Welcome this week to another round of reviews for the week. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the fact that I have close to 300 pages of comics to read and review. But I will endeavor to do my best.
1. The first book I read this week was Legendary Star Lord #009 The Black Vortex. As my readers know, I have liked this event for the most part. The summary of the event is found in the first page of the book but to give a very brief account of the series so far: Billions of years ago there was an alien race known as the Viscardi. They were given an artifact called The Black Vortex which imbues its users with cosmic energy. The artifact caused the Viscardi to be destroyed because the cosmic power caused them to turn on each other.
Somehow, in the future, Star Lord learns that his father J-son of Spartax, now Master Knife, has used this artifact to imbue his henchmen. Peter Quill and his girlfriend, kitty Pryde, steal the artifact and she transports the crew to a moon of Spartax but not before recruiting The Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-men to fight off Mister Knife’s henchmen. In the battle, Gamora senses they will lose the fight and uses The Black Vortex to become a god-like version of herself. She also uses the mirror to show the other team members what they could be with cosmic powers. This prompts a long conversation between characters as to whether or not the mirror should be used.
In this issue we learn if any of the team members succumb to the temptations of using the artifact. We also learn the effect that the mirror has on each of the characters that use it.
As I’ve said, I’ve enjoyed most of this series. Although this book was not as good as others. I couldn’t help but remembering the scenes in The Incredibles about monologuing. The dialogue in this issue was a bit too long winded. The art on the other hand, is fantastic. Paco Medina( not the funky cold type) does a great job of pencilling this issue.
I don’t think this was a bad issue but I think it could have been a little less wordy. Grade: B
2. First off, let me say I LOVE the writing in Rocket Raccoon #008. Skottie Young has consistently made me laugh out loud while reading the misadventures of Rocket and his friend
. I also need to give a shout out to Bradley Cooper whose voice is in my head as I read Rocket.
This issue is both serious and funny. Groot is dying. He was poisoned by a Nogu beast and the only cure is the yolk of a Nogu queen’s egg. The only way to do that is to enter her cave and extract the yolk.
With the writing being as good as it is, the art was as equally awful. This is not American Manga but its representative of Asian art. While some people might love it, it is definitely not my cup of tea. The wispiness and abstract nature of the art makes the reader have to concentrate too hard on something that should be fun. I think the writing in this book is great but I also think the book as a whole could be better. Grade: B
3. Black Widow #015 continues Natasha’s vendetta against Chaos. Chaos is the organization that killed her attorney. At the end of the last book Natasha had tracked down the organization to a cruise ship but she was thrown overboard along with a grenade but that doesn’t stop her
If you are looking for a comic book that has a ton of action, you should read this book. The action continues to read like a female James Bond. I loved reading this book. Especially the scenes with the helicopter.
The art was also very well done here. I love reading a book where the art is a great representation of the character. There is also a guest appearance by Bucky Barnes and Black Widow finds that she has an ally.
The end of the book gives us a cliffhanger and the story of Chaos is not done yet. Grade: A
4. Moon Knight #012 ends the run of another creative team and what appears to be the end of another story arc. Marc Spektor has lost the influence that Khonsu has over him because his “doctor” convinced the spirit to inhabit her. That’s bad news because Marc is falling from a plane in the sky.
This issue gives us an insight into why the doctor wants Khonsu’s help.
Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood did an honorable job filling Ellis’ shoes. I look forward to a new team but at the same time, I dread it. I’m hoping the art direction stays the same. Seeing Moon Knight as pure white with only a hint of black is very cool. Grade:A
So ends part 1 of 3. More to come soon
martysmeanderings 