Hawkeye #1 Review: A Perfect Bullseye!

If you are looking for the Hawkeye that wowed fans in the Avengers movie, you won’t find him here.

What you will find, however, is Matt Fraction’s realistic and gritty interpretation of a man named Clinton Barton. The purple archer doesn’t have the luxury of fighting crime with superpowers, and a bow and arrow is not the answer to every situation. While it is a scary sight for anyone on the receiving end, it’s not going to convince a slum lord gangster to stop unfairly raising rent on poor families.

These injustices are too small for someone like the Hulk to deal with but just right for Mr. Barton.

Fraction does a fantastic job of painting him as the everyman’s hero of Queens, New York. David Aja’s art felt like something I would see drawn on a subway wall, and Matt Hollingsworth’s coloring gave the story a Bohemian motif to match the grittiness of the story.

As the kids say these days, this issue has tons of street credit.

A side note: Does anyone know why one of the variants has Spider-Man surrounded by the many incarnations of Doctor Octopus? It’s a cool cover, and I purchased it, but I can’t seem to discover the reason for its creation. Please let me know in the comment section below. Thanks!

Grade: A-

Captain America #15 Review

Captain-America_15-674x1024 — Captain America #15| Writer: Ed Brubaker & Cullen Bunn | Art: Scott Eaton | Colors: GURU EFX | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $3.99

The first joint effort of Ed Brubaker and Cullen Bunn brings about a fun new story arc titled New World Order.
Captain America has a full plate as he’s fighting a new race of alien invaders while having to deal with public opinion weighing heavily against him.

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Captain Marvel #1 Review

Carol Danvers returns and takes on the mantle of Captain Marvel. I knew I was buying this issue the second it was announced back in March because I’m a big fan of the character and its Marvel’s only female lead. I want to support this book because it is my hope that more female lead titles will come.

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The Walking Dead #100 Review

The-Walking-Dead_100 (1) — **The Walking Dead #100** | Writer: Robert Kirkman | Art: Charlie Adlard | Colors: Cliff Rathburn | Publisher: Image Comics | Price: $3.99

Most people, including myself, were expecting some sort of second zombie apocalypse. While this didn’t happen, fans paid one dollar more for 30 uninterrupted well-paced pages that changed everything for Rick and company.

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He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #1 Review

Besides professional wrestling, He-Man defined my childhood as I played with the action figures and my Snake Mountain play set until the cows came home. I didn’t think this book would make the list because I thought it would only appeal to fans of the cartoon.

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My Apology to Superman Writer George Perez

I officially owe George Perez an apology. The Superman comic book has been garbage since the new 52 began for many reasons besides being too wordy, cheesy, and getting in its own way while trying to tell a story. I was shocked at how bad these books were and was relieved when it was announced last November that Perez would be replaced this past March. The book is a smidge better now, but not as good as it should be, and the book has already been assigned to its third creative team starting in August.

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Movie Review – The Amazing Spider-Man

One IMAX midnight release and 18 hours later, The Amazing Spider-Man movie left me thinking, meh. It didn’t wow me at all, and I was waiting 136 minutes for it to do so. This was an uninspired retelling of an origin story that we saw done ten years ago. Continue reading “Movie Review – The Amazing Spider-Man” →

Star Wars: Darth Vader and The Ghost Prison #2 Review

**Star Wars: Darth Vader and The Ghost Prison #2** | Writer: Haden Blackman | Art: Agustine Alessio | Cover: Dave Wilkins | Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Price: $3.50

I’m having a hard time articulating my feelings on this review because my brain went into sensory overload as a result of what I just read. If George Lucas was ever going to make a movie about the time frame between episodes III and IV, this would be a hell of story to see on the silver screen.

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Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 Review

**Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1** | Writer: Darwyn Cooke & Len Wein | Art: Darwyn Cooke & John Higgins | Colors: Phil Noto & John Higgins | Publisher: DC Comics | Price: $3.99

Some have been waiting with bated breath, while others have cursed the existence of this prequel. No matter which side of the fence you stand on, DC Comics summer event has arrived, and everyone is treated to more Watchmen. My first impression after reading this was it’s good, but it’s not Alan Moore good. Please, don’t take this as an insult or as a sign not to read it. Moore’s original has certain je ne sais quoi that no one will ever match.

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Cow Boy: A Boy And His Horse Review- A Wild West Classic

**Cow Boy: A Boy** **and His Horse** | Writer: Nate Cosby | Art: Chris Eliopoulos
Colors: Chris Eliopoulos | Publisher: Archaia

Cow Boy follows the story of a bounty huntin’ 10-year-old named Boyd Linney who is looking to collect by bringing a certain set of criminals to justice…his family.

Armed with his hobby horse-shaped peashooter, Boyd travels throughout the Wild West looking to right the wrongs his family has perpetrated.

Nate Cosby brilliantly captures Boyd’s innocence as he hides behind the economics of collecting bounties, but inside is a hurt child who just hates seeing bad things happening to good people.

The fact that it’s his family doing the hurting is what drives his incorruptible spirit. There is a vulnerability to this tough-as-nails child that will absolutely make you cheer for him.

Chris Eliopoulos’ art does a fantastic job of conveying a whirlwind of emotions, thoughts, and feelings the script tries to convey.

The entire creative team’s collaborative efforts have produced a heartwarmingly clever novel that people of all ages will thoroughly enjoy.

The four bonus side stories added to this extraordinary tale of the little boy Linney make this, without question, a can’t-miss book. Please, believe the hype. It’s all good!

Grade: A