REVIEW: Black Condor issue #1 & 2

Writer: Brian Augustyn
Artist: Rags Morales
Colors: Eric Kachelhofer
Review: Madman

A few years back I came across some issues of Black Condor in a lowly, yellowed long box at this local large consignment-type dirt mall I frequent from time to time (same place I found Iron Fist #11 for less then two bucks). I snatched them up for the simple fact that I’d never heard of the Black Condor, as I don’t frequent the DCU much, and I dig characters that dress as birds and fly around. Not sure why, really, I just do. Adrian Toomes…big fan. Sam Wilson…big fan (The movie version is fantastic. Good on you Anthony Mackie). Hawkman (one of the few DC characters I follow) and Archangel (meh on Angel) . . . I’m on board.

Sooooo yeah, Black Condor, why not? I never actually read said rescued Black Condor books, I just bagged them and threw them in the box with my meager DC comic collection, promptly forgetting about them until recently when I stumbled across issues 1 & 2 in a 50¢ box at the local funny book convention. Was it fate?

REVIEW: Flash #84

Story: Mark Waid
Pencils: Barry Kitson, Ian Akin, Jose Marzan, Jr., and Ken Branch
Colorist: Gina Going
Review: Art Bee

During my school days (yes, I am showing my age here) there was a neat sensation called “Pogs”. This was not only a hobby but a game as well. You collected Pogs with various themes and characters on them, and then to play, you and someone else would stack Pogs in a single stack and use a “Slammer” to slam the stack. Any Pogs that land on the ground face up are yours to keep.

When I opened the pages of Flash #84, a scene featuring Wally West and a couple of kids playing greeted me and sent me back to my school days playing this game. The good ol’ days . . .

I’m back.

Believe it or not, this is the first Flash comic book I have read. Honestly I have had a hard time in my life getting onboard with a hero whose power is to run away. In spite of that, this comic was very enjoyable. The artwork was crisp, clean, and consistent despite having four artists working on it. It was not obvious there were this many working on it by reading the book. Today, how much variation is there when several artists collaborate on an issue? The recent ones I have seen are drastically different in style. The only reason I can think of for this is standards. Marvel and DC used to have standards for their comics and characters. Today, not so much. Marvel and DC treat their intellectual properties as whores and pimp them out to anyone to work with.

REVIEW: The Crew #1

Writer: Christopher Priest 
Artist: Joe Bennett
Review: Will Dubbeld

LUUUUUUKE CAAAAAAGE!
. . . does not appear in this book.
On a sugar-high caused by the hype surrounding Netflix's Luke Cage series, I dug out some Dollar Box issues of Christopher Priest's The Crew thinking Mr. Cage appeared within.

 I was mistaken.

 The Crew features James 'War Machine' Rhodes in the spotlight, not 1/2 of Heroes for Hire. I expected Cage to show up with every page turn, but closed the book disappointed and had to consult the Internet before learning he didn't appear in the series whatsoever. 

 I was not, however, disappointed with what I did find in The Crew.

 The framework of Christopher Priest's first issue deals with the murder of Rhodey's sister and his investigation into the circumstances and individuals involved. At the book's opening, we find the former Iron Man bankrupt and hocking watches and old Starktech before hightailing to New York City to identify his sister's body.

REVIEW: What if ...? #12 vol 2

Writer and Pencils: Jim Valentino
Inks: Sam de la Rosa
Colors: Tom Vincent
Letters: Phil Felix
Review: Madman

I don’t know who keeps putting these damn What If books in the dollar box, but they sure do have a lot of my dollars. This issue asks the question WHAT IF...!?!?!?! the X-Men had stayed in Asgard? It’s a valid question I suppose, but I wasn’t really aware the X-Men had even gone to Asgard in the first place. In all honesty I’ve never really been into Thor, Asgard, or the X-Men for that matter. In all honester honesty I've dabbled with the X-Men from time to time. A nifty foil cover here and there will sucker me in with the rest of you and if Gambit, Nightcrawler, or Wolverine are featured I just might buy multiple copies. Thor books never make it to the register. It’s a language thing. That Old English lingo just kills it for me, every time I read a “thee” or “ hath” it’s like nails on a chalkboard. If I was forced to choose between reading a stack of Thor comics or Before Watchmen, I’d choose Before, even the Silk Specter books, that’s the extent of it. In fact up until the MCU came to be my favorite incarnation and the full extent was the mechanic guy from Adventures in Babysitting. That being said none of my prejudices mattered because: