Incredible Hulk #1 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (writer), Marc Silvestri & Michael Broussard (pencils), Joe Weems, Rick Basaldua & Sal Regla (inks), Sunny Gho (colors), Ed Dukeshire (letters), Jake Thomas (assistant editor) & Mark Paniccia (editor)

The Story: Can the Hulk get some peace and quiet?

Five Things: 

1.  Hulk and Banner split up.  The dual nature of the Hulk does make him interesting, but I personally think that these stories where Hulk and Banner are physically separated causes too many “How do they do that?” problems for me to have much fun with the story.  I mean, where does the actual matter that composes the second body come from?  How does the separation work?  Does Hulk vomit Banner or something?  I know I should just roll with it and enjoy the story (and I largely DO), but it is a little bothersome.

2. Energetic art.  It doesn’t really matter who draws the Hulk as long as they can make him energetic and powerful and this team is up to the task.  In the panels where Hulk needs to look fast and powerful, he looks….well….fast and powerful.  They also do an nice job on the quieter scenes where Hulk is contemplating his seclusion.  It could be a minor art red flag that on this #1 issue we have a person credited as “penciling assist” and three inkers.  That’s the kind of thing you usually see on the last issue of an arc where the primary penciller can’t quite make it to the finish line on time.  BUT, it doesn’t affect the quality of art, so it’s just worth a raised eyebrow for now.

3. Sunny Gho does a great job coloring.  One of my favorite comic art performances recently was the duo of Kenneth Rocafort and Sunny Gho on Velocity.  At the time, I gave most of the credit to Rocafort and while I still really enjoy his art, seeing Gho’s performance in this issue makes me realize what an important part of Velocity Gho was as well.  If you’re familiar with Silvestri’s art, you know that it isn’t clean art….he’s got a LOT of lines and shading going on in a page.  Gho’s art matching this complexity as the coloring is just as intricate as the linework.  It almost looks like watercolors.  Beautiful!

Artifacts #4 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Michael Broussard (pencils), Chris Johnson (background assist), Rick Basaldua, Joe Wee,s. Jason Gorder and Sal Regla (inks), Sunny Gho and Felix Serrano (colors) and Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: Events are happening quickly now that (nearly) all the Artifact Bearers have chosen sides. All that remains is the discovery and recruitment of the unknown Thirteenth Bearer, on whom the outcome of the fast-approaching final confrontation hinges.

What’s Good: Marz and company continue to deliver the goods as the slow-burn buildup of Artifacts gets set to explode in the second act. This is not a big, flashy issue, however–its beauty (and meat) lies in smaller character moments and confrontations (Magdalena coming face to face with Tom Judge was easily the highlight for me), and that works very well indeed. Although the looming fear of Armageddon still hangs over every word and action, its nice to see the characters interacting on a more personal level, and doing something besides fret about the fate of creation. It was a much-needed break, and very well handled. It also goes to show the tenuous nature of the alliances on both sides (although our heroes do seem to be in a slightly worse spot than the villains on that count.)

All the discussion about the Thirteenth Artifact Bearer has me very, very curious as well. Fan speculation right now is leaning towards the notion that Sara’s daughter Hope is the Thirteenth Artifact…but not only would that be a little TOO clichéd and convenient (I hope) for what Marz seems to have in mind, it also seems to be, if not disproved, at least made far less likely by the fact that the villains do currently posses her. If Hope does turn out to be the Thirteenth Artifact itself (or something similarly important), it’s going to make the villains look awfully, awfully stupid. Like I said though, I don’t think that’s the direction this is heading…. at least I hope it isn’t.

Also: art is still outstanding. Feel free to cut and paste the gushing from my previous reviews here. Broussard and company are continuing to knock this thing out of the park.

Artifacts #3 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Michael Broussard (pencils), Facundo Percio, Stjepan Sejic, Paolo Pantalena, Sheldon Mitchell and Nelson Blake II (additional pencils), Rick Basaldua, Joe Weems, Sal Regla (inks), Sunny Gho and IFS (colors), Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: The prolog is over, and the two sides of the great battle are starting to take shape as both Aphrodite and Tom Judge start recruiting. Sara finds herself caught in the middle of this great war to come, when all she wants is to get her daughter back.

What’s Good: It’s redundant to say it at this point—and I have a feeling this redundancy will continue through all 13 issues of Artifacts–but Marz and Broussard continue to put out a fantastic product. Broussard (and company’s) pencils are beautiful and evocative, and Marz’s writing is dynamic and immensely satisfying. Marz’s expertise is well documented at this point, but special kudos need to go to the penciling team who not only helped things get back on track in terms of release dates, they do a fantastic job not of copying Broussard’s style exactly, but creating extremely complementary styles that mesh well and create an excellent story and a very visually appealing product.

This is a particularly important issue, in that it ends the setup for the Artifacts event, and begins the action that will drive the story forward. This is a delicate transition, because rather than focusing on the singular emotional event of Hope’s abduction, or reviewing the motivations of a few characters, the series must now shift into dealing with huge, globally-scaled events and dozens of characters. This issue makes a good start, even throwing in one final review of the 12 known Artifacts and their bearers, but it does remain to be seen how such an all-encompassing event will unfold in subsequent issues.

Artifacts #2 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Michael Broussard (pencils), Rick Basaldua, Joe Weems and Sal Regla (inks), Sunny Gho of IFS (colors) and Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: The bearers of the thirteen Artifacts begin to take their place and forage alliances as Armageddon approaches. In the meantime, two bearers in particular—Sara Pezzini, wielder of the Witchblade and Jackie Estacado who contains the Darkness—must deal with an additional, and very personal, crisis: their daughter has been kidnapped.

What’s Good: What a fantastic story Ron Marz is building here. Well written, perfectly paced, and new-reader friendly without insulting the intelligence and knowledge of people who have been following the Top Cow Universe for some time. This is what a major comic book event should look like. I don’t need a bunch of crossovers, I don’t need every single huge big-name character in the company worked into the first issue, and I don’t need the entire plot spelled out for me. Especially in issue two of a 13-issue event, all you need to do is hook me with good storytelling, and give me a general sketch of where you’re going with the event. This is exactly what Marz delivers. He doesn’t flood us with information, but he doesn’t hold back and play coy either. It is very, very effective, and falls squarely within my own personal Goldilocks Zone.

Fusion #3 – Review

By Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (Writers), Tyler Kirkham (Pencils), Sal Regla & Jay Leisten (Inks), and John Starr & Blond (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: As long as you read an issue of Fusion with the right mindset…

The Story: Cyberforce and the Avengers face off against the Thunderbolts before all the teams realize there’s something far worse that must be dealt with: Venom’s alien symbiote has gone ballistic!

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Fusion #3 uses a simple formula to get the job done. And you know what? It works well enough. If you came into the series to see all four teams (Cyberforce, Hunter-Killer, Tbolts, and Avengers) fight and then team up, well… Fusion #3 is your book. It’s dumb, it’s mindless, but it’s also quite a bit of fun (I’m sure I’ve said that about Fusion at least once before).

Artist Tyler Kirkham does his best to make the most of his time playing with the Marvel characters. Kirkham crafts a rather badass looking Venom and he also does a nice job of keeping the nonstop action manageable and satisfying. There’s a drop in quality here and there, but it’s understandable, considering how much is going on in nearly each and every panel.

I honestly wish I had more to say about Fusion #3, but how much can you really say about a book focused almost entirely around the action taking place? Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning keep things moving from scene to scene with some fun dialogue and, frankly, that’s really all I need with a crossover like Fusion. In short, if you’ve liked part one and two, you’ll probably enjoy the conclusion as well.

Conclusion: There isn’t much to it, but Fusion #3 is almost certain to please those that are part of its target audience. Fun, yet totally forgettable.

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny

Fusion #2 – Review

By Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (Writers), Tyler Kirkham (Pencils), and Sal Regla (Inks)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Fusion #1 was a fun ’90s throwback comic. It was dated as hell, but if you just went with the crazy stuff going on, there was far more to like than hate. Plus, you really can’t go wrong with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.

The Story: The Avengers and Cyberforce battle it out because of the Ripclaw situation. It’s soon learned that something is linked to Ripclaw in some way and that something is now in the hands of Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts….

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: You can look at Fusion in one of two ways: it’s either an action-packed crossover that delivers where it matters most or a dated, tired crossover that serves as a reminder of why comics like Fusion no longer work well. That’s why it’s so difficult to write a review about Fusion #2. In fact, I’m fairly certain that the second chapter of Fusion is “review proof.” If you like it, I can totally understand why. If you hate it, I can totally understand why. It’s a great example of what made some of those “bad” comics so much fun, but also a great example of how silly and nonsensical they are. Make sense?

Now, on a technical level, Fusion #2 is surprisingly solid. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning do a nice job of bringing out every personality that’s part of Fusion’s cast. They write a number of entertaining character moments and have come up with an interesting enough reason to throw four different teams from two different companies together for a showdown. As for the artwork, Tyler Kirkham does a fine job of handling a number of chaotic scenes, though a few panels look awkward and rather “pose” heavy.

Conclusion: If it sounds like your type of thing, then by all means pick up Fusion #2. If it sounds like your comic book version of hell, then be sure to stay far, far away.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1

By Matt Fraction (Writer), Marc Silvestri (Pencils), Michael Broussard, Eric Basaldua, Tyler Kirkham, & Sheldon Mitchell (Pencil Assists), Joe Weems w/ Marco Galli, Eric Basaldua, Rick Basaldua, Jason Gorder, Jay Leisten, Sal Regla, Jon Sibal, and Ryan Winn (Inks), and Frank D’Armata (Colors)

The Story: A riot breaks out as the March for Humanity (led by Simon Trask and his Humanity Now! coalition) reaches San Francisco’s mutant population. The confrontation sparks a wave of violence between mutants and humans that spreads throughout the streets of San Francisco and other nearby cities. With chaos reigning, Norman Osborn sends his Avengers in to restore some order by any means necessary. There is also another plan at work, something far more sinister…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The best thing about the first chapter of Utopia is its strong ending. It’s genuinely surprising and it brings to mind a number of interesting possibilities. What’s disappointing though, is how long it feels like it takes to get the ending that makes the Utopia one-shot worth reading.

While Matt Fraction does a very nice job of ramping up the tension in San Francisco and establishing a sense of scale to the mutant/ human conflict, too much of Utopia #1 feels like fluff. What Fraction establishes in over thirty pages could have easily been taken care of with less than twenty-five. Now, with that said, just because it’s padding, doesn’t mean it’s bad.

Fraction does a lot of great things with the various characters he is allowed to play with. Fluff or not, there’s no denying how well written Utopia is. The scene between Cyclops and Toad is absolutely fantastic, as is the short Hawkeye/ Bullseye appearance. The page showing how others are reacting to the San Francisco mess is also very effective in a “short, but sweet” way.

What bothers me about Fraction’s story is that it makes Cyclops look rather foolish early on. The March for Humanity had apparently been marching hundreds of miles for quite sometime before reaching San Francisco. I find it hard to believe that a character like Cyclops (or any other “X” leader) would not be on top of things regarding how to deal with Trask’s march. Yeah, I know, that complaint is a bit of a nitpick in the larger scheme of things, but after all the character rehab Cyclops has gone through…

By now you’ve probably noticed that I have yet to mention Utopia’s artwork. There’s a reason for that. You know that phrase “Too many cooks in the kitchen?” Yeah… The artwork in Utopia #1 brings that phrase to mind quite often.

Now I’ll leave the “Top Cow” style stuff for you to decide on (expect subtle scenes to look anything but subtle…poses aplenty). What I will discuss, however, is the fact that the first issue of Utopia has visuals that are, when taken as a whole, quite disappointing. For every great looking scene, there is one that serves as a terrible reminder that the art team is made up of fourteen different people. Simply put, Utopia #1 is wildly inconsistent– visually. At least the whole thing has a cohesive look to it though. It really could have been so much worse considering how many people had a hand in creating the artwork.

Conclusion: The Utopia crossover shows a lot of promise, but it takes a while to understand why. If you can deal with the occasionally rough visuals and the sense that things have been stretched out a bit, you’ll find a lot to like about the Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia one-shot.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Wolverine: Killing Made Simple #1 – Review

Christopher Yost, Todd Dezago (writers), Koi Turnbull, Steve Kurth (pencils), Sal Regla, Serge Lapointe (inks), Beth Sotelo, Joel Seguin (colors) Cory Petit (letters)

How would you go about killing Wolverine if that scenario ever came up? I can tell you this: without special powers you’re screwed. Killing Wolverine attempts to answer this age old question and is a “close but no cigar” book for me. What’s shown is creative and interesting, but ultimately misses that something “special” to make it a must buy.

Chris Yost’s story is all about Wolverine’s healing factor and how it can be beat. His dialogue for Logan is great – it’s blunt, cynical, and to the point – I just wish the parts about him dying tied better into the story. It seems like we can’t have a Wolverine story without a mention of the magic sword that can kill him. Thankfully it’s not the focal point here. Metal poisoning (without his healing factor), being shot into the sun, and decapitation (with the sword), are among the list of ways to kill Wolverine. Logan talks about it like it’s common knowledge which is a nice touch. Sadly, Yost’s offering is too light on story.

Todd Dezago’s Disturbing Consequences is a nice quick end to the book. Here, Logan is sent to investigate a secret facility some government lost contact with. From there it’s a cool looking fight with the infected sole-survivor from an experiment gone wrong. I wish elaborate more on the details, but that’s really it! The mission is a favor, but for whom? What were these guys studying? And most importantly, what would these people have done if Wolverine’s healing factor didn’t cure the virus?

Koi Turnbull has the stronger pencils in my eyes. A dead or dying Wolverine is always interesting to see because he’s rarely in that kind of danger. The nastiest image has Wolverine’s body de-aged and then trying to repair itself. It’s one panel, but it looks every bit as horrible as Yost’s description. Steve Kurth draws an awesome fight. It’s always cool to see Wolverine fight another savage with his feral instincts.

Killing Wolverine is a fun read, I’ll admit that. However, neither story feels as full or satisfying as it could, so it’s hard to justify the four bucks with so many other better titles out there. If you’re tight on cash you might want to pass on it, but hardcore Wolvie fans or those with some extra dough may want to give it a shot. (Grade: B-)

– Ben Berger