Saturday, March 26, 2016

Comic Book Reviews III


Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Generation Why 
Author:  G. Willow Wilson 
Artist:  Adrian Alphona
Rating:  2.5

That's it, I gave this series a shot, but the second volume is just as disappointing as the first.  It seems more like a parody of a comic than the real thing. There's nothing new, nothing that really grabs you. It has a tendency to be rather cliche and generally cringe-worthy.  The art, too, left much to be desired. What threw me off the most with the art style was how disproportional it could be.  I am definitely in the minority with this one, but I just expected more.


The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 2: Dallas 
Author:  Gerard Way 
Artist:  Gabriel Bá
Rating:  4.5

Admittedly, I had the foolish notion that Apocalypse Suite was as good as it could get.  Like I said, it was a foolish notion.  Dallas is a stroke of genius.  It's a ridiculous mess of time travel, assassins, and talking fish.  If I must repeat myself--it's genius.  And that's not even mentioning Gabriel Bá's phenomenal art.


The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys No. 1-6 
Authors:  Gerard Way and Shaun Simon
Artist:  Becky Cloonan
Rating:  4

This is one of those projects created to send a message, and while the story can often be sacrificed for that message, this comic mini series struck a nice balance.  The world-building may be a little lacking and the plot a bit predictable, but the cast of characters are nothing but fabulous, and that message I mentioned earlier?  It's also fabulous. The art, too, was clean and colorful.  However, I fully admit that the enjoyment from reading this relies a bit on watching and understanding the music videos that go along with the comics.  


The Amazing Spider-man, No. 1:  Amazing Fantasy #15 
Author:  Stan Lee
Artist:  Steve Ditko
Rating:  3.5

All the way back to the beginning of Spiderman, to his origin story.  Who ever thought that originally Peter Parker planned to cash in and be a media spectacle instead of fighting crime?  It's a solid start, but rushed and simplified.  But where would we be without this first issue?


The Amazing Spider-Man No. 2, The Chameleon Strikes
Author:  Stan Lee
Artist:  Steve Ditko
Rating:  4 

Spiderman gets a reality check in this second issue as he is forced to confront life of being a hero--one that not everyone may trust.  The struggles within his family in the wake of his uncle's death also add some depth to these short comics, making Spiderman into less of a paper character and more of an actual crime-fighting teenager who was bitten by a radioactive spider.



10 comments:

  1. Gaaaaaaaaaah! Spiderman deserves a 5. When it came out there was nothing like it. Ever. Marvel wouldn't be what it is without Spidey and the Fantastic Four.

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    1. Maybe as a series! But the first one is so short--so rushed! But still great. I love Spiderman and Stan Lee (and it's all your fault). :)

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  2. I'm glad you enjoyed reading some of these! Hmm it's kinda strange imagining superheroes having actual lives as well as superhero ones... which I think is a shame because obviously there is more to them than being bitten by a radioactive spider and it would be great to see superheros presented with more well rounded characters all the time. Nice reviews! ♥

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    1. I know! Imagine living a double life like that. I don't think I could do it. I can already barely keep up! That's why I like the second Spiderman comic--it makes him seem more REAL, as a person that's a superhero, not a superhero that's a person. Thanks for commenting, Rebekah!

      ❤ Erin

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  3. It's been forever since I read a comic book but some of these look really good! I barely read superhero comics though, I prefer watching the movies. Thanks for the awesome reviews :D

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    1. I'm not much of a traditional superhero fan, usually, but Spiderman is great! Thanks for commenting!

      ❤ Erin

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  4. I LIVE FOR YOUR COMIC BOOK REVIEWS!! I've been meaning to read Killjoys forever (even if it is *dare I say* my least favourite era??), so now I want to even more. They never have it in Waterstones though, which annoys me so much! They never have any Gerard Way comics for that matter, which really disappoints me because I know how much you love them. Based on the cover art for Ms Marvel, it doesn't look very beautiful! I like how (I think) it's centered around the female heroes though! :D

    Lovely reviews, as always, Erin! Thank you so much for sharing these with me :)

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    1. THANK YOU SO MUCH! And Killjoys is fantastic. I actually didn't expect it to be as good as it is. And I don't think I HAVE a least favorite era, is that odd? And if you have a comic store, you should probably check there. Bookstores never have anything other than the popular ones. And Ms. Marvel is one I would DEFINITELY advise you pass on. It sounded like a good idea, but it wasn't. Anyway, thanks for commenting, Denise!

      ❤ Erin

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  5. It's been SO LONG since I read a comic book, but your reviews make me super-eager to pick on up soon. The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys sounds pretty awesome and I like that it's best when read along with watching the music videos. Great reviews, Erin!

    My latest review

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    1. Yay! I have been really into comics lately, and the ones by Gerard Way (like the Killjoys) are especially good. Thanks so much for commenting, Ruzaika, and I hope you get back into comics soon!

      ❤ Erin

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