Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Adam's Adventures: Skaar #11 (Marvel Comics) Review by Adam P.


Who's your daddy?

Using the concept of father-son disconnection, Skaar #11 deals with the abandoned son of the Hulk, Skaar, who was forced to flee his home planet upon the appearance of Galactus. Soon after, Skaar finds himself on Earth as a human child, trying to track down his father in order to dole out some payback.




Now don’t get me wrong: the plot and book both have potential. A lot of works have been written about the damage absent fathers cause to their progeny, but the manner it's presented here lacks emotional resonance. In short, I don't find myself feeling Skaar's pain. Only the Warbound, who attempt to talk Skaar out of his murderous rampage, come close to eliciting true human sentiment, but it's quickly dismissed with a WHAKAAAAM! and a BRAKOOOM! from our anti-hero.

However, seeing Ron Lim pencilling Galactus and the Silver Surfer brings back fond memories of his work on the Surfer's title and Infinity Gauntlet from the early nineties. I enjoy Lim's cosmic work a lot, but I find he's less adept at communicating “real world” scenarios like the ones presented in this issue. For instance, the splash panel in the middle of the book where Skaar transforms into his big hulky self was too much of a comic book cliché for me.

Overall, an interesting concept poorly executed. I'm forced to admit that the burning map on the prologue page was the most interesting thing about this episode in Skaar's young life.

Either way, this is one kid who's both scarred and scary. I think someone might need a little tough love.

6.5/10

Adam P.
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IDW Previews: June 10, 2009



IDW released previews of their books coming out on June 10th.


30 Days of Night: 30 Days ‘til Death TPB
David Lapham (w & a)
David Lapham, the acclaimed, Eisner Award-winning creator of Stray Bullets, brings his unique brand of graphic storytelling to the 30 Days of Night universe. This collection of Lapham’s four-issue series will send chills up your spine, leave seeping bite marks on your neck, and leave you thankful to see another sunrise.


American McGee’s Grimm #2
Dwight MacPherson (w) • Grant Bond (a & c)
Episode 2: “Love Hurts.” Chaos ensues as Grimm enters the romantic comic book world! Join Larry and Sally as they struggle to survive a flesh-craving duck attack, a senile taxicab driver, and an army of puppies just to be together. Will true love be enough to conquer Grimm? Don’t bet on it!




Angel: Blood and Trenches #4
John Byrne (w & a & c)
The concluding issue of John Byrne’s Angel WWI epic! Half a mile above the blood soaked battlefields of France, Angel must face an ancient and terrible evil, while the fate of an Empire hangs in the balance.




Dare
Philip Jose Farmer (w) • Dave Gutierrez (a & c)
Though Earthmen first landed on the planet Dare 300 years earlier, they were still bound by the same standards of snobbery and fear… until Jack Cage, eldest son of a wealthy human, found himself strangely drawn to a spectacularly beautiful native. To consort with her meant death. But why? And what were humans doing on the planet anyway?


Doctor Who: Autopia
John Ostrander (w) • Kelly Yates (a) • Yates, photo (c)
An All-American creative team tackles the celebrated Doctor in this special standalone tale. John Ostrander (Star Wars: Legacy) writes and Kelly Yates (Doctor Who: The Forgotten) illustrates an adventure where the Doctor and his companion Donna arrive on a utopian planet where robots do all the manual labor. But things aren’t quite what they seem...




G.I. Joe: Origins #4
Larry Hama (w) • Mike Hawthorne (a) • Andrea DiVito, Tom Feister (c)
New recruits Rock & Roll and Breaker infiltrate Chimera’s stronghold with the rest of the G.I. Joe team! Things are going from bad to worse and it all leads up to our big finale next issue!




GI Joe: The Best of Destro TPB
Larry Hama (w) • Mike Vosburg, Rob Whigham, Frank Springer, Ron Wagner (a) • DiVito (c)
Collecting the most incriminating comics moments of G.I. JOE’s Cobra, this volume focuses on Destro, arms dealer and co-conspirator of Cobra. Read all about his sinister actions in issues like #11, 14, 33, 57, 78, and 87!


The Life and Times of Savior 28 #3
J.M. DeMatteis (w) • Mike Cavallaro (a & c)
RI Cover by Shawn McManus
Having turned his back on his life as a super hero, the legendary Savior 28 sets out to transform himself... and the world. But a humiliating public debacle shows 28 that change isn't as easy as he imagined... and so he sets off on a global journey of self-discovery that sows the seeds of his own tragic downfall.




Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan #1
Andy Schmidt (w) • Chee Yang Ong (a) • Chee, photo cover (c)
Somebody goofed up 25 years ago, and we’re going to make it right! The one Star Trek movie that never got a proper comic book adaptation is the best one! Kirk, Spock and crew will battle it out with Khan for the last time!




Transformers: I Am Optimus Prime
Chris Ryall (w) • Joe & Rob Sharp (a & c)
Learn what makes OPTIMUS PRIME, the famous leader of the valiant AUTOBOTS, who he is in this hardcover picture book aimed at young readers! Specially written and illustrated for developing readers, I AM OPTIMUS PRIME will delight and captivate a whole new generation of TRANSFORMERS fans through this colorful hybrid picture book/comic book.


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Adaptation #4
Simon Furman (w) • Jon Davis-Hunt (a) • Josh Nizzi, photo (c)
The official adaptation of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen concludes here in this weekly series, where the return of an ultimate evil may prove to be too much for the noble AUTOBOTS and their human allies. Penned by Transformers mainstay Simon Furman with art by Jon Davis-Hunt.




The Veil #1
El Torres (w) • Gabriel Hernandez (a) • Hernandez, Ashley Wood (c)
Chris Luna is a cheap private eye, and her customers are the dead. Sometimes, she can see through The Veil between our realm and the unknown beyond. But that's not enough to earn a living, and now completely broke, she has to come back home to Maine... and to face the darkness that lurks beneath the surface of her quiet hometown.


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