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Tag Christopher Cantwell
A Gold Goblin #1 Micro-Review – Gold Goblin & Gwen
***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***
TITLE: Gold Goblin #1 (of 5)
AUTHOR: Christopher Cantwell
ARTISTS: Lan Medina, Antonio Fabela (Colorist), Joe Sabino (Letterer). Variant cover by Marco Checchetto.
RELEASED: November 16, 2022
By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder
Lan Medina draws a hell of a Norman Osborn. He’s got the trademark wavy hair look down. But he also injects just the right amount of age in the character’s face. He is supposed to be a grandfather, after all.
Perhaps not surprisingly, this story is overplaying the Gwen Stacy card as it relates to Norman’s guilt over his Green Goblin days. At certain points it felt like I was reading a story called Gold Goblin & Gwen. I mean, we get it. She’s dead. No need to hammer that in.
Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.
A Star Wars: Obi-Wan #5 Micro-Review – Doing the Best with the Least
***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***
TITLE: Star Wars: Obi-Wan #5 (of 5)
AUTHOR: Christopher Cantwell
ARTISTS: Adriana Melo, Wayne Faucher (Inker), Dono Sanchez-Almara (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Phil Noto.
RELEASED: September 14, 2022
By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder
This final issue is the best one to come out of this Obi-Wan mini, and yet it’s the one where the least actually happens. It’s simply a tale of our hero showing compassion to an injured stormtrooper.
On the cover, Phil Noto looks like he’s channeling a little bit of Mike Mayhew’s take on the character.
All in all, this mini-series wasn’t mind-blowing. But it did make for a nice companion to the Obi-Wan Kenobi show on Disney+.
Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.
A Star Wars: Obi-Wan #4 Micro-Review – The Value and Beauty of Life
***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***
TITLE: Star Wars: Obi-Wan #4 (of 5)
AUTHOR: Christopher Cantwell
ARTISTS: Madibek Musabekov, Sebastian Cheng (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Phil Noto.
RELEASED: August 31, 2022
By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder
Musabekov and Cheng inject some really good art into this issue. Musabekov is particularly good at drawing Obi-Wan himself, and making the Clone Wars hero and the old desert hermit look like the same person. His Anakin looks a little too young at certain points. But I can forgive that.
Musabekov and Cheng also make pretty effective use of inanimate clone trooper armor, as the cover suggests.
Cantwell gives Obi-Wan a nice little monologue about the value and beauty of life. Great hero moment there.
Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.
A Star Wars: Obi-Wan #3 Micro-Review – Lamenting the Lost
***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***
TITLE: Star Wars: Obi-Wan #3
AUTHOR: Christopher Cantwell
ARTISTS: Alessandro Miracolo, Frank William (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Phil Noto.
RELEASED: July 27, 2022
By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder
This issue is about what you’d imagine it would be: Obi-Wan waxing poetic about all the lives lost in a particular battle during the Clone Wars. It doesn’t blow you away. But it doesn’t disappoint either.
The issue touches briefly on Obi-Wan’s dynamic with clone Commander Cody, his close ally during the war who would eventually turn on him during Order 66. If I were to pose on major complaint about this issue, it’s that the relationship between those two wasn’t explored more. There’s fertile storytelling ground there.
Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.
A Star Wars: Obi-Wan #2 Micro-Review – Lights in the Darkness
***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***
TITLE: Star Wars: Obi-Wan #2
AUTHOR: Christopher Cantwell
ARTISTS: Luke Ross, Nolan Woodard (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Phil Noto.
RELEASED: June 29, 2022
By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder
Luke Ross and Nolan Woodard’s art highlight this issue, as they have the not necessarily enviable task of depicting Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in an environment mostly devoid of light.
This issue didn’t blow me away from a plot perspective. But it did do a fine job of capturing the master/apprentice dynamic between our two heroes, which for my money was one of the better aspects of The Phantom Menace.
Marvel should really release a book of Phil Noto’s Star Wars work. The majority of it is just brilliant.
Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.
A United States of Captain America #2 Micro-Review – “Good Gosh…”
***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***
By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder
TITLE: The United States of Captain America #2
AUTHORS: Christopher Cantwell, Mohale Mashigo
ARTISTS: Dale Eaglesham, Natacha Bustos, Matt Milla (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Gerard Parel.
RELEASED: July 28, 2021
Steve Rogers actually says, “Good Gosh…” in this issue. Somehow that’s both facepalm worthy and precisely in character.
Less in character? A flashback to a young Steve Rogers almost (unintentionally) urinating on the battle site at Gettysburg. Whoops.
Natacha Bustos has a strong performance in this issue, illustrating Nichelle Wright’s solo back-up story. I’m curious to see whether these DIY Captains America pop up again down the road. Of course, I’m sure that depends on how this book sells…
Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.
A United States of Captain America #1 Micro-Review – Meeting Aaron Fischer
***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***
By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder
TITLE: The United States of Captain America #1
AUTHORS: Christopher Cantwell, Josh Trujillo
ARTISTS: Dale Eaglesham, Jan Bazaldua, Matt Milla (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Alex Ross.
RELEASED: June 30, 2021
The first few pages of this issue are pretty poignant, as Steve Rogers talks about the American dream, what he stands for, etc. That kind of thing always works. It’s powerful.
As always, an Alex Ross cover is worth half the admission price on its own.
It looks like we’ll be meeting a bunch of civilian DIY Captain Americas in this story. In this one we meet Aaron Fischer, the “Captain America of the Railways.” He’s got a cool design, and is a compelling character. He makes for a good start.
Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.
Weekly Comic 100s: Iron Man #1, Star Wars, and More!
***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***
By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder
TITLE: Iron Man #1
AUTHOR: Christopher Cantwell
ARTISTS: Cafu, Frank D’Armata (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Alex Ross
RELEASED: September 16, 2020
The premise of this book is that Tony Stark is going back to basics. Good ol’ fashioned super-heroing. He does this in his classic costume, which is pretty cool. Cafu and D’Armata give us an amazing page of him “suiting up.”
Cantwell’s dialogue, particularly between Iron Man and Hellcat, is pretty funny. It may get to be grating as the issues go on. But for now I dig it.
Cool use of sign language in this issue. It’s only one panel. But it’s memorable.
TITLE: Seven Secrets #2
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: Daniele Di Nicuolo, Walter Baiamonte & Katia Ranalli (Colorists), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer)
RELEASED: September 16, 2020
This second issue is basically a big exposition dump. But there’s some interesting stuff in here. Especially what basically amounts to a ninja school for youngsters. Then the emotional stakes raise when we start to see our main character, Caspar, interact with his parents.
In a perfect world, we could have spent the entire first arc of the book on the content in this issue. Whether the speed-through was worth it or not depends on the quality of the story they end up telling.
Meanwhile, Daniele Di Nicuolo remains at home in a story about youngsters doing martial arts.
TITLE: Star Wars #6
AUTHOR: Charles Soule
ARTISTS: Jesus Saiz, Arif Prianto (Co-Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by R.B. Silva and Guru-eFX
RELEASED: September 16, 2020
Six issues in, this book finally starts to get interesting here. We finally finish the ridiculous business of finding Luke an intermediate lightsaber, and then we jump right into something cool at an old Jedi temple.
Story notwithstanding, I certainly can’t complain about Jesus Saiz and Arif Prianto’s art. Saiz captures the likenesses of the actors very well. This issue in particular has a wonderful closing splash page.
TITLE: Giant-Size X-Men: Storm
AUTHOR: Jonathan Hickman
ARTISTS: Russell Dauterman, Matthew Wilson (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer)
RELEASED: September 16, 2020
Emma Frost steals this issue within the first few pages. Storm laments the fact that she might be dying, and Emma lays into her for being dramatic. “After all, we’re just going to resurrect you, dear.”
I love when even the characters themselves know how death works in comics.
Actually, we wind up returning to the “Why not just die and come back?” question later. It’s the most interesting part of the story, but we don’t dive into it to any sort of satisfaction. By and large this book, like the other Giant-Size X-Men books, is very missable.
TITLE: Darth Vader #5
AUTHOR: Greg Pak
ARTISTS: Raffaele Ienco, Neeraj Menon (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letter). Cover by InHyuk Lee.
RELEASED: September 16, 2020
Some of the art in this book is really awkward. Case in point, a flashback panel where we see Obi-Wan cut Anakin’s limbs off in Revenge of the Sith. The figure rendering itself is fine. But some of the posing is just weird.
Thankfully, they do not in fact exhume Padme’s corpse in this issue. That’s where it looks like it’s going for a few pages…
Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.