Pull List Review: Second Half of May Comics

The return of my Pull List Reviews (it’s been a while, I know!)! While I’ve been focused on the podcast, I realized that I missed critiquing all the other comics that I read (or at least some of them). Since I get my comics every two weeks or so, future installments will likely be presented in two-week groups. With that, I give you my thoughts on some comics from the second half of May.

HERO COMICS 2012 by Various

For the second year I bought IDW’s annual Hero Initiative benefit book. I appreciate the eclectic nature of this book, plus you get a few stories that exemplify why everyone involved with this comic works on it, namely to provide assistance to comic book creators who need it. Considering how much we get out of the things that creators do, buying this benefit book is the very least that I feel I can do to give back. Perhaps you should too, or donate to the Hero Initiative directly.

RESIDENT ALIEN #1 by Peter Hogan (w) & Steve Parkhouse (a)

I plan to review this series as a whole on the podcast (preview: I’m enjoying it), but something on page one just irritated me: the editorial note that tells me and you that we need to read issue 0 before reading issue 1. What?! I’ve ranted before about the whole issue zero thing, and this is the worse example of that. If issue 0 is so integral to the overall plot, then why not just call it a number 1 issue instead? Okay, enough ranting. You should pick up this series.

SECRET AVENGERS #27 by Rick Remender (w), Renato Guedes (a), Bettie Breitweiser & Matthew Wilson (c), & Chris Eliopoulos (l)

I got this only because it appeared from the solicited cover that Mar-Vell was back, and since he has always been one of my favorite Marvel characters, I had to find out what was going on. Plus, I figure we might have gotten some prelude to Carol Danvers becoming the new Captain Marvel. Now, I did get Mar-Vell back thanks to the Phoenix force (which is as good an explanation as any), but everyone is acting weird on Hala, which detracted from the return of the character I was hoping for. Also, when did Mar-Vell get to be so powerful? His face is on the receiving end of Thor’s hammer for crying out loud! I didn’t read the previous issue, so is this the residual effect of Mar-Vell’s Phoenix-inspired resurrection? I also didn’t care for the art–there are too many lines on people’s faces, especially the Visions, whose face looks like a wrinkled old man’s and not the smooth-skinned synthezoid I’m familiar with. Great cover by Alan Davis though.

STAR TREK #9 by Mike Johnson (w), Stephen Molnar (a), John Rauch (c), & Neil Uyetake (l), based on the original teleplay by Boris Sobelman

First off, I love Star Trek. It’s one of my favorite television series of all time. Having said that, there are some pretty lame episodes, and “The Return of the Archons” is one of those. The delight of this issue was that, given the framework of the original episode, Misters Johnson and Molnar actually improved upon the original story. While I have been enjoying these reinterpretations of classic Star Trek episodes in general, it was this particular issue that stood out as far as the reimaginings. Plus, are we getting the new Star Trek universe’s Section 13?

STAR TREK: TNG / DOCTOR WHO: ASSIMILATION² #1 by Scott & David Tipton with Tony Lee (w), J.K. Woodward (a), Shawn Lee & Robbie Robbins (l)

Normally, taking two of my favorite television series and teaming them together would have me superexcited, but the last IDW mash-up–Star Trek/Legion of Superheroes–left me cold. So, with a bit lowered expectations, I read this inaugural issue, and I have to say, I really enjoyed this and now I’m excited for the rest of this series. The characterizations of the Doctor Who cast were excellent! I felt as if I were watching Matt Smith, Karen Gillen, and Arthur Darvill do what they do so well, so kudos Misters Tipton and Lee. And then I get to the end of the book where the Doctor and friends step into a San Francisco bar and who’s there but our old friends Commanders Riker, Data, and Crusher in period clothing. I can’t wait to see if the characterizations of the TNG crew hold up as well.

I also read: