Friday, February 09, 2007

This Week In Comics: Feb. 7, 2007

Today I start what I hope becomes a tradition around this blog. Anyone who knows me can tell that I love comics books, so it's only fitting that I use this space to give my view on some of today's latest and greatest funny books. Hopefully this will become a regular addition to the blog. So without further ado, here we go.

Bullet Points #4
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Art: Tommy Lee Edwards

While I'm enjoying the story thus far, my biggest problem is that it's nothing more than a glorified "What if?". I was intrigued by the premise of this mini-series, but with Steve Rogers as Iron Man, Peter Parker as the Hulk, Reed Richards as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., and so forth, there just isn't enough change for my taste. I do find it interesting that JMS has finally addressed something that was bothering me since the beginning. It turns out that the single bullet that changed the lives of the aforementioned didn't affect everyone in the Marvel Universe, and as the final page shows, my last statement doesn't only resonate throughout Earth. Based on this, I'll be waiting to see how this mini ends.

Detective Comics #828
Writer: Paul Dini
Art: Don Kramer and Wayne Faucher
Cover: Simone Bianchi

I love what Paul Dini is doing with this series. It's as if he's channeling the best aspects of Batman: TAS, sticking to a "one story per issue" format that works because the stories remain fresh by introducing a new villain every issue. I'm also intrigued by the way Dini is portraying the Riddler. Since Infinite Crisis, the Riddler's become one of the most famous detectives in Gotham City, second only to Batman himself. I love that this new portrayal is proving to be a great foil to the mystique of the Dark Knight, showing that while Batman is still is a great detective, he isn't the only man for the job. The art in this book is serviceable, but nothing to write home to mom about. And, as always, Simone Bianchi does a tremendous job on the cover art.

Irredeemable Ant-Man
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Art: Phil Hester

The tag-line "The World's Most Unlikable Super-Hero" doesn't do the new Ant-Men justice; he quite honestly may be the world's most unlikable person. Seriously folks, this guy is a giant asshole. But you know what? I don't see myself not reading about him any time soon. While Kirkman is doing a phenomenal job at making me care about the new Ant-Man, he also has the ability to make even the mundane seem extra-ordinary. Throw in a twist that may make life difficult for our hero and great artwork (especially the shadowing), and you have a recipe for success.

New Avengers #27
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Leinil Francis Yu

After reading this issue, I've come to the realization that the Marvel Universe needs more team books. With the last five or so issues focusing more on individuals characters, it's really nice to see Bendis returning to the team aspect that we've come to love. While the story starts of with the "origin" of Ronin, it quickly jumps into an action-packed sequence showcasing all of the New New Avengers. I really do love this book. The artwork is great. And the dialogue is great, ezpecially the banter between Spider-Man, and well, everyone else. Pick this one up, you will not be disappointed.

Spider-Man: Reign #3
Writer: Kaare Andrews
Art: Kaare Andrews

After reading the first two issues, I was ready to write this one off as The Dark Knight Returns Lite. But after reading this issue, I'm starting to think that my original assumption was wrong. While the reintroduction of an old villain was obviously a shock, we're three issues into a four issue mini-series and we have yet to see how the happenings of the rest of the world are affecting Peter Parker (read: the title character). Obviously, Andrews has some sort of plan to end this series, I just hope he'll be able to pull it off without ruining a good thing.

Ultimate Spider-Man
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Mark Bagley

Now this is the way to end a story arc. Bendis managed to take one of the most hated storylines from the 90s (the dark ages) and actually made it very, very enjoyable. This is a phenomenal, emotionally-driven story that marks the end to one of the best arcs in USM history. Frankly, if this series ended with this issue, it would the end of an incredible run. My only concern is with the plot of the next arc. There is a possibility that Bendis won't be able to match this story, given that Spider-Man is at his best when Peter Parker is the front-runner.

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