Weekly comic reviews

[angelophile]

Okay, so I'm a bit slow with my comic reviews, but I don't get them til Saturday and choose to savour the enjoyment over a few days so I only finished reading them this morning. ;)



Quite a lightish week, but there were a few gems. This week I read:

DAREDEVIL #74
GIANT SIZE X-MEN #3
GLA #3
HERCULES #3
UNCANNY X-MEN #461
WOLVERINE #29

Reviews after the cut.


DAREDEVIL #74 - After the lack of any action at all last issue, this was slightly better and there was a twist at the end that has potential. I have to say, though, this is one storyline that has really dragged for me. The story of the woman whose daughter killed herself after drawing an evil baby ties into Matt's wedding and the mystery is expanded on a little but doesn't really go anywhere. Solid art and a nice little twist at the end ensure that this week's issue gets an average mark.
RATING - ***

GIANT SIZE X-MEN #3 - A reprint of some classic teamups from the past rather than reprints of classic X-men stories as it should have been, this really wasn't worth bothering with but I figured it was worth a try. The only thing of note is the Dave Cockrum/John Cassidy cover, which isn't really all that, and a short story by Joss Whedon and Neil Adams. The art's okay, but I wonder what happened to the clean lines of Adam's old art? The story isn't much of a story, rather an extended fight scene with Woverine being a jerk to everyone and a (ho-ho!) in-joke about the longevity of Thunderbird's time with the X-men. Standard stuff and bellow the standard of that which I'd expect from Whedon.
RATING - **

GLA #3 - Now a book of real quality. There's some graveyard black humour here again, jokes about supermodels and bulimia as the focus turns to Big Bertha and her supermodel alterego. The pot doesn't really advance too far this issue, there's some interesting stuff about how Mr Immortal might be tied to the villains but mainly it's an excuse for some funny, black humour. Not too much with Mr Immortal this time round, obviously there's only so much fun you can have killing him in funny ways, like the Kenny of the Marvel Universe. There's some funny, in-jokes as Squirrelgirl is given a guided tour of the GLA's headquarters, some very satirical stuff about the role of female characters in comics that is particularly biting given the various "events" of the last year from DC and Marvel. There's also some real shocks as another member dies and it's probably the member you'd least expect to buy the farm. Three issues into a four issue run and this comic is my buy of the year. It's rare to get a book so biting and clever.
RATING - *****

HERCULES #3 - Not quite as funny and not quite as satirical, bu getting there, is Hercules. There's plenty of good natured humor to be had as Hercules starts to work through his new "Labors". It's more down to luck than judgement as Herc continues to be a bit of a buffoon, but he throws himself into his tasks with gusto and slowly his buffoonery is replaced by signs of a true hero lurking under the thick headed Greek. There's some funny lines and a nice stab at other Marvel publications as well as slapstick and satire. Probably the best issue of the run so far as things start to heat up. Herc comes off a lot more likable in this issue than he has in the last too and the thick headed, bullish hero's charisma starts to come through. Great stuff.
RATING - ****

UNCANNY X-MEN #461 - The art's more solid this issue - probably because since it features the X-babies and Mojo everyone's deformed already so it's less obvious when the proportions are completely out. Claremont continues to pick up all the other pieces of other people's dangling plotlines as Nocture (barely) and Juggernaut get reintroduced. Cain and Storm get some nice character moments and it's good to see Juggs continue to be a strong character. The plot is, of course, ludicrous as Mojo returns, turns the X-men into X-babies and generally reeks havoc. As a two issue arc this was great fun and served to play on Claremont's strengths - a sense of fun and character moments and making the X-men feel like a united family. A six issue arc of Mojo would have been cringeworthy, but as it it was, this was all good fun.
RATING - ****

WOLVERINE #29 - Another solid issue from Millar. It's not exactly the most convoluted of plots - Wolverine attack's the Hand's mystical 'home', and kills a whole bunch of zombie ninjas. This gives JR Jr the chance to play to his strengths of action piled on action, firstly as Wolverine takes a Sentinel into battle with him, and then in hand to hand combat. There's a plot twist that progresses the story some and Wolverine gets a new ally in his fight against Hydra and the Hand. There's some nice moments through the fight as Wolverine reminds himself just WHAT he's fighting for. As a pure, action rientated issue it works well, but as story progress less so.
RATING - ***