Monthly Archives: January 2013

DEADPOOL KILLUSTRATED #1 REVIEW

Marvel Comics, , ,

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Anti-hero.  Mentally unstable.  Witty.  Violent.  That’s Deadpool for you and It’s no holds barred in Deadpool Killustrated.  I’m a faithful Deadpool reader so I was immediately drawn to this miniseries.

Realizing that he’s a fictional character, Deadpool travels through fictional worlds of classic literature to destroy everyone in it.  His goal is to get closer to its’ creators and kill them, to eliminate the existence of superheroes and supervillains.

There’s quite a bit of dialogue at the beginning, and can be confusing to readers who may not, for example, have read Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (looking around, whistling).  However, it’s a good set-up for the story.

dpkillmarvunivAfter reading Deadpool Killustrated the first time, I have to admit I was somewhat lost at the beginning.  I needed to know what the heck was going on.  So I did a little research and read about Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe.  I can honestly say I now have a deeper understanding of Deadpool’s motive for his quest to bring down the fictional worlds ( I plan to read the universe miniseries very soon).  I then re-read Killustrated.

I’ve been a reader of Deadpool for a few months and the Merc with a Mouth I’m used to wasn’t fully engaged.  The  humor and fights with his schizophrenic inner voice wasn’t there as much.  Deadpool was himself, but in more of a relaxed nature.  He’s a psychopath but he has critical thinking skills.  Thoughts of a “normal” person.  It’s obvious that he’s well focused.

The Moby Dick twist is a good one.  Deadpool did what Captain Ahab couldn’t do; kill Moby Dick.  Coming out of Moby’s bloody blowhole was gross, but what did you expect?  It’s Deadpool!  I did my usual, “Ugh” while laughing.  Along the way he somehow stuck a knife in Pinocchio’s head.  He realized something wasn’t right because Pinocchio doesn’t belong in the story.  That’s when the vision came, another Moby Dick twist.  Deadpool then proceeded to kill the ship’s crew, starting with Ishmael.

I have to give Cullen Bunn props on this one.  The story is well written and the pacing is perfect.  The art (Matteo Lolli) is excellent, especially the cover page (Mike Mundo).

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I find the story to be well written.  Bunn Cullen did a great job at setting up the story and introducing us to the ideaverse.  After reading it a second time, I felt that too many jokes from Deadpool and the constant bickering with himself would pull away from the story.  Cullen set-up shop then went straight to story twisting.

The art is awesome, especially the cover page.  Lolli and Mundo did a great job.  A good comic is a combination of well written dialogue and great art.  Deadpool Killustrated has both.  I plan to continue reading the miniseries and recommend new readers to read it as well.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES – AWESOMELY WICKED

Zenescope Entertainment, , , ,

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Zenescope Entertainment’s Grimm Fairy Tales adds horror and suspense to our beloved classic fairy tales.  Each issue has two parts.  The first part is the framework of the story.  Sela Mathers has a special ability that she uses to teach life lessons to those who need it. Those that ignore the lessons suffer consequences.

The second part of the story is ALWAYS a twisted version of a classic fairy tale, and the fairy tales are usually violent.  The tales are warning the readers to change their ways or suffer.

I’ve read the first three volumes, a total of 18 stories.  Here is my review of issue #7, Snow White.

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The story begins with a young girl, Stephanie, who has been ill for a few months.  Her step-mother, Terry, appears to be the perfect stepmother.  She even tells Stephanie to call her “mom.”  When Stephanie asked Terry if she thought she’d return to cheerleading, Terry revealed that she was a cheerleader captain just as Stephanie had been before she became ill.  She also told Stephanie she missed being the center of attention, young and full of life.

Terry goes back to preparing lunch for Stephanie, which included poisoning her food.  Sela shows up at the doorstep and hands Terry the book of fairy tales, suggesting she read Snow White.  So Terry reads the twisted fairy tale.

We all know the story of Snow White so I’ll skip to the twisted part.  The dwarves feed on human flesh that has dark souls.  They couldn’t eat Snow White because of her innocence.  While the dwarves were out, the queen appeared at the doorstep and gave Snow White a basket of fruit laced with poison.  She ate one of the apples and fell to the floor.  The dwarves returned to find a dead Snow White.

Back home, the queen looked into her mirror and asked who was the most beautiful in all the land.  Suddenly all seven dwarves appeared and ate her alive.

Terry didn’t think twice about the story after she finished reading it.  She heard a noise in the basement and went to investigate.  In the basement was a mirror.  She looked into the mirror and the seven dwarves appeared and ate her alive, like the queen.  The story ended with Terry in a straight jacket at an asylum.

Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco does an excellent job at writing the stories.  Anthony Spay does a superb job with the artwork.  The characters are well detailed, especially  their facial expressions.

All the issues have provocative covers.  But there’s nothing provocative or explicit about the stories on the inside.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

Grimm Fairy Tales is a remarkable piece of work.  The stories told, and the lessons they provide, are worth the read.  Artwork is great.  If you’re a horror fan, then you’ll definitely love these classic tales with its’ horrifying twists.  I’m sticking with this horror comic, and I plan to read until I’m caught up with the current issue.

YOUNG AVENGERS #1 REVIEW

Marvel Comics,

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I bought this title for my tween son, but I was curious to read it as well.  This honest review is coming from not just a comic geek, but a concerned parent as well.

I was not hooked at all by this story.  The pacing is off and I couldn’t help but to feel lost.  The story begins with Kate Bishop waking up not remembering the name of the guy she spent the night with (Noh-Varr).  The scene then turns into the “music video” the writer (Kieron Gillen) and artist (Jamie McKelvie) talked about in interviews.

One minute you see Loki goofing off in a diner, the next minute he’s zapped onto a rooftop where he’s roughed up by the beautiful Miss America Chavez.  At this point, her intentions are unknown but the timing of this scene is off.

What concerned and frustrated me about this issue was the hurried emphasis on teenage romance.  At one point I thought I was reading Judy Blume.  I expected to see teenagers in action, kicking butt.  Instead I got a teenage gay couple, crying and opening up about their feelings for one another.  Hulkling did a dramatic breakdown in front of Wiccan, followed by a passionate kiss.  The thing that concerns me the most is the condoning of this behavior by Wiccan’s parents.  Not only do they allow Hulkling and Wiccan to live together, they became irate when Hulkling’s mother confronted them with her feelings about their relationship.

Do I like anything about Young Avengers #1?  Yes I do.

LIKES

  • artwork (excellent job Jamie McKelvie and Mike Norton)
  • Miss America Chavez and her awesome costume
  • The little chat Hulkling’s mom had with Wiccan’s parents, and the action she took against them at the end.

Dislikes

  • weak pacing
  • weak dialogue
  • no hook or page turner
  • inappropriate and the condoning of sexual behavior among teenagers

VERDICT (drum roll please)

The artwork is phenomonal.  However unless the pacing and dialogue picks up, I don’t see this as being a successful Marvel NOW! title.

WHERE DO I BEGIN?

Uncategorized, ,

I observed a guy walking around, looking lost at the comic shop yesterday.  My first guess was that he was a newbie.  A few minutes later I learned that he had not visited a comic shop in years.  He wanted to get back into reading comic books, but didn’t know where to start.  This guy was trying to decide whether to read a new title or pick a familiar one and wait for a point to jump in.  I know that feeling all too well because I was in his shoes a little over a year ago.

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Reading is easy.  Deciding WHAT to read is not.  A few things to consider to if you are a new reader of comic books or coming off a hiatus.

  1. Genre – Do you like crime, horror, mythology, romance, superhero?  What about kid friendly?
  2. Single issues vs trade paperbacks – Single issues are released monthly and bi-monthly.  A trade paperback (tpb or trade) is a collection of stories usually containing one story arc.  Some, like myself, like to have both on hand to keep the singles from being handled too much.  I can’t stand smudges, bends, creases and dents.
  3. Resources – If you have family or friends that read comics, get recommendations from them.  Visit your local comic shop, they’ll be glad to give you a rundown of hot sellers.  Social media is a great source to keep you up-to-date on current events in the comic industry.

The list is almost endless.  I like to visit my comic shop and rummage through back issues because I occasionally come across a character, while reading my current titles, whose history I want to learn about.  Back issues are also nicely discounted, depending on the retailer.

If you live far from a comic shop, try to order from an online shop or go digital.  Or hop in the car and take that drive to the nearest store.  You’ll get personal attention and a chance to network.  Popular and anticipated top-selling titles go fast.  So you may want to consider pre-ordering your comics online or have your local comic shop pull the book(s) for you.  Good luck and have fun!