Comics

Rachel Rising #5 – Review

When you stray away from the Big Two comic publishers you can certainly end up in an interesting place. For me this week, that was Rachel Rising.  Terry Moore handles the story and art in this book and he’s one of the rare few who can do that well.  Most creatives are either great storytellers or great artists.  Terry Moore manages to do both.  

The art style of Rachel Rising brings to mind a fusion of Western, Manga, and web comic influences.  This gives the story a kind of intimacy that can sometimes be missing from the standard fare.  Additionally, Moore is a master at facial expressions.  He can communicate more in one panel with a the crinkle of a nose than most artists can on an entire page of text.  He’s also very good at using beat panels to express awkward or thoughtful pauses in the action.

Teen Titans Annual #1 this May

Do you love the new Teen Titans being written by Scott Lobdell?  Wish you had more pages for an even bigger story?  Well, it looks like you’re getting your wish because this May Teen Titans will be getting an Annual.  Annuals can play many parts in a series – it could be a supplemental story or a bunch of collected short stories.  Teen Titans Annual #1 is going to kick off a cross-over event between Teen Titans, Superboy, and Legion Lost.  

Batwing #6 – Review

With this issue, Batwing secures its place as one of the true gems of the New 52 as it presents some of the final pieces of David Zavimbe’s origin without missing a beat of its present day story. This is how it is done. This book is the example of what the entire New 52 line should have been.

Batwing intercepts Massacre in Egypt to prevent the death of yet another member of Africa’s legendary superhero team, the Kingdom. As that plays out, the story gives glimpses into more of David’s path, showing his frustration with becoming part of a corrupt police force and his recruitment by Batman. This battle in Egypt brings the series full circle to the opening scene of the very first issue.

Hulk #48 Review

Hulk is a series I have always wanted to pick up, but never had the chance to pick up. But when I finally found a story arc in the series I thought was interesting I picked it up. I have started to read this series since issue 47 and I think I may stick around for the story arc. Just because this seems like a series I would not pick every issue of but, if I see an interesting story arc I will pick it up.

This issue was about Red Hulk fighting against a villain named Zero/One. Hulk gets over his head with Zero/One and will need help from, his daughter, Red She Hulk. Red She Hulk and Red Hulk will finally team up in this issue and fight against Red Hulk’s current enemy.

Z-Girl: Odyssey #1 – Review

Z-Girl: Odyssey #1 has many unique and enjoyable elements but has quite a few quirks that keep it from being a great title. The artwork has an interesting style, but not everything is executed well with the story following suit.

Z-Girl and her four tigers, each possessed by their respective hosts which each control the standard element and a season. After a particularly harsh mission involving armed chimpanzees, Z-Girl needs her rest before being briefed on something all-to-familiar to her.

Winter Soldier #1 – Review

Winter Soldier has arrived, and it captures the same magic present when Ed Brubaker began his acclaimed Captain America run. Brubaker and artist Butch Guice expertly pull off an espionage thriller set within a world populated by superheroes and supervillains. It’s tense and grounded. But it has a gorilla with a .50 caliber machine gun. Does this review even need to continue?

Fine.

I haven’t quite enjoyed the latest relaunch of Captain America as much as I did the previous installment. It seems to now lean more toward standard superhero action, leaving me wondering where the elements of espionage and political intrigue had gone. I’ve found it. It’s all packed into Winter Soldier. This book reads more like a continuation of Brubaker’s original Captain America volume than the current Captain America title does. It may lack Steve Rogers, but readers will find more familiar story threads and atmosphere here.

Irredeemable/Incorruptible End in May

Revealed in a Newsarama interview, Maid Waid will end his two creator-owned series from BOOM! Studios later this year in May. Irredeemable and Incorruptible, telling the stories of a world’s hero becoming a mass murderer and one of its worst criminals rising up to protect people, began back in 2009.

“Okay, really, truly — I’m just stretched thin right now both personally and professionally, and I live in mortal fear that I’m going to overstay my welcome on these books. Moreover, I feel that Max Damage’s character arc is reaching its end in Incorruptible. And in Irredeemable, I’ve long known what the end of that series is, and lately, it’s as if all the characters are moving into position for it whether I want them to or not. So let’s go out big and grand, I say,” Waid describes his reasons for ending the two titles.