www.ComicBookPage.com

BobBretall wrote:Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers #1 (Marvel)- I LOVED this series! Cap & the Howling Commandos! Baron Strucker and the Red Skull! Black Panther (I'm assuming this is T'Challa's dad T'Chaka).......Hudlin/Cowan/Janson hit this one out of the park for me.

She-Hulk: Sensational #1 (Marvel)- I really enjoyed this. An 18 page Peter David story, a 32 page Brian Reed story, and a good choice of a reprint from the John Byrne run on She-Hulk. Worth the price of admission even without the reprint.

Have to agree with Bob assessment of Flags of Our Fathers. I still need to read my copy of She-Hulk. I have been looking for a WWII Cap/Black Panther team up since the Avenger Invaders miniseries had the two meet. The Black Panther in this issue is actually T'Challa's grandfather Azzari The Wise.

I did find it annoying that they do not point this out to you in the book. I had to look for a interview about the book to know who was under the mask.

spid wrote:The Black Panther in this issue is actually T'Challa's grandfather Azzari The Wise.

I did find it annoying that they do not point this out to you in the book. I had to look for a interview about the book to know who was under the mask.

Thanks for this bit of info!!!

SHIELD #1 - Ok, that issue was pretty badass. Can't really add anything more to what others have said about it. But I look forward to more!

Cold Space #1 - Not terrible but not great either. I'm a sucka for Sam Jackson but unless I hear something great about this book or the movie (there has to be a movie right, why else would Sam Jack create a comic) thenI'll be passing on the rest of it. Nothing about it hooked it hooked. He's in space, now he is in the old west ala Serenity and now he is friends with the head of town.

Doc Savage #1 - Separate ratings for the main & Second Features:

Doc Savage - Wow! This was TERRIBLE. As a Doc Savage fan since the age of 12 or 13, this was like a kick in the balls. The art was totally unsuited for the book, Doc himself looks like a circus strongman or something, Ham, Johnny & Renny look off-model too. Malmont does a terrible job of introducing the main characters, the only people who'll recognize them are existing Doc fans, and this Doc fan was dismayed by the ridiculous elements of the story (including the jump down the elevator shaft & the way the top of the building was blown off).
The storytelling/pacing didn't work for me, and the story itself was weak. I think superior art could have covered up some of the storytelling deficiencies, but as this stands, there is NOTHING I liked about this issue, I am dropping the series, I can't stand to read any more.

The Avenger - Maybe this seemed like a gem in comparison to the main feature, but I enjoyed this story. The updates from the 30s (people using cell phones, etc.) was understated, the Scott Hampton art fit the mood of the story, and the story itself (while not a masterpiece) was a serviceable setup. Jason Starr did a decent job of introducing the main characters and their motivations, if this was a standalone book I'd buy it.

As it is, I'll be dropping this title. I'll most likely pick up the issues from bargain bins down the line so I can read the rest of the Avenger story. I cannot imagine this being at anything but fire sale pricing in a few years on the back issue market.

Black Widow #1 - The debut issue for a series should have the hero do more than get their (bleep) kicked and end up on an operating table while other heroes do stuff. I trust this will get better, but this smacks terribly of "writing for the trade 1st chapter syndrome".

Brightest Day #0 - Great issue, worthy follow-up to Blackest Night. If Johns can keep up this pace, we'll have the best "more frequent than monthly" DC series since 52.

The Flash #1 - Ok, now the "real" Flash #1, not the Secret Files I thought was #1. Francis Manapul is much better on this than Scott Kolins (to my eyes). I like this in general, but was a bit confused by the "speed effect" Flash used on the car that went off the bridge, wondered why nothing was said about how Trickster & his henchman seemed to have vanished, and wondered why the heck some little kid is hanging around a construction site in a hard-hat.

Hellcyon #1 (Dark Horse) - This Sci-Fi tale was certainly not my cup of tea, but I can't say it was unequivocally bad either. For my part, I thought the storytelling was unclear (particularly in the overly wordy captions that were often pursuing different threads within the same panel. I won't be back for #2.

Pilgrim #1 (IDW) - Beautiful art by Grell, but his storytelling was not doing the trick for me on the extended sequences with absolutely no captions or dialogue. I found myself wondering what exactly was going on, though I had a general idea. I'll be dropping this, but would pick up the issues if I saw them for $1.

Fevre Dream #1 (Avatar) - Not perfect, but I liked it. Mysterious characters, vampires, and Mississippi riverboats with some totally gratuitous nudity thrown in.

Iron Man Legacy #1 (Marvel) - Van Lente tells a pretty good story here. Does not feel like normal Marvel continuity, but not fully movie continuity either. Seems to exist in a "continuity bubble", I'd be curious about what others think.

Wolfskin: Hundredth Dream #1 (Avatar) - Started out a bit wordy, I didn't even know I was reading a Wolfskin story, then it settled down into some pretty violent stuff around page 10 which kicked of a really great fight scene. After that we get a set up for a D&D like quest with 5 party members, this will be the focus of the rest of the series, I'd imagine. Good stuff, if you like this sort of thing (John stay away).

Star Trek: Leonard McCoy Frontier Doctor #1 (IDW) - John Byrne has a real knack for telling Trek stories with the classic characters. Great job, as always, on a series focusing on our favorite medical curmudgeon, Leonard 'Bones' McCoy.

Mindfield #0 (Aspen) - This is really what a #0 issue should be. A nice action story that introduces the main characters while setting up the world and some really helpful (but not overly wordy) "Who's Who" type pages that introduce the cast & their backgrounds/motivations.

The Web #1 from DC Comics. I sat down and read The Web #1-9 and this was fantastic. What a great take on superhero comics. This offered something different and I loved it even through the creator changes. Too bad it is being canceled.

The Light #1 - Not the most amazing issue every but I'm intrigued enough to read the next issue.

Frank Castle wrote:The Light #1 - Not the most amazing issue every but I'm intrigued enough to read the next issue.

Read this yesterday, I felt pretty much the same way.

Wolfskin #1 - I'm with Bob on this on, a bit wordy, lots of set up for what should be a fun adventure and plenty of blood and gore. I miss Ryp's art from the first mini but its good. Should be a fun mini.

Turf #1 - I almost passed on this but picked it up while at the LCBS yesterday. Nothing was overly wrong with it (except this was on wordy (bleep) comic). It looked ok, read ok but I wasn't impressed overall. Nothing hooked me and mins after finished I had almost forgot I read it. However, I enjoyed Millar's afterword in the back.

Crossed #1 vol 2 - Its not Garth and its not Jacen but David Lapham did well. It was gruesome and violent and had things I can't unsee and that is what I wanted!

BobBretall wrote:Pilgrim #1 (IDW) - Beautiful art by Grell, but his storytelling was not doing the trick for me on the extended sequences with absolutely no captions or dialogue. I found myself wondering what exactly was going on, though I had a general idea. I'll be dropping this, but would pick up the issues if I saw them for $1.

This is proof that a good writer is really important to a comic book. I don't think this is Grell's best artwork and I'm big fan of his. I'm sorry this was my Previews episode pick a couple months ago. I picked it for Grell's artwork, but unfortunately the story and writing are just so bad. I won't be picking up the second issue. This would be a 2 out of 5 for me on Bob and John's scale.

Frank Castle wrote:Turf #1 - I almost passed on this but picked it up while at the LCBS yesterday. Nothing was overly wrong with it (except this was on wordy (bleep) comic). It looked ok, read ok but I wasn't impressed overall. Nothing hooked me and mins after finished I had almost forgot I read it. However, I enjoyed Millar's afterword in the back.

I agree with you here. I liked the art but there wasn't much room for it because of all the text. The flying vampires just made me laugh. I'm not big on vampires right now and these weren't breaking any new ground for me. I'll pass on future issues.

IanG wrote:

Frank Castle wrote:Turf #1 - I almost passed on this but picked it up while at the LCBS yesterday. Nothing was overly wrong with it (except this was on wordy (bleep) comic). It looked ok, read ok but I wasn't impressed overall. Nothing hooked me and mins after finished I had almost forgot I read it. However, I enjoyed Millar's afterword in the back.

I agree with you here. I liked the art but there wasn't much room for it because of all the text. The flying vampires just made me laugh. I'm not big on vampires right now and these weren't breaking any new ground for me. I'll pass on future issues.

I picked this up off the rack & liked it more than you guys. I actually added it to my DCBS pull.....but just goes to show the truth of "Diff'rent Strokes"

Magdalena #1 (Top Cow) - Even though I've not read a lot of the Top Cow Universe stuff this builds on (including the last Magdalena series) Ron Marz does a great job of putting everything I need to know to enjoy this story IN this story. Plus a nice set up that makes me want to come back for more. Great 1st issue.

Spirit #1 (DC - First Wave) - Everything that was wrong with Doc Savage was right with this one. I LOVE the Moritat art, beautiful renderings of figures & backgrounds. Nice job of incorporating "SPIRIT" into the splash page background & the panel design on page 3. The story by Mark Schulz introduced everyone, gave us some motivations, AND moved the story along with a great set up for #2. Again, beautiful job on this #1. (PS: The Spirit B&W back-up was kind of forgettable, but the main story was so strong I didn't really mind).