renchamp

So I prayed to what I thought were angels, but ended up being ambulance lights.

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3.5 stars

Average score of 147 user reviews

Best Issue In a While 3

It has been a hot minute since this book has been good. I mean, sure, it has nearly nonstop action in every issue where the stakes are always oh-so high, but it's nice to step back a minute and refocus. Yes, this issue does have a bit of action in it, but it isn't balls-to-the-effing-wall action. Tactics make sense in approaching the threat and the reader doesn't feel so inundated with pulse-pounding elements.But this issue isn't great simply because it feels like it breathes, but mostly because...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Marvel, Read the Room 0

This issue came out right after the Onslaught event. The event where Xavier's dark thoughts manifested themselves into a psionic being that nearly destroys the world. A psionic being that had wiped out the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and several other heroes. So what says "Let's unpack all that" like slapstick funny times in the bathroom?The issue starts off well enough with a serious chat between Wolverine and Xavier. For his part, Cyclops wakes up and is understandably a bit jumpy. But then ...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

It's Bad. Just Bad. 2

Nate Grey is a simple character to write. He is a frustrating one to read. Nate comes into contact with a new person - he fights them angrily. Every time. It is tiresome. In this issue, Nate is doing just that. He is angry and fighting. Just like the last issue. Just like the other issues before. I assume he'll keep on doing it. As a reader, it is difficult to read the same story over and over. And over. It is stupid. There is so little growth. There is no character development. There is nothing...

2 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Out to Sea 0

The one good thing this issue did for me was give some closure on the Rex story line. That's it. The one good thing.The bad? Well, the story suffered quite a bit from Jeph Loeb only providing the idea for the story. He didn't actually write this thing. This could explain why we get some repeat inner musings by Nate Grey, as well as a standalone, rather stagnant plot. Also, the art was inconsistent. I don't like Steve Skroce, per se, but I'd prefer a whole comic that he draws as opposed to sharin...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Woof 0

Hey, a free comic is a free comic. And this free comic was about one thing: fan service. Jacked dudes and scantily clad chicks.I was amazed as I read this collection that there was no real main character. Sure, Ara was supposed to be it (she is on the cover and the book follows her) but we get so little out of her that she essentially equates to that of a background character. By the end of the journey ("Jirni"), I can't tell what makes Ara happy or miserable. I do know that when any danger stri...

2 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Too Much Talking Done Right 0

I typically have a problem with comic books that go way heavy on exposition. My complaint is typically that the writer isn't letting the art do its share of the storytelling. This issue, however, I'm willing to give a pass. Up to this point, enough crumbs of Cable's past have been dropped to make the reader painfully aware of Tyler Dayspring's past. Tyler's rantings and ravings and machinations serve to show us - and the heartbroken Cable - that all the events taking place make sense.Exposition ...

1 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Bottoms Out ***Spoilers*** 0

Meh, this one was bad. The first issue in this series showed some real promise, but the story arc sputtered at the conclusion and then this issue popped out. The premise itself is okay in that it is entirely feasible that Rick could be guilty of the crimes he is accused of. But to think that the resolution could be wrapped up as tidily as blaming the Rick's actions on a Class-2 Cloner-Beast completely ignores how such aliens acted in the previous book. Those things were all about violent assimil...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Very Nice Finish 0

Honestly, I expected this volume to end like the Circle Chase: a little rushed and leaving the reader unsure of how things end. Instead, the issue is nicely paced for a finale and things are wrapped up rather nicely.The fights are toned down, as they were for the whole volume, since Deadpool is still struggling with his healing powers. This gives Deadpool ample opportunity to sling his one-liners around. Deadpool also gets some further heart-to-heart time with Siryn. All-in-all, this issue helps...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

This... What is This? 0

This book does not appear to be for me. It's sad, too, because I have a labor-of-love Saved by the Bell blog based on the original show. I mean, I want to like this, but what's to like?Granted this is a first issue, but the script is so incredibly shallow. It's like each character is a caricature. Lisa and Jessie have unoriginal one-off lines; Screech is stupid (not endearingly annoying like the show, but stupid); Zack and Slater are enemies only because of, well, they have to be enemies? Kelly ...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

The Tick: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Fighting Ants 1

I can't believe how great this episode is. Ants exacting revenge on humans with a giant magnifying glass? Arthur lamenting his sidekick deficiencies? Defladermaus hitting on women (and ants)? Tick's visit to a shrink that is merely a floating head? A man who hilariously lampoons Shaft? This episode crammed so much absurdity into it that I couldn't believe it was actually working. But it did.The best things about the episode, however, were the nods to Dr. Strangelove. The good doctor makes an app...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

So Odd 2

The Tick is a classic superhero farce cartoon, but it can get so weird. The "Cops"-like take on the episode was great, as it allowed the Tick to walk you through his day and describe villainous red flags that help him solve his adventures. The Tick also comes off as an incredibly stupid idiot, more-so than in other episodes. Regardless, he is still funny.But what was up with that pig leg? That is where this episode stretched a bit for me. It certainly served as a gag on the desire of a villain t...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

A Dad Wrote This? 0

I am going to spoil the whole thing because that will show you how inept the concept of this book is.It boils down to a divorce and the dad misses his girl. He would do anything to see a smile on his girl's face. So he breaks an incredible amount of laws - and people - to get a doll. Then he goes to jail for a very long time.Jail was worth seeing one smile on his daughter's face? How about not going to jail and finding other instances to see a smile on her face? I cannot believe that the author ...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Not Even Trying 0

Do you want to know the best thing about this book? The cover. The other covers look great, too.Do you want to know the worst thing about this book? Anything that isn't the cover.I hate to crap on independent comics, but I can't help but feel that this book is simply a cool idea with no thought for execution. If the tiger is a lawyer, then why is he using closing arguments to present his case? How is the "big reveal" even logical? And why is the client an idiot when he is exonerated due to havin...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Practically Perfect in Every Way 1

This book was a complete surprise. From start to finish, it has been consistently awesome in terms of art, plot, and cameos.For starters, this volume answers some questions going on in the main Deadpool series. I took a break from main story to read this first because the fight with vampires and bringing in Dazzler made very little sense to me. What I found here was a very well done series that told of an incredible adventure across the pond. Deadpool's presence in England makes sense, as is his...

3 out of 4 found this review helpful.

Pause 0

Why "Pause?" Well, because I can't really dig the current issues of Deadpool. Shikla was just kinda thrown at those of us who didn't want to pay for the online comic because we knew we'd buy the physical copy. So, I am pausing my reading of the current run until these seven issues are released and then I'll pick up and read as I should have read starting in issue 27.Why five stars? Because that is how nice it is to read something by Duggan and Posehn that isn't drawn by Lucas. (I see he drew iss...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Great Plot - Great Pace - Terrible, Terrible Art 0

I can't help but give Charles Soule credit for this She-Hulk series. As a fellow lawyer, I love seeing subtle nods to the profession and how they apply to superheroes. Soule has a nice grasp on She-Hulk's character and allows her to deliver her breezy lines without making her seem like a lucky idiot. She works hard and gets what she needs.This book features characters that don't normally get a light shined on them. I enjoyed seeing some downtime with Shocker. Hellcat and Tigra have an interestin...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Boom, Sucka! 0

I think that everyone can agree that Marrow has been pretty freaking annoying in this series. Yet, she has also been a great comedic gag in how others treat her. This issue not only makes her sexier than she has ever been (bikini on a 4-wheeler) but the creepiest she has ever been (extreme bone growth in her face). Even more, this issue addresses who the annoying "Baby" person is -- and it is tragic. It actually made me feel bad for originally thinking it stupid. This, ladies and gentlemen, is q...

4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

Better Than Hoped For 2

I get worried reading books that I have already hyped in my head. I have been a Tick fan since the 90s, but the FOX cartoon version. I didn't want to taint my Saturday morning memories (and 2010 memories, because I own most of the episodes and watch them every now and again) with some shell of a story that didn't take flight until later. But, since I am living in Boston for a short time right now, I decided that I might as well as get the first Tick book, as New England is where the Tick origina...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Excellent Art, Odd Plot 0

What an odd, queer, strange little book. I say this as a citizen of the United States that was raised in the West. I don't know Fresherluke's nationality, but he definitely has a Jorge Luis Borges vibe going. The heroine is a bikini-clad witch in the 1812 Old West. She walks around with a surf board. Does this make sense? No. But Fresherluke says it so it is so. We accept it because the creator doesn't make us think it is too out of place.The thing I absolutely love about this book is the art. I...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Nearly as Flat as Its Premise 0

I feel bad about slamming this type of book because I am sure it means to help the author exorcise some of the demons that have plagued her past. Image is a huge thing and it must be difficult growing up in a society in which the media tells you that you are lacking.But that's not how this book comes across. The creator meanders from one thought to another and comments on what her perceptions of her small breasts were in the context of the situation. This person had big boobs and this is how I f...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

The Rumors are True 0

Honestly, the only reason I am reading these books is because I have heard that they are the worst comics on the market. The first five issues have nearly proved this true in a very short amount of time. In sum: Poor pacing (how many origin stories do we need in three issues?), terrible layouts (the use of panels would make the flow of the story FAR MORE easy to follow), and tacky, gratuitous, nonsensical fan service (these outfits - or lack thereof - are so stupid).As for this issue, we get yet...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Delightful 0

I admit it: I was a naysayer on the art with the first teases of this series. Having the issue in my hand, however? I really like it.I picked up this issue as a lawyer. Charles Soule is a lawyer, She-Hulk is a lawyer, and I am a lawyer. I wanted to see how this world translated into the superhero setting. Soule does a great job. I am afraid that some of the funnier moments were the pure legal jargon moments. The character Legal is hilarious. He is the embodiment of the legal system. His speech o...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Mixed Messages 5

I had never read a romance comic until now. I thought: Hey, why not? Tons of issues are in the public domain. Besides, I could beef up the wiki a little bit based on the book I read. I regret this decision. The art was fun - I'll give the issue that. The ladies were classically fancy and the guys were fantastically conservative, forever helping to keep this period of time looking as perfect as we are raised to think it was.Here is the problem: The first story is called "Marriage Can Wait," a har...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Sheer, Pointless Crap 0

Dear Reader,So, you read Suicide Kings and decided that you would like to read another Deadpool story penned by one of the writers. What do you know? Games of Death is one such story! It must at least be decent, right? Wrong, sucker. Don't read this book.The premise is promising. Deadpool joins a game show in Japan that is the most deadly competition on the planet. Lots of money is involved. The story should be fun. What we get, however, is a whirlwind story with very, very, very little payoff.F...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

I Just Can't Help It 0

I seriously finish reading each issue of this series and wonder just what exactly I read. Yet, despite not knowing key things - like who Cassandra Nova is - I can't help but feel like I really enjoyed the read. This issue marks another one of those instances. I have no clue as to what happened. Moon to blood, Demon Bear's role, why Cluster continues to be on the cover as if she is part of this "team" - I don't get it. Regardless, everything goes nicely together. The art is odd at times, but each...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Still Very Good 0

*My spoiler blocking option is gone. So, beware of spoilers.*What is Cluster doing on the cover as if she is part of this not-actually-a-team team? I still don't get the approach, Marvel. Oh well.Cover aside, this issue magnificently maintains Humphries's very interesting psychological assault of Psylocke. This lady has already been through enough but he finds a way to squeeze just a little more pathos out of her. Without spoiling too much, Psylocke is offered something that even her toughened p...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

The Kitten Lives 0

One of my least favorite things with superheroes is stories involving temporary loss of power. Here, the Tick and Arthur lose their arms. Lame! But redemption comes, dear friends, with everything else going on in this episode.The pinnacle has to be the scene in the Evil Eye. To prove they are villains, the Tick and Arthur must perform some fell deed. This is a played-out scenario in almost any undercover situation in which the good guy is supposed to shoot a friend or some other absurdity to pro...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Get Meta with Me! 0

When I think of the Tick, I think of this episode. This is what the Tick was all about. Crazy effing characters. Crazy effing plots. Sheer fun.Where else will you have a giant whale named Blowhole running across the country? Where else will the Swiss ever pose a threat? Where else will pieces of wood gain sidekick status? Where else indeed. The Tick says it best at the end of the episode when he states that nothing has to make sense in life. This episode sure doesn't, yet that doesn't take away ...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

It 0

This episode did two things well. First, it was a spot-on lampoon of the movie "It." The heroes have a dialogue in which they keep referring to the menace as "it." This is played up perfectly until the big reveal: a hulking clown that serves to strike fear into the hearts of the people of the City. The second great thing about this episode was the walk through the Tick's mind. The facets of the Tick are just as straight forward as one would think. His mind is just as simple as you can imagine, i...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Social Commentary 0

This episode not only pokes fun at the types of villains out there, but also at the parents of those villains. The bad guy in this episode is a child with a huge brain. His parents know he is smart but decide to let him figure himself out, even if it means doing some evil things here and there - like pulling the Moon into the Earth. They even go so far as to say that it's the 90s and parenting is done differently.Now, I lived in the 90s and this type of parenting was huge. All kinds of excuses w...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Comedic Perfection 0

This is what you look forward to in a comedic superhero cartoon. Right here. Look nowhere else because you will not find it.The Tick is tasked with stopping a baker that makes destructive, expanding bread. This premise is too silly. But is it? The man has means and motive. He also has an assistant called Buttery Pat.The Tick ate some expanding bread to save a buildingThe episode tackles this asinine character flawlessly. No one finds the antics silly and this sober attention by the heroes is wha...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Nigh Invulnerable 0

The Tick has been called "nigh invulnerable," and this episode displays exactly what that means. In the beginning, a ladder is twisted around the Tick's head. He is hurled into (and crushes) a dumpster. Later, his teeth hold up his own body, as well as Arthur and American Maid's. Lastly, his head is clenched by a man that can reduce diamonds to powder. Despite all this, the Tick remains in tact. As the second episode, this serves as a great way to build on the Tick's foundation of being immovabl...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Epic Beginning 3

The Tick is a fantastic cartoon. I was amazed in going back to watch it to realize how much they squeezed in to an episode. It is all very tongue-in-cheek as it pokes fun of the hero genre. Big Shot is the prime example; he is a perfect lampoon of Marvel's the Punisher. Hero quarrels, secret hideouts, and downtime were all tackled perfectly.This episode set up the Tick cartoon world nicely. The characters are all introduced with a brief look into what makes them special. The look is sleek, which...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

A Fantastic Issue 1

Finally, an issue of Charlie McCarthy that I could enjoy from start to finish. The tale begins with a fantastic twist that only Charlie could bungle. His attempt to rectify a huge mistake gives the issue its main plot. In sum, Charlie is bound to find a sensational circus act while being accompanied by a talking elephant (who does not qualify as a sensational circus act). The boys travel around the countryside and view some truly spectacular stunts. The premise is simply a great way to portray s...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Not Letting the White Man Hold Him Down 0

Phew! I thought the last story with Iron Fist and Luke Cage was terrible. The White Man!?! Not executed well enough. And if that was how the series was going to turn then I was going to be done with Deadpool. K4tz and I don't always see eye-to-eye one what we like about the Deadpool series, but his review this time around sparked enough in me to not drop this title yet.This issue was amazing! With less emphasis on jokes, the ones actually told were done with proper timing. I laughed out loud in ...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Finally Passable 0

The only reason I am reading this series is because I love adding stuff to our wiki. The run is short enough that I don't feel committed to some huge task. Sadly, I am already burned out on the premise. Charlie McCarthy is based on a ventriloquist doll and each issue contains one or two misadventures with incredibly campy dialogue and hackneyed mistakes. These last few issues have been difficult, as it is fairly plain that many of the happenings occur merely to extend the comic to the advertised...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

I Almost Hate This Issue 0

I hate Deadpool in this issue. What an effing moron. Sure, the book is supposed to be a fun send-back to the 1970s, but it is too much. Not almost too much; it is too much. The afro, the wanton beatings, the maniacal motives. Meh. I know it is kind of a spoof/parody, but it completely ignores the fact that Deadpool wasn't Deadpool in the 70s. Fanboy rage has me crying about continuity.The art, however: Wow. Like the last throwback issue, the pages are made to look vintage (despite the glossy she...

1 out of 2 found this review helpful.

What the Huh? 0

I'll be honest, had I bought issue 6 when it came out I would have dropped this book then and there. As it is, I bought it today with this issue. Issue 6 did not thrill me. Issue 7, however, had to be read and I'm glad I had it. I went from wanting to drop this book to looking forward to issue 8.The change of art in this issue is awesome. I love the hackneyed lines of a setting in Paris. It oozes cool. It oozes sexy. I miss Ron Garney dearly, but the art of the past few issues has been really fu...

4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

Powerful Beginnings 1

I will admit one thing to begin: I have no idea where this book is going and that is very scary.I will now admit another thing as the official start of this review: Many times you can read an issue one time and have a pretty good grasp on what is being conveyed. (I am forever stuck reading 90's Marvel comics and very few make me want to instantly read them again.) Polarity is not like this. Holy balls, it is nowhere close. My admission: This comic made me read it again not more than ten minutes ...

3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

Just Bad. Really Bad. 0

I cannot state how much I despise the Child's Play story arc. This issue, however, is the cherry on top of the turd sundae.There are no positives to this issue except the fact that it ends this very rushed and misguided arc. The art is average. The dialogue is over-the-top. But here are my very specific gripes.1) The New Warriors (there was an Old Warriors team?) trekked to Graydon Creed's office and learned of the Swiss chalet at the same time X-Force was travelling by portal to Shinobi Shaw's ...

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.