Tajaye Williams Comic Reviews

Yep, things are definitely looking up for our favorite webcrawler which makes the impending battle from a returning iconic rogue a tough pill to swallow. I don't think this really needs saying (because it's almost rhetorical at this point) but I love the direction Dan Slott chooses to go in with every new story line. All his ideas are just out there (I imagine this causes a lot of grief during story pitches) but every harebrained idea serves as a purpose in helping building Peter's identity as a late 20's/early 30-year old man. He really makes it feel as if the character is growing with his readers instead of remaining stagnant which I can appreciate. This has been an incredible week not only for comics, but for the debut of Marvel's All New, All Different line as well. If you can appreciate a more grown up Spider-Man book than you're used to, then ASM #1 is for you.

So far this title is shaping up to be a great "buddy cop" book as the dialogue between Peter and Hobie throughout the issue easily stands out. Hobie even plays the straight man to Peter's smart-alec leader, making it difficult not to hear Riggs & Murtaugh bantering back and forth. Slott even incorporates some of Spidey's history here as ties to his "Ends of the Earth" arc and "The Gauntlet" run from the late 2000s show up here. No matter how big Pete get's, the pure hearted sense of morality stays the same.

While it's not a surprise that a mini series doesn't take time to flesh out its cast of B characters, it's hard to see Elektra taking up Daredevil's mantle and not want some kind of an explanation. Parker's motivations begin to show here in this issue as he has to decide on who's more important in future issues; The civilians of the Blue or the family he left behind in the Iron? Much like the original premise, a alternate Civil War arc looks great on paper. He's hoping future issues expands more out of the Stark/Rogers/Parker POVthan this one does.

Per usual, penciler Leinil Francis Yu manages to capture the mood nicely, with his gritty line work. If it's one thing I appreciate about this book is its unpredictability and the fact that it keeps me on my toes. This book teeter's on the fine line of absurdity, yet somehow it's the same absurdity that's kept me engaged and invested so far and will sure to keep me checking back in next month.

The double plot twist in issue four where a character seemingly returns from the dead evil, only for said character to actually be an advanced alien race in disguise, not only aggravated me to no end but also made it easy to predict where the narrative is going in the concluding issue. As the conflict wraps up, everyone seems to be setting their sights towards a common enemy, and time will tell if this series will be able to come back and stick the landing or land flat on its face.

Writer Charles Soule's disinterest continues to become more and more apparent in each passing issue, as he continues to fail expanding on crucial plot points " plot points such as why the Skrulls are instigating the war in the first place; how Hawkeye/Venom, Wolverine/Hulk became fused together; how two major characters died in an explosion, yet everyone else seemed to escape just fine. They all seem to be ignored here. Something tells me if the series expanded out to about 8 or 9 issues we would've had a lot more attention to detail, but alas that isn't the case. Issue #5 feels like Soule taking the metophorical dog behind the shed to put him down. Wish it wasn't so, but it's true.

Mikel Janin quality art has become a fixture here. He consistently does a good job and his splash pages can rival some of the best. It will be interesting to see how this book progresses with the title character heading home to tie up loose ends (Read: for the second volume of Batman Eternal) but whatever happens this team should most feel proud of the creative headway they made so far in the Dick Grayson mythology.

No matter what costume he dons, Dick Grayson remains an effortlessly investing character in the hands of this creative team. A reunion a yearin the making is given a real and satisfying weight, and propels the series into new and exciting territory.

This title does a tremendous job reminding a long time Dick Grayson fan such as myself why you became a fan of the character in the first place. The latest chapter in Dick Grayson's life might be his biggest challenge since donning the cowl for Batman. Let's just hope he's ready.

Dale Eaglesham only heightens this with his detailed pencils moving from bloated superhero action to intimate personal drama with ease. The issue does suffer a bit in terms of pacing, but when it comes to nailing the fun, dysfunctional family dynamic look no further.

The lines and shading take me back to a more classic DC Universe and the faces here are as expressive as ever especially on the books final pages. Every character has their own unique style and personality and Derenick captures their individuality perfectly. No, this isn't the perfect first arc, but I have no doubts that Gail Simone is slowly but surely laying the groundwork down for another legendary run by comic fans most beloved group of antihero misfits. This is slowly ramping up to be one of DC's premiere books and is definitely worth the asking price.

Dale Eaglesham, Tom Derenick, and Jason Wright do a fantastic job on the art here in this issue. Their panels manage to convey the different emotions among the Six as the issue went on which was in my opinion a vital element to the overall narrative. Shout out to Gail Simone for giving this version of Catman a bit development as we learns that he yearns for a deeper bond with his teammates the same way other superteams seem to gel together. There's a storm coming on the horizon, one that is going to take a joint effort from the entire team to hold back. So as we see Catman here attempting to perform various team building exercises while Digby waits at Black Alice's bedside, maybe turn this ragtag team of anti-heroes into something more is the right idea.