Road Rage #1

(IDW – writers: Joe Hill and Stephen King; adapted by Chris Ryall; art: Nelson Daniel)

With the talent attached to this title, I had very high expectations. I’m a huge Stephen King fan. I have all the first editions of his books, as well as several limited editions of his Dark Tower series, and I jumped on board American Vampire, initially, because of him. The same can be said for Joe Hill. Locke & Key is one of my favorite series, and I’ve read and enjoyed both Horns and Heart-Shaped Box. (more…)

Deadpool #50

(Marvel – writer: Daniel Way; art: Carlo Barberi)

My only real experience with the character of Deadpool is through Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force. In that series, Deadpool is limited to a few quips, and he doesn’t serve a major role in the story. He does provide serious muscle and comic relief.

I also know that Deadpool can’t die. This factor has come up a few times in Uncanny X-Force, so when I saw that Deadpool would be facing death in his own series, I wanted to find out how. The comic I read, however, lacks coherence and clarity, and it only showed me why I’m glad I haven’t read an issue of Deadpool before and why I won’t again. (more…)

Amazing Spider-Man #679

(Marvel – writer: Dan Slott; art: Humberto Ramos)

In the previous issue of Amazing Spider-Man, one of Peter’s colleagues at Horizon Labs opened a portal to 24 hours into the future. What he saw was the total destruction of New York City. Given just hours to figure out how to save everyone, Spider-Man swings all over the city, trying his hardest to avoid a catastrophe he can’t locate. The issue ended with Peter’s time running out as he waited for the world to end. So when I opened this issue, I couldn’t wait to see how Slott was going to resolve one of his best cliff-hangers. The resolution, however, sucked. And this issue was a slap in the face to Spidey fans. (more…)

Alice in Wonderland #1

(Zenescope – writer: Raven Gregory; art: Robert Gill)

Zenescope has already tackled Alice in Wonderland in another series entitled Return to Wonderland (which I didn’t read), so I’m not sure what makes this series that much different. I think this is seen as a prequel to Return to Wonderland, where readers get to see all the craziness Alice encounters when she first goes through the rabbit hole. Like any other Zenescope property, women are depicted as little sexpots, wearing clothes straight from a “Sexy Costume” website. Despite this misogynistic take on Alice, Gregory still writes a pretty good story that utilizes the aspects of Alice in Wonderland that readers know best. (more…)

Superior #7

(Millarworld – writer: Mark Millar; art: Leinil Yu)

Looking at all of Mark Millar’s latest work, I enjoyed Superior the most. The book has heart, like Millar really wanted readers to understand that regardless of our disabilities, everyone can be a superhero. Superior isn’t as great as The Ultimates or the original Kick-Ass, but it’s a step in the right direction (and quite an improvement from the shit-bag that was Ultimate Comics Avengers). The book is littered with clichés (including my least favorite, “Once and for all!”), but the story has a pretty epic ending and it manages to maintain its heart – even if it is a bit too hokey. (more…)

Scarlet Spider #1

(Marvel – writer: Chris Yost; art: Ryan Stegman)

My first experience with a maxi-series was Maximum Clonage, a bloated run of several different books aimed at reinventing Peter Parker and making him more interesting to new and old fans alike. It failed. The Clone Saga set the bar for a series run amok, so why Marvel feels the need to tap into that resource is beyond me. I guess they thought there weren’t enough Spider books on the market. (more…)

Fatale #1

(Image – writer: Ed Brubaker; art: Sean Phillips)

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have racked up quite a catalog of work in recent years. Beginning with Incognito, the duo started presenting more noir-style tales with gritty visuals, manly dialogue and visceral violence. Everything about the stories made them feel less mainstream than Brubaker’s other work, like his ongoing Captain America run. (more…)