Review! Gambit #1 (Marvel)

COVER: Clay Mann. The title is bigger than the art. Makes me feel cheated. Plus the coloring is odd
                 somehow.
STORY: James Asmus. You kind of have to be familiar with Gambit to enjoy this story. Not too much
                is explained. He goes to a party at a rich guys house with the intent to steal and meets a hot
                girl in the process...classic Remy.
ART: Clay Mann.  I don't think its the line art that bothers me. Its more the coloring by Rachelle
           Rosenberg. It all feels "wet" somehow. Like over saturated watercolors and the art tends to use it
           as a crutch.
FINAL FILE: #1 and DONE

Review! The Walking Dead #100 (Image)

COVER: Charlie Adlard.  Its all about Lucille!
STORY: Robert Kirkman (of course). (SPOILER WARNING) Glenn gets his brains beaten out, by
                villain Negan and his trusty barbwire bat Lucille. Broke my heart.
ART: Charlie Adlard. Consistent, non-distracting, great flowing artwork.
FINAL FILE: Buy it, Read it, Bag it!
 *This issue brought me back to the title after stopping at number 12.(Yes I have issues #1-#12 in mint
   condition. Be jealous!)

Art Review! Hyper Realism

Why do artists insist on trying to make artwork as realistic as they can? Is photography not art? Is a photo not the ultimate depiction of an object? Are the artists who do hyper realism just deconstructing the subject matter? The artist uses a photo as reference 99.9% of the time so just show the photograph, why bother to paint it just to achieve the exact look of the picture?  If you are that skilled why not give us something that the world has never seen...otherwise just pin the darn photo on the canvas.

Jkp Fletcher

 Simon Monk

Tjalf Sparnaay

Doug Bloodworth

Art or not art?

Review! Bloodshot #1 ( variant cover- Valiant)

COVER: Mico Suayan. Very cool cover. Perfect for a first issue.
STORY: Duane Sweirczynski. Good first issue. Nice blend of action and origin. Just one warning...
                BLOOD! Lots of BLOOD!
ART: Manuel Garcia and Arturo Lozzi. I believe Lozzi did the "at home" scene and the rest was by
           Garcia. Well the Lozzi pages were better but the Garcia stuff was not bad at all. Maybe they can
           stick to one or the other artist. Using two artists in that way is distracting to the story flow.
FINAL FILE: Buy it, Read it, Bag it!...Buy the next one!

Review! Executive Assistant: Assassins #1 (B cover-Aspen)

COVER: Eduardo Francisco. Cute cover.
STORY: Vince Hernandez. Kick-ass strippers is a fine concept but this story just feels too familiar.
ART: Jordan Gunderson. The art needs more time to be considered pro level. It has the feel of an
          'Image' comic from the 90's.
FINAL FILE: #1 and DONE...nothing really new.

Review! Xtreme X-Men #1 (Marvel)

COVER: Julian Totino Tedesco. Very cool painted cover.
STORY: Greg Pak. These characters are new to me. The story of them "time jumping" has some good
                possibilities. Their mission is clearly laid out. Kill the ten evil Xaviers throughout the multiverse.
ART: Stephen Segovia. This guy is good. He reminds me a bit of Carlos Pacheco.
FINAL FILE:  #1 and DONE...just don't like reality jumping. 

Review! Hawkeye #1 (Marvel)

Cover: David Aja. Very stylish cover. It feels like an advertisement.
Story: Matt Fraction. This book needs to be called "Clint Barton: A Day in the Life". It always seems to
           me that when a writer gets too big they start to write "small". When I pick up a comic book about a
           superhero I want to see super heroics. I don't care about his love for dogs or his rent problems. If I
           was a kid and this was my first superhero comic I would never pick one up again...boring. Save the
           everyday drama for your soap operas Matt and give us the Zip, Pow, Bang!( and can you show a
           superhero outfit for more than two pages?)
Art: David Aja. This guy can draw small. I mean the everyday, non-action, daily life kind of small. Good
        panel to panel work. Fits the story.
Final File: #1 and DONE...I wanted a Hawkeye book, not a Clint Barton one.

Review! Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe #1 (of 4)

Cover: Kaare Andrews. Very nice painted cover.
Story: Cullen Bunn. Just what the title says, Deadpool kills...violently!
Art: Dalibor Talajic. The art has a very "indy" feel to it. A little too much David Lapham. It just doesn't fit
        the story. I would have liked to have seen a much darker style, it is a dark mood book. Plus what is up
        with Deadpool in the underwear outfit?
Final File: #1 and wait for the trade...maybe.

Review! Legion of Superheroes #1: DC New 52 (The Bad)

Cover: Karl Kerschl. Very nice cover. Like the animated feel to it.
Story:Paul Levitz. Too many characters! This could have been a great introduction book but DC, contrary
          to what DC New 52 was supposed to be about, wrote it for old Legion fans.
Art: Francis Portela. Not bad. A bit cartoony but it fits this title.
Final File: #1 and DONE...same old legion.

Review! Avenging Spider-Man #1-#8 (Marvel)

COVERS: Joe Madureira #1-#3. Joe was born to do comics, period. Greg Land #4. I used to like this
                  guys stuff until I found out he copies other guys artwork. Can not respect that. Leinil Francis 
                  Yu #5. Nice. Steve McNiven #6. A very un-McNiven cover. Could not tell it was him. Stuart
                  Immonen #7. Decent, reliable, Immonen art.
STORIES: Zeb Wells #1-#5. The Moleman story with Red Hulk thrown in is too cool. A Hawkeye guest
                   is also always top on my list. The Captain America story is the gem in this group. It is a nice
                   character study of Peter Parker and Steve Rogers getting to know each other. Greg Rucka
                   #6. First issue of a crossover story. I always hate when a series is interrupted with a crossover
                   issue and you feel left out if you don't buy the rest of story. I don't care for this issue. Kathryn 
                   Immonen #7. A fill in issue guest staring She-Hulk and cats...weak. Ty Templeton and
                   Don Slott #8. I thought this title was going to be stand alone, independent of all the other
                   Spidey books...I was wrong. I did not read the rest of the Dr. Octopus story so I was lost.
                   Then they throw in a Silver Sable back story? Really? Who cares about Silver Sable? I have
                   also always hated magic based characters so a Dr. Strange guest star is never a plus ( not even
                   Dr. Doom could save this issue).
ART: Joe Madureira #1-#3. Rocks! Greg Land #4. Too bad this guy is a cheat, his art is actually good.
           Leinil Francis Yu #5. Leinil can do any book. Nice artwork all around. Marco Checchetto #6.
           This guys stuff is new to me but I like it. he will be a star in the future. Stuart Immonen #7. This is
           one of the cleanest artists out there. His style fits any book and is nice to look at. Matt Clark #8.
           Is this the old Image " Mathew Clark"? I cant tell. He is a bit "Imagey" in style and his Spider-Man
           sucks! His skull changes shape in every panel.
FINAL FILE: Buy, Read, Bag, #1-#6...skip the rest...for now.

Film Review! 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Finally saw it.
Here are my thoughts.
To begin, all the Christopher Nolan 'Batman' films have been over rated. Way over rated. This one is the same. Half of the film is too slow and puts you to sleep. They could have cut one hour out of it and it would have been good.
The Good: Joseph Gordon -Levitt! I knew they were trying to to make this character into some form of a
"Robin". Naming him Robin at the end was nice but just the fact that we know he will be the next Batman leaves us with a sense of hope for the future of these characters and their world. Good to see that Bruce Wayne finally gets a much deserved retirement...even if it is only in this universe. ( Please do not make a film with Gordon-Levitt as Batman, lets just leave it as is...a hopeful future).
The Surprise: Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. When I first heard that she would be Catwoman I was not happy. I apologize for that Miss Hathaway. You did a good job.
The Bad: Christian Bale. He spent the whole film looking like he was dying. His face looked so thin and unhealthy, not like a guy who can kick-ass like Batman. I wont even mention the stupid voice again.
Bane. (I do not blame Tom Hardy for this mess...unless the voice was his idea) This was the worst Batman villain ever. The furthest from the original version, the stupidest inaudible "Darth Vader wannabe" voice ever,  the weakest way to get "killed", and the sadest way to try to tie his origin into Batmans.
The Sentimental Moment: Alfred. His story of what he has always wanted for Bruce Wayne to have...happiness...even at the expense of his own. Choking back them tears damn it.
The "WTF"? Moment: Talia....really? TALIA?! Good stuff!
FINAL FILE: Best second half of the three films ( 'Batman Begins' had the best first half ) See It!

Legion Lost #1 Review!: DC New 52 (The Bad)

COVER: Pete Woods. Nice group shot.
STORY: Fabian Nicieza. Did the movie already start? That's how this book makes me feel, im "lost". Time
                travel mixed with unfamiliar characters gives me a headache.
ART: Pete Woods. The art is rather nice. Shame to waste it on this book.
FINAL FILE: #1 and DONE!

The Crow #1: Review! (IDW)

COVER: Ashley Wood. Best thing about this book.
STORY: John Shirley. This a story with a lot of potential. The whole "body switching" concept is very cool
                but the artwork...
ART: Kevin Colden. Who hired this guy? They should be fired for paying him to do artwork. There has to
           be plenty of out-of-work artists who would do a better job. Take some drawing classes Kevin and
           don't get used to the paycheck. Hurts my eyes.
FINAL FILE: #1 and (sadly because I like The Crow) Done!

Review! Grifter #1:DC New 52 (The Bad)

COVER: Cafu. Nice.
STORY: Nathan Edmonson. Okay, so Grifter is confused and on the run from something that is never
               made clear. The creatures on the cover never appear in the book. I also was not aware that Grifter
               was invulnerable because that is the only way he could have survived a fall from a jet liner. We also
               do not see the mask until the final panel (and I wont even tell you how he got the mask and why it
               was painted when he put it on). Grifter is the mask! Its what makes him different and cool.
               Without it he is just another white guy with guns. DC you could have made this title so much
               cooler. Another missed opportunity.
ART: Cafu. The art is okay, nothing special. There is a bit too much Gary Frank in there (another guy,
           Gary Frank must be the "go to" guy for swiping these days).
FINAL FILE: #1 and DONE!...they broke your toy Jim Lee.

Review! Creator Owned Heroes #1 (Image)

COVER: Phil Noto. Nice cover, feels like a magazine. Is this a magazine or an anthology? Good either
                                  way.
STORY: 'American Muscle' by Steve Niles. Looks like another " post-apocalyptic survivor" story.
                                                                          Is this the millionth comic with this premise? Well I did not
                                                                          get too much innovation in this story. Survivors, L.A. under
                                                                          water, "zombies", no real surprises yet...I will wait for part
                                                                          two.
                'Trigger Girl 6' by Jimmy Palmioti and Justin Gray. A sci-fi hot chick in a cool outfit that will
                                                                                                      kick your ass? A dead senator? Whats
                                                                                                      not to like?!
ART: 'American Muscle' by Kevin Mellon. This guys stuff is new to me. Not the best art I have seen.
                                                                         His line work doesn't match his colors very well. It all feels
                                                                         a bit...dirty. Maybe it is supposed to be that way.
           'Trigger Girl 6' by Phil Noto. Mr. Noto can draw. This is the gem of the book. Take away all the
                                                            dialogue from this story and it still works (maybe better). I'm reading
                                                            issue #2 just for this story.
* Throw in a few interviews, some behind the scenes stuff, pictures, cosplay, and plenty of ads and you have
   a good first issue.
FINAL FILE: Buy it, Read it, Bag it,...buy the next one!

Review! Sunset: First Look ( Image/Top Cow)

COVER: Jorge Lucas. Iconic Las Vegas sign and a guy with a gun. Nice.
STORY: Christos Gage. Nick Bellamy is a retired military bad-ass who is forced back into action. I feel
                                          like I have read this before ('Red' comes to mind), too many times.
ART: Jorge Lucas. Im on the edge about this guys art. The black and white fits this story but all of his
                                 backgrounds and most of his figures are photographs. He just loads them into
                                 Photoshop and presses some buttons and done. Most of the times it fits but there are
                                 some panels where his "invented" art just sticks out like a soar thumb.
FINAL FILE: Buy it, Read it, Bag it! ( $1 for 22 pages is a steal)

Review! I, Vampire #1: DC New 52 (The Bad)

COVER: Jenny Frison. Very nice cover. Fits the mood just right.
STORY: Joshua Hale Fialkov. A "good" vampire who hunts "bad" vampires with some werewolves
                                                    thrown in? Too familiar for my taste.
ART: Jae Lee...oooops...Andrea Sorrentino. The guy is a clone of Jae Lee, and dont give me that
                                                                          "homage" crap, this is straight out copying. I can never
                                                                           respect that. Get your own style Andrea or just hand your
                                                                           paycheck right over to Jae.
FINAL FILE: #1 and DONE...hate artists who copy!