Monday, October 18, 2004

Quick Reviews

Ex Machina; Ultimate Nightmare; Green Arrow; Action Comics

Ex Machina #5
by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris & Tom Feister
I suppose the only problem with this latest issue is that the previous four were so good that this conclusion to the "State of Emergency" arc is a slight let-down. There's a slight narrative problem in that the big showdown turns out to not have been germane to either of the plots, as those are both resolved in sensible yet underwhelming manners. I don't want it to sound like I'm suddenly down on this book; I'm not, and found it enjoyable. Just a cautionary tale for having high expectations.
Rating: 3 (of 5)


Ultimate Nightmare #3
by Warren Ellis, Steve Epting, Nelson DeCastro & Tom Palmer
Hoo boy. If you thought not much happened last issue, get a load of issue number three, wherein the Ultimates and the X-Men spend the entire issue wandering around the dark halls and tunnels of an abandoned Russian outpost. I've seen Warren Ellis tell a complete and engaging story in a single issue before (Global Frequency of course springs to mind) so we know that he's capable of better. I don't want to blame Frank D'Amarta for the coloring since I assume he was told to color everything dark and dingy, but it makes the artwork muddy. Here's hoping that the plot picks up and goes somewhere next issue.
Rating: 2 (of 5)


Green Arrow #43
by Judd Winick, Phil Hester & Ande Parks
My busy schedule kept me from reading many of this week's comic books until later than usual, so I had already been properly spoiled by the 'Net community for the ending. It wasn't nearly as sensationalist as I had feared given the reactions I had read. In fact, compared to the completely exploitative and in bad taste cover, the actual comic was pretty good. So normally a 3, but minus half a point for the cover.
Rating: 2.5 (of 5)


Action Comics #820
by Chuck Austen & Carlos D'Anda
Once again Chuck Austen gives us an Action Comics that lives up to its name. There's plenty of action as Superman faces off against a new Silver Banshee. Just don't go looking for much sense. The fill-in art by D'Anda is okay, but the colors are too garish, especially in the green-blue-black banshee scenes. And that ending? We're supposed to believe that Doomsday can just go walking about the streets of Metropolis in broad daylight and no one is going to notice?
Rating: 2 (of 5)

1 comment:

Dave Carter said...
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