Review: STAR-LORD #1

STAR-LORD No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Sam Humphries
PENCILS: Javier Garron
COLORS: Antonio Fabela with Frank D'Armata
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Dave Johnson
VARIANT COVERS: Yasmine Putri; Tradd Moore; Val Staples (Hip-Hop Variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 (January 2016)

Rated “T”

Year One, Chapter One: “Free Falling”

Star-Lord a/k/a Peter Quill is a Marvel Comics superhero and science fiction character.  Star-Lord was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Steve Gan and first appeared in Marvel Preview #4 (cover dated: January 1976).  Quill is the son of a human mother and an alien father, and he assumes the mantle of Star-Lord, an interplanetary policeman.

After the success of Marvel Studios’ 2014 film, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord became a star.  Last year, he even got his first solo comic book series, entitled Legendary Star-Lord.  With the arrival of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel” comes another Star-Lord solo series.  The new Star-Lord is also written by Sam Humphries, but this time it is drawn by Javier Garron.  It is colored by Antonio Fabela with Frank D'Armata , and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Star-Lord #1 (“Free Falling”) opens with a flashback and then moves on to a NASA operations launch facility in Long Beach, California.  It is the site of the Asterion One Program, a project to train young astronauts who will be the first humans to colonize another planet.  There, we find 18-year-old Peter Quill, who is about to fail out of the program.  He isn't a popular guy, but what his distractors don't realize is that young Peter is the one person who can actually figure out how to crack the faster-than-light warp drive on an alien ship.

I read a few issues of Legendary Star-Lord, the previous Star-Lord comic book, and I enjoyed the story and scripting of series writer, Sam Humphries.  He has a knack for this character and plays up Peter Quill's most endearing traits.  Quill is a cocky underdog, a rogue with a heart of gold, and a never-say-die good guy.  Quill is Harrison Ford's two most famous movie roles, Han Solo and Indiana Jones, rolled into one.

In this new series, Humphries goes back to the beginnings of young Peter Quill's star-faring escapades.  This could have been yet another “year one” ripoff story, but Humphries offers Peter Quill's personality from several angles:  the good, the bad, and the cocky.  And every bit of it is engaging.

I don't want to give short-shrift to series artist, Javier Garron, who ably replaces Paco Medina from the previous series.  Garron's storytelling is good, and his graphic style is just right for this sci-fi, outer-space adventure comedy.  I think I'll come back for more, and I recommend this to fans of Guardians of the Galaxy, the comic books and the movie.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Assassination Classroom: Time for an Oppurtunity

I read Assassination Classroom, Vol. 8

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: MS. MARVEL #1

MS.MARVEL (2016) No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review originally appeared on Patreon.]

WRITER: G. Willow Wilson
ART: Takeshi Miyazawa (Pg. 1-21); Adrian Alphona (pg. 21-30)
COLORS: Ian Herring
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Cliff Chiang
VARIANT COVERS: John Tyler Christopher; Sara Pichelli with Justin Ponsor; Jenny Frison (Hip-Hop Variant); Soni Balestier photographed by Judy Stephens (cosplay variant)
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (January 2016)

Rated T+

“Super Famous” Part One of Three

Ms. Marvel is a Marvel Comics female superhero character.  The original version of Ms. Marvel was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist John Buscema.  First appearing in Ms. Marvel #1 (cover dated: January 1977), she was meant to be the female counterpart of Marvel's Captain Marvel (who first appeared in 1967), not to be confused with Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel (which is now owned by DC Comics).

The new Ms. Marvel is Kamala Khan (the fourth character to take the name Ms. Marvel).  Created by Sana Amanat, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona, Kamala first appeared in Captain Marvel #17 (cover dated: November 2013).  She is a 16 year-old Pakistani-American from Jersey City, New Jersey.  She idolizes Carol Danvers, the original Ms. Marvel who is now the new Captain Marvel.  Kamala was given her own Ms. Marvel series, which premiered in February 2014, becoming Marvel Comics' first Muslim character to star in her own comic book.

With the dawn of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe” comes the new Ms. Marvel comic book series.  It is written by G. Willow Wilson; drawn by Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona, colored by Ian Herring, and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Ms. Marvel #1 (“Super Famous” Part One of Three) opens with Ms. Marvel participating in superhero activities with her Avengers teammates.  This new life, however, is becoming a problem for Kamala, as she is juggling Avengers duties, school, and online gaming (of course).  Suddenly, Kamala realizes that she has missed something, like the new situation in her friend, Bruno Carrelli's life.  Who is Michaela “Mike” Miller?  And what is “Hope Yards Development,” and what is their connection to Ms. Marvel?

I have thought about it, and I cannot think of another title that might surpass it.  Thus, I feel safe in saying that Ms. Marvel is the best superhero comic book that Marvel Comics is publishing.  It is so different from everything else, and G. Willow Wilson's superb writing makes being different work, while still fitting Ms. Marvel firmly in the Marvel Universe.

Basically Wilson has resurrected what Steve Ditko and Stan Lee did so well in the early years of The Amazing Spider Man:  the merging of the Marvel Comics superhero with teen drama.  The last time someone did a high school superhero comic book this well was Milestone Media's Static, which also recalled the early Spider-Man.  Both Static and Ms. Marvel did it with characters who were ethnically and socially different from 1960s Peter Parker, but Wilson, like Static's writer, proves that Spider-Man's template is universal and could be applied to someone who looks differently and lives in a different place from Peter Parker.  [One could argue that the original Peter Parker/The Amazing Spider-Man is universal because it has been updated and applied to Spider-Man characters that are different form Peter Parker.]

As she did with her first Ms. Marvel series from 2014, Wilson proves that Kamala Kahn can work in the Marvel Universe.  In fact, this series can be a gateway comic book, as The Amazing Spider-Man was over 50 years ago.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

#IReadsYou Review: ULTRAMAN Volume 3

ULTRAMAN, VOL. 3
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Eiichi Shimizu
ART: Tomohiro Shimoguchi
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERING: Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8184-2; paperback (February 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
188pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

The character, Ultraman, appeared in Japanese sci-fi/fantasy films and television, beginning in the 1960s.  Ultraman was an alien entity that merged with a human host, creating a superhero that fought aliens trying to invade Earth.  Ultraman (stylized as ULTRAMAN) the manga, written and drawn by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi, is a sequel to the television series, “Ultraman” (1966).

The new Ultraman is 17-year-old Shinjiro Hayata.  He is the son of Shin Hayata, the man who first merged with Ultraman 20 years earlier.  A new threat is growing, and that kind of danger requires a new kind of Ultraman.

As Ultraman, Vol. 3 (Chapter 15 to 20) opens, the Science Special Search Party (SSSP) goes deeper into a sinister investigation to learn the identity of a mysterious new serial killer.  The victims are human, but the killer may not be human.  Meanwhile, Dan Moroboshi takes Shinjiro to a mysterious alien city, but the location of that city shocks Shinjiro.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Ultraman manga is an easy and enjoyable read.  In fact, it is such an easy read that I find myself finishing too quickly and wishing that there were more.  Ultraman is something like an American superhero, and I think of Iron Man with a touch of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Ultraman Graphic Novel Volume 3 continues to expand the world of this new Ultraman character.  At the same time, the creative team continues to tease the ghosts of the past, which might entertain readers already familiar with earlier incarnations of the character.  I'm invested in this series, and being unfamiliar with old Ultraman only makes me even more interested in getting answers.  I won't act as if this is an instant classic, but the mixture of science fiction action and mystery really work for this new Ultraman.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of Ultraman and readers looking for superheroes from another land will want to try the VIZ Signature title, Ultraman.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 2, 2016

DC COMICS

DEC150273     BATGIRL #49     $2.99
JAN160302     BATMAN 66 MEETS THE MAN FROM UNCLE #4     $2.99
JAN160283     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #22     $2.99
JAN160290     BATMAN BEYOND #10     $2.99
NOV150294     BATMAN DARK KNIGHT RETURNS HC BOOK & DVD BLU RAY SET     $33.99
DEC150319     BLACK CANARY TP VOL 01 KICKING AND SCREAMING     $14.99
DEC150312     COLORING DC TP VOL 01 BATMAN HUSH     $15.99
JAN160307     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #10     $3.99
DEC150323     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS TP VOL 01 ENLISTED     $16.99
JAN160312     DC COMICS ESSENTIALS THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #1     $1.00
JAN160244     GREEN LANTERN #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
DEC150324     HARLEY QUINN AND POWER GIRL TP     $14.99
JAN160305     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR FIVE #5     $2.99
DEC150338     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR ONE COMPLETE COLL     $24.99
JAN160263     MIDNIGHTER #10     $2.99
DEC150241     OMEGA MEN #9     $2.99
JAN160310     SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP #15     $2.99
JAN160360     SHERIFF OF BABYLON #4 (MR)     $3.99
DEC150346     SUPERMAN UNCHAINED TP     $24.99
JAN160362     SURVIVORS CLUB #6 (MR)     $3.99
JAN160266     SWAMP THING #3     $2.99
JAN160363     UNFOLLOW #5 (MR)     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
AUG150312     DARK KNIGHT RETURNS 30TH ANIV 2 PACK AF     $40.00

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 2, 2016

MARVEL COMICS

DEC150767     A-FORCE #3     $3.99
DEC158637     ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT AVENGERS #4 ALEX ROSS 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
DEC158635     ALL NEW INHUMANS #3 CASELLI 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
DEC158636     ALL NEW X-MEN #3 BAGLEY 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
JAN160856     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN AND SILK SPIDERFLY EFFECT #1     $4.99
JAN160762     AVENGERS STANDOFF ASSAULT ON PLEASANT HILL ALPHA #1 ASO     $4.99
JAN160743     BLACK WIDOW #1     $3.99
DEC158638     CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 ANKA 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
SEP150851     CIVIL WAR BOX SET SLIPCASE HC     $500.00
SEP150852     CIVIL WAR ILLUSTRATED PROSE NOVEL HC     $39.99
DEC150897     CIVIL WAR NEW AVENGERS TP     $16.99
DEC158639     DAREDEVIL #3 GARNEY 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
SEP150855     DAREDEVIL BY MILLER AND JANSON OMNIBUS HC NEW PTG     $125.00
DEC150865     DARTH VADER #17     $3.99
JAN160891     DEADPOOL #8     $3.99
SEP150856     ELEKTRA BY FRANK MILLER OMNIBUS HC NEW PTG     $100.00
DEC158640     EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #6 RAMOS 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
JAN160813     GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #4     $4.99
SEP150860     INHUMAN HC     $34.99
DEC158641     INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #4 MARQUEZ 3RD PTG VAR     $3.99
DEC158642     INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #5 MARQUEZ 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
JAN160718     INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #7     $3.99
JAN160755     MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE CIVIL WAR #1     $2.99
NOV150932     MIRACLEMAN GAIMAN BUCKINGHAM PREM HC (MR)     $29.99
NOV150931     MIRACLEMAN GAIMAN BUCKINGHAM PREM HC BOOK 01 GOLDEN AGE (MR)     $29.99
DEC158643     NEW AVENGERS #5 JIMENEZ 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
DEC150757     NEW AVENGERS #7     $3.99
JAN160797     NOVA #5     $3.99
DEC158644     OBI-WAN AND ANAKIN #2 CHECCHETTO 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
DEC158645     OLD MAN LOGAN #1 SORRENTINO 2ND PTG VAR     $4.99
JAN160898     OLD MAN LOGAN #3     $3.99
JAN160842     SPIDER-MAN #2     $3.99
DEC150747     UNCANNY AVENGERS #6     $3.99
DEC158646     UNCANNY INHUMANS #4 MCNIVEN 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
JAN160902     UNCANNY X-MEN #4     $3.99