Reviews

The Punisher #54 — Writer: Garth Ennis;  Artist: Garlan Parlov Concluding Ennis’s penultimate arc, where he explains, without hitting you over the head with it, What It Means to Be the Punisher. Very nicely done, and he’s dead serious, too: the careful connection to earlier stories;  the way the villain, who started out carefree as Bugs Bunny, at the end becomes the monster his father was; the careful combination of grimness, sadness and hope. One line near the end (“Memories…”) kind of pushes things, but the last two pages more than make up for it. Now, let’s watch him cut … Continue reading →

Ultimates 3 #2 — Writer: Jeph Loeb;  Artist: Joe Madureira Marginally less stupid than the first issue, but it still feels like an early- ’90s Image book (not surprising, given the creative team), with lots of characters running around and screaming and punching, and art that’s more concerned about looking kewl and selling on eBay than about telling a smooth story. Much dialogue is spent trying to patch holes from the previous issue (like why Thor’s suddenly speakething like an illiterate Elizabethan) and the overall impression is of a slapdash grab for your money. In fairness, 12-year-old fans will think … Continue reading →

Amazing Spider-Man #547 — Writer: Dan Slott; Penciler: Steve McNiven; Inker: Dexter Vines This continues to be better than I suspect we all wanted it to be (given the events that got us here), because McNiven can deliver clean, precise art that’s effective at both the faces and the action sequences, and Slott’s able to nail the combination of humor, lovable-loserness and sense of responsibility that makes Peter Parker work (his various reactions to JJJ’s medical problem are all exactly right). I’d still argue that nothing here wouldn’t have worked just as well with Mary Jane, but hey, at least … Continue reading →

Checkmate #22 — Writers: Greg Rucka and Eric Trautman; Art: Travis Lanham The conclusion of a two-parter introducing the new Mademoiselle Marie, in a very Queen and Country-flavored action story involving the solo rescue of a young kidnap victim in the MIddle East. Decent enough, with competent art and a couple of effective scenes, but it’s marred by some uncharacteristically-clumsy staging in the climax (wait: she hit him with that? Um… how, exactly?) that pulls the reader out of the story. Booster Gold #6 — Writers: Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz; Pencils: Dan Jurgens; Finished Art: Norm Rapmund The return … Continue reading →

Teen Titans Lost Annual #1 — Writer: Bob Haney;  Pencils: Jay Stephens;  Inks: Mike Allred This story, set during the early ’60s, was originally done as an Elseworlds book in 2003, but for reasons known only to DC, they sat on it, and are only now releasing it in this “lost annual” format. For longtime Titans fans, the over-the-top Haney script, cover by Nick Cardy (with six pages of his sketches of the characters inside) and Stephens/Allred retro art should be reason enough to buy it. It guest-stars John F. Kennedy, and… well, you’ll have to read it; Haney (who … Continue reading →