Foilball’s Review Roundup #3

Rating System:

5 Stars: WARNING: BOOM!
4 Stars: Love it!
3 Stars: Moves the story forward.
2 Stars: Needs improvement.
1 Star: Donate to charity.

Robin #171 (****)

Blessed be all that is holy, Chuck Dixon is back on ROBIN!!! I can care again!!! This is Dixon’s second issue and things are already heating up. But first, a word from the cheesy villain of the month. Too awesome. When I read that first page I had to make sure I was still reading Robin. This is exactly what’s been missing from Robin for years… FUN! Oh, and good, well-plotted stories. And dialogue and captions that don’t make your head want to explode from lameness. Keep up the good work, Chuck!

Superman/Batman #46 (****)

This book has suffered greatly since the departure of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness. Constant creative team rotations have really damaged the focus of this book, turning it from a book whose continuity was anchored solidly in the main DCU to an anthology type monthly where nothing that happens should be taken seriously.  With this latest arc, none of that has changed, but all of a sudden the writing got a whole hell of a lot better. Perhaps this particular story has been done before (mission: collect all the Kryptonite on Earth), but I’m not a DC scholar, so I wouldn’t really know… what I do know is that this arc was well written and quite enjoyable. Problem is I don’t think Green and Johnson will be staying on after this issue. What a shame. Just check out this page and tell me this isn’t awesome? Supes getting high off silver Kryptonite? Classic. 

Teen Titans #56 (**)

It keeps getting worse and worse. I had high hopes for Sean McKeever, but anyone that thought this scene would be hilarious in a mainstream book is a… well, not smart. To me, it’s okay to do this in a book like S/B, where the continuity doesn’t matter, but not in a flagship title like Teen Titans. Editorial should know better. There so many negative things to say about this book that I think I’ll just skip to the next review.

Thor #6 (****)

A nice “done in one’ story told from the perspective of Asgard’s neighbors. I particularly enjoyed the story where Hogun helps the guy and his son fix their flat tire. The dialogue in that scene was dead on. JMS has found something truly special in this unique take on the Norse Gods. Unlike with Spider-Man, I hope his run lasts for quite some time to come. Also, OH NOES!!! Loki’s got some shit planned! Watch out Thor!

Quick Picks:  

• Cable & Deadpool #50 (***): I was really disappointed in the way that this series ended. It was one of my favorite monthly and when I heard it was being cancelled, I was pretty bummed about it. Anyway, it will be missed, but rumor has it Deadpool will be returning soon in a new solo book.
• Justice League of America #18 (*): It’s a well known fact that the editors at DC are writing this book. That’s unfortunate, because I usually really like McDuffie. Oh, what was that? He only did the back-up? *sigh*
• New Warriors #9 (*): This book started with a bang and then faded into irrelevance. Who are these guys rebelling against? The Marvel Universe has survived the Registration Act and moved on. Grab a clue, Night Thrasher! I don’t think the writer is particularly talented either (people don’t watch the Underworld flicks for the writing), so this isn’t too surprising. But, I was optimistic once… this will not be making the May order. 
• She-Hulk #26 (***): The book has really suffered in my opinion since Slott left. I usually like David, his X-Factor is consistently solid and fun, but his She-Hulk is too… awkward. She-Hulk seems uncomfortable in her own book and maybe that says more about David’s comfort level than anything else. Close to dropping this…
• Thunderbolts: International Incident (**): The first Gage book that I’ve read that’s left me with that bitter “meh” in my mouth. The stuff that tries to tie into the current Ellis continuity makes up the worst bits of the story. They were distracting and we could have easily done without them since I’m sure Ellis won’t give them a second glance.
• Ultimate Fantastic Four #51 (1/2): I have slowly come to loathe this book. With each passing arc it gets worse and worse. Approaching Ultimate X-Men levels of awful… still, I soldier on. Just look at this insulting throwback to the “eXtreme” 90’s art style. Ugh, Thanos is so lame in the Ultimate Universe.
• Ultimate Human #2 (****): Issue 2 does an adequate job of moving the plot forward but was somehow less interesting from a science fiction standpoint than the last issue. Still solid enough. I expect it to pick back up again next month.
• Warbound #3 (***): I love the Warbound as characters, especially Korg and Hiroim, but this series is kind of “Meh?” The essential plots beats are fine, Hiroim and Korg’s conversation at the end was nice, but the details of those beats are less than inspired. And the Leader as the villain? Where has this guy been all this time? Collecting dust in the outdated idea drawer. Gah, he’s still looks as stupid as ever. I’ll finish this, out of loyalty to the characters, but that’s it. 
• Young Avengers Presents: Hulking (***): This issue was fine, but in my mind, it either creates continuity problems or it spoils the ultimate fate of the time-displaced Captain Marvel. Does Hulking’s comment at the end mean that Marvel will be gone by the finale of his current mini-series?
• X-Men: Legacy #208 (***): The compulsory exposition issue made for new readers to get up to speed if they missed last month’s Messiah Complex. As for a jumping on book, it was okay, not great. Although, I loved the last page.

 

read/RANT