Wednesday 23 January 2013

Comic Book Reviews for 1/23/13

This week sees the launch of two hotly anticipated Marvel NOW! titles: the new volume of Uncanny X-Force and the return of Young Avengers. We're happy to report that both debut issues are pleasantly satisfying. Over at DC, Batwoman gets its best issue to date and the Green Lantern crossover, Rise of the Third Army, reaches its conclusion.

DC COMICS

Batwoman #16

Written by Haden Blackman & J.H. Williams III | Art by J.H. Williams III

"When a book pops my eyeballs, tickles my brain, and leaves me wanting more like Batwoman #16, I’m only too happy to sing its praises. The title reaches another mountaintop, as co-writers J.H.Williams III and W. Haden Blackman explore the pandemonium of Medusa’s attack." -Poet

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Final Score:

9.8

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #6

Written by Darwyn Cooke | Art by Darwyn Cooke

"Why are all the best Before Watchmen books wrapping up the soonest? With Silk Spectre and now Minutemen wrapped up, my general interest in the Before Watchmen line is fading quickly. But at least Darwyn Cooke sticks the landing in Minutemen #6. The issue sidesteps what initially appears to be a poor storytelling choice and closes out the story in suitably grim fashion." -Jesse

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Final Score:

8.7

Birds of Prey #16

Written by Duane Swierczynski | Art by Romano Molenaar

"Birds of Prey #16 introduces a new member to the squad in the form of Strix, yet another Talon that has broken free from the Court of Owls. The dynamic that writer Duane Swierczynski creates between Strix and the team is left relatively unexplored beyond an obligatory-but-brief 'let’s fight before we team-up' scene. In addition, Condor returns and essentially undergoes a similar arc as Strix in terms of being integrated into the team. However, Swierczynski jumps months ahead mid-issue, leaving the bonding experience between the team and its new members up to the imagination." -Joey

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Final Score:

7.7

Catwoman #16

Written by Ann Nocenti | Art by Rafa Sandoval

"It seems like Eclipso is making a big comeback in the DCU lately. The members of Team 7 are battling the diamond's influence in the past, while Selina Kyle has fallen under its sway in the present. Unfortunately, one of these books is handling the Eclipso conflict better than the other, and it ain't Catwoman." -Jesse

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Final Score:

4.4

Green Lantern #16

Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Doug Mahnke

"The Rise of the Third Army finally concludes its run in Green Lantern with what I can only refer to as the biggest non-event I’ve ever read. Did anything of note happen that was worth being spread across three issues of four different books? Nope. We don’t even see the Third Army in this entire issue. But what we do see a lot of is Simon Baz, and while the inflated cosmic-level story hanging over his head does not stir the imagination, his personal story of family, culture, and faith makes it all worth it." -Joshua

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Final Score:

8.0

Green Lantern Corps #16

Written by Peter Tomasi | Art by Fernando Pasarin

"The ride thus far on Green Lantern Corps has been acceptable but unremarkable, but now Peter J. Tomasi brings together a slew of plot lines that amount to more than the sum of their parts. Guy Gardner’s expulsion from the Corps and his feud with his family are given the spotlight, while John Stewart continues to get the shaft. Although, when Guy’s story is this good it’s hard to have that complaint." -Joshua

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Final Score:

8.3

Green Lantern: New Guardians #16

Written by Tony Bedard | Art by Aaron Kuder

"After delivering one underwhelming issue after another, Green Lantern: New Guardians has pulled off the impossible by giving a surprisingly good conclusion to what has been a rushed and unengaging story arc. Given how well Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps also performed this week, it should be no surprise that this title found its saving grace in an emotionally charged conclusion that really came out of nowhere." -Joshua

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Final Score:

7.9

Justice League #16

Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Ivan Reis

"While the Justice League/Aquaman Throne of Atlantis crossover got off to a great start, it loses its footing a bit in Justice League #16. The issue recovers by the end, but at that point the cliffhanger will either have you excited or make you roll your eyes. This issue amounts to a whole lot of piece-moving in a war of murky motivations and superpowered beings, but it’s not so bad when the pieces are so gorgeously drawn by Ivan Reis." -Joshua

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Final Score:

6.9

Nightwing #16

Written by Kyle Higgins | Art by Eddy Barrows

"The various Batman books are requiring an increasing amount of suspension of disbelief as Death of the Family wears on. How is Joker able to to simultaneously administer such elaborate forms of psychological torture on each member of the Bat-family in the span of time it takes Batman to drive from Wayne Manor to Arkham Asylum? Why does Joker even bother with all of this hooplah if his goal is merely to eliminate Batman's many sidekicks and allies from the picture? How can Nightwing take a spiked mallet to the face and wake up with nothing more than a few skin lacerations? If you can put all of those questions aside, Nightwing #16 is a gripping read." -Jesse

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Final Score:

7.4

Red Hood and the Outlaws #16

Written by Scott Lobdell | Art by Timothy Green

"Too often I've complained about the fact that Red Hood and the Outlaws seems like a Red Hood book first and a team book a distant second. To his credit, Scott Lobdell is addressing that perception by delivering a story arc where Jason Todd is out of commission and his friends are on the hunt. Unfortunately, nothing about the execution of this arc sets it apart. Between the unwelcome Teen Titans crossover, the haphazard visuals, and the annoying narration and dialogue, this is one Death of the Family tie-in you're better off skipping." -Jesse

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Final Score:

2.4

Supergirl #16

Written by Mike Johnson | Art by Mahmud Asrar

"While the Superman and Superboy books are drowning in mediocrity, Supergirl continues to keep its head above water with sharp writing and excellent art. With the Justice League assaulting the Fortress of Solitude head on, the Flash has sneaked in to rescue Kara. Only to her, she’s being kidnapped away from her one chance to get Krypton back. It’s a lot of fun watching the two characters interact, but I’d be lying if I said it progressed the story in any meaningful way." -Joshua

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Final Score:

7.5

Wonder Woman #16

Written by Brian Azzarello | Art by Cliff Chiang

"One of the best things about this new Wonder Woman series is the size and scope of it. It feels like it takes place in its own little corner of the DC Universe, unaffected by the goings on of the rest of the line. It's epic in nature, dealing with multiple words and endless generations of gods and half gods. To put it simply, Wonder Woman is a great comic book." -Ben

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Final Score:

9.1


Source : ign[dot]com

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