Highway Mini Conclusion

Issues 4 & 5 concluded this mini by writers Marc Barnardin and Adam Freeman and artist Lee Garbett.

I picked-up this series on the basis of good reviews on CBR and whilst it was certainly a good series, I probably could have lived without it. It was high on action, had snappy dialogue and reasonable art but other than the fact that the two main characters were old fogies there was nothing really original about it.

Well executed but ultimately it didn't have the spark which makes it stand out.

The covers were nothing special either, with issue 4's cover (shown above) being one of the best.

Rating 7/10

Waiting For Doctor Octopus

The new comics that I bought on Friday are beckoning and my "to read" pile is now quite large. But before I read them there's a couple more Spidey back issues from 1982 to review.

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-man #71 by Bill Mantlo and Rick Leonardi was an unusual Marvel comic as it was one with a message. The more guns there are out there in circulation, the more people will be killed.

Mantlo tells the story well enough without being too preachy an Leonardi's art is OK.

The funny thing is that I remembered this issue quite well even though I probably read it for the first time in 1985. That shows it can't have been too bad.

Rating 7/10


Issue # 72 was by the more regular team of Mantlo, Hannigan and Milgrom.

First off - I really like the cover. We expect the Spidey is tangling with Doc Ock, but inside we find out it's one of Doc Ock's biggest fans a schoolboy.

It's an offbeat and funny book which also does a fine job of raising expectations for next issues inevitable meeting with the real Doctor Octopus.

Hannigan's art continues to have a nice Ditko feel to it and that certainly contributes to a good comic.

Rating 7.5/10

The Death Knell of The Tarantula

It was a cracking, if not slightly silly, story in issues 233-236 of The Amazing Spider-man.

I've always liked the Tarantula as a Spidey Villain - probably for nostalgic reasons as much as anything - and it's a shame that he dies at the end of this 4 part epic. Still what a way to go - being transformed into a proper spider and going mad as a consequence.

The story also featured Will-O-The Wisp and the Brand Corporation who have been in the background in a number of stories recently. A number of the plot lines from a number of stories over the last few years (considering this was written in 1982) were tied-up. The Brand Corp were exposed and The Wisp finally got his revenge on the people responsible for making him what he is.

Although the story was pretty action packed, writer Roger Stern, still manages to fit in Pete's personal problems and he meets femme fatale Amy Powell for the first time.

One highlight was the clever way that Stern describes in issue 235 all the shenanigans that Brand have been up to in the past. I reckon that I have most of those issues!

John Romita Jr. drew all 4 parts and he's getting better all the time. Interestingly, his art looks better when not inked by Mooney. Both Dan Green and Frank Giacoia are better suited to his style.

Rating 8/10

New Comics and Music

I came home with the following after a trip to Forbidden Planet Coventry

Powers Vol. 2 26
Wolverine Annual 1
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man 24
Wolverine (2003) 58
Fantastic Four 550
Wolverine:Origins 18
Captain America (2005) 31
Mighty Avengers 5
New Avengers 35
Avengers: The Initiative 6
All Star Batman And Robin 7
Highwaymen 5

But I've also got some a new music DVD with bonus CD - Y&T live from October last year. Not from the gig I went to - but in the same week. I'm going to see them again on 30 Oct so its a timely arrival.

The Return of Cloak and Dagger

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-man #69 & #70 by Mantlo/Hannigan/Milgrom (from 1982)

These were good issues. Firstly both covers are very good but especially issue 70. The art inside was tip-top too. Hannigan definitely invokes a Ditko flavour and, combined with Al Milgrom on inks, I like his style a lot.

Mantlo's story which not only involves C & D (recently introduced in issue #64), but also a robocop Silvermane and, in the background creating mayhem, The Kingpin, is a good one. He does tend to use a few too many captions, but that could be just reading from todays perspective where they are seldom used.

C & D are not my favourite characters, but I seem to recall that this story is the first in a number where C & D, Silvermane and Kingpin all make trouble for Spidey in one way or another.

Rating 7.5/10

One trip - two trades!

Well I managed to read both trades on my trip to Germany. Both were great. Both were mature titles and both featured characters on the wrong side of the law.

More importantly, both had great dialogue and a good story. Both thoroughly recommended.

"Coward" by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips was a true crime story. Although the main character was sympathetic there were some really nasty characters in this book. It is a real gritty crime story - far better than "100 Bullets" by DC which I was disappointed with.

Criminal is an on-going title which I'll certainly continue to get as it comes out in collected form.

I probably enjoyed "The Hood" by Brian K. Vaughan and Kyle Hotz slightly more as it was set in the Marvel Universe and it was funny to see characters like Jack O' Lantern and The Shocker treated in an adult way.

I enjoyed this so much that I managed to read parts 1-5 straight through on the plane back to the UK. Pretty amazing for me. I read the 6th and final part when I got home.

This book had slightly more laughs and snappy dialogue than Criminal but this was clearly a super-hero comic, even if it was one with a twist.

Trip to Germany

No more blogs for a few days as I'm in Germany with work.

I am taking a couple of trade paperbacks to read when travelling so hopefully there will be something to review when I get back.