Martin Skidmore - Review

Avengers 12.1

This is a rarety, a .1 issue that not only stands on its own and makes for a genuine jumping on point but also introduces a big plotline for the future, as well as being a pleasure to read on its own.

Tomb of Dracula Presents Throne of Blood

This one-shot is weird in a few ways. ‘Tomb of Dracula’ is in larger print than the story title, but the Dracula connection is totally irrelevant – two pages at the start and one at the end wherein someone alleged to be Dracula, but bearing no resemblance on any level to the one Marvel have been showing us for decades (unless I am out of date on this), offers a ‘let me tell you about’ framing sequence.

Essential Thor 5

My first article in my first fanzine, almost 30 years ago in World Collide 1, was called ‘Why Is Thor Boring?’ It covered the last decade of the character, i.e. since Kirby left him, and this collection covers a couple of years at the start of that period. I pointed out then a few things that still strike me as true, reading this and that article so long after.

Showcase Presents Green Lantern 5

They have the back cover blurb right on this: it’s the run of Neal Adams Green Lantern & Green Arrow issues, nearly 350 pages, that will sell this. They call it one of the “most celebrated runs by a creative team in the history of comic books,” and they’re right – except it was also the run that led to the cancellation of the series because of dropping sales, after which GL became a backup story in broken runs in Flash.

The Mighty Thor 1

Obviously there has been a proliferation of Thor titles lately – we’re getting a bunch of collections of recent mini-series, we’ve just had a fifth Essential volume, and so on, but Marvel must be hoping that a new Thor title out now will really hit big.

Hate Annual 9

This is, as expected, a total delight from start to finish. Nearly all of it, 24 pages, is his first substantial new Buddy Bradley story in years. Buddy is now married to Lisa, with a son and a junkyard business in partnership with Jay, also now married. The story introduces his new life, then focusses on a visit to Lisa’s completely fucked-up family – religious mother, possibly senile dad, out of control cousin, self-righteous foster brother.

Secret Avengers 12.1

I’ve been scathing about and disappointed with some of these .1 ‘jumping-on point’ issues, and I’ve praised a couple highly. I think this is the first one that seems to lie somewhere in the middle.

Super Dinosaur 1

I’m not sure that the writer’s name will attract the right audience to this: it’s aimed at a young audience, and it hits its target pretty well. It feels as much like an animated TV show as a comic, really, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes one before long.

Undying Love 1

This is an impressive debut issue. The mode is sort of Buffyish, a horror vampire adventure story, though without any of the humour, and for once the attempt to step into that peerless territory doesn’t make your heart sink.

Wolverine: The Best There Is: Contagion

Sometimes a single panel seems to sum up everything that makes a comic terrible. Here it’s the bottom panel of page 15, which may be a contender for the single panel with most glaring faults in any Big Two comic ever.