1st issue Challenge

[BobBretall]

Galveston #1 (Boom!) The solicit for this was much better than the actual issue. What if the pirate John Lafitte & legendary texan Jim Bowie had adventures together in Galveston? Sounded cool to me. What I got was a really weak first issue with the two main characters just making it to Galvston by the end of the first issue after a not very interesting set up. Combined with really weak art, this is a "don't bother" book.

I am confused in the Comics discussion for the top 300 you mentioned that you liked this book. Did you mix it up with something else. It was around the time you were discussing Castle Waiting.

I liked the IDEA of this book very much, and the promo stuff I saw (the covers are GREAT and so different from the interior art that I can only give Boom! a "Wag of the Finger" for what amounts to false advertising on this series).....and I ordered the series in total prior to reading #1, in some respects based on the track record Boom! and the writer had with me.

To be fair, the story (while slow in #1) picked up in #2. The writer (Johanna Stokes) wrote Station, which I enjoyed quite a lot, and my distaste for this book runs mostly to the art not working for me (& it may work for others). That being said, the story in #1 could have gotten off to a better start, and would work better in a trade format as the 1st 20 pages or so of an 80-page continuous work.

Just goes to show that I can get "swept up in the hype" and re-affirms my "try before you buy" where I should only order #1 and not commit to further issues before seeing & reading #1 (which I ignored for this series, featuring an artist I was not familiar with). It also tells me that I definitely need to give priority to reading any #1 comics I buy right away and not let them pile up.

So, I picked up & read this book that just came in my latest shipment:
Mister X: Condemned #1 (Dark Horse) This is a series I bought mostly based on memories of liking the series from tears ago. This new effort is very different from my memories. Where I remember a really unique noir-ish art-style & feel, what I got in this issue was much more minimalist & cartoony on the art front. The story was pretty good, Mister X does not show up until the last panel, but this is par for the course as I recall him playing a very off-screen role in the series that had the city of Somnopolis itself be the main character. In any event, I was REALLY looking forward to this series, and it didn't live up to my memory/expectations. That's not the fault of the creator, it more like when you are expecting one taste & you get a very different one. It could still be a good taste, but it does not leave you feeling satisfied because you were craving something else.

[Koete]

Incognito #1 - I picked this up after being blown away by the first volume of Criminal. While I wasn't blown away by this issue, it was still an excellent book. Brubaker writes great crime and Philips' art (along with Val Staples' colors) is top notch. I also dig the aspect of it being from the point of view of a super-villain in a MR rated book. There are a lot of unanswered questions concerning the main character and the universe that I look forward to finding out the answers to.

[Frank Castle]

Was at a LCS today and grabbed Incognito. Not sure why I didn't pre order it since I loved Sleeper and Criminal from the same creative team. This was a good starter issue. Plenty of action and enough to get me excited and interested in ordering it.

[BobBretall]

Incognito #1 (Marvel) - I liked this series. Not as much as Criminal, but enough to get it on an ongoing basis

War Machine#1 (Marvel) - I like this take on Rhodey/War Machine, the emphasis on him as a soldier (willing to do what a soldier will do to stop an enemy) moreso than as a standard super-hero is an interesting take, and different enough from other books coming out that I'll keep on getting this one.

[Frank Castle]

Punisher #1 - Come on, was I going to give it any other color? Remender and Opena did quite well on the first issue. Having the Sentry show up wasn't as weird as I thought it would be when I saw the preview. I liked Opena's art and Frank didn't look like Heath from Fear Agent, so that is good too!!

My one beef with the issue was the price. 3.99 is a little steep for 22-24 pages. Then they threw in previews of the new Agents book and then 10 pages for that Saga stuff Marvels been doing that recaps the history of a character. 48 pages was a lie!! I think the price drops back to 2.99 going forward. I think.

[BobBretall]

Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy #1 (DC) - Even though Geoff Johns was writing this one, I kind of got a *meh* feeling from the story, though I can see other folks liking it, as it does add a new twist to the Grundy character. I really did not care for the art, and I definitely won't be picking up the follow-on Grundy mini-series.

Secret Invasion: War of Kings - Inhumans #1 (Marvel) - I really liked this issue, Abnett & Lanning did some really cool and fresh stuff with the Inhumans. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't detail any of the really cool moments, but this was a GREAT issue. If A&L are writing it, I'll be picking up the 6 issue War of Kings mini when it comes out.

[BobBretall]

Punisher #1 (Marvel) - This issue is a great example of why the Punisher does not work in the mainstream Marvel Universe:
(1) Marvel heroes take a dim view on guys who go around killing people
(2) Sentry (e.g. Marvel’s Superman clone) should be able to catch Punisher and have him in a jail cell before Frank Castle could finish pulling the trigger on a gun.
This situation was not helped by the fact that the Punisher Saga backup in this issue gives recaps of every terribly lame Punisher crossover with Marvel heroes from the past 20 years.

This is nothing against Rick Remender, who is a great writer, but despite that fact, my opinion is that if you want to read the Punisher, stick to the Max title (unless you're such a hardcore Punisher fan that you have to get his EVERY appearance, I'm talking about you, FrankCastle....)

[comicm]

Incognito #1 (Marvel) - I liked this series. Not as much as Criminal, but enough to get it on an ongoing basis

War Machine#1 (Marvel) - I like this take on Rhodey/War Machine, the emphasis on him as a soldier (willing to do what a soldier will do to stop an enemy) moreso than as a standard super-hero is an interesting take, and different enough from other books coming out that I'll keep on getting this one.

I agree with both of your assessments here. War Machine really really suprised me.

[IanG]

Locke and Key Head Games #1 (of 6) from IDW (Should be green text here but I couldn't get it to work) - I thought this was great first issue of a second series. It has just the right amount of suspense and creepiness for me to want to read on a monthly. I don't think you need to have read the first series, "Welcome to Lovecraft," to understand what is going on in this new series. The artwork from Gabriel Rodriguez is really top notch. IDW is producing some nice comic books and I'm looking forward to what else they've got in 2009.

Edit: I added the green in for you - Bob

[HassanT]

Behind on posting on this thread:

Incognito #1 - I really loved this book. At this point, Ed Brubaker can do no wrong for me. (I was a big fan of his when his primary work was at Vertigo and WS).

Punisher #1 - I really like this book more than I thought would. This was a last minute add to my DCBS pull list and I am glad I did it. I thought both the story and art really clicked for me. I dropped Punisher War Journal because I thought Chaykin's art was not the right fit for the story that Fraction was telling.

War Machine #1 - This was another last minute add and I enjoyed the first issue enough where I will continue at least for the first story arc. With the amount of books that the big two are putting out, this could be a book I drop to pick up another book.

Dark Avengers #1 - For a book where the mysterious Dark Avengers were not a surprise, I really loved this book. In fact, I have to say that this is the best first issue I read in a long-time. Bendis talent of writing great dialog really shows in this issue. I guess just like OMD, how Marvel got here was badly done, but I am enjoying the stories after SI #8.

FOE: Prometheus #1 - Probably the best FOE I read so far. Gates did a brilliant job of "revamping" the character to be the menace that he should have been when he was introduced.

FOE Solomon Grundy # 1 - I have mixed thoughts on this book. I didn't think that this book was great, but I did think it was interesting. I also though Kolins art was a good fit for the character. I am not sure if I will pre-order the series or not. I do have a feeling that this character and book will somehow tie into Blackest Night since he is a character that dies and then comes back from the dead.

FOE Deathstroke #1 - The worst FOE that I read so far. A complete waste of time. Definitely a "filler" story. After reading this issue, I feel that DC should retire the whole Wilson clan for awhile and it makes me worry about the Titans crossover (Not sure if this will connect to it, but supposedly every FOE special will connect to a future storyline in a DC book).

[Trev]

Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #1:: This book seems to be trying to imitate last year's MODOK's 11. It's a light-hearted villain book that seems to be moving through various villain teams chasing some MacGuffin for Doom. This issue features the Sinister Six. Next issue appears to be the Masters of Evil.

The script is laden with hip dialogue and references that might feel out of character for some of the villains, but is overall a fun one-and-done type book.

The art is uneven throughout. There were 2 different artists and 3 inkers on the book. The middle seems to be done by the second guy on the list and the quality drops quite a bit.

In tone and style, it is like Marvel Adventures:Avengers, X-Men: First Class, or last year's similarly themed MODOKs 11. It's not as good as any of those series, which is why I marked it yellow. If you like those series, you'll probably find some good moments in this book. If you don't, you'll probably hate this book.

[IanG]

Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #1:: This book seems to be trying to imitate last year's MODOK's 11. It's a light-hearted villain book that seems to be moving through various villain teams chasing some MacGuffin for Doom. This issue features the Sinister Six. Next issue appears to be the Masters of Evil.

The script is laden with hip dialogue and references that might feel out of character for some of the villains, but is overall a fun one-and-done type book.

The art is uneven throughout. There were 2 different artists and 3 inkers on the book. The middle seems to be done by the second guy on the list and the quality drops quite a bit.

In tone and style, it is like Marvel Adventures:Avengers, X-Men: First Class, or last year's similarly themed MODOKs 11. It's not as good as any of those series, which is why I marked it yellow. If you like those series, you'll probably find some good moments in this book. If you don't, you'll probably hate this book.

I agree with your assessment here and I probably won't get the second issue. I'll check it out at the LCS but I don't expect to be buying it. The art style, which is a bit cartoonish, isn't to my liking. I don't think I'm the target audience, so it might be read better title for a young teen. I'm glad I checked it out nonetheless.

[JohnMayo]

Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #1:: This book seems to be trying to imitate last year's MODOK's 11. It's a light-hearted villain book that seems to be moving through various villain teams chasing some MacGuffin for Doom. This issue features the Sinister Six. Next issue appears to be the Masters of Evil.

The script is laden with hip dialogue and references that might feel out of character for some of the villains, but is overall a fun one-and-done type book.

The art is uneven throughout. There were 2 different artists and 3 inkers on the book. The middle seems to be done by the second guy on the list and the quality drops quite a bit.

In tone and style, it is like Marvel Adventures:Avengers, X-Men: First Class, or last year's similarly themed MODOKs 11. It's not as good as any of those series, which is why I marked it yellow. If you like those series, you'll probably find some good moments in this book. If you don't, you'll probably hate this book.

I agree with your assessment here and I probably won't get the second issue. I'll check it out at the LCS but I don't expect to be buying it. The art style, which is a bit cartoonish, isn't to my liking. I don't think I'm the target audience, so it might be read better title for a young teen. I'm glad I checked it out nonetheless.

I was expecting something a little more "serious" and not something as light and fluffy as this was. It was good but not excellent. Personally, I felt that the MODOK's 11 was a bit better than this and more of a typical comic while Dr Doom and the Masters of Evil felt more like a title aimed at younger readers.

[Frank Castle]

Dark Avengers #1 - I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed more than I thought I would and more than I wanted too. Bendis has a knack for telling team books. I did feel like it was a "thunderbolt" rip off but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. In fact I enjoyed it more than the real Thunderbolts book. I may have to pick up more of these.

[JohnMayo]

Dark Avengers #1 - I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed more than I thought I would and more than I wanted too. Bendis has a knack for telling team books. I did feel like it was a "thunderbolt" rip off but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. In fact I enjoyed it more than the real Thunderbolts book. I may have to pick up more of these.

You've got a good point about Dark Avengers being better than Thunderbolts. I think that Thunderbolts started out really, really strong back in the day (I'd have given the original Thunderbolts #1 a 5 out of 5) but hasn't been at the peak for a while. Part of the problem I've had with the Thunderbolts title was the bimonthly schedule it had between May 2007 and May 2008. It killed the story momentum and hasn't really recovered from that for me.