2.5 Razors

Kung Fu Panda #6

/ / Comics

kung-fu-panda-6-coverThe final issue in the mini-series finds Po set against his most formidable foe yet – his own stomach. To help teach the Dragon Warrior discipline Shifu orders Po to fast for 24 hours. However, it appears the universe has something else in mind as his surroundings keep tempting him with food including a dumpling eating contest that a weary Po stumbles on while struggling with his fast.

Artist Christine Larsen returns to do the art for the main story. I like her art, but with these characters I want a little more cartoonish fun and a little less emphasis on the animalistic nature of each character (Tigress especially looks rather feral).

Monkey takes center stage in the issue’s (mostly forgettable) back-up story as he infiltrates a band of monkey bandits in order to take them down from the inside. The series has been fun at times, even if it has dragged a bit over the final few issues. Ape Entertainment already has a sequel in the works so more Kung Fu Panda fun is on the way. For fans.

[Ape Entertainment, $3.99]

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #10

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btvs-season-nine-10-coverBuffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #10 concludes the “Apart of Me” storyline which found Buffy‘s consciousness trapped in the body of a Buffybot and her body’s new personality under the brainwashing of psycho slayer Simone.

Although I think the arc has provided some nice moments it ends more with a whimper than a bang. Don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly not a bad issue, but it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect (without a big Buffy vs. Buffy throwdown). Buffy gets reunited with herself, Simone gets away, and everything goes back to normal (or whatever Buffy’s version of normal is).

The only real lasting effect of the arc is Spike, realizing there’s no hope for vamp and slayer, deciding on his own to leave. Although it provides a nice moment for Spike it also removes yet another one of the comic’s most entertaining characters. Next issue marks the return of Kennedy who hopefully will breathe some new life back into the Buffyverse. For fans.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Worlds’ Finest #2

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worlds-finest-new-52-2-coverI was surprised at home much I enjoyed the first issue of Worlds’ Finest which reintroduced Huntress and Power Girl as heroes from Earth-2 stranded in the New 52 DC Universe.

Although the second issue isn’t bad, it’s certainly has to be considered a disappointment. Sure we get a few more flashbacks to the ladies early days on a new Earth (but even these are rather bland), and I certainly liked the idea of how Power Girl fuels Starr Industries (by mining rare minerals such as Dysprosium from deep in the ocean), but neither battle between the pair and the radioactive Hakkou, who destroys a large section of a Starr development site for unclear motives, is all that interesting.

Issue #2 feels a less focused than the first issue, and Hakkou is yet another throwaway New 52 villain (whose motives and ties to Apokolips are sketchy at best). Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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Avengers vs. X-Men #5

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Avengers vs. X-Men #5If you were wondering how Marvel Comics was going to draw out Hope Summers becoming the Phoenix over a twelve-issue maxi-series, issue #5 answers that question with an unexpected bait-and-switch.

On the moon where the Avengers and X-Men battle and the Phoenix Force arrives, Iron Man and Giant Man create an ill-explained kamikaze robot created to disperse the the Phoenix Force before it can completely merge with hope. However, their plan doesn’t quite give them the expected outcome.

Although Hope Summers is denied the Phoenix Force, it instead it finds itself dispersed among five of the X-Men – Cyclops, Colossus, Magik, Emma Frost, and Namor who take Hope “home” to save here, heal her, and prepare her for what is to come.

Honestly, as twists got this one is pretty damn dumb, but having the power dispersed among five different X-Men may create some unusual battles over the next few issues before Marvel finally relents and gives us the only thing we’re reading this comic for – the new Phoenix. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Kung Fu Panda #5

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kung-fu-panda-5-coverAfter four months where the mini-series had apparently run its course, Ape Entertainment’s Kung Fu Panda returns with the first of two new issues before beginning a new series Tales of the Dragon Warrior.

In the main story, “Discipline & Disorder,” Tigress and Po are sent to a nearby village under attack by the warlord Mei, a fox with an army and an invisible striking attack. When the pair find themselves outsmarted and stuck together in a Chinese finger trap they have to learn to work together to survive.

In the short back-up story, “Grrls Night Out,” Tigress and Viper attend the village of Lin Ju’s harvest celebration only to get in a bar fight at a local tavern started by two trying to hit on them.

Although neither adventure is terrific, each is fun and has a nice moral for kids. At $4 the price will always be high for this title, but fans of the characters should enjoy this one. For fans.

[Ape Entertainment, $3.99]

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