Category Archives: Reviews

G3 Review: Action Comics #5

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Action Comics #5
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Andy Kubert, Jesse Delperdang, Brad Anderson, and Patrick Brosseau

It’s the “New 52,” and the new Action Comics, and inevitably we revisit fall of Krypton. But how many ways can Krypton be annihilated? In Grant Morrison’s take on Supes’ origin, he makes subtle tweaks to how it all went down in the House of El. With minor adjustments to previous continuity, Morrison paves the road for a plethora of possibilities for future stories. We press pause on the events of issue #4 and focus on baby Kal-El making it to a planet with a yellow sun and less gravity, so he will be super. Superman’s chunky, little baby self is escorted in a rocket powered by an artificial intelligence Jor-El calls Brainiac. It is Brainiac who narrates this issue, entitled, “Rocket Song.” Continue reading →

G3 Review: Life With Archie #16

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Life With Archie #16
Written by Paul Kupperberg
Art by Fernando Ruiz, Pat Kennedy, Tim Kennedy, Al Milgrom, Bob Smith, Jack Morelli and Glenn Whitmore

This just in: Life With Archie is friggin’ awesome. Yes, I know the series is no longer new, but no matter how many times I read it, I’m surprised by just how juicy it is. Seeing Riverdale’s former teens as grownups who are grappling with real-life drama is fascinating. LWA has become the comic book version of the TV soap you don’t want to miss. Continue reading →

Arcs of Awesome: The Stuff of Legend

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The bedroom closet looms large in many a child’s imagination. After dark, that small space becomes a portal to a sinister realm populated by boogeymen and monsters. I have very clear memories of being 7 years old, shutting my closet doors immediately before bedtime and sleeping with a stuffed toy or five for protection.

The team behind the excellent The Stuff of Legend series understands perfectly that time in a kid’s life as well as the magical quality of playthings. However, this book is not child’s play. Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: Surprises and Comeback Kids

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As we’ve all discovered by now, the quality of the relaunched DC books has been all over the map, ranging from the brilliant to the WTF? That’s about what I expected. There’s no need for me to write another mash note to Batwoman, Action Comics, Wonder Woman or even Batman and Robin, so on to the rest of the DCnU buy pile we go! For purposes of this post, I’m focusing on some books that I had previously dismissed or that were initially letdowns. Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: Over the Reignbow!

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For whatever reason, many the comics I’ve been reading lately are firmly planted on the dark side. There may be elements of humor and playfulness, but sometimes I need a drink by the time I’ve waded through my weekly stash. That’s one reason I was so very delighted to see issue #3 of Reignbow and Dee-Va, writer Brian Andersen’s series about two besties who happen to be the most fabulous demon-slayers ever.  Continue reading →

G3 Review: DCnU Score Card

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I have intentionally been quiet about the new DC books these past couple of weeks. Mostly because every site and its mom is reviewing them, E. has covered a few, too. What more could I possibly say that hasn’t been said? Well, I’ve always got something to say. I’m not picking up all of the titles, but of the #1 DC books I have gotten, I have loved, liked, and loathed. Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: Debuts and Curtain Calls

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There’s nothing like a hefty Wednesday haul, especially when the books are as good as mine were this week. From a promising upstart to two venerable titles that took their bows, there’s quite a bit to cover. Here we go:

Better. Stronger. Faster.

The Bionic Man #1: Can a comic book based on a classic TV show withstand the white-hot expectations of readers full of nostalgia? Or will said nostalgia warp one’s view, resulting in an overly positive or negative response?

Though Dynamite’s new Bionic Man comic had me at “Oscar Goldman,” I still approached it with caution. Col. Steve Austin, astronaut, loomed so large in my childhood that I successfully lobbied my parents to buy me his doll – uh, action figure when I was 7 or 8. As I began reading, I thought of the great RuPaul’s advice to his drag competition contestants: Don’t *%$! it up.
Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: Marvel Edition

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The pull list was pretty meager this week, but discovering Steve McNiven’s art made the drive to my LCS worth it. The lovely Zatanna is unrepresented here only because I overestimated the amount of cash I had on hand Wednesday. She’s coming home with me tomorrow, but here’s a brief, double Marvel rundown.

Captain America #2: By all accounts, longtime writer Ed Brubaker has done a masterful job with his Captain America stories. For people like me who are way late to the party, this freshly-launched volume is an excellent point of entry. As a man out of time, Steve Rogers is constantly confronted by ghosts. His former love and fellow soldier Peggy Carter has just been buried. He knew Jimmy Jankovicz as a boy who could cross dimensions and even touch people’s dreams, but Jimmy is now a catatonic, elderly man in a wheelchair. Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: All Nighter

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Stories about jaded, adrift young adults are plentiful in the indie comics genre, but All Nighter has more to offer than generic hand-wringing. For one thing, there’s that opening line: “My name is Kit Bradley. Nine years ago, I killed my mother.”

That is one hell of a teaser, but writer/artist Dave Hahn is taking his time in peeling back main character Kit’s layers. She’s an art student in a dead-end relationship she can’t quite leave, and she’s a thief who, while guilt-ridden, rationalizes her actions. Don’t we all? Continue reading →

Arcs of Awesome: Identity Crisis

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Ever since we launched Girls Gone Geek, V. and I have been asked about our favorite stories and what we recommend to people who want to get into comics. Our lists are always evolving and growing, but we’ve long wanted to spotlight the game-changing books that have stoked our fangirl fire over the years. Today, we’re kicking off our “Arcs of Awesome” feature with a book we both hold in very high esteem. — E.

Identity Crisis is one of the most polarizing stories I’ve ever loved. DC fans appear to be sharply divided over this book, but it is so special to me that I didn’t even blink when I saw the price for the Absolute edition, which drops in October.

Passion can be blinding however, and no series is perfect. In the early stages, you’ll gloss over a sizable flaw that, with time and distance (and a re-read) is painfully obvious. But before getting into that, I want to celebrate the abundance of goodness that makes Identity Crisis a modern classic. Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: Hoods, Magicians, and Maidens

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My pull list was DC-heavy and full of goodies last week, and a book that I was dreading turned out to be an unexpected pleasure. Let’s get to the highlights, shall we?

Batman and Robin #23: The solicits for this issue made me very nervous, especially since Batman and Robin is one of my favorite DC books at present. In general, Judd Winick’s writing isn’t my cup of tea, and I’ve struggled with Jason Todd’s resurgence as the Red Hood. However, Winick clearly enjoys writing this character, and his enthusiasm is contagious in the first chapter this arc, “The Streets Run Red.”

There’s no denying the power of Jason’s daddy issues with Batman, or the Dark Knight’s perpetual guilt over Jason’s legendary death as Robin II. It must cut pretty deep when your former sidekick openly mocks your no-killing code, and tells you that he wants out of Arkham because he’s not crazy, “simply homicidal.” So when Jason gets his requested transfer to Gotham City Corrections, what could possibly go wrong? Continue reading →

G3 Review: Uncanny X-Force #9

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Cover art by Esad Ribic

Uncanny X-Force #9
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Billy Tan
Colors by Dean White

* There are minor spoilers contained in this review. *

I initially picked up Uncanny X-Force #1 on a whim. I like the premise of the X-Force team, and Esad Ribic’s covers are seductive. The issue turned out to be an art powerhouse and a character goldmine. I love my team books, and this is a team book of bizarre proportions.

One thing that Marvel does, and I wish DC did, is provide continuity summaries. I knew nothing about Fantomex, Deadpool, and Archangel, but I was interested immediately. Rick Remender’s X-Force is disturbed and dark, and not in the lovable psychopath, Secret Six kind of way. Continue reading →

Comic Judgment: The New York Five

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Last week was a big one for comics, what with the end of Brightest Day, Justice League: Generation Lost, and the release of Action Comics #900. I love a good blockbuster, and even though I wasn’t reading BD or JLGL, I’ve heard very good things from those who have. Those books don’t exactly need any more publicity.

Since smaller books often get lost in the shuffle, I’d like to sing the praises of another comic that reached a milestone on Wednesday: The New York Five (Vertigo), by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly, took its final, bittersweet bow this week with issue No. 4. It’s a story about friendship, but a certain kind: the intense but fragile connections you make in young adulthood, specifically the freshman year of college. Continue reading →