Hello there. This is going to be a huge, massive, crazy long review post, seeing as I was in Spain last week and I've had a backlog in comic reading. Not only will there be comic reviews, but there will also be some TV reviews, something that I have not done in what seems like forever, plus a few movie reviews. So, there will actually be two review posts, one for comics and one for the rest of the stuff.
Amazing Spider-Man #680 & #681
The first part of Spidey in space, the final arc before Ends of the Earth, reunites Peter with his best guy friend, Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch. After a hilarious scene involving Peter bringing Torch back up to date with the world, the duo go into space for a rescue mission to save John Jameson. Of course, nothing goes smoothly and discovers that Doc Ock is behind the whole situation, sending his octo-bots on to the space station as a part of his master plan. The issue ends with the trio getting ready to face a horde of octo-zombies under Doc Ock's control.
The second part continues the pulse pounding action with a whole bunch of explosions and a meeting between Spider-Man and Doc Ock for the first time in what seems like forever. Thanks to some quick thinking by the web head, Doc Ock's plan seems to fail. After some more quips and some planning, Spidey uses his magnetic webs to gather all the zombies and, using an escape pod, the group land back on Earth safe and sound at spring break in Daytona Beach. Little does Spidey know, however, is that Octavius's plan has finally come together and will be set into motion in near future.
Written by Dan Slott and Chris Yost, this is the typical funny yet dramatic Spider-Man story that almost everyone loves. Given that Ends of the Earth is rapidly approaching, having a comical two parter is a perfect way to ease into it, especially given that Doc Ock plays a big part in this story. For me, however, the true star of this two parter was Giuseppe Camuncoli. His artwork truly shined during this story as it was the strongest it has looked since he joined the book and I cannot wait until "No Turning Back", Giuseppe's next arc and the tie-in to the Amazing Spider-Man movie. I didn't believe it was possible, but my excitement for Ends of the Earth increased thanks to this extremely well done arc.
#680 Grade: A
#681 Grade: A
Ultimate Spider-Man #7 & #8
The continuation of the new storyline, these two issues are drawn by two different yet extremely talented artists. In the first issue of the two issues, Miles really starts his Spider-Man training by watching parts of the Spider-Man movie filmed during the Hollywood arc of the first volume of Ultimate Spider-Man. After discovering that his dad hates super powered people like himself, Miles decides to go out and tryout the limits of his powers. Cut to Uncle Aaron, who is interrogating the Tinkerer about the quality of his products and, eventually, the new Spider-Man. Aaron eventually discovers that Norman Osborn created the first Spider-Man and that Miles was bit by a spider very much like the one that bit Peter Parker. Meanwhile, Miles takes on and defeats Omega Red, proving that his training is starting to pay off. The issue ends with Aaron confronting Miles at his school with what seems like an agenda.
Issue #8 picks up right where #7 leaves off, with Miles telling Ganke to leave so he can talk to his uncle alone. Aaron tells Miles that he knows that he is Spider-Man and he then attempts to blackmail Miles into working with him. However, the school security shows up and forces Aaron to leave the school campus but not before Aaron tells Miles that they will be talking soon. Elsewhere, Captain Quaid talks to the Kangaroo about the new Spider-Man and the Scorpion is shown to have come to America in search for the Prowler aka Aaron. However, the Scorpion realizes that the gangs in New York need a kingpin and that he is the perfect person to fill that position. Later, Miles sneaks out of his room to suit up and get some air, thinking about what his uncle had to say earlier when the Ringer shows up and almost defeats Miles but the young hero defeats the thief. Miles prepares to leave the scene when Frank Quaid and his squad show up, demanding to speak to Miles.
After a slightly slow beginning, Ultimate Spider-Man has finally begun to return to form. I love the way that Bendis is writing Miles and his development over the last few issues. One of my favorite scenes from the series so far was in issue #7 where Miles, his mom, and his dad are all sitting at the dinner table discussing super heroes. For me, that moment seemed like a strong catalyst for future angst for Miles, wanting to tell his folks about his double life but doubting if he will be accepted. Though these issues are fairly well done, there are a few things that I did not like. The major one was the characterization of Omega Red in issue #7. I don't know why, but I believe that Omega Red should be more of a threat, not like the Shocker or Ringer.
Art-wise, two great artists tackle the books in the forms of Chris Samnee and Sara Pichelli. First off, I enjoy both artists though I prefer Pichelli more. I don't want to like Samnee's art for whatever reason but I cannot bring myself around to doing so. Chris's work has always been a touchy style for me strangely but I really enjoyed it this issue and I hope he continues to draw this well over on Daredevil. Then there is Sara Pichelli. What can I say, I love her artwork. I cannot believe that there was a time where I did not like her work and now she is one of my favorite artists in the business. Though this will probably be her last work on the book for a little while seeing that she is working on the Spider-Men mini-series, just having her draw an issue made the book feel like home again. Next issue is the first issue for new Ultimate Spider-Man artist David Marquez, who will be rotating arcs with Pichelli, and his stuff looks great as well. The book that got me into comics continues to impress and it does not look like it will be taking the foot off the peddle any time soon.
#7 Grade: A-
#8 Grade: A
Venom #13.4 & #14
These issues are the final two in the "Circle of Four" storyline and they are pretty good. Lots of drama, backstabbing, and heroics, despite the difficulties that the team has working together. #13.4 starts with Doctor Strange and Daimon Hellstrom trying to keep hell from spreading to the rest of the Earth. The spirit of vengeance escapes from Strange and starts heading towards Johnny Blaze, as Alejandra "died". However, just before the spirit reaches Johnny, Gari Oyle, Blackheart's "girl", steals it and brings it to her man. However, the heroes emerge safe and sound and agree to team up to stop Blackheart from taking over the world. Before they do so, however, Hellstrom gives into Blackheart's coaxing and he and Strange are taken by Blackheart and Hell spreads. The team puts their plan into action and attempt to get the spirit of vengeance back but the plan falls apart after Alejandra betrays the team. However, the issue ends with Rulk merging with the spirit of vengeance and the Venom symbiote.
At the beginning of #14, the finale, we are shown a de-powered Flash, taking down as many demons as he can before he is ripped to shreads. Jump to Ghost Rulkenom, who has taken the battle to Blackheart, and then to X-23, who tries to help Johnny Blaze before she is attacked by Gari Oyle. Alejandra picks up Flash just before he is killed and he forces her to follow the plan, as all she wants is the spirit of vengeance back. After Rulk accidentally powers Blackheart up even more and Alejandra pushes Flash out of a taxi, Flash and X-23 team up and blow up Gari Oyle. Meanwhile, Blackheart and Rulk continue to fight and Rulk gets his hands on Blackheart's antithesis mirror, creating the one thing that can defeat the demon. After Blackheart is defeated, Alejandra reclaims the spirit of vengeance, much to Blaze's dismay, Flash gets the symbiote back, and Captain America arrives with a gang of heroes. Cap tells Flash that he is under arrest but Rulk stands up for Flash, telling Cap that Flash is a hero. The Hanks, Pym and McCoy, offer to power down the symbiote and make sure it stays dormant, allowing Flash to remain Venom. Cap agrees to this and lets Flash off the hook. However, while things look all good for the heroes, Daimon sees that Rulk, X-23, and Flash have been marked by the Devil.
"Circle of Four" is over and I must say, I really enjoyed this storyline/mini event. I went into the event thinking that I was going to get it when it was all over but I picked up #13 and instantly changed my mind (scroll down to see the review or just click here). These two issues, done by regular writer Rick Remender, wrap up the story very well while at the same time open doors to the future, especially with 3 of the 4 heroes being shown to have been marked by the Devil. Art wise, both issues had two Venom regulars back in action, with Lan Medina drawing issue #13.4 and Tony Moore drawing the epilogue issue #14. Moore is probably one of my favorite artists at Marvel right now and Medina is proving that he is going to continue to amaze me. I wish more books had mini events like this, as it was a very well done event that seemed to read better than some of the recent big time summer events.
#13.4 Grade: A-
#14 Grade: A-
Avengers Academy #27
The Runaways arrive at Avengers Academy, but not for education. Instead, they are looking for a dinosaur not named Humberto. They are asked by Chase, a member of the Runaways, to help find his pet dinosaur named Old Lace. However, before the Runaways are detected on the premise, Humberto and Julie talk about Striker being gay and are shocked to see him holding a huge press conference, announcing that he is coming out of the closet. Though Striker thinks what he did was the right thing to do, Julie is upset about what Striker did and storms off. While Pym looks for Old Lace, the Runaways and Academy kids converse and start bonding while Pym and Tigra discuss what they will do about the Runaways, seeing as they are a bunch of kids. Using the amulet that is inside Humberto, Pym transports everyone to another realm where they discover Old Lace. However, the reuniting is brief, as the Runaways then discover the professor's plans for them and decide to take actions into their own hands.
Just like Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers Academy is having a fun little two parter before a big, dramatic storyline; in this case, the tie in to Avengers vs. X-Men. Though I have little to no experience with the Runaways before this two parter, it is very reader friendly for people like me (I do plan on reading Runaways in the near future BTW). For me, my favorite scene was the moment that Julie and Karolina. Slowly, Julie Power is becoming a favorite character for me and I honestly don't know why. The Runaways and Academy kids are written with good chemistry and the writing itself seems pretty spot on. Then again, it is Christos Gage writing, so anything else would be a surprise. Karl Moline steps in for art duties for this two parter and he does a pretty good job. Some things seem a little rough for my taste but it was overall a job well done (PS. Hazmat looks to have....grown a little in the eyes of Karl compared to other artists, not that I'm complaining). Oh, and David Lafuente did the covers for this two parter. As stated before on this blog, I love Mr. Lafuente's art so it's good to see it again.
Grade: B+
Batman Beyond Unlimited #1
An issue I just bought out of whim might become the second regular title I pick up from DC comics. I've always been a fan of Batman Beyond and I decided to give this title a shot. Boy, am I happy I did. I loved the Justice League of tomorrow, especially the new, young Green Lantern and Bats, of course. However, I believe that the main reason I bought this after a look through was the art by Dustin Nguyen on the JL Unlimited section. His art is a beautiful thing and I plan on hunting down the first two trades of Batman Beyond just for his art. Not much else to say because this issue has been out for a while plus it was a #1 so there really was a lot of set up for both sides of the story.
Grade: B
Okay, I am officially caught up on my comic reviews for the most part. My collection has some holes in it right now (still missing Daredevil #9) so I might review them if I get them in the near future. Get ready for next week's comic reviews because there is some goooood stuff coming (Batman & Ends of the Earth Part 1). I'm going to have some movie and tv reviews coming in the near future and then on Sunday, I'll be reviewing the finale of the Walking Dead as close as I can after the episode ends. Heck, I might do a special blog review for that.
Finally, a band to check out that I recently have started listening to: Rodeo Ruby Love. They be good.
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