Fanboys Anonymous

Life has been hectic as of late, and I haven't really had the time or energy to sit down and write a dedicated review for the comics that I've been following in the past two weeks. As such, in lieu of a fleshed out individual review for each book, I'm just going to offer a quick snapshot of the issues in one giant post. Ready. Set. Go!

Fearless Defenders (2013) #3
Fearless Defenders #3 is a key addition to the series, adding some much needed plot movement to the story. All of the characters are nicely fleshed out in this issue, and the main antagonist(s) is(are) clearly identified. The dialogue flows very naturally, and the dynamic between the characters on the team is one of this series' strong points. Overall, Fearless Defenders is shaping up to be a great series that seeks to be much much more than simply a "fan service" book.

Score: 8/10




Cable and X-Force (2013) #7
Cable and X-Force #7 sees some pretty high-flying action, though the portioning of it is somewhat uneven. While the sequences involving Boom Boom and and Domino were quite well-written, I found the corresponding scenes with Cable, Forge, and Dr. Nemesis a little on the light side. In addition, I'm failing to see how all of this adds up to a bigger picture. Is Cable really just having random visions about the future and assigning X-Force as a team to deal with those visions? or is there something else in the works? At this point in the series, that should be obvious, which it is not. Solid book nonetheless with beautiful artwork as always.

Score: 7/10


Uncanny Avengers (2013) #6
Uncanny Avengers #6 is somewhat of a strange departure from the chain of previous events. The book shifts away from the current team of Avengers and focuses solely on the aspect of Apocalypse and Kang working together. The reader is thrust into this situation, and it is all a bit confusing at first. Pieces of the puzzle slowly begin to come together throughout the book, though you're left with a lot more to ask at the end than when you started. A lot of people greatly enjoyed this book, though I found the disconnect between the prior issues a little off-putting.

Score: 6/10


Uncanny X-Men (2013) #4
Uncanny X-Men #4 works really well on one level, but unfortunately falls flat on another. The first half of the book is absolutely genius, giving readers a different look on the interaction between Scott's rebel X-Men group and the Jean Grey School crew. The telepathic exchange between Emma Frost and her former proteges is a nice approach and well executed. On the other hand, the latter half of the book lacked the luster of the first. The revelation of Angel joining Scott's team was also quite poorly done and a bad decision on Bendis' part. We all know it should have been Jean Grey.

Score: 6/10


Wolverine (2013) #2
Wolverine #2 picks up right where the opening issue left off. Unlike a certain savage counterpart, the characterization of Wolverine in this book is spot-on. Everything from the internal monologues to the dialogue is exactly what we imagine our friend Logan to be thinking or saying. In terms of plot movement, we get a nice glimpse of what the bigger picture has in store for us without giving away too much. This just goes to show that you can never have too many Wolverine books when you do it right!

Score: 8.5/10



X-Men Legacy (2013) #9
X-Men Legacy has been very hit or miss for me lately, and this issue is a bit of both words. While I can certainly appreciate the overall premise that is being built here, I think the execution might have been a little off. The dialogue can be confusing at times, especially considering all the expletives that are overused in this particular issue. I felt as if I was being dropped into this situation with no warning, and that feeling was a little jarring in this issue. A build-up and/or more fleshed-out approach across multiple issues would have been nice as the pacing of this all seems quite accelerated.

Score: 5/10