Friday, October 5, 2012

Albert Avilla Reviews: Hit-Girl Issue 3

Hit-Girl Issue 3
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Mark Millar Writer
Breakdowns: John Romita Jr.
Finishes/Ink Washes: Tom Palmer

You would expect the second miniseries to drop off like a second album or the second year of an NFL quarterback, but hell no. Hit Girl is bringing it. This series has the same style and tone of the first series. Merciless, vicious street violence remains the calling card of the series. The blood and gore are not spared; the timid need not read. The realism of the book is uncanny. I'll throw this oxymoron at you; it’s the best example of realistic heroic fantasy that I've read in years.

The Red Mist scene illustrates how Millar reminds us how unfeasible superheroes and supervillians are in the real world. No matter the outcome, Red Mist continues to embrace evil. That kind of evil requires determination. Mindy is blossoming socially; giving a new definition to hanging with your friend. The mob is leaning on Mindy's parents.

A furious finale is in the making; it’s going to hit the fan when the mob kills her mom or step-dad. The ruthless criminals are back; predators waiting for prey to slaughter. Millar continues to leave us with endings that make the months between issues that much longer. Waiting for the next issue is unbearable. Hit Girl falls down a chimney into the criminals' lair. We are left with Hit Girl lying on the floor at the mercy of the drug dealers. It’s on to the next issue.

If anything, I would say that the art is better than in Kick-Ass. It looks cleaner; the lines are smoother. The coloring is visually astounding. The facial expressions reflect what’s going on emotionally with the characters. Time was taken to make the art facilitate the story.

I rate Hit Girl Issue 3 Recommend It to a Friend.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Albert Avilla Reviews: Justice League #0

Justice League #0
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank

The Shazam back-up story has been introducing us to the character of Billy Batson. We know that he is no goody two-shoes. He is a tough street kid who has a good heart, but the world he lives in has made him compromise his true nature to survive. Finally, the moment we have been anticipating: Billy meets the wizard. Through the conversation Billy has with the wizard, we learn Billy's philosophy on life. The duality of human nature is exposed in Billy. The wizard is at the end of his time and out of options, and he sees enough good in Billy to grant him the power of Shazam.

Of course, Billy gets the warnings and life advice, which he ignores. We get to see a kid on a joyride in a super human body. With great power comes great irresponsibility. When the moment that a hero is needed arrives, Billy naturally rises to the occasion. The story alludes to the magical nature of Shazam; this should not be glossed over because it signals that what we have is not a Superman clone. Magic should be the cornerstone of the character, giving him a uniqueness all his own – the powerhouse wizard. Give Shazam his own book. Johns is taking the character in an electric direction.

The art was good comic book art; it was not the strong point of the book. The cover and the Shazam splash page were great; the electricity and the Jack Kirby-like energy flowing from the lightning bolt on Shazam's chest gave Shazam a magical appearance. I liked the hoodie, too.

I rate Justice League #0 Buy Your Own Copy.

Albert Avilla Reviews: Justice League #12

Justice League #12
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, David Finch
Inks: Scott Williams, Sandra Hope, Jonathan Glapion, Mark Irwin, Matthew Banning, Rob Hunter, Joe Weems, Alex Garner, Trevor Scott

The Graves storyline comes to a conclusion. We learn that the spirits of the League's loved ones are really spiritual parasites called Pretas, and with their help, Graves starts to take the League down. Steve Trevor frees himself despite being on the edge of death to help the most powerful heroes on Earth. Once Trevor shows up the League realizes that they are not fighting the spirits of their loved ones. The League uses teamwork to defeat Graves; they are becoming the team that we expected.

This is a very eventful story. Green Lantern decides to quit the team as a sacrifice to protect the team's image. It is a sign of the times when you risk your life to save the world, and you have to consider how you are perceived by others while doing it. Green Lantern plays it off like it’s not a major concern, but we know how important the League is to him.

The major bombshell dropped on us is The Kiss. I glad the cover wasn't just sales hype. Superman kisses Wonder Woman in a moment of shared loneliness and understanding of how much they have in common. There will be debate about who kissed whom, but that is not the purpose of this review. Is it a moment of weakness or the beginning of the affair that will rock comicdom? I hope it is not a hook up; I couldn't live with the drama of Wonder Woman being Superman's baby mama. They are both young people, and everyone should have that passionate relationship that burns hot and quickly. It would be shocking if this actually leads to something meaningful. There is definitely story potential here. The New 52, what are you going to do? Blow the roof off the mother or shoot blanks?

All that needs to be said about the art is Jim Lee.

I rate Justice League #12 Buy Your Own Copy.

Albert Avilla Reviews: Green Lantern #0

Green Lantern #0
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin
Cover: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, and Alex Sinclair

Simon Baz, the new Green Lantern, is the boldest move of The New 52. This is a cosmic shift in the comic paradigm. Let's create a hero from the most despised ethnic group in American Society. I can feel the shock waves reverberating through the comic book universe as I write. The haters are gorging themselves on haterade in preparation for their unfounded attacks on Johns for this visionary move. I don't know if this is the first Arabic superhero, but I do know it is the first to be the lead in a major title from an industry leader.

Ultimately, comic's highest aspiration is to inspire readers to live as heroes. Let's live the American creed. My question is why a car thief? I don't know what the ring's protocols are for choosing Lanterns, but why a criminal? The ring had an error in its functioning. All elements that could lead to interesting storylines in the future did, and that is what this story is about; foreshadowing things to come. I would have preferred to have the complete origin told here, but I'm sure this is going to tie into the events of the “Rise of the Third Army” crossover. The story itself does not live up to the social significance of the event. It was slow moving with action that reminded me of the average car chase in any police drama. It’s about what I’d expect from a story that is basically the prelude to a story.

The art was solid comic art. The first page told volumes in five panels; it invokes an emotional response in the reader. The rest was just good art.

On social significance alone I rate Green Lantern #0 Recommend It to a Friend.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 3 2012

DC COMICS

AUG120164 ACTION COMICS #13 $3.99

AUG120167 ACTION COMICS #13 COMBO PACK $4.99

AUG120217 ANIMAL MAN #13 $2.99

AUG120268 BATMAN SCOOBY DOO HALLOWEEN FEST #1 PI

JUN120234 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT HC VOL 01 KNIGHT TERRORS $24.99

AUG120192 BATWING #13 $2.99

AUG120129 BEFORE WATCHMEN RORSCHACH #2 (MR) $3.99

AUG120131 BEFORE WATCHMEN RORSCHACH #2 COMBO PACK (MR) $4.99

JUN120272 DEATH THE DELUXE EDITION HC (MR) $29.99

AUG120184 DETECTIVE COMICS #13 $3.99

AUG120186 DETECTIVE COMICS #13 COMBO PACK $4.99

AUG120215 DIAL H #5 $2.99

AUG120160 EARTH 2 #5 $2.99

AUG120284 FAIREST #8 (MR) $2.99

AUG120225 GI COMBAT #5 $3.99

AUG120154 GREEN ARROW #13 $2.99

AUG120199 GREEN LANTERN #13 $2.99

AUG120201 GREEN LANTERN #13 COMBO PACK $3.99

JUL128223 GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1 2ND PTG $4.99

JUL120212 I VAMPIRE TP VOL 01 TAINTED LOVE $14.99

JUL120225 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA RISE OF ECLIPSO TP $16.99

AUG120237 LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #1 $3.99

AUG120272 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #26 $2.99

AUG120245 SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #6 $3.99

AUG120228 STORMWATCH #13 $2.99

JUL120227 SUPERMAN BATMAN SORCERER KINGS TP $14.99

AUG120218 SWAMP THING #13 $2.99

AUG120298 SWEET TOOTH #38 (MR) $2.99

JUN120291 V FOR VENDETTA BOOK AND MASK SET (MR) $24.99

JUL120241 WORLD OF WARCRAFT CURSE OF THE WORGEN TP $16.99

AUG120162 WORLDS FINEST #5 $2.99


Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 3 2012

MARVEL COMICS

AUG120667 AGE OF APOCALYPSE #8 $2.99

JUL120659 AGE OF APOCALYPSE TP VOL 01 X-TERMINATED $16.99

JUL128161 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #692 2ND PTG RAMOS VAR $5.99

AUG120600 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #695 $3.99

JUL120680 ASM YOUNG READERS NOVEL TP VOL 03 DR OCTOPUS $6.99

AUG120590 AVENGERS ACADEMY #38 $2.99

MAY120749 AVENGERS BRIDE OF ULTRON PREM HC $29.99

JUL120535 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #12 AVX $4.99

JUL120526 AVX VS #6 $3.99

MAY120729 CRIMINAL DELUXE EDITION HC VOL 02 (MR) $49.99

AUG120637 DAREDEVIL END OF DAYS #1 $3.99

AUG120627 DEFENDERS #11 $3.99

MAY120747 HALO FALL OF REACH HC $49.99

MAY120734 MAN-THING OMNIBUS HC $125.00

JUL128107 MARVEL NOW WINDOW CLINGS $1.00

AUG120712 MARVEL UNIVERSE ULT SPIDER-MAN COMIC READER TP #3 $3.99

APR120685 MARVEL ZOMNIBUS HC $125.00

AUG120596 MINIMUM CARNAGE ALPHA #1 $3.99

AUG120659 MUPPETS #4 $2.99

AUG120660 ROAD TO OZ #2 $3.99

AUG120644 SPACEKNIGHTS #1 $3.99

MAY120742 SPIDER-MAN NOTHING STOP JUGGERNAUT PREM HC $29.99

JUN120727 TWELVE TP VOL 02 $15.99

AUG120682 UNCANNY X-FORCE #32 $3.99

JUL120543 UNCANNY X-MEN #19 AVX $3.99

MAY120748 X-MEN BISHOPS CROSSING HC $49.99