sixthreezy readsies

The more Batman, the better.

While the writing of Grant Morrison is usually brilliant, I find myself struggling to keep it all straight. Morrison's writing is epic, in the sense that no one thing is left out. These JLA comics throw everything except the kitchen sink at you, and it's tough to sort it all out. I would assume that whatever drugs Morrison is using while writing, probably help to decipher the story here but I'm not all too sure that I should need that to understand this work. This volume in particular, more so than any I've read so far, really make me feel inferior as a comic book reader. There are so many characters, and so many dimensions to go along with that, that I find myself feeling like a novice reader. The art is great, and the story is there, but so often I come to the end of these JLA issues and while I'm lost for 20 pages, the last few in the issue always seem to sum things up so basically that I can kind of grasp what is going on. It's all here, but it takes some serious attention and thinking to get it all together in your own mind. I'd give this four stars easily, if I knew what the hell was going on most of the time.

Even though I knew what to expect from Marvel NOW!'s Deadpool, I was still extremely impressed with this volume and completely blown away by how great it is. Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan have easily written what is the best title I've read from the Marvel NOW! series. While that isn't a huge compliment in itself, because I don't like much of the Marvel NOW! titles, Deadpool is lightyears beyond the others and has proven yet again why that is so. Brian Posehn's sense of humor is almost entirely too perfect for the character of Deadpool and it makes this comic one of the most fun to read in quite some time. Who would have thought that after filling the first volume with dead presidents for Deadpool to hunt down, there would be just as much fun to be had in a second volume. There isn't a single comic out there that I enjoy picking up and reading more than Deadpool. The first issue that puts Deadpool in a story that takes place during the 80's with Tony Stark was one of the funniest things I've ever read in comics. Of course that humor and entertainment extends into the other issues of this book and makes for such a blast of a read. The art is great, the writing is great, and the jokes in the book are just so funny. I know that the writing is superb because rarely does a book with so much writing on the page keep my attention, but this one had me flipping the pages as quickly as I could. This is a must read for fans of Mr. Pool, the Marvel Universe through adult eyes, and comedy in general. Please pick this up and support Duggan and Posehn's tremendous work on Deadpool.

Originally posted at sixthreezy at the movies & more!

I wish there would have been more of the GGL (Gay Green Lantern) storyline because that was easily the best part of the first volume. I wasn't really all that into the Earth 2 Flash, and this volume was a bit confusing and slow at times. It may have been that it has been awhile since I've read the first volume of Earth 2, but I do think part of it was a bit confusing. The art is phenomenal and as it's been brought to my attention, all done by a female artist which is pretty awesome. The art is definitely great, but the story leaves a lot to be desired. There was brief mention of the loss of GGL's partner which was probably the best part of this book, because I find Alan Scott the most interesting character in this title.

Yet another Marvel NOW! title that I just don't understand. I suppose that Young Avengers is supposed to rock with a younger crowd, and probably appeals to teenage kids looking for a comic book that they can relate to their lives. There's a lot about this story that I just didn't find appealing to myself, and I am pretty open to anything but a lot of this felt forced for the ability to be marketed at a younger audience. First of all, the gay relationship presented from the beginning with Wiccan and Hulkling I just didn't get. It felt so forced to pair these two together, and really just to use as a marketing tool to appeal to comic readers of a younger age in high school. I know that writers have been trying to be inclusive in comics as of late, and I applaud them for that but I really don't feel like it was necessary in this story. I didn't think they were a good couple, nor was I invested in either character because all you know about them was that they were gay. There needed to be more of a set up as to who these two characters were, and what drew them together in the first place. It just starts out with "hey our comic book has two heroes in the Young Avengers that are gay! Look at us, we're all inclusive!" I know it sounds like I was offended, but really I would have been fine with it had there been more development leading up to why they were a couple, which would make it seem like less of a gimmick. Also, the other characters were pretty minimal in comparison, which compounded the problem. The only character I truly enjoyed was Kid Loki and that was because he had a sense of humor and he obviously plays off of the already known grown up characters of Thor and Loki. The villains were kind of neat, but I'm still kind of unsure what to make of the whole story because really the biggest plot of this whole book was the relationship between Wiccan and Hulkling. I think they could have spent a lot more time on other characters developing them just as much as the other two, and maybe it would have felt like there was an entire team in this book. The title was appropriate though I suppose, because substance took a backseat to style in this one. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but I really didn't see too much in this book that appealed to me and made me want to read more.

Originally posted at sixthreezy at the movies & more!

Scott Snyder has proven at this point that not only is he a great writer for Batman, but he is also a great writer of comics in general with a title like Swamp Thing as evidence. I mostly picked up this volume of Talon because I know that Snyder is a quality talent, but also because it's Gotham oriented and I can't turn down anything Batman. This book plucks a character from Batman's Court of Owls storyline Calvin Rose, and follows him as he seeks revenge on his former group of Owls when he realizes that Gotham may have been emptied of his personal demons. The main reason I like this book so much is that it's dark, which is something that Scott Snyder has rarely shied away from in his writing. He is able to take such a comical world and turn it into something darker and deeper than it ever has before. It's one main reason that the New 52 Batman is so great and has become a new standard for the Batman comic books. Calvin Rose is a Talon of the Court of Owls, which if you aren't familiar with, may require some reading of Snyder's Batman to get an introduction to. The evils that the Court of Owls is capable of committing are atrocious and really personify a villain that can strike the fear into characters in a book, as well as the reader at home. Talon yet again proves that Snyder is a mainstay in current comic writing, and can do much more than just Batman, even though this predominately takes place in Gotham City. This is much recommended to fans of the New 52, Batman in general, and possibly Pink Floyd's The Wall because the Owl masks are just too reminiscent of it to ignore.

Originally posted at sixthreezy at the movies & more!

I want to read this very badly, but I need to actually buy a copy to be able to take my time and read through it. Very interested after reading the small bit I have already.

The art far exceeds the writing, and is probably the only creative force keeping Flash alive right now. The story is okay, but I wasn't blown away. The first volume was much better.

This being the first time I've ever read any of Brandon Sanderson's work, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I've heard that he's an excellent writer but most of that applies to his fantasy fiction, which isn't something I have found myself inclined to reading just yet. Nor was this an account of the short lived 1990's hair metal band of the same name, but I'm sure if Sanderson had written it, it would have been entertaining as well. This however, was about superheroes and of course that's right up my alley. From the very first page, Sanderson hooks you into the story of David. It jumps right into the story of how David lost his father to the Epic Steelheart, and how he knows now in the present that he will be the end to Steelheart's reign. In this world, Epics are the super-powered people who seemingly gained their abilities overnight, and not one of them used their powers for good. Stories like this, as we know them, usually have superheroes on one side and villains on the other but this one is different. This time humans have basically been subjected to the rule of Epics, Steelheart in particular, at least in Chicago, and it's basically against the law to stand up against them. After the introduction into David's life and his story of where he's come from, we're placed into the now steel covered city of Chicago, renamed Newcago. It's a new time and the world is nowhere near the same as it was when Epics didn't rule the Earth, and David plans to change that.

David admires a group of human rebels called the Reckoners as he tracks Epics on his own and tries to find himself in the right place at the right time with Epics or Reckoners. Early on he finds himself in the middle of a battle with one of the high Epics and the Reckoners, and decides that this may be his only opportunity to join in fighting the good fight. He's greeted with resistance as the Reckoners take him into custody, but as David releases more and more of his insider information on the Epics and Reckoners themselves they become more willing to allow him in assisting in their battle. Once David's story is retold to the leader of the Reckoners, they decide that teaming together to defeat the evil Epic Steelheart should be their next venture, but together. The Reckoners more or less disagree with the aggressive plan hatched to defeat Steelheart because it places them in David's hands mostly, and in danger. David wants to do anything he can and gather all the resources he can to bring Steelheart down, because he's seen him bleed, but he knows that the task could be impossible. Really I was super impressed with Brandon Sanderson's writing and how absorbed I was into this story. You wait for an ending that will be good, but the one that's given is great and I didn't see it coming at all. The ending completely sold me on this book, as I knew it was great fiction as I was reading but it wasn't yet that truly outstanding work until I hit the last 20-25 pages. Sanderson knew exactly what he was writing about when it came to super people and superhuman powers, but he added some of his fantasy elements and storytelling experience to the book and it made for all that much greater of a climax and conclusion. I can't wait for the rest of this series, and I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of superhero stories and/or comic books. This is also one of the first young adult fiction books that I've read that I didn't completely hate, so kudos to Sanderson. I will now have to journey into some of his other works because his writing is definitely amazing.

Originally posted at sixthreezy at the movies & more!

This may not have made much sense to me because I haven't read AVX but it was just okay.

Before this book, I had never read anything about or involving the character Nova. This book gives a great introduction into the original Nova and then follows with the story of the new Nova for Marvel NOW! I really like how accessible this character is even after the first issue contained in this volume. This was also an introduction to the Guardians of the Galaxy for me, which was nice to see previous to the Guardians of the Galaxy film coming out soon from Marvel. Rocket Raccoon was actually a really funny character, and also pretty tough, which was just cool to see in a comic book of this quality. I think Jeph Loeb having written this title is probably a pretty big reason as to why it is so good, because he's a pretty well-proven writer for comics at this point. The art is also great, and overall this volume of Nova is really impressive for a Marvel NOW! title. Easily one of the best of the NOW! initiative, Nova sets out to the stars and beyond for fans of Marvel. I'm not even that big on Marvel comics ever taking place in space, but this one had it all going right.

Originally posted at sixthreezy at the movies & more!

DNF.

Great as usual!

I have been a huge fan of all the Valiant titles thus far that I've read, and I didn't expect anything different from this. Shadowman proves to be the darkest title that I've read from this line so far, and that's saying something considering the titles that surround it. Bloodshot has consistently been a very dark title since the beginning, but even this shows that Valiant can get even darker that it already has. The story is actually very great too, finding Jack Boniface searching for answers about his past, his family, and his new life. The power of Shadowman is only tapped on in this volume, as it serves mostly as an introduction, but it seems that the threats he could face soon will be near apocalyptic. The villain is Darque, and he only appears for a few frames but will be the big challenge that Jack will face in the next volume. I really enjoyed this story, and it's really easy to hop right into. Also, the art is beautiful yet haunting, with the main villain Mr. Twist of this book being consisted of sacrificed flesh. His powers seem to be to take control of anyone he can get his flesh into, but I'm sure there is more to be discovered as he turns out to be a part of a bigger plan. I also like the monkey that resides in Darkside, which is where Shadowman and others draw their powers from. In the end, this is another brilliant entry into the Valiant line and you can consider me a fan of the Shadowman. Must read for fans of Valiant, and darker comics, this is the original kind of work us graphic novel readers are looking for.

Originally posted at sixthreezy at the movies & more!

I have already read Deadpool Killustrated which was a spin off from this book, and Deadpool has taken it upon himself to destroy everything around him. Deadpool has been convinced that everything in the Marvel universe deserves to die, so it is now the beginning of the end for Deadpool. Realizing that he's just a character, he wants to take it out on all the rest of them and become to lone survivor. What is really fun about these Deadpool books is that they are very self aware in the sense that he knows he's in a comic book. It makes it really fun to read a character that is pretty much there just to entertain you, whether it's in the book or outside of it. It's only once in a lifetime that you get to see Deadpool just kill every single one of the characters you grew up with and read in Marvel, including one particularly fantastic frame of him blowing Spider-Man's brains out with a pistol. It's things like this that you know that are one of a kind, that are really great. I especially like when Marvel tackles more adult themes or stories, because they usually end up being a lot better than usual. This is a must read for Deadpool fans and anybody looking for an entertaining, but violent comic book read.

Originally posted at sixthreezy at the movies & more!

To start, I wasn't a huge fan of All New X-Men, Volume One: Yesterday's X-Men but it did leave some things open to get better in this second volume. Things definitely got better, but actually got really great and I really enjoyed this volume. The first volume was more of a set up for this one, as the X-Men from the past are still struggling in finding out what they've become in the present time. Most importantly, Scott Summers has seen where his life has gone and it's all too frightening a truth for him to take. He takes an approach to it, and vows to not be the same Scott Summers and do whatever he can to change it, but that's the typical Summers agenda when problems arise. It's really interesting to see these characters struggle with themselves in the past, when they've seen what they become in the future. There is a tie-in as well with the Uncanny X-Men cast, and I thought that was pretty cool just having read that. My review of the first volume was a considerable bashing, because I've been fed up with X-Men comics for the past year or so. They all seem so similar, and it seemed to me that this Marvel NOW! title was headed in the same direction. However, it has turned around in this second volume and I'd highly recommend All New X-Men to Marvel NOW! readers. It's definitely in the top three in the reboot, and I take back what I said about Brian Michael Bendis last volume. This guy is a mainstay in writing the Marvel universe, and he writes teams really well.

Originally posted at sixthreezy at the movies & more!