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Before Watchmen So Far….Part 2 (COMICS!)

Happy Birthday to me. I have turned 23. Well, Actually I’m 22….But 2 didn’t rhyme with me! YAY!

PS My birthday was actually yesterday, but still. Happy Birthday to me!

Hey, Hi, and Hello everyone! It’s your comic reading, world saving, drug dealing Watchman, Richard here! Wait…Did I type drug dealing? I meant HUG dealing, of course……ANYWAYS! So, a little while ago I posted an article giving my thoughts on DC Comics current Before Watchmen event. At that point, Only 4 of the 7 books were on the shelves. My opinions on the stories were mixed, but the art was amazing in all. Today, all of the BW books in the event have started, and a few of the limited series have multiple issues. So, I figured It was the perfect time to write part 2 of my thoughts on Before Watchmen. I’m going to go in alphabetical order, and even give you some more updated thoughts with the books that have 2 or more issues out now. So…HERE WE GO:

The Comedian (2 of 6 out now):

Last time I mentioned this book, I was disappointed but interested. Now that issue 2 has arrived, I can easily say this is the worst in the BW event. I didn’t think I would say it, but I am. I HATE THIS COMEDIAN BOOK! Its so boring, and incredibly uneventful. It actually felt like a chore to read issue 2 in this series! I hate saying all this because I am such a huge fan of the writer and artist, but both are delivering poor quality work. Hopefully the series gets better. Especially since its one of the six issue series in the BW movement so there is hope….kind of. I just can’t say more right now, or I’m going to cry or become enraged…..and you wouldn’t like me when I’m crying…

1.5/5

Dr. Manhattan (1 of 4 out now):

This is the most recent, and final, series to start up in the BW event. I was kind of on the fence with this book. I’ve never really liked the writer, J. Michael Straczynski, but I love the artist, Adam Hughes. Thankfully, both did quite a wonderful job with the good Doctor and his new comic. JMS did an amazing job capturing the voice of Dr. Manhattan, and his views of humanity, machinery, and time. I will say, the story didn’t seem like anything new, but the ending of this comic changed that. JMS seems to have big plans in store. The best part of this comic, by far, was Adam Hughes as predicted. It’s fantastic to finally see some interior work from him for a change. Very glad with the turn out for this first issue. Hope the rest repeat this level of quality, or higher even!

4.5/5

Minutemen (2 of 6 out now):

I fell in love with Darwyn Cooke’s first issue of Minutemen! The art was beautiful, the story was fantastic, it was the perfect prequel to Watchmen. Now, does that opinion still stand? You beat your sweet toosh it does! Minutemen continues to wow me issue after issue. I loved the way Cooke handle’s the team in the second issue. It’s like he created them almost. Yea, that’s how good he is doing with this book, IMO! Also, His art has yet to falter in anyway. It’s as beautiful as it ever was! Overall? THIS BOOK IS A MUST PURCHASE!

5/5

Nite Owl (2 of 4 out now):

Like Dr. Manhattan, I was very much on the fence with this book. Same reasons as well. Unlike Dr. Manhattan, JMS couldn’t seem to do a good job with Nite Owl. Issue one, if you remember, was just a giant let down. However, the series has improved with issue 2! Well…not by much, but still. The story isn’t rushed to death anymore, but there is still one huge problem with the book. The Writer seems to forget whom this book is about. He spends WAY TOO MUCH time tackling who Rorschach is, when he should be focused on Nite Owl. The Art, by Andy Kubert and the now late great Joe Kubert, is still amazing! I just love the retro look the book has. Fits perfectly with the times, and story. However, the book will lose that now that Joe Kubert has passed on. We will miss him. Anyways, Nite Owl still has tons of kinks in the armor, but they are being fixed….sort of.

3/5

Ozymandias (2 of 6 out now):

So, when I wrote the first article, I missed my chance to add this title into it. If I had gotten the chance, I would have told you how much I loved that first issue. Len Wein has a great handle on the character, and still does two issues in. However, As much as I loved issue 1, Issue 2 wasn’t as strong. Mainly because There didn’t seem to be a sense of danger IE the stereotypical, and mostly untrue IMO, Superman story problem people have. While I’ve never found that present all the time in a Supes book, that problem is very much in issue 2. It makes it difficult for a reader to connect with Ozy in anyway, really. That being said, I still found issue 2 to be good but not great like issue 1. The art by Jae Lee is mind blowingly beautiful. The style is a perfect fit for Ozy,and his world.

3.5/5

Rorschach (1 of 4 out now):

If you’d ask anyone whom their favorite Watchmen character is, the majority or all would say Rorschach. That includes myself. He was the break out character in the original graphic novel, and even in the movie. Now, I’ve started to get worried about this comic, to be honest. The writer, Brian Azzarello, has been disappointing me with a lot of his recent comic work. Which includes the terrible terrible Comedian book I mentioned earlier. Thankfully, Rorschach features the amazing Azzarello writing I know and love! One thing Azzarello tried, and failed, with in the Comedian book was to show a new side to the character. He attempts that again in Rorschach, but is much more successful with it. It’s a bit jarring, admittedly, but it works out much better later in the comic. Also, Azzarello capture’s Rorschach’s voice brilliantly. He’s faithful to the original comic, but He also injects his own spin for this new take. For example, Rorschach swears in this comic. I don’t remember that from the original at all! Unless I’m missing something. Anyways, again it’s a bit jarring, but It ended up working well. Now, the art in the book, drawn by my 2011 pick for best artist Lee Bermejo, is amazing as usual! Best part of this book by far! Over all, I’m excited for future issues!

4/5

Silk Spectre (2 of 4 out now):

Silk Spectre was a book I didn’t really know much about. I wasn’t excited for it, I wasn’t dreading it, I just…didn’t seem to care much. That being said, Issue one was actually rather good! If you remember, It was one of my favorites. I liked the mash up between 70’s chick flick and superhero story. Issue two continues this great work! Darwyn Cooke’s doing a great job with this series. Not as good as he’s doing in Minutemen, but still good. However, I think the true star of this series is Amanda Conner. Her art is just beautiful, cute, detailed, and badass all at once! Her style just fits so much with the book! Hopefully issues 3 and 4 continue the good work of issues 1 and 2.

4.5/5

SO! As you can see I’m starting to dig this series more. Well, except for Comedian. That series needs something, or else its just going to keep tanking! Most of the other stories are either awesome, or rising up from poor and stupid. However, one thing remains the same throughout….the amazing artwork. I wouldn’t mind if these books were just art books instead of actual comics. Just saying! So, In the comment section below, What are your favorite’s in the BW Event, if any. NOW! If you want more comic book awesomeness, go subscribe to my youtube channel, Channel23hahaha, and share it with your nerdy friends! Stay tuned for Part 3 of my articles with the entire series is over!

Wednesday Pick-Up Reviews! (COMICS!)

Bat’s fighting Owls? Frankenstein hunts with a team of classic monsters? VAMPIRES?!?!…Must be new Comic Book Day!

Hello Everyone! Its your comic book nerd, Richard, here! Today is Wednesday, and that means new comics are out on the shelves, or ready to download for you digital folk! So, I’ve been contemplating whether or not I should do article’s like this where I review new comics I’ve picked up during the week. I’m trying it out, seeing what you all think! ANYWAYS! This week I went home with 6 books! American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1, Batman #10, Batman and Robin #10, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #10, Green Lantern #10, and The Strain #5! Here are my reviews!

American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1:

American Vampire is probably my favorite non-superhero comic right now, and it has been that way since the inception of the series. Not too long ago, the series had its first side series, Survival of the Fittest, tied into the big Ghost War arc. Now, tying into the new Blacklist arc, is a new side series called Lord of Nightmares. Lord of Nightmares is a sequel to Survival of the Fittest. It continues the story of Felicia Book, a former member of the Vassals of the Morning Star (a vampire hunting organization), trying to escape the life. This time, she is raising a child, the baby she saved in the last story, and living a family life. However, she gets a visit from Agent Hobbes, a key member of the Vassals, and he has some terrible news.

I gotta say, as usual, I really dug this issue! These side stories are always a nice way to expand the AV universe, and based on this issue…looks like s**t’s ’bout to go down, yall! Scott Snyder continues to make American Vampire the best of the best. On the art side of things, this new mini-series is drawn by the always fantastic Mr. Dustin Nguyen. His artwork is just fantastic to look at, and is a perfect fit for the series! That being said, there are some points when the art could have been a bit better. It wasn’t always consistent in style. However, still really enjoyed the artwork!

Final Score: 4.5/5

Batman #10:

Wow! Just wow! You know, one of the questions I asked early on was if Scott Snyder would be able to top his Black Mirror Batman story with his New 52 run on Batman. After reading this issue…The SOB did it! He f**king did it! Holy crap! This Court of the Owls story Scott’s been telling has been big, epic, touching, haunting, and now Its game changing! Its going to be sad to see it end when issue 11 comes out that’s for sure. I can see this issue, based on the big reveal towards the end, being the much discussed issue of the week. No question about it! I loved the way Scott finally revealed whom the mastermind behind the Court of Owls was. It started off like “I figured it was that person” then BAM! FYI, I’m trying so hard not to spoil it right now!

I will say, based on the reveal, Scott has been doing his Bat-homework! Like Grant Morrison, he puts an amazing spin on an already existing character. Fantastic! Artistically, Greg Capullo has been rocking this series since issue 1, but This is, by far, his best work! Half the time, when Batman appeared, I wanted to turn the pic into a poster for my wall! Also, there is a new part in the back-up story, Fall of the House of Wayne. since its inception, Its been a welcome addition to the Batman series. I’ve really been digging the tale, and how it enhances the main feature.

Final Score: 5/5

Batman and Robin #10:

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…I find it strange that I hate the Batman and Robin movie, but I love The Dark Knight. On the comic book series side, I hate Batman: The Dark Knight, and I love Batman and Robin. Good move, DC…good move. Anyways, that love continues with this awesome new issue of Batman and Robin. This issue starts off with a brand new arc, showing off some of the more “scarred” criminal’s Batman has face. Also, the current Robin, Damien Wayne, is trying to prove he is the best Robin by challenging all the former Robins. Peter Tomasi continues to do an amazing job with this series. He struggled at first with the tone of Damien, but he is starting to get the hang of it! However, maybe he is getting too comfy with it.

As much as I loved this issue, I kind of felt Damien was going back to his old self. The huge brat that made Jason Todd look decent, you know? Thankfully, old Damien didn’t appear much. I guess it really only shows when he is near Tim Drake, I don’t know. I just don’t want A-hole Damien, I guess. The story, in general, seems to be building up to something pretty big. So, that alone really excites me. Art wise, Patrick Gleason is fantastic! His work is so spot on, detailed, and high quality. It never ceases to amaze me. I, especially, love the way he draws action. Very dynamic and stylized!

Final Score: 4/5

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #10:

So, I’ve been pretty positive in the past three reviews, but that is about to change, sadly. Now, I’m not saying this is a bad issue, but I am saying its missing the spark it used to have. This was a strong fear I had for this series. Jeff Lemire recently Left the series to go and write Justice League DARK. Matt Kindt has now taken over, and it shows. Now, this issue still sports the fun zaniness of the previous issues, but It just…feels like it lost its spark. As I was reading, it felt like creative ideas were there, but were just generically executed. I don’t know, really. This is a head scratchier. I’ll probably give it one more issue, but I have a feeling I’ll be saying bye-bye to Frankenstein from DC.

Final Score: 3/5

Green Lantern #10:

Geoff Johns + Green Lantern will always = genius! That’s 100% the case with his latest issue! The newest issue concludes the Indigo Tribe arc, and What a fun conclusion it was. I, sadly, didn’t get to experience John’s previous GL titles when they were being released, but I’ve always heard good things. Now, I’m actually getting that experience, and I’ve loved every second of it. What I love most about this new series is the buddy-cop type story Johns tells with Hal Jordan and Sinestro. However, like AV this week, the cliffhanger at the end might indicate the best has yet to come! The art in the series has also blown me away! Doug Mahnke has always been a favorite of mine, especially his work on The Mask, and every time I see his art…Man, it just blows me away! The downside to this issue, was that it felt like it ended kind of quickly. Kind of rushed, if you will. It could just be me, but that’s how I feel.

Final Score: 4/5

The Strain #5:

FINALLY! Its taken this issue forever to come out, huh? Normally, when a book is delayed this badly, You can’t help but expect s**t. However, This new issue was able to break that stereotype because I really liked it! This series has put a really awesome spin on a classic mythological creature. I have the first book of the novel series as well, but I’ve yet to read it. Because of this, I don’t know 100% if this comic book is truly an amazing adaptation.

That being said, I really feel the comic has captured the way I imagine the book, if that makes sense. The book, not the comic, is written by Guillermo Del Toro, and every time I look at the art and writing, It just feels like I’m watching one of Del Toro’s movies. What I love most about this current Issue was the look into Abraham’s life before the present. Hes been an interesting character since issue #1, and now we get a nice glimpse into his past.

Final Score: 4/5

So there you go, My short reviews of all my books of the week! In the comment section below, Tell me what books you got this week! Also, which one was your favorite! Also, Tell me what you think of this kind of article. It is quite long, but I liked doing it. Can it be a thing? That’s all up to you! Bye now!

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 Review (COMICS!)

It has finally arrived!!!!

So, DC Comics announced a while back that they would be releasing prequel stories to the companies famed Graphic Novel: Watchmen. I even appeared on the show one day, and talked of my feelings towards it. I might have shocked Dan when I said I was excited! At first, I wasn’t pissed off, or excited, I was just neutral on the idea. However, when I saw the creative teams involved, I instantly became excited! Now, the first issue in the line has arrived, but is it any good? Click the photo, and find out for yourself! Enjoy the episode!