DOCTOR STRANGE #1 MARVEL COMICS
Marvel is back to new #1 issues again. And right out of the gate, Doctor Strange is back. And while I have always had a soft spot for the Sorcerer Supreme, this is a poor man’s Steven Strange. Having lost his access to magic, Steven turns back into the depressed useless human being that he was back in his origin. And while concept wise, Mark Waid’s story is definitely unique, it cuts out a huge section of the Doctor Strange mythos. No more Eye of Agamottto. no more Cloak of Levitation. And worst of all he turns for help to his polar opposite, Tony Stark. And Tony shoot him off into space to search out more magic. Another problem is that in all honesty, when Strange is in his Iron Man-esce spacesuit, its hard to tell him apart from Tony Stark. And while Jesus Saiz art is epic, it cannot hide the fact that this Doctor Strange without his gimmick. I give it a 6 out of 10 Grahams,
TRUE BELIEVERS ANT-MAN & WASP #1 MARVEL COMICS
Ahhh, the good ole days! Where Hank Pym bounced back and forth in size for the entire adventure. And you could get a better villain than the Living Eraser. A concept so interesting that DC also had a character with the same concept. There is no doubt that those were the glory years. And with names like Lee, Kirby, Heck, and Rosen attached to the stories it’s no wonder. It’s amazing what resurfaces when a major motion picture is going to be released. I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
ANT-MAN & THE WASP LIVING LEGENDS #1 MARVEL COMICS
While over exposed this week, this terrific one-shot spotlights the best of the pair. Revisiting a past adventure, Scott Lang has to fill in for Hank Pym. And when the pair have to return to the dimension of the Living Eraser, Ralph Macchio’s story just gets better. Very enjoyable, even without major motion picture soon to be released. I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
DAZZLER X SONG #1 MARVEL COMICS
A bright spot in the Marvel Universe this week (no pun intended). The Dazzler of old has come back to us. And while I didn’t get the full blown silver jumpsuit, I did get some of the old sexy eye makeup. The problem is that while this one-shot reminded us of Allison’s musical origins, I fear that she’ll be back to super-hero X-mening in the future. But for this one brief moment, I got another song. I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 DC COMICS
Ok, really on the fence about this one. While DC has yet again realized that for a Justice League title to survive, it really needs the big 7. And while we do get this (if you count creepy New 52 version of Jo’nn Jon’zz and Hawkgirl instead of Black Canary) we don’t get much that is new. Sure we get some interesting cameos and guests helping out to earn some JL street cred, but what we are left with is a new incarnation of the Injustice Gang and a massive new super-villain that will be the next big challenge that’s about it. Still it’s not all that bad. So this one you’re going to have to make the call. And once again, Cyborg is a Teen Titan not a Justice Leaguer. I’ll give it 7 Grahams and hope.
THE UNEXPECTED #1 DC COMICS
When I heard that Golden Age Great Neon the Unknown would be making an appearance in the current DC Universe, I was tickled pink. However, I didn’t know he was going to be used as the fill in Doctor Strange character in DC’s version of the Defenders. And to make matters worse, we are trying to intertwine the Dark Metal storyline with the Onimar Synn storyline from several years back. And while Sook, Nord, and Orlandotry their darnedest, whatever is happening here, gets bogged down in a bit of a mess. Can only hope it gets better. I give it a 6 out of 10 Grahams.
DOCTOR WHO 7TH DOCTOR #1 TITAN COMICS
Sylvester McCoy’s 7th Doctor returns to fans which visit upon some very familiar themes. With Ace in tow, and UNIT’s prototype group, this reads like something straight out that season. Another very good effort on the part of the creative staff at Titan Comics. I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
