Sgt. Sausagepant's Reviews

Nova #16

Secret Invasion rears it's head in this issue, with the Skrulls trying to take down Richard so he can't interfere with their plans for earth! Just when things look darkest, an old friend decides to help, or appears to. On top of this, Worldmind is still being quiet and Richard is feeling guilty. The art is fantastic as usual but there isn't really anything groundbreaking going on in terms of story, this is all setup. My guess? Richard takes out a good chunk of the Skrull fleet next issue, but I wish there had been more action this issue.

Skip it.

Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #2 of 3

You know, even though Flash villains always tend to be a bit silly, somehow this book makes them all completely badass. The main book is so condensed, I can barely tell what's going on, but the side stories have all been fantastic to me. The art is amazing and gritty and the action is kickass. There's a moment of the week candidate in here, as well.

MUST HAVE!

Justice Society #18

Well, we knew when 'generic marine with laser gun' was added to the JSA roster, something interesting was going to happen, and so it did. God continues his rampage of helping people, and we start to see that most of these gifts have a price. JSA remains a bastion of character development and well paced storytelling, and I really can't wait to see what happens next issue.

Read It.

Goblin's Reviews

Amazing Spider-Man #569

Last week I talked about how "New Ways To Die"" was a breath of fresh air in Spidey's "Brand New Day." This week, the second part of NWTD" is a breath of fresh air in decompressed storytelling. While the arc is several issues long, this second part keeps the big action at bay, focuses on the supporting cast and makes a glaring point of one of the more hated Spidey problems of late - and yet it's still a great read. This is what decompressed storytelling should be, drawing out the storyline but filling it with worthwhile interludes that we actually care about. Bonus points for making Eddie Brock interesting again, making me not hate the identity of Anti-Venom, showing the interpersonal relationship between the Osborn men (Norman and Harry) and the possible nod to Harry still being insane.

MUST HAVE!

Wolverine #68

"Old Man Logan" continues as Logan and Hawkey enter the Kingpin's turf. Only problem is that this ain't no Wilson Fisk. A new Kingpin has taken over and Clint's daughter is held captive ... kind of. While this book has more than its fair share of blood and gore (what a shock from Millar), what got me more was the perpetrator of said violence: Hawkeye. He was so against killing that he couldn't forgive his wife passively letting the man who raped her fall to his death. It ruined his marriage. But a few years later he's willing to hack and slash his way to save a daughter he doesn't know or care for? Not much sense there. Interesting twist with the new Spider-Girl (or Woman, she hasn't been named yet) and whatever his shortcomings, Millar writes a good Wolverine. The last panel has me stocked for #69.

Read It

Thunderbolts #123

Christos Gage seems to be the new Peter David ... and we still have Peter David. Gage has been able to work wonders with the tentpole events in the sideline books, making both a meaningful impact on the books while not derailing the event in any way. In Thunderbolts, the focus of the Secret Invasion story is Norman Osborn. While all the characters get their moments in the sun (especially Moonstone in one of the best double-crosses in the history of evil and spot on for her character), Osborn is the star of the show right from the start as he talks down the Skrull Captain Marvel in a hilarious back and forth. Bullseye gets some great one liners and the ending has me intrigued by Pennance, probably the first time since "Civil War." The best moment comes with the last page as Norman starts to lose control and we get the rightous return of the Green Goblin!

MUST HAVE!

Jonostarsmore's Reviews

Mighty Avengers # 17

It's interesting to see that the Skrull agents posing as superheroes can sometimes go against orders, but this issue fell rather flat for me as whole. The pacing was off and the story was ultimately inconsequential. It seems that the series has now taken on the mantle of filler, allowing writers to tell tangential Secret Invasion story lines that, quite frankly, could be summed up in a quick caption box. Don't go out of your way to pick this up.

Skip it

Runaways: Volume 3 #1

The art on this unnecessary relaunch is misleading as Humberto Ramos' hyper cartoon style make the title seem as if its target audience had shifted to the Saturday morning cartoon crowd. Even the introductory recap, with its strange naming of Molly Hayes as the series' protagonist, builds on the expectation that we're in for a kid-friendly ride (which I don't mind as the resident reviewer of Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam and The Family DynamicBHowever, four pages in and the characters start talking about two-headed strippers and later on, we get a sort of neat Kevin Smith reference. As for the story itself? The kids are returning to LA and some aliens are after Karolina for killing their homeworld...which I don't recall very well (though I hadn't really followed the kids during Whedon's tortorous run). It's pretty generic as far as set up and, as I said before, the art sends mixed signals.

Skip it

Family Dynamic #1

"Family Dynamic ... TIME TO GET OUR ELEMENT ON!"
"This is a job for...BLACKBIRD AND LITTLE WING!"

Look, I'm not the sort of jaded person that can't enjoy an all ages book (I'm totally digging Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam), but the lines in this book are just...bad. I understand that it's a wholesome book about a superhero family, but it takes zero risk in storytelling and it just reads as a rehash of multiple comic book cliches. If you're looking for something all ages for the kids, may I suggest the aforementioned Captain Marvel book, Tiny Titans, and the upcoming Super Girl all ages book.

As for this....well, the less said the better off we all are.

Skip it

Kick-Ass #4

I wanted to love this book. I did. The fact that it was so over-the-top and adult, while still a Marvel comic really drew me in quick. Unfortunately, the novelty died this issue. It seems like the creative team is just trying to get away with as much bloodshed and cursing as possible. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely against censorship and live for the day I'll never have to see "@$%*" again. But, gratuitous violence for the sake of violence is just boring to me. And remember all the homophobic undertones mentioned the last time this book was reviewed? In this issue, it's back in spades. @$%* Kick-Ass.

BURN IT

New Avengers #44

In another pre-Secret Invasion issue, we find out exactly how the Skrulls discovered the way to make themselves completely undetectable. By the cover, you can probably tell in involves the Illuminati. Exactly how they get the information makes up the bulk of the book, and shows exactly how low the Skrulls are willing to go to get their revenge.

Read it

New Warriors #15

First off, let me say that I'm not a fan of the art in the this or the last issue. Second, I'm not a fan of the story now either. The fight that started last issue ends in just a couple of pages, ending with Night Thrasher continuing on to discover if his brother really died in the explosion that killed the original New Warriors. After so much build-up, the end result is very underwhelming. In addition to that, it seems very out of character for the entire team to go out for the one side quest while New York's being invaded.

Skip it

Catwoman #82

This is it, Catwoman's last issue (for now); and she and Batman finally have it out; and it exposes more about Catwoman's choices than she'd like to admit even to herself. It's a fantastic last issue for a great comic, leaving the character open to go pretty much anywhere.

Read it.

DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1

This follows mainly Geo-Force and his quest to find Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, to try to finally get his revenge on the man he blames for his sister's death. Intermingled in the story are small stories about various other characters in the DCU dealing with what they believe to be the end of the world (again). It seems that this particular part is a little out of sequence with Final Crisis itself, as the main mini-series hasn't quite gotten to the big doom and gloom part yet. In any case, it's actually a pretty good read, giving a lot more life to the Final Crisis event than the actual book is.

Read it.

Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1

I don't know what it is with Grant Morrison and cheesy opening lines. "Your cosmic armor is no match for my eternal power!" isn't quite as cheesie as "You're wrong, Batman and Robin will never die!", but it's getting there. To add to the increasingly muddled and contrived plotlines that are the Final Crisis, this two part series follows a good part of Superman's role in it all. Recruited by a Monitor, Superman goes off on a quest with some alternate reality counterparts and a Captain Marvel to help the monitor, and in the end, save Lois. The story in this issue makes a bit more sense than Final Crisis, but just a little bit. If you must know everthing that is going on in Final Crisis; or if you love 3D issues, then pick it up. Otherwise, don't bother.

Skip it.