Thunderbolts #18 – Review

by Charles Soule (Writer), Jefte Palo (Artist), Guru eFX (Colorist)

The Story: Red Hulk tries to get Mercy to cooperate and the Punisher and his crew tries to finish off the Paguro . Meanwhile, Deadpool has pizza.

The Review: It’s always disappointing to see a book do well in so many areas, only to see it fail in one where it’s critical to its enjoyment. Perhaps it has really great character interaction and development, but dull antagonists. Maybe it’s really great-looking, yet has really weak colorization. Either way, it always lead to something that you know can be better, yet are powerless to see change in any way. You either stay patient and hope that the problems gets resolved, or go away in order to not feel any disappointment in the future.

This book, unfortunately, has a problem of its own as there is plenty of humor, some great action and the handle on the characters is interesting enough, yet some really weak art and colorization. Many of the elements here are just waiting to be appreciated, yet the deformed and square-looking art remove a lot of potential for the book.

Where this comic goes right is the juxtaposition of humor and rather dark themes. With a team of almost psychotic killers going out of their way to bring the pain to criminals, a good deal of humor is the one thing that really bring some sense of identity and fun to the title, which Soule really brings forward thanks to the great use of Deadpool along with a good sense of comparison between relatively normal situations and surrealist ones. Still, Soule is able to not just rely on humor, balancing things out with darker scenes as well as some pretty neat action.

Thunderbolts #17 – Review

by Charles Soule (Writer), Jefte Palo (Artist), Guru eFX (Colorist)

The Story: The Punisher and his team fight the mob in their bunker, Red Hulk tries to fight the invaders and Deadpool finally gets his pizza.

The Review: I rather like Charles Soule right now. Discovering him as he took over Swamp Thing at DC, he has been in some more books in the previous months and now seems to be doing some work for Marvel as well, with this title as well as She-Hulk coming in February. With a knack for taking over books and giving them either a new direction or focusing on the stronger elements of the core concept, Soule is rapidly becoming a writer on the rise in terms of visibility.

Thunderbolts is one of the book that has received a bit of his skill, to good effect as the mix of rather dark humor to the sensibilities of hard killers makes for a rather enjoyable book. Tying in to Infinity, Soule tries to incorporate those stone-cold killers to the larger Marvel universe, yet does he succeed in making them interesting and his tale good enough for readers to care?

He starts with the right footing as the first thing he seems to be doing well is creating a nice balance between plot and humor, advancing the story without putting too much emphasis on the horror of what the characters are doing. The pacing in itself in terms of development is good, with each scene getting to the point and delivering something worthwhile for readers, like how outgunned the mob is against Venom, Punisher and Elektra or when Deadpool finally get the pizza slice he wanted in the first place. There is enough going on in this issue that it doesn’t feel decompressed in the slightest, giving a central conflict with many smaller problems on the side for the characters to resolve in the issue. In terms of storytelling, it’s good.

Thunderbolts #16 – Review

by Charles Soule (Writer), Jefte Palo (Artist), Guru eFX (Colorist)

The Story: Red Hulk and Red Leader tries to fight off the alien invasion as the rest of the team continues their work against the Paguros.

The Review: It’s always a bit disappointing to keep hoping for ameliorations in some specific areas only to find others lacking as a result. While the Daniel Way run had its share of problems, it seems that Soule has its own, which are completely different from the previous writer. It’s one step forward, two backwards as they say as Thunderbolts soldiers on with its cast of killers.

Where it did improve and it keeps on improving would be the handle on the killers themselves, as Soule really do seem to get how they work and how their interactions could very well be entertaining. Everyone gets a bit of panel time in this issue, with most of the cast receiving close to equal spotlight, which is commendable enough. From Venom being the somewhat idealistic, Deadpool’s shenanigans about searching for a slice of pizza and Red Leader being mysterious and threatened by a member of the Black order, close to everyone do make their presence known in this issue in ways that count. I say close, as Elektra seems to have nothing much to say or do except participate in the action, with little else to give for readers and fan of hers.

There is also quite enough space given to the villains, with the alien goons and the Paguros contributing quite well with the issue. Those characters do permit for Soule to throw in some concepts which are solid enough, like what exactly happens to the criminals, gangsters and unsavory elements when a big threat arrive in New York? How do the Paguros actually get themselves protected in times of dire need? All those concepts really do bring a new vision on the underworld of the Marvel universe, as they do make sense considering the high number of costumed vigilantes in New York alone.

Thunderbolts #15 – Review

by Charles Soule (Writer), Jefte Palo, Terry Pallot (Artists), Guru eFX(Colorist)

The Story: The Thunderbolts reach New York and do their best to help Frank Castle with his mission. As they do so, Thanos and his army invade Earth.

The Review: Charles Soule is not a lucky writer. Not only does he take on a book that the core idea was not one of his own, but he does so right when a huge event comic is on the verge of releasing. As a writer, he has to play with dynamics previously established by someone else, but he needs to tie-in some plot elements from a story that is not his own. Decidedly, it’s not a recipe for contentment or success.

Such is why seeing him succeed in most parts is actually quite surprising as not only Soule play with the dynamics and the characters quite well, but he also seems not to rush in with the Infinity plot points. There is a certain balance with a lot of the characters on this team that not every book is able to maintain, which is commendable of Charles Soule skills as a writer.

What he seems to be really getting is most of these characters and their psychology, with Red Hulk being restless when he’s out of the action, Punisher being solely driven by his mission, Elektra with her subtle manners and so forth. Soule gets bonus points for Deadpool though, as he is a character that a lot of writers simply write in a comedic tone and nothing else. He has a certain balance with his personality, his humor and just the way the character is that he doesn’t become the buffoon he can be written as. The scene in the subway is a true testament to this vision of his, which forebodes good things with Soule at the helm for this character.

Thunderbolts #14 – Review

Charles Soule (Writer), Jefte Palo, Terry Pallot (Artists), Guru eFX (Colorist)

The Plot: It’s Frank Castle’s turn at choosing the mission the team has to do as he explain just what he has in mind for this team to do. Lucky him, the Avengers are in space…

The Review: Following characters isn’t something that is logically sound when one thinks about it. While a reader might want to know everything that happens with a certain character he or she grew to like, it does not mean that person will get quality stories featuring the beloved fictional being as not every writer know how to handle things the way those people like it. The more a character is popular, the worse it can get as you can get characters that get poor or uneven characterization, resulting in frustrating experiences for the aforementioned reader.

While I do rather like characters like Frank Castle, Deadpool, Venom and Elektra, the main reason I gave this title a shot to begin with was to see Red Hulk, a.k.a General Ross in action, a character that Jeff Parker made me like immensely in the solo title he once possessed. However, I only did so recently as Charles Soule, the current writer of Swamp Thing, went in with another artist to give a new direction and a shot in the arm to this title that needed it. Does he succeed in keeping the characterization and giving some quality to this team now that he is actually writing them all in action for the first time?

He is quite competent actually, as not only Soule understand the dynamic between each characters and how their personalities might clash, but he does so in a way that is entertaining. This result in a team that is barely functional (as exposed by Deadpool nicknaming the team ”The Selfish Avengers”), yet it is one that is professional enough to get their task done. The military tone and their awkward morality comes in play here, as it creates a vibe that is different from a lot of the team out there, one that is not unlike Remender’s Uncanny X-Force. It’s not quite there in terms of quality when it comes to comparison, yet the characters are well-written, especially Frank Castle and Red Hulk. The only one I could have any disappointment about would be Flash Thompson, who comes as rather gullible and without any real personality, going with the flow without doing anything much.

Incredible Hulk #14 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (writer), Jefte Palo (art), Frank Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story:  Doom hires a little outside psychic help to deal with the Hulk.

The Review:  I know it’s not saying much, but this issue of Jason Aaron’s Incredible Hulk is by far the best single issue in a really long time.

Part of that is due to the art; it’s just a relief to finally have the same guy illustrating two issues in a row – by Incredible Hulk standards, that’s a landmark for artistic consistency.  It also helps that Jefte Palo is a very good, very fun artist who fits the zany tone of Aaron’s script perfectly.  Palo’s upbeat, energetic, cartoony, angular style lifts the spirits and is the kind of work that has an air of glee and irreverence to it.  Put simply, if you intend to make a book geared towards getting laughs, you could do a lot worse than having Palo draw it.

Quick Hit Reviews – Week of March 30, 2011

What a strong week for comics!  Almost everything last week was at least “pretty good” and that makes us happy at WCBR.  Even though we’ll do out duty and tell you when a comic SUCKS, we don’t take any pleasure in doing so and it’s a LOT more fun to talk about what was good.  However, even though we review a TON of books in-full, there are always a few stragglers that get lost in the shuffle.  Thus, the Quick Hit Reviews….

Scarlet #5 – I can see people having two very different sets of thoughts on this title.  If you’re a police officer or otherwise a general believer of the benevolence of the government, you’re going to really hate this comic.  On the other hand, if you’re a more of a free will, distrust of the “man” type of person I can’t see how this doesn’t scratch a Libertarian itch.  I’m in the latter camp and just love Scarlet.  This issue represents the ending of the first story arc that has seen the titular Scarlet go from meting out some justice against dirty cops, to being the sudden leader of a political movements.  All of a sudden she’s Che Guevara, but she isn’t sure that’s what she wants to be OR if she even can be the leader her “people” want.  Meanwhile we are also introduced to some possibly sympathetic heroes within the power structure and that’s good too.  I know some people decry Alex Maleev’s art as “tracing”, but I don’t care.  Even if he is tracing (and he swears he isn’t in interviews), I like the way he’s using it.  He’s just creating art differently than more traditional artists and it is hard to argue with the stylish results.  Grade: A-   — Dean Stell

Captain America #616 – Well, here’s a comic that’ll earn your $4.99, with a main feature and no less than five back-ups.  Better still, for the most part, it’s all pretty good stuff and there are absolutely no reprints or picture galleries to bulk out the package.  This meaty package is all story content and that immediately earns it some points.  The main feature, written by Brubaker and featuring Bucky in a nasty Russian prison, is really dark stuff and a surprising component to an anniversary issue.  That said, if anything, it functions as an effective teaser for what’s to come.  Dark and nasty as it is, it lets Brubaker shine, somehow melding gritty prison drama with giant killer bear deathmatches.  It’s desperate, dire stuff but also a lot of fun and it brings the hard-hitting drama and excitement back to Bucky after a couple of fairly ho-hum arcs.  I hope the actual Gulag story arc keeps this up.  With five back-up features, you know you’re going to get a mixed bag, but Cap #616 actually delivers the goods for the most part.  While the stories by Kyle Higgins/Alec Siegel and Mike Benson/Paul Grist are fairly forgettable, they have the decency to at least look good.  Meanwhile, the Howard Chaykin and Frank Tieri/Paul Azeceta stories are rock solid, really effectively ruminating upon, and making use of, the sense of “history” that is such a big part of who and what Captain America is.  The real barn-burner, however, is the masterpiece delivered by Cullen Bunn and Jason LaTour.  Tremendous artwork and writing deliver a story that not only focuses upon the importance of Captain America, but does so in a manner that relates it to contemporary times and issues in a manner that doesn’t feel preachy or forced.  Bunn and LaTour paint a picture of a troubled modern America that needs a Captain America more than ever.  And it still finds room for AIM spider robots.  It’s the kind of story that has me very intrigued regarding Bunn’s future Marvel work.  Grade: B+   — Alex Evans

Wolverine #5.1 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Jefte Palo (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Melita throws a surprise birthday party for Logan, but the guest of honor finds himself side-tracked by some grotesque bad guys.

What’s Good: Wow, you could not get a comic with two more different halves.  On the one side, you get a feel-good party with the Avengers and Melita and on the other side, you’ve got a gritty tale of Logan battling cannibals in the backwoods.  How the hell can two such different things actually fit together?  The fact that Aaron manages this and makes both sides entertaining is already an achievement.

On the cannibal end, the Buzzard Brothers are a blast to read.  Aaron writes them with absolute glee and their dialogue is ghoulishly entertaining.  Yes, they’re appalling, but they’re also really, really funny, particularly when they bicker.  For them, murder and cannibalism is an everyday thing, so their dialogue and sibling animosity takes a ridiculous tone that I couldn’t help laughing at.  Despite being a bit of a cliché in concept, Aaron’s lively dialogue combined with Palo’s awesome character designs raises the brothers up into something special.

At the party end, the huge ensemble of Avengers actually helps rather than hinders.  Aaron successfully puts across the fact that Logan isn’t alone as he thinks.  The party comes across really naturally and is a perfect fusion of the mundane and the superheroic.  It feels like an ordinary get-together, till you notice all the jets parked outside.  Either way, all the characters work great and Melita is as likable as ever, if only because she acts like a perfectly normal human being amidst all the spandex.  Better still, her birthday present is touching.  I also have to highlight Deadpool’s role this month, which was absolutely hilarious, and I’m not even a fan.  Aaron used him so expertly this month, inserting him here and there as a kind of punch-line.  He’s far from being in a starring role, but his peripheral presence makes for plenty of laughs.

Taskmaster #4 – Review

By: Fred Van Lente (writer), Jefte Palo (art), Jean Francois Beaulieu (colors), Dave Lanphear (letters) & Lauren Sankovitch (editor)

The Story: Van Lente fills in the last few bits as he fleshes out the suddenly very interesting Taskmaster character.

What’s Good: Who’s up for a Taskmaster ongoing?  I am!  Perhaps that is overdoing it, at least in this lousy comic sales environment, but in this series and issue Van Lente has really changed the way we see Taskmaster.  Perhaps it is a bit of a retcon, but it doesn’t seem to conflict that much with past characterizations of Taskmaster that we’ve seen.   Bravo!

For those who have missed it, Van Lente has turned Taskmaster into a kinda tragic figure.  His brain is filled to overflowing with his memorization of fighting styles at the like to the extent that something has to give.  And the things that always get lost when his brain gets too full are the details about who he is, the identity of his wife and the fact that he is really a good guy.  Mercedes (his wife) is just about as interesting as she dutifully stays at her husbands side, acting as his handler only to have him remember (and forget) her again and again.  How sad is that?

I think this could have been a great miniseries with any type of art, but Palo’s scratchy style seems especially well suited for this spy/espionage-y tale.  Once again, my favorite trick that he uses are the windows over Taskmaster when he is emulating someone else’s moves. Very clever.  I don’t know if he originated that concept, but it works well for demonstrating that Taskmaster is pulling a move he learned from Daredevil (as an example).  Without this bit of visual storytelling, we’d have to see a narration box explaining what moves he was using and that would be really clumsy.

Taskmaster #3 – Review

By: Fred Van Lente (writer), Jefte Palo (art), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors) & Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: Taskmaster encounters “The Town that Was Hitler”.

What’s Good: It is hard to write a good comic book.  It is also challenging to write a funny comic book.  But, it is a true accomplishment to write a comic that is both good AND funny, but that is what Van Lente has pulled off again with the third issue of Taskmaster.

Towards the end of last issue, we got the hint that there might be more to Taskmaster’s past than we had previously thought, but we learn a LOT more in this issue.  Instead of just telling us the whole story, Van Lente splits the origin into two parts: one-half is Taskmaster’s brain starting to remember things from his past whereas the other half is Nick Fury telling Captain Steve the other half of the story.   This is so much more interesting than just having the history explained to us in narration boxes.  Under Van Lente’s pen, Taskmaster is becoming a very interesting character!

What really sets Van Lente apart is the humor because it isn’t just a bunch of fart jokes.  It is humor for smart people.  If you read this comic and aren’t laughing it is because you are dumb and just don’t get it.  Don’t worry….they have Deadpool comics for you.  The humor is functioning at all sorts of different levels.  For example, some of the humor is pseudo-raunchy, such as the main bad guy announcing that his organization is called the Minions International Liberation Front.  Get it?  Or, on a more subtle level, how about the way the town of Hitler’s are all planning to attack their neighbor for “elbow room” and how they all speak German with a Passau accent (the town where Hitler grew up).  It is just smart writing for smart people.

Taskmaster #2 – Review

By: Fred Van Lente (writer), Jefte Palo (art), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors) & Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: Taskmaster runs into trouble against Mexican mercenaries wearing death masks!

What’s Good: One of the best experiences in comics is to read something where you can tell that the creators had a GREAT time writing/drawing the comic book.  Not to imply an occasional lack of passion from creators or that they allow a “time to make the donuts” attitude to sometimes pervade their Marvel/DC superhero work (Never, never….), but while reading most comics you don’t get a mental image of the creators giggling at how clever the comic is.  It would be highly surprising to know that Van Lente didn’t have a serious case of the giggles while he wrote this….

In this issue, we continue seeing Taskmaster on the run from the ORG who has put out a bounty on him that causes all sorts of groups to come out of the woodwork to collect his head (Hydra, AIM and all sorts of whacky groups that FVL just made up last issue).  This time he comes face to face with the Don of the Dead who uses funny/clever/great Spanglish dialog like, “So.  El Mastro de Task.  Ju face the Don of the Dead in Final Combat.  What ju say to THAT, hanh?”  Mind you, this is coming from a dude wearing a death facemask and a mariachi outfit.  Brilliant…

What’s more, the serious aspect of the story is not lost in the silly fun.  FVL hits on all the important aspects of Taskmaster’s character such as showing that although he lost his memories, his abnormal muscle memory allows his fingers to automatically do things like dial telephones and withdraw cash from ATMs.  There is also a very good “big story” revelation on the final page that ensures that this miniseries isn’t just fun for fun’s sake.

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #4

By: Rick Remender (writer), Jefte Palo & Alessandro Vitti (artists), Jean-François Beaulieu (colorist)

The Story: Nightmare has taken over the world. The other heroes of the Marvel Universe, including Doctor Strange, are his captives. Only Doctor Doom has escaped the clutches of Nightmare, and his fortress is falling.

What’s Good: Remender’s take on Nightmare is brilliantly conflicted. He’s made Nightmare a creature of irrational appetites, but of cunning intellect. If that’s hard to understand, let me put it this way: Nightmare has been slowly materializing Jericho Drumm’s nightmares for decades, signs of hyper-intelligent cunning. However, pages later, when Nightmare is on the verge of conquering Doom, the last holdout of humanity, he doesn’t care that this will result in their mutual destruction. Even when Doom points it out to him, it’s like Nightmare doesn’t care, not because he doesn’t understand the consequences, but because they seem disconnected from what he wants. It’s an interesting and disturbing take on such an old and powerful Marvel villain.

Remender’s vision of Drumm was equally compelling. I liked the visible arc of Drum growing into the role of sorcerer supreme (arcs similar to those being followed by Bucky, Donna Troy, Dick Grayson and Wally West) over the last couple of issues, but the revelation that Drumm himself, in combination with Nightmare’s influence, was creating the curse he is suffering, was awesome. Suddenly, I saw why Drumm had been tapped as the sorcerer supreme. It made sense, as much as it had when Strange had taken on that mantle. Remender did some great work here.

And, although I’m running out of space to praise Remender, I have to point out the great world building he did here. Those of us following Dr. Strange thought we’d seen all that could be seen of Marvel and magic. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Remender’s magic, and the introduction of the Lao, and a different set of cosmic (who all seem to be minor, compared to the ones Strange had tapped) is really, really cool.

And the art was great. It was not realistic. The stylistic, gritty take on Drumm’s magic is great. Nightmare never looked better or creepier than on the cover of this book. The spookiness evoked by Palo and Vitti works, through the dangling, shrunken heads on the staff of Legba, the clawing hand at the entrance to Bondyè and the scary supernatural creatures now working for Nightmare (including the spirits of vengeance!). The action sequences were dynamic, the faces expressive, and the world and people textured and real. All in all, art and story matching really well.

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1 – Review

By Rick Remender (writer), Jefte Palo (pencils & inks), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors)

The Story: Jericho Drumm, the Houngan Supreme, and now Sorcerer Supreme, has to establish his street cred and get the big job done before a prophesied evil swallows the universe. First stop: Dormammu, and that’s just the prologue! Stephen Strange is there too, finishing up handing over the reins of power before heading off. Then, alone, Doctor Voodoo heads into the world himself, but is surprised by an old enemy and a new challenger for the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme.

What’s Good: The new conception of the Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Voodoo is not your dad’s Doctor Strange! He’s walking around with human skulls on his belt and shrunken heads dangling off the Staff of Legba. He’s in-your-face and daring, the Gunner of God and the Houngan Supreme. It is seriously cool. The Haitian angle brings a new feel and tone to the Marvel Universe’s top sorcerer. Remender hit all the right notes. At the same time, Voodoo’s got some cockiness issues. Strange lost the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme because he’d become complacent and stopped learning, but Voodoo is into some nasty magic that Strange wouldn’t touch. Anyone smell hubris?

Palo and Beaulieu deliver some beautiful art. I think that magic always gives an artist room to run with the ball and we get a new classical-Greek view of Dormammu’s domain, shrunken heads, the Scrying Stones of Chthon, gritty New Orleans and a defeated, shaken Strange. And the variant cover by Tan was awesome. I’ll give a no-prize to anyone who can tell me which classic cover and artist it’s based on!

What’s Not So Good: Having really learned the worlds of Doctor Strange in the surreal weirdness of Ditko, Brunner, Russell, and even Paul Smith, I found some of the dimensions and environments visited by Voodoo to be a little… restrained. Don’t get me wrong. The art was well done, but I’m not used to straight lines anywhere the Sorcerer Supreme walks. Palo’s extra dimensional designs have a regularity that seems like a lost opportunity compared to the psychological chaos that usually provides the backdrop to Marvel’s magical adventures. Even the brief view of Shuma-Gorath felt like Palo was holding back. I hope in the next couple of issues, Palo lets himself go nuts and to put whatever bizarre wackiness he can think of onto the page.

Conclusion: There are lots of challenges to writing and drawing the Sorcerer Supreme well. Marvel has hit on the right concept and launched a great new series. I expect a few growing pains, but this first issue caught the tone needed to make the Sorcerer Supreme work. Go out and get it.

Grade: B+

-DS Arsenault

Black Panther #40 – Capsule Review

By Jason Aaron (story), Jefte Palo (art)

This is probably the best Secret Invasion tie-in I’ve read. It doesn’t add a thing to the mythos like the Avengers books, nor does it play heavily with the main series. But making Wakanda a primary target thanks to its Vibranium gives the story a purpose. Black Panther gets a chance to show off his leadership prowess here, commanding his troops and doing some very impressive close quarter skirmishes with the Skrull invaders. The art fits the story’s darkned spirit with the harsh use of blacks heightening the drama of war. The only thing I hated? Ororo being played as a chump.

Come on now.

I know a lot of other heroes in the Marvel Universe have been duped by these Skrull happenings, but the way she’s duped is just awful (and almost as stupid as Logan not killing Mystique *ahem*). Having Ororo be a damsel in distress is a cop out. How could the former leader of the X-Men be played so easily? It’s just plain stupid. But hey, you can’t win them all. Pick this one up for the battles and just to know why Black Panther is such a bad ass. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes

Punisher Max Special: Little Black Book #1 – Review

By Victor Gischler (writer), Jefte Palo (pencils), Lee Loughridge (colors)

This one shot reminds me of why I’m a Punisher MAX fan. Like a lot of the recent Punisher stories, it’s told from someone else’s perspective, a classy escort known only as Vette. This one-shot really shows how a person’s life is forever changed after spending a night with Castle (not in *that* way, though that does happen). We discover that Vette has quite the client list, riddled with people The Punisher feels need to be dead. Carlos Ramirez tops that list, and Castle decides to use our escort as a way into a party Ramirez is throwing.

I can’t say enough about the script of this book. Vette’s inner monologue is great – you really get a feel for her within the first two sentences of the book. Sadly, her low opinion of men (we’re all dogs) doesn’t change. But, by the end of the issue she does recognize that there are alpha-dogs, domestic-dogs, and lions to weed out the crap.

Jefte Palo’s art is outstanding, and really gives The Punisher an almost elemental feeling. One of the coolest panels shows a stunning portrait of a Punisher-victim’s face whose eyes are completely white after he’s been killed. The only way it could be more over-the-top is if “X’s” were over drawn over his eyes. The style choice represented here just fits the writing well. Castle is drawn as you’d expect his targets to see him, a faceless killer, with lots of shadow blocking out any emotion. And believe me when I tell you that the cover doesn’t do the interior, or story much justice, this isn’t War Journal, it’s the real deal.

I can’t say enough about this comic. Since there are so many books for each hero these days, it’s rare to find one that nails it across the board. This issue was so good that it makes me sad that Victor Gischler won’t be given the keys to Punisher MAX once Garth Ennis leaves. This is a definite read for Punisher fans. (Grade: A)

– Ben Berger

X-Force Special: Ain’t No Dog #1 – Review

By Charlie Houston (Writer), Jefte Palo (Artist), and Lee Loughridge (Colorist) Jason Aaron (Writer), Werther Dell’Edera (Penciler), Antonio Fuso (Inker), and Andrew Crossley (Colorist)

I am just going to cut right to the chase with this review and say that I have two major complaints about this book.

So here it goes.

This one-shot feels completely unnecessary and, in some ways, incomplete. It’s unnecessary because we already have more than enough Wolverine stories to last the rest of the year both in stores and in the pipeline. While not a total loss, there really is no reason for the Ain’t No Dog tale to even exist. As for the other major complaint, the book feels incomplete because it fails to include a story for X-23, the third and, in many ways, most interesting character of the current X-Force team. Instead of something about X-23, we get another Wolverine story and, to be honest, that just rubbed me the wrong way. With those things said, however, taken as stand alone stories, you could do worse than what’s offered in this book.

Ain’t No Dog is about a Cyclops directed mission for Wolverine to retrieve a computer chip that is implanted inside a person of interest. Needless to say, the “all too easy” capture of the person is a trap and Wolverine must kill a lot of people before figuring out a way to get the computer chip. A simple, brutal story that, as I said, is quite unnecessary. Unlike something like Kick-Ass, which uses violence as a means to tell a story, the insane amount of violence here seems forced. This is shocking violence just to have some red on the page because it sells books and goes well with the X-Force style of violence.

Charlie Houston does a decent enough job setting up and executing the story, even making an interesting point about the phrase “ain’t no dog,” but there is nothing that makes it memorable or unique. As for the art, Jefte Palo draws some ugly, gritty characters (his Cyclops reminded me of Steve Buscemi) and then turns the violence up to eleven. At times there is some well done, though unnecessary, gore and Lee Loughridge does some great work with the bright red blood and dark shadows presented on nearly every page, but taken as a whole, the art is pretty mediocre.

Hunters and Killers is definitely the better of the two stories, though it is predictable and brings little to the character of Warpath that readers of the X-Force series wouldn’t already know. In a nutshell, Hunters and Killers is a tale about Warpath contemplating the difference between a hunter and a killer in relation to his Indian heritage while he goes about stalking a bear. As with his recent treatment of Wolverine during the Get Mystique arc, Jason Aaron does a nice job bringing some depth to Warpath through the inner monologue that drives the story. He brings a philosophic touch to the concept of what a hunt is and what results. It is pretty compelling stuff, even if the ending of the tale can be seen from a mile away. As for the art, the team does a nice job staging the hunt, though there really wasn’t anything memorable about the presentation. This is a more intimate tale and the art reflects that well.

Overall, I can’t help but feel that this X-Force special will only satisfy certain types of people. Wolverine and Warpath fans will get a decent enough fix and those looking for some comic book carnage will find themselves satisfied with the mass bloodletting in the Wolverine story, but all the rest can easily skip this book. There is nothing in this book that adds to the current X-Force storyline, the art isn’t strong enough to elevate the basic tales, and there is no X-23. If you haven’t noticed, I was looking for a lot more than I got. (Grade C-)

-Kyle Posluszny