Comic Reviews: Tomb Raider and The Wake!

Comic Reviews!!!!

Tomb Raider #1 (Dark Horse Comics)

 Lara Croft returns to comics in Dark Horse Comics in Tomb Raider #1. Written by Batgirl scribe Gail Simone and drawn by Nicolas Daniel Selma, the new series follows Lara after the events of last year’s Tomb Raider video game reboot. Now, full disclosure here, I have yet to play the game. I own it and it’s sitting on my shelf, but I just haven’t had time to dive into it just yet. However, that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the issue. In fact, not knowing about the island where Lara Croft was born added to the mystery of the book, and makes me want to fire up my Xbox 360 and give the game a spin.

Are the Guardians of the Galaxy….a bunch of A-Holes?

We’ve finally gotten our first look at the biggest Marvel Studios gamble since Thor: Guardians of the Galaxy. More so than the God of Thunder’s first foray into cinemas, this rag tag team of cosmic heroes has a LOT riding on it.  Sure, past Marvel movies featured a guy in a robot suit, a thunder god, and a guy who turns into a giant green monster when he’s pissed, but those were all characters that some percentage of the “normies” had an idea about. Guardians features TWO green people, a lead most known for playing a slob on Parks and Rec, a talking tree, and a surly raccoon (which is totally awesome, by the way).  How is the general public going to react to this movie?

Comic Reviews: Daredevil and Undertow!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!!

Daredevil #36 (Marvel Comics)

The “final” issue of Daredevil has arrived, and just like any other month, it’s stellar. At this point, writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee can do no wrong, as they’ve consistently put out one of the finest superhero books on the stands month in and month out.  Issue 36 is no exception, as it closes the door on one chapter of Matt Murdock’s life, and opens the door to a brand new one.

Under threat from the serpent society, Matt Murdock must clear a guilty man. If he doesn’t, then the world will know a truth that Matt has struggled long to keep hidden: his identity as Daredevil.  Matt’s plan to get out of his situation is spectacular, and no, I won’t spoil it. I will spoil, however, the fact that this does not end on the super down note that I was expecting it to. In fact, Daredevil  #36 is one of the most fun comics I’ve read so far this year. Waid’s script keeps you guessing as to how the issue will play out, and the art from Chris Samnee is absolutely stunning.

The Return of Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man(?)

So Todd McFarlane recently said he’d be up for drawing Spider-Man again. Naturally, this lead me into a nerd frenzy, immediately thinking about how awesome it would be to see my favorite Spider-Man artist back at Marvel again.  And it would be awesome. It would be so, SO awesome. But the more I think about it, the more wary I become. There are countless examples of famous creators returning to the characters that made them who they are and completely and utterly failing at them, and I certainly don’t want to see McFarlane added to that list.

In a weird way, this “news” reminds me of Neal Adams’ big return to Batman a few years back. Now, I was not alive during his career defining run on the character, but I was well aware of his impact on the Batman post-Adam West TV series, and had read a few collections that contained his art. So, when the announcement was made that Adams was returning to the character with the miniseries Batman: Odyssey, I was pumped.

Guardians of the Galaxy trailer!!!

I’ll have something up in more depth later, but for now, CHECK IT OUT.

Personally, I think this looks like a hell of a lot of fun, and an excellent way for Marvel to shake things up. What do you think?

Comic Reviews: Superior Spider-Man, Batman, and The Fuse!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!

Superior Spider-Man #27.1 (Marvel Comics)

Yes, this is the second Superior Spider-Man review in a row, but with this being the start of the final storyline, I figured you’d all forgive me for allowing a repeat appearance of OckSpidey.  Yes, this is the first part of Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncolli’s “Goblin Nation”, where we will finally see the Superior Spider-Man face off with the Green Goblin (or Goblin King, as he’s taken to calling himself now).

Taking place 31 days after the previous issue, we find Otto trying to understand how his all-seeing Spider-bots could have allowed the Goblin army to ransack New York City.  After uncovering the flaw in his designs, Otto manages to make his way to the Goblin’s underground lair, where….nah I won’t spoil it. All I’ll say is that Dan Slott is clearly having a lot of fun with this final story arc, and I’m glad that we didn’t have to wait too long for Otto and Norman (?) to meet up. There’s also some more time with Peter Parker attempting to piece together his memories, but with only 31 of them left, he’s going to have a pretty rough time trying to rebuild himself so he can get his body back.

True Detective

Time to switch gears here folks. As followers know, I talk a lot about comic books and movies, but rarely shine a light on the world of TV. Outside of praising the mighty Breaking Bad, Arrow, and the surprisingly good Sleepy Hollow , I typically shy away from reviewing and commenting on television (except, of course, to give  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. a good thrashing when necessary). I  don’t spend much time commenting on TV because there’s only so much time I can devote to my passions, and because there’s someone out there doing a much better job of it than I am.

But there’s something hitting the airwaves that has me enthralled. With only three episodes, it’s already become one of my new favorite shows, and as long as it doesn’t completely jump the shark in the next seven episodes it’ll probably become one of my favorite shows of all time. What’s this show I’m talking of?

Comic Reviews: The Punisher, Loki: Agent of Asgard, and Wolverine!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!

 Punisher #1

Frank Castle is back, and my god, he kicks so much ass.  From Black Widow and Who Is Jake Ellis writer Nathan Edmondson and artist Mitch Gerards, The Punisher #1 finds Mr. Castle moving to Los Angeles on the hunt for more scumbags. What follows is a fantastic debut issue that brings the Punisher roaring back into the Marvel universe.