Amazing Spider-Man #635 by Joe Kelly and Michael Lark with a backup by J.M. DeMatteis and Max Fiumara and another back up by Stan Lee and Marcos Martin.
I really liked this issue. In the last issue we get the cliffhanger of Ezekiel coming back from the dead so I was very interested in what would happen. In the end of the issue we find out that Ezekiel is actually the chameleon, which makes complete sense. I was surprised how well they fooled me. I like how Kelly has been playing with spiritual forces but at the same time doesn't go too far with them. Overall the issue was really good, with great artwork by Michael Lark and an issue full of action and intensity. I am looking forward to the rest of the series, specially considering the incredible cliffhanger at the end of the issue.
The first backup, which is written by J.M. DeMatteis is pretty good. This is the second issue in this storyline about Kraven. I liked Fiumara's artwork more here then in the previous issue, he seems to have gotten a better hold on how to draw Kraven and Kaine. The issue was pretty good, I really like the interaction between Kraven and Kaine.
The last backup, the two pages by Stan Lee and Marcos Martin are interesting. Not as good as in the previous issue, but it seems to be setting a funny series. These two pages don't work as well in isolation, but hopefully it will work well once we have all the package together.
Superman #701 by J.M. Straczynski and Eddy Barrows.
After a lackluster prologue in #700, Straczynski finally starts his Superman story called "Grounded" in which Superman walks across America to find his roots and why he is a hero. This issue has a few flaws, places where Superman says strange things (such as saying the world is unfair by mentioning that John Lennon is dead) and seems a bit pretentious at times (quoting Thoreau near the end), however I liked it in whole. I liked that Superman is not nice to reporters, given that I hate reporters that just follow celebrities. I liked that Superman cares about saving one life. The scene where he cares about a girl about to kill herself is pretty good, although one has to wonder about this scene, given that Morrison had just done this in an "All Star Superman" issue.
The artwork in the issue is not great, but it is not bad either. I think in terms of storytelling it is okay, he just sometimes doesn't draw Superman's face as perfect as I imagine Superman. Sometimes he nails it, sometimes he doesn't.
I am looking forward to the rest of the series. It was a much better issue than the prologue and I think that once Straczynski goes into rhythm we'll get better issues.
Irredeemable #15 by Mark Waid and Diego Barreto.
Issue #14 ended with the Plutonian coming at the Paradigm in full force, so this issue starts with a lot of action. The heroes have a secret weapon that can destroy the Plutonian, a bullet that has a special wax inside that is known to make the Plutonian vulnerable. One of the Paradigm's leaders, Qubit, doesn't trust the Orion, an evil alien that is helping the Paradigm destroy the Plutonian. There is a bit of a struggle between the Paradigm deciding whether to kill the Plutonian, in which case they would be vulnerable to Orion and not destroying the Plutonian now in hopes of finding a way later on. Besides all these problems, the Paradigm doesn't know that who they think is their resurrected friend Samsara, is actually the villain Modeus. In other words, all sorts of chaos is going on in this series and I love it. Anything can happen. The end of this issue was incredible, making a victory seem like a loss.
While I miss Peter Krause's artwork a bit, Diego Barreto does a fantastic job of covering him. The action scenes are well drawn and he is able to clearly show complex situations in the book. I like his artwork quite a bit.
Overall this series continues to impress. I am glad I gave it a chance last year and I will continue to read it for a while.
Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine #2 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert.
I had already forgotten the end of the first issue, so I was confused with how this issue started. However, I shouldn't worry about being confused anyways, because later on I realized that the writer just skipped months in time between the end of last issue and the beginning of this issue. Last issue was based in prehistoric times where Wolverine leads a tribe while Spider-man tries to figure out how to get back in time. At the end of the issue, Spider-man and Wolverine are thrown in time to the future, a future where humanity ended and instead of humans, ape-people rule the world. Ape-people are pretty friendly and in fact Spidey has been teaching them science these months.
The issue is quite good. Once the threat arrives, planet Doom, the issue becomes incredible. I can't believe how much detail Kubert is able to put in his art and I can't believe how outrageous this comic has been. Really fun, unpredictable and exciting. An excellent combination. I am looking forward to the rest of the series, I am very happy I am reading this series.
Showing posts with label stan lee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stan lee. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Amazing Spider-Man
Amazing Spider-Man #631 by Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo.
This is the second issue in the "Shed" story arc. The issue is very dark. Maybe the darkest issue I've ever read on Spider-Man. After the Lizard killed several scientists in the first issue, now he's heading towards his son. Spider-Man tries to stop him and he kind of those, except that the kid has been kidnapped by ana Kravinoff. Spidey doesn't know where the kid is and Spidey has to save the life of the foster mother, in the meantime the Lizard can track his kid through smell.
The art in this issue is interesting. The panels are often much thinner than normal and they create a sense of chaos. The story is not as easy to read from panel to panel because of it, but I think it works in the sense that it gives the book a chaotic feel.
Amazing Spider-Man #632 by Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo.
After the intense ending to the previous issue, Spidey arrives to the scene to realize that Connors has Shed his skin. The Lizard is no longer Curt Connors. The Lizard has taken control and therefore is no longer human, it is completely reptilian. Not only that, but he has to power to tap into the primitive parts of other people's brains and make them act on instinct. This allows him to easily beat Spider-Man as Spidey's primitive brain tells him to flee (since the Lizard is a much bigger foe).
The ending on this issue is incredible. After reading this issue I really wanted to read the next one, specially knowing that the next issue would finish the storyline.
Amazing Spider-Man #633 by Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo.
This is the last issue in the "Shed" storyline and it is fantastic. A block of New York City is in complete chaos due to the Lizard. Spidey has an antidote to prevent his primitive brain from taking control of him, but it does nothing on the Lizard, since the Lizard is all primitive brain now. However, during the fight, the Lizard seems to understand the good side of having a monkey brain, by noticing how men have created airplanes, buildings and other things. It was interesting. But the best part was that the issue was fun and exciting. The art really works with these fight scenes and I also like how the last third of the issue is drawn by Emma Rios, bringing a very different style for a different environment, helping the story too by showing the less chaotic side of things. It was also nice to see Aunt May come back to normal, although I wish there were a better explanation of why she was able to go back to normal.
Great issue and overall a fantastic Spider-Man storyline. The best I've read in a long time, at least 20 issues.
Amazing Spider-Man #634 by Joe Kelly and Michael Lark with a backup from J.M DeMatteis and Max Fiumara and another back up by Stan Lee and Marcos Martin.
This issue starts the long awaited "Grim Hunt". The Kravinoff family has been creating havoc on Peter's life for a while now and they are finally attacking him straight. The issue is very good. We get to see Spidey fighting alongside Arachne against Alyosha and Ana Kravinoff. We get to see a beaten up Kaine warn Peter. We get to see Ezequiel again (one of my favorite Spidey characters) and we get to see a little bit more of the Kravinoffs, finally understanding what they are trying to do (although without understanding why their plan will work). A solid issue, hopefully it will be even better than "Shed". Joe Kelly is a great writer and I have high hopes for the rest of this series.
The back up issue by J.M. DeMatteis wasn't that great. The art was interesting and the story was okay, but we don't get much out of the issue. I think overall the story will be okay, it seems to be leading up to a Kraven versus Kaine confrontation, which should be cool.
The other back up is only two pages. The art by Martin is pretty cool and the series seems to lead up to a funny storyline. The story seems to be a bit inspired by Pinky and the Brain. We'll see what Stan Lee can do with it. I am hopeful.
This is the second issue in the "Shed" story arc. The issue is very dark. Maybe the darkest issue I've ever read on Spider-Man. After the Lizard killed several scientists in the first issue, now he's heading towards his son. Spider-Man tries to stop him and he kind of those, except that the kid has been kidnapped by ana Kravinoff. Spidey doesn't know where the kid is and Spidey has to save the life of the foster mother, in the meantime the Lizard can track his kid through smell.
The art in this issue is interesting. The panels are often much thinner than normal and they create a sense of chaos. The story is not as easy to read from panel to panel because of it, but I think it works in the sense that it gives the book a chaotic feel.
Amazing Spider-Man #632 by Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo.
After the intense ending to the previous issue, Spidey arrives to the scene to realize that Connors has Shed his skin. The Lizard is no longer Curt Connors. The Lizard has taken control and therefore is no longer human, it is completely reptilian. Not only that, but he has to power to tap into the primitive parts of other people's brains and make them act on instinct. This allows him to easily beat Spider-Man as Spidey's primitive brain tells him to flee (since the Lizard is a much bigger foe).
The ending on this issue is incredible. After reading this issue I really wanted to read the next one, specially knowing that the next issue would finish the storyline.
Amazing Spider-Man #633 by Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo.
This is the last issue in the "Shed" storyline and it is fantastic. A block of New York City is in complete chaos due to the Lizard. Spidey has an antidote to prevent his primitive brain from taking control of him, but it does nothing on the Lizard, since the Lizard is all primitive brain now. However, during the fight, the Lizard seems to understand the good side of having a monkey brain, by noticing how men have created airplanes, buildings and other things. It was interesting. But the best part was that the issue was fun and exciting. The art really works with these fight scenes and I also like how the last third of the issue is drawn by Emma Rios, bringing a very different style for a different environment, helping the story too by showing the less chaotic side of things. It was also nice to see Aunt May come back to normal, although I wish there were a better explanation of why she was able to go back to normal.
Great issue and overall a fantastic Spider-Man storyline. The best I've read in a long time, at least 20 issues.
Amazing Spider-Man #634 by Joe Kelly and Michael Lark with a backup from J.M DeMatteis and Max Fiumara and another back up by Stan Lee and Marcos Martin.
This issue starts the long awaited "Grim Hunt". The Kravinoff family has been creating havoc on Peter's life for a while now and they are finally attacking him straight. The issue is very good. We get to see Spidey fighting alongside Arachne against Alyosha and Ana Kravinoff. We get to see a beaten up Kaine warn Peter. We get to see Ezequiel again (one of my favorite Spidey characters) and we get to see a little bit more of the Kravinoffs, finally understanding what they are trying to do (although without understanding why their plan will work). A solid issue, hopefully it will be even better than "Shed". Joe Kelly is a great writer and I have high hopes for the rest of this series.
The back up issue by J.M. DeMatteis wasn't that great. The art was interesting and the story was okay, but we don't get much out of the issue. I think overall the story will be okay, it seems to be leading up to a Kraven versus Kaine confrontation, which should be cool.
The other back up is only two pages. The art by Martin is pretty cool and the series seems to lead up to a funny storyline. The story seems to be a bit inspired by Pinky and the Brain. We'll see what Stan Lee can do with it. I am hopeful.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Ultimo Vol. 1
Ultimo Vol. 1 by Takei Hiroyuki and Stan Lee consists of the first four issues of Ultimo (Shonen Jump 79-83).
Ultimo is a manga created by Stan Lee. I decided to read this manga because I was interested in checking out a new Stan Lee concept. The idea behind this manga is that there is a scientist that creates two robots Ultimo and Vice which are meant to represent poor good and poor evil. His purpose is to figure out if good is more powerful than evil.
The manga moves very quickly and with a lot of exclamation points. I notice that the art doesn't have much detail on most panels, but it gets very detailed in some special panels. I think this works to great effect to create an easy to read experience. However, I don't think there's many interesting things going on in this book. We don't really get to know much about Ultimo or Vice even though the book consists of 200 pages and it turns out that Ultimo does not exactly embody "good" as he has to find a master to teach him what is good and what is evil.
I think the manga works great for younger readers, but it is not great for adult audiences. Not a book I would recommend.
Ultimo is a manga created by Stan Lee. I decided to read this manga because I was interested in checking out a new Stan Lee concept. The idea behind this manga is that there is a scientist that creates two robots Ultimo and Vice which are meant to represent poor good and poor evil. His purpose is to figure out if good is more powerful than evil.
The manga moves very quickly and with a lot of exclamation points. I notice that the art doesn't have much detail on most panels, but it gets very detailed in some special panels. I think this works to great effect to create an easy to read experience. However, I don't think there's many interesting things going on in this book. We don't really get to know much about Ultimo or Vice even though the book consists of 200 pages and it turns out that Ultimo does not exactly embody "good" as he has to find a master to teach him what is good and what is evil.
I think the manga works great for younger readers, but it is not great for adult audiences. Not a book I would recommend.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Amazing Spider-Man: If This Be My Destiny
Amazing Spider-Man: If This Be My Destiny by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comprises issues #31 through #33 of Amazing Spider-Man.
"If This Be My Destiny" is more commonly remembered by Master Planner. The story has a mysterious villain, who we only know as Master Planner, robbing any radioactive materials he can get his hands on. The Master Planner wants to take over the world and he needs radioactive materials for his plan (unknown to us). Spider-Man as usual has a lot on his slate, as he just started college and most importantly, his aunt, Aunt May, is in the hospital very ill. As the story progresses we find that Spider-Man needs a radioactive serum to cure his aunt, but the serum is stolen by the Master Planner. An encounter occurs and then we are led to a famous scene where Spidey has to move a roof to get the serum.
The story has everything a great Spider-Man story should have: Peter Parker having day to day problems, Spider-Man facing a talented villain, Spider-Man using his brain to solve something, Spider-Man using his will to keep going. The latter is what has always attracted me to Spider-Man. He never gives up. No matter the odds, no matter how tired, Spider-Man will give his all. This attitude has always been an inspiration to me and issue #33 was certainly very inspiring to the many Spidey writers that have followed since Stan Lee.
If you are a Spider-Man fan, this is a must-read. I still highly recommend it to anyone.
"If This Be My Destiny" is more commonly remembered by Master Planner. The story has a mysterious villain, who we only know as Master Planner, robbing any radioactive materials he can get his hands on. The Master Planner wants to take over the world and he needs radioactive materials for his plan (unknown to us). Spider-Man as usual has a lot on his slate, as he just started college and most importantly, his aunt, Aunt May, is in the hospital very ill. As the story progresses we find that Spider-Man needs a radioactive serum to cure his aunt, but the serum is stolen by the Master Planner. An encounter occurs and then we are led to a famous scene where Spidey has to move a roof to get the serum.
The story has everything a great Spider-Man story should have: Peter Parker having day to day problems, Spider-Man facing a talented villain, Spider-Man using his brain to solve something, Spider-Man using his will to keep going. The latter is what has always attracted me to Spider-Man. He never gives up. No matter the odds, no matter how tired, Spider-Man will give his all. This attitude has always been an inspiration to me and issue #33 was certainly very inspiring to the many Spidey writers that have followed since Stan Lee.
If you are a Spider-Man fan, this is a must-read. I still highly recommend it to anyone.
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