Weekly Pull List 6-25-14

Decent pull this week. I've got 3 books from 3 different small press publishers. I was finally able to catch up with The Sixth Gun 41 from Oni Press which came out about a month ago. This issue is a stand alone story telling the history of the Grey Witch (general Hume's mother). It's pretty cool to take a moth off from the main story to see some of how she was created and the dark world she grew up in. The otherworldly creatures that raised her created the monster that she is. Decent story and a nice break. Looking forward to picking up where we left off though. 4 out of 5. 

Next from Image, Outcast 1. A new noir supernatural mystery by Robert Kirkman. A new horror story following an exorcist and a young man who is supposedly being chased around by a demon who is possessing anyone he gets close to: His mother, his wife, and now a little kid that he helps the priest with. I didn't want to like this book as I'm a little burnt out on Kirkman, but it's really good. There's a lot of intense scenes while they're exorcizing the kid. There's hints that the world is a lot bigger and darker than it appears to be and I look forward to see it  as it expands. 4.5 out of 5. 

Finally, I've got Dark Horse's Serenity: Leaves on the Wind 6. The crew goes and breaks out Zoe. This issue wonderfully wraps up this story. I love how it ends on such a high note where things seem back to normal. All around a fun issue and I hope they continue the series. Not sure they will as this is supposedly a miniseries. If there is more, then I will be back. 3 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List May Pt. 2

Time to play some catch up. Been a bit busy with moving halfway across the country so I let this get away from me. So let's begin. A lot has been happening in the DC Universe. Most of it has been fairly uninteresting to me. I will start with Justice League United 1. The crew assembled in the 0 issue are battling some giant monster that got released last issue. It changes between rock, fire, lightning, etc to battle everyone. As the creature goes to reform, they teleport for a faraway world. Meanwhile, Lobo fights Hawkman and brings him to scientists who have created "Ultra the multi-alien... The slayer of worlds." from the DNA of thousands of prisoners from across the galaxy. Still build up for a story that may be interesting, but the cosmic stuff typically doesn't do much for me. It's a fine book, but definitely nothing special. 2 out of 5.

Now the big new weekly event. Futures End issues 2-4. Issue 2 is Green Arrow's funeral where everyone is sad and it calls back to the relationship between Ollie and Animal man that we see beginning in Justice League United 1. Issue 3 is mostly Grifter researching something and Lois finding out that Red Robin is alive. Issue 4 is Red Robin realizing that Batman Beyond is here and Frankenstein invades S.H.A.D.E. and gets recruited to avenge his former lover. Plastique and some other guy recruit coil for a "last job" which involves breaking into Terrifitech. Grifter finds a lead to the same but gets zapped and knocked out. Overall, I'm bored with this story. It's a lot of characters I have almost no interest in. The one's I want to know more of (Firestorm, Batman Beyond) are all peripheral characters who have yet to take part. I will probably continue picking this up, but I started getting it thinking it was a 12 or 13 issue series and not a 52 week thing. So I don't really see myself going all the way, but it has until I miss an issue or at least a few more issues to pick up a bit before I'm out. 2 out of 5.

Next up is the conclusion of the Outsiders War in Green Arrow 31. Death, destruction, moral quandaries, etc. all wrap up this story fairly quickly. It's a good arc, but it ended rather abruptly and works out a little too nicely. It's pretty awesome how the Diggle story that we've seen bits and pieces of over the last few issues is now heading toward being the focus of the book. I wish there had been another issue of wrap up for the story. This one felt a little rushed and like everything is crammed in too tightly. Art-wise, still an excellent book. Can't wait to see what Lemire does with the gang of classic Green Arrow villains he introduces at the end. 4 out of 5.

Over on the other side I had Loki: Agent of Asgard 4. A fun little issue and a bit of a battle of wits. The twists are a little heavy handed, but didn't hurt it too badly. The dialogue is fairly painful as it feels like an older person trying to talk like the "cool kids nowadays" and it just comes off forced and awkward. Quite a bit of fun, but this story isn't the best. Solid book with pretty awesome art. 3.5 out of 5.

Nightcrawler 2 follows Nightcrawler and Amanda as they return to the circus of their childhood in hopes of finding some answers. They scuffle but the automaton Trimega shows up. Boring. The issue is a fun read, but there's no real movement in the story. There's nothing that really changes between the beginning and the end. It feels like a filler issue. Which is awful because it's number 2. I'll give it a couple more issues, but I don't think it'll last. 1.5 out of 5.

Continuing in Marvel, Amazing X-Men 7. Firestar and Bobby are going shopping for the mansion. Yes you read that correctly. That's the premise of this issue. Then a baby shows up in their cart and Spider-Man arrives chasing him. They take him back to his alien parents. This may be the dumbest comic I've ever read. Definitely this year. Art is cool, but this is obviously a filler issue as it's not Jason Aaron who wrote it. Pretty, but lame. 0.5 out of 5

Thor God of Thunder 22 wraps up my Marvel stuff so far. This is still a great book. The girls of Thunder still fight Galactus whilst Thor the Avenger and Rosalind explore Roxxon's shenanigans and find out about the Trolls under Broxton causing all the sinkholes. Heck of a fun read. I love this book. Both stories are incredibly intriguing and a lot of fun. Classic Thor tale. The end has a great call back to the first arc of the series which ties things together quite nicely. Artwrk is gorgeous as always. 5 out of 5.

Now onto the smaller sector. Serenity Leaves on the Wind 5. Fun issue. It builds up to the final issue next month in an exciting way. It looks to be a solid arc as a whole, setting up another rebellion and whatnot. Action-wise this is the issue where the art really doesn't work. There's a lot of excellent action and fighting, but the art isn't crisp enough to make things clear. There are several panels that aare just awkward and confusing to look at. It's a little disjointed as well. The flow isn't as smooth as some other issues. The jumps between character stories are a bit hard to follow. Still love this book and cannot wait to finish off the first arc. 4 out of 5.

Over at Image I got Velvet 5. This issue dives into Velvet's past and gives you more information about why what is happening is so hard on her. It is incredible character stuff and it manages to work as a declaration of intent on the future of the series. I'm excited to go back and read the first 5 issues that serve as a great introduction to this world and a hint of the main antagonist of the series: the corruption within Velvet Templeton's organization. I imagine I will likely pick this up in trade format in the future to make it easier to get people into this series. Brubaker does a great job of going into the past and making us care a lot about the situation and the characters even if they aren't the normal or most important ones. Incredible book. This series is one of my favorite. 5 out of 5.

Last up is Sixth Gun 40. Everyone knows how I feel about this book so I will keep it short. This issue leads right into the endgame. This series is supposed to end with issue 50 so Bunn and Hurtt are bringing it around towards the final conflict. This issue did feel a bit rushed, but also had some really cool character moments that were excellent to see. They also dismiss a possible time travel argument in a few lines of dialogue. It's always funny when writers acknowledge the complaints that readers will have before they happen. Anyways, good book and I'll be back for more. 4.5 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List - May Pt. 1

Time to play a little catch up. I thought I would have a ton of books last week to talk about, but there was a shipment error and also errors in my pull list doc. So, first book is from April 30 and it was the only book that week. Serenity 4 picks up where we left off. There's several call backs to the show. It's a fun read and feels like classic Firefly. Heist work, inevitable betrayal, Zoey being badass, etc. I really need to go back and reread this series as I was a little lost in this issue. Good story with some pretty solid art. Still a bit lighthearted and I think it's not the best choice for the story, but it is good objectively. I like where the story is going and I think there's a lot of strong threads there, I'm just worried that it's focusing too much on connecting to parts of the show and not exploring or expanding the story from the show. Totally a solid read, but not the best. 3 out of 5.

Next up are some books from Free Comic Book Day and last weeks pull. Our FCBD was apparently super busy so I was only able to pick up the DC New 52 Future's End #0. This starts the weekly story which is taking place 5 years in the future and follows Batman Beyond, Firestorm, Grifter, and others. The story is that Mister Terrific's Brother Eye has evolved and started infecting people to take over the earth. Not surprisingly, a lot of setup in the 0 and 1 issues. Some good cause and effect can be seen already. Everything feels neatly put together and planned out so far. This gives me a lot of hope for the next couple months of this book. The stakes are high as it is the earth itself who is in danger from Brother Eye. It's an interesting book as it follows 4 different stories: Grifter, Batman Beyond, Mr. Terrific, and Firestorm. There are also 4 stellar writers; Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, and Jeff Lemire; who all work together on the story and each write one of the characters. At least that's how I've heard it works. The art work is great. Patrick Zircher draws a dynamic and action filled issue. It's an intriguing setup for the story. It feels mildly familiar plot-wise but different enough to pique my interest. We shall see how this goes. 3.5 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 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 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.