WORTH CONSUMING!
This Free Comic Book Day offering from 2012 presents chapter one of Spider-man: Season One. It’s essentially an origins tale with some retooling.
Why another reboot/ retelling of Spidey’s origin, you may ask? Well, with Marvel’s ‘Marvel Now’ reboot shifting the Marvel Universe into being more alined with the films, it makes sense for the publisher to change things around.
This preview is just a sampler as Iron Man, Daredevil, The Fantastic Four, and others of Marvel’s best and brightest are part of the Season One line. With the changes I’ve seen in the reboot thus far, these books could be vital blueprints for naviagated Marvel’s strange new world.
These books have an expensive cover price, so I’ll probably wait for them to go on sale or hit my local library.
Worth Consuming.
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WORTH CONSUMING!
Part 2 of the Captain America/ Yellow Claw story finishes with an explosive finale. When it’s up to a guy named Leapfrog to save you, you’d better have some good contigency plans. Just wait till you see the calvary assembled to come to Capt’s rescue.
The back-up feature is a little preachy, when Vision of the Avengers decides to avenge a homeless woman murdered in cold blood. It’s a rather touching tale, but it’s also a story with a morale and a view on how to help America’s homeless problem.
Both feature really good storytelling and art.
Worth Consuming.
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WORTH CONSUMING!
For a TV show that hasn’t aired a new episode in 40 years nor been in reruns since the late 80s, I’m not sure why reprints of My Favorite Martian were chosen as a Free Comic Book Day 2012 selection- even if Hyperion Press is releasing the comics in a hardbound form. (Ok- to be honest, I’m not sure why My Favorite Martian needed to be reprinted period.)
The stories were bad and sometimes the art was spot on of a young Bill Bixby and Ray Walston. It’s classic Gold Key movie/tv tie-in. It was a pleasant surprise. But, I’m not gonna run out to my local comic shop and buy the collected edition either.
But, if you are a fan of the series or you love old 60s sitcoms, this series could be right up your alley.
Worth Consuming.
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WORTH CONSUMING!
Into Darkness hits a little close to home with the acts of terrorism conducted by Benedict Cumberbatch’s character. Even more relavent is how Starfleet has become like our government when the long range torpedoes developed to kill Cumberatch are like the drones of today. What right does any government have to kill someone, even a known terrorist without a trail? It’s a question that not only Spock asks in the film, but the average Joe on the streets in the 21st century.
Besides being preachy, a few scenes seem like they were made only for being added to a video game- or to make the 3D version more exciting. But, those action scenes are too far fetched and not needed, really.
The acting is great. Abrams did a fantastic job getting actors who look and act like those of the Original series. I must admit, I liked the first Star Trek a little bit better, but in no way did this film not leave me wanting a 3rd film, either.
I am waiting for the director’s cut, because several actors are listed in the credits that do not appear in the film, like Chris Helmworth’s George Kirk and whoever Heather Langenkamp of Nightmare on Elm Street fame played.
Worth Consuming.
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WORTH CONSUMING!
Captain America is teamed with a biazarre “superhero” named Leapfrog in an attempt to stop a visiting guru from being assassinated by Yellow Claw.
It’s a really weird story. Leapfrog’s like a poor man’s Ambush Bug. Completely bizarre, minus the trans-dimensional powers.
The better parts of the tale involve Capt. by himself. The pairing of him with Leapfrog is like a bad buddy cop movie.
There is also two other tales involving Doctor Strange and Daredevil. They’re good, just not really memorable.
Worth Consuming, but just barely.
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WORTH CONSUMING!
Fanfare #30 is devoted to a Moon Knight story that feels like a Swamp Thing crossover. When Marc Spector tries to flee the effects of a Full Moon eclipse, he goes on a vacation. Only, mother nature, literally, is also feeling the effects of the eclipse and is going loco.
This just seems like a plot Alan Moore would’ve done during his Swamp Thing run. It’s a really good story, the supporting characters are interesting, and the art is very well done. I just keep expecting Swamp Thing to pop out at any moment.
Worth Consuming.
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WORTH CONSUMING!
Another in Fanfare’s “Experimental” comics series. In the John Byrne Hulk tale, the Green Machine is summoned to a medicine and somehow lured into a trap with a siamese twins-type pair of villains. The catch is that each page is a single panel and so narration, dialogue, and art must operate extra hard to tale a cohesive story with so little room to work.
Then, we’ve got a Captain America tale that squeezes in as many panels as possible. Why, there’s panels inside of panels. It make for a massively fast-paced read. However, with all that space being used hyper-efficiently, the writer spends very little time making the supporting characters very interesting.
A novel concept that is enjoyable, though not without faults. That’s why these stories are experiments and not masterpieces.
Worth Consuming.
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WORTH CONSUMING!
I’ve never really been a fan of Alpha Flight. I know Wolverine was once a member and it takes place in Canada. But, aside from those pluses, I’ve just never really liked this distant cousin of the X-Men.
This Fanfare is devoted to an Alpha Flight story that was meant to become a Marvel Graphic Novel, but never saw the green light. It focuses on the checkered past of Northstar. However, it’s about his role as a member of a Canadian terrorist cell and not his controversial life-style choice.
The art is classic Marvel Graphic Novel quality. Lots of watercolors and straight pen-lines. The cast of extras is spanding and it’s a little hard keeping them straight when their names are A, B, C and 1, 2, 3.
Not the worst thing I ever read. But, just not my thing.
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This issue of Fanfare features two story’s created by artist’s whose works could be considered ‘experimental’ and more suitable for graphic novels. The first story ‘Cars’ involves Matt Murdock’s law firm buying an automobile only to have it stolen the very same day. The motif of the car is ever spanning and is used symbolically and obtusively, leaving the reader thinking about cars more than the story’s hero, Daredevil.
Then in what is probably my all-time favorite Spider-man story, Peter Parker is home alone and bored to tears. As he spends a restless night making doodles with his web-shooters, scaring old ladies, and playing phone tag, I just fell in love with the story with each panel.
This is perhaps my all-time favorite issue as well. I was left wanting so much more. It’s timeless and was just a d@#* fine read.
Worth Consuming.
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WORTH CONSUMING!
The Weirdworld storyline ends on a positive note that has some loose ends and it made me wanting more.
Then there is this really good Captain America story that features what I think is the definitive artwork of the character. He’s drawn with a bravado and strength not seen since the days of Jack Kirby. Sadly, they’ll never be another story like this because this was writer/artist Will Jungkuntz’ last and only work on the living symbol of America.
RIP Jungkuntz, it was really awesome.
Worth Consuming.
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