Decept-O

What the F happened to comic books? Seriously.

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3.4 stars

Average score of 29 user reviews

Masks Thinly Veiled 0

The Pros:Well where to begin. The art by Alex Ross is of course, beyond compare. He has painted this comic book with deft and and a sense of realism to the characters that is hard to find elsewhere by other artists. You definitely get a "feel" this is Chicago back in the day, albeit one in a different type of reality for lack of a better term. The action has you engaged, the story has promise and of course the art is beautiful.The Cons: OK, there is some thinly veiled--pun intended---plot device...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Anatomically Correct? 0

This issue features the Phantom Reporter's investigation into the apparent murder of the Blue Blade, one of the members of The Twelve. What results are some rather revealing things both figuratively and literally, as he manages to "expose" a certain member of The Twelve.Not all has been as it seemed, and while some bits of the story are a bit telegraphed it is still well worth reading because this is the issue which sets in motion some action and drama you know was heading the way for the team.I...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Waiting For More 0

If you're familiar with "The Twelve" series, it had been put on a bit of a hiatus due to whatever differences Strackynski and Joe Quesada had. Now it looks like an effort is being made to get it going again I presume and the challenge here is for any new reader to get involved in a series that has been "on hold" for awhile.Sadly a lot of time has indeed elapsed since the last issue so it may be a hard sell for the remaining issues for anyone to get into. If you are a new reader it would be best ...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Lobster Needs More Boiling 1

Having read high praises about this character on the Vine, I thought I'd give this book a go, especially as it is a Mike Mignola creation and from Dark Horse Comics, one of my favorite publishers.I have mixed feelings about it all. The cover price was a bit higher than I like but still was less than plenty of other titles, and it does have plenty of pages. The art isn't too terribly bad but it isn't overwhelmingly great. It does have a "noir"/hard boiled detective/ pulp feel to it and in that re...

0 out of 2 found this review helpful.

A Bit Lost 0

Sadly, this issue did not meet my expectations for the new incarnation of DC's 52 line. I was hoping for some clarity in terms of the story and characters. Taken from the perspective of a new reader, that does not happen here.In fact, unless you are already familiar with the Legion of Super-Heroes, past stories, and Flashpoint, a new reader may indeed be a bit lost.If, however, the reader is at least somewhat familiar with the previous stories, and characters and the Flashpoint tie-in, then this...

3 out of 5 found this review helpful.

Lunar Looney or Victim of Khonshu? 0

   ART : Let me say that the cover to this comic is one of the best I've seen in awhile.  It is beautiful.     The interior art, though, is a bit..off.  What could have been a truly amazing book gets dropped down a notch because the art is inconsistent and when some characters are portayed during their youth, the reader may not be able to discern exactly who the characters are.   From one page to the next, I had to look back and forth because the artist failed to keep the characters' appearances...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Legion will leave you wanting more.. 0

Finally, a decent true superhero comic that is about superheroes!    Been awhile since I've picked up a Legion of Super-Heroes comic,  a title I've always been fond of way back when but sadly had not kept up with for some time.    It appears I've truly been missing out.    Paul Levitz does a nice job with introducing the characters to any new reader with "bio-boxes".  They aren't intrusive to the art in any fashion and credit should also be given to the artist and letterer for doing them.      N...

5 out of 5 found this review helpful.

I, Zombie...I, Like! 0

OK, I, ZOMBIE.  Whoa.    I won't reveal too much of this story, other reviews touch upon a number of things so I will just say that is the literal jumping on point for me.  I'd wanted to get the first 4 issues when they were released but alas, plans didn't work out.  So I decided to take the same stance on this ish as I did with my review of INVINCIBLE #74, in that I wanted to delve into whether or not a new reader could follow what is going on mid-stream.     The answer is yes.  Not a resoundin...

4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

A Bit Hard to Follow... 6

Having read a number of comics over the years, I've come to expect that there will be issues where you buy it and when you read it, discover you have a difficult time following what is happening.    Such is the case with INVINCIBLE # 74.    I purposely chose this title today due to a few reasons.  I had wanted to read this comic since I'd heard about it, it was less expensive than any Marvel or DC title at the comic book shop and I also purposely chose it to review to see if I could find a comic...

5 out of 7 found this review helpful.

The Phantom walks too quickly 0

This issue is part of a story line involving the "man God"  named Him, who inexplicably has captured The Phantom and pits him in a cage match against some bad guys and animals.    The story uses flashbacks to the previous issues, and is done nicely where a new reader can pick up what is going on and that is always important.    However a couple of Phantom's helpers way too conveniently discover some connections that Him has begun to implement in his schemes by means of computer tracking and way ...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Captain Action is a bit out of focus... 0

I have to give an honest review of this comic although I received it essentially for free when I recently ordered some Moonstone Books.  The main story involves Captain Action JR., and a former teammate, Flashpoint ( Moonstone's take on the Public Domain character Captain Flash)  who is infected by the "Red Crawl" and supposedly, so is the rest of the world.  Little info is given how this came about, how it affects normal people.  All that is really covered is that this red crawl virus has negat...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Putting the Hammer down on Iron Man 2 0

A  number of reviews pertaining to Iron Man 2, and here's another one.  A brief overview with my impressions of this movie:  Allow me to start with some minor annoyances instead of touting the positives.  The interplay between Stark and Pepper was good, BUT it got old a bit quick.  Could've used less of that in the film.   The special effects.  I don't know, some of it was so fast and hard to follow, and when I did see some of it, notably Whiplash, it made me cringe a bit.   Despite these minor ...

9 out of 10 found this review helpful.

There's a reason why I got this free.. 0

Two months prior to this review,  I was laid up in the hospital due to a severe bout of pneumonia.  Being laid up in the hosptial for a week or longer is not fun, but things could have been worse. To help me endure,  my brother gave me a bunch of comics to read he'd picked up for cheap from the local comic book shop.    Amongst them was this "gem" from Maximum Press, headed by Rob Liefeld.    Before I begin let me state I have a love/hate thing for Liefeld.  I love some of his creations, and the...

4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

A break from the drama.. 1

The title of this AC Publishing comic says it all.  Good Girl Art.    It doesn't include anything that degrades women, nor are there any sexually suggetive themes.    If you don't care for good girl/cheesecake type of art from the past, you won't like this book and may want to pass it up.  However, if you do like good girl art  of old, this is a must have comic.  While the first story features a brief story involving the AC all-girl super team FemForce, the art falls flat despite the title of th...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Quite possibly the best Sci-Fi movie 3

Please, for the love of God, watch this movie.  It is not necessary to see the sequels to this original classic, although they have thier appeal in their own regards, but Planet of the Apes makes use of Sci-Fi themes and does it in an engaging way.    Most of us weren't even born when this movie was released and it stars Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell,  along with the memorable Dr. Zauis as portrayed by Maurice Evans.   Granted, the FX  simply involve the costumes and designs of this "new" p...

4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

Good intentions or good grief? 0

What can be said to explain this comic properly.  Well, essentially, you have 5 ordinariy people who are kidnapped and whisked away to a dimension/veil/planetoid symbiotic thing that looks like,  for lack of a better explanation,  a weird mutated version of a human female's anatomy.      Being the only 5 survivors of genetic experiments conducted by their alien humanoid captors, these 5 discover they have newfound powers via symbiotic hosts on their bodies.  They manage to escape their captors a...

1 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Spidey's Concrete Thinking... 2

This issue helps conclude the two issue story arc featuring Spidey's attempts to stop the Unstoppable Juggernaut!   Having been dispatched by Madame Web to help save her from Juggernaut, who has been sent to kill her, Spider-Man does virtually everything he can think to thwart the Juggernaut.    Facing the monster alone, Spider-Man is barely able to save Madame Web, but does not give up on pursuing Juggernaut who continues on his rampage through NYC.   Through some tactics and shrewd thinking, a...

5 out of 5 found this review helpful.

Sci-Fi & Horror all rolled in one.... 1

I had the luxury of sorts of seeing this movie as a kid.  Granted, I may have been too young to see the movie, but my Dad and I shared a love for Sci-Fi and he took me to see this with him at the Drive-In.  Wonder how many Viners have been to a Drive-In Theatre...... Regardless,  I  was enamored with Sigourney Weaver and I also damn near pooped myself during the scene where the alien breaks through the character's chest.  Oh, yeah, I think it made a lot of people jump, and that scene alone is wo...

8 out of 8 found this review helpful.

Metropolis, An Early Vision 4

We currently live in an era filled with relatively easy accessability to electronic mediums like radio, television, and of course, the Internet.     Added to these we also have the remarkable devices such as desktop and laptop computers,  digital cameras, cell phones, and now electronic notepads, and some of which are capable of delivering the mediums of radio, television, and the Internet.  Quite remarkable.    These are items which Sci-Fi authors dreamed of many years ago and the first one to ...

4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

Don't Hate This Book... 0

It doesn't make sense to me how or why so many people are hating on this book when quite frankly I enjoyed it.    The "regular" Hulk may be no more for the time being but in his absence, the Red Hulk is acting like a total tool and his actions are obviously devious and dare I say evil.    I do recommend you watch G-Man's video review of this issue if you want specfics regarding the story in this title, but I will say I was surprised with some of the cameos in this title.    The one problem I had...

5 out of 5 found this review helpful.

Don't MIss Out On Days Missing 0

This is a nice change of pace from the regular super hero genre as this comic book deals more directly with Science Fiction aspects and it is done and done well.  Been quite awhile since I've had the pleasure of reading a well written story outside the capes and masks genre and this fits the bill.   Other reviews have already given info regarding the nature of the story of this comic book, but I will add that the main character, "The Steward", possibly an alien humanoid entity, is able to dilate...

4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

Nightveil #1 0

Nightveil  was also known as the Blue Bulleteer during the 1940's in AC Comics' universe and resembled the Phantom Lady in costume and crime fighting techniques.  This issue does not delve into her origin as one would expect from a first issue but instead focuses on two stories involving Nightveil versus her dark magic enemies, Tharu-Oron and Gorgana.  Each story involves the use of magic and alternate realities/dimensions, etc. and are relatively quick reads.  The art is competent, and the "goo...

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

Red Robin Takes Wing.. 2

O.K., I've been well aware of all the Batttle for the Cowl Batman and related tie-in books but I've avoided them because it seemed like overkill, despite some of the great art I'd seen on the covers and interiors.  It is possible, however, I will go back and get the actual Battle for the Cowl Series, now that I've read Red Robin #1.  This was really good.  I saw G-Man's review and I was interested due to several reasons, but I can't delve into too many because it would reveal a bit about the cha...

6 out of 6 found this review helpful.

Take a turn at the turn of the 20th Century with the League 2

This is the new installment in the series involving the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  Needless to say, there is little ordinary about this title, to say the least.  First, I have to delve into the negative points.  When reading a comic, and this case, it's a graphic novella, I always try to do it from the perspective of a new reader and ask myself, "Will the new reader be able to follow what is going on?  Will the new reader be interested enough to follow with any subsequent issues?"  Here...

4 out of 5 found this review helpful.

Astro City--Disappointing visit.... 2

When Astro City initially was released, it was a great series, and Busiek and company did a good job at introducing a cohesive universe while focusing on great individual stories and characters.  Literally, every issue was something different, and I was into it, and still feel it is a great title.  However, what has happened with the "Dark Age" storyline, where Busiek is delving into the early years of some of the heroes from Astro City, the new reader is being left out in the cold.  While I am ...

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

Crash Metro and The Star Squad 0

Crash Metro and The Star Squad is a black and white comic which appears by the cover to be an issue done by Mike Allred.  However, he is only the writer and I believe the cover artsist, the interior art is by Martin Ontiveros.  Initially, I had hoped this would be a comic that may have been an entertaining title by Mike Allred I'd simply not previously seen, but was I wrong.  While the story may be purposely written in a slightly Golden/Silver Age type space drama style, repleat with giant robot...

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

The Betty Pages #2 0

The first 9 pages of The Betty Pages Issue #2 start off with a Table of Contents then delve right into a number or letters from Issue #1 of The Betty Pages, with the interior cover page featuring a B & W photo of Bettie Page in her infamous leopard print unitard, but the picture of her is taken inside and she gives a fierce look to the camera as she kneels.  Page #10 features a brief column by Bill Ward of his impressions of Bettie Page and how much she was an influence on his work, and how ...

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

Planet Comics #1 1988 0

I'd seen the cover to this comic book many years ago, and is an eye-catcher provided by none other than the great late Dave Stevens of Rocketeer fame. They say you can't judge a book by its cover and such is the case with this anthology title.  The first story makes an effort to harken back to the quasi-apocalyptic stranded astronaut in time on a future Earth, but the artwork detracts from the story.  Ken Hooper seemed to have trouble with proportions and faces, and these are really the bread an...

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

The Betty Pages No. #1 0

The Betty Pages #1 is an enjoyable digest sized comic book that has a fantastic cover by Glenn Barr, is 58 pages long and includes ads on the inside front and back covers, and a tongue-in-cheek back cover that features a column and additional photo of Ms. Page. The introductory colum is written by Joe Anderko and is a brief biography of Ms. Page, whose name is actually spelled Bettie, not Betty, as indicated on the cover.  Also in the digest are B & W photos of Ms. Page, and are nicely posit...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.