Thor & Warhammer

Heya folks, it's been a little while. Busy is as busy does, or something to that effect. Anyhow, I'm hoping to get a few of these out really fast as I've been reading a poop-tonne of comics, but I have otehr stuff I'm working on as well-- like the new edition of All The Rage!

(That damn column eats up more time, I swear)

Without further intro-yammering, here are some quick takes on comics that have had the pleasure of my eyes gracing them.

thor01Thor #1

This is what I was waiting for? Now, right after I read it I was somewhat satified... But then I looked at my clock. It took me five minutes to read. Can we get a "DOTH ART WEAK!!", kids? I thought so. The art is gorgeous, but that's part of the problem. It seems that most of the writing was done by the artist-- with his art. Not that I mind,, but I hoped for more. And what exposition we do get is so cliched and repeaty that it almost made me slightly ashamed I'm a Thor fan. Now look, I didn't hate this issue. Not at all. But gods-dammit, it should have been better. Especially since I know JMS is one of the greatest writers ever. Here's to hoping #2 is really good. Which it probably will be, as these intro-to-the-arc issues always look better in trade-format. Which would lead me to yet another rant on how I feel "writing for trades" is fucking up the single-issue end of the industry... if I had the want or time, that is.

Score: 2.75/5 (Loki? This is your fault, I bet!)

warhammerfow1Warhammer: Forge of War #1

Well, if you're going to do "singles-for-trades", then this is how to do it. Warhammer Fantasy nerds (like myself) will gush with glee over tis title. I actually like it more than how Boom!'s Warhammer 40k comics kicked off, even though they're written by the same lads. Maybe I'm just more in the mood for fantasy or something... So, yeah, good issue covering the Empire's stalwart soldiers of Averland, fighting against the hordes of chaos. My only complaint story wise was all the jumps to "ten minutes eariler" which happend with every group of "good guys" (i.e. Not Chaos) focused on. And let me guess... the survivors of those groups all meet and ally themselves? Or something like that? Not that I'm griping too much, as this is a tried and tested plot-thing. Oh, and I'm not giving anything away. Of course the Averlanders get their collective asses kicked to start out with. Duh. What kind of Old World story would it be if they hadn't? Still, the story is fun and compelling. I like those dwarves, too. I would like to've seen more story, rather than the build up to a pretty battle and then the immediate after-math-- but nothing is perfect. Non-Warhammer fans who are fantasy folks might dig this, especially if they like their fantasy gritty. On the other hand, non-Warhammer folks might feel a bit lost. However, there are some extra bits that explain what in the Wastes is going on. These extras alone help those who've never read anything to do with Warhammer fantasy. My only major complaint about this issue has to do with the art. I mean, come on, do all of the Chaos Warriors come out of an ordered factory?

Score: 4/5 (but probably more like 3.25/5 for those that are really judgmental or not into Warhammer)