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gokinjeespot · 7 years

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off the rack #1167

Monday, June 19, 2017

Time. Constantly moving forward no matter what. There comes a point in one's life when you notice the passage of time. For me it started with people I know getting married. Then it was seeing them having children of their own. It seemed like all of a sudden I was attending funerals. I started retailing comic books in 1980 feeling like the luckiest nerd in the world and I'm still doing it part time thanks to Heather at Comet Comics and my partner Chris at Jee-Riz Comics & Appraisals. I believe it helps to keep me young. I think I'll have my ashes bagged and boarded with my lucky headband after I've shuffled off this mortal coil.

Action Comics #981 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Jack Herbert (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). The Superman Revenge Squad recruits their latest member and this megalomaniac will pose the biggest threat to the Man of Steel in a while. Not a good time for Superman to suffer from an unexpected handicap. He's going to need a little help from his friends now and Dan gives us hints as to who they are throughout this issue.

Weapon X #4 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Well the gang's all here plus the Totally Awesome Hulk. The surprise reveal of the villain just made me go meh.

Jimmy's Bastards #1 - Garth Ennis (writer) Russ Braun (art) John Kalisz (colours) Rob Steen (letters). The title of this new book made me wonder what it was about because it seemed to be a James Bond 007 parody with the patented over the top Garth Ennis sex and violence that we came to know and love in The Boys. Turns out that Jimmy, the MI6 super spy, has sired enough illegitimate children that they have gathered together for a big family reunion. Boy, do these kids have daddy issues.

Defenders #1 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I suppose that this is the comic book version of the upcoming Netflix TV show because it reads like a first episode where all the major characters are introduced. Well, the heroes at least. I don't know if the villains in here will show up on the show. I have yet to watch the second season of Daredevil, Luke Cage or Iron Fist but I am familiar with them and Jessica Jones so there's no need for me to binge the TV shows to get into what's going on in this comic book. A bad guy attacks the four friends and has a secret weapon which seems to give him a huge advantage. Who needs the Fantastic Four when you've got these guys?

Dark Days: The Forge #1 - Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV (writers) Jim Lee, Andy Kubert & John Romita Jr. (pencils) Scott Williams, Klaus Janson & Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair with Jeremiah Skipper (colours) Steve Wands (letters). This is the start of DC's big crossover event for 2017. It all revolves around a mysterious metal of alien origin from near the dawn of time. Carter Hall/Hawkman starts things off but most of this is in the hands of Batman. The most interesting aspect of this mystery is the appearance of a villain who we haven't seen on the racks in a while. I'm more interested in another character that hasn't been around who will add some levity do these grim proceedings. He's the main reason that I'll be checking out this new crisis.

Briggs Land: Lone Wolves #1 - Brian Wood (writer) Mack Chater (art) Lee Loughridge (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). The family of antigovernment secessionists is back on the racks and they are in a whole new mess of trouble. Two lost hikers are found trespassing and the bad guys decide to do something stupid. I find the politics in this series very interesting.

Kingpin #5 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Ben Torres (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). If you thought you were going to get more insight into the life of Wilson Fisk by reading this mini you will be disappointed. This focused more on the reporter Sarah Dewey whose life isn't even as interesting as Ben Urich's.

Wonder Woman #14 - Greg Rucka (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). This epilogue to "Godwatch" wraps up Doctor Cale's futile attempt to rescue her daughter and seals the fate of the Cheetah. I've grown annoyed with the alternating past and present storylines with each issue hitting the racks so unless the next present story is really good I will bench this book.

American Gods #4 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art) Rick Parker (letters). I read the novel recently and it's interesting to see how the art is being interpreted. There is a side story about pixies in the book that Colleen Doran does the writing and art for in this issue. If you like Colleen's work here please give "A Distant Soil" a look see.

All-New Wolverine #21 - Tom Taylor (writer) Leonard Kirk (pencils) Cory Hamscher & Terry Pallot (inks) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The end of "Immune" could be the end of Laura. I think Tom handled Deadpool's appearance well. I would read Deadpool if Tom wrote it.

Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps #22 - Robert Venditti (writer) Ethan Van Sciver (art) Jason Wright (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Part 1 of "Fracture" starts off showing us a planet that's a big bank in a comic book about an intergalactic police force. You just know it's going to get robbed. The space pirates are just a way of introducing the mystery that will tear the Lanterns apart if I read the title of this story right. Ethan's art is the reason that I keep reading this book. I do consider benching it when another artist is drawing it.

Betty & Veronica #3 - Adam Hughes (story & art) Jose Villarrubia (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). There's a really great twist that ends this story about a feud between B&V. Now I wish Adam would do a Josie and the Pussycats story.

Uncanny Avengers #24 - Jim Zub (writer) Kim Jacinto (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I debated whether I was going to continue reading this title after artist Pepe Larraz finished his run but decided to give new writer Jim a shot because I like this team. He did a good job of showing these heroes in action for this Secret Empire tie-in and Kim's art is quite nice. I think I'll stick around for a bit.

Detective Comics #958 - James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). Part 1 of "Intelligence" starts a new story centered around team member Azrael. James piqued my curiosity by hinting at a mysterious female guest star and when I got to the last page reveal I was very pleased. Alvaro may not be as eye pleasing as Adam Hughes but he did a good job drawing her. I am going to read the rest of this story just to see her in action. The scene with Cassandra reciting Shakespeare was cute.

Ms. Marvel #19 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Marco Failla (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The 4-part "Mecca" starts here. The subject matter is apropos of the current immigration climate in the USA right now. I like to think that comic book fandom is well informed and open minded so I hope that Willow's views are generally supported and there aren't too many negative reactions to this story.

Star Wars #32 - Jason Aaron (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Uh-oh, some of the good guys change sides in part 4 of "Screaming Citadel". This should have been a Doctor Aphra book because she plays a big part in the adventure.

Hulk #7 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) George Duarte (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). New artist George Duarte does an excellent job. I am still enjoying watching Jennifer work through her trauma. She Hulks out but only to blow off some steam. The surprise visit from a friend was nice. If the last page is any indication, there is going to be plenty of smashing next issue.

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gokinjeespot · 7 years

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off the rack #1159

Monday, April 17, 2017

I'm back. Missed posting last week while I was vacationing in Cuba. It was a nice break to be totally unconnected. I managed to read two week's worth of comic books for today's deadline so this will be longer than usual.

Weapon X #1 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). That was a very promising start. This new mutant team book opens with Old Man Logan chillaxin' in the wilds of Washington state and ends with him teaming up with Sabretooth. The age old enemies must work together to fight a common enemy. I look forward to seeing how they hook up with the other three mutants featured on the credits page.

Superman #20 - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Patrick Gleason (pencils) Mick Gray (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Venom was all over Marvel variant covers recently but I didn't expect to see him in a DC comic book. Part one of "Black Dawn" is a World's Finest team-up that has Batman visiting the Superman family on their farm. Seems the neighbours are not what they seem. It's stories like these that make me appreciate the biweekly release schedule.

Godshaper #1 - Simon Spurrier (writer) Jonas Goonface (artist) Colin Bell (letters). This is the story of Ennay, the godshaper. He travels around reshaping gods for people in a weird new world where personal gods make life easier. See, natural science doesn't work in this world so gods are what helps people live. I like Ennay. He's a hustler with a conscience who is just trying to get by

and not a con man. Jonas's art is vibrant and colourful and Ennay's little god sidekick Bud is cute.

Deadpool vs. Punisher #1 - Fred Van Lente (writer) Pere Perez (art) Ruth Redmond (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Well, that's one way to start a feud. Frank hurts Wade's accountant and the battle is on. I know that neither killer will win this fight but I might read it to see how they settle the feud.

Action Comics #977 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Ian Churchill (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part one of "The New World" starts off with a rehash of Superman's origin story going right back to when his parents put him into a rocket ship to Earth just before the planet Krypton explodes and Ma and Pa Kent finding baby Kal-El on their farm in Smallville. I found the retelling tedious but there are a few pages peppered in showing a mysterious new super villain that almost made up for that feeling of reading a rerun. This new villain will keep me coming back for more.

Riverdale #1 - This new Archie publication is based on the new "hit" TV series. I have not seen the show but I have a long time love of these characters, especially for a certain blonde girl next door. There are two short stories. The first by Will Ewing (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) Janice Chiang (letters) features Archie going through the varsity football team's hazing rituals. I am impressed that Will made me like this version of the redheaded teenager. The second story by Michael Grassi (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) John Workman (letters) features my gal Betty Cooper as she endures hazing by Cheryl Blossom, the wicked witch captain of the cheerleading squad. This book made me want to tune into the show now.

X-Men Blue #1 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Jorge Molina & Matteo Buffagni (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is the original young X-Men team with Jean Grey/Marvel Girl as leader. It reads like a straight up super hero comic book with Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Angel (with flaming wings, when did that happen?), Beast and Iceman fighting Black Tom Cassidy and Juggernaut on a luxury yacht. Not very interesting until the surprise twist at the end. The twist bothered me more than intrigued me because the character is also in other X-books and I'm wondering are they good or bad in this one? The back-up story looks like it features Wolverine but this guy is a blonde. I liked the art throughout, especially the cover by Art Adams but my opinion is that these kids should be in their own little world to make it interesting for me and that isn't this.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #18 - Robert Venditti (writer) V Ken Marion (pencils) Dexter Vines (inks) Dinei Ribeiro (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The Green and Yellow Lantern Corps working together would be like the FBI and the CIA working together. Things are going to get testy at times. Having Guy and Arkillo make peace after almost killing each other in a slugfest is hokey but it kind of works for this comic book. This is a good issue to jump in on as it starts the new story "The Prism of Time". I don't know how long I will stick with this story as it involves time travel. I know because the surprise guest star on the last page gives it away.

American Gods #2 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art) Rick Parker (letters). I have a mild obsession with time. I like to know how long something lasts. I put a date label on Bic pens to see how long it takes for the ink to run out. We rarely lost one at the Snail and one pen would last just over a year. A can of my shaving gel runs out after just over a month. The number 44 is bad luck in Chinese culture so I wear an analogue watch rather than a digital. It always seemed that whenever I looked at the time on a digital it was 44 minutes after the hour and I would get anxious. I kid you not. There's an incident in this issue that relates to a certain time and now that I am aware of it I am going to see if it happens in real life. This is the kind of stuff that makes reading comic books a lot of fun for me. Seeing the incident unfold in three panels made the impact on me even bigger than just reading about it in a novel.

Jessica Jones #7 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue starts and ends with Maria Hill and leads to a new case for Jessica. There's a touching scene with Jessica, Luke and their daughter Danielle but not a resolution to their damaged relationship. I really hope Luke forgives Jessica.

Batman #20 - Tom King (writer) David Finch (pencils) Danny Miki & Trevor Scott (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). The finale to "I Am Bane" was meh. It's a fight between hero and villain that I've witnessed many, many times. This one is just brute force versus brute force and how Batman puts down Bane (because we all know that's what will happen) was very mundane. I hope the next story ends in a more interesting way.

Rat Queens #2 - Kurtis J. Wiebe (writer) Owen Gieni (art) Ryan Ferrier (letters). The main story has the Queens landing the demon Canada goose to tie up another quest. The back-up story by Patrick Rothfuss (writer) Nate Taylor (art) Ryan Ferrier (letters) is a nifty little campfire story that was very clever. Fooled me.

Guardians of the Galaxy #19 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue is "Bendis' big-time bye-bye blowout!" and it is an artists lover's dream. The guest artists here are Phil Noto, Andrea Sorrentino, Ed McGuinness & Mark Morales, Arthur Adams, Kevin Maguire, Mark Bagley & Andrew Hennessy, Sara Pichelli and Filipe Andrade. It's basically a big fight between the team, a few of their friends and Thanos. My one complaint is that Gamora did not act like I thought she should but it was an expedient reaction to seeing the Mad Titan in that situation. I loved Brian's run on this book so writer Gerry Duggan has a hard act to follow.

Wonder Woman #20 - Greg Rucka (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). Veronica Cale has exhausted all medical means for getting her daughter Izzy back from the clutches of Phobos and Deimos so it's time for the mystical option. I like Greg's incarnation of Circe. She can give Loki a run for his money.

Paper Girls #13 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Cliff Chiang (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) Jared K. Fletcher (letters). Time travel makes my head hurt but I have an emotional stake in these girls now and want to know what happens to them.

Champions #7 - Mark Waid (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). That's twice that the team has tussled with the Freelancers and the super villains have given up too easily. There's a good reason for that other than because they're cowards and bullies. There's more than one way to hurt the good guys besides beating them up. Time to call in Matt Murdock.

Kingpin #3 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Marc Laming (layouts) Ben Torres (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Sarah the biographer gets chummy with Wilson Fisk which leads Sarah the reporter into very deep trouble with Tombstone. Can Wilson protect her from harm? I like this portrayal of the Kingpin.

Savage Things #2 - Justin Jordan (writer) Ibrahim Moustafa (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Ruthless terrorists who have no qualms about killing women and children make for some very nasty bad guys. It's interesting that the good guy Abel trained with these same men. I am anticipating the much larger threat that Cain has planned.

All-New Wolverine #19 - Tom Taylor (writer) Leonard Kirk (pencils) Cory Hamscher (inks) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The 3-part "Immune" starts here. Laura and Gabby take down a human trafficker while an alien craft crashed on Roosevelt Island, New York. That crash has consequences for Laura. I am waiting to find out what the connection between the alien and Laura is. I really like Gabby and I hope she plays a bigger role in this book.

Red Team: Double Tap, Center Mass #6 - Garth Ennis(writer) Craig Cermak (art) Vinicius Andrade (colours) Rob Steen (letters). This issue adds some true romance to the true detective plot of the story. Detectives Mellinger and Giroux break the cardinal rule of workplace romance and that never ends well. Garth will get back to blood and mayhem soon I'm sure.

Amazing Spider-Man #26 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Plenty of action in part 2 of "The Osborn Identity" with Spidey and Silver Sable fighting Norman's henchmen. Some mild intrigue with Doc Ock in the background. I don't get S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stance on what Parker Industries is doing to help Symkaria. Dan has made up some political drama for the sake of the story that doesn't make sense to me.

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #6 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Kev Walker (pencils) Marc Deering (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). No killer droids this issue made it a lot less fun but I did like how the story ended.

The Unstoppable Wasp #4 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Elsa Charretier (art) Megan Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I really like this energetic and slightly naïve super hero. She did try to reason with a super villain but when she had to kick butt she did. I hope she can save her old Red Room mate.

Spider-Man #15 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Szymon Kudranski (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's time for Miles's mom to find out about his secret identity. She's not taking it as well as the Ultimate Universe Aunt May did when Peter's secret came out. Szymon's turn on the art for this book is okay but I wish he wouldn't copy panels so much. I feel like I'm not getting my money's worth when artists do that.

Uncanny Avengers #22 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Pepe Larraz (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The team de-powers the Red Skull of Professor X's super powers and Charles Xavier can now rest in peace. There's a page in this issue where Rogue is thinking about Professor X and the major decision that she made that Pepe and David did a beautiful job of expressing. I'm sure when Gerry wrote the scene he could not imagine how well rendered it would be. That page choked me up and stopped me reading. I had to send Pepe a message right then to let him know that image is burned into my memory like John Romita Senior's Peter Parker walking away down an ally with Spider-Man's costume in a garbage can in the foreground. Some comic book art is unforgettable and their page qualifies. Geez Pepe, you outdid yourself.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #16 - Joshua Corin (writer) Scott Koblish (art) Nick Filardi (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I did not leave the best for last. This is a tie-in issue. "'Til Death Do Us…" part 4's only interesting thing for me was seeing who Deadpool teams up with in his other book Deadpool & The Mercs for Money. This did not make me want to read that book nor the grand finale in Deadpool #29 to see what Wade and his monster queen wife Shiklah will wind up doing. I anticipate it will be the divorce from hell. I hope we get back to the silliness that I have come to expect from this book soon.

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