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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Sam Holland
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03:02 PM Wednesday, 22 August 2007 |
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Wally West is back, almost as if he never left.
I like Wally West. He did what no other sidekick ever did, properly handle the mantle of his mentor. For almost two decades we saw him grow from a self-centered womanizer to a hero worthy to wear the same cloth as Barry Allen. When he was removed from the DCU during Infinite Crisis, it seemed fitting. His story was told. Wally had grown up. It was time for new stories with a new Flash.
Unfortunately, Bart Allen (formerly Kid Flash and Impulse) never got a chance to get up to speed. A great character with a lot of potential, he suffered from the large shadow cast by his predecessor. After thirteen issues as the fastest man alive, the powers that be at DC called a “do over,” dispatched Bart and pulled Wally from the speed force to join DCU proper once again. Wally’s last issue was #230 and DC has picked up the numbering at #231 instead of making a new #1 issue. It’s a smart move that preserves the legacy of the character.
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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Sam Holland
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02:08 PM Thursday, 09 August 2007 |
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In comics, superheroes threaten villains like a parent on a long road trip- “If you don’t settle down back there I’m going to leave you on the side of the road.” It’s a ploy used to attract attention and inform to the seriousness of the request, but everyone knows there is no weight to it.
So when Spider-Man told Wilson Fisk aka the Kingpin that he was going to kill him, I, being a jaded long time reader, didn’t really pay it much mind, even if Peter did say it with a furrowed brow and gritted teeth. We all know that Spider-Man is a hero and although he may get awfully close, he would never cross that line.
Don’t we?
Part 4 of “Back in Black” challenges that notion and shows us that this isn’t the same character we’re used to seeing. Peter’s been pushed to the edge after a sniper, on Kingpin’s orders, shot Aunt May and put her in a coma.
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Spawn: The Armageddon Collection Part 2 |
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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Mark Fisher
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03:18 PM Tuesday, 31 July 2007 |
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I remember awhile back when many Infuze readers were up in arms about the book (and later movie) The Da Vinci Code. There was a good debate about whether or not it was blasphemous or simply a work of enjoyable fiction. Before that many Christians had strong issues with the “witchcraft” aspect of the Harry Potter series. Considering history here, let me preface this review by simply saying that The Armageddon Collection Part, 2 makes both seem like word for word accounts of a classic gospel. If either made you nervous or offended you this story is not for you in any way, shape, or form, even if you are a Spawn fan.
This graphic novel style collection includes Spawn issues 156 through 164. For the most part it follows the immediate buildup to Armageddon as well as the battle itself. These are the final issues with David Hine (Civil War) and Philip Tan (X-Men) at the helm, and to say the go out with a bang would be the understatement of the year. If you need proof to back that up, then consider the fact that this is the only way to get these now sold-out issues of one of the most important comic titles in history.
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Transformers: Spotlight Galvatron |
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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Chuck Pope
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02:26 PM Thursday, 26 July 2007 |
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In many ways, Galvatron is both the Transformer that is and yet isn't quite simple. Having so many incarnations over the years between an ever increasing number of different Transformer comics, animated series, and toy lines, it hard to describe exactly who Galvatron is. Most memorably though, he is portrayed in the original Transformers animated movie as the recreated Megatron, the herald of the planet devouring Unicron, who is sent to destroy the Autobots and the Matrix of leadership. But much thanks to Transformer writer Simon Furman and artist Guido Guidi for their contribution to the crazed character in the recent issue of Transformers Spotlight.
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Transformers: Movie Prequel |
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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Chuck Pope
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02:12 PM Wednesday, 25 July 2007 |
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If you've been one of the millions to relive your childhood by already seeing Transformers in theaters and are looking for a little bit more, you are in luck. In conjunction with the movie release, IDW has published the prequel comic to help answer some of the questions you walked away from the Transformers film asking. And who better to set up his new mythology than Simon Furman, one of the most significant contributors to the TF mythos over the years and fan favorite artist Don Figueroa. Originally published as four separate issues before the film's release, the story has been widely released in trade paperback format.
Chapter one sets the stage for this epic story, and helps provide a greater amount of history than what was provided in the film. It is revealed that Optimus Prime and Megatron were both co-rulers of Cybertron for nearly an eternity. Eventually, Megatron grew ambitious and sought to take the All Spark, the seed of life for the Transformers, for himself in order to conquer the heavens. Prime hides the cube in the remote city of Tyger Pax, where novice warriors Bumblebee and Arcee lead a group of Autobots defending the city. Knowing the All-Spark is hidden within the city, Megatron eventually shows up and levels his opponents. Before the Decipticon leader can do much more damage, the Autobots launch the cube into the sky, with Bumblebee stalling the villain just long enough for the cube to safely enter hyperspace. In return, Megatron crushes the Autobot's vocal cords and leaves him for dead, himself fleeing to space after the All Spark.
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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Mark Fisher
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11:33 AM Wednesday, 25 July 2007 |
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When last we left our anti-hero, Spawn had made a conscious decision to no longer interfere with the goings-on of humanity, as evil begins to resurface after “the white light.” Right off the bat, more of the story begins unfolding as we observe an odd conversation with Jason Wynn, a former friend of Al’s who was at one time co-habitated by a demon, although it’s assumed that this is no longer the case. We also return to the seemingly possessed apartment building from last issue, learning of more bizarre occurrences including a happily-married mother’s suicide and a happily-married man’s rapid evolution into a murderous transvestite. If you thought the minds behind the new Spawn were potential criminals after the last issue, this one is far more twisted.
As the plot twists and turns, now involving Jason Wynn to a large degree, Spawn is coerced into joining forces again with Twitch and his partner. Formerly staunchly against interfering, Wynn adds a whole new dimension to the story and coupled with the potential return of Spawn’s nemesis, the Clown/Violator demon, he knows he must do what he can.
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Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America |
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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Chuck Pope
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03:06 PM Tuesday, 24 July 2007 |
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Everyone has probably felt some sort of grief in their lifetime. That's what makes this limited series by Marvel, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America, so personal. In this five chapter story, written by industry legend Jeph Loeb (who was forced to deal with these same issues when his son passed away last year), and illustrated by a number of Marvel's finest, readers are walked through the stages of grief, disbelief, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance as they experienced these emotions through the eyes of a number of different heroes close to Cap.
Part one focuses in on Wolverine, as he, the Winter Soldier, Daredevil, and even Doc Strange, attempt to put together the pieces of Cap's death outside the courthouse where he was shot. Loeb and Leinil Lu depict Wolverine refusing to believe that the super-solider he had fought beside for so long is finally gone. But after a Weapon X style interrogation with Crossbones (the first shooter at the courthouse), a break-in to the SHIELD helicarrier, and even a look at Steve Rogers' own body, the veteran X-man and New Avenger comes to terms with the fact he’s gone.
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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Mark Fisher
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11:30 AM Tuesday, 24 July 2007 |
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After a short interlude with the one shot Mandarin Spawn, the regular series continues. The story here picks up in a post-apocalyptic world. Basically Spawn destroyed the world and every human in it so that it could be recreated without God or the devil, which was the only way to end the war between heaven and hell that raged. Both deities have been banished and disconnected from Earth, but the book is sure to point out that they were not, in fact, killed and that Spawn has not achieved godhood.
Beginning again after what the human characters refer to as “the white light,” there is peace on Earth due to the fact that demons can longer come to Earth to possess humans. Of course, the silence is quickly broken as the people in a city apartment building begin exhibiting odd and grotesque criminal behavior. If you ever considered Spawn as something for the kids, this issue should finally make you reconsider. While Spawn does his best to let humanity’s evil destroy itself and not interfere again, the people in the apartment building slowly begin unraveling.
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Comic Book Reviews
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Posted by Chuck Pope
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02:59 PM Monday, 23 July 2007 |
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The Transformers aren't just making big waves on silver screen this summer. IDW is pulling out all the stops when it comes to the Transformer property. One of their newest titles on the shelf is Megatron: Origin, written by Eric Holmes and drawn by artist Alex Milne. The limited series promises to cover the twisted origin of the Decepticon leader within the new IDW Transformers Universe.
Holmes and Milne begin by showing audiences a time of peace before the civil war of Cybertron, the usual of which they are more than familiar with. On a planet much like Cybertron, a group of mining robots are taken aback when they are informed by a senator that they will no longer be needed on the colony. We find a calm and mannered Megatron amongst the crowd as the senator delivers the news. Despite his efforts to assure the workers of relocation, the crowd grows unruly. The senator must then rely on the Autobots, intergalactic peacekeepers acting as his guards and escorts, to control the crowd. But when an attempt to silence a worker results in the robot's death, a riot ensues. Megatron is forced to defend himself against the Autobot commander and when his anger gets the best of him, he ends up killing the Autobot.
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