State the Last Comic Book You Read and Rate It

[Conch22]

I've had New Avengers # 1 (2015) in a section of unread stuff for awhile, finally read it. It had the first page being a close-up of a smart phone, overly cutesy banter, overly kidified banter in places, hipster character description boxes, the team leader having an annoying catchphrase, a one page, poorly coordinated fight scene followed by conversation panels where the sense of continuity between panels is mediocre. I liked the new Powerman and White Tiger in it, I like the roster of the team. It left me cold and not caring what happens next, like the characters and plot are designed to be overly clean and talk down to grade schoolers. If I grab a trade down the line, it'll be based purely on the cast and Ewings rep as a writer. The colorist helped the book greatly and the artists overall style was good, direction was just overall skewing young in a very vapid manner for my tastes. I'd rate a 5/ 10

[dancj]

Asterix the Legionary 4/5 - Quite a fun book for the most part, but the end sequence just gets confused. Also, the "hairy" joke which is repeated over and over is completely lost in translation.

We Stand on Guard 4/5 - A story set in the future about Canada (middle eastern country) being invaded America for their water (oil). It's pretty unsubtle with the parallel. Over all, it's not a bad story, but the kind of thing Garth Ennis writes in his sleep. A couple of the reviews on Amazon angrily claim it takes a Canada good, America bad approach, but really that's not slightly true. The story starts off looking that way, but by the end it's pretty scathing of both sides.

Superman: American Alien 4.5/5 - Very good stuff, with some lovely art. Much as he seems a bit of an arse in real life, I do like Max Landis's writing. I'd be quite happy for this to become canon.

Asterix and the Chieftan's Shield 4/5 - A middling Asterix book (which makes it better than most stuff out there, natch). Some genuinely funny stuff.

[Lee Stone]

Marvel Spotlight #2 -featuring Werewolf by Night
Gerry Conway/Michael Ploog
Good start to the series. Everyone's introduced well.
Jack is very relatable and manages to pull off being a werewolf protagonist nicely, mixing Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde with Incredible Hulk to give us a not so heroic alter ego that Jack has very little control over.
And things quickly become complicated for him. First, he stumbles upon Grant while he's tampering with the car, and doesn't realize what he's seeing. Then when he goes against the doctor's orders and enters his mom's hospital room, he quite possibly becomes the catalyst for her not surviving the wreck.
However, it's not guaranteed that she would have survived without his intrusion, but that's something we'll never know.
Meanwhile, she does take the opportunity to reveal the family curse to him before she dies.
To make matters worse, he makes a promise to her not to harm his step-father, who obviously isn't as nice as she believes he is.
Lissa and Philip look to be strong supporting characters, and we get a cameo of a potential love interest in Terri.
And we see the struggle in Jack's control of the Werewolf when after getting revenge on Grant, he has a chance to strike at Philip but holds back because of his mom's dying wish.
Ploog's art was kinda rough in spots, but a majority of the art was excellent. Especially the flashback scene.
4/5

Tomb of Dracula #1
Gerry Conway/Gene Colan
Another great introduction issue.
Frank, Clifton and Jeanie are each given distinct roles in the story, and all three have very well revealed motivations.
Dracula gets a plausible resurrection and things go bad for the small cast rather quickly after.
Some good foreshadowing in giving certain items a reason to be readily available as story props once Frank and Dracula meet.
The story takes a couple unexpected turns, and Dracula is shown to not exactly be a pushover without discounting Frank's abilities.
Things hit rock bottom by the end of the issue, but it's only the beginning of Frank's journey.
Colan is nearly perfect at the genre and his inking is amazing. I only had a few quibbles with certain close-up scenes but they're easily forgiven, considering how great the rest of the story looked.
4/5

Marvel Spotlight #3 -featuring Werewolf by Night
Gerry Conway/Michael Ploog
This issue introduces a few more characters, and although they won't likely be appearing again any time soon, they do make a dramatic impact on Jack's life and reveal a few more things to both him and the reader.
The story, itself, was mostly a detour of sorts to introduce the Darkhold and to shed more light on Jack's real father.
It appears that his mom didn't have enough time before dying last issue to get to the details of the curse, and the new characters here help move that backstory forward a bit more.
Jack now has a mission in finding the Darkhold and has been given a hope for a possible cure.
Lissa has a brief appearance and gets to see the Werewolf for the first time.
Jack mentions that it's getting harder to control the Werewolf and fears that he could be subconsciously endangering his sister. Which gives further relevance to why his real father would lock himself away on the nights of the full moon.
And while Jack is a prisoner for a short while, the idea escapes him that being chained during those three nights could actually be a good thing.
One thing that bothered me in the story, however, is that the woman went from being called Andrea in the first half of the book to being called Agatha in the latter half. This slight editorial mishap costs the book a point.
Kraig was a typical tortured monster character and won't be missed.
Nathan could've been a useful friend for Jack, being privy to his secret and being more knowledgeable.
Andrea/Agatha wasn't very developed outside of her being demanding and overbearing, however I did hope she would stick around for a bit longer.
In all, the three of them served their purpose in the story and edged Jack further into understanding his curse and coping with it.
Meanwhile, Ploog continues to do great work, especially on the opening splash page and in Andrea/Agatha's appearance.
3.5/5

Tomb of Dracula #2
Gerry Conway/Gene Colan
Some time has passed since the end of last issue, as Frank is rummaging through the half-destroyed castle.
He finds Clifton, who was imprisoned by Dracula last issue, as well as the Count's coffin.
They travel to London and Frank begins his cat and mouse game with Dracula.
Clifton doesn't seem to take things very well and the reality of what's going on finally breaks him by the end of the issue.
Jeannie makes a return appearance that will undoubtedly have lasting effects on both Frank and Clifton.
And Frank, who seemed to have lost everything he could last issue, loses everything again and then some.
Dracula reveals to the reader that it's the soil, and not the coffin, that he requires. And it seems that although Frank is probably nothing more than a nuisance, it seems that Dracula may actually be enjoying the challenge.
It's possible that Frank's strength and determination brings a sense of respect from Dracula and he may be holding out for an opportunity to win him over.
Colan's art is still exceptional, and he does a great job of conveying the change in Jeannie's mannerisms from being a vampire.
Another solid issue.
4/5

[ed2962]

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. 5/5 stars

[Invader67]

Kong on The Planet of the Apes #5 5/5. Great crossover and the story and art are incredible.

[WillieMorgan]

The Batman/Batwoman/Nightwing crossover 'Night Of The Monster Men' from early on in Rebirth.

It was alright. Loads of action, not much plot - 6/10.

[dancj]

Saga v8 4/5 - Nothing in particular stands out about this volume, but it's still good stuff.

The Flintstones v1 4/5 - Slightly shaky start, but I really liked this by the end. There's some proper dark stuff here.

Powers Definitive HC v7: The Bureau Saga 4/5 - Whenever I get fed up with Bendis's mainstream Marvel work I have to remind myself that he also writes Powers - which is still great. Another good volume.

Asterix at the Olympic Games 4/5 - Light on the peril in this one. Lets face it, it doesn't matter who wins (just like the real Olympics). That said, there's a lot of fun to be had - and I like that Goscinny held back from making the Romans villains in this volume.

All-Star Section Eight 3.5/5 - Definitely one of Ennis's weaker works, but there's still some good stuff here. For the most part, this is some lightweight enjoyable silliness. I do like that Ennis managed to through in a tragic side to this to avoid it being completely shallow. McCrea's art seems to be picking up a bit of Kevin O'Neil's style. I think I slightly prefer his older style.

Asterix and the Cauldron 4.25/5 - A great volume which really highlights how little Asterix and Obelix actually know about the world outside their village life. The pacing seems much improved in this volume - where some of the earlier volumes had the ending come out of nowhere on the penultimate or last page, this one gives enough time for a proper showdown.

[GOLGO 13]

Marvel Spotlight #2 -featuring Werewolf by Night
Gerry Conway/Michael Ploog
Good start to the series. Everyone's introduced well.
Jack is very relatable and manages to pull off being a werewolf protagonist nicely, mixing Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde with Incredible Hulk to give us a not so heroic alter ego that Jack has very little control over.
And things quickly become complicated for him. First, he stumbles upon Grant while he's tampering with the car, and doesn't realize what he's seeing. Then when he goes against the doctor's orders and enters his mom's hospital room, he quite possibly becomes the catalyst for her not surviving the wreck.
However, it's not guaranteed that she would have survived without his intrusion, but that's something we'll never know.
Meanwhile, she does take the opportunity to reveal the family curse to him before she dies.
To make matters worse, he makes a promise to her not to harm his step-father, who obviously isn't as nice as she believes he is.
Lissa and Philip look to be strong supporting characters, and we get a cameo of a potential love interest in Terri.
And we see the struggle in Jack's control of the Werewolf when after getting revenge on Grant, he has a chance to strike at Philip but holds back because of his mom's dying wish.
Ploog's art was kinda rough in spots, but a majority of the art was excellent. Especially the flashback scene.
4/5

Tomb of Dracula #1
Gerry Conway/Gene Colan
Another great introduction issue.
Frank, Clifton and Jeanie are each given distinct roles in the story, and all three have very well revealed motivations.
Dracula gets a plausible resurrection and things go bad for the small cast rather quickly after.
Some good foreshadowing in giving certain items a reason to be readily available as story props once Frank and Dracula meet.
The story takes a couple unexpected turns, and Dracula is shown to not exactly be a pushover without discounting Frank's abilities.
Things hit rock bottom by the end of the issue, but it's only the beginning of Frank's journey.
Colan is nearly perfect at the genre and his inking is amazing. I only had a few quibbles with certain close-up scenes but they're easily forgiven, considering how great the rest of the story looked.
4/5

Marvel Spotlight #3 -featuring Werewolf by Night
Gerry Conway/Michael Ploog
This issue introduces a few more characters, and although they won't likely be appearing again any time soon, they do make a dramatic impact on Jack's life and reveal a few more things to both him and the reader.
The story, itself, was mostly a detour of sorts to introduce the Darkhold and to shed more light on Jack's real father.
It appears that his mom didn't have enough time before dying last issue to get to the details of the curse, and the new characters here help move that backstory forward a bit more.
Jack now has a mission in finding the Darkhold and has been given a hope for a possible cure.
Lissa has a brief appearance and gets to see the Werewolf for the first time.
Jack mentions that it's getting harder to control the Werewolf and fears that he could be subconsciously endangering his sister. Which gives further relevance to why his real father would lock himself away on the nights of the full moon.
And while Jack is a prisoner for a short while, the idea escapes him that being chained during those three nights could actually be a good thing.
One thing that bothered me in the story, however, is that the woman went from being called Andrea in the first half of the book to being called Agatha in the latter half. This slight editorial mishap costs the book a point.
Kraig was a typical tortured monster character and won't be missed.
Nathan could've been a useful friend for Jack, being privy to his secret and being more knowledgeable.
Andrea/Agatha wasn't very developed outside of her being demanding and overbearing, however I did hope she would stick around for a bit longer.
In all, the three of them served their purpose in the story and edged Jack further into understanding his curse and coping with it.
Meanwhile, Ploog continues to do great work, especially on the opening splash page and in Andrea/Agatha's appearance.
3.5/5

Tomb of Dracula #2
Gerry Conway/Gene Colan
Some time has passed since the end of last issue, as Frank is rummaging through the half-destroyed castle.
He finds Clifton, who was imprisoned by Dracula last issue, as well as the Count's coffin.
They travel to London and Frank begins his cat and mouse game with Dracula.
Clifton doesn't seem to take things very well and the reality of what's going on finally breaks him by the end of the issue.
Jeannie makes a return appearance that will undoubtedly have lasting effects on both Frank and Clifton.
And Frank, who seemed to have lost everything he could last issue, loses everything again and then some.
Dracula reveals to the reader that it's the soil, and not the coffin, that he requires. And it seems that although Frank is probably nothing more than a nuisance, it seems that Dracula may actually be enjoying the challenge.
It's possible that Frank's strength and determination brings a sense of respect from Dracula and he may be holding out for an opportunity to win him over.
Colan's art is still exceptional, and he does a great job of conveying the change in Jeannie's mannerisms from being a vampire.
Another solid issue.
4/5

I love your taste in comics!

[dancj]

Batgirl v1: Batgirl of Burnside 2/5 - I really expected to like this one, and really didn't. The art is decent, but this came across as trying too hard to be hipstery.

Asterix in Spain 4/5 - Some stuff in the Village at the start revolving around a fish, and some funny stuff throughout. Not my favourite though.

Colder Omnibus 4/5 - Some good lively horror with some good lively art. A bit shallow maybe, but I enjoyed it.

No Mercy v1 3/5 - A bunch of teenagers get in a bus crash in the middle of nowhere. I like the basic premise, but it wasn't handled convincingly. No one seems particularly upset about the dead, and two of them start trying to kill each other almost immediately.

Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Two: The Complete Collection 4/5 - More good stuff here. I really hate Superman's S shield in this though which sticks massively out from his chest.

Luther Strode v2: The Legend of Luther Strode 3/5 - More massively over the top violence with even less story than the first volume. It's not high art, but there's something infectious about the way the writer plays it dead straight.

Darkness Visible 2.5/5 - Not labelled as volume 1, but it just stops with a "to be continued". Police procedural stuff in a world where demons walk the earth. It showed a glimmer of something good in the WW2 flashback issue, but mostly it's just a bit boring.

Asterix and the Roman Agent 5/5 - Asterix doesn't get better than this. The best bit of Asterix in Spain was the villagers fighting each other. Well this is a whole book based around it. Great stuff.

[dancj]

Read through the whole Superman: New Krypton saga:
New Krypton v1 2.5/5 - Seriously, that first half with Jimmy Olson's investigation was a painful chore. It got good after that.
New Krypton v2 3.5/5
Mon-El 3/5
New Krypton v3 3/5
Nightwing and Flamebird 3/5 - First half was good. Second half not so much
Codename: Patriot 3/5
New Krypton v3.5/5
Mon-El: Man of Valor 3/5
Nightwing and Flamebird 2.5/5
Last Stand of New Krypton v1 3.5/5
Last Stand of New Krypton v2 3.5/5
War of the Supermen 2.5/5

Overall, it was better than I'd heard, but that final volume was a real let-down - especially after Last Stand of New Krypton being so much better.

I also read:
Asterix in Switzerland 4/5 - One of the better travelling books - and I always kind of like it when there are sympathetic Romans.
Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods 5/5 - The absolute gold standard. It's a toss up whether the best Asterix book is this or Asterix and the Roman Agent. Love it.
Asterix and the Laurel Wreath 4/5 - Another good book. What makes this one for me is the Roman family Asterix and Obelix wind up staying with.

[ed2962]

Last Days of American Crime by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini. Kind of superficial but I enjoyed it for what it was. 3/5

[Spike-X]

I'm currently working my way through Amazing Spider-Man vol 4 (I believe; who can keep track?) (when they started with a new #1 after Superior Spider-Man), hopefully in time for when #800 hits Marvel Unlimited in six months.

It didn't really grab me at the time; seemed kinda meh following the fantastic Superior Spider-Man story. but now I'm really getting into it.

[Ying Ko]

Mystique by Brian K. Vaughan #1-6 2/5

Tom Strong by Alan Moore #1-4 5/5

[theBellrhino]

Captain America #703 - 2.5 / 5: Home of the Brave was a fun romp around the country, Out of Time had very high stakes and truly captured the heroism of Cap. This arc, while ambitious, fails to be fun or even meet the same level of stakes as the previous two arcs. It's still serviceable, but there after the bar was set so high, these past few issues, and this one in particular, feel like a letdown.

Doctor Strange #1 - 3 / 5: This was a very serviceable introduction to a new direction for Doctor Strange, but it doesn't quite hit the same spot as Cates' or Aaron's runs. I think the main problem with this issue is that we're told what is going on instead of shown most of the time, which hopefully changes as time goes on.

Justice League #1 - 5 / 5: Easily the best issue I've read this week. This feels exactly how a super-hero team book should, and reminds me a lot of Grant Morrison's tenure on JLA in the late 90's; The team acting like a well-oiled combat machine going against high-concept threats, but also like a family that truly cares about each other. I particularly love how each member of the League has a unique color ring around their speech bubbles while communicating via Martian Manhunter's telepathy.

[dancj]

Batman v1: I am Gotham 4/5 - One issue with incredible art by Mikel Janin, followed by about 6 with good art by David Finch. A very good story by Tom King. There's nothing to not love here.

Batman v2: I am Suicide 4/5 - Mikel Janin (who I'd never heard of before) for the whole book now! The story was still good, but not quite up there with the first volume for me. Still good though.

Freakangels v1-v6 4/5 - A great bit of post-apocalyptic stuff from Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield. Art on Avatar books (when not drawn by Jacen Borrows) tends to range from passable to terrible, so these books were a nice surprise. They look great, thanks in no small part to the carefully controlled colour palette. The story is definitely Ellis on a good day too, so over all, I liked this

Asterix and the Soothsayer 4.5/5 - I'd forgotten (or more likely, as a kid, didn't realise) how good this one is. This is easily one of the better Asterix books.

Batman: Death by Design 2/5 - Nah.