Pantheon36's Profile

I came to this book based on the strength of Elena Casagrande's art and I'm glad I did. This issue clearly takes stylistic inspiration from the movie, but it's not a rehash. If this series fulfills the promise of this first issue it should be something special. This is one of the strongest first issues I've read in a while. Hill and Casagrande use the movies as a tonal springboard and as a means of subverting expectations, while also building on the flawed character Balde has always been in the comics. The art is innovative and propulsive. The story is tight and surprising. Great comics come when the story/art whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That's the case here. Here's hoping after 25 years they've found a way to realize Blade's movie potential on the page.

Story elements built up over the previous issues are really starting to come to fruition here. Coates has done a very efficient job using elements from established Black Panther history to make real a fictional land, and to make the politics of that land emotionally weighty. Very satisfying issue.

I continue to be impressed by Walker's work on this title. I tend to lose patience with series that take many issues to build the team. But here, like the road trip Hawkeye & co. are on, the reward is the journey not the arriving. This issue relies on a previously unknown narrator to move the story forward yet still advances the characterization of our heroes. Walta brings some of the same energy he added to his run on The Vision to this issue. Very atmospheric, exploiting the creepy undercurrent that runs just below the surface of normal American life. The twist is a little familiar for veteran comic book readers, but it's done so well here, it can be forgiven.

This arc continues to deftly weave the past and present storylines together in a way that makes both more enriching. It also does some quite important work with WW's rogues gallery. This issue in particular deepens, humanizes, and simultaneously makes more menacing both Cale, and a newly reintroduced Circe. Really strong stuff.

I'm really enjoying how so many elements of this series (and Sword before it) is coming together. The broad and unpredictable potential of what's possible in the Mars-Arrako saga has been why this has been to me the most interesting of the current x-books. These recent issues are really paying off that potential well. They have also been a great showcase all the things that make Storm such a cool character.

Start to finish, the script and art maximize every opportunity to deliver action-packed fun.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man 8 is a fantastic study in comic book pacing. Catching a breather after the Carnage crossover, the story takes some time to reconnect with the Miles Morales part of the title. The slow build up of a slice of our hero's personal life and introduction of the next threat explodes with a fantastic two-page spread that models how to do two-page spreads right. It kicks off a swirling set of pages that brings everything to a breathless conclusion. Really excellent comics!

This one was a really pleasant surprise. Not a rehash, or reboot, Coates and Narcisse deftly synthesize much of BP's established continuity, while adding new points that only enhance that mythos. The choice of narrator is really what makes this issue a story with heart rather than an exposition dump. What's more I'm waiting excitedly to see what happens next.

This continues to be a really solid series. It continues to weave together the Lee/Kirby, McGregor, Priest, Hudlin, and Coates contributions to the Black Panther mythos in really satisfying way.

This is a surprisingly strong issue. Three short stories that both movie the larger Valiant universe story forward and are each really satisfying (and pretty creepy) tales. Vertigo-esque is probably overused qualifier in horror comics reviews, but those are the vibes I got from this one. The art in each is well fitted to the story. Overall, it is among the best of what Alien Books has offered so far in it's Valiant publications. I wasn't sure about what would come of this book, but it was really good. Very pleasantly surprised.

I'm really enjoying the broken man saga. It's still what we come to expect from Astro City, but feels very different from previous stories in AC and other Kurt Busiek work the years. Here's hoping when all is said and done it achieves its potential.

I liked the first issue, but Gay and Martinez have really improved with this issue in both pacing and dramatic clarity. As a companion the main Black Panther series, this book provides backstory that, while not essential, provides a lot of depth and texture. But independently of that book, WoW succeeds as a tale of foot soldiers experiencing some of the more dramatic events in Marvel crossovers over the last few years, giving more weight and meaning to those as well. It will be interesting to see going forward how well Gay is able to make sure this story has enough impact as the plot gets closer to the current events of the main PB book. Ultimately, this is strong work that puts flesh on the characters of Ayo and Aneka. In so doing it providing a convincing argument that the Midnight Angels deserve more of the spotlight.