Off-Topic: Comic Book Reviews

Marvel's INFINITY #6 (of 6)
The cosmic epic centering around the Avenger's cosmic war and Thanos' invasion of earth concludes...and what a conclusion it is! The Avengers finally return home to find Thanos triumphing over their home planet. They join the battle against him in a fight that should go down in comic book history. I'll not ruin the ending for you, but let me say the epilogue includes both triumph and foreboding. What a ride! What a book! Not exactly groundbreaking but very rich in content and very entertaining. It was well worth the price of admission.

Storyline: 4.5 Stars
Dialogue: 5 Stars
Pacing: 4 Stars
Art: 4 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars

Marvel's AVENGERS ARENA #18
The mad Arcade's personal "Hunger Games" using some of Earth's youngest heroes concludes. There is a lot of high drama, though the action left a little to be desired. There is a commentary on modern media and what drives men like Arcade...fitting for a HUNGER GAMES homage. This was a good...though not great...book. And the ending was like unto the series. But worth the read and the costs of collecting it. I recommend the trade paperbacks though.

Storyline: 4 Stars
Dialogue: 3.5 Stars
Pacing: 3 Stars
Art: 3 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars

DC's JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARK #25
Swamp Thing joins forces with Constantine and the sorceress-nurse that is helping him fight the Crime Syndicate and locate his former team members. They collectively begin an assault against the DC universe's version of satan. Reading this I realized how far the art and pacing have fell in this book. They just used to be better. Still there is some good character development here and a surprise ending I liked very much. It remains a good book, despite the problems. One problem is the way Deadman has been pushed to the sidelines. He is my main reason for collecting this book, after all.

Storyline: 4 Stars
Dialogue: 4 Stars
Pacing: 2.5 Stars
Art: 3 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars

Archie Comics' AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1
WOW, I haven't been this impressed with an opening issue since MINIATURE JESUS. This is a whole new approach to Archie and the gang. Serious, dark, and frightening, the only thing binding this story to other Archie offerings is the characters and the relationships. This is not kids stuff and it is not tongue in cheek. It is a genuinely horrific book. It is a Zombie Apocalypse hitting Riverdale and it is done realistically. And it is done well. I don't usually like pulp art, but it really adds to the overall tone in this case. The crossover with SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH was very well done to. Pick up this book. You won't regret it.

Storyline: 5 Stars
Dialogue: 4.5 Stars
Pacing: 4 Stars
Art: 4 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars