Author: Ian Flynn
Artist: Ben Bates, Alitha Martinez
Publisher: Archie Comics
First Publication: March 2013
Rating: 8
Source: Comixology
Graphic Novel Challenge #50
My first exposure to the Red Circle heroes was in the Rich Buckler led revival. Buckler drew “The Crusaders” while others did “The Fly”, “The Shield” and others. It was short lived but I liked it. ”Rise of the Heroes” is basically a follow up to that era. The heroes settled down and started raising families. When a threat from the past returns and exacts revenge, the next generation is forced to pick up the torch.
I found this to be a fun return to classic super hero storytelling. The new crew is going through a growing process that will be fun to follow.
Highly recommended.
Author: Dennis Hopeless
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Publisher: Marvel Comics
First Publication: May 2013
Rating: 6
Source: Comixology
Graphic Novel Challenge #49
Collectss: Cable and X-Force #s 1-5
I was impressed with the art from this series. It hit all the marks that I look for in illustration. Unfortunately the story brought the rating down. The author has written other books that impressed me. I am not sure if it is his handling of these characters or if it is the characters themselves but I just could not connect with the story. With the amount of books being sold today, I will be skipping future collections so I have time to read others that I enjoy.
Author: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Luke Ross
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Source: Comixology
Rating: 8
Graphic Novel Challenge #48
Collects Iron Man #s 23-28
Kieron Gillen brings everything together from his time on the series to make for an epic end piece. The Mandarin’s rings communicate through a virtual system and have recruited new hosts to wear them. Iron Man sets a trap for them. The mystery mainly focuses on who is wearing some of the rings. Especially the one. Gillen has written some great Marvel stories, such as his time on “Journey Into Mystery”, and his Iron Man run is one of his best.
Author: James Robinson
Artist: Steve Pugh
Publisher: Marvel Comics
First Publication: July 2014
Rating: 9
Source: Comixology
Graphic Novel Challenge #47
Collects All-New Invaders #s 1-6
“All-New Invaders” quickly became one of my favorite titles. The writing of James Robinson was some of his best. The series has the feel of his classic “The Golden Age” series from DC. The art perfectly complements the script. It features a clean cut style that is also similar to Paul Smith’s art from “The Golden Age”. Among the many stories that captured my interest includes updating the current status of the Jim (the Original Human Torch) Hammond as he tries to fit into small town life, events going on in the Kree empire, and the interaction of the former Invaders in modern time Marvel continuity. Robinson builds the story with perfectly timed revelations that carry the story through to the end.
I will be anxiously following future chapters of this series.
Highly recommended.
Author: Wei Dong Chen
Artist: Xiao Long Liang
Publisher: JR Comics
Graphic Novel Challenge #46
“Outlaws of the Marsh” is a classic story that makes for an interesting series of graphic novels. I enjoyed the art style which is more in line with an older art style. It does a good job of visual telling the story. The rating is lower due to the dialogue. I think the problems lies with the way it was translated. It seems like a literal translation. Some of my favorite translated comics were the old “Mai the Psychic Girl”, “Area 88” and “The Legend of Kamui”. My impression of those titles was that the books were translated and rewritten to get a more natural story flow while still using the meaning of the original language. If this style of translation was used on this book I would have given it a higher rating.
The New 52 version of Wonder Woman is one of the best written books published today. I rank it as my favorite version of Wonder Woman. Brian Azzarello added an element of horror to the series. Part of this was done by making the gods more like they were in the original mythologies. They are not necessarily human, are powerful, spiteful, and not afraid to use others as their play things. Azzarello’s Wonder Woman almost feels like an old Vertigo book. The only problem I see with the New 52 version is that it is not consistent across the line. The Wonder Woman in Geoff Johns’ “Justice League” seems like a different character. But Peter Tomasi wrote her in line with Azzarello’s version. With Azzarello’s run ending soon, I am sure the next version will be more along the lines of the “Justice League” Wonder Woman. I will miss this series.
The only thing I did not care for was the choice of art direction. The minimalistic art does not fit the lush storytelling. This is a series that would have been better with a more realistic artist. The horror and supernatural elements would have carried more weight.
Based on my new rating system, all of the collections get a 7 of 10 rating. The storytelling gets high ratings while the art pulls it down. Whether or not you agree with me about the art, these collections are must buys. “Wonder Woman” continues to be one of the most intriguing, suspense books on the shelves and be fondly remembered as a great series.
Author: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins
Publisher: DC Comics
Graphic Novel Challenge #s 42-45
Wonder Woman Volume 1: Blood
Rating 7
Wonder Woman Volume 2: Guts
Rating 7
Wonder Woman Volume 3: Iron
Rating 7
Wonder Woman Volume 4: War
Rating 7
Author: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Ryan Ottley,Cliff Rathburn, John Rauch, Cory Walker
Publisher: Image Comics
Source: Comixology
Graphic Novel Challenge #s 37-41
Invincible Vol. 15: Get Smart
Rating 8.5
“Invincible” is a great series that gets overlooked because of the success of Kirkman’s other title that came out around the same time. Something called “The Walking Dead”. Is one better than the other? If you are looking for a serious book and are not a fan of superheroes, then “The Walking Dead” is for you. If, like me, you enjoy both kinds of books, “Invincible” is one of the better ones being published today. This is a series that needs to be read in order. If you want to try it I recommend reading the first two collections to get a feel for the series. But definitely read them in order. Kirkman spends a lot of time building the series up from the foundation of the first stories.
Mark (Invincible) Grayson starts to address the age old superhero question. Should superheroes fight crime or should they work on solving the big problems (such as droughts, food shortages, etc.). In typical Kirkman fashion he makes a convincing argument, the hero starts to follow a plan, and then everything goes wrong. Kirkman is a master of giving you a false sense of security right before it all hits the fan.
The art is my least favorite thing about “Invincible”. While the two artists do quality work, I personally prefer a more realistic style. Although a realistic style would make the violence less startling, a cartoony style catches you off guard when Kirkman puts in a scene where you see what would really happen when someone with superpowers punches someone. This is not for the faint of heart.
Overall it is a very rewarding comic that I hope continues for a long time.
Highly recommended.
Invincible Vol. 16: Family Ties
Rating 8.5
Shocking twists, violent battle scenes and great characterization fill this collection. Once again, I did not see where the plot was going but once Kirkman revealed it it made sense.
Invincible Vol. 17: What's Happening?
Rating 8
While still a very good collection, I thought this one was not quite as good as the others. Kirkman pulls back and puts more of the focus on the replacement Invincible. I think he did it to distract the reader from the next collection…
invincible Vol. 18: The Death of Everyone
Rating 8.5
The series has been building to this story line for a long time. Kirkman even went so far as to show up what would happen because of the previous actions of one of the heroes. But when it actually happens I was still stunned. I won’t reveal anything else because this is more effective when you don’t know what is coming.
Invincible Vol. 19: The War at Home
Rating 8.5
Arch villain Levy returns. As you can imagine, if you have read his previous appearances, this cannot be good for our hero. Invincible is on the verge of becoming obsessed with taking him down. Violence ensues. In classic fashion, Kirkman surprises me again with a relationship change.
The entire “Invincible” series is highly recommended by me.
