Mini-Reviews

I definitely need a spiffy name for the little reviews I do. Got any suggestions? Send 'em to me!

Just a few things on the agenda for today, one of which is a book from a few months ago...actually well over a year ago. I picked it up at the Atlanta Comicon this past Sunday for a mere 50 cents, and found myself pleasently surprised.

X-Men Unlimited #40 $3.50

I mainly picked it up because the first story was by Mr. Steven Grant. There's a link to his blog (Permanent Damage) to the right of this page, I suggest you stop by there now and again. The art is done by the very talented and IMO underworked David Finch. First, the story focuses on Sabertooth, who's living in the wild. Seems there's a hunter who's managed to track him dowm and come up with a plan to actually kill him. Honestly, that's the only flaw. We're left to wonder just who the hunter is, and why he would go to such lengths, and just how he managed to track him down. That aside Grant has crafted on the the BEST 'Tooth stories I've ever read. His characterization of Creed is spot on, yet in the end it's surprising enough that it actually makes the story that much better. Does that even make sense? Maybe not. The art is suitable for the story, nothing completely fantastic, yet better than most of the stuff we've seen in the X books lately. Like I said, Finch is underworked, IMO.

Next up is another Sabes story by the man readers love to hate, Chuck Austen, with art by Clayton Henry. I'll address the art first and just say it's okay, nothing remotely fantastic, and kind of awkward for the chracters used, but it's clear enough that you know who's who, etc. However, the story fails miserably. It's funny how not two pages before we have a truly excellent tale of Victor Creed, and here we have what may very well be the absolute worst Creed story ever. What Austen tried to do was tell how Creed and Mystique met, sort of dive into their history. What he does is totally break who and what the characters are, making them seem like one dimensional actors playing their parts in the soap opera they seem to be starring in. Creed comes off as a lovesick idiot who gets played for a fool by this woman who seemed to have it planned out all along. Huh? What happened to two of the most mysterious and not to mention dangerous people in the X Universe? Granted, Mystique does come off as dangerous, but much more in that over-the-top Disney way than the sexy-sleek-super spy kind of portrayl she'shad in the past.

Steve, it's truly ashame that this guy has a continued place in the X-Pantheon of writers and you don't

Finally, we have a Brotherhood of Evil Mutants story by the uber talened (and before this, never heard of) team of Nick Bertozzi and illustrater Dean Haspiel. This is one of the funniest stories I've read in a long time, at least as far as the Marvel Universe is concerned. Juggernaut is determined to finish a poem to woo a girl at a poetry contest, all the while Toad is bound a determined to set him back on the path of evil. Funny, funny stuff. Anyone know anything else these guys have done? Let me know, it's something I'd be willing to check out.

Fantastic Four #512 $2.25

Mssrs. Waid and Wieringo deliver another solid issue of this Marvel staple. This issue has the Torch trying to deal with the fact that the FF are no longer idols in the public eye. So, where does he turn? Why to good Ol' Spidey of course! Torch goes to Spidey to find out how to deal with being a loser, and Spidey takes him to the park...where they run into Hydro Man. Hilarity ensues. There's also a small backup story where Sue attempts to show Reed the error of his way by making him jealous. Who's the one person that can do that? Namor of course! Both stories are continued into the next ish, and I for one can't wait. Waid and 'Ringo have become THE definitive FF storytellers, IMO, and it's nice to see a little light heartedness in the pages, especially considering all the religious overtones in the previous arc. Great stuff.

Cable & Deadpool #2

Seems comedy is the order of the day, as this is another book that at least attempts to tickle the funny bone. Fabe Nic is one of my all time faves, and wrot some of Cable's best stories over the years, but this book still has nothing but a slight sentimentality to it for me. Fabes Deadpool is great, and it makes me wish this were a solo title, as his Cable brings almost nothing to the table. Sigh...seems the house of ideas is moving backwards for the most part these days. Recommended for fans of the characters only.

That's it for now, I'll be back tomorrow with a few more.

-L