Pages

Showing posts with label brubaker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brubaker. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Comic Book Reviews for 10/24/12

In one swift stroke, Marvel has concluded some of the most impressive superhero runs of the last decade. Ed Brubaker's 8-year stint on Captain America, Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca's 4-year run on The Invincible Iron Man, Jonathan Hickman's mind-expanding work on Fantastic Four/FF, and Kieron Gillen's charming but all-too-brief turn on Journey Into Mystery. Luckily, most of these endings deliver in spades.

At DC, things get crazier in Batman Incorporated, I, Vampire continues to blow our minds, and Superman gets a status quo change by up and quitting the Daily Planet.

DC COMICS

All-Star Western #13

Written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti | Art by Moritat

"All-Star Western is one of the standouts of the New 52 and deservedly so. It marries interesting dynamics between unique characters with exciting investigational storylines and potent visual storytelling. Or at least that’s what it usually does. Issue #13 focuses on a new threat emerging from Haly’s Circus, but it’s hard to feel excited when everything feels so familiar." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.1

Batman: The Dark Knight #13

Written by Gregg Hurwitz | Art by David Finch

"Gregg Hurwitz and David Finch return to their horror driven Scarecrow story and the results are pretty good. Batman: The Dark Knight #13 is an interesting read. It's not spectacular, but it's a dark book filled with some frightening images. Sure, this is the same ol' song and dance when it comes to Scarecrow, but it's done well. It's probably safe to say that Batman: The Dark Knight has finally become a Batman book worth reading. That, in itself, is a feat worth praising." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.5

Batman Incorporated #4

Written by Grant Morrison | Art by Chris Burnham

"If there is one thing that can be said about Grant Morrison's Batman, it is that it's like no other Batman book on the stands. Batman Inc. #4 is crazy, cartoony fun, mixed with just the right amount of drama and heft. This issue is heavy on the action and it's a seriously good time. Every other page, somebody is getting shot with an arrow (everyone is armed with a bow for some reason). All this and the ending still has a 'no freaking way' moment that'll have you flipping back through Morrison's run trying to connect the dots." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.8

The Flash #13

Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato | Art by Francis Manapul

"The thing that really snared me about this series when it started was the frenetic presentation. Reading it was like Wile E. Coyote trying to stay in control of a pair of rocket skates. Sadly, the introductions of King Grodd and the rest of Flash’s rogues’ gallery have bogged down this title substantially. In issue #13, this problem only worsens. Rather than drilling through one villain at a time, the reader’s attention is been diluted between the lot of them, leaving the book’s main character little more than a passenger along for the ride." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.2

I, Vampire #13

Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov | Art by Andrea Sorrentino

"This is how you change directions in a comic book, guys and ladies. After the nutty developments of issue #12, the story needed an excellent pivot to continue its spellbinding narrative. Happily, Joshua Hale Fialkov delivers an excellent story from the perspective of the newly directionless Mary Seward." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.4

Justice League Dark #13

Written by Jeff Lemire | Art by Mikel Janin & Victor Drujiniu

"Hang on to your dog Toto because by the end of Justice League Dark #13 you will most definitely not be in Kansas anymore. Meaning, rising star Jeff Lemire tosses expectations to the tornado wind and delivers a hard-hitting, house-smashing ride into the freaky magic part of the DC Universe. With the Books of Magic on the line, Lemire ups the stakes while smothering his story in enough crazy magic to make the Wicked Witch of the West jealous." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.1

National Comics: Madame X #1

Written by Rob Williams | Art by Trevor Hairsine

"I honestly had no idea who Madame X was before cracking open this book, nor did I care. All I knew is that Cla$$war collaborators Rob Williams and Trevor Hairsine were the creative team on board and that was enough (if you’ve never read Clas$$war, seriously, peep it). Happily, I came away from this issue of National Comics with an excitement about this character and a familiar disappointment from the fact that I’m unsure of when, if ever, I’ll get to see her again." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.5

Red Lanterns #13

Written by Peter Milligan | Art by Miguel Sepulveda

"Red Lanterns hurts to read. Atrocitus proclaims his actions as he performs them and leaves little to be inferred or wondered about. The ultra-violence reaches an all-time high, making some of the pages hard to get through. For example, Atrocitus uses a dead body as a melee weapon. Why use that instead of, you know, his power ring? Don’t get me started. If one saving grace can be found, it lies in Miguel Sepulveda’s gorgeous artwork; I only wish his talents were being put to better use." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

4.7

Superman #13

Written by Scott Lobdell | Art by Kenneth Rocafort

"The best thing I can say about Superman #13 is that new writer Scott Lobdell brings an undeniable new sense of light-heartedness to this issue, using fun captions to establish his settings and even giving Jimmy Olsen a fleeting moment in the sun of being a ladies man. Unfortunately, the title character feels all but absent from his own book, as we’re left with a Clark Kent that is hardly Clark Kent at all; more like Peter Parker jumping ship to DC and trying his hardest to fill Superman’s cape." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.0

Talon #1

Written by James Tynion IV & Scott Snyder | Art by Guillem March

"Court of the Owls was one of the best things to come out of the first year of DC’s New 52, so it only makes sense for this Talon spin-off series to become a reality. The story follows Calvin Rose, an ex-Talon who returns to Gotham after hearing how the Court was seemingly taken down by Batman. Written by Scott Snyder James Tynion IV, the series gets off to a good start, but only that." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.1

Teen Titans #13

Written by Fabian Nicieza & Scott Lobdell | Art by Ale Garza

"To say I have had strong opinions about this new Teen Titans series is putting it lightly. Since the first issue, Teen Titans has been pretty awful. Sad, but true. So, imagine my surprise when I read Teen Titans #13 and thought that it was not half bad. In fact, it was mostly good. A good issue of Teen Titans! Crazier things have happened, I suppose, but at the moment I am having a hard time thinking of any." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0


Source : ign[dot]com

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Ed Brubaker Sells Two New Espionage Dramas

Comic book scribe Ed Brubaker recently sold projects to both FOX and NBC. He is signed on to write and executive produce for both projects.

The former landed a new stylized crime thriller series called Rising Suns, which has Kyle Killen attached to executive produce alongside Brubaker. Killen's previous work includes the excellent but short-lived series Awake and Lone Star, so hopefully third time's a charm with this latest project.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story follows "an American Yakuza underboss fighting for his life -- sometimes with martial arts skills he honed during his time in Japan -- as he gets involved with the female FBI agent who's hunting him."

Meanwhile the not yet titled series at NBC centers on "a young female agent-in-training, who is part of her agency's cleanup crew and shadows a more famous agent erasing all traces of his missions." Brubaker will serve as EP along with Peter Traugott - the latter of whom is also busy executive producing the network's upcoming midseason series, Do No Harm, and Donald Glover's in-development new comedy.


Source : ign[dot]com

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Captain America #17 Review

Considering that Ed Brubaker is about to wrap up a near eight-year stint on Captain America, you'd think the current series would be building towards an amazingly epic finish. Sadly, his run now seems poised to go out with a whimper rather than a bang. Though this arc does address some lingering plot threads, on the whole it just reads like filler until Brubaker's last hurrah in issue #19.

The problems with New World Orders are varied. The general premise of Americans being driven to violence and madness by a crazed TV pundit feels too similar to Fear Itself. The villains behind this latest outbreak of fear, the Discordians, are little more than faceless, slightly goofy-looking punching bags. At least Baron Zemo is still in the picture to lend a little bit of color to the conflict. It would have been nice if the cover didn't spoil the Zemo/Sharon Carter showdown, though.

Characterization is also a major problem in this arc. The love triangle between Cap, Sharon, and Diamondback seems forced and unnecessary. The interaction between Cap and Falcon on the helicarrier is full of stilted and even preachy dialogue as they bicker over the validity of the riots. With Brubaker taking a step back for this arc, the characters simply don't tread like they have for the past eight years.

The one element this arc has going for it is Scot Eaton's artwork. Eaton's work makes up for its lack of flashy style with a solid storytelling foundation and powerful, detailed figures. Eaton is a worthy follow-up to the likes of Steve McNiven and Alan Davis. He proves himself equally adept at massive riot scenes or outlandish shootouts on the moon. It's just a shame that this arc isn't half as interesting as that last sentence makes it sound.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. He can't wait until he's old enough to feel ways about stuff. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Friday, August 3, 2012

Remender and Romita Jr. Board Captain America

Though he wasn't on our list of names suggesting who should take over Captain America after Ed Brubaker's departure, Rick Remender is certainly a welcome name to see in this teaser image. Accompanied by comics legend John Romita, Jr., it appears that Remender will be steering the adventures of Steve Rogers in the wake of Marvel NOW!, with a new series to come in November.
marvelnowremenderromitajrsoldierjpg

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.


Source : ign[dot]com