Comic Couch Presents #74

Hey everyone, here is my latest review!

THE COMIC COUCH PRESENTS #74
Written reviews for our weekly obsession.
SIEGE #1Marvel Comics Brian Michael Bendis- writerOlivier Coipel- pencils
For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, this is an important book for followers of the Marvel U. It sets up several scenarios that will lead to some definitive changes for many of the major players in this world we love, and some minor ones too. The book starts off with some truly third tier characters yet again involved in an incident that leads to many innocent deaths. Except this time, the incident is no accident, but something carefully orchestrated by Loki to give Norman Osborn the excuse he needs to lose his head. He ignores protocol, declares war on Asgard, and pisses off the President. These are three strikes that will lose him the game. Protocol is what kept his ‘reign’ legit in the public eye. The President is his boss and Thor is one of the most powerful beings on the planet who had already warned him not to get out of line. This book was so much fun in both action and dialogue. We get to see Thor and the Sentry going at it,and then all of Osborn’s flunkies pouring it on, supposedly taking Thor down. We also get some witty, engaging dialogue between Norman and Loki, and Norman and Ares- my favorite line being Ares’ “If you are lying, I will cut your head off. Armor and All.” Thrown into the mix are shots of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers who we all know will soon have big roles to play. Coipel’s art is as beautiful to look at as ever. I have some minor gripes about his use of panels and shots. A lot of the action takes place in tiny widescreen shots where you can barely make out the figures, never mind what they are doing. Volstagg flying through the air as a tiny figure does not make for good theatrics. He’s supposed to be really fat and his impact should be visually felt. Thor getting the blown up and fighting for his life should be a thing of majesty, not a displaced, distant scene. Then, for a splash page, we get Steve Rogers getting up off the couch? Come on guys! The irony doesn’t fit here. These are minor gripes but no less valid. I hope the art layout gets better in future issues. Gripes aside, this is an extremely exciting time to be reading the Marvel U.
BUY!!!4 out of 5 couch geeks.

The Last Days of American Crime #1Radical ComicsRick Remender- writerGreg Tocchini- artist
This latest entry from Radical comes in at 64 pages (okay, including ads, but still) for only $5. It seems to be the way Radical is going to put out a lot of future books. Sounds like a good deal to me. Last Days takes place in the near future. Criminal behavior is about to be dealt with for good (somehow, it’s not really explained), so our protagonists are attempting to do one last heist before that happens. It’s a character story with plenty of twists and turns in motivation and emotion. We don’t really learn much about the situation they are in, but we get a lot of gritty crime drama, and it’s good. Tocchini’s art has never been better. He really develops a style all his own that I haven’t seen from him before.
Buy. 4 out of 5 couch geeks.

GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH
A few things based on literary works—
Stephen King’s The Stand: American Nightmares HC- Mike Perkins takes what he did on Captain America and kicks it up a notch. His art is breathtaking. This is a great story and deserves the good treatment it’s getting. 4 out of 5 couch geeks.
Trojan War HC- Roy Thomas, the master adapter, uses several sources, all of them ancient, to give us an excellent companion to his Iliad and Odyssey adaptations. The art is well done too. 4 out of 5 couch geeks.
The Chronicles of Solomon Kane TPB- this Dark Horse book collects the color comics from Marvel in the 70’s and 80’s. The stories weren’t done poorly, but I felt a little ripped off with this book. The first two issues adapted by Roy Thomas are then re-told again by Ralph Macchio in the third issue. The other stories I’ve read before and these adaptations didn’t do anything to add to my appreciation. The two original stories were okay. Once again, the Solomon Kane from Darkhorse pales in comparison to their Conan and Kull stories. 2 out of 5 couch geeks.

I’m going to watch Heroes now.
I am a Mind, and I am Beside myself with comics.
H. Jarrod Courtemanche