Spencer Maxwell Comic Reviews

This issue is an intriguing chapter in the early career of a vigilante protecting his city and making a name for himself. Nothing really jumped out at me, but I am still compelled to read the next issue. Batman #25 combines twisted art and interesting interplay between the heroes of Gotham. Snyder and Capullo once again prove to be an amazing team.

This month's book only suffered from one minor discrepancy. A scene in the comic appears to be a hallucination, but is actually happening. A hospital room has a stage and lighting that appears out of nowhere with no transition or set up. It left me confused, and having to look back to see if I missed something.

Greg Capullo continues to aid Snyder in his nightmarish depiction of Gotham City. Showing Batman soaked in the shadows and contrasting that with the bloodthirsty activity of the citizens on the street presents a strong sense of madness. It's hard to know what to focus on the ground presenting his influence is all over. The expressions of those affected by the toxin are what standout most. Their grins are creepy, but their eyes are piercingly haunting.

Patrick Gleason's art is very emotive, which balances well between the fun expressiveness and somber shadows. His art is powerfulenough to convey the story in a evocativeway without any dialogue. Theaction set piecehassuch grand scale that every attack feels almost cataclysmic.

Dustin Nguyen does a good job on art. His future Batman is reminiscent of The Dark Knight Returns costume which is a great nod to what may be in store further on. I'm mixed on the new Robin costume, it looks appropriate for the character and while still keeping with the history of the costume. But, it is too high-tech to the point where it's a little silly. He uses a lot of shadows which keeps the tone dismal and creates a better sense of atmosphere. The action sequences are really strong and have a great sense of weight to them. Rather than do a splash page of a battle, he has most of the battle on small panels. It keeps it feeling confined and gives it a stronger sense of progression.Nguyen'sart does suffer greatly in terms of the background. Many panels have non-existent backgrounds, and it definitely feels like something is missing. More detail would've made the book more engaging.

The art is awkward at points with odd perspective which makes characters appear to be cardboard cutouts instead of fully developed people. The male characters have defined facial features while the female characters are smooth and flat. Rather than appearing feminine, it makes the art appear to beincomplete.

Sliney does accomplish giving a strong sense of fluidity to Spider-Man's movements. Generally action scenes in comics feel stiff, but you get a real sense of motion to the fights. It's clear that Sliney was brought on because he was able to portray the protagonist's gymnastic nature.

Jeff Lemire's Trillium is a fantastic story that I am eagerly anticipating the end of. It's not for everyone, but if you want to broaden your comic book tastes I would highly recommend it. It's tragic, solemn and artistically unique.

The series seems to be dragging on a little. The story could have been 4-6 issues, which would've made it short and sweet. Not much was done in this issue to advance the plot and the end is seemingly pointless. But I'm incredibly excited to see how it all comes together next month.

Swamp Thing 24 wont shock the reader as the cover implies. Its a rather decent chapter in a story arc that has great potential. For those who have been wanting to pick it up, now is a great jumping on point as the story quickly catches the reader up with little exposition bogging it down.

This issue drummed up my only real problem with Scott Snyder's run on the comic, which was his use of deus ex machina. A fantastic issue strays in quality at the end, but is definitely worth picking up.I would be remiss if I didn't mention this book contains a swamp thing T-Rex.

Bendis and Pichelli complement each other so well. This issue is a great jumping on point for new readers. You won't be confused if you don't follow the cosmic Marvel universe, but you will miss some small nuances. You also don't need to follow All New X-Men either to grasp what's happening. But I would recommend you do.

The team of Brain Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli never fails to impress. I'm not a huge fan of crossovers in comics as they just seem to be a method of getting people to read more comics. But the story is so fluid between the comics that it doesn't bother me. This could also be that I'm already reading both comics. If you are a fan of either creator or the X-Men or Guardians, I would definitely recommend picking this up.

There are some slight issues with the art. It feels rushed as it leaps from great to good. Characters aren't as defined as they in every panel on the page. The action is pretty awkward as the characters are positioned in ways that make the battle a little confusing.

Original Sin #1 doesn't offer much more than the cover presents. It features an obligatory brawl which distracts from the story rather than aids it. This can easily be skipped over if you know most of the characters involved. Aaron's understanding and brief representations of the characters along withDeodato's great art save the issue from being wasted time. The issue may not have a lot going for it, but it has so much potential. And that leaves me excited

This issue (like the first) can easily be skipped. Not too much happens in the story, and it can be easily summed up inthe following issue. Information that Marvel has released for the event covers most of what's happened in the story thus far. The story may not offer a lot, but it does seem like it's building to something better.The only saving grace of the comic is the phenomenal art. I did appreciatehow it wasn't a big name villain asone of the central antagonistsin an event comic. It's refreshing and it gives more credibility to the lesser-known rogues.

Original Sin #4 can easily be skipped. People will flock to it because the previous issue's cliffhanger. The sheer disappointment of it and the fact that it doesn't progress the miniseries makes it worth skipping. It's not bad, it's just pointless in a series that is short but has such a grand scale. The art definitely saves this book.

The only gripe I can muster is that the colorist switches for a few panels which makes one of the pages look awkward. The colors are sharper and the characters are less textured. It's very noticeable on the page, but a speck in the overall comic.

Daniel Sampere's art is serviceable. It's too light tonally, and overly smooth. His work is reminiscent of comics from the 90's. The biggest issue with his work are the action sequences, it seems as if panels are missing in between. Running from 25 feet away turns into a punch directlyafter. There's no flow as each motion jumps forcibly towards the next. It's hard to frame what's going on when there's no flow of motion.

Humberto Ramos is what saves this book from being a mess. His work is very suitable for a Spider-Man comic in it's bright and stylized visuals. The sense of exaggeration in the character's faces and their actions makes the book more fun and lighthearted. But he also presents the antagonist as foreboding through this long shadows and the regalityof his environment.

Olivier Coipel handles the art, and it is incredible. His dark detail gives the perfect tone to the situation, but it's not overly dark where it's not suitable for the title. The environment of the Inheritors is gothic and bleak which portrays them in a more sinister light than Slott is able to. He reworks different characters from different art styles and makes them fit in this interpretation. He also does a phenomenal job of recreating the world ofthe60's era cartoon, which is humorous and stunning. The introduction of the different styles of some characters can be a little jarring at first, but the reader will get quickly acclimatized.

Flash 23.1: Grodd is a great read for anyone who wants to learn more about one of The Flashs biggest rogues or how Central City copes with disastrous events. With solid dialogue and an especially strong inner monologue to keep the reader fascinated even if nothing really surprising or significant occurs. The artwork may not be up to par with Manapuls, but its not different enough to put off readers of The Flashs new 52 title. The issue should appeal to long time Gorilla Grodd fans or anybody who wants to become familiar with the foe.

We almost always get a sense of what's going on. The only problem with his art is the lightning coming off of the Flashes during their running or battles. It's a distraction that covers too much of the page. It's trying to give life to the panels, but it makes the action appear more disorienting.

This comic is reminiscent of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original creation. The art is cartoony and the dialogue is light and fun, making for a quick, enjoyable read. It also contains the classic techno-babble, which I do appreciate. It has an episodic feel like classic marvel tales making it possible to pick up the book at any issue, while still having a larger over-arching story. I'm disappointed to have Fraction leave, but I'm certain his next project will be worth a read, and I will definitely pick it up. Bagley's art on the comic remains stellar, in tone and quality. I hope he remains on it for the next writer.

Fantastic Four #13 is the weakest of the current run. The plot is messy and the dialogue isn't to the caliber it should be. The art is great but suffers from being inconsistent. I've had enough of the current pairing on the book, I look forward to the next team.

Fantastic Four #14 suffers from poor writing and poorer art. It does have a very strong element in its depictions of the villains. If Kesel wrote a miniseries about them I would definitely pick it up over this. If you're interested in reading about Marvel's first family you'd be better off waiting for the comic to be rebooted with the All New Marvel Now.

This is a very odd comic in starting off so awful to becoming suddenly so great. If the entirety of the issue was only like the second half, I would recommend it as highly as possible. Just because the first half was such a difficult read, I cannot propose this for anyone to purchase.