Very Absorbing.Solomon Grundy #5 continues to unfold the mystery behind the cursed swamp creature, and how his salvation might play a very important role in the upcoming Blackest Night event. Deep within Slaughter swamp, the battle between the android Amazo and Grundy continues. And what a battle it is.
After a stalemate slug fest, Amazo does what he does best and begins to analyze a way to replicate Grundy’s powers. Realizing Grundy is drawing energy from the swamp itself, Amazo absorbs the unknown trace chemical elements which grant Grundy his power, but this has unforeseen complications on both the Android and his creator Professor Ivo, who watches his plans for revenge unfold on the planet beneath him from the sanctity of a private space station. But little does Ivo know that the observer is being spied upon himself by a third party, who seems to have taken an interest in Grundy’s current situation.
Meanwhile in the suburbs of Gotham City, we witness Alan Scott trying to reassemble his shattered lantern and contain the Green Flame of Life, which has managed to embed itself into other surrounding vessels. Alan has been able to tame and master the Green Flame due to years of exposure to it. But this site to behold is interrupted by an unknown noise far off in the distance. That same noise turns out to be an explosion, which is also observed by Bizzaro, on the opposite side of town, who has been a lost soul since his new best friend Solomon Grundy disappeared. As Bizzaro begins to fly to Grundy’s aid, he is taken down by the science police, whose motives are not known yet.
Finally we cut to Valhalla Cemetery, the heroes graveyard , where the Phantom Stranger requests not only an audience with the Spectre, but also answers as to what is going on concerning Blackest Night, and who might possibly be involved.
This issue had a lot of stuff to take in, both visually and story wise. As the miniseries winds down I can see it finally picking up speed, and I hope this pace can be maintained and built upon, right until the very end.
8.5/10
Eddie R.
Review Co- Editor.
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Would you sacrifice a life to save a world?Warning off the bat for Bryan Hitch aficionados: probably due to release of Captain America: Rebirth, Hitch's work here on Fantastic Four #568 was assisted by Neil Edwards and in many places lacks detail and seems rushed. It's certainly does not sustain the same level of artistic quality as we had in issue #567 last month.
Mastermind plotter Mark Millar and scripter Joe Ahearne (who is currently writing the spin-off Fantastic Force limited series) continue to craft the Masters of Doom tale which hearkens back to the Lee/Kirby glory days of the title. The Marquis of Death, who taught Doctor Doom everything he knew, is a truly terrifying and seemingly unstoppable villain from the mold of Galactus and Annihilus. That sort of challenge brings out the best in the Fantastic Four: Mr. Fantastic's hope in the triumph of good, the Invisible Woman's steely grace under pressure, the Human Torch's love of family, Ben Grimm's unbelievable confidence and courage.
The Marquis of Death has apparently spent billions of years destroying millions of worlds across the cosmos, and has destroyed the Fantastic Four countless times in alternate realities. He's now come for our world and looks like the FF are the only ones with a chance to stop him. This is the sort of story that goes so well with this team: reality as we know it hinges on their actions and decisions on our behalf.
The Marquis of Death brings Reed Richards to key events in his past, and asks him to authorize the death of certain people in exchange for the Marquis not destroying Reed’s Earth. It's always fascinating to be faced with these sort of "what if?" scenarios, that beg even deeper questions about destiny, human freedom, death, and the meaning of life.
The book ends in a tantalizingly confusing sequence, which readers will see resolved in the double-sized finale to Millar and Hitch's run on the title next month.
8.5/10
Adam P.
Review Co-Editor
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New Star Wars mini-series gets off to slow startThe six Star Wars movies have spun off massive amounts of stories through Del Rey fiction books and Dark Horse comics. One of the most ambitious moves by Del Rey was to introduce the Yuuzhan Vong (who neither appear nor are mentioned in any of the movies) into their novels of the Star Wars universe. This vicious and bizarrely religious race has received a warm reception from fans after being introduced as a major threat to the galaxy after the events leading to the downfall of the Empire as recounted in the original trilogy.
As explained by the book's editor Randy Stradley in a column at the end of this issue, Dark Horse sat out publishing the Yuuzhan Vong chronicles, preferring to let Del Rey fully develop them before jumping into the ring with a comic book adaptation. Now that the dust has settled and the Yuuzhan Vong chronology is well-established, they make their comics debut in Star Wars: Invasion #1.
The Yuuzhan Vong is a well-developed race with many fascinating aspects to their technology, religion, and warmongering. Unfortunately, this is hardly introduced at all in this debut issue. We merely see the Yuuzhan Vong invade the peaceful planet of Artorias without warning in odd ships and proceed to round up the planet's inhabitants with the use of odd tubes leading up to their mothership. Thus the Yuuzhan Vong only looks somewhat frightening because of their physical appearance, but otherwise seem to be like any other violent bug-men from the stars which provide a backdrop for some Jedi heroics.
The king of Artorias, Caled Galfridian, is a veteran from the Battle of Hoth, and decides to fight back and attempt to rescue his wife and daughter from the invaders. His son, Finn, exhibits Jedi tendencies and is invited to come to Yavin-4 by Luke Skywalker himself to begin training as a Jedi.
That about sums up this issue, unfortunately. The characters are relatively simplistic: the king is brave, the son is brash, and the daughter, Kaye, is feisty. The book is as straight-forward as can be, and serves only to show us that the Yuuzhan Vong are merciless warriors bent on enslaving the galaxy. You can bet Luke Skywalker and co. will have something to say about it.
The art is nice, but not stellar (no pun intended). It's certainly not a distraction, and there are some nice coastal scenes and market sequences, but the reader is left hoping that we're going to really bite into the Yuuzhan Vong mythos, and see what makes them tick, both visually and philosophically, sooner rather than later.
An unfortunately slow and paint-by-numbers beginning to a highly-hoped for series, one that has a lot of potential for Dark Horse and that will undoubtedly deepen in issues to come.
7/10
Adam P.
Review Co-Editor
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Steve Rogers returns... but not quite yetMuch has been made of Captain America's death. Captain America: Reborn #1 seems to demonstrate that there'll be nothing to fear here, it's just comic book business as usual. It's important for readers not to see the death of a superhero as a regular death. Comic books are in the realm of fantasy, complete with retcons and myriad ways of traveling through time and space. That Captain America was alive at all in the twenty-first century is impossible enough, since he served in World War II.
We witness Ed Brubaker defining the legend of Captain America here. Other issues like Captain America #600 focused on what his death meant, and here we get to see what his life meant.
The five issue mini-series will see Captain America come back thru the dead seemingly thru time traveling science fiction methods. We have Dr. Doom, Dr. Zola, the Red Skull, Norman Osborn, Hank Pym and even Reed Richards mentioned as the great scientific minds of the Marvel U. who were or will be involved in the complex reasons behind Cap's imminent reappearance.
For starters, we see Bucky (as the new Captain America) and Black Widow attempted to sneak into H.A.M.M.E.R.'s space station to steal the fabled but now broken time machine that arch-nemesis attempted to use to bring Steve Rogers back. All seems to be going well... until some Dark Avengers show up on the scene.
Meanwhile, Sharon Carter, Cap's ex-lover and unwilling killer, explains the mad plot behind Steve's death to the brilliant Hank Pym.
The original Cap finds himself hurtling through time, reliving key moments of his far distant past, confused as to how he got there. These are truly the best scenes of the book and a beautiful rebirth of the Captain America mythos for the present day. To see Captain America on the D-Day boats off the coast of Normandy trying to boost the courage of his fellow American troops is a perfect use of historical fact in the realm of comics and an amazing visual definition of true heroism when the stakes are as high as they get.
Overall the book is a solid work, with page-turning storytelling by Brubaker and heroic rendering by Bryan Hitch. It's a pleasure to read and will pique the reader's curiosity as to what the rest of the series holds in store.
8.5/10
Adam P.
Review Co-Editor
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IDW Previews for July 8, 2009
Angel: Not Fade Away #3
Joss Whedon & Jeffrey Bell (story) • Scott Tipton (w) • Stephen Mooney (a & c)
When Joss Whedon’s Angel series ended, the finale left fans gasping for breath they didn’t recover until Angel: After the Fall. See the finale to the episode that nearly broke the Internet into tiny little shards, courtesy of Scott Tipton and Stephen Mooney.
Around the World in 80 Days HC
Jules Verne (w) • Chrys Millien (a & c)
Jules Verne’s classic tale of adventure comes to life in this illustrated hardcover! Join Phileas Fogg and his companion Passepartout as they race around the globe trying to win a bet against the London Reform Club. From railway cars to steamboats, and with a colorful cast of characters the encounter along the way, Around the World in 80 Days is sure to please readers of all ages.
From the Ashes #2
Bob Fingerman (w & a & c)
Bob Fingerman’s speculative memoir (starring Bob and his wife Michele) set in a post-apocalyptic and nuclear ravaged New York City continues as the duo discover there are worse things in this world than tentacled mutations, the walking dead, and cannibalistic foodies!
Ghost Whisperer: The Muse
Barbara Kesel (w) • Adriano Loyola, Brian Miller (a) •
They call her their muse, but this goddess of art is killing artists, not just inspiring them. Can Melinda Gordon help cross over spirits who don’t want to abandon their goddess? This all-new mini-series based on the hit CBS-TV show is written by Barbara Randall Kesel (Rogue Angel: Teller of Tall Tales), with art by Adriano Loyola (Gene Simmons Zipper).
G.I. Joe: The Best of Storm Shadow
Larry Hama(w) • Mike Vosburg, Larry Hama, Frank Springer, Rod Whigham, William Rosado (a) • DiVito (c)
Collecting the most incriminating comics moments of G.I. JOE’s COBRA, this volume focuses on Storm Shadow, COBRA’s silent killer. Read all about his sinister actions in classics issues like #24, 25, 38, 39, 42, and 43!
G.I. Joe: Origins #5
Larry Hama (w) • Mike Hawthorne (a) • Andrea DiVito, Tom Feister (c)
As the Joes close in on Chimera’s stronghold, an unbelievable new surprise is waiting for them. Meanwhile, Snake Eyes begins to do what he does best—and you wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of this skill, trust us!
G.I. Joe Movie Adaptation #2 (of 4)
Denton J. Tipton (w) • Casey Maloney (a) • Maloney (c)
Part 2 of this 4-part weekly series introduces us to the major characters of the G.I. JOE franchise in ways we’ve never imagined! In stores July 8!
Star Trek: Crew #5
John Byrne (w & a & c)
What lies at the literal end of the universe? The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are going to find out when they try to discover how entire star systems can simply vanish! Story and art by the inimitable John Byrne!
Star Trek TNG: The Last Generation
Andrew Steven Harris (w) • Gordon Purcell (a) • JK Woodward(c)
In this first-ever Myriad Universe tale, Starfleet is no more. The Federation lies in ruin & the Klingons have conquered Earth. But a resistance, led by Jean-Luc Picard, seeks to free humanity from Klingon rule. Now, finally, it may have the means to do it: An android named Data, who has scrutinized the timeline & discovered that things are not as they should be.
Transformers: Maximum Dinobots
Simon Furman (w) • Nick Roche (a) • Marcelo Matere (c)
At last, the ultimate confrontation between not just GRIMLOCK and his
somewhat-estranged fellow Dinobots, SLUDGE, SLAG, SNARL, and SWOOP, but also SUNSTREAKER/HUNTER, SCORPONOK, HOT ROD, Skywatch and a whole army of HEADMASTERS! Mayhem, machinations, melee, and, of course, Maximum Dinobots, all courtesy of TRANSFORMERS über-scribe Simon Furman and fan-favorite Nick Roche!
World War Robot 2
Ashley Wood (a & c)
Award-winning designer/artist Ashley Wood (Popbot, Zombies vs. Robots) continues the World War between a dwindling band of humans and robots that spans planets in this oversize (one foot long by one foot wide!) epic.
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All about Justice.For a while now, both old and new fans of the Justice League have been on what I would call, to put it mildly, a roller coaster ride. After the events in Infinite crisis, where the Leagues original timeline and line-up were re- established as cannon in the DCU, to the darkening tone left on the League after Identity Crisis, the JLA has been in a sort of limbo. Yes, there was a new team, a new base (two in fact if you count the Hall of Justice) and a new direction. But somewhere, somehow, things got stalled. But if anyone knows their history of the JLA, this is just another incarnation which has come to pass, giving way to something much needed and more relevant. And it’s about time.
Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 opens with a meeting. On one side you have Hal Jordan, who is tired of the way Justice has been denied for those heroes who have fallen in the line of duty, and how the villains of the DCU seem to get away without being prosecuted for their crimes. On the other side, you have the rest of the JLA, who believe that the method of justice which Hal seeks borders on revenge, which is something the JLA will not stand by and support. The only one to side with Hal is Oliver Queen, a.k.a Green Arrow. Oliver feels the same way, but is just not being as vocal about it, which I find ironic because this is something Oliver used to do in the Old JLA comics of the silver and bronze age.
As we then cut to various scenes across the DCU, we bear witness to a series of events which make one start to believe Hal Jordan isn’t the only hero who feels justice isn’t being served properly. Ray Palmer, Mikkal Tomas (Starman III), and Congorilla all have similar epiphanies, leading one to think this disenchantment might be more widespread than first thought.
Now, the scenes and dialogue with Oliver and Hal after leaving the JLA meeting, are very reminiscent of the “Hard-Traveling Heroes” era in Green Lantern’s comic history (GL Volume 2: # 76- 89). At that time( early 1970’s) it was felt that comics needed to get away from the campiness which had become the industry standard, and go more towards comics which were socially relevant for the times. Thanks to the efforts of Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, the concept became widely accepted, ushering a new age in comics. I personally feel James Robinson, who has now been named the official writer for the ongoing JLA monthly, is steering this version of the team into that direction, and I applaud him for it. For me, the JLA has been a big ship without a captain, going in circles for way to long now. And if anyone can chart this ship though some very choppy seas, and come out still in one piece, it’s him.
Question now is, are fan’s willing to go along for the voyage, or will they bail? All I know is I got both my boarding pass and life jacket in hand, just in case.
8.5/10
Eddie R
Review Co-Editor
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