Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu #1 – Review

By: Mike Benson (Writer), Tan Eng Huat (Penciller), Craig Yeung (Inker), Jesus Aburtov (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Sabino (Letterer), Dave Johnson (Cover Artist)

The Story:
When someone kills your partner, you gotta do something about it. Even if you’re a pacifist.

The Review:
You won’t have to skip to the end to understand my grade for this issue. It stands for Disappointed.

I am in the habit of never looking at preview pages for a book I’m looking forward to, and I was looking forward to Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu. Unfortunately, this comic makes me second guess that practice, as I could have found out ahead of time the significant flaws of this comic, which show up even within the first four pages. In these pages, Leiko Wu, a skilled martial arts hero with nearly a hundred comic appearances (based on the Marvel Chronology Project) has a four-page fight sequence until she is literally ripped in half by the villain Razorfist. That’s a problem for another paragraph, because I first must address the ineffective artwork on display.

The characters are often out of proportion and inconsistent with their environment, and sometimes even with the other characters they are meaning to interact with. The first three panels on the first page show problems of basic perspective, and the third panel with the dramatic villains suddenly takes place in an entirely different space than the second, with figures that are not to scale nor placed properly. In a martial arts comic, where fighting stances/forms and choreography are key elements, these are significant problems indeed.

And these problems continue throughout the book. Shang-Chi, our title’s hero, does get into a fight in, of all the exotic locations, a nondescript alleyway, but again the fight is quite simple, at best, with maybe one cool move that somehow connects two people several feet away with both of his feet. Okay, I’ll give him two if we count the catching of a knife midair.

I’m not sure if the credit belongs with the writer or the penciller. Huat’s work here feels unpolished, because of the problems I’ve mentioned before as well as some fairly basic choices for panel layouts and expressions, in conjunction with some spotty anatomy. I can justify a lot of this if it’s a deliberate artistic choice of style (and/or a lack of experience) but the worst offense is in simply not being able to capture the title hero in any conceivable likeness. Bluntly, the main character cannot even appear to be Chinese, in facial features or in hair color (which switches to brown halfway through.) The pencils are not helped by the inks, which lend a scratchy quality brings more confusion than clarity, no sense of line weight, or depth of field. Nor is the colors particularly helpful either. Every surface is given texture and multiple shadows, adding to a lot of visual confusion.

Deadpool Team-Up #898 – Review

By Mike Benson (Writer), Carlo Barberi (Pencils), Juan Vlasco (Inks), and Marte Gracia (Colors)

The Story: Deadpool and the Luchadore wrestling-masked bounty hunting Zapata Brothers team-up to cash in on a bounty the brothers got screwed over on and Deadpool got whacked with a shovel for.

What’s Good: Did you enjoy what Mike Benson and the rest of the creative team did with the Deadpool: Suicide Kings mini-series? If you did, chances are you will find quite a bit to like about Benson’s Deadpool Team-Up story. While Benson focuses more on the Zapata Brothers than Deadpool, his script succeeds because there is a nice balance between highlighting the shady figures that use bounty hunters and the odd, funny lead characters he writes about. Is Benson’s story perfect or even special in any way? Not really. But that doesn’t mean that Deadpool Team-Up #898 isn’t an entertaining comic worth checking out if you are a Wade Wilson fan.

The highlight of the second issue of Deadpool Team-Up is the dialogue. What makes it stick out is that Benson does an impressive job of capturing a “realistic” dialogue flow. The conversations have a natural feel to them in regards to the back and forth between the colorful characters. In addition, Benson has quite a knack for writing shady characters. The writer is clearly comfortable handling the seedier side of Deadpool’s world. Now that’s not to say Benson’s script is all serious business or anything, but the fact that Benson gives Deadpool Team-Up a somewhat dark edge is a positive.

The artwork by Carlo Barberi is flawed, but as a whole the visuals tell Benson’s story well enough. One thing worth noting about it though is what a great team Juan Vlasco and Marte Gracia make. Their work on the Daniel Way Deadpool series is always consistently impressive and that carries over into Mike Benson’s Deadpool Team-Up book. Vlasco’s distinct, yet complimentary inking helps Garcia’s vibrant colors really pop off the page. In that sense, the latest Team-Up is a slick looking book.

What’s Not So Good: The biggest problem with Deadpool Team-Up #898 is that it follows the impressive Fred Van Lente installment of the new series that came out a few weeks back. Van Lente’s issue of Team-Up is smarter and more satisfying all around than Benson’s in almost every way. That said, Benson hits the important notes and I’m sure that some portion of Team-Up’s audience will prefer the second issue of the series over the first.

If you read my Suicide Kings reviews, then you probably know what I’m about to say regarding Carlo Barberi’s artwork. While it certainly works and is solid enough all around, only a few panels stand out as impressive. The problem is that some of the action is stiff/ awkward and body proportions are all out of whack from time to time.

Conclusion: Deadpool: Team-Up #898 doesn’t stand up all that well compared to the series debut. It’s still entertaining and worth a look though, especially if you liked the tone and style of Deadpool: Suicide Kings.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Deadpool #900 – Review

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Deadpool stories by some of my favorite writers?! Needless to say, I have some pretty high expectations for Deadpool #900.

“Close Encounters of the F*cked-up Kind”

By Jason Aaron (Writer), Chris Staggs (Pencils), Juan Vlasco (Inks), and Marte Gracia (Colors)

The Story: Aliens abduct Deadpool. You probably know what happens next.

The Good And The Bad: “Close Encounters of the F*cked-up Kind” is a basic, predictable “aliens abduct someone they can’t handle” story. Regardless though, it still manages to be pretty fun. Chris Staggs’s pencil work, while a bit rough, is mostly impressive and compares favorably to Paco Medina’s work on the ongoing series. Jason Aaron’s dialogue is humorously immature at times, but it works well enough and fits the story.

Grade: C+

“Silent but Deadly”

By Fred Van Lente (Writer) and Dalibor Talajic (Artist)

The Story: Deadpool fights a trio of mimes.

The Good And The Bad: While there isn’t a whole lot of dialogue, Fred Van Lente’s story about mimes that have the power to make their miming actions a reality is one of the best things about Deadpool #900. Artist Dalibor Talajic does almost all of the hard work and definitely does Van Lente’s script justice. Talajic’s art tells the story extremely well, though a few panels are a bit hard to follow because of how the powers being used work. A sword fight without swords cannot be an easy thing to draw, so I give all the credit in the world to Talajic for making the scene work far better than it has any right to.

Grade: B

“Shrunken Master”

By Mike Benson (Writer), Damion Scott (Artist), and Lee Loughridge (Colors)

The Story: Deadpool sees a shrink in order to work through some issues.

The Good And The Bad: Mike Benson’s Deadpool story is definitely the oddest one of the bunch. It’s dark, surprisingly serious, a bit psychological, and somewhere between gritty and surreal (not to mention very “indie”) visually. Personally, I think it’s compelling and very well executed. That said, there’s no question it seems a bit out of place among the lighter stuff in Deadpool #900. One thing’s for sure though: Damion Scott and Lee Loughridge make a great team.

Grade: B+

“Pinky Swear”

By Joe Kelly (Writer) and Rob Liefeld (Artist)

The Story: Deadpool looks to cash in on a bet.

The Good And The Bad: I’m not going to bother with the debate about Rob Liefeld’s art style. Why? Because his work for “Pinky Swear” sure as hell isn’t going to change any minds. As for the story, Joe Kelly does a nice job of delaying the whole point of the story for comedic effect. Had the story been even a page longer though, I probably would have lost my patience with the whole thing. Kelly’s dialogue is funny, but the story drags on for longer than it should.

Grade: C

“What Happens in Vegas…”

By Duane Swierczynski (Writer), Shawn Crystal (Artist), and Lee Loughridge (Colors)

The Story: A crime scene investigation… Deadpool style.

The Good And The Bad: In order to get the most out of Duane Swierczynski’s Deadpool story, you have to have some familiarity with the whole crime scene T.V. show fad. If you do, you’ll probably find Swierczynski’s script to be pretty damned funny. Stereotypical investigators, talk of sex crimes, a bloody crime scene…it’s all there. It wouldn’t work nearly as well if Shawn Crystal’s artwork didn’t capture the vibe of Swierczynski’s script, but, thankfully, it does in every way.

Grade: C+

“Great Balls of Thunder on the Deep Blue Sea”

By Victor Gischler (Writer), Sanford Greene (Pencils), Nathan Massengill (Inks), and Dave McCaig (Colors)

The Story: Deadpool goes on a cruise and disrupts Dr. Octopus.

The Good And The Bad: While the bright and colorful artwork by Sanford Green and his team is a bit jarring, it’s certainly not bad in any way. It gets the job done and helps make “Great Balls of Thunder on the Deep Blue Sea” one of the more enjoyable reads in Deadpool #900. Victor Gischler’s script is nothing special, but it definitely makes good use of the Doc’s arms.

Grade: C+

“One Down”

By Charlie Houston (Writer) and Kyle Baker (Artist)

The Story: A “meta” Deadpool story in which the character wonders about his life.

The Good And The Bad: “One Down” is a pretty trippy story all around. From Kyle Baker’s bizarre visuals (Deadpool Vs. a pirate Fin Fang Foom anyone?) to Charlie Houston’s “meta” script, nearly everything about “One Down” is strange. It works, but the story certainly isn’t for everyone.

Grade: B-

“Deadpool & Widdle Wade: Turning Japanese”

By James Felder (Writer), Pete Woods (Pencils), Walden Wong (Inks), and Shannon Blanchard (Colors)

The Story: A reprint of an older Deadpool story, “Deadpool & Widdle Wade” is the largest story in Deadpool #900. It’s about Deadpool dealing with a Japanese mobsters Deadpool clone.

The Good And The Bad: I’m a bit torn about “Deadpool & Widdle Wade.” On one hand, it’s creatively decent and pretty fun all around. On the other, it’s a reprint that’s taking up space that could have been used on other new Deadpool stories.

Grade: C

Conclusion: Deadpool #900 is a great value, but none of the stories in the book fall under the “must read” category. Pick it up if you are a fan of the character.

Overall Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Black & White One Shot – Review

By Jonathan Hickman (writer), Kody Chamberlin (artist), Mike Benson (writer), Tomm Coker & C.P. Smith (artists), Charlie Huston (writer), Enrique Romero (artist), Robin Furth (writer), Paul Gulacy (artist)

The Story: The good ol’ days of Marvel’s mighty, black and white grindhouse megazines are given a loving homage in this anthology starring the Master of Kung-Fu.

The Good: Being a shameless fan of grindhouse, kung-fu, and nostalgia, I found it hard not to enjoy this comic.  The design of everything from the expertly lettered cover, black and white pages, and hilarious faux advertisement on the back cover were all wonderful choices that really gave this the look and feel of those oversized magazines Marvel used to publish in the 70s. It’s also very refreshing to come across a comic that is so shamelessly committed to having a good time. Of the four stories comprising this retro-themed anthology, Hickman’s story “The Annual Race to Benefit Various And Sundry Evil Organizations And Also The Homeless. Now With Beer And Hot Dogs” (and yes, I swear to God that is the name of the story) is by far the most ridiculously entertaining one.  Granted, Shang-Chi plays second fiddle to none other than Deadpool, but what the hell, when Hickman includes a fully functional gameboard within his plot I’m willing to overlook paltry details like the absence of the main freaking character.  The other stories here were much more conventional, but every bit as satisfying.  Of those, I thought the story by Huston and Romero best captured the look and feel of the old Gulacy Shang-Chi stories, and the prose story by Furth and Gulacy was an unexpected delight.  This was a vastly different book than anything Marvel’s currently doing, and I was very pleased with the finished product.

The Not So Good: Although I quite enjoyed the retro design of this book, I can’t say that it’s going to appeal to everyone.  This comic utterly lacks the melodrama, spandex, and face-punching antics of the typical superhero comic, and that alone is bound to drive away tons of readers.  Benson’s story was an admirable effort, but didn’t quite resonate with me in the way I wanted it to.  The use of Chinese(?) characters in the dialogue balloons become quickly tiresome, and for me anyway didn’t add anything to the overall reading experience.  However, that being said, if Marvel should ever choose to do more Shang-Chi stories, I hope they’ll bring Tomm Coker on board, as his gritty, Sienkiewicz-styled art perfectly complimented this kind of story.

Conclusion: I was honestly surprised with how much I liked this book, and would love to see Marvel use this format more often to dust off some of their forgotten heroes.  Can’t go wrong with 48 pages of kung-fu goodness.

Grade:  B

-Tony Rakittke

Deadpool: Suicide Kings #5 – Review

By Mike Benson & Adam Glass (Writers), Carlo Barberi (Pencils), Sandu Florea (Inks), and Marte Gracia (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Suicide Kings is a fun Deadpool team-up story. It’s a bit mindless and rather unnecessary, but at least it’s entertaining.

The Story: Deadpool and Spider-Man take on the Wrecking Crew before going after Tombstone.

What’s Good & What’s Not So Good: The problem I face when reviewing every issue of a mini-series is that I end up saying the same things over and over. With that in mind, please excuse me if what I say sounds a bit familiar. Onto the review… Deadpool: Suicide Kings #5 effectively brings a rather pointless Deadpool story to a close. It’s rather funny (I can’t believe Marvel let a “shot in the eye” joke into the book – by Spidey no less!) and filled with enough action to satisfy ‘pool fans, but the faults that have been there since the first issue are still present. Also, as I’ve come to expect, every positive thing is weighed down by something negative.

Mike Benson and Adam Glass employ the “see what sticks” approach to humor that Daniel Way uses, but it’s not as effective in Suicide Kings as it is in the ongoing Deadpool series. While a good portion of the humor hits solid enough, you can’t help but feel that Benson and Glass are trying just a bit too hard throughout most of the script. On the art side of things, Carlo Barberi and his team once again do solid, but frustrating, work. The notable negatives: the action can be hard to follow, character proportions are all over the place (Spidey’s head changes size on a few occasions), and ultimately, Barberi’s pencils make me think of what Paco Medina’s work would look like if it was a lot less polished. The notable positives: the color work is nice, the gore is surprisingly brutal, and the facial expressions give the book a lot of personality.

Conclusion: Deadpool: Suicide Kings #5 delivers pretty much what I’ve come to expect from the mini-series. That’s good in some cases and bad in others.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Deadpool: Suicide Kings #4 – Review

By Mike Benson & Adam Glass (Writers), Carlo Barberi (Pencils), Sandu Florea (Inks), and Marte Gracia (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Deadpool: Suicide Kings is a fun, tasteless, gratuitous romp through the seedier side of the Marvel Universe. It isn’t high art or anything, but it’s entertaining.

The Story: Deadpool (obviously) recovers from a bullet to the head and finds himself teamed up with Daredevil and Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Tombstone asks The Hood for some help and Punisher finds out that he didn’t quite make a kill-shot.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: One thing you need to know is that I laughed out loud at the very first page of Deadpool: Suicide Kings #4. So, needless to say, Mike Benson, Adam Glass, and Carlo Barberi start things off on the right foot. The rest of the book is pretty good as well. I like that The Hood is brought into the storyline, especially because, on his own, Tombstone just doesn’t seem all that threatening to a guy like Deadpool. In addition, I think all the guest appearances help to keep Deadpool from being his own worst enemy. Too much ‘pool is a bad thing sometimes and the balance that comes from Spidey and the others really help to keep the Merc with a Mouth in check.

Mike Benson and Adam Glass are clearly having fun writing Deadpool. The characters’ interactions with Punisher, Daredevil, and, in particular, Spider-Man are genuinely funny and go a long way towards elevating a storyline that’s– let’s face it, pretty generic and predictable. In addition, Benson and Glass seem to pace the storytelling much better in Suicide Kings #4 than they have in any of the other issues of the mini-series. Everything just seems to move forward at a pace that feels much better than it has in the past.

Carlo Barberi once again puts in some nice work for Suicide Kings. He handles the extremely violent action scenes well and his character work is lively and expressive. His storytelling, however, leaves something to be desired. While it gets the job done, a few scenes are awkward or look really rushed. The flaws are unfortunate because when Barberi gets it all right, his work is perfect for a book like Suicide Kings.

Conclusion: Flawed but a lot of fun, Deadpool: Suicide Kings #4 is worth picking up if you’re sick of all the “serious” Marvel stuff.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Deadpool: Suicide Kings #3

By Mike Benson & Adam Glass (Writers), Carlo Barberi (Pencils), Sandu Florea (Inks), and Marte Gracia (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: So far, Suicide Kings has been generic, dumb, immature, and gratuitous (in terms of both violence and sexuality). That said, it’s also been funny, enjoyably crazy, and sure of its target audience.

The Story: Thanks to some mad videogame skills, Deadpool is able to find out information regarding who exactly placed the ad in Black Ops Magazine. Daredevil and Deadpool plan to investigate, but first they must deal with the misinformed Punisher…

What’s Good: My guess is that, by now you’ve already formed some sort of opinion about the Suicide Kings mini-series. Chapter three isn’t going to change any minds. The nonstop humor hits more than it misses, the colorful, lively (surprisingly violent) artwork is a nice fit, and the storyline proves a decent enough excuse to throw a number of Marvel characters into Deadpool’s twisted world.

What’s Not So Good: Interestingly enough, each negative I need to mention is directly related to a positive. Very noticeably so. While the humor often hits, Deadpool is so chatty throughout the book that it borders on annoying (I feel for the characters of the Marvel U. now). The solid artwork occasionally looks either completely awkward or oddly static (though Daredevil’s one fight offers the best (worst?!) of both worlds).  And the storyline?  Though completely acceptable, it is utterly forgettable.

Conclusion: In ways both good and bad, Deadpool: Suicide Kings #3 pretty much maintains the status quo for the mini-series. As a result, there isn’t a whole lot I need to say about it. The series isn’t getting any better, but, thankfully, it also isn’t getting significantly worse…

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny

Deadpool: Suicide Kings #2

By Mike Benson (Writer), Carlo Barberi (Pencils), Sandu Florea (Inks), and Marte Gracia (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I gave the first issue of Suicide Kings a “C-” grade. While not all bad; with the standard setup, inconsistent artwork, and generic plot not exactly winning me over… I wonder if the second chapter of Mike Benson’s mini-series manage to?

The Story: Now a (framed) wanted terrorist, Deadpool finds himself running out of options as he’s targeted by the Punisher. Meanwhile, Tombstone decides to have a little fun threatening Conrad.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Simply put, Deadpool: Suicide Kings #2 is meant for a specific audience. While it’s somewhat dark, fairly edgy, and pushes the boundaries of what a non-MAX Marvel title can do, the second chapter of Suicide Kings also comes across as desperate to be those things. And as such, it’s a prime example of immature maturity at it’s finest. The violence and gore is excessively over-the-top. The sexuality is both juvenile and at times, gratuitous. As for the darker aspects? They fall prey to some comic book silliness.

Both the writing and artwork are at fault, but in truth, I really don’t mind a whole lot. Despite the faults mentioned above, some occasionally sloppy visual storytelling, and an odd take on the Punisher, I found the book to be quite a bit of fun. It’s silly, it’s gratuitous, and yeah, it’s pretty juvenile. But it also looks nice, has some entertaining action, and carries a “so what if I am” type of charm that just works for some weird reason.

Conclusion: It’s tough to grade a book like Deadpool: Suicide Kings #2. There’s a lot that’s wrong with it, but there’s also something about it that’s quite right if you are up for the type of crazy that it offers. I think it deserves a…

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Deadpool: Suicide Kings #1

By Mike Benson (Writer), Carlo Barberi (Pencils), Sandu Florea (Inks), and Marte Gracia (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve made no secret about how much I like Deadpool. In fact, I’ll pick up pretty much anything the character is in. To me, more Deadpool is a good thing (unless, of course, he gets in the way of the story or is written as though the person writing him is trying too hard…I’m looking at you Duane Swierczynski). So, needless to say, buying Suicide Kings was pretty much a no-brainer for me. Especially since I found Mike Benson’s first crack at Deadpool, the Games of Death one-shot, to be a pretty entertaining read.

The Story: Deadpool, as usual, takes a job thinking he is going to get paid the big bucks. As it turns out, his employer isn’t exactly being all that honest with him. Soon Deadpool finds his face all over the news for performing an act of terrorism.

What’s Good: Mike Benson does a better job of handling Deadpool in the first issue of Suicide Kings than he did in Games of Death. It goes a long way toward making the book an enjoyable read despite the extremely standard set up and the fairly standard execution. Also good about Suicide Kings is a good portion of the artwork. It manages to successfully straddle the line between silly and serious that suits the Merc with a Mouth extremely well.

What’s Not So Good: Well…you read the plot summary above (I hope). Fact is, if you’ve read a Deadpool story before, nothing about the storyline is going to surprise, shock, or even feel remotely original. Sure it is delivered decently enough, but I feel like I already know how the entire mini-series is going to play out. Another negative about the book is that from time to time the artwork makes the characters look very poorly proportioned and quite inconsistent.

Conclusion: Suicide Kings is the start to a serviceable Deadpool story, but don’t go into it expecting anything new. Enjoy it if you are a fan, but it’s far from an essential read.

Grade:  C-

-Kyle Posluszny

Moon Knight #25 – Review

By Mike Benson (Writer), Mark Texeira (Art), Javier Saltares (Layouts), and Dan Brown (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Probably the best thing that I can say about “The Death of Marc Spector” is that it has turned from being a story I was reading to get a Thunderbolts fix into something I have been more than happy to pick up. As only a casual fan of the character, the latest Moon Knight arc has done a nice job drawing me into his gritty world and interesting relationships. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up sticking around even after I finish reading about Marc Spector’s “death.”

The Story: It’s Bullseye Vs. Moon Knight in a brutal game of cat and mouse as “The Death of Marc Spector” concludes. I don’t want to spoil the fun, so that’s about as much plot detail as you are going to get from me; understandable I hope, considering the nature of the arc.

What’s Good: As far as comic book deaths go, the situation surrounding Marc Spector is surprisingly satisfying. The action-packed fight between Moon Knight and Bullseye that takes up the majority of the issue is one of the better one on one battles in recent memory and the conclusion, thankfully, has some finality to it. In short, Moon Knight #25 delivers quite well considering the story it tells.

What’s Not So Good: While I think Mark Texeira’s art style fits the tone and nature of Moon Knight extremely well, sometimes the overly rough pencils are a distraction. Couple that with a few panels where body proportions seem out of whack and you have a book that is stylish, but, ultimately, pretty uneven. Another thing that is uneven is Mike Benson’s handling of Bullseye. The trash talk from Bullseye is a blast to read for the most part, but every so often it garners a roll of the eyes for being either a bit too much or downright hokey.

Conclusion: While a few of the technical aspects keep the latest issue of Moon Knight from a higher score, I definitely enjoyed my time with it.

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny

Moon Knight #24 – Review

By Mike Benson (story) Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira (art) Arthur Suydam (cover) Dan Brown (colour art)

The Story: Part four of “The Death of Mark Spector” continues with the Thunderbolts and S.H.I.E.L.D, both trying to bring in Moon Knight. When Moon Knight faces off against the Thunderbolts, he manages to escape once again as the S.h.i.e.l.d agents interfere in the scrap. Later when he discovers that the Thunderbolts have failed again, Norman Osborn releases Bullseye to bring him in.

What’s Good: This has been a pretty solid story overall. I’ve enjoyed reading the Thunderbolts since Warren Ellis resurrected the team, so this story became a must read for me. It will be interesting to see Bullseye and Moon Knight try to out-crazy each other in the conclusion next month.

What’s not so good: First off I have to mention the cover by Arthur Suydam, it’s a real disappointment that comes off as just a blobby mess with no definition, a real shame considering what he’s capable of. I also need to point out the poor colouring job on this title by Dan Brown, it comes across as pretty lifeless and drab, letting this book down in a big way.

Conclusion: Overall this story line has been pretty darn good and it’s going to be interesting to see where Moon Knight ends up when it concludes. Although, considering it’s title is that already a forgone conclusion? Moon Knight has always been a ‘C’ list hero at best, but with the news that artist, Jefte Paulo is joining the title, fresh from his incredible story line in Black Panther, Moon Knight could just be the comic to watch in the coming months.

Grade: B

-Conrad Flanigan

Wolverine: Chop Shop #1 – Review

By Mike Benson (writer), Roland Boschi (pencils), Dan Brown (colors), Jeff Eckleberry (letters), Tomer Hanuka (cover)

The Story: After an evening of drinking, Logan gets picked up by a beautiful woman who takes him back to her place. After the festivities conclude, Wolverine wakes up hung-over and short a few organs. Realizing he was harvested for parts, Logan sets out for his revenge.

What’s Good: Even though this story is weak, Wolverine’s dialogue is written pretty well. Benson surprisingly finds a way to make the X-man shine through his narration.

What’s Not So Good: I know this is a one-shot, so it’s not supposed to fit in any particular continuity, but this is a bit too unconnected for me. Wolverine getting picked up, and hacked for organs is whatever, but seriously how can anyone not know who this guy is? He’s been involved in every global event for the last like, 40 years. It just asks too much of the reader. To make things worse, the organ-stealers are regular guys which kills the drama. Had it been a super-villain, some anti-mutant group, or someone trying to study his healing factor, sure I can buy that. All of which make more sense than a random hookup gone wrong. The backgrounds are another source of frustration. Half of them are dull, the others are just splashes of color to accentuate Wolverine’s rage. That’s something we should get from the words.

Conclusion: Logan’s narration and some decent art aren’t enough to save this bland story. This is a perfect argument for Wolverine’s over-saturation in comics. Just because an idea with him comes up doesn’t mean it needs to be published, Marvel! And clearly it doesn’t guarantee that it’ll be good. Save your cash folks.

Grade D-

– Ben Berger

Moon Knight #20 – Review

By Mike Benson (Writer), Mike Deodato Jr. (Artist), and Rain Beredo (Colorist)

This book is actually good. I certainly didn’t expect it to be. Let’s face it, Moon Knight is a B-lister. He’s always been a rip-off of Batman, and he always will be, except when he’s ripping off Daredevil. And he’s always been a bit of a disappointment. Even at their best, Moon Knight stories only disguise mediocre plots with beautiful art by Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Finch, or in this case, Mike Deodato. (And make no mistake, the art here is great.)

The story this time is sort of a return to Moon Knight’s roots, squaring him up against the Werewolf by Night. Jack Russell (yes, that’s the Werewolf’s real name…yes, like the terrier…) has been kidnapped by some shady characters who keep taking samples of his blood. Without giving too much away, a serum is created from his blood that has something to do with mutilated corpses found around the city, as well as a form of entertainment that takes the concept of “Ultimate Fighting” to a whole new level. Naturally, it’s up to Moon Knight to figure out what’s going on before more people are killed, and wouldn’t you know it there’s a full moon coming up, so the next event is going to be extra-special…

The plot doesn’t make perfect sense (after all the detective work, Moon Knight’s cabbie personality just happens to pick up two guys that just happen to be going the place Moon Knight needs to go?), and it’s full of clichés (the superhero scares confession out of the stoolie, the cynical, chain-smoking detective gives him a hand, etc.), but the mood is perfect and the dialogue is clever (like when the detective keeps referring to “wild dogs” instead of werewolves because he has to “report to a NYPD shrink couple times a year.”)

So will this be the issue that turns things around for Moon Knight? I doubt it. No matter how well he’s written, he’s still a derivative character with a dull supporting cast and a lousy rogues gallery. But this issue, at least, is worth picking up. (Grade: B+)

– Andrew C. Murphy