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bmaackreadscomics's reviews
46 reviews
Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Locke & Key, Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games by Joe Hill
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
About the same as Volume 1. The overarching mystery gets expanded upon but the story feels a little messier because of it. Locke and Key’s best moments are when the characters are given time to actually process their emotions and experiment with the different keys.
I understand that it’s a horror/suspense story, but its incessant need to be edgy keeps pulling me out of the fiction. Something horrible happens in nearly every issue just to supposedly keep the reader interested, but I would have liked to see the more human moments that often get glossed over.
As for the overarching mystery of what the keys are, where they came from, and why Echo/“Zack” really wants them, it typically feels so forced to keep the story going that all of the characters and their arcs suffer because of it.
I didn’t find the art to be as inspired this time around, and although I’ve mentioned it before the edginess really doesn’t age well with this story. From homophobia to killing old people to literally interacting with the fear in one’s head rather than dealing with it emotionally. Just some really messed up stuff in here and I find a good amount of it to be in poor taste.
I understand that it’s a horror/suspense story, but its incessant need to be edgy keeps pulling me out of the fiction. Something horrible happens in nearly every issue just to supposedly keep the reader interested, but I would have liked to see the more human moments that often get glossed over.
As for the overarching mystery of what the keys are, where they came from, and why Echo/“Zack” really wants them, it typically feels so forced to keep the story going that all of the characters and their arcs suffer because of it.
I didn’t find the art to be as inspired this time around, and although I’ve mentioned it before the edginess really doesn’t age well with this story. From homophobia to killing old people to literally interacting with the fear in one’s head rather than dealing with it emotionally. Just some really messed up stuff in here and I find a good amount of it to be in poor taste.
The Department of Truth, Vol 1: The End of the World by James Tynion IV
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Writing: 1.0
Art: 1.0
Characters: .75
Enjoyment: .75
Originality: 1.0
Art: 1.0
Characters: .75
Enjoyment: .75
Originality: 1.0
House of X/Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Writing: 1.0
Art: 1.0
Characters: .75
Enjoyment: 1.0
Originality: 1.0
Art: 1.0
Characters: .75
Enjoyment: 1.0
Originality: 1.0
The Flash, Volume 1: Move Forward by Brian Buccellato, Francis Manapul
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Writing: .5
Art: 1.0
Characters: .5
Enjoyment: .75
Originality: .75
Art: 1.0
Characters: .5
Enjoyment: .75
Originality: .75
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Bill Mantlo, Dave Cockrum, Gil Kane, Len Wein, George Pérez, Stan Lee
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Problematic:
Far less WASPy cast, though still a bit of a sausage fest. Some of the newer,
more diverse characters aren’t portrayed as well as they should be, most notably the Apache John Proudstar who feels very out of touch by today’s standards with his unjustified disdain towards his people.
The Bad:
The Count Nefaria story in #94-95 wasn’t incredible, and they killed off Thunderbird so damn fast that it makes me curious as to why. And #96 was weird as hell as the X-Men fight an elder god thing that Cyclops accidentally unleashed. These stories weren’t really that bad, but they felt out of place and a little too much like the weaker parts of the classic X-Men run.
The Good:
So much more happens in these 8 issues than what happened in say 20 issues of the older stuff. Giant-Size X-Men #1 is just so good. It’s not perfect, but it’s extra length really makes it feel robust and epic and far less episodic. #97-100 are really really solid as well. I swear every single Sentinel story is just plain good. Jean Grey’s heroic sacrifice was emotional and well-earned. In fact, the emotion in these issues is so much better written than it had been previously. Characters get angry, happy, distraught. A very welcome addition.
Overall:
Regardless of the quality of the villains & plots, the characterization is on point and consistent. The continuity keeps building on itself, and you can just tel that these issues are where so many fantasy/sci-fi drama staples were either born or exemplified.
Far less WASPy cast, though still a bit of a sausage fest. Some of the newer,
more diverse characters aren’t portrayed as well as they should be, most notably the Apache John Proudstar who feels very out of touch by today’s standards with his unjustified disdain towards his people.
The Bad:
The Count Nefaria story in #94-95 wasn’t incredible, and they killed off Thunderbird so damn fast that it makes me curious as to why. And #96 was weird as hell as the X-Men fight an elder god thing that Cyclops accidentally unleashed. These stories weren’t really that bad, but they felt out of place and a little too much like the weaker parts of the classic X-Men run.
The Good:
So much more happens in these 8 issues than what happened in say 20 issues of the older stuff. Giant-Size X-Men #1 is just so good. It’s not perfect, but it’s extra length really makes it feel robust and epic and far less episodic. #97-100 are really really solid as well. I swear every single Sentinel story is just plain good. Jean Grey’s heroic sacrifice was emotional and well-earned. In fact, the emotion in these issues is so much better written than it had been previously. Characters get angry, happy, distraught. A very welcome addition.
Overall:
Regardless of the quality of the villains & plots, the characterization is on point and consistent. The continuity keeps building on itself, and you can just tel that these issues are where so many fantasy/sci-fi drama staples were either born or exemplified.
Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men, Vol. 7 by Archie Goodwin, Herb Trimpe, Steve Englehart, Marie Severin, Gil Kane, Tom Sutton, Gerry Conway, Bob Brown, Stan Lee, Jim Starlin
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Only reviewing the Beast Solo Story here.
The Problematic:
Nothing really to report other than WASPy vibes
The Bad:
Felt like the writers were really struggling with the direction they wanted to take the character in. At first, Beast was grey, amnesiac and feral, but slowly he got his old personality back for no explained reason. Also, the whole love interest angle was really weak. The art wasn’t anything to write home about, and the individual plots of each issue were pretty meh as well.
The Good:
Pacing was decent. Having some of Beast’s old villains show up was cool.
Overall:
Pretty weak installment here. Don’t do my boy Hank dirty—he should always be a lovable smart boy no matter how hairy he gets
The Problematic:
Nothing really to report other than WASPy vibes
The Bad:
Felt like the writers were really struggling with the direction they wanted to take the character in. At first, Beast was grey, amnesiac and feral, but slowly he got his old personality back for no explained reason. Also, the whole love interest angle was really weak. The art wasn’t anything to write home about, and the individual plots of each issue were pretty meh as well.
The Good:
Pacing was decent. Having some of Beast’s old villains show up was cool.
Overall:
Pretty weak installment here. Don’t do my boy Hank dirty—he should always be a lovable smart boy no matter how hairy he gets
Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men, Vol. 6 by Neal Adams, Roy Thomas, Tom Palmer
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The Problematic
Honestly nothing outside of the all-WASP protagonists. But issue #55 had a great DBZ “Lend me your power” moment and we get to see people of all sorts of different ethnic backgrounds. Very refreshing.
The Bad
The main bad things about this trade were the unnecessary Hulk crossover issue (#66), the fact that Lorna was heavily underutilized, and the classic over-chattiness of some characters. Other than the Hulk crossover, the weakest story in here was the Sauron story. It ended sadly and the villain got a lot more screen time than most, but the fact that his powers turned him into a pterodactyl was a little weird and I wasn’t a fan of the problematic Princess/Pauper romance.
The Good
2-page spreads make their first appearance in X-Men within the later chunk of these issues. Art occasionally gets stylized or trippy when mind powers are in use. Really nuanced panelling and page layouts as the issues increase in number. The plots are more grandiose and complex in a good way:
The return of the Sentinels story really steals the show here with some all-time high stakes regarding mutantkind and their future—and even gives us the birth of Havok! Larry Trask (Bolivar’s son) turning out to be a mutant himself was some classic poetic justice. The Sunfire one-off issue was pretty good too with a heartbreaking ending. And I was even surprised by the Ka-Zar story in that Magneto turned out to be behind everything.
Overall
It had all started coming together right up to the bitter end unfortunately. You can really feel how the storytelling has greatly evolved since 1963. It’s not yet perfect, and the art could certainly be better at times, but a lot of cool things were done in these issues.
Honestly nothing outside of the all-WASP protagonists. But issue #55 had a great DBZ “Lend me your power” moment and we get to see people of all sorts of different ethnic backgrounds. Very refreshing.
The Bad
The main bad things about this trade were the unnecessary Hulk crossover issue (#66), the fact that Lorna was heavily underutilized, and the classic over-chattiness of some characters. Other than the Hulk crossover, the weakest story in here was the Sauron story. It ended sadly and the villain got a lot more screen time than most, but the fact that his powers turned him into a pterodactyl was a little weird and I wasn’t a fan of the problematic Princess/Pauper romance.
The Good
2-page spreads make their first appearance in X-Men within the later chunk of these issues. Art occasionally gets stylized or trippy when mind powers are in use. Really nuanced panelling and page layouts as the issues increase in number. The plots are more grandiose and complex in a good way:
The return of the Sentinels story really steals the show here with some all-time high stakes regarding mutantkind and their future—and even gives us the birth of Havok! Larry Trask (Bolivar’s son) turning out to be a mutant himself was some classic poetic justice. The Sunfire one-off issue was pretty good too with a heartbreaking ending. And I was even surprised by the Ka-Zar story in that Magneto turned out to be behind everything.
Overall
It had all started coming together right up to the bitter end unfortunately. You can really feel how the storytelling has greatly evolved since 1963. It’s not yet perfect, and the art could certainly be better at times, but a lot of cool things were done in these issues.
Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men, Vol. 5 by Jim Steranko, Werner Roth, Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, Arnold Drake, John Buscema, George Tuska, Barry Windsor-Smith, Don Heck, Jerry Siegel
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Problematic:
Other than the usual WASPyness and mild sexism, I thought that the Lorna (alleged daughter of Magneto) story was a little untrue to life. Lorna, mere moments after learning of her powers and lineage, decides to follow and obey her supposed father merely because of their genetic relation..ethics and morals be damned! How preposterous. X-Men is obviously a story all about chosen family.
The Bad:
Finding less things to nitpick at as this series progresses. I would say the main flaw of these issues is that the art, while constantly improving in terms of how it conveys action to the reader, it isn’t moving as briskly as the deescalating narrations that were constantly filling the reader in. So occasionally there will be some action occurring that’s hard to understand and with no narration to accompany it.
The Good:
My patience has paid off! The constant, incessant narration has finally started to die down. Plot points, scene transitions, and character moments are being conveyed through dialogue and art more and more. We also have our first official crossover event as the Avengers step in to assist the X-Men in defeating Magneto. Jean Grey becoming increasingly more powerful is pretty cool and feels earned. The issues really flow together for the most part with almost no episodic content thrown in, and the back issue origin stories are still pretty easily digestible and provide some nice little background for our heroes. I noticed more nuanced page layouts beginning on issue #49 and was pleasantly surprised. And nearly all of the issues in here had to do with mutants, mutantkind, and their place in the world.
Overall:
Improvements across the board with a few hiccups here and there
Other than the usual WASPyness and mild sexism, I thought that the Lorna (alleged daughter of Magneto) story was a little untrue to life. Lorna, mere moments after learning of her powers and lineage, decides to follow and obey her supposed father merely because of their genetic relation..ethics and morals be damned! How preposterous. X-Men is obviously a story all about chosen family.
The Bad:
Finding less things to nitpick at as this series progresses. I would say the main flaw of these issues is that the art, while constantly improving in terms of how it conveys action to the reader, it isn’t moving as briskly as the deescalating narrations that were constantly filling the reader in. So occasionally there will be some action occurring that’s hard to understand and with no narration to accompany it.
The Good:
My patience has paid off! The constant, incessant narration has finally started to die down. Plot points, scene transitions, and character moments are being conveyed through dialogue and art more and more. We also have our first official crossover event as the Avengers step in to assist the X-Men in defeating Magneto. Jean Grey becoming increasingly more powerful is pretty cool and feels earned. The issues really flow together for the most part with almost no episodic content thrown in, and the back issue origin stories are still pretty easily digestible and provide some nice little background for our heroes. I noticed more nuanced page layouts beginning on issue #49 and was pleasantly surprised. And nearly all of the issues in here had to do with mutants, mutantkind, and their place in the world.
Overall:
Improvements across the board with a few hiccups here and there