Iron Man #1
Marvel NOW! is supposed to be a fresh new start for the line but there was not a trace of that here. Not only was there nothing new to be found in this story but it felt like a rehashing of the Extremis storyline from a few years back. Coincidence that Iron Man 3 centers around this same plot? Probably not.
Kieron Gillen's story is bland. I normally love his work but this story fell flat. Greg Land's hilariously traced artwork even felt joyless. I'll say this for him, he can draw a pretty kick ass Iron Man. A bad start to a book that promised new ideas but served up yesterday's leftovers.
Earth 2 # 6
It's hard to believe that I've been reading this book for six months and still have no connection to any of the characters. Everyone in this book can be summed up with one word. Flash. Confused. Green Lantern. Gay. Hawk Girl. Angry. Atom. Angrier. No depth with these heroes.
Nicola Scott's work is good but not at the level of her Secret Six work. I'd much rather see her on a different book so I could a actually enjoy her art.
Avenging Spider-Man #14
When I read in the opening credits that this book co-starred Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur I thought I'd be heading out to the flaming trash can. Surprisingly, this turned out to be a pretty entertaining read.
Peter finds himself in the Savage Land fighting cyborg dinosaurs. Lucky for him a red dinosaur and a talking monkey come to his rescue. I know that sounds awful but trust me it was fun.
The real star of the show is Gabriele Del' Otto's artwork. You won't find a more realistic looking Spider-Man this side of Alex Ross. His dinosaurs are frightening and menacing. The editorial staff knew that they were doing when they handed out this assignment.
Moloch #1
Another pleasant surprise. I love the Watchmen universe but a Moloch mini-series was not something I thought I'd have interest in. This is another example of a writer and artist turning a previously dull character into something cool.
JMS tells the origin of a background villain in the original series. Moloch was a child born with deformed ears and was treated as a freak not only by outsiders but his own family. The world of magic offers a path to self worth as well as power to young Eddie Jacobi. With this power comes the lust for more power and opens the door to a life of crime.
Eduardo Risso channels his inner Tim Sale and bangs this one out of the park. A lot of credit goes to Trish Mulvihill for her vibrant color palette. Who knew the Great Depression looked so awesome!
Animal Man #14
In the future Felix Faust and the Un-Men show up to the Red sanctuary to deliver a message to Buddy. Meanwhile Maxine runs for her life from her now Rot possessed family.
This Animal Man/Swamp Thing crossover is the best thing to come out of the New 52. I get as excited about these books each month in the same way one gets amped for a movie or your favorite band releasing a new album. There is a lot of action this month but it never feels like an empty slugfest. Lemire and Pugh move the plot along and set our heroes on the path to find The Green and Swamp Thing.-Soss
Panel of the Week: The age old battle between Spider-Man and dinosaurs rages on.
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