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!
Wolverine #300 (Pick of the Week)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Adam Kubert, Ron Garney & Steve Sanders
Colors: Paul Mounts & Jason Keith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
This cover is everything I love about Wolverine.
Logan is surrounded by carnage and mayhem, pissed off with his claws up and ready for more.
We head to Japan where the war between the Hand and the Yakuza is imminent. Wolverine feels he must stop the bloodshed before it starts while trying to discover who has the most to gain from lighting the fire between these two organizations. The essence of the Silver Samurai looms over the entire story while Sabertooth returns and makes a huge impact in the coming events.
He also has a mutant accomplice that I’m not going to reveal here but it will make your jaw drop.
The writing provides a brisk pace to a fantastic story and I will sum up the art in one word: violence!
This is the beginning of the end of Jason Aaron’s run on Wolverine. He has over 40 issues under his belt and he will still be writing Wolverine stories to a certain extent with Wolverine and the X-Men title, but he will be missed on this book in particular. Yes, the book cost $4.99 but is it worth it? Oh hell yeah!!!
Grade: A-
Scarlet Spider #1
Writer: Christopher Yost
Art: Ryan Stegman
Colors: Marte Garcia
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
1990’s Spider-Man fans have mixed emotions when they hear the name Scarlet Spider as images of Ben Reilly dance in our heads.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about then fear not because the end of the book delivers a Cliff’s Notes version of the entire Spider-Man clone saga.
Now, this new story involving Kaine brings us to Houston, Texas where he breaks up a human trafficking deal simply to take the money until he finds all except for one of the victims dead in a storage crate. At first, Kaine wants to take the money and vanish since he is trying to convince himself he is not the hero Peter Parker is.
His conscious gets the better of him and brings the only survivor to the hospital. He leaves as quickly as he got there and hits the road wondering how and if he can live a quiet life while a new villain emerges that makes him dawn the tights and swing into action.
Yost seems to have a really good handle on the character and Ryan Stegman art better than anything else captures the emotion and inner struggle Kaine is going through.
Not a bad first issue at all and I’m intrigued to see what happens next month.
Grade: B
Star Wars: Agent of the Empire: Iron Eclipse #2 (of 5)
Writer: John Ostrander
Art: Stephane Roux & Julien Hugonnard-Bert
Colors: Michael Heisier
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $3.50
This second issue provides us with a fun James Bond-ish adventure as Jahan Cross works the room at a fancy soirée held by the Stark family.
Yes, that Stark family.
You know, from The Stark Hyperspace War.
Jahan has IN-GA 44 indentify the key players and proceeds to mingle with them while obtaining information. There are some who even try to beat Cross to the punch by mingling with him and mentioning his parents, but his resolve to uncover stolen droid tech isunfaltering. The elephant in the room is the mystery surrounding the death of the family patriarch, Iaco Stark.
The Corporate Sector’s elite makes it known they don’t appreciate Cross’s presence as he becomes extra friendly with Iaco’s widow, a green Nautolan. Later on we see them in some hot tub action and before you know it, Cross is set up for her murder and on the run from authorities.
What’s interesting and refreshing about Ostrander’s script is that the party goers have no fear or respect for the Empire. The funniest page layout came when Cross stole an expensive speeder to evade the powers that be and the orders went from “shoot on sight” to “physically take him down” in order to prevent damage to the merchandise. Capture the most dangerous Imperial agent in the galaxy by any means necessary…but please, don’t get a scratch on the speeder. I love it.
Cross’s stone cold persona was distorted when he showed genuine concern for IN-GA 44 when she was detained while looking up information about the ‘Iron Eclipse’ project. The crisp art work and vibrant colors are on par with the first issue. If you always dreamed of a comic book character where 007 meets Han Solo, this is the series for you.
Grade: B+
Green Lantern #5
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy
Colors: Alex Sinclair & Tony Avina
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
It’s a no brainer that Geoff Johns writes an awesome Hal Jordan but he also deserves a lot of credit for the amazing job he does when writing Sinestro.
He is the focal point of this series right now and he creates quite the paradox for himself. Sinestro frees his people on the planet Korugar from the Sinestro Corps he created. Too many bad deeds will not go unpunished as Sinestro is banished from his home world.
I think the real strength is John’s writing of Sinestro is he has this uncanny ability to get the readers guard down and make you believe he is a good guy until Sinestro flips the switch out of no where and we get the jerk that we all know and love.
No complaints about the artwork and the end of the book expose the Guardian’s plan and it’s not going to be good for anyone.
Grade: B-
The Amazing Spider-Man #677
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Emma Rios
Colors: Humberto Rios & Edgar Delgado
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: 3.99
Dan Slott takes the month off as Mark Waid places a little Daredevil magic on to the pages of Our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Peter Parker is doing his superhero thing while being down in the dumps over being kicked to the curb by Carlie.
Enter stage right Black Cat and Peter is saying “Carlie who” as he vies for her affection like a kid at recess. They go their separate ways after a little bit of rooftop flirting and Black Cat quickly finds herself in the hands of the NYPD for a crime she didn’t commit. Spider-Man obtains her the “legal counsel” of Matt Murdock in a hilarious encounter you have to see to believe.
Daredevil and Spider-Man investigate the crime scene until the ground come out from under them and individual standing at the top of the rubble of our buried heroes is a twist you won’t see coming. The art was not as vibrant as previous issues but the detail was excellent.
After all these year I still can’t get use to the eyes in the Spider-Man mask opening, closing and responding to the emotion of the moment.
I mean, a mask doesn’t blink, but I’m not complaining as it was utilized heavily.
This issue was Part One of a two issue story arc titled “Devil and the Details and Part Two will take place in Daredevil #8 next week.
Grade: B+
Heart #3 (Shelf-Listed: Disappointment of the Week)
Writer: Blair Butler
Art: Kevin Mellon
Letters: Crank!
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
The third installment of Blair Butler’s MMA saga is not a bad book at all.
However, my fear came true as the story lost a bit of that comic book element that draws us to the store on Wednesday.
To sum up the story in short, Oren “Rooster” Redmond wins another fight, becomes cocky (pun intended), moves in with mom to save money, barely gets by a former world title challenger, drops from middleweight to welterweight thinking he will rule the cage until a solid right hand to the jaw gives him a rude awakening.
It’s a common story in the career of many a MMA fighter.
Still, it felt like I was reading a news report on a fighter instead of a comic book. I’m not saying you should completely stay away from it but if you are on a budget then you can skip this issue.
Grade C-
