thedrifter
03-09-09, 10:51 AM
Best Shots: New Krypton, Ult Wolverine, Killer of Demons
By the Best Shots Team, your host, Troy Brownfield
posted: 09 March 2009 06:54 am ET
Greetings! Now that year five is safely underway, let’s get right to it . . .
Superman: World of New Krypton #1
From: DC Comics
Writers: James Robinson and Greg Rucka
Art: Pete Woods
Review by Troy Brownfield
This issue makes an effective jumping-on point for the reset-shuffle currently going on in the Superman titles. After the events of “New Krypton”, Superman has skipped Earth to see what he can do about the planet of 100,000 super-powered Kryptonians that’s now parked on the opposite side of the sun in Earth’s orbit. As other characters pick up the reins in the two regular books, Superman will be right here.
While a lot of the issue feels like set-up, it’s very well handled set-up. Robinson and Rucka understand the character rhythms of the Man of Steel, and they create several opportunities to explain elements of Kryptonian society. In a way, this is a clever inversion of Superman’s role. On Earth, he’s the perpetual outsider with powers above those, etc. On New Krypton, he’s still the outsider for completely different reasons. The creators, though, make it abundantly clear that there’s a big difference between a super-being that just became super, and a Superman that has had powers for years.
Perhaps the thing that I liked best was the brief examination of the Guild system. DC makes smart use of the various interpretations of Krypton over the years by assigning some familiar outfits to different Guild levels. Of particular interest here is the Military, mostly because the leader is, as you may already know, General Zod. Robinson and Rucka play against expectations with a mildly surprising conclusion that lays in a number of possible plot opportunities. This is all clearly realized by Pete Woods.
I like several of the ideas here, partially because it seems pointed toward a more subtle type of Superman story than we’re used to. Even though I wouldn’t say that the first issue knocked me out, it’s a basically well-done issue by veteran, competent creators. I’m sure that we’ll see a number of strands that build off of the foundation here. We can’t be sure where that will lead at this point, but if you’re interested in Superman, then you should check it out.
http://i.livescience.com/images/NewKrypton01.jpg
Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #3
Writer: Damon Lindelof
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $2.99
Review by David Pepose
I'll bring it up now, since you can't write a review of this book without talking about it. We haven't seen an issue of Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk since February 2006.
So you wanna know -- three years later, is this series still worth it?
Yup.
While there has certainly been more than a few problems with writer Damon Lindelof getting this script out (perhaps not surprisingly, considering he's doing a little show called LOST), this story is certainly not lacking in quality. Lindelof not only keeps the reader hooked with some interesting dramatic structure, and really hits the sort of spunk that has characterized the Ultimate Universe at its best. How did Wolverine end up ripped in half in the mountains of Tibet? The answers here are pretty great, not to mention a wonderful internal monologue by the old Canucklehead himself.
It's also clear that he has a strong sense of what these characters are all about -- when Wolverine confronts a surprisingly rational Hulk, the Jade Giant cuts him down to size with an astute analysis of his own animalistic tendencies: "You've agreed to kill a complete stranger. That doesn't strike you as a need to use violence to compensate for your own lack of family... of identity... of love?" Add in a surprising new guest star in the final page, and this is definitely a series worth reading.
But I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the art. This is some exceptionally clean work from Leinil Francis Yu, giving some great emotion even when half the issue is a conversation. He really pulls out all the stops, however, with the brutal fight sequences. Lindelof's script really plays to Yu's strengths, seemingly allowing him to take the reins of a rip-roaring good story. I'll be honest, if I didn't know that Lindelof's schedule had caused this series' delay, I would have guessed that Yu worked on this issue all 37 months. Dave McCaig also deserves some priase, with the greens, blues, and maroons giving the comic both menace and atmosphere.
All in all, this is a great comic, and one I think is going to read spectacularly when the entirety of the series comes out. While all accounts seem to indicate we won't be seeing the sorts of delays that went between issues 2 and 3, if this book is any indication, this might be one of the best minis from the Ultimate universe since Ultimates 2.
http://i.livescience.com/images/ULTWOLH003_cvr.jpg
To continue reading..
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/030909-Best-Shots.html
Ellie
By the Best Shots Team, your host, Troy Brownfield
posted: 09 March 2009 06:54 am ET
Greetings! Now that year five is safely underway, let’s get right to it . . .
Superman: World of New Krypton #1
From: DC Comics
Writers: James Robinson and Greg Rucka
Art: Pete Woods
Review by Troy Brownfield
This issue makes an effective jumping-on point for the reset-shuffle currently going on in the Superman titles. After the events of “New Krypton”, Superman has skipped Earth to see what he can do about the planet of 100,000 super-powered Kryptonians that’s now parked on the opposite side of the sun in Earth’s orbit. As other characters pick up the reins in the two regular books, Superman will be right here.
While a lot of the issue feels like set-up, it’s very well handled set-up. Robinson and Rucka understand the character rhythms of the Man of Steel, and they create several opportunities to explain elements of Kryptonian society. In a way, this is a clever inversion of Superman’s role. On Earth, he’s the perpetual outsider with powers above those, etc. On New Krypton, he’s still the outsider for completely different reasons. The creators, though, make it abundantly clear that there’s a big difference between a super-being that just became super, and a Superman that has had powers for years.
Perhaps the thing that I liked best was the brief examination of the Guild system. DC makes smart use of the various interpretations of Krypton over the years by assigning some familiar outfits to different Guild levels. Of particular interest here is the Military, mostly because the leader is, as you may already know, General Zod. Robinson and Rucka play against expectations with a mildly surprising conclusion that lays in a number of possible plot opportunities. This is all clearly realized by Pete Woods.
I like several of the ideas here, partially because it seems pointed toward a more subtle type of Superman story than we’re used to. Even though I wouldn’t say that the first issue knocked me out, it’s a basically well-done issue by veteran, competent creators. I’m sure that we’ll see a number of strands that build off of the foundation here. We can’t be sure where that will lead at this point, but if you’re interested in Superman, then you should check it out.
http://i.livescience.com/images/NewKrypton01.jpg
Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #3
Writer: Damon Lindelof
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $2.99
Review by David Pepose
I'll bring it up now, since you can't write a review of this book without talking about it. We haven't seen an issue of Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk since February 2006.
So you wanna know -- three years later, is this series still worth it?
Yup.
While there has certainly been more than a few problems with writer Damon Lindelof getting this script out (perhaps not surprisingly, considering he's doing a little show called LOST), this story is certainly not lacking in quality. Lindelof not only keeps the reader hooked with some interesting dramatic structure, and really hits the sort of spunk that has characterized the Ultimate Universe at its best. How did Wolverine end up ripped in half in the mountains of Tibet? The answers here are pretty great, not to mention a wonderful internal monologue by the old Canucklehead himself.
It's also clear that he has a strong sense of what these characters are all about -- when Wolverine confronts a surprisingly rational Hulk, the Jade Giant cuts him down to size with an astute analysis of his own animalistic tendencies: "You've agreed to kill a complete stranger. That doesn't strike you as a need to use violence to compensate for your own lack of family... of identity... of love?" Add in a surprising new guest star in the final page, and this is definitely a series worth reading.
But I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the art. This is some exceptionally clean work from Leinil Francis Yu, giving some great emotion even when half the issue is a conversation. He really pulls out all the stops, however, with the brutal fight sequences. Lindelof's script really plays to Yu's strengths, seemingly allowing him to take the reins of a rip-roaring good story. I'll be honest, if I didn't know that Lindelof's schedule had caused this series' delay, I would have guessed that Yu worked on this issue all 37 months. Dave McCaig also deserves some priase, with the greens, blues, and maroons giving the comic both menace and atmosphere.
All in all, this is a great comic, and one I think is going to read spectacularly when the entirety of the series comes out. While all accounts seem to indicate we won't be seeing the sorts of delays that went between issues 2 and 3, if this book is any indication, this might be one of the best minis from the Ultimate universe since Ultimates 2.
http://i.livescience.com/images/ULTWOLH003_cvr.jpg
To continue reading..
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/030909-Best-Shots.html
Ellie