Gary Murphy Comic Reviews

There are some issues stemming from the comics origin as a tie-in to Secret Wars. The origin of many of these characters remains unclear and their home-worlds are equally dubious. One is never quite sure whether these are meant to be continuations of the existing versions of these characters or wholly new incarnations native to Arcadia. Regardless, A-Force is well-worth your time and should prove to be one of the more interesting ongoing coming out of Secret Wars.

Did I enjoy reading it? Yes, but thats because I am a fan of Doctor Who and in particular, a fan of Capaldis Doctor. It has a standard plot, albeit with some rather excellent characterisation, combined with art that is not up to scratch make this first issue of Titans Doctor Who: The Tweflth Doctor a pass for the majority of the comic going public. Fans of the Doctor might want to pick this up, but based on this first issue, they may want to wait for the trade. Much like other licenced comic properties, the series struggles to justify its existence.

For those of you who want an intellectual comic which isnt afraid to kick you in the guts and ask you tough questions, then Fight Club 2 if most certainly for you. Fans of the book and movies will enjoy it as will fans of Chuck Palanuik overall. For those of you who want a sneak peek before the book is released on May 27th, you can pick of the prequel issue which was released to celebrate Free Comic Book Day, but unlike some FBCD issues you wont need it in order to get the full story.

Regardless, I'm enjoying Fight Club 2 and seeing Palahniuk's unique sensibilities brought to life in the comic medium is something that I never thought I would experience. This is no pretender to the throne, this is Fight Club. Welcome back.

The latest issue of Fight Club 2 has moments of brilliance, but they are few and far between. Scenes such as Sebastian scolding his son for reading a bible hint at the fear of organised religion that the Space Monkeys have left him with but they dont make up for a sloppy and boring issue. As a fan of the author and someone who has been pretty positive towards the first two issues, it is bitterly disappoint and one would hope that it is not reflective of what is to come. I may very well have different views on this issue once the entire series has been released and the Chekov guns are more readily identifiable. Fight Club 2 might have worked better as a single graphic novel, but having chosen the serialised format it must be so judged and in that regard, it fails to live up to the standards we have come to expect from Mr. Palahniuk.

The first issue of Marvels Star Wars is a disappointment, but then again it was always going to be.In no way do I mean to suggest that Star Wars is a bad comic, but Marvels Star Wars has a heavy burden on its shoulders. It exists at the cost of 20 years of expanded universe material it badly needs to justify the raking of the old canon across the coals.

Darth Vader is leagues ahead of its parent series in both writing and art. It also doesnt fall into the same trap in that Vaders side of the story is one that is rarely explored in the original trilogy itself. While he has a clear character arc, the subtle nuances of how he goes from uncaring, imposing Dark Lord of Sith to a father trying to reach out to his son in the only way he knows how (the Dark Side)is one that has a wealth of story potential. Weve also, from what Ive read, never seen that eureka moment where Vader finally learns the truth; that Luke is his son. When your entire life for the last 19 years has been built on separating yourself from the Skywalker persona, how do you react to that? How do you react knowing that the one person you thought you could trust, your father, has been lying to you? Under the guidance of writer Kieron Gillan and artist Salvador Larroca we may just find out.

With an anthology-style approach to storytelling, Superman: American Alien is setting up 2016 to be a great year for comics and cements itself as one of the years standout offerings. Issue 3 offers us a fun tale of Clarks youth, leaving you nostalgic for your salad days, but it wont impact you as much as the previous issues. Its a necessary palate cleanser, but nothing more. Heres hoping that the rest of the series issues returns to the more introspective style worthy of the strong pedigree that has been established.

If you are fan of the Ultimate universe and you are following the current Secret Wars event then this is an issue which is worth picking up both as part of the underlying story and a series in and of itself. Those who are coming just for the Ultimate universe material will be confused and wont find much the latch onto. While there is much to like about the series, it is yet to be seen whether the death of the Ultimate universe is a price worth paying for what is to come.

For an arc that began with the High Evolutionary committing genocide against his creations in order to make space for a new species, the stakes dont really feel high.Uncanny Avengers is going to have to step up its game if it hopes to stand a chance.