Reviews

Punisher War Journal #15 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Artist: Scott Wegener The second part of a two-parter with the re-villainized Kraven, son of Kraven, and the first in a long while where Fraction’s hit the right spot between sincerity and parody (Wegener’s idiosyncratic art helps enormously). He tends to have his own take on characters like the Rhino and the Vulture, and it’s sometimes only casually related to previous versions, but if you can get past that it works; the scenes of the two battered old pros and their associates trying to survive capture by the insane bad guy had … Continue reading →

Doktor Sleepless #4 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Ivan Rodriguez Gravel #0 — Writers: Warren Ellis and Mike Wolfer; Art: Raulo Caceres Thunderbolts #118 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Mike Deodato, Jr. Ultimate Human #1 (of 4) — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Cary Nord Ellis is all over the place this week, split between his for-hire superhero work and his own creations. Of the Marvel titles, Thunderbolts is the better; the third part of a longer story, it offers a very smooth ride, with professionally-rendered thrills and chills and a moment or two of genuine horror. If you want a … Continue reading →

Sorrow #3 (0f 4) — Writers: Rick Remender and Seth Peck; Art: Francesco Francavilla The End League #1 — Writer: Rick Remender; Pencils: Mat Broome; Inks: Sean Parsons Of these two books written by Remender, the first is the better — it continues to be a clever horror-in-a-“deserted”-town tale, with a determined heroine, an expanding backstory, and at least two good shocks; readers who like this sort of thing should like it, too. The latter book is a superhero story, involving a JLA-type group whose Superman avatar screws up, and the aftermath (it almost reads like it started life as … Continue reading →

Legion of Super-Heroes #37 — Writer: Jim Shooter; Penciller: Francis Manapul; Inker: Livesay Shooter hasn’t changed that much from when he was writing Avengers for Marvel or Harbinger, etc. for Valiant; he’s pretty much Storytelling 101: He introduces everyone, gives each character one or two attitudes/obvious qualities, and then starts throwing problems at them. The imagination’s there, and he’s done his research (he knows current Legion history, and he’s not just coasting on the fact that he was writing stories about these people 40 years ago) but it can all come off a tad mechanical. Still, he’s almost always compelling … Continue reading →

Fantastic Four: Isla de la Muerte! — Writer: Tom Beland; Artist: Juan Doe Not bad — it shows a lot of affection for the characters, and nails their voices; I was pleasantly surprised to get to the end credits and find out it was from Beland, who’s best known for his indy/autobiographical True Story, Swear to God (I thought “Huh. Good for him…”). The art comes off as too cartoony at first, but every character has a consistent, well-thought-out presence, from the looming Thing to manga-eyed Sue to the Darwyn Cookeish squinty-eyed Reed and beady-eyed Johnny. The earlier Grimmcentric scenes … Continue reading →