Ron RoweComics Commentary for February 20th, 2008
March 4th 2008 07:06
A bad week. That said, there are comics I know I would love that I was, for one reason or another, unable to pick up. Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that certain books - like Mighty Avengers and Iron Man - are horrendous.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #551 (Marvel) - 2/10
I love Salvador Larocca’s art, but even that can’t save me from the writing. Guggenheim gives Spidey a totally different voice than Slott, and it is really jarring. I am not enjoying the rotating writer system. The representation of the Superhuman Registration Act is inconsistent, and Spidey’s dialogue makes very little sense (which makes the character seem less than intelligent). Brand New Day Spider-Man is not the Spider-Man for me.
HULK #2 (Marvel) - 4/10
Tony Stark tells She-Hulk to “Give ‘em Hell!” when he knows there is only one foe… and just stands there while she gets her butt handed to her. I’m sorry, but no.
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #114 (Marvel) - 7/10 - pick of the week
What is the point of even having a Superhuman Registration Act when NO-ONE enforces it? Stark and the Avengers let people go all the time. Khoi Pham’s art is wonderful, but the writing has taken a bit of an odd bent, trying to suit the sort of people our bro Amadeus Cho might hang with, yo. But that’s OK, I can dig it. And I do. So much so that after the events of this issue, I want that rhymes-with-witch, the Black Widow, dead.
IRON MAN #26 (Marvel) - 1/10
You have got to be kidding me. De La Torre’s usual awesome art blows here, and as usual, the Knaufs’ writing is craptacular. There is NOTHING worthwhile about this book. At all.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #9 (Marvel) - 1/10
Bagley’s artwork is great, as always. BENDIS!’ writing sucks. Dr. Doom is presented entirely out-of-character, characters’ dialogue is inconsistent (and, beyond that, just plain crappy), and BENDIS! shows that he not only has no idea what SHIELD is or how it works, but he can’t even depict it consistently within his own titles. Sorry, Mr. Bagley, I love your art, but I can’t stomach the writing.
THE ORDER #8 (Marvel) - 5/10
The artwork is OK, the writing is average. I can’t find anything to love or hate about this title. I think it may work better as a TPB, so I am being as neutral as possible until I can give it that chance.
WORLD WAR HULK - AFTERSMASH: WARBOUND #3 (Marvel) - 5/10
The book is getting too internally focused, which would be fine if it was an ongoing series. We’re getting too involved in these characters’ epic struggles, and it leaves us feeling uninformed and, when the series ends, we will be going “What? It’s just ending? But the rest… the stuff that happened before… what…?” Great art and great writing, just not really anchored firmly enough in the MU proper to really work.
Overall score for the week: 3/10
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #551 (Marvel) - 2/10
I love Salvador Larocca’s art, but even that can’t save me from the writing. Guggenheim gives Spidey a totally different voice than Slott, and it is really jarring. I am not enjoying the rotating writer system. The representation of the Superhuman Registration Act is inconsistent, and Spidey’s dialogue makes very little sense (which makes the character seem less than intelligent). Brand New Day Spider-Man is not the Spider-Man for me.
HULK #2 (Marvel) - 4/10
Tony Stark tells She-Hulk to “Give ‘em Hell!” when he knows there is only one foe… and just stands there while she gets her butt handed to her. I’m sorry, but no.
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #114 (Marvel) - 7/10 - pick of the week
What is the point of even having a Superhuman Registration Act when NO-ONE enforces it? Stark and the Avengers let people go all the time. Khoi Pham’s art is wonderful, but the writing has taken a bit of an odd bent, trying to suit the sort of people our bro Amadeus Cho might hang with, yo. But that’s OK, I can dig it. And I do. So much so that after the events of this issue, I want that rhymes-with-witch, the Black Widow, dead.
IRON MAN #26 (Marvel) - 1/10
You have got to be kidding me. De La Torre’s usual awesome art blows here, and as usual, the Knaufs’ writing is craptacular. There is NOTHING worthwhile about this book. At all.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #9 (Marvel) - 1/10
Bagley’s artwork is great, as always. BENDIS!’ writing sucks. Dr. Doom is presented entirely out-of-character, characters’ dialogue is inconsistent (and, beyond that, just plain crappy), and BENDIS! shows that he not only has no idea what SHIELD is or how it works, but he can’t even depict it consistently within his own titles. Sorry, Mr. Bagley, I love your art, but I can’t stomach the writing.
THE ORDER #8 (Marvel) - 5/10
The artwork is OK, the writing is average. I can’t find anything to love or hate about this title. I think it may work better as a TPB, so I am being as neutral as possible until I can give it that chance.
WORLD WAR HULK - AFTERSMASH: WARBOUND #3 (Marvel) - 5/10
The book is getting too internally focused, which would be fine if it was an ongoing series. We’re getting too involved in these characters’ epic struggles, and it leaves us feeling uninformed and, when the series ends, we will be going “What? It’s just ending? But the rest… the stuff that happened before… what…?” Great art and great writing, just not really anchored firmly enough in the MU proper to really work.
Overall score for the week: 3/10
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Comment by Adrian J. Watts
I will be posting comments on the new trailer soon, which will explore my thoughts more thoroughly, but I am predisposed to dislike the film because it has 'updated' the character.
MY Iron Man was wounded in Vietnam.
Robert Downey Jr. comes across as too sleazy for Tony Stark; sure, Tony's a cad, but Downey Jr seems to take it a tad too far.
And Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts? The key to liking Pepper, at least for me, is that when she can step up and be tough as nails if she has to - Gwyneth Paltrow is completely incapable of portraying such a strong character.
If she finds Tony doing something she doesn't like and stands up to him, it will come across as a joke, where in the comics Tony may well genuinely fear her...
But the special effects are fantastic.