Reviews 6/26

[Guest raptor]

Green Arrow #14 (The Sound of Violence Part II of III: Pitch)

Creators : Kevin Smith, Phil Hester

Auxiliary Facts: None

Plot: After last issue’s shocking events, Ollie Queen rushes his son Connor to the emergency room. As Ollie is recovering from donating copious amounts of blood, Onomatopoeia strikes at the hospital. Thus, a weakened Green Arrow is forced to fend of the serial killer, all while Connor’s life hangs in the balance.

Comments: Kevin Smith has never written a bad comic in his life. He hasn’t made a bad movie either, but that’s beyond the point. His Green Arrow has been consistently gripping and entertaining, even to a neophyte to GA’s mythology such as myself. Phil Hester’s exaggerated art style is a perfect fit as well, better developing Smith’s comedic scenes, and lending a moody edge to the more dramatic proceedings. *****

 

X-Men Evolution #8 (Angel Underground)

Creators : Devin Grayson, UDON

Auxiliary Facts: 1st (in comics): Evolution Angel, Evolution Callisto, and Evolution Morlocks

Plot: In a plot lifted straight from Claremont, the Evolution team enters the sewers to find the Angel. They are shocked to find him held captive by a sewer-dwelling group of disfigured mutants, The Morlocks.

Comments: See if this sounds familiar: X-Men get a distress call from The Angel, who is in the sewers. They rush to his rescue, only to meet the Morlocks, and find that he has been captured/brainwashed because he’s “beautiful”. Their leader, Callisto, challenges Storm. She (Callisto) loses. Angel goes home. Besides the fact that it was totally lifted (not in a “re-imagined” Ultimate-esque way) it wasn’t even a good rip-off. This series started off with so much harmless, nostalgic potential, but quickley turned into the very worst in the X-Men family. I was going to drop it, but I find that it only has one issue left, and this one ends with a Beast-related cliffhanger, so I’ll be picking up the final issue. 1/2*

 

Captain America #3 (Enemy Part III of III: Soft Targets)

Creators : John Ney Rieber, John Cassaday

Auxiliary Facts: None

Plot: Captain America continues his attempt to liberate the small town of Centerville from terrorists. After a final conflict with Faysal Al-Tariq, Cap makes a shocking declaration.

Comments: This comic could have all the trappings of a propaganda piece. The main character is a living symbolic representation of America itself, and he is in conflict with a group of brutal, zealotous terrorsits. How then, is Rieber able to craft such an unpretentous and moving story? Every bit of superheroic cliche is in here (children in danger, a character with a “non-violent” credo. etc...), but it manages to use these conventions to rise above superheroics. Captain America is better here, than he has ever been, shedding the boy scout theatrics that made him an american icon, and makes him an even greater symbol of the American spirit. Fantastic stuffhere, and I suggest buying it as the inevitable TPB. *****

 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer #46 (Withdrawl)

Creators : Tom Fassbender, Jim Pascoe, and Paul Lee

Auxiliary Facts: R:Vellati (of the Creatures of Habit hardcover, Final issue for Pascoe/Fassbender, 1st issue set in Season Six canon.

Plot: Vellati returns to get revenge on The Slayer, by *GASP* puttin Dawn in danger!

Comments: I’m all for continuity, but making a character from an expensive, prestige format hardcover is kind of silly. Creatures of Habit was available in very limited quantities, and my local shop didn’t even buy one copy, so this tale was pretty underwhelming. Plus it had a tired plot device (Dawn in danger), and took place in my least favorite season (six). I’m also very dissapointed that this is Pascoe/Fassbender’s final issue, as they were crafting some truley great Buffy tales in a time that the show was sub-par. Scott Lobdell shows up next month, and hopefully he won’t stink up the joint too much. **

 

Spider-Man and the Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #1 (of 5, What’s New, Pussy Cat?) Uber-Book of the Week!

Creators : Kevin Smith, Terry Dodson

Auxiliary Facts: R: Black Cat

Plot: Felicia Hardy resumes her Black Cat career to find a missing friend. This sends her headlong into conflict with Spider-Man, as the duo discovers a heroin dealer who is killing his clients.

Comments: Two Kevin Smith books in one week? We a truley blessed. If nothing else, this book should have fans salivating for Smith’s run on Amazing Spider-Man, as he is just another in a string of writers popping up lately who seem to write great Spider-Man stories (Greg Rucka, Brian Bendis, etc...). He writes some great corny dialouge for Spidey, shows his heroism and vigilantism in equal postitive lights, and makes Black Cat a sympathetic lead character. Gold, Jerry, Gold! *****

 

Also, would you guys be interested in a weekly comics news report? This board is pretty dead, and it might give us something to talk about.

[Guest areacode212]

Yeah, I'd be interested in a news report.

 

That Black Cat book sounds pretty good, and maybe I'll give Smith's Spidey run a shot, even though he started to lose me towards the end of his Green Arrow. And for a while, Terry Dodson's yummy art convinced me that Harley Quinn was worth collecting...until I realized that Kesel's stories were boring and going nowhere (it may have picked up recently, but I wouldn't know).

[Guest areacode212]

By the way, did anyone see Kevin Smith on the Tonight Show? Did he say anything interesting?

[Guest Karnage]

Leno held up the Black Cat comic three times, before Smith came, in the middle of the Smith interview and at the very end of the show.

 

Smith did not really talk about the comic because of time. He came out wearing a Sean John's white jersey which is P. Diddy clothing.

This was like the first time I've ever seen Smith (not as Silent Bob) wearing something other than that grey sweater of his.

 

Smith talked about losing 25 pounds, the Dogma controversy and that's all I could remember.

 

Pretty good show, but I don't really like Leno, Conan O'Brien is the King of Late Night!

[Guest starvenger]

Well, I got Spider-Man/Black Cat, and it's pretty good. Dodson(s) does a nice job with the art as well. He brings the cheesecake, but shows that he's more than just a pinup artist.

 

>Also, would you guys be interested in a weekly comics news report? This board is pretty dead, and it might give us something to talk about.

 

That wou;d be cool, yes. Thanks!!

[Guest pochorenella]

I also think that a weekly comics review would be pretty cool. Another vote for your idea, Raptor.

 

I caught the Kevin Smith interview on Leno (you're right, Karnage, Conan's the BEST! Leno sucks), and it was pretty funny. He talked about how he was among the people protesting for Dogma and stuff like that.

[Guest SuperTonyJaymz]

I'd be intrested. I don't speak much on this forum but I read the reviews alot.

[Guest raptor]

The first report will be on monday (so I can gather info from weekend columns)

[Guest areacode212]

Sounds good. What other sites does everyone visit for comic news/reviews/discussion?

 

For news, I mainly go to Newsarama. I generally only read raptor's reviews and the Lander/McPherson ones at The Fourth Rail, and for discussion, I go here, WDI, The DC Boards, and ComicBoards.

[Guest raptor]

Sounds good. What other sites does everyone visit for comic news/reviews/discussion?

I go to Newsarama, Silver Bullet Comics, Movie Poop Shoot, and The Fourth Rail.