First Impressions 9/29/10

First Impressions 9/29/10

The Terminator: 1984 #1

By Zack Whedon & Andy Macdonald
Price: $3.50

Brief Thoughts: Let’s get your question out of the way right now, why don’t we?  If you’re a Terminator fan, especially a fan of the first film (and who isn’t?) then you should pick this up.  Whedon’s script is a strong one, weaving in and out, before and after, the original film’s events in a way that never feels forced or like bullshit.  He even manages to fill in some blanks, bringing in several elements in reaction to the events surrounding Kyle Reese’s and Sarah Connor’s battle against the Terminator that make a lot of sense.  Macdonald wouldn’t have been my first choice of penciller for this type of comic, but I’d have been wrong, because he pulls it all off here.  Even his recreations of some of the key scenes of the first movie evoked just the right amount of nostalgia.  Apparently, this miniseries is a sequel to an earlier one by the same creative team.  I am, without a doubt, going to be picking that one up based on the strength of this one.  Great job all around.

Verdict: Give it a shot.

Valkyrie #1

By Brian J. L. Glass & Phil Winslade
Price: $3.99

Brief Thoughts: Well, that happened.  Glass and Winslade’s tale of how Valkyrie returned to life after dying during Thor’s part in the whole Avengers Disassembled event not only seems to be told much too late, but it’s not told in a particularly riveting manner either.  I’m no expert in the character’s history (and this issue didn’t really clear it up for me, either, despite trying), but couldn’t they have come up with a villain a little more imposing than Piledriver of the Wrecking Crew?  I mean, the Wrecking Crew are Marvel’s baddies that get pulled out whenever we need to see our heroes beat the crap out of someone, and that’s when they’re together!  This is just one of them.  Way to rob this story of any suspense whatsoever.  It is nice to see Winslade on art duties, though, as he’s been out of the spotlight for some time to my knowledge.  All told, this one-shot would have fallen flat even were it published when it would have been actually relevant.  Now?  Well, it’s forgettable at best.

Verdict: Save your dough.

Machete #0

By Rodriguez, Kaufman & Stuart Sayger
Price: $3.99

Brief Thoughts: Well, there is some fun to be had with this comic that features the star of the film out in theaters currently.  It’s the sort of fun you’d get out of a mid-90’s Image comic book, though, so it might not be for everyone.  There’s a lot of blood and dark, scratchy artwork as we follow Mexican police officer Daniel Lopez as he deals with his lazy, crooked partner and some drug runners who have been kidnapping and murdering young women.  I found myself wondering why Lopez, a.k.a. Machete, cared so much about doing his job, besides the fact that he’s a badass cop, which hurt my enjoyment a bit here.  I know that this is a send-up of Grindhouse films, but that unfortunately doesn’t really translate well in comic form.  As a result all we’re seemingly left with is another violent, one-dimensional comic book.

Verdict: Save your dough.