Black Dynamite #1 – Review

By: Brian Ash (writer), Ron Wimberly (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), JM Ringuet (colors) and Chris Mowry (letters)

I have very mixed feelings about this issue.  Your enjoyment will really come down to how you like your Blaxploitation.  Back in the 1970s when the Blaxploitation genre existed, it was a deadly serious thing.  It was all about strong black men (and women) taking a stand for the community when politicians, police and businessmen didn’t care what happened in urban black neighborhoods.  Being a suburban white kid, I obviously couldn’t really understand it.  But it was clear than films like Shaft, Dolemite, Foxy Brown, Super Fly, etc. came from a place of anger rather than a place of laughter.

Then the 1980s happened and “we” decided all those afros and hot-girls in bell-bottom pants and strong black men learning kung fu was really silly and we started to get films like I’m Gonna Git You Sucker that turned Blaxploitation on its ear and made fun of everything….and I do mean EVERYTHING.  But, within those films, there was always a sense of homage to why the genre existed in the first place.

This story leads off by showing 1970s Black Dynamite fixing a problem in the neighborhood with nunchucks only to be cast out of the community for causing more wreckage than he solved.  After being cast-out, he goes on a walkabout only to be tracked down by the government at the very end of the issue.  I presume that the first issues of this miniseries will detail his exploits in present day with the government – and probably lead him full-circle back to the neighborhood.

Amazing Spider-Man #700 – Review

By: Dan Slott (writer), Humberto Ramos (pencils), Victor Olazaba (inks) & Edgar Delgado (colors)

Spider Dreams by: J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Antonio Fabela (colors)

Date Night by: Jen Van Meter (writer) & Stephanie Buscema (art)

The Story: A dying Doc Ock swaps minds with Peter Parker.  Can Peter escape before Ock’s body dies?

Review (with SPOILERS): Very mixed feelings on this issue.  It’s a good story that goes very deeply into the essence of Spider-Man, but it is heavy handed and has a strong scent of change-for-change’s sake.

In the main story, the bulk of time is spent with Peter and Ock dueling with each other while in each other’s bodies.  There is a cleverness to this, but it’s nothing earth-shaking.  It’s just a nice little bit of super-hero comic booking that gives us a pleasant twist on a battle we’ve seen a LOT over the years.  You have to mix things up somehow, right?  And it’s fun to see Scorpion and Hydro-Man wondering why “Doc Ock” is so insistent that they not kill anyone or to see “Peter” saying to MJ things like, “Not now woman!”…..but it’s all in the category of the kind of fun that we expect from Slott.  He’s a clever writer and has a knack for capturing little nuances of characters and playing them up.  It’s fun, it’s fluffy, but nothing you’ll ever tell your grand-kids about.

Hulk #23 – Review

by Jeph Loeb (writer), Ed McGuinness, Dale Keown, Sal Buscema, Mike Deodato, Herb Trimpe, Ian Churchill, John Romita Jr., Tim Sale, & Leinil Yu (artists)

SPOILER WARNING! If you’re a trade-waiter and haven’t read the issue before this, then you might not want to read this review.  Just sayin’.

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The Story: The curtain is finally pulled back as we get to see not only how and why General Thunderbolt Ross became the Red Hulk, but why he is the man he is today.  Meanwhile, the Red Hulk fights the Cosmic Hulk Robot.  (You know, that sentence alone would make me buy this issue.  A Red Hulk throwing down with a Cosmic Hulk Robot?!  Hello, awesome!  It’s not what’s awesome about this issue, though.)

What’s Good (and pretty awesome): Jeph Loeb finally slows down a second to tell an actual story and it only took him two years.  I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy the month after month big dumb fight scenes he was throwing my way every issue, but I can only eat so many corn flakes before I start getting a hankering for some eggs and bacon, if you catch my drift.  The scribe tells an engaging tale of Ross’ past, smartly starting nearly at the beginning, when the General was just sixteen years old.  It sets the stage for the rest of the character’s life, as we learn that he’s not only always had an indomitable will but that he also seems to have a knack for escaping the bony claws of the Grim Reaper time and again.  Loeb jumps around in the timeline of Ross’ life, mainly showcasing it in relation to Bruce Banner and the original Hulk.  By doing this, he’s able to explain why such a man who’s shown nothing but hatred for the rampaging monster that is the Hulk would allow himself to be transformed into a nearly identical being.  The desperation, ego, and envy that drive Ross to the depths that he falls to in Loeb’s script are believably conveyed by the writer.  The fact that Ross envies Banner, not only in the raw power that he possesses but in the love he receives from Betty, is a nice revelation that I don’t believe I’ve seen noted elsewhere.

This is a veritable who’s who of Hulk artists and that alone makes this issue a lot of fun to flip through.  In particularly fine form are Trimpe, Keown, Deodato and, of course, McGuinness.  The other artists certainly do a good, if not great, job with the interior art, but these four knock it out of the park.  Trimpe’s a classic artist, and the one page he pencils here (which opens the story) showcasing Ross’ adolescence just pulled me right in.  It’s a shame he could only supply one page of art.  Keown is, basically, MY Hulk artist, by which I mean that he was pencilling the title when I started reading it.  Bias aside, the artist’s double-page spread just screams strength and power as the savage Hulk wails on the U.S. Army.  My only complaint is that, regrettably, he doesn’t pencil the version of the Hulk  that he’s famous for.  That’s left to Churchill, which I though was odd, but oh well.  Deodato’s portion ties together a lot of the events we’ve seen before in the title’s earlier issues and fills in the blanks for us.  With this in mind, the penciller somewhat apes McGuinness’ style but still puts his particular stamp on it.  A risky move, but it completely works.  And then there’s McGuinness.  He’s possibly the only reason I’ve stuck with this title for so long.  He handles the present tale, which include the Red Hulk vs. Cosmic Hulk Robot scenes and they are dynamic as all hell.  He also supplies the visuals for the final showdown between our anti-hero and the Leader, with a down-pouring thunderstorm in the background.  You should buy this for the first page of that alone.  I’m not even kidding.

Amazing Spider-Girl #18 – Review

By Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Frenz (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Bruno Hang (colors)

After a somewhat disappointing issue last month, Spider-Girl gets back on track and wraps up the current story arc in fine fashion. I’m really impressed; it’s like Tom DeFalco read my complaints and addressed every one of them. Right from the get-go, we’re thrust into the middle of Crimelord’s auction of Kingpin’s “secret files”. With just about the whole crime community of New York ready to bid, Hobgoblin crashes the party with the intent of being the sole owner of the files.

Little does he know that Crimelord is prepared for him. After a sniper destroys the Hobgoblin’s glider, he’s surrounded by a mob of angry thugs. It’s here that he unleashes Mindworm to do his bidding. But Mindworm, finally showing a bit of intelligence, double crosses Hobgoblin and uses his powers to take control of everyone in the room (except Spider-Girl). In a desperate move, the Hobgoblin frees Spider-Girl. Together, butt-kicking ensues.

This issue does a nice job of addressing all the questions posed from this story arc. We learn the identity of Crimelord (it’s not who you think it is!), we get the results of Ben’s surgery, Spider-Girl finally kicks the crap out of Deadspot, and we learn the fate of Mindworm and the Hobgoblin. Perhaps the only thing missed was the whole reveal of who Deadspot is. She’ll be back, for sure.

It’s great to see the creative team back in good form. I was afraid they’d hit a creative wall after the dragging we were put through last issue. Great way to end an arc. Oh and that last page with Wes, May, and Gene. Wow… just wow! (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

Amazing Spider-Girl #17 – Review

By Tom Defalco (script), Ron Frenz (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Bruno Hang (colors)

I hate to say it, but this issue was pretty boring. The aspect I love the most about this series is May Parker, the person. We don’t get much of it this issue. Instead the villains take center stage and sadly, they are an uninteresting lot. Why? Because while there may be a big auction taking place among crime lords, none of them posses the viciousness, charisma, or cunning as someone like The Kingpin. What we’re given instead is a bunch of washed up thugs vying for Kingpin’s scraps. It’s just not very compelling.

Wait a sec! I’m not done yet.

This story with Hobgoblin and Mindworm needs to be finished… soon. May needs to expose Detective Drasco as the Crimelord. And she needs to lay the smack down on Deadspot. I mean, for a villain who was so prominent last issue, she (Deadspot) sure is given the shaft this issue as she’s relegated to a brief cameo appearance. At least she has May somewhat concerned for her well-being, too. That’s the kind of villain I want to see in my Spider-Girl books, not these lowlifes who want to be a third string Kingpin!

The stuff I do like is fleeting at best. Gene Thompson has been trying to reconcile with May for months and once again we’re given one page where nothing is addressed. The Parkers finally receive news that Ben’s hearing can be restored with an operation. That’s good progression. What bothers me, however, is Peter nor May seem to be scoffing at the fact that the hospital will need blood samples from them. This has always been a serious issue in the past – why isn’t it now?

Ron Frenz delivers solid art, as always. Tom DeFalco, however, has dropped the ball with this story line. Hopefully, he can wrap this up by next issue and we can move on to better things. (Grade: D+)

– J. Montes