The Last Post

Well faithful readers, all things come to an end and this will be the last post for the Nerd Alert. I have enjoyed writing and keeping a nerd diary for the last 3 years but it is now time to move on to other things.
Thanks to all of my readers (apparently there have been 4000) over the years. I will be concentrating on writing for the website Comic Book Daily and I would encourage all to check out my column here.

Excelsior!

Infestation #1

Zombies are everywhere these days, and so I had mixed feelings when I heard that IDW was doing a zombie related crossover with all its properties. The concept sounds ludicrous: zombies invade the worlds of Transformers, G.I. Joe, Ghosbusters, and Star Trek.

Yet this concept works. Mostly due to the deft pen of writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (who many will remember have been writing all the great cosmic crossovers at Marvel). The concept may be bizzare, but the execution is flawless.

They manage to inject new life into zombie lore: zombies act as a single hive mind, and they come up with a plausible (by comic book standards anyway) reason for the infestation, and they even manage to explain how robots can become zombified.

I am quite excited for the remaining parts of the story. Mostly due to my fanboy anticipation of seeing Snake Eyes fight a horde of zombies.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: About 20 minutes. 

Is it worth it?: A resounding yes.  

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holiday readers! The Nerd Alert is taking a break until the new year, when it will be back with a vengeance!

In the mean time here is a picture of the Hulk fighting Santa.

Amazing Spider-Man #648

After the sub-par offerings of Brand New Day, I was pretty skeptical when Marvel announced a new direction for ASM. The title will now be published twice per month and super-sized. Every issue will be written by Dan Slott, which at least deals with some of the problems created by having a rotating creative team every month.

I'll get right to the point: issue 648 is the best Spider-Man story in years. It shows Spider-Man at his best and funniest and Slott and Ramos treat us to a action packed page-turner. The issue nicely explains Spidey's status as an avenger, shows the reader his supporting cast, and re-introduces the Sinister Six, The Enforcers, The Kingpin, and the Hobgoblin.

Truly a great place for new readers to start enjoying the arachnid's tales and a new must read for any Spidey fan.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 20 minutes

Is it worth it?: A resounding yes. Issues like this are why I enjoy comic books. 

Spidey's New Threads

Why do companies feel that they way to fix a book is to invent a new, crappy costume? This monstrosity is a cross between the black costume, the 2099 costume, and the Spider-Man Unlimited television show.

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

Thor #615

The new creative team of Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry take over with issue 615. After a lackluster, 4-part (ugh) Mephisto stoyline, I was interested to see where the series is going. With the Thor movie coming out this summer this title will be one to watch.

Fraction does an pretty good job of setting up the next chapter in Thor's life; he asks the simple question of "if Asgard is here on earth, then what is in Asgard's place?" An interesting point, and since nature abhors a vacuum, we are treated to the invasion of whatever used to be Asgard by a mysterious new foe. However the book drags in places, and the overall story could have been told in half the pages.

The art works well and I am happy to see a lighter, brighter tone in a lot of the Marvel books since the Heroic age started. Ferry does a good Thor and I will be interested to see how he deals with large scale Ragnorok-type fights scenes.

The stuff with Volstagg is priceless, but all in all this was a pretty boring jump on point for new readers.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 20 minutes

Is it worth it?: No, not really. Not enough happens for this to be a key issue in a new story arc. 

Superman #702

Well, it only took 2 issues for the Grounded storyline to get annoying and pretentious. Superman plays basketball with some kids, discovers hidden aliens, and meets with an old man who works in a closed down car factory.

Oh and he also blackmails the aliens to use their superior technology to created a booming medical industry in the depressed former auto-city. That right folks, Superman is all about meddling in the affairs of regular people now. I can only assume that he will fly back in time and stop WWII next. The concept of Grounded is okay, but I am not pleased with this issue’s heavy handed execution.

Batman shows up at the end, so maybe if we are lucky he will tell Superman to stop being so high and mighty. Hanging out with regular people might be fine once in a while, but he has real, world-saving problems to deal with. While he was playing basketball alien super-robots took over Canada (okay that last part didn't happen but you get my point).

Tale of The Tape

Cost: $3

Length: 20 minutes

Is it worth it?: Not really. This was a pretty lackluster outing for JMS and crew. Barrows draws a great Supes though. 

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #156

G.I. Joe is back! And is written by Larry Hama! And it continues the story from the Marvel comics series! Needless to say I was pretty excited about this issue and fans of G.I. Joe will not be disappointed. We join the story in media res and the Joe team has gone into hiding as Cobra now works for the U.S. Government as mercenaries.

We see various members of the Joe team fend off (and kill) Cobra assassins while gathering to formulate a plan against Cobra. Hama does a great job with the characters he created and the art by Augustin Padilla fits the feel of the book well.

I did find it strange that the book abruptly ends. It seemed like there was a page missing. However, this did little to detract from a great read for a G.I. Joe fan.

Tale of The Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 20 minutes

Is it worth it?: Yes, but only if you are a G.I. Joe fan. New readers will find this issue a pretty strange starting point. 

Batman #701

Grant Morrison gives us the missing story between RIP and Final Crisis. I should say "one of the missing stories" because Final Crisis was so convoluted and crummy that I have to assume that Grant Morrison had a myriad of great ideas that made sense but the big, bad editors at DC overruled his creative control.

When he writes a comic book, Morrison either gives us a fantastic story or nonsensical garbage and the jury is still out on this storyline. Part one is interesting enough that you want to read part two, and Grant Morrison writes a great Batman.

I would also mention that Tony Daniel does a great job with the pencils. He has come a very long way from his early Image days and his style really fits Gotham City.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $3

Length: 20 minutes.

Is it worth yet?: Yes, but that could all change with part 2...

Superman #701

Issue 701 marks the start of J. Michael Straczynski's "Grounded" storyline. The basic concept is that Superman is walking across America to reconnect with the people. The story has some elements of Neil Adams and Denny O'Neil's Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories from the 1970's.

It is an interesting idea, and while I picked up the issue with some trepidation, I must admit that it is off to a good start. Superman does some interesting things just walking around and talking to people. Helping out the average person with day to day problems that are not the normal alien trying to take over the world type stuff.

The problem with JMS is that his stories can be great, but sometime they are pseudo-intellectual psycho-babble that is convoluted and boring. This story could go either way. Still, issue 701 makes me want to read issue 702, and Eddy Barrows draws a great Superman.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $3

Length: 20 minutes.

Is it worth yet?: Yes, but only if you are interested in seeing where this goes. 

Amazing Spider-Man #637, Grim Hunt Part 4

And so another potentially good story ends on a lackluster note. Warning: there will be spoilers.

So apparently the death of Kaine and Mattie Franklin drive Spider-Man to the point where he is ready to kill. He even rips off a woman's face. You read that right, Spider-Man uses his sticky fingers to pull the skin off of Mrs. Kraven's face. He doesn't kill her though. He does almost kill Kraven, but the new Madame Web (previously Spider-Woman II) talks him out of it.

Yes. Having the Kingpin order a hit that almost kills Aunt May doesn't cause Spidey to kill, but seeing his evil clone die sends him into a psychotic rage. On occasion I wonder if the writers have ever read another Spider-Man book before.

The art is inconsistent, as the regular artists needed an assist (again the problem of having a book out almost every week).

This is a great example of how the story could have really built up over the last 4 months. Instead we got it in a single month. I would only pick up this book if you have already invested in the first 3 parts.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 20 minutes.

Is it worth it?: Um. Sort of? Unless you bought parts 1-3 just read the wikipedia entry. 

Superman #700

Reaching 700 issues is quite a milestone, and one would expect the 700th issue of Superman to be an epic event. Sadly, this issue left a lot to be desired. There are three stories and some of them work better than others. Robinson and Chang give us an epilogue to the 100 minute war where we get to see Lois and Superman reunite. A pretty good story that gives a nod to the Superman Movie.

The second story has Dan Jurgens tell us about an early meeting between the Dick Grayson Robin and Superman. The story is solid and the best in the book, but it does have the advantage of not needing to follow modern continuity.

The final story is a prologue to JMS's Grounded storyline. Eddy Barrows does a great job as penciller. He has a pseudo-Bryan Hitch feel to his work, and the detail works really well for a Superman story. I am not too excited about Grounded. It kind of feels like the pretentious babble that JMS sometimes comes up with.

Shame on DC for trying to promote the rest of the Super-Books in the back of the issue. This could have been another feature, or some pinups, or something, but instead is was self promotion for the less popular books. The issue is all over the place, and even Superman fans will find this issue unsatisfying.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $5

Length: 20 minutes

Is it worth it?: No. With 71 years of history Superman has a lot of great issues, but this isn't one of them. 

Amazing Spider-Man #636: Grim Hunt Part 3

A great Spider-Man story continues on, but the stress of producing a book 3 times a month is starting to show. Joe Kelly gets some help from Zeb Wells on the writing duties, and the art team is different for pages 1-18 and pages 19-22. This does nothing to help the flow of the story. Is it too much to ask that the same artist does all parts of a 4 part story?

Anyway, Kraven has returned and we see a fantastic twist with Kaine. I am looking forward to the final chapter, but I feel that this would have been more suspenseful if I had to wait 4 months until the end (instead of 6 weeks or whatever).

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 20 minutes.

Is it worth it?: Still yes, although the change in artist is disappointing. 

Amazing Spider-Man #635: Grim Hunt Part 2

Joe Kelly and the artist duo of Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano give us another solid page turner in the second installment of the Grim Hunt. Spider-Man and the rest of the "spiders" (those with spider-powers) continue their fight against the family of Kraven the Hunter.

I won't reveal too much, but I will say that this is the best Kaine issue ever made. Great to see Mysterio involved as well, but Diablo is mysteriously missing. It makes me wonder if Mysterio was supposed to be in the first part of this story.

Some okay back-up material as well, but I am not sure how well Stan Lee's 2 page per issue story is working. You don't really get a sense of what is going on with only 2 pages.

All that being said this is Spider-Man how it should be, but with the thrice monthly publishing it will be over before you know it.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 20 minutes. 

Is it worth it?: Yes. This was a great comic book story. A bit dark for Spider-Man but then again so was Kraven's Last Hunt. 

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day readers! To celebrate check out the official website of Captain Canuck here. The good Captain was the first Canadian superhero. In the (then) future of 1993 Canada is the most powerful country in the world and Captain Canuck works for CSIS.

Just like what really happened in 1993.

Amazing Spider-Man #634, Grim Hunt Part 1

My readers are well aware that I am unhappy with the state of ASM lately, and so it is with cautious optimism that I approach the Grim Hunt storyline.

Basically Kraven's family have put Spider-Man through a Gauntlet of challenges to weaken him so they can kill him and the other spiders (those who have spider-based powers) to resurrect Kraven himself.

The Gauntlet was hit or miss, a miss-mash of great and crappy stories. Hopefully Grim Hunt will be more consistent. Correction: hopefully Grim Hunt will be consistently awesome.

The issue was a very intriguing and exciting start to what I assume is one of those stories where "nothing will ever be the same". The art by Michael Lark and Stephano Gaudiano is much darker than we would normally see in a Spidey tale, and it fits the Grim Hunt perfectly.

Joe Kelly can write some great stuff, and he is off to a good start, but he does require a certain amount of Spider-Man knowledge from the reader. Madame Web, Kaine, Spider-Woman II, Ezekiel,  and Spider-Woman III, along with a bunch of Kravens all make appearances without much explanation who they are. This issue is great, but not a good jumping on point for new readers. I loved it, but I feel that someone picking up a Spidey comic for the first time would be totally confused.

There are a couple of back-up stories that add to the fun (including a 2 pager written by Stan Lee) and make the overall product well worth the price of admission.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 30 minutes

Is it worth it?: Yes, if you already are a Spider-Man fan. All others should read some older issues first and then come back to this one.  

Batman #700

Grant Morrison can be pretty frustrating. Sometimes he creates some of the best comics ever, and sometimes he creates artsy incoherent garbage that we are all supposed to worship in awe. Thankfully his work on Batman #700 is just nice solid storytelling.

I won't go into much detail, but it is a time travel story of sorts, allowing Bruce Wayne to be part of the action even though he isn't the current Batman. The tale also showcases Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne as the current and future version of the Bat. Different artist contribute to the different time periods, which works nicely for an anniversary issue.

If you are a Batman fan you probably already picked this one up, but if you feel like giving Gotham city a chance this is a great jumping on point.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $5

Length: 30 minutes

Is it worth it?: Yes. This is comic book storytelling at its finest. 

Avengers #1

As the main launch title for Marvel's Heroic Age, Avengers #1 had pretty high expectations when it hit the stands last week. Fans will not be disappointed. The art was top notch (as was to be expected from a master storyteller such as John Romita Jr.) with great panel layout and excellent action.

The plot was exciting and gives the reader just enough to want to know more; Brian Michael Bendis can sometimes buy into his own hype and over-write a book, but this was a solid story from beginning to end. Kang makes an appearance and it was great to see a classic (he first appeared in issue #8) Avengers villain be front and centre for this relaunch.

I hate to see a relaunch because we all know that in about 4 or 5 years they will return to the original numbering to sell a landmark issue, but that seems to be the way that the industry rolls these days.

The last panel is genius, really hooking the reader and guaranteeing a purchase of issue #2. I won't say any more but you should definitely check it out.

I was not impressed with the 2 page spread of every Avengers member: there were a lot of characters (the young avengers) that new readers wouldn't know and Bendis should have named each hero. This issue is supposed to be a jumping on point after all.

Also, why is Steve Rogers' costume so ugly? He looks like he was rejected from the mock-turleneck page of the Sears catalogue.

Minor quibbles aside this was a great issue.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 20 minutes.

Is it worth it?: Definitely. This is superhero storytelling at its finest. 

Siege #4

 

This was one of the worst comic books that I have read in a while. I won't waste much more space. Stay away.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $4

Length: 20 minutes (I am being generous).

Is it worth it?: No. One thousand times no. 

Spider-Man: Fever #1

Due to the utter odious and sub-par storylines that are coming out of ASM lately, I am always pleased to find a solid and interesting Spider-Man story, especially one as eclectic and unique as Fever.

The story is a homage to 1960's Spider-Man and Dr. Strange stories and fans of that era will be pleased with the dialogue and visuals. I do have one minor quibble: the editor should have noted that this story takes place before Dr. Strange loses his mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Currently in the Marvel Universe Dr. S has lost his ability to conjure and was forced to give up the magical title. I know that not every fanboy follows Dr. Strange so closely, but the result is jarring for anyone in the know.

Tale of the Tape

Length: 20 minutes. 

Cost: $4

Is it worth it?: A definite yes. This is the best Spider-Man story in a while (and the best Dr. Strange story in a long while) and I am looking forward to the next issue. However, it is a sad state of affairs when a random mini-series has a better story than a character's flagship title.