Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 42

Book Review: Doctor Who: Doorway to Hell

Doctor Who: Doorway to Hell by Mark Wright

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Pestilent Heart gives us five Twelfth Doctor stories that help fill the gap between Clara's departure from the TARDIS and Bill's arrival.

First up is the Pestilent Heart in which the Doctor re-encounters Jess Collins (who he met in a previous story) in 1970s London. Evil is afoot in the London Underground and the Doctor has to sort it before Jess' dad is claimed as a permanent victim. Mixed feelings on this. Evil in the underground is an age old. So age old it was done in the penultimate 10th Doctor comic story and the monster isn't imaginative. The story is well-written and it does set up the rest of the book, so I'll give it a: Grade B

Moving In: After the events of the last story, the Doctor is stuck but Jess' family allows him to stay This story shows how he interacts with Jess, her father, her mother, and her brother. The vignettes are cute. This is probably one of my favorites in this long subgenre of Doctor Who domestic stories. It shows how the Doctor has settled a bit since Clara left and how he relates to everyone in the family. Grade: A-

Bloodsport: The Doctor decides to take Jess and her brother to the Museum only to find aliens in the midst of a hunt. This is another one of those stories that's been done before, but this one was particularly well done with some nice art and a couple variations on the theme. Grade: B+

Be Forgot: Mrs. Colins and the Doctor become concerned about a neighbor. Is a monster afoot? A very short but powerful holiday tale that packs a wallop. Nicely done. Grade: A-

Doorway to Hell: The Master, the Roger Delgado Master has an evil plan. The Collins' fall into his clutches and its up to the Doctor to save them. The rendering on Delgado's Master is a treat and the art and writing really capture the spirit of the character. The final battle between the Doctor and Master is unbelievably epic. Grade: A

Overall, this is one of the finest Doctor Who magazine collections I've ever read. I loved this idea of the Doctor being connected and grounded with an entire family and becoming part of their family and the community. It's a clever story that we'll be explored on television due to the demands of the genre, but here it's just a nice change of pace that highlights where the 12th Doctor could go. Overall, good characters, good plot, and just a really fun read for any Doctor Who fan.



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Book Review: The Flash Vol. 4: Running Scared

The Flash Vol. 4: Running Scared by Joshua Williamson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Flash is back in the aftermath of his crossover with Batman in the Button. This book collects Issues 23-27 of the Flash and contains two separate storylines that are linked. Iris throws Barry a surprise birthday party and he's distracted, really only able to focus on Hal Jordan (who got away from the events of the Green Lantern Corps book for a birthday party.) So they have to team up and fight a villain while the Reverse Flash kidnaps Iris and attacks Wally.

The art is weak to mediocre throughout most of the book. What really drives the book is the story as Barry is forced to examine why he keeps so many secrets and questions whether he should tell Iris the truth. There are some good character moments. Even Reverse Flash has some good ones as we understand a bit of his backstory. Although, that does turn a bit pathetic.

This book's not bad, but I think it does have a problems and to be honest, I'm a bit concerned about the direction of the book. It feels like Barry's beginning a 2017 version of Daredevil prior to Mark Waid coming on board. Daredevil was the character Marvel writers put through as much as Hell as possible. It seems like since the first volume Barry's been on a downward cycle as all the key relationships close to him are being compromised and he's been hit with dump trucks full of guilt.. It'd be nice if the book got fun again. Still, there are some compelling ideas here and I just have to hope this will turn around soon.

****I received a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review***.



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Book Review: Flash by Mark Waid Book One

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Flash by Mark Waid Book One by Mark Waid

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is the first in a series examining Mark Waid legendary run on the Flash, collecting Flash Special #1, Flash Annuals #4 and 5 and Issues 62-68 of the Flash.

The book kicks off with Flash Special #1 which is a fiftieth anniversary story for the Flash and features all three Flashes (in separate adventures) as well as a future flash that's written by Waid. In fact, the future Flash (John Fox) is the only part of this actually written by Waid. That doesn't stop this from being an amazing linked graphic novel. The different creative teams for each section evoke the Flash of the Golden, Silver, and Post-crisis era with Waid doing a good job on John Fox.

Flash Annual #4 takes a look at Wally in the future, having gone into witness protection but being found by the people he's hiding from and having to fight to save his family after spending years in retirement. He has to fight a series of villains. It's an epic story that has a bit of the flavor of Amazing Spider-man Annual #1 with Spidey fighting the Sinister Six. Waid tells a good story with a twist that manages to avoid forcing Wally towards a pre-determined outcome.

Issues 62-65 is a Year One storyline for Wally West. Considering that Waid was a new comic book writer in the 1990s, giving him a Year One story to write was a gutsy editorial move, considering that Frank Miller was the man who wrote Batman's "Year One," this just isn't something typically given to a rookie writer. However, Waid deliver brilliantly with a story that updates but still respects Wally's silver age origin but also gives Wally's character some depth.

Issue 66 has Wally going on a cruise ship in a trip in which he faces a sea based villain and meets Aquaman. This story is okay. There's some nice action and art, but it's probably the least remarkable part of the book.

Issues 67 and 68 has the Flash meeting Abra Kadabra. It's a good story that gets really interesting in the second part as the Flash travels to Abra Kadabra's world and makes a startling discovery.

Annual #5 is all about the Rogues as the Flash battles them, while the Rogues are beset by a challenge from within as Golden Glider believes someone in the group has sold her out and has planned some tests to find out who it is. It's a tale with a lot of twists, none greater than the ending which was part of some event...which it would have nice if DC had explained.

Still despite the issues with the presentation, the comic book issues are great and a sign of what was to come for Mark Waid who would prove to be far more than...a flash in the pan.



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Book Review: Blue Beetle: Reach for the Stars

Blue Beetle, Vol. 3: Reach for the Stars by John Rogers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Reach for the Stars collects Issues 13-19 of the mid-2000s Blue Bettle series. The stories mostly fall within the bounds of the creators of the Scarab (the Reach) and their efforts to subvert the Earth, yet the stories also work as self-contained tales.

Jaime Reyes meets up with Guy Gardener, Superman, and the Teen Titans while battling Lobo, Eclipso, and Giganta. The stories flow nicely and the supporting cast gives the book plenty of heart. One of my favorites when Jaime has to travel to Mexico to fight a giant and save the inhabits of the town and he needs to get the owner of a luxury hotel to let the poor people to stay so he can fight the villain and there's a nice plot twist as to that is. Overall, this is another fun series of adventures in the Blue Beetle series.



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Book Review: Super Sons, Volume 1: When I Grow Up

Super Sons, Volume 1: When I Grow Up by Peter J. Tomasi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the first five issues of Super Sons featuring Robin (Damian Wayne) and Superboy (Jon Kent.) The book remains essentially a very fun adventure, nothing too special in terms of the plot. What ultimately makes this book a winner is the relationship between Damian and Jon. The two make a superb odd couple and their constant clashes are delight. Tomasi has captured the fun of kids with super powers and realized the concept brilliantly.

Overall, just a very nice team up book for the young and young at heart.



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Book Review: The Incredibles: Family Matters

The Incredibles: Family Matters by Mark Waid

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Incredibles are a crime fighting family, but after a new neighbor moves in, Bob begins to lose his powers.

Overall, this book is okay. There are some good ideas here, and the art is nice and fun to read, and certainly there's some emotional depth to plum with Bob's loss of powers. However, I felt more could have been done. There's a certain predictability about the plot if you've seen the film, so it's not great.

Still, there's some fun to be had her which make this an okay read.



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Book Review: Atomic Robo: The Crystals are Integral Collection

Atomic Robo: The Crystals Are Integral Collection by Brian Clevinger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This collection contains stories collected in three Atomic Robo collections: Other Strangeness, The Deadly Art of Science, and the Ghost of Station X.

Other Strangeness contains four stories. Unlike in previous volumes, there's no link at all between them, other than they all happened in 1999.

The first has Robo battling vampiric creatures from another dimension, the second has Robo in Japan teaming up with a group of sorta Power Rangerish kids to battle monsters. The third story is the best with Robo battling Doctor Dinosaur, by far my favorite villain. A super genius dinosaur full of implausibility. It's absolutely awesome. This story is probably my favorite Atomic robo chapter.

The final of the four stories has Robo facing a ghost from the past, an archenemy he defeated long ago.

The second book, The Deadly Art of Science is set during the 1930s and finds Robo joining forces with a reluctant mystery man (ala the Green Hornet) and his daughter in his vigilante search. However, Tesla doesn't approve but young Robo is ready to assert himself...and falling in love. I liked this story. There's plenty of humor. I also think it takes a better take than some other Robo books which have portrayed him as having almost the same personality and view of the world regardless of how old he is. Here, Clevinger gives a young robo a slightly mature more impetuous take on the world with love for pulp fiction.

The final book, The Ghost of Station has modern day Robo going into space to save astronauts only to get blown him. He's set on the course of a mystery and an international conspiracy. This one isn't bad and has some good action, but I think it's off tonally a bit. The story seems to be too serious and to take itself too seriously and when your story's about an 80 year old robot whose CEO of his own company that's not a great idea. Still, it's not bad, but it could have been better with more humor.

The book also includes two Free Comic Book Day giveaways. The 2009 FCBD story is about Robo and team hunting for a nearly extinct bird in the rain forest. This story's okay, but not specacular.

The 2010 FCBD book finds Robo judging a Science fair when an old enemy emerges. This one is a lot of fun and manages to feature a "girls in science" message without being obnoxious. The story is hilarious, particularly the enemy. Overall, it's just a really fun ride, and one of the better FCBD stories I've ever read.

Overall, this is an enjoyable collection with the World's greatest atomic robot. Definitely worth reading.



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Book Review: What If? Classic Vol. 6

What If? Classic Vol. 6 (What If? by Danny Fingeroth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Issues 33-38 of What if? Are collected in this book.

Issue 33 features two stories:

What if Dazzler had become the Herald of Galactus?...A plot turn that makes more sense than what happened in the mainstream continuity. Surprisingly good and a bit poignant. Grade: B+

What if Iron Man had been trapped in King Arthur's Time?...Essentially, what would have happened if Tony Stark had been doublecrossed by Doctor Doom when they teamed up to escape the time of King Arthur. A compelling story with some great twists. Grade A-

Issue 34 is the humor Issue. It reads a bit more like Marvel's parody comic What The? However, it's filled with pages of rapid fire jokes with multiple joke what ifs on some pages and no concept take up more than a couple pages. Some are now politically incorrect, and some are stupid, but there are enough funny ones to keep you laughing through the stupid ones. Overall, not bad. Grade: B-

Issue 35 features three stories:

What if Bullseye had not killed Elektra?...Drawn and written by Frank Miller himself. This is a decent story. May have inspired the end of Dark Knight Rises. He even gives the watcher a Noirish feel. Overall, a decent if not spectacular story. Grade: B

And Thus are Born the Cat People: An untold tale of the Marvel Universe, like was done with the Eternals in another collection. This was in fun, kind of B Movie sci fi with a Marvel twist. Grade: B+

What if Yellowjacket Had Died?: Yellowjacket (the then latest superhero identity of Hank Pym) continued attacking after a villain surrendered, leading to his eventual court martial. What if he had died? Then my friends, there would have been Avengers drama. It's a somewhat believable take on what might have happened with a strain on the team and his wife Jan ( who would divorce him) becoming desirous of vengeance. Overall, okay, but not spectacular. Grade: B-

Issue 36 featured two stories:

What if the Fantastic Four had not gained their powers?: This one lays out the very reasonable scenario of Reed Richards deciding to be reasonable and wait for an appropriate ship to go into space, which means no one gets powers. However, what happens when the threat of the Mole Man emerges? It's a story that shows what makes the Fantastic Four heroes and it's not their powers, it's their hearts, minds, and family feel. Grade: B+

What if Nova had not given up his powers?: This book asks what would have happened if the original Nova (Richard Ryder) had chosen to remain on Xandar to hold on to his powers and then tried to escape back to Earth with him rather than surrendering him as the Xandarians required if he went home. This story illustrates the problem with What If? stories. There's only a range of stories which are believable. Twists of fate and choices that are within their personality you can do, but if you stray too far from who these people, they're no longer recognizable, and this is the case here as Ryder's behavior is totally inconsistent with the heroic persona. The story is a boring battle scene with a stupid attempt at a moral. Grade: D

Issue 37:

What if the Thing continued to mutate? The first of a doubleheader on continuing mutation finds a mutation continuing far beyond what happened in the main continuity. It's a well thought out story with a very nice ending. Grade: A-

What if the Beast continued to mutate? This story takes a different direction, as the mutation that turned the beast Blue goes even further turning him into a real beast. The way the X-men handle it is consistent and the ending is intriguing. Grade: B

What if Galactus had turned the Silver Surfer into Norrin Radd? And Reed Richards had actually made it possible for him to return to Zenn-la. File this one in the, "The Silver Surfer can't win," file along with the, "Ain't Galactus fickle" file. Grade: B-

Issue 37 focused on possible future:

First are the Avengers, as the Scarlet Witch is in her last days and the Vision is trying to cope with it. Never a big fan of the Vision-Scarlet Witch relationship but this story becomes a beautiful tale of love and sacrifice. Though, the imagination put into future Avengers was bit lazy. Grade: A-


What if Sharon Carter had not died?: A look at what if Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter had a family. It features the Red Skull to boot. It's another enjoyable tale. Grade: A-

Daredevil 2013!: An over the hill Daredevil is working at the U.N., where his old love Natasha comes for an official visit, but they both are drawn in when an old enemy attacks. The art's not great, but the story is well-done and has a very solid conclusion to the volume. Grade: B+

Overall, I think (with the exception of the Nova story), this is one of the strongest What If? Classic volumes with many enjoyable favorites for fans of classic Marvel comics.



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Book Review: Nightwing Vol. 3: Nightwing Must Die

Nightwing Vol. 3: Nightwing Must Die by Tim Seeley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 16-21 of Nightwing.

The first five issues constitute the book's titular arc in which Nightwing's girlfriend Shawn is kidnapped just after requesting he get a pregnancy test. He's joined in his search by Robin who is determined to prove himself the rightful successor to Batman despite popular opinion...even on his own team.

Mostly, when this book works, it's because of Damian's character and the relationship to Nightwing and there are some good moments in there. Reading this book made me very curious to check out Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin run.

The story is just okay. It feels a bit long and isn't anything readers haven't seen several times before. The art is uneven and often unpleasant to look at.

Still, the relational stuff and tone of the Nightwing series still makes this an okay read.

Issue 21 is a one-shot featuring Wally West showing up in Bludhaven. This is a decent one shot. It's neither boring nor is it a spectacular one. It's just a nice little one off fight that sets the tone for things to come.

Overall, I'd probably most recommend this for Nightwing completists and fans of Damian Wayne.



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Book Review: Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 3: League of Shadows

Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 3: League of Shadows by James Tynion IV

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Detective Comics 950-956 and finds Gotham under siege from the League of Shadows, a group Batman doesn't even believe existed as anything more than a myth.

The strength of this story are the character relationships. Orphan (Cassandra Cain) really takes a character journey as she deals with the trauma of her childhood where she was raised to be a weapon. Her mother Shiva is at the head of the League and is trying to get her to kill. She begins to find herself, there's a lovely theme with her and this dancer, as well as her really saving the day in Issue 955.

I also appreciated the inclusion of Azrael. He's a de facto replacement for Spoiler. My only complaint with him is that his introduction is not really set up in terms of him joining the team, it just happens. However, I like that it treats his faith seriously and he has a real sounding conversation with Batwing that explains his journey and why he believes. It's respectful.

Where the book has problems is that it seems to be very similar to the other two volumes with the group facing off against an evil group that threatens to bring Gotham down to fulfill its own agenda, and we have to wonder if their agenda is really all that bad. This one is also hurt by an ending that renders the Bat Family somewhat irrelevant.

Still, the character works makes this worth reading despite the flaws.



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