Review: "Captain America: Steve Rogers" #5

If Captain America:Steve Rogers #5 is one thing, then it's brilliantly written and narrated. Writer Nick Spencer does a masterful job of developing the comic's various characters while slowly untangling Steve Rogers' alternate history caused by the Cosmic Cube Kobik and tying all plot threads in the "Civil War" II story.

The one big problem though is that none of that is particularly much fun. Captain America doesn't work as well as an (anti-)hero, leaving readers mostly disconnected from what's going on. All this is enhanced by the cold precision of Pina's and Rosenberg's art that is dominated by blue and gray. Masterful execution eats soul, sadly. 

6/10

Review: "Deadpool" #18

"Deadpool" #18: Less Mercs, more fun. The impact of Deadpool no longer being tied to the Mercs for Money can be felt immediately here, most simply by the fact that the series is no painful bore anymore. If you'd stopped caring about Deadpool some months ago, now's probably the time to get back into it. And if you're reading this because of Civil War II, you have my sympathy. That this get's still marketed as a tie-in is an unacceptable money grab.

7/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Deadpool v Gambit" #4 / "Han Solo" #3 / "Captain America: Steve Rogers" #4

"Deadpool v Gambit" #4: Only picked that up again because both Marvel and DC hardly released anything that week. And yes, the moment Deadpool and Gambit do not even really appear in their own comic, we suddenly have a half-decent story at our hand, treating the inevitability of fate through the Scramblers backstory here. 

7/10

"Han Solo" #3: Fast, fun, entertaining and with a take on Han Solo that feels fresher than in any other of Marvel's "Star Wars" series.

8/10

"Captain America: Steve Rogers" #4: What does it have to do with "Civil War II" again? Never mind. It's solid, compelling and thoroughly narrated, but definitely has lost some of its magic from earlier issues.

7/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #1 / "Action Comics" #960 / "Captain America: Steve Rogers" #3

"Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #1: The reboot nobody really needed (yet) actually delivers the best "Mercs" comic so far, especially benefitting from a clear narrative outline.

8/10

"Action Comics" #960: Its art is too kitschy, but writer Dan Jurgens somehow manages to still keep the large-scale Superman vs. Doomsday fight interesting, finding twists and turns wherever he can. Wonder Woman kicks some serious ass here as well.

7/10

"Captain America: Steve Rogers" #3: Lighter in tone than the two previous issues, and not necessarily better for it. Next up is a "Civil War II" tie-in. Hopefully, Nick Spencer returns to form then.

6/10