The Back Stack: June 6, 2012

And with this, we return to our regularly scheduled… schedule.  This week we see a return of a book I formerly dropped, the end of a weekly series, the return of the non-big-two, a pair of annuals, and the Boys in Grey taking a trip to my back yard.

As always, SPOILER ALERT!  Let us begin.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #39 was a book that was probably unnecessary, but certainly had its moments.  I’m sure a story where Peter Parker met his Uncle Ben on some level has been done, but this still wasn’t bad.  I kind of got a kick out of it because of some of the scenes of what Spidey would do if he went back to certain periods of his life knowing what he knows.  That’s the human side of Spider-Man that I like to see alongside him being the superhero.  The issue itself had its moments, but you’ll have to decide for yourself if you’re interested.

Verdict – Recommended

On the flip side, Batman Annual #1 was a huge letdown.  I’ve always enjoyed the revival of Victor Friese, a.k.a. Mr. Freeze, and his torment at being driven to madness in trying to help his wife.  Well, all that was thrown away in the new DC Universe as he becomes just a nutcase obsessed with cold.  His wife?  Not really his wife.  He just became obsessed with her because she was frozen.  This kills the arc to Mr. Freeze’s character, in my view, and makes him impossibly less interesting.  The action was bland and the storyline was just blah.  It wasn’t up to par with what the Batman books have been since the reboot.  Also, the tie-in with the Court of Owls feels REALLY forced and unnecessary, and it is really a shame.

Verdict – Pass

Ghostbusters #9.  I’m probably going to sound really partisan on this, but the fact that this issue took place in Detroit and didn’t go out of its way to take shots at the city really put a smile on my face.  While I’m not from Detroit proper, I do spend some time there enough to gain a bit of an attachment to it, mostly Tigers and Red Wings games.  But, no.  They’re completely respectful of Detroit, the officials trust them, Winston is a Red Wings fan, and the Ghostbusters have apparently been to Detroit before and have a good solid relationship with the city.  I like that.  It sure beats the hell out of Justice League of America’s “anyone can beat Detroit” crack before Black Canary disbanded the Avengers.  Anyway, I enjoyed the scenario with the fallen soldiers, General Wayne of Fort Wayne fame, and Winston’s “moment” with him.  It was an issue of Ghostbusters that worked as much as the others, but on a far different level.  I may be bias because it took place close to home, but I say it’s another issue well worth your money.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Hulk Smash Avengers #5 completes the downward spiral that had been happening since issue #3.  I’m going to keep it short because it really was just so dull.  The post-Civil War avengers are fighting the Red Hulk and Iron Man is trying to talk Bruce Banner into stopping him.  It fills in a gap that really didn’t need to be filled.  Long story short, consider the first two issues, but the last three are unnecessary.

Verdict – Pass

Queen Sonja #29 was on the incoherent side for me, but certainly had some moments.  The story of Sonja returning to her kingdom while the prostitution cult of magic continues to do their thing… and there isn’t much else to say about it.  I do hate Red Sonja’s costume at this point.  Blue jeans and a metal blouse.  If you’re not going to have her in her iconic chainmail bikini, then stop putting her in it on the covers!  Good action, lackluster story, and that terrible costume.  What can I say?  I’m a sucker for iconography.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

Sonic the Hedgehog #237 was… okay.  I hesitate to call it good, but it wasn’t exactly bad either.  There was one story involving the Wolf Pack and Mecha Sally going after them with Lupe, one of the more storied original characters of the series, being taken by Robotnik and threatening to be Legionized.  It was okay, but some scenes were overly goofy considering the stakes.  A second story was between Mina Mongoose and Nicole where they patched things up and made nice in one of the most contrived, forced, and stupid ways.  It can be said that it was directly because of Mina’s concert that the people backed Ixis Naugus in usurping the order of Acorn and then this?  I would have preferred more of a story arc where Mina has to stew in her own juices and deal with her actions, but this is Ian Flynn we’re talking about, the king of unrealized potential.  Still, not nearly as bad as other issues have been lately, but I’m not looking forward to where this whole “Team Freedom, Team Fighters” angle is going.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #10 was decent, but I feel is relying too heavily on other incarnations of the TMNT with this one, particularly with April O’Neil’s antique store, Second Time Around.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good homage, but it seems just more than a little convenient.  Then again, she’s not living above it, so maybe it’s not as outrageous as I’m making it out to be.  I would have liked to have seen more out of the Shredder, though.  Here he is, the most iconic villain of the Turtles, and all we've seen is him standing around.  I'd have much preferred something with a bit more bang to his entrance.  There was also some good dynamics between the Turtles themselves that wasn't quite so good-natured, particularly between Leonardo and Donatello and the debate on whether past events have come back to play out in their modern day with the scientifically-minded Donatello taking a more skeptic approach whereas Leonardo is going with  Splinter's teachings and stories, interpreting them today.  We've seen Leo and Donnie butt heads before, but nothing quite like this, and it's good to see.  Siblings who spend time together like this tend to bicker and it's a refreshing change of pace to see that it isn't Raphael and Leonardo AGAIN.  In fact, I kind of appreciate that, considering Raph's backstory in this series, being separated from the others for so long.  We also get to see why Splinter IS the master to the Turtles, which is something that sadly gets overlooked by many who do interpretations of the Turtles.  It's not one of the best books in the series, but it's one that I enjoyed.

Verdict – Recommended

Wolverine and the X-Men #11 did for Kid Gladiator what should have happened for him a while back.  It gave us a reason to care about him.  Defying the order of Gladiator, one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, Kid Gladiator decides to stand with the X-Men in their hour of need.  We get some other good moments and some great action including Iceman vs. the Red Hulk.  Yeah, Iceman against the Red Hulk and it’s actually got some decent moments in it.  Wolverine and the X-Men is a book that can be really good when it’s clicking and this is one where it was really clicking.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

X-Men Legacy #267.  Yeah, I brought back X-Men Legacy to my pull list and I’m thrilled to start back up with this issue.  We pick up in the middle of a fight between Rogue’s X-Men and a handful of Avengers members and it isn’t going well.  It’s a primarily action-heavy issue, but you see the heart of the X-Men play out beautifully here including their desire to defend their students.  On an action standpoint, it’s great to see upwards and creative thinking on each of the combatants’ parts including Kitty Pryde vs. “Iron Man,” Moon Knight vs. Rogue, “Iron Man” vs. anybody (seriously, though, if this were an RPG, it’d be spammed to hell for being “God Moding), and others.  This was a fun issue to read and I’m looking forward to getting caught up… but I’m sorry to say I probably won’t cover my back issue purchases of those books here.  This is a series typically for what came out last week as you go to pick up this week’s comics.  However, if you want my opinions on them, ask and I shall do my best to make an exception if I feel there is a lot to say about them.  As for this one, it’s another X-title well worth your time from last week.

Verdit – Highly Recommended

And so we come to an end of another pull.  I hope I gave you some good ideas as to what to pick up from last week in addition to what you might pull this week.  For me, I’m hoping World’s Finest keeps up the good work, Earth 2 doesn’t let controversy cloud the potential for a good story, and the Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in books can keep up what X-Men Legacy pulled off, and Black Cat brings some extra fun to the Defenders and hopefully is there to stay.

Cheers;

Graves

EDIT 6/7/2012 - Yeah, I screwed this up.  Didn't finish my TMNT review.  I fixed that.  Sorry, folks.

The Back Stack: May 31, 2012

Sorry I forgot to do a Back Stack last week.  Kind of hard getting back into the swing of things following my hiatus.  It doesn’t help that I have a HUGE My Little Pony project I’m working on.  There was a Sonic hardcover I picked up, but I haven’t actually cracked it open yet, so I’ll save that for next week.

But onto this week!  This week was… underwhelming, by and large.  Certainly, there was some good stuff to be had, but everything else was just fair to moderate.  Let’s get started.

As always, SPOILER ALERT!

Amazing Spider-Man #686 continues the Ends of the Earth storyline.  This one was more focused on action and saw that the Sinister Six wasn’t as cohesive as once thought.  The Chameleon and Mysterio work on their own means to confront Spider-Man immediately, but Doc Ock put the kabash to that.  We see Mysterio reluctantly join Spider-Man to face Octavious… and his new Sinister Six, The Avengers.  The end revelation was admittedly pretty weak and a bit of a stretch, but something that works with this episode is that, in the face of Armageddon, we see how some of the supporting characters spend their moments.  While I’m disappointed with how J. Jonah Jameson responded to his father, I’m glad to see Mary Jane have so much faith in Spider-Man, seemingly, that she buys an expensive building to throw a party at.  This isn’t the strongest issue, but it’s far from weak.

Verdict – Recommended

Aquaman #9 continues to be just awesome.  We see some insight into Aquaman’s past and a pretty nifty revelation at the end about Aquaman and his “father.”  Honestly, I’m running out of stuff to say about Aquaman at this point.  It’s well-written with great characters and good action.  This issue is more of the same greatness that you should be reading right now anyway.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Captain America #12.  This wasn’t bad.  We learn more about the new Crossbones and how it’s affecting Cap.  We also see he might still hold a flame for Diamondback, but clearly she’s still no match for Sharon Carter right now.  I can’t say I was impressed with some of the revelations, but it’s kind of humorous to see just how routine duking it out with Hydra is to Cap and Dum Dum Dugan, one of the more unfortunately named supporting characters in Marvel if I do say so myself.  I mean, really, just how bad would it be to go through school with the name “Dum Dum”?  But I’m sure I’m missing something with that in the backstory.

Verdict – Recommended

Deadpool #55 was a big letdown, but I understand why it was written.  It was written to establish the new status quo of what an essentially powerless Deadpool will be like, but it wasn’t exactly a compelling read.  It wasn’t funny and the action was just dull.  I haven’t been impressed with Deadpool for some time.  The last arc had its moments, but it’s been far too inconsistent to be a series I could recommend at the time.

Verdict – Pass

Fantastic Four #606.  Wow.  Hickman is still knocking it out of the park even after the Council of Reeds series.  This issue started out with me scratching my head and then realizing just why exactly the Fantastic Four were on this mission, to save the life of one of their longest family friends, Willie Lumpkin.  Seeing the Fantastic Four, especially Mister Fantastic, go to this extent on such a small scale for someone who they care for really lets this superhero team live up to their pedigree.  This is a great feel-good issue.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Green Lantern:  New Guardians #9.  This issue focuses on the Blue Lanterns and I was thrilled with that at first, because I feel of the expanded Lantern Corps.’, they have the best source of raw material to work with… then they brought in the cast of Blue Beetle.  Ugh… and I had such high hopes for this issue.  I’m not even entirely sure of how this ties in with the current storyline, but what saves this issue is how the Blue Lanterns relate to one another.  How they hold each other to such a high degree and how their own Hope is truly the source of their power.  Sadly, the issue isn’t completely compelling and I can’t give it a complete recommendation.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

Hulk #52 concludes the Haunted Hulk series.  It was far better than the last issue (which I didn’t review) and we finally see who is haunting the Red Hulk.  Doc Samson.  It wasn’t exactly thrilling, but I did like seeing the monsters who helped the Punisher while he was Franken-Castle make a comeback, unlike the Forgiven from the last issue who were sadly sans Jubilee (an angle that still ticks me off).  It’s good for seeing more of General Ross’s personality as both a human and a Hulk and it ends on a high note in the most bizarre of ways.  Good stuff.

Verdict – Recommended

Hulk Smash Avengers #4.  This issue focused on one of quirkier versions of the Hulk, Mr. Fixit.  It wasn’t exactly one of the more compelling issues of the series and at this point it’s become way more formulamatic than anything.  A Hulk incarnation fights with the Avengers, one of the Avengers has a heart-to-heart with the Hulk, resolution.  Seriously, the first few issues had so much more depth to them and this one just… didn’t.

Verdict – Pass

Journey Into Mystery #638 is, to me, textbook 101 of how NOT to do a crossover event.  You don’t overlap the story between unrelated titles.  Once upon a time, I forgave a Titans/Teen Titans crossover since they were related, but in general, I hate crossover storylines like this that span two or more titles, especially when they’re books I don’t pick up, such as the case with New Mutants.  The storyline, nor the characters coming from New Mutants, were particularly compelling this time around and it certainly didn’t invite me to want to see how this plays out.  I’ll wait for this series to get back to its own stories.

Verdict – Pass

The Mighty Thor #14 was just okay.  I’d have liked to have seen more of the dynamics between the Enchantress and Donald Blake, considering it’s going to play big dividends later, that and I’m just genuinely entertained by The Enchantress sometimes and it’s been a while since we’ve seen her.  However, what we got with Thor wasn’t exactly interesting until we got to the very end, which isn’t a sign of a good comic.  But, it’s still far better than its counterpart, Journey Into Mystery.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

Superman #9 was kind of boring for the first bit, but picked up towards the end.  I’m not sure how I feel about Superman right now.  When it’s good, it’s very good, but when it’s not up to par, it’s sometimes a bit of a chore to read.  It’s a book I’d drop if it were less consistent than it is, but right now, it’s doing just enough to keep me around and wonder what’s happening next.  It won’t be the first series I recommend, but I wouldn’t say it’s one I’d entirely pass either.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

And that ends it.  Next week, The Back Stack returns to Tuesday at its regular time.  Welcome back.

Cheers;

Graves

The Back Stack Catch-Up Special - May 11, 2012

Hello all.  I’ve missed you guys.  It’s been a while, hasn’t it?  Definitely a lot longer than I had initially intended, and for that, I apologize.

As you know, I’ve missed a LOT of weeks and, with that, a LOT of comics.  Naturally, it’s nearly impossible for me to review ALL the comics I pulled during my downtime, because just as I begin to catch up, a new week comes by and that means new comics to buy.  It’s a never-ending mess if I let it be one.  Instead, I decided to take the notables, both good ones and bad ones.  These are going to be very cut and dry and shorter than normal reviews of mine.  Regular reviews will resume on Tuesday/Wednesday morning (before comic shops typically open with the new stuff).

Anyway, let’s begin.  (As always, SPOILER ALERT!)

Fantastic Four #605.  This was a very good change of pace from the action-heavy issues.  We learn a lot about The Thing and what his potential future has for him.  All thousands of years of it.  That’s right, apparently The Thing ages at about the speed of a rock and is only accelerated thanks to the serum that lets Thing be human for one week out of the year.  It’s nice to see a human side of Reed Richards in this one and just slow down and realize what shouldn’t be taken for granted.  If only he’d do that with his wife every so often… but still, it was a great book with great characterization, especially in the end where Reed and Ben share a beer and watch TV together.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Justice League #8 brings to an end my patience with the DC superheroes being a band of assholes.  Recent issues haven’t exactly painted the Justice League in a good light and this issue didn’t help either.  Made worse is the Shazam back-up that features Billy Batson being just as big of a dick as the Justice League.  What is with DC?  Did they decide that DC should stand for Disregard Character or something?  It was a boring issue to boot and I can’t say it’s a story in a book I’m interested in continuing with.  The only remotely interesting thing is that we learn that Martian Manhunter apparently was a member of the Justice League and it ended badly with the Justice League unceremoniously kicking him out.  And he’s supposed to be a good guy now?  Ugh… no thanks.

Verdict – Pass (personally dropping)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9 continues the awesome revival of our favorite sewer-dwelling teens in green.  Of course, the big thing with this issue was the reveal of THE SHREDDER!  What do I think?  Well… it certainly was The Shredder all right.  I won’t say it was a very impressive reveal and the surprise was kind of negated from how prominent the Foot Clan had been in the past couple issues, but hey, this was what we all waited for.  Things are coming together beautifully for this series, though, and I can’t wait to continue once we’re up to speed.

Verdict – Recommended

Sonic Universe #39… that’s right, our old pal Ian Flynn continues his unnecessary made-for-trade Sonic side-series.  However, to his credit, this one doesn’t feel like a complete waste of time and might help to validate this particular story arc known as “Scrambled.”  We get the return of the least-requested character in the Sonic comic’s expanded mythos, Monkey Khan (I guess “Ken” Khan wasn’t cutting it anymore) and his reaction upon seeing Sally become roboticized.  It ends with Robotnik tricking him in becoming his servant again as Khan gives up his power ring control crown to restore Mecha Sally.  While this does provide some interesting story angles, it also opens up the door for several potentially bad story angles and, knowing Flynn’s track record, it’s likely one of the ones we’ll be getting.  While I do like the prospect of Robotnik starting his collection of robot minions made from Sonic’s old running buddies, it isn’t something I think Flynn has the forethought or talent to capitalize on.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

Mega Man #12.  I am quickly losing my patience with Mega Man.  This issue of this made-for-trade series wraps up the Mega Man 2 adaptation, and mercifully might I add.  What could have been so much more was wasted with Ian Flynn behind the keyboard scripting this story.  Wily’s minions continue to look like tinfoil against Mega Man and Dr. Light’s Robot Masters and the potential drama of Wily pretending he was an alien was wasted needlessly.  This is clearly not a series Ian Flynn has a connection with.  While I consistently criticize Flynn’s Sonic comics, at least it seems like he wants to build something.  With Mega Man, it just seems like he’s looking to just get it over with, and that’s a shame because I think, even more than Sonic, Mega Man has the potential to be one of the best comic adaptations out there.  It’s just a shame that it’s all squandered with Ian Flynn.

Verdict – Pass

We’ll end on a trade paperback I picked up.  Sonic Select vol. 5.  This is a mix of both good and bad.  The good being the inclusion of the Girls Rule Super Sonic Special.  The bad being the inclusion of BOTH Sonic Kids Super Sonic Specials.  But with the good and the bad comes the ugly.  For the first noticeable time, we see a major edit done to one of the old stories.  In particular, during Sally’s story in the Girls Rule special, her vest is superimposed in when she’s immersing herself with a pool of liquid known as “The Source,” which has guided the Acorn Family for generations.  Grant you, it isn’t used hardly at all in general and it has led to the belief that it was just Ken Penders’ excuse for making softcore furry porn, but honestly, I give Penders a slide on this.  Think about it.

The Source is described as a near-sentiant, near-all-knowing guiding force.  Sally enters it and experiences of oneness.  I think that Sally not wearing her boots and vest actually helped that idea of oneness and facing the future.  While maybe not something you’d agree with, there was something pure about it, almost like it was a higher deity.  That’s what lets me give the concept a pass because of that idea of pure oneness.  Also, because it’s just stupid for Sally to take her boots off, but not her vest, especially considering she runs around without pants anyway.  The edit to add her vest not only breaks that view of oneness by having a big, super-imposed blue block thrown in on all the shades-of-orange panels and makes it look gaudy as hell, and really makes it look like Flynn is trying to continue to paint Penders in a bad light, like he made the story simply to have Sally strut around in the nude in a glorified swimming pool.  It's very furry-phobic of Flynn, almost like anything that could be described as fuel for furries automatically triggers a panic button with him... interesting considering Sally was running around in other issues and trades without her vest for so long without her vest IN PUBLIC and a vest is edited in for when Sally is by herself.  Anyone else see the problem here?

While the Girls Rule special is still good and features some of the best artwork in the series (Flynn’s stupid-ass edits excluded), this is just an okay trade and I can only recommend it if you can’t find Girls Rule by itself (where you’ll get more beautiful artwork) or if you are a die-hard Sonic collector… like me.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

So, there you have it.  There would be more comics I’d touch on, but honestly, nothing majorly new to report.  Next week, a full, true, return of The Back Stack.

Cheers;

Master Graveheart

Postponement Update

Hey everyone.

Just wanted to give you all a quick heads up.  If you haven't followed my Twitter account, you'll know there is no Back Stack for this week.  I've just gotten terribly busy and haven't finished all the comics I picked up from last week.  In addition, there will be no Back Stack next week either as I'm planning something special in my personal life and probably won't have time to work on it anyway.  The Back Stack will resume on May 1 or May 2.  If there are comics worth noting from these past two weeks, I may decide to throw them in with that week, but from what I HAVE read so far from last week's books, there's nothing particularly impressive.  Don't get me wrong.  There have been good books, but there have been bad books too *coughSoniccough* and nothing that's really wowed me.

Then again, I haven't gotten around to Batman and Robin yet.

So, yeah.  Sorry to bring the bad(?) news to you all.  Don't worry, though.  If I play my cards right, we might get our first Grave Issues Spotlight this Saturday.

Cheers;
Graves

EDIT:  After deliberation, I've decided that the Back Stack's catch-up edition will be on May 8th.  Why?  Well... I didn't pick up all the books I would have liked to this week.  They're waiting for me and I will read them, but I'd like to read them all for you, so, yeah, I'll cover the best and worst then.  For those asking, yes, I am well aware of the edits made to the Sonic Select vol. 5 book.  You better believe I'll be covering THAT.

The Back Stack: April 11, 2012

Hey all.  Another late edition, but a full docket nonetheless.  As always, spoiler alert.  Let’s begin.

Amazing Spider-Man #683.  Hot damn, has this arc been hitting the right notes with me.  We see just how much of a menace and master manipulator Doctor Octopus can truly be and he’s equipped the Sinister Six with enough tricks and methods to do battle with the freakin’ Avengers… AND WIN.  Seeing that alone should be worth the price of admission.  Seriously, we see the Avengers just brutalized and beaten in a matter of minutes, in-comic time.  Even Thor gets taken out by Rhyno.  Yeah.  Let that sink in for a bit.  It also continues the angle of J. Jonah Jameson going after Horizon labs, but it never overstays its welcome and adds a much-needed break in the appropriate location.  So far so good for “The Ends of the Earth,” and I’m wondering where the return of Silver Sable is going to play out.  Certainly, she helps Spider-Man, but I wouldn’t picture her as someone who can do what the Avengers couldn’t.  It’s going to be an interesting read going forward.  After the disaster that was One More Day and One Moment In Time, Dan Slott has made Spider-Man not only readable, but an enjoyable read.  I would never make the claim that these arcs couldn’t happen with Spider-Man being married to Mary Jane, so yes, One More Day is still effectively useless and still didn’t need to happen.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Avengers Academy #28 was a big disappointment for me in terms of the issue as a whole.  We end this arc with the Runaways which, really, didn’t need to happen.  I don’t even think Marvel would really bring them back, since they trashed their old teen hero books in no time flat recently, including Young Allies and not even letting “The Chosen” get off the ground.  I can’t say I actually gave much of a damn about this arc.  Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but only good in an okay kind of way.  Oh well.  Can’t win ‘em all, but now I can safely say that Aquaman IS better than this book, generally speaking.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 was… pretty slow starting.  Everything we’ve read in previews is played out here, just to a longer degree.  We see Cyclops brutally training Hope when she manifests her Phoenix powers.  This results in a visit from Captain America and the Avengers, which goes as well as can be expected.  If you skipped the preview pages because you didn’t want to be spoiled, than I’d say you should pick this up.  If not, there really isn’t too much here to warrant a purchase.

Verdict – Pass

Daredevil #10.1 was our second straight solid entry into the Marvel.1 series.  This was just good ol’ Daredevil fun as we see ol’ Horn Head dealing with some jackass detention center officers and facing off with a supervillain who can generate fire.  He also confronts representitives from several crime organizations including A.I.M. and Black Specter with some good, verbal, cat and mouse, showing us that Daredevil isn’t just all about fisticuffs.  If this book was meant as an introduction, it’s certainly succeeded.  Daredevil is probably Marvel’s best book right now and Ii certainly hope it’s one you’re all reading right now anyway.  Even if you’re already familiar with Daredevil, this was a pretty fun read.

Verdict – Recommended

Fear Itself:  The Fearless #12 ends with one thing that comes to mind:  Marvel cannot do a bi-weekly series not named The Amazing Spider-Man.

Verdict – Pass

Hulk #50 was pretty solid stuff.  We see Red Hulk being haunted by apparent ghosts, to which he goes to Doctor Strange for help.  It starts off an angle which will amount to being a big conspiracy against Big Red, but we also see some glimpses into Red Hulk being General Ross again, finding new romance and trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter.  It was a solid read, something Hulk needed desperately to remain what I’d call a worthwhile series.

Verdict – Recommended

Queen Sonja #28 would have gotten a straight “Recommended” verdict out of me if it weren’t for the fact that there is some questionable nudity.  In this book, we get a fully nude woman who is obscured by shadows.  That would have been fine and no cause for concern, except for the fact that in a couple panels, we can clearly see the outlines of her nipples!  How are the artists getting away with this?  And how has this book not been relegated to the adult section of the comic store?  Other than that, the book is just fine.  There are some decent interactions with the characters, some good action, and we continue the conspiracy against the kingdom Sonja is empress of.  I’m interested, and like I said, this would have gotten a straight “Recommended” verdict, but since I know some people aren’t interested in their comics as softcore porn, I’ve gotta give you guys a fair warning.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended (via nudity warning)

Red Sonja/Witchblade #2.  This was BORING.  That may be because I’m interested in this book for Red Sonja and this was heavily focused on Witchblade, but this is where the writer has to make me care about the character I’m not invested in.  The only thing I care about with Witchblade is that she’s a mother, which is pretty unique for a superheroine supposed badass.  Other than that… why should I care?

Verdict – Pass

Sonic the Hedgehog #235… There are about a thousand different story arcs happening in this book, most of which occur at a break-neck speed, and none of which I’d say are very satisfying.  First, you get Silver the Hedgehog, who is only margionally less useless of a character than Shadow, going on about his believed traitor in the Freedom Fighters (whom I’m leaning towards Tails, at this point), and coming off as a generally delusional hack, not some savior from the future.  Next, you get Bunnie, mourning over her hospitalized husband.  Rather than stay by his side, she leaves to do something.  Great domestic display there, Ian Flynn.  Have her ignore the man she loves to take a gamble somewhere else.  Then you have Tails and Amy, doing who cares what.  Generally, they’re being emo.  After that, you get Rotor quitting from the royal council after they vote to exile Nicole’s consciousness to Freedom HQ outside of New Mobotropolis.  While I can appreciate the symbolic gesture Rotor was going for… Rotor… YOU JUST FORFEITED YOUR SEAT OF ACTUAL POLITICAL POWER AGAINST IXIS NAUGUS JUST SO YOU COULD PROVE YOU WERE HAVING A HISSY FIT OVER A DECISION YOU DISAGREED WITH!  Geesh, how dumb can a smart guy be?  Now, Naugus can put someone, oh say, an apprentice of his, in that position to always vote his way.  We’ve already seen that the former Reserve Freedom Fighters will automatically make the worst possible decision possible, Rosemary Prower doesn’t seem to have rhyme nor reason for her votes, and Charles… is spineless on that council.  After that, Sonic the Hedgehog mopes and throws temper tantrums.  Our hero, ladies and gentlemen!  Finally, the only thing of merit to this book, Harvey Who, who comes across as a legitimate mastermind, recruits Silver to his “Secret Freedom Fighters.”  I appreciate the attempts at drama for this book, but it’s either out-of-character drama or it’s set-up to which we have no reason to become immediately invested in.  Ian Flynn, you find new reasons to make me hate you with every book you write, don’t you?

Verdict – Pass

Thunderbolts #172… I can’t say I’m thrilled with the fact that this series is going to be re-branded as Dark Avengers and, unless it really wows me, I’m likely going to drop it.  Seriously, this act of re-branding series’ mid-run bugs me.  Thor becoming Journey Into Mystery, for one.  It bugs me almost as much as re-numbering.  I say, be proud of your heritage and keep your true numbering.  If you want to do volume numbers, than acknowledge the volume you’re on.   But if you DO change your numbering, don’t change back will-nil for milestones.  You broke your chain, now you start again!  Anyway, Thunderbolts.  It starts what will be the final arc as the Thunderbolts face the Thunderbolts of the Heroes Reborn era.  It’s got some potential, as we see Moonstone confronting, well, Moonstone.  Obviously, this time-travel to face their past-selves is non-canon due to Marvel’s laws of time travel, but then again, this is the Joe Quessada Marvel that ignores such rules by the sake of their own convenience *coughOneMoreDaycough*.  The issue itself was okay, but uninspired to say the least.  Honestly, it was a little too slow for me.  Not what I’d call a bad issue, but far more could have happened to start this final arc with a bang.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

We’re ending on a high note this week.  Wolverine and the X-Men #8.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Wolverine only really works, in my book, on team books or while flanked by several characters to play off of his dynamics, with him playing off of theirs.  This is why Wolverine is fondly remembered when he’s paired off with the likes of Kitty Pryde and Jubilee, but issues where it’s him being “the best at what he does,” aren’t quite remembered so much.  This is why I dropped the Wolverine solo book in favor of this one and it’s been a damn good investment, I think.  We don’t get bombarded by the Mary Sue-prone nature of Wolverine’s character, but we still get to see him being a bad-ass.  This issue, however, isn’t all about Wolverine.  He’s mentioned and he has some minor scenes, but this is more about Sabretooth trying to help the Hellfire Club get back at Wolverine and his school.  More importantly, it heavily features Sabretooth’s attack on the S.W.O.R.D. satellite and an awesome battle between him and Beast as he tries to save his would-be girlfriend, Abigail Brand.  It’s a fun issue with a lot of good action and some good moments from the students, including a particularly sweet scene between the “reborn” Angel and Genesis.  Wolverine and the X-Men has been a generally fun series and it’s good to see this series challenge expectations and develop its own unique identity.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

And with that, we’re done here.  Now go out there and pick yourself up some comics.  I hope I’ve piqued your interest with some of these books and I hope you’ll consider them… the good ones, anyways.

Cheers;

Master Graveheart

The Back Stack: April 4, 2012

Hey everyone.  I hope you’ve been well.  Got a few comics to talk about this week (of course), so let’s get down to it.  There are some very good comics to consider this week, but there are also some comics that you’ll want to think twice on.  As always, spoiler alert.

Aquaman #7.  Aquaman continues to pretty much be the benchmark of every book in the DCnU.  It brought a character once thought eternally disgraced by the Superfriends cartoon and brought him back to his rightful place as one of the heaviest hitters in the comic book universe.  This issue brings back Black Manta and apparently he has a connection to some of the disturbances in recent issues.  We also get some more development as to Aquaman’s backstory in the DCnU.  As a new reader to Aquaman, I’m not sure how much of a deviation this is, so I’ve got a bit of an advantage.  For those who know, the results may vary a bit.  However, the DCnU was made SPECIFICALLY for new readers and damn to the old readers, apparently.  Still, letting the series stand as is, this is an excellent book and I can’t recommend it enough.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Avengers #24.1 was pretty darn good.  It focuses on the life of the Vision after his resurrection, including confronting She-Hulk, who tore him in half in Avengers Disassembled, and Magneto, father of his ex-wife, Scarlet Witch.  We get good emotion and good moments, especially from the oft-underused She-Hulk.  This is how a Point One issue should be written; an interlude story along the way that doesn’t interrupt the main thought process of the series.  Bendis seems to be a master of these Point One issues.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he fathered the concept.

Verdict – Recommended

Avengers vs. X-Men #0.  There isn’t a whole lot to go on.  We get the return of the Scarlet Witch to regular action in saving the day, which I’m glad to see.  She also confronts Vision, and it doesn’t end well.  On the X-Men side, Hope tries to prove she’s ready for the impending arrival of the Phoenix Force.  Honestly, this issue’s a bit flat after the Avengers arc, but we get some good characterization from Cyclops and his focus and deterimination on the road ahead while showing genuine concern for Hope.  However, it’s still a little light to entirely recommend.  It’s a nice diversion.  Word of warning, though.  If you’re going to get it now, you missed out on one of Marvel’s digital download codes.  Seriously, Marvel, if you’re going to do this, can you at least offer the code with a little bit of a longer cash-in expiration date?

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

Daredevil #10.  What more can I say about the new Daredevil run?  The storyline is great, the characterization is great, the action is great, the artwork is great, everything about it is just great.  This is the level of excellence that Daredevil was meant for.  This story continues the major storyline involving the Fantastic Four 4, the organization that wants it, and the conspiracy against Matt Murdoch.  It also features a pretty darn good fight between Daredevil and Mole Man.  Freakin’ MOLE MAN.  We realize just how insane Mole Man can be and how driven he is when he puts his mind to something.  There’s also a rather touching moment regarding Black Cat, Daredevil’s new lover, who confesses her being hired by the organization to steal the 4.  This is a complete read and I can’t recommend Daredevil enough.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Green Lantern:  New Guardians #7 was good, but in this week’s sea of truly great books, it doesn’t do anything to stand out from the crowd.  The Lanterns fight a being who can be best described as an alien angel, and he is VERY powerful.  He’s existed for aeons and has a blood feud with Larfleeze, who killed his kin.  Some intriguing character development for Arkillo, the Yellow Lantern, but this issue’s big focus was on Saint Walker, the Blue Lantern, whom tried all he could to understand and try to help the angel understand, but it didn’t work.  I hope they work that a bit and develop Saint Walker more.  The ultimatum in the end does a good job of progressing this arc, but I’m wondering how it’ll inevitably tie in with the other two Green Lantern books and the impending war with the Alpha Lanterns.  It’s not bad, but if you’re on a budget, there are far better comics out there.

Verdict –Recommended

The Mighty Thor #12.  This is a feel-good book through and through.  Thor makes his triumphant return and, in doing so, restores the original memories of those around him.  He takes the fight to the impostor Thor, just as one of the All-Mother portions does battle with the troll queen.  We even get some interlude with Loki in the end and one last wrong was righted.  I won’t call this a deep book, because it isn’t.  I wouldn’t even call it entirely epic.  You COULD make the argument that it was rushed so Thor could be in Avengers vs. X-Men that’s coming up next month.  However, taking it on its own merits, it’s a book well worth reading.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

The New Avengers #23 was dumb fun.  We get some last minute elaboration on Skaar and his connection with Captain America as well as the New Avengers beating the crap out of the New Dark Avengers.  I think the New Dark Avengers will go down as one of the worst supervillain teams of all time.  None of them were particularly impressive in their fight with the New Avengers.  Heck, even Ragnarok, one of the biggest threats in the Marvel Universe, was punked out in a single issue.  Sure, it took all of the New Avengers to beat it, but Ragnarok is a clone of the GOD OF THUNDER.  The book ends on a somber note for Luke Cage and I think we’re going to have a case of what I call the Genesis Syndrome (reference to last year’s Sonic Genesis), when a promising storyline gets put on the back burner in favor of some mega event only to be picked up later.  It’s not something I want to see.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

Superman #7 continues to give me mixed feelings about the series.  While we started off with a good mix of character, action, and story, we seem to have begun to lose one or two of them per issue since the first couple issues.  In this issue, we get good action and decent character for Clark Kent/Superman, but the story was bland and forgettable.  Unlike with Aquaman, where I’ve had near-zero investment in the character, I am VERY familiar with Superman and seeing us tread over old terrain rubs me the wrong way.  I’m sure there are readers of the old Aquaman books who can say the same about this one, but I’m not one of those people and I can only give you MY opinions.  You all, of course, are free to disagree with me.  That’s the beauty of this world.  However, even accepting that we’re going to have to start essentially fresh with Superman, this way is actually very boring to me and I don’t know if I’m going to be inclined to stick with this book for the long haul.  Books like Aquaman have been hitting all the right notes recently in terms of the relaunch.  Books like Superman have been… spotty.

Verdict – Cautiously Recommended

We’ll be closing out The Back Stack with a title that’s been really disappointing me lately.  Teen Titans #7.  Now, I was there for the start of the last run of Teen Titans.  In comparison, while this series started off on a much larger scale, but it just doesn’t seem to really be coming together for me.  Most of the characters are uninteresting, the seemingly necessary crossovers with Superboy is disheartening, and the characters I do find interesting haven’t exactly shined like I’d hoped they would.  And, might I add, I REALLY hate Solstice’s redesign.  Her look at the end of the last Teen Titans run was unique, interesting, and had a very magistrate look to her.  This… she’s fog.  While I do like Wonder Girl in this, she’s been a little one-note for me.  I can’t say the Teen Titans have been a very impressive superhero team, either, especially getting out of the gate.  I am going to keep reading, but my patience with this book is wearing thin.  Unlike Sonic the Hedgehog, I have no extensive rose colored glasses for Teen Titans.  I’ll drop it like I did Ultimate Spider-Man when that Miles Morales nonsense didn’t appeal itself to me in the slightest, and Ultimate Spider-Man was the book that got me into comics on a grander scale.

As for this issue itself, it was pretty boring, especially since I didn’t read the Superboy issue that tied in with this.  The Teen Titans are making it a point to rescue Superboy from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., after some weak convincing from Red Robin.  A good note on this is that the most antagonistic of the group, Wonder Girl, is the first to volunteer.  Like I said, she’s probably been my favorite character in this misfire of a series.  However, Red Robin comes across as colder than Batman, especially in his conversation with Solstice about mid-way.  I’m sorry, but I’m finding it very hard to become invested in this book and I probably won’t stick with it much longer unless the next issue really wows me.

Verdict – Pass

And there you have it.  This week’s Back Stack.  I did miss Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8 when I went to the shop last week, so hopefully I’ll get it up today.  Fingers crossed.

Now get out there and read some comics!

Cheers;

Master Graveheart

The Back Stack: March 28, 2012

Welcome back, Grave Diggers.  We have a huge week, so let us get this show on the road!  As always, spoiler alert!

Amazing Spider-Man #682 began the big epic that we’ve all been waiting on since Doctor Octopus began embarrassing and one-upping the great minds of the Marvel Universe including Iron Man and Mister Fantastic and, honestly, it’s damn impressive.  Doctor Octopus really stepped his game up and created a threat that certainly has to be among one of the better in recent memory.  His threat is that he’ll burn the world asunder unless the planet acknowledges his greatness for all time as the savior of the planet, and in doing so, he’ll use the very technology he’s using to threaten the world with to maintain it indefinitely.  He’s more or less blackmailing the planet, but honestly, for simple acknowledgement, I’d go for it if it means keeping the planet in order… then again, this is Doctor Octopus we’re talking about, so it’s safe to say there is more to it than that.  It looks like Spidey is going to bring in the Avengers to help out with this one (as the Fantastic Four and X-Men are both conveniently away at this time… all of them?  Seriously?).  Nonetheless, we also continue subplots with J. Jonah Jameson going after Horizon Labs for what almost happened to his son, as well as a little bit of Peter and MJ.  And honestly, I just like the name of this arc.  “The Ends of the Earth.”  I really hope this one ends up as good as I expect it to be.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Avengers:  X-Sanction #4 brought to a close a decently-sized and generally pretty good four-part mini-series.  There isn’t a whole lot to say, really, other than there is some animosity between the Avengers and X-Men, which sets up the upcoming mega event for Marvel this year.  We get some good action and nobody dies in this one, which is a really nice change of pace from most events, even the smallest.  I enjoyed this ride entirely and if I find a decently priced trade, I’d definitely consider picking it up.  I won’t call it the best, but it was definitely an entertaining read throughout four issues.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Batman #7.  Hot damn are we on a hot streak to begin off this Back Stack.  Spoiler alert, I’m giving this one another Highly Recommended.  Fact is, Batman, for as emotionless and detached as the character portrays himself as, is one of the most engrossing books on the shelf.  While this one was drastically light on action, this one was more about Batman and Nightwing and the connection between the Court of Owls and Hayley's Circus, where Nightwing is hanging out nowadays.  It’s some pretty interesting stuff, seeing how Batman is rationalizing that the Court of Owls is bringing the dead back to life.  It makes me wonder if we’ll see Batman have to fight his reanimated Great Grandfather or someone along that line, especially considering the identity of the first Talon he faced.  Quite the interesting villain.  One concern I have about them, though, is their shelf life after this arc wraps up.  I dunno.  Maybe I’m just enjoying them too much as a nemesis to Batman and that I WOULD like to see more of them.  The next issue has a real good tease and I genuinely cannot wait for the next issue.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Deadpool #52 continues an apparent step up from recent issues with added humor and storytelling, which is a good thing.  Better yet, it’s not just Deadpool we’re getting humor out of.  Bob the Hydra and even Kingpin get some comedic moments too.  The ending twist sets up the climax of this arc and… I’m sorry, I get the feeling that the one that follows this one, if it truly ends with Deadpool’s death, is going to be HILARIOUS!  Can you imagine Deadpool riding the River Styx trying to woo Death the entire way?  I get the feeling we’re going to see Thanos again in that arc too… if it goes where it goes.  Deadpool is definitely on the upward trend and thoughts of potentially dropping the book are fading fast.

Verdict – Recommended

Fear Itself:  The Fearless #11, on the other hand, has really been letting me down.  We get some good action, but I still can’t help but feel that all this build-up, ten issues worth, just isn’t living up to anything.  The Serpent’s Destroyer is powerful and a definite threat, but considering we only have one issue left, which is going to need resolution at the end, leaves me thinking that whatever happens will feel rushed and unsatisfying.  If the Serpent’s Destroyer showed up earlier, it would have probably helped the prospect, but right now, I am not looking forward to what lies ahead.  I could be wrong, though.  Like I said, though.  This series hasn’t been bad, but it’s just been so slow, and now I fear it’s going to get rushed at the end.

Verdict – Pass

Ghostbusters #7, on the OTHER other hand, continues to be an excellent series stemming from the movie series.  We get some damn-near perfect characterization and good moments between the four heroes, a villain who you genuinely believe is a force to be reckoned with, and well-written dialogue that sells you that these are, indeed, the Ghostbusters.  There isn’t a whole LOT to say about this issue, other than it resolves the terror in the Cony Island ghost problems and next issue will likely be a one-shot.  One disappointment?  Nothing from Kylie, whom had been a nice nod to old fandoms.  But nothing major, really.  One thing I will say is that Peter Veinkman is VERY well portrayed here.  That’s all I’m going to say.  Read it for yourself.  Then again, you SHOULD be reading this.

Verdict –Recommended

Green Lantern Corps #7.  This focused primarily on John Stewart and his murder of a fellow lantern, not to mention bringing his body to his home planet where we see just how bad this affects them.  It’s nice to see, but we don’t see any repercussions or confessions from John about this, which I think is a major cop out, no pun intended.  He killed a fellow officer.  And he got away with it.  Granted, I wouldn’t want the Guardians of the Galaxy being the ones punishing him either, but, eh, it wasn’t a satisfying conclusion for this.  The bits with Guy Gardner telling off the Guardians and the family’s emotional reactions are good bits, but I don’t know if I can use that to fully recommend this issue.  In fact, sorry, I can’t.

Verdict – Pass

Invincible Iron Man #514 was one of the more coherent stories in recent memory with one thing becoming clear.  Tony Stark may refuse to be Iron Man anymore to avoid any sanctions from rival Justine Hammer.  With the reprucussions of his getting drunk catching up with him, it’s making me wonder who’ll really take over the suit.  Moreso, how will Stark get out of this and stop the bad guys this time?  My money is on the man who was Detroit Steel becoming the new Iron Man, but I’m probably going to be wrong about that.  Good stuff in this issue with good character and action bits.

Verdict –Recommended

Justice League #7 was a colossal waste of time and energy.  I can’t find myself cheering for anyone on the Justice League outside of Aquaman and maybe Cyborg.  Hal Jordan and the Flash aren’t winning me over, Superman’s been a disappointment in this book, Batman’s acting like a grade A jackass, especially regarding the Justice League International, Wonder Woman in this universe is dead to me… the only character I actually found myself cheering in any degree was Steve Trevor.  STEVE.  FREAKIN’.  TREVOR.  Wonder Woman’s would-be squeeze.  Oh, wait, she turned him down already!  So, what, we’re going to find she’s sleeping with Superman like all the writers wanted all this time?!  While I’m digging Steve Trevor’s personality in this book, it’s not enough when you consider this book is about the JUSTICE LEAGUE.  If this is the book that introduces us to the New DC Universe, than it is making me want to abandon ship completely.  I’m giving this book one more issue, but if it lets me down again, I’m dropping it.

Verdict – Pass

Sonic Universe #38.  This may be partially because I missed the first issue, but I had absolutely zero investment in anything that was going on.  Apparently, Snively has a plan to overthrow Eggman and rule the world with the Iron Queen and he attempted to get Hope Kintobor, whom he claims is actually his sister, not niece, to go along with him.  It ends as well as you’d expect.  Hey, that girl has SOME brains.  Ian Flynn, on the other hand, does not.  Honestly, the only thing that makes me feel as though this arc will be resolved is if I get to see Robotnik give the little banana nose a savage beating.  Also, we get more interations on how Princess Sally is “lost forever.”  Ian, since we know she won’t be like this forever, trying to reinforce the contarary as blandly and juvenilely as you do is just a waste of time and effort, much like your entire career as a writer!  YOUR COMICS STILL SUCK!

Verdict – Pass

Supergirl #7.  This wasn’t so bad, actually.  We get Supergirl resolving herself to defending people in a nice bit of development for the character, including her battle with the Worldkillers.  It ends with a mystery that, while only four Worldkillers attacked, there are, in fact, five.  Yeah, I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that Supergirl is the fifth Worldkiller.  Still, a fun issue, great action scenes, and I’m looking forward to more.

Verdict – Recommended

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:  Infestation 2 #2… was pretty disturbing, actually.  On some pages, it honestly looked like tentacle hentai.  I’m dead serious.  I don’t know what this two-parter actually accomplished either.  What does this do for the Turtles universe?  Was it necessary?  And what was Infestation 1, anyway?  I just… don’t know why this story had to be told.  It didn’t grow the characters.  It didn’t advance any subplots.  It felt like a big waste of time.  If you’re going to sell me tentacle hentai… you know what?  DON’T send me tentacle hentai.  Especially not Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tentacle hentai.

Verdict – Pass

Thunderbolts #171 was another huge letdown.  This issue focuses on Songbird, who gets stupidly seduced and kidnapped by an old enemy of Namor’s.  I used to see Songbird as someone with a little more sense than she showed and what happens in this issue wasn’t particularly inspiring for her or her character.  Why did she need to go through this?  Was it just an excuse to get her in a bikini for 90% of the issue?  Granted, I don’t mind seeing her in a bikini for 90% of an issue, but I’m begging you, give me some better context!  On the upside, we do see how intelligent she is as a superhero when she isn’t getting wooed by ugly looking supposedly hot guys.  Maybe I’m being too hard on this issue because there are good moments… maybe I just don’t like seeing Songbird turned into pure eye candy and stuffed into a dumb storyline.

Verdict - Pass

We end on Uncanny X-Men #9.  This is a big team-up with the Avengers, one Hope seems particularly excited for.  In fact, guess who is the focus of this story?  Hope Summers!  Who’d have guessed?!  This is setup purely for A vs. X, but it isn’t bad by any stretch.  While not a particularly memorable issue, I do like seeing the characters play off of one another.  We also get more of Namor trying to seduce Emma Frost back into his bed.  I don’t mind Emma Frost’s eye candy moments so much as I do Songbird because, well, Emma Frost has kind of been remade to BE the eye candy.  She’s still a competent character, though.  And in Namor’s defense, he actually shows concern for her, unlike Cyclops, as Emma herself notes.  Yeah, this is going to end well for poor Cyclops.  I can’t say I’m fully excited for A vs. X, but I won’t say I won’t be reading, simply because I’m genuinely curious.

Verdict – Recommended

Hey everybody, it’s time for TRADE PAPERBACK CORNER!

Knuckles the Echidna Archives vol. 2 continues the excellent line of digest-sized trades of the old Sonic titles.  You know, when the series was actually fun?  This one collects Knuckles the Echidna issues #4 through #9 and it’s worth every bit the $10 I paid cash for.  I believed, once upon a time, that Knuckles’ book was better than Sonic’s in many ways.  The stories were darker, the scale felt more epic, and Knuckles was an imperfect hero.  It also had a better cast by and large, in my humble opinion.  I cannot recommend the Knuckles Archives books enough if you don’t have the individual issues.  In my case, I was missing one of them, so that alone was worth the price of admission.

Verdict – Highly Recommended

Sonic:  Genesis.  This big, bulky, $25 money-drain only rubs salt in the wound of an already terrible mini-series that inevitably amounts to NOTHING in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic universe.  I thought some of the extras would help.  I thought reading the series out of context and without the interruptions to the main storyline would help.  I thought maybe even the bigger presentation would help.  Heck, I thought using my store credit would help.  IT DIDN’T!  Sonic Genesis sucked when it came out and it sucks now!  It’s everything that’s wrong with the first and third Mega Man arcs, but now in Sonic’s comic.  It’s Sonic going through the first two Sonic the Hedgehog games on Sega Genesis, almost step by step.  It’s an uninteresting mess of a story and I’m embarrassed to have decided to pick this up over DC’s The New Teen Titans: Games, which retails for the exact same price.  WHY DID I BUY THIS PIECE OF TRASH?!  You want to know why?  Because I grew up on Sonic and, knowing how hard the old stuff is to find, I buy the new stuff so I can avoid future frustrations.  Ian Flynn is benefitting from the work of superior writers like Karl Bollers, Ken Penders, and Michael Gallagher.  I don’t know who to be more angry with; Ian Flynn for making these comics, myself for shelling out hard-earned money for them, or the fans for making the Sonic Comics so beloved that it becomes a case of “you snooze, you lose.”  Ugh, this four-parter is just AWEFUL and doesn’t even make a good stand-alone book, since the ending immediately leads back into the main story line.  Yes, you get a part of the issue beforehand, yes, you get the whole next issue afterwards, but it STILL doesn't tell a complete standalone story like it should.  Don’t repeat my mistake, people.  Don’t buy this trade!

Verdict – Venomously Pass

There.  Done!  And relatively on time too!  A shorter week to come next week.  As for me, that last one put me in a funk.  I need something happy to get out of it.  Oh, look!  Aquaman, The Mighty Thor, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come out this week!  And hey, if that fails, I got my backlog of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episodes.

Cheers;

Master Graveheart