Red Sonja #2, Wonder Woman #38 and Uncanny X-Men #517 reviewed!
Queen Sonja #2
Written by: Joshua Ortega
Art by: Mel Rubi
Published by: Dynamite
If you are not familiar with Red Sonja, but like me have always wondered about the character, then I think that picking this issue and the previous one would be worth your while. If you look past the scantily clad and awfully impractical garb of Red Sonja (I don't think I metallic bikini is very practical on the battlefield), you will find an awfully politically aware and well written story complimented by some rather attractive art work! While it may not be the greatest comic book ever written, it certainly exceded my expectations considerably. The title is very well written; summing up a lot of the political turmoil in the plot smoothly and without being overly complicated. Ortega utilizes dialogue extremely well, using it primarily to tell the story. In fact, there is little to no narrative whatsoever. The pace of the book is perfect, and the fact that the plot revolves around a very powerful (in both strength as well as intellect) female character made it attractive, at least for me. A great series if you are looking for something different, this title could have easily been more confusing that it was due to the source material; but the good writing saved it, providing a clear and stimulating portrayal of the character.
4 out of 5
Wonder Woman #38
Written by: Gail Simone
Art by: Aaron Lopresti
Published by: DC
I have said this before, and will say it again; in order to take an already established and iconic character and make her seem more approachable to readers is to strip her of the characteristics that audiences have used to define her. This is exactly what Gail Simone has done with Diana in the current Wonder Woman story arc. Yet, Gail does not do this immediately, she does it over time, gradually rebuilding Wonder Woman's character and digging into her core in order to show the reader exactly who she is.
She has not, however, lost everything. While I will not spoil what Diana has not lost, there are some people that stilll value and retain faith in her. While the character's voice is much bolder in the previous issue, particularly in the scene with Zeus (see issue #37), this particular issue is still good. Gail Simone shows the reader facets of Diana's personality (particularly in her moments of personal sacrifice) that have not been brought to the surface enough in the past. While Lopresti's pencils are good, the colorist could be better, and as a result, Lopresti's talent is not displayed to it's fullest potential."Instead I have been stripped, shamed and imprisoned. Night falls on the Princess of Themyscira. I seem to have lost everything I ever cherished. My island, my weapons, my family, my potential mate...my sisters?"
3 out of 5
Uncanny X-Men: X-Nation #517
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by: Greg Land
Published by: Marvel
I don't know what is worse; Matt Fraction's one liners or Greg Land's tracing. Either way, reading a 32 page comic book which does not contain a whole lot of dialogue should not be this much of a drag. I felt the only character that Fraction got right was Emma Frost, who was barely present in the book at all. Fraction plays up Cyclops' character a lot- maybe too much. I understand he is the leader, but I was having a hard time believing that Magneto would so quickly take orders from him. It was nice to see Namor written like the jerk that he is, though. Reading this book was like watching 'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen' in that the majority of the plot consisted of explosions. I feel like that is consistent with a lot of Fration's X-titles. Is the reason that there is so little dialogue and character development because Fraction struggles with the X-Men's individual characterizations, or is it because just really likes action packed panels where everything blows up? Whatever the case may be, I almost wish Mike Carey was writing this title. I love you, Matt Fraction, but I have seen much better from you.
2 out of 5
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