Author Archives: Phil

Omac # 8 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Bruce Jones; Pencils: Allan Goldman; Inks: J.J. Marreiro Boy, this turned into a depressing mess — too long by half, and the ending is just stupid and pointless. Let’s see: The guy with the Omac ability (which turns him into a ten-foot-tall metallic engine of destruction, controlled by an orbiting satellite called Brother Eye, but really, don’t ask) has sex with the girl, somehow infecting her with the same ability, and also getting her pregnant, after which the satellite eventually takes her over, sterilizes her, killing the embryo, and then eventually … Continue reading →

Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil #1 (of 4) — Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith Wow. Just…wow. The old guy in the park; the subway scene/seven deadly sins scene (probably the most faithful to the original that anyone’s ever done, and yet somehow brand-new); the ride to the Rock of Eternity; the expression on Billy’s face, lit from below as he peers out a window; the alligator bad-guys… who wouldn’t want this book? You could make a lot of kids into comics readers for life by giving them a book like this. Ultimate Spider-Man #105 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Penciler: Mark … Continue reading →

Spider-Man: Reign #3 (of 4) — Writer: Kaare Andrews; Artists: Kaare Andrews and Jose Villarrubia Train wreck, definitely. Even after the second issue, I’d hoped it could turn around, but it’s just… not good. And the Jimmy Olsen newscaster is named “Miller Janson.” Oh, well, OK then. Even the art doesn’t help — the big full-page reveal of the villain made me laugh out loud, and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the intended reaction. Maybe Andrews, who has a ton of talent, has now gotten his “I read Dark Knight Returns when I was 12 and thought it was the … Continue reading →

Usagi Yojimbo #100 — Creators: um, see below… … because it’s a jam issue, one of those anniversary-issues-as-roasts with rotating art teams, some expected (Sergio Aragones; Mark Evanier/Scott Shaw; Jeff Smith) and some not (Diana Schutz/Matt Wagner; Jamie Rich/Andi Watson; Guy Davis; Frank Miller). Why are all those creators involved with this issue? Because Stan Sakai has crafted a huge body of great comics storytelling since the early ’80s, always there (160 issues+) and always worth reading, and all those people know it. This is probably not the place to jump on for new readers, but seriously: if you like … Continue reading →

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #7 (of 8) — Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray; Art: Daniel Acuna The Celestial-style antogonists here seemed a little…Morrisonesque, and sure enough, at the end of the credits there’s a note: “Based on ideas and concepts developed by Grant Morrison.” Otherwise, it’s pretty to look at, and there are a ton of powered-up characters running around bouncing off of one another, but it’s also one of those “If this is taking place in the DC Universe, where are all the big guns?” plots that makes no sense. (This isn’t helped when those big … Continue reading →