A lot of reviews

Batman: Gotham Noir          

                I've always been a fan of Batman and I have also always liked stories about Jim Gordon. I was very excited to see a comic that would bring the superhero world back to its roots. Away from the modern superhero and homicidal maniac back into the gangs and the mob. Batman has had that with the Falcones which has been good, but this is what Batman started out as and it was good to see Batman during his prime, just even creepier. Even though I was excited to see Batman in this state I was also pumped to see Jim Gordon during this exciting time period. Everything was done right, this was an excellent comic. The story was enticing, the writing was great, and the art was fantastic. It brought the character back to its roots. I expected this to be a boring alternate reality story thing, but this wasn't like that at all. If you have not bought this comic yet I recommend you do it immediately, it was great. Nothing I say can really do this comic justice. It was thoroughly enjoyable. I will let out that there was an appearance of the Joker in this comic and that it was very different from any Joker I've ever seen. This one went crazy and still did the same kind of crazy things the normal Joker does, but in this case Ed Brubaker found a way to make the Joker as creepy as usual without using the gimmicks like the obsession with Batman, the crow bar, or even laughing gas. It was great writing, story telling, and character development. I also forgot to mention that the way Brubaker wrote this comic and the way Phillips drew it made Gordon't emotions fly off the page, and made you empathize with him. They also made this comic feel like a classic mystery novel, and with that comes a need to see the ending. I recommend this comic highly, I loved everything about it.

Grade: 10/10



Deadpool #40

              I have always found Deadpool amusing and I read it whenever I don't have a comic that I really want to read and I often think it's great. If one is looking for a serious comic then I wouldn't recommend this series. This is a series that I would recommend if you want to have a quick fun read, and that's exactly what this issue was. The main attraction to this and most if not all Deadpool comics, is not the story its self (funny though they may be) but it's the character. He's so funny and different from most other things out their today, unless you count the few appearances Batmite or Ambush Bug make, and reading about him is a great break from the endless arcs that get tied into a bunch of different series. The comics themselves though lack a great quality which is disappointing. This story for example made little sense, even for Deadpool and the art was not up to par. But since it's Deadpool my expectations were set a good deal lower and I still enjoyed this comic. I should also mention that the writing did make me laugh, and that this slap stick humor is boosting the grade of the comic very much.

Grade: 7/10




         

Superman/Batman #86

         This series is constantly on and off. Sometimes it's great, and sometimes it's lousy. I wasn't a fan of the last arc until after I finished it. I'm still not a fan of it, just in my mind it went from being terrible to being okay. The reason I keep coming back to it is because it's one of the few series now a days that still has a classic feel. Granted most of this is probably because Bruce Wayne is Batman, but I enjoy new stories every arc opposed to one story broken up into many little arcs.
        In this issue Batman is looking for the man that killed the reporter that was doing the story on Batman's secret identity. He goes to Martin Mayne, the editor in chief of the Gotham Gazette to get answers. Mayne goes through the "who elected you" schtick but eventually gave the name of a bar that the reporter went to a lot. Meanwhile Superman, as Clark Kent, goes to Wayne tech to get answers from Mr. Fox and continue the story. Fox says that things were stolen but due to the fact that Bruce Wayne did something else, they lost no money at all. Later on Bruce Wayne goes to the bar as Matches Malone and gets someone to talk about who killed the reporter. Someone named "The Box." Kent goes to Mayne and tells him that he will continue the story, Batman goes to the Box and finds out that the Box is the Joker, and in the mail box of the Joker's hide out is a tip from Mayne saying that Kent is continuing the story. The comic ends with the Joker trying to kill Kent with a hammer.
      Especially after the disappointment with Detective Comics issue 880, and the lack of the Joker's involvement, this was most enjoyable. This comic had a ver classic feel, but with a modern twist. Opposed to many other Batman stories that are being published, this one really felt like Batman a detective and not just a superhero, which was also really good. The only real problem I had with this comic had nothing to do with the comic. I really don't like Mayne. For starters his name is the same as Wayne just the first letter is flipped, and also he looks and acts to much like Perry White. Besides that one character though I loved this comic. I've always been interested in the Jokers fascination with Batman and how he doesn't want to know his secret identity. This has taken that to the next level. When I first heard this plot I assumed it was either going to be someone in the Bat family, or someone trying to do the right thing because they were saved by Batman. I never suspected the Joker. I would pick this comic up in a heart beat if I hadn't already.




Grade: 9/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Detective Comics #880

         I have been so out of modern comics. I have been reading some more Marvel which has been fun, but I love DC and since none of the stories really matter anymore (well... until next month) I have just been ordering old comics and enjoying them thoroughly. Next month might have fewer posts then usual because I will be reading mainly old comics. Also all of my subscriptions are ending because of DC's relaunch but I was still excited to find this comic in the mail, mainly because of it's cover.
        In this issue the Joker escapes from Arkham and Jim Gordon panics because the Joker often attacks his family. He warns his wife but it was too late. When Gordon got to her she had already been attacked. Gordon brings her to Dick Grayson for medical care and she starts to recover slowly. Oracle goes back to her office to await the Joker, and Batman goes looking for him. He finds him in a crypt. They start to battle and the Joker says he wants his old Batman back and not this "little bird." Eventually Batman controls him and the Joker says it wasn't him. Then we see Oracle's brother attacking her.
       I was looking forward to a real Joker story which is not what I got. There have been just random mentions of this villain throughout multiple comics in the past couple months and I think it's finally going to be done next month, right before Bruce Wayne get's his old title back. I did like the portrayal of the Joker here. While I do love the insane (and somewhat lovable) Joker, it is always good to see a Joker like the one in Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum, and a renewed obsession with the old Batman. So the story was enjoyable not great and probably not something that I am going to remember for a long time, except for the part that actually had the Joker, that was incredible and I would buy the comic just for that.. I'm not a huge fan of Jock's work, it's good, but not great, so for me the comic even suffered there. Although the cover was one of the best cover's I've ever seen, and is definitely poster worthy.






Grade: 7/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Amazing Spiderman #665

        I also picked up this comic because of my rereading of Marvel comics. Due to a mix up my subscription for Amazing Spiderman ended after Big Time Spiderman which was one of the best arcs that I have ever read. So because of that this was a natural choice if I wanted to pick up Marvel Comics again.
        This issue started off by describing the Movie Night situation involving Peter Parker and Betty Brant. But then when Betty Brant wanted to see a certain movie Peter never had the time, between being Spiderman and his job he never was free. Finally after both Peter and Flash say "no" to her during its last week in theaters Betty goes to see the movie in the last theater that's playing it. The problem is, is that the theater is in a bad neighborhood. Betty get's attacked by a thug named Harlan Finch. Upon hearing this news, instead of running to the hospital, Peter as Spiderman went on a man hunt for Harlan Finch. After tearing through New York, Spiderman finds Betty's locket and then when he is really close to finding Finch he get's a call from Aunt May telling him to "Get to the hospital" and how she was never as disappointed in him as the day Uncle Ben died, because instead of comforting Aunt May he ran after the killer which hurt Aunt May. So Peter turned away and went to the hospital. It was movie night so he sat and watched a movie with Betty Brant.
        I loved this issue. This issue was absolutely jam packed with emotion. Dan Slott took something as simple as movie night and brought it to a whole new level. I have said many times that the appeal of Spiderman is Peter Parker's life. This was no exception. I also loved how powerful Spiderman looked when he was looking for Harlan Finch. That definitely looked like a lead up to Spider Island. If  Spiderman can look like that in just one issue, then in the event he is going to be beyond powerful. So the story was definitely a 10 out of 10. I especially liked how Aunt May told Peter off about the day Uncle Ben died. In that part I could practically feel the sadness that both Aunt May and Peter were feeling. So I recommend this comic to anyone, even people who aren't die hard Spiderman fans will enjoy this.




Grade: 10/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Uncanny X-Force

          While I clame to be impartial towards the rivalry of DC and Marvel I must admit that I have, for around a year, liked DC much more. I do not really know why, just some where back I decided to read more Superman and Batman than X-Men and Spiderman. Now with the DC relaunch and none of the stories really mattering anymore I decided to give Marvel a chance and I remembered really liking this series when it first came out so I decided to start my re-reading of Marvel with Uncanny X-Force.
          In this issue the X-Men continue to work with Dark Beast to try and help Angel get rid of Archangel. To stop this new heir of Apocalypse, Dark Beast needs something called the Life Seed, but that means he and the X-Force have to go back into his own dimension.The X-Force go to Dark Beast's old lab to retrieve the Life Seed, but they are stopped by Nightcrawler, Sabertooth and Sunfire (the ones from the dark reality). After much fighting Shiro destroys the Life Seed and Dark Beast runs away into the original dimension, stranding the X-Force. Then relizing that the X-Force weren't clones made by Dark Beast, Nightcrawler, Sabertooth and Sunfire take the X-Force to their hide out (Atlantis) where they meet up with Professor X and Jean Grey.
         I have said I don't like alternate reality stories before, (because I find them unoriginal) and this was an Alternate reality story. However it wasn't just about the alternate reality it was mainly about Apocalypse. As I wrote that I noticed many similarities between this comic and every single other alternate reality story. They went to go retrieve something/someone, there was a complication, they get stranded, and then they meet up with other people that resemble people from their own universe. So I was planning to write this and say that the comic wasn't what you would expect and it was different from other alternate reality stories, but I was wrong, it is very typical. The only real differences were that the X-Force already knew this universe existed, and the other one (which was actually much better) was meeting up with different versions of dead friends with them. The attachment that the X-Force felt toward Nightcrawler was well done and the shock Wolverine and Jean felt when they saw each other was captured perfectly in just one panel where you couldn't even see Wolverine's face. So this was not a great story by Rick Remender, but Mark Brooks did an amazing job on pencils. He really made this comic much better.



Grade: 7.5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com