Comics

G.I. JOE: Snake Eyes #1

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snake-eyes-1-coverCobra Commander is dead, and he’s not the only one. Six JOEs are dead as well. Each one was personally trained by Snake Eyes and the man responsible is holed-up at the top of a mountain. As COBRA scrambles to find a new leader, Snake Eyes will lead a team (including Agent Helix, Alpine, and Iceberg) up a mountain to find the secret Himalayan fortress of Rajah Vikrim Khallikhan.

There are some great action sequences on the side of the mountain as well as flashbacks to Snake Eyes’ earlier attempts to track down Khallikhan – a man going to great links not to be found.

Robert Atkins knows how to draw Snake Eyes in both his silent somber and total kick-ass moments so well that I don’t want to see anyone else’s take on him for a long time. It’s hard to get both right and Atkins seems to do it effortlessly here. He even looks cool in his semi-ridiculous Hoth gear. The story, from Chuck Dixon, ain’t too shabby either. Must-read.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Batman and Robin #23

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batman-and-robin-23-coverWriter Judd Winick, who seems to be all over the DCU these days, takes over the writing duties with this issue. It’s appropriate that Winick writes the return of Jason Todd story as it was his tale that brought the former Robin back from the dead and transformed him into a bloodthirsty anti-hero.

Sadly Winick is forced to deal with a Jason Todd that still has Grant Morrison‘s fingerprints all over him. We get the red hair (which I’m okay with) and, if the covers are to be believed, the return of the Captain Red Penis Head costume (which I’m not okay with).

The issue begins, after a quick recap of the character, with a conversation between Batman and his former sidekick. What works so well here is how Bruce honestly doesn’t know how to communicate with someone who has gone so far off the path he laid out for him.

From their we see the Red Hood swiftly killing enemies (brutally) and prompting a prison transfer back to Arkham Asylum which results in his eventual escape (but hopefully not the return of the penis head costume).

The Red Hood is out, and things should be about to get interesting. I actually like this version of Jason Todd (in the biker outfit, not the worst comic costume of all-time), and I’m hoping by the end of the storyline we get a little better sense of how he’s going to fit into the DCU and, more specifically, the Batman universe. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side #1

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star-wars-jedi-dark-side-1-coverFifty-three years before the Battle of Yavin, and twenty-one years before the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the Jedi Council uncovers dark rumblings in the Outer Rim Territories.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan Xantos (a noble of Telos IV) will be sent, along with Jedi Master Tahl and her padawan Orykan, to Xantos’ home planet to stop a political assassination and a conspiracy which threatens the lives of everyone on the planet.

This new series from writer Scott Allie and artist Mahmud Asrar will focus on Qui-Gon Jinn’s years working on the Outer Rim long before he would take on a padawan named Obi-Wan Kenobi. The first issue sets up the characters and situations which will play an integral part in the first five-issue story arc, but it doesn’t do much more than that. I also found Asrar’s art a bit sloppy in places. The close-ups of each character are very detailed and you can tell why he was chosen for the project, but the larger shots seem rushed and a little blurry. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Power Girl #24

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power-girl-24-coverAfter two months of Power Girl fighting rampaging magical dinosaurs with Superman writer Judd Winick give us a much more personal story this time around. What would it be like if you had powers, but because of your ethnicity were afraid to use them? In a crisis, with no other choice you saved a plane full of people, only to be held responsible for the accident instead of being seen as a hero.

That’s the crux of this issue’s tale as an Arab-American is held for months without bail, trial, the right to an attorney, or any contact with the outside world. We’re given the tale from Rayhan’s point of view and watch as his patience and attempts to follow the rules only allow him to be painted the villain and given no real chance to prove his innocence.

The B-story of the issue deals with Power Girl ranting to Batman about the troubles with her new public identity of Karen Starr. Although not nearly as engaging, these scenes help lighten the mood a bit and continue to move that storyline forward. Must-read.

[DC, $2.99]

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Comic Rack

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It’s a new week so it must be time to talk about comics! Welcome to the RazorFine Comic Rack boys and girls. Pull up a bean bag and take a seat at feet of the master as we offer you this quick list of all kinds of comic book goodness set to hit comic shops and bookstores this week from all your favorite publishers including DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, BOOM!, Dynamite, Image Comics, and others.

This week includes Action Comics, American Vampire, Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, Carbon Grey, Deadpool, Detective Comics, Gotham City Sirens, Green Lantern, Hellraiser, Mighty Sampson, The Mission, Secret Avengers, Skullkickers, Uncanny X-Men, the first issues of Charlaine Harris’ Grave Sight, Cobra, DuckTales, and the final issues of Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine, inFamous, Onslaught Unleashed, Power Man and Iron Fist, Star Wars: Darth Vader and The Lost Command, and Star Wars: Legacy – War.

Enjoy issue #129

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