Indestructible Hulk #19 – Review

by Mark Waid (Writer) Jheremy Raapack, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, Andrew Hennessy (Artists), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: Bruce tries to find out just what happened to Jessup as an evil organisation plans for nefarious deeds related to inhumans.

The Review: Some writers are known to surprise readers. It can be an especially nice thing to know that someone is able to circumvent expectations, allowing for twists and turns to be shown at random. To not be able to see where the title could be headed is a blessing for fans, with a untold possibilities being presented in each issues.

However, not all such writers can achieve good results with said approach at all times. For all the praise Mark Waid has received for work such as Kingdom Come, Daredevil and Superman: Birthright, there are some things he did that don’t exactly warrant the same kind of commendation. Unfortunately, his Indestructible Hulk run, for the most part, simply hasn’t been the best of showcase when it comes to the man and his talent, with this issue being a good example.

It’s not that it’s bad, far from it. There are multiple qualities that are quite visible, making the book not a terrible read, but a bit of an unfulfilling one. For one, the characterization of Bruce Banner is not only sound, but also interesting. The use of narration to provide an outlet for his inner thoughts and his more analytical tendencies prove to be a rather apt method to present characterization and contextualization without slowing things down. His rage, his attempts at calming down and his interactions with others prove to be rather amusing, with Waid pushing forth his version of the character in ways that feel natural to the story he’s telling here.

Red She-Hulk #66 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (Writer), Carlo Pagulayan, Patrick Olliffe, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose (Artists), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: Betty should really know better than to try to harm Man-Thing. Seriously, the dude pretty much is the protector of various other realities.

The Review: This seems to be some kind of habit at some point. As awesome a writer as he is, capable of bringing enough care and development to characters that would never receive any, it seems he’s always the unlucky one that never has enough readership to maintain a book for a proper period of time.

Case in point, Red She-Hulk, who will see its last issue next month, has to make a point for the long-term storyline that had been running since the title and protagonist switch that happened when Betty Ross took a hold of the book. Despite the care he tried to give to this book, it seems that this book never really took off in a way that made it connect to a larger audience. Is it perhaps the lack of marketing, or maybe the sad fact that most female-lead books aren’t as hot sellers as other books in the superhero industry?

Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #24 – Review

By: Sam Humphries (Writer), Joe Bennett (Penciler), Ruy José (Inker), Matt Milla (Colorist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

Review: I’ve taken a l’il sabbatical from my Ultimate Comics Ultimates review duties of late. Partially this is the fault of Bioshock Infinite and Injustice: Gods Among Us – both of which give Heroin and Marshmallow Fluff a run for their money in the addiction stakes – and also because I thought it best to give Sam Humphries a break. Most of his issues I’ve…well, ‘savaged’ is a strong word. I’ve ‘lightly rebuked’ them? Yeah, that sounds better. However I honey-coat it though, here’s the main gist; this has not been a good run. At its best Humphries’ Ultimates has read like a parody comic flirting dangerously near Robot Chicken territory while at its worst it’s been one of the most depressing uses of a Marvel licence since *dry-heaves for a few minutes* that Hasselhoff Nick Fury film *vomits all over his keyboard*.

Ultimate Comics Ultimates #22 – Review

By: Sam Humphries (Writer), Joe Bennett (Penciler), Ruy José (Inker), Matt Milla (Colorist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

Review: I have trouble sleeping some nights. It’s this recurring dream I have: every comic writer I’ve ever trashed in print lines up and takes turns kicking me right in the nuts. On and on it goes. Brian Wood’s been getting a few jabs in there lately. Joe Keatinge nearly took ‘em clean off the other week. But even in the grip of deep sleep my body physically convulses when Ultimates writer Sam Humphries steps up to the plate; by Christ, that man must be able to power a Pedalo at an impressive rate of knots with those well-developed calves. And that’s not even the half of it. I always know that at the back of the queue stands Jeph Loeb, a &$@!-eating grin on his face and steel-toed,  rocket-powered boots on his feet. Bring it on Loeb, I’ve had worse; I read Ultimatum…twice.

Deathstroke #1 – Review

Written by Kyle Higgins, Pencils by Joe Bennett, inks by Art Thibert, colors by Jason Wright

The Story: A dude with Wolverine’s candor and Deadpool’s skill kills a lot of people.

What’s Good: Is it wrong to say that out of all the New 52 I’ve read so far, this is the one I’ve had the most fun reading? Death Stroke…he’s not one of the good guys. He’s not even an antihero. At least, not yet. He’s not like Deadpool, doing the mercenary thing but also willing to be the hero when he needs to be. He’s just a mercenary out for blood. No law. No code of conduct. (No way did I just accidentally quote X-Men Origins: Wolverine). The issue starts by showing you exactly the kind of guy Mr. Wilson (really?) is. He’s–in his associate’s words–“a major damn badass.” To prove this, he rips the door off of a cargo jet going 300 miles per hour, twenty thousand feet in the air. Also, by the double page spread very early on, you know that if he were singing a duet with Julie Andrews, he might count decapitating Russians as one of his favorite things. Higgins sells Deathstroke with the kind of ease that makes it clear that the writer had a damn good time with this character. The twists are well placed, and the action is incredible. Of course, that’s also thanks to Bennett’s pencils–who seems to love the character as much as Higgins. He really has Deathstroke do some pretty insane stuff. Both the artist and the writer are on the same page–they are not looking to tell a story about a Merc with a Heart. This guy is brutal, all the way down to Wright’s color scheme, they’re out for blood. And I think it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #2 – Review

By: Jimmy Palmiotti (writer), Joe Bennett & Tony Shasteen (artists), Rich & Tanya Horie (colorists)

The Story: One can never tell what lies under the sea…mayhap a dude in a fish mask and high-collar cape.

The Review: Here’s the thing about pirates: expect a lot of hacking and slashing, but don’t expect much in the way of what can be called depth.  Aside from a fickle fealty to their captain and volatile camaraderie with their crewmates, the majority of these ship-dwellers usually never grow as individuals or in their relationships.  It’s one of the hazards of being a genre character.

On the plus side, there’s never a dull moment in a pirate’s life, especially if the pirate in question is Deathstroke and he’s just wandered into Atlantean waters.  We get a grand showing from Aquaman and Ocean Master, who haven’t come off this competent in ages.  If you ever made fun of Aquaman’s League membership, now would be a good time to reconsider that position, since he and his bro pretty much wreck the Ravager’s crew without breaking a sweat.

Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #1 – Review

By: Jimmy Palmiotti (writer), Joe Bennett (artist), John Dell (inker), Rich & Tanya Horie (colorists)

The Story: Yargh, ‘tis Deathstroke, most fearsome pirate of the however many seas!

The Review: We can all admit we’ve at one time or another fallen for something where the concept is so intriguing, it gets us halfway in before we can step back and think how the execution will actually turn out.  And nothing takes in comics readers faster than putting our favorite characters into the guises of other geeky genres: cowboys, ninjas, and of course, pirates.  Who knows why?  It just does.  Of course, some characters take to these roles better than others.

Fortunately, Deathstroke, being a coldblooded, mercenary killer to begin with makes a perfect fit for the whole pirate deal, and that’s before you get to his eye-patch, beard, and perfectly white follicles.  Slap him with a sturdy ship, roguish crew (with a few metahumans peppered in), and a dashing bandanna-cap, and he’s golden.  Certainly Palmiotti pulls off the idea with much more gusto than Morrison does with Batman in the disappointing Return of Bruce Wayne #3.

The pleasures of reading pirate-Deathstroke are simple, but satisfying: it’s just fun to watch him land someplace, cause some havoc, punk a few things in the chaos, and then take off.  Of course, his swordplay duel with the Warlord aboard the good ship Skartaris offers some classic pirate antics, but his raid on the isle of Saint Helena and its metahuman prison is no less action-packed (love how his grappling hook winds up clawing into one of the guards as it grabs the wall).