[Comics] - Evil Avatar's Weekly Comic Book Reviews - Year 2 - Week 1

[Everlost_MI]

Welcome to year two of Evil Avatar’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews for 2006.

I want to thank you, the Evil Avatar community for your readership, interaction and feedback. I also want to thank Kish from BCBcomics (http://www.bcbcomics.com/) for his constant sponsorship of the weekly giveaways and Evil for allowing this weekly column to appear on his gaming site.

The Evil Avatar’s Comic Book Review Weekly giveaway for week one is Down #2 ( http://www.bcbcomics.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=14406&HS=1) courtesy of BCBcomics (http://www.bcbcomics.com/). The deadline for entry submissions for week one is Sunday, January 8th. The selection of the random winner for the January books will occur on Monday, January 30th. Click here (everlost_mi@evilavatar.com) to submit your entry and don’t forget to include your Evil Avatar screenname. Remember, you can submit one entry each week to increase your chances of winning.

If you’re tired of missing out on your regular or new comics then you’re in need of a reliable comic book subscription provider. Evil Avatar’s Comic Book Review Weekly giveaway provider, BCBcomics (http://www.bcbcomics.com/) offers comic book subscriptions (http://www.bcbcomics.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=7
) with many fringe benefits including no hidden costs, 20% off of cover price, all issues are bagged and boarded PLUS free* shipping for orders over $14.99 and cheap* shipping for orders under $14.99 (*see BCBcomics’ website (http://www.bcbcomics.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=7
) for the details).

Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.

[Everlost_MI]

Week One:
Evil Avatar's Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 2 - Week 1
By Everlost_MI (Brian K. Nichols), Editor in Chief

Catwoman #50 (An ongoing series)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Will Pfeifer
Artist: Pete Woods
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Matt Idelson
Price: $2.50 US/$3.50 CAN

http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/catwoman50.jpg

The issue opens with Angle Man being held and questioned by the police for the murder of Catwoman. Angle Man escapes after being given one of his confiscated weapons. A former criminal faked Catwoman’s death; the exact details can be read here ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catwoman) at url= http://en.wikipedia.org/]Wikipedia.[/url] The main story of this issue is Zatanna confronting Catwoman and revealing that she and the JLA used magic to rewire Catwoman’s personality into being a hero instead of a villain. This was the same mind-bending technique that was revealed to have been used on Dr. Light and Batman, to name a few, during the Identity Crisis series. Now Catwoman/Selina Kyle is left with more questions than answers, as she isn’t sure who she is anymore.

Will Pfeifer created an entertaining story that is well paced but with the various leaks on the Internet the suspense of Catwoman’s future has been spoiled. For those who haven’t heard these rumors then I suggest you avoid the Wikipedia link above. The dialogue and characterizations are decent and even with the storyline that is has been building for quite sometime it’s still accessible to new readers. The artwork by Pete Woods is quite enjoyable to look at and with the borderline cartoony/realistic look it’s reminiscent of Rick Leonardi’s work.

Bottom Line:
The book is enjoyable and it’s worth the money and time in reading. However, the title is going to go through a major change when the Year One event occurs, so if you’re already not reading this title you may want to hold off. Pfeifer will be the writer on the series for the foreseeable future.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 EvilEyes
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e3_5.jpg


She-Hulk #3/#100 ( http://www.bcbcomics.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=14419&HS=1 ) (An ongoing series)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Dan Slott
Penciler: Juan Bobillo
Inker: Marcelo Sosa
Colorist: Avalon’s Dave Kemp
Letterer: Daev Sharpe
Cover artist: Greg Horn
Guest artists: Paul Pelletier, Rick Magyar, Scott Kolins, Mike Vosburg, Amada Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Ron Frenz, Joe Sinnot, Sal Buscema, Mike Mayhew, Don Simpson, Lee Weeks, Eric Powell, Tom Grummett and Gary Erskine.
Editor: Tom Breevort
Price: $3.99 US/$6.50 CAN

http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/shehulk3.jpg

This hundred-page issue marks the hundredth solo issue of the She-Hulk by counting the issues published in the previous series. She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters was trying a court case that requires a jury made up of witnesses that have not been exposed to the media frenzy surrounding the case. This required a little help from Time Variance Authority (TVA) and with Jennifer still distraught over the loss of Hawkeye, tips the jury selection in her favor and has him selected. Jennifer tries to warn Clint ala Back to The Future with the sealed envelope to prevent the future events from occurring but is busted. This leads into the events of this issue that is packed full of humorous situations, cameos and quips as the She-Hulk is put on trial by the TVA for attempting to tamper with the course of time. The charges are dropped after the She-Hulk saves the TVA from an attack by Clockwise. The time cells the TVA use to hold criminals are filled, so by imprisoning Clockwise the TVA must release a prisoner. Since the She-Hulk is still guilty of tampering with time she is punished by having a prisoner of her choice remanded into her custody. She chooses a yet to be revealed Avenger she noticed being held in a time cell on her way into the TVA headquarters to the trial. In addition, the issue contains the first She-Hulk comic series written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Buscema in 1979 as well as the first issue of the second She-Hulk series written and drawn by John Byrne in 1988.

Dan Slott has created a fun story that throws everything in but the kitchen sink as the She-Hulk’s life and deeds are on trial. The story is decent but the dialogue, pacing, humor and characterizations are quite enjoyable. The artwork by the various artists gives a nice visual transition between the various stories of the She-Hulk’s past without distracting the reader too much.

Bottom Line:
This issue is a fun read and it’s a lot of book for your buck. Even if you don’t enjoy the present incarnation of She-Hulk, the trip down memory lane for the reprints of the first issues of the previous series are worth it.

Rating: 4 out of 5 EvilEyes
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e4.jpg

Young Avengers Special ( http://www.bcbcomics.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=14413&HS=1 ) (One shot)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Allan Heinberg
Artists: Michael Gaydos, Neal Adams, Gene Ha, Jae Lee, Bill Sienkiewicz and Pasqual Ferry
Colorists: Jose Villarrubia, Justin Ponsor, Art Lyon, June Chung and Dave Mccaig
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.99 US/$4 CAN

http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/comics/youngavengersspecial.jpg

This issue briefly recaps what’s occurred in the series while filling in a bit more of the individual history of the characters. The glimpses into the characters’ pasts help flesh out the characters while giving the readers a way to identify and relate with the heroes.

Allan Heinberg has done an excellent job of strengthening the cast of Young Avengers by adding depth to each character while showing the driving forces behind their need to become heroes. The dialogue and pacing is excellent as well as the story as whole that teases about a future that will include Kang. The various artists used to tell the various histories are well used and do not detract from the story. Some of the work by the artists stand out better than other, for example the work by Bill Sienkiewicz and Jae Lee is outstanding while Neal Adams is rather gnarled.

Bottom Line:
This issue is definitely worth the money if you’ve been reading the Young Avengers. If you haven’t been following the series, then this is an excellent jumping on point.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 EvilEyes
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e4_5.jpg

What else is worth reading this week…
· Spider-Man and the Black Cat #5 – The plot thickens and the banter gets wittier.
· What if…Thor – Great What If story by Robert Kirkman

Thanks to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/) for the Catwoman link. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catwoman/)

The Evil Avatar’s Comic Book Review Weekly giveaway for week one is Down #2 ( http://www.bcbcomics.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=14406&HS=1)courtesy of BCBcomics (http://www.bcbcomics.com/). The deadline for week one entry submissions is Sunday, January 8th.

Click here (everlost_mi@evilavatar.com) to submit your entry and don’t forget to include your Evil Avatar screenname.

Remember, you can submit one entry per week to increase your chances of winning.

[Spigot]

Thanks for the reviews. As I've said before, this is a great resource for those like me who have been AWOL from the comics world for some time.

Keep up the great work!

[Kelegacy]

Thanks for the reviews. As I've said before, this is a great resource for those like me who have been AWOL from the comics world for some time.

Keep up the great work!
If it wasn't for this Everlost's and BCB's presence here, the comic world would be invisible to me. Here in Maine, as a child, I used to venture to the Mr. Paperback stores every week and buy some sort of comic or magazine, but now I barely have time to wipe my ass after a crap. I miss the leisure of youth, when I could spend a fiver at the store and come home with some cheap fun for the afternoon, smell that rough comic book paper, lay on the couch, floor, or bed on a rainy afternoon and stare down at my comics, Groening's Life is Hell collections, or a monthly Mad/Cracked until my neck hurt. Ah well. At least with the monthly contests, I have a good chance to read SOMETHING I likely never would.

[bardockkun]

Im not much of a Catwoman fan, but i got to say that's one damn good looking cover.

[Kefkataran]

Great reviews par usual, Everlost. I think I shall continue with the weekly Comic Week posts as well. It's nice to keep comic discussion going here week-round, as there tends to be some pretty intelligent people around here for doing so.


If it wasn't for this Everlost's and BCB's presence here, the comic world would be invisible to me. Here in Maine, as a child, I used to venture to the Mr. Paperback stores every week and buy some sort of comic or magazine, but now I barely have time to wipe my ass after a crap. I miss the leisure of youth, when I could spend a fiver at the store and come home with some cheap fun for the afternoon, smell that rough comic book paper, lay on the couch, floor, or bed on a rainy afternoon and stare down at my comics, Groening's Life is Hell collections, or a monthly Mad/Cracked until my neck hurt. Ah well. At least with the monthly contests, I have a good chance to read SOMETHING I likely never would.

No worries, I'll drag you kicking and screaming into the world of comics eventually. Read Transmetropolitan. Now.

Im not much of a Catwoman fan, but i got to say that's one damn good looking cover.

I'm honestly not very into Pfeiffer, but I need to admit that I've seriously considered adding that title to my pull list for the covers alone. They are by no uncertain terms gorgeous.

[Everlost_MI]

Great reviews par usual, Everlost. I think I shall continue with the weekly Comic Week posts as well. It's nice to keep comic discussion going here week-round, as there tends to be some pretty intelligent people around here for doing so.[/qupte]
Thanks and the weekly discussion sounds good to me.

[QUOTE=Kefkataran]I'm honestly not very into Pfeiffer, but I need to admit that I've seriously considered adding that title to my pull list for the covers alone. They are by no uncertain terms gorgeous.

But Adam Hughes (http://www.adamhughesart.com/), the artist in question, can make any comic character, especially female, look awesome.

[Kefkataran]

But Adam Hughes, the artist in question, can make any comic character, especially female, look awesome.

I'll check him out. Has he done any runs as full-time artist on any books? His stuff is just gorgeous.

[Everlost_MI]

I'll check him out. Has he done any runs as full-time artist on any books? His stuff is just gorgeous.

Not much if any that I know of, but there is talk at this site (http://www.justsayah.com/index.html) that he is in talks to do a limited series at DC. It doesn't say which one though.