Ryoga Kazehino Comic Reviews

Despite being an ASM comic and part of the Venom Inc. crossover, Spider-Man continues to play sidekick to Venom and Anti-Venom rather than an actual team-up. While the issue tries to illustrate there's a lot happening, in reality, there is very little progress in the narrative. Still, Venom Inc. has four parts left, and hopefully, part 3, which will appear in Venom #159, will bring in much-needed action.

This short starter to Threat Level Red gives us a brief, sidesplitting story between Spider-Man and Zodiac, before introducing us to the real plot. The coming of Red Goblin is something to wait for the next issue over. As this is Dan Slott's final run on Spider-Man before leaving the character for good, here is hoping he brings in the spark that makes his other famous works like the Superior Spider-Man into Threat Level Red and makes it one of the most memorable Spider-Man stories of all time.

I'm seriously hoping that this is the last time we see a filler issue like this and the next one is where the story really goes forward. Superior Spider-Man was one of (if not THE) best stories Slott has ever written, and I am expecting that same level of writing with Threat Level Red. So far, nothing of that caliber is being presented, and given how Slott handles his stories the past few arcs, I get the feeling it may stay that way for quite a while longer.

This issue is pretty much the same as the first two, but at least it's slightly better, with the inclusion of Anti-Venom, and a possible longer mini-arc with the Goblin King. The reunion of Peter and MJ may bring its fans excitement, especially those who enjoyed Slott's other series 'Renew Your Vows'. Crossing fingers that by next issue, we get to see the Red Goblin for the first time.

Gears have gone up the notch in this arc of Spider-Man and it is starting to get good. Slott's teasing of Red Goblin is over and what Norman discovers would be a turning point for Peter Parker. We can expect a major change in the Spider-Man lore once this is over " thus the fitting title "Go Down Swinging".

While Threat Level Red may turn out a disappointment for Slott, he pretty much redeemed himself with Go Down Swinging. Red Goblin is quite the menacing figure as he is portrayed to be in the first few panels, but Peter is ready to fight him head-on despite the disadvantage. If Slott can keep this level of hype consistently in the next 2 issues, his final run as head writer on Spider-Man can go with a bang, literally.

Reading ASM #799 is like watching a WWE House Show where the star wrestler beats a jobber to make him look good before a Pay-Per-View event. This is 2018 and such a dynamic just isn't good anymore. My confidence of #800 has reached a new low and Dan Slott and his team would have to pull a successful Hail Mary to make the end of this arc worth that historical number.

For Dan Slotts final Spider-Man story, if youre willing to set aside its flaws, then this will be quite a fine ride to get in.

All-in-all, Venom Inc. is off to a good start. Peter and Eddie are once again back in the mix, along with several characters old and new coming from Venom line to form what may be an interesting story arc. With part 2 being just around the corner, you don't have to wait too long to see what happens next.

For a 6-part series that spans multiple books, I find Venom Inc. a disappointment, compared to other works writers Slott and Costa made. And for its title (and especially in this final part), it's Flash who is the real protagonist in this series and not Eddie. The series's only achievement is the changes to the characters and how they move forward in future stories. The series is worth looking at a glance, but not enough to dig deep.

This issue is barely even readable, let alone entertaining and worth your wallet.

This crossover is off to a very good start on the eventual showdown between Superman and He-Man, thanks to the team behind it for taking us into the beginning of a crazy and exciting ride. Its a wonderful continuation of the He-Man/Thundercats crossover, and the Injustice games. Even if you never heard of these two brands, you can easily jump right in and still be blown away.

The Book of Silent Sky incorporates many elements of the Samurai fiction genre, among others from East Asian fiction and beyondperhaps a bit too much. With lots of long and weak dialogues and very stiff visuals, the comic itself is very hard to read unless you have the patience of Buddha himself to go through the whole thing in one sitting. This comic would be far better if it does a lot less.