Comic Reviews
Lots of comics this week!
Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: The Gorn
Gargoyles #6
Green Lantern #24
Superman #668
Runaways #28
Justice League/Hitman #1
Justice League/Hitman #2
Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: The Gorn (IDW Comics)- The last time I bought a Star Trek comic would have been when Marvel was doing the series about Captain Pike and his Enterprise. It was a suprisingly good comic, as were many of the Marvel Star Trek comics. (I'm not talking about the original Marvel Star Trek comic from '79, but all but the Star Trek comics they released in the '90s. The '79 series was barely readable.) What got me to buy this comic was The Gorn. I've always been annoyed that none of the future series like the Next Generation re-visited the Gorn to see what happened to them in the 24th century. In the original series episode where they appeared, they were obviously a pretty powerful threat to the Federation....or a powerful potential ally. However, there was never a Gorn episode in all of the other shows. (Perhaps, Voyager or Enterprise did an episode. I never watched those shows.)
This comic follows an untold adventure of the Reliant before its fateful encounter with Khan. Captain Terrell, Commander Chekov and several crewmembers in a shuttlecraft crash on a Gorn-occupied world, setting up the story for the events to come. The story is OK, but lacking in depth. The art is also merely OK. From everything I've heard about what IDW is doing with the Star Trek license, I've been curious to pick up some of the books, particularly 'Star Trek: Season Four,' as it set in my favorite series, the original Trek. However, this book didn't impress me much. It was fun to see the Gorn and I liked the fact that it uses the crew of the Reliant, but this book was certainly not worth buying. I'd suggest reading it for free if you get a chance, but unless you are a huge Trekker who can't get enough, spend your $4 somewhere else. (2.5 out of 5 stars)
Gargoyles #6 (Slave Labor Graphics) - This is another untold tale from one of my favorite series. Thailog asks his new ally to tell him a "bed-time story" and she tells a tale of Goliath, Elisa, Bronx and Angela's time being sent around the world on missions for Avalon. They meet up with Coldstone and... I won't spoil anything. The story isn't as good as the earlier stuff in this series, but it does appear to be setting the stage for the next story arc.
I am happy to have new Gargoyles comics, but I am disappointed in the art of this series so far. I want fantastic art and instead the art seems more like Gargoyles fan-art. (It is good for fan-art, though.) Part of the problem I have with it is the style of inking that looks like it wasn't inked at all and instead the pencils were just done very dark and then colored over. (3/5)
Green Lantern #24 (DC Comics) - The Sinestro Corps attack on Earth is shown in detail this issue as Hal and the other Earth lanterns arrive to help the planet. Like the last issue of Green Lantern Corps, this issue seems to just have a whole lot of splash and action with a lot less heart than the early issues of this crossover. It is still a fun read but is starting to feel more like any other "major event" comic than the fantastic read the storyline started as. (3.5/5)
Superman #668 (DC)- I am wondering if DC will be able to finish this storyline without delaying parts of it like every other major Superman story these days. The story had some very cool moments and Chris Kent is used really well this issue. The story looks pretty promising. (3.5/5)
There is one thing I was left wondering though, so I pose this question to the hard-core comic geeks out there. The issue starts with Superman finding a cell of Dominators on Earth. Has DC confirmed whether the "Invasion!" happened in the "New Earth" continuity? It is my favorite big-event of all time, but many of the events of it couldn't have happened the same on "New Earth," such as Rita Farr's death, since the Doom Patrol's history has been completely altered.
Runaways #28 (Marvel Comics)- I love how Joss is exploring early 20th Century Marvel New York in this storyline and the "Wonders." There are several really fun scenes this issue as well. I am just not sure I liked the issue as a whole. Something about it just didn't feel like it "flowed." (3/5)
Justice League/Hitman #1-2 (DC Comics)- Garth Ennis and John McCrea reunited to do a story of Tommy Monaghan before he died. (This seemed to be my week for "untold stories.") My local shop sold out quickly of this, but I found copies of it this weekend while in L.A.. I'm glad I did. The story starts out with a would-be author who is researching Tommy and curioius about how Tommy, a notorious Hitman, could have met Superman.
It then goes into the tale of Tommy's team-up with the Justice League. It is a lot of fun, almost as much fun as the original Hitman comics. I didn't like how Garth Ennis wrote a lot of the JLA characters as several, particularly Green Lantern and Flash, seemed wildly out-of-character. However, I liked how he wrote Superman and, of course, Tommy...and Baytor! (4/5)
Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: The Gorn
Gargoyles #6
Green Lantern #24
Superman #668
Runaways #28
Justice League/Hitman #1
Justice League/Hitman #2
Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: The Gorn (IDW Comics)- The last time I bought a Star Trek comic would have been when Marvel was doing the series about Captain Pike and his Enterprise. It was a suprisingly good comic, as were many of the Marvel Star Trek comics. (I'm not talking about the original Marvel Star Trek comic from '79, but all but the Star Trek comics they released in the '90s. The '79 series was barely readable.) What got me to buy this comic was The Gorn. I've always been annoyed that none of the future series like the Next Generation re-visited the Gorn to see what happened to them in the 24th century. In the original series episode where they appeared, they were obviously a pretty powerful threat to the Federation....or a powerful potential ally. However, there was never a Gorn episode in all of the other shows. (Perhaps, Voyager or Enterprise did an episode. I never watched those shows.)
This comic follows an untold adventure of the Reliant before its fateful encounter with Khan. Captain Terrell, Commander Chekov and several crewmembers in a shuttlecraft crash on a Gorn-occupied world, setting up the story for the events to come. The story is OK, but lacking in depth. The art is also merely OK. From everything I've heard about what IDW is doing with the Star Trek license, I've been curious to pick up some of the books, particularly 'Star Trek: Season Four,' as it set in my favorite series, the original Trek. However, this book didn't impress me much. It was fun to see the Gorn and I liked the fact that it uses the crew of the Reliant, but this book was certainly not worth buying. I'd suggest reading it for free if you get a chance, but unless you are a huge Trekker who can't get enough, spend your $4 somewhere else. (2.5 out of 5 stars)
Gargoyles #6 (Slave Labor Graphics) - This is another untold tale from one of my favorite series. Thailog asks his new ally to tell him a "bed-time story" and she tells a tale of Goliath, Elisa, Bronx and Angela's time being sent around the world on missions for Avalon. They meet up with Coldstone and... I won't spoil anything. The story isn't as good as the earlier stuff in this series, but it does appear to be setting the stage for the next story arc.
I am happy to have new Gargoyles comics, but I am disappointed in the art of this series so far. I want fantastic art and instead the art seems more like Gargoyles fan-art. (It is good for fan-art, though.) Part of the problem I have with it is the style of inking that looks like it wasn't inked at all and instead the pencils were just done very dark and then colored over. (3/5)
Green Lantern #24 (DC Comics) - The Sinestro Corps attack on Earth is shown in detail this issue as Hal and the other Earth lanterns arrive to help the planet. Like the last issue of Green Lantern Corps, this issue seems to just have a whole lot of splash and action with a lot less heart than the early issues of this crossover. It is still a fun read but is starting to feel more like any other "major event" comic than the fantastic read the storyline started as. (3.5/5)
Superman #668 (DC)- I am wondering if DC will be able to finish this storyline without delaying parts of it like every other major Superman story these days. The story had some very cool moments and Chris Kent is used really well this issue. The story looks pretty promising. (3.5/5)
There is one thing I was left wondering though, so I pose this question to the hard-core comic geeks out there. The issue starts with Superman finding a cell of Dominators on Earth. Has DC confirmed whether the "Invasion!" happened in the "New Earth" continuity? It is my favorite big-event of all time, but many of the events of it couldn't have happened the same on "New Earth," such as Rita Farr's death, since the Doom Patrol's history has been completely altered.
Runaways #28 (Marvel Comics)- I love how Joss is exploring early 20th Century Marvel New York in this storyline and the "Wonders." There are several really fun scenes this issue as well. I am just not sure I liked the issue as a whole. Something about it just didn't feel like it "flowed." (3/5)
Justice League/Hitman #1-2 (DC Comics)- Garth Ennis and John McCrea reunited to do a story of Tommy Monaghan before he died. (This seemed to be my week for "untold stories.") My local shop sold out quickly of this, but I found copies of it this weekend while in L.A.. I'm glad I did. The story starts out with a would-be author who is researching Tommy and curioius about how Tommy, a notorious Hitman, could have met Superman.
It then goes into the tale of Tommy's team-up with the Justice League. It is a lot of fun, almost as much fun as the original Hitman comics. I didn't like how Garth Ennis wrote a lot of the JLA characters as several, particularly Green Lantern and Flash, seemed wildly out-of-character. However, I liked how he wrote Superman and, of course, Tommy...and Baytor! (4/5)