September 17, 2008

Dave's Unspoilt Capsules and Awards

The Week's Picks and Pans, plus Awards of Dubious Merit

Standard Disclaimers: Please set appropriate followups.  Recommendation does
not factor in price.  Not all books will have arrived in your area this week.
Autumn colds, yay phlegm bombs.  Rants, Capsules can be found on my 
             homepage, http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/Rants 

First Look Comments:

     Captain America #42: Marvel - After a year or so of decompression and
sometimes molassses-like pacing, the story wraps up at an almost Silver Age
clip (although with almost no real resolution...a small fish gets caught,
everyone else gets away in one way or another).  All told, I'm glad I wasn't
paying money for this story.  $2.99/$3.05Cn

Capsules:
     Short, relatively spoiler-free reviews of books I actually bring home
(as opposed to reading in preview form in the shop or online).  If I get a
book late due to distributor foulups or whatever, I'll put it in the Missing
section.

     Books of Note (Strongly Recommended or otherwise worthy): The Incredible
Hercules #121

     Transformers All Hail Megatron #3: IDW - A mix of humans trying to
survive and Decepticons trying to find a little bit of satisfaction in what
has turned out to be a very easy victory.  Probably the most important part
of the issue is a heart-to-heart between Megatron and Starscream that goes
pretty well (from a reader's perspective).  Nice circular structure to the
issue as well, beginning and ending on the same primal threat (but not Primal
threat).  Recommended.  $3.99 (I got cover B)
     Ninja High School #163: Antarctic Press - A bit confusing in the
storytelling, although part of that seems to be "writing for the trade"
(i.e. it'd have flowed better if I'd just read the past several issues' worth
before reading this).  Some good one-liners, though.  Mildly recommended.
$2.99 US/Cn
     The Brave and the Bold #17: DC - Supergirl and Raven on the cover.  The
A plot involves the latest retconned-in version of Supergirl's background,
about which I knew nothing and the writing tends to assume otherwise, strike
one.  The B plot doesn't even interact with the A plot yet, and is told in a
deliberately confusing and flashback-ridden way.  Strike two.  Doesn't stand
on its own in any significant way, or really make me curious what happens
next.  I'm starting to wonder if everything involving the Titans is going to
suck from now on (and hope it doesn't infect Blue Beetle).  Mild
recommendation to avoid.  $2.99 US/Cn
     The Family Dynamic #2 (of 3): DC - Solidly in the flashback section this
issue, it does not catch up to the opening scene of #1 (and makes me wonder
how much we're going to get of that scene in #3...with this being a three
issue mini, I'm worried by signs of anticlimax).  A mix of superhero action
and "downtime" scenes could work well, but it feels a bit scattered in
practice here, defocused.  Something of a letdown after the promise shown
last issue.  Mildly recommended.  $2.25 US/Cn
     Amazing Spider-Man #572: Marvel - Ah, Osborn slides farther into his
usual madness, and all the other pieces on the board shift around in
interesting ways.  I don't are for some of JRjr's new designs (especially the
Last Page Shocker character), but otherwise Recommended.  $2.99/$3.05Cn
     X-Factor #35: Marvel - Ah, double-bluffs and mining Secret Invasion for
real storylines.  Exxxxcellent.  Lots of snappy banter, and Stroman's getting
the hang of the cast.  Recommended.  $2.99/$3.05Cn
     Marvel Adventures Avengers #28: Marvel - Two stories this issue.  The
lead by Parker and Buchemi is on the goofy side, a recruiting drive sort of
tale.  And I guess "Blood Brothers" didn't make it past Marvel Adventures
editorial, but "Brawl Brothers"?  Sigh.  The second by Tobin and Guara is an
amusing vignette in the "humorous Lovecraft" vein.  Recommended.
$2.99/$3.05Cn 
     The Incredible Hercules #121: Marvel - BWAHAHAHAHA!  Great issue from
Pak, Van Lente and Henry.  Strongly recommended.  $2.99/$3.05Cn 
     

Gone Missing:

     Stuff that came out some places this week and that I wanted to buy, but
couldn't find for whatever reason, so people don't have to email me asking
"Why didn't you review X?"  (If it's neither here nor in the section above,
though, feel free to ask, I might have forgotten about it!) 

     Current list as of 9/17: Atomic Robo v2 #2 


Awards:

"The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is An Oncoming Train" Award to 
     Transformers All Hail Megatron #3

"Mustn't.  Go.  Into.  Shock" Award to Ninja High School #163

"Zor Lozer" Award to The Brave and the Bold #17

"Objection!  Leading The Witless" Award to The Family Dynamic #2 (of 3)

"The Clothes Oft Proclaim The Man" Award to Amazing Spider-Man #572

"A Longshot Off A Short Pier" Award to X-Factor #35

"Music Hath Charms To Ia Ia Pthnghurlgh" Award to Marvel Adventures 
     Avengers #28

"We're Not A Couple!" Award to The Incredible Hercules #121

     Dave Van Domelen, "Tell me...is Death always...so naked?" - Meppy, Ninja
High School #163
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