Marvel Comic Books » Marvel Comic Book Reviews http://marvelcomicbooks.org Marvel comic book reviews and Marvel comic shop Mon, 12 Sep 2011 23:35:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 REVIEW: Dark Wolverine #75 http://marvelcomicbooks.org/review-dark-wolverine-75/ http://marvelcomicbooks.org/review-dark-wolverine-75/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:33:16 +0000 Don Chiavon http://marvelcomicbooks.org/?p=142 In the midst of Dark Reign, Norman Osborn has assembled his own team of Avengers, many of them criminals who’ve assumed the identities of existing heroes.

One such is Daken, who’s usurped the identity of his father, Wolverine. While I’ve followed this current Wolverine series from the very beginning, I was largely unfamiliar with Logan’s upstart offspring, as he was introduced in Wolverine: Origins, a title I didn’t stick with for very long. And when I’d heard that the imposters would be taking over their counterparts’ books, I have to admit that I went into this book fully expecting to dislike it.

Dark Wolverine #75 CoverI was wrong. I really enjoyed reading this, especially as a complement to the Dark Avengers series. Written by Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu, Dark Wolverine #75 shows Daken to be a master manipulator in his own right. While he may have agreed to take a spot on Osborn’s team to get under the skin of his old man, Wolverine, (heh. Old Man Wolverine. See what I did there?), it seems he’s determined to have fun while he basks in the spotlight that his new identity brings. His interactions with his teammates, particularly Hawkeye/Bullseye, are VERY entertaining, and it’s obvious that he’s nobody’s pawn, as he uses secret abilities to play those around him and set his own machinations into motion. The artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli is nothing less than beautiful. Camuncoli seems like a shoe-in for Marvel’s Young Guns stable of artists.

I’ve always found the Wolverine series to be largely hit or miss, depending on who the creative team was. The recent “Old Man Wolverine” arc was fantastic, so, as I stated already, I didn’t have high hopes. I know it’s only been one issue, but if this series continues to showcase the same type of high level storytelling, it’ll quickly jump to the top of my must read list.
4 Out Of 5 Stars Rating (my rating for this book)

Item Reviewed: Dark Wolverine #75 Marvel Comic Book
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Reviewer: Don Chiavon
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2009
Summary: "I really enjoyed reading this, especially as a complement to the Dark Avengers series"

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]]> http://marvelcomicbooks.org/review-dark-wolverine-75/feed/ 0 REVIEW: Ultimate Spider-Man #133 http://marvelcomicbooks.org/review-ultimate-spider-man-133/ http://marvelcomicbooks.org/review-ultimate-spider-man-133/#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:55:41 +0000 Don Chiavon http://marvelcomicbooks.org/?p=119 What started Marvel's Ultimate line off with a bang has now ended with nary a whimper.

The final issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, #133, ties in with the Ultimate Universe changing event Ultimatum, and you basically have to have read that series to understand what's going on in this issue. As confusing as that is, the writer, Brian Michael Bendis, makes things worse by making this a silent issue. That is, not a single word of dialogue is spoken in the entire book.

Ultimate Spider-Man #133 CoverNow, there have been silent issues in the best that have been done right... G.I. Joe #21, (Marvel, 1983), comes to mind...but this is the total OPPOSITE of doing it right. After a stellar run of 132 issues, all written by Bendis and all a cut above most other books on the shelves today, to have this be the finale is truly a massive blunder. There's no closure, no hint of the continuity that came before to reward long-time fans of the series. Spider-Man himself doesn't even appear in the book!

I understand that Marvel wants to leave you guessing about the status quo for the impending re-launch of this title, but this not only felt like a cheat, but also seemed inexcusably... lazy. I've been onboard for Ultimate Spider-Man's run from the very first issue, but this doesn't feel like a worthy closing to a long-running saga of high caliber stories. It feels like a cash-grab, pure and simple. 1.5 Out Of 5 Stars Rating (my rating for this book)

Item Reviewed: Ultimate Spider-Man #133 Marvel Comic Book
Rating: 1.5/5.0
Reviewer: Don Chiavon
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2009
Summary: "What started Marvel's Ultimate line off with a bang has now ended with nary a whimper."

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]]> http://marvelcomicbooks.org/review-ultimate-spider-man-133/feed/ 0 REVIEW: New Avengers – The Reunion #’s 1-4 http://marvelcomicbooks.org/new-avengers-the-reunion/ http://marvelcomicbooks.org/new-avengers-the-reunion/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:05:10 +0000 Don Chiavon http://marvelcomicbooks.org/?p=99 I’ve always been a HUGE Avengers guy, and Hawkeye’s always been one of my favorite Avengers. So, I was thrilled back in the 80’s when Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, was given his own mini-series, in which he met super-spy Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird. That mini was written and penciled by the late great Mark Gruenwald, and was full of fun banter, beautiful artwork, and ridiculous villains, ending with Hawkeye and Mockingbird’s having been married after a whirlwind courtship. That mini led to Hawkeye and his new bride being founders of the West Coast Avengers, with Hawkeye being the Chairman of this new group. Alas, during a battle with the Devil of the Marvel Universe himself, Mephisto, Mockingbird was struck down, making Hawk a widower in Avengers West Coast #100.

West Coast Avengers CoverOr was she? Turns out the Mockingbird that was killed was just a Skrull in disguise, as revealed during the Secret Invasion. The REAL Mockingbird was held captive, along with other kidnapees of the Marvel U, on the Skrull Homeworld. But now she’s back, and struggling to come to terms with not only her ordeal during her captivity, but also her marriage to Hawkeye, which had been on the rocks when she was abducted. Wow, complicated, huh?

Hawkeye CoverNew Avengers: The Reunion details her reactions to a world she doesn’t recognize anymore, and her relationship with Hawk, a man she’s no longer sure she wants to be with, not to mention a man who’s no longer Hawkeye anymore. He’s taken the identity of Ronin, though he’ll always be Hawkeye to me. I thought the writing on this series was done well, as I appreciated the banter between the two of them as they fell easily into making fun of each other and flirting, much as she wanted to resist. The characterizations were spot on, especially Clint’s struggle to give Mockingbird her time to work out what she was keeping from him. There were also some great one-liners in this series, (Mockingbird to female villain: “This isn’t a catfight. This is me kicking your ass!”). I liked the spy-slant to the story, and Clint and Bobbie’s bickering took on a Mr. And Mrs. Smith style of one-upmanship. The villain, along with the plot she was trying to carry out, was TOO much of an afterthought, in my opinion. I know that this is more a story about Hawkeye and Mockingbird, but still…

New Avengers CoverI didn’t appreciate the artwork as much, finding it a bit too Manga-influenced and really hating the washed-out looking colors. Clint looked SO baby-faced when out of costume to the point of distraction, but I did like the redesign of Mockingbird’s costume. I don’t think the artist, David Lopez, is suited for action packed stories like this one. He seems like he’d be perfect for a title like Runaways. Despite my misgivings about the artwork, I thought the covers by Jo Chen were very attractive and dynamic.

All in all, I liked this series more than I thought I would after the first issue. Despite my misgivings to play spoiler, I wasn’t thrilled with the open style, though hopeful, ending. Here’s hoping that this will lead to more stories starring these characters… I’d love to see a revamp of the West Coast Avengers… and that Hawkeye will finally be spotlighted in some stories worthy of the character. Not the best, but not bad.
3 Out Of 5 Stars Rating (my rating for this mini-series)

Item Reviewed: New Avengers - The Reunion #'s 1-4 Marvel Comic Book Mini-Series
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Reviewer: Don Chiavon
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2009
Summary: "The writing on this series was done well." "I didn’t appreciate the artwork as much." "Not the best, but not bad."

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