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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Comic Book Reviews for 8/22/12

It's a big week in comic book history, as the beloved wall-crawler celebrates fifty years of thwipping and thwarting bad guys all across the Marvel Universe. To celebrate, Marvel has unleashed an over-sized (and double-priced) issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. Also this week, one of our favorites, The Rocketeer, returns in a new standalone adventure by the acclaimed Daredevil team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee.

Over at DC, Batman goes incognito (and Bat-Cow returns), the game changes in I, Vampire #12, and Doc Manhattan makes his Before Watchmen debut.

DC COMICS

All-Star Western #12

Written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti | Art by Moritat

"Apparently no one told Jonah Hex that the Night of the Owls crossover is done and he doesn't have to deal with the Court of Owls anymore. All-Star Western #12 sees Hex and his buddy Dr. Arkham in the clutches of the Owls, with only the foul-mouthed Tallulah Black still free to save the day. I worried about how well Tallulah could carry the issue given how obnoxious her dialogue can sometimes be, but she fares better this month than she has in the past. Hex still manages a fair amount of screen time thanks to a lengthy flashback sequence. For the most part, this issue offers a fun wrap-up to the current conflict, with ample doses of violence, humor, and scarred bounty hunters getting frisky." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.5

Batman Incorporated #3

Written by Grant Morrison | Art by Chris Burnham

"It should be no surprise that Batman Incorporated #3 is a really good comic book. Every issue before it was pretty awesome. Sure, it's easy to drown in the deep, deep waters of Grant Morrison's Batman opus, but this issue stands on its own as a really great Batman tale even if it's drenched in the bizarre pathos of Morrison's Dark Knight saga. Oh yeah, and Bat-Cow is back and living in the Batcave. That alone should make this issue a must-buy." -Benjamin

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.5

Batman: The Dark Knight #12

Written by Gregg Hurwitz | Art by David Finch

"There is not much new ground being covered in Batman: The Dark Knight #12. It feels like a story that has been done before. It promises new, shocking insight into Batman's past, but it's really just the same old stuff. Nothing exciting, nothing new. If you have read a Scarecrow story before, then most of what you'll read in here will feel like a retread. Because it is." -Benjamin

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.5

Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1

Written by J. Michael Straczynski | Art by Adam Hughes

"Of the various Watchmen protagonists, Doctor Manhattan might just be the most difficult nut to crack as far as writing a spinoff series goes. For one thing, the character exists on a fundamentally different plane, not perceiving time the same way as a normal human and thus isn't well suited to the traditional flashback approach. For another, Watchmen #4 casts a looming shadow. That was the chapter which featured Jon on Mars, reflecting back on his life's journey in a very fractured but wholly engrossing narrative. Can even a writer of J. Michael Straczynski's caliber compete with that?" -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0

The Flash #12

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

"A year’s worth of Flash villains have all come together to make Hell for the Scarlet Speedster, but the lines in the battlefield aren’t as clearly drawn as you’d think. There are three different sides. Maybe four. It’s hard to tell because this issue’s plot moves at breakneck speed to set up a dire situation for The Flash Annual #1 and thus sacrifices any compelling motive behind the six villains’ actions. That said, the art looks spectacular from beginning to end. This issue reminds me of a bag of popcorn: it tastes great but it's all empty calories." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.5

Green Lantern: The New Guardians #12

Written by Tony Bedard | Art by Tyler Kirkham

"As a Green Lantern fan, this title has held a special place in my heart, but it’s hard to ignore the lack of grace in its storytelling. For a year’s worth of issues, the characters have talked and fought their way through each story development without reaching that next level of depth and intrigue that we often seek out in today’s comics. The story bends at the whim of which spectacle it wants to show off next, and while it attempts to find a heart in Kyle Rayner, it never gives the reader a compelling reason to truly invest emotions in him." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.0

I, Vampire #12

Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov | Art by Andrea Sorrentino

"Joshua Hale Fialkov has somehow topped the jaw-dropping events of I, Vampire #6 to once again devastate the status quo with a surprise conclusion. Yet no matter how outrageous his plot twists, he seems incapable of doing wrong. If you’re not reading I, Vampire, then make this the next comic you sink your teeth into." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.5

Justice League Dark #12

Written by Jeff Lemire | Art by Mikel Janin

"Not too long ago, DC had a very strict rule about letting characters from the Vertigo universe interact with the regular DCU. But now that there is no distinction between the two universes, certain books are taking advantage of the new freedom to mingle. Case in point -- Justice League Dark is quickly turning into fanboy heaven for anyone who adores DC's various horror and magically tinged properties." -Jesse

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Final Score:

8.5

Scalped #60

Written by Jason Aaron | Art by R.M. Guera

"It’s hard to believe, but we’ve reached the end of one of the most engaging works to come out of Vertigo in the last decade: Scalped. It’s been a long, hard road paved with blood (lots of blood) and a fair share of misery to boot. If, for some misguided reason, you were expecting a happy ending, well, you’ve got another thing coming. To his credit though, Jason Aaron manages to subvert expectations and concludes this series in a fitting, if not entirely definitive, manner." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.5

Teen Titans #12

Written by Scott Lobdell | Art by Brett Booth

"Did we skip an issue? Did something happen in another comic? How did we end up in a cabin in the woods? It seemed, for two issues, as though Teen Titans was getting better. Maybe not great, but better than it had been. Now, it's the same old crap. This comic, for lack of a better word, sucks. It's horribly paced, over written, and so convoluted that it's nearly impossible to care about any of these characters." -Benjamin

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

3.0


Source : ign[dot]com

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