REVIEW: Captain America, Volume One: Castaway in Dimension Z

PLOT: Thrust into a bizarre, inhospitable world far from home, the all-new, high-adventure, mind-melting, tough-as-nails, sci-fi, pulp-fantasy era of Captain America is NOW! Arnim Zola's ambitions leave Captain America stranded in the upside-down territory known as Dimension Z. With no country and no allies, what's left for the Sentinel of Liberty to protect? Just the one thing that his foe values most...Zola's son! Steve has saved the boy's life, but can he keep him alive against the savage barbarians of Phrox - with the fate of a world hinging on his victory? Plus: introducing Jet Black...the woman who's waited her whole life for the chance to destroy Captain America! Meanwhile, Zola's plans continue to move forward - and threaten to curse Steve Rogers for years to come.

REVIEW: This is my first journey with a Captain America comic, but I have a feeling that this is okay with this Marvel NOW! series. I have to say that this is the boldest entry yet, as the story seems very atypical of Captain America but also fitting. He gets stuck in an alternate dimension and befriends a young child who he claims as his own, and as time passes they both struggle to live in this new world. I like how ambitious Captain America is not only with the story, but also with the art. The artwork is pretty great, and it really helps to paint the portrait of a normal man in a strange world. This story doesn't seem like a typical story for this Avengers hero, though I could be wrong, but it takes place over a course of years and sees the Captain from confidence to losing hope. What I liked most about this comic was the fact that it was dark, and unforgivably dark at that. Captain America is a pretty light-hearted hero though he deals with large threats usually to the country or the world, like most heroes anyways. I like the attempts at trying for a darker audience though, because that is something Marvel NOW! has yet to successfully do.

WRITING : ( 8 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 9 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 8 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 8 / 10 )

REVIEW: Deadpool Killustrated

PLOT: Deadpool has already killed every hero in the Marvel Universe, but he isn't through. This time...Deadpool's gonna take down the most famous characters in classic literature! Why read a book when you can watch a book die?! Tom Sawyer gets slashed in TWAIN! The Little Women's throats MAY get ALL-CUT! Scrooge gets a visit from THREE BULLETS! Gulliver gets a SWIFT DEATH! The Three Musketeers are all for DONE! Sherlock Holmes gets to the bottom of HIS OWN GRAVE! And more book-related puns! Can Deadpool rid the universe of the scourge of classical literature?

REVIEW: Considering that I'm fairly new to the character of Deadpool in writing, all of this material just seems absolutely great to me. Anything Deadpool I read at the moment I would love, because I don't have a lot of experience with the character. Now, I do think this is supposed to be one of the more fun comics with Deadpool, and there are obvious reasons why. After his killing spree through the Marvel universe, which I have yet to read, Deadpool sets his sights on the characters that inspired the creation of all the heroes and villains in the Marvel universe. Thus, Deadpool takes his dead fleshy self to the "Ideaverse" as he likes to call it, where all things fictional come to creation. What is awesome about this book is that Deadpool literally goes all through classic literature and starts knocking off popular characters and worlds one by one. The covers actually do a pretty good job of showing how this book is meant to be taken, and it's really just another example of why Deadpool is so much fun. He's very self aware as well as aware of the reader reading the book, and his whole personality revolves around that. This book is the strongest of the two I've read in showing how Deadpool is a conscious character, aware that he's in a fictional world, and because of that it's really funny. This book is definitely for adults too, so if you're a fan of Marvel and want a good character to read, Deadpool is your guy.

WRITING : ( 8 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 8 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 10 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )

REVIEW: Indestructible Hulk, Volume One: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

PLOT: Hulk: Indestructible force more weapon than man. Banner: Smartest man alive. Combined, they are the strongest, smartest weapon on the planet! And NOW!, the Indestructible Hulk is an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Hulk's first official missions include taking down the all-new Quintronic Man and battling Attuma on the ocean floor! But not everything is as it seems: What is Banner's secret hold over S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill? What and where is Bannertown, USA? And which one of Banner's lab assistants holds a deadly secret? Plus: Bruce Banner and Tony Stark are friends but Hulk and Iron Man are anything but!

REVIEW: For some reason, I was really excited to start reading Indestructible Hulk because the last few times I've encountered the green monster, I've had a lot of fun. Being that this is Marvel NOW!, I wasn't really expecting too much but this was probably one of the better entries in the NOW! Initiative. The first issue in particular is great, because any time the story of Bruce Banner and Hulk is picked apart and analyzed, it's really complex stuff. There's so much more to Hulk now that I'm an adult, and understand the underlying factors and personality traits that make Hulk part of Dr. Banner. This isn't short on action, and it's one of the few Marvel NOW! titles that was actually very visually impressive. I really dug the artwork in this one, and other than Marvel NOW!'s Deadpool, this may be the best I've read and that's shocking. Somehow they've managed to do pretty awful with their title characters in the Marvel universe, but are treating their second tier characters like stars. Granted, Hulk has arguably moved from second tier to top tier because of the movies, but before all of that I don't think he was one of the most popular characters in the universe. For Hulk fans this is a must read, and if you're looking for a good entry point into the NOW!, I'd give this a shot. Of course, after you're done laughing and being entertained by Deadpool.

WRITING : ( 6 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 6 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 6 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 7 / 10 )

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Monsters Inside

PLOT: The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Rose to a destination in deep space - Justicia, a prison camp stretched over seven planets, where Earth colonies deal with their criminals. While Rose finds herself locked up in a teenage borstal, the Doctor is trapped in a scientific labour camp. Each is determined to find the other, and soon both Rose and the Doctor are risking life and limb to escape in their distinctive styles. But their dangerous plans are complicated by some old enemies. Are these creatures fellow prisoners as they claim, or staging a takeover for their own sinister purposes?

REVIEW: After having read the first book of the Doctor's New Series Adventures, I sort of knew what to expect from The Monsters Inside, which is the second book. Again, I wasn't all too impressed with the story that was told, and it's not entirely fault of the story itself. The writing in these books is very simple, and the books could each serve as a base script to an episode. It's really hard to get a grasp on the setting of the events being detailed, because there is little to no description. I liked this story a little more because it didn't take place in the past like The Clockwise Man did, but instead in the future and with Slitheen monsters. I'm familiar with these creatures already having watched the show, so that made this book that tad bit better for me. It was entertaining, and though the Doctor and Rose are separated I knew they would find a way to get back to each other. I feel what these stories lack is real despair, or descriptive environments and events to draw the reader in. Had I never seen the show, I would have put either one of these first two books down before I read 50 pages, so if you haven't seen the show I wouldn't recommend picking up this series.

RATED : ( PG )

WRITING : ( 4 / 10 )

STORY : ( 5 / 10 )

COVER : ( 4 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 4 / 10 )   

FINAL RATING : ( 4 / 10 )

REVIEW: Avengers Arena, Volume One: Kill or Die

PLOT: Trapped on an isolated island, 16 superhuman teens (including cult favorites like members of the Runaways, the Avengers Academy and Darkhawk) are given a chilling ultimatum by their demented captor: Fight or die...only one will walk out alive! Thus begins a primal battle that will test the skills, stamina and morals of each combatant. Welcome to Murder World, where secrets are plenty, alliances are fleeting, and the key to victory might be rewriting the rules of the game. Who will survive? As Cammi and Hazmat battle the mysterious Deathlocket, X-23 and Juston Seyfert's Sentinel join the fray...but who is the killer stalking the heroes in their sleep? Who are the students of the Braddock Aacdemy? And why does Darkhawk equal death?

REVIEW: This book is incredibly sad in the worst way possible. For months, I've been anxious to read this Marvel NOW! title more than pretty much any of the others. So now I've found out for months, that I'd been duped by Marvel. Not only is this series one of the worst to come out of the Marvel NOW!, but it's quite possibly the most tangible reason that Marvel has fallen by the wayside and DC Comics' New 52 is considerably more successful. I've never seen such cowardice by a comic team, that in order to re-brand Marvel and create great new stories, they stole ideas from elsewhere. I get that concepts are borrowed in literature, and that nothing is 100% original or unique, but Avengers Arena is about the worst example of this I've ever seen. I also understand that this is somewhat an attempt at being clever and twisting a popular skeleton of a story around Marvel characters, but it just doesn't work at all as its own thing and basically comes off as a joke. From the beginning, sixteen super-teens are chosen and placed on an island to wage war against one another until there is only one left standing. Does that sound familiar to you? With the recent popularity of all things The Hunger Games, it leaves a lot of the not so popular books grasping for straws at how to make their stories as relatable as Suzanne Collins did for Katniss and Peeta.

The sad part is, that Marvel should be the pioneers of comic book hero stories, considering they're one of the top two comic producers out there. Instead, they're not even borrowing, but straight ripping off a concept from a popular teen fiction series and trying to make it their own. They could have easily taken a bit of this concept and put a unique twist on it to make it their own, as many others already have in this dystopian trend that I'm sick of, and with some success. There's nothing about this comic at all that is cool, original, or awesome. I was so disappointed that I had to read six issues of this comic and not get a single great thing out of it. A lot of the reviews I'd seen had claimed that this was intense, superb, and leaning towards adult. This is a teenage Marvel fan's dream comic I suppose, but I wasn't really expecting what I read at all in Avengers Arena. This series should be titled, Marvel's The Hunger Games, because that's about all it is. If you like The Hunger Games, you may like this. If you like Marvel NOW!, you may like this (and I really haven't so far). If you're an adult and want to read something worth your while, pass on this. Even one of the covers was a straight rip of the mockingjay pin on fire poster for the movie, but with an Avengers A! Marvel, this is pathetic.

WRITING : ( 5 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 7 / 10 )

STORY : ( 3 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 6 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 2 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 4 / 10 )

REVIEW: Superman: For Tomorrow

PLOT: A cataclysmic event has struck the Earth. Millions of people have vanished without a trace. No one is left unaffected; not even Superman! But after a year, Superman is left with many questions. For a hero who tries to have all the answers, it's torture. And, just as the action heats up and the stakes are raised, one huge question emerges: Just how far is Superman willing to go "For Tomorrow"?

REVIEW: I joke a lot about how much I hate Superman. I'm not a Superman fan, because of my undying love for everything Batman. It just so happens that typically Batman is the one the Justice League is counting on when Superman fails them, and always gets Supes out of trouble. However, I do read some Superman because I know that there are good stories in all kinds of packages and if it's a comic book then I guess I'll read it. I mainly wanted to read Superman: For Tomorrow because it's written by Brian Azzarello. Azzarello is currently working the New 52 Wonder Woman and even did some Batman in the form of Joker, which is great if you haven't read it. I was not only pleased with this graphic novel but also surprised at really how great it was. It also was a pretty serious story for Superman, and was kind of depressing. Superman finds himself at a loss for an idea of a future after a device has triggered random mass vanishings in the world. He befriends a priest at the beginning and throughout his questioning and narrative to him, Superman finds the reason he does what he does for the people of Metropolis. This is not an action packed Superman comic, but it really goes in depth in thinking about the character and that is one of the few ways I enjoy reading Superman. I like it when the character of Superman is analyzed, because even though he's all powerful, he struggles the most with being a human, or the perfect human in his mind. It's a dilemma that most all of us can relate to, so it provides for a great Superman reading experience. Also, expect the beautiful artwork, as usual from Jim Lee.

WRITING : ( 8 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 8 / 10 )

REVIEW: Murder as a Fine Art

PLOT: Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir CONFESSIONS OF AN ENGLISH OPIUM-EATER, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier. The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey's essay "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts." Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives. In MURDER AS A FINE ART, David Morrell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer, whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten.

REVIEW: I'm doing Murder as a Fine Art for my mystery book club at the library, and it was suggested to me personally from a co-worker awhile back. I took the suggestion for two reasons. One is that David Morrell is the author, who is famously known for having written First Blood, which is the basis for the character Rambo. First Blood is a great movie, though I've never read the book, so I knew that the author was capable of writing a very compelling story. The second reason is that it seemed like a fairly dark novel, which I'm a big fan of the dark arts typically when it comes to fiction. When I finally got around to picking it up earlier this week, I suddenly remembered not being a huge fan of historical fiction because of the type of writing it typically brings along with it. What is impressive about Morrell's writing here is that even though the story is a historical fiction, it's loose enough to keep a reader like me turning the pages and not getting bored with the old English times dialogue. Morrell never goes full English on the reader, and I think that's the reason this book works so well for me. The book starts with a chapter from the killer's perspective, and it really sets the tone for the book. The deaths and action are all written in such great detail, and though it does provide for a gruesome image or two, I really find that entertaining. I want to feel the full effect of the killer, so that I'm as interested in catching the guy as the characters in the book are.

Thomas De Quincey is an interesting character whom I didn't know was a real person until I was about halfway through the book. I really enjoyed his sense of humor, and his frequently made fun of way of thinking about the killer and the murders, and just life in general. His addiction to opium and laudanum is the driving force behind his attitude and outlook on everything, and much like everyone points out, it makes him so much different than anyone else in those times. His capability of thinking things through, is many times what keeps him out of trouble, or gets him out of it. His daughter Emily was also an interesting character mainly because of her following in her father's footsteps, in the sense that she was a free thinking woman in a time where it was sort of taboo for a woman to be independent. She wears a dress that shows the motion of her legs, and continually finds herself in places or conversations that men don't seem to quite understand why. I liked Emily and even though she's not the main character, she often feels like the one that the story focuses on because of her involvement in almost everything, as well as her journal entries peppered throughout the book.

The other two main characters are the Scotland Yard detectives who at first seem like they'll be the main protagonists of the book, but end up being side characters to the De Quinceys. They don't really have the humor or the personality that they do, but they do serve as the hand of the law in the book to keep the story going. Obviously in the search for a killer in the 1800's had to involve the law somehow, because everyday people like the De Quinceys could not have done it without them or their information. In the end, I don't think the ultimate twist of revealing the character is too big. I do like how it's done though, and I like the killer's background that really exhibits Morrell's strengths as a writer for these type of characters. I did like the story behind how it was done, why it was done, and who it was done for but again it wasn't a particularly mind blowing experience. The novel is very dark, and it's not for the faint of heart. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, or mystery novels. It has a Jack the Ripper type feel to it, and probably draws a lot of resemblances though I'm not entirely familiar with that story either. I'm pleased with my reading experience and I do want to try out more fiction from Morrell, and knowing that none of that is historical helps, because Murder as a Fine Art definitely wasn't amazing enough to change my opinion on that. 

RATED : ( R )

WRITING : ( 8 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVER : ( 7 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 6 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 7 / 10 )

REVIEW: Captain Marvel, Volume Two: Down

PLOT: Former Captain Monica Rambeau returns, but what's her problem with Earth's new Mightiest Hero? What threat is lurking below the ocean's surface? And can both Captain Marvels stop it before they get ship wrecked? Then: Carol finally returns home, but is changed. What is weakening Captain Marvel's powers? How will the lifelong high-flyer react when she discovers that she can no longer fly?

REVIEW: It could have gone either way on the second volume of Captain Marvel, because at first it's not much to be impressed with and I was really annoyed by some of the choices with the writing and pacing. But as it goes on, it only continues to get better and drop a huge bomb on the character that will ensure drama for a bit. The first half, Carol Danvers is reunited with an old friend as they try to defeat a gigantic robot that was unearthed in the sea by Captain Marvel. What I didn't like about the first two issues with this battle was that all of the characters on the page were having pretty intense conversation during the fight with the robot. And it's not even like it was when there was a break in the action, it was just mid-fight and the characters made small talk about things they'd heard. I wasn't really a fan of this choice, and I think had the action been taken care of first, the book would have been able to show off some more complex art without text, and then take care of the dialogue after the fight was drawn out. But then, Captain Marvel returns after this journey to take on some wildly random villains in the city. As the story unfolds, you are learning more about the tumor that is in Carol's brain that has given doctors reason to tell her that she can no longer fly unless she wishes to further endanger her life and risk it all for her superpower. As this progresses, the story becomes a lot more intricate and poses legitimate questions for the character and has implications for the entire last four issues of the volume. I really liked this part of the book, and the story was really great. Captain Marvel is easily one of the better titles still from Marvel NOW!, and I'm looking forward to more now that a villain has returned!

WRITING : ( 6 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 7 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 6 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 7 / 10 )

REVIEW: Captain Marvel, Volume One: In Pursuit of Flight

PLOT: Ace pilot. Legendary Avenger. One hundred percent pure bad-@$$. Carol Danvers has a new name, a new mission - and all the power she needs to make her own life a living hell. As the new Captain Marvel, Carol is forging from a challenge from her past! It's a firefight in the sky as the Banshee Squadron debut - but who are the Prowlers, and where has Carol seen them before? And how does secret NASA training program Mercury 13 fit in? Witness Captain Marvel in blazing battlefield action that just may change the course of history! Avengers Time Travel Protocols: engage!

REVIEW: Because this was a Marvel NOW! title I wasn't really expecting too much, plus with it being a character I'm not entirely familiar with I didn't figure I'd enjoy this much at all. I was really surprised at how much I like this title, and while it's not the greatest of characters it was enjoyable. I find it surprising that it's the second tier characters in Marvel that are getting the best treatment with this re-branding of all their characters in Marvel NOW!. Carol Danvers has a wit about her that makes her really fun to read, and I think it helps to have a female writer on board to give her that authentic female feel. All of the dialogue between her and all the gal pals she meets throughout her journey really feels right and not forced. It's rare that a character you really don't read, piques your interest and gives you a fun read that you can buy into immediately. I will be interested to see where this series goes, and if it continues to get any better as her character develops. This one of those volumes that definitely serves as an introduction to the character, so that may be why it's relatively easy to connect from the beginning. Go figure that Captain Marvel is one of the very few titles to impress me from Marvel NOW!, which still furthers my opinion that New 52 stories are above and beyond Marvel's new structure.

WRITING : ( 7 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 7 / 10 )

STORY : ( 7 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 6 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 5 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 6 / 10 )

REVIEW: Swamp Thing, Volume Two: Family Tree

PLOT: Alec Holland is back as the Swamp Thing, fully formed as the protector of The Green. Immediately upon his return, he must battle his way through the Bone Kingdom and The Rot to free his ally - and ex-girlfriend - Abigail Arcane. But will the cost of freeing her be...fighting her? Nothing, not even this titanic battle, will prepare Swampy for what he has to face next--a resurrected and even more dangerous Anton Arcane!

REVIEW: I loved the first volume of the New 52 Swamp Thing, and there are so many reasons for that love. One, it's written by Scott Snyder who in recent years has proved himself to be one of the better new talents in comic writing. Currently working on the main title for Batman, he's frequently proven capable of blending dark elements into super hero stories that make them beautiful on the page and in your mind. Also, Swamp Thing has been one of the better drawn titles of the New 52 behind only Batwoman in my mind. The excellence continues in the second volume of Swamp Thing and the story gets even wilder. I loved the story with Arcane and the threat that he presented not only to Alec, but to others as well and the horror that he brought with the rot. What I love about Swamp Thing and the adjoining hero, Animal Man, is that the story is so dark and the art is so gruesome that it provides for a truly unique comic book experience. You could classify these as horror comics, and they do kind of come off the page a little on the adult side because the artwork is just so vivid but haunting. You can read superheroes everyday, but you can't always get this world that you have with Swamp Thing. I would highly recommend reading this title of New 52, as it is easily my favorite behind Batman and most of us know how much I enjoy Batman titles. Pick this up, and observe the perfection in artistry from this team of talented artists and take note that you aren't going to see panels as breathtaking as you see here too often, so enjoy them while we can.

WRITING : ( 9 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 10 / 10 )
STORY : ( 9 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 10 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 10 / 10 )