Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Black Panther" #6 / "Deathstroke" #2

"Black Panther" #6: Wakanda's lore and how Coates presents it is still supreme, but, unfortunately, the series doesn't have much else to it at the moment. A stronger focus on story, action and dialogue would go a long way in making Black Panther the exceptional series again we were used to.

6/10

"Deathstroke" #2: It's disrupted, time-hopping narrative mode is still the strong point in a series that doesn't yet really knows where it's going. The next issues will hopefully sharpen Priest's vision of the mercenary, who's hardly playing any part in this one here.


6/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Daredevil" #10 / "Black Panther" #5 / "All Star Batman" #1

"Daredevil" #10: It takes a while for this new story arc to get out of the gates, but once in full swing, it is a thoroughly strong statement, artistically and narratively, from Soule and Garney.

8/10

"Black Panther" #5: Not quite the action yet promised after #4, but the interconnectedness and complexity of the comic's themes and motifs still makes this a must-read of 2016.

8/10

All Star Batman #1: Its theme of the potential evil which lurks in every common citizen and just needs to be triggered is nothing new in Snyder's Batman lore (just think of the "Mr. Bloom" story line). However, everything else here isn't, as Snyder, Romita and Shalvey go crazy with what Batman can be in 2016. 

10/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Black Panther" #4 / "Aquaman" #1 / "Batman" #2

Black Panther #4: With its complex philosophy and politics running so deep, and its characters being wonderfully ambiguous instead of only black and white, the only thing really missing was some kick-ass action. With #5 promising exactly that, "Black Panther" could manifest itself even more as one of 2016's best comic book series.

9/10

"Aquaman" #1: The story plays it relatively safe, as Aquaman is plagued with some well-tested enemies and personal conflicts. However, Walker's light art and Eltaeb's impressive color palette capture the beauty of Atlantean life in great fashion.

7/10

"Batman" #2: The slow pace and art style feel welcomingly retro, and Tom King has a real sense for the kind of dry humor that benefits both Batman himself and Commissioner Gordon. Anybody who was skeptical after Scott Snyder left the main series should now be convinced that Batman is indeed in good hands here.

9/10

Review: "Deadpool" #15

The "Civil War II" part here is actually the one that manages to convince least, as the "Mercs For Money" prove that they can even be fun(nier) without their masks. 

But the highlight here definitely has to be the epic "Deadpool vs. Black Panther" fight in the Triskelion, as the two battle it out over almost half the comic. Bawdy but never embarrassing, with a surprising chemistry and dynamic, it's Wade and T'Challa in the most unlikely brawl of "Civil War II". 

7/10

Further Links:

Deadpool #14

Deadpool v Gambit #1

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #5

Review: "Black Panther" #3

The noose around T'Challa tightens more and more in Black Panther #3, as enemies manifest themselves and friends thin out. It's also the first time that the Panther engages in an extended fight scene, and it is here that we see one of the comic's rare shortcomings, as artist Brian doesn't manage to translate the Damisa-Sarki's raw power onto the comic's pages. 

Nevertheless, Coates' storytelling is still brilliant, and the constant change in narrative perspective adds multiple and valuable perspectives to Black Panther's themes, making for an overall exceptional comic experience. 

8/10

Further Links:

Black Panther #1

Black Panther #2

Review: "Black Panther" #2

You should be happy to hear that Black Panther #2 ties up some of the loose ends of its inaugural issue. And you should be delighted to hear that for every mystery solved Ta-Nehisi Coated will give you at least one new. 

Always engaging and never satisfied with itself, Black Panther constantly expands on the lore and people of Wakanda, whose distinctiveness in the Marvel universe is impressively visualized by Brian Stelfreeze's art and Laura Martin's colors. This is a classic in the making. Believe the hype!

8/10

Further Links:

Black Panther #1

Review (finally): "Black Panther" #1

This one will demand a little dedication and endurance from its readers, as virtually every character motivation and story threat is left in the dark initially. But if you stick around you will eventually be rewarded with one of this year's most skillfully crafted comic stories. 

Highly political, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates constantly explores the difficulties of responsibility for one's own fate and that of a larger society, culture and history, while artist Brian Stelfreeze meticulously captures the majestic nature of Black Panther's characters and surroundings. 

9/10

10 Things We Learned from "Captain America: Civil War"

Now that the movie is out for a couple of days, here's a no-major-spoilers run-down of 10 important things we learned from Captain America: Civil War:

1. Chris Evans' Captain America is as good a comic book movie super hero as you'll ever see. 
2. Nobody misses Thor and Hulk
3. The whole "choose your side" thing is complete nonsense. The movie is directed so that you sympathize with Captain America.
4. Tom Holland as Spider-Man is not cool. Do we need another High School Peter Parker?
5. Black Panther is an absolute success.
6. Although Chadwick Boseman doesn't know though how to do an African accent.
7. Too many scenes play on generic German airports or grey Soviet ruins.
8. Black Widow still kicks ass.
9. Ant-Man is better than Giant-Man
10. Helmut Zemo makes for a compelling villain, although he might not be what you'd expect.