Review: The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns

The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Introduction:

My first introduction to Flash’s character was through the “Justice League” cartoon series that aired on Cartoon Network years ago. Since then, I had become a huge fan of the Flash (even though for many years, I had actually thought that Barry Allen was the Flash in the “Justice League” cartoon, when it turned out to actually be Wally West). So, not only did I want to check this comic book out to prepare for the new live action “Flash” TV series that is coming out on the CW, but I also wanted to learn more about Flash’s character in the DC comics and “The Flash: Rebirth” seemed like a good place to actually start reading the “Flash” comics.

What is this story about?

In this story, Barry Allen, who was hailed a hero after he sacrificed his life during a cosmic crisis in the past, has come back to life and all his friends and family are planning to throw him a special party for his return. Unfortunately, since Barry Allen had been dead for so long, he finds himself being out of place in this new world and he became a bit distant towards his friends, due to wanting to solve the mystery of the person who murdered his mother and why he was brought back to life. Barry will soon realize that a dark force is behind everything that happened to him in his life and he must gather the strength to defeat this new threat that is harming his family!

What I loved about this story:

Geoff Johns’ writing: Now, I will admit that this is the first time I had read anything by Geoff Johns and his run in the DC universe. So, when I heard so many good things about what he has done for the DC universe, I just had to check this title out! I really liked the way that Geoff Johns showed the relationships that Barry Allen has with his family, especially with his wife Iris West and his protégé Wally West. It was great seeing that the Flash family is extremely close to each other and is willing to protect Barry Allen from whatever evil forces comes upon him. I also enjoyed seeing Barry’s relationship with Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, as it shows that they are truly best friends and that Hal always tries to cheer Barry up whenever Barry is feeling down on himself. I really enjoyed the fact that Geoff Johns tries to make sure that the readers are caught up on Barry Allen’s history as we are treated to seeing Barry’s past from being the Flash to leading to the murder of his mother, which was a pretty nice mystery set up for this story!

Ethan Van Sciver’s artwork: Ethan Van Sciver’s artwork was just marvelous in this volume as the characters look truly realistic and the action sequences were extremely well drawn out! I really loved the scenes where the Flash family fight against various foes as the action sequences are full of bright colors and dramatic artwork and they really set the exciting mood for those scenes. I also loved the way that Ethan Van Sciver drew the emotions on the characters’ faces, especially with Barry Allen’s facial expressions whenever he is feeling sad or angry at the situations he is thrown into.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I gave this graphic novel a four star rating was because there were a couple of places where the story seemed to drag on for so long that I found myself getting a little restless with the storytelling. Also, if you are a new reader to the “Flash” universe, you might get a little confused about how Barry Allen had died in the first place or how his relationships with Iris and Wally West got established since the story does go through those developments a little too fast (I know, it is really because I did not read the previous “Flash” comics before this event, but I got to start somewhere)!

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “The Flash: Rebirth” is a good comic book to get into if you enjoyed Barry Allen as the Flash and if you liked his relationships with his family members. Or if you are just looking for a good Flash family comic in general, this is a pretty good comic to start off with!

My Rating?

View all my reviews

Review: Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable Vol. 4 by Joss Whedon

Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 4: Unstoppable by Joss Whedon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Flashback:


After reading the first three volumes of “Astonishing X-Men” by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, I was waiting with anticipation in reading the final volume of this fantastic series, “Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable” and I was perfectly astonished and not disappointed! This volume will definitely not disappoint X-Men fans and will stand the test of time as one of the best endings to a comic book series!

What is the story?

After the events of the third volume “Astonishing X-Men: Torn,” the X-Men are transported into outer space and meet up with Agent Abigail Brand who informs the X-Men that recently the resurrected X-Men member, Colossus is the one who is destined to destroy the Breakworld, the planet that the alien invader Ord came from. What is worse is that since the inhabitants of the Breakworld has learned about Colossus’ destiny; they plan on destroying the Earth by firing a giant bullet towards the Earth! Can the X-Men stop the bullet from hitting Earth and will all of the X-Men members make it back alive? Read this volume to find out!

What I loved about this comic:

Joss Whedon’s writing: As always, Joss Whedon really knows how to weave a brilliant story with even more memorable characters to match! I loved the way that Joss Whedon truly makes this volume dramatically climatic as the story got more interesting and intense as it went on and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how the X-Men would be able to stop the bullet from hitting the Earth. I also loved seeing the relationship between Kitty and Colossus become more serious and intimate in this volume as they truly care about each other and there is a really hot scene between the two lovebirds in this volume! I also loved the relationship between Emma and Scott and even they had their moments of doubt in their relationship and I thought that Joss Whedon had written that strain in their relationship extremely well. I also loved the fact that in the “Giant Size Astonishing X-Men One” which continues after the “Unstoppable” volume, we are introduced to other Marvel super heroes such as Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Doctor Strange and many others and it was interesting to see them try to help out the X-Men in saving the world and I loved the jokes that Joss Whedon provided for Spiderman since it really fit his character. I also loved the humor that Joss Whedon incorporated into this volume as it made this final volume not only intense to read, but light-hearted in a way that will make you laugh so much at how the characters in this book took this worldwide threat in a more hilarious light. I especially loved the little quote that Colossus has when he attempted at making a joke at a serious situation:

Abigail Brand: “I’m assuming you’re as mystified by this as the rest of us, Rasputin.”

Colossus: “No. I’m not. I have been planning to destroy the Breakworld since I was a child.”

(silence)

Colossus: “This is why I don’t make so many jokes. I never know when is good.”

John Cassaday’s illustrations: John Cassaday’s illustrations are just are brilliant and gorgeous in this volume as it was in the first three volumes! I loved how all the characters have looks of shock and anger on their expressions when they found out the true scope of the plans for the Breakworld, especially Colossus’ shocked expressions when he realizes that he is the one destined to destroy the Breakworld. I also loved how John Cassaday did an excellent job at illustrating all of the other popular Marvel characters such as Spiderman and Iron Man coming together and the image of all the Marvel super heroes coming together in a space ship reminded me of DC comics “Justice League.”

Shadowcat (once again!): Joss Whedon has truly done an excellent job at portraying Kitty in this volume. I loved how she would try anything to save the world and how she was so brave and heroic throughout this volume because it really made her character truly stand out even more in this volume. I also loved her relationship with Peter as she truly cares about him and I loved the moments between them.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:

The only problem I had with this volume was how one of my favorite characters died. I will not tell you who die because that will spoil everything, but it is a character that I have grew fond of since I read this series and that character will be sorely missed.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable” is a brilliant conclusion to this fantastic run by Joss Whedon and X-Men fans will definitely savor this series for all time!

My Rating?

View all my reviews

Release Day Review: Earth 2, Vol. 4: The Dark Age by Tom Taylor

Earth 2, Vol. 4: The Dark Age by Tom Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

There are a lot of books that I like, but don’t love. And, usually, I’ll say something like, “I have hope that this title will get better.“…but I don’t really mean it.
Once a title starts on that downward slope, it takes a lot to get it back on track.
And Earth 2 was one of those titles.
I thought the first volume was pretty cool, but volume 2 started sliding down a bit, and then by volume 3?

Awww. Too bad. It coulda been a contender!

So when I got this sucker from NetGalley, I wasn’t all that thrilled to start reading it.
But wait! Is Tom Taylor writing this now?! I love Injustice…so maaaaaybeeee?
And guess what?
Earth 2 is one of those rare unicorn comics that actually managed to leap up from mediocrity, and make a stunning about-face!
This volume made for some damn fine reading!
Everything about the tone of the book changed, and by doing that, it pushed it back into Wow! territory.

In this world, the biggest and the baddest of Earth’s heroes died fighting Darkseid, and now the second-stringers are stepping up to the plate. We’ll call them, The Leftovers.
Some of these heroes peaked 40 years ago, and some of them are still around, but not widely known. And then you have characters like Mr. Terrific, who used to belong to our world, but got swapped out. Kind of like Power Girl and Huntress were thrown into our Earth via Boom Tube explosion?

But, apparently, not everyone originally thought dead on Earth 2…is dead.
This is the volume that answers the Who the hell is the new Batman? question.
I’m honestly up in the air about how I feel about the backstory on that one. I liked it, but something didn’t sit right with me.
Whatever. Guess we’ll see where that goes.
Red Tornado’s introduction was awesome, and so was Jimmy Olsen’s!
These characters are so totally warped from their original incarnations, that I was blown away by it!
And speaking of being blown away…
Aquawoman!

Any of you who know me will not be surprised that I stood up and did an awkward fangirl shimmy, when this lovely lady was introduced!
*screaming like a tween at a [insert No-Talent-Boy-Band name here] concert*
I love you Arthur! I’ll have your merbabies!
*holds lighter in the air…sways*

I really don’t want to spoil any of the plot, so I’m not going to give any details out, but I will say that the twists and turns were spectacular.
If you’re a fan of Injustice: Gods Among Us, I’m not kidding, you’re going to want to get your hands one Earth 2 ASAP!
I would, however, recommend that you also go back and read volumes 1-3, since this is a continuation of those stories (albeit, a better on). It’s not like they’re some horribly crap books, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting through them.
And it would probably be very confusing to read this, without knowing what had already happened.

Highly Recommended!

View all my reviews

Review: Demon Knights, Vol. 1: Seven Against the Dark by Paul Cornell

Demon Knights, Vol. 1: Seven Against the Dark by Paul Cornell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

This was easily one of the best titles I’ve read this week!
And, just so you know, I’m not generally a fan of the Sword and Sorcery stuff, or any of that Medieval Times bullshit.
No. Just no.

So what did this title have that held my interest?
Humor!
Well, humor and a distinct lack of that goofy Prince Valiant speech pattern.
Although, DAMN that pageboy haircut was frekin’ sexy!

Growr!

Alright, here’s my (veryveryvery) uneducated theory on why writers should just skip trotting out the Thee’s and Thou’s, when dealing with this time period.
First (and foremost), it’s annoying.
I don’t see that you need another reason, but I’m going to give one anyway.
Second, it’s annoying.
Kidding!
Third, I’ve always been under the impression that most of the little serfs and whatnot, were all basically uneducated, untraveled, and unhygienic. I’m thinking most of the villages and towns were filled to the brim with people who hadn’t ever been more than 20 miles away from the spot they were born in. So you’re going to have big fat language barriers everywhere you go, due to local colloquialisms.
Even today, the meanings for words in English, mean different things in different countries. Can you imagine how diverse things were back then?
I honestly think you’d need a better translator than the King James Bible, if you went back in time.
So.
Skip the bullshit, and just let the characters talk, ok?
If it makes you feel better, you can always pretend that it’s got one of those
<>Translated From Kryptonian<> things on the top of each page.
And for those of you who enjoy that tooty-fruity stuff…you’ve still got Etrigan!

Blessedly, Demon Knights did just let the characters speak in normal voices.
It let them make jokes! Real jokes!
Not those stupid, ‘Thou art the hind end of a horse!’ jokes.
Those aren’t funny.
And I apologize to any of my D&D playing friends who think that they are.
You guys are awesome! Rock on little nerds!

This was a fun story, filled up with cool characters, and set in a surprisingly interesting (for me, anyway) world.
There’s enough backstory on most of the characters that I didn’t get that Ha-Ha-You’re-A-Newbie-And-Nobody-Cares-That-You-Don’t-Have-A-Fucking-Clue feeling while I was reading.
And that was a fear of mine, since I’d never heard of most of these guys.

Good stuff!
Not everybody liked this one, so check out some of the other reviews if you’re on the fence about this title.
Here’s what a few of my friends had to say:
Mike’s review, Sam’s review, and Gavin’s review.

View all my reviews