Had to Move the Blog!

Sorry about this to anyone just coming to the site or returning, but due to a temporary problem I had with Google, I had to move the site and basically recreate it. All the old reviews and any new posts will be made there and this one will no longer be updates. If you want to keep reading my reviews, just head over to the new site:

http://forthosethatcare-anutherdimens.blogspot.com/

Modern Comics Review: Fantastic Four Annual #32http://www.westcoastheroes.com/comic_news_images/fantastic_four_annual_32_sm.jpg

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Fantastic Four. For all intents and purposes, they were my first comic and there is no book I’ve collected so intensely of followed as closely so I was excited to see annuals return to the book, especially with the original numbering intact. I’ve always been a fan of the idea of annuals, as they can offer some fun stories that aren’t hampered by the current story of the main book. My excitement was a little drained by the announcement that the issue was being handled by Joe Ahearne, writer of the lackluster Fantastic Force spinoff off Mark Millar’s run on Fantastic Four, Bryan Hitch, who just isn’t quite as good as he once was. It didn’t help that the plot, one about Johnny Storm impregnating a woman he doesn’t remember, seemed like it was only going to play to the careless side of The Human Torch so many writers only write him, a plot point I really hate. So imagine my surprise when I actually kind of enjoyed the book.

Joe Ahearne has a much better grasp of this family than I thought he did. His Fantastic Four was written just as they should be, aside from how Johnny reacts when he finds out the news about the pregnancy; here he reverts to his party boy self. Some of the other characters sound off and Reed doesn’t seem quite as smart as he should, but there actually is an in-story reason for this that makes sense given partway into the book. I was also presently surprised by the reveal of the villain who, while underwhelming in their own right and with a completely silly plan, sort of brings back one of the FF’s villain that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. There are even some good throwback lines to that villain’s seminal story. The plot ultimately allows Johnny some time to shine as an actual hero, something I was VERY pleased to see. It ends of something of a cliffhanger, that could possibly be picked up in an interesting way sometime in the future, but will likely be forgotten, but that might be for the best.

As for the art, Hitch is definitely better here than he has been in a while, with the possible exception of New Avengers Finale. It is a step up from Captain America Reborn and definitely better than his work on Fantastic Four himself. It’s far less scratchy and I really enjoyed his portrayal of the inside of Johnny Storm. He still has some sloppy panels and his brief depiction of Franklin was truly odd looking, but his art in no way detracted from the book. I especially enjoyed Hitch’s portrayal of Reed when he was stretching. I actually enjoyed his work again, something I was pleasantly surprised to say.

Fantastic Four Annual #32 definitely feels like a lost issue of Mark Millar’s run, but this isn’t actually a bad thing. Ahearne seems to get these characters better than Millar did and is able to craft a fun annual out of them and give every character their own chance shine and has some nice dialogue and cool imagery. If you like the Fantastic Four, especially Johnny Storm, then you should check this book out. It’s all about the FF with almost no supporting cast and is a nice, fun read. If you don’t have 5 dollars to spare, you won’t be missing anything huge, but if you have the money and want a good time, check it out.

Overall: 7.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #1

It was only when Spider-Man/ Fantastic Four was announced that I’d ever even heard of the Spider-Man/ X-Men miniseries that Christos Gage had done previously so I had no idea what to expect out of this series. What I can say though is that this book had definitely made me want to check it out as this was one entertaining issue. This may not be the highest profile book of the week, but it surprised me and became one of my favorite.

The whole point of this book is to tell untold stories of Spider-Man and Fantastic Four team-ups at various points throughout the continuity of both and this first issue fits snugly into the continuity of the books here as the Fantastic Four are forced to protect Dr. Doom at a peace conference shortly after Ben Grimm had crushed Doom’s hands in a then-recent invasion of the Baxter Building. Since the peace meeting takes place at Empire State University during Peter Parker’s time as a student there, naturally Spider-Man become embroiled in the mess when Namor crashes the scene for a duel of honor with Doom.

Christos Gage sets up all of these scenes very well and nails each characters’ voice perfectly. As is to be expected, the Human Torch and Spider-Man have some of the greatest back and forth in all of comics and it all feels just right. There’s even a fun continuity gag that I particularly enjoyed when Johnny Storm burns off one of Spidey’s armpit webs. It’s all very fun and has the feel of a goofy, Silver Age story that seems like it could have been just a lost issue of either Spider-Man or Fantastic Four, just as it should. Gage even manages to set up an in continuity threat at the end of the book that is sure to pay off later on.

I have to say, at the beginning of the issue, I wasn’t really into artist Mario Alberti’s artwork, but it definitely grew on me as the issue went on, especially once the action starts. Alberti draws an amazing Human Torch and slender Spider-Man that look quite good. He is also able to render a classic feel and costumes excellently. His faces weren’t always great, especially on Namor, but luckily, they’re rarely the focus of a scene so it’s not a big problem. Ultimately, Alberti is able to pull off the issue is mostly the way I would want and I’m curious to see how he renders other villains as the story, and the timeline, progress.

Overall, this was a surprisingly good issue that will definitely draw me back for succeeding issues. I always seem to underrate Christos Gage as a writer which is foolish as me as he only shows signs of improving. If you have even a passing interest in either the Fantastic Four or Spider-Man, you should definitely check this book out. Though it fits into continuity, you really don’t need to know any to enjoy this, though having some background only makes it that much more interesting. I’m excited to see where the upcoming issues go, especially with next issues apparent villain being Venom.

Overall: 8.3/10

Modern Comics Review: X-men #1

Like the Superman franchise, the X-men franchise is one that I’ve had a hard time following over the years. There were too many bad stories to justify me keeping up with it regularly so I only ever really read it when there was a major story or change coming that interested me. “Second Coming” was one of these stories that seemed to have enough to potential to bring me in. Honestly, I really enjoyed “Second Coming” throughout and I’m really hoping that the closing issue ends on a high note when it comes out. It did spark interest in the X-men as a whole for me though and I figured what better time to start continuously following them with a new X-men #1 from Victor Gischler and Paco Medina. To be honest, I actually enjoyed it too.

One misleading thing is that this book really isn’t spinning out of “Second Coming.” Honestly, if I didn’t know anything about “Second Coming” it would have had no effect on my reading of this issue; it isn’t so much as mentioned in passing. What is useful reading here, however, is the Death of Dracula one-shot that came out recently. Some characters carry directly over from that issue and X-men #1 picks up shortly after the vampiric status quo change in that book.
Here, the Lord of Vampires comes into to San Francisco and has a scheme to apparently start transforming the entire city into new vampires, however it seems that there is an even more sinister bent to this scheme as it seems that de-powered X-man Jubilee was the actual target of the first attack. Soon, the X-men are involved and investigating and it’s becomes clear that things will quickly get out of hand if Cyclops and his crew can’t put a stop to it.

The story for this issue is all about setup. You get some brief action that is no doubt only a minor fraction of what I hope this story eventually blossoms into. It definitely showcases how much brainless fun this whole “Mutants vs. Vampires” idea could be if it escalates the way I hope. But it is important to emphasis a key word in that last sentence: brainless. There isn’t anything remotely deep about this issue. It’s fun but that’s about it. None of the intricate and entertaining vampire politics from the Death of Dracula one shot are present here. That was another book with little action but was still deeply entertaining in the way the vampires interacted with one another. I’m really hoping that Gischler will actively put more vampire society in this and the related books. Speaking of related books, there are four new vampire related books launching out of this event, as advertised at the end of X-men #1. I also hope the story can justify the need for this many books in addition to X-men.

The art here, by Paco Medina, is actually quite good. It’s very bright and colorful, surprisingly so given the subject matter present and is a nice change from the dark dreariness of Second Coming. Medina art has improved subtly since his days on Deadpool not long ago. His art is kind of like a cartoony Olivier Coipel, which works much better than you might think. It’s a very good fit for this book and keeps what could become a dark story firmly in the grounds of fun.

Despite the quality of Death of Dracula, I really wasn’t expecting much from this book. In that respect, it surprised me. If you want a deep, intellectually challenging book, then steer clear of X-men #1; maybe the post “Second Coming” other X-men books will fit that role better when they come, but if you want superheroes against monsters, this looks like a promising start.

Overall: 8.0/10

Modern Comics Review: Batman Beyond #1

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved every offering of the DC animated universe. It was much more mature than anything my young mind had been accustomed to seeing and it shocked and entertained every week that I watched. One of my favorites of all of these shows was easily Batman Beyond. This show was able to effortlessly do something I would have thought impossible then in replacing Batman and making him likeable, along with a rogues gallery of his own that was fun to watch him battle just as much as Bruce Wayne’s Batman. I’ve made sure to keep up with any of Terry McGinnis’ few adventures since his show ended, from those in Justice League Unlimited to his recent starring role in Superman/Batman Annual #4 that came out recently. So naturally I was excited when the new Batman Beyond miniseries was announced, but should I have been?

Let’s just say this isn’t quite the issue I was hoping it would be. It isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination but it could have been so much more. This issue takes place with the Terry McGinnis that was around during or shortly after his own series, but before his appearance in the last episode of Justice League Unlimited where he was revealed to be a clone of Bruce Wayne. I’m so glad that author Adam Beechen chose to do this, because it means that this plot could be possibly left out of Batman Beyond canon. I was not impressed with that particular story chose as it took away from Terry as his own hero and made him impressive as Batman only because of his genetic connections. This issue once again gives Terry the chance to come into the identity of Batman in his own right. In that regard, Beechen does a great job. He is also really able to capture the voice of Terry from the get-go and it feels just right.

The other feature of this issue that I was looking forward to is this issue attempting to place the Batman Beyond franchise into the main DC canon and not an alternate timeline or universe. I always found this particular franchise worthy of being integrated and it is done rather well here…for the most part. An unfortunate side effect of this integration is apparently adding more classic Batman villains into the series. The whole issue revolves around one of Batman’s enemies escaping incarceration and killing/attempting to kill more of his rogues. By focusing on this, it does fit the book into the timeline better, but also detracts from Terry’s own rogues gallery who are limited here a brief fight in the beginning and some throwaway mentions. I would have liked to see the mentioned villains take center stage, but I understand why this was done. Also, the particular villain chosen as the main antagonist here was certainly not one I would have expected to see in any incarnation of Batman Beyond, however different readers might find the particular villain’s involvement as more or less of a good thing depending on personal feelings toward the character.

I have two main problems with this book. The first is the lack of focus on the person that should have the focus: Terry McGinnis himself. This is the other drawback of using Batman’s rogues here. It makes it a much more personal case for Bruce Wayne, so he gets more screen time here than it seems like he should while Terry is used mainly to move the plot and not a protagonist. The biggest reason for the success of the Batman Beyond cartoon was the likeability of Terry. Taking him out of the spotlight is a surefire way to kill the series prematurely.
The other issue here is the art by Ryan Benjamin. Benjamin does manage to accurately recreate the world the show operated in, but his characters aren’t so lucky. He especially struggles when it comes to human faces. Faces either have far too many lines or too little detail or sometime just look plain ugly, such as the first time we see Terry’s face. Also, these characters don’t look much like their television selves. I’m okay with a little difference in looks and will happen with a change in art style, but this is too much. Benjamin at least attempts to imitate Terry’s looks, but Bruce looks nothing like he did before and is hardly recognizable. Hopefully, Benjamin will be able to capture the characters a little better in later issues.

Because I am such a huge fan of these characters, I will continue to follow this mini. As I said before, it isn’t a bad issue, but it is more suitable for a regular Batman issue than Batman Beyond. This is a first issue however, and there is plenty of room to improve. The villain could potentially be very interesting in this series so I hope to see him used well. Also, Adam Beechen has a great grasp on Terry’s personality so if he makes Terry front and center in the next issues this could rapidly move to the top of my read pile every month.

Overall: 7.0/10

Modern Comics Review: X-Campus #1

Now here’s an interesting book. There aren’t many X-men books that I follow on a regular basis, so I thought, with a new, continuity-free number one, that X-Campus could be worth checking out. The idea behind it is different enough. This is an entirely fresh re-imagining of the X-men mythos as envisioned by some new creators, all from Europe. Having European creators isn’t too special as Marvel loves to use both writers and artists from across the pond, but having them come up with their own take on an established franchise, in the vein of the X-men Evolution television show, definitely is. After reading the first issue, I’ve concluded that the idea, so far, is a mixed bag.

The first oversized issue is broken up into two chapters that basically serve as the new class of students getting oriented at their new school, The Worthington Foundation, in the first chapter and the early weeks there in the second. Personally, I found the use of the two chapters entirely unnecessary as they flowed together well enough. It was basically an excuse to change artists, though the art is so similar, I doubt I would have noticed if I hadn’t known there were two artists from the credits page. As modern retellings of the X-men seem to so love doing, this is issue focuses on Rogue as she discovers her powers and is brought to the school. This is such a tired gimmick for these scenarios. I understand that Rogue is a good choice to follow as she has a power that limits social interactions and really emphasizes the isolation being a mutant brings, but it has still gotten old and there has to be a more unique way to frame this story.

There are, however, some interesting twists to the typical X-men story to be had here. I enjoyed how The Worthington Foundation was much more a school than Xavier’s ever felt like and it was rather refreshing that the mutants weren’t brandishing their powers all over the place. Instead, no one is aware that anyone else has special abilities to begin with and no one is quite sure why the people at the school are as special as they are told they are. It adds a new appeal to the characters as they all try and keep their secret to themselves. It was also a nice twist that it is Magneto, though he is never called this in the issue, is the head of the school and that Xavier is merely a biology teacher. It’s kind of nice to have Xavier on more of an intimate and closer level to all of the students as opposed to being the headmaster. Beyond these elements, the story is nothing special. Magneto is forming a brotherhood, Logan is a rebel and doesn’t like Scott Summers, and anyone who knows anything about X-men will figure out who Carol Higgins is almost immediately. Yawn. There’s a very “been there, done that” feel to most of this, despite the few tweaks to the formula. The rather bland, uninspired, and sometimes just plain terrible dialogue by author Francesco Artibani doesn’t help this feeling any either.

As I said before, there are two artists, Denis Medri and Roberto di Salvo, on this book and they look almost eerily similar. It’s nice that there is consistency in the changing of artists between chapters, but it just makes me feel like there is no reason for there to have been two artists, or even two chapters, on this book for that matter. It doesn’t help that the art is entirely unremarkable, sometimes bordering on ugly. Out of all the talented artists in Europe, I would’ve hoped Marvel could have gotten two, but preferably one, other artists to handle duties on this series. On the upside, the characters do actually look like teenagers and not like they’re in their mid-twenties (*cough*Ultimate X-men *cough*).

The tweaks made to the traditional X-men stories made here were interesting enough to bring me back for the second issue when it comes out. I’m really hoping that Artibani will be able to kick the story into a higher gear now that all the characters have been introduced. If he can really focus on what makes this X-men story different and emphasize that, theirs is potential for this book to really become something fresh and that I would want to follow on a monthly basis, despite the artist’s on the book.I just need X-Academy to be different enough to deserve my attention.

Overall: 6.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Action Comics #890

The various Superman comics are, in my opinion, some of the most inconsistent on the market and, as such, I only follow them when there is a specific new plot that sounds interesting to me. With the introduction of Paul Cornell, an author whose works I have consistently enjoyed, and a new plot that focuses on Lex Luthor of all people, I decided this might just be one of the plots that might interest me enough to check out. The whole New Krypton plot just didn’t appeal to me nearly as much as I’d hoped and War of the Supermen wasn’t quite the ending to that I wanted it to be either, so I was hoping the fresh approach Cornell was bringing would be enough to reignite interest. It’s not quite the draw I had hoped, but it’s certainly not a bad start.

Cornell’s Luthor is an interesting one. It’s sort of like he mixed a little bit of all of Luthor’s personas over the years as he comes across a little bit mad scientist, a little bit business man, and a little bit of sly-tongued politician. This Luthor seems to be trying to control his life a bit more, but having a little difficultly with this, especially as he goes about his quest to regain the power of the various power rings in the DCU, though maybe not the one you expect. Enter Lois Lane to the story; she is here primarily to ground Luthor and try and call him on his various shortcomings so he can try and adjust his personality. Anyone that has ever read Lois Lane in a story will immediately wonder not only why she is shadowing Luthor like this but also why her personality seems just a little…off. At first, I was a little annoyed by the way Lois was handled here, but Cornell takes the smart approach and, instead of dragging out the mystery of this, satisfactorily reveals the reason before the issue ends.

The plot itself is quite a fun one and one that makes sense for Lex Luthor’s character based on his experiences in Blackest Night. His plan gets derailed partway through the issue by a group of villains that are either new or I don’t recognize, but we discover by the end of the issue and it is a familiar, and unexpected, reveal. Easily the most interesting part of the issue was watching Luthor’s interplay with the villains in this issue and his casual method of determining what they want even while being held off the side of a building. Even more so than the hunt for power rings, I’m most excited to see just how Luthor’s quest forces him to play off of other villains. This issue is mostly setup and little action, but that is only to be expected. The biggest shortcoming of the story was Luthor’s imagining of what the world will be like once he gets his power rings. It felt a little over-wrought, even for Lex Luthor, but it’s not a huge problem and it is even lampshaded a bit.

The weakest link of the issue was easily the art of Pete Woods for me. From what I’ve read there are a lot of people out there that enjoy his artwork, but I’m just not one of them. His artwork just feels simple and a little blocky to me, sometimes bordering on ugly, but it actually wasn’t too big of an issue here. It wasn’t anything special either, but it didn’t distract from the book. Easily his best work in the book is the last page reveal, but it is serviceable throughout.
Ultimately, this was an entertaining read and Luthor’s characterization is strong enough to bring me back for next month’s issue, but the pace needs to be picked up some. It’s not my favorite book by Paul Cornell, but I’ll put my faith in him for another month. I want to be interested in Action Comics again and I’m hoping that this story will become the one to do that.

Overall: 7.4/10

Power Rangers is coming back!

Ok, ok. Maybe I'm getting a little over excited here, but apparently Power Rangers has just been bought back from Disney after almost 10 years. This probably won't excite many out there, but I was and still remain, a huge fan of the various versions of Power Rangers and was really saddened when I'd heard it was being canceled after the last season Power Rangers RPM. Fans may or may not be excited about about Haim Saban, the man that first brought the series to the states, reaquiring it, but some of the best seasons, though also admittedly some of the worst, were under his tenure as a producer. I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic for the time being and check it out when it comes back on Nickelodeon sometime in the future and I'm gonna hope that maybe it can be as great a source of entertainment for new generations as it was for me.


http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/13/business/la-fi-ct-saban-20100513

Modern Comics Review: 7 Psychopaths #1

I have a tendency when reading comic books to stick largely to superhero comic books. It’s not that I think only superhero books are entertaining, it’s just sort of a habit of mine, but one I’ve been trying to break over the last five or so years. As such, I decided to check out 7 Psychopaths and am I ever glad I did! This was one entertaining book with some very strong characterization. Fabien Vehlmann and Sean Phillips are able to take an old concept, using prisoners and others with nothing else to live for to invade World War II Germany for one reason or another and truly invigorate it. In this case, the story is assembling the titular seven psychopaths for a mission to kill Hitler and end the war.

What really brings this story its energy is the truly interesting characters. The leader of the psychopaths, Joshua Goldschmidt, is just so much fun to read. He’s delightfully sarcastic and rude, but you also know he’s the smartest person in the room at any given time and it makes him truly endearing. Even though only five of the members are introduced in this issue, they are all shaping up to be equally fun to read. They range everywhere from a pathological liar and impersonator to a man who believes Hitler is communicating with him telepathically as a means of torture and could definitely make their mission an interesting one once it gets underway. Vehlmann definitely has a great grasp on writing insane people and that is most certainly a compliment.

I think the person I have to give the most praise to, however, is artist Sean Phillips. I really enjoyed his work in Marvel Zombies, but I haven’t gotten around to reading some of his other works so I was worried how well he’d be able to draw a cast of regular humans and he did not disappoint. I could best describe his art in 7 Psychopaths as cartoonishly realistic. All of his characters have a distinct feel to them that makes them feel real. Possibly the highlight of the work though is that each of the psychopaths seem to have some sort or artistic tick that make them seem as though they actually have the problems the reader is told they do. My personal favorite it the goofy smile that team member Willy Wright has on his face perpetually that just screams that he is lying to you and enjoying it at any given time. Phillips war-torn Europe certainly looks the part as well and it looks just plain gorgeous. Considering I read an interview with him saying he had no clue what 1940’s European architecture looked like and had to constantly research it, it looks especially amazing.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, to say the least. I really didn’t know what to expect going into the issue and, honestly, I was kind of expecting to not really like it, but I definitely did. The only real downside is that the plot still feels a little generic in basic concept, but it has every opportunity still to open up and really shatter expectations. If Vehlmann can keep up this level on characterizations and keep the story varied, it could easily become one of my favorite books of the year.

Overall: 9.4/10

Modern Comics Review: The Flash #3

Easily my most anticipated comic coming out of Blackest Night and into Brightest Day was Geoff Johns’ relaunch of The Flash with Francis Manapul. I admit that I only really started to actively read The Flash after the events of Infinite Crisis but I always made sure to keep an eye on the Flash family as they were easily my favorite heroes in the DC universe. I also have to admit that I had always been a huge Wally West Flash fan as well. This isn’t to say I was against Barry Allen ever returning, but I was a bit apprehensive at Wally losing the limelight upon Barry’s return. As such, I was also a equally wary as I was exciting coming into Johns’ new series.

It’s a testament to John’s skill that in his very first issue he managed to assuage all of my worries of Barry Allen being the lead Flash once again. I was completely pulled into “The Dastardly Death of the Rogues” story from the introduction of the Renegades. It’s an intriguing twist on the idea of the Flash’s rogues gallery from a different angle and helps keep the characters fresh. It’s fun and interesting to see how the Rogues’ various abilities can be enhanced when future tech. The only thing about the story I didn’t really like was how easily and handily for Barry the cliffhanger from last issue was dealt with. It just seemed too lucky for Barry that his department would just to this conclusion, though it could be considered as consistent with how they are apparently not too great at closing cases. It still just didn’t sit right with me though. Meanwhile, Captain Boomerang’s plot continues to develop but it hasn’t really hooked me yet. It just seems too simple and seems to lean on the fact that the people resurrected in Blackest Night now have mysterious powers. I was hoping for a little more to this subplot but it might become more interesting now that it is beginning to intersect with the Renegades’ plot

Far and away the most impressive part of this issue, as with the previous three, is the gorgeous art by Francis Manapul. How Manapul was able to go as long as he did without becoming a huge star is a mystery to me as he is insanely talented. There’s a wonderful level of detail to every panel he draws and each panel just flow from one to the other. There’s no clutter or confusion to the panels and no two characters ever look the same. His characters actually feel like they are moving at the speed of light and doing so naturally and he is capable of some truly expressive looking faces that really carry emotion. I’ve yet to be able to find a flaw in his art on this series ad I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

The Flash has quickly become one of my most anticipated books and feels like a truly classic, yet modern superhero comic book. Johns’ is making these characters delightfully human and Manapul is really making the book stand out visually. It’s only the ironically slow moving story and some cheap ways out of certain situations to hinder this book. It does not, however, hinder my interest on a month to month basis and continue to look forward to each new issue every month. Let’s hope Johns and Manapul can continue this pace.

Overall: 9.0/10

Modern Comics Review: Young Allies #1

As someone who never had any interest in at all in characters such as Nomad or Araña, I approached Young Allies #1 a little hesitantly. I had a passing knowledge of Gravity from reading Beyond and his sting in Fantastic Four but not much other than that, and I’ve had little knowledge or interest in Firestar outside of Spider-man and His Amazing Friends. I’m not entirely sure what drew me to check this book out but, surprisingly, I’m rather happy I did. Sean McKeever has managed to assemble a truly eclectic team and what could have been a terribly boring book into a potentially interesting one.

In typical fashion, McKeever crafts a tale that inadvertently brings together a new team of heroes ranging from the high school to graduate school age. In order to do this, McKeever creates an all-new team of young villains to wreak havoc. Part of what drew me into this title was how instantly recognizable these new villains, who have the delightfully tongue-in-cheek name of “The Bastards of Evil,” are. I’ll admit, when they were first introduced, I was annoyed at how easy it was to identify which villains were the parents of the members of the Bastards, but it becomes quickly apparent that McKeever never had any intention of keeping this a secret even comes out and directly says who a few of the parents are.

The story does an admirable job of making each of the Young Allies likeable, even Nomad who I truly despised in her role as Bucky in the Heroes Reborn Captain America book. That’s a testament to the handling of these characters, even if Nomad and Araña have occasionally similar voices. I do have to say that I have little interest in the new hero Toro, but he’s also not unlikeable and could become a much better character with some more screen time. It’s only natural that he would be less developed as he doesn’t have the established history the other characters do.

What’s most refreshing, surprisingly, is the story. It isn’t dumbed down for a teenage audience. It seems like a fairly basic story at first but one that takes an unexpectedly mature turn at the end. I, for one, hope this sticks and makes a lasting impression on the book and isn’t used as just a shocking cliffhanger. It could really anchor the book and make for some interesting stories. It certainly helped to endear me to the new character Warhead more than I ever thought I would. So far, he seems to be the most interesting of Bastards, so hopefully he’ll get some more time to shine.

For me, the biggest downside of the issue was the art by David Baldeón. He comes across like a less-talented David Lafuente, a problem that is only highlighted by Lafuente-drawn cover to the comic. Baldeón isn’t bad per se, but it just feels obvious that he was being pushed as a substitute for Lafuente in this issue. The art is occasionally muddy and sometimes just unappealing but ultimately doesn’t hinder the story. I hope to see Baldeón come more into his own as the series progresses and don’t necessarily want him off the book.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It drew me in enough to continue checking it out, at least for the next few issues. There is potential for a truly fun book here and I hope to see that potential reached. Sean McKeever has been hit-or-miss recently, but he has some good material to work with here and I’d like to be able to classify it as a hit.'

Overall: 7.8/10

Papercraft Freedom Gundam

It's official. I want one of these. In anyone out there is skilled enough to make one of these and willing to make one for me, I'd love them forever.

http://kotaku.com/5577429/ranfrom-paper-to-this-insane-4+foot-gundam-papercraft-in-under-four-minutes

Modern Comics Review: Green Arrow #1

Before I review Green Arrow #1, I should probably say that I haven’t read a whole lot of Green Arrow in the past. It wasn’t a book that ever really drew me in, though I will admit to having liked character in various other books I’ve read him in, just not enough to delve into his various series. After the events of Justice League: Cry For Justice and The Rise and Fall Special, I decided that, with a new number one, this might be a more accessible time to break into the series. To be clear, I also have to say that I am not one of the seemingly rare fans of Cry for Justice and the events that have spun out of it. I personally found it a terrible series that was unnecessarily violent and butchered many characters (some literally).
However, I didn’t want this to stop me from checking out Green Arrow #1, as I help out hope that maybe J.T. Krul would be able to do more justice (no pun intended) for the character with a new status quo.

In that regard, I’ll just say that Krul is making some progress. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a good book, but it is improving. This is a relatively easy entry point for character of Green Arrow, provided you know of the events of Cry for Justice and the Star City Forest growth in Brightest Day. Green Arrow has taken up residence in the forest as its “Robin Hood,” something Krul’s script is not willing to let you forget as there a frequent references to this, some even straight up calling Ollie such. It’s kind of a tired comparison and it is entirely overplayed here.

However, I could overlook that in the face of a truly good story. Though this story lacks much originality, it has some promise to become entertaining and for some reason, I have an interest in the new owner of Oliver Queen’s old company. What I couldn’t get past though was the unnecessary violence used especially in the early pages. I understand that Green Arrow has gone through a traumatic experience and is re-hauling his methods but his violence seemed out of place and there was no need for anyone’s nose ring to get shot off with an arrow. It came off as violence for violence’s sake and ultimately detracted from the book.

As much as I disliked the violence, I found myself, for the most part, enjoying the art. Diogenes Neves art style reminds me of a cross between Rags Morales and Scott Kolins and that is not necessarily a bad thing. It seems significantly more detailed at times than others and this can be a little disarming, but overall his art, aside for the blood, is fairly enjoyable.

As I said at the beginning, Green Arrow is not a good book, but it also wasn’t a terrible one. There is potential in the story and the art is likeable so I plan to continue following the book for at least the next few months as it could prove to be an entertaining read. The more Krul can distance himself from Cry for Justice the better and he certainly seems to be improving this regard. If he could tone down the violence and the sometimes extreme portrayal Green Arrow himself, Krul could turn this book around and make it a good book.

Overall Score: 6.0/10

90's Comic Reviews: Fantastic Four vol. 3 #9

Ok, here's my first comic review, and remember, I do not pretend to be anything resembling a professional reviewer. I should probably start off saying that, though I read comic books since I was able to read, I never actually read comics until I was eight years old and happened across Fantastic Four #358. Something about the family dynamic of the book, even when I was starting in the middle of a clearly ongoing story, really stood out to me even then and I rabidly started collecting any issue I could find. It was obvious to me, as is so often stated, that the Fantastic Four were primarily a family first and heroes second.

So if that issue was so important to me, then why am I reviewing this issue that came almost 75 issues later? Short answer: because no other issue to me exemplifies this family aspect and just what and who the Fantastic Four are. I'll probably get to that issue one day, but I think this issue did it better. One of the most important ways in succeeded in this was through the small scale of the issue. There are no world-ending disasters or looming character deaths. In fact, the only supervillain that even shows up in this issue is barely engaged in a fight and leaves on his own accord.

But the action isn't the important part of this issue. The whole issue is framed by the idea of Reed Richards inviting reporters to come the FF's then-home of Pier Four to see what a day in the life of the Fantastic Four is like and to interview them. Through this narrative device, we get a glimpse of each member of the family. Surprisingly, at least considering most recent Fantastic Four stories, the one we see the least of is Reed Richards. This is the start of a period, much like in the current Fantastic Four run by Jonathan Hickman in which multiple new or different characters took up residence with the Fantastic Four and each of the characters highlights a different member of the family. From Johnny Storm's new friend Alysande Stuart to Franklin's new puppy to the then-budding romance between Alyssa Moy and The Thing, we get to see most of the family's interactions with each other and you can really feel the heart of every character.

This issue was fairly early on in a run started by Chris Claremont on the title with Salvador Larroca that lasted about 30 issues and is a personal favorite run of mine, though it is often overlooked and many of the ideas introduced in it were subsequently dropped by later creative teams. This has always seemed unfair to me as there were many interesting plots and characters introduced that could have been grounds for many more interesting stories but instead were ignored. Also, it is important, at least to me, to mention the art by Salvador Larocca. I own approximately 80% of the entirety of Fantastic Four's run since 1961 and I have always thought that Larocca was one of the best artist's the book has ever seen, on par with those of Jack Kirby, John Byrne, and Mike Wieringo. His work here is far cry from the muddy faces and humans he draws currently in Invincible Iron Man and he draw possibly my favorite interpretation on The Thing to date, while still giving him very human expressions. In fact, I can barely see the resemblance between the current work Larocca does and his art from titles around this time and I sorely miss it. He also drew one of the best, most elastic version of Mr. Fantastic I've ever seen.

I've heaped a lot of praise on this book and I think I've done so justly. While it may not offer very much action or give an interpretation of the team's origin, I still think this is one of the best jumping on points for an incoming Fantastic Four reader that the series has seen in its nearly 600 issue run. Few other issues give the reader such an idea of just WHO these characters are and every character acts exactly as you would expect and want them too. The Human Torch, in my opinion, receives the best treatment from Claremont in this regard, depicting him as mature and noticeably older than when he first received his powers while still maintaining the grandstanding, playful, and larger-than-life nature he is expected to have. He is not, however, treated solely as a womanizer and party hopper that is always the first member beaten in every battle. This is a huge pet peeve of mine that Claremont got just right.

This run does not receive nearly the amount of attention that it should. It is a wonderfully imaginative run with terrific characterization that makes for any of the shortcomings it may have at points and really distills the Fantastic Four to exactly what they should be: a true family. If you've always written of the Fantastic Four for any reason or you just haven't bothered to check the our before, give this issue a shot. Even if you don't typically like superhero comic books, this one just might win you over with it's stellar, truly human characterizations.

For Those That Care Score: 10/10

The Beginning

Hey to anyone out there actually bothering to read this (if you are, then thanks!). As I stated in my site description, this is my first blog and it'll probably read like one. I plan to refine this over time so bear with me a bit. Also, I plan to update on a (somewhat) regular basis, but my life tends to get hectic and, frankly, sometimes (read: frequently) I get lazy. As such, I may not update for extended periods of time, but as I said, I'll try and be good about this.
Anyway, I plan to use this blog as a place to do little reviews of comics, video games, or what-have-you that I feel like whenever I get around to it. Odds are, I'll probably do random ramblings as well about whatever topics I feel like, whether it be comic (or real world) news or whatever else I feel like. You may even find out a little out about me, for the 2 people out there that might care. I'm aware that I'm not hugely knowledgeable in every field or any particular subject so I might be wrong here or there so, if you care to, feel free to correct me on anything you read here. All I ask is that you try to be civil in doing so, whether to me or others in the comments. All opinions are welcome and I'm curious what you have to say.
That about sums up what I plan to do with For Those That Care. I'm open to whatever anyone has to say and I hope you enjoy what I do here.