Work throughout the week.

Avengers: The Origin #1
Written by Joe Casey
Art by Phil Noto
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by George Marston and Lan Pitts

Avengers: The Origin is a decent re-telling, that fits nicely into Joe Casey's previous "classic Avengers" mini-series (Earth's Mightiest Heroes 1 & 2, and Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin), offering some alternate views of the classic tale. The biggest complaint is that, at times, it gets a little too verbose for my taste. Lots of word bubbles scattered around. I like the art, but I feel like Noto fails to capture the essence of most of the Avengers. His Hulk looks too civilized, his Thor is too slim, and his Iron Man feels out of proportion. There is a possibility that Noto slimmed Thor to make Hulk look like a viable thread and not the muscle-bound god that Kirby once envisioned. On the other hand, if he wanted to make Hulk more of a threat to Thor, he should've made Hulk bigger instead of making Thor smaller.

Phil Noto's art has improved and isn't as stoic as his earlier works, and how he presented Iron Man and Thor's alter egos just seems less radical. I do like how Casey handled Jan and Hank and does a great job on that front.

The panel construction could have been fixed as well because it felt like there was a lot of things being blocked and cluttered at times. Casey should have just let the art speak for itself at some moments and pull back a bit.

The pacing needs to pick up a bit as well. Though it's intriguing to think how they will amp up the threat. In the original comic, the formation of the Avengers took place over a single issue. Though how much of the pacing issues are to be blamed on turning a single comic into several.

Obviously they're going to add more to the story, but will it be a matter of improving on it or just deviated to the point where it's just ridiculous and completely unbearable? Joe Casey is trustworthy on that end because he's done well with similar concepts in the past.

The update to Rick Jones, making him part of a counter culture group is interesting. It seems like they are revolutionaries...or Young Repbulicans, because that is a lot of fire power.

Overall, it's solid, but it has lots of room to grow by the end of the mini.

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Robert Jordan's New Spring #8 (Published by Dynamite Entertainment; Review by Lan Pitts): Now here's something I thought I'd never see, the finished product of New Spring, which is the prequel to Robert Jordan's famed "Wheel of Time" series, yet here it is. Now I know that Dynamite means business with it's products and won't let the ball drop. This mini series just seems like ancient history to me, it's a shame Jordan can't be around to see it FINALLY in the fan's hands. Some of the art looks like it was done over and there's a sense of inconsistency to it in some places, but other than that, it's pretty standard stuff. Chuck Dixon again nails the adaptation of the book and I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us WoT fans. Now, I hope Dynamite reprints the rest of this mini because it is that hard to find and a bit pricey. The first issue alone goes for around $25 online.

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Vengeance of the Moon Knight #7 (Published by Marvel Comics; Review by Lan Pitts): Tan Eng Haut is not Jerome Opena. And I mean that in every way possibly, besides the fact that they have both worked on this title. Where Opena had more of an action movie-oriented style, Tan has a more grounded and dare I say vanilla style. Perhaps maybe three panels out of the entire issue stood out. What a shame, too. Gregg Hurwitz does a great job again of spinning MK, as a street avenger, but the story is bogged down by a Deadpool appearance. I'm not a hater without merit, but it seems more like a product placement with DP in it than an actual first part of an arc. Just annoys because the book has had a good streak so far, but the art just took me out of the story. Hopefully, Tan will adjust his methods and not be so stiff.

The Best Books of 2009, what to watch for in 2010

It was difficult as a reader and a reviewer to narrow down three choices for my "best of..." list, but I really think these were the books that really shined this past year and hope to continue to in 2010

Bronze: Witchblade

Talk about a series that has seen some highs and lows in the past decade. Once thought of just something pre-pubescent boys can drool on, Ron Marz has really put a new stamp on this book as easily one of the best. Supernatural hero, meshed with elements of a cop drama, with a lead character who is the mother of an infant makes for a great read with solid stories. Now, in 2009, there was "War of the Witchblades", with both bearers of the fabled gauntlet try to kill one another, with one almost succeeding. While artist Stjepan Sejic really soared with the best of them on some of the more horror/mystical elements, he stumbled here and there more often than not with the more quiet moments. Even with that minor hiccup, Witchblade is excellent and events coming in 2010, makes this a book not to be missed.

Silver: "Elegy" arc in Detective Comics

I know, I know. I did a 'Tec arc last year for the Silver Medal, but this book has just had great teams, and this year it went from already amazing to just down right the best "Bat" book on the shelves. Greg Rucka is nothing short of a great story-teller, but add his words to J. H. Williams' avant-garde style that echoes something out of Steranko-land, you've got one hell of a book. While the story of a bat-themed hero going after a pale-skinned villain might seem familiar, but Rucka and Williams wove something unique and different and set the bar for other super-hero books. You have my sympathies if you've been missing out on this one.

Gold: The Unwritten

Please tell me you've at least heard of this book. Now, I know the common concern is that most Vertigo books are so heavy and dense that it makes it difficult to just pick up a random issue and follow along. I can understand that, and this book is no different. However, what Mike Carey and Peter Gross have done here is just incredible and my favorite book of the past year. Unwritten is just so...just by itself and creative, it's hard to fathom that a lot of people are ignoring this work of art. The story is deep and rich with literary allegories, and is just damn smart. Let's see, it's the story of Tom Taylor, whose father was a prolific and famous children's book author best known for his Tommy Taylor series (think Harry Potter). Tom's father goes missing and it turns out Tom may actually be the boy wizard from the book series. With a Harry Potter-like character, you might think this is kid-friendly, well that's not exactly the case, just so you don't go running out and buy this for a young reader. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Sandman of this generation and my pick for best book of 2009.

What to watch for in 2010: Moon Knight
Yeah, I know he's not the center of any universe or anything like that. There's not a ton of MK merchandise out there or no Saturday morning cartoon (do they still even make those?). However, I've been having a blast reading "Vengeance of the Moon Knight", and there's been a slow build on Spector's lunacy (pun intended) and it's only a matter of time before he does finally snap, but if that moment comes, can he be find redemption? The weird thing is that the title of the book has the word vengeance in it, yet he hasn't really taken revenge out on anything yet, it's mainly his rogue's gallery going after him. Also, I just love what Hurwitz and Opena are doing and I'm just captivated by each page. Sure, there are some heavy events for all major companies lined up for next year, but I think this character will catch you by surprise.

double review! Moon Knight and Witchblade ahoy!

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #4
Written by Gregg Hurwitz
Art by Jerome Opena
Colors by Paul Mounts
Letters by VC's Joe Caramagna
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Lan Pitts

"In ancient times, the Pharoah slew his enemies and cut out their hearts. He burned them on the altar -- a sacrifice to me. The Pharoah. And you? A mere avatar and you won't grant me a single heartbreak?" -- Khonshu

This is slowly becoming my favorite Marvel book on the shelves these days. I understand that some people just shrug Moon Knight off as a C-lister at best, or a wannabe Batman or a half-ass Daredevil. His history is a bit, shall we say, convoluted. His powers seem to change on a whim. Also, is he Marc Spector, or going by another alias? It can be confusing at times, but man oh man, this book is just stellar. Gregg Hurwitz has spun himself something great, and an interesting note on this issue is that there's not a lot of dialog, but it is heavy on the fast-paced action.

MK is outnumbered after Ravencroft asylum inmates have been basically made into a small army, and are used to drive him out. Needless to say it works and MK does his best to take down as many of the inmates as possible, even going to lengths with him using Frenchie to pilot his jet as a sort of broom to sweep up a huge gathering. Of course, he goes hand-to-hand eventually, all the while not killing a single one much to the devil on his shoulder Khonshu's chagrin. Though with some creative plotting, the villains actually get the upper hand, leaving MK defenseless for Round Two.

That's one of the main reasons this book is as great as it is. Hurwitz wants you to keep coming back. It's a simple formula, but works all the time. Like I mentioned, there's not a lot of dialog, Opena's art does most of the "talking", and it speaks volumes. This is surely one of the characters, books, and creative teams to look out for in the coming year. Hurwitz and Opena have given us four great issues so far with a great set up, and there's no doubt the pay off will be worth the wait.


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Witchblade #133
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Stjepan Sejic
Letters by Troy Peteri
Covers by Stjepan Sejic and Jeffrey Spokes
Published by Top Cow
Review by Lan Pitts

"My name's Sara. I'm a detective with the NYPD. But that doesn't really matter...I want to talk." -- Sara Pezzini

There's actually two stories going on in this issue. One being the resolution to the missing children from the previous issue, as well as a sort of "welcome back" for Aphrodite IV. As usual, Marz nails the dialog and brings subtle mystical elements to the story with an addition to a real-world problem. There's no intergalactic threat or demonic hellgate that will unleash an unholy terror...this time anyways, and the villain is not who you think at first. Much like the story of the "Three Billy Goats Gruff" there is a troll under the bridge, but Marz didn't take the usual route and the real monster is in plain sight.

Sara and her boyfriend/partner Patrick find the missing kids, and after a bit of a brawl with the troll, Sara learns his true purpose: to protect innocents. Sara is informed of a nearby child molester and things don't go too well for him. The conflict from the "War of the Witchblades" isn't mentioned, but I wonder how long Sara will walk this darker path, that almost has her taking on a more of a Vic Mackey persona. Of course, after that ordeal, we see a set up for events to come with a couple pages of Aphrodite IV.

Now, I've discussed before that Sejic has trouble handling quieter moments of the book, but grand slams things like trolls and the imagery of Hell. In this issue, you can see improvements in how he does with figure construction and facial expressions. I love what he did with the countryside scenery, and it's a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the New York cityscape he's done for a while.

This has been one of my consistently favorite books since I was reintroduced to the series earlier this year. With recaps at the beginning of each issue, it makes it easy to pick up and dive in. I say, take the plunge.