Posts tagged Welcome to Hoxford

Here are my thoughts on the comics I picked up this week. Please note, some of these will probably come off as retarded to some people so consider yourself warned. I dropped all things Final Crisis from my pull list after last week. I’m done with that event and I’m practically done with DC altogether.

• 100 Bullets #94 – Holding off on this one until the series ends. I think I’m going to drop the book and just pick up the last trade when it comes out. No sense in me shilling out the $3 a month for it if it’s just going in a box for now.
• Action Comics #868 – Geoff Johns’ look at Brainiac continues. I’m loving the “horror story” vibe that this story is giving off. Brainiac is essentially the Kryptonian Boogieman. Children are terrified of him and rightly so. Now he’s found Earth and his drones are descending on it to destroy the planet while Superman is away. Action, Adventure, Drama. I’m digging this book.
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• Amazing Spider-Man #567 – The conclusion to the arc featuring a new lady Kraven. This issue wrapped up the arc pretty well and definitely left things with a lot of room to grow. I loved the “twist” of adding Peter’s roommate Vin to the mix. I didn’t really care for the way Peter’s face looked in the Daredevil costume though. It looked too open and just weird. Again, I don’t remember why Vermin is alive because I could have sworn he was dead. Although maybe that’s a result of the whole “Brand New Day” thing. Speaking of, I just noticed that that header is no longer on the top of the comic. Bout damn time. Next issue picks up the “New Ways to Die” arc featuring Venom and Green Goblin. I’m really looking forward to that.
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• Angel After The Fall #11 – I’m pretty sure this is the penultimate issue so at least I’ve got that going for me. This issue actually gave us a lot of information about what Gunn’s been up to and why he’s been doing what he’s been doing. I can’t tell if it’s the vampire part of him or if he’s just been driven insane by the events in Los Angeles. This issue felt like it flowed a bit better with some dialog that was closer to the spirit of the Buffyverse, especially the interaction with Spike and the others. I seriously have no idea what’s going on in the last page. If it was a cliffhanger I think it failed because I don’t see what’s going on. This could probably be due to the horrendous art. The second to last page seriously looked like something out of a crumbled up old Peanuts comic. Seriously go check it out. Gwen looks like fucking Charlie Brown with a wig on. I don’t understand how the art could be so piss poor in this book. You’d think that with the attention that is undoubtedly on this book that they’d at least spring for a halfway decent artist. Ugh.
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• Astonishing X-Men #26 – The second issue of Warren Ellis’ run on this book. While I’m a big fan of Ellis’ work, this one just isn’t up to par for me just yet. There’s some interesting theories popping around and I’m liking what he’s done with the characters so far. Cyclops has changed, or as he puts it, grown up. The X-Men have to face the fact that mutants are literally an endangered species now. If they hope to survive, they’re going to have to resort to drastic measures like kill or be killed. Cyclops mentions that both he and Storm have killed before, but I don’t recall whom or when. If anyone can fill me in, please do.
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• Batman #679 – Part 4 (or is it 5?) of Grant Morrison’s “Batman R.I.P.” storyline. I feel like I have to go back to the beginning of Morrison’s run and re-read the whole thing because I’m starting to get lost in this. There’s a whole lot of jumping around and Batman’s in a weird purple costume and he’s a schizophrenic hobo now. Sure. It’s Grant Morrison. Go with it, right? Eh. I’m starting to lose faith in the man. The re-introduction of Batman’s arch-rival certainly gives me hope for the next couple issues though. I loved what Morrison did with the Joker so I’m looking forward to when he actually gets to use him.
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• Booster Gold #11 – When I heard that Geoff Johns was leaving this book, I was ready to drop it on the spot. Chuck Dixon is filling in for a quick 2 issue arc before someone else takes over the book. Booster is sent to fix a time hole created by a backwards time traveler and an encounter with Batman and crew. He just doesn’t know how to fix it just right. This issue was not nearly as good as the previous arcs. It felt a little hokey and just small time. Johns’ run was almost epic, but on a scale that someone like Booster Gold could still take on. I think I’m going to give this book two more issues (one to end Dixon’s arc and then one more for the new guy) before I make my final decision though. If they’re anything like this though, I’ll be dropping it.
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• Fantastic Four #559 – I considered dropping this book because while it’s written by Mark Millar, it got a little out there with the first arc. This issue convinced me otherwise though. I just want to know more. Is the Earth really doomed to be destroyed within 30 years? Why is the Hulk leading a strange group of super villains to capture Johnny Storm and Dr. Doom? And is that who I think it is at the end there? Holy shit. How can I not read the next issue now? The art is the only thing that I’m a little iffy on with this book now. While Brian Hitch’s earlier issues seemed a bit more detailed, this one seems almost sketchy with some things definitely looking unfinished. I feel like the art in a book like Fantastic Four should be crisp and clean and that’s not the case here.
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• Green Lantern Corps #27 – I think I’m going to stick it out with this book. I just love the Green Lanterns now. This issue starts up a new arc with someone brutally killing the families of several Corps members, mostly rookies. I don’t recognize the face at the end of the book, but it is most likely a member of the Sinestro Corps. The hunt should be on in the next issue. Oh, and Mongul’s not dead? Sure.
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• The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe (One Shot – Reprint) – I think I red this issue awhile back. Essentially it’s a sort of “What If…?” story where Frank Castle’s family is killed not by criminals but as a result of a battle between super powered individuals. Castle freaks out and kills some of them, then he’s recruited to kill them all, hence the title. It’s an interesting little story that shows what can happen if things go too far. You can also see how this issue could have planted the seed for Garth Ennis’ The Boys later on as it deals with a lot of the same themes (ie: policing super heroes). Not a bad read.
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• Secret Invasion #5 – OK. Let’s get on with it already. The Skrulls have invaded. Some shit went down and then I feel like I’ve been hanging around waiting. It’s like the wind was knocked out of me and I’m just waiting to get it back. Now it looks as if that will happen with the NEXT issue. Thanks? Issue 6 of 8 is when things are going to heat up? Is Bendis taking lessons from Grant Morrison and Final Crisis? This issue also showed us that seemingly all the heroes on the Savage Land ship were indeed Skrulls thanks to some nifty super gun that Reed Richards invented on the spot. That’s pretty disappointing because one of the really intriguing parts of the first issue was that ambiguity of those long lost heroes. Even if one of them was the real deal, even f’ing Mockingbird, it would have made it worthwhile and caused so much more drama. Instead it felt like a publicity stunt. It was just a flash in the pan. I’ve still got hope for this, but I’m a little let down. Let’s wrap this up, Bendis. This better not be another House of M.
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• Secret Invasion Inhumans #1 – I feel like the Inhumans haven’t really gotten enough play. Sure they basically isolate themselves away from Earth on the moon, but they’re just so interesting up there. There’s got to be more drama, no? Thankfully with the proof that Black Bolt was really a Skrull (for who knows how long) there’s some hope yet. Medusa and Crystal set out to find their true king while Black Bolt’s brother causes some mischief as usual. It would be a safe bet that he’s a Skrull, but I feel that might be too obvious. I think I’m going to stick with it for this mini-series, unlike Front Line and Fantastic Four.
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• Secret Invasion Runaways Young Avengers #2 – Since I love both teams involved with this story, I’m definitely sticking with it. (I also like that Marvel kept most of these tie-in mini-series short, between 3 and 4 issues, with Front Line being the exception at 5. Makes it a bit easier to swallow.) This issue moves things along pretty quickly as both groups are confronted by even more Skrulls. I like that this mini-series is addressing some of the factions within the Skrull religion that Bendis has mentioned in interviews, but has yet to address in his books. Here we see a group of extremists hellbent on removing the prodigal son of their former queen, Young Avenger Hulkling. Next issue wraps this one up.
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• Secret Invasion X-Men #1 – So apparently with all the planning and preparation that the Skrulls did for this invasion, they forgot to check in on one of the most powerful super teams in the Marvel Universe. I guess they didn’t get that change of address form that the X-Men sent out when they moved to San Francisco because they were surprised to see the mutant team there to stop them from taking over the land of Rice-A-Roni. I find this incredibly hard to believe. Does this mean that there’s not one Skrull among the mutants? It seems to be a safe bet. If one is revealed, this entire issue won’t make a bit of sense. As a result, I’m probably going to skip this mini-series. It definitely seems like it’ll be easily forgotten about and not really matter to the big picture anyway.
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• Walking Dead #51 – I think this is the only comic that I actually fear reading each month. After the last arc where writer Robert Kirkman essentially proved that literally no one is safe, I read the book by peaking through my fingers at times. This issue was heart-breaking. I thought things looked a little odd when the phone first “rang” but I didn’t think anything of it. Then BAM, I’m hit with that doozy. What a book. Also, in reading this issue I got to thinking about just how old Rick’s son Carl is. He’s got to be like 10 at the most, right? Throughout all this he’s got to be pretty mature for his age by now though, especially since he basically has to take care of his Dad now. Oh man. I can’t even imagine what could happen next with this book.
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• Welcome To Hoxford #1 – This was the first issue of Ben Templesmith’s new series. He wrote and drew this book and man, was it creepy. I’ve been a fan of Templesmith’s art in Fell and this is very similar. There’s this underlying creepy-ness factor that runs throughout the entire issue. I also feel like it’s got an almost dreamlike aura about it. The colors blend together and people’s faces can stretch and contort into weird shapes and it would be natural here. Hoxford is a new privately-owned maximum security prison / rehabilitation center. A group of inmates on death row are transferred there and they are definitely an interesting (re: insane) bunch. It seems that the guards and the warden are just as strange though. The book is definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of Fell. I feel like it’s a bizarre and twisted version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and I love it.
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