Secret Six #10

Secret Six #10 Cover

Written by Gail Simone
Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Daniel LuVisi

After a couple of breather issues a new arc starts with issue 10 of a continually excellent series.  This issue brings a bit more darkness and serious tone to the series, yet still maintains tension breaking humor and continues to grow these characters individually and as a team.  Ms. Simone has written these characters in such a way that we start caring for them, we get invested in their lives.   Then she reminds us that they are amoral at best and they aren’t the “do-gooder” heroes that we normally read.

I’m excited to see where this arc takes us.  Character issues from the first arc are being addressed here. Character motivations, especially Deadshot’s, are being examined more closely.

Plus a new mystery around an old name surfaces.

In depth review spoilers abound

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Me being the Kirkman-loving fiend that I am, I picked this series up as soon as I could and read it every week as soon as I can (unless there’s a good X-title that comes out that week…), and the thing I simply love about Destroyer is it’s ability to just kick ass non-stop from page one to page 22.

If you don’t know what Destroyer is, know this: Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker have teamed up again (previous team-ups: Invincible #1-7), but this time it’s for Marvel’s MAX label and boy oh boy they take advantage of that “For Mature Readers Only” warning. Basing the story of this comic off of an old Timely Comics character, this story follows the last adventures of the character and it’s just amazing. For the sake of all that is awesome and spoilerrific, I’ll give a brief summary of the previous 3 issues after the break because this series is so good, I don’t even want to spoil basic plot points for you guys.

*spoilers and love after the break*

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As I scanned over Mike’s review of Michael Bay’s new — for lack of a better term — “film,” I lingered on his opening statement: “I am determined to give a straight up review of this film.” To him I ask, “Why?” Why should we treat this movie with a respect it never shows us? Well, I shan’t begrudge Mike for his effort, as I gave a stab at writing a serious(-ish) review for my school paper, an expanded version of which can be found on my blog here (shameless!). I suppose I should have been better prepared for this: I by no means loathed the first Transformers, but I was certainly bored stiff by its over-complicated yet skin deep plot, its wooden acting and confusing mish-mash of fighting robots indiscernible from one another. It favored its juvenile humor too much and the animation needed to be clearer, but there was conceivably a decent popcorn flick deep inside that, and guiding hands like executive producer Steven Spielberg could bring out the positive aspects buried within. Now, imagine the absolute opposite of that, and you’ve got this mess.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a film whose most ardent admirers — of whom there is a tragically high number — insist should be accepted for what it is, not some trumped up wannabe critic’s notion of what is should have been. What they fail to grasp is that people like me and the vast majority of honest-to-goodness critics who are paid for their work did accept this movie for what it was: a piece of shit.

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Oracle: Search for the Cure #1-3

Written: Kevin VanHook
Art: Don Kramer and Jay Leisten(1,2); Julian Lopez and Bit(3)

Issue 1

Cover: Guillem March

I’m not sure this is so much of a review as it is a rant.  The last issue of Birds of Prey saw Barbara Gordon leaving the team to take care of some personal business.  This personal business leads her to Gotham City and, conveniently, her part in The Battle for the Cowl.  Needless to say it seems that DC is also intent on taking a once brilliantly written character down a few notches, both in quality and characterization.  Only time will tell if the character will spiral further into cliche or once again rise to the status she once held.

If you are like me you’ve likely picked up a series or two not because they were great, but because you felt the need to have a complete collection.  I slogged through these issues because of that obsessive compulsive need and I’m here to try and talk you out of doing the same.  If you are curious about the story and want to pick it up: don’t.  If I can’t convince you to do that, at least try the following:

1.  Wait until the trade paperback.
2.  Let someone else buy it, read it, and then immediately take it back to sell used, probably swearing all the way.
3.  Pick up the copied used, after it has been reduced to a ridiculously low price and consigned to the ultra-bargain bin.

All told that if there is any justice in the world you should only have to wait a week for all of that to happen.

Slightly spoilerific review below

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Review Secret Six #7

Secret Six 7 Cover

Writer:  Gail Simone
Pencilers: Nicola Scott
Inkers:  Doug Hazelwood

Issue #7 concludes the first arc in the Secret Six series.  Once again the writing is spot-on with liberal doses of humor and drama intermixed.  The issue draws you in from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.  In my opinion this is what comic books should strive to be.  Too often we are stuck between entertaining and thought provoking or deconstructing a long running character.  We are confronted with drawn out arcs with a quick single issue filler sandwiched in-between.  Ms. Simone has gone a long way in perfecting a balance in her story writing between giving us a complete story each month and adding to the overall narrative.  Furthermore Ms. Scott’s pencils are as beautiful as ever and her attention to detail is excellent.

Beyond here be spoilers.

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I don’t know how it happened, but Marvel has managed to put their four main X-Men books in one week: X-Men: Legacy, X-Factor, X-Force, and Uncanny X-Men. This last week, we, the readers, were given these three books and, as you would assume, each have their own style and feeling and each make me feel completely different about the X-Men. With writers Peter David (X-Factor), Mike Carey (Legacy), Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle (X-Force) and Matt Fraction (Uncanny) each book I read leaves me feeling excited, okay, blood-thirsty and strange–respectively.

I read all four of these books and have been for the last eight years or so (or however long they have been out–X-Factor, X-Force) and I’ve seen some changes, both good and bad and I think I’m going to make it my goal to comment on these four books every month from here on with a post like this–assuming they’ll keep coming out on the same week.  This month we were handed Uncanny X-Men #507, X-Force #13, X-Factor #41, and X-Men: Legacy #222…

Continue on after the break (spoilers).

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Well everyone, since I’ve been lacking so much in my review count (seriously, what is my problem?), let me give you the insight into a gigantic 8 comics this week. That’s right. 8 comics!

Mind you, this week was pretty big–I myself read at least 18 comics–and here are a few I think you all may find a bit interesting:

• Squadron Supereme 2 #8
• Amazing Spider-Man #587
• Four Eyes #2
• Firebreather #4
• Invincible #59
• Uncanny X-Men #506
• Shrapnel #2
• X-Men: Legacy #221

Who’s excited? I’m excited. Are you excited? You better be.

**some spoilers after the break**

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G.I. Joe #1 Cover B

G.I. Joe #1 (IDW )
Writer:  Chuck Dixon
Artist:  Robert Atkins

G.I.Joe is the comic that started me down the long road to being a comic book geek.  It along with a few other 80’s properties are near and dear to my childhood.  The comic book that Marvel put out ruled over all that was produced in the name of G.I. Joe toys in the 1980’s.  The cartoons were great to watch, but ultimately they were cheesy and nobody ever died.  Between the lack of mortality in the G.I. Joe and Transformers cartoons I was woefully unprepared for Roy Fokker’s exit from Robotech.  On the other hand the comic books brought action, humor, character development, and even death.  To my 10 year old mind the stories they told drew me in deeper and had more of a lasting impact on my imagination than any 30 minute cartoon could.

I have the full run of the Marvel G.I. Joe, some more beat up than others, and I still find entertainment in their pages.  When Devils Due publishing announced they were bringing G.I. Joe back to comic books continuing the saga Marvel started, the 10 year old inside the 20-something year old me did a little jig.  I collected all of them as well, including the short run of FrontLine AND the even shorter run of G.I. Joe Reloaded.  The stories weren’t quite as satisfying at first, but they hit their stride and I was a huge fan by the end of their run.  Hasbro put the licensing back up for negotiations and IDW won the bid.  Last fall they put out a special Issue 0 that highlighted the three series they would be producing on a regular basis.  Issue 1 of the core series came out on 1/14/2009 and after reading #0, I picked it up with some trepidation.

Review and opinion forthcoming. (more…)

Review Secret Six #5
‘Faces of Evil: Deadshot’
Writer Gail Simone
Penciler Nicola Scott
Inkers Doug Hazlewood & Rodney Ramos

Where were you the day that evil won?

From that very statement DC has decided to run a month long quasi-event through their main titles called ‘Faces of Evil‘ with each of the associated titles focusing on a villain that is key to that title’s hero.  One would imagine this would be a difficult task for a title such as ‘Secret Six‘, a title based on the adventures of six villains.  Gail Simone makes it look easy.  This is one of the most consistently well written series at DC and has yet to disappoint.  The art is crisp and consistent and the dialogue maintains an even flow of menace, mayhem, and humor.

Background and possible spoilers to follow.

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I went and saw The Spirit on Saturday. Yes, I saw it despite the terrible reviews and horrendous score on Rotten Tomatoes (because I trust the collective movie reviewers over individual reviewers and it was at 17% when I left to see the movie).

It is now about 23 hours after seeing that movie (as I write this) and my views of the film have not changed.

I knew before going into the movie that it was going to be outrageous, we all knew that. I knew there’d be a huge Sin City feel to it that we all wanted but still didn’t want to see. I knew that this was Frank Miller’s first solo movie as a writer and director. I knew that Miller’s previous movies written for the screen were Robocop 2 and 3–both I didn’t see but have heard were terrible.

So I went into this movie with pretty low expectations, I’m not going to lie. But despite all of the badness The Spirit had from everyone else I saw the film and, well, I kind of liked it.

**spoilers abound**

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