Cry Caine-Comic Reviews

[Killshot Caine]

52


General Information
Publisher: DC Comics
Format: Limited Series
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 2006-2007
Issues: 52
Main Characters: Adam Strange,Animal Man,Steel,Batwoman,Black Adam
Booster Gold,Ralph Dibny,Lex Luthor,Will Magnus,Renee Montoya,The Question,Steel,Starfire,Natasha Irons
Synopsis: Aftermath of Infinite Crisis


52 was alot like Marvel's Civil War not in the sense that the heroes were fighting amongst each other but more on the level that it digs deep into the emotions and feelings of DC's heroes & protagonists.The best part of 52 for me is that DC was able to pull of what I thought impossible for them, they began to make me a fan of characters I probably wouldn't have cared about before.Characters like Booster Gold,Batwoman,& The Question (Renee Montoya) weren't really on my radar before and with the Trinity (Batman,Superman,WW) absent there was plenty of time for characters like those and even other Justice Leaguers who don't get as much respect to prove themselves and gain some notoriety.

If you know anything about Booster Gold you know that he's kind of arrogant but at the same time he doesn't really receive much recognition for the work that he does among people who admire superheroes. In 52 you learn that he's kind of owned by corporate sponsor's.His costume now comes complete with logo patches of corporations that wanted to buy into Booster as a superhero.Now the fact that Booster has become grossly unpopular do to his corporate whoring and his style of heroism yet he still puts his life on the line kind of reminded be of Iron Man during Civil War and after Secret Invasion. The American people kind of lost faith in superheroes because of the Stamford incident.He tried to use the registration to regain their trust and in the end nothing he did was good enough.

Meanwhile Superboy (Conner Kent) has passed on as has the wife of Ralph Dibny (Elongated Man).Most of the time you see Ralph in 52 he is really torn up about what happened to Sue.Of course with two characters dead and the idea that most characters live forever in comics you know that someone is going to try and bring them back.Ultimately Ralph fails to resurrect Sue but i'll save the details of what he does and what he goes through in case you plan on reading 52.

Lex Luthor away from all this creates what is called the Everyman Project.A program that would give powers to people who otherwise are just regular people.Of course you know that Lex Luthor isn't just going to be making regular people superpowered with no consequence. Well in having problems with her uncle, Natasha Irons joins the Everyman project and becomes the superhero known as Starlight.Lex gives Henry (Steel) powers as well, without his consent causing an argument between He & Natasha over hypocrisy.Luthor is kind of starting a cult of superpowered beings now.A group of people who have to be loyal to Luthor or he can shut their powers off.If you want to read 52 for yourself I will spare you what happens to the Everyman project.

What happens with Adam Strange,Starfire,& Animal Man is kind of out of place here as they are traveling outer space and later joined by Lobo.I'll also spare the details of this part of the book but I will say some cool stuff happens with Animal Man.

52 was my first real encounter with Black Adam.He is the ruler of Kahndaq.Most of the scans and images I have seen Black Adam before this have been of him killing people,ripping arms off,ripping characters in half, etc. You would almost think that Black Adam was a villain but in reality he's just an aggressive ruler.Adrianna Tomas now with the power of Isis teaches Adam that his powers can be used to create peace.There is more that goes in to Adam's portion of 52 but i'll let you read it for yourself.I will just say that Isis,The Question (Montoya),& Batwoman are instrumental in taming Black Adam.He becomes more of a Black Panther type ruler than a Namor. Something happens later that changes this but again I won't spoil it.I'll let you read it for yourself.Also read World War III for more.

In the closing of 52 of course you know Renee Montoya becomes the new Question as the original Question was facing death.Earlier in the story it appears that Booster Gold's robo-sidekick, Skeets betrays him but in actuality he was inhabited by Mister Mind whom plans to feed on time itself after his evolution.

No other DC event or series of books has ever made me care so much about so many of their characters.The writers of the 52 series did wonders for character development.It's also one of the very few events in comics where there were no cop outs.The story was intriguing from beginning to end.


THE GOOD
-The art was good all the way through
-The storyline was very good.This is a book I had to make myself read because i'm not the biggest DC fan and the Trinity didn't have a role in the book but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
-This book added a few favorites to my collection as far as characters are concerned.

THE BAD
-With all the characters I started liking in this event.One that I didn't was Sobek.Animorphic characters are the lowest form of character creation possible and DC has too many.


I give this series a
9 out of 10
NEARLY PERFECT

[Killshot Caine]

5 RONIN


General Information
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format: Limited Series
Genre: Samurai\ Feudal Japan\Mythology
Publication Date: 2011
Issues: 5
Main Characters: Wolverine.Punisher,Psylocke,Hulk,& Deadpool
Synopsis: Short stories based on Marvel Superheroes\Anti-Heroes set in Feudal Japan.


5 Ronin #1 Wolverine-So basically the 5 Ronin books are based on 5 different Marvel Heroes but it's set in feudal Japan.The characters have been changed a little to fit that era. Now Wolverine is a character who already has some origin and background in Japan so he fits nicely in this type of setting however this book doesn't excite me.It doesn't make we want to read the others.Wolverine's story is a revenge story,The End.There aren't any interesting twists.

5 Ronin #2 The Hulk-I like this one most of all because instead of making Hulk a Ronin Samurai that transforms into a monster.They made him a giant. Well giant in terms of feudal Japan..he's not actually that big.I thought that this was a good idea to work off of for Hulk because most people though he wouldn't fit in with the other characters being that he's not a martial arts oriented character.

5 Ronin #3 The Punisher-This issue is much like Wolverine's.The Punisher is a skilled martial artist so being a Ronin warrior isn't anything farfetched for his character.Also his storyline is loosely based around his 616 story only with a feudal Japan twist.Nothing special here.

5 Ronin #4 Psylocke-So in this issue of course Psylocke, or as she's known in the series, Butterfly is a Geisha. Her role basically is to serve men. In this case she serves them with sex. The best part of this issue is her fight with Wolverine but other than that it's exactly how you'd expect it to be with no interesting additives.

5 Ronin #5 Deadpool-Although they didn't do much to change Deadpool, I like the way he's depicted in these comics. What I don't like is this story is almost exactly like Wolverine's.It's a revenge story.He was betrayed and now he wants vengeance.All the characters of the series are seen in this book but nothing significant really happens.


THE GOOD
-We got a good series of covers out of this as far as the artwork is concerned and the interiors are pretty good as well.
-Interesting to see what they did with the Hulk

THE BAD
-The stories aren't really out of the ordinary.Hulk is the only character that doesn't really fit but they failed to deliver and interesting story overall.

I give this series a
4 out of 10
DISSAPOINTING

[Killshot Caine]

AGE OF HEROES


General Information
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format: Compilation\Limited Series
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 2010
Issues: 4
Main Characters: Gravity,Blue Marvel.Taskmaster,Squirrel Girl,Thor,Spider-Man,Captain America,Cloud 9,The Young Masters
Doctor Voodoo,American Son,J.Jonah Jameson,Radioactive Man,King Hyperion,Captain Britain,MI:13
Synopsis: Collection of short stories about different Marvel heroes



These comics should keep going.This is a good format but poorly executed in my opinion.It reminds me of Astonishing Tales in the sense that it's a compilation of stories and nothing really happens in any of them.When I saw the cover of the book I got excited and it was during Dark Reign or Siege that I first saw the preview.I thought things were looking up for Marvel in the Heroic Age.

So the very first story in this book is about J.Jonah Jameson.You know how he's a douchebag and doesn't really like heroes? Well some heroes (The Avengers) do some heroic stuff in his presence and everyone loves them again and he's pissy about it.The End.

The second story is about Doctor Voodoo.He goes on a date with this chick and the date is seemingly ruined by his duty to combat the supernatural but by the end it turns out she's cool with it.This is significant because you find out in Marvel Divas that Voodoo isn't much of a player.He isn't really good with the ladies.He was kind of dating Monica Rambeau but she insist she doesn't really like him even though she slept with him.

The Third story is more of a newspaper comic.When I say nothing really happens I mean nothing of significance.It's about Captain Britain and MI:13 being knighted.It's like two pages.The End.Pete Wisdom makes a corny joke at the end.

In the 4th story, Spider-Man fights the Griffin and wins in one page worth of combat..really like two panels.The End.

Overall it was a waste of time.These stories seem like random events cut out of another comic

The second issue is a little better.First it kicks off with a fight between Gravity and Radioactive Man.Pretty Epic. And then if you aren't reading any American Son, you can get a little taste of what he can really do as he takes on an unnamed monster.The Young Masters and Gauntlet stories are like a page each.Not even worth a mention.Nothing happens.

Probably the best of the bunch.The third issue kicks off with the Liasons of each Avengers group.Agent XIII (Secret Avengers),Victoria Hand (The New Avengers) and Maria Hill (Core Avengers)..Love their costumes BTW.They end up fighting Absorbing Man and yes technically they do win. The second story is about Blue Marvel and there's a little montage showing some good feats for him..probably the best we've seen from him even in his miniseries.Then he fights Hyperion whom he gets the victory over.

In the third story you have Taskmaster showing some skill.What I liked about this is when they showed Taskmaster using the moves of another character they put like a red film over a part of his body and over that film it shows you the character whose move he is using but it's set up so that it looks kind of like that part of his body becomes there's.Very creative.I would like to have seen more but it was pretty cool for Taskmaster.

The last story is about Squirrel Girl.It's completely insignifcant.She doesn't so anything but be Squirrel Girl.That's it.

Overall I think if every issue was like this one..this would have been one of the best series I have ever read.It seems like this issue was just an appetizer.Like they had the freedom to do all this cool stuff and they wasted it on low-substance story line.

The last issue pissed me off.On the cover there is a quote from CBR (Comic book resources) that states that this book sets the tone for the Heroic Age with wit, style, and class.They have to be kidding me with that quote.It doesn't do that at all.All it does now especially with this quote is heighten out anticipation for a series of books that so far have been mediocre.Anyway, the first story is about Shuri or Black Panther.It pisses me off that she is using the name Black Panther and the Black Panther is using the name Black Panther.She needs to be her own character.I like Shuri.I really do but she's not the Black Panther.T'Challa is.Anyway she beats up some A.I.M guys and when she gets home she is confronted by naked party pictures that were floating around the internet of her.Very funny.This story DOES set the tone for the Klaws of the Panther series as Shuri beats down the local bully like T'challa would.

The second story is wasted on Captain America as it depicts half of what happens when Namor brings him to the Avengers.

The third story is about Zodiac.He doesn't do anything though and the last story is about Cloud 9.Captain America gives her the "I am the greatest soldier alive so here's some advice" speech and she's all happy.This last story kind of pissed me off because it makes me think about the fact that Cloud 9 is no longer in the spotlight because Marvel cancelled Initiative for a mediocre book with less members with less than creative power sets.

THE GOOD
-You get to see stories with alot of characters that don't always get enough spotlight in Marvel Comics
-The art overall throughout the stories has been very good.Some of the covers are mediocre but the interiors are always good.


THE BAD
-most of the stories are two short and nothing happens.


Overall I give this series a
5 out of 10
AVERAGE

[Killshot Caine]

AGENT X


General Information
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format: Ongoing Series (Cancelled)
Genre: Espionage\Anti-Hero
Publication Date: 2002-2003
Issues: 15
Main Characters: Agent X,Deadpool,Black Swan,Beverly La Coco,Taskmaster,Sandi Bradenberg,Outlaw,Fight-Man,Dante
Synopsis: Agent X replaced Deadpool with a similar protagonist, while including ambiguous hints as to the nature of his relationship with the original character. Agent X was well-received by critics but wasn't a sales success. Some felt this title suffered due to Marvel's lack of support for both this and Soldier X as neither title enjoyed house or trade support. Simone publicly clashed with Marvel's editorial staff as the relaunched title struggled to find a foothold. Simone left the book after issue 7, with the protagonist's true identity still unrevealed.

Agent X first appeared in Deadpool but Deadpool was a failing book at the time having suffered through many experimental story arcs so Agent X was to be his replacement.Early in the books they begin the creation of Agency X which would be his supporting class and later become supporting cast to Deadpool in his solo book later after the end of Cable & Deadpool. He first meets Sandi Brandenberg when he appears beaten and injured at her home and she kind of takes care of him. Later when you see him in combat you find out that Agent X has a comparable healing factor to Deadpool and with his appearance it kind of seems like he's a clone but is never revealed where Agent X comes from or whom he really is.

He has a sort of sexual relationship with Outlaw that was seemingly intended for Deadpool.This is where I begin to like the character.They show how she becomes a great shooter which seems to be one of her outstanding abilities aside from her class 10 strength (which isn't really shown in this series).

Taskmaster's role in this comic is master.He teaches Nijo or Alex Hayden whomever he's supposed to be, how to fight.In a short time of being trained Alex becomes a great fighter and even defeats Taskmaster.

Agent X is a mercenary so I'm sure you can figure out that most of what happens in this books isn't really of any relevance to the Marvel Universe or anything else but what I can say is it's actually a fun read.Agent X manages to capture all of the things that Marvel has tried with Deadpool for years.

First of all I found myself actually laughing out loud at many of the scenes in this book.It takes the Marvel Universe and really makes fun of it and they do it more in a "Nextwave" sort of fashion instead of having Agent X say a bunch of nonsensical things to try and get a laugh.The artist on this book Alvin Lee was really good on Deadpool during the closing of Volume 2 and he was even better on Agent X.He made that book what it was.When he moved over to Udon and started doing Street Fighter I was thrilled because his ability to capture combat is really nice.Agent X's supporting cast itself was interesting but their interactions are what really built the stories in the book.

THE GOOD
-The Main character was an instant hit with me.I disappoints me what they did with him in the present.
-The Supporting Cast was amazing.They didn't treat Taskmaster with as much respect as I would have liked but I still enjoyed him in this book.
-The book was genuinely funny


THE BAD
-If you read this from beginning to end you'll realize that this book doesn't really matter.It's a good read but nothing Agent X does has any real meaning.In that respect it's alot like Deadpool's book and is partly the reason I don't read that.

I give Agent X a
7 out of 10
NICE

[Killshot Caine]

ALIAS


General Information
Publisher: Marvel Max
Format: Volume
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 2001
Issues: 28
Main Characters: Jessica Jones,The Avengers,Jessica Drew,Luke Cage,Purple Man,Carol Danvers,Scott Lang
Synopsis: Origin Story of Jewel\Jessica Jones

The idea of Alias started as a book that would be about Jessica Drew who the writer Brian Michael Bendis is a fan of but it wouldn't have worked continuity and storytelling wise so instead he later wrote a book for Jessica Drew after Secret Invasion dealing with her abduction by the Skrulls and created the character Jessica Jones.Jessica was human until she was involved in an accident with radioactive material and slipped into a coma.When she woke from her come she had superpowers that included flight,super speed,and super strength.

As an adult she is a private investigator.Her investigations allowed her to come across alot of superhero types some of which were her friends.It is later revealed that Jessica was an awkward kid who didn't have many friends and was at some point less popular than the young Peter Parker whom we all know as the original school nerd. She has a crush on Parker but he doesn't find out until they are both New Avengers for now she is just that girl who used to like him.She had an encounter with Thor as a kid that made her feel as if she had a reason to live.

Jessica currently dates Scott Lang (Ant-Man) who ends up dying in this series and she later meets Luke Cage.Their exchanges created some of the funniest moments in comics.Of course you know that later they get married. Before all that Jessica's investigations leads her to Mattie Franklin who was repeatedly raped and abused by Purple Man. Purple Man and Jessica have a similar history as he's done the same to her.

SPOILER ALERT: Jean Grey helps Jessica overcome Purple Man's pheromones and get revenge.

I like Jessica Jones Origin story because it's not all sunshine in rainbows.To see her now as an Avenger and to see where she came from is an amazing journey. The art in this book wasn't bad but different. It was interesting to see where she started with Cage and I like the way they tied in Spider-Man and the other Avengers.I also like the team of Jessica Jones & Jessica Drew.

THE GOOD
-Interesting Story (One of Bendis' masterpieces)
-Purple Man was alot more interesting here than he had been in the past.He was a joke as a Daredevil villain.Virtually a punching bag.

THE BAD
-Jessica Jones hair color changes so much with no explanation.I didn't know what her actual hair color was until she appeared regularly in Avengers.Some covers her hair is purple,some it's brown,and others it's red.
-This is a Marvel MAX book so there is alot of unnecessary profanity.

I give Alias an
8 out of 10
MUST READ

[Phantom Stargrave]

Wow. Excellent reviews man.

On the subject of Sobek, it help when you know he was supposed to be the equivalent of Captain Marvel's talking Tiger, thus completing the Black Marvel family. But regardless of that, I think he does the job he was supposed to do pretty well as a character.

[Killshot Caine]

Sept 22, 2011 13:53:55 GMT -5 Phantom Stargrave said:

Wow. Excellent reviews man.

On the subject of Sobek, it help when you know he was supposed to be the equivalent of Captain Marvel's talking Tiger, thus completing the Black Marvel family. But regardless of that, I think he does the job he was supposed to do pretty well as a character.

I understand that I just can't get into Animorphic characters conceptually.I don't care what personality traits you add it's still an Alligator.Thanks for the props on the reviews.

[Killshot Caine]

DARK AVENGERS: ARES


General Information
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format: Miniseries\Spin-Off
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 2009
Issues: 3
Main Characters: Ares,Norman Osborn,H.A.M.M.E.R,Kyknos
Synopsis: Ares training H.A.M.M.E.R for Siege


I kind of like the premise of this book.Norman is starting a war against unregistered heroes and Asgard.Who better to lead an army than the God of War himself.So Ares is the New trainer for H.A.M.M.E.R agents.The rest of the comic kind of depicts phases of Ares training and how the agents get interact with each other and as it progresses you see that Ares style and demeanor is starting rub off on them in their actions.His mother, Hera comes to see him in the middle of this and she tells him all that he's been missing with his family from Hercules to his son while he is working for Norman.

So Hera told Ares in the last issue that there was something going on with his son.Naturally you would think it was Phobos because that's the only son we've really seen so far but in actuality it was Kyknos. If you don't know who Kyknos is apparently he's the son that Ares wants to forget.Knowing this he wants to battle Ares and bring Undead Hyrda Soldiers along for the ride.

The Final issue of the series.I'm sure you know what happens here.This is the last issue.Ares has already been fighting Kyknos along with his army so of course you know Kyknos isn't victorious.

THE GOOD
-The concept of this book is very good
-The artwork fits very well with the story
-Brutal combat as usual

THE BAD
-It's too short.It seems like this is where an Ares ongoing should start but it's only 3 issues.A good ending but not much happens.

I give this series a
6 out of 10
GOOD

[Killshot Caine]

DARK AVENGERS


General Information
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format: Volume\Tie-In
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 2009-2010
Issues: 16
Main Characters: Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn\Green Goblin),Ms.Marvel (Moonstone),Sentry,Captain Marvel (Noh-Varr),Dark Wolverine (Daken),Hawkeye (Bullseye),Morgana Le Fay,Molecule Man,The Void,Ares
Synopsis: Norman Osborn becomes America's hero and in turn takes Iron Man's place as the head of the Registration Act and leader of the Legal Avengers whom are actually just the Thunderbolts, posing as Avengers with the help of Sentry,Noh-Varr,& Ares.Two of which were in Stark's Mighty Avengers
Event(s):Dark Avengers,Utopia,Siege

If you like to see your favorite characters either do nothing or have everything about them flushed down mutilated and forced down your throat, then Dark Avengers is for you. The idea of the book is actually very interesting. It's basically the same premise as Thunderbolts (villains posing as heroes) but these characters are protected by the United States government,which the ACTUAL heroes were trying to gain the trust of. So basically this book is about Sentry and Iron Patriot so I don't really get the point of it being called "Dark Avengers" as the this is the most pathetic team of Avengers i've ever seen.

The bulk of the book revolves around Norman Osborn and what he plans to do now that he is in charge.Of course you know at this point that this eventually leads to Siege but before all that he spends alot of time turning Sentry into the monster that he calls the Void.Having read and extensive amount about Sentry beforehand this book kind of throws me off because Bendis seems to at this point change what little we know about Sentry.

Technically through this whole thing the Void has been the dominant host over Robert Reynolds so he appears physically as the Sentry but his mindstate is mostly Void and when you see him otherwise he's broken mentally.He's almost a child.He doesn't know right from wrong.He's basically just a powerhouse that follows orders.Norman just keeps baiting and baiting and bating the Void and eventually something happens but I'll get to that in my Siege review.

Now The rest of the team do f#ck all accept have sex with Moonstone.Half the team is getting busy with Moonstone and that's about the gist of what she did in this book.Noh-Varr doesn't do much until the Annual when he quits the team but i'll get to that when I review the annual. Bullseye & Daken don't really do much of anything until Siege and the same goes for Ares.

Noh-Varr did help Lindy (Sentry's wife) try and kill him.She asked Iron Man years ago to try and kill Sentry because she's afraid of him.That's when it gets weird.I remember there was a big uproar about Sentry stating he was Galactus.

THE GOOD
-This is the book that drives the Event.
-Deodoto's art is just as good for this book as it was for Thunderbolts

THE BAD
-The story revolves around two characters
-This is the book where Bendis completely ruins the Sentry, mischaracterizes Noh-Varr,& makes Moonstone a whore.

I give this series a
2 out of 10
GOD AWFUL

[Killshot Caine]

ABSOLUTION


General Information
Publisher: Avatar Press
Format: Limited Series
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 2009
Issues: 6
Main Characters: John Dusk,Alpha,Steel Rain
Synopsis: In real-life police departments, officers who work in Special Victims Units must rotate out, or otherwise they become affected by the horrible things they see in the course of their jobs. Absolution explores the idea that if police departments employed superhumans, what if they were rare enough that they were the only ones who could do their job, and stayed in that capacity for too long, becoming mentally and emotionally destabilized.

Absolution is the classic story of that line between hero and vigilante.We've seen heroes work for the American government and government organizations before but very few have we seen work for a local police department. That's what we see here in Absolution.The main hero John Dusk is a superhero,more or less a crime fighter who works directly with the police to take down criminals. Over the course of this short run though you see him start to break down and lose his way. Basically he starts taking from the book of the Punisher.

He becomes a hardcore vigilante and begins killing criminals instead of just getting them sent to jail; as he's come to the realization that the U.S. Justice system is a joke as the Punisher has.

What I like most about Absolution aside from the uniqueness of the story is the type of abilities that each character has.(well aside from Alpha) John Dusk has this symbiotic blue aura that seems to do what he wants it to do by imagination, it's kind of like how Green Lantern uses his ring. As creative as he can be with it is as good as he is with using the powers.

THE GOOD
-The blood and gore.Very action packed.
-Introduction to a new hero
-Unconventional storyline
-Creative powers and shown uses in comic

THE BAD
-Too short.I kind of wanted more.

I give Absolution an
8 out of 10
VERY GOOD

[Killshot Caine]

DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON


General Information
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format: Miniseries
Genre: Vigilante
Publication Date: 2006
Issues: 6
Main Characters: Colleen Wing,Misty Knight,Iron Fist,Riccadonna,Humbug,Rhino,8-Ball
Synopsis: Taking a look at Misty Knight & Colleen Wing before Heroes for Hire v2

This is basically what you would get if Quentin Tarentino could have gotten a hold of a young Pam Grier and a young Uma Thurman and made Kill Bill a duo situation. Colleen reminds me alot of Uma as the Bride in Kill bill from her costume, to her use of the Katana and Misty Knight is clearly inspired by Pam Grier as Foxy Brown and those character styles go together very well.

This is the best female duo in comics as far as i'm concerned. The book is full of action, it doesn't waste alot of time on boring details, the art is really good and basically defined those characters. It was like when Alvin Lee did Agent of Taskmaster. Or when Jim Lee or Dustin Ngyuen does Batman, I almost don't want anyone else to touch those characters because their versions are so good.

This is book is basically a teaser before Misty became the leader of the Heroes for Hire and it's a good one at that.

THE GOOD
-This book has some of the best feats for Misty's arm.It seems to be inconsistently displayed in the future.
-I had already been reading Heroes for Hire when this came out and when I went back and read this (as a Misty\Colleen fan) it was satisfying.
-Marvel couldn't have picked a better artist than Khari Evans for this book.

THE BAD
-I would have liked to see more skill from Misty & not so much raw power.

I give Daughters of the Dragon a
7 out of 10
SATISFYING

[Killshot Caine]

ADAM STRANGE


General Information
Publisher: DC Comics
Format: Limited Series
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 1990
Issues: 3
Main Characters: Adam Strange,Alanna Strange,Sardath
Synopsis: The First Book of Adam Strange

Adam Strange is essentially an earthling or as we are called in some mediums, a "terran" who deals with extra-terrestrial matters. The style of this book is kind of nostalgic because it feels like really old story and it is.

The book goes on to tell the story of Adam Strange, sadly beyond his basic concept it's not really that interesting. I personally am someone who likes alot of action in books and this more focused on the story of Adam and tries to get you to understand him as a character and it struggles to keep my attention. Even though It was only 3 issues I kind of fought through it. I wanted to know more about Adam Strange but for me it just felt like it explained too much and didn't fulfill my expectations as a reader.

THE GOOD
-i didn't actually learn something about the character.
-The art works well with the type of story it is
-There were small stylistic elements that I thought improved the aesthetic of the book.


THE BAD
-It's kind of boring
-As much as I learned about Adam Strange, this book didn't make me care about the character. I'm just an open minded reader and I don't have a problem seeking other reference material on him.

I give this short series a
4 out of 10
SNOREFEST

[Killshot Caine]

AGENTS OF ATLAS (VOLUME 1)


General Information
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format: Volume
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 2007
Issues: 6
Main Characters: Jimmy Woo,Namora,Gorilla Man,Marvel Boy,Human Robot,Venus,Yellow Claw,Jann of the Jungle
Synopsis: A unlikely team once worked together to save President Eisenhower in the 50's, years later the reassembled for a different cause.

This is a very obscure team of heroes and I guess they should be, considering their first appearance was in What If #9. The team is alot like the Secret Avengers, they are kind of a black ops team that kind of has ties to SHIELD,and the CIA and different government organizations and their missions are always behind the scenes. The style of the book kind of stylistically plays on the fact that the team was created in the 50's. It has a very vintage feel to it which I find interesting.

The first couple of issues kind of run down what type of team they are and what type of work they do. There's some flashbacks in there, there some montage type stuff that kind of let's you in to their past and the dynamics of their team so you know what you're getting into. Every issue however seems to really connect the team and there's alot of character development.

In all, this book is written very well. I think they do a great job of giving every character some time in the spotlight. Althought the team seems like a random assortment of characters they have good chemistry together and it's written in away where no character is more important to the team than any other. It's basically the very definition of how a team book should be written.

I give this volume an
8 out of 10
VERY GOOD

[Killshot Caine]

AGENT OF ATLAS (VOLUME 2)


General Information
Publisher: Marvel
Format: Volume\Tie-ins
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: 2009
Issues: 11
Main Characters: Jimmy Woo,Suwan,Human Robot,Gorilla Man,Venus,Namora,Namor,Hercules,Temugin,Wolverine,Mr.Lao,Man Mountain Marko
Synopsis: The Agents deal with the rule of Norman Osborn
Event(s): Dark Reign,Terror of the Jade Claw

This is one of the only things from Dark Reign that's even readable and it's very good. Like the first series it really does a good job of giving every character their moment in the spotlight even though it's very short. The art in the book is amazing, and it's possibly the only time in Dark Reign where the Sentry appears and he actually behaves the way you would expect him to. This is kind of the way you really want team books to be written. It's very interesting from beginning to end and for some characters like Marvel Boy and Venus there is some flexing of abilities. You really get to see what these characters are capable of in this series.

Since the Agents aren't a new team but they haven't really had alot of material in which they appeared they really spread the stories between what was going on for them during Dark Reign and things from their past that show up in their present. I like that because as someone who tries to get to know as much as I can about character it kind of fills that need.

The Terror of the Jade Claw arc was very interesting and I hoped that this wouldn't be where the book ends but it does.It picks back up later in a book simply entitled Atlas but that was a great arc to finish the book off on. This series put alot of members of this team on my favorites list. Accept Human Robot,Gorilla Man and Jimmy Woo, i've become a fan of these characters individually. I really liked the addition of Temugin to this team as well. It was nice to see him.

THE GOOD
-Very well written plots
-Characters who weren't regulars in the book were written very well and in character.
-The art is amazing

THE BAD
-I didn't really like the Atlantis issues in the middle of the volume.

I give this volume of Agents of Atlas a
9 out of 10
MUST READ

[jakefury]

Vance-do you plan on reviewing the Agents of Atlas crossovers with the X-Men & Avengers?

Damn, I miss this team...
:-(

[Killshot Caine]

Oct 6, 2011 19:36:16 GMT -5 @jakefury said:

Vance-do you plan on reviewing the Agents of Atlas crossovers with the X-Men & Avengers?

Damn, I miss this team...
:-(

Yea I will when I find those books. I've read them but I don't have a copy of them anymore and they came out a while back so I don't quite remember the story.

[jakefury]

Cool. They were both pretty decent.