Superman Unchained #7 – Review

By: Scott Snyder (story), Jim Lee (pencils), Scott Williams (inks), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Can a one-man army take down an actual army?

The Review: Happy Independence Day, everyone—yes, even you folks who have nothing to do with the good ol’ U.S. of A. So I think it’s appropriate that my first review of the day celebrating America goes to the comic starring that most quintessential all-American hero, the Man of Steel himself. It’s also important that here, we’re dealing with a Superman in his purest, most heroic form, as opposed to one struggling not to unleash certain death on all living things—we’ll deal with that hot mess later.

That said, Clark’s big heroic moment in this series has come and gone; what’s left is purely personal, with little opportunity for growth. He seems on the verge of it here, reflecting on Wraith’s challenges from #5: “The choices I make about when I fight, how I fight, how I live my life inside and outside of this…those choices mean that Superman, as I’ve created him, he can’t last forever.” But he never synthesizes these musings into a concrete conclusion as to what he should do. Instead, he dithers, pleading with Lois for understanding, which is preaching to the choir if you’ve ever seen it.

Superior Spider-Man #22 – Review

by Dan Slott, Christos Gage (Writers), Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba (Artists), Edgar Delgado (Colorist)

The Story: Otto presents and open his company to others, as Flash Thompson tries to bust a new Crime-Master, only to end up meeting Spider-Ock.

The Review: With a new big arc and the return of Christos Gage, Superior Spider-Man returns to big events as both writers mesh up the slow-building situations with the more present situations. The last time both writers were on was the arc in which Otto was in the raft, fighting against Alistair Smythe and other villains, which was an enjoyable ride. However, does both writers continue the life-building and the fun that is generally attached to the concept of Otto Octavius as Peter Parker?

They do in many ways, although this issue is a bit plagued by some smaller problems that do annoy. The way they balance things out and play with many of the tropes of the Spider-Man mythos, with Venom this time being the object of focus, is rather interesting, yet a bit flawed.

What this issue does right is pushing forward some of the developing threads of Otto’s life, with the debut of Parker Industries being the focus of a couple of pages. The way Otto acts as the boss of his own company is rather humorous, with his villain speech near the beginning being a highlight. There are also several other subplots that are either teased or evolving here, with J. Jonah Jameson and Wraith receiving just enough panels to be relevant without eating too much space in the book.

Superior Spider-Man #19 – Review

Dan Slott (Writer), Ryan Stegman, Livesay (Artists), Edgar Delgado (Colorist)

The Story: Otto tries to reverse the current damage to the time stream with the people of Horizon Labs as Miguel O’Hara’s fate is revealed.

The Review: Dan Slott is kind of a tease, isn’t he? With the heavy marketing around this book, it seems that he simply has to make sure people try to guess whatever might happen, through whichever way possible. The ”nothing will ever be the same” is especially strong with this series and this writer, which may grate on the nerves of some people as promises are made. It’s enough for the skeptic in all of us lift an eyebrow when looking at all of this in an objective way.

However, it seems that not only is it working in gaining the interest of readers, but most of the time Slot actually do delivers on changing elements and introducing newer ones. This issue is a good example of this, as not only do the writer play with the various elements prior to this volume and the current one, but he also insert new elements into play that makes this series able to deliver on surprising twists.

Something he does in order to bring those changes in an effective manner is that he consolidate much of the plot threads together for the finale, which helps tremendously. With a focus on a particular scene and with all the players gathered together, it makes this issue less jumbled than the previous ones in this arc. With the issue mostly concentrated on Otto’s point-of-view, though not necessarily on all of his actions, the fallouts, the actions and the reactions ends up being much more satisfying to read and experience.

Superior Spider-Man #16 – Review

Dan Slott (Writer), Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba (Artists), Edgar Delgado (Colorists)

The Story: Phil Urich really gets what’s coming to him as Otto manage to manipulate a situation to his advantage.

The Review: For critics, it’s always easier to talk about great or horrible comics. When it’s in one of those two extremes, it’s surprisingly easy to say what works well and what truly doesn’t. The point is to be objective, of course, yet there will always be a touch of subjectivity when anyone talk about a cultural product, whether they want to or not. What’s harder, though, are the average comics, those that are competent, yet did not really leave a huge impact on the critic himself. When dealing with a middle-tier comic in terms of quality, it becomes a bit tougher to balance the good with the bad in a coherent manner.

This issue is a pretty good example of this, as it moves along nicely, shows some scenes that are well done, yet doesn’t go out of its way to really bring any ”wow” factor. Here, Slott conclude his Hobgoblin story competently, putting some pieces in place for the future of his title, yet a lot of what happens here just isn’t that impressive.

There are some good parts here, starting with the way Otto is written as a mastermind, featuring his villainous methods as being rather entertaining. He is manipulative, arrogant and this comes as fun as his interaction with Robertson, the Avengers and the general public shows just how cunning he can be in terms of how he appears to everyone.

Wolverine #1 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), Renato Guedes (artist), Jose Wilson Magalhaes (inker), Matt Wilson (colorist)

The Story: You know it was bound to happen sooner or later: Wolverine awakens to inexplicably find himself Hell. Yep, Hell. But if he’s been cast into the Pit, who now walks the Earth bearing his likeness and signature claws, and why is he brutally eliminating Logan’s friends and loved ones?

The Good: Sigh, oh Wolverine. What the hell kind of world do we live in where a diminutive, psychopathic Canadian brandishing not one but six really sharp knives and a talent for using them has become as beloved and iconic a character as such pillars of heroism as Captain America, Superman, and Spiderman? Beats me, but it is a better world and we are better human beings for having him in our lives. Listen, I’ll level with you: in my opinion, Wolverine has always been a rather shallow character. Beyond the claws, healing factor, and never-ending struggle to control his lust for violence, what else is there about this character that any of us identify with? Little to nothing, I’d argue, but in a way that’s kind of the point. That’s kind of what we like about the little rascal. This is a comic book of clearly-defined clichés and a narrative formula that has changed little in the thirty-six years the Canucklehead has been kicking ass and taking names, and we keep coming back for more because that simple combination of the claws, healing factor, and violent tendencies, in the hands of a competent creative team, is usually a wicked and entertaining experience, and sometimes that alone is worth the price of admission.

So, with that in mind, I can safely say that all the elements are in place to make this a great addition to Wolverine’s stable of comics. Aaron does an outstanding job here of walking that fine line between delivering all the classic elements of a typical Wolverine comic while at the same time finding new aspects of Logan’s character to bring to the light. As a returning reader who hasn’t picked up a Wolverine comic in about fifteen years, I was intrigued with Logan’s confession to Wraith that, while he’s now able to deal with the darkness that lurks in him, he feels ill-equipped to handle the idea of living a life with hope, which is ironic as he’s spent his whole life fighting to attain that very thing. In Wraith, Logan has found a kind of moral and spiritual counterpoint that is poignant and especially relevant to the kind of story Aaron is attempting to pull off here. My only hope right now is that, pending the conclusion to this story, Wraith will be a mainstay on this book.