Superheroes Books - Page 2

The Dark Knight: I Am Batman (I Can Read Book 2)

Catherine Hapka

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Editorial Review:

When Batman sees the Bat-Signal up in the sky, it means that danger is near! He'll need his Batsuit and Bat-Pod to help keep Gotham City safe from its newest enemy—the Joker!

Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted

Joss Whedon, John Cassaday

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

"I am a human being." "Wrong. You're an X-Man." 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Let me start with a partial list of things I know nothing about, and in some cases never even heard of before:

* X-Men
* Comics about anything at all
* Graphic novels
* Joss Whedon's writing; John Cassaday's artwork
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly

This volume of Astonishing X-men, 2: Gifted (Astonishing X-Men) came my way and I thought, why not? Halfway through the book, I realized that I just wasn't getting it. I decided that if eleven-year-old fanboys can "get" this stuff, so can I; so I started at the beginning again and fell right into the story. You have to start somewhere, don't you?

Other reviewers have done a terrifyingly thorough job with the history of this series as well as the plot of this particular volume. There's a lot of both here! Readers of this review will have to settle for a beginner's impressions.

This volume is the first six chapters of a multi-part series by the gifted team of Whedon and Cassaday. Whedon's writing surprised me with its complexity and humor. Since it's all dialogue, it has the same constraints as a play and it works very well. The characters are well-differentiated after one overcomes the complication of their multiple names, and there are flashbacks clarifying some of the story. The group has been re-formed after a devastating incident in the past; those in the know are delighted to have Kitty Pryde on board, all grown up and ready to flex her powers.

The art work? I can't begin to imagine how Cassaday illustrated this six-part volume in one lifetime. I'd love to watch him draw! The expressiveness of the characters, the complexity of the backgrounds blew me away. This art form is something I've lived without for too long. I want more!

As for the plot, and I HOPE there are no spoilers here ... The X-Men are mutants and their relationship with un-mutated humans is uneasy. They want to use their super-powers for the good of the world. There is the hope ... or possibly the threat ... of a cure for their mutation, and its siren song calls to one of the group. This causes trouble in X-land! Another element of the story, which is apparently common in super-hero comic series, is the return from the dead of at least one key character. There are scenes of real sentiment, and flashes of humor that had me laughing out loud.

The relationships are as complicated as in any soap opera and this no doubt offers a sense of continuity to readers familiar with the series (comics, TV, movies, who knew?). The beginner is slightly challenged by all this history and I notice with pleasure that the next two volumes begin with a page of text labeled PREVIOUSLY; this should help me out as I pursue my "fangirl" career.

While I acknowledge that the failing is probably my own, I did take one star off for the lack of an introduction. A page of text could have provided a helpful orientation to beginners, if there are any others out there. Apologies for that to all readers who think it would have been lame and unnecessary...

Many thanks to the friend who sent this to me. It's fun to try something new and this X-Men comic has been a real treat. If it's new to you too -- jump right in, you might love it!

Linda Bulger, 2008

Editorial Review:

Dream-team creators Joss Whedon (TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Planetary, Captain America) present the explosive, all-new flagship X-Men series - marking a return to classic greatness and the beginning of a brand-new era for the X-Men! Cyclops and Emma Frost re-form the X-Men with the express purpose of "astonishing" the world. But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started? As demand for the "mutant cure" reaches near-riot levels, the X-Men go head-to-head with the enigmatic Ord, with an unexpected ally - and some unexpected adversaries - tipping the scales! Collects Astonishing X-Men #1-6.

Hulk, Vol. 1: Red Hulk (v. 1)

Jeph Loeb

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Unbelievably bad 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

In the wake of World War Hulk, Bruce Banner has been out of action. Or has he? That's the premise of Jeph Loeb's newly launched Hulk title, which finds a new, red colored Hulk on the scene. It isn't Banner, and in fact, we never learn who exactly this new Hulk is in this first collected volume Red Hulk, but we do get to see him take on Iron Man, Thor, and finally the original deal himself. This may all sound well and good on paper, but Loeb's story is atrocious. Everything from the pacing to the dialogue is just unbelievably bad. Is this really the same guy who brought us those classic Batman titles and the color-themed Marvel hero mini's? You'd never know it when reading Hulk, that's for sure. His Superman/Batman collaborator Ed McGuiness provides the artwork, and even if you've only ever seen his work with a take it or leave it point of view, you'll most likely leave it when you see how it mixes looking rushed and overly cartoony. All in all, no matter how big of a Hulk fan or a fan of Loeb's work, avoid this new Hulk title at all costs.

Editorial Review:

Superstars Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness will change the way you see the Hulk! In this startling origin epic, the breathtaking events that ended World War Hulk rocket into this brand-new Hulk title. When one of the Hulk's oldest cast members is murdered, everyone turns to the team of Iron Man, She-Hulk, and Leonard Samson to solve the grizzly case. All the evidence points to the Hulk as the killer - but...! Join us for a brand-new story and a brand-new team who loves the Hulk as much as you do Collects The Hulk #1-6.

Countdown to Final Crisis, Vol. 4

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

This Countdown was over before it even started 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

DC's second year-long weekly series comes to an end in this fourth collected volume of Countdown to Final Crisis, which takes the sheer boredom that populated most of the previous issues and doesn't do much to change the trend. Here, it becomes apparent that Paul Dini, the man behind the overall storyarcs of the series, had intended to interwine the fates of Jimmy Olsen, Karate Kid, the Challengers, Jason Todd, Mary Marvel, and all the other characters that no matter how hard you try, you just don't care about in the least. Not to mention that Countdown's depiction of Darkseid is just laughable compared to how we've seen him done in the past, and then seeing him face-off with Jimmy Olsen in Turtle Boy mode just has to be seen to be believed. There are some compelling moments to be found here though, with the Challengers and Mary Marvel's segments being just that, and amidst all the rushed looking artwork, Freddie Williams does a decent job and stands out on his own. However, as a whole, Countdown to Final Crisis is a massive disappointment, and in no way, shape, or form can hold a candle to 52. As said before, Countdown is only worth your time if you're a hardcore DC reader, but other than that, skip this and go straight into Grant Morrison's Final Crisis.

Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2: Dangerous

Joss Whedon, John Cassaday

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Don't Hold This Against Joss 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

While I had nothing but praise for mastermind Joss Whedon's first X-Men trade paperback (Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted). I found the second arc of the series ("Dangerous") to be problematic. The story threads started and unfinished in "Gifted" were hardly touched at all in this arc, and a whole new, very confusing story starts. Those unfamiliar to pre-Whedon X-Men are going to find themselves lost when the mythology of "the Danger Room", Professor Xavier, and Genosha come into play, as they were hardly even mentioned in "Gifted."

This trade paperback collects the entire "Dangerous" arc, made up of six issues, and there are certainly many good points to be spoken of. The first and some of the sixth issue read very well, and--as with any Joss Whedon work--the character interactions are done perfectly. The character of Wing and his situation had a lot of potential for a great story, but what was done with him was convoluted at best. The baddie in this issue (a personification of the Danger Room itself) spends more than half the issue explaining itself, and I'm simply left saying "Huh?" Whedon even admitted his mistakes in this arc, saying that he was "so fascinated with the idea of new intelligence that (he) neglected the action and thus prevented the story from flowing well."

Overall, don't let this trade paperback change your view of Whedon. He was the best writer television has ever seen, and he's making a crater sized dent in the world of comics with this Astonishing X-Men, his arc of Runaways, and his Buffy: Season Eight series. Every writer has a bit of a slip up. This is Joss's.

6/10

Editorial Review:

A tragic death at the Xavier Institute reveals a powerful enemy living among the X-Men that they could never have suspected - and no, it's not Magneto. Things heat up in a way none of the X-Men ever dreamed, but will teamwork save the day when they can't even depend on themselves? Collects Astonishing X-Men #7-12.

Green Lantern Vol. 2: Revenge of the Green Lanterns

Geoff Johns

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

YES. 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Oh, my God, this is good. You need this book if you have ever in your life cared about superheroes. Buy it without a second thought.

Green good 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great story. I wish I would have read the volume before this one. I enjoy team ups.

Graphic SF Reader 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Green Lantern and Batman biffo.


Bats doesn't trust Hal Jordan because, well, he was previously a planet destroying, psychopathic madman.

Jordan thinks Wayne is an obsessed schemer, and both are macho types that like the ladies. Punches will be thrown and insults hurled.

Geoff Johns is the man! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I've never really cared about Green Lantern until i started reading the Sinestro Corps War and i loved that. I went back to start reading the first volumes of Green Lantern and this has become one of my favorite comic books. Buy anything Geoff Johns writes. I would recommend all the Green Lantern volume written by him.

Amazing 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This comic series is just amazing. I have read a view comics in the past, but the style and story of this series has got me hooked.

JLA/Avengers (DC and Marvel Comics)

Kurt Busiek

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Fun, Yet Frustrating 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The book starts off well enough, but by the end it dissolves into the kind of visual muck you might find in a "Where's Waldo" book. But let's start with the good. There haven't been many crossovers between DC and Marvel, and those that have come before Busiek's story have usually been of very questionable quality (I'm looking at you, DC Versus Marvel Comics). Busiek is a decent writer--probably one of the best B-List writers in superhero comics today--and during the first two and a half issues he manages to keep a pretty solid handle on the narrative.

The first two issues notify the reader that villains from the opposing universes are crossing over and causing trouble in their respectively alien worlds. Here is also set up what will be a short-lived quest narrative that sends the DC and Marvel heroes on a hunt for a dozen or so macguffins, during which the heroes (who have met many times in the aforementioned crossovers but seem to have forgotten this) get into brawls about who takes better care of their earth, who is more respected by non-powered civilians, and whose mother is ugliest. Superman and Captain America act like jerks for no good reason (though I recall it is explained by something concerning cosmological differences), and the JLA and Avengers simply go out of their way to find fault with the other party. Are they this rude when visiting superheroes on other planets in their own universes?

Issue three is the "mash-up" chapter, imagining what the DC and Marvel histories might have been like if they had enjoyed decades of regular and entertaining crossovers, rather than crossovers that were spotty and soul-deadening. At least, this is the first half of the issue. The last half is sparked by even more extreme rudeness from Superman and Captain America, leading to a realization that their universes were never meant to be this close together because of an inherent incompatibility. Insert meta-commentary here. Then the heroes are led to a moral dilemma which isn't really a moral dilemma (split the universes or be annihilated, which would you choose?), and is actually an excuse to have a multi-page spread of panels depicting the least enjoyable story lines from both publishers over the last few decades.

Issue four, by all rights, should have been the ultimate cosmic climax of any superhero narrative. Here we have the two greatest superhero teams from the two greatest comic publishers, fighting the villain who pridefully caused the greatest destruction ever in the DC universe, in his citadel built on the bones of one of the greatest Marvel villains. Instead we are treated with an all-out brawl featuring a constantly shifting cast of heroes against an bizarre cast of lesser villains. Don't these villains wish to prevent their own annihilation? I guess not. The big villain is defeated in a disappointing occurrence that can only be likened to a child demolishing a skyscraper with a pebble.

Parts of the story are thoroughly entertaining: the imagined history of team-ups, a bit of the commentary by the heroes about the opposing earths, Krona's wager, Metron's interference, the delicious art by George Perez. These things keep my review at three stars.

Still, the deficits are galling. Why is Krona still drawn like a blue pudgy man? Why do the heroes need to hate each other at the start and then switch to brown-nosed fawning at the end? Why is Krona's ultimate cosmic weapon so easily destroyed? Why did every single member of the JLA and Avengers have to make an appearance, including multiple versions of the same character, when sticking to just the "present" versions would have made for a more readable and enjoyable story? Still, kudos to Busiek for remembering that The Phantom Stranger was once a JLA member.

All in all, it's a fun read, but probably not worth paying full price to read.

Editorial Review:

The most powerful characters in two universes collide as DC's premier super-heroes meet Marvel's. Collected in a gorgeous two-volume oversized slipcased hardcover is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated and memorable crossover of all time, as the Justice League of America unites with The Avengers. Superman, Batman, and the other members of the JLA join forces with Captain America, Iron Man, and the many other Avengers to fight a threat so immense it threatens two entire dimensions. The second hardcover in this deluxe set features art and articles chronicling this historic crossover--which has been over twenty years in the making.

Green Lantern Vol. 1: No Fear

Geoff Johns

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Green Lantern Soars the Spaceways Again! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

GREEN LANTERN: NO FEAR is far less technically ambitious than its predecessor, REBIRTH. The previous novel in the "new" adventures of Hal Jordan basically had to re-invent the character and discard a decade and more of maltreatment of the character, in my opinion.

However, that said, NO FEAR offers a lot in the way of great character building. Geoff Johns's first graphic novel in the Green Lantern saga was all about getting back to the basics and skewering missed approaches to Hal Jordan. This volume reintroduces Hal Jordan and Green Lantern to the world as a human being and a hero. It's about history and family, about dreams and responsibilities, and the fact that there's precious little wiggle room for anybody trying to balance all those things and live a good life.

I especially loved the first story. The art by Darwyn Cooke was amazingly simple and really underscored the light but deep tale as Hal remembered his relationship with his test pilot father. The fact that Hal and Kyle Rayner (the latest Green Lantern, and the character that really split the polls on favorite Green Lanterns) are shown together and we get a sense of how that relationship is going. Johns could have totally blown off the Rayner character, but he chose to embrace him in the series to offer the readers the best of both possible worlds.

From there, the stories move into more Green Lantern history with the threat of a Manhunter, the androids created by the Guardians to police the spaceways before they created the Green Lantern Corps. The art is pretty cool, shows lots of action, and allows a great pacing for Johns's story.

I enjoyed the sequences with Hal's brother a lot too. Johns seems intent on advancing stories as much as he is on introducing back stories that we hadn't before seen. The story of why Hal got dishonorably discharged from the United States Air Force was especially emotionally compelling.

Johns also broadens his current Green Lantern universe by bringing in other old enemies: Hector Hammond and Black Hand. Both of those characters are far creepier and more dangerous than we've ever seen them before.

I have to admit that the scene where Hal pounded away at Hector Hammond when the man couldn't defend himself made me uncomfortable. On one level, I understood it because Hammond had used his mind-probing powers to assault Green Lantern, but it still just didn't seem like something Hal would do.

This collection of stories was much lighter than the arc that ran through REBIRTH. Since I read them so close together, I'm glad there was such a difference. REBIRTH emotionally exhausted me, but NO FEAR was - mostly - a fun romp.

The scene where Hal busted General Stone in the mouth the way he had all those years ago, and the fact that that clue was what gave away Hal's secret identity as Green Lantern, was great. I think having a USAF general know that Hal and Green Lantern are the same guy can't be anything but beneficial. (You still have to wonder how Clark Kent can go missing all the time from the DAILY PLANET.)

I've got two more of the graphic novels lined up to read, and I'm really looking forward to them. Johns is making magic again, and it's fun to watch.

Editorial Review:

Green Lantern Hal Jordan has returned from the dead -- but not everyone is happy to see him back on the job as Earth's protector.

As he re-establishes his life as a test pilot for the Air Force and reconnects with his super-hero comrades-in-arms, Green Lantern faces renewed threats from his rogues gallery of foes, including Hector Hammond, the Shark, Black Hand and the Manhunters.

This volume also includes a beautifully illustrated tale with art by Eisner Award winner Darwyn Cooke (DC: THE NEW FRONTIER), revealing the first time Hal's father took him flying as a child.

Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl Sticker Collection (Pokemon (DK Publishing))

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fun and filled with facts! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

My 6 year old son got this for Christmas and absolutely loved it! First, the book is filled with tons of stickers. Unlike the little DK sticker books that take about 15 minutes to complete, this took him literally 4 or 5 hours to finish. About half the stickers were supposed to go in designated spots in the book while the other half were "extra."

The book itself is a great resource you'd actually want to read again after you finished with the stickers. The first section has about 10 or 15 pages with the Sinnoh region Pokemon grouped by element (fire, electric, et cetera). By each sticker is a little blurb with the Pokemon's name, type, weight, and a little tidbit of something interesting about that Pokemon. The second section has stickers showing the evolution for each of the Diamond & Pearl Pokemon. A lot of the information is a repeat of what's in the Sinnoh handbook, but in a compact, visual way that's more fun to read. Definitely a good buy for any younger Pokemon fan!

Editorial Review:

Containing over 600 reusable, full-color stickers, this 96-page sticker collection includes all the PokŽmon found in the Sinnoh Region, some of which are featured in the hit TV series, "PokŽmon: Diamond and Pearl." Enter the land of Sinnoh, where you can visit old PokŽmon friends and meet new ones, and test your PokŽmon knowledge with an exclusive Evolutions section. Kids can organize their stickers by type with the fact boxes in the book, or use the extra easy-peel stickers to decorate their own folders.

The Amazing Spider-Man Pop-Up: Marvel True Believers Retro Collection

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Enjoyable pop-up with good engineering 5 out of 5 stars.
19 of 19 people found this review helpful.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RJD4PK46K9HE2 This is a brief video that gives you a peek inside this interesting pop-up book.

Involving pop-up 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

While is does tell a story, it also gives the reader the information about the characters that is not always apparent in the later cartoon series and movies. It does pop-up on every page, but there are pullout sections with more information about the characters--their "back" story. It involves the reader in the story.

Odd shaped book, but a nice one 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you collect Spider-Man stuff, this is a good addition. The pop-ups are nicely done, especially Doc Ock with all those tentacles. As with all pop-up books, this is not meant for younger children.

Editorial Review:

First in a series of four pop-tastic volumes: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! Follow Spidey as he makes his transformation from shy bookworm Peter Parker to friendly neighborhood web-slinger. Plus encounter his seven deadliest foes, including Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin, and Sandman. Kazam!