if i look back, i am lost
ojovivo
Origami Around
DEAR READER
dirt enthusiast
todays bird
Cosmic Funnies
tumblr dot com
Show & Tell
titsay
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
ellievsbear
No title available
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Not today Justin
Three Goblin Art
祝日 / Permanent Vacation
PR's Tumblrdome
RMH
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from Brazil
seen from Sweden
seen from Austria
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Canada
seen from Canada
seen from Germany
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Finland
@izzys-issues
Even though my parameters changed a bit over time for the first couple years, I eventually made a rubric that I try to adhere to when reviewing books. The "Archetype" slide is what I find a strong representative book for each category to be.
122. "House of X / Powers of X"
(House of X # 1-6 / Powers of X # 1-6, July-October 2019)
RATING: 8 🟡 Goldballs out of 10
Writing as we go because this is a big one and by golly do I hope it can fill in some gaps. It’s an uphill battle because the most recent X-books I’ve read are a handful of 04’s Astonishing and then AvX, hence my griping in my story about X-lore being complicated for the last week.
My only qualms with this were self inflicted, mostly trying to figure out how Moira’s power works mechanically within the greater Marvel context but also working off of my own very limited interactions with and understandings of these characters.
However once I approached it from the angle of it being its own self contained sci-fi narrative, and remembering that it's trying to faithfully restart and set apart this big chunk of a shared universe while remaining faithful to it's history, I thought it was pretty great. The artwork was super beautiful and all the database and history entries in between chapters were phenomenally helpful.
Because this was so big picture, I don't know how I feel about any of the characters
FAVORITE: The Jean/Logan/Scott ship
LEAST FAVORITE: Juggling all four stories
121. "Hulk vs Thor: Banner of War, Part 1"
(Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War Alpha, May 2022)
RATING: 9 🔨 Metal Pushups out of 10
FAVORITE: Hell yeah!
LEAST FAVORITE: If I didn't dislike the weird Ooo planet or Spaceship Hulk concept so much this would be 10/10
120. "Major Victory"
(Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 # 20, January 1993)
RATING: 5 💀 Punisher Cults out of 10
The foil on this cover is the dullest I’ve ever seen, but it is a foil cover nonetheless. Speaking of dull, this is the first issue of GotG vol 1 that I really started to dig. The worldbuilding here made me genuinely interested in what happened in the 1000 year window for there to be these peculiar remnants/fanatics of Cap, Punisher, and Wolverine.
I'm a big fan of the costume design for Major Victory and Krugarr though, those are both rad.
There are 3 different D&D and 2 different X-Men video game ads in this one issue.
FAVORITE: The very faint pastel colors really make this dream sequence feel ethereal ; Serious questions when chartering a superteam
LEAST FAVORITE: wasting a perfectly good adamantium suit
{TW: Vomit}
119. “Radiant[s] / <001> / Life and Times”
(Radiant Black # 7 - 9, August- November 2021)
RATING: 6 🗺️ World Tours out of 10 / 5 ☕ Stolen Coffees out of 10 / 9 📱 Topical Insults out of 10
The letters column saying that the Radiant language sounds like dial-up really helps the reading process to go a lot more smoothly. While I was a little concerned about the weird lull that lasted a few issues because of the heavy action focus on top of introducing new characters and giving Marshall his own space to become the protagonist, Issue 9 brought back the depth and energy that made me so immediately fall in love with the series.
Also I scanned the QR code on the podcast poster on the sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t benign set dressing and I applaud the creative team with how clever that was.
FAVORITE: This little nod to the comic’s origin / A shift in tone after several action heavy issues / Loving a friend this much
LEAST FAVORITE: More helmet puke / Stopping fluid leaks / Bursting into an operation
118. "Axis / Lover of Things / Right Hand Of God / That Which Is Mine
(Master of Metal # 1, December 2021)
RATING: 8 🦿 Fatigued Knees out of 10
It was so rad to see Tezzeret as an independent force rather than a bland lackey to Bolas. It has been forever since the Infinite Consortium storyline wrapped up so he hasn't gotten to really do anything substantial on his own.
However, it's clear he's not the grand mastermind behind the Marit Lage thing, nor was he in Neon Dynasty. He's cursed to perpetual cyborg lackey status.
FAVORITE: My jaw dropped and I facepalmed at this reveal for not realizing it beforehand
LEAST FAVORITE: Tezzeret's weird levels of confidence here
117. Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers # 1-3, March-May 2022
RATING: 10 ‼️ MORPHINOMENAL FEVER DREAMS OUT OF 10
Turn your brain off and open the cover, the serotonin produces itself
FAVORITE: Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers # 1-3
LEASTT FAVORITE: Idk what to say. It's perfect.
116. "The One Who Fell, Part Three"
(Superman Vol 5 # 32, June 2021)
RATING: 6 📚 Classic Storytelling out of 10
HAPPY SUPERMAN DAY 2022
This is the first time I've read an issue that was primarily the two on a father-son outing, as opposed to Supersons or Jon's solo title. It feels reminiscent of another story but I can't put my finger on it. Part of that may be that Thakkram reminded me of Sakaar just enough to make it weird? This felt a bit like a contemporary Silver Age style story due to the introduction of a new alien threat and coincidentally a new super power to combat it.
This is the Pride cover that I was most excited about last year
FAVORITE: Clark loves his son so much
LEAST FAVORITE: I really love and appreciate Jon, but having finer control over his heat vision than Clark doesn't sit right. At least not when he's this young. Also I'm not a physicist but that light stuff doesn't seem quite right?
115. "Crush Is The Best Girlfriend Ever, Shut Up"
(Crush & Lobo # 1, June 2021)
RATING: 5 🚬 Space Cigars out of 10
This was very cute and slice of life in a way that is reminiscent of many Webtoons. I appreciate the brightness of the artwork at the party as it clashes with Crush, possibly because so much of this is narration breaking the fourth wall that it may imply the colors being so garish since that's how she sees them? Unfortunately, that much fourth wall breaking narration is not something I'm very fond of.
FAVORITE: Space Chemical Romance
LEAST FAVORITE: I don't remember Lobo being this good at plans or schemes
114. "The Cowardly Lot, Part Four"
(Batman Vol 3 # 109, June 2021)
RATING: 6 🌱 Leaf Dogs out of 10
There was so much that I enjoyed about this issue. Scarecrow's increased efficacy in the age of 24 hour news and social media has probably been addressed before, but the idea of Dr. Crane being able to sow that much terror without even a dose of fear toxin is brilliant. He's one of my top favorite Batman villain and I love when he's used sparingly but effectively.
The hero Harley stuff is fine, she's not my cup of tea in general but I appreciate the character development she's gotten in recent years.
FAVORITE: I genuinely got chills from this
LEAST FAVORITE: As much fun as Gen Z Batman parody with a D&D character mindset is, and though I genuinely cackled at the reveal of The Haunt, I have a fear Ghost-Maker may get overused or oversaturated in the near future. I vaguely remember the online discourse when the character was introduced.
113. "Web of Blood, Part 1"
(Savage Spider-Man # 1, February 2022)
RATING: 3 🗳️ Evil Parliaments out of 10
I was under the impression that this was a one shot when I picked it up and was rather disappointed to find out it wasn't. There's very little that can be said in the way of story in this, but the art team did a beautiful job on all the fighting. I'm also wondering at the necessity of creating yet another shadowy organization because I'm pretty sure that the list of clandestine groups in the 616 probably numbers in the triple digits. While I'm not chomping at the bit to read more of this, I am very curious about it's eventual resolution.
Honestly how many times will this poor dude get turned into a bug monstrosity?
FAVORITE: Rumor has it that if we keep demanding Zemo memes then Marvel will keep delivering
LEAST FAVORITE: Peter's been on Reddit for too long
112. "In The Name Of The Honeymoon"
(King in Black: Wiccan & Hulkling, March 2021)
RATING: 6 🍾 Champagne Robots out of 10
I have been looking forward to reading this for a while because I've only ever read a single issue with either of these characters in it before today. Honestly this issue read like a perfect D&D session: snarky socialization, location change, cool combat that showed off a lot of powers, conclusion with social rewards.
These two are unreasonably adorable and I see why they're so beloved.
FAVORITE: 3 words nobody wants to hear during date night
LEAST FAVORITE: Cutting to this right from Hulkling surfing on a spaceship, glowing blue with sword and wings out? Now I know how Billy feels this whole issue
111. "Nothing Like A Little Overkill"
(Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 # 12, May 1991)
RATING: 4 🌹 Flaming Flowers out of 10
Has Galactus ever actually held on to a herald for any amount of time? Or was Firelord just more of an adjunct herald? If nothing else, I appreciate the distinct identity that this era of the GotG both in team composition and the setting of 31st century space.
FAVORITE: The honorable name Taserface
LEAST FAVORITE: So are the weapons so high tech they're basically on autopilot, or so simple that orientation only takes 5 minutes
111. "Nothing Like A Little Overkill"
(Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 # 12, May 1991)
RATING: 4 🌹 Flaming Flowers out of 10
Has Galactus ever actually held on to a herald for any amount of time? Or was Firelord just more of an adjunct herald? If nothing else, I appreciate the distinct identity that this era of the GotG both in team composition and the setting of 31st century space.
FAVORITE: The honorable name Taserface
LEAST FAVORITE: So are the weapons so high tech they're basically on autopilot, or so simple that orientation only takes 5 minutes
110. Magic [Boom Studios] 3, June 2021
RATING: 5 🔎 Terrible Detectives out of 10
Not a lot happened in this issue but more than anything it got the story underway and under its own power. We also got to see some more beautiful Ravnican scenery and outfits. I'm just baffled by the Dimir leaving such massive calling cards at the sites of these murders unless it just turns out to be someone else pinning the blame on them.
I know MtG has had it's ups and downs with LGBT representation but I'm so glad that they made Ral such a major character in recent years.
FAVORITE: Magic the Shipping
LEAST FAVORITE: Kaya, I'm pretty sure 80% of Ravnican politics are attempted assassinations. You are responsible for several.
109. “1 / 3”
(Robocop Versus The Terminator # 1,3; May-October 1992)
RATING: 4 📦 Cardboard Action Figures out of 10
As long as I counted correctly, there were 44 distinct sound effects in the first issue, 9 of which were on the first page. I have watched the Terminator trilogy but never got super into it, and I’ve never engaged with RoboCop in any capacity. Much like Dark Horse’s other classic mashup I read recently, this is my primary exposure to these IPs. That said, I like how much sense it makes that RoboCop served as the template for Skynet in this story, being the first integration of human brain and militarized tech. The time travel reversal shenanigans are a bit more challenging to appreciate and understand but I think they were conveyed as clearly as possible given the medium and rules.
FAVORITE: Yet another failure for our time caused by Radio Shack’s bankruptcy ; SuperNinjaMegaBattleTerminatorCop
LEAST FAVORITE: Average citizens being that trigger-happy ; the goal of Skynet is to order the universe (?)
108. "A Snatch In Time / Neighbors"
(Archer & Armstrong Vol 1 # 11, 13; April-June 1993)
RATING: 5 🚪 Excellent Adventures out of 10
So far the widest worldbuilding I've come across in a Valiant book. Ivar has been both my favorite book and character of the lot, and this story is centered around him and his family issues a bit. Timewalker and Armstrong being brothers surprised me but retroactively explains some stuff I've had questions about in the series.
FAVORITE: This Stonehenge origin
LEAST FAVORITE: Solar ex Machina
RATING: 3 🏘️ House Parties out of 10
I’m not entirely sure why Valiant’s books feel like serialized Saturday morning cartoons but all the ones that I’ve read so far do. Maybe it was just the product of when they were written? With that mindset, this one was more on the filler side. Like all good filler stories, it seeds a few plot or history elements for future engagement. Armstrong feels like a gruff alcoholic Grandpa Max from Ben 10 in this far more than he has in the other appearances I’ve read. This is also their least heroic outing that I’ve seen so far.
FAVORITE: Randomly assaulting the new neighbor
LEAST FAVORITE: “The talk”