Quickies! 5/19/10

Hey guys! I noticed I've been a little Marvel heavy with my reviews as of late, so this week it's anything but Marvel. I'm not worried about this impacting sales though, as you guys are buying up the new Avengers book like wild apes!


Brightest Day #2

Brightest Day has done the impossible... it has made me interested in Aquaman. It's funny how all you had to do was make him summon undead sea creatures, as opposed to living ones, to make me care...I think something may be wrong with me... Sadly, Aquaman is only in one page of this book (wow, that's something I never thought I would type).

The lack of Aquaman doesn't make this issue bad though. I still enjoyed it. We learn more about Hawkman and Hawkgirls predicament, the Martian Manhunter's past, and it appears Firestorm might be dead again. These are interesting stories that I'm looking forward to reading more about. I just wish there was more Aquaman is all (dear god, what am I saying??)

If you haven't started reading this series, I would suggest you start. I think this story has the legs it needs to carry it out through the year, leaving readers satisfied. Oh, and a family gets beaten to death with a rock band guitar in this issue, neat!


American Vampire #3

I know what you're thinking, Vampires are stupid. I'm right there with you, I am insanely over vampires and their over-saturation of today's media. However, I really, really like this series. Scott Snyder and Stephen King have created a different kind of vampire. One that can survive in daylight, and is seemingly immune to all of the other vampire weaknesses. It's interesting to watch as our heroine copes with being this "new" vampire. She learns what she is capable of while seeking revenge, and that's just fun.

Set in the mid 20's, this book has an elegant look to it. All of the fashions and architecture of that time are captured beautifully, by the artist Rafael Albuquerque. It's so pretty, that when the violence and bloodshed hit, it's even more jarring than normal. How jarring? How about our protagonist, Pearl, ripping the face off of another vampire. That's pretty brutal, and I love it.

It also features a back up story which further chronicles the original "American Vampire", which is written by Stephen King. Try and forget about all of that glittery nonsense that has entered the world as of late. Buy American Vampire and you may just learn to love vampires again.


Zatanna #1

DC's favorite female magician/super hero now has her own series! When I saw this series was coming out, a feeling of cautious optimism came over me. I liked the idea of this series on paper, but would DC put a competent creative team behind it? The answer is yes.

Paul Dini, writer of the original Batman: The Animated Series, writes a great introductory issue. Zatanna is a powerful magic wielder, perfectly capable of holding her own against several high level magical villains. Dini shows that in this issue, most notably with her battle in the villains layer. Stephane Roux's art paces the story well, and does a great job during the scenes when magic alters reality itself. It was a really enjoyable read.

I've often heard from female comic readers that they don't like it when the female lead is written to cater to a male audience. They would rather just see a competent female lead, that acts female as well. You're in luck ladies, Zatanna is just that.

This book isn't for everyone, but I feel it's definitely worth a read. Hopefully its sales will be enough for it to last longer than five issues. It has potential to be an excellent series, given enough time.


Joe the Barbarian #5 of 8

Well, we're more than halfway through this series now. I would like to say that I have firm grasp of where this story is going, but I don't. I know that he is either having a hallucination due to his lack of insulin, or that he's actually falling in out of a different universe populated by demons and toys. I'm enjoying this series, but I'm starting to get a little frustrated as well. At this point Grant Morrison, the writer, needs to throw me a bone.

Luckily, the art in this book is beautiful. More than beautiful enough to keep me buying this series until it's conclusion. Sean Murphy has done an excellent job on this book. He has created a rich world that is full of well designed characters. Major kudos goes out to him. This issue is no exception. There are some extremely tense scenes in this book that he captured the mood of perfectly. It's worth a look for the art alone.

If you're still buying this series, I would suggest sticking with it. I have a feeling the payoff will be worth it by the end. If you haven't started yet, I might suggest waiting for the trade to come out. I have a sneaking suspicion that this story will read better that way.