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Dan S. (raptorinside) - Reviews

1 to 9 of 9
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 5: Ghost Box
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 5: Ghost Box
Author: Warren Ellis
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 7/29/2012


I went with 3 stars for the story, minus one for the artwork. The story was good, but it all ended rather abruptly. I felt that Ellis was on the verge of setting up something really interesting with Forge and the whole Alternate Earth bit, but then it's all over in one sudden swoop and the next volume goes into a completely different direction. I'm a huge fan of Ellis' work. While I did like this story, this was certainly not his best. It doesn't even begin to compare to Whedon's run. I kind of felt like it just gave up at the end, thus rendering itself forgettable.

My biggest criticism, however, is the art. More specifically the coloring and layout. It looked like every image was put through a low resolution filter - even the bright and sunny two-page panel of Tian looked deprived of actual light. On top of that the paneling choices were strange and awkward. All of this made the action sequences nearly impossible to follow. I'm all for moving away from conventional layouts, so long as they work with the story. In this case, the story could have benefitted from some convention in that regard.


Astonishing X-Men Vol. 6: Exogenetic
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 6: Exogenetic
Author: Warren Ellis
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 7/29/2012


A significant improvement from Volume 5, and on par with Whedon's run. I liked the story and it's pacing, but the ending was a bit abrupt. I'm not a fan of the whole "bad guy fully explains his plot and motives" ending. That aside, the artwork was solid and it was an enjoyable read.


Ex Machina Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days
Ex Machina Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 33
Review Date: 7/29/2012


A pretty solid start to an interesting concept. A good mix of superhero tropes with modern day politics. While I wasn't blown away, I'm eager to find out what happens next.


Ex Machina Vol. 2: Tag (Ex Machina)
Ex Machina Vol. 2: Tag (Ex Machina)
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 11
Review Date: 7/29/2012


The story really starts taking off in this volume. I can't say I'm liking it as much as Y: The Last Man, but I'm certainly enjoying this series so far. The artwork fits the story nicely, too. It looks like I'll be sticking with this one after all.


Ex Machina, Vol. 4: March to War
Ex Machina, Vol. 4: March to War
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 7/29/2012


The more the story delves into the exploits of The Great Machine, the more I tend to enjoy it. Not that I don't like the present timeline where Mr. Hundred is NYC's mayor, I just find the backstory more interesting at this point. Here we get the present storyline following a protest of the Iraq War, followed by the revelation of The Great Machine's nemesis - Pherson. The artwork has it's really weak moments, again I can't tell if it's necessarily the penciling or if the coloring just washes over certain people and makes them difficult to distinguish from one another. At it's best, the art is fairly conventional (which is not necessarily a complaint) with some weak, perhaps lazy moments in regards to detail. Overall, it's hard to rate these chapter by chapter when it's distinctly possible I'll feel different about certain aspects when I finally get to the end. That being said, I'm enjoying it thus far and will definitely continue reading.


Ex Machina Volume 3: Fact vs Fiction
Ex Machina Volume 3: Fact vs Fiction
Author: Tony Harris
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 7/29/2012


It's holding my interest, for sure. I was hoping they'd go more into the origin of the device that made the Great Machine after what was unearthed in Volume 2, but I'm guessing that's being saved for a later arc. Having second thoughts on the artwork; can't tell if it's the penciling or the coloring that looked awful in some of the "Off the Grid" panels. Overall I enjoyed it.


Finder Library: Volume 1
Finder Library: Volume 1
Author: Carla Speed McNeil
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 3/16/2012
Helpful Score: 1


I came to reading Finder because one my favorite comic series' (Digger by Ursula Vernon) had been compared to it numerous times. I can see where those comparisons were coming from, but I find that they are very different experiences. Where Digger is an epic adventure, Finder is more of a dense and convoluted daydream.



The bulk of this volume is comprised of the "Sin Eater" narrative. Where I found parts of it really interesting, I found other parts extremely boring. Half of the time I felt like I had no idea what was going on. It took a considerable effort to make myself finish it. "King of the Cats" was my least favorite story in here, while "Talisman" was a nice refreshing perspective on the art of storytelling.



Overall, I can say I liked Finder, but definitely didn't love it. It had some great artwork and some truly beautiful passages, but ultimately I found it too dense to really enjoy.


Hard Boiled
Hard Boiled
Author: Frank Miller
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 3/16/2012


Overall, I thought this was a pretty big disappointment. The storyline was alright I guess, but Ive seen too many times before. None of the characters were memorable, likeable, or all that interesting. It was just a lot of senseless violence that didn't seem to really have a purpose in the end.



The biggest let down here was the artwork - both the penciling and coloring. Based on the other reviews, I seem to be alone here. Half of the time I could barely tell what I was looking at. The characters were all drawn unnecessarily grotesque. There were also a few too many full paged panels, and I felt that it took away from the effectiveness of using a full page.



By far, this is my least favorite of Frank Miller's work.


Hard Boiled
Hard Boiled
Author: Frank Miller, Geof Darrow
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 2/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 3/16/2012


Overall, I thought this was a pretty big disappointment. The storyline was alright I guess, but Ive seen too many times before. None of the characters were memorable, likeable, or all that interesting. It was just a lot of senseless violence that didn't seem to really have a purpose in the end.



The biggest let down here was the artwork - both the penciling and coloring. Based on the other reviews, I seem to be alone here. Half of the time I could barely tell what I was looking at. The characters were all drawn unnecessarily grotesque. There were also a few too many full paged panels, and I felt that it took away from the effectiveness of using a full page.



By far, this is my least favorite of Frank Miller's work.


1 to 9 of 9