Review: Transmetropolitan, Vol. 5: Lonely City; by Warren Ellis

Transmetropolitan, Vol. 5: Lonely City by Warren Ellis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I love righteous fury. Ellis does it like no one else. I also love the poetic beauty he uses to describe the city and his relationship with it. The duality of filth disgust and garbage versus the positivity of energy, discovery and people. At first I found it a bit wordy…but it arts up the second act perfectly…

The Smiler has come to power, Spider vowing to take him out…in the midst of this, a brutal hate crime takes place, outraging Spider to nearly boiling point. The response of the police dictates our hero’s actions, and we think we know what will happen….until the last few pages…and we see just how evil and dangerous an opponent the new president really will be.

In addition to all this, Ellis comes up with some pearls of wisdom through Spider, which really spoke to me.

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Review: Mars Attacks – by John Layman, art by John McCrea

Mars Attacks, Volume 1: Attack from Space by John Layman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

John Layman? Yes.
Mars Attacks? Usually good for a laugh.
Art by John McCrea? Superlative.

Anything other than just mildly entertaining? Yes, but not amazingly so. However, it was a nice change of pace from Tights and Capes.

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Review: Thor – God of Thunder: Godbomb – by Jason Aaron

Thor: God of Thunder, Vol. 2: Godbomb by Jason Aaron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is Thor at his Hulking best (for lack of a better explanation/an easy reference). Though I haven’t read Vol. 1 (my library does this very odd thing of ordering books out of sequence…GRRRRRR) I found that I was able to pick this right up and not be lacking for much info.

Gorr is a man who questions the Gods, and when bad shit befalls him, like any sane person would, he loses faith, and takes it to the extreme. He wants to kill all the Gods so men can and will stand on their own. I actually found this to be a very acceptable idea, even if not a very original one.

Thor has to stop Gorr from building his God-bomb, which is exactly what it sounds like…a bomb made by a God to kill all the Gods…silly, but OK, serves the purpose.

Thor isn’t quite up to the challenge, but ThorS are. Yes that’s right…not one, not 2, but THREE THORS! (and no I don’t have a lisp/speech impediment)
The holy trinity of past, present and future Thors (Young Thor of Scandinavian days, a rage-fueled warrior who hasn’t yet proved himself worthy to carry Mjolnir; Thor the Avenger (“our” Thor from present days) and King Thor (Future, who looks just like Odin, but is in fact, a much older Thor).

So you have the best of what Thor was, is, and will be. I like this idea very much. As much as a battle against Gorr, this is just as much about Thor, and who he is, and needing to figure that out.

The wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey travel-y stuff is made fun of properly, especially by King Thor, who’s quite a funny old man for all the bad shit that’s befallen him. Either way, the 3 of them have to go defeat Gorr.

We also get a glimpse at King Thor’s granddaughters, who end up working alongside Young Thor (and in a funny section, one of them has the hots for him, only to realize it’s a younger version of her Grandad! HA INCEST! ZING!).

This is nice to have some humour inserted into what could otherwise be far to heavy/dark/New 52ish of a book.

I won’t get into the specifics of what goes down and any more stuff, but I understand what some people think Gorr is lacking as a character/motivations/originality. I also think maybe I saw it more as a reflection on Thor. That being said, it’s also got some kick ass God of Thunder reigning down from the Heavens.

This tome doth rock verily.

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Review: Hit-Girl, by Mark Millar & John Romita Jr.

Hit-Girl by Mark Millar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a pretty solid addition to the Kick-Ass family. 3.5 stars…not quite 4.

Set between the end of the original and before #2 (though somehow published and written after #2); it follows Mindy (aka Hit-Girl, in her transference from Big Daddy to Estranged Mom and Cop Stepdad.

We get to see her out of her element, in Middle School/Junior High. She’s picked on, made fun of, and doesn’t have a clue what to do. Enter Dave (aka Kick-Ass) who’s agreed to help her fit in and know everything cool if she helps train him.

Wacky Hijinx ensue!

Dave breaks his hand and is out of commission; Mindy’s step-dad knows she’s Hit Girl, and locks her in the house (for her safety, and for her mother’s mental stability…I actually bought the second part a lot more than the first, and it’s a great way for Millar to establish that Step-Dad isn’t a bad guy at all – apparently he was Big Daddy’s partner in the PD?)

We also see Red Mist reappear, but he cannot remember who Kick Ass is, even though he told him. His uncle sends him away as he takes control of the crime empire, and we get to see some hilarious montages of him training a la Batman/Wolverine/Iron Fist/any hero sent on a ridiculous task of self improvement/becoming a weapon.

Best part is? He SUCKS. He cries like a baby, and pays everyone tons of cash; so they bilk him for as much as they can get (the Shaolin type monk is hoping for a new BMW with seat warmers or some shit…pretty funny stuff).

However, what would it be without gratuitous violence and buckets of blood?
Lucky for us, this IS Mark Millar, so we get cursing, hyper violence, but mixed with the right level of humour just to take the edge of, but not render it into a farce.

On top of that, we’ve got a great intro by THE Scott Snyder, who’s a big Millar fan and writes an impossibly actually somewhat interesting intro!

Put it together and you’ve got a pretty good time.

Except that guy. He had a shitty time.

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Review: The Mighty Thor Vol. 5 by Walt Simonson

Thor by Walter Simonson Volume 5 by Walter Simonson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OK, so this marks the end of Walt Simonson’s EPIC Thor run.
This is probably a 4-star collection on it’s own, but alongside the other 4 volumes, and when you look at what Thor was when we started it…5-Stars hardly seems good enough.

Thor here is broken, exposed, vulnerable, and not going to be saved by mighty Daddy (Odin). Loki is at his manipulating best, and even Hel is against Thor.

Loki’s plan is actually decent, and Thor’s response to keep himself alive is actually smart…

Thor’s new Armour is badass. Also, bearded Thor seems to have the brains of Odin as well as the brawn.

The supporting players get to be involved (Heimdall, Enchantress, Executioner, Sif, Hogun, Fandrall, etc.).

The interaction between Thor and Jormungandr (Midgard Serpent, who posed as Fin Fang Foom) is tremendous, both in hilarious wordplay (yes, Thor and wordplay…!) and the respect and jokes between 2 foes fated to destroy each other…When the actual throwdown takes place, Simonson is wise enough to devote a page to what some artists would try to contain in a panel. This helps expand the scope of the battle to an epic grandeur.

The final showdown does not disappoint, and fate cannot be avoided…

But Thor being a God, and this being the comic universe, death is not everlasting…but I sure would have been convinced of it were I reading it at the time.

Poor Loki…

This is a great conclusion to the Epic run, and I like where Simonson leaves Thor. He’s grown as a character, and when a writer can expand a character and make it seem natural and not forced, they’ve done a great job. I would suggest taking the time to read the whole 5 volumes, but if not, just try one. Mighty Thor indeed.

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Review: The Boys Vol. 7 (The Innocents) by Garth Ennis

The Boys, Volume 7: The Innocents by Garth Ennis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I dunno, I didn`t love this one. I`d say probably 3.5 stars.

What I did like is that we finally get the revelation that Hughie`s lady isn`t who he thought she was, but he doesn`t take it well at all…

There`s an evolution in the relationship between the team, as MM calls Butcher out on some assumptions he makes, and Butcher is ready to let Hughie pay for it.
Luckily, there is some relief, but it only subsides long enough for us to see Hughie`s world fall apart.

There`s some more scenes of Supes behaving badly, and it looks like the Homelander is about to go rogue, and maybe take some others with him. We also get a revelation about another member of the Seven and where loyalties really lie…

It will be interesting to see where things go from here…

The only comic relief is from the Female, undercover with the Frenchman, and her antagonizing at the hands of a bully…the thought bubbles of what she`ll do, and how Frenchy responds are the only lightness in this otherwise VERY dark book.

Lots of rape, mentally challenged folks being treated like shit by a big bully, and the collapse of one of the bright lights of the series.
I commend Ennis for not taking the easy way out of that, I just don`t think he would have gone that way.

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X-Men: Battle of the Atom; by Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron & Brian Wood

X-Men: Battle of the Atom by Brian Michael Bendis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK All-New X-Men makes a LOT more sense now.

I read all of that and all of Wolverine & the X-Men before this.

Now that I’ve read it, it makes a bit more sense.

But still, as a whole, meh plus?

Yes that’s me straining to enjoy a bowel movement, much like RDJ.

There’s stuff to like here, as many friends have already mentioned:

It flows very well, you hardly know when you’ve changed books, because it flows man. Like the river. Whoa.

Aaron and Bendis are what’s missing from Wood’s X-Men…ie HUMOUR. Wood’s X-(wo)Men would be a perfect DCU book.

Iceman is awesome. Seeing not 1, not, 2, not 3…oh ya.

Also explains why Kitty leaves the Jean Grey School (and Iceman), and why the All New (PAST) X-Men end up where they are.

Explains why Jean has some serious confusion about things.

There’s also a lot to not like:

SOOO MUCH ANGER!!! INFIGHTING! GARRRGH!

This is from a documentary of my high school…I actually saw some kid flip a whole cafeteria table over during a MAGIC card game…it was awesome. I was hoping to see some spellcasting or at least a magic wand shoved somewhere dark, but no such luck…

If Hank McCoy is so smart, why has he continually fuct this up? Bringing people forward in time worked so well, why not bring more back in time? That oughta be cool right?

We get 3 versions of Beast, 2 Cyclops, 2 Jean (I mean…no…maybe we don’t? ummm…ya.) 4 Iceman…but only 1 Angel??? I mean seriously, he’s the only one who says “DUDES, WE DON’T BELONG HERE! LET US GO HOME TO THE LAND OF TV DINNERS AND HOTPANTS!”

Shockingly, there’s only 1 Wolverine, and that’s kinda telling, knowing what we know now.

There’s too many monologues and fighting, not enough questioning why, and then Kitty gets mad at the present X-Men (Wolverine’s gang) for trying to get Cyclops and Jean back when they run away (the past ones) and don’t want to go back…umm…isn’t that what you all knew you had to do to start with??? I mean I know letting people decide things for themselves was a good idea, but you can’t seriously think letting the teen X-Originals decide to run off and stay hiding in the present was a good idea?? Ugh. No.

There’s some cool characters we get to see:

Future Icem(e)n; Future Colossus, Magik gets to really let loose, we see how some of the X-kids do in the future (Quentin Quire) and we see what shit goes down (to a certain degree).

I love that Wolverine and Magneto come across as the voices of reason here…that’s too funny.

Iceman from the Future is great. Needs his own series, pronto. If it weren’t for Bobby Drake, I don’t think I’d have laughed once…”So If we’re going to the future, shouldn’t we pick up a sports almanac or something?”

Yup. THAT is how you do time travel and funny.

This book really hovers into nearly DCU levels of seriousness…not loving it.
I can see how this isn’t really meant to be funny, but see the Iceman? Make-a-the-funny words? MORE OF THIS!

So, it’s OK, there’s a few nifty moments, but it also causes more problems than it solves.

It is what it is, and if you’re not an X-person, stay away. FAR AWAY!

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Review: Even More Bad Parenting Advice, by Guy Delisle

Even More Bad Parenting Advice by Guy Delisle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Randomly reserved at library due to funny title.

Turns out it was quite a laugh. This guy’s dad character seems like a cross between me and Calvin’s dad from Calvin & Hobbes. Some of the things are right on, to the point my wife was laughing hard and saying “did you read that? That’s so you!” Well yes. The section where the dad buys comics for the kid instead of real books, and then promises a new PS3 (with Mario Kart??? oops!) to be the cool dad. Telling the son he’s going to have a homeless man move into their house, or fooling mom into thinking the son actually knew his speech.

But the best is when the bully gets smacked in the head during pinata time. Priceless.

Well worth a read, very quick and easy.

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Review: Indestructible Hulk: Gods and Monster, by Mark Waid (& Walt Simonson)!!!

Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 2: Gods and Monster by Mark Waid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not quite as knock-it-out-of-the-park as Vol. 1, but a very cool solid collection.

First off, No more Francis Leinil Yu…

However, he’s been replaced by the legendary Walt Simonson!!!

Oh…and he’s drawing THOR! with HULK!

The story has Banner and his team use a portal to the realm of the Frost Giants to gather elements for Earth, and of course, the Frost Giants show up to attack…luckily Thor arrives and he and Hulk make short work of them.
However, Thor doesn’t remember Banner…or Hulk…so Banner discovers that they must also have gone back in time to before Thor ever crossed paths with the Hulk.

It’s very cool to see Banner and Thor before they met, and Hulk having the knowledge that Thor is a friend. So it’s not in depth story-telling but it’s very cool for geeks like us.

The second story has a different artist, and reveals who the secret contact Banner had from the first volume; the one who was to release sensitive info if Banner ever failed to report in. That person is not a spoiler…but it’s…Daredevil/Matt Murdock!!!

It makes perfect sense for Murdock to be Banner’s lawyer, and the relationship between the 2 men is done very well, there’s mutual respect you don’t always see. What’s even cooler is that Daredevil and Hulk work so very well together as well.

This probably works best for me because Waid also has been writing Daredevil, so he’s got a great grasp of MM, and his Banner/Hulk work is strong too. The only mis-step is an unnecessary super-villain (B-list) appearing.

I really loved the interactions between the 2, and how Daredevil could calm Hulk better than most people, purely due to tone of voice, and the recognition that DD was a friend.
There’s one scene in the midst of battle/explosion between the 2, and the grown man me had tears in my eyes because it was so…sweet? perfect? loyal? friendship at it’s best? Pure instinct, and I loved it.

More solid work from Waid, and I love the work he’s putting out for Marvel the last few years. Long may he run!

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FREE COMICS! Comixology! Deadpool, Deathlok, Guardians of the Galaxy!!!

Check out Comixology, they’ve added #1 issues of Deadpool, Deathlok, AND Guardians of the Galaxy (all 90s versions) to the Free Comics section. If you’re not on there already, I’m telling you, DO IT!

https://www.comixology.com/free-comics