SuperSearnold - Comic Book Reviews

Greetings to my faithful fans!

I just wanted to give you a heads up: I am apparantly going to PAX (the Penny Arcade Expo) this weekend. Which means I’ll be gone from right now until Tuesday. I apologize for any inconvenience - I know you were all looking forward to my weekend reviews.

See you when I get back!

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - where you’ll always get spoilers but you’ll never get any recommendations on what to read.
Wait, no, it’s the other way around.

Today: Trinity #1. I’m working on catching up with this weekly series, but that’s no easy task as I started out 13 issues behind. So for now, to tease those of you who are interested in the series, I present my review of the first issue. (Look forward for a review of the whole 13 issue run soon.)

My biggest problem with this issue was that not a lot happened. The basic premise of the story was that some mysterious cosmic force is messing with peoples’ dreams. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (and in the second story, Morgan Le Fey and Enigma) are trying to figure out exactly what’s going on. While I enjoy the idea of a cosmic mystery, and I like getting to be inside all three of these major characters’ heads, the entire issue was just talking heads. I recognize the need for set up, but I would have liked to see a bit more progression of story. There was one fight scene - but it was erroneous, having nothing to do with anything else that was happening.

One interesting thing that I didn’t know until I actually read it: Trinity is split up into two concurrent stories. While I liked the first story better (probably because I’m more familiar with its characters) I liked the fact that the second story - while separate and able to stand alone - was intimately tied to the first story. It seems clear to me that these stories are going to (and by this point in time probably already have) merged together into a single story. I look forward to seeing if they keep up the two story format.

Also of note, in general, I tend not to read DC. It’s just a money thing. There are only so many comics a person can buy, right? That’s probably why you read this blog - for information on what’s actually worth your dollars. So I’m not sure how much I should know and how much I shouldn’t. There’s this “mysterious” cosmic entity, but am I supposed to know who he is and understand what his presence means the way a Marvel reader understands the power of the presence of Uatu, the Watcher? I also don’t know if two of the villains - Morgan Le Fey and Enigma - were just introduced for this issue or if they are recurring characters. I mention this not because I felt lost during the story - but because these questions were at the forefront of mind during the read.

In conclusion, I am skeptical to recommend this issue unless you plan on committing to the entire story arc. I do like both Kurt Busiek (writer) and Mark Bagley (artist) - so I have high hopes for where this is going. Stick around and I’ll be letting you know soon whether or not the arc is worth your hard earned money.

That’s it for Trinity #1. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings once again from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld].  Welcome to my comic book review blog - where you’ll always get recommendations on what to read but you’ll never get any spoilers.

Today’s Special: X-Factor: Layla Miller.  Written by good ol’ X-Factor scribe Peter David.  This little one-shot is the type of story I personally really enjoy.  It takes a detailed look at the current life of a single character.  And by putting the story out as a one-shot, Peter is free to explore the adventures of one his characters without having to tie it all in to the arc of the current X-Factor stories.

In general I really enjoyed this quick little jaunt into a dystopian future.  I had fun meeting future Cyclops and future Cyclops’ kid and future Sentinels and all that fun stuff.  However, if you’re not a fan of dystopian futures or a reader of X-Factor, I’d say this issue doesn’t stand up by itself.  First of all, I doubt the issue would be appealing to anyone who isn’t already familiar with the Layla Miller character.  It’s not that it wouldn’t be understandable.  It’s just… well frankly… if you don’t know who the main character is… then who cares?  Then it’s just the story of some random girl in a future timeline that probably won’t have any relevance to the 616 (the designation given to the “real” Marvel Universe.)  And if you don’t enjoy the basic plots of dystopian futures - the government hasn’t learned the lessons of the past and is putting mutants into internment camps just like we did the Japanese, that sort of thing - then, well, that’s what this issue is about, so I wouldn’t recommend it.  The political message is pretty blunt, but it’s not preachy.  And Peter stays true to his comical style.

So a good read if you’re already following X-Factor.  But if not… well… why aren’t you?  It’s REALLY good.  I love Peter David.  Perhaps more of that to come.  But if you aren’t already following it, don’t start here.  Though, if you haven’t been reading it, you probably weren’t thinking about picking this issue up anyways.  So perhaps the entire point is moot.

Though I do want to say this.  Because I’ve noticed a trend.  For all of the talk of alternate universes and altering timelines that happens in the X-Men, and for all the alternate versions of the Marvel Universe that are out there, the Marvel creators have done a good job of making sure that none of the universes are mutually exclusive.  Let’s look at four of the best known “possible” futures: Days of Future Past, Days of Future Now, Bishop’s timeline, Cable’s timeline.  There’s no reason why ALL 4 of these can’t be the future of the 616.  That’s what I mean when I say they aren’t mutually exclusive.  And despite all of the time travel and alternate dimension stuff that has happened, nothing has changed that would lead me to believe that any of these four futures aren’t destined to happen, no matter how hard Cable, Bishop, Rachel Grey, and now Layla Miller try.  Okay, that was probably confusing (as most conversations about time travel are.)  But I thought I’d throw my two cents in there because I am a huge fan of time travel.

Alright, that’s it for X-Factor: Layla Miller.  As always, thanks for reading (and for indulging my time travel ramblings.)  See you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings once again from your friendly neighborhood Searnold. Welcome to my comic book review blog - where you’ll always get recommendations on what to read but you’ll never get any spoilers.

Sorry that I missed yesterday’s post. I had some unexpected computer difficulties. I’ll compensate with extra posts over the next few days about the new Star Wars movie as well as Hell Boy II. Also - as per your requests - look forward to a review of Trinity coming up soon.

But for today, we finish up Secret Invasion week with an odd title that I think is actually worth a look: SKRULLS! This book is essentially a Marvel Handbook about everything Skrull - with a twist. SKRULLS! is written from the perspective of Skrull Chancellor ‘Kal’Du (not a character I’m familiar with - possibly just a random Skrull created for this issue). He has prepared a report for Queen Veranke on the history of all Skrull activity that might be helpful for her to know while planning the upcoming invasion of Earth. This little twist makes the read much more fun than other Handbook titles - it doesn’t read like an ecyclopedia. ‘Kal’Du even throws a few opinions in his report, and often addresses you (the reader) as “my exalted Queen,” thus creating a personal feel. I enjoyed putting myself in the Queen’s shoes while learning about all things Skrull.

So how useful was the information? Well that’s one of the things that is so well written about Secret Invasion - you don’t need ANY of this information to understand the plot. And there is a LOT of information that I can safely say is never going to come into play during the invasion. However - being a continuity whore - I always enjoy something more when I know more about it. So I recommend SKRULLS! not just because it was a fun read, but because (while not necessary) putting things in their proper Skrull context will probably make Secret Invasion more enjoyable.

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading. See you next time.
-Searnold

Hey everybody! I’m pretty sure I’m going to be getting some new readers since I just announced that I have a comic book review blog. Thanks for checking this out. Hopefully you find the information insightful.

What I want to mention: there’s really no point in me blabbering on if you’re not interested in what I have to say. So I’m asking all of you to please leave me some feedback. First of all, what did you like and dislike about the blog? And then, most importantly, what do you want to see in the blog? What sort of stuff do you want me to talk about when I review a comic book?

Finally - are there any comic books you want me to review? Are there any series you’re thinking about picking up but aren’t sure if they’re worth your money? Let me know! I’ll pick up an issue for you, read it, and give you the low-down. If you want me to review something for you, make sure to mention what sorts of things you like about comic books so that I can know whether or not the series fits your tastes.

So that’s really all I wanted to say. Thanks again for checking out my comic book review blog. I can be reached at SuperSearnold@yahoo.com. I look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld].  Welcome to my comic book review blog - where you’ll always get recommendations on what to read but you’ll never get any spoilers.

Secret Invasion Week is almost over (don’t worry though - I’m sure there will be more Secret Invasion entries as the series draws to a close.)  But before the week concludes: Thor.

I just finished re-reading the issue (Secret Invasion - Thor #1) so that it would be fresh in my mind when I wrote this.  And you know what?  I still don’t know what I thought about it.  Or more precisely - I haven’t been able to come to a conclusion as to whether or not I should recommend it.  Let’s talk about why.

My initial reaction to picking it up was, “Sweet!  I’m reading a Thor issue!”  I had forgotten how much I love this character.  I haven’t been reading Straczynski’s run (apparently I’ve been missing out - I’ll probably try to catch up soon - so look for an upcoming entry about Straczynski’s Thor run soon.)  Point being - it was great to see this beloved character in action.  Not knowing what had been going on in Thor’s life since his untimely demise a few years ago, I still didn’t miss a beat in this issue.

But that’s because there was a narrator.  And might I say, a bad narrator.  I tend to love Matt Fraction, but it feels like he phoned this issue in.  He tells you over and over and over again with narration what’s going on.  Why not just write a novel?  The primary rule of any form of entertainment is SHOW don’t TELL.  And he just doesn’t seem to be able to stop telling us what’s happening.  At an accelerated pace I might add.  In a single page, the Asgardians get a seed planted in their mind that one amoung them might be a shapeshifting Skrull, and suddenly form an uproarous mob.  Instead of seeing how the seed of fear developed into a full-fledged mob, Fraction simply tells us, “The people of Asgard were convinced there was a villain amongst them.”

Also, Thor seems to care more about humans than he does about Asgardians.  This has always been a delicate balance that he has had difficulty with… but now (it says so right in the narration of this issue) he is the Asgardian KING.  Yet his actions still seem to show that he cares more for the humans than for the Asgardians (yes - one instance of showing over telling - well done in this instance Mr. Fraction.)  But I picked up this issue because I wanted to see Thor kick some Skrull ass, not because I wanted to see Dr. Donald Blake deliver a baby.  If I wanted the human side of Secret Invasion - well that’s what Front Line is for.

One great thing that I enjoyed about this comic book was the placement of panels.  The artist, Doug Braithwaite, placed his panels in an interesting fashion that was a nice relief from the standard box layout that many comics have.  That said (and I know I try not to comment on art - since it is a matter of artistic taste… but this is relevant to a point I’m about to make, so stick with me) the art looks sketchy.  By which I mean the art looks like a series of sketches.  I know that’s a style, but the effect it gives is that this artist threw these sketches together in an hour and called it a day.  And it feels like Matt Fraction did the same thing.  My point: this issue feels kind of like it was half-assed.

Now that I put all that into words, I’m pretty sure the only reason I enjoyed the issue is because I love Thor.  So if you’re a Thor fan… well you’ve probably already read this issue.  If not, I say stay away.  The issue doesn’t tie in to the main story of Secret Invasion (as Marvel continues to do a great job with) - so you won’t be missing much.  Because I love Thor, I’m hoping the next issue will be better.

That’s all for Secret Invasion - Thor.  As always: thanks for reading - see you next time!
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld].  Welcome to my comic book review blog - where you’ll always get recommendations on what to read but you’ll never get any spoilers.

Today we continue Secret Invasion Week with Mighty Avengers #16.  Though it was a fine read, if you’re looking for a Secret Invasion title to skip (even I’m having difficulty keeping up with every tie-in issue), I say skip this issue.  While Marvel continues to do a good job of making sure that you don’t need to read every tie-in in order to understand the story, I think this issue was a bit too irrelevant.  The plot of this issue was incredibly over simplistic: Elektra is BAD-ASS and now she’s a Skrull.  Both things we already knew for quite a while.  However, if what you want to read is an issue jam-packed with kick-ass Elektra action, then by all means pick this issue up.  We already know who wins the fight - which makes it less interesting - but let’s just say the Skrulls did not have an easy time replacing her.

But the issue doesn’t explain WHY they chose Elektra to replace.  It doesn’t say exactly when the replacement took place (though I’d say right after Wolverine: Enemy of the State/ Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a pretty safe bet.)  We do get to see the “mysterious benefactors” ordering Electro to shut down the power at the raft (remember, from way back in New Avengers #1?) - but I think anyone who’s been reading New Avengers long enough to know what I’m talking about had already put two and two together and gotten Skrull (or four depending on how good your math is).  We do get one tender moment between the Elektra Skrull and Queen Veranke revealing that every single step of this invasion has been planned out since the beginning - but nothing worth picking up the issue over.

Also, the cover is misleading.  This issue has nothing to do with Daredevil.  All we know is that one of the Skrulls who tries to take down Elektra does so while in the form of Daredevil - there is zero information revealed as to whether or not Daredevil is or ever was a Skrull.

Finally: Mighty Avengers #16 reminds me of an unanswered question that I hope has not been overlooked: what has happened to the Hand and Hydra since their leader (the Elektra Skrull) died?  Bendis is pretty good at answering questions 2 or 3 years after he poses them (look how long it took him to tell us what was up with the corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. agents down in the Savage Land) - so I have high hopes for this seemingly loose end.

So overall - pick it up if you want an action packed issue.  It’s not a bad issue.  There just isn’t much of anything relevant going on in it.  That’s all for Mighty Avengers #16.  As always: thanks for reading.  See you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - where you’ll always get recommendations on what to read but you’ll never get any spoilers.

Today we continue Secret Invasion Week with Secret Invasion - Front Line. I know I told you I’d look for a Secret Invasion title I could give a BAD review to (actually, if you want to go back a few weeks I did a review on Secret Invasion - Runaways/ New Avengers #1 which I thought sucked) - but I’ll keep looking. Until I find something though… I thought Secret Invasion - Front Line was genius. My favorite Front Line title so far.

The premise of Front Line has always been seeing the major crossover events from the persepective of reporters Ben Urich and Sally Floyd. But they have still always tied into the major events of the series (i.e. Civil War and World War Hulk) - almost being necessary to read in order to get the entire story. Secret Invasion - Front Line is completely different. You don’t need to know anything about anything that has ever happened in a single issue of a Marvel comic book for this to be a great read. The premise: aliens have invaded - let’s follow the lives of a few regular people as they try to deal with this travesty. The way Front Line gets into peoples’ heads and looks at the invasion from a personal perspective is genius.

I think the “previously” section of issue #2 sums it up better than I could, so I’m just going to type their own explanation of the comic book:

“It’s the morning of the Skrull invasion. The Battle of Manhattan is in its opening minutes, and the city is falling to Skrull might. Around town, the tales of six survivors begin to unfold:
Ben Urich helps treat the wounded in a hospital emergency room…
Vincent Crane and his daughter Melanie are amongst those trapped inside Stark Tower after security protocols seal it shut…
Jonahan Bryant drives for his life, hoping to outrun the Skrulls…
And police officer Bill Dawson just tries to do his best to keep as many people as possible out of harm’s way…”

That’s what the book’s about. And Brian Reed does a good job of taking an alien invasion seriously. People die. People freak out. Regular ordinary people (and Ben Urich) have to deal with the fact that people around them are dying. And the way they react is very human. The story is written great, is incredibly touching, and does a wonderful job of digging into the human psychee. I give it a high recommendation.

I have three negative things to day. But keep in mind that these in no way detract from the recommendation that I still stronly stand by.
1: Secret Invasion - Front Line doesn’t unfold the story of the invasion at all. So don’t pick it up if that’s what you’re looking for.
2: Something that bothers me that I didn’t realize until I read Front Line – the entire plot of Secret Invasion is almost exactly the same as last years’ major summer crossover (at least from the perspective of the citizens of New York). The motivations are different. And the execution is slightly different. But World War Hulk was basically, “Aliens (lead by the Hulk) invade New York City and take the world hostage.” And now it’s “Aliens (lead by the Skrulls) invade New York City and take the world hostage.”
3: We see Spider-Man fighting Menace the day before the invasion in the pages of Front Line. Menace is a new villain, who didn’t show up until AFTER Brand New Day. This is going to cause unbelievable complications for continuity, forcing Brand New Day to happen BEFORE Secret Invasion. Oi - it’s already giving me a headache just thinking about it.

I included these negatives in the review of Secret Invasion - Front Line simply because these realizations came to me while reading it. The writing in the issues themselves was simply spectacular and these problems have nothing to do with that.

Well that’s it for today. As always, thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog – where you’ll always get recommendations on what to read but you’ll never get any spoilers.

Today continues Secret Invasion Week with Secret Invasion – X-Men. X-Scribe Mike Carey is at the helm with art by Cary Nord.

Let me start with a few words about the art (unusual for me, I know.) I think art is a matter of taste – so don’t take this too seriously – but I am not a big fan of Nord’s art style. It feels somehow vague. You get impressions of people more than you get a picture of a person. Though in this particular issue that worked well because everything is taking place under the cover of good ol’ San Francisco fog. Also – there was a look on the face of one of the Skrulls when he realized that they were up against the X-Men: priceless.

On to the writing: I say kudos. (I haven’t given anything a bad review this week. I seem to be enjoying Secret Invasion and all of it’s tie-ins. I’ll see if I can’t find an issue I didn’t like for tomorrow.) First of all, I like the fact that this issue gives us a clear timeline for the invasion – AFTER the X-Men have settled in San Francisco. We also get some great Skrull characterization in this issue. There’s a line that captures their attitude quite well, “Make these people understand this isn’t their world… it’s ours.” The Skrulls believe religiously that Earth belongs to them, and Carey does a good job of developing that attitude in this issue.

On the other hand, there is zero X-Men characterization going on. If you don’t know who the X-Men are, I say stay away from this issue. Cyclops drops a lot of names (which is fun for those of us who know who he’s talking about) but probably confusing to those who are less familiar with the large cast of X-Characters. Mostly, this issue is just the X-Men kicking some serious Skrull ass – and that’s fun to see.

Also of note: Carey has always been good with foreign languages – Nightcrawler frequently speaks in German, Gambit frequently speaks in French, etc. In this issue, Carey does a good job with Skrulls speaking Skrull without us missing a beat. In fact, you even learn how to say a few choice words in Skrull: Skirreth Rud! That in mind, I think Carey went a bit overboard with Nightcrawler’s German as I was not always able to pick up on what he was trying to communicate.

That’s it for Secret Invasion – X-Men. Thanks for reading. See you next time.
-Searnold.

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld].   Welcome to my comic book review blog - where you’ll always find recommendations on what to read and you’ll never get any spoilers.

Secret Invasion Week continues today with Secret Invasion - Inhumans.  I just finished reading it and I was quite impressed.  It was written by “Heroes” scribe Joe Pokaski with art by Tom Raney and Scott Hanna.  The basic plot is simple - the Skrull Invasion has reached the Inhuman home city of Attilan.  What will they do?  The story breathes new life into the secret Skrull infiltration by having completely new characters wonder who is a Skrull and when and how did they infiltrate Attilan.  There’s some good mystery - not revealing who is or is not a Skrull, but making it clear that they ARE in Attilan.  And then blam-o!  It’s battle time!  It’s a city wide skirmish since every Inhuman has some sort of powers.  A nice cliffhanger ending made me excited to see the next issue.  I’ve got to give serious props to Joe for putting a great issue together.

I’ve always enjoyed the Inhumans - the idea of a society where everyone has special powers fascinates me.  But even if you’ve never even heard of the Inhumans, I think now is a good time to look them up.  Joe did a great job introducing the basics you need to know in order to understand the story without being expository or repetitive to those of us who have been following the inhumans for quite some time.

This story can stand on its own, but I do recommend picking up New Avengers - Illuminati #5 before reading this issue.  The “inciting incident” that kicks off the story happens in that issue.  Do you NEED to read it in order to understand Secret Invasion - Inhumans?  Not at all - but I think if you don’t know who the Inhumans are then reading New Avengers - Illuminati #5 will just make the story a little easier to follow because you’ll have less new information to take in.

On that note, if you do enjoy this issue, I HIGHLY recommend picking up Silent War.  Silent War was a six issue mini (now available in TPB - trade paperback form) that came on the tail of Decimation (the story that saw the mutants lose their powers).  It had some serious repercussions on the Inhuman society while also being a fun ride.  Not being bound by regular society, the Inhumans always manage to be an unpredictable bunch.

That’s all for Secret Invasion - Inhumans.  Thanks for reading.  See you next time.
-Searnold