Stranger Things
No title available
Sade Olutola
Kiana Khansmith
trying on a metaphor
RMH
JVL
gracie abrams
tumblr dot com
ellievsbear
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Keni
Xuebing Du
wallacepolsom
titsay
official daine visual archive
The Stonewall Inn
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
Andulka
Today's Document
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from Italy
seen from Malaysia
seen from Bangladesh
seen from United States
seen from Indonesia
seen from Netherlands
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Japan
seen from Netherlands
seen from Russia
seen from TĂĽrkiye
seen from TĂĽrkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@yetanothercomicbook
Condemned
The Punisher #110
Weak start, gets better.
"Take my hand and be my son...!"
There's a genuinely interesting story idea here. One I want to see play out. Before we get to that, however, the script has to deal with all the loose ends from the previous storyline. And all of that nonsense drags the comic down.
I'm glad they revealed that Frank didn't kill the Dreyers. Even if it was clumsily done.
Wizard Top 100: #86.
John Ostrander (2 of 19).
Tom Lyle (1 of 15).
5/10
The Master Race
Star Masters [Cosmic Powers Unlimited #5]
Impressive.
"He is somehow siphoning the wills of us all bending us to his desires!"
There's a lot going on here. The heroes arrive on the planet that started the plague, but the leader has powers that make him difficult to defeat. That struggle is exciting enough, but midway through the issue other aliens attack from space intent on completely destroying the entire planet!! Now, the Star Masters--I don't like that name--have 2 different fights to win.
It's a shame nothing came of this team, as I really liked them. The new characters were strong, and being in a group was good for both the Surfer and Beta Ray Bill. The whole enterprise had the same sort of vibe as the Infinity Watch or the Guardians of the Galaxy. I feel like it would have been a good ongoing series. I wonder was Tana Nile going to stick around?
Early pages here explain what happened to Bill between issues. I wish we had been shown this sooner. A separate short story taking place directly after the 3-issue mine-series would have been better than this clumsy flashback. That said, it's fascinating to see Odin and the Surfer together as equals.
9/10
The Unnatural
The Incredible Hulk #435
Delightful change of pace.
Hulk vs. Rhino
After a run of great but very dark and grim stories, we get a funny one instead. And it's largely told in rhyme.
Peter David (121 of 158).
10/10
Agendas Diabolik!
Fantastic Force #17
Lacklustre.
"That clinches it--we're under attack... by some unseen force!"
2 of my least favourite tropes in one comic: superheroes under attack and dream sequences. Both are overused, and both are examples of lazy storytelling.
The comic starts well, with the team now penniless and homeless, and being taken in by She-Hulk. But as soon as the attacks/hallucinations start, it gets a lot less interesting. The reveal on the last page does little to inspire confidence.
Tom Brevoort (18 of 19).
Mike Kanterovich (18 of 19).
Dante Bastianoni (14 of 15).
Pino Rinaldi (7 of 7).
5/10
The Plague War
Star Masters [Cosmic Powers Unlimited #4]
Good ideas; so-so execution.
"The Axi-Tun mean to eliminate all races within the cosmos--!"
Voltan's plan is elaborate and clever. And it's interesting how he has taken over his planet. It's a storyline I'd like to see play out. Also, those working for him--Aldebron, Dampyre, Sidereus, and Throk--are worthy antagonists for our guys to fight.
But the comic itself is clumsy. The business with Beta Ray Bill gets in the way. He's inexplicably gone--then he's back, but with a different look. Not explaining any of this gets in the way of the main story.
7/10
Finished Off
Thor #494
Enjoyable ending.
"It's bringing on the end of the world."
Some big ideas here. Enjoyable ones. Thor doesn't accomplish much--the villain's plan falls apart of its own accord. But Thor must save the day afterwards, so that's something.
This chapter explains why the English police psychologist was included in the story. The point is well made, but I don't think he needed quite so many pages in previous chapters.
Warren Ellis (4 of 4).
Mike Deodato, Jr. (4 of 10).
8/10
Run Down
Thor #493
Surprisingly touching.
"We may be gods, but in all the ways that count, we are very human."
The Enchantress is really well written here. It's the highlight of the whole storyline. And the art perfectly conveys the idea that she is "painfully beautiful."
As for the big storyline… it sure is moving slowly. The police psychologist chap continues to contribute nothing of interest. Except exposition. Why is he even in this comic, and why does he deserve 10 pages?
Warren Ellis (3 of 4).
Mike Deodato, Jr. (3 of 10).
8/10
Run Through
Thor #492
Good.
"How many bloody psychics have they got on file? Why are they all having the same dreams?"
11 of the pages are devoted to a new character. A police psychologist named Warren Curzon. He's English--of course!--and colourful. Quite a lot of space is devoted to showing us how quirky he is. Franky, I could have done without most of it.
Only 6 of the pages in this issue focus on Thor! So we still don't know what is going on with him. But the scenes with The Enchantress are certainly intriguing. And that cover is something else.
Warren Ellis (2 of 4).
Mike Deodato, Jr. (2 of 10).
8/10
Nailed Up
Thor #491
Good.
"Father. I… need your help. I'm dying."
I prefer superheroes to drive the story rather than be the story. He's a comic where Thor is suddenly facing death and doesn't turn to anyone for help. Even with the reasons provided in the script, that's a little hard to swallow. He does turn to Odin eventually, however. And Odin is a complete dick.
The big battle late in the issue looks spectacular. But, when all is said and done, the whole issue is just setting-up a mystery for whatever comes next.
Warren Ellis (1 of 4).
Mike Deodato, Jr. (1 of 10).
8/10
Cauldron of Conversion
Star Masters #3
Good.
Investigating the murders of the Charter delegates, the 5 heroes are overpowered and captured.
An enjoyable read, as the bigger storyline continues to unfold and we get a chance to study (and enjoy) the dynamics of this new cosmic superhero group.
Unusual for a miniseries to end on a cliffhanger.
8/10
Earthfall
Star Masters #2
Excellent.
"We've got to stop that black hole before it hits!"
This is even more like an issue of QUASAR than the first one, even though Quasar himself appears less. A lot of the focus this time around is on Beta Ray Bill and the Silver Surfer. And both of them are very impressive indeed. That's part of the reason I'm giving this a 10/10 rating.
It's also a great comic--worthy of the 10/10 rating--because of the unusual threat the heroes must face. And because of the very clever way the Surfer is able to eventually stop the planetoid. Finally, I was impressed by the way Morfex and Xenith (of the Cosmic Commandos) were written. Both are characters I would like to see a lot more of.
10/10
The Stars, My Desperation
Star Masters #1
Good.
“A planet-sized object has just materialised in your star system on a trajectory toward Earth.”
Quasar is the protagonist here, and it feels exactly like an issue of his series. He’s framed for something he didn’t do. Meanwhile, the Earth is 5 hours away from being destroyed!!
Smartly-told sci-fi.
First meeting of Beta Ray Bill and Quasar.
8/10
No Reason!
Lunatik #2
Tiresome.
Lunatik vs. Avengers
I’m giving this 1/10 because it’s just a slugfest, and there are no stakes. It’s just fighting for the sake of it. Also—and this is the biggest sin—it’s meant to be funny and it’s not.
There’s zero entertainment value here.
1/10
How Much is That Surfer in the Window?
Silver Surfer III #115
More of the same.
The 12 parts of the Surfer's body are being auctioned off to wealthy, powerful individuals from different planets, while his soul is somewhere else trying unsuccessfully to sit at a large banquet table.
More recurring characters are murdered. Indeed, pretty much everyone who was introduced to the series for this arc is gone now. However, a bunch of new recurring characters are added. Most are quite bland. Princess Skooka stands out. (Hopefully, she won't be killed off.)
This issue is a lot less wordy than the ones leading up to it. A good sign.
George Pérez (5 of 13).
Tom Grindberg (14 of 15).
6/10
Lunatik
Lunatik #1
Imaginative but not funny.
Lunatik comes to Earth--to kill the first Lunatik!--and uses Avengers Mansion as his hotel!
We also learn his origin. In a lot of detail. Clearly, a lot of thought went into this. But it's really stupid, and I didn't enjoy reading it.
2/10
I Go to Pieces
Silver Surfer #114
Audacious but dull.
"This brief interlude with the universe beyond is over."
There are a couple of big surprises here. One near the start of the book, and one on the very last page. Both are quite impressive, and indicate that the writer is playing a long game here.
Sadly, the comic is otherwise a chore to read. It's wordy and populated with unsympathetic characters.
George Pérez (4 of 13).
Tom Grindberg (13 of 15).
4/10
Bang and Blame
The New Warriors #64
Weak start, but gets good.
"I mean to restart human evolution itself, before it's too late!"
The misunderstanding fight with Thrash and (his new group) Psionex was annoying. Luckily, it didn't last long. The real antagonist is revealed to have an interesting motivation, there's a big shock on page 15, and Rina Patel's intriguing warnings are finally being taken seriously.
It's an issue that makes you eager to read the next one.
Evan Skolnick (11 of 22).
Patrick Zircher (10 of 21).
8/10