April 30, 2014 Comic Reviews
You’ll notice an immediate lack of Amazing Spider-Man here. While I had originally intended picking the book up again now that it’s no longer weekly and I’ve slowly tread into the realm of $3.99 books, the hike to $5.99 for what amounted to previews of upcoming books and a reprint of a comic I didn’t want left a sour taste in my mouth. I will buy it for “Spider-Verse” simply for the appearance of Peter Porker: Spider-Ham, though. And I will do it gladly.
Serenity: Leaves on the Wind no. 4 by Zack Whedon, Georges Jeanty and Laura Martin | Dark Horse | $3.50
This read very quickly. Like, I blinked and I was done. I guess that means I liked it?
The issue certainly went a long way in terms of characterization, though I still have no idea who one very prominent character is. I got the gist of him, so I guess it’s alright, but it once again shows how fan-centric this series is rather than an easy jumping-on point for newcomers.
Then there was that cliffhanger. I truly hope the next issue lives up to the possibilities, as the battle scene it seems to lean upon from Serenity is one of the moments that stick with me to this day from the series. One of these, barring any upcoming counters to the supposed conclusion, occurs this issue and is entirely thanks to Jeanty’s layouts and fine details. Though one or two panels still left me confused as to which member of the cast was being highlighted, overall this was a marked step in the right direction.
Hobby Hole score: 7.9/Alright
Previous issue's score: 8.0/Great
Silver Surfer no. 2 by Dan Slott, Michael Allred and Laura Allred | Marvel | $3.99
Though the first issue of this relaunch held some of the sweetest images I’ve seen in awhile, it was a bit lacking. Thankfully, this follow-up proves much stronger and reads like a direct continuation of the Lee/Buscema series (which I only recently finished reading). This is most notable in the page of “all futures,” which, once again, sees the Surfer shed a tear or two.
I wonder which of those futures we’ll see? Certainly Silver Surfer could get married, right? He’s no Peter Parker.
Michael Allred’s art comes off as somewhat confining at times—an odd thing, given the story takes place in the vastness of space. I think much of this is due to Laura Allred’s lack of shadowing atop her vibrant colors, which also gives the book’s imagery a flatter tone than I believe was intended. One look at the detail on that heart page will show you Mike is firing on all cylinders, yet it almost hurts my eyes to look at the implied, yet still lacking, depth.
Hobby Hole score: 8.6/Great
Previous issue's score: 7.9/Alright
Uber no. 12 by Kieron Gillen, Gabriel Andrade and Digikore Studios | Avatar | $3.99
Based on his comments at the issue’s end, Gillen seems to have crafted this and the next two issues to roughly occur at the same point in time, so, by design, this twelfth issue comes off as incomplete, ending in such a way I believed there was a page missing from my copy.
This caused a moment’s confusion, but it certainly wasn’t a bad thing (Stephen King’s The Waste Lands, which I only finished yesterday, ends with just such a cliffhanger and I wouldn’t hold it against the book), and the rest of the issue more than provides excess content, especially with the inclusion of Virginia Woolf. Her speech, along with the other “first memories,” offered a nice look at Stephanie’s inner works—something that could be easily overlooked in this action-heavy series.
Guest artist Andrade handled the book incredibly well, delivering a memorable design for the latest tank iteration in a half-splash used perfectly to highlight her size as well as a full spread containing some of the most horrific images from the series yet.
I must say, the expedited release schedule has me more than a bit excited.
Hobby Hole score: 8.7/Great
Previous issue's score: 8.0/Great
Serenity: Leaves on the Wind no. 4 by Zack Whedon, Georges Jeanty and Laura Martin | Dark Horse | $3.50
This read very quickly. Like, I blinked and I was done. I guess that means I liked it?
The issue certainly went a long way in terms of characterization, though I still have no idea who one very prominent character is. I got the gist of him, so I guess it’s alright, but it once again shows how fan-centric this series is rather than an easy jumping-on point for newcomers.
Then there was that cliffhanger. I truly hope the next issue lives up to the possibilities, as the battle scene it seems to lean upon from Serenity is one of the moments that stick with me to this day from the series. One of these, barring any upcoming counters to the supposed conclusion, occurs this issue and is entirely thanks to Jeanty’s layouts and fine details. Though one or two panels still left me confused as to which member of the cast was being highlighted, overall this was a marked step in the right direction.
Hobby Hole score: 7.9/Alright
Previous issue's score: 8.0/Great
Silver Surfer no. 2 by Dan Slott, Michael Allred and Laura Allred | Marvel | $3.99
Though the first issue of this relaunch held some of the sweetest images I’ve seen in awhile, it was a bit lacking. Thankfully, this follow-up proves much stronger and reads like a direct continuation of the Lee/Buscema series (which I only recently finished reading). This is most notable in the page of “all futures,” which, once again, sees the Surfer shed a tear or two.
I wonder which of those futures we’ll see? Certainly Silver Surfer could get married, right? He’s no Peter Parker.
Michael Allred’s art comes off as somewhat confining at times—an odd thing, given the story takes place in the vastness of space. I think much of this is due to Laura Allred’s lack of shadowing atop her vibrant colors, which also gives the book’s imagery a flatter tone than I believe was intended. One look at the detail on that heart page will show you Mike is firing on all cylinders, yet it almost hurts my eyes to look at the implied, yet still lacking, depth.
Hobby Hole score: 8.6/Great
Previous issue's score: 7.9/Alright
Uber no. 12 by Kieron Gillen, Gabriel Andrade and Digikore Studios | Avatar | $3.99
Based on his comments at the issue’s end, Gillen seems to have crafted this and the next two issues to roughly occur at the same point in time, so, by design, this twelfth issue comes off as incomplete, ending in such a way I believed there was a page missing from my copy.
This caused a moment’s confusion, but it certainly wasn’t a bad thing (Stephen King’s The Waste Lands, which I only finished yesterday, ends with just such a cliffhanger and I wouldn’t hold it against the book), and the rest of the issue more than provides excess content, especially with the inclusion of Virginia Woolf. Her speech, along with the other “first memories,” offered a nice look at Stephanie’s inner works—something that could be easily overlooked in this action-heavy series.
Guest artist Andrade handled the book incredibly well, delivering a memorable design for the latest tank iteration in a half-splash used perfectly to highlight her size as well as a full spread containing some of the most horrific images from the series yet.
I must say, the expedited release schedule has me more than a bit excited.
Hobby Hole score: 8.7/Great
Previous issue's score: 8.0/Great
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