What's on my Mind: Franchises in Comics

In today's age of comics, its not rare for a hero's book to gain enough success that the publishers decide to release a spin-off title. Usually this is not a bad thing since this has given fans some good titles such as Green Lantern Corps, or just recently Superboy. Typically, I don't mind when a franchise has one or two titles in addition too the main title, however the amount of Avengers and Batman books makes me think that those franchises are out of control.

I'm not fully against the amount of titles because it does offer some variety among fans. If you don't like the direction or writer on one title, then you could choose another one from the same franchise. A few months ago, I decided to pick up Secret Avengers because Avengers was starting to suck in my opinion. And the new Batman titles coming out this month let readers choose which Batman they want to read about. Variety can be a good thing as long as its not over used.

When Marvel announced its multiple Avengers titles, I understood why because there was an abundance of characters (Steve Rogers, Iron Man, Thor, Luke Cage, etc.) and one of the factors that influence a reader's choice is the team members. One of the reasons I chose Avengers after Siege was because of the roster (having Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Wolverine on one team seemed like a good idea at the time). Another influence on a reader's choice is the team's role in the Marvel Universe. While the Avengers would handle the big cosmic threats, the Secret Avengers would work undercover and the Avengers Academy would train the heroes of tomorrow (at least that's what their recruitment brochures say). All in all I'd say Marvel made the right choice to release multiple Avengers titles.

 Now there's a greater number of Batman titles coming out and I can't understand why DC needs to launch additional titles. I can understand why Batman Inc. needs its own series, but wouldn't it be easier if DC put Bruce Wayne in one series (Batman or Detective Comics) and Dick Grayson in the other. Same idea could apply for Batman: Streets of Gotham and Batman and Robin (I would have enjoyed seeing Bruce work with his son, Damian). I get that Batman is the poster boy for DC Comics and he's one of the favorite heroes among comic book fans but all the Batman promoting DC does makes them look greedy rather than people who want to tell good stories.

As I stated earlier, a comic's creative team can be just as influential on one's reading choice as much as the comic's concept. I thought Avengers was gonna be great but Brian Michael Bendis's writing made me give up the book by issue #4. I enjoy Grant Morrison's portrayal of Batman (Bruce Wayne) but the concept of Batman Inc. prevents me from giving the book a chance. Overall there are many other factors that can affect a reader's decision but if they have a good feeling about a title then they should give it a chance.

As with every other article, feel free to comment and let me know how you feel about the number of comic books that are a part of a franchise or which Avengers or Batman books you are or will be reading in the near future. You know what don't just mention Avengers or Batman feel free to talk about any other franchises that might need more or less titles. Later!

Amazing Spider-Man #644 Review

Normally I review comic books on my YouTube channel, but this week I only bought one comic (yeah that's a pretty light week for me). Rather than do a video I review about one comic, I decided to write instead since I've been neglecting my blog over the summer. Anyway here's my review of Amazing Spider-Man #644.

Synopsis: The first scene is a woman at a police station claiming ownership over the baby (Lil' Osborn) Spider-Man has. The cops calm her down and mention that a dozen women have been in trying to claim the baby.

Now we shift over to Spider-Man trying to hold off Vulture 2 until Freak tackles the Vulture. Freak then claims that neither the Vulture or the Rhino will stop him from getting the baby. After Spider-Man gets away, he tries to ask a mother for some diapers but she runs away. Spidey notices a police baracade and overhears the police talking about the Rhino being in the area. Spider-Man says that he can't feel any hoofbeets or sees any rattling windows. Spidey wonders where the Rhino is and he suddenly notice the Rhino jumping from a helicopter.

Meanwhile Tombstone is trying to get information from Carlie about the current location of Menace. Cops and firemen show up and attack but Tombstone grabs Shocker from the rubble and runs. Carlie is then asked where Spider-Man and/or Menace are but she tells them she has no idea. After a few minutes a fireman says the building is clear and Carlie leaves. Carlie thinks to herself about how Peter just left without helping her, Harry or M.J. when Doc Oct attacked.

Back at his base, Doc Oct reveals to a figure in the shadows that he put an "Octo-Tracer" on Spider-Man. Oct then tells his mysterious friend to go and "end this, swiftly and in our favor".

M.J. and Harry have hidden Lily (a.k.a. Menace) in the panic room of M.J.'s producer. Harry tells M.J. to stay while he leaves to work on his plan.

Now back to the plot, Spider-Man is trying to avoid the Rhino's stampede. Then Rhino reveals he's not trying to get the baby but finally crush Spider-Man. Spidey then gets Rhino to stop and explains to him that Rhino's deceased wife would not like him tackling Spider-Man while he's trying to protect a baby. Spidey tells the Rhino after this whole situation is over they can meet up again and duke it out. Rhino leaves and wishes Spider-Man good luck for their next confrontation.

Spider-Man finally gets to Avengers Mansion when he notices a Goblin baby on his back which then goes into a frenzy. Spidey crashes into the gate and notices none of the Mansion's defenses are activated which means only one thing, Mysterio. Spider-Man is able to knock out Mysterio with one punch, but his victory is short lived as Vulture 2 and Freak close on to his location. 

As Spider-Man is running, Harry Osborn calls out to him. Harry talks to Spider-Man and asks for the baby since the baby is still Harry's brother. Spidey hands over the baby and makes a decoy out of garbage. Spider-Man is able to take down Freak and Vulture 2 thanks to a little fit of rage over the mess of his civilian life. Spidey then notices Harry still standing in the same spot and Harry tells him that the baby didn't make it. This pushes Spider-Man past his limit and decides to take the fight to Doc Oct so he can pay.


After Spidey leaves, its revealed Harry is none other than the Chameleon.


Good: The first good thing I liked was that Doc Oct finally learned from his past experiences and built his own "spider-tracers". Its always good when a villain learns from his failures because that challenges the hero and it helps writers tell better stories.


Plus its good to see Spider-Man finally release some of that anger he's had since Peter Parker was fired and his roomate got bitchier (example selling his clothes to pay for rent without Peter's permission).


The twist ending with the Chameleon was a great cliffhanger. Its also one of those moments where you ask yourself "how long has he been impersonating Harry?" Plus we don't know whether the Chameleon is gonna deliver the baby to Doc Oct, or sell him to the highest bidder, or if Chameleon is working for Norman Osborn.


Bad: I have no complaints about this issue.


Overall: Once again Amazing Spider-Man delivers a story arc that has its ups and downs. The first part was an awesome starting point but the second part felt a little dull for me. This issue had a decent amount of action and a twist ending that makes me ponder that this could be one hell of a Spider-Man story arc since Grim Hunt.

Happy 75th Anniversary DC Comics

This year DC comics is celebrating its 75th anniversary by releasing variant covers based on classic issues. Some of these new covers are making me consider waiting for them instead of the standard cover.

Detective Comics #866

Once again the Joker captures the reader's attention with a more sinister appearance and larger guns than his appearance on the original cover. However, the length and unruliness of Joker's hair is a bit ridiculous. While there is no change in Robin's appearance, Batman has shoulder spikes on his cape for unknown reasons. This cover does make me consider buying the issue because it looks like the story will be a classic Batman and Robin story.

 

Superman #700

Both of these Superman covers have something in common, they both begin new eras in the Man of Steel mythos. While the original cover was the first part in the classic Kryptonite Nevermore story arc (where Kryptonite no longer has any effect on Superman), Superman #700 is the first part of Superman's life after New Krypton. Also the image of Superman breaking from a kryptonite chain proves why he's one of the most powerful superheroes in the DC Universe.

Justice Society of America #41

There really isn't much of a difference between the covers. The only thing difference is Doctor Fate and the Atom are included in the increased spotlight. Also its good to see some Golden Age heroes on some recent covers.

Batman #700

The Red Hood Identity is a prominent element in the Batman mythology. It was the identity used by the Joker before his skin was bleached and is currently used by Jason Todd (the second Robin) since his resurrection. Batman #700 features stories about Batmen from different eras (Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne). Since the 700th issue will feature different Batmen, maybe different versions of Red Hood will appear as the antagonists for the stories.

Adventure Comics #12 (#515)

This issue of Adventure Comics celebrates the return of  fan-favorite writer, Paul Levitz. What better way to celebrate Levitz's return to the Thirtieth Century than with an reinterpretation of the final chapter in The Great Darkness Saga. Also Levitz's stories on Adventure will focus on the Legion when they were kids and Superman was Superboy.

Green Lantern #60

The original story involved Sinestro stealing energy from Hal Jordan's power ring to increase his own ring. Now this new redesign shows the two with fully charged rings and ready to fight each other. While Sinestro and Hal have a temporary truce, this cover really captures how the two were once at odds and ready to knock each other out.

Superman #701

What better way for DC to celebrate its anniversary than with a new redesign of the first issue of Superman. Superman flying over Metropolis in this iconic image is just another great way of saying the Man of Steel has returned to Earth.

Overall these anniversary covers look awesome and I'm definitely looking for most of them when they come out later in the year.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #10

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man has been my favorite Spider-Man series and one of my favorite ongoing monthly series. It's ironic that I can enjoy Brian Michael Bendis' work on this but I did not fully enjoy his work on New Avengers. Anyway here's my review (WARNING: SPOILERS!).

Synopsis: The issue begins where the last one ended, a couple of armed government agents ask Kitty Pride to come with them so they can escort her out of school. Kenny "Kong" McFarlane punches one agent and attempts to hold the others back so Kitty can have an opportunity to escape. Johnny Storm and Bobby Drake want to help but Peter, Gwen, and Mary Jane tell them to stand down. Kitty gets up from her seat and phases out of the room with Kenny.

     Kenny and Kitty wind up in the sewer under the school (I guess it was either this or the boiler room). Kitty thanks Kenny for helping her. Then they kiss and decide to run away together.

     The principal of the school speaks at an emergency PTA meeting about the day's events. The principal basically tells everyone to stop complaining about how a mutant was at school and they should try to change things so the children will not grow up in a world where one particular group of people are hated for being different. After his speech, the principal tells everyone he's resigned but he won't remain silent on the matter.

      Meanwhile back at the Parker house, Bobby, Johnny, and Peter regret that they could not do anything at school to help Kitty since their actions would have led to a huge fight. The boys then decide to suit up and help Kitty somehow.

     The heroes arrive at Kitty's house, which has a media circus on the front lawn. Then one of the news vans explodes because of the appearance of the Shroud. Spider-Man tries to attack the Shroud but he phases right through her which makes the team realize the Shroud is Kitty. The guys try to calm her down and say her actions are just proving the point that mutants are dangerous. Kitty declares that Magneto was right and sucker punches Spider-Man. Iceman freezes Kitty in a block of ice and the guys wonder how Kitty got stronger. Then Kitty gets out of the ice and reveals she trained herself to control her mass instead of just being intangible. Kitty escapes but the guys try to follow her into the sewer. When they loose track of Kitty, Spider-Man calls out that they care about her and want to help. Iceman tries to remind Kitty what Charles Xavier would do, but Human Torch tells the guys that they should go since Kitty asked to be alone. The last shot in this scene is Kitty sitting in a tunnel sulking with watery eyes.

     The last page of this issue reveals that M.J. recorded the entire classroom scene on video and has the only footage.

Good: One of the reasons I enjoy this series is the team of Spider-Man, Iceman, and the Human Torch. This group of heroes is a clear reference to Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends (Firestorm was created because the rights to the Human Torch were unavailable). The guys do not instantly like each other and have different methods of handling situations, such as how Bobby and Johnny wanted to attack the agents at school but Peter did not want them to do anything. However, they are truly an invincible combination.

     I also enjoyed Kitty's reaction to what happened to her. She didn't just decide to leave New York City and live under a fake alias, she decided to stand her ground and fight (even though it was against her best friends). The picture of Kitty after she hears her friends

     Since this series began, Mary Jane had become a student whose really focused on being a journalist. Now that she has the only footage of what happened at school, she must choose between her future career or her friends.

Bad: I have no complaints.

Overall: Bendis has definitely written his best work on this title. This issue and series is awesome. If you love Spider-Man or Kitty Pride then this is the series for you.

New Avengers Finale Review

Normally, I review individual issues in videos on my YouTube channel, but this issue wasn't on my weekly pull list. I noticed this issue when I went to my local comic book store this weekend and decided to pick it up. Thankfully Brian Michael Bendis delivers a nice finale to the New Avengers series.

Well all I can say about the story is that the New Avengers notice that the Hood and Madame Masque are missing from the captured villains, so the team decide to take him down since they know he's de-powered. They manage to find the Hood trying to buy some super powers from Count Nefaria, Madame Masque's father. Fortunately the Hood and Madame Masque are taken out quickly but Nefaria is a whole nother issue. Thankfully through the efforts of Ms. Marvel and Wolverine, all three criminals are arrested and dropped off with the other villains back at the Siege battlefield. And the issue ends with the team hearing the announcement that Steve Rogers is the new Nick Fury and all the heroes are pardoned for their actions from Civil War to the present.

This issue was (for me) the best comic that had the title, New Avengers, and was written by Bendis, that I have read in almost a year. Most of the artwork was pretty sweet, such as when Wolverine starts slicing Nefaria like a chef at a sushi restaurant. Luke Cage's speech as well as the pages recapping the New Avengers' adventures at the end was pretty awesome.

The only problem is that the Hood was the only villain who escaped capture immediately after Siege. He always needs assistance from someone else, first it was Dormammu then Loki for super powers, then it was Madame Masque to escape custody after Loki took back the Norm stones. Since his first appearance in New Avengers, I've felt that Bendis uses this character as much as Tim Burton uses Johnny Debt in his movies.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this issue  because this was the only team to get a decent finale issue. Mighty Avengers did not have much of a crossover into Siege and the final issue of Dark Avengers was more of an epilogue. Well this team definately got a well deserved send off, but I don't think I'll buy the new New Avengers issues because in my opinion, the last few issues of the New Avengers series were not entertaining.

Summer 2010 Reading List

Here's a list of graphic novels I intend to buy over the summer. While most schools send out reading lists for the summer that include classic books, such as Tom Sawyer and Great Expectations, I make my summer reading consist of stuff I'd actually enjoy reading.

Invincible Iron Man: World's Most Wanted part 2 TPB

This volume contains the second half of Matt Fraction's World's Most Wanted arc. The story is about Tony Stark's fall from power after the Secret Invasion as he's being hunted by Norman Osborn for the most valuable thing Stark has that isn't a suit of armor, his mind. Before Tony left his office at S.H.I.E.L.D. (now called H.A.M.M.E.R.), he deleted the Superhuman Registration Database from the computer system. Now Tony's mind is the only place where the database still exists, which leads him to run around the country as a fugitive using older versions of the Iron Man armor. While he's running, Tony is slowly deleting his mind so no one can ever know the information he once knew. This story is very compelling as it tells the story of how the intelligent and powerful Tony Stark becomes a brain dead nationally-hunted fugitive. I'm definately picking up this paperback next week.

Mighty Avengers: the Unspoken TPB

Last month I bought the first volume of Dan Slott's run on Mighty Avengers and I was immediately hooked on this series. I recently read Slott's final arc on the Mighty Avengers series and was disappointed this had to end. Fortunately, the next trade paperback for Slott's Mighty Avengers is coming out next month so this is definitely going onto my list.

Superboy: the Boy of Steel

Once again, Superboy is one of my favorite characters. So having a collected edition of the story that featured Conner Kent during Geoff Johns' run on the re-launch of Adventure Comics is really exciting for me. Even though I usually wait for a paperback edition, I'm willing to pay extra for one of my favorite stories.

Invincible Volume 12: Still Standing

Originally, this was advertised on online bookstores, such as Amazon.com, Borders.com, and Barnes & Noble.com, to be released during February but recently ads for this book in the Invincible series has changed the release date to sometime in June. I hope this does come out next month because I've already collected the other volumes and I started buying the issues since December. Overall, Invincible has become one of my favorite series and I hope to expand my collection very soon.

Well that's the end of my summer reading list. Its not very long but it contains most of the books I intent to buy before school starts. If you have any suggestions about what should be added to this list, then post a comment to this post. Later!

New Comics for May 19, 2010

Here's my pull list for the week of May 19, 2010

What new comics am I excited for?

Avengers #1

There's going to be at least six Avengers books coming out this summer as part of Marvel's Heroic Age. The classic Avengers is something I'm excited for because the line up looks great and the first story involves the time traveling villain, Kang. The only flaw is that the writer, Brian Michael Bendis, has failed to impress me with his final issues of New Avengers and some of the dialogue during Siege was pretty weak. Plus, I (like many fans) was expecting Steve Rogers to return to the Captain America identity. Although Bucky has grown into the role, its going to feel different having a new Avengers series and someone else as Captain America on this new team. Overall, I expect this new Avengers series to be a fun and entertaining ride, and hopefully Bendis will do a better job with this team.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1

A new series staring the classic Legion plus its written by Paul Levitz. What Legion fan wouldn't want to pick this up next week. The Legion has been through a lot of changes due to events such as Zero Hour and other Crisis stories. Thankfully the first Legion of Super-Heroes returned during Geoff Johns' run on Action Comics and the Legion of 3 Worlds mini-series. Now the Legion that fans know and love has returned in a new series by Paul Levitz. Levitz's work on the Legion has been favored by many fans and this new series will recieve as much praise as Levitz's work in the past.

 What current comics am I excited for?

Invincible Iron Man #26

Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man has become one of my favorite series. I've enjoyed reading the first two graphic novels of the series as well as the recent Stark Disassembled story. The new Bleeding Edge armor has yet to show its true power but so far it looks really awesome. My only complaint about this series is that Tony's new business decision seems too similar to what happened during the Iron Man move. Overall, I'm still pretty excited for this issue. 

War of the Supermen #3

So far I've been enjoying War of the Supermen mini-series. I like how DC decided to release the entire series during the month of May. Plus I enjoyed how General Lane used some giant weapon in each issue (ex. Bomb obliterating New Krypton in #1 and the red sun bomb at the end of #2). Part of me does want this series to end so DC can get back to making stories that have Superman back on Earth fighting villains like Lex Luthor or Parasite. I'm really looking forward to the last half of this story.

What comics am I least excited for?

Brightest Day #2

Although I was excited for most series coming out during DC's Brightest Day event (ex. Green Lantern books and the Flash), so far the Brightest Day series has been a swing and a miss for me. I did enjoy the set up in the first few issues for the resurrected characters, however there has not been anything to get me excited for future issues of this series. I'll still continue to get this to see if anything develops but I would not expect too much to happen.

Justice League of America #45

I initially started to get this series because James Robinson's League initially featured some good characters such as the Titans, but that was short lived. Now the only members on the team are Batman (Dick Grayson), Donna Troy, Starman (Mikaal Tomas), and Congorilla. Plus I'm not too excited about Jade's re-appearance from the last issue because I have not read any stories featuring her. I'll probably stop getting this series after its crossover with the JSA.

So thats my list of new comics for May 19th. Comment if you think I made any wrong decisions regarding my excitement for next week.

Superboy's getting his own ongoing series! Yipidee Doodily Doo!

It was announced today on DC's the Source that Superboy would get his own ongoing series written by Jeff Lemire.

The post stated:

"It’s the kind of thing that pops into your head and just clicks – who’s better suited to pen the adventures of a super-teen in middle America than Jeff Lemire, author of the touching, evocative ESSEX COUNTY and Vertigo’s SWEET TOOTH?
So, it makes perfect sense to announce today that Jeff Lemire, along with artist Pier Gallo, will be launching a SUPERBOY ongoing series later this year, with a special, one-off co-feature debuting in the August issue of ACTION COMICS (#892), which will give fans a primer for the full series.”

Read more here.

I'm actually really excited for this series. Superboy (a.k.a. Kon-El, Conner Kent) became one of my favorite characters when I started reading the collected editions of Geoff Johns' run on the Teen Titans. I enjoyed the character's struggle of finding out who he is (especially since he was cloned from Superman and Lex Luthor). Unfortunately Conner died as a result of his second fight against Superboy-Prime and destroying Alexander Luthor's tower during Infinite Crisis. I felt disappointed when I was starting to enjoy the Boy of Steel and he gets killed off. After learning this information, I spent most of 2008 buying issues of Superboy's first ongoing series off eBay. Fortunately, Conner Kent returned to the land of the living during last year's Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds mini-series by Geoff Johns. Then the Boy of Steel was given some more time in the spotlight when DC decided to re-launch Adventure Comics, which featured the modern Superboy as its main character for the first six issues. Conner's story during Adventure Comics allowed Geoff Johns to finish his issues with the character as Superboy comes to terms with having Superman and Luthor's DNA and decides to become his own person. I am definitely adding Lemire's series to my pull list and hopefully, this new ongoing series will be just as good if not better than the recent stories featuring Superboy.

New Blog is up

Hi everyone,

Last summer I bought a video camera and posted video reviews of my weekly puchased comic books on YouTube. It was fun but I couldn't get a lot of my opinions out in the videos (mainly because of YouTube's 10 minute time limit). I wanted to make a few more videos about upcoming comic book features and reviews of graphic novels, so I decided to take advantage of another awesome feature of the internet, blogging. I decided to make this blog about my opinions toward any news in the comic book world or recently read graphic novels. Overall I just want to have some fun and write about one of my primary interests. So in the words of one of my favorite TV characters, "This [blog] is going to be legen....wait for it...."

"....dary"