Spider-man: Reign # 1
Kaare Andrews
This little one man band of a show shows a lot of promise promise promise. It's basically, to tell you what you've already heard a million times before reading this review, The Dark Spider Returns. People aren't just saying that either. The degree to which this is derivative of Dark Knight Returns is raither staggering. I like to think it will differentiate itself further down the line and make this really something special. But here's the premise: Peter Parker is an old man, long since retired, living in a fascist state, watching things spiral out of control, until he is called into action once more as Spider-man. And all of this happens in the rain, with lots of lightning. And there's a TV news channel with plastic phases reporting the government news. So I don't know. What's that sound like to you?
I mean, honestly, if all this book ends up becoming is Dark Knight Returns in a Spider-man skin, it will still be worth a read. But Spider-man isn't Batman. They are diffrent characters with diffrent sensibilties. There are certainly feints towards exploring those diffrences, but we'll have to see if they are picked up or this book just follows the already set out cookie cutter story of the Dark Knight Returns.
It is pretty cool though. The whole Reign thing is pretty lame though. We'll see. If I sound all over the map on this review, it's because I really want to like this book, and it hasn't done anything staggeringly wrong. But this book is very close to a misstep into me hating it realm.
The art is kind of cool at times too.
Justice Society of America # 1
Geoff Johns- Dale Eaglesham
This book is really really good. It's actually better than the JLA restart I raved about from Meltzer. Johns presents some really cool new faces to the team, weaves in a mystery, and drops a bombshell at the end. It's good stuff.
Honestly the book should be picked up just for the New Starman character who is already a blast.
The premise of the story is basically The Justice Society starting anew. No more no less. Picking new team members. Introducing old faces. It's a great book to start on and get into what has always been a fantastic series. So don't sleep. Better than advertised. And if the previews for the coming year are any indication, this book is going to have some crazy things go down.
Wolverine # 48
Marc Guggenhiem-Humberto Ramos
I honestly have been sleeping in this whole Wolverine mess and in particular Mr. Guggenhiem's writing of this book. I mean, I should have known better, a lot of people told me it was decent. But I put it off. Waited. And this issue seemed like the perfect excuse.
Wovlerine # 48 is pretty much a one-shot, that focuses entirely upon just what happens to everyone's favorite hand bladed canuck when he is destroyed beyond recognition, such as in a massive inferno styled plane crash. It's a very probing looking into Wolverine's mindset, and honestly, it kind of makes you wish the poor guy could just die in peace.
The artwork for this book is a lot of fun, bouncing through styles, from anime/mangish looking characters, to full on paint jobs. It's all pretty fun. Some hits, some misses. But good stuff all the same. The transition between Logan's dead world, and alive world is very cool. And I'm excited if Ramos is indeed following Guggenhiem to Flash. And I happen to like the thick neck by the by.
The writing is really quite good. Solid dialouge. Very good interior monolauge. Interesting meditations on life and death, and Logan's history. As with any good Wolverine tale, questions are always met with more questions. It's sad that marvel is having to strip away Wolverine's secrets more and more. It's interesting to know, but once it's gone it's gone. Things like this though, show how with a little imagination, one can still mine the folds.
Good book. Now go fix Flash good sirs.
Newuniversal # 1
Warren Ellis-Salvador Larroca
Strange solar event awakens, or creates in various people on the planet, diffrent kinds of powers. There's a couple white guys from diffrent places. Some scientists. A japanese girl. Violence. Sci-fi mumbo jumbo.
Really I don't know why I bothered with this. I pretty much know what kind of Warren Ellis story I like, and this isn't it. I've got Desolation Jones going on, and that's fantastic. The Phillip K. Dick bend into that world is going to be a lot of fun, I'm a fan. Fell is fantastic. I mean. I should have enough. If that's all Ellis were up to this year, fabu. Good year. Drinks all around.
That said. There is actually nothing wrong with this book. The artwork is pretty good, it's not as stylized as something like The Eternals, but it's good stuff. I didn't like the weird C on the japanese girl's face. I hate face tatoos, especially glowing ones. You've gone and drawn this perfectly wonderful face, and now you've mucked it up with a lame C thingy.
The writing is also fine. There's a fun bit about John Lennon being the beatle who is still alive and McCartney being the one that is dead. There's really not enough to have happened in this issue to really judge how strong it will be or won't be. If you have a lot of confidence in Ellis, and he has never let you down. Then give it a shot. But I definitely feel there are better number ones out there to be picking up. If it were a judgement between all of the books in this review as to what to buy, you'd buy JSA, Spider-man, Wolverine, and then this. But I try to give books a chance. I'm not going to throw something away after one issue, so if this book comes around and ends up being completely diffrent than how it looks like it will obviously be, then hoo-ray.
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