Hey Todd Squad, yours truly hear again with a huge week of Ratings and Rantings. This is actually my 160th post, shocking enough. A pretty odd milestone to celebrate but I just happened to realize that when I started typing this. So congrats to me, haha. Well this week I've got ten issues to review, and my more detailed style would make this one LONG, monotonous post, so instead I've decided to borrow a format from my good buddy X-Man75, in which I'll basically give a quick overview over the comic, then give my thoughts. Again, this won't be my usual style of reviews but this is a big pull week for me, so bare with me. FYI, expect the same next week since I'll be enthralled with Batman: Arkham City!
Deadpool #44
This is last week's issue which I never got to review. Over the course of this issue, Deadpool tries to stop his crazy stalker, Dr. Ella Whitby from killing The Warden of the prison he recently inhabited. While trying to save the Warden, Deadpool confronts Ella and they share a laugh or two, before she blows the place to high hell, seemingly killing herself in the process, as Deadpool simply gets up and walks away. Later on, Whitby returns to Deadpool, burned up looking like a small, chubby version of Wade. He tells her he's in love with someone else, but doesn't state who, so a heartbroken Whitby puts a gun in her mouth and pulls the trigger, killing herself before Deadpool can stop her. Also, in this issue, Deadpool found a bunch of his body parts in Whitby's fridge and threw them away, and at the end of the issue it seems they all reformed to make an evil Deadpool. Well this was weird, I expected a more delightful romp, not to see a kamikaze and a suicide. I guess I like the idea of Deadpool vs. Deadpool though, but this issue fell flat, which is sad because I like Dan Way, and I figured once Deadpool had his full attention it would get even better, but that hasn't been the case. I'll give this a 5/10 rating.
Deadpol: She's gonna be copying me, so... how would I do this? Ah-Ha! I'd teabag him! (I'm giving you no context here...)
Deathstroke #2
We started things off with Deathstroke meeting with Mikel at a bar, When things get heavy the man turns to the patrons and asks how many of them he's paid to kill Deathstroke if he needed them to. A bunch of people pull out their weapons and the brash Deathstroke murders them all with ease and pure awesomeness before killing Mikel as well. Mikel's reinforcements show up late, including a big metal juggernaut (not that one) by the name of Road Rage. After killing about fifty people, including civilians and innocent bystanders, a camera crew runs up to Slade...for some reason... and tapes him as he says that all of this is nothing but fun for him. This of course makes worldwide news and Deathstroke is content since this was all a plan to get him more mercenary work. Well... that was something. I couldn't get into this issue, it rushed by and nothing really made me care, I liked seeing Deathstroke kill a bunch of people, that was fun, but I doubt I'll remember this issue thirty minutes from now, which is not a good thing. I'll give this a 6/10 rating.
Batgirl #2
We start things off with Batgirl pursuing The Mirror, and she inadvertently kicks him off a ledge too hard, almost killing him in the process, but he grabs a gargoyle. Batgirl tries to help him and is thrown off the ledge for her trouble, considering she's "on the list". Batgirl manages to stop herself from hitting the ground but crashes into a taxicab rib first instead, so.. kudos on that Babs. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon soon learns from Detective McKenna that Batgirl is back, and his eyes bug out as he's surprised, suggesting he may know that Babs is Batgirl. Batgirl eventually catches up with The Mirror, who beats the crap out of her, but she manages to steal his list of names, and when the cops come, he hightails it. When Babs eventually finds The Mirror's base, she discovers that he's someone who watched his family die as he was saved, and now he just wants to die, but he's taking out people that should have died but also lived. So yeah, very convoluted. Anyway, the issue ends as he states there's a bomb on a train so.. there's your cliffhanger I guess. There was also a VERY boring storyline in this where Babs went on a date with some guy, so boring I didn't even thing it was worth reviewing. This issue was the opposite of Deathstroke, it seemed to drag on and on with Babs getting beat up by the Mirror and the basic theme is that she's not 100% yet, I'd give this issue about a 6/10 rating, as it was pretty slow and I just didn't enjoy it as much as Batgirl #1.
Cab Driver: Hey, look what you did to my cab!
Batgirl: Yeah, but look what your cab did to my ribs.Green Lantern #2
In one of the best verbal smackdowns ever, Sinestro lays into Jordan before making a Green Lantern ring and giving one to Hal. The ring allows him to have all the power that Sinestro designates and Sinestro can turn the power off and on at will, thus making Hal his slave. Sinestro then one-ups Hal, as Hal tries to save a woman that fell off a hole in a bridge, but Sinestro saves the woman, everyone else, and manages to fix the bridge, as he tells Jordan he should've been using his ring to fix society, not to be a glorified cop, but to bring change. He then kills a member of the Sinestro Corps, the one that apparently ruined the bridge. After killing the rogue Corpsman, Sinestro tells Hal that the Sinestro Corps have ruined Korugar and that Hal is going to help him destroy them all. Now this was a good issue, Sinestro had plenty of zingers, Hal was made to look like even more of a chump, and we got to see why prior to Hal, Sinestro was the greatest Green Lantern, for good reason. And those two teamed up taking on the entire Sinestro Corps should be fun, I'll give this issue an 8.5/10.
Grifter #2
Things start off with Cole meeting his girlfriend, Gretchen, in a bar, trying to explain to her how he actually killed two aliens/monsters/demons on that flight (last issue) and how he would never do anything like that. While they talk, one of the possessed things strolls into the siner`, and Cole confronts and attacks him before setting him ablaze using a cigarette and a pan of flour...yes, it was as awesome as it sounds. From there, Gretchen thinks Cole is insane, and she tells him not to follow her. Cole then leaves the diner but doesn't make it too far before he's confronted by someone looking for him, his brother, Max Cash. Max Cash is an awesome name, anyway I enjoyed this issue. I like that Cole is pretty much on his own against an enemy no one else believes exists, I also like that he dropped the huge sideburns as well. And the fact that Gretchen was shown possibly going to Gotham City opens a ton of Batman/Nightwing vs. Grifter possibilities. But yeah, things heated up and I'm interested in where we go next, I'll give this issue an 7/10 rating.
Batman and Robin #2
Things start off with Bruce explaining to Alfred how he's worried about Damian and what would happen to Damian without Bruce around. Well... you were missing for a while and he listens to Dick more than he does to you now, but whatever you say Bruce. Batman and Robin go out and stop some criminals from trafficking guns and leave them hanging for the cops, when suddenly Nobody shows up and slits their throats, unbeknownst to Batman and Robin. Afterwards, Damian takes out his rage of not being able to kill and maim on the training dummies in the Batcave, as Alfred also seems to worry about Damian and his rage issues. Also, we see Batman buy a Great Dane, which is cool because he has one in Batman Beyond, so that's some nice continuity. The issue ends as Batman is confronted by a man named Morgan, a mutual acquaintance of Ducard, and it seems Morgan is Nobody, and Bruce knows, just as Morgan knows Bruce is Batman and vows to save Bruce from himself. This was interesting, I was surprised at how nonchalant the Morgan/Bruce conversation seemed, and Bruce randomly getting a dog, although that may be to calm Damian, but I loved the stuff with Damian and his rage. I'd give this issue a 8/10 rating.
Bruce: I'm a billionaire, Damian, not a trillionaire. (And you never will be with that attitude, Bruce!)
Ultimate Spider-Man #3
Curious about Miles' spider-powers and the mysterious spider that bit him, Miles let's Ganke talk him into going to talk to his Uncle Aaron. They arrive at Aaron's house to find it completely empty, as he's apparently moved away in the span of one day. On the way home a building catches on fire, which is excellent timing I guess. After some prodding from Ganke, Miles saves the day without a mask before fleeing the scene. Afterwards, he tells Ganke that he's done doing that, and there's already a Spider-Man, plus Miles feels that he isn't cut out for the job. Miles then moves on with his life and attends his new highschool, where he rooms with Ganke and another kid. The issue ends soon after with the kids being called to the auditorium, and told by the faculty (for some reason) that Spider-Man had been shot. I really enjoyed this issue, I loved seeing Miles save the day and as always he comes off really likable. If I had any problems, it's why they felt the need to wake up a bunch of kids and call them to the auditorium to tell them Spider-Man had been shot, I know he's a hero but that still seems rather excessive. But besides that, this was another issue I enjoyed in the brief run of Miles Morales, I'll give this a 9/10 rating.
Ganke: Show Me!!!
Miles: Shut the door. (I'm once again giving you no context here, except that Miles had a sly grin as he spoke.)Ultimate X-Men #2
We start things off with a captured Jimmy Hudson being thrown into a room with Reverend Stryker. From there we saw Rogue saved by Iceman, Human Torch and The Shroud (Kitty Pryde) but run into a little trouble in the process, including Iceman getting his arm broken off, which was pretty damn awesome. After being saved, Rogue explains that she was told to incite the robots and that she'd be saved, and she was told this by God. Next we see a woman named Elise Cartwright chained up, as she's approached by Reverend Stryker. We find out that Elise has been opening her home to orphaned mutants, and Stryker takes this as an opportunity for her to confess her sins, before he kills the woman in gold blood, then states that he's doing God's will, as the issue comes to an end. This issue was interesting, I like that both Rogue and Stryker believe they are being led by God, so when they confront one another it will be interested, I also enjoy the playful banter between Johnny (Torch) and Bobby (Iceman), but what annoyed me is how we started out with Jimmy being thrown in a room and we don't see how he was caught. Not only that but we don't see him again for the rest of the issue, but that aside I enjoyed this. I'll give this an 8.5/10.
Human Torch: Ha! Bobby dated a crazy chick.
Amazing Spider-Man #671
Over the course of this issue we see that Mary Jane has finally developed her spider powers and is using them to save herself as well as other civilians. Meanwhile, Jameson is subdued by Spidey, but not before he bites Spider-Man on the arm. Medics then try to keep Smythe alive as he mutters about them having all the Spider-Slayers they need. Also, the Spider-Queen finds out about the Anti-Venom cure and has Jackal send Tarantula to Horizon Labs to contaminate the cure. Surprisingly, we find out that the secret "Number Six" at Horizon is none other than Michael Morbius! Interesting. When he arrives at Horizon, Spidey is shocked tom see Peter Parker is already logged in, and he's attacked by Tarantula, when Jackal tells him via satellite that Tarantula is none other than Kaine?! Meanwhile, Madame Web tells the people at Horizon that the Spider-Jammers have cut off her link to the web and to fix them now, and with the help of Reed Richards, they change the frequency so it not only allows her to see the web, but gives Spidey his Spider-Sense back! Using his Kung-Fu and Spider-Sense combo, Spidey knocks Tarantula into the Anti-Venom cure which cures him of his giant spider look, but allows Kaine to crawl out looking normal, and still apparently with his Spider-Powers. Kaine mentions to Spidey that The Queen is the mastermind behind this and he can take him to her, as The Queen snaps at The Jackal and screams at him with a scream so powerful it incinerates him. The issue ends soon after, while Madame Web notes that by interfering she's inadvertently caused the Spider-Jammers to give The Queen "God-like" powers. Okay, I loved this issue, a ton happened and it sucks that Brock may not be Anti-Venom anymore after giving up his powers to cure people, but I love the idea of Spider-Man, Kaine, Venom, Mary Jane and the recently cured Captain America all teaming up to go after The Queen. I'll give this issue a solid 10/10 rating.
Soldier: Commander Grimm... you stand relieved! Take a Clobberin' Time-Out! (Lmao... that is genius.)
X-Men: Regenesis One-Shot
I love how this issue was done, basically we saw Wolverine and Cyclops draw a line in the sand for the most part and recruit people to either side with Wolverine or Cyclops. We started off seeing Wolverine go to Iceman, and basically tell him he needed him, and Bobby obliged and teamed up with Wolverine. Wolverine also tries to recruit Psylocke but she refuses and decides to stay with Cyclops.The thing I love is each time someone picks, we see a tribal version of them basically standing behind a tribal version of Cyclops or Wolverine, which was a great touch.We also see Kitty decide to go to Wolverine's team as Colossus believes he shouldn't be at a school with everything he has inside him now, so he stays in Utopia. For the rest of the issue we see everyone from Magneto to Storm choose sides, some are surprising and some are pretty obvious, but at the end of the issue we see the two teams head off on their own ways for the foreseeable future. This was a pretty good issue, a few of the characters I didn't know about, being new to the X-Men books, but I'm excited about this split. Instead of a line of the issue, I'll give you the team picks. And I'll give this issue an 8.5/10 rating. The final tally seemed to be
Team Wolverine: Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Beast, Rogue, Idie, X-23, Rachel Summers, Quentin Quire (against his will), Gambit, Frenzy, Toad, X-Man75.
Team Cyclops: Psyclocke, Colossus, Magneto, Hope, Dazzler, Namor, Doctor Nemesis, Danger, Magick, The Cuckoo's, Avalanche, Emma Frost, Storm, Me.
And just like that, 10 books have come and gone. Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think of this condensed style I stole from X. And as always, be sure to check out the surprising results from last week's poll. But that's it for me, until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, Jason Todd, signing off!
Last week's poll asked "Who are you the most excited to play as in Batman: Arkham City?"
Last place with 0% - Catwoman, I gotta that, that shocked me, especially since she's in the main game.
Third place with 7.7% - Robin, the third Robin, Tim Drake, comes in behind two other Bat-Boys.
Second place with 38.5% - The title character, Batman.
Winner with 53.8% - The recently announced, fourth playable character, Nightwing! (Info here)
Next Week on Ratings and Rantings
Morning Glories #13, Batman #2, Catwoman #2, Justice League #2, Nightwing #2, Red Hood and The Outlaws #2, and Supergirl #2.
