CrazyforRAMU's Profile

I'm not sure why the critics seem so put off by this title. Is it wordy? Sure. But what's being said is usually pretty poignant, and when it's not, it's fairly breezy dialogue that doesn't feel forced. This arc is a near-classic sort of Captain America story. Nazis are bad; progress is good. I don't see the big misstep that I hear about in the reviews. One of the best aspects about the Captain Ame rica character that is ever-present in this first arc is his indomitable will. His persistent and unwavering defiance of strongmen. His frank inability to stand by and let hatred go unanswered. It's Cap at his best. This is a trade I would hand to someone who doesn't get Captain America, because I don't think you can read it and come away still misunderstanding who this character is. I have nothing but praise for it.more

The action-oriented side of this resolution is thoroughly satisfying. The art is great, the stage direction is inspired, and the restrained dialogue remains choice. There are a few nice hints dropped about future developments. The thematic undercurrent about warriors and soldiers is still there--though I think making it a little less subtextual could actually have made the story even stronger.
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A twist too many imo, crossing the line from "oh!" to "oh brother." There's a certain vibe in this series that didn't do it for me-it seemed like Ewing wanted this to be Emma Peel's adventures rather than Janet Van Dyne's.

This finale is remarkably complicated and busy, yet it never gets bogged down or confusing. The deceptively simple art helps clarify both the ongoing narrative and its impact on the characters.

What an impact this had! Dramatic introductions and reconciliations abound. After being a little disappointed with Hank's prominence in the previous issue, I was much happier with the Jan/Hank b alance in this one. And a small but significant role for Nadia was much appreciated.

This also sets up a promising second-string Avengers squad. I just wish I had confidence that a good writer was ever going to pick them up and run with them.
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It feels like someone finally, FINALLY sat down at the "Fall of X" organ and decided to use both keyboards and pull out ALL the stops.

The result is dense. Slow. Nigh-overwhelming, and it requires both a lot of exposition and a lot of continuity homework.

But I think I kinda love the results. It helps that all of the art is good, and some of it is spectacular.

This is a charming and surprisingly dense adventure. The art is consistently terrific, and the new characters enrich Bailey's cast as well as the wider Marvel universe. If you're looking for mature depth, Bailey's continued struggles with poverty are plenty to chew on. As usual, the B strip lags a little bit behind, saddled with a simplistic premise and stiff art. It still gives Bailey another cha nce to turn on the charm, though.
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The art is consistently incredible, and I found this issue's script to be the smoothest and most compelling yet. The pace remains slow, though. And I'm not a fan of over-the-top gore. This issue's examples are plot-driven and exquisitely drawn, and I wouldn't call them gratuitous, but still, yick.

While the art is still in full-blast tour de force mode, the script left me feeling whelmed at best. I think the creators were doing their level best to make a rather routine resolution feel intense and sinister, and I think the artist was a lot more successful than the writer. Which is not to say the script & plot are in any way bad; they're just a lot less compelling without the sense of mystery that enhanced the previous issues.
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Three of the four strips in this anthology chug along, hoping that excessive sentiment can overcome a lack of plot development. And then there's the Deathlok strip, which is almost overpowering in its inventiveness, its heart, and its call for a sequel.

I respond poorly to gorn. The one silver lining for me is that the authors portray Sabretooth as being nearly as stupid as he is brutal.

Miguel's role here is expository, passive, and pretty small. Smaller still is the gratuitous cameo by the hopelessly dated Specialist. But the good news is, the new Man-Thing emerges as a fairly engaging character. His motivations offer a nice fusion of retro cyberpunk nonsense and modern techno-phobia. Put it together with some decent, clear art, and you have an eminently passable comic.

If anybody can weave a tangled-up meta-story about storytelling and deliver results that are clear, compelling, and free of pretension, it's Al Ewing. This is a clever, subtle, audacious script, and it's a triumph.

It's enhanced further by art that is terrific on its own and also perfectly-suited to the story being told. The artist works wonders, and the colorist makes a significant con tribution, helping keep the complex scene structure straight.

I shy away from a perfect rating only because this is an incomplete story, and I can't be certain about its overall quality until I've finished it. But this start has raised my expectations to the rafters.
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This is a wild, cosmic, philosophical journey, with a nice high-powered mutant fight along the way. The art is powerful and clear, the pace is great (considering how many ideas are flying around), and Storm's characterization is wonderful.

The one caveat I would offer is that this cries out for annotations. The continuity nods come hot and heavy, and if you haven't read through the auth or's whole oeuvre, there are about a dozen points where a mysterious reference could throw you right out of the story.
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This is impressive and engrossing storytelling. The art is polished and dramatic, and it does a terrific job of setting a grand, cinematic stage. The script is nicely suited to that same tone. The dialogue is restrained, and the creators trust the reader to unpack the full implications of brief words and subtle movements.

Admittedly, there's not a lot of plot development yet, but this i ssue does a hell of a lot of world-building. It sets up key characters in intriguing ways. While a few of the questions it raises are frustrating, most are fascinating.
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Robert Forson's story does a terrific job of providing the sense of narrative closure that I missed in the previous issue. The art is beautiful, and the script is talented. In terms of the big picture, though, things remain very inscrutable and mysterious.

This is not a serious book. You could even say it is a silly book.

But that certainly does not mean that it's a bad book.

The humor is the driving force. Together with sharp dialogue and polished art, it makes it fun to accept the silliest of plot developments. Spidey and Ock have amazing chemistry, and they do get a few spots of deeper characterization that lend weight to th e story.
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It still looks gorgeous (though the fight scenes could be a little clearer). And the script retains its wicked skill for closing scenes with snappy lines. Those scenes do tend to stretch on, though, and it feels like overall progress is slow.

This points the long saga of Evil Beast toward a climax. It's still gorgeously drawn. But it's off to a slow start, the dialogue is unexceptional, and Sage's case for her chosen strategy isn't that compelling--even with a huge share of the dialogue devoted to discussing it.

The only problem with this is that it's being published about 30 years late. But…that's a pretty big problem.