Wednesday Wrap-Up

Anna Mercury 2 #1
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Hooray! Anna Mercury is back! In this new series one of the constellation worlds has sent something into our world and it’s Anna Mercury’s job to recon this previously unexplored world that inhabits a dimension next to ours. The hottest red head in comics since Mary Jane Watson is in it up to her neck almost as soon as she hits the ground. I’ve got nothing but wonderful things to say about this comic. Buy this comic. Subscribe to it. You’ll thank me.

Berserker #0
Top Cow

Okay Milo Ventimiglia, thanks for the new comic series and all but weren’t you supposed to be working on Rest. Did that series ever finish? I don’t think so. Essentially Berserker is exactly what I thought it would be: a dude going crazy from blood lust killing anyone he meets. The surprise is that I enjoy the setup to what I know is coming. If Top Cow can keep that up, I’ll stick with the series.

Ender’s Game: Recruiting Valentine One-Shot
Marvel

While I don’t remember this story taking place in Orson Scott Card’s original novel, it none the less deftly sets up Valentine and Peter’s future roles in the history of humanity. Jake Black does a wonderful job of capturing the gentle yet fierce intellect of Valentine Wiggin. Timothy Green draws with an enticing, unique style brought to life beautifully by Edward Bola’s colors. Definitely worth a look but it won’t make much sense unless you’re up to date with the main storyline.

G.I. Joe: Origins #4
IDW

Part of the problem I have reading the G.I. Joe comics that come out is keeping the storylines separate in my head. In one of the series terrorists have infiltrated the secret base in the desert where the good guys are based. In this comic the Joes are infiltrating a secret base in the desert occupied by terrorists. You can see where things get confusing. In this issue: Bad guys make stupid, obvious mistake, good guys get lucky repeatedly and Snake Eyes is awesome.

Overlook #3
Shadowline

The initial reason I began this series was because it vaguely appealed to me and it was only three issues long. Whereas the first two issues moved along a bit slowly, this issue plowed through lots of plot and in the process may have rushed it. Overlook makes up for this by going out with a spectacular bang. When the action starts it doesn’t slow down until the last page. My only other gripes would be inconsistencies in story and morality. As long as Image doesn’t package this into an over-priced hardcover edition, I heartily recommend picking this up in a collected form.

Resurrection #1
Oni

I like the new colorized look for this series. Justin Greenwood and Marc Guggenheim have created what seems to be the best post-apocalyptic survival story without zombies on the market. Aliens have been ravaging the earth for years and one day they disappear. Now the survivors have to deal with what’s left and try to rebuild. This first issue of Resurrection follows a group of survivors as they attempt survival in the months following the alien bombardment. This is one of my favorite titles I don’t hear much about.

Soul Kiss #5
Image

I’ve loved this comic up until now for its creative storyline and original art and character design. The direction Steven Seagle took the story at the end didn’t resonate with me and made little sense. I can’t elaborate without getting into specifics and giving away the story. Although this seemed to be the conclusion of the series I’m hoping for another to clarify the loose threads left by the shabby conclusion.

Storming Paradise #6
Wildstorm

This sixth issue of Storming Paradise may have concluded the series but I can’t be sure since things were really starting to get interesting and much was left unresolved. To answer the question “What would happen if we had no atomic weapons in WWII?” and only mention the grueling ground war on the Japanese mainland is a disservice to the potential of alternative history fiction. Issues only touched on like a Pacific alliance with Russia are only hinted at and glanced over. I demand more and I hope I get it.

Street Fighter Legends: Chun-Li #3
Udon

We all know Chun-Li’s father is going to die. That was the setup for her character in Street Fighter II. This series takes place before that tournament happens so it’s hard for me to feel much tension when his life is threatened at any point in the comic. Aside from that the art is top notch. The panels look like they were lifted directly from animation cells. I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone not familiar with Street Fighter, there are simply too many back stories and character relationships to be aware of for the casual reader to fully enjoy it.

The Unwritten #2
Vertigo

My enjoyment of an issue of Unwritten seems to ebb and flow with each page. The mystery, action and ideas all appeal to me. I’m hoping the parts I find dull now will seem more lustrous when viewed from the perspective of issue four or five. I intend to stick with this series. It’s mostly because Mike Carey and Peter Gross have created realistic and believable characters out of a fantastic story and setting. Give this series a shot if you haven’t already, you’ll probably like it.