Albert Avilla Reviews: Uncanny Avengers 002

Uncanny Avengers 002
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: John Cassaday
Cover: John Cassaday and Laura Martin
Variant Cover: Milo Manara

(Spoilers!)
There is a battle going on for my comic book dollars, and the number one contender is the Uncanny Avengers. I’ve already put it on my pull list. The number one reason is Remender’s writing.

When I saw that the Red Skull was going to be the first adversary of the Uncanny Avengers, I thought, oh boy, some of the same old same-old. I’m wrong so often it’s easy for me to admit when I am wrong. Remender handles the Skull well; he has a good insight into who the Skull is. Who better to use as the catalyst to further incite the humans’ hatred of the mutants than the former henchman of Adolf Hitler.

Remender’s writing exposes the evil that the Skull is. He uses our desire to find something to blame for what is not right in the world and amplifies it into a maniacal hatred. He is a master of human psychology; this is vividly illustrated in his attempt to recruit the Scarlet Witch. With his powers, Professor Xavier was able to subdue Wanda, using psychological weaknesses from her father issues to her own concern about being a powerful mutant. The Skull is always able to find minions whom he can convert to his cause and who are willing to sacrifice their humanity to serve him. They are just tools to help accomplish his goals, to be disposed of once used.

At the same time, Remender gives us examples of good. The first is when Xavier takes a stand against the other X-Men when he first accepted Rogue into the X-Men. This was a pivotal moment in the young woman’s life, saving her from a fall into the darkness. Rogue has been a warrior who has turned battles in the favor of the X-Men. Another is the Uncanny X-Men helping clean up the site that Avalanche destroyed. That’s good people when they party with you all night long and help you clean up the mess afterward.

Another thing that I like about Remender is he does not forget the characters’ past; he builds on them. Remender gives everybody their moment in the story; no one character is more important to the story than the other. Thor is nothing but hero. He could be chilling in Asgard, but he’s on Earth taking up the mutant cause with Cap [Captain America, of course – Ed.]. He is giving the Scarlet Witch more of an edge and a sense that she is superior to others. The Skull has the power of Charles Xavier. He was hell before; now what kind of mischief will our little red goblin get into?

The art is “wow” at every turn. Every panel is a masterpiece of sequential art. Sometimes, I get the feeling that the dialogue is interfering with my enjoyment of good art. Can we get Thor a spa day or a godly makeover; the dude is looking rough in his work clothes. What ever happened to godly raiment?

I rate Uncanny Avengers 002 Recommend it to a Friend. Highest ranking on the Al-O-Meter

I Reads You Review: SUICIDE SQUAD #14

SUICIDE SQUAD #14
DC COMICS

WRITER: Adam Glass
ARTIST: Fernando Dagnino
COLORS: Matt Yackey
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
COVER: Ken Lashley with Matt Yackey
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Rated "T+" - Teen Plus

“Death in the Family – Running with the Devil”

In “The New 52,” the Suicide Squad is a team of super-villains, in which the members take on risky missions in exchange for time served. The team’s base of operations is Belle Reve Penitentiary, a special prison for meta-humans and super-villains located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.

Suicide Squad #14 (“Running with the Devil”) opens in the aftermath of the team’s battle with Basilisk. The Suicide Squad gathers for the funeral of Floyd Lawton AKA Deadshot. The Joker crashes the par-tay with demands to make on his compatriot and Suicide Squad member, Harley Quinn. What does he really want? In the meantime, members of the squad struggle with changes in their lives and with their powers.

I haven’t read the Suicide Squad since Suicide Squad #1 arrived in September 2011 during “The New 52” month. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed that debut issue. Suicide Squad #14, on the other hand, doesn’t do much for me. It isn’t bad, nor is it really good. It’s inoffensive with a few interesting moments scattered throughout the issue. Of course, a middling comic book needs a middling comic book artist; enter Fernando Dagnino. He can draw, but his skills would be a better fit on an independent genre title, not a DC Comics title. There are better artists who can’t get work and who are more appropriate than Dagnino to work for a major publisher like DC.

The Joker’s appearance is a tack-on so that this issue is tied to The New 52’s reworking of “Death in the Family,” and while that tie-in is intriguing, it is a cheat. There’s just enough to make it an official chapter/tie-in. I’m not interested enough to seek out the rest of “Death in the Family.”

C+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

20th Century Boys: The Beginning of Justice

I read Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 22

I posted a review at ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Albert Avilla Reviews: Avengers #1

Avengers #1
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Jerome Opena
Cover: Dustin Weaver and Justin Ponsor
Variant Covers: Steve McNiven and Justin Ponsor; Esad Ribic

“Avenger’s World” (Spoilers!)
Now, I know why the #1 on the cover is so big. Sometimes you like something, but you don’t know why. This is one of those times for me. I can’t say that the action was on a grand scale; The Avengers got their butts beat down.

The villains do seem to be interesting, but they are not beyond what we have come to expect. They are very powerful, and they took the Avengers out in a minute; they will be a challenge for the Avengers to defeat. They are new and fresh, and they are the worst kind of villains, beings who think that humans are primitives and that they are working for the good of mankind.

The dialogue is good stuff, but it’s just basic characters interacting with each other. Jonathan Hickman gives the events of this story a sense of historic significance. We get the feel that this is a major turning point in the history of the Universe. The Avengers are presented as legendary heroes whose myths go beyond their actual deeds. These are modern day George Washingtons and Geronimos whose legends have outgrown the real people. This is the beginning of an epic story. Hickman has set the stage for greatness; I hope that he is able to deliver.

Jerome Opena’s art is signature. It stands out in the crowd. Iconic characters and iconic scenes are found throughout the book. The art adds to the grandiose quality of the story.

I rate Avenger # 1 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter Ranking.

I Reads You Review: Happy! #1

HAPPY! #1 (OF 4)
IMAGE COMICS

WRITER: Grant Morrison
ARTIST: Darick Robertson
COLORS: Richard P. Clark
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Happy! is a four-issue comic book miniseries written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Darick Robertson. The series focuses on Nicholas “Nick” Sax, apparently once the best detective in his police department. At some point, he became just another intoxicated cop and sometime after that, he became a hitman.

As Happy! #1 opens, we learn from two of the Fratelli Brothers that Nick is a total evil bastard. The brothers are Nick’s target, but before the last Fratelli scion dies, he imparts a secret about the Fratelli family fortune upon Nick. Now, Nick is the target of many different interests that want this secret. Then, there’s Happy the Horse...

I’ve been a fan of Grant Morrison’s comic books since his Animal Man, and I think that he is one of the great modern comic book writers. That is not to say that he has not written mediocre or even bad work. I also still don’t understand why people think of All-Star Superman as the “work of a generation” or “era-defining work.” I found his recent Batman comics either spectacular or spectacularly dull. However, I go full fanboy for such Morrison classics as Animal Man, Doom Patrol, The Invisibles, and New X-Men (well, at least the early issues).

I’m not in full fanboy mode for Happy!. If you combined some of Ed Brubaker’s generic, paint-by-numbers crime comics with some of the tropes Mark Millar has vomited up for his Millarworld line and combined them, you’d come close to making a Happy!. I’m glad that I did not pay for this comic book, because if I had, I wouldn’t be glad.

Darick Robertson’s art is good. He can draw and actually draw comic books, but even his draftsmanship is sullied by this dull retread of dull retreads. Here and there, I found something to pique my interest for a moment or two. If I get more free copies of Happy!, I’ll keep reading and reviewing

D+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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Albert Avilla Reviews: Red Hood and the Outlaws #13

Red Hood and the Outlaws #13
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Scott Lobdell
Art: Timothy Green II
Cover: Kenneth Rocafort and Blond

(Spoilers)
First, the cover has nothing to do with the story, unless I completely missed the boat, but damn, that is a nice cover.

The Tamaran War with the Blight comes to a smashing conclusion. The story focuses on the heroic efforts of Starfire to defeat the Blight. Arsenal is telling the story which gives an insight into the characters. Starfire does not disappoint on any level. She is a true hero willing to sacrifice for the greater good, fight with a warrior's heart, and love abundantly. She is what Red Hood and Arsenal need in their struggle with their baser sides. The team's powerhouse is also one of the most beautiful characters in comics. What more can we ask for?

Lobdell lets her go all out on the Blight which he does not do very often; the power she wields is awesome to behold. When we think that Starfire is going to wreck another level and violence on the Blight Lord, she instead kills him with love. With Lobdell it’s not all about the main characters; he allows peripheral characters to contribute to the story. The plotline involving the Dominator DePalo is another opportunity for Lobdell to develop Starfire's character. Lobdell makes us care about a member of one of the vilest races in the DC Universe. That's the way to end a story arc with hard hitting action and a little foreshadowing.

The art is a visual delight. It carries its share of the story load. Blackfire's battlesuit is slamming. The scene when DePalo is remembering Starfire leaving to come to Earth is effective. The colors are muted in contrast to the bright colors in the rest of the story, giving the feel of a memory.

I rate Red Hood and the Outlaws 13 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter Ranking

Albert Avilla Reviews: Green Lantern #13

Green Lantern #13
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne & Marc Deering
Colors: Alex Sinclair with Tony Avina
Cover: Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, and Rod Reis

“Actions and Reactions” (Spoilers)
This is a “Rise of the Third Army” tie-in and the beginning of the Simon Baz Green Lantern era.

The president and Amanda Waller are discussing their concerns about Simon becoming a Green Lantern. Simon is out in the Florida Keys while the ring is mapping his neural pathways. Simon gets a conflicting message from Hal and Sinestro, but they do agree that the Guardians need to be stopped. The tattoo on Simon’s arm is glowing green and causing him pain.

Simon returns to Dearborn where his sister is being ostracized, because he is a suspected terrorist. Simon meets with his sister to enlist her help in his attempt to clear his name. Then, we get minions of the Guardians assimilating two truck drivers. Okay, they are not very discriminating. Simon is trying to avoid the cameras on a building when he gets sneaked. It’s the Justice League that sneaks him. What ever happened to honor? What about innocent before proven guilty?

We’ve been through the set-up process for two issues now. Now, it’s time for some fighting. I want to see what Mr. Baz brings to the table. Once the League is involved things should jump off nicely. I don’t want Simon talking his way out of this predicament. Drama has its place, but superhero fantasies are about earth shattering action. This is an emotional story, thus far; Johns has done a good job of making us sympathetic to Simon’s plight.

Good art, but it is not the kind of art that will bring that sense of awe. It doesn’t stand out from the crowd. Mahnke does a good job with the characters’ faces; that seems to be his strength.

I rate Green Lantern 13 Read a Friend’s Copy. #3 (of 5) on Al-O-Meter Ranking