Comic Book Thoughts

I have not had a chance to review everything I read over the last few weeks, so here I am going to mention a few titles and give some of my thoughts on them. I hope you enjoy, and I hope it also gives a bit more of an idea of all the things that I do read.


Vampirella #1 - I have not read any of the Vampirella books at all. Of course, I have heard of the character, but I am not overly familiar with her. I decided to get on this new Vampirella mini series from Dynamite, and after reading this issue I am very much looking forward to reading more. This is a great start to what I think will be a very interesting title. It has made me want to pick up some Vampirella trades, so I would say that it is new reader friendly. 8 /10

Mara #1 - This is such a strange concept for a book, and I guess with the Lance Armstrong cheat admission, it has probably come out at a pretty good time. This new mini series from Brian Wood definitely has my attention. 8 /10

Superman #15 - I have not had time to review this, which is a shame as I love reviewing this series. It is still very much overlooked in my opinion, and this issue highlights why I continue on liking it a lot. The H'el on Earth crossover is still very intriguing, and I loved the introduction of some familiar characters right at the end. 7.5 / 10

Avengers Arena #3 - This is another series that I just can not understand the hate for. Here, we have another great issue with some great character introductions. I am not familiar with many of these characters but this book is really making me invested in them. I think it has become clear that they are not all going to be killed off, so I think fans of these names should not worry as much. 7.5 / 10

Fantastic Four #3 - I am enjoying this series, but I cant justify spending money on a book that is just one mini adventure after another like this one is. There is obviously a bigger picture, but I think I am going to drop it. It is thoroughly enjoyable, the same goes for this issue, but I do not think that it is for me. I wanted just a little bit more from a Fantastic Four book. I may jump back on at some point in the future though. 7 /10

Mind The Gap #7- What a series this is! The questions are still being thrown right at us, and it is still not entirely clear what the hell is going on; but I for one am definitely in it for the long run. 8.5 / 10

Supergirl #15 Review

This is without a doubt most of the most under rated ongoing series out there at the moment. I have said this before, but each issue my opinion is confirmed. I do not know what the sales are like for this book but I can gurantee that not as many people are buying it is they should be. In this installment we saw Kara and H'el become a bit closer, as well as a bit of an insight into H'el's life before he became what he is.

I am a big fan of the character H'el. Many people find it hard to get past his name and just how cliche it is, but I really don't have a problem with it. I am still not sure on his true intentions and that is down to how well he is being written. He seems to be a good guy at the moment but I get the feeling he may be playing Kara. If that is true then the fallout is going to massive, and it will no doubt see Kara going through some difficult changes and realizations about life.
She is a very complex character who is in a very strange situation. It is hard not to like her, and very hard not to worry about her getting hurt. The character building for her has been tremendous and I would go as far as saying that she is one of my favorite characters in the New 52 reboot.

I always go on about art but honestly the pencils in this book are just unbelievable. The best way to describe them would be "scratchy" I guess, but I recommend checking it out for yourselves. Some of the panels, or should I say most of the panels, are fantastic. It is in the characters that the art in this book really stands out. Kara looks stunning as usual, while my favorite version of H'el is in this series.

I cant wait for the next issue to see how Kara and Hel's "relationship" has developed, and to hopefully find out H'el's true intentions. What frustrates me about this series is that it is so hard to find reviews for it. Type "Supergirl #15 review" on a search engine and what you will notice straight away is the absence of the big comic book sites on the search results. This series is getting ignored for some reason and that should really not be the case. If you are buying this book then well done for supporting it, and if you are not then I really suggest giving it a try.

Rating: 9 / 10

Superman #14 Review

I regularly read this book so I was always going to pick up this issue, however I was looking forward to it even more after reading the set up given to it from from Supergirl #14. I am also very frustrated and surprised by all the bad reviews I have read for not just this issue, but this crossover event in general. There is a lot of hate surrounding these books at the minute, and I am not too convinced that a lot of it is really justified. I for one am really enjoying this event and I really enjoyed this particular issue, so here is some positivity for all to enjoy if you are inclined to do so.

I loved the opening of this issue with Clark and Lois. Clark came across as jealous, and some would say un-Clark like, however I am very happy with how the whole thing went down. Yes the man may not be human, but he is living on Earth and has a great understanding and experience of human emotions. He is bound to feel jealous, and therefore act a bit out of character when confronted with the Lois moving in with another man. I liked the whole scene, and felt that I could relate to it. Clark is not a robot.

H'el was seen for the first time in this particular title and gave Clark pretty much the same spiel as he gave to Kara. Of course, Clark is a bit more pessimistic and cautious about what he is being told, and believes that something is not quite right. He is proven to be correct in his judgement as we start seeing a more evil side to H'el towards the end of this confrontation. Of course Kara does not see this, and is currently unaware that H'el is turning her against her cousin.

Even though this is a Superman book, I really enjoyed reading Kara in this issue. Her total naivety and willingness to trust people came out like it did in her own book last month. I am looking forward to seeing how this ends, as I am sure it will be a great learning curve for her.
Superman seems up against getting his cousin to trust him again, as well as dealing with the threat of H'el; who I really like as a villain. This crossover event is going at a great pace and I am looking forward to reading more of it in Supergirl #14 later this month.


Rating: 8 / 10

Supergirl #14 Review

This is probably the most under the radar book in the DC universe. I do not believe that it has a massive readership at all compared to the Superman books for example, however this book rules each and every month.
This month we have a H'el on Earth tie in, which for once in comics actually felt like a tie in issue should do. It filled in gaps for readers who have not read any of the other tie ins, and we got a really good explanation of who H'el really is. For someone who wasn't went into this issue not too keen on this crossover event, I have come out on the other waiting desperate to read more issues. It does everything that it needed to do.

The main thing in this issue was the confrontation between H'el and Kara. He was trying to convince her to help him save Krypton, seeing as it is her home planet as well as his. Kara was at first unsure whether to trust him, yet she got persuaded that he was on her side. I do not know much about this H'el character but I believe that he is going to be bad guy (surely?). What I really like about this confrontation was how naive Kara still is. She is desperate to see Kryptonian people once again, and her longing for this is making her believe what she feels she has to believe. She was on the verge of ordering H'el to kill Superboy, and she actually believes that at some point it needs to be done.
Kara is not evil at all, she is just very misinformed. She is a teenager lost on what is an alien planet to her, not too sure what is going on. She is still vulnerable 14 issues in to this series, and it is very easy for the reader to feel sorry for her.

I also really enjoyed seeing her new home under the see once again; Sanctuary. It is her Fortress of Solitude, and I really really like it. However, I am not too sure how she is overcome the problem of the large distance that it is from the Sun. Whenever she spends large amounts of time there, she loses a lot of her powers. I am sure a solution will become available, and to be completely honest it is not something that I am too worried about.
What was also very cool was the gift given to her by H'el; she can now understand and speak English. I hope this is something that is going to remain after this crossover event is done with. It is something that I did not expect to happen, and it is something that has needed to happen for some time now. It was a very nice way to do it.

This was yet another solid Supergirl issue. Mike Johnsons' run has been nothing but good and he deserves so much credit. Kara has always been a great character, and I think that this New 52 version of her may be my favourite yet. The art was once again awesome, and it seems to be getting better and better with each issue. I think I may have said that in my review of issue #13, and the art is even better this month than last months issue. This issue left on a cliffhanger, and I cant wait to see what happens in the next issue. This is a series that deserves to be read, and it does really deserve to be one of DC's best selling books.


Rating: 9 / 10

Superman #13 Review

This series has been slated pretty much from the first issue of the new 52. There have been creative team changes galore as DC are desperate for this book to be a success, what with " Man Of Steel" being released next year. So enter Lobell and Rocafort, who are now in charge of Clark Kent's adventures. I believe this is Lobdell and Rocafort's first issue together ( apart from #0" ), so lets see how they did with it.

We start the issue with Superman training and testing his limits in an underground lab / gym type thing. This looked very cool, as well as making a lot of sense. Surely he needs to see exactly what his powers can enable him to do, so he has to test them right? But where does he test himself? This answers that perfectly.

Of course, the big talking point of this issue is Clark walking out on the Daily Planet. I also really enjoyed this, as we saw the real Clark Kent for one of the first times in this series. His strong moral viewpoints are what makes Clark who he is, so it was very good to see that come out in this issue. However, his rant could be seen as being a bit of a lecture aimed at the readers, which I really hope was not Lobdell's intention when writing it. I do not read a comic book to have the writer attempt to throw their views on to me. Saying that, I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt in relation to this one, as in the context of the issue, it ruled and was done extremely well.

The dragon type creature, that seems to have some sort of connection with H'el, looked awesome. The fight Superman had with it looked very good, and I also enjoyed how the dragon was disposed of eventually. My only gripe with this is the location of the final blow ( are there oil fields in Ireland? Really? ).
Of course, Supergirl then appeared with a very interesting reveal, which leaves me very excited for the next issue as well as other issues connected to this event.

Another interesting thing about this issue is the character Cat Grant. She walked out on the Daily Planet after Clark made his speech and left himself. This is pretty out of character for Cat, so it will be interesting to see whether she has some other intention. Also, Jimmy had a nice moment towards the start of the book. Jimmy Olsen, a ladies man? Who would have thought it?

Let me just mention the art briefly. After seeing the preview to this event, I really wasn't crazy about it at all. It's different to say the least. However, I really think that it works in this issue, and I only think it will improve over time if this team stays together on the book for a while.

I enjoyed this book, and thought it acted as a nice little prelude to the "H'el on Earth" event that is kicking off next month. I have always enjoyed this series, and do not understand the hate it generally receives. So if you are one of those people who have not been reading it, then give this issue a chance. It is a great jumping on point, and you never know you may even enjoy it.


Rating: 7 / 10

Supergirl #13 Review

You may have noticed that this issue was not one that I originally intended to review. Well, I received a request to do a review for it, so now I am. Luckily, I thought the issue as a whole was great ( and 100 times better than Catwoman, which is what I was originally going to review ).

The issue takes place in what is Kara's new fortress of solitude type place called "Sanctuary". Tycho was waiting for her arrival there, as seen in the last issue. After he explains what Sanctuary is, and shows her what was on the crystal shards sent from Krypton on her pod, a battle between the two commences. Kara comes out on top, and the issue ends with her viewing Superman fighting a villain from Krypton. This nicely leads on to the upcoming H'el on Earth crossover event between the the Superman family books.

This series has had some pretty negative reviews throughout, which is a shame seeing as I have really enjoyed it and have stuck by it. The pacing of this series is fantastic, and the character development has been superb. Some say the development of Kara has been too slow, but I believe it has been done at a perfect pace. This issue saw a side of Kara that we have not seen before; a totally unforgiving side of her. The way she left Tycho trapped in the Sanctuary, showing no remorse whatsoever was a great character moment for her, and could be something that defines her in future issues.

Tycho was never really a great or dangerous villain in this series, but I liked the way he was used in this issue. He was there to pretty much explain everything that had gone on in previous issues, as well as the events of the #0 issue last month. What was great about this was that it never felt forced, and it never felt like it thought the reader was stupid. It had a great flow to it, and I believe it was ultimately needed as I for one was a bit hazy on previous events due to last months break.

Overall, Supergirl #13 was another solid issue in a series that does not get all the credit that it deserves. This issue, accompanied with the #0 issue, would be a great little jumping on point for this series. So if you are not on board, I suggest you get on board quickly. The end, as pointed out earlier, acted as a nice little lead up to the upcoming crossover, which I am eagerly anticipating. I may even be anticipating it more so after reading this issue. 

Rating: 7.5 / 10