CrazyforRAMU's Profile

After launching an epic climax with an epically oversized issue, the creators outdo themselves by sticking the landing in a standard-sized issue. The script gives us an intense dose of Miles's thought process without losing sight of the larger battle. It keeps Raneem from going wholly one-dimensional. It even delivers a beautiful "happily ever after" epilogue.

On the art front, I finall y discovered what I expect Federico Vicentini and his fans already know: The artist's first, best destiny is illustrating intense, one-on-one, blow-by-blow fights. The visuals take the Miles/Raneem fight beyond powerful and satisfying and into all-time great territory.

I'll hold myself to one nitpick: The Garth Ennis "homage" that takes over Miles's inner monologue for a couple of pages is the script's low point.

And hey, why not balance it with a kudo? Skipping over what Miles did between winning his fight and rejoining his friends is a flawless example of good conservation of detail. He shut down Rabble's tech, called Misty Knight, found his mask, got patched up by an EMT--exactly HOW he did these things doesn't matter, and showing them would just spoil the pace.
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It's hilarious, it's unique, and it's a little too much of a good thing. I think this would have been just as good, and maybe better, if it were handled as a (large) part of a regular issue, contrasted with "real world" scenes (DEFINITELY with an art shift to distinguish the two).

All of the social commentary and humor is good, but the individual barbs lose their sharpness when they're lashed together in such a big bundle. The real-world break to explicitly state the point of the satire is perhaps necessary, but it's as subtle as a gunpoint mugging.

The art? 10/10. Not innately GOOD, but ideally suited to the tone of the exercise. I would love to read the directions to the artist. "Greg, we're turning Thor into a crappy over-commercialized corporate shill, and you're the first artist we thought of." "Greg, can the female characters look MORE identical?" "Greg, can the Enchantress do something subtly pornographic for no good reason?"
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This issue takes the series to the very edge of greatness, mainly thanks to exquisite structure and pacing. The dialogue is uniformly solid, with a few particularly great lines, and the Stark Family Drama provides some deep character work.

On the visual front, none of the art is less than good. Many panels are great. But Mr. Acuña struggles, as ever, when the script splits off from his visuals and leaves them to tell their own story.
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What would make this series' "one issue + one reprint = giant-size, pay us more please" format tolerable? Well, maybe if the one issue was, effectively, Incredible Hulk #11.5. And if IH #11.5 happened to be the best issue of the series since January… Yeah, that'd do the trick.

Superb art makes full use of a higher-than-normal share of double-page spreads. The prose component is no slouc h, either, introducing a brand-new monster villain with admirable efficiency.

Even the reprint is a damn good read.
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Although plot development remains terribly slow, character work makes up for it here. Ultimate Killmonger is fascinating, and the dialogue is full of sharp repartee. The visuals still look great. The Big Mystery™ that dominates the long-term plot is a little too frustrating, though.

Like a good action movie, this story takes a simplistic plot and origamis it into something more tense and surprising. Also like a good action movie, it features stylish visuals that increase excitement without compromising clarity. And finally, like a good action movie, neither the plot developments nor the characterizations really hold up to scrutiny.

This is a successful attempt to c reate entertaining content. I don't think it's art or literature, but it is entertaining.

More writers need to learn that a mediocre Last Page Villain Reveal™ lives and dies almost entirely on whether or not the individual reader knows and likes the LPV.
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The cast evolves (pun sort of not intended?), the world expands, and it's all tied to a brisk, engaging story. The art is nice and polished, the dialogue is smooth, and the jokes are the right sort of awful. The plot develops through the characters making rational choices, which is a structure I always appreciate.

I don't think it's a great comic, but I think the only reason you could c all it less than good would be subjective distaste--which is valid.
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The first glimmerings of a plot start to develop. The pace remains very slow. We get a thorough look inside Parker Robbins' head, though, and that provides plenty of content. The script is fine (barring the pacing issue), but the art is questionable. It's sketchy and retro in a bad way.

The best thing about this is another remarkable artistic collaboration. This time around, all the artists seemed to have had a summit on layout style, which really brings a unified look to the whole issue.

The dialogue was never painful, the pace and structure were solid, and it was remarkably clear for a dimension-hopping story.

But this still winds up as an extremely charac terization-light series, and the decision to veer back toward Rise of the Powers at the end undercuts the whole plot a little.
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The spider-adventure du jour is decent, not spectacular. The "big picture" plot continues to advance through micro-scene breadcrumbs. Maybe I'm too old and jaded, but I found those crumbs to be far too informative. It's already too easy to identify the main antagonist, their connection to Miles Warren, their allies, and the general shape of their scheme.

At least the art remains impress ive. Although even there, some of the faces went past my personal limit on how much an artist should exaggerate.

Second thought: I'm DEFINITELY too old and jaded. I just reviewed how much continuity knowledge I'm bringing to the table. To a youngster who hasn't wasted so much time on Marvel lore, I'm sure this will be much more mysterious and thrilling.
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I gotta be honest: This one doesn't matter, and it knows it doesn't matter. The artist damn sure knows it doesn't matter.

It's a put-on superhero fight to stretch out Jess's cross-country trip a little, and it never aspires to anything higher. Jess's feelings are authentic and consistent with what's come before, but they don't evolve in any significant way.

I enjoyed #5 more , and it was certainly more visually polished. But I recognize that, taken together, they're just dragging Spider-Woman through a spiral of unproductive self-pity after the initial arc set up her challenging maternal situation.
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Frankly, I'm surprised that this series goes on for three more issues; it sure feels like it's already in a "you've been cancelled, wrap it up" sprint. This also feels like one issue shortened so that the creators can stuff a summary of another one inside.

"Rushed" is the adjective that comes to me, over and over. The script races, leaving some REALLY important questions (and some trivi al ones) unanswered. The art, too, feels like it's in a hurry; the finishes are sketchy and the blocking feels generic.

The "family" theme that seemed like a good idea in #5 gets strained to the breaking point, and I think the pace is also a factor with that. I think the plot is still fundamentally sound, but, yet again, it would benefit from a slower pace, making more space for Carol (IN HER OWN DAMN TITLE, grumble grumble).
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More pointless violence and tragedy, reported with all the insight and passion of a middle school history paper.

While the big-picture plot still holds my interest, and I like the relationship between Dr. Strange and the symbiote that the author was aiming for, the storytelling in this episode really disappointed me.

There's plenty of clumsy dialogue to go around, and the art is filled with regrettable faces and panels. Granted, it's very difficult to clearly convey the movements of a sentient cl oak, but if ANY comic needs that job done well, it's this one. I don't think the job is done well at all here.

Also, I truly loathe the MCU reference.
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The cover made me worry that this would be one of those "Sue used to be a spy, because that's cooler than what Sue is now" stories.

What it IS, is so much better. The creators translate the entire Fantastic Four into a new genre, and it happens to be one that I love. One that I'm so familiar with, I can pick a ton of nits. But they do their job so well that I'm not gonna.

I w ill say that the translation takes so much creative effort that there's not a lot left over for the "real world" framing story that makes it all happen--that part is pretty unoriginal. But it is logical, and it provides a perfect excuse for this fantastic flight of fancy.

Plus, it's another Alicia PoV issue, and I've loved every one of those in this volume. Her viewpoint even helps anchor the "surprise" ending with a burst of heavy emotion.
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The art shift is well-suited to this more action-oriented real-world story. But the pace is slower than your average wham-bam rescue mission. This is not a bad thing at all, because what's slowing it down is an exquisite fusion between the fighty action and what Magneto is thinking about it. His voice is distinctive, insightful, and dramatic all the way through, and this last chapter means just as much to his rebirth as those that came before.
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The Web-Weaver strip was a little rushed in terms of actual superheroics, but its main mission--establishing that Peter Parker is Cooper's oblivious roommate--was heartwarming and well-executed.

I'm very much in love with Star-Spider's debut strip. The future slang is corny, and the author needs to work on some of the names, but the world-building is fascinating, the character shows pro mise, and the art is insanely gorgeous.
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The biggest draw here remains playing continuity bingo with the author. I caught all the references (except maybe the nod to Sunfire), so that's fun. The art isn't super-memorable, but it's always clear and polished.

What nudged this up into good comics territory for me was the characterization focus on Earth X Logan. He goes through some genuine growth and change, and that's the "somet hing extra" I'm always looking for in a plot-heavy story.
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This seems kind of inevitable, given the way the author has set up this volume. Here is where he falls entirely in love with his latest creation, using the Hulk as a mere audience surrogate to explore his monster du jour.

Perhaps some previous issues could be filed in the same drawer. But this one, with its "acquired taste" art, seems particularly disappointing.

The good news is, this arc ends with an interesting twist and a promise of a more character-driven story to come.
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I disagree heavily with the idea that this issue was filled with filler. You need some sort of character or else the action has no impact.