Batgirl And The Birds of Prey #18 - A Review

Approached by her former employers with the covert organization Spyral, Huntress uses Barbara Gordon's recent invitation to speak at an energy developers conference as a means of bringing an international arms dealer to justice. Naturally the rest of The Birds of Prey are happy to help but can the three friends triumph when the arms dealer upgrades his arsenal with stolen super-villain technology and a new super battery to build the ultimate climate changer?



I hate to harp upon this point but Batgirl and The Birds of Prey really needs a good, regular artist and it needs it soon. Guest artist Marcio Takara's work here is, to put it politely, a far cry from their previous work on All-New Wolverine. The pencil-work here is even sloppier and more heavily over-inked than Takara's recent run on Detective Comics! The detail work in the small panels is particularly worthy of lamentation. The one bright side to the artwork, quite literally, is the vivid colors of Jordan Boyd.


It's a crying shame because the story by Julie and Shawna Benson is wonderful. Saving Paris from rogue weather events is a fantastic concept and there's a neat little link between this issue and this week's issue of The Flash to boot! It's just a shame that such clever writing and dialogue has to be paired with such ugly artwork. Get the likes of Rachael Stott or Emanuela Lupacchino on this book and it could easily be one of DC Comics' top titles.

The Final Analysis: 5/10. Great story and good coloring but the art makes it nearly unreadable.

All-New Wolverine #8 - A Review

Laura Kinney (AKA Wolverine) is trying to establish a normal life her "sister" (i.e. younger clone) Gabby. Well, as normal as can be managed when you're raising your younger clone in Manhattan, you have a pet wolverine and you work as a freelance problem-solver whom the director of SHIELD has on speed-dial. So it is that Maria Hill has interrupted Laura's attempts to expose Gabby to the wonders of Chinese take-out so that Wolverine can sniff out some trouble. Literally.

Thankfully, despite the big THE ROAD TO CIVIL WAR II banner on the cover of this book, this issue is surprisingly free of pesky tie-ins to bloated crossovers I care nothing about. Tom Taylor keeps the focus firmly on Laura and Gabby, whose interactions are both cute and hysterical as they cope with the general insanity that dealing with SHIELD tends to require. While not as over the top as series like Howard The Duck or The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Tom Taylor still delivers comedy on the sly amid the excellent action sequences one expects in a Wolverine book.

Artist Marcio Takara proves capable of matching the manic pace of Taylor's scripts. There is a sense of dynamic action to Takara's work, with the characters always seemingly in motion. The color art by Jordan Boyd also matches this sense of high-energy.

All-New Wolverine #7 - A Review

Laura Kinney isn't sure what to do about her semi-sister Gabby - one of her clones that is several years younger and a whole lot sweeter than her. Laura isn't exactly sure how to be a parent or a sibling, having had what might be called an unusual upbringing if one were inclined to polite understatement. Unfortunately, figuring things out will have to wait for a while. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is in need of help.. But maybe it is Squirrel Girl who will wind up helping Laura...

Tom Taylor perfectly captures the anarchic spirit of Squirrel Girl in this issue. Doreen Green may be a silly character, especially in comparison to the dour Wolverine, but she isn't a stupid or unskilled hero. The two heroines play remarkably well off of each other and the ending of the issue proves to be as touching as it is hilarious.

Marcio Takara's artwork perfectly suits Taylor's story. Takra's style proves equally capable of depicting the lighter, more ludicrous moments of the action as well as the moments of high-action. And Jordan Boyd delivers an exemplary performance on the color art.

Astonishing Ant-Man #3 - A Review

The good news is that Captain America wants Scott Lang's help with a mission. The bad news (or at least, the bad news Scott is aware of) is that said mission is less about superheroics and more about stealing something and annoying SHIELD - both things Scott REALLY cannot afford right now. And unbeknownst to Scott (but knownst to us), his life is about to become even more annoying and dangerous, as his sworn enemies at Cross Technological have launched their own henchman-recruiting app.


Nick Spencer continues to deliver the funny, as he skewers both modern technology and the Marvel Universe. I found myself laughing out loud more than once as I read this issue. This was due to both the interplay between Sam Wilson and Scott Lang and the mock commercial for Lackey.


The artwork proves equally excellent. Ramon Rosanas is a perfect comedic partner for Nick Spencer and his work here reminds me of Kevin Maguire's work on Justice League. And the colors by Jordan Boyd are well chosen, with the tints used to simulate a phone screen being particularly noteworthy.

The Astonishing Ant-Man #2 - A Review

So... yeah. Scott Lang is in prison. Again.

How did he get there?  We're not sure yet. What we are sure of is that Scott's life was pretty bad even before that happened.

Not only did the latest job for his hemorrhaging security company bring him back into contact with the ex-girlfriend he never got around to breaking up with (Darla Deering a.k.a. The Ever-Lovin' Ms. Thing) but now his employees are returning to super-villainy.  In the employ of his arch enemy's son and brother, no less! And - oh yeah - a spurned stage magician with real magic powers tried to kill him while his ex-girlfriend was in the middle of trying to kill him.

Put Mel Brooks in charge of writing and directing the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film and you might get something as ludicrously brilliant as Astonishing Ant-Man. This series has been a laugh riot since - uh - the last Ant Man series by the same creative team. Yet despite this book being largely a comedy, Nick Spencer still makes Scott into a likable and sympathetic protagonist in spite of some of his problems being due to poor judgement rather than simple bad luck.


The scripts are well-matched by the artwork. Artist Ramon Rosanas draws everything in the usual Mighty Marvel fashion, with everything looking heroic and dynamic... even as Scott is being mauled by bunnies and doves.  And the color art by Jordan Boyd makes everything jump off the page.

The Astonishing Ant-Man #1

Scott Lang's life sucks. His new security business is in the toilet, only hanging on thanks to the increasingly thin generosity of a Golden Age heroine who owed him a favor. And thanks to Scott's efforts to keep his daughter safe by staying out of her life following a kidnapping attempt by his arch-enemy, she's turned on him too.

But things are never so bad that they can't get worse. Because Scott's latest big break into Miami's security market is in peril thanks to the efforts of his ex-wife's new husband. And Scott's arch-enemy - now in possession (if not control) of size-changing powers of his own - has chosen Scott as the target of a demo for a new smart-phone app aimed at the corrupt businessman on-the-go, who needs to hire mercenary super-villains to deal with those meddling do-gooders in a hurry.


Ant-Man is back and as hysterically, horribly funny as ever!  Nick Spencer packs humor into every page of his scripts and this remains one of the funniest books on the market today. Yet there is also pathos and it is hard not to be touched by Scott's plight as he watches his daughter's basketball games in a shrunken size, determined not to miss a moment of her growing up even if he can't safely be in her life.


The artwork aids in the comedic timing of the issue.  Ramon Rosanas does not go out of his way to create funny imagery, merely drawing the action as would be natural and allowing the absurdity of the Marvel Universe played straight to reveal itself. And the colors by Jordan Boyd leave everything looking fantastic.

Ant Man Annual #1 - A Review

Scott Lang's first employee bonding experience is going about as well as can be expected (i.e. total disaster) when he hears the news about Hank Pym's apparent death. This leads to Scott remembering the last time he teamed up with the scientist who helped him become The Ant Man. And how Hank was kind of a jerk, all things considered.


When Nick Spencer is writing, you can expect two things - an encyclopedic knowledge of the universe he's writing for and hilarity. We see both of these things in spades in this issue, as Scott and Hank team up against Hank's arch-enemy, Egghead.  Yes, Hank Pym had an arch-enemy. And it was an evil scientist called Egghead.

No, not Vincent Price - the other one!

At any rate, this issue is a laugh riot, as everyone snarks on everyone else. There's a lot of jokes about the general insanity of the Marvel Universe as well, with Egghead hiring minions from the local Geek Squad and Hank having to look Scott up on on-line to see if he's still alive. But the action - once it arrives - is equally entertaining.


The art team for this issue does a fantastic job.  Ramon Rosanas and Brent Jordan Boyd maintain the high level of quality we've seen in the monthly Ant Man book.  And Brent Schoonover's work on the flashback section of the comic evokes memories of Jack Kirby's Avengers.

Ant-Man #5 - A Review

With the life of his daughter in the balance and the first villain he ever fought resurrected using her heart, Scott Lang is having a bad day.  Actually, "bad day" is putting it lightly. Particularly since his back-up (i.e. his ex-supervillain employees) decided to knock-off work early...


I've praised Nick Spencer for his use of humor in this series several times in recent reviews.  This month I must praise his sense of dramatic pacing. Not that this script is lacking in humor - it isn't!  But this action-packed issue proves that Spencer is not just a good comedy writer - he's a good writer.

The artwork is equally amazing all around. Ramon Rosanas is a fine artist, capable of portraying the wide variety of unusual sights that this series reqires, up to and including a battle against giant white blood cells inside a teenage girl's blood stream. And Jordan Boyd's colors are equally vivid and powerful.

Ant-Man #4 - A Review

With his daughter Cassie kidnapped and his ex-wife on the warpath, Scott Lang is in dire straits. Luckily, his new employee Grizzly knows a guy from his ex-supervillain support group who may be just the backup they need. But Cross Technological Enterprises is not without its own super-powered protectors.  Will The Mighty Machinesmith Be Enough To Counter The Canny Crossfire?


I had to put this book down several times, I was laughing so hard while reading it. Nick Spencer puts the human back into superhuman, taking the obscure background players of the Marvel Universe and turning them into real people with real problems, thrown up against the insanity of the world they live in. D-List villains are reduced to serving as children's party entertainment while the heroes who can't afford personal jets cruise into battle behind the wheel of a customized van.  Not a battle-van, mind you - just a customized van.


Ramon Rosanas answers this absurdity with some truly amazing artwork.  Rosanas has a great gift for expressions and the best bits of this book involve close-ups on the cast, as their faces contort into all manner of outrageous aspect.  The action scenes are also well depicted. And the coloring by Jordan Boyd is top-notch. This is the finest, funnest superhero comedy since the Giffen/De Matteis/Maguire Justice League.

Ant Man #3 - A Review

Things are looking up for Scott Lang and his new security business, after a rough start caused by the simple fact that ants - for all their prowess in other areas - are not that good at installing motion detectors. At least Scott's new hire - a fellow ex-con costumed animal-man called The Grizzly - is working out well in his new position as a doorstop. And Scott's ex-wife didn't overreact nearly as much as he expected to the news that he's moved to Miami. Now Scott just has to survive another encounter with his sworn enemy (at least so far as he's concerned)... The Taskmaster!


There is much to admire about Nick Spencer's scripts for this series. Unlike the greater number of comic writers today, Spencer thrives on utilizing the rich history of the Marvel Universe. So when a subplot requires a doctor with a particular skill set and a connection to the superhero world, Spencer goes back into the longboxes to find one to fit the story. Little touches like that make the story a little richer and show how much Spencer truly cares about these characters and their stories.  Spencer is also one of the funniest writers working in the comics medium today and the humor of this issue runs the gamut from slapstick to sight-gags with a lot of clever dialogue in between.


Spencer is well-matched with artist Ramon Rosanas in this regard.  Rosanas can manage straight-forward superheroic action as well as talking-head scenes that are low on action but high on people standing around talking to each other.  Rosanas makes even these static scenes interesting too look at, though the best bits of the book involve the numerous weird angles and images that are sure to come about when your protagonist looks at everything from an inch off the ground.

Ant Man #2 - A Review

Having just blown off a multi-million dollar job offer from Tony Stark so that he could be close to his daughter, Scott Lang is in need of a job.  Sure, he may save lives as Ant Man but he does need to pay the rent somehow.  Well, he WOULD need to pay rent if his current domicile weren't an Iron Man action-figure play set, but that's besides the point.  The point is that Scott has a plan to get the money he needs to start his own business.  Now if only he can survive the bank-loan application process, fighting a Nazi robot and a chance encounter with a furry-suited super-villain who mistook him for a different Ant Man.


The script for this issue is a perfect blend of action, drama and comedy. Nick Spencer is a funny guy (his Jimmy Olsen one-shot is one of my all-time favorites) but he doesn't make fun of Scott Lang or his powers as much as he mocks the complications of life in the Marvel Universe. Such as how difficult it is to rebuild your life after you've been declared legally dead and got resurrected by a cosmic event. Yet there are still moments of ethos and pathos, where the former thief finds himself tested by temptation.


The artwork by Ramon Rosanas proves a perfect match for Spencer's scripts.  Rosana has a great sense of visual storytelling and the panel flow of each page is quite good. The action sequences are also well-played and look great.