The Book Report 3-4
Dark Reign and Battle for the Cowl.
Gotham Gazette one shot
This book sets the stage for battle for the Cowl, its as simple as that. Several stories that deal with some of the more ancillary characters in the series, Gotham Gazette may not be what you expect. It’s, at its core, a Batman story that celebrates the character and the world he operates in. For Batman fans this book is essential because it paves the way for future stories. People that don’t read batman regularly will find this issue very refreshing as it helps them get in touch with familiar characters from the early films.
Final Analysis: The writing is solid, and the artwork works. This book intrigued me from the start and was certainly a worthy pick up for any comic book fan.
Black Panther #2
Another Dark Reign tie-in, this book has some eye opening moments but is ultimately kind of boring. I had no idea that Dr. Doom had a mad on for Black Panther, but he does. I can’t put my finger on it but the whole deal seems rather forced. Plus we know that they’re not going to kill T’challa off, so why do this big switch now? The book finished well however which might be of interest to some, just not to me.
Final Analysis: This issue was just so so. It had its moments and all that, but the book just didn’t keep me throughout.
The Invincible Iron Man #10
This book came out a week ago but sold out quickly and for good reason. I’ve never liked Iron Man before, but good storytelling is good storytelling. Books like this remind me why I started reading comics in the first place. There is a lot to take in first of all which is good, secondly it has a great mix of action and suspense. The book is just plain good.
Final Analysis: I strongly recommend Invincible Iron Man #10 for the bang up ending at the very least.
New Avengers: The Reunion #1 (of 4)
I can’t say that I know or care much about Mockingbird, but Clint Barton is another story. This issue sheds a little light on the status of their relationship, and the state the Marvel universe is in to a lesser extent. Mockingbird explains that she discovered something sinister while abducted by the Skrulls. From the outside looking in I’m glad to see Marvel making such use of their Secret Invasion series, it only makes sense that the Skrulls had info on us that would make us cringe.
Final Analysis: This story will likely put a lot of things in order for Barton and the rest of the Avengers, which shouldn’t be a bad thing. I highly recommend this limited series.
Solomon Grundy #1 (of 7)
The smart Solomon Grundy was a lot of things, but the most important thing was what he wasn’t. He wasn’t a weird zombie like Hulk knockoff anymore. Now I know that Grundy came first but you get my meaning. This series seemed like a good idea on its face but now I’m starting to get leery. The first issue was a bit too confusing for me which is weird considering it was the first issue of the book. It feels like they assumed that I’d read the one shot (which I did) and that’s a bad thing.
Final Analysis: I’m trying real hard to come up with a reason to buy this book because I really want to like it. After all, it is Scott Kolins. But, you might want to avoid this one.
