Joe Kubert Presents #4 – Review

By: Joe Kubert, Brian Buniak, Sam Glanzman (story & art)

The Story: A Confederate savior and a talking ape, but it’s the “Asiatic” who’s crazy—figures.

The Review: When I said that I choose to evaluate stories for what they’re intended to be, not for what I want them to be, I think I had titles like this one in mind.  Against all the flashy and splashy superhero books out there, the tales presented by Joe Kubert probably don’t offer much competition in the pure excitement department.  But I’d plead with readers to give this series a chance on its own merits: as a piece of living history with eager ambitions of its own.

Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man #4 – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Chris Bachalo w/ Rob Disalvo (Pencils), Townsend, Disalvo, Sibal, Irwin, Wang, & Mendoza (Inks), and Bachalo w/Fabela & Mossa (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The storyline is a bit basic and the way the artwork is divided up tends to be annoying, but those issues haven’t stopped me from enjoying the hell out of the Sinister Spider-Man mini-series.

The Story: Mayor Jameson’s Big Apple Festival is in big trouble. The Redeemer’s there, the two rivals gangs are there, and, worst of all, Bullseye and Wolverine’s kid are there as well. Does that mean Spider-Man is in trouble as well? You better believe it.

What’s Good: Now that’s more like it! Sinister Spider-Man #4 manages to recapture everything that made the first issue of the mini-series so great. It’s funny as hell, the manic artwork kicks ass, and the story finishes in a way that’s so crazy it actually winds up being quite satisfying.

Brian Reed’s hilarious script elevates a fairly generic bad guy acting like a good guy story into something more. What makes it work so well is that Reed writes Mac Gargan (A.K.A. Sinister Spider-Man) as an asshole through and through. A funny, likeable asshole, but an asshole nonetheless. By doing so, Reed’s able to make you root for Gargan while loving every bit of chaos that erupts as a result of what he’s done throughout the mini-series. It must be said, however, that Reed’s script wouldn’t work nearly as well if the artist handling the craziest parts of it didn’t completely embrace the writers vision. Thankfully, Chris Bachalo does.

Right from the opening “What the **** is this **** all about?” splash page (that features, among other things, flying panties, gangsters, a poodle, and corn dogs), Bachalo establishes that the Sinister Spider-Man series is going to finish on one heck of a high note. Now I’m well aware that Bachalo’s kinetic style isn’t for everyone, but it’s hard to argue how fitting it is for the story being told and the action that takes place. I never thought I’d see both corn dogs and a “yap dog” being used as projectile weapons, yet there they are. The few pages Rob Disalvo contributes are solid as expected, though I can’t help but wonder why Marvel didn’t just give Bachalo another week or two to finish the book. It’s not like the whole Dark Reign thing is ending next week.

What’s Not So Good: The only real big negative about Sinister Spider-Man #4 is that occasionally Chris Bachalo’s artwork is too hectic. There’s a lot of stuff going on and sometimes it doesn’t come together all that well on the page. And that’s either due to small panel size or the amount of action being crammed into a scene.

Conclusion: Sinister Spider-Man #4 rocks pretty hard. Be sure to pick up the inevitable trade if you haven’t been following the Dark Reign mini-series.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

DARK REIGN: THE SINISTER SPIDER-MAN # 1 – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Chris Bachalo (Pencils & Colors), Tim Townsend (Inks), and Antonio Fabela (Color Guides)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’m a huge fan of Chris Bachalo’s artwork and I’ve enjoyed nearly everything that I’ve read from Brian Reed. So, needless to say, Sinister Spider-Man #1 was an easy purchase. I expect good things…

The Story: Mac Gargan is Spider-Man… The Dark Avengers’ version at least. Posing as Spider-Man while the Venom symbiote messes with the stability of his mind, Gargan stops a bank robbery, hits a strip joint, and comes up with a plan to get back at the one that made him who he is, J. Jonah Jameson! Meanwhile, a mysterious figure that calls himself The Redeemer wants to help some of the people that Spider-Man put away…

What’s Good: Dark, twisted, funny, stylish, and also a little bit obnoxious, Sinister Spider-Man #1 kicks all sorts of ass. The writing compliments the visuals and vice versa in such a way that the first chapter of Mac Gargan’s Dark Reign tie-in reads and looks like something truly unique. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the start of the Sinister Spidey mini just might be one of the most fun comics I’ve read in quite some time.

Brian Reed’s take on Mac Gargan hits all the right notes. It brings to mind what Warren Ellis did with the character during the critically acclaimed Thunderbolts run that reintroduced Venom to the masses. The one key difference is that Reed’s Gargan is a little less psychotic and a little more comfortable with what he’s become. It’s a fair trade considering how Gargan has to take front and center as opposed to strictly playing off other teammates. Reed’s Gargan is a crass, sarcastic lowlife that’s pretty satisfied with his new position of power and ready to take advantage of everything that the new position offers. There’s a number of great lines throughout the book and leaves you feeling as though Gargan is written exactly the way he should be for a book about a Sinister version of Spider-Man (which, brilliantly, feels like an extension of the ongoing Amazing Spider-Man series).

I can’t say enough about how awesome the work by Chris Bachalo and the rest of the art team looks. It’s very distinct and proves to be a great fit for the crazy tone of the book. Bachalo’s characters are loaded with personality and his unique panel layouts do a great job of reflecting the feel of each individual scene. Also worthy of note is how striking the few black and white scenes are. While they look a bit simplified at times, they serve as a neat look into Gargan’s twisted mind.

What’s Not So Good: Simply put, Sinister Spider-Man #1 isn’t a book for everyone. It’s every bit the “love it or hate it” book that I assumed it would be when I first heard about it. Chris Bachalo’s artwork is clearly going to divide audiences and Brian Reed’s dialogue is most definitely going to offend some (Dead stripper dark humor…’nuff said).

Conclusion: Sinister Spider-Man #1 is awesome…IF you are the type of person that can get into what it offers.  I expected good, what I got was great.  While I certainly can’t recommend it to everyone, I can still give it the grade I feel it deserves…

Grade: A

-Kyle Posluszny