Comic Book Reviews For The Week of 6/8/11 - Comic Vine

As we're all still reeling from the recent DC announcements, we still need to continue reading today's books. Some people have said that the current DC books won't matter now but that doesn't make sense. If you're enjoying the stories, then they matter. And I do believe they will still matter.

This week we did see some new #1s and even a 0.1. Flashpoint and Fear Itself spin offs continue to add to the overall story and we're getting closer to the death of a certain webslinger. Let us know what you thought of the books we reviewed today and also tell us about the other great and not-so-great books you read.

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #1

Pure awesome! Once again, Flashpoint proves that tie-ins don't have to suck. Thus far, there's been a lot of interesting changes to fan favorite characters in the DCU, and frankly, the tie-ins are worth your hard earned money. Well, not all of them. It's really cool to see someone else in the Flash's normal role, and not only that but it's really cool to see Cold and Mr Freeze duel it out. I have a feeling this will be my favorite of the Flashpoint tie-ins... Well, this or Batman. I highly recommend this book.

To read Mat's full review, click here.

Ultimate Spider-Man #159

If you haven't been reading this, you are missing out. Would it make sense to jump into part 4 of 5? You will want to see how this plays out. Pick up the other issues and definitely check it out when it inevitably gets collected in trade format. This is a big story. We're not only talking about the death of Spider-Man but the death of the biggest Ultimate Universe character. It's easy to dismiss this as just another event/death story but it's been such a fun ride. It's fitting that Bendis and Bagley are on hand to deliver what may very well be the end of poor Peter Parker. The idea doesn't thrill me but because the story is unfolding so nicely, I'm enjoying it for what it is. Comic books should be enjoyable and entertaining after all.

To read Tony's full review, click here.

Batman and Robin #24

Overall, it is a good issue, even if I don't like the art. I really love having Judd Winick on this book. I loved his Red Hood return story in Batman, back in 2005, and it's nice to see him regain control of a character he put new life into. I recommend this issue slowly based on Judd Winick because he is a fabulous writer for Red Hood, and you know what? I've always loved his Batman stories.

To read Mat's full review, click here.

Supreme Power #1

You know what? Even though I said that seeing the previously-murderous Hyperion and the one-saintly Doctor Spectrum switch places will be interesting, I think that Supreme Power may be reaching, a bit. Supreme Power may have done the whole "Superman goes rogue" storyline before, but there was another book that did it infinitely better: Mark Waid's Irredeemable.

And Higgins' role reversal (the good guy goes insane with power and the former villain has to stop him!) is ultimately just a continuation of Waid's later stories with The Plutonian and The Survivor in that book. While Supreme Power's new storyline makes sense in the book's chronology, it should have happened years ago, when the series still had legs. Its emergence now just looks like a tired copy of a book that's done the storyline better, and continues to do it on a monthly basis.

To read Mat's full review, click here.

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #1

Scott Snyder + Sean Murphy + Dave Stewart + American Vampire = Success. Snyder has taken the vampire genre to a new (and better) place and teaming up with Murphy gives us the chance to see his interpretation of some of the existing characters. If you've been reading American Vampire, there's no question that you will want to and need to pick up this series. For those that haven't read AV yet (shame on you), this series is accessible but you would be better served being more familiar with this universe and the characters involved.

Survival of the Fittest shows a different part of the American Vampire world and if you haven't been reading, treat yourself to the first two trades and catch up on a wonderful series.

To read Tony's full review, click here.

Ghost Rider #0.1

Ever wanted to read Ghost Rider? Now is your chance! This is a great set-up issue for the new series and anyone, and I mean anyone can jump on and feel right at home. There's a lot of promise from this 0.1 initiative issue, and Williams captures Johnny Blaze so well that you'll want to keep reading just to see where he goes with it. I highly recommend this issue.

To read Mat's full review, click here.

Birds of Prey #13

Last issue I commented on how this whole undercover operation felt a bit like a casino heist movie; this was a good thing, as most heists go terribly, terribly wrong. This issue we get to see that fallout, and how the Birds react under immense pressure. It allowed for good characterization and some genuine worry from some of them that exposed their both their vulnerabilities and insecurities. I'm interested in seeing where Huntress as field leader will lead, and how the Birds are looking to strike back next issue. Good issue all around; just a few nitpicky things here and there.

To read Matt's full review, click here.

The Iron Age: Alpha

We're off to a good start. The Iron Age has begun. There are so many other comic book events (at Marvel alone) so it might be easy to miss this one. You need to make sure that doesn't happen. Using a forgotten villain, a nice angle is used to completely change Tony Stark's life around. The fact that Dark Phoenix and Doctor Doom's Time Platform are involved should be enough reason to get you to read this. While it's an interesting twist seeing a forgotten villain, I wonder if that would make it better than if we had a more familiar villain. Not seeing Stark's same old villains could be a good thing. As an introduction or prologue for the miniseries, everything is set up and unfolds pretty quickly. Williams and Isaacs have given me a reason to make sure I pick up the first issue.

To read Tony's full review, click here.

Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1

Another dynamite Flashpoint tie-in? I am confused, and I'm only confused because there's never been this many tie-ins I've enjoyed in a major summer event. I recommend this issue, but not as much as Batman or Citizen Cold. It's still insanely solid, but the characters may not be as interesting to you, and it's hard to tell what role these guys will play in Flashpoint. It's still highly entertaining, extremely well-written, and the art is fantastic.

To read Mat's full review, click here.

The New Avengers #13

I'm not going to lie, New Avengers isn't one of those books that's been doing it for me at all. This latest storyline just seems to be a vehicle for giving Mockingbird powers via old Super-Soldier serum, and "exposing" some Avengers history that doesn't seem all too relevant. As Ray pointed out last issue, this arc really doesn't seem to have any lasting effect in mind, nor does it have any strong direction.
Unfortunately, that's been my feelings toward this book as a whole: even from the first arc, the events were blown so out of proportion (and had little lasting effect on the Marvel U) that they seem to have swung the other way into the terribly mundane.

To read Matt's full review, click here.

Star Wars: The Old Republic-The Lost Suns #1

Star Wars fans and those that have played the Old Republic games are in for a treat with the latest miniseries from Dark Horse. Written by a senior writer of the game, it's safe to say that this story should retain the feel of the games. Because I haven't had a chance to actually play the games, it was a little difficult for me to get into the story, even though I am a big Star Wars fan. It's great seeing the Star Wars universe thousands of years before the movie time period and there is more freedom for the writer to tell the story they want to tell. Because of my unfamiliarity of the time period, I couldn't get fully excited over this as others that have played the games might.

To read Tony's full review, click here.

The Incredible Hulks #630

You should be reading this. It's a Hulk book that doesn't take itself too seriously, but it doesn't come off as a joke in any way. Sure, it may not be about just Bruce Banner at the moment, but the cast of characters, story, art, and writing are so strong that you'll end up forgetting about that. This may not be the best place to jump on for a new reader though. I'd suggest going back a few issues to catch yourself up. I highly recommend Incredible Hulks #630.

To read Mat's full review, click here.

Fear Itself: Deadpool #1

As I've stated above, there's a lot of confusing little tidbits in this book that don't quite add up. Are the plumbers more than they appear? Is the hammer really magic? What effect will it have on the Walrus? Who was that weird fur person? Why did he fire a bazooka at the plumbers' van? Will Wade really learn the true meaning of capitalism?
All this and more in issue two, I suppose, but at the moment I'm finding it hard to care.

To read Matt's full review, click here.

Source: http://www.comicvine.com/news/comic-book-reviews-for-the-week-of-6811/143178/

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