Comic reviews, August 24

I'll be doing comic reviews somewhat differently than I used to. While I was on my blogging break, I'd write fairly long comic book reviews and post them on the very cool CBR message boards. They'd usually start off discussion threads and I got a fairly positive reaction from people.

Now, because I'm lazy, I won't be writing long reviews here. Mostly because I could only bang out long reviews for 2 books a week, max. And I'll be posting the long ones on CBR. Here, I'll just give general observations and stuff. No more cover images to go with the reviews. Those were a bitch to track down, resize and host elsewhere.

Now then, what came out this week?

Ultimate X-Men Annual #1.
I dug this book. Basically a Gambit and Rogue side story where they fight Juggernaut. The cool thing is that GAMBIT DIES IN THE END. Rogue permantly absorbs his powers and memories before he dies, so he end up with one less shitty character and a slightly more interesting Rogue. The REAL weird thing with this book is Tom Raney's art. I've got all these STORMWATCH back issues, and his art today is better by leaps and bounds. It's nice to see an artist improve.

Daredevil #76
Begins the Murdock Papers story. Bendis and Maleev are on point once again in what is their last arc. We see positve stuff happening for Daredevil. He's become the most popular superhero in New York City, the public doesn't seem to care about the rumors of his true identity, and Milla is back in his life. So, with everything going good, things will take a turn for the worse for sure. This happens when the Kingpin spills all his secrets concerning Daredevil to Ben Urich to get his freedom. My issue with this is why would Urich write the story that is sure to ruin his friend Murdock? Doesn't make sense. Then again, this arc is just starting, so in true Bendis fashion, all will be revealed.

Daredevil VS Punisher #3
More Daredevil fun from David Lapham. This story looks rooted in 70's Marvel, but that might just be the art. Wondering where a story fits in continuity is a pretty stupid thing to do, so it's better to just enjoy the story. And it's a fun read. Some clever uses of supervillains, which is odd. We're getting more Supervillans here than in their 2 respective books, and this one is written AND drawn by Lapham.

Jack Cross #1
I LOVE this book. Then again, I tend to LOVE Warren Ellis books. And then, I tend to LOVE torture/interrogation sequences. And then, I tend to LOVE spy/espionage stories. This has everything I LOVE in one package, except for boobies. It is my goal to one day become a Warren Ellis character.

Wolverine #31
The end of Millar's Enemy of the state/Agent of SHIELD mega-arc. Wolverine basically kicks ass the entire issue, as he did for the entire arc. The way he offs the Gorgon is pretty cool as well, with some cool dialogue. This kind of story really can't sustain itself for more than 12 issues before it looks like a big joke, so Millar chose the right length to tell the story. Fun stuff.

Next week looks like it's gonna be HUGE. Expect reviews of JLA CLASSIFIED, SHINING KNIGHT, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, ASTONISHING X-MEN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, DAREDEVIL: FATHER, NEW AVENGERS, POWERS, RUNAWAYS, SUPREME POWER, WHA HUH?, and YOUNG AVENGERS.