Chris Partin Comic Reviews

Aliens is such a strange property and it takes a certain creative team to pull it off. I think this creative has what it takes, and this issue is evidence of that. I really felt I was over any kind of comic book about these alien creatures, but Arcudi pulls me back in and I’m ready for more.

The art in this issue is great. I was a little saddened by the lack of Phil Jimenez’s art when I started to read this issue, but at the same time I didn’t miss it as much as I got further into the issue. Paulo Siqueira and Amilton Santos do a really good job with this issue. I don’t know if they’ll be back on this issue of Jimenez (or someone completely different), but I’d like to see more of their work in the future. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed in the issues of Amazing Spider-Man is that the art teams really are top notch and no one is slacking off. I applaud the editorial and creative teams that put this series together.

There's a method to Whedon's writing that has been explained to me by friends who have watch Whedon's Buffy and Angel television shows. While that may or may not be true, Whedon keeps readers entertained and captivated. There's a level of intelligence to this issue and to this series in general because of Whedon's ability to tell a compelling story. This issue shows that you don't need non-stop action and adventure to tell a good story. Sometimes a good story comes from inside the characters and I think that even on a bad day, Whedon understands that and excels where many writers in the industry fail. Astonishing X-Men is probably the best developed and executed book Marvel, or any other company, publishes today.

The big fight in this issue between two of the Batmen (I'm not revealing who) and its a great fight sequence. It really allows Tony Daniel to show off what he can do artistically. He knows his strengths and he plays them up in this issue. Every page of this issue is great. The one-page spread with Black Mask over the city is amazing and really sets the tone for what's possibly to come once there is one Batman.

This is Hine's second foray into the Batman Universe (Joker's Asylum: Two-Face being the other) and personally I would love to see him play a part in it more often. He tells the story from a disturbing and enlightening perspective when it comes to the rogue gallery of players. Jeremy Haun also has some experience with the world of Batman as he provided pencils on Two-Face: Year One. I would love to see more of the Hine/Haun creative team delving into those dark and disturbing corners of Batmans world. If you only pickup one tie-in book to Battle for the Cowl, this needs to be the issue.

The Battle for the Cowl is going to rage on for another two months and there will be a few more one-shots and miniseries to come and there will be some good ones and some not so good. Be assured that this one-shot is well worth picking up, especially if you're needing a fix from the GCPD.

The art in this issue by Daniel Acuña is just superb. I know Acuña’s art style isn’t for everyone, but this issue is a much more subdued Acuña that I’m use to seeing, and I love it! I think Acuña’s style works well for this issue and I’m very curious to see how he and Liu work with one another as this series progresses.

Buck Rogers has not been around too long, but I have really enjoyed what I have read so far. I like the characters, the dialogue, and the storytelling direction the creative team is taking on this book. I think Scott Beatty has the experience through his past work that readers should have nothing to worry about. I think Buck Rogers will be one of Dynamite’s best comics.

I’ve admitted I’m the casual reader and fan when it comes to Buffy, but I think I’m going to have to come back next issue just to see how things play out now that Oz is back in the picture. Espenson, Jeanty, Owens, Madsen, Betancourt, and everyone else involved in this issue should be proud. This is a really good issue.

Its hard to tell you the one thing that makes this series worth picking up. There isn't just one. Its the writing. Its the art. Its the characters. Its the whole package from cover to cover, and that's hard to say in today's industry. There's always that one thing that draws you to a particular comic book, but with Captain America its everything.

Captain America continues to be a great series each and every month. We’re fifty issues and I can’t see Brubaker slowing down any time soon. Next issue we see a change in the series as the title goes back to its original numbering with issue #600. I’m an old reader so I’m glad to see this happening, but it’s not necessary. Fans are going to read this title regardless because it’s good.

Captain America: Reborn is going to have its fans and its haters. People will be talking about the hows and whys, and those people will look past the craft of the writing and the art and they’ll be missing out on a great comic book.

The art in this issue provided by Scott Godlewski and Stephen Downer is top notch. Boom Studios has done a great job finding great artists to work on their titles whose art styles don’t create a “house style” for the company and keeps each title unique looking. The page where Foster looks over Stanely’s apartment and begins to decipher what happened is a great piece of work from a layout point of view and coloring.

"Copperhead" #1 is a truly enjoyable comic book that hits new readers squarely in the face with it's craftsmanship in the writing and art. It is the whole package. A definite must read for any comic book fan.

While I’m a sucker for anything that Top Cow publishes its not because of blind faith. Top Cow has really been putting together some great creative teams who are really pouring their all into the projects they are working on. This miniseries is a solid one from the writing to the art, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

It looks like we're going to get a lot of Dark Reign miniseries for the next six to eight months. I don't mind if they're all as good as this issue or the others that I've read like Elektra and Fantastic Four. I'm very interested to see where Diggle takes readers in this miniseries. I think its got a lot of potential.

This issue provides a nice jumping on point for new and returning readers. The entire creative team seems to gel well and is providing readers with a series that is worthy of their attention and their cash.

Now, if there’s a disappointment in this issue it’s the lack of Daniel Leister’s artwork. I think Anthony Spay did a good job, and it’s similar to Leister’s style in some ways, but at the end of the day it’s not Leister. I don’t know why Leister was unable to do this issue because I know he does the art chores on the last issue of the series.

If you're a nay-sayer about company crossovers, I don't blame you. A lot of them are there just to get something out there and grab new readers from one company to another. I won't say Fusion isn't one of those miniseries, but it’s a fun read if you're fan of either one of these companies. I think you get the chance to see a great 'what if' story with a pretty impressive creative team. I think one of the best things about this issue is the price point - $2.99. Really. In the current price increases in comics, you can get this 22-page story for $2.99 and see a lot of great characters. Well worth it.

Fusion is one of those miniseries that makes me glad I read comic books, and reminds me that you shouldn’t take reading comic books too seriously. Have fun and enjoy what you’re reading. While I enjoy a good read through of Watchmen from time to time, I’d rather have fun with books like this.

I want to say I enjoy everything about this issue. I really want to, but I don’t. I can appreciate and respect the craft of it all. It’s well done. The writing is done well. The art is really good. I can’t take anything away from that. This is a well put together book, but it’s just not something I can read month in and month out. There is an audience for this series and I have a feeling that this creative team will make that audience happy every month. I’m just not part of that group.

I’m happy to see “Battle for the Cowl” end because I want to get on with this new status quo. I didn’t care for the road it took for us to get here, but I understood it needed to happen. I liked some parts, and didn’t like others. I hope what comes next is worth this event.

"Grass Kings" is a great series that could easily be a television series. The characters are well defined and have the depth that readers can attach themselves to almost immediately. Kindt and Jenkins should be very proud of this series, and readers who aren't reading this " they should.

I could probably read only one Marvel series and have it be Invincible Iron Man. The writing is great. The art is superb. I’m looking forward to a long, adventurous run on this series from Fraction, Larroca, D’Armata, and Caramagna. I hope Marvel lets them.

This is a good first issue that doesn't pander to fans of both Vampirella and KISS but gives them good character interaction and development.

Predator as a franchise has a solid history at Dark Horse. I like that we’re getting new stories about this species as well as their Alien counterparts. I think if Dark Horse can continue to have talent work on these titles go for broke with every issue, we’re going to be seeing these titles for a very long time. The fans will come – new and old.

This is the last issue of X-Men: Legacy before this year’s big X-Men crossover, Second Coming, takes over the book for three months. For the previous eight issues and an annual Rogue has been the central character of the title. Whether or not she will remain so after the event remains to be seen, but this issue allows writer Mike Carey to cover a wide range of threads concerning the character. If the book is revamped… again, at least we got to see Rogue really take charge as the guidance counselor to the students, as well as have some long-needed conversations with two potential love interests, Gambit and Magneto.

The art in this book by Giancarlo Caracuzzo, Paul Mounts, and Bill Tortolini is something to behold! I first saw Caracuzzo’s art in the pages of Last Resort, another Palmiotti and Gray penned book from IDW Publishing and I just wanted to see more of his work. It’s hard to say that I like one book over the other, but I think Random Acts is such a great overall piece. Mounts’s colors really are muddied and provide so a dark mood and then you turn the page and there’s a lot of bold and striking colors that provide such a punch to the pencils and inks. Much like Last Resort, Random Acts makes me want to see more from this artistic team for sure!

I have some concerns for this series as a fan of Tim Wayne mainly because of the inner monologue that Tim has with himself in this issue. That’s suppose to happen because you can see what’s happening to Tim, so I’m definitely interested to see what happens next. I think Yost has done a good job with getting his point across as to what will be happening with Tim as this series progresses. Plus, the last page of this issue does raise the stakes even higher, so I’ll be back for more.

Overall this issue is an entertaining book and helps keep this series in the top half of my pile of comics to read every month.

In the end, "Revival" is a series that needs to be on your list of books you're reading. Strong characters. Intriguing storytelling. Great art. Really? What more do you want?

"Roche Limit" #1 is a strong first issue from Moreci, Malhotra, Boyd, and Ferrier and is another great new series launching at Image Comics.

There really is not much to complain about this first issue. There are some questions that are brought up while reading, but thats the success of this issue bringing up those questions and making the reader want to come back to find out more.

The art in this issue by Marcus To, Saleem Crawford, Beth Sotelo, and Josh Reed is so good! Every issue has pages I wish I could own because they’re so gorgeous to look at. I think the world that these amazing artists have created really is extremely vibrant and exciting.

Soulfire continues to be an enjoyable series for me as a long time reader, but I’m curious what new readers are thinking if they have recently jump on board with this latest volume. There has been a previous volume of this series, as well as three miniseries. All of that seems to beginning to fall together with this current volume, but I wonder how easy it is to understand for new readers. I hope that this issue’s re-introduction of a certain character will cause new readers to want to check out those previous series because it’s caused me to want to go back and re-read them again.

This issue a nice wrap-up issue for the current creative team and pushes the story forward giving the new creative team some new scenery to work with while staying firmly in the Soul Crusher arc.

Overall this is a really good first issue to a new series. I think Star Wars fans will enjoy this issue and will get to see another side of the universe while keeping connected to what they’ve seen before in the movies, novels, and comics. I’m looking forward to seeing how this first arc plays out.

The events in this issue really are steering the Boys into a dark direction that will really change the series. The events with one of the Boys as standalone really shows you that things are going to be the same after that. I’ll be honest in saying I was at the point of dropping this series because I really didn’t feel like it was going to change very much. This issue has renewed my interest and I want to see what happens next. It’s been a while since I can say I’ve felt that way about the Boys.

The Last Resort has just one issue out and I’m ready for the movie. Put Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray on the script now and let’s get to casting. This is a fun and entertaining book for the adults out there that need more than the day-to-day spandex heroes. We love those comics, but we need something more and the Last Resort is just that.

Edmondson really provides strong characterization without really having to do a lot of narration or dialogue. I think that is true because of the amazing, and expressive art by Brett Weldele. Weldele, probably best known for his work on The Surrogates, really does a fabulous job with the art in this book. I’ve only seen his work The Surrogates, so I don’t have a lot of work to compare his progression as an artist, but I don’t think that’s necessary. This is a great looking book and I’m looking forward to seeing what Weldele will be doing as this series progresses.

The art in this issue provided by Vic Drujiniu is really good. Drujiniu does some really good page layouts and some of his panel structuring really packs a lot into a page. I feel the storytelling in the art is just as strong as the storytelling in the writing at times. Zenescope sometimes goes for more of the cheese cake factory, even in the more suspenseful stories and I feared there may be a lot of that going on in this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Drujiniu does get to have some fun with narrator’s wife, but that can be expected. Overall I’m really impressed with Drujiniu’s work and cannot wait to see how it progresses as this book moves forward.

Over the years this series has had its highs and lows, and I feel we're at one of those climbs up to something big and as much as I'd like to walk away and wait for the hardcover collected edition, issues like this remind me that there's always something brewing in Kirkman's head and you never know when it will come spilling out onto the page.

To put it all in perspective, this is a true Civil War tie-in because of the interaction between the Thunderbolts and Iron Man. The Thunderbolts are going to be key players during and after the Civil War miniseries is published and its going to be very interesting how this B-List series with its C-List characters manage to play in an A-List storyline. Marvel isn’t leaving anyone behind with Civil War, and its nice to see the Thunderbolts playing a key role in things for a change.

Thunderbolts is probably not the series I want it to be, but that's neither here nor there. What is important is that Ellis and Deodato, Jr. have been given a very dark and dynamic group of characters that require a certain level of skill to make readers attach themselves to and I think they're moving in the right direction. I'm on board for the next issue and you should be, too.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with this issue on a structural level. I think it’s written well enough and the art is really nice to look at, but for me it doesn’t really serve any real purpose other than pushing Tempest from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’ with some forced storytelling and heavy handed foreshadowing. I don’t really need to know all of that going in to Blackest Night, and I feel as if this series may be in need of a sales bump and so it became a Blackest Night prelude. Again, I’ll say that there’s nothing wrong with the writing and the art, it just wasn’t a necessary story.

Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem #1 is a fitting end to this series. I hate seeing titles end only to be relaunched months later, but I think Bendis has said all he can say with this series. I’m curious to see what’s to come once Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man is launched. I’m looking forward to it.

The Unknown is a 4-issue miniseries which I think is good for this story and for readers. I think starting things out with a confine story and doing it in a manageable set of issues helps everyone out because it won’t be a long drawn out story. Things are set up in this issue and we have three more issues to get this case solved. From the looks of things, Catherine already has a lot figured out and that kind of pacing is going to help readers get into this story and hang on for the remaining issues. I’m on board with the hopes we’ll see more in the future.

Unthinkable #1 is a strong first issue. The writing is good. The art is good. The story is put together well. There’s very little I could say I didn’t like about this book other than having to wait for the next issue and see what happens next.

Usagi Yojimbo has everything I enjoy in a comic book. There’s strong storytelling. The characters are interesting. The art is good. For a first issue for this reader, I cannot find any fault in this book, and I think I’ve found a new series to add to my pull list.

Abnett and Lanning continue to make these characters matter to readers. You want to know what’s going to happen to them from issue to issue. While there is obviously a lot of action and those ‘blockbuster movie’ scenes in War of Kings, Abnett and Lanning are putting in some really good character moments that really push the story forward. War of Kings continues to be one of my favorite storylines at Marvel and I am very excited to see what the next issue brings and what happens after it’s all over.

"Wayward" #1 is a really strong first issue that is really for anyone looking for an exciting new series to jump in on at the ground floor. As stated before, Rori is a very relatable lead character that any reader can connect to and when her world gets a little nuts, readers are ready to jump into the fray with her. The art is amazing throughout the issue and sets a nice tone for the story being told.

“War of the Witchblades” is an epic tale that has been building in the pages of Witchblade for a while and it has begun to spill out for readers to take in. I am really excited to see how this story arc ends and what the status quo will be once the smoke settles.

Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder #1 is a really good comic book. I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense that Mignola is telling and I can't wait to read more of this in the coming months.

New readers should be able to pick up this issue of "X" and have little to no difficulty jumping in to this series. There's a good amount of story and backstory from Swierczynski throughout the issue thanks to his use of Leigh that touches on the basics that a new reader may need. Swierczynski, Nguyen, and Madsen deserve a nice pat on the back for a creepy, new reader-friendly, issue that should be given a chance by any comic fan.

The story itself is okay. The art in this issue really saves this issue from being so-so.

I think this series so far has done an amazing amount of work to erase the stigma that the name Youngblood had developed in the 90s. Casey and Donavan are making these characters interesting and worth reading on a regular basis. I know people may not want to take a chance on this series, but I think there's some worth here if you're willing to be open and look for it.

This series continues to be a good, solid read every issue. If you have not been reading it, you can still jump on from the beginning. There is an overall story that's building since issue one, and it is helping establish what this Youngblood world is all about. Casey and Donovan are making this Youngblood fan happy and I'm sure I'm not the only one.