Black Widow #5 Review –“The Itsy, Bitsy Spider Has It's Water Sprout.”

Story

As Black Widow is after Molot, she discovers more secrets about him like what his past is, who does he work for and eventually she discovers another secret that lurks from her past.

The Good

We finally get to learn more about Molot, like getting to know his past and what his goals are and who he is. It becomes really interesting to dive into the history of the character. I really like how Black Widow is willing to study her enemies and tries to find ways to win tactically. I’m really starting to like the relationship Black Widow and Maria Hill have. It looks like they trust each other and know each other very well. I also like this version of Hill because she’s usually written very bitchy in other comics and here she very lay back and relaxed. I also like Black Widow’s new friend, Tori Raven and I hope we get to see her again and know more of her. This story is still very good and I like the new twist on the new threat. It really keeps me on my toes to keep reading this series. Edmonson also has good use of accents in the dialogue and I like how he can make the dialogue funny at times too.

Phil Noto really gives some impressive artwork especially with the face expressions and body gestures. It’s like you really are the characters and understand how they are feeling. Once again, Noto action is very intense and I just love how the action organized and very well done. I also love the color choices he uses on the characters. He has great ways of using black and red and I love the yellow and pink outfit of Tori Raven. It looks very fashionable and fits her character.

The Bad

I really don’t like what happens to Molot and I really hope they will use him again in the future. He would be a great villain to use for other heroes.

Verdict

I give this issue a 4/9 out of 5/10 stars. It’s nice to see Black Widow really use her skills and how she is very smart. You really get to see why she is well trust spy. I’m loving the establishing relationship between the characters and knowing more about the villains. I’m still loving the art and it gives off great action, body language and colors. The only disappointment is about Molot’s conclusion and I hope we see him again somehow. But this issue is still a good read and I recommend buying.

    

Captain America #19 Review –“When the Nail Hammers Down!”

Story

The Iron Nail and Dr. Mindbubble have taken control over Maria Hill and it’s all up to Captain America to stop them.

The Good

Dr. Mindbubble is still wreaking havoc and the repercussions of SHIELD are really having an affect especially on Maria Hill. Seeing her being controlled is really bothering her emotionally and physically. I wonder how she will do after all this. I’m also interested in what Dr. Mindbubble is planning what to do with Cap. We also get to learn more about Iron Nail’s motives and why he is doing this and so far it sounds interesting.

The Bad

Yep, the art still doesn’t improve much here. It doesn’t hold the story really well. They are still less detailed and it only looks good on the double page spreads. Many of the face expressions look very flat and sort of weird. It also doesn’t give much effect on the characters. The action only that looks good is Iron Nail vs Cap while the others feel dead. Even though, Iron Nail did improve a bit in this issue, he still has a bad habit of using Dr. Mindbubble to his advantage and since he can’t get the job done alone, it cheapens his character down. I am also surprised about all of this destruction going on with SHIELD and somehow heroes like the Avengers or Black Widow isn’t involved.

Verdict

I give this issue a 3.5/7.5 out of 5/10 stars. Yes, once again it gets this score, because sadly the story doesn’t improve much more than that. The story’s overall effect is still the same. Dr. Mindbubble is still tearing SHIELD down and it’s having an emotional effect on Hill which, seeing that is pretty good. The art is still very flat, but it does make a pretty good action scene with Iron Nail and Captain America. It’s nice to know Iron Nail motives, but I hope the next issue will make him more interesting. I also feel strange that The Avengers aren’t involved in war against SHIELD. Even though, this story hasn’t improve to a higher level, I suggest you still get it because seeing the repercussions is awesome and you going to wonder how Captain America will be affect in the next issue.  

    

Captain America #18 Review –“When the Bubbles Can’t Be Popped.”

Story

Dr. Mindbubble has taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. and it’s up to Cap, Falcon, Maria Hill and Jet Black to stop him.

The Good

Dr. Mindbubble is posing a serious threat and the characters are having a tough time stopping him. Dr. Mindbubble has been a really good villain and I wonder how will these heroes will win and how they will be affected afterwards. We also get to learn more of Dr. Mindbubble’s past and I feel he has a pretty interesting history with S.H.I.E.L.D. I also like how powers actually work and it’s very different than the mind controllers we already know.

The Bad

Once again, I am having mixed feeling with the art and it comes out worse than the last issue. The main reason why I feel this way is because there are a few panels with good art, but it’s over-dominated by the bad ones. They are very less detailed and this time the action falls really flat. There’s seems to be some stop motion with the action and it feels sort of like a 66’ Batman-ish style without the motion. It just has the “wham, bam and rhoom” words with less of an impact. The face expressions aren’t done well in this issue either. I also feel they need to do something with Iron Nail because he is still in the shadows and he doesn’t seem like a formidable villain. Even, Dr. Mindbubble is doing a better job than him and he’s not even the main villain.

Verdict

I give this issue a 3.5/7.5 out of 5/10 stars. This is turning out to be a really good story. Dr. Mindbubble is really tearing the place and giving the heroes a challenge. It’s also nice that we get to know some history about him. The only bad thing in this issue is the art and it gives the story less of an impact. It’s not detailed enough and the action doesn’t look good at all. The Iron Nail is still not impressing me as a villain so far. But, I still recommend you get this issue because the story is very intense and seeing Dr. Mindbubble tearing the place is worth it. 

  

Captain America #17 Review –“When a Man Mind Bubbles a Shield.”

Story

After capturing Nuke, Iron Nail has released an old S.H.I.E.L.D. threat that was locked up for over 50 years and now he’s been attacking everyone and taken control of them.

The Good

This issue is starting off to a rough one. But it still does a good job in introducing a new villain named Dr. Mindbubble. We get to know his past, his powers and how much he can poses a threat.  So far, he’s a pretty cool villain with an odd looking design that I actually like. It also looks like the characters will have a tough time fighting him, because he can mind control people and bad enough when he can over take S.H.I.E.L.D. There’s also a good chemistry between Cap and Jet Black on getting to know each other and the dialogue is pretty funny. There are also few cool action scenes so far.

The Bad

The story is okay, but it really gives a less impact feel than the last stories. Iron Nail doesn’t seem to be interesting yet and they barely have shown anything about him even in The Winter Soldier series. But that’s okay because it’s only been two issues so far which doesn’t help. Some of the dialogue here is cheesy and sounds off. It can be confusing at times too, especially during the end. You have to read carefully to understand what’s going on.

The art team feels less impacted too because it’s nowhere near better than the last. I’m not a big fan of the artist’s cel shading style because the inking makes the art pale and dark instead bright colors and cel shading doesn’t work well that way. But the art does look good sometimes with the action and the face expressions. But often time the panels look a lot less detailed and it’s more than the good looking panels in there.

Verdict

I give this issue a 3.5/7.5 out of 5/10 stars. Since the last stories were really good, this one comes off a bit rough. But the story is still good to read and Dr. Mindbubble is an awesome villain. He can really pose a threat with the characters and he has some cool powers. The art is okay, but isn’t nearly impressive as the last and the dark cel shading art style looks awful at times.  So, even though this isn’t the most hyped up event in the series I still suggest it’s worth picking up especially if you’re looking to know more about Dr. Mindbubble. This character alone is worth reading the issue for.

Aquaman and The Others #1 Review –“What’s Going On?”

Intro

At the time, Aquaman’s great run they introduced a team of characters Aquaman knew before the Justice League. They were called “The Others”; I know the name sound ridiculous especially for a team. But once I got to know them and see their unique powers or character designs, I immediately grew a love for them. What I liked the most about this team is their distinct personalities and race/ethnic background they each have. It’s honestly the most diverse team I’ve seen in comic book history. So, every time they were featured in an Aquaman issue I got pretty excited because they were a team I grew to love and dynamics of their relationships with Aquaman were so unique and fun. They were also issues with cool interesting stories that really make you love the characters a lot more. I always hope they would get their own series eventually too. But, little did I know they were making one eventually. So you can tell how pretty excited I was when I heard the news. Anyways, since this first issue barely introduces the characters I will tell you something about each character briefly. {Sky Alchemy is a Native American girl that has the ability to call ghosts from the spirit world to help. She also became part The Others very recently when her friend who passed away named Kahina. Kahina had the ability to see the future so when she was getting killed by Black Manta she passed down the role to her and gave her an artifact that has the ability to translate any language. Prisoner of War is a black American former soldier that has the ability to use any skills of the soldiers that died around him. He also possesses an artifact that makes him indestructible and creates a force field. The Operative is a British secret agent who serves much like the Batman of the team. He doesn’t have super powers, but he uses martial art skills and gadgets to help himself fight. He also has an artifact that can unlock any vessel that is sealed. He also has a son named Aaron Cole who has the ability to use magic and has an established relationship with Sky. Ya’Wara is a South American woman who has the ability to talk to cats to help fight anyone and possesses an artifact to teleport anywhere she wants to go. Lastly, there was man from Russia name Vostok who was also killed by Black Manta. He had no powers, but had an artifact that possesses the ability to live without water, food, oxygen or sleep.} That’s pretty much I can tell about them, but if you want to know more about them I highly suggest you get those Aquaman issues that feature them especially Aquaman Annual #1. The story here is that the team is assembled because their artifacts have stopped working and they are set figure out why. The issue had a pretty good story I highly suggest you check out especially since it tie-ins to Future’s End.

Story

The Others and Aquaman has found out their artifacts have stopped working and they work together to find out why.

The Good

Aquaman and The Others are already off to a good start with a good issue. It has an interesting plotline that will definitely pull you in. It does an okay job of introducing each character separately and how they come together. We also get to know their names, some of their powers, personalities and establishing relationships. We also get to know about the new threat that’s after them. There also something teased at the end that leads into DC’s next main event.

The art team does a pretty good on the character models and face expressions. But they also have good shots of brief action and that’s really good because some people can barely pull that off at times. The colors are pretty basic, but they blend in with the issue very well.

The Bad

The really big problem with this issue is that it doesn’t introduce the characters all too well. You don’t get to know anything from their past and ethnic backgrounds. We only get their names, some of their powers (not all of them) and their relationships and personalities. We also don’t get to know anything new about them. So far, that isn’t really good because there isn’t too much we know about them in the Aquaman issues and we need to know more new stuff to keep the interest for the audience.  So, it’s not a new reader friendly issue and it feels like it was made for old readers who enjoyed The Others and read the Aquaman’s New 52 run. I don’t think this is a good idea especially since these are obscured characters that can probably barely sell and the most important thing is that this is the first issue which, it supposed to introduce them to a good solid interest for readers.    

Verdict

I give this issue a 4/9 out of 5/10 stars. Aquaman and The Others already started with a really good issue. It gives an interesting story that will pull readers in. They tell a good job of who the members are and why they are here. But it doesn’t give us any past history about them or anything that makes them different besides their powers. The art is really good especially the action and the coloring. The only problem I had is that new readers may have trouble reading this because they won’t know much about the characters. It really just dives into the story plot. So, it’s pretty much for readers who have already read the Aquaman issues that have The Others and enjoys them. But, I highly suggest newbies to still get because it’s an interesting team with a good story and who knows you might get to know more about them later down the road. 

Black Widow #4 Review –“The Cold War 2”

Story

A Russian hit man has attacked the Ukraine Embassy for the “sins” they have caused and now Black Widow is sent to kill off this hit man by S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Good

It seems the Black Widow series is finally reaching story arc mode after having self-contained stories and it really off to a good start. Nathan Edmonson seems to write Black Widow really well and looks like he really knows how to characterize her. I really like how Black Widow is the type of agent that when she gets  on a mission, she will get the job done no matter what it takes and she will do it alone if she has to. The story arc is pretty interesting so far and I like the fact that this is somehow relating to real life political/country events.  It really makes you wonder if this was a coincidence or if this idea was actually taken from that. I’m really starting to see Molot as an interesting villain. I like his personality and how aggressive he is. I also think he has a cool design and can really pose a threat to Black Widow.

Phil Noto is still doing a phenomenal job on the art. I really love his water painting art style. He manages to keep it in detail even with the action. It’s very aggressive and intense. I can really get into it when I see the action. He also does good face expressions and good use of colors as well.

The Bad

Black Widow ends up getting her arm broken and I don’t like how she manages to fight with it like it was never broken before, especially when it comes to the action. It looks like he just brushes it off and keeps moving like flipping and shooting all over the place. It’s like it doesn’t faze her at all. It looks like they forgot about it, even though it’s mentioned. I guess they didn’t do a good job on proving she had a broken arm.

Verdict

I give this issue a 4/9 out of 5/10 stars. Black Widow continues to be a good series and Edmonson seems to pretty much nail the character so far. The main story arc is very good and it’s cool that it can relate to something that’s actually going on in real life. Molot is an interesting villain who can really shake off Black Widow and give her a challenge. Phil Noto continues to do amazing art and manages to make her sexy without over sexualizing her clothes. So, if you’re looking to know Black Widow especially for movie fans or people who just love the character in general, then I suggest you check this issue out and follow the series.