Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 21

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel, Vol. 6

Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel, Vol. 6 by Doug Moench

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the last of the original Captain Marvel Comics featuring Mar-vell of the Kree.

Issues 57-62 are the last of the on-going series and contain one over-arching plot about Mar-vel having to stop Thanos post-death plans to destroy Titan and openly unleash death on the Universe. The story is wrapped up in Marvel Spotlight #1 and #2. Throughout the adventure he's joined by Drax the Destroyer who promises to kill him after the adventure because he was in the vicinity with Thanos was killed. Mar-vel also meets and falls in love with Eloyius, a creation of the mad computer Isaac.

Marvel Spotlight #3 and #4 have a new threat emerge. Issue 4 is drawn by Steve Ditko and that style is such a treat to see.

Marvel Spotlight #8 is another solo story and features Frank Miller showing some really impressive art that's far different from much of his later stuff.

There's a story from Marvel Superheroes #3 that was submitted in the 1980s and never published but finally printed in the 1990s where Mar-vell loses his powers and its tied to a mysterious woman. It's an interesting idea, but it has a couple problems. The villains are standard crooks which don't match well against Mar-vel and take a ridiculous amount of time to catch up to him. In addition, the writer seemed to forget Eloyius existed.

This sets up Marvel Graphic Novel #1: The Death of Captain Marvel, and its superb as everyone comes to grips with Mar-vel's mortality. Its moving at times because the characters are real and reactions are believable. There are a few surprise in who comes to honor him and who doesn't. The story feels very intimate and personal but can pull back for an epic splash page. It's thought-provoking, artistic, and has held up over time very well.

The book concludes with a back-up story from Logan's Run that includes Drax and Thanos for some reason.

Overall, it's a great end for a great character. At its worst, this book is mostly good space opera and then in the Graphic Novel it goes to another level.

Overall, a really solid classic superhero read.



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Book Review: Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Vol. 2

Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Vol. 2 by Brian Michael Bendis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Mostly the book features tie-in issues to Civil War II with the final issue being about Mile's dad working for S.H.I.E.L.D.

The tie-in stuff is handled well for the most part. I never felt lost or confused because I hadn't read Civil War II. The book also gets some important reactions from Miles to some of the events that happened which makes sense given the effect on him.

However, the book's fault some of the conversations are unnecessary and practically interminable in order to ensure nothing actually happens in the book. There's one conversation between Miles and Jessica Jones and Luke Cage that's particularly tedious.

Overall, the book is okay for what it is, but what it is is a padded story that focused on dialogue rather than action.



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Book Review: tar Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years, Vol. 2

Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years, Vol. 2 by Mary Jo Duffy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This second volume of Marvel's original Star Wars comics collects Issues 24-38 and Annual #1 and continues the great track record of providing the sort of space opera adventures that I'd imagine happening in between films. They capture the full flavor and Spirit of a New Hope.

There are some really great things about these issues. We get to see our heroes split up which allows them more time to shine. Leia gets an adventure to herself which shows that while she can do the action stuff with the guys but there's an entirely different dimension to her character. Luke earns a rival in a Baron who's trying to displace Vader in the Emperor's pleasure, while Vader himself moves in the background to find out who blew up the Death Star and lay a trap for him. A little Vader in this book goes a long way. We also get to see a beautiful conclusion to the plot arc for Valance the Bounty Hunter which began in the previous volume and ends with a confrontation with Vader.

Some of the best parts of this collection are the reprints from Star Wars Weekly that constitute six additional stories which couldn't be published as U.S. Comics so were serialized overseas. The first three stories included learning how Hans ended up indeted to Jabba the Hut and the story of how Leia learned how to use a blaster so well in coming from a planet without weapons. Among those three was the best story in the book, "The Day After the Death Star" in which a cocky Luke goes on a victory joyride after destroying the Death Star only to have the fact that he's in the middle of war brought to him in an all-too real way.

The only issues that were a it off was Issue 24 (which features a clumsy frame to set up a story about Obi-Wan) and Issue #38, a story that reads as pure filler. It features a guest artist who doesn't do a great job drawing the Star Wars characters and the story itself isn't bad but feels a bit generic for Star Wars.

Beyond that most of the book is pretty darn good Space Opera set right before the Empire Strikes Back



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Book Review: Captain America Epic Collection: Justice Is Served

Captain America Epic Collection: Justice Is Served (Captain America by Mark Gruenwald

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Marvel had created far too many supervillains and so they needed to thin the heard, thus the Scourage arrived, killing off D-league villains and it's up to Cap to stop him.

This book starts out really strong. The Scourage is a great idea. Some of non-Captain America material is pretty good. A Hulk story told in splash pages is a favorite. The Cap stuff is great leading up to the confrontation with the Scourage.r

The rest of the book is still good, but different. This book's Cap is a Captain America who drives around in a van and makes a living drawing comics. In a weird way, he seems to be remakring his life based on the late 1970s TV movies.

Cap has a hard and fast no killing rule which breaks when a terrorist is about to gun down innocent citizen civilians which leads to some very awkward regrets, with Cap one time calling it an "indiscretion."

Yet, there are a lot of fun and interesting things, there's D-Man's arrival, Captain America apparently run into the ghost of the Red Skull, and a moment of truth regarding his wearing of the Shield. Writer Mark Gruenwald took concepts that wouldn't have worked for any other writer, but puts together a really fun and enjoyable narrative.



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Book Review: The Flash, Volume 9: Reckoning of the Forces

The Flash, Volume 9: Reckoning of the Forces by Joshua Williamson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In Reckoning of the Forces, we get two adventures with Barry Allen dealing with two of the Forces he and Wally West unleashed during their round the world race: The Strength Forces infects the Trickster in the first one and the Sage Force enters into Heatwave.

Thes stories work okay. While the logic of these new forces alludes me, their realization does work pretty well. While it still seems the Flash is still dealing with his "Don't be a horrible person issues," it helps that he's doing that while struggling to relate to Command Cold who the Flash has reasons to distrust and his own issues as well.

The book ends on a good note that sets the tone for the next volume. While this series has been hit and miss, to me this one is a bit of hit.



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Book Review: Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands

Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands by Tony Isabella

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Original Black Lightning writer Tony Isabella has some good ideas with making Jefferson younger and setting him in Cleveland, and several parts of the story are at least competently handled.

The book has one problem: It's woke to an extreme at a cost of telling good stories. Let's be clear, Black Lightning stories have always had a slight political overtone in dealing with issues of crime, poverty, and race. What this six-issue mini-series does is try to make sure and check every single woke issue, and the best way to do that is copious amounts of exposition boxes to clearly identify every possible progressive cause and ideal the author embraces.

I can't begrudge a little politics, but this is a book that overdoes it. It drips of self-importance and takes itself way too seriously.



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Book Review: Wonder Woman Archives, Vol. 7

Wonder Woman Archives, Vol. 7 by William Moulton Marston

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The final volume of the DC Comics Archives collection for Golden Age Wonder Woman comics is still pretty good even as creator William Moultoon Marston's involvement waned.

While the series repeated the same plot points over and over again particularly with Wonder Woman getting tied up, the stories moved at a nice pace. While the ten single stories in Sensation Comics are nice, the highlight of the book is Wonder Woman #16-18 each of which tell interlinking stories in three chapters making for rarely seen comic epics including one with the psychdellic world of King Pluto, a woman facing a key decision sent on a magical journey through time, and an encore appearance for one of Wonder Woman's best Golden Age rogues, Doctor Pscyho.

The last story is probably the most disappointing in the book, but the rest of it is just solid and a great read.



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Book Review: Superman, Volume 7: Bizarroverse

Superman, Volume 7: Bizarroverse by Peter J. Tomasi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The book contains the final four issues of Peter Tomasi's run on Superman as well as a story from Superman Special #1.

The Bizarroverse story is fun as Boyzarro (the Bizarro version of Superboy) runs away from the Bizarro dimensions which leads to a confrontation with Bizarro. Tomasi simplifies Bizarro language to Bizarro wanting the opposite of what he says which is different from many Silver Age stories where the Bizarros want the opposite of what they say and do the opposite, it's a bit simpler. It's a simple story that once again shows the kindness and openness of Superman.

The run concludes with a last farewell to Hamilton County as the Kent's farm has been sold and they make one last visit to the Fair. The Superman Special concludes with Superman and Superboy tying up a plot threat from Volume 2 and going to rescue the last surving member of the World War II squad the Losers from dinosuar island and reintroduce him to the modern world.

Both are fitting codas to a series that was about Superman, Lois, and Jon as family and the type of values they gave their son. It's been a wonderful and often poignant run and this makes a nice wrap0-up.



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Book Review: Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash, Vol. 1

Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash, Vol. 1 by Cary Bates

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An epic tale stretching across Flash Issues 323-327, 329-336, and 340-350 as the Flash kills the Reverse to save Barry Allen's Fiance Fiona Webb and finds himself on trial for murder.

This is a good story where the world seems to keep dumping on the Flash, yet at the same time, it's also a celebration of Barry Allen. This book had a more realistic approach to the Trial given how many issues it took to even to get to that point and that Flash's most celebrated Rogues never let up. At the same time, he has to make key sacrifices of his own secret identity and Barry's heroism shines through. In the trial itself, there are some surprising twists including an attempt from someone from the future to make sure history comes out right. And then there's issue #350 which is pure magic, with excitement, twists, and a team up between Flash and his Rogues against a common foe.

The book does suffer because of some omitted issues. Issue #328 was a reprint, but Issues #337-339 were original stories which means there was a break in the tale and a jarring resumption in Issue 340. The information is not vital and you can enjoy the book without it, but it appears to have only been done to keep the book under 600 pages.

The book's got legal realism problems, but then again it was published when Matlock and LA Law where kings of legal drama on TV, so I can't judge it too harshly for that. It does drag in places. Wally West "testified" as an expert witness so that we can almost an entire issue of Flashbacks to ol Kid Flash stories.

Still despite some melodrama, this is an epic and really fun story if you're a fan of the Pre-Crisis Flash with some great emotional beats and foreshadowing of the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. I hope DC eventually reprints all the issues in color as an omnibus. Until then, fans of the Silver Age Barry Allen should get a hold of this if they can.



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Book Review: Superman: Birthright

Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A re-telling of Superman's origin story. The story is fairly well told with some interesting twists. It focuses more on Luthor and how he tries to take down Superman in the first year and I think it certainly a fair point that Luthor would be unlikely to just sit on the sidelines.

I do think the book does go a little off-track in the chapter about Luthor's youth in Smallville. It's a digression from the main story and it feels like Mark Waid's trying to have his cake and eat it too but introducing such a silver age element.

Overall, while this is good, I personally prefer Superman: For All Seasons.



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