Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Rant-Reviews--Dark Wolverine, Lex Luthor, and Two Batmen.

 More comic book reviews; overall some quality books in this review bunch, at least more-so than yesterday's terrible-to-good mixture of funny-books.




Daken: Dark Wolverine #4
Lord help me the character of Daken has actually grown on me as someone I find interesting to follow the adventures of. I still think he's a childish, selfish jerk--but he's one that has just the right amount of cunning and charm to make you almost want to root for him to succeed. Not to mention its fun to see him interact with the Fantastic Four, and his friendship with Johnny Storm seems like it might be the only genuine thing about Daken with all his masterful planning and conniving. The art remains solid as always, and I am genuinely interested in where the story is going. Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu have a solid comic here.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1
David Finch turns in both writing and art duties, and while he excels at one (art) he's iffy on the other (writing). The dialogue feels like it is trying too hard to be grim and gritty, like this is the always-angry Batman of the 1990s, and the whole motivation for this issue is Batman trying to track down some woman we are suddenly supposed to care about even though we have never been aware of her existence in Bruce Wayne's life until now. Also, the Penguin turns in some terrible puns at the end. The art saves this though, by looking so darn good, and the story does hint at some interesting possibilities, with the plot maybe getting more interesting. Above-average thanks to the purty pictures.
3 out of 5 stars.

Action Comics #896
Lex Luthor continues his interaction with some guy I am not familiar with named Vandal Savage (I'm not as up on my DC continuity though, so most of you probably know whom he is), and the Secret Six joins in for a rollicking good time. Paul Cornell continues to turn in a great story, and the plot thickens with some choice dialogue between the robotic Lois Lane and Mister Mind. The only thing that bugs me is how to see the rest of this story I'll have to pick up the latest issue of Secret Six--a comic I don't read. That, and the awesome Jimmy Olsen back-up will no longer be appearing so that the comic can go down to $2.99, with Jimmy's story being re-printed and finished in a March one-shot. Oh well, this is still a great comic.
4 out of 5 stars.

Detective Comics #872
Scott Snyder has a comic that has a noir feel, but doesn't seem to be trying too hard to be dark like the above-reviewed Dark Knight. Perhaps this is because Snyder writes the Dick Grayson Batman expertly as someone who has a lighter-side, or I'm just distracted by Jock's beautiful artwork. The back-up is still a bit cold for me, so when it disappears and this comic goes down to $2.99 I'll actually be pleased, unlike with Action Comics. Perhaps its because I know so little about Commissioner Gordon having a son that I don't care, or its the decent-but-not-great artwork. I'm not sure. Still, great stuff.
4 out of 5 stars.

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