What I Read This Week - 20-02-09
February 20th 2009 07:34
Well, that's enough of me banging on about X-Men Forever. I'll try to keep that under wraps until it comes out in May. For now i'l restrict my self to comics that actually exist, and specifically the ones that came out yesterday.
G.I. JOE: ORIGINS #1
by Larry Hama and Tom Feister
This is the second title in the IDW G.I. Joe relaunch. Where Chuck Dixon's book focuses on the Joes already in action and investigating Cobra, this book supposedly shows the formation of the team. Except that Hawk's already there, and Stalker's already there, and Scarlett's already there, so it kind of feels like we've joined in the middle, and doesn't seem to different from the other book.
The story sees Duke and Scarlett sent on a secret mission into the Nevada Desert, while elsewhere some random millionaire is on a shooting spree. To be honest I didn't quite catch it all. The characters aren't introduced suffuciently, and I couldn't quite follow the action. It didn't help that the characters were often distractingly grotesque - if Tom Feister is the regular series artist I'll have a hard time enjoying this.
It's a shame really, because I was looking forward to this book the most. It's better than the Chuck Dixon one, but I feel like IDW has kind of sucked the fun out of Joe in going more plausibly military. I liked the gonzo mix of military action with crazy supervillain terrorists that the Marvel run had. I'm hoping things head a bit more in that direction soon, or I might not stick with it.
TRANSFORMERS: MAXIMUM DINOBOTS #3
by Simon Furman and Nick Roche
This starts well with a cool scene for Shockwave, and after that tumbles downhill with a massive fight scene between the Dinobots and whole load of Sunstreaker clones. The story is fine, but the art is muddled and obscured by the colouring. There's also the problem with how this ties into All Hail Megatron, but that's irrelevant. This is OK, but there are better Transformers comics out there.
UNCANNY X-MEN #506
by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson
The many interweaving subplots continue, with Emma having bad dreams, Angel and Beast still assembling their Fringe Science Team, refugees flooding into San Francisco to live with the X-Men, and Colossus infiltrating the Russian mafia. It's not quite as good as last issue, but with this much stuff going on X-fans are bound to find something to like. It's good to see Uncanny on the right track again.
X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #3
by Chris Yost, Dustin Weaver and Paco Diaz
The set-up for War of Kings rumbles along adequately, with Havok and his crew escaping and preparing for the 'final' confrontation with Vulcan. (That's the third one of those we've had so far?) Yost puts everything into place well enough, and manages to make even minor characters like Ch'od and Raza come alive. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it does the job. I just can't shake the feeling that it's going to be ultimately meaningless given that we know Vulcan is a major force in War of Kings. Unless he kills the Starjammers...
X-MEN: LEGACY #221
by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton
Thanks goodness for X-Men: Legacy. Mike Carey's been knocking it out of the park since #200, providing what is easily the best X-book on a consistent basis. This issue sees Professor X and Gambit looking for Rogue in the Australian Outback, only to find a series of holographic scenarios from the past trying to kill them and her. As always the references to the past are welcome (even if the costumes are way off for the Muir Island Saga) but they don't get in the way of enjoying the story. Good stuff.
YOUNG X-MEN #11
by Marc Guggenheim and Rafa Sandoval
Another forgettable issue of a series that's going to be cancelled with next issue - and there's an indication of how far the X-Men brand has fallen. There was a time when any old trash with an X on it was going to sell, but those days are gone. Anyway, there's a glimmer of interest here, with a dying Dust helping Donald Pierce to escape from the X-Men in exchange for him saving her life. And the ending would be a shock if I actually cared about Dust. But she basically has no personality, and is the epitome of the token muslim - I could literally tell you nothing else about her personality. I won't shed a tear to see this one go.
G.I. JOE: ORIGINS #1
by Larry Hama and Tom Feister
This is the second title in the IDW G.I. Joe relaunch. Where Chuck Dixon's book focuses on the Joes already in action and investigating Cobra, this book supposedly shows the formation of the team. Except that Hawk's already there, and Stalker's already there, and Scarlett's already there, so it kind of feels like we've joined in the middle, and doesn't seem to different from the other book.
The story sees Duke and Scarlett sent on a secret mission into the Nevada Desert, while elsewhere some random millionaire is on a shooting spree. To be honest I didn't quite catch it all. The characters aren't introduced suffuciently, and I couldn't quite follow the action. It didn't help that the characters were often distractingly grotesque - if Tom Feister is the regular series artist I'll have a hard time enjoying this.
It's a shame really, because I was looking forward to this book the most. It's better than the Chuck Dixon one, but I feel like IDW has kind of sucked the fun out of Joe in going more plausibly military. I liked the gonzo mix of military action with crazy supervillain terrorists that the Marvel run had. I'm hoping things head a bit more in that direction soon, or I might not stick with it.
TRANSFORMERS: MAXIMUM DINOBOTS #3
by Simon Furman and Nick Roche
This starts well with a cool scene for Shockwave, and after that tumbles downhill with a massive fight scene between the Dinobots and whole load of Sunstreaker clones. The story is fine, but the art is muddled and obscured by the colouring. There's also the problem with how this ties into All Hail Megatron, but that's irrelevant. This is OK, but there are better Transformers comics out there.
UNCANNY X-MEN #506
by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson
The many interweaving subplots continue, with Emma having bad dreams, Angel and Beast still assembling their Fringe Science Team, refugees flooding into San Francisco to live with the X-Men, and Colossus infiltrating the Russian mafia. It's not quite as good as last issue, but with this much stuff going on X-fans are bound to find something to like. It's good to see Uncanny on the right track again.
X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #3
by Chris Yost, Dustin Weaver and Paco Diaz
The set-up for War of Kings rumbles along adequately, with Havok and his crew escaping and preparing for the 'final' confrontation with Vulcan. (That's the third one of those we've had so far?) Yost puts everything into place well enough, and manages to make even minor characters like Ch'od and Raza come alive. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it does the job. I just can't shake the feeling that it's going to be ultimately meaningless given that we know Vulcan is a major force in War of Kings. Unless he kills the Starjammers...
X-MEN: LEGACY #221
by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton
Thanks goodness for X-Men: Legacy. Mike Carey's been knocking it out of the park since #200, providing what is easily the best X-book on a consistent basis. This issue sees Professor X and Gambit looking for Rogue in the Australian Outback, only to find a series of holographic scenarios from the past trying to kill them and her. As always the references to the past are welcome (even if the costumes are way off for the Muir Island Saga) but they don't get in the way of enjoying the story. Good stuff.
YOUNG X-MEN #11
by Marc Guggenheim and Rafa Sandoval
Another forgettable issue of a series that's going to be cancelled with next issue - and there's an indication of how far the X-Men brand has fallen. There was a time when any old trash with an X on it was going to sell, but those days are gone. Anyway, there's a glimmer of interest here, with a dying Dust helping Donald Pierce to escape from the X-Men in exchange for him saving her life. And the ending would be a shock if I actually cared about Dust. But she basically has no personality, and is the epitome of the token muslim - I could literally tell you nothing else about her personality. I won't shed a tear to see this one go.
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