Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Bill Feburary 23, 2011

After so many stellar weeks, I knew a week like this was coming. It's not that everything on the list was bad it just nothing filled me with awe. But I'm not going to let a silly thing like that stop me on my one man quest to do half assed reviews. Let's get to it!




Falling Into Old Habits:

Avengers # 10
Writer: Brian Bendis
Artist: John Romita Jr.


Here's the Bendis I love to hate. To his credit, it's not like Bendis had the collected Avengers just sit around and chat about The Hood's quest for the Infinity Gems ike I predicted last month. Instead he has them all headed out to collect the remaining gems in small(ish) teams. The result is pages and pages of no dialogue and giant, empty fight scenes. It's just kinda... boring.

For instance, the book starts with Namor taking the Red Hulk and Thor down to the deepest depths of the ocean to collect his gem. It's a cool idea that just goes on and on and on. It takes them NINE pages of minimal to no dialogue (plus a silent fight with a sea monster) to get down there. Nearly half the book is dedicated to this effing dive and it's just ridiculous.

I get that Bendis wants to make finding these gems a big deal, but there's got to be a more efficient way to do it. As is it feels like a seventh grade History report. You know, the one you put a ton of large block quotes in just to hit that tenth page so you can meet the minimum requirement? I feel like Bendis writes a solid ten page issue most months, and then just jams in filler for the remaining twelve pages.

Sigh. Here's hoping it gets better next month.

Stupid Infinity Gauntlet love...



Mysterious and Intriguing:

Who Is Jake Ellis # 2
Writer: Nathan Edmondson
Artist: Tonci Zonjic


By far the most interesting book of the week for me was this little gem from Image. While not as action-packed and weirdly fun as the first issue, this one still manages to hit all the right notes. We get a hint of the mystery, a taste of the history, and a tickle of... dammit, I want to make that rhyme, but I can't! Damn my non-poetic mind!

Anyway, it's pretty solid fun. The main character, Jon Moore, does what he can to evade the killer interests following him while he tries to figure out the titular question: Who is Jake Ellis?

Honestly, without going into too many spoilers, I don't know what to say about this book other than it's totally awesome. It's a pretty brisk read, but I don't feel cheated or under-satisfied like with some writers *couBENDISgh. The art is clean, clear, and full of energy, perfect for the tone of the story. It's truly fantastic, and I can't recommend it enough. Go check it out, I promise you'll like it.

Assuming, of course, you have good taste. I kid, I kid....




And there you have it, my lackluster week. If you want to know more about any of these, the book I didn't talk about (Power Man and Iron Fist), or the inexplicable reason why I can't seem to find the Amazing Spider-Man point 1 issue (Come on, it's the new Venom!), email, tweet, or leave a comment. I promise to be nice.

Well, probably.

2 comments:

  1. Hey buddy, I picked up who is Jake Ellis issues one and two this week based on your recommendation. I haven't gotten around to them yet cause I've been reviewing my weekly comics and such but I'll let ya know what I think.

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  2. Awesome! I can't wait to see what you think about them, I really REALLY hope it lives up to the hype.

    Meanwhile, I went looking for Morning Glories this week to no avail. I seriously need to find a new store...

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