Weekly Pull List 7-9-14

A very middling week this week as most of the issues are stories that aren't super important and are merely middle of the story. First of these is Justice League United 3. It feels like nothing happened in this issue. There's some techno babble about the zeta beam and they undo what happened last issue, then Manhunter helps win over the child who can destroy the world or something. Then Hawkman saves everyone by taking a bomb far into the atmosphere and blows up. Story is still rather boring. I'll finish this story next issue then see what the next story looks like. Likely to only be a few more issues for me. 1 out of 5.

On the Marvel side we have Amazing X-Men 9 where the team gets up to Canada to find Wolverine only to have him turn into a Wendigo and kill Talisman after she and Puck showed up to save him. It's not a great story but does have a few strong points. The first half of the book jumps around in time to tell the story in a montage style. It works very well here for some reason. They also escape their crashing Blackbird by Iceman freezing them all in a giant ice block then having Firestar thaw them out. Awesome teamwork being shown which is when the X-Men work so well as a story. That said, I have no real attachment to any of these characters or the story. Again I will probably finish out this arc then I'm out. 2 out of 5.

Next up we have Nightcrawler 4. Another issue spent trying to undo the villainy of last issue. Amanda and Kurt chase after Margali, who apparently set up all the trimega attacks in order for her to find a way to the afterlife and claim it for her own. There is a ton of action in this book and it wraps up nicely with Amanda making it through the afterlife portal. Kurt is left on Earth since he chose to leave heaven he is unable to return. This book shouldn't be as fun as it is, but I did quite enjoy it. There are actual stakes it seems. I am looking forward to seeing where this arc ends up. 3 out of 5.

Lastly for Marvel, Jason Aaron and Al Ewing take a break from their regularly scheduled books to bring the Original Sin tie-in miniseries Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm 1. This book is super interesting. It's also a good way to take care or tie-ins for the big events. Instead of putting the story in the normal run of the book, just make a new miniseries so it's easy to skip them if you aren't interested. As far as story, this book is quite intriguing. It introduces the idea and history of a tenth realm and Thor's long thought dead sister. This book fits logically in the timeline of Thor: God of Thunder and Loki: Agent of Asgard which makes sense due to the two writers being the writers of those books. It's crazy that they're retconning the history of Thor and Asgard by adding a tenth realm and intriguing enough to hook me from the get go. Thor and Loki head out and break into the locked off and long-lost realm in search of the lost sister. Artwise this book is good. Not overwhelmingly great, but good. It's not as stylistic and gorgeous as Ribic's work on Thor but also not as cartoonish and jovial as Loki. The weird part is that Simone Bianchi does a full 2-page spread as Thor and Loki arrive in the tenth realm and it is beautifully painted. It works since it's a new world we haven't explored yet. Excellent book. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out. 4 out of 5.

Last up is Bunn's The Empty Man 2. This issue is all about history. More history of the virus which appears to cause all sorts of hallucinations, Langford apparently has a dead wife, son, and both parents, and hints that Jensen has some sort of bad history with the virus. We don't know exactly what yet, but it's there. This story is sufficiently dark and wonderful. Mystery at its finest. The art is a mystical, stylized painted style and it matches the story perfectly. It's a little too stylized. The character designs aren't always distinct enough to tell the characters apart at times. Looking forward to more as usual. 4 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List 7-2-14

Several great books this week. Let's start with Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet 2. Since I already got number 1 and it's a 6 issue arc, I figured I might as well go all in. This book is mostly impressive at the way it captures the voices of the characters and the overall jokey and lighthearted feel of the show. General Gumm teams up with the Clown Prince of Crime in this issue and once again we are left in a harrowing cliffhanger!! A lot of fun. It's not the most exciting or brilliant story, but it's fun so I call it a win. 4 out of 5.

Next up is Lazarus 9. Been waiting several months for this one, but we finally find out about the Lift. Turns out the Lift is a test of sorts. It allows a few members of the serf population rise up and begin to work for the family populations. Art is still cool. This issue works great to expand the universe and give us a little of the history of Forever as well. Still a great book and I love Rucka and Lark's teamwork. Lark's artwork works so well with Rucka's writing style. There's a reason they've been working together for so long. All good things. I'm glad this issue finally came out. As usual I'm excited to see more. 4 out of 5. 

Thor God of Thunder 24. The epilogue of the Last Days of Midgard story cleans up Broxton and teases stuff for a future story arc. This is a nicely done issue. Not the most action filled issue, but it's very well done and good to see a transitionary story done right. Most of the issue discusses the rebuilding of Broxton and the decision of Asgard to move elsewhere in order to protect the people of Midgard. We see Jane Foster again and have a lovely conversation between her and Thor. Future Thor explores the newly flourishing, old planet Earth and Galactus is ravaging Mars when the remnants of the Black Blade of Gorr infect him to create the Butcher of Worlds. Great issue. Ribic's art is still stellar. It's a shame we don't get more until September. 3 out of 5.

Also in Marvel land comes Magneto 6. Magneto hunts down a bunch of clones of a mutant team who helped hunt down other mutants. He eventually finds the facility where they make them and alters the formula so they'll be loyal to him somehow. Strange jump to make and the plot doesn't move a whole lot, but the art is awesome. They use colors excellently to emphasize certain pieces of the art. The deaths are equally gruesome and gorgeous. All around an excellent book. This issue was a bit of a lull, but I'm sure it will pick up. 3 out of 5.

Lastly, Green Arrow shows some new tricks in issue 33. There's some great flashbacks between Diggle and Ollie exploring their history with Dragon. He's mad at Arrow for stopping before. It turns out that was during Oliver's depression after his mother died so Diggle ran out as the Arrow to stop some crime. Oliver finds Dragon and Diggle only to find Vertigo as a guard of sorts. The issue ends as Dragon throws Digg out a window and Fyff takes a gunshot to the abdomen while trying to rescue Emiko and get her to safety. Definitely the biggest cliffhanger of the bunch. As usual the art is incredible and the story is very fun. Great issue and it seems things are about to go nuts which is always fun to see. 4 out of 5.

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 6-18-14

Short week this week. The first book I picked up was due to me listening to Fatman on Batman 66 where they read through the first issue of Batman 66 meets the Green Hornet. It's a fun book if you're a fan of the Adam West series. I've enjoyed what I've seen of it and the movie so I had fun. I don't remember the villain, General Gumm (former Colonel) but he is supposedly from the TV show episode where they met the Green Hornet for the first time. The dialogue is a little jarring to read as it's written so well in the style of the show and reads rather oddly. I'm not a huge fan of the art. Everything has a thick black outline on it and it doesn't work for me. It's almost as if a child drew everything in a big sharpie. The biggest problem of having such bland artwork is that the cover is by Alex Ross so it is incredibly beautiful. Doesn't work great for me overall. Which is why listening to it over at the link above is a good choice. 3 out of 5.

Thor God of Thunder 23 is the other book I picked up. This book picks up shortly after the last book took place. It took just enough of a leap in time to make it feel like I had missed something. Even though there was nothing important to the story that was glossed over at all, it felt off for a while. An epic battle rages between King Thor and Galactus whilst today's Thor battles the Minotaur under Broxton. An extremely awesome conclusion to the last days of Midgard story. I like how Aaron doesn't use 6 issue arcs all the time. It keeps the book feeling fresh. Ribic again does beautiful work. All in all one of the better issues of this series so far. No real complaints to speak of. This story could've been a half issue longer as it was a bit rushed at the end. Otherwise it's all around excellent. 4.5 out of 5.

Weekly Pull List 6-4-14

I got a handful of books this week. First I will start with the Amazing X-Men title. There was issue 8 and annual 1. I'll start with the annual. It comprises two parts. The first is a story where they go to Africa to confront a monster from Storm's past and the 2nd is a history of Firestar with art as if it was drawn by a child. The Storm arc is great and a lot of fun. Art is absolutely beautiful. All the characters are crisp and emotional and there is an obscene amount of atmospheric art (dirt, sand, etc) that really enhances the entire book. I love it. The second part serves as a scrapbook honoring Firestar. There's a page that's only a faux-Egyptian style painting, one that's "drawn" by a student on his math notebook. Incredibly interesting idea. Execution wasn't great. There's several pages and they are all different, making it feel disjointed and choppy. As a collection of art it's pretty cool. As a story being told, it is pretty lame. Overall a decent annual. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 all together.

In Amazing X-Men 8 starts of the World War Wendigo story. Wolverine goes to Canada and meets an old friend only to try to find someone. Turns out he was attacked by a wendigo. Turns out there's tons of them. The other X-Men hope to get there in time to save Wolverine (who has no healing factor anymore.) Okay book. Not a huge fan of Wolverine, but he was used excellently. He's sniffing out a crime scene all detective-like. I like seeing a side of Wolverine that's not the tear everybody apart side. The art is pretty cool. Not incredible in any fashion, but also no problems with it. Solid book. 3 out of 5.

Next up Loki Agent of Asgard 5. Crazy fun book. Loki and Lorelei break into Asgard to find Sigurd and such. This issue acts the same as a third act of a heist movie where they reveal the twist and how they managed to pull it off. Super fun. Art is super cool looking. Where this book ends isn't great, but the journey totally works for me. It's fun which is exactly what I want from a comic book. 4 out of 5.

I finally found Magneto 3 so I was able to catch up on that series. In issue 3, Magneto infiltrates the Sentinel factory and he destroys it. In issue 4, he follows a lead to find some of the mutant smugglers to take them out. In issue 5, he meets a stalker of his and eventually agrees to have her help him. Bunn does great work on this series. The only real complaint I have is that it's moving pretty slowly. It's nice that the issues are fairly stand alone so they work fairly well on their own. Artwork on this book is by Gabriel Fernandez Walta and is wonderful. It has a nice watercolor feel to it, while being beautifully precise. I'll give these 3 collectively a 4.5 out of 5.

Last up for Marvel is Nightcrawler 3. Nightcrawler brings Amanda and their sorcerer friend Margali back to the mansion and fighting breaks out. All of a sudden many, many trimegas show up for a fight. It's a fairly decent read. Not super great, but it's alright. I've got probably 3 issues left for this to amaze me before I drop it. There is a really nice scene between Kurt and Logan in this issue. Logan's all friendly and brotherly towards him and it's a really great moment for both of them. 3 out of 5.

Now let's head over to Boom! Studios for The Empty Man issue 1. A new series by Cullen Bunn. It follows a multi-agency task force assigned to investigate a series of deaths somehow linked to the "empty man." It's unclear if it is some sort of virus, a supernatural monster, or just a plain old fashioned serial killer. Bunn doesn't disappoint with his ability to build the world and an incredible intrigue in what's going on. Can't wait to read more. Vaness R. Del Rey is on art and it looks gorgeous. There's a really sketchy style to it that really works in the horror genre. The characters are pretty decent so far, granted we haven't really seen them much. As usual Cullen Bunn has delivered a masterpiece. Incredible intro to the story and the world. 5 out of 5.

I also picked up Futures End 5 and 6 but don't really remember anything that happened. It's fairly uninteresting and most of the characters feel off due to it taking place 5 years in the future and they aren't the characters that we know now. It's not a great book. So I will be dropping it. Meh out of 5.

Justice League United 2 is another book that's not groundbreaking. It might as well be called Exposition United as it's a lot of talking. It serves the plot of the book, but doesn't do much else. These types of issues are a great argument for waiting for the trade so you can move right on in the story. Art still works fine and I am looking forward to a new arc in this book. That said, I did enjoy the brutal fighting between Lobo and Hawkman. Pretty excellent. 3 out of 5.

Over in Green Arrow 32 Oliver returns to Seattle only to find a super villain team-up in progress and Diggle kidnapped by Richard Dragon. Still my favorite art in a book on a monthly basis. There's some flashbacks that have stylized golden-age art look to them. The story has moments that feel fairly familiar but they are woven together in a new way to make it feel fresh. Great book as usual and it sets up a new story that promises to be good. 4.5 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.