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!
Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1
Writer: Darwyn Cooke & Len Wein
Art: Darwyn Cooke & John Higgins
Colors: Phil Noto & John Higgins
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Some have been waiting with baited breath while others have cursed the existence of this prequel.
No matter which side of the fence you stand on DC Comics summer event has arrived and everyone is treated to more Watchmen.
My first impression after reading this was its good, but it’s not Alan Moore good.
Please, don’t take this as an insult or as a sign not to read it. Moore’s original has certain je ne sais quoi that no one will ever match.
So why mess with a really good thing?
While money is nice and the main motivation, thinking about the many aspects of this venture will cause paralysis by analysis.
For every fan who feels this is an abomination there is another who craves more Watchmen and for every creator who decided not to sign on there are others who are chomping at the bit to add to a major comic book legacy.
Darwyn Cooke is a great example of this, and he starts off strong with the inaugural issue chronicling the origin of the Minutemen through the lens of an aged Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl. We see how much of a bad ass Hooded Justice is, we learn of the Silk Spectre’s crime fighting grandeur and of course, a young sociopath named Eddie Blake displays what little regard he has for anyone and anything. Those familiar with the Superman Confidential series or DC: The New Frontier already know what Cooke brings to the table as an artist.
While, in a perfect world, David Gibbons would have been drawing this, Cooke’s style is very appropriate and the flow of his page layouts is in many ways, reminiscent of the original story. The book finishes with “The Curse of the Crimson Corsair: The Devil in the Deep”. It’s too short to critique or form an opinion on since it is only two pages.
Minutemen is the perfect choice to kick off this event since we saw and heard quite a bit about the masked heroes of old. Is it enthralling enough to make you change your mind if you cursed the ground that DC Comics walks on for green lighting this? Probably not. If you are able to read this with an open mind, you will see how good this book is and gain an appreciation for the creative talents of Darwyn Cooke.
Grade: A-
Thief of Thieves #5
Writer: Robert Kirkman & Nick Spencer
Art: Shawn Martinbrough
Colors: Felix Serrano
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
AMC’s newly optioned television series continues to impress in comic book form.
The series follows Conrad Paulson who lives a double life as a thief named Redmond who can steal anything and everything. In the last issue, Redmond’s son was arrested and the F.B.I. is salivating over the idea of throwing the book at him.
The master thief realizes his son is not built for prison life which leads us to the events in this issue. Redmond devises a plan involving some of the world’s more reputable thieves in order for his son to avoid any time served.
The assembling of these thieves was highly entertaining and would make Danny Ocean proud. The art is simply fun to look at and seems very appropriate for the story Kirkman and Spencer are telling.
If you are looking for a good heist comic book then this one is a steal.
Grade: B
Pantha #1
Writer: Brandon Jerwa
Art: Pow Rodrix
Colors: Thiago Dal Bello
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Pantha is a scantily clad heroine who walks the road of redemption as punishment for her horrifying deeds in the past. She can take the form of a woman or change into a large kitty cat.
The one word to describe this book is: potential.
The art is full of energy and nice to look at and the whole connection to Egyptian mythology is interesting. The story however is all over the place.
The main plot is obvious but everything just comes at you like a fifteen car pile up. There is just too much happening all at once.
Despite my criticism there are a lot of good things about Brandon Jerwa’s script that suggest it could be something great. While less is more in storytelling, those of you who love action on top of action might enjoy this. I’d say, give it a try.
It piqued my interest enough to see what the second issue has to offer.
Grade: C
Star Wars Omnibus: Droids and Ewoks Trade Paperback
Writer: David Manak & George Caragonne
Art: Warren Kremer, Ernie Colon, John Romita, Mary Wilshire, Jon D’Agostino, Carlos Garzon, Jacqueline Roettcher, Marie Severin, Joe Sinnott, Al Williamson
Colors: Marie Severin, George Roussos
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $24.99
I remember the first time Droids appeared on the news stand in my local drug store.
Superman and Batman comics ruled my budding collection, but excitement filled my body as the prospect of more Star Wars stories at the edge of my finger tip.
Reading this will be a wonderful trip down memory lane for any old school Stars Wars fans and a funny and adventurous retrospective for fans introduced to this universe via the Clone Wars series.
Star Wars Omnibus gives fans the opportunity to reminisce on their favorite stories that are all wrapped in a neat little package.
This edition is no exception, as seeing the events of A New Hope from the perspective of R2-D2 and C-3PO will have you smiling from ear to ear. The Ewok adventures were pretty cool too. Wicket’s escapades before the events of Return of the Jedi will give you more of an appreciation for this lovable fur ball. Single issues are overrated.
Stay away from e-Bay and enjoy the entire run of these two unique gems.
Grade: B+
Avengers vs. X-Men #5
Writer: Matt Fraction
Art: John Romita, Jr. & Scott Hanna
Colors: Laura Martin
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
It’s Matt Fraction’s turn to take this event for a spin around the block and the results of his joyride produces some dramatic results.
The Phoenix has arrived and Tony Stark is our only hope as he pilots a ghetto looking transformer into the belly of the beast while the two super teams battle it out on the moon.
John Romita, Jr.’s art in this series has been a mixed bag of vast detail and blah depictions with the latter being the case in this issue. Laura Martin’s coloring has been spot on in every issue and makes the page layouts come to life.
The finale of this issue produces the mother of all endings that will make issue six a most anticipated affair.
Grade: B
Extermination #1
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Art: Jeffrey Edwards
Colors: Blond
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Price: $1.00
What could make the word’s greatest super-hero and super-villain put aside their differences and work together?
An apocalyptic alien invasion that has wiped out most of humanity. The good guys name is Nox, who is Batman without the bat motif and the bad guy’s name is Red Reaper who has powers and is quite original.
We are treated to flashback scenes of their life before the invasion that gives a lot of insight on the characters.
Nox is holding on to his ideals of never killing anyone, even the aliens who are killing every human in sight while Reaper has no problem taking a life.
Nox is playing by rules that no longer exist while Reaper is doing what he does best and is playing by his own set of rules.
That is the great thing about Simon Spurrier’s script, that he has produced a story where the bad guy is the biggest hero in a world where heroics are needed more than ever.
I’m excited to see where this series goes and to start off with a dollar for the first issue, there is no reason not to pick this up!
Grade: B+
Earth 2 #2
Writer: James Robinson
Art: Nicole Scott & Trevor Scott
Colors: Alex Sinclair & Pete Pantazis
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
The god Mercury warns Jay Garrick of an impending doom and grants him a certain super power where he moves pretty fast. Alan Scott proposes to his partner as chaos ensures.
Throw in some goons from Apokolips and a little Mr. Terrific and that is our story in a nut shell. This book has gotten a lot of publicity over the last several weeks with the news of Alan Scott being gay.
How big of a deal is this really?
Well, this issue is already selling for $17.95 or higher online, news outlets who never even mention comic books are mentioning this and, oh yeah, everyone is talking about it.
Family, friends, colleagues and people I don’t speak to on a regular basis have all asked me about this comic with some thought provoking dialog to boot.
Besides this main topic of conversation, the book itself is an awesome read. The artwork provides that epic sense of wonder you want your comic books to have and the overall story with revised origins is just too good to pass up.
This may seem weird, but even though we are only two issues in, I’m enjoying Earth 2 a lot more than anything in the regular DC Universe. Just like I have said about Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, the creative team deserves a lot of credit and needs to stay intact in order for this series to go down as one of the greats.
Grade: A-
