Dr.Finger
07-15-2007, 08:25 AM
Welcome to Week Twenty-Nine of the Official Evil Avatar Comic Book Reviews
Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.
Evil Avatar’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 3 – Week 29
Sub-Mariner #2 (of 6)
Reviewed By: Michael Chauvet (Doctor Finger)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writers: Matt Cherniss & Peter Johnson
Artist: Phil Briones
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Warren Simons
$2.99
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/Sub-Mariner%202.jpg
Revolution
This issue, like #1, begins one week ahead of time, with SHIELD conducting an autopsy on what appear to be Namor’s skeletal remains. Which considering Namor’s power levels (he’s probably one of the 5 most powerful earthly characters in the Marvel U) is no mean feat. Back in the present both Namor and Iron Man are angry. One day ago an Atlantean sleeper cell initiated a suicide bombing in the town of Betonville, Arkansas that killed hundreds. Iron Man blames Namor, who had previously placed sleeper cells into the US, for the attack. Namor knows that all 12 of his sleeper cells are accounted for, and quickly realizes that this attack is the opening gambit of a coup. Namor being Namor, he won’t explain this to Stark, and instead runs the blockade of SHIELD submarines. In Nebraska Namor searched for evidence of the 13th cell in the epicenter of the blast. He finds an Atlantean amulet, but is soon accosted by cops, who soon figure out that shooting at Namor is a bad idea. Meanwhile the Sub-Mariner’s enemies are mobilizing. The 13th cell kills a sewer worker that comes too close to their hideout, almost stumbling on their planning for another attack, this one coinciding with an attack in Atlantis itself. The US Government also decides to act, sending Venom of the Thunderbolts to bring Namor in. In the end Namor has reached a dead end and goes to ask one of his oldest allies for help, namely the telepathic ally with a mansion in Westchester. He shows up at the Xavier institute and who is there to greet him? Wolverine, claws bared.
I had never really been that much of a Sub-Mariner fan. He was too powerful, too unlikable and too much like Aquaman. Well in this story none of those matter. Johnson & Cherniss have come up with an enemy too big to punch – political intrigue. Namor’s trademark arrogance also works well with the story. He’s a head of state, and a King to boot, and arguably one of the most powerful beings on earth – so he should be dripping arrogance. But under all that hubris and gruff he’s a good person, he truly wants justice in this case. The scene where he personally surveys the damage makes it clear that while his primary goal is the protection of his throne, he also wants to avenge the deaths of those innocents. I don’t love the framing device, set one week after the start of the mini, since it seems to be telegraphing a most likely lame twist, but other than that I have few complaints about the book.
Bottom Line:
An interesting look at one of Marvel’s oldest and most powerful characters
Rating: Worth the time and money (4 out of 5 EvilEyes)
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e4.jpg
Deadpool/Great Lakes Initiative Summer Fun Spectacular
Reviewed By: Michael Chauvet (Doctor Finger)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writers: Fabian Nicieza & Dan Slott
Artists: Kieron Dwyer, Nelson, Paul Pelletier, Dave Meikis & Clio Chang
Colorists: Pete Pantazis, Giulia Brusco, Wil Quintana
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Editor: Nicole Boose
$3.99
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/Deadpool-GLI.jpg
Chocolate. That is, oddly enough, the first thing that came to mind after reading this issue. Mostly because, like chocolate, these characters can be a lot of fun….in small doses. But like chocolate partaking in too much in one sitting can make you feel a little uneasy. First off, the good parts. All five of the stories presented here retain the humor Nicieza and Slott have imparted in their respective characters over the past few years. Deadpool is still a wisecracking, fourth-wall breaking study in absurdity. The GLI (Formerly the GLA and the GLX) retain their slapstick humor with just a hint of dark undertones. The art is all pleasantly cartoony and bright, although also a tad too sketchy in spots. The framing device of the story, if you can call it that, involves Dioynisus, A.I.M.’s inebriation ray, and the GLA/X/I’s archnemesis, the Yuletime Bandit. In the end the GLI and Deadpool team up to save the day, and he’s offered reserve membership. Which is a bad idea, as the GLI spends most of the rest of the story trying to get rid of the Merc with a Mouth. The writers also do a good job knocking down some the greater Marvel U a bit here. Deadpool lets Squirrel Girl know that her first boyfriend, namely Speedball, has had a hell of a rough year (using real comics to show her). So Squirrel Girl, being the heroic young lady she is tries to break him, now the S&M hero known as Pennance, out of his emo phase. She proceeds to explain that the whole Stanford disaster really wasn’t his fault, and in the process Fab and Dan poke some holes in Civil War and its aftermath. Fun stuff, mostly because it shows that Marvel has at least some sense of humor about itself. But after a while the fourth-wall breaking and references to ‘continuity’ and ‘fanboys’ gets rather old. The story of Big Bertha going out on a date with Deadpool manages to be both funny and a tad morose at the same time, and is the best of the bunch. The rest of the stories are just kind of there and don’t add anything to the greater package. To be honest I think these stories would have worked better as back-ups than as a stand alone special. This kind of humor works better when its contrasted a little with the normal Marvel U, trying to digest this much in one setting just isn’t as pleasant as it should be.
Bottom Line:
Some genuine laughs, but not enough
Rating: Decent, but leaf through it before buying it. (3 out of 5 EvilEyes)
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e3.jpg
Green Arrow: Year One #1 (of 4)
Reviewed By: Michael Chauvet (Doctor Finger)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Jock
Colorist: David Baron
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Mike Carlin
$2.99
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/Green%20Arrow%20Year%20One%201.jpg
There are good retcons and bad retcons. Bad retcons tell the reader that some quantity of stories they had read and enjoyed now ‘never happened’. Good retcons take existing stories and characterizations and add layers of depth to them, enhancing the stories that came before and those that will come after. Green Arrow: Year One definitely falls into the latter category. It doesn’t really change all that much in the origin of the Emerald Archer, it just adds several layers to a character that’s already pretty deep.
The story begins at the top of the world, the North Pole, where wealthy playboy Oliver Queen, accompanied by his bodyguard/assistant/enabler Hackett, is in it for the thrill. Whether it’s trekking to the poles or BASE jumping in the Grand Canyon Ollie will do anything for a thrill. He’s the typical empty headed socialite – Paris Hilton with a goatee. After nearly slipping into a crevasse Ollie and Hackett head back to Star City. They end up at a charity auction where Hackett lets Ollie in on a shady business proposition, an opportunity to invest in an offshore property, tax free of course. Ollie, already heroically drunk, stumbles around before bidding on a Howard Hill bow at the charity auction. (Howard Hill was a world class archer and trick shot specialist, he did all of the stunts in Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood) Turns out Ollie had a Robin Hood fixation as a kid and even met Howard Hill, who called the youngster the best natural shot he’d ever seen. Well as debauched socialites are wont to do Ollie makes an ass of himself at the auction and is so mortified that he insists on accompanying Hackett on his trip. Hackett isn’t happy, but Ollie insists. Soon enough they’re in the middle of the Pacific and Ollie is using the Howard Hill bow he’d won to pincushion some buoys. Its at that moment that Hackett tells his boss the truth. The money, all in bearer bonds, isn’t headed for some offshore venture; it was his retirement fund, his way of getting out from under a reckless and callous boss. The two men brawl on the yacht before Hackett knocks Ollie out. He gets a call from someone ordering him to kill Ollie, but Hackett can’t just shoot him in the head. Instead he pitches the unconscious socialite overboard, where he disappears under the waves.
Diggle and Jock do a pretty good job of making Oliver Queen thoroughly unlikable, which is their goal. They want Ollie to be the worst person possible, so when he grows and matures the difference will be all the starker. While they do a good job with the story, it’s hampered by the fact that this is a Year One book. You know what happens to Ollie – he learns to fend for himself for the first time in his life and eventually returns to civilization a changed man. I know that the journey is more important than the destination in this case, but I was still expecting something a little more here. Maybe it will get better in later issues, but for now it just feels really cookie cutter.
Bottom Line:
A good, if by-the-numbers take on Green Arrow’s origin.
Rating: Decent, but leaf through it before buying it. (3 out of 5 EvilEyes)
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e3.jpg
Quick Hits:
Green Lantern #21 - Sinestro Corps War FTW!
Justice Society of America #7 - The perfect microcosm of this series as a whole. In one issue you really begin to feel a connection to Citizen Steel.
New Avengers #32 - A good exploration of the issues raised last issue, but still some nonsensical moments.
Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.
Evil Avatar’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 3 – Week 29
Sub-Mariner #2 (of 6)
Reviewed By: Michael Chauvet (Doctor Finger)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writers: Matt Cherniss & Peter Johnson
Artist: Phil Briones
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Warren Simons
$2.99
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/Sub-Mariner%202.jpg
Revolution
This issue, like #1, begins one week ahead of time, with SHIELD conducting an autopsy on what appear to be Namor’s skeletal remains. Which considering Namor’s power levels (he’s probably one of the 5 most powerful earthly characters in the Marvel U) is no mean feat. Back in the present both Namor and Iron Man are angry. One day ago an Atlantean sleeper cell initiated a suicide bombing in the town of Betonville, Arkansas that killed hundreds. Iron Man blames Namor, who had previously placed sleeper cells into the US, for the attack. Namor knows that all 12 of his sleeper cells are accounted for, and quickly realizes that this attack is the opening gambit of a coup. Namor being Namor, he won’t explain this to Stark, and instead runs the blockade of SHIELD submarines. In Nebraska Namor searched for evidence of the 13th cell in the epicenter of the blast. He finds an Atlantean amulet, but is soon accosted by cops, who soon figure out that shooting at Namor is a bad idea. Meanwhile the Sub-Mariner’s enemies are mobilizing. The 13th cell kills a sewer worker that comes too close to their hideout, almost stumbling on their planning for another attack, this one coinciding with an attack in Atlantis itself. The US Government also decides to act, sending Venom of the Thunderbolts to bring Namor in. In the end Namor has reached a dead end and goes to ask one of his oldest allies for help, namely the telepathic ally with a mansion in Westchester. He shows up at the Xavier institute and who is there to greet him? Wolverine, claws bared.
I had never really been that much of a Sub-Mariner fan. He was too powerful, too unlikable and too much like Aquaman. Well in this story none of those matter. Johnson & Cherniss have come up with an enemy too big to punch – political intrigue. Namor’s trademark arrogance also works well with the story. He’s a head of state, and a King to boot, and arguably one of the most powerful beings on earth – so he should be dripping arrogance. But under all that hubris and gruff he’s a good person, he truly wants justice in this case. The scene where he personally surveys the damage makes it clear that while his primary goal is the protection of his throne, he also wants to avenge the deaths of those innocents. I don’t love the framing device, set one week after the start of the mini, since it seems to be telegraphing a most likely lame twist, but other than that I have few complaints about the book.
Bottom Line:
An interesting look at one of Marvel’s oldest and most powerful characters
Rating: Worth the time and money (4 out of 5 EvilEyes)
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e4.jpg
Deadpool/Great Lakes Initiative Summer Fun Spectacular
Reviewed By: Michael Chauvet (Doctor Finger)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writers: Fabian Nicieza & Dan Slott
Artists: Kieron Dwyer, Nelson, Paul Pelletier, Dave Meikis & Clio Chang
Colorists: Pete Pantazis, Giulia Brusco, Wil Quintana
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Editor: Nicole Boose
$3.99
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/Deadpool-GLI.jpg
Chocolate. That is, oddly enough, the first thing that came to mind after reading this issue. Mostly because, like chocolate, these characters can be a lot of fun….in small doses. But like chocolate partaking in too much in one sitting can make you feel a little uneasy. First off, the good parts. All five of the stories presented here retain the humor Nicieza and Slott have imparted in their respective characters over the past few years. Deadpool is still a wisecracking, fourth-wall breaking study in absurdity. The GLI (Formerly the GLA and the GLX) retain their slapstick humor with just a hint of dark undertones. The art is all pleasantly cartoony and bright, although also a tad too sketchy in spots. The framing device of the story, if you can call it that, involves Dioynisus, A.I.M.’s inebriation ray, and the GLA/X/I’s archnemesis, the Yuletime Bandit. In the end the GLI and Deadpool team up to save the day, and he’s offered reserve membership. Which is a bad idea, as the GLI spends most of the rest of the story trying to get rid of the Merc with a Mouth. The writers also do a good job knocking down some the greater Marvel U a bit here. Deadpool lets Squirrel Girl know that her first boyfriend, namely Speedball, has had a hell of a rough year (using real comics to show her). So Squirrel Girl, being the heroic young lady she is tries to break him, now the S&M hero known as Pennance, out of his emo phase. She proceeds to explain that the whole Stanford disaster really wasn’t his fault, and in the process Fab and Dan poke some holes in Civil War and its aftermath. Fun stuff, mostly because it shows that Marvel has at least some sense of humor about itself. But after a while the fourth-wall breaking and references to ‘continuity’ and ‘fanboys’ gets rather old. The story of Big Bertha going out on a date with Deadpool manages to be both funny and a tad morose at the same time, and is the best of the bunch. The rest of the stories are just kind of there and don’t add anything to the greater package. To be honest I think these stories would have worked better as back-ups than as a stand alone special. This kind of humor works better when its contrasted a little with the normal Marvel U, trying to digest this much in one setting just isn’t as pleasant as it should be.
Bottom Line:
Some genuine laughs, but not enough
Rating: Decent, but leaf through it before buying it. (3 out of 5 EvilEyes)
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e3.jpg
Green Arrow: Year One #1 (of 4)
Reviewed By: Michael Chauvet (Doctor Finger)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Jock
Colorist: David Baron
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Mike Carlin
$2.99
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/Green%20Arrow%20Year%20One%201.jpg
There are good retcons and bad retcons. Bad retcons tell the reader that some quantity of stories they had read and enjoyed now ‘never happened’. Good retcons take existing stories and characterizations and add layers of depth to them, enhancing the stories that came before and those that will come after. Green Arrow: Year One definitely falls into the latter category. It doesn’t really change all that much in the origin of the Emerald Archer, it just adds several layers to a character that’s already pretty deep.
The story begins at the top of the world, the North Pole, where wealthy playboy Oliver Queen, accompanied by his bodyguard/assistant/enabler Hackett, is in it for the thrill. Whether it’s trekking to the poles or BASE jumping in the Grand Canyon Ollie will do anything for a thrill. He’s the typical empty headed socialite – Paris Hilton with a goatee. After nearly slipping into a crevasse Ollie and Hackett head back to Star City. They end up at a charity auction where Hackett lets Ollie in on a shady business proposition, an opportunity to invest in an offshore property, tax free of course. Ollie, already heroically drunk, stumbles around before bidding on a Howard Hill bow at the charity auction. (Howard Hill was a world class archer and trick shot specialist, he did all of the stunts in Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood) Turns out Ollie had a Robin Hood fixation as a kid and even met Howard Hill, who called the youngster the best natural shot he’d ever seen. Well as debauched socialites are wont to do Ollie makes an ass of himself at the auction and is so mortified that he insists on accompanying Hackett on his trip. Hackett isn’t happy, but Ollie insists. Soon enough they’re in the middle of the Pacific and Ollie is using the Howard Hill bow he’d won to pincushion some buoys. Its at that moment that Hackett tells his boss the truth. The money, all in bearer bonds, isn’t headed for some offshore venture; it was his retirement fund, his way of getting out from under a reckless and callous boss. The two men brawl on the yacht before Hackett knocks Ollie out. He gets a call from someone ordering him to kill Ollie, but Hackett can’t just shoot him in the head. Instead he pitches the unconscious socialite overboard, where he disappears under the waves.
Diggle and Jock do a pretty good job of making Oliver Queen thoroughly unlikable, which is their goal. They want Ollie to be the worst person possible, so when he grows and matures the difference will be all the starker. While they do a good job with the story, it’s hampered by the fact that this is a Year One book. You know what happens to Ollie – he learns to fend for himself for the first time in his life and eventually returns to civilization a changed man. I know that the journey is more important than the destination in this case, but I was still expecting something a little more here. Maybe it will get better in later issues, but for now it just feels really cookie cutter.
Bottom Line:
A good, if by-the-numbers take on Green Arrow’s origin.
Rating: Decent, but leaf through it before buying it. (3 out of 5 EvilEyes)
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e3.jpg
Quick Hits:
Green Lantern #21 - Sinestro Corps War FTW!
Justice Society of America #7 - The perfect microcosm of this series as a whole. In one issue you really begin to feel a connection to Citizen Steel.
New Avengers #32 - A good exploration of the issues raised last issue, but still some nonsensical moments.