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!
The Walking Dead #89 (Pick of the Week)
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Art: Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
I remember my Dad telling me that he could no longer watch his black and white television after he watched color TV for the first time. Years of enjoying color in my comic books kept me away from reading the monochromatic The Walking Dead series.
I love the show and can’t wait for the second season. I finally decided to give the book a try and I’m glad I’m did!
The inside cover explains what happened in the last issue and things take a scary turn in this issue as Nicholas has reached his breaking point and plans to kill Rick. Meanwhile Rick is going through some complicated emotions over his son Carl awakening from a coma. Just like the TV show, the comic real story is with the characters as the zombies are just a back drop. I didn’t expect much from the art work since because….well, you know, however, I was surprised at the emotion Adlard and Rathburn were able to capture. If you were thinking about starting to read The Walking Dead, this is a great issue to start with.
Grade: A-
***
Detective Comics #2
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Art: Tony S. Daniel and Ryan Winn
Publisher: DC Comics
Price $2.99
The first issue closed with a bang and issue two does the same as Tony S. Daniel’s sophomore release of Detective digs a little deeper into the character of Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Bruce is on a quest to secure Gotham’s future while The Dark Knight investigates the gruesome murders caused by the Dollmaker. The writing and art work go hand in hand as they bring mystery and a bit of suspense to the story. Daniel’s dialog really hits its stride with Batman’s crime scene analysis. This book gets my pick for artwork and cover of the week!
Grade: B+
***
X-Men #19
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art: Jorge Molina
Color: Guru eFX
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price $3.99
The final act of “Betrayal in the Bermuda Triangle” shows the X-Men, Future Foundation, Lee Forrester and the Kaddak working together to take down and prevent the Scorpius invasion of Earth.
The book is filled with action and adventure that sucks you in right away.
Gischler’s dialog was simple and fun. Doctor Doom and Magneto’s interaction was intriguing. Guru Efx‘s vibrant color brings the panels to life and I look forward to his work in the future. This would have been my pick of the week except for the ending where Lee Forrester decides she is staying behind in the other dimension……record scratch moment. If you were never going to leave in the first place then WHY did you drag some of Earth’s mightiest heroes another dimension where they were almost killed?
She explains why she stays, but the reason is weak sauce, IMO.
Grade: B
***
Penguin: Pain & Prejudice #1 of 5
Writer: Gregg Hurwitz
Art: Szymon Kudranski
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
This miniseries chronicles Oswald Cobblepot’s painful childhood and rise to power in Gotham’s underworld.
The world is a cold place and The Penguin knows this better than most.
The script shows the origin of his relentless nature and the art work perfectly captures the emotion displayed by the characters. This is a great book for fans of Batman villains. I question whether or not this book has the juice to remain interesting for five issues since the meat and potatoes of Penguin’s character has been revealed.
Grade: B+
***
Red Lanterns #2
Writer: Peter Milligan
Art: Ed Benes
Color: Nathan Eyring
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
Rage is the name of the game, but is some rage worth more than others?
Atrocitus returns to a familiar world in search of the answer.
His journey leads him to make a decision: which member of the Red Lantern Corps will he make his equal? The journey towards discovery is the main story arch of this issue. Peter Milligan’s writing leaves you wondering what Atrocitus’ reaction is going to be when he reaches his objective and what will he think of next.
This is a solid second issue that will bring readers back for issue three.
Grade: B-
***
X-Men Schism #5 (Shelf Listed – Disappointment of the Week)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Adam Kubert & Mark Roslan
Color: Jason Keith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
The end result of this story was already spoiled if you have walked into a comic book shop or seen the advertisements in various Marvel Comics.
We all know which X-Men stay with Cyclops and go with Wolverine.
It’s hard to keep anything a secret these days but they should have tried because that is what this issue could have had to offer. The art work was lazy in most panels and the writing left me disinterested. Issue 4 was the main event of this mini series. If you are buying comics on a budget, you can leave this on the shelf or at least wait until the second or third printing is released.
Grade: F
