The Fantom... REVIEWS!

Reviews For The Week Of 5/21/2008

Justice League Of America #21:
IGN just says it better:

"Justice League of America is without a doubt, hands down the most frustrating title on the stands to read month in and month out. Following the departure of writer Brad Meltzer from the title, DC announced that Dwayne McDuffie, himself a seasoned Justice League writer after four fantastic seasons helming the animated television show, would be taking over the book. They then proceeded to cripple any creative impulse McDuffie might have had by forcing one crossover after another onto the title, making Justice League of America the company's premier marketing device rather than its most entertaining and bombastic book."

It really is time for this book to take off. I love the League, and after filling virtually everybody's subscription box with this title, so does everyone else . Now I blame the animated series for this. It built an unbelievable following that carried over to the comic, but really, DC is absolutely trashing their greatest property. And that's really the problem I guess. They see it as property.


Amazing Spider-Man #559 & #560:

WARNING: POTENTIALLY GOOD AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ARC

I thought I would throw that out there since, from the beginning of Brand New Day, most of these stories have been... well... bad . This arc is one of the exceptions (and its precursor ASM #555-557), and once again restores my faith in the fun pulpiness that a Spider-Man comic should be (Be it, this is direction Marvel wants to take the character). Dan Slott admirably handles the scribing of Peter's duologue, while simultaneously introducing us to a few new "villains"; who I only put in quotes because they really are nowhere near SPIDER-MANS ROGUES GALLERY, material. But watching their confrontations, and anticipating their future ones sure is fun.


Mighty Avengers #14:
I like the Sentry.

Now hopefully I'll start to get more hits. FLAME ME. BRING IT ON.

But seriously I enjoy the trials and trivals of Bob Reynolds. I however did NOT particularly care for the Sentry mini-series, but Marvel and Bendis have done a good job directing the character into a direction where he somewhat entertaining, and dare I say...enjoyable. This issue continues to follow the excellent success of the previous Secret Invasion tie-ins, helping to fill out the panels of Secret Invasion #2 where the Sentry just up and leaves the fight screaming nonsense. And really, this is a very obvious story to tell. The Skrulls have no idea how to defeat the Sentry in a physical sense. But mentally, bingo. And who is the only one who can mentally screw with Bob. The Void.

All in all, a pretty great issue. BUT, I can understand that if you have not read the Sentry mini, you will most likely hate this.


Brothers In Arms #1:
Great game. An absolutely awesome game. The comic. Its alright.

This comic pretty much brings the characters from the game to the page, in what is, perhaps the most trampled over part of a licencing/history text book ever. There really is zero need for this book. Sure it looks alright artistically. Very accurate to WW II in both look and feeling. But we just don't need this. I just don't need a book about the greatest Airborne squad in the history of combat... again.

But I'll read on. Because Captain America would want me to. He would want me to remember and blah, blah, blah.


The End League #3:
I could not finish this. I read about 6 pages, got bored, put it down and put it back on the rack. Its just not doing it for me any more. I was initially pretty excited about this book, but between the delays and the super wordiness of the characters its just a bore.

THE FANTOM'S PICK OF THE WEEK

CAPTAIN AMERICA #38

This issue predominately features Bucky and Sam Wilson kicking the crap out of Arnim Zola-bot and his goons. In fact there is a page where Falcon drops from the sky, kicks an AIM guy in the back the head, and then flys away. All the while Bucky is tossing his shield, yelling vigorously and looking tough.

It made me want to cry.

We also get a very logical explanation of this "New Cap" and what his purpose is, which is something most of us already knew.

Yes, all of this is in what I have labeled as, THE GREATEST COMIC BOOK RUN OF MY GENERATION. And I mean that. I have never enjoyed reading a comic more than this. The pacing, the cliff hangers, the characters, the action, the romance. This book has it all and I couldn't be any more happy about it.