Morbius the Living Vampire #3

Morbius the Living Vampire #3 was alright in a story telling kind of way.  But really in the end it was just more whiny teenaged angst from some thirty year old doctor who happens to also be a weird not Vampire.  It is also really crappy writing if the gangbanger who was picking on Morbius was actually a good guy.  If he was good he would not go around beating up people just minding their own business – so if it turns out he is actually good as implied in this issue I will not be happy.  I have said it before but if I wanted the whiny characters I would just read the X-Men set of comics.  I hope things improve because the only character I care about is not in this story enough to make me keep buying future issues (but I think I have one more in the stack).

Thunderbolts #7 !!!

Thunderbolts #7 was interesting with a lot of plot advancement.  There was very little action this issue was almost all dialog with most of the fighting happening off page.  Somehow Deadpool has a crush on Elektra who for some reason appears to be sleeping with the Punisher.  There is some plotting against the Red Hulk that is foiled.  But Ross still tells the team what he knows about the secret stuff they are chasing by using the submarine.  After some of the weirdness of the first story arc I should be happier with what is happening now.  But there was something lacking in the story telling.

Young Avengers #3!!!!

Young Avengers #3 was good.  We got to see a quick fight with Loki’s father the Troll that ended when Miss America showed up.  But as soon as she ended one fight her guardians (parents?) show up wanting to talk.  It appears that along with Loki’s father Miss America’s guardians are also dead.  She allows Young Loki to get the group to safety.  A bit of story catch up occurs and then the Young Avengers are captured by the thing summoned from another world as a cliff hanger.  This was another good issue of the comic I hope the creative team manages to keep the story quality at this level for a while. 

Batman Incorporated #8 Requiem

Batman Incorporated #8 Requiem was really bad.  Considering this was the first story after Robin (Damian) died I was hoping for something better.  Instead we see Gotham City cave to terrorists’ demands, failing to bring in any of the other super groups or heroes to help defend the city.  They do not even consider bringing in the National Guard or the Army.  They do not ask for help from any of the super groups under government control and none of those groups show up.  Gotham City just gives up to terrorists and not just terrorists but an unknown group with only one act of terror to their name.  Not just that but instead of fighting back Batman and Batman Incorporated stop doing anything they take time for a funeral.  Really? In the middle of a war - a massive terrorist attack they all stop fighting and in some cases go home to other countries and have time to come back to Gotham that is how much time they waste.  Just recently there was another story called Death of the Family and during the multi-day terror inflicted by the Joker not one character took time off.  They all kept fighting the good fight until the Joker was gone.  Not just kept up the good fight but brought in other supers to help out.  The only redeeming bit to the story is we get to see how the surviving heroes escape the building – well except for Batman’s exit from the building.  There was one last insult to the reader hidden in this story and spoiler! there are still active Lazarus Pits around ready for use – I believe that counts for a “I told you so” meaning Robin might be back even faster than I originally thought.

Batman Inc #7!

Batman Incorporated #7 was interesting but considering how badly done the previous issues one good issue does not make up for the crap.  It makes no sense that Batman would fall for bad dreams or Talia’s plots.  It is not just Batman being bad but bad writing – making changes to characters and personalities so they do not match what is cannon for the character.  What happens is everyone is just stupid and does stupid things, while the villainess plot goes off perfectly and without one hitch.  I am also not believing how the membership of Batman Inc are suddenly idiotically stupid, Batman did not recruit idiots he recruited people like himself.  I fear the writer and creative team thought they were writing something epic but instead it is something terribly bad – especially considering what happens in the next issue.

Batman the Dark Knight #18!!!

Batman the Dark Knight #18 was rather disappointing.  The story has been developing rather well with the Mad Hatter even if the story was disjointed at times.  But it turns out all this setup was so the Mad Hatter could have a do over with his High School Prom.  Considering the number of bystanders being killed in this story growing very large and is starting to match the number of people killed in the Death of the Family story you would think more interest from the police and other Heroes would have happened by now.  Instead all we get is Catwoman looking for a quickie after hitting Batman with a hubcap.  I’m seriously disappointed in how this story is turning out.

Superman Unchained #1 (SPOILERS!)

Spoilers Below for Superman Unchained #1!

Spoilers!
I do not normally post reviews of comics this close to release!

Superman Unchained #1 was a very entertaining comic book.  The action, the story telling the artwork flowed across the pages of this comic.  There is no boring origin story and almost no mention of Superman’s human parents and hometown.  The story simply starts out with the destruction of Nagasaki Japan by the American’s dropping a bomb that looks a lot like a human during World War 2.  We then flash to the present where Superman is saving the day as someone has managed to fire satellites from Earth orbit at the planet like giant bombs.  Superman mentions that he has destroyed or diverted all the satellites heading for populated areas and we get to watch him work to literally defuse the most dangerous satellite shooting out of orbit.  The satellite has a reactor core that would be like a bomb if it were to hit the Earth.  Superman fixes the bomb problem by slowing the descent by disabling the Satellites decent.   Using his X-ray vision did not work to short out the engine controls so Superman changes the wavelength of his vision to Gamma vision and that turns off the engine.  In the end Superman manages to save the astronauts and the military base that was being targeted.  Back in Metropolis Superman interrupts an escape attempt or helicopter crash. During which he has an interesting conversation with Lex Luthor that was as I said interesting and full of potential – Lex actually sounded smart and composed compared to how he had been acting in other New52 Superman stories.   The next scene is with Jimmy Olson and Clark Kent, Jimmy looks a lot like Seth Green for some reason, it might be the new hipster look or I am just getting old.  While the two are making chit chat Lois Lane calls to point out errors in Clarks latest Superman Saves the Day blog post.  While they are talking the Daily Planet Chief Perry White comes in to complain to Lois about advertisement placement.   Lois drops at least one clue about how the plot of the comic will develop and then tells Clark that the reason his article was wrong was because Superman had stopped all eight Satellites heading for Earth.  Superman takes off to see who or what had deflected the Satellite and finds a big handprint on the Satellite debris that he does not recognize.  Superman is then attacked by torpedoes.  We then flash to a secret military base full of cool looking high tech weapon systems. All the while Lois’s dad (apparently) monologues about how being discovered by Superman is not really a problem because they have their own Superman already – the end.  Then there is a short story of Perry White’s past and a pair of binoculars his Great Uncle gave him, binoculars that appear to be the very pair used in the first pages of this comic book.  While Perry is talking there is another story also in the current day of a fishing trawler pulling a man from the ocean whom wants to talk to Lois Lane badly – even though his eyes appear to have been melted.  There is also an interview with Scott Snyder and Jim Lee that was just somewhat interesting.  At this point I just want to know how the American Government managed to keep a being as powerful as Superman a secret for seventy years?  They kept this super being a secret mind you while he / she has been used in operations during the seventy years since the creature was dropped on Nagasaki Japan.  If this comic book turns into an American Military against Superman comic I will not continue to read or buy the comic.  If I wanted a teen angst story I would just read one of the million X-Men comic books that Marvel Comics produces.  I do have a hope that having Jim Lee on the creative team means that the stories will be good and in which case I will continue to buy this comic because issue number one of Superman Unchained was well done and entertaining.