Avenging Spider-Man #7
I've been getting Avenging Spider-Man sporadically though when this issue was announced, I knew that I had to get it. The Immonens + She Hulk = EPICNESS!!! The issue starts with She Hulk and Spidey in the sewers fighting some giant fish thing. She Hulk leaves, saying that she has to go to the opening of an Egyptian exhibit. Spidey tries to tag along, saying that he is an expert when it comes to Egypt. However, She Hulk leaves without her partner and without changing back to her Jennifer Walters persona. Spider-Man swings by, planning on crashing the party only to discover that some shady looking people are enter the museum. Inside, She Hulk sees the same thing and goes investigating. She and Spider-Man team up again to hunt down the thieves and, after they are apprehended, She Hulk goes to get the statue that was stolen. After it talks to her, Spidey notices that something is different about her: She Hulk has grown a tail!! Even odder is that after the tail grows, it starts raining cats. After saving some civilians, She Hulk and Spider-Man get a visit from Bastet, the Egyptian Goddess of cats. Seeing as She Hulk is now part cat (like Bastet), Bastet tries to make She Hulk serve her. Spidey devises a plan on the fly, which sees him don an ox head and pretending to be a servant for Neith. After convincing Bastet that Earth is in safe hands with She Hulk guarding it, Spidey makes a crack about She Hulk's tail (which has now disappeared) and goes out for gyros.
This issue was a fantastic read and it is my favorite book of the week. After having the the character driven issue #5 and the Omega Effect tie-in in issue #6, this was a fun issue that breaks away from the more serious tones of those previous issues. As stated earlier, having the Immonens on for an issue was a fabulous idea, as both of them are amazing at what they do. Kathryn's script had me laughing all throughout the issue and, though it was corny at times, the issue read well. The way Kathryn wrote Spidey and She Hulk and the way they played off each other was perfect. Stuart's art on the book was phenomenal as well. I've enjoyed Stuart's art since Ultimate Spider-Man so he is always welcome in my book. It's been a while since I've seen his art, as he's taken some time off it seems after finishing Fear Itself, but he is a perfect Spider-Man artist and I would not mind in the slightest if he were to do an issue or two of Amazing Spider-Man (or at least a story in #700).
Grade: A+
Scarlet Spider #5
No set up for this issue, just straight action. Kaine is shown hunting down criminals, demanding to know where the location of a nuclear bomb is. After a quick shot of people arriving at the University of Houston, Kaine is shown interrogating the criminal he just caught when Officer Layton shows up to stop Kaine. After Kaine uses some Other-worldly powers, Layton and Kaine race off trying to find the bomb while going over a bit of a recap on how we got to this point. The duo arrive at the University of Houston to discover that the men shown earlier stole materials to finish the bomb from the radiation lab. Layton tries to call it in, but he and Kaine get shot at. Kaine easily takes down the shooters as we see the call being passed on from the local level up to Iron Man himself. Layton and Kaine locate Rainer, the man behind the bomb. Kaine tries to get the info out of Rainer, but he kills himself. Kaine then uses some more Other type powers, showing that he can talk and listen to the spiders, thus discovering the location of the bomb. Kaine arrives at the Houston Underground and finds the bomb, noticing that there is only 2 minutes left. With 5 seconds left, Kaine pulls some wires, dismantling the bomb and saving Houston.
This was an interesting issue of a comic that has been pretty decent. However, I was somewhat disappointed after I finished reading it. It was another case of where there was something missing that kept the book from being something really, really good. For me, it was the writing for the issue. Chris Yost has been writing some great stuff on Scarlet Spider, but for me this issue was off. I did like the comedy aspects of this issue, like Kaine saying not to mention anything with the name "Pete" or thinking he is being punished for being called the "Scarlet Spider". Despite all that, I just could not get into the book as much as I would like. It read better the second and third times I read through it, but it was not as satisfying as I would have liked it to be. The art by Neil Edwards is very good, however. With Ryan Stegman taking a break before his saddening final issue of Scarlet Spider, Neil steps in a delivers some really great art.
Grade: B-
Batman #9
The next chapter of the Night of Owls storyline shows Bruce going all out against the army of Talons. Bruce is shown throwing down with the Talons, continuing the set up from the last issue. Although Alfred is trying to get him to come inside the armory for safety reasons, Bruce stays out and fights, stating that he can go rough on the Talons, seeing as they cannot die by normal means. Using as many gadgets and tricks that he has, Bruce eventually escapes the Batcave thanks to the arrival of bats. Yes, actual bats come to Batman's rescue. Bruce suits up in his normal suit and drives out to aided those who need it. Batman goes after Jeremiah Arkham (seen in Detective Comics #9) and Lincoln March, introduced in Batman #1. When Batman arrives at March's place, he discovers that March has taken out a Talon, but is gravely injured himself. He gives Batman a list of people who he believes is part of the Court and tells him to tell Bruce that he should still fight for Gotham, to make it a better place. After March passes away, Bruce calls Alfred and informs him that he is going for the Court now.
In the back up tale, we find Alfred's father, Jarvis, writing a letter to Alfred himself. In the letter, Jarvis tells Alfred that the house of Wayne is cursed and that he wishes that he could have found out about it earlier. Jarvis drives away and it is shown that someone is watching him and plans on coming and killing him. In the letter, Jarvis details his love for the Wayne's, especially for Bruce. The Waynes decide that it is a time for action when discussing the corrupt mayor and Jarvis agrees with them. However, in the letter, Jarvis says that, due to his advice, is entirely his fault. It is then revealed that a Talon is the one who was watching Jarvis.
The final chapter before the two part finale of the first arc from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo does not disappoint in the slightest. I know some people have grown tired of the Owls and the constant stating of the Wayne history, but I'm still really enjoying it. I particularly liked the scene where Bruce used the T-Rex in the Batcave as a his "guard dog". Scott's writing has be dynamite on this title and I'm expecting the finale to be as amazing as the 10 issues before it. The art, in both the main story and the backup, are equally amazing, as Greg Capullo and Rafael Albuquerque knock it out of the park. I'm so pumped to read the finale to this story and I can't wait to find out what the next story is going to be (hopefully something involving the Joker).
Grade: A-
America's Got Powers #1
This has been out for a little while so I won't talk much about it much despite the fact that I really enjoyed reading this. I really wanted to pick this up when it first came out but I had to get the second printing, which is okay by me, as long as I got it. Though I was initially interested by Bryan Hitch's artwork, when the plot was released, that was the thing that really got me interested in the book. Having a TV show about people competing with superpowers. This is the first Image series that I've picked up and, seeing that it is pretty good so far, I'm going to look into getting more Image comics (besides the Walking Dead because I'm picking up the trades).
Grade: A-
The Avengers
This was, without a doubt, the greatest Marvel movie that I've seen. The culmination of the 5 movies before hand went off perfectly and I could not be happier. The thing that surprised me the most about this movie was that it was funny. I went in thinking that it was going to be a more serious movie, dealing with a team of odd balls gathering together to stop the evil forces. It was, but it was injected with ample amounts of humor. Each character had great scenes, but for me it was Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner who stole the show. I was not expecting his performance to be one of my favorites (partially due to me wanting Edward Norton to return) but now I cannot wait to see Mark play Bruce in his own solo Hulk film. Being a Captain America fan, I was happy to see a good deal of Cap scenes, especially his fight with Loki in Germany. Oh, and Scarlett Johansson is a phenomenal Black Widow (she's also ridiculously hot too). Overall, this is the best movie I've seen in recent memory and it will hold a spot in my greatest comic book movies for a very long time. Plus, as an added bonus, there was the Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises trailers attached to the film. So it was a great time and a great movie that I hope will open the doors to more great Marvel movies. Oh, and THANOS!!!!!
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Grade: 5 Stars
Alright, that was a huge post. Next week's reviews will probably be just as long, as there are going to be 5, maybe 6 comics reviews. Plus, I'm slowing working on my two stories and I hope to have at least one started by the end of next week.
Thanks for reading!
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