Read Chew #1 for FREE!

I have heard a lot of good things about the new Image series "Chew" and was planning on picking up the first volume TPB which hits the shlves this week. To make my decision easier the good people over at Image Comics and Newsarama have made the full first issue available to read online for free.

It's a real funny, wise cracking and highly original comic. The main character Tony Chu is a cop who gets psychic impressions of whatever he eats. There is also a ban on eating chicken due to an out break of dangerous bird-flu which may or may not be a government cover up, throw in a portion of serial killer and a dash of cannabalism and you've got the recipe for a fun and as I said before; really original comic. But you really need to have a read of it yourself. Check out the full first issue here.

Matt's Mini Reviews

The Black Knight #1 - One Shot

I love one-shots, epic runs can be great just like a great album by a fantastic band, but some time you get those one hit wonders, those catchy tunes that are just short and sweet. And I love my comics to be that way alot of the time. Throw in some knights of the round table, a magical sword to rival excalibur, action and adventure, and this is a real hit for me. It reminds me of the current Immortal Weapons books, the way beautiful tales of old are told around great little characters. If you like Arthurian Legend, (be warned that the dialogue is written as such, but it suits the style of this comic) with nice slick art, I would definately suggest picking this up. This is real hero vs villain stuff and it was fantastic.

5 out of 5



Red Robin #6

I gave it to this issue, where new artist joined Marcus To joined, to be the decider as to whether or not I would continue to pick up this series... and it's dropped. I believed this title was to deal the hunt for Bruce Wayne but writer Chris Yost has hardly dealt with this at all, instead focusing on Tim becoming leader of the League of Assassins, rediculous and totally out of character imo. Geoff Johns wrote the character better in a few panels of his Adventure Comics last month than Yost has in this entire series. And when Bruce does retun it will be well advertised and no doubt in a special mini series so as DC can charge $3.99 per issue, therefore making this series pointless to me. Marcus To does are fine job on pencils but his style is much like many other artists around, and nothing special to write home about. Pointless book and not very entertaining. Avoid

2 out of 5

Hex's Pull List - 11/25/09

Blackest Night #5
Detective Comics #859
Green Lantern #48
Superman Secret Origin #3

Avengers The Initiative #30
Dark Wolverine #80
Immortal Weapons #5
Incredible Hercules #138
New Avengers #59
Secret Warriors #10
Ultimate Comics Avengers #4
X-Men Forever #12

Hmm...big week. Not really helpful when I already have loads to catch up on. I was pondering on getting Worlds Finest #2 but the first issue was very average and not really too exciting, with a big week like this, it's facing the chopping block I'm afraid. I was planning on dropping Secret Warriors too, as the last arc has not really been as good as the first and I cant get to like the characters enough, only Fury. With my list getting bigger each week that book was going to be another drop, until I saw the preview over at CBR that is and it just looked awesome. Check it here.

I'm a sucker for old mythological tales and the book starts with a cool one and this issue looks like it could be the big showdown between Ares and his son, so it's now back on the list...for this issue at least.

What you guys getting?

FREE Marvel Comics - 11/23/09

This weeks FREE comics from Marvel Digital are:

DAREDEVIL NOIR #1
ULTIMATE X-MEN #100
MIGHTY AVENGERS #21
DARK AVENGERS #2
PUNISHER #1 (2008)

Next week's five free digital comics will be:

RUNAWAYS #11 (2008)
THE 'NAM #1
WAR OF KINGS #2
WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #32
DARK REIGN: ELEKTRA #1

Enjoy folks.

Getting back into the swing of things.

Hi guys and girls, I'm sure you've all given up on me by now, but I'm gonna try to get back on track. First I had PC problems, then Internet provider problems, plus loads of personal stuff and I haven't really read comics for ages. So now I've got a huge stack that I'm gonna catch up over the next couple of weeks and try and get back to doing some posts for any one who cares. First up is a review of Dark X-Men #1 that you can find below.

Hope everyone has been good and I look forward to catching up with you guys, especially my fellow Legion.

Much love.

Hex

Dark X-Men #1 - Review

This is a book with some real characters in it. You get the always enchanting and dangerous Mystique, the whacked out and needy Mimic, the power junky Omega and supreme evil Dr Henry McCoy from the alternate reality; Age of Apocalypse. That’s a great cast to begin with right? So I was going to pick up the book anyway to see what plans Osborn has for this evil misfit band of X-Men but when I heard Nate Grey was to return in these very pages, the ‘Nathan Summers’ from the same ‘Age of Apocalypse’ reality as Dark Beast, It was moved to the top of my Must Read pile.

What is great about this book is the character work by Paul Cornell, he gets the characters down really well and Leonard Kirk does fine work on the art. The story line at this moment is pretty thin. It seems there are masses of folk walking around in a mind controlled state claiming “I am X-Man”. Osborn sends his team to investigate which results in the team at a hospital bedside of one of these crazies. It seems that somehow the possessed people’s collective thoughts were being controlled by something extremely powerful which ends up consuming both Omega & Mimic and sending their powers out of control. At the end of the issue it is revealed that this power is actually Nate Grey who has returned, though so far how or why is unexplained.

The problem that I have is that this issue is not very new reader friendly, hopefully the second issue will do a short 1 page recap of the history of Nate Grey, not something too long that it holds up the progression of the story and bores older Marvel/ X-Man fans, but gives enough info to get new readers up to speed on one of the coolest Marvel characters from the last decade.

Character focused, the return of X-Man, not a bad start, but not spectacular either.

3 out of 5