X-Treme X-Men #1

This book is exactly (or should that be x-actly?) what I figured it would be: pointless. There is just no need for this title to exist. It springs from an Astonishing X-Men storyline that was bad, and it doesn't get better here. Didn't we already see this book? Wasn't it called Mutant X? Oh, I'm sorry, I meant Exiles. It's the same old, same old. Just this time we get Dazzler! Hooray. No offense to any Dazzler fans out there. I like Alison. If anything, this gives Dazzler fans exactly what they want. She'll finally get a starring role. But honestly, how long will this book last? It is offered as an on-going, but shouldn't be more than a mini-series. It's too much to expect readers to stick with this book for two years, three years, or more. If this lasts one year, I'll be shocked.

It's not even that the book is bad. There's good dialog, and nice fluid art. But all of that is wasted on an over-used plot. And a plot the X-Men seem to own all to themselves. One of them gets sucked into another dimension and have to team up with that dimension's X-Men to save other dimensions? Oh man, sign me up for that original idea! Sigh.

Greg Pak is a very talented writer. It's sad to see him wasted on a book that shouldn't ever have been made. Why couldn't this just be another arc in Astonishing X-Men, like the story that inspired it? I just don't get it. Maybe Marvel was going to lose the rights to the term "X-Treme X-Men" like they almost did with "X-Factor" almost 15 years ago? It's really the only explanation I have as to why they bothered making this a monthly title.

If you love Dazzler, get this book. By all means, support this so Marvel will continue to actively use her. If you have no interest in her at all, then there's really no need bother with this.

Debris #1

Debris is set in a post-apocalyptic world where resources are a premium and humanity is dwindling. There is an encampment of survivors who struggle to make it in this harsh world. Adding to their troubles of survival are strange creatures that seem to be a mixture of long-lost broken technology and organics. A sort of cybernetic species, if you will. Enter Maya, who has been chosen to protect the camp from these creatures. She is their only hope to ensure their future. But when her mentor, Calista, is killed during an attack, Maya must abide by Calista's final wish and set forth on a journey to find the key to saving the remainder of the populace.

This premise has been seen in variations before. Nothing overly groundbreaking here. The creatures that seem to be made of junk are interesting. There was no backstory to why the world has become this way, why these people are all that is left of what we assume is earth, or even how these robotic creatures came to be. That will be a turn-off to some readers, I'm sure. It would've been nice to learn more about these characters in the first issue so we can learn why we're supposed to care for them. It's hard to worry about whether a character lives or dies if all we get is a lot of action panels with no explanation as to how these situations came to be. Hopefully the second issue sheds light on some of these areas. This is only a four-issue mini-series, so answers need to come fairly quickly.

The art is the selling point to me. I picked it up because I liked what I saw in the preview pages when the book was offered. The style is very similar to something you'd see in Heavy Metal. And it is the perfect style for the rugged, desolate future look this book commands. A lot of sharp points and muted colors to show how bleak this period is.

Overall, I was hoping for a little more out of this. I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but I took a chance with it because the premise seemed a bit new. After reading it, I was disappointed that it had a lot of the same premises that I have seen before. It's not a terrible read, but not much above average either. I'm sticking around since it's only four issues. Those type of books get to their points right away since there's no time to waste. Here's hoping the next issue can resolve some of my doubts.

Danger Girl/G.I. Joe #1

This is a cross-over I never would've guessed in a million years. On one hand you have the world's most elite anti-terrorist organization and on the other you have a group of ultra sexy adventurer chicks. That just screams team-up, doesn't it? Well, guess what? It actually works. It's a surprisingly well-crafted action tale that brings the best qualities of both franchises to the front.

The Joe team is escorting an important transport when they are caught in a Cobra ambush. Scarlett and Flint get caught behind enemy lines, but the Joes can do nothing to save them because the President has suspended the team due to the botched mission. So who can the Joes turn to? Team Danger Girl of course! Seems there's a connection with one of the members and my favorite Joe, Cover Girl. But just as the rescue plan is set, a traitor is revealed! Dun-dun-duuun!

This is another series that is played just for fun. And why not? The current G.I. Joe books are terrific, but they are strictly serious military books. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but this series plays upon the old cartoon tone. The Joes are in their old school uniforms, and the cool vehicles are present. There's a very nostalgic feel to it. The Danger Girl crew doesn't take center stage in this first issue like the Joes do, but the scenes they are in fit their style perfectly.

My one beef with the plot is the fact that the Joe team is suspended in yet another story. For a government that sorely needs the Joes to protect it, they sure love going out of their way to shut them down every chance they get. It makes sense in this case because why else would they need outside help, but it's just been used in so many different incarnations of G.I. Joe that it's really repetitive.

John Royle's artwork is very reminiscent of J. Scott Campbell's style, which makes sense since Campbell is the co-creator of Danger Girl. Royle's art is very action oriented. The best fit for a G.I. Joe title. I wish he had done the last Danger Girl series. That art was very sub par. Not this though. It adds a very cinematic style to the book, something that the Danger Girl books have become known for.

If you're unfamiliar with neither of these franchises, this issue doesn't give you much history of who the players are. That could be a detriment. But if you're knowledgeable with at least one side, you should get a kick out of this series. What starts out seeming like an impossible pairing ends up making more sense than any of the G.I. Joe/Transformers cross-overs!

Revival #1

Revival #1. Buy it. The end.

No, just kidding. Not about the buying part, though. You should definitely do that. In fact, go ahead and do that now. I'll wait here.
La la la. La la la. La la la.
Oh good, you're back. Now don't read it yet, let me tell you why you just bought an amazing book. Then you can read it and see how right I was.

Image has some of the best horror books in the market today. This one has quickly put itself right near the top. It has all the creepy atmosphere, intriguing characters, suspenseful moments, and gore needed to scare the living bejeezus out of you. The last two or three pages really grab you and don't let go. I literally yelled an expletive out loud when I read it. And I read it at work, so talk about awkward.

I'm not going to get into too much detail about the plot. I feel it would spoil a great mystery that the first issue really only hints at. Too many things are spoiled by trailers or solicitations nowadays. Remember before the internet when you didn't know when a character was going to die? Man, those were the days. Everything was exciting. Now we're all jaded before we even read the issue. Just go to any comic site's forums. People hate books just from teaser pictures. It's ridiculous.
Wow, where'd all that come from? Sorry about that. Anyways, what I will say about the plot is that it is not zombies. At least not your typical ones if it has to be classified as zombies. Trust me, it's a pretty fresh take on the horror genre.

The art is really gorgeous. It's a great blend of realistic, yet cartoony. The people look like they could be people you know, yet exist in a fantasy world. And we should all be thankful we don't live in their world. The fact that the entire first issue takes place in the daylight and yet is still as scary as if it took place at midnight is all in thanks to Mike Norton's handiwork.

Norton and writer Tim Seeley have a real winner on their hands. Revival came out the same day as the 100th issue of The Walking Dead. I don't think that was a coincidence. It was a perfect marketing opportunity by Image to get some attention to their next horror icon. Will Revival make it to issue #100? Will it surpass The Walking Dead as the premiere horror comic currently on the stands? I don't have the answers to either of those questions, but I do know it's off to the right start to accomplish both of those things.

Avenging Spider-Man #9

Avenging Spider-Man has kind of started to lose it's purpose anymore. It's still the Spidey team-up book, but I just feel it's really redundant now. With all of the guest-stars that are in Amazing Spider-Man each month, what's the point of this title? Maybe it's just the fact that the last few issues haven't been that great. This latest issue continues that disappointing trend.

This issue was truly crappy. From horrible dialog, to a very uninteresting plot, to a lame new character. I'm not sure if it's because this came out before Captain Marvel #1 and yet takes place AFTER that, or what. All I know is, since this was written by the same writer of the new Captain Marvel book, then that book is not going to last long. I couldn't stand any of the characters in this issue. I didn't care if they won or lost, lived or died. And I like Spider-Man and Carol Danvers. All I cared about was for this issue to be over and to see who Spidey would team-up with next month. Imagine my horror when the dreaded "To be continued" reared it's ugly face on the last page. Ugh.

At least the art was nice. It's by the Dodsons, so that's no shock. But even they couldn't make me care about Carol's new costume. What was wrong with her old costume? Heck, they could've at least put her back in her original one.

On a side note, I will say I like the art on the new Captain Marvel book. So it at least has one good thing going for it. Maybe one of you will tell me if the story and dialog is any good. Change my mind for me people!

Here's to hoping issue #11 comes by a lot quicker so it washes the taste of this arc out of my mouth. But then again, it could also be another disaster in the waiting...

Space: Punisher #1

Yep, this book is exactly as it's title implies; Punisher. In. Space. And it's awesome! When I first heard the announcement for this, I just rolled my eyes. I thought "Here we go again, just over saturating the market with more pointless Punisher junk again like back in the '90's." Now don't get me wrong, I love the Punisher. I have every appearance of his. Every one-shot, on-going, mini-series. Everything. But there comes a time when sometimes I buy the books to finish my collection, not because it's a good read. This was not one of those occasions. This is most definitely a worthy book. The over-the-top wanton destruction is magnified by the fact that it takes place in an area that has no limits. And no, I don't mean space, I mean non-continuity. Sometimes that is the best place for the Punisher to exist. No rules, no limits, no mercy. Only vengeance. Glorious, violent vengeance.

Frank Tieri is a true pro at crafting hardcore, action-packed books. I have no clue why he's not on more monthly titles. If it's not by his choosing, then some companies have some 'splaining to do. Frank does an excellent job with this first issue of not hampering us with a bogged down origin of the Punisher. By now, if you don't know what turned Frank Castle into an unstoppable killing machine, then why are you even reading anything with the name "Punisher" on it? We, as readers, already know why the Punisher does what he does. In this instance, just add "space" and you're done. Presto! Instant bringer of pain.
Anyways, the story is pretty much straight forward. The Punisher is looking for all of the men, or in this case, aliens, that are responsible for the murders of his wife and children. There are six heads of mob families that he is hunting. Each of the mob bosses are an alien version of well-known Marvel villains. And not all are ones you'd expect the Punisher to cross paths with. Tieri does a great job in delivering the action and the requisite attitude you'd expect in a summer blockbuster style of action movie. Don't expect for Shakespeare, expect Stallone.

Mark Texeira is no stranger to the Punisher. He can draw Castle with an intensity few artists ever have been able to. Now with basically no restrictions, his art is even more alive. The explosive scenes of destruction are true masterpieces. Seeing the Punisher take on a hive of symbiote infused Brood is a sight not to be missed. I cannot wait to see his designs for the remaining mob bosses.

This is a very creative series. One that most people wouldn't think would be possible with the character involved and the environment it takes place in. If you're looking for a fun read, this is it by far. The only thing that could've made it better was if it was released under Marvel's adults-only MAX imprint. I think the creative team would've destroyed our eyeballs with awesomeness!!

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #1

There have been tons of '80's cartoon remakes in comic form over the past decade or so. Some have been extremely well done, and some should have been left in the era of my childhood. While it might be too early to say which category this remake falls into, He-Man is at least off to a great start.

Everything you knew about Eternia and it's heroes is thrown out the window in this first issue. Adam is not the Prince of the most powerful kingdom on the planet. He is now a meager woodsman, tending to his sickly father. The shadow of great evil falls over the land, and the closest we see of any heroics is in Adam's dreams. Or are they more than just dreams? That is something Adam tends to find out, so he heads out on a journey to discover answers.

James Robinson has done an excellent job of breathing new life into the fantasy world of Masters of the Universe. He gives us hints of what made the franchise great back in the day, but at the same time, he makes us feel that there's a chance even we could be Adam. Eternia feels more real that it ever has. A world that needs He-Man more than ever. Much like our world today.

Philip Tan's artwork is decent. His scenes bring out a realism in Eternia that makes it seem like it could possibly happen in our world, if we had beastmen and strange mystical beings in our world. The dream sequences are a drawback, though. The art is so rough and unfinished looking that it brings the quality of the book down a bit. I understand it's probably signifying the difference in that universe's fantasy and reality, I just feel it could've looked a bit more refined.

All in all though, He-Man is a great retelling of a classic childhood franchise. Easily enough for a new generation to enjoy as it is for those of us who grew up with it. A real treat!