Captain Marvel #1 Review

The cover is pretty cool, too.

Following the death of Mar-Vell, the original Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers has shed the name Ms. Marvel to take on her namesake's mantle and a less overtly sexy outfit. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, and drawn by Dexter Soy, this seems to be a part of a significant push to make Carol Danvers an A-list female character, which Marvel sorely lacks currently.

Despite opening with a fight in which Carol and Captain America take down the Absorbing Man, the issue is primarily focused on Carol's reluctance to take on Mar-Vell's mantle. After a conversation about it with Captain America, and a somewhat flirty sparring match with Spider-Man, Carol goes to visit a sick friend and recalls the first time she met on of her idols: Helen Cobb, a pioneer in female aviation. As the title to this comic should make clear, Carol eventually decides to stop being a Ms. and become a Captain after spending some time high (in terms of elevation) in the atmosphere.

This first issue is short on action, but long on character development and world-building, which is arguably more important at the beginning of a new ongoing series. Kelly Sue DeConnick has a good grasp on the character of Carol Danvers and what makes her tick, especially the disappointment she has at not being able to truly live up to her potential as a pilot, due to her lack of any actual need for a plane. The moments between the Captains America and Marvel are well written, if a bit by-the-numbers for inspirational pep-talks. I liked the continuation of the friendship/flirtation between Carol and Peter Parker (who is drawn to look a lot like Andrew Garfield), though I worry about the prospect of him potentially overshadowing her in her own book.

The art by Dexter Soy is interesting, and certainly well-drawn, though I am not yet sold on it for this book. The dark hues are intriguing, but every image seems like it needs to be a little bit lighter. Carol certainly has her demons, but she isn't like dark like Daredevil or the Punisher, there needs to be a certain vibrancy in her world. Soy has a good grasp of the human anatomy, though his faces seem a little bit off, though it is nothing I can pinpoint and is hardly noticeable. I also liked the frantic feel his action sequences had, though there really wasn't much action in this first issue.

Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick has a decent first issue, though I am wary of the art not really fitting the material on hand, and should do well if it stays interesting (which it should). I am a fan of the character (and glad she got a less ridiculously revealing outfit) and certainly look forward to what comes next, though hopefully there will be some more action next time.

7/10

Avenging Spider-Man #14 Review

Avenging Spider-Man is essentially, a re-titled new volume of Marvel Team-Up, so it is nice to finally see a good, old-fashioned team-up between superheroes in the mighty marvel manner, and by that I mean, it starts with them trying to beat each other senseless. Written by current Venom scribe, Cullen Bunn, and drawn by artist Gabriele Dell'Otto, this issue is the start of two-part story teaming Spider-Man with Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy in the Savage Land.

Spider-Man is fighting dinosaurs in the Savage Land while on work trip for Horizon Labs (just another day at the office), when he is attacked by a group of mutated fire-breathing pterodactyls trying to harvest his genetic material. He then runs into Devil Dinosaur (a red Tyrannosaurus Rex) and Moon Boy (an intelligent, ape-like humanoid) who, despite earlier friendly meetings, see him as an enemy and proceed to attack him. After realizing they are on the same side, Spider-Man attempts, and fails, to communicate with the prehistoric duo due to Moon Boy only speaking lizard, and Spider-Man's drawings in the dirt being indecipherable. They then proceed to attack those mutating the dinosaurs (and those who have kidnapped Peter's Horizon Labs coworkers) with all the subtlety a T. Rex and two friends can muster.

The story is simple, but the dialogue is sharp and Spider-Man's jokes are genuinely funny, so there is nothing really to complain about. Certain scenes, like those of Peter Parker being the only one of his think-tank coworkers not in awe of the Savage Land (he's been there at least a few times by now) are quite funny. It is interesting seeing Cullen Bunn take on lighter fair than that found in his current Venom run, but he handles it well and produces a genuinely fun comic. 

The art is, in a word, beautiful. Gabriele Dell'Otto might just be my favorite artist in comics, and he reaffirms the reasoning behind my admiration here. Everything visual in this comic, from the Savage Land setting to Spider-Man and Devil Dinosaur, works superbly. I would have bought this comic even if there was only the art, and no writing, assuming it was Gabriel Dell'Otto drawing it.

This issue is just a fun romp in the jungle, with some good humor and some truly amazing art, if you like the character of Spider-Man (or Devil Dinosaur or Moon-Boy) it is well worth picking up, though expecting anything substantial will certainly leave you disappointed. 

8/10

Hit-Girl #1 (of 5) Review

Superheroes don't wear helmets.

Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. follow up the success of Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2 with Hit-Girl, a new series that bridges the gap between the two previous installments. Hit-Girl finds Mindy struggling to come to terms with her family life, which is surprisingly not based around the Punisher-esque vigilantism, but rather, becoming normal girl.

Picking up a little while after Kick-Ass ended, Hit-Girl's first issue seems focused on establishing the relationships that currently define Mindy's life: including her mentoring of Kick-Ass, trying to be a normal girl for her oblivious mother, and trying to convince her (good) cop stepfather that she has hung up her weapons for good (she hasn't). Bullied at school, by a group of popular girls unknowingly playing with fire, Mindy turns to Dave Lizewski, better known as Kick-Ass, to help her better assimilate in exchange for making him, well, a competent hero. As Hit-Girl, she sets her sights on a new mob boss who runs several crime families from behind bars, and all the while Red Mist begins to assemble his gang.

Millar seems to have brought the series back down to reality after the breakneck-hyper-violent tone of Kick-Ass 2, which is a relief, because these characters are in desperate need of character development, though there are still four issues remaining for Millar to amp up the fighting. Focusing on Hit-Girl rather than Kick-Ass is refreshing, because the extant of her character up until now seemed to be her being a pint-sized, foul-mouthed ninja, in a wig; so seeing inside her head and what makes her tick was certainly a nice change of pace.

The art done by John Romita Jr., finished and inked by Tom Palmer, seems to be crisper and more detailed than in the previous installments. The art was technically fine, though the book seemed overly dark, not in tone, but in regards to the color palette, some scenes taking place in the middle of the day look like they are set in the early evening. The series tends towards the dark anyways, but the dark coloration seems to make the book less fun than it should be, though that is a minor quibble.

The main issue thus far with this comic is that it seems so unnecessary, I am not averse to prequels, but it seems too many of the book's plotlines lack any sort of tension seeing as Kick-Ass 2 takes place after and was released before. In addition, having Red Mist be a major character again seems redundant, when his character did not change all that much between the first and second volumes. Though, I have still have hope this series' plot will become relevant to the overall plot Millar and Romita have been building, aside from some character development for Mindy.

On the whole, this comic is just okay and that isn't okay, okay? What I am so eloquently trying to say is that for Hit-Girl to have a reason to exist, it should be good, if not great, and certainly not redundant. And at this point it is, even if the focus on Mindy rather than Dave is refreshing.

6/10

Daredevil: End of Days #1 (of 8) Review

In the long awaited Daredevil: End of Days, Brian Michael Bendis returns to his roots, in writing the man without fear, in an alternate future tale focusing on Matt Murdock's last battle. Bendis is joined in writing duties by David W. Mack, with the artwork done by Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkiewicz and a cover by Alex Maleev. This issue is the first of eight promised in the series.

The first issue of this limited series features the death of Daredevil at the hands of Bullseye after a particularly brutal fight and flashback to another particularly brutal fight between the Kingpin and Murdock. Seen through the eyes of Ben Urich, still working for J. Jonah Jameson at the soon to be defunct Daily Bugle, Matt Murdock's last moments have been captured in vivid detail for the whole world to see and Urich is struggling to cope with the loss and is essentially unable to write about both the man and his legacy but one last mystery surrounding Daredevil sucks him back in.

As written by Bendis and Mack, this first issue is not exactly a cheerful affair: it is dark and it is brutal. Daredevil is a character that has always lent himself to an interpretation that ends with tragedy for the hero, and whether it's written by Frank Miller or Brian Bendis or someone else: Daredevil does not have it easy. This particular take is unique in that it focuses on what happens after the man without fear fights his final bout while the whole world watches, and does nothing. The writing is solid, with most of it being comprised of Ben Urich's inner monologue, which ably supplies all of the information regarding the character needed to be known to the reader in order to fully appreciate this series. There is also a bit of a twist ending that establishes sufficient forward momentum in what is shaping up to be something more meditative, though there are still seven issues to go.

The art, drawn by Janson and inked by Sienkiewicz, is stunning. Switching between grittiness and psychadelis, and complexity and sparseness, the two artists have churned out a unique and effective visual look to what should be an interesting limited series. Additionally,  the cover, done by Alex Maleev, is understated yet striking. The paneling is interesting and daring as well, for example, there is a two-page spread comprised of thirty-two separate panels focusing on thirty-two separate characters that efficiently and effectively drives home the overwhelming reaction to Murdock's death by the city he protected with his life and why it infuriates Ben Urich so much.

Daredevil: End of Days is already shaping up to be a worthy addition to the wealth of quality material already available about the character, and Bendis is in top form with Janson and Sienkiewicz going above and beyond in creating a stunning, and visceral visual experience. 

9/10

Wolverine Max #1 Review

Cover by Jock

If one were to think of characters in the Marvel  Comics stable in need of a new solo title, the odds favor Wolverine being absolutely nowhere on that list. Yet, here we are with a brand new MAX adaptation of the character written by Jason Starr with art by Roland Boschi and Connor Willumsen.

At first glance, this seems to be like any old Wolverine comic, and except for a lack of X-Men references, that first glance would be pretty spot on. The general plot is pretty basic: Wolverine wakes up without memories, is intrigued by a mysterious Japanese woman, gets thrown around by Sabretooth (or "Victor"), and has vague memories about killing things. There is a twist near the end that I did not anticipate, but in general the first issue is a pretty by-the-numbers take on the clawed Canadian.

The writing is nothing special, but it isn't exactly bad either. Certain choices, like the decision to have Wolverine's internal monologue have a more stream-of-consciousness-like feel with sparse sentence fragments to describe his current mental state (he mainly talks about killing and curses at himself) are good, even if that monologue can be a touch cloying at times. In general, I disliked the book starting off with such well worn territory (Wolverine goes to Japan), though I can definitely see the logic behind starting off with a such an iconic part of the character's back-story.

In general, the art in this book did not appeal to me. The art of the scenes taking place in the present day are rather well done, it just never was able to grab me or felt like it fit the subject matter at hand. The main issue I had with the present-day scenes, drawn by Roland Boschi, is that Wolverine doesn't really look like himself. Logan is a character with a very iconic look, and I never truly got the impression I was looking at Wolverine in this issue (though this is not set the primary 616 universe). The flashback sequences drawn by Connor Willumsen are too stylized for the subject matter, in my opinion, and, while not exactly cartoony, takes away from the serious tone present in the rest of the volume. One aspect of this issue's art that I found to be routinely excellent is the coloring done by Dan Brown.

The only new element I can think of is this shark attack.

Wolverine Max is, at least for the first issue, just a mediocre read. The character is definitely suited for the MAX imprint (more so than anyone not named the Punisher), but it is difficult to justify this book's existence when so many current titles already feature the character and nothing new is really being done. Though, for a fan of the character, and, especially, his gruff loner roots, it may be worth picking up.

5/10

Additional Notes:

• The cover is a beautiful work of art, it's a shame the interior artwork doesn't match it.
• It seems strange that this book is $3.99, when it doesn't come with the code for the digital copy.

Bedlam #1 Review

Bedlam has the potential to be something very special. Nick Spencer and Riley Rossmo combine their not inconsiderable talents, in this first issue from the first pages, to create a dark, bleak, and strangely beautiful world well worth checking out at least once.

The comic focuses on Fillmore Press, once a masked villain named Madder Red, and his struggle to move on with his life a decade after he stopped slaughtering people by the hundreds. The clearest influences on the character of Madder Red appear to be the Joker and Dexter Morgan, with maybe a little Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure. The issue is split between the present where Fillmore is struggling to keep it together while listening to reports of a particularly prolific serial killer on the radio, and the day ten years prior when Madder Red set the city of Bedlam into mass turmoil and apparently died in an explosion at police headquarters. As of this point, the only well developed character is Madder Red, though there seem to be several characters that will be important later on present in this issue; one such character is Madder Red's superhero arch-nemesis (though as of this point, I can't tell if he is more of a Batman-type or a Superman-type).

Nick Spencer is a very talented writer of comic books, and this first issue of Bedlam is no exception. Well-plotted with a fascinating protagonist, this inaugural issue had me interested on the first page, and hooked by the third. The dialogue is both clever and well-written for the most part, and the only real issue I had with it was that Madder Red's monologues where he waxes poetic on both human nature and the atrocities he commits are a touch over done and take away from the otherwise frantic nature the flashback sequences have, though that is a minor issue on the whole. If Morning Glories has proved anything to me, it is that Nick Spencer knows how to tell an intricate and engaging story, and Bedlam is setting itself up for very good things down the road.

The art done by Riley Rossmo is some of the finest I have ever seen, and is a perfect fit for the subject matter on hand. Rossmo's art is unsettling, unique, and gorgeous and complements Spencer's writing perfectly. The sequences set in the past are done solely in whites, blacks, and grays, with splashes of red here and there meant to accentuate what is going on within the panels (a slit throat, the diamonds on a playing card, Madder Red's mask.). The design of Madder Red is excellent, being emotionless, menacing, and rather disturbing, while Fillmore Press is lanky, jittery, and sallow.  

I'm not sure even a mother could love this face.

Bedlam is a truly excellent first issue to what promises to be, at very least, an interesting comic from top flight talent and is well worth picking up if only to be able look at the art inside.

10/10

Additional Notes:

• While the first issue is double length, it is still only $3.50 (with no ads).
• I can't help but feel like the design of Fillmore Press is based off of Cillian Murphy (not a complaint, just something I noticed).

National Comics: Madame X #1 Review

Note: I love the cover art (except for the ad)

Truthfully, going into this one-and-done issue I had very little idea who Madame X(anadu) is - I just had vague recollections of an appearance on an episode of a television show I had watched - however, after reading National Comics: Madame X #1 from writer Rob Williams and artist Trevor Hairsine, I feel that I now possess a somewhat decent grasp on the character that is presented. 

This New Orleans based issue focuses on a murder mystery involving a dead mayoral candidate, a zombie, and a fair bit of voodoo mysticism. Madame X, Nima to those who know her, is a disgraced former stage psychic (think Zatanna with less fishnets) with legitimate tarot-based precognitive abilities working with a law firm to help prove their clients' innocence. 

The plotting and writing in this issue is top notch, if a bit rushed near the conclusion, and develops Madame X's strange little world rather well considering the restraints inherent to the one-shot format. Rob Williams does an excellent job of providing all of the necessary details about Madame X in the single issue, though her characterization can feel a bit shallow at times. The only real complaints I have about the story-line is the unnecessary, though surprising, cliffhanger and the slightly, but not terribly, abrupt manner in which the issue's central mystery is resolved.

The art by Trevor Hairsine, while a bit rough for my tastes, fits the issue's story and tone very well and creates a very atmospheric visual experience on the whole. The colors done by Antonio Fabela are definitely owed much for helping to create the book's "feel" with certain scenes, like those in the swamps, being legitimately eerie in large part due to the coloration. One minor gripe that I had with this issue's art is that in images with closeups of faces, the eyes seemed to be a touch out of proportion.

On the whole, this one-shot put out by DC is well worth picking up and manages to provide a good introduction to the character and her world. Despite this, I can't help but feel that this issue reads like a pilot episode (complete with the episodic format and a spunky law firm based heroine) that will sadly never get picked up for a series. 

8/10

Additional Notes:

• I believe that this issue is completely out of continuity with the rest of the DC universe, considering there are, apparently, already two books featuring Madame Xanadu already put out on a monthly basis.
• The cover done by Fiona Staples is visually striking and well done, and I will definitely pay attention to her work henceforth.