Check out what I checked out this week.
Whether the comics are inspiring or disappointing, I read them all.
Welcome to The Pull List.
And, as always…Spoilers ahead!
Daredevil #7 (Pick of the Week)
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Paolo Rivera & Joe Rivera
Colors: Javier Rodriguez
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99
Mark Waid’s run on Daredevil has been simply amazing and lucky number seven is no exception. Matt Murdock takes some students from the Cresskill School for the Blind on a field trip that quickly turns into a quest for survival. Harsh weather conditions render Matt’s powers next to useless and the terrified children create some tense moments page by page. Waid’s script and Rivera’s complimentary artwork shows the gravity of a tense situation that makes you wonder how will he get them out of this one. I also found myself thinking how anyone could find success in that situation considering the circumstances. This book will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end which is what all great comic books accomplish.
Grade: A-
Justice League #4
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Jim Lee & Scott Williams
Colors: Alex Sinclair & Gabe Eltaeb
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Have you ever had a pizza delivered with all of your favorite toppings and its only meh instead of what it could be?
That is what the fourth installment of Justice League brings us. It has all the ingredients to be amazing but it hasn’t been cooked right…yet.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Darkseid debuts in the new 52. He appears to be ultra powerful and Lee and Williams produce a two page layout that makes you wonder just how in the hell the good guys are going to stop him.
Cyborg makes his superhero debut and happens to be the most compelling story arc in the series to date.
Apokolips’ invasion of Earth has reached a critical juncture where Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern & Aquaman will have to get past their petty differences and finally gel as a team or meet certain doom.
Grade: C+
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #5
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Sara Pichelli
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
One of the many great things you experience when reading the trials and tribulations of Miles Morales is the trip back to your childhood when you pretended to be your favorite superhero.
Using a trash can lid as Captain America’s shield or pretending the red bath towel is Superman’s cape is something we all did in some form or fashion.
Bendis’ script gives us the chance to live vicariously through Miles as he is a kid who actually has powers, gets the cool costume and becomes a hero. The black and red outfit we have seen on all of the covers makes its debut and Nick Fury enters the fray in order to find out how Miles gained spider powers as it revealed he has some powers even Peter Parker didn’t have.
If you thought this series was moving slowly, this is the issue you want to jump on. Excellent writing, fantastic artwork, and great action are all on the menu.
Grade: B+
The Amazing Spider-Man #676
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Humberto Ramos
Colors: Edgar Delgado
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
An issue of the Amazing Spider-Man without the lead character might seem boring, but fear not my fellow comic book fans!
The battle of Doc Ock’s Sinister Six versus MODOK’s Intelligencia brings the noise with plenty of action, fun page layouts and plenty of super smart guy banter similar to what you’d hear on The Big Bang Theory.
This battle filled chess-match will determine which villainous group enters the New Year with a new deadly arsenal that could spell doom for the entire world. I like where Dan Slott is going with Ock’s character because we are seeing a frightening side that we have never seen before.
There is a lot of hype on the next issue of ASM with a new story arc involving Daredevil. This is an issue that will not get lost in the scuffle.
Grade: B
Wolverine #20
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Renato Guedes
Colors: Tim Bradstreet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Jason Aaron has written some of the best Wolverine books to come down the pipe in quite sometime. This issue is his last story arc with the clawed Canadian before he says goodbye and moves on.
The story begins with Logan and his girlfriend, Melita, having a nice conventional breakfast at a hotdog stand until super powered homeless cannibals known as the Buzzard Brothers, try to start a war between the Hand and the Yakuza in Central Park. It appears someone will gain a lot from these two groups fighting each other and everyone is pointing fingers at who’s to blame.
Oh, a big surprise for you long time Wolverine fans appears on the final pages that will surely bring you back in January.
Aaron, more than any other comic writer today produces the perfect blend of action, suspense, drama, romance and comedy. Some writers will focus too much on one aspect and not enough on everything else. Aaron never has that problem, which is too his credit, and maybe to the discredit to the series after the next four issues. This was a great starting point to a new story arc that will no doubt bring us on an adventure to the land of the Rising Sun.
Grade: B+
Batman #4
Writer: Scott Snyder
Art: Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion
Colors: FCO Plasccencia
Publisher: DC Comics
Price $2.99
Scott Snyder has produced a tale of high stakes adventure, mystery and suspense that is well paced and complimented with Capullo’s shadowy artwork; we are treated to arguably the best value in comics today.
Batman’s investigation into who is trying to kill him proves that even the world’s greatest detective has flaws. The Court of Owls is sending a message, but Bruce refuses to hear it because a childhood experience has convinced him that they can’t possibly exist.
This is an interesting development because we are used to seeing a Dark Knight that will look at every angle, and yet he refuses to believe in the threat he faces even though the Wayne Family has clear ties to the court.
Is it arrogance or fear that is fueling this particular exploration? There are a couple of appearances from the Talon, the Court of Owls hitman and we learn the true nature of Alan Wayne’s demise.
This book is too good to pass on!
Grade: A-
Green Lantern Corps #4
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Art: Fernando Pasarin & Scott Hanna
Colors: Gabe Eltabe
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: 2.99
John Stewart and a handful of Green Lanterns are being held prisoner by their judge, jury and executioners: The Keepers.
Their leader reveals to Stewart that they are the true keepers of the power battery which could send shockwaves in the Green Lantern universe.
Meanwhile on Oa, Guy Gardner is using every interrogation tactic in the book in order to get some answers from the one ring slayer they captured. Nothing seems to work until Stormwatch enters the mix, providing quite the interesting development.
There was nothing bad about the artwork at all and Tomsai’s script is getting better and better with each issue.
Grade: B
The Walking Dead #92
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Art: Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn
Letters: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
For the last three months Kirkman has set the stage for big storyline to surface.
We now have our answer as a new character named Paul Monroe, has entered the fold and reveals there are more survivors out there.
Will they lead to a new hope or the end of the road for Rick and his crew?
Carl still dealing with a lot of issues and the walkers are still a nuisance.
There are some dull moments in this issue but overall it’s a must read because we now know where things are headed and if history has taught us anything, somebody is going to end up dead. I wondered how this series was going to remain interesting due to the TV show becoming ultra popular. I have faith we are going to be beyond satisfied with the end result.
Grade: B-
Venom #11
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Lan Medina & Nelson Decastro
Colors: Marte Gracia
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99
Flash Thompson is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
He has to commit a crime in order to protect his family and to make matters worse, The Jack-O-Lantern, his arch nemesis, is along for the ride to make sure he completes the task. If that is not bad enough, Captain America is not taking his ass whipping in the last issue too well and he has dispatched member of the Avengers to track down Thompson and retrieve the symboite.
This is an issue with a good pace and nice artwork go along with the dark fuel that is pushing Thompson closer to the breaking point.
If you haven’t read this series yet, this is a great issue to get started on as you will absolutely hate the Jack-O-Lantern and hope Venom knocks out the rest of his teeth.
Grade: B
Supergirl #4 (Shelf-Listed: Disappointment of the Week)
Writer: Michael Green & Mike Johnson
Art: Mahmud Asrar
Colors: Dave McCaig
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
This was very close to being my pick of the week last month.
This month we are treated to a story that is simply lazy and not well thought out. Kara mentions Kryptonite by name on the first page which provided the record scratch moment right away. It hasn’t even been named yet as Tycho doesn’t even know what to call it.
She is rescued in a manner that screamed creative lethargy and Tycho is blown up in pieces and some how still alive…….in pieces while some of his staff got away without a scratch.
There is nothing memorable about the artwork in this issue even though I guess you can say it’s the highlight of a lowlight effort. Some might read this review and say you are supposed to suspend reality when you read comics but that is hard to do when there is no reality to suspend in the first place.
Grade: Don’t even bother reading this one.
