Deadshot's Bullet Reviews - Week of July 14th Comics

After a bit of a hiatus, I am back with another set of reviews. Mostly a strong batch this week with one unfortunately underwhelming return. Read on!

Avengers Academy #2
Christos Gage/Mike McKone
I am liking this title already. It has a little bit of Runaways mixed with a dash of Thunderbolts vibe to it. For those who haven't read the title it centers on new recruits who in the first issue find out that they have been recruited not because the Avengers think they have great potential as heroes but rather they are worried that they will become villains without the proper intervention.

This issue moves things along as we get to see how the students react to the revelation of the first issue but also gives us a bit of insight in the mindsets of the trainers. This title could be a sleeper hit for Marvel out of the whole Avengers relaunch so grab your copies today. 4 stars out of 5.


Superman #701
J. Michael Straczynski/Eddy Barrows
JMS begins his run on the Man Steel with a departure from the type of story we have gotten used to in the Super titles during the last few years. The basic premise is that Superman feels he has become disconnected from the very people he wantsto protect and serve so he lands in Philadelphia and begins a walk through the city helping out the average citizens.

I thought the issue was a nice change of pace and is obviously a way for JMS to strip things back down to basics and examine who Superman is in today's world. I am looking forward to future issues but worry how long the "Grounded" storyline can the interest of the people who have gotten used to the more epic scale stories they have seen in the Super titles the last
4 years. 4 stars out of 5.


Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1
Jim Shooter/Dennis Calero
This is the latest revival of the Gold Key property that saw its greatest success at Valiant comics which coincidentally was run by this incarnations current writer, Jim Shooter. Unfortunately,
it does not appear that lightning will strike twice with the latest version at Dark Horse. The story opens with Doctor Solar taking on a villain that appears to have been created by a writer that seems to have been created by a writer merely by thought. The rest of the issue is taken up with an a rather clumsily done recap of Doctor Solar's origin.

I found the dialogue to be rather wooden and the art to be competent but nothing that wowed me. I don't think that this revival will last overly long unless changes are made. My suggestion would be to get a more current writer handle the title with Jim Shooter overseeing the work as an editor. 2 stars out of 5.

X-Force Sex and Violence
Chris Yost-Craig Kyle/Gabrielle Dell'otto
It is with a sad heart that we come to this storyline which will be Chris Yost and Craig Kyle's last with X-Force. However, they are going to go out as they came in- with lots of violence (and probably some sexy stuff too if the title is to be believed).

This storycentres around exploring Wolverine and Dominio's complicated relationship against the backdrop of Dominio being hunted by the Assassin's Guild. Shaping up to be a fun mini and a fitting swan song for the dynamic duo. 4 stars out of 5.

X-Men Second Coming #2
Matt Fraction-Chris Yost-Mike Carey-Zeb Wells/Terry Dodson-Greg Land-Esad Ribic-Ibraim Roberson
The best X-crossover in years ends here. Regular readers of my reviews will remember that I have really enjoyed this crossover (although I thought the Hellbound mini could have been eliminated).

The issue ties up the aftermath of the X-Men's battle with Nimrod and what impact Hope's x-gene activation will have on the world of our merry mutants. Fallen heroes are lost and the consequences of actions taken are finally laid bare.

If you haven't been reading this crossover you have missed out and should definitely pick it up in trade. Adi Granov's covers for the series have been fantastic and the art has been very solid for the whole storyline. 4.5 stars out of 5.

Deadshot's Bullet Reviews Week of Apr. 7th

After a week absence, Deadshot is back with a handful of reviews from the week of April 7th. Some good stuff this week so let's get right to it...

Wolverine: Weapon X #12

Jason Aaron/Ron Garney
The second issue of this arc picks up in the future explaining how it is that Deathloks are back in our current time killing people and ending with their ominious cliffhanger from last issue: "Kill Captain America". I found this issue much strong than last but I love dystopian future stories. Even though this is familiar territory for the X-titles, this one adds a fresh spin to it. The story leaves us on another cliffhanger as future Logan goes on a bad acid trip and the mysterious General arrives on the scene. Garney's art seems less rushed on this issue and Aaron's script is tighter and moves the story along nicely. Interested to see how this arc progresses. 3.5 bullets of out 5.


Uncanny X-Men #523 (Second Coming Chapter 2)
Matt Fraction/Terry Dodson



Now this is an x-crossover! Already in two issues I have gotten more into this story than that Blackest Night rip-off; Necrosha. As the X-Men move in to retrieve the returning from the future Cable and Hope, the mainstream X-Men find out what Wolverine and his wetworks, X-Force team has been up to. Classic X-Men inner turmoil while continuing action have this one firing on all cylinders. Dodson's art on this is quality as well. It took Fraction a fair bit of time to get this ship moving but now that it is, this title is at the top of the read pile for the foreseeable future. 4.5 bullets out of 5.


Superman - Secret Origins #5
Geoff Johns/Gary Frank


The re-refreshening of Superman's origin nears the end of its run as Johns works on the origins of Metallo and the foundation for General Lane's hatred for all things extra-terrestrial. Luthor's jealousy of the Man of Steel also comes to the forefront as Johns deftly weaves together movie continuity with more recent story elements from John's run on the Super-titles. Frank's art is solid once again but it always makes me sad that he uses Christopher Reeve's likeness as it takes me out of the story and reminds me of what happened to the movie Man of Steel. Still, it is a homage and the art work is beautiful and worth a look. 3.5 bullets out of 5.


Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #2
Sterling Gates-James Robinson/Pete Woods


The battle for the fate of New Krypton rages on as Brainiac and Luthor lay a beating on Superman and pals (with Zod and the other Kyrptonians filling up the background). I am hoping for a big reveal here at some point as this seems to be have been a long build up to a standard superhero vs super villain fight. A theory I have cooked up is that Zod is somehow in league with Brainiac and is looking to overthrow Alura and install himself as ruler of New Krypton. The story does move along but is spreading into Adventure Comics #10 which seems to be just marking time until the new Legion story starts there. If you have been reading the Superman titles up to this point, nothing I can say will dissuade you from continuing as we head for the "War of the Supermen" but this one is way too involved for the casual reader to pick up. The art work is solid, however, and I love the George Perez cover! 2.5 bullets out of 5.


Invincible Returns #1
Robert Kirkman/Ryan Ottley-Corey Walker


Meant to be a jumping on-point for the main title I thought this one did a good job of teasing the main plot points of 70 odd issues. The Wry and I share comics so he had the opportunity to read this one having not read any Invincible. While it did give him a taste of the series, he felt that he needed to go back and read more if he was going to get invested in upcoming war with the Viltrumites. Still the issue did give a good overall feel for the type of stories Kirkman writes and some of the major plot points that will obviously be built upon as they move beyond this issue. The art work of Ottley and Walker is synonomous with this series and I can't imagine Invincible being drawn by anyone else but one of these two. One other thing of note - is it just me or does Grand Regent Thragg look like Freddie Mercury from Queen? 3 bullets out of 5.