The Amazing Spider-Man #700: The End Of An Era

One of the most popular comic book series of our generation has come to an end. Unless you have been living under a rock, it was almost impossible to avoid the spoilers since they were released three weeks in advance. If that wasn’t enough, Dan Slott received very descriptive death threats for the tangled web he’s weaved.

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Daredevil: End of Days #1 Review

Extra, extra, read all about it! Daredevil is dead and no one cares. The Man Without Fear’s untimely passing is the backdrop to a much larger picture.

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The Punisher #16 Review

The Punisher #16
Writer: Greg Rucka
Art: Marco Checchetto
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99

All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, so does Greg Rucka’s run on The Punisher.

Of course, Rucka’s work with the character will continue in October with a five-issue War Zone mini-series, but it’s just not the same. This run brought a sense of conviction to Frank Castle that we have never seen before.

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Spider-Men #5 Review

Spider-Men #5 | Writer: Brian Michael Bendis | Art: Sara Pichelli
Colors: Justin Ponsor | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $3.99

The charming tale of when Peter met Miles comes to a close, and guess what? Peter approves of the 13 year old web slinger. Of course, that’s not all that happens in this instant classic team up story.

Mysterio of 616 Earth will remain in the Ultimate Universe for the foreseeable future. Brian Michael Bendis weaves a grand finale that will have a lasting effect on all things Spider-Man.

Sara Pichelli’s work is top notch as always and Justin Ponsor’s coloring is the icing on the cake. The ingenuity of Bendis’ script is to be admired at the subtlety of certain character’s actions that heavily suggest this story is only over in the numerical sense.

If subtlety is not your thing, then the ending is anything but and the possible ramifications of it are endless.

Grade: A

Click here to read the rest of the column I wrote at Forces of Geek.com

Hawkeye #2 Review

Hawkeye #2 | Writer: Matt Fraction | Art: David Aja
Colors: David Aja
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99

Act two of the Arrowed Avenger proves the outstanding story in the first issue was no fluke.

Matt Fraction delivers a thrilling comic book that shows Clint Barton’s time away from his famous super team.

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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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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” →

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Review

[Avengers Vs. X-Men No. 1 (1st printing, standard cover - Jim Cheung)]

Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 | Writer: Brian Michael Bendis | Art: John Romita & Scott Hanna | Colors: Laura Martin Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $3.99

The fantasy matchup that fanboys have been dreaming about has arrived. The Phoenix Force is heading to Earth, and Captain America isn’t taking any chances. He wants Hope in custody, but Cyclops ain’t havin’ it.

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Daredevil #10 Review

A friend of mine who reads this column called me a Mark Waid fanboy. I just might be because I don’t think I could say anything bad about his writing if you paid me. His work on Daredevil is just that good and never ceases to amaze me. The same can be said for Paolo Rivera, who will be at Boston Comic Con this month!

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