Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Thoughts on the new TMNT movie
A bit of a treat for you all as I talk the Michael Bay TMNT film. Yeah, I spend much of the time railing it, but honestly, it isn't that bad.
Legend of Korra Book 3, Chapters 12-13 reviews
I belt out the final two episodes of Korra here, and they are great stuff. Neither made my 'Perfect 10' club, but one certainly got close.
Comic Book Reviews: Batman Eternal #21 and Batman '66 #14
Oh, it's just so good! It's just so good!
This was a great week for Batman comics. There was a serious New 52 story and a completely crazy Silver Age story, but both worked well.
Eternal earned a 9.3/10 in my review for being a solid start to the next section of the series. There are a lot of grand reveals given today, including the return of a legendary Bat-rogue, a character's heel turn, the setup for Alfred's daughter to enter the fold, and the setup of a grand mastermind only nicknamed 'Mother.'
All the reveals either feel justified or add intrigue to the story, though the return of the rogue could have used a little setup.
Jason Fabok's art is its usual awesome and worked across the board. I really like the way he designs the Bat-verse in general and his colorist really helped him this issue.
The weak point in the story is that a lot of the other moving pieces are dropped to develop this one section (which helped the issue, to be sure, but makes it feel a bit smaller) and that it is ultimately all setup for a much bigger reveal next week.
If it succeeds, Issue #22 may have a shot at approaching the high 9s and 10 level, which is where Batman '66 #14 ended up.
The story got a 9.8/10, and may have just made its case for issue of the yeagr. My sole gripe is that the Robot Batman - which is as epic as it sounds, by the way - kind of gets a nonsensical end. I mean, it's 60s Batman, so I'm not expecting something truly thought-provoking, but while I like the cartoon-like finish it certainly isn't ideal.
The ending, much like the book in general, comes down to taste, but this is a hard one for me not to call outright-great. I think this is easily Jeff Parker's best work on the title and the art was spot-on throughout.
I'd highly recommend both books, though Batman '66 slightly more. It's a one-and-done story and doesn't require you to know a bunch of prior events. That said, either book is a good pickup.
Eternal earned a 9.3/10 in my review for being a solid start to the next section of the series. There are a lot of grand reveals given today, including the return of a legendary Bat-rogue, a character's heel turn, the setup for Alfred's daughter to enter the fold, and the setup of a grand mastermind only nicknamed 'Mother.'
All the reveals either feel justified or add intrigue to the story, though the return of the rogue could have used a little setup.
Jason Fabok's art is its usual awesome and worked across the board. I really like the way he designs the Bat-verse in general and his colorist really helped him this issue.
The weak point in the story is that a lot of the other moving pieces are dropped to develop this one section (which helped the issue, to be sure, but makes it feel a bit smaller) and that it is ultimately all setup for a much bigger reveal next week.
The story got a 9.8/10, and may have just made its case for issue of the yeagr. My sole gripe is that the Robot Batman - which is as epic as it sounds, by the way - kind of gets a nonsensical end. I mean, it's 60s Batman, so I'm not expecting something truly thought-provoking, but while I like the cartoon-like finish it certainly isn't ideal.
The ending, much like the book in general, comes down to taste, but this is a hard one for me not to call outright-great. I think this is easily Jeff Parker's best work on the title and the art was spot-on throughout.
I'd highly recommend both books, though Batman '66 slightly more. It's a one-and-done story and doesn't require you to know a bunch of prior events. That said, either book is a good pickup.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Legend of Korra Book 3, Chapter 11 review
Wanted this up before I post the finale review later on. So here it is!
Comic Book Reviews: Batman Eternal #20 and Sensation Comics #1
This was a great week for comics, and these two are definitely the ones that drew my attention on the shelves.
Here are their scores:
Batman Eternal #20 - 8.4/10
Sensation Comics #1 - 9.3/10
Here are their scores:
Batman Eternal #20 - 8.4/10
Sensation Comics #1 - 9.3/10
Comic Book Reviews: Samurai Jack #11 and Supergirl #34
I'm still catching up, so here are some video reviews!
If you come for the scores, here they are:
Supergirl #34 - 7.7/10
Samurai Jack #11 - 9.0/10
If you come for the scores, here they are:
Supergirl #34 - 7.7/10
Samurai Jack #11 - 9.0/10
Friday, August 15, 2014
Legend of Korra Book 3, Chapters 9-10 reviews
A little delayed, but here are a pair of Korra reviews!
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Batman #34, Batman Eternal #19 and Superman/Wonder Woman #11
These book reviews will not be delayed like last week!
Yes, thankfully, YouTube worked for me and all these reviews are up within a reasonable timeframe. Unfortunately, I still have Korra reviews and an NXT review to go, so you'll have to settle for a video review only. Scores are below, though.
Batman #34 - 7.5/10
Batman Eternal #19 - 8.1/10
Superman/Wonder Woman #11 - 7.3/10
Yes, thankfully, YouTube worked for me and all these reviews are up within a reasonable timeframe. Unfortunately, I still have Korra reviews and an NXT review to go, so you'll have to settle for a video review only. Scores are below, though.
Batman #34 - 7.5/10
Batman Eternal #19 - 8.1/10
Superman/Wonder Woman #11 - 7.3/10
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Detective Comics #34 and Green Arrow #34
So if you didn't notice, a bunch of blogs just went online. Well, there's a reason for that...
My videos weren't uploading to YouTube last Friday. So yeah, it's been some time since I could try again. In any case, here are my final reviews for last week's books in time for the three I'm due to read later today.
As a final note, here are the scores as a heads-up:
Detective Comics #34 - 5/10
Green Arrow #34 - 9.5/10
My videos weren't uploading to YouTube last Friday. So yeah, it's been some time since I could try again. In any case, here are my final reviews for last week's books in time for the three I'm due to read later today.
As a final note, here are the scores as a heads-up:
Detective Comics #34 - 5/10
Green Arrow #34 - 9.5/10
Comic Book Reviews: Batman Eternal #18 and Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet #3
There was quite a bit of Batman out this week, and two of the best came out this week. Check out the reviews in the video below. A summary of the scores is below as well.
Batman Eternal #18 - 8.8/10
Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet #3 - 8.1/10
Batman Eternal #18 - 8.8/10
Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet #3 - 8.1/10
Comic Book Reviews: Action Comics #34, Action Comics Annual #3 and Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1
Many, many reviews coming your way, so no text analysis this week, I'm afraid.
Here are the scores. If you'd like to hear more about the books, kindly watch the video.
Superman/WW Annual #1 - 6.9/10
Action Comics Annual #3 - 6.5/10
Action Comics #34 - 7.5/10
Here are the scores. If you'd like to hear more about the books, kindly watch the video.
Superman/WW Annual #1 - 6.9/10
Action Comics Annual #3 - 6.5/10
Action Comics #34 - 7.5/10
Friday, August 1, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Samurai Jack #10, Batman Eternal #17 and Detective Comics Annual #3
Well, this was a weak week.
Samurai Jack was the only title that made it above my 7/10 'Good Issue' threshold and only barely (it got some bonus points with me for the art and good Aku speech at the beginning.
I don't say it in the video, but had the first three pages not been as good, this would have been a 6.5/10 issue, 6/10 if the art was anything but its A-game.
But they were all there and collectively kept it at a 7.1/10. The plot is still senseless and the logic of why neither character destroys the other in that moment is a real issue.
It's the strength of Jack's fighting spirit and the Aku dialogue that single-handedly keep this book strong this month, and even so I'm actually not sure if I'm not over-rating it.
I wouldn't recommend it as a buy, but it was the best reading experience of the three, so at least that's something.
Detective Comics Annual #3 served as a prequel to the Icarus storyline and was passable, but not exactly great.
It had great ideas like Batman helping a kid whose in a bad home situation, and exploring the villains further, but the plot meanders so much that I can't get a firm grasp of enjoyment on it.
This is compounded by the baffling inclusion of Julian Day's Calendar Man origin. Why was that even here?
Combine all that with an art downgrade, and I have to give the book a 6.8/10, and that may still be too high given the $5 price tag. In any case, I'd avoid the investment.
Lastly, there was Batman Eternal #17, which by now has reached the point where I am BEGGING for this Arkham storyline to finish.
It sounds like the supernatural thing will be over before the month ends and it can't come soon enough for me.
The art was OK but not spectacular and the only thing that I could call good was the subplot where Batman first faced Deacon Blackfire in the New 52 continuity. Seriously, why wasn't that a comic? It'd be more fun than what I was reading.
There are aspects of this book that are done pretty well, but not much is accomplished and I found myself getting bored with it at times. Much of the emotion that was in the title has been drained here and I'm just waiting for The Spectre to appear and end this part of the story.
I give it a flat 5/10. It's not bad, but I am certainly not calling it good or even passable. But some seem to find enjoyment in Batman stories like this, so maybe I'm missing something.
In any case, flip through it before you do anything with it.
Just a final heads-up, I've got a busy first week of August in store with SEVEN titles coming out in one week. So if there are delays, sorry in advance, I'll probably blog about the titles in this order:
Blog 1: Action Comics Annual #3, Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1 and Action Comics #34
Blog 2: Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet #3 and Batman Eternal #18
Blog 3: Detective Comics #34 and Green Arrow #34
If you can't tell, I'm saving the titles I have the most enthusiasm for to be the last blogs because I want to knock out the ones I expect to criticize most out of the way so I can enjoy my big titles.
Anyway, see you all then!
I don't say it in the video, but had the first three pages not been as good, this would have been a 6.5/10 issue, 6/10 if the art was anything but its A-game.
But they were all there and collectively kept it at a 7.1/10. The plot is still senseless and the logic of why neither character destroys the other in that moment is a real issue.
It's the strength of Jack's fighting spirit and the Aku dialogue that single-handedly keep this book strong this month, and even so I'm actually not sure if I'm not over-rating it.
I wouldn't recommend it as a buy, but it was the best reading experience of the three, so at least that's something.
It had great ideas like Batman helping a kid whose in a bad home situation, and exploring the villains further, but the plot meanders so much that I can't get a firm grasp of enjoyment on it.
This is compounded by the baffling inclusion of Julian Day's Calendar Man origin. Why was that even here?
Combine all that with an art downgrade, and I have to give the book a 6.8/10, and that may still be too high given the $5 price tag. In any case, I'd avoid the investment.
Lastly, there was Batman Eternal #17, which by now has reached the point where I am BEGGING for this Arkham storyline to finish.
The art was OK but not spectacular and the only thing that I could call good was the subplot where Batman first faced Deacon Blackfire in the New 52 continuity. Seriously, why wasn't that a comic? It'd be more fun than what I was reading.
There are aspects of this book that are done pretty well, but not much is accomplished and I found myself getting bored with it at times. Much of the emotion that was in the title has been drained here and I'm just waiting for The Spectre to appear and end this part of the story.
I give it a flat 5/10. It's not bad, but I am certainly not calling it good or even passable. But some seem to find enjoyment in Batman stories like this, so maybe I'm missing something.
In any case, flip through it before you do anything with it.
Just a final heads-up, I've got a busy first week of August in store with SEVEN titles coming out in one week. So if there are delays, sorry in advance, I'll probably blog about the titles in this order:
Blog 1: Action Comics Annual #3, Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1 and Action Comics #34
Blog 2: Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet #3 and Batman Eternal #18
Blog 3: Detective Comics #34 and Green Arrow #34
If you can't tell, I'm saving the titles I have the most enthusiasm for to be the last blogs because I want to knock out the ones I expect to criticize most out of the way so I can enjoy my big titles.
Anyway, see you all then!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)