kayuucee@cvl.UUCP (Kenneth W. Crist Jr.) (01/28/86)
He are this week's reviews. Rating System Examples ------------------------------------------------------ **** - Excellent - "God Loves, Man Kills" *** - Very Good - Saga of the Swamp Thing, Power Pack ** - Good - Fury of Firestorm, Star Trek * - Poor - Spider-Man none - Very Bad - Secret Wars I & II, Superman American Flagg: 29 ** What can I say, but AMERICAN FLAGG is back! After that silly Kansas/ Pornland story I was worried about FLAGG, but no more. Even Staton's art looked good. I like Staton, but his style doesn't fit this book. Fortunately he won't be with the book long. I hope Chaykin's SHADOW mini-series for DC didn't take away his time to work on the upcoming FLAGG issues. Aquaman: 4 ** I liked the AQUAMAN mini-series. The story wasn't the newest or the greatest, but it was good. I look forward to seeing what they do with Aquaman now. I would really like to see him return to the Justice League. Also, his new costume is great. I hope he keeps it. Avengers: 267 ** It's taken a long time, about three years, but the Avengers are fianlly getting good again. There is an divergent and not very cohesive membership which has the appearance of sparking many great plots and sub-plots. The reappearance of Kang after 124 issues was appreciated also. I'm glad to see this book rising to the top again. Batman: 395 ** A new villian stalks Gotham City, the Film Freak! As a movie fan I found this issue enjoyable. With the type of life that Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle and Jason Todd lead, they probably don't have a lot of time to see very many movies. Pitting them against the Film Freak is a good idea. It's almost like a Batman/Remington Steele teamp-up. Crossfire: 16 ** Definitely not the issue to start reading CROSSFIRE, but if you have never read CROSSFIRE, do so. You won't be disappointed. This issue consists of a series of several short stories which in most cases don't seem to be related until you read a story a few pages a head. It was a lot of fun to read. Hulk: 319 *** Another winning Hulk story from John Byrne. Since he took over the book with issue 314, the book has rapidly become one of my favorites. Good characterization, excellent art, interesting stories. What more could you ask for? John Byrne to stay with it. This past weekend I found out that Byrne, who was originally scheduled to do 320 as his last issue, has left with this book. John seems to be severing all ties with Marvel. Too bad, Hulk was really starting to come around. Marvel Saga: 6 * Marvel Saga's sole attraction is reading about stories that you don't have the money to buy. Of course, this is a draw back since you don't get the whole story in most cases. I like it because I don't have the time to read my Marvel collection and this gives me a quick nostalgia fix. Marvel Tales: 187 ** This is the only Spider-Man book I am buying now. Not only can I read stories I don't have the money to buy, but they are better than the new Spider-Man books. Ms. Tree: 25 ** I started reading MS. TREE after the P.I.'s mini-series and quickly became hooked. Like hard-boiled detective stories of old, this is not a clean book. There is a lot of violence, but there is also very good writing. Not your usual black-and-white. Outsiders: 7 * The classic "heroes' home turned against them" story. It was okay. I really miss Batman with this group. They work well on their own and have a lot of potential. I hope it starts picking up real soon. Punisher: 5 * When this mini-series started, I was excited. I really wanted this to be great. It had a good beginning, but around issue three it started to slide. At least the Punisher is not as insane as his last couple of appearances before this series seemed to show. Secret Origins: 2 ** DC tries once again with the hero who can't seem to hold on to a book. The Blue Beetle appears to be your normal hero and I think that's why I like him. Retelling the origins of two heroes in one book in not easy even when the origins are related by more than a similar name. There was a bit too much story in this issue, but it was a good intro to DC's BLUE BEETLE book appearing on the stands soon. Star Trek: 26 ** If you are a Star Trek fan and don't read DC's STAR TREK, you are missing something good. Since DC can't do anything that Paramount doesn't approve, a lot of story is passing you by. You may be surprised by a few things by the time STIV comes out. This issue brought back an old friend, some old enemies, an invention older than the Federation and a persistant starship problem. Most of it worked well together, but there were a few rough spots. One interesting note: Even at Warp 12, Kirk can't be everywhere in the nick of time. Sword of Solomon Kane: 5 ** Another good Solomon Kane story. Kane is a very interesting character and everytime I see him he impresses me more and more. I think he is R.E. Howard's better creation when compared to Conan. Having only read Howard books about these two, I can't compare him to the others. One thing I would like to see. In Marvel's TOMB OF DRACULA it was revealed that at one point in Dracula's history, Kane "killed" the good count. Does anyone know if this story has ever been told or if Marvel has plans for telling it in the future? Star-Lord They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally they became heroes.