Soss' Pull-List Reviews 2/28/13

Justice League #17

A bunch of really kick ass splash pages. That's all this book had for me. I have no interest in Aquaman or Atlantis or really anything that has been going on in Justice League for the past few months. Since I have no real investment in the story arc I'm pretty happy that next month the League will be climbing out of the pool and into some different water.

I was disappointed to find there was no Shazam backup story. That's been my only reason to read Justice League recently and I felt cheated when I got to the end to find there was no Billy Batson.

Captain America #4

There is no way anyone would recognize this as a Captain America book if it didn't say so on the cover. Mind you, that's not a bad thing. 

Cap continues his training of young Ian while the Queen of Dimension Z readies her army for war. Wild art by JRJR and a interesting story keeps me coming back to this crazy book each month.

I'm having fun with this different take on Steve Rogers but I'm wondering how long Remender and Romita will get to play in this new universe they have created.

Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1

All it took was a well written, relatable origin story and I'm in. I'm not one to get too deep into space comics but I always try to have an open mind. I read the old Abnett and Lannings stuff and was not impressed. The characters never came across as likable and I never cared much about their missions or villains. That's not a problem here.

I liked Bendis' choice to ground this story of the stars with an origin that takes place on a farm in Colorado.  J'son of Spartax ship crash lands on Earth and after he is nursed back to health by a kind "Earther woman" he begins the long task of repairing his ship to return to his place on a galatic throne. As time passes he grows closer to this Earth woman and...well 9 months later Peter Quill is born. Of course the heir to the throne of Spartax can't hide forever no matter how out of the way Earth is.

Bendis tells a brief but informative story. When I got to the last page I knew all about Peter Quill's motivations and was invested in him as a character. Space battles are well and good, but they mean nothing if the characters can't be interesting on their own. Steve McNeiven's highly detailed art is a perfect fit for this space adventure.

I find myself very excited to join The Guardians as they defend the Galaxy or at least Earth. -Soss

Panel of the Week: Peter Quill finds his destiny

A Hole Into The Soul

Power Girl has always been fascinating to me. On one hand she is everything female comic fans should want in a super-heroine. She is witty, charming and is as strong as any of her male counterparts. Power Girl really should be a shining example of what female comic character's should strive to be. However some folks simply can't get past the "boob window". 

I don't see anything wrong with this iconic costume. Is it overly sexual? No more so then Namor's speedo. When DC reintroduced Power Girl in The New 52 last year featuring a less revealing costume there were cheers all throughout message boards and websites applauding DC's progressive move. I guess those same message boards and websites will be set on fire with anger now that DC has decided to restore her classic look. Sorry feminist nerds, you lose this one. -Soss

Gint's 2-20-13 Pull-List Review

$36.27. 10 books. 1 Pull-List Review.

Tenth Place:
Supergirl #17

H'El On Earth continues and where I thought I would, I really didn't mind this issue. Mahmud Asrar, as he's done since the relaunch, continues to draw this book out of the park. If it wasn't for Mike Johnson, and formerly Michael Green's writing along with Asrar's art, I'd have dropped this book a year ago.

Johnson and Asrar draw a great fight between Kara and Wonder Woman. Asrar does some of his best work drawing the female form. He stretches those legs this issue.

The fight and dialog between Kara and Wonder Woman is done so well that I can forgive the book being a tie-in to H'El On Earth.

Ninth Place:
Justice League of America #1

A quick summary: meh. This is the first Geoff Johns effort that's left me apathetic. Lets see if I can get to the bottom of this.

David Finch's artwork is too gritty. Its a really dark book. Lots of shadows. His work looks just thrown on the page and isn't very refined. Its just not that good. 

As far as the characters are concerned, Martian Manhunter is the only one I give a shit about and in the New 52, he's a dick. He's not the J'onn J'onzz that we've grown up loving. The rest of the characters, Vibe, Katana, Hawkman... Johns doesn't make them interesting. He tried to highlight each characters quirk and what makes them unique to take down the REAL Justice League, but none of its very compelling. And sweet Stephen King is it wordy.  SO much dialog.

Yet it has potential and as you'll read with Nova below, its hard to judge a book on one issue. I'll give Geoff Johns the benefit of the doubt for a couple more issues.   

Eighth Place:
Wonder Woman #17

Aaaaand Cliff Chiang is missing from the book... again. I don't mean to take away from the great job Tony Akins is doing filling-in. He's done so many issues that saying he's a fill-in isn't really fair anymore. He's more the third player in Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's partnership.

Orion, of the shitty New Gods is still hanging around, but oddly enough... I like him. For the first time in my history of reading DC Comics I find Orion NOT a dumb character. I guess Azzarello is doing something right.

This is a book I think would work better if read all in one sitting. I know that sounds like a bullshit way to say this book isn't that good, but it is. It just needs a little better flow from month to month.

Seventh Place:
Nova #1

Making its debut on the Pull-List: Nova #1. My buddy Matt talked me into this one. I was a big fan of the Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning version of Nova starring Richard Rider. He was essentially Marvel's Hal Jordan, so why wouldn't I be a fan?

Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness are the new Nova's creative team. Another reason to sign on. I was going to stay away because its not Richard Rider this time, its Sam Alexander (you know, cause we have to tie into the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon and all that). But Matt's positive review and the Loeb/McGuiness team sucked me in.

How was it? It was fine. It didn't knock my socks off. Sam Alexander is only a 15 year old, so its kind of like reading a Batman book starring Damian. I'm not a big fan of that. Its been a long time since I could relate to a teenager.

I'll be fair and give this book a whole arc to hook me in. Its apparently tied into Guardians of the Galaxy which I plan on getting. So, Loeb and McGuiness have 5 more issues to make me give a shit about this kid or I'm outie.

Sixth Place:
Green Lantern: New Guardians #17

Part Three of Wrath of the First Lantern is very similar to Part Two except Volthoom (the First Lantern) is emotionally tormenting Kyle Rayner instead of Guy Gardner.

Same basic premise as Green Lantern Corps #17: our hero is captured and Volthoom shows him all the other heartbreaking timelines they could have lived had they not screwed up in this one. It may have been a cool issue had I not already read it in Corps.

Tony Bedard does a nice job writing, but I'm really becoming a big fan of Aaron Kuder's art. Shame they're getting bumped off this title when Geoff Johns quits Green Lantern in May.   

Fifth Place:
Green Lantern Corps #17

This book may have had more emotional impact had I remembered what happened in the last issue. It also felt like filler.

We get to see Guy being emotionally tortured by the First Lantern who is apparently an emotional vampire. He feeds off the color spectrum and I guess the more he makes you feel, the more he likes it. So he messes with your memories and makes you imagine and feel things that may have never happened. Sound complicated and a little contrived? That's cause it kind of is.

I really expect more from Geoff Johns and Co.'s last Green Lantern Universe run, but so far it hasn't really given it to me. The reason Sinestro Corps War was so amazing was because it was a personal story about the characters. So far, Wrath of the First Lantern is big epic space stuff with no emotional core. Ironic huh?

Its early. It has a lot of time to get better.     

Fourth Place:
Green Lantern #17

This book took me two reads to fully understand. I think I got it after one read, but needed a second one to make sure.

Wrath of the First Lantern, and Geoff Johns final story in the Green Lantern Universe, begins and it leaves a shit ton of questions. I guess that's the point: we keep reading the books and we'll find out. But Johns introduces a bunch of stuff that hasn't been covered before. I don't prescribe to the theory of "write every book like its someone's first," but if I didn't understand what was happening, there's no way in Krona's creation a newbie would get it.

I imagine the more we read, the more we'll find out. Its not bad, just a lot of moving parts so far. And this is just the first part. The pressure's on for Johns to go out with a bang and, for me, bring Hal Jordan back.      

Third Place:
Sword of Sorcery #5

Its a real shame this book is being cancelled. I don't understand how DC can determine something isn't good enough after only 4 issues. Like a TV show, I believe a book needs some time to find its legs.

Sword of Sorcery,  in my humble opinion, hasn't needed that time. Its a really good book with amazing artwork by Aaron Lopresti. I really don't know why DC doesn't put him on a main title? Philip Tan on Green Lantern? C'mon. That's only a matter of time before he's getting fill-ins because he can't keep a schedule. Aaron Lopresti however, is more than capable and hasn't missed a beat in five months of Sword of Sorcery.

Christy Marx storytelling is just as good as the art. She's doing a great job weaving the tapestry of this whole other world. I'm a big fan of world building. Love me some Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter... all those huge otherworldly universes. Marx is doing a great job with Nilaa, the land of all the gemstones.

But alas, it doesn't have Batman in it so DC deems it unworthy of more than one arc. Whatever.

Second Place:
Justice League #17

Whatever Justice League of America is missing, Justice League is not. This was a really good conclusion to a really good story.

I've heard some negative press over the Throne of Atlantis arc, but I have to disagree with it. This is the kind of Justice League story I'm looking for. Each character gets their time in the spotlight and all of them are written spot on. Its big action that only the Justice League can handle. Art-wise, three inkers is a bit much and it really shows. There are a couple panels that don't look inked at all.

In classic Geoff Johns fashion, he sets up the next batch of stories in the epilogue which looks to star a version of the Secret Society of Supervillians.

First Place:
Saga #10

Fuck do I love this book. The last page of this issue impacted me just as much as any other impactful issue I've read in my comic history.

If I'm going to find something to complain about, it's Brian K. Vaughan's contemporary dialog in this strange-ass world he's created. Isabel's "Flee in terror, bitches," pulled me right out of the book. This isn't the first instance Vaughan has done this, but it may be the most egregious so far.

Finding faults with this book is hard. Its like a brand new Star Wars. Man, I would love to see this book made into a movie. The budget you'd need to do it right would be astronomical, but I'd love to see it.

Great great stuff here. I hate to stroke it so hard every month, but some books deserve it. 

Panel of the Week:

Lots of art to look at this week but Aaron Lopresti is the winner. He deserves to be on a higher profile title than most of the hacks currently on them. I'm looking at you Brett Booth.

-Gint