Rapid Reviews: RED HOOD/ARSENAL #4, MS. MARVEL 18, BATMAN #44, PLANET HULK #5

RED HOOD/ARSENAL #4

Writer:  Scott Lobdell
Artist:  Denis Medri
Colors:  Blond
Letters:  Dave Sharpe
Publisher:  DC Comics

Red Hood and Arsenal travel to Gotham City to clean up some loose ends.  They believe the villain Underbelly got his start there.  While in Gotham, they run into the new robo-Batman.

What I Liked

It is nice to see Red Hood/Arsenal tying into the larger Batman status-quo changes.  DC made a point to emphasize that they will be loose with their continuity to attract new readers.  However, there is still room for some connectivity across titles.

Artist Denis Medri’s work reminds me of Paco Medina or Pepe Larraz.  Character profiles are strongly defined, layouts and backgrounds are fully-formed, and action sequences hum with energy.

Even though Scott Lobdell keeps the focus on Red Hood, we see some character development with Arsenal.  He is a recovering alcoholic, so he spends time at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting during their stay in Gotham.  A Batman rogue happens to attend the meeting also.  It makes me wonder was there already established history between Arsenal and the rogue pre-or-post New 52 that I am not aware of.

I love how fun this comic is.  Even with it tying into Batman, his solo books are not necessary reading.  This is a bromance book for fans of humor and silly violence.

What I Didn’t Like

It didn’t seem believable to me how Lobdell tried to tie Underbelly to one random night in Gotham that Red Hood conveniently remembers.  I understand wanting to have Underbelly’s motivation and origin be meaningful, but it didn’t work for me.

MS. MARVEL #18

Writer:  G. Willow Wilson
Art:  Adrian Alphona
Color Art:  Ian Herring
Lettering:  VC’s Joe Caramagna
Publisher:  Marvel Comics

The Marvel universe is running out of time.  An incursion is taking place above New York City.  Residents are panicking.  Ms. Marvel, with the help of her idol, Captain Marvel, are doing their best to keep the peace.  But when an evil ex-crush, Kamran, kidnaps Kamala’s brother, things take a turn for the worst.  Kamran’s plan is to activate Aamir’s latent Inhuman abilities by exposing him to Terrigen.

What I Liked

The Captain Marvel/Ms. Marvel continues!  I am so glad that G. Willow Wilson was able to get this team-up done before All-New, All-Different Marvel starts.  It is adorable to see the admiration that Ms. Marvel has in her eyes for Captain Marvel.  Adrian Alphona can nail every single sparkle in Ms. Marvel’s eyes.  But Alphona may be the king of sprinkling in little nuggets in the background of panels.  Whenever the point of view extends far away, he will add the most hilarious facial expressions to characters.

Aamir’s reaction to the “Terrigen” he was exposed to was interesting.  Was it really Terrigen?  Is this setting up the conflict between Inhumans and mutants?

As much as Kamala believes that Aamir can’t stand her, she got to see with her own eyes and ears how much he cares for her.  Aamir stood up for Kamala against Kamran.  He is a proud Muslim-geek, and doesn’t want to change to fit into society’s idea of normal.

Aamir’s speech about Kamala not possibly knowing what it’s like to wake up with powers you can’t explain was priceless.  Again, Alphona creates the best possible reaction shots.

Kamran as the villain makes for a compelling arch-enemy for Kamala.  He is someone she originally looked up to.  For him to turn out to have evil intentions makes him the exact opposite of Kamala.

Oh, and that ENDING!!!!!!!!!  I wanted to scream from the rooftops when I saw that.  This sets up many story possibilities down the road.

What I Didn’t Like

Captain Marvel was a little too content with the world ending.  If that is the case, why is she even wasting time going along with Reed Richard’s plan and the life raft?  She admitted defeat too easily.

BATMAN #44

Story By:  Scott Snyder
Written By:  Scott Snyder and Brian Azzarello
Art By:  Jock
Color Art By:  Lee Loughridge
Letters By:  Deron Bennett
Published By:  DC Comics

In the present day, new villain Mr. Bloom is making life hard for the new Batman.  In Batman #44, we take a trip back to the past to see the secret origin of Mr. Bloom.

What I Liked

Even though Batman #44 took place in the past, the overall story mirrors current day events.  Even though he made his debut and exit in this issue, Peter Duggio was someone I would have loved to read more about.  Peter was a kid looking to care of his family and their property.  He did the best he could under the circumstances.  People from places like the Corner learn not to trust the police.  Again, mirroring current events.

With this being a one-off story, it made sense to utilize an existing villain to keep reader’s interest levels up.  That villain was The Penguin.  Batman, at the time, believed Penguin to be behind Peter’s death.

Jock’s style is very gritty, which matches the tale of Batman, Peter Duggio, Penguin, Mr. Bloom, and the Corner.  Lots of dark colors and shadows, setting the mood.

What I Didn’t Like

Having the newspaper clippings scattered around the background was an ingenious idea by Jock.  However, I wish it were easier to read the actual articles.  I got the gist of what they were saying, but a lot of sentences were cut off by thought balloons.

This was a Batman who was still new to the job.  Which Snyder and Azzarello showed by having Batman jump to conclusions and ultimately be wrong.  Seeing heroes be fallible helps show they are not perfect, but it came across that Batman had no clue what was really taking place.  Maybe that can be attributed to how clever a villain Mr. Bloom is being setup to be?

PLANET HULK #5

Writer:  Sam Humphries
Artist:  Marc Laming
Colors:  Jordan Boyd
Letters:  VC’s Travis Lanham
Production Design:  Manny Mederos
Publisher:  Marvel Comics

The gladiator Steve Rogers has come to the end of his journey to find his warbound companion, Bucky Barnes.  In the Mud Kingdom, Steve is face-to-face with its ruler, the Red King.  Secrets are revealed that will leave you speechless.

What I Liked

Every aspect of Planet Hulk has been masterfully put together.  Marc Laming is doing some of the best work of his career.  Between Greenland, Doc Green, Steve Rogers, and flashbacks to Steve and Bucky, there isn’t a lackluster page or panel.

The twists that Sam Humphries orchestrated took me by surprise.  It seemed logical that Bucky would be dead.  But the second reveal was a shocker.  Looking back, it makes complete sense.  Very well done.

The beauty of Secret Wars is seeing a different Steve Rogers than we are accustomed to.  Gladiator Rogers is highly emotional, and is easily manipulated.

Even Devil Dinosaur comes across as a relatable character during his reaction to finding out Bucky is deceased.

What I Didn’t Like

It would have been nice to see flashbacks to what happened to Bucky once he made it to the Mud Kingdom and encountered the Red King.