Topic: Addicted2comics(:P)'s Comic Book Review Thread!!!!

[addicted2comics(:P)]

I've posted around the forum enough for you guys to know I'm more into comics than I am movies or TV, so I figure, why not show you what's on my little side of the universe!!! First review up in a few!!

[addicted2comics(:P)]

I might as well start with one I own.

Spider-Girl #2 (1998)

Format: Paperback

Writer: Tom DeFalco

Artist: Pat Olliffe

Summary: After discovering her father was Spider-Man, May Parker wears her Spider-Girl costume and takes on a new supervillain which goes by Crazy Eight. She not only has that whck-job to deal with, but DarkDevil, a mysterious vigilante said to be the ghost of Daredevil, continually presses her, telling her to give up the webs, in turn testing her. On May's side of the story, a friend of hers, Jimmy Yamma, gets pushed one too far by the school bully, Moose Mansfield, and decides to settle this with a fight after school.

My Thoughts: This actually was a very good issue, and not just because I'm a Spider-Girl/Spider-Man fan.   Darkdevil really knows where to push her, making May reconsider her descion, and wonder if she's worthy of wearing her father's webs. It also shows in a lunch-break scene where she went out with her father, the awkwardness between them like I think there would be in any superhero father/daughter time spent together.

After May found out what she was and what she could do, she was forbidden to wear the webs and the awkwardness and the sleepless nights shows a parent's struggle with the possibility that would. Not to mention that the villain was a classic psycho and the action scenes are very fluid, enjoyable, and easy to follow. However, even though it is expected being issue 2, May really should be able to have at least attacked in her first battle with Crazy Eight, but instead she completely played defensive then ran away!!   I would have to think she would have at least tried to lay a few good punches on him!! I give it a 4 out of 5.

[addicted2dvd]

Cool Britt... looking forward to the next one

[snowcat]

Cool...Nice review!

[addicted2comics(:P)]

thanks dad, emma!!

think I'll post a 2nd soon

[addicted2comics(:P)]

Marvel Tales #159 (1984)

Format: Paperback

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Steve Ditko

Summary: In this retelling of the story from Amazing Spider-Man #21, the Beetle, a rogue of the Human Torch's, is released from prison and decides to best way to get to the Torch, is through his girlfriend, Dorris. In the mean time, the same girl meets Peter Parker, and tells Johny to be more like him. Johny confronts Peter about this, and that jeperodizes his relationship with Betty Brant. As revenge, Spider-Man decides to make a pass at Dorrie, but helps the Human Torch when she is attacked.

My Thoughts: Its an ok comic. The drawing and such isn't up to my usual standard, but that's expected from a comic that's now almost 3 decades old, so I'll let that slide. The ending showed how the web-head was hated because of how he helped Dorris, but Torch and her still didn't think him a hero. At the back of the comic, you get an exerpt on what would be seen as a culturally relevant strip for the 80s, that thank God they never actually wrote a story like it!!! Flash was bald with a spiky shirt, and Liz had a mohawk!!!!!!  

Back to the main story, the love issue was pretty entertaining. Of coarse the Betty thing didn't bother me because I want to see Spidey with Mary Jane again, but that was probably a pretty dramatic change when this was first published. Seeing Spidey and Torch fight was pretty cool, but seeing the look on Dorrie's face when she had 3 costumes at her house was priceless, especially since she challenged Johny not to "Flame On!" for 24 hours!! The comic as a whole, is a 4.5 out of 5.

[Rogmeister]

I think I would enjoy you continuing these reviews of comics...especially if you do anymore of older stories (like from my era).  One suggestion I would like (if you don't mind) is to list who the writer and artist are.  I'm guessing this story was probably by Stan Lee (who was the writer for years) and the artist might be Steve Ditko.  His style is definitely different from most other artists but he is actually highly regarded, especially for his work on both Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.  But he was never really my favorite artist either.

[addicted2comics(:P)]

Sorry, was gone for the weekend.

its no problem at all, in fact I'll edit the preveious reviews first. just never thought I'd do it because I'm just about as good with names as Syrin is with not breaking glass!!



....



  you know.....Syrin, Canonball, from X-Force??......hehe....comic book joke.

[addicted2comics(:P)]

ok, this one I borrowed from my friend Allison at school, pretty much the only comic she reads, thought I'd check it out.

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite (Volume One) (2008)

Format: Paperback

Writer: Gerald Way

Artist: Gabriel Ba

Summary: In an inexplicable world-wide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaniously born by women who had previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why his only explaination was, "To save the world."

These seven children  form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against the erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.

My Thoughts: If there was one word to descibe this series, it would be.........bizarre.

In this story, there is unexpected pregnancies, a talking chimpanzee, insanity, time travel, violin playing.......need I list more? All the same, it was a really good story! I'm not gonna say too much, mainly because I don't know where to begin, but if you're just reading by, its a complex plot and you wouldn't understand it. Its one of those books you have to read three or four times to understand it fully. Still, its really fun, yet dark at the same time. All in all this volume is undesribable, I recommend it to anyone here, and give it a 5 out of 5.

[addicted2comics(:P)]

Dr. Strange #53 (1982)

Format: Paperback

Writer: Roger Stern

Artist: Marshall Rogers

Summary: Trying to prevent the soul of Morgana Blessing from travelling deeper into the past (which would end all human existence) Dr. Strange, with the aid of Nightmare would be sent to Ancient Egypt, where Strange would be shocked to find with in a sphinx statue a futuristic hide out. Investigating inside, he accidentally activates the security complexs security system, and stunned by it's lasers and confined to a cryogenic device. Dr. Strange, trapped inside the device dispatches his asteral form to try and find the past incarnation of Morgana in this era.

He is shocked to find that the Fantastic Four (from a point in history prior to his first meeting with the group) are in the past as well, trying to find a cure for Alicia Master's blindness, and have been taken prisoner from Rama-Tut, a time traveller from the future who -- bored of his relatively peaceful future time -- had travelled back into the past and taken control of the Egyptian empire. As the male members of the Fantastic Four are put into slavery, Susan Storm is put under a trance and forced to become Rama-Tut's bride. Strange learns that Morgana's past self is Rama's handmaiden.

My Thoughts: Well, time travel was always something that messed with my head. I know, I know, it didn't seem to bother me with my Umbrella Academy review, but it was easier, your basic apocalyse scenario. Anyways, it was a little disappointing that the guess met and there was no power-team-up or anything, but it was still a pretty good issue. The quips were kinda funny, especially from Nightmare's little Nightmare, Gnit. That little dude cracked me up! Still, there were some continuity errors, like Dr. Strange made the Thing human for a second, and the Ben didn't think anything of it? Looking through the whole thing, I didn't see him even question it!! Still, it was at least a 3.5 out of 5.

[Rogmeister]

I tried reading Doctor Strange back in my comic book reading days and I could never get into it too much.  It was just too strange (heh heh) for me.  Oh, I think you made an error.  This comic couldn't be from 1962.  I think Doctor Strange started out around that time or maybe 1963 or so and his first stories were in the comic Strange Tales...and were by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.  Could this be from maybe 1972 instead?  I remember the art of Marshall Rogers...mainly from his Batman stuff, though.

[snowcat]

I like Dr Strange as a character but I don't think hes strong enough for his own series.

he was great in the recent Iron Man storyline though

... :p I would like to make a recommendation, my favourite comic writer of all time Grant Morission, has wrote some great stories, one I recommend to people all the time is a thee story comic called We3, it follows the story of a rabbit, cat and dog who were all test subjects for a military occupation... its sad but a nice story... would make a great film.

[Rogmeister]

I don't buy regular comics at all anymore.  I have bought books that reprint them...including paperback and hardback reprints.  These include DC Archives and those thick 500-page books that reprint comics in black and white...I had picked up a few "Essential" Marvel ones but mostly I had gotten the DC Showcase ones...Superman, Batman, Teen Titans, etc. I think those mostly reprint stories from the 1960s.  I like that era since it is from the period I first started reading comics myself...or at least first started buying or collecting them.

[addicted2comics(:P)]

Thanks for the heads up Roger.

I always looked inside the books for the date, but the 8 was a little smudged so I thought it was a 6.  :-[So to clearify, it wasn't 1962, it was 1982.

I don't regularly collect them either. I just pick them up for about $1 or 50 cents over at a flea market, or read them digital.

[snowcat]

¬_¬ ... I spend more then I care to think on comics regularly.

I tend to download comics now and read them as CBR files.