Amazing X-Men #1 Review

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Ed McGuinness

This has been a series that I've been looking forward to for a long long time now, and with the disappointing ending of Battle of the Atom I was even more excited for the release of this issue and the return of my second favourite X-Man.

Plot

Although he's in paradise Nightcrawler can't quite enjoy heaven, and even more so when his father Azazel turns up. Meanwhile Firestar joins the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning and learns that it's not your normal teaching environment.

Review

This was an amazing issue and a terrific start for the series, with the first half being simply perfect. Jason Aaron does a brilliant job of setting the tone for this series, as well as starting what looks to be a great story, as although the issue would become slightly slow during the middle, overall it was extremely exciting and fun, being some of his best X-Men work in a long time. I also loved the character interactions in this issue, as although some would naturally be better than others, they all added some kind of fun or suspense to the issue. There would also be a bit of emotion at the start of the issue that would add more depth and drama to the issue as well.

The artwork on this issue would also be phenomenal and Ed McGuinness would do an outstanding job throughout. The detail in McGuinness' art is simply spectacular being to a very high standard, as well as being consistent throughout. His layouts would also be amazing, being very dynamic and would add a lot of depth and tone to the issue, helping the story to flow smoothly. I also loved seeing McGuinness' unique style showing throughout the characters, and especially with Nightcrawler and Azazel, with the character's facial expressions also adding a lot of tone to the issue. The colours from Marte Gracia were also fantastic and would add a lot of vibrance and tone, heping McGuinness' art stand out even more.

This series would have a lot of hype over the fact that X-Men fan-favourite Nightcrawler would be returning. Now I was one of the many that was excited for this to happen, and with the recent tease in Wolverine and the X-Men I've been even more excited. Nightcrawler in this issue however would be amazing and just as he was when we last saw him, being very lively and emotional, questioning whether being in paradise is what he truly wants. I would also love the change in his tone during the transition from talking about not wanting to go into paradise and springing into action, as it would be very contrasting.

This issue would also feature Nightcrawler's father Azazel, which I was very happy about. Not only has Azazel needed to appear in an X-Men story for a while, but to have him in the story that brings his son Nightcrawler back into the Marvel Universe is something else, and his addition is very appropriate. I also enjoyed that he'd have his own set of Bamfs and the interaction between him and Nightcrawler in this issue was simply amazing and has me excited for his future developments, and how much impact he'll have on this story as a whole.

We'd also see Firestar join as a staff member at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Now I'm not the biggest fan of Firestar, and only really know her basic history, but it was nice to see her added to this series, and especially given the way that she's being used. What I loved most about her addition was that it would show just how chaotic life is at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, and weird their lives are. I also enjoyed some of the interactions she would have with other members, and overall I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in this series.

Final Verdict

A brilliant start to this new series with Aaron showing some of his best X-Men work for a long time. The issue would do an amazing job of re-introducing Nightcrawler, with some very fun and exciting moments throughout, all of which were made even more fun and exciting due to McGuinness' fabulous artwork. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue to both new and old X-Men readers and can't wait for the next issue to come out.

Rating: 10/10

Hulk: Red Hulk Review

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Ed McGuinness

I have been a fan of the Hulk for a long time now, with him being one of my favourite comic book characters. Due to this I've always meant to try this series of the Hulk, which would introduce the Red Hulk to the Marvel Universe, as although I've heard a lot of negative comments about the series as a whole, I am wanting to read it for myself, as to see Red Hulk's development.

Plot

When the Abomination is found dead with a huge hole in his chest, but with reports of this Hulk being red, as well as the fact that Bruce Banner is still in a maximum security cell the question is... who it this Red Hulk?

Review

This was overall a brilliant story, as although it wasn't outstanding, it was very fun and entertaining. Although Jeph Loeb's run on the Hulk hasn't been met kindly by fans, I personally couldn't see much to hate about this story, as he did a wonderful job of it (though I have heard that it's following this that the series gets poor). It was very dramatic and suspenseful, having a lot of mystery to it as well as some very exciting moments. I also loved the character interaction and how Loeb handled the dialogue, as although I wasn't too sure on Hulk seeming as dumb as he did (as he seemed much smarter through Greg Pak's run), the other character interactions were brilliant, and I loved seeing not only some of the most well known Hulk side characters, but also the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. and then director Iron Man being involved. I did however find other characters like Namor to be slightly out of character though.

The artwork on this story was simply phenomenal, and Ed McGuinness did a fantastic job as usual, showing why he's one of the best artists at drawing powerful characters. The detail in McGuinness' artwork was simply amazing, with it being very consistent throughout. The layout of McGuinness' art was also brilliant, and added a lot of depth and tone to the story, as well as being very dynamic and dramatic, also making the story that bit more exciting. Talking of excitement, McGuinness' action sequences added a lot of excitement to the story, with them all being very explosive, as well as at times emotional. I also loved the way that McGuinness managed to show the characters emotions in this story, as well as the general atmosphere throughout, as due to this he managed to make the story much more lively, giving a lot more depth and realism at the same time.

This story would introduce the Red Hulk to the Marvel Universe, with his identity being a mystery throughout. Now although I know the identity of the Red Hulk due to it having been revealed in a later story I won't mention it here for anyone who knows nothing about the character but is considering reading this story. Now what I liked about this Hulk was that he was quite different from the others, being much more tactical and determined. I also loved that there was differences to this Hulk and the other, and how anger affects this one differently. Besides that it was the reaction of the other characters that interested me the most, as it added more suspense and drama.

Red Hulk wouldn't be the only new monster to be revealed in this story, as a blue Abomination type creature named A-Bomb would be introduced. Now this characters identity would be revealed in this story, but again I won't reveal it as to avoid spoilers for people who don't know. Anyway I found A-Bomb to be a very interesting character, and was happy to finally see his original introduction. I also loved the characteristics that A-Bomb has, and how he considers himself Hulk's friend. At the same time I also find Hulk's reaction to A-Bomb to be rather interesting, as well as the fact that Hulk knows who A-Bomb is.

Now with two Hulks with completely different characteristics featuring in this story it was only a matter of time before the two squared off, so it was a good thing that Loeb didn't wait about in doing so. Apart from being exciting the fight was also very interesting and dramatic, and the dialogue between the two Hulks was simply amazing, even if green Hulk seemed less intelligent than he did throughout Pak's run. I did however also love how the fighting between these Hulks was split into two sides, and Loeb would have some very clever development points throughout it, making it all that more interesting.

The fight between the two Hulks wouldn't be the only fight in this story, as Red Hulk would also fight A-Bomb, and eventually Thor. Now it was the fight with Thor that I most enjoyed, and Loeb would produce some very clever development points throughout. I did however feel at times that the fight was a little one sided, and not very respectable towards Thor, but Loeb would rectify this to a certain extent later on in the story. I also loved Red Hulk's reaction to Thor as well, as although the normal Hulk has never had much of an opinion about Thor, I have always considered that to be down to the fact that Hulk only knows what he's seen of Thor, and not the myths, whereas this Red Hulk appears to know him well enough, and yet still has a very disrespectful view towards him.

Final Verdict

This was a fantastic story, and although it isn't one of the best Hulk stories I've ever read, it was one of the most mysterious, having a lot of drama and suspense throughout. It also had a wonderful supporting cast, as well as some brilliant cameos, also having some very exciting action sequences as well. Due to all this I'd recommend this story, as although Loeb's Hulk run isn't considered as one of the best, this story was in my opinion very good.

Rating: 7/10

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Review

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Ed McGuinness

This is a series that I've been meaning to read for some time now, as with both Batman and Superman being two of my most favourite comic book characters, as well as the fact that I've loved Jeph Loeb's work on both characters it has been something that I've always wanted to try. Having also loved the animated films based on the first two volumes of this series I also wanted to see how close they were to their source material.

Plot

As Batman and Superman work together on the same case, President Lex Luthor puts a billion dollar bounty on Superman's head, blaming him for the Kryptonite asteroid that is heading for Earth.

Review

This was a fantastic story, and I'm very happy that I've finally gotten round to reading it. Jeph Loeb does a fantastic job of bringing these two characters together in a story that was both extremely exciting and entertaining. Loeb also does a great job of balancing the story between both characters, as although the plot itself is more focused towards Superman, Loeb doesn't forget about Batman, allowing him to shine just as much as Superman, making the title very appropriate, rather than just a selling point. Loeb would also do a great job of making this story diverse, as it started very with a very different tone than it ended with, as although everything knitted together perfectly, it was a constant change in pace and tone, which kept the story constantly fresh. The story also had some wonderful dialogue, and especially between Batman and Superman, as their conversations were very deep and dramatic.

The art in this story was also outstanding, though I'd have expected nothing else coming from Ed McGuinness. McGuinness drew both Superman and Batman perfectly, as as you would expect he managed to make Superman look the powerhouse that he is, but besides that he also handled the brooding dark demeanour of Batman perfectly as well. The layout of McGuinness' artwork was also very dramatic and dynamic adding a lot of depth to the story as well making the story that much more exciting. McGuinness also did a fantastic job at showing the characters emotions throughout this story, helping make the story that much more realistic, and dramatic. McGuinness also did a brilliant job with the action sequences with them being very exciting. The artwork from Tim Sale on the When Clark Met Bruce short story at the start of the book was also fantastic being very charming and emotional as usual.

Superman and Batman would come together in this story as in following Metallo to Gotham City both characters would become involved in the same case. Now I already said how good a job Loeb did of bringing these two characters together as well as balancing the two, but story wise the two characters went together perfectly, as Loeb managed to find a development point that would bring both characters realistically to the same place, giving them the same goal, then developing from that. The interaction between Superman and Batman in this story was also fantastic, and it's easy to tell that these are two characters that have been friends for many years.

The key threat in this story would be a large asteroid made out of Kryptonite that is heading towards the Earth. Now I felt that this was a brilliant way of adding excitement to this story, as although we've had plenty of Superman related stories that have involved Kryptonite, none quite as unique as this, as besides the affects of the Kryptonite itself, the fact that it's an asteroid creates a big enough threat as well. This would also land up being a brilliant catalyst, allowing one of the the most interesting developments that I've seen in a story, which would bring a lot of excitement with it.

This development would be President Luthor putting a billion dollar bounty on Superman, blaming him for the coming asteroid. Now the reason this would add a lot of excitement would be because of the amount of characters that would come with it, with a huge selection of villains, as well as some government heroes gunning for Superman. This would thus bring some amazing action that was not only exciting, but very explosive and entertaining, keeping me as a reader firmly gripped to the story. I also loved the way that Batman and Superman would work as a team through this, showing how quick both characters are at adapting to the foe in question, as well as showing just how different their fighting styles are.

Although this story had many villains in it Luthor would still firmly be the main villain, using his position of President to it's full advantage. Now it's no surprise that Luthor wants rid of Superman, and was probably just biding his time since becoming President to finding the perfect excuse for going after the Man of Steel. What I loved most about Luthor's appearance in this story was that he was very calm and collected when it came to justifying himself, whereas deep down it was obvious that this was more of a personal vendetta. I also loved the transformation that we'd see in Luthor throughout this story, and his interactions with Amanda Waller were extremely interesting, and at times also very entertaining.

Final Verdict

This was a fantastic story that balanced both title characters perfectly. It also was very dramatic and exciting, having some wonderful development points throughout. The story was also very exciting with plenty of suspense throughout, also being slightly mysterious at times. The character interaction and overall tone and atmosphere was also brilliant making this a hit on ever mark. Due to this it's very easy to recommend this, and I will certainly be reading more from this series soon.

Rating: 10/10