Kevin's New Capsule Reviews

Archive

Hellboy Makoma #2
Dark Horse
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Richard Corben

The Hellboy franchise has been somewhat diffuse lately. This lack of forward motion is completely typified by this story. There are maybe three pages of actual Hellboy plot/action. The rest of the story is a fable that Hellboy experiences secondhand and involuntarily. It’s a neat creationist thing, and very well drawn. But it’s just not a Hellboy story at all. The dialogue isn’t there, the setting is pure fantasy instead of the modern/mystical blend most Hellboy stories entail, and the plot’s punch line is just so diffuse that a real fan would feel cheated.

Score: C

Batman Annual #25
DC Comics
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Shane Davis

I hate admitting that I’m wrong. I HATE IT! But I gotta eat a major portion of crow here. Judd Winick doesn’t suck. This is not only the first annual put out by the Big Two that wasn’t a complete waste of space in years and years, it revealed the mystery behind the resurrection of Jason Todd artfully. It seems Winick can get off his soapbox and entertain if he’s of a mind. And if it were up to me, Shane Davis would be shackled to a desk and made to draw a great street level series until he collapsed (maybe The Question?). The only flaw in this issue involved (bleh) Superboy. Given how well rendered the rest of the book was, it’s a moot point.

Score: A

Green Lantern Corps Recharge #5
DC Comics
Writer: Dave Gibbons & Geoff Johns
Artist: Patrick Gleason

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I forgave it its hokey villains, and humongous and more sketched than developed cast. But the inconsistent art tanks the book. The pages can vary from interesting (and maybe b-list) to downright awful. So even though it’s exciting and Gibbons writes a damn near perfect Kilowog, Guy Gardner, and John Stewart, it’s too tough a book to look at to allow any sort of passing grade.

Score: D

JSA #83
DC Comics
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artist: Rags Morales/Luke Ross

This is a OYL book, so some confusion has to be expected. The total dissolution of the team chemistry was still a nasty shock. This issue is mostly set-up, since the separate ectoplasmic interludes all conclude with the same sort of “almost got ‘im” near misses. The beautiful art of Rags Morales props up an otherwise plodding issue. This review would have been much more favorable if I were a fan of the Gentleman Ghost…

Score: C

Infinite Crisis #5
DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Jimenez, Ordway, and Rice

Question: Can great art scenes, homage to past eras, and lost of detailed panels make a story full of characters you don’t care about interesting? Answer: Nope. I hate Superman in any form. I hate all but the modern Superboy. To have to plow through a story about alternate worlds and multiple heroes I didn’t give a hoot about was near torture. Other than the scenes in the Batcave, Cathedral, and Titans Tower, this book did nothing for me. Great art puts this above failure.

Score: D