via making boatloads of money. In the future, King Thor revels at how blue Earth used to be when an ancient Galactus shows up. Excellent start to another epic tale. It's great to see Thor really caring about the Earth. Also excellent to see Esad Ribic back!! His art is so smooth and beautiful. Fits the epic, medieval feel to the book. He's always been the perfect choice for this book. 4.5 out of 5. Excellent story and room for improvement.

The Sixth Gun 38 rounds out my list this week. You've heard me praise the heck out of Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt. This issue's scale has expanded greatly from what the last few had been leading up to. Loads of action, lots of characters, and a ton of tension being released. They start working to shave off the overload of characters to make the book a little smaller and more intimate like the earlier stories. A story that is not only fresh, but done incredibly well to add to the novelty of it. Best issue I've read in a while. And still a favorite book. 4.5 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List 2-5-14

Picked up three books this week. First off we have a brand new Loki Agent of Asgard. The All-Mother sends Loki on a mission to midgard to infiltrate the Avengers tower and extract a darkness that is inside of Thor. Once he has accomplished that he hands it over to the All-Mother who release the old-school form of Loki from that darkness. This issue branches off from the previous arc in Thor God of Thunder. Fun little story by Al Ewing. The idea of now having multiple Lokis in this book is taken from Aaron's Thor God of Thunder having the three Thors. The art is pretty solid. A decent mix of realism and cartoonish style. There's an excellent flashback to when Thor was first exiled to Midgard that homages the classic printing style. It's really cool. I kinda wish the whole book was in that style. Great start to the book, with a promise of excellence to come. 3.5 out of 5.

Next up is Lazarus 6. Another great issue from the firm of Rucka and Lark. This issue moves from a family vs family story towards a more social commentary, family vs the public story. A group of teenagers breaks into a Carlyle facility and steals something that appears to be important, but we don't know what it is or why at this point, but they are heading to take care of something elsewhere in order to right some social injustice. Decent issue, but where it's headed is more exciting than where it's at currently. Great book, even if this issue is just okay. 3 out of 5.

Finally I picked up Green Arrow 28. Part 3 of the Outsiders War, Oliver is on the island with his father and Shado when they are attacked by Kodiak, the leader of the Shield Clan. The fight ensues among several pages of block lettered onomatopoeias in a really clever, albeit confusing art piece. It's the first time I've felt Sorrentino's art has been detrimental to the story as I had to interrupt my pace to get at what's happening. Meanwhile, Diggle shows up in Seattle looking for Oliver and Komodo plans a coup over the remaining Outsiders clans. Still one of my favorite books! It's so well written and has mostly perfect art. Great issue! Love this book so much, and can't wait for more of this story. 4 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List 1-29-14

Best week of comics this year! (I know that's not saying much considering it's the 3rd week of comics, but that may even apply to last year.) I did only get 2 books this week, but they were both excellent!

First up is Thor God of Thunder 18. Last book ended the Accursed storyline, so this issue we get a new story. From beginning to the end. It's great! Almost never see a full story in a single issue these days. Aaron weaves a fairy tale of young Thor answering the prayers of a village and befriending a dragon. In a "Hangover" style intro we see him waking up in the dragon's mouth. It follows a great little arc and there's great development of Thor and his new friend Skabgagg. On top of the wonderful writing of Jason Aaron, we get a new artist for this issue, Das Pastoras. His art is gloriously raw, yet beautifully watered down. It's almost as if the art is a representation of the godly hangover Thor has at the beginning of the issue. Love it! Absolutely love this book, and could not have asked for a better "filler" issue. 5 of 5.

The only other book I picked up this week was Serenity: Leaves on the Wind 1. With the 'verse in turmoil after the events of Serenity there is unrest over the revelation of Miranda. A new resistance has formed and is looking for a leader. Coincidentally, the alliance has turned to a presumed dead character to help look for Malcolm Reynolds to bring him to justice for disturbing the peace, to say the least. Good book. Great start to a potentially great series. I'm a huge fan of this universe so I'm in for the long haul. The art is by Georges Jeanty who does great work on the Buffy comics, but I don't think was the best choice for this story. It's a little too cartoony. It's great on a lighter story like Buffy, but Serenity left us in a darker world where everything has just been turned a little bleaker. Solid first issue to reintroduce us to the 'verse. Good stuff. 4.5 out of 5.