#Robin Alter vc: Can he kill a man

[coillededhuilean]

💭

For every 💭 I receive, I will write one thought my Muse has had about yours. || Accepting

“Never really saw th’point in havin’ more than one Assassin in this damn place, but who ‘m I to judge? As long as he gets th’job done; I ‘spose he’s alright t’have ‘round.”

@gallowking

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1185

Monday, October 30, 2017

 Today's a perfect day to sit inside and read what with all the rain we're having here in Ottawa. I hope it lets up by tomorrow evening for the trick or treaters.

 I numbered last week's off the rack #1186 and skipped one by mistake. Keen eyed reader Tom noticed and let me know, so this here is #1185. I've got to say that I was very impressed with the art in all of the comic books that I read for this column.

 Hulk #11 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Bachan (art) Frederico Blee (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). The cartoony art suits this cartoony story where Jen breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader. It's kind of a neat feature that John Byrne used to do back in the day but I hope Mariko doesn't use it too often. This issue was fun for having it in there though. It also hints at a new threat to Jennifer and her gray alter ego. I love the LBD and pearls that artist John Tyler Christopher put Jen in on the cover.

 Punisher: The Platoon #2 - Garth Ennis (writer) Goran Parlov (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Rob Steen (letters). I can't imagine what it would be like to fight in a war. This comic book showed me in explicit detail. I know we can all be reduced to our baser instincts when our lives are threatened. I hope my life or the lives of the ones I love are never threatened.

 Wonder Woman #33 - James Robinson (writer) Emanuela Lupacchino (pencils) Ray McCarthy (inks) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours). I don't know who lettered this issue. They sure had a lot of work with 'Lil Darkseid getting older and ordering his murderous daughter Grail around. Wonder Woman only appears in this issue as images on a TV screen. I suppose that was to let fans know that they are actually reading a Wonder Woman comic book. That's a low opinion of the intelligence of their fan base. I feel a little insulted. If it wasn't for Ema's art, I'd consider benching this book.

 Saga #48 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fiona Staples (art & colours) Fonografiks (letters). Hazel and Sir Robot's son are much older now. This is the issue before their regularly scheduled hiatus. I'm glad it didn't end in a cliffhanger but I still can't wait until February when the next issue hits the racks.

 Amazing Spider-Man #790 - Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writers) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Sometimes the hardest thing to do is the right thing. Peter is trying his best but when the fall of Parker Industries threatens to fell the Baxter Building it's up to an unlikely team up to prevent disaster. This issue spells out the plight of Peter Parker very well.

 Batman: The Merciless #1 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Francis Manapul (art & colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). It's Wonder Woman's turn to get mashed up with Batman. There is a neat twist about the death of the Earth-12 Diana that created the Merciless. That made this comic book worth reading.

 Wild Storm #8 - Warren Ellis (writer) John Davis-Hunt (art) Steve Buccellato (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). Brace yourself to meet a whole new slew of characters as this story expands. It was cool for me to see these familiar names re-imagined by Warren and John.

 All-New Wolverine #26 - Tom Taylor (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). All you folks not reading this book, you don't know what you're missing. Laura and Daken meet face to face and the mystery of why Daken was being tortured is revealed. Juann's art is so nice to look at.

 Action Comics #990 - Dan Jurgens (writer & breakdown art) Viktor Bogdanovic (pencils) Viktor Bogdanovic, Trevor Scott & Scott Hanna (inks) Mike Spicer (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). It looks like grandpa Jor-El has brainwashed young Jon in part 4 of "The Oz Effect". I keep wondering what the big threat is that's coming.

 Weapon X #10 - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writer) Marc Borstel & Ibraim Roberson (art) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Hulkverine meets his step-mom and she is one nasty witch. I saw some hope there for the big gray galoot when he didn't kill on command but Doctor Alba figured out a workaround. It means it's uh-oh time for the good guys again. The art in this issue is wonderful.

 Detective Comics #967 - James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Tomeu Morey & Jean Francois Beaulieu (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). Part 3 of "A Lonely Place of Living" features the return of young Tim Drake/Red Robin. I'm more interested in what old Tim Drake/Batman is going to do in this timeline.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1145

Monday, January 2, 2017

 I'm a day late and a dollar short but Happy New Year everybody. I am hoping and wishing for the best to one and all. So far so good. We started off the year with friends and some lovely surprises that made the evening special. No big resolutions except to try to be a better person than I was last year. Do more things that I'm proud of rather than the opposite.

 Archie #15 - Mark Waid (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I have one question: where did they get the money to pay for all the stuff for Archie's parents' anniversary party? The feud in Switzerland between Veronica and Cheryl will now move to Riverdale. There's a lot more nastiness in these new Archie comics then there used to be.

 Briggs Land #5 - Brian Wood (writer) Mack Chater (art) Lee Loughridge (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). One look at this issue's cover and you can see that this book doesn't shy away from controversy. Yes those are skinhead brown shirts with Nazi armbands. The menace and violence is not explicitly shown but it's palpable. It's sad to see that some readers have dropped this title, because I think it's a very gripping story.

 Doctor Strange #15 - Jason Aaron (writer) Chris Bachalo & Jorge Fornes (pencils) John Livesay, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Victor Olazaba & Jorge Fornes (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Chapter 4 of "Blood in the Aether" finds Stephen being driven around in a cab by the Orb. It's really quite a trip. This all boils down to a bunch of super villains wanting to kill Doctor Strange. I hope Wong and Zelma can come to the rescue in time. I thought that the changing art styles between Chris and Jorge's pages would be annoying but they meshed very well.

 Avengers #2.1 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Mark Farmer (inks) Jordan Boyd (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). One of the oddest super villains from the old days appears this issue.  I never really got what the Stranger wanted way back when but he sure was powerful. Having this foursome of Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch making up the Avengers is quite humbling. I loved the scene on public transit.

 Amazing Spider-Man #22 - Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Now that the identity of the person behind the jackal mask has been revealed it's time to lay out that person's plans for all us fans. Will Peter succumb for his loved ones? The answer may be in Dead No More #4.

 Invincible Iron Man #2 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Half of this issue is Riri fighting a bunch of Iron Mans while AI Tony tries to train her and the other half are flashbacks to expand on her past so we get a better understanding of why she wants to be a super hero. This is the reason Bendis books do it for me. He takes time to show us the human side of super humans.

 Thanos #2 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Mike Deodato (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Thanos's son Thane is assembling a team to kill his dad, who has a terminal disease. The Titan is dying anyways and according to his father the scientist, Thanos doesn't have long to live. There is no cure. Thanos even destroyed another whole civilisation to find one. I love Jeff's writing and Mike's art but here's what I see happening. Thanos will be cured by fighting Thane. Villains like Doc Ock, Victor Von Doom, Wilson Fisk and Thanos will never die.

 Occupy Avengers #2 - David F. Walker (writer) Carlos Pacheco (pencils) Rafael Fonteriz (inks) Sonia Oback (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). The two do gooders, Hawkeye and Red Wolf, team up to do some good. I think this book is going to be light reading even though they may tackle lofty ideals like trying to save a fresh water supply from greedy corporations. Remember the old Hulk TV show that had Bill Bixby wandering around the country as Bruce Banner and then Lou Ferrigno helping people as the Hulk? This might be just like that but with Clint Barton making things right as Hawkeye. I do like Hawkeye and David may not be Matt Fraction but his writing is acceptable so I will check out subsequent issues to see if I might read them.

 Moonshine #3 - Brian Azzarello (writer) Eduardo Risso (art) Eduardo Risso & Cristian Rossi (colours) Jared H. Fletcher (letters). This was a bloody fine issue from the cover to the last page. This story has more fluids flowing than just the homebrew hooch.

 Action Comics #970 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Patrick Zircher (art) Ulises Arreola (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). It's the Trial of Lex Luthor. Yes it's for crimes he's yet to commit and the only one defending him is Superman. The verdict is no surprise to anyone. Now we see if the sentence will be administered.

 Saga #41 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fiona Staples (art) Fonografiks (letters). Many lives are on the line and someone does die. You have to read this issue to find out who.

 Hulk #1 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Nico Leon (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). They dropped the She prefix so I wouldn't blame She-Hulk fans for passing this by. Please don't do that because this is a really good reintroduction of Jennifer Walters to the rack. Jen may have recovered physically from her near death while fighting Thanos in Civil War II but she is still suffering psychological damage. Doc Samson hasn't shown up yet but somebody needs to help the lady lawyer cope with what happened to her. I like the way Nico draws Jen but there were some panels where she looked part Asian. That's a whole different take on the character than previously depicted. Jen doesn't Hulk out this issue but she is on the verge. I will be interested to see how much control Mariko gives Jen when she's green.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #11 - Robert Venditti (writer) Rafa Sandoval (pencils) Jordi Tarragona (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Larfleeze is my least favourite character in this whole colour scheme. He's just a hoarder and the colour is a mix of red and yellow. He's not even a good villain because his avarice makes him stupid. I find the orange corps to be a bore.

 Mighty Thor #14 - Jason Aaron (writer) Steve Epting (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Yumpin yimminy that was another great issue. The League of Realms fights bravely against overwhelming odds as Malekith continues his campaign against the Ten Realms. He's just laid waste to Niffleheim so which one is next? If you like Steve's art in this book you should check out Velvet.

 Batgirl #6 - Hope Larson (writer) Rafael Albuquerque (art) Dave McCaig (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Batgirl flies home after her Asian adventures and meets up with a surprise passenger. The guy being picked up at the airport was a surprise to me too. I'm sure he's going to make life interesting for Barbara Gordon.

 Uncanny Avengers #18 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Kevin Libranda (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Avengers Mansion is now a Marvel super hero theme hotel? Get outta town. Well, aside from that bit of hoohaw I really liked this issue even though Gerry stonged me with a Rick Astley song brought on by the title to this issue. The Red Skull with Charles Xavier's powers is playing a lot of head games and I am looking forward to seeing how the good guys beat him. Kevin Libranda is a fine fill in for Pepe Larraz.

 Detective Comics #947 - James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Marilyn Patrizio (letters). The finale to the Victim Syndicate story ends with a back stabbing betrayal by one of the good guys. They couldn't be more obvious with one of the covers. It's understandable given the grief that character was going through. Speaking of Red Robin, who's the hooded guy in the last panel? This Batfan wants to know.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool #12 - Nick Giovannetti & Paul Scheer (writers) Todd Nauck (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This would be a great way for kids to learn how Christmas evolved from the ancient Roman celebration of Saturnalia honouring the god Saturn but it's got way too much adult content for them to be casting their beady little eyes on. For us more mature readers it was a fun time.

 Wonder Woman #13 - Greg Rucka (writer) Renato Guedes (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). This issue spotlights Steve Trevor, looking a lot like Oliver Queen, as he tries to keep a mind altered Diana from being captured by bad guys. I'm not a fan of Steve calling Diana Angel. It's too saccharine. Whatever happened to make Diana mentally handicapped still needs to be determined and a way to get her back to normal still needs to be found. Those mysteries will keep me reading.

 Civil War II #8 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's over at last but not really. This story is merely a launching pad for changes in the Marvel U. Some have already hit the racks like the new Incredible Iron Man starring Riri Williams. Many are poised to start off 2017 with a plethora of new exciting (we hope) stories. There are a bunch of full page possible futures featured and I got to play my favourite game of "who's drew that?". Well, these folks did: Adam Kubert, Leinil Francis Yu, Daniel Acuna, Alan Davis & Mark Farmer, Marco Rudy, Mark Bagley & John Dell, and Esad Ribic. It was fun guessing.

 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #2 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Tony S. Daniel (pencils) Sandu Florea (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). This answers the question of which team would win in a fight. The answer will surprise you. Meanwhile, the third team is about to embark on a mission in preparation for taking over the world. Once this super villain team is discovered I'm sure the Justice League and the Suicide Squad will team up to stop them.

 Black Widow #9 - Chris Samnee & Mark Waid (writers) Chris Samnee (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Natasha teams up with Bucky to fight her mysterious stalker. I finally saw Captain America: Winter Soldier recently. That was a pretty good movie. Meanwhile back on the racks, we have the Weeping Lion plotting something nasty against the Black Widow to look forward to.

 Infamous Iron Man #3 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I know this book isn't going to last but I am thoroughly enjoying it while it's on the stands. This issue explains what changed Victor Von Doom from being the super villain Doctor Doom to the super hero Iron Man. It's tied into Secret Wars where Doctor Doom was the god of all those universes smooshed together. I figger Victor will suffer another disfiguring accident and he'll revert to being a bad guy again. In the meantime, meet Mrs. Von Doom.

 Spider-Woman #14 - Dennis Hopeless (writer) Veronica Fish (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). My favourite thing about this book are the friendships that Jessica has. She is going to need a lot of help to get through this grieving period after the death of the Porcupine. But wait, who's this in the back of the book?

 Spider-Man #11 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Gaetano Carlucci (ink assist) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue is all about Jefferson Davis, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't mind that Miles is barely in this because it's so well written and I get to see Sara draw the Black Cat, even though I hate chunky soles on pumps. Just ignore the impractical footwear folks. The cover shows Spider-Man disintegrating but that just means that he's not going to be the major focus of this new story, his dad is.

 Star Wars #26 - Jason Aaron (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) Chris Eliopoulos (letters). He's Penny's favourite Star Wars hero. Luke may be prominently featured on the cover but the real star of this issue is Master Yoda. Still can't stand his inverted speech pattern though.

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