Bill Janzen Comic Reviews

Ugh, I feel bad giving a bad rating to a character I love as much as Spidey. If it helps, last week's issue with the Rhino was much better.

Overall, this was a poor start to a series I'd had high hopes for. I'd recommend giving this one a pass. If it gets better in subsequent issues you can always pick it up in the inevitable trade paperback.

In short, this series made me a fan when I really didn't expect to be. I highly recommend it.

Overall, Beautiful Creatures #1 is an amazing start to what will hopefully be a continually incredible mini-series. I plan to collect it myself, and I highly encourage you to fit it into your comics budget as well.

Gas prices have gone up ridiculous amounts in recent years and show no sign of going back down. And yet we all helplessly have to go back to the pumps time after time like junkies because we have to have gas to live normal lives in this society. That sounds bad until we consider the scenario facing the world of Bleedout.

What wasn't effective was the manner in which this book was advertised and released. It was poorly done, and probably confused more than generated interest. Fortunately, the stories included in the issue are good, and there is more than enough here for everyone. While not great, it definitely captures the essence of what made Steve Rogers a great individual. And that is all one could ever ask of such a book.

I'll be honest here, I just love this comic! It's not a sweeping epic tale, the creators aren't looking to revolutionize the comic industry, but it looks good, it's got some great wit and it's just pure fun to read. Is there a little cheesiness? Sure, but who cares? I just want to see Samuel L Jackson shooting suckers in space and dropping one-liners while he does it. If you haven't been reading Cold Space yet, you'd be doing yourself a favor to start soon.

So, while I'm a big fan of the series I think that this issue drags things out a bit more than necessary. A lot of readers are picking this up to see some heavy, hard-hitting action between the Dark Avengers and the X-Men. All I'll say is at some point there better be a good, lengthy payoff in that department. Hopefully this issue will work better when placed within the inevitable trade paperback collection. I give it three and half bullets out of five.

Thanks to a lot of help from the art, I give this issue a 3.5 out of 5.

I'm a big fan of the characters being used in this book. That, combined with the action and drama have brought me to a rating of 3 and a half bullets out of 5 on this issue. But for those who aren't already inclined toward liking these characters, they could easily rate it lower, and I wouldn't be able to argue it with them.

The answers are yet to come, and I can't wait to learn.

Dark Reign: Elektra #3 is another great issue in a mini-series that, so far, has had nothing but great issues. Why did I not then give the issue a perfect 5 bullets out of 5? The ads for the issue, and the cover of the issue both try to push the big face-off of Elektra versus Bullseye, something I have really been looking forward to (as everyone else has). But surprise, surprise, as comics have been doing for years, the vaunted villain on the cover only shows up briefly and won't make any real showing until next issue. Now, that's not to say it makes the issue itself any worse, simply that it's a really old and dirty trick that Marvel should have grown past using decades ago. Nonetheless, a great issue with exceptional work by all the talent involved.

Overall Dark Reign: Hawkeye #3 is merely an okay issue. It has some fun moments and a mildly intriguing main story, but it doesn't focus on one of the most interesting aspects of the position that Dark Hawkeye is in: how he handles the pressure of being in a spotlight position. Nor does it give us any of the new Hawkeye vs original Hawkeye action that most fans have been waiting for. This may be an okay issue in the midst of the overall mini-series once it's finished, but on its own, it's like a Lamborghini without its engine: It's shiny and fun to look at, but it really leaves you wanting, and could have been so much more than it is.

So if you already have been keeping up with the X-Men comics over the past short while, this is a good chance to save yourself some money. But if you haven't been reading X-Men comics lately and want to catch up a bit, or if you just really, really like reading about the relationship between Scott and Emma, feel free to pick this up.

Overall, if you've enjoyed the previous issues of this Exiles series you'll probably enjoy this one too, but as for me, Exiles #4 is resounding mediocre.

In the end, this issue is certainly sub-par and my love for these characters can only take me so far. I can only hope, really really hope, that the final issue of this crossover is a mind-blower.

With my personal tastes, I would have preferred a little more discretion on just how brutal a few of the scenes were (did I mention I'm more used to Marvel titles) and the main character being named Lucifer is definitely over the top, but Hexed is a title with top quality writing and art and a plot that's interesting right from the get-go. If you haven't already, I'd highly recommend giving this series a look.

The first story arc of Hotwire was phenomenal in itself. The only part of it that seemed less than fantastic to me was the arc's ending, which wasn't bad, but was simply okay. This arc has started out, if possible, even better than the last one, and as long as they can pull off an equally great ending, Hotwire will be a comic I'll be recommending to people for a long long time.

Hmm, what else can I say to convince that this mini-series is something you should be picking up? Would it help if I pointed out that each issue is only $2.99? Yeah, I thought so.

Nonetheless I recommend this issue and indeed the whole mini-series. I can only hope that a sequel is already in the works at Radical. If you've been collecting the issues so far, you made a wise decision. If you haven't been collecting the mini-series so far do yourself a favor and pick up the upcoming trade paperback. You won't be disappointed.

Overall though, this is an interesting issue with a bit of a cliffhanger that is definitely making me look forward to the next issue to come. If you've been following the Hulk story lines at all over the past year or two, I think you'll quite enjoy Incredible Hulk #601.

Like many Marvel events over the past few years Infinity had a greatly unsatisfying ending. If you haven't already bought the rest of the series I recommend giving Infinity #6, and Infinity as a whole, a definite pass.

Irredeemable #4 is just another issue in a series that seems to be going nowhere and appears to relish in portraying innocent masses murdered en masse. It has excellent artwork and a story that has potential, but this issue doesn't reach that potential at all.

Overall, Irredeemable #13 has the same high quality of nearly every issue this series has had, but it feels like a bit of a misstep in overall progression of the series. Still a good read, but it feels a little like Waid is buying time here. Hopefully, it will read better when collected as part of a trade paperback.

Whether you're a fan of Batman, Nightwing, alternate takes on characters or just plain interesting story telling this is worth a read.

Kill Shakespeare is a highly ambitious tale for a comic book seeking to do for Shakespeare's characters what Fables did for classic fairy tale characters, bringing them all into one shared setting and overarching narrative. This trade paperback, collecting the first six issues of the series so far, begins the tale as we follow main character Hamlet. Having to leave his home kingdom Hamlet quickly finds himself torn between two factions. One faction is led by King Richard and sees him as the prophesied "shadow king" who will kill the wizard Shakespeare. The other faction is led by Juliet and believes Hamlet is being manipulated, and it is King Richard that is evil rather than the wizard William Shakespeare.

Overall, despite some terrible production choices Lung-Mei has enjoyable, action packed art and takes what could have just been a cliched story and makes it a fun read. If they can fix some problems and bring the cover prices to a reasonable level, I'll be looking forward to further issues of Lung-Mei in the future.

In the end, it would be too harsh to rate it as a piece of the larger whole. Nonetheless the issue is only mildly interesting on its own anyways, and gets two and half bullets out of five.

Overall, this is another solid issue of New Avengers. Now, about "Who will be the next sorcerer supreme?" You may want to pick this issue up to find out.

As I stated above, this is only a first issue so it is very possible this series could get better, but with this issue alone to judge by, I simply can't recommend Predator #1 to anyone but the most die-hard Predator fans.

My recommendation? Pick it up. Then pick up every other issue of this series so far, and then pick up any more that they put out. Great issue, great series.

In case it wasn't obvious enough already, yes I highly recommend this comic (and issue #1 along with it). Guggeheim has taken a character with a lot of potential who is unfortunately often poorly used and has used him in the best way possible. I loved it and I'll no doubt read it again.

Now, is there any reason that I can think of to recommend this graphic novel to you? Well, the dialogue isn't terrible--just clichd--and there's a bit of an interesting premise and a kind of interesting turn at the end. However, despite those minor positives I'm not going to keep my copy, which I got for free, so I certainly can't recommend it to any of you.

As for it being the finale of such a large event Secret Wars #9 is good, but it's not great. If I were to think of another Marvel event to compare it to The Infinity Gauntlet obviously comes to mind. The last issue of that event felt like an exciting and solid conclusion, with a logical sequence of events, and an ending I didn't see coming. This issue doesn't logically justify a number of points and you can see everything coming. It's worth a read, but I doubt it will go down as a great event in Marvel history.

When they inevitably resurrect the Sentry the writer who does it had better read that original mini over and then reread it to make sure they actually get it right next time.

Overall, The Sentry: Fallen Sun had some strong points but was not what it could have been. As for me, I think I'll stick to rereading the phenomenal original Sentry mini-series again, and leave this one on the comic store shelves.

Overall, the story is coherent, you art flows well enough to know what's going on, and maybe future issues will produce plot points that can actually evoke interest, but on its own Souled #1 is very forgettable. With a price tag of $3.50 there's just no way I can recommend this issue to you. I sincerely wish that I could, but, even as far as independent comic studios go, there are better ways to spend your money.

Overall this was a very strong start to what I hope will be an excellent series. I personally can't wait to see where the continuing story of Luke Skywalker goes and to see more of Wilson's skillful art. As we get more explanation and depth regarding the story and the interesting villains introduced this looks like it has the potential to be a must have comic series.

The Twilight Zone: The Lost Tales has heart. Rahners stories pay tribute to the classic narration style of the TV show and are interesting as concepts that contain an air of mystery that fans of the TV show will appreciate, but readers who are unfamiliar with the series may find themselves looking for more.

And while by necessity the biggest plot points will take place in Superior Spider-Man I didn't feel like I was missing a thing here. Aside from the interactions amongst the heroes the twists that take place make the issue go by too quickly.

Though it's only 2 issues in so far I'm enjoying this series far more than the Action Comics, Superman, or Wonder Woman series. Superman and Wonder Woman have always been great characters together, and with Soule and Daniel's work here they make for a fantastic new pairing.

This is a title that I wanted to love, but just couldn't. I'm the kind of person who loves rooting for the underdog so I would like to recommend this new superhero effort from Hard Way Studios but with a $3.99 price tag I just can't. From a small studio this title is a strong effort. I hope further issues move the plot into a more likable place and give us a character we can root for.

Overall this was one of my favorite comics in the last while. It wasn't groundbreaking, but it re-acquainted me with some characters I loved years ago and brought them into a story and setting that was mature enough for me to enjoy. If you see a copy on the shelves, I highly recommend picking this one up.

In the end, the positive aspects of the writing and the fact that these characters are beloved by many (myself included) make this an issue that some may still want to pick up, but most will probably want to skip it unless they are either die hard Turtles fans or are collecting the series anyway and don't want to miss an issue. Despite everything above I'm still looking forward to TMNT #58 in the hopes that it goes back to the level of the previous issue, but too much jumping back and forth between these two levels of quality is going to hinder people collecting the series regularly. Tales of the TMNT from Mirage Studios is definitely a series to keep your eye on, but this issue on its own gets two and a half bullets out of five.

I do certainly recommend picking this issue up. It's a good read on its own and will certainly be even better when read within the broader context of the Ninja Turtles' stories as they continue to unfold.

Once again I'll just point out that I don't like being too harsh, but to be blunt I read a lot of comics and this issue is pretty easily one of the worst I've read in quite a while and therefore has received my worst review rating thus far.

Tales of the TMNT #61 isn't flashy or earth shattering enough to likely win awards, but it's one of the coolest, most fun comics I've read in a long time. If you're a fan of the Ninja Turtles, heck if you've ever even heard of the Ninja Turtles...screw it, if you read comic books at all, you should pick up Tales of the TMNT #61.

On one final but important note, I should also point out that last year there was a release called simply The Action Bible. The difference between the previously released The Action Bible (a hardcover) and this book The Action Bible: New Testament is essentially that the Action Bible: New Testament is simply the New Testament portion of the previously released Action Bible, and put into softcover format. So if you've already purchased the Action Bible, then obviously you already have this material, no point in buying. If you prefer softcover or mostly want to see the New Testament in graphic novel format then this is for you. If you want to get the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments then I'd recommend going with the formerly released Action Bible with all the material together in one hardcover format, though with a little higher cover price of $24.99.

For me and many others the only real Thor will always be Thor, son of Odin. So The Mighty Thor #1,a comic where he is replaced by someone else, has its work cut out for it. It has to be so good that we can overlook the fact that the character that we actually wanted to read about isnt here. This issue falls far short of accomplishing that.

I don't know if there are more Remnant stories to come after the arc in this trade paperback, but I sure hope there are because, as good as it is, this book feels like just an introduction to an even bigger story to come.

Overall this is one of the most enjoyable comics I've read in some time and I would certainly recommend this mini-series to any comic fan. I think you'll find it a fresh experience with a mysterious edge.

While there are some legendary comics out there (usually mini series) that are rightfully ranked above this issue, in general, comics just don't get any better than this. And to be fair, such legendary comics are usually graphic novels or mini-series. It's rare to find a story arc in an ongoing series that is as purely enjoyable and of as high a quality as this one has been. In fact, this issue is so good, I think perhaps my starting statement for this review should have instead been, "THIS is what ALL comics should be!"

Overall, this issue is very large disappointment. Marvel may get some money by leeching off of people's fond memories of the 2099 line, but it's money that is undeserved. The poorly thought out plot and sloppy, useless character appearances alone earn this issue a failing grade.

The description on the back of the graphic novel Titan states that "Professor Peter Tytan... taught archaeology to largely unengaged students and lived a largely unassuming life." That's something I'll have to take the back cover's word for because it's not shown (or even stated) anywhere in the actual book. And it would have been handy to have that back story for the character. Instead we start off with the "professor" being beat down over an apparent drug deal and continue off on the most incomprehensible comic I can remember reading, starring a character that seems nothing like any professor I know, and who seems like a less credible archaeologist than Indiana Jones.

All in all, this is a good story that does a great job of continuing the Ultimate Spider-Man saga. Well, there are parts of the artwork that bother me, but I still quite strongly recommend this issue and this series overall.

If it weren't for how good Ultimate Spider-Man once was, maybe this issue wouldn't seem poor in quality to me. But then, if its former greatness hadn't earned my loyalty, I frankly wouldn't be reading this series at all. Now, like perhaps an overly die-hard fan, I'm left waiting, hoping it gets back to being as good as it once was. Come on Marvel, please fix this before it's too late.

For this individual issue, I give it 2.5 bullets out of five. For the direction that Marvel has allowed this series, and the whole Ultimate line to go, they get a zero.

As far as rating this issue on its own, I give it 3 bullets. Marvel's deceptive marketing strategy that implied this was going to be some sort of conclusion to the series? Less than 1 bullet.

I had high hopes for this issue. Despite how utterly terrible Ultimatum has been, I had hoped that the least I would get out of it was that for the first time I would have a major Marvel series that actually had a good, final conclusion to it. This issue not only wasn't very good, but it had the feeling of just another issue, rather than being the somber, dramatic conclusion it might have been.

Overall, Unthinkable #1 is a great start to what will hopefully be a great series. Both writer and artist have given us quality here and the first chapter of an intriguing story. If you're looking for an extra title to pick up, this is one with a promising start.

It's sometimes hard in these days of increasingly darker and darker heroes to enjoy a comic without shutting off a bit of your brain for a while. I guess in the end War Machine is kind of like an old Steven Seagal movie; how much you'll enjoy it depends a whole lot on whether you're able to sit through the fast-paced ride without thinking about it too much.