The Weekly Haul: Brief Comic Book Reviews for the Week of March 25

Just four books this week, other than this year’s Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. Let’s jump right in.


FANTASTIC FOUR #565 (Score: 76.2)
A neat little tale that I might have expected from the Byrne run, about an age-old monster, deeply-held secrets and a family betrayal. I really do dig the FF as portrayed by Mark Miller and Bryan Hitch. My only complaint — and this is an unusual one, coming from me — is that the conclusion to this story felt a bit rushed. It could easily have played out one more issue, I think. It was clear that Hitch had help in the inking department this issue, but that’s okay with me. I’d rather have three or four pages that look a little funky compared to the rest than have this book continue to fall off schedule. By the way, the epilogue actually made me scream out loud, but that’s what good cliffhangers do, I guess.

COVER: 6.7 PLOT: 7.8 SCRIPT: 8.7 LAYOUT: 9.2 ART: 8.6 EDITING: 6.1 PRODUCTION: 7.2 VALUE: 6.2 COLLECTIBILITY: 7.5 GOSH-WOW: 8.2


CAPTAIN AMERICA #48 (Score: 69.7)
A decent, if straight forward, conclusion to the “Old Friends” storyline, although we’ve seen plenty of “depopulate-the-world-to-save-it” plots before. Still, the characterizations are strong. Namor, easily over-the-top under most writers, is handled spot-on by Ed Brubaker. I also must add that I am becoming a big fan of Bucky/Cap, even though I was dead-set against his revival, at first, and his relationship with the Black Widow, which I also ridiculed, at first. I will admit, however, that I had to Google the Human Torch’s bio. Somehow I missed out on his no longer (sort of) being recycled as the Vision. Clearly, I was not reading enough Marvel Comics in the ‘90s.

COVER: 5.8 PLOT: 6.2 SCRIPT: 8.1 LAYOUT: 8.6 ART: 9.1 EDITING: 5.5 PRODUCTION: 6.4 VALUE: 5.9 COLLECTIBILITY: 7.2 GOSH-WOW: 6.9


SUPERMAN #686 (Score: 57.7)
Essentially, a series of sub-plots strung together to set up James Robinson’s Metropolis-sans-Superman storyline. I guess I’m not really buying Mon-El out of the Phantom Zone or the 20th century version of the science police, mostly because both angles conflict with my long-held assumptions about Legion of Super-Heroes continuity. I might be able to get on board, if there was some fun in any of this, but Robinson’s script is as undynamic as Renato Guedes’ art style.

COVER: 5.2 PLOT: 6.1 SCRIPT: 6.3 LAYOUT: 5.9 ART: 6.7 EDITING: 5.3 PRODUCTION: 5.4 VALUE: 5.6 COLLECTIBILITY: 6.4 GOSH-WOW: 4.8


BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #3 (Score: 38.0)
Uggg. Seriously, I hate this book almost as much as I love the Brave and the Bold cartoon. This difference, I think, is that DC seems determined to aim it’s Johnny DC line at six-year-olds, and mildly dim-witted ones at that. There are a couple of plot points, and not a few jokes, in here that make no sense at all. And the art is more or less awful. The big escape-from-the-death-trap-scene would be indecipherable even without the coloring error. I wanted to like this book, but, based on the three issues put out this far, I’ve dropped it from my pre-order. Issue six will be my last.

COVER: 6.1 PLOT: 4.6 SCRIPT: 4.3 LAYOUT: ART: 3.4 EDITING: 2.8 PRODUCTION: 5.3 VALUE: 4.4 COLLECTIBILITY: 2.3 GOSH-WOW: 1.6