|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 27, 2024 7:55:33 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKS!Real Readers, Honest Reviews.  What Did You Pick Up This Week? |
|
|
|
Post by DubipR on Feb 27, 2024 9:55:43 GMT -5
Thankfully, nothing this week. I still have to catch up on 3 weeks of downloads...
|
|
|
|
Post by MRPs_Missives on Feb 27, 2024 10:33:15 GMT -5
Not 100% certain yet, but this is what is supposed/scheduled to be out this week according to Comics Hub, some has shown up on my account page yesterday, but the bulk appear there on Tuesday night/Wed morning, so I don't knw for sure yet what will be there.
Batman 144
Batman: Brave & the Bold 10
Canary #3
Conan the Barbarian #8
Savage Sword of Conan #1
Red Sonja #8
Fire & Ice Teegra One Shot
Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer #6
Newburn #15
X-Men 268 Facsimile Edition
Detective Comics 1082
Critical Role: Tales of Exandria II: Artigern #2
D&D Saturday Morning Adventures II #2
so a pretty heavy week for me.
-M
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 27, 2024 14:42:14 GMT -5
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #10Written by Karl Kerschl, Dan Watters and others Art by Karl Kerschl, Ricardo Ortiz and others Summary: Maps kits up as Robin to investigate a possible Man-Bat sighting at Gotham Academy while Batman eats a cheeseburger. Plot: Like any anthology book the over all quality is a bit of a mixed bag but the opening and closing tales are fabulous and makes it well worth buying. The best of the bunch however was hands down the opening story featuring art and story by Karl Kerschl, wildfire2099 this is the Gotham Academy follow up we were waiting for with this new Maps story and it was well worth the wait. From the date between Bruce and Professor Macpherson to the battle with a rogue Man-Bat to Maps kitting up as Robin to investigate Man-Bat at Gotham Academy it's just a perfect read from start to finish. The characterization of Bruce is perfect, Maps is endearing and the action and mystery are amazing...for the life of me I can't figure out why Kerschl hasn't been tapped to write either Batman or Detective as this story is head and shoulders above anything printed in those books in nearly a decade. And while the other features weren't my cup of tea the black and white story by Dan Watters featuring Batman going up against Clayface was both mildly horrifying and intensely human. The extensional pain of Clayface's description of his existence as he describes in painstaking detail just what he has to imagine and form in his body from his intestines and throat down to the very taste buds in his tongue is both gross and horrifying but also intensely sympathetic and humanizing as well as ultimately it's the story of a guy who just wants to be normal and go out for a burger but can't and so he has a melt down. Again, Watters shows far more talent in crafting a great Batman story than either current writer of Batman or Detective...why isn't he headlining? Maybe someday I guess. Art: Kerschl's manga influenced look is a unique look at the world of Gotham and I love the energy behind not only his depiction of Maps but his Batman is just classic. And while Ortiz's stylized look wasn't my cup of tea when depicting the human characters like Batman his Clayface was perfect so it ultimately served the story well. Grade:8/10 |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 28, 2024 7:50:31 GMT -5
nice! Hope my store has it on the shelf... thanks for letting me know!
|
|
|
|
Post by Dizzy D on Feb 28, 2024 10:21:27 GMT -5
Having not gone last week, my list this week is G.O.D.S. and Monstress (which is so close to the Bride of Frankenstein quote...)
|
|
|
|
Post by MRPs_Missives on Feb 28, 2024 15:30:44 GMT -5
Just got back from my lcs and this is what I picked up...   I saw both Conan the Barbarian #8 and Savage Sword of Conan #8 were available on hoopla after midnight last night, so I grabbed them there and read them before bed last night as I didn't want to wait until I got the the lcs today. CTB might be my least favorite issue of the series so far but only because the end of the arc felt a little week and lacked a true resolution, but it wasn't a bad issue, just not up to the level I came to expect form the 1st 7. I'd still give it a solid B though. I really enjoyed SSOC. The lead story was good. The prose short story by Jim Zub was enjoyable and the Solomon Kane story by Patch Zircher was everything I was hoping it would be and more. -M |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 29, 2024 8:48:51 GMT -5
Al Ewing's Immortal Thor continues to plod on. Each issue is interesting enough on its own, the trials of Thor and Loki here in this issue for instance felt truly mythic...but the story as a whole feels aimless. I wouldn't mind a series of one shots if done this well, but this clearly is meant to feel as if it's leading somewhere only the connective tissue between each issue is rather thin and after seven issues we still have no concrete idea of what kind of conclusion we're heading towards. You don't need to telegraph the end by any means but if there's no hint as where the journey is going the conclusion lacks any sense of anticipation.
I'm in it for a little while longer but I doubt I'll make it to the finish if it continues this way.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dizzy D on Mar 1, 2024 18:22:10 GMT -5
G.O.D.S. #5 by Jonathan Hickman, Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia Plot: A mostly stand-alone issue: The Black Swans (Doom's minions from the Secret Wars series) have been abandoned by them and now are looking for a new purpose, which they try to find by sacrificing men. Wynn asks Mia to intercede on his behalf when the Swans overstep their bounds. Art: Schiti gets to stretch his talents again by drawing some pages in a fairy tale style (the story the older Swan tells to the younger ones how they seduce and kill men). Writing: I liked this one a lot as it set up the relationship between Wynn (the immortal mage) and Mia (who has recently discovered she is a mage) as well as explains why Wynn was so angry last issue wheen he found out that the Centivars had recruited Mia. The relationship between Wynn and Mia is interesting, you'd expect him to be her mentor as their powers are similar, and he kinda is, but also he's been distant from humanity recently and Mia and him don't really get along. I can't think of any comics I've read with quite this dynamic between two characters where they are both on the same side and are polite to each other, but also not really gelling with each other without being actually hostile and neither of them really understanding why (though Wynn's comment at the end may be the main reason). And it's a relationship I've seen a lot in real life.
For new readers: I think this is actually an issue a new reader could follow without having too much pre-story. You don't really need to know about the Black Swans and their previous master to understand them in this issue.
|
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 2, 2024 21:10:29 GMT -5
No luck on Brave and the Bold  . I'll have to go hunting. For my Marvel books Gang War reached a reasonable conclusion... it was pretty good overall. I do miss the days of in universe continuity (clearly the New York where this was happening is not the same New York with Sentinels running around in the X-Books, but oh well) speaking of Iron Man ...it seems like next issue might be the big finale of this story (or at least the start of the finale). It feels very much like fan fiction (I know, all comics are in essence fan fiction, but still....) but it's so much better than Cantwell It shines by comparison. |
|
|
|
Post by MRPs_Missives on Mar 2, 2024 21:12:18 GMT -5
No luck on Brave and the Bold . I'll have to go hunting. It didn't show up in my pull either, so maybe some shops got shorted? -M |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 2, 2024 21:14:46 GMT -5
that would be good actually.. then maybe it'll turn up next time! (I didn't get to ask as my comic shop guy was talking to some others when I checked out)
|
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 2, 2024 23:44:23 GMT -5
Just got back from my lcs and this is what I picked up... I saw both Conan the Barbarian #8 and Savage Sword of Conan #8 were available on hoopla after midnight last night, so I grabbed them there and read them before bed last night as I didn't want to wait until I got the the lcs today. CTB might be my least favorite issue of the series so far but only because the end of the arc felt a little week and lacked a true resolution, but it wasn't a bad issue, just not up to the level I came to expect form the 1st 7. I'd still give it a solid B though. I really enjoyed SSOC. The lead story was good. The prose short story by Jim Zub was enjoyable and the Solomon Kane story by Patch Zircher was everything I was hoping it would be and more. -M I really like the concept of Savage Sword, but the delivery left something to be desired. While I liked the female Engineer in the lead story, the rest was a bit silly. More importantly though, if its going to be black and white (which is great!) it needs to be actual black and white art.. not colored art changed to grayscale on a computer... it was definitely off. I agree the Solomon Kane story was excellent... I'm looking forward to more of that. |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 3, 2024 5:48:36 GMT -5
No luck on Brave and the Bold . I'll have to go hunting. It didn't show up in my pull either, so maybe some shops got shorted? -M That's why I largely went back to digital. The Amazon comic reader app is way worse than comixology used to be but I get my books more reliably. |
|
|
|
Post by MRPs_Missives on Mar 5, 2024 4:38:28 GMT -5
that would be good actually.. then maybe it'll turn up next time! (I didn't get to ask as my comic shop guy was talking to some others when I checked out) Brave & Bold #10 is showing as being in my file at the lcs according to Comics Hub and was just added today, so it came in with this week's books. -M |
|
. I'll have to go hunting.