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Wonder Woman #5

“The world we live in is one in which most artists have to have a fill-in issue several issues into their run on a comic. It’s an unfortunate reality, but if it’s going to happen, it’s nice when editorial is smart about it. “Wonder Woman” #5 is the perfect example of a smart fill-in issue.

With Zeus out of the picture, Poseidon makes his move, and Diana, rather than fight the angry god, turns his attention toward Hera in a clever bit of plotting that raises the book far above your typical “hero punches villain” trope…”

Ultimate Spider-Man #6

“Ultimate Spider-Man” steps up as the second book I read this week with a fill-in artist that transcends what is often a terrible mis-step in a comic by picking an excellent artist in synch with the book’s style, tone and very essence.

In “Ultimate Spider-Man” #6 we see Miles doing legitimate solo crime fighting as he saves a woman being robbed. Things do not go so well (although he is ultimately successful) and it’s clear Miles has a lot to learn. That goes for more than just fighting, as he deals unsuccessfully with the police, reporters, and fans (and non-fans). He’s also learning when to exit before you almost get unmasked in broad daylight…”

I’ll have one more review coming this weekend (for a GREAT book) but I thought I’d get these up now.

I also did reviews last week for: Batwoman #5, Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #5, and X-Men Legacy #260.1

As always, likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can read all my CBR Reviews thus far, here!

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A new 3 Chicks Review Comics, the Best of 2011 Cast is up today.  Head on over to CSBG and check it out!

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So over on She Has No Head! I mentioned that two categories, “Best Cover” and “Best Single Issue” were incredibly hard to decide this year thanks to an influx of great stuff I had trouble deciding between.  As a result I decided to do a top 25 “Best Single Issues” for 2011 on 1979.  As I noted on She Has No Head! there are some notable absences here, largely due to gaps in my reading. Off the top of my head I’d say the most glaring absences are DMZ, Scalped, and Daredevil, all of which I am significantly behind on. Because I have written about almost all of these issues elsewhere, I’m not going to do paragraphs on each of them.  You can find detailed CBR Reviews for 17 of the 25 below at this link.  And if you have questions about any other titles I didn’t do reviews for, just ask and I’ll be happy to talk about them in the comments.

All that said…these are my “25 Best Single Issues of 2011″…

025.  THE RED WING #1 by Brian Hickman, Nick Pitarra, and Rachelle Rosenberg

024.  HELLBOY: THE FURY #1 by Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo, and Dave Stewart

023.  WOLVERINE & JUBILEE #1 by Kathryn Immonen and Phil Noto

Read the rest of this entry »

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Head on over to She Has No Head! for a write up of some of the bests and worsts of 2011!

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My first CBR Reviews of the new year…read ’em and…well…just read ’em!

SECRET AVENGERS #20

“Warren Ellis has been absolutely killing his run on “Secret Avengers,” writing some of the smartest and best superhero comics of the last year with brilliant standalone stories that tell surprisingly complex tales with satisfying results. It doesn’t hurt that Ellis has had a rotating cast of unbelievably talented artists to help him deliver these stories, and Alex Maleev on this issue is no exception…”

ANGEL & FAITH #5

“Despite how much I’ve been enjoying “Angel & Faith” thus far, I was hesitant about this issue — even with the always exceptional Phil Noto as guest artist — since it guest-starred arguably my least favorite Buffy Universe character, Harmony. Those fears were averted however, as Christos Gage and Noto do great work delivering a fun issue that manages to keep things moving forward while still taking a little breather…”

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #4

““Justice League Dark” continues to be the title of the new DCU that I desperately want to like more than I do. It’s a good book, but with so many fantastic characters crowded together, largely unused, too much of the book is falling flat…”

As always, likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can read all my CBR Reviews thus far here.

I’ve got some new CBR Reviews up!

Also, I was thinking this week about the CBR rating system and what it means to me and I was curious what some of you that read CBR reviews regularly think of the rating system there – what does 4 stars, etc., mean to you?

For me it’s a bit like this:

5 stars = the best comics – i.e. an excellent/great comic (but not necessarily 100% perfect – I know Greg Burgas reserves his 10 stars – which would be a 5 star equivalent – for something absolutely perfect, but I’m not sure I even believe in 100% perfect, so I don’t hold out my 5 stars for that)

4 stars = a very good comic

3 stars = a good comic

2 stars = a not good comic (for any number of reasons including mediocrity)

1 star = a bad comic

0 star = the worst comic (also a rating I have never given…yet)

Of course, CBR lets us use 1/2 stars – thank the gods! – so I use those to flesh out a bit more nuance – like 2.5 means it’s almost good, but not quite.  3.5 means it’s almost very good, but not quite.

Does this align with how you guys read those ratings?

A quick accounting of my reviews shows that of 120 reviews I have given five, 5-star reviews and only a single 1-star review (no zero star reviews).  I have a lot of 4.5 stars, but I chalk that up mostly to me being stingy with my 5 stars (also, I deliberately try to review books I believe I’ll like, so that’s working towards more positive reviews than negative as well).  On the whole I feel good about the ratings I’ve given, though I think my pattern, from a cursory look is to give books a half star extra than they sometimes deserve.  If I went back and re-evaluated all my ratings, I think they would mostly stay in tact, with a fair percentage being edged down half a star if push came to shove.  It’s all very interesting to me…but I catch myself wondering if other reviewers think this much about something like this.

The Ray #1

“Opening directly into the action, but rife with humor and even a well constructed origin story, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with stunning visuals from Jamal Igle, strike a perfect tone for this young energetic hero in DC’s new limited series “The Ray.”  In this first issue, Lucien Gates — a lifeguard accidentally shot with a solar energy “sun gun” and turned into a superher — explains how he became a superhero, introduces us to his life (including friends, family, and girlfriend) all while saving the world from gigantic telepathic jellyfish. We also get a peek at the big bad for the series, who is unfortunately not nearly as compelling as Lucien…”

Ultimate X-Men #4

“Though technically quite proficient, there’s a mechanical quality to this issue of “Ultimate X-Men” that results in something decidedly uninspired and conservative. Given some of the bold ideas put forth in this series (namely that the government created mutants) I expected (and hoped) for much more at this point in the series…”

Northanger Abbey #2

“Nancy Butler and Janet K. Lee deliver another beautifully drawn, smartly executed adaptation of a Jane Austen novel with “Northanger Abbey”. Nancy Butler has over the last three years proven to be extremely adept in adapting these tales for Marvel — first with “Pride & Prejudice” (art by Hugo Petrus) in 2009, followed by “Sense & Sensibility” in 2010 (art by Sonny Liew), followed by “Emma” (also with Lee) in 2011, and now “Northanger Abbey” in 2011/2012. Butler has known what she was doing with these lovely stories since her very first attempt, and it’s clear with “Northanger Abbey” she’s not missed a beat…”

As always, likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can read all of my CBR Reviews thus far, here.

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No 3 Chicks Review Comics this week unfortunately due to personal reasons, but I believe we’ll be back next week with a new episode.  I didn’t have time to get a She Has No Head! up in its place unfortunately but there will be one or two more posts for She Has No Head! before the end of the year, so keep an eye out! But if you missed out on last week’s epic female positive gift list…get on over there!

Also, my scanner crapped out, so Panel of the Week is on temporary hiatus.  I will be putting up a couple Cover of the Week options though shortly for your enjoyment.

In the meantime here are two CBR Reviews from last week’s book.  Gotta be honest, didn’t love either of these, so read at your own risk!

X-Factor #228

““X-Factor” is a book that I like, in part because it tends to feel unlike a lot of the other X-titles. This issue, however, feels more like the other X-titles and less like “X-Factor.” As a result, it’s not that great.  “X-Factor” #228 picks up immediately after Jamie Madrox has been killed by Bloodbath while in the form of one of Madrox’s formerly dead dupes. The team tries to kill Bloodbath (without much success) until Layla works her magic and successfully exorcises him from Jamie’s body. Layla tries to bring Jamie back to life as she did with Guido earlier this year, but to no avail…”

X-Club #1

“The idea of reading a comic book about a bunch of scientists completely intrigues me. I don’t know what I hoped to find inside, but this wasn’t it. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this book; the writing and art are all acceptable. But if you’re looking for more than “acceptable,” I’m not sure it’s here.  “X-Club” #1 focuses on the X-Men’s science team (Dr. Nemesis, Kavita Rao, Madison Jeffries, and Danger) at the ceremonial (and also literal) opening of earth’s first “space elevator.” Magneto is on hand to raise a massive space station into space, and it’s a space station with a tether to the earth, which I guess is the elevator (apparently I am not as smart as any of these scientists)…”

As always, likes and retweets are awesome, and you can read all my CBR reviews thus far here.

Been so busy…didn’t get these reviews from last week up.  So I thought I’d give you guys this week’s advance review, plus last week’s that I missed.  Still more reviews coming this week – X-Factor #228 and X-Club #1…keep an eye out!

Defenders #1

“You can tell from the story title for “Defenders” #1 – “Breaker of Worlds, Part 1: I Hate Myself And Want To Die” that Matt Fraction intends to have a good time with his readers, and indeed he does. The book has an enthusiasm and energy that is evident from page one, even when it’s being all grim and world ending…”

X-Men Legacy #259

“Mike Carey has thought more intensely about Rogue’s powers than any other two creators working in comics.  I feel confident in saying this because Carey constantly surprises me with the ways in which he has used her powers throughout his run.  “X-Men Legacy” #259 continues that tradition. What could have been a mundane filler issue about which way Rogue will choose to go post-Schism, suddenly becomes quite interesting in Carey’s hands…”

Angel & Faith #4

“Angel and Faith” continues to impress as it features two big stars of the Buffyverse that are far more interesting when paired together. The result is a smart book that’s being executed very wel.  Issue #4 brings to a close the first arc of “Angel and Faith,” and it’s a satisfying ending that leaves plenty to still be mined of the book’s original mission, i.e. Angel’s intention to bring Giles back to life. Angel and Faith, having found the Mohra blood that could well make that happen, discover a horrible secret to the blood now that the world is absent magic…”

As always, likes and retweets are awesome, and you can read all my CBR reviews thus far here.

A new She Has No Head! is up and it’s my Third Annual Awesome Women In Comics Holiday Gift List…head on over and see what 2011 gifts you should be giving…or asking for!

 

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Some CBR Reviews this week:

Legion of Monsters #2

“Legion of Monsters” is one of those mini-series that you find yourself wishing was an ongoing immediately. Easily one of the best books I’ve been reading from Marvel of late, this series is completely fun, full of great characters, and tightly plotted…”

Avengers Academy #22

“The idea of Magneto visiting the Avengers Academy seems to write itself. Here, unfortunately, it didn’t and it feels like a wasted opportunity. The combination of Magneto, ultimate reformed bad guy, paying a visit to the kids that are being trained specifically so they don’t turn out exactly like him should be gold, but a combination of too many characters, too many plot threads, and mediocre writing and art leaves us with something shockingly dull…”

Supergirl #3

“Supergirl” #3 feels entirely unlike the first two issues of this series. Unfortunately, that’s not a great thing. The first two issues of “Supergirl” had clear, impeccably kinetic art and an incredibly decompressed story. It was too decompressed, in fact, but at least the stunning art and slow burn were compelling enough to warrant picking up the next issue in the hopes some real meat would eventually reveal itself. Unfortunately, the meat is here and it’s pretty bland…”

As always, likes and retweets are awesome, and you can read all my CBR reviews thus far here.

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