My Week in Comics: November 7, 2008

My Week in Comics is a weekly look into my…uh…buying habits. Keep in mind that the reviews to be read here are not coming from a jaded, old comic book enthusiast but more of a wide-eyed fan of these monthly installments of yum or mush.


This week, I'm just glad my comics got here at all. Stupid airline delays rassum frassum.

Anyhoo, we've got some new comics to review, including stuff we haven't reviewed yet during all this hullabaloo that is My Week in Comics. This week, we've got Iron Man mucking around with your favorite neighborhood devil-dealer, a Jungle Girl returns for another season, and Ms. Marvel plays a wench!

For a few pages, anyway.


INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #7

Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Salvador Larocca
Colors: Frank D'Armata
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

$2.99/P165.00




What's in it: Iron Man begins rebuilding his shattered empire (due to Stane's involvement last issue), but first thing's first, he has to plug up some black market tech connections. Also, Spider-Man comes to visit in a team up for the ages, as they help each other take stolen tech off of villains' (and non-villains'!) hands!

Why you might care: When you've got Iron Man and Spider-Man teaming up to throw down with the Terrible Tinkerer and Big Wheel, there's not a lot else to say. But I'll say it anyway...writer Matt Fraction's Spider-Man is brilliant here, like the annoying best bud who likes to ride shotgun whether you like it or not. His approach to Spider-Man and Iron Man's relationship post-Civil War/One More Day is good, not letting the story get bogged down by all the devil-deals and the double-crosses, but touches upon those events just so and leaving just enough for the readers to figure out.

More importantly, you also get a glimpse on the state of Tony Stark's mind, what with all the Civil Wars and the Deaths and all the labels being heaped on his shoulders these days. This is a man who's tired and world-weary, but still trying his best to be the superhero he wishes to be.

Why you might not: Colorist Frank D'Armata is dipping into the browns too much again, as if just to spite the guys who give him a hard time with his coloring. Other than that, it's a solid issue.

Quote of the moment: "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. And I just fought the Big Wheel in Teaneck. I know from stupid."--Spider-Man on stupid things.

Overall: It's another solid issue of Invincible Iron Man, and this issue just makes you want to know what's in store for the most powerful man in the Marvel U . 7/10


JUNGLE GIRL SEASON 2 #1

Writer: Frank Cho, Doug Murray
Artist: Adriano Batista
Colors: Frank Martin
Letters: Zachary Matheny
Cover by: Frank Cho
$3.50/P195.00



What's in it: Frank Cho's busty blonde heroine is back for another season, as Jana and friends trek towards God-Mountain and deal with more dangerous (and prehistoric) flora and fauna!

Why you should care: It's Frank Cho and Adriano Batista doing what they do best: putting a busty, half-naked woman through the most dangerous and sexiest situations possible. If you're into jungle girls fighting and slaughtering indigenous wildlife in various stages of undress, this is totally your book (and mine).

Why you might not: Come on, it's Frank F'n Cho! What more do you want?

Oh yeah, coherent plot. Cho dives Jana and co. straight to the wild bush without nary a pause, save for commenting on instances and things that have absolutely no relation to the story, and telling readers they have to go to God-Mountain because lord knows why. It's comparable to the most boring parts of Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring, where you feel like you wanna skip the geography lessons and skip to the naughty bits. And the script is stuttered at best.

Quote of the moment: When a girl as hot as Jana the Jungle Girl says "We go down.", with accompanying motion of fingers doing unnatural things, you can't help but not think straight!

Overall: It's cheesecake as only Frank Cho knows how. But a well-rounded comic has to have hot art and story, and this issue is missing one. 6/10


MS. MARVEL: STORYTELLER #1

Writer: Brian Reed
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero
Colors: Andres Mossa
Letters: Blambot's Nate Piekos
Cover by: Giuseppe Camuncoli
$2.99/P165.00



What's in it: Ms. Marvel searches for Gavin, a boy whose reality-bending powers rival that of the Scarlet Witch herself! But the kid wants nothing more than to play pirates with reality, and Ms. Marvel gets caught in the middle of it!

Why you should care: This story brings back Gavin, a wildly imaginative boy who has reality-bending powers, and this issue sets him up as a future power player in the ranks of the Marvel Universe. However...

Why you might not: Aside from the cover and a few pages at best, the story has nothing to do with pirates whatsoever, much to my disappointment. Any hope of seeing Ms. Marvel scrubbing the decks with pirate versions of the Marvel U. was out the window by the end of the issue. Which is a shame, considering a story about Ms. Marvel the pirate wench would have opened big.

I know, I was expecting something different, special, anything, from a one-shot. Instead we got a Ms. Marvel adventure disguised as something altogether different.

Quote of the moment: In the pirate-filled climax, we at least get to hear Pirate Hulk roar, "Pirate Hulk crush scurvy Ms. Marvel!". Golden.

Overall: Storyteller is a done-in-one that does what it has to do, but not much else. 6/10


I'm one-for-three this week, with one solid read and two middling ones. Maybe I was spoiled by the awesomeness of last week's Incredible Hercules and Nova? We'll never know...but I guess you have to keep reading to find out!

Got any questions, comments or violent reactions? You are more than welcome to leave comments below and discuss anything that might have interested you in this blog post this week. My Week in Comics is now up every Friday. Thanks for reading!

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