Deadpool Gauntlet #6 Review –“The Death of a Honeymoon.”

Intro

Since I jumped on board the new series of Deadpool with Gerry Duggan, it has been one fun roller coaster ride. He really knows how to write over the top Deadpool fun and can balance the seriousness as well. He even does a better job than Daniel Way which, I felt it was a great series too. So, reading Gerry’s series is a real plus for me. He’s written many great stories about Deadpool’s wife and daughter that has me tearing and feeling bad for him and brings us closer to the character. At the moment, he’s fighting Shield to get a body back for Emily Preston which is a character I love and I hope for more on her. She really knows how to be a great friend to Deadpool. So, I suggest you check out that series. But now this is a limited digital series based on maybe a little after the Shield story when Deadpool gets married to Shiklah. He was supposed to bring her back to Dracula. But he’s having a little too much fun with her.  It’s a great series you should check out. It will really make you laugh.

Story

Deadpool and Shiklah are on their way to find Bob and they go through some real trouble as they get there.

The Good

Deadpool and Shiklah are having a really fun time together. We get to learn a little more about her personality and I’m really how much fun and laid back she can be. I can see why Deadpool is starting to like her. We also get to see Deadpool holding back due to recent happening. So, it’s really good to understand these characters’ emotions.

The art team does a really good job again. There’s really good face expressions that makes you see how they are feeling. They really do some great action as well with the digital features and the character models are in good solid detail.

The Bad

There’s absolutely nothing bad I can say about the issue.

Verdict

I give this series a 5/10 out of 5/10 stars. It’s a great issue that really lets you get deep into the emotion of the characters. There’s some really great jokes and action in the fun too. There’s absolutely nothing bad about it either. So, if you’re looking for a fun loving Deadpool book and know something deep about them, then I suggest you pick this issue up.

  

Smallville: Alien #8 Review –“When the Dynamic Duo Makes Everyone Feel like a Chum.”

Intro

Since the last time I reviewed Smallville reviewed it’s still been a hit and miss to me. But I felt it has definitely improved a lot better during the Wonder Woman arc. They had a great origin and introduction on how she meets Superman. It was really different and interesting and I felt it was one of the best stories they did. The main problem with this series is Lex Luthor because to me he really hasn’t done much instead of being obnoxious and ordering Otis around. He has been much of a centerfold either even though they do show him very often. But I think now with this storyline it’s definitely changing and evolving as he might soon remember who Superman is. This seems to be a good storyline though because Superman recently came out to the world as an alien and we get more involvement with Batman and Nightwing (Barbara Gordon) (I recommend checking both the Wonder Woman and Batman stories of the Smallville series they are pretty great stories to check out.) and there is characters from Earth 2 to see. So, it’s definitely an arc worth looking into.

Story

Characters like Lois Lane, Nightwing, Clark Kent and Lex Luthor are learning more secrets about the multiple earths as they get to know a little more about each other.

The Good

This issue is definitely making the series to an intriguing story. We are learning about the parallel earths and what’s going on with them. There’s a lot of good chemistry going on with Lois Lane and Nightwing. We really see the differences and similarities they each have. We also get to learn more about Otis and the relationship he has with Lex. Plus, there’s a mystery reveal at the end.

There’s one thing that I like about this series and it’s managed to stay good is the art. The art team did a really good job on the action scenes even though there are some problems with it. It really shows how much Lois and Nightwing have. The colors and the face expressions are in great solid detail as well.

The Bad

The only problem I had is with Lois Lane and Nightwing talking as they are beating up thugs. No matter how much skills they have, they shouldn’t be able to fight and have a conversation at the same time. They are also spreading a lot of information that should be kept secret around the thugs especially since Lois is a reporter and why would she be fighting and talking with Nightwing would make her fishy on who she knows. Also when Nightwing is using the escrima sticks with water to shock the thugs I think that would have killed them, not knocked them out. I also think Batman would have taught her other tactics to know them out.    

Verdict

I give this issue a 4/9 out of 5/10 stars. It’s really nice to see we are learning lot about Earth 2 and the relationships of the old and new characters grow in the Smallville universe. There’s great art and good action even with a few bad things about it. But it’s still a good issue that’s worthy of a pick-up especially if you want to learn more about the Smallville universe.  This arc manages to be a really good story and it’s one you should look into, you will definitely love it.

Batman and Two-Face #28 Review –“It’s Either Heads or Tails!”

Intro

Since Batman and Robin began in the New 52, it’s been on a bumpy road for me. Peter Tomasi does a great job on characterizing Robin (Damian) a lot better than most people. It’s just a lot of his stories are a bit inconsistent. He did a few good stories like the time Nobody came around, he was one best of villains created and I wished he did more of him. But when the time came around of Damian’s death, a lot of his storytelling featuring most of the Batman family died down a bit and weren’t as good as his Damian issues. I guess the problem was that the characters it was supposed to focus on were barely there and didn’t really add into the story make Batman a strong or weak-willed character. If you’re looking to check out this series, I recommend you check the Nobody’s story because it really builds up and changes the hero Damian becomes. Anyways, the centered-focus has shift to Two-Face, I’m not sure about his purpose is in this. But it’s a retold origin of Two-Face in the New 52 which, I think is better than any previous version told before. Now we are at the conclusion of the story and it’s a great one, so I suggest you check this particular arc out.

Story

Two-Face is held hostage in a courtroom and it’s up Batman and Erin McKillen to save him.

The Good

Yeah, this issue pretty action-packed, but it really redefines Harvey Dent’s past on the man he used to be and the man he is now. There’s great dialogue between Two-Face and Batman that explains their past relationship of being good friends. It was also interesting to see how he met Gilda and the action scenes looked pretty awesome as well.   

Patrick Gleason and John Kaliz do a really great job on the art here. There are a lot of good face expressions on the major characters like Two-Face, Batman and Jim Gordon. You can definitely tell there’s a history of the relationships of these characters and it’s filled with fear and rage or hatred on what’s become. The action scenes was pretty good that you could see the great teamwork between Two-Face and Batman and I felt there was great use of colors in there especially the use of fire to show meaning. The only problem I had was that Penguin’s face looked distorted and weird.  

The Bad

The only thing I felt was bad is the ending. Because it can feel a bit of misleading for future events with Two-Face and you can’t really tell whether this takes place after or before Forever Evil. I also wish there was a bit more dialogue or interaction between Jim Gordon and Two-Face.

Verdict

I give this issue a 4/9 out of 5/10 stars. This issue tells a great conclusion to the new told mythos of Two-Face. It has great past moments with Bruce and Harvey. It redefines who this man is in a good way. There’s also great art in the action scenes and the characters’ face expressions give good meaning behind their history. The only downside is the ending will definitely make you feel lost. But I still recommend you pick this issue up especially if you want to know what’s different in this version than the original Two-Face origin. It’s a really great story and you might find it better than the original like I did.  

Amazing X-Men #4 Review –“A Pretty Cold Day in Hell.”

Intro

When I heard the announcement of Nightcrawler returning from the dead in a new series called Amazing X-Men, I was ecstatic! I was itching for this character to come back ever since he was gone. He’s my childhood favorite character and I missed him for a very long time. Also a lot has changed since he was gone and I’m wondering what his reaction will be with the X-Men splitting up and not doing so well relationship wise. I also will like to see how Firestar will do joining the X-Men for the first time. But as I started to read this series, my interest has died down a little because Jason Aaron has decided to give the same quirky feel that everyone is funny like in Wolverine and the X-Men. At times it even feels like a sitcom and everyone acts sort of out of character, which is why I don’t like that style. But thankfully, this issue has become a lot less about that and really improved for the better and here’s hoping that it will stay that way.

Story

Nightcrawler has finally saved Beast and Storm now he’s out to save the others from a cold day in hell.

The Good

I can say I am definitely impressed with this issue. There was a lot less humor than the last issue and it worked out pretty well.  Because it felt right and not out of the moment like a sitcom. There were a lot of great interactions and moments with the characters like the Bamfs’ origin which might gross you out, Wolverine and Nightcrawler’s past about near death experience and Nightcrawler’s meeting Firestar for the first time. All these moments I’ve pointed out were really fun.

Ed McGuiness’ art was definitely impressive too. Beast’s face expressions were really scary and Firestar’s splash page was amazingly beautiful. The Wolverine holding Nightcrawler picture was great too is really gives off an emotion level between the two. I even like the action and great use of colors. So, I give props to Marte Garcia and Dexter Vines as well.

The Bad

I couldn’t really find anything bad in this issue. It was definitely amazing!

Verdict

I give this issue a 5/10 out of 5/10 stars. This issue definitely turned out better than the last. It had great humor and finally didn’t feel forced. Nightcrawler showed a lot compassion to his teammates and you can definitely see why he cares and how he was missed. We also get to learn about the Bamfs’ origin and great past moments. The art is pretty good as well with good face expressions and great centered pages that really stand out. There’s really no downside either. So, if you felt the humor was a little too much last issue or you want to learn more about Nightcrawler than this is the issue for you! You will really have fun with this issue like I did! 

Avengers Assemble #24 Review –“When You Team-Up with Iron Man, You’re Just Too Damn Cool!”

Intro

As the time I read this series, it’s been on a bumpy road and have I felt it was just a simple cash in at the start. It was just a series with the Avengers movie cast with terrible storylines that had just pure action. But when Kelley Sue Deconnick jumped on board she definitely made a great anthology series focusing on a particular Avenger character. But this series was still proven fatal to be cancelled because many of issues were tie-ins to major events like Infinity, Age of Ultron and crossed over with Captain Marvel  maybe pulled away from a lot of people that wasn’t reading those series. I also think having the constant character shifts every issue probably killed too. But nonetheless it has a few good issues with Captain Marvel and Black Widow in Age of Ultron and now the focus is switched to Spider-Girl (Arana Corazon) teaming up with every Avenger trying solve the case of her professor being captured as an inhuman.  It’s a great format they should have followed from the beginning because seeing new characters teaming up with Avengers for the first time and learning new things is really interesting to read. Even though, this series is cancelled I recommend you pick up this particular arc because Spider-Girl is an interesting character and seeing her interact and learn new things with every Avenger is really awesome to see and you won’t feel lost jumping on to this either.       

Story

Spider-Girl is still trying to find her professor and Iron Man decides to help her.

The Good

Spider-Girl is really turning out to be a good character and much better than her previous series. She’s proven that she’s still a new superhero and seeing her being stubborn about team up and naïve about studying villains can be fun. It was nice to see Tony show her what study can do and she tries to learn from it. The Iron Man and Spider-Girl chemistry continues to be entertaining and funny. Plus, I really like the new spin on her costume. It’s really stylish.

The art is really great in this series as well. The visuals on the characters’ face expressions are done really well. I even liked the hologram scene with Tony. The art had good details and great use on the colors. The action is also done pretty good too.

The Bad

I couldn’t find anything bad with this issue. But since the next issue being the last could turn out quite rushed considering she’s teaming up with all the Avengers for one last hurrah. I kind of liked the previous new costume even though this newer one is probably slightly better. Maybe I have a bad fashion sense. (Laughs)

Verdict

I give this issue a 5/10 out of 5/10 stars. Spider-Girl continues to be an interesting character as these issues digs deep. I really like her stubbornness and how she’s still willing to learn new things.  Since I have grown to like her, it shows she deserves a second chance at a new series with Kelley Sue Deconnick. The art is another great thing about this particular arc in this series. It has nice use of face expressions, action and color. There’s nothing really bad about this issue. So, if you’re looking to learn about Spider-Girl or having some fun with the Avengers then I suggest you pick this issue up and look up the other issues in this arc as well.

All-Star Western #28 Review –“When an Old Timer Has a New Face.”

Intro

Since I jumped on board on All-Star Western, I have quickly become a Jonah Hex fan. All-Star Western really gives off a different feeling than any other comic. It’s not just from a western perspective, but a character that isn’t just a typical ruthless killer; he really has a heart and feels sympathy for innocent people. He just doesn’t like to show it too much. He’s also a bounty hunter that’s not all about the money; he really does it for vengeance these people paid for hurting innocents. He also has a quirky humor and a charm for the ladies. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray have done a wonderful job on this character in making him very interesting. They even managed to pull it off twice since they did the pre-52 series as well which, I haven’t read yet. But I hope I will someday. Right now at their 100^th issue, Jonah Hex has been in the present time (thanks to Booster Gold) meeting a few modern heroes and growing accustomed to the time period. He wants to return to his old timeline, but first he has to come to terms with his new face.

Story

Jonah Hex is in the hospital from a fatal car accident which has caused him into a coma. The doctors give him plastic surgery on his face and his reactions go off the roof!

The Good

Finally seeing Jonah Hex’s reaction to his new face has become an intriguing story.  It really puts Jonah into an emotion state that he’s never before. I really liked how he feels he’s in a totally different world and things aren’t the same as they used to be. He really tries his best to stay comfortable, but he can’t help it to feel strange about it. It’s something very new to him and it’s the complexity of his feelings is what makes it interesting.

The Bad

Even though this was an interesting story I did feel him jumping back in time was too sudden. Mainly because the return of a long gone character has no explanation to where he’s been and he suddenly disappears after his job is done. And I felt pretty strange that this character didn’t tell Gina how much she can affect time by being in the past. I also wanted to see Jonah Hex’s emotion state to be explored more. I felt it went off to the action a bit too quickly.

The new art for this series is getting pretty hard to get used to. Sometimes it looks really well especially when the special guest appears and other times it looks less detailed and muddled like in the action scenes.

Verdict

I give this issue a 4/9 out of 5/10 stars. Just seeing his reactions to his new face is really interesting and I wish we could have seen more. I felt the time between him dealing with this and jumping back in time happened too quickly. The art is also pretty rough to get through because it’s less quality than the previous art. But this story is still pretty good to read. So, I recommend you pick this issue up. It’s really good for new readers as well because we get to know who Jonah is and it establishes a new story arc. I think this is a series people should really enjoy.