Greg PakAnmeldelser

I don't read a lot of the big 3 in DC because I always figure they're going to be boring by now. But this series has been pretty refreshing, plus I love Jae Lee's art. This story arc was particularly dark and I think it's kind of funny that they named it exactly what it was "Superman's Joker".

You would think exchanges like, "But he's just human, how will he survive?" "He's Batman." would get old, but somehow they don't. Maybe it's because I don't read a ton of Batman.

A strange mistake happened on this one. At the end I read Annual #2 instead of Annual #1, but it segued perfectly with the story arc. Then I read Annual #1 and it was totally unrelated.

Moneypenny has been kidnapped and drugged and ordered to tell stories about 007.
These are her stories…

I enjoyed “One Pistol, Three Silencers” the most, with Bond playing the caring uncle to Felix Leiter’s daughter as she attends her prom. A ‘sweet’ side of 007 that rarely comes out! I also enjoyed how tough Moneypenny is in these books!

In addition to those previously mentioned, the new Odd Job,003 and SMERSH appear on these pages. Sort of a James Bond Greatest Hits!

My only negative is that I don't like cliffhanger endings, and that's how the last story, "The Broker", ends. I hope that it is followed up, otherwise, grrrr...½

“Killing civilians is what ORU does. It confuses the rest of the world. So they go looking for answers in all the wrong places.”

And Goldfinger is ORU PRIME, the leader of ORU. He steals 2 billion dollars in diamonds and an obscene amount of VX nerve gas. He plans to destroy an artificial island near San Francisco (a 1/2 hour from where I live!), thereby killing 3 to 5 percent of the world’s wealth. And I have to admit, the second part of that plan doesn’t sound so bad to me! However, the 13,000 people who live and work on the island don’t deserve that.

Bond teams up with two others to take down Goldfinger and stop the terrorist plot. Not totally sure what happened to ORU PRIME at the end, but he failed this time. Now... will he return?...½

James Bond. Odd Job. Goldfinger.
Iconic names in the world of 007.
And they are all back in this graphic novel!

For me, that's all I needed! I'm not sure if it was a re-boot, a re-imagining, or a re- visiting of the original characters, all that I know is that it was re-eally good! Can't wait for part II!

3.5 stars in truth. I've been a fan of the Doc for more than 30 years, so the revamped origin story wasn't exactly targeted for me.

That said, the fresh tinkerings to the details while keeping much of the origin story the same worked for me. The art, at times, was muddled and didn't further the story as I might have liked, but it grows on me with rereadings.

This story tells how Darth Vader looks into his past. It is a comic book telling his story from his perspective, he’s the good guy in this one.

It’s an amusing story worth a little time to read. It has good pacing for a comic with good art.½

In what can be only described as Jason Bourne-sque episode for Gilad we find him living in a quiet village community.

He is not missing anything, he lives with his wife and works with villagers on their everyday chores. There is no pressure, no looming danger, one would think that this is episode from Gilad's happy days.

And then it all comes crashing down as terrible enemy marches to conquer the world and village unwillingly finds itself on its path.

Very interesting story, nothing mind-blowing, standard hero-seeking-peace-and-calm story line (which I like a lot :)). You might call it somewhat generic (as in you can put any hero in Gilad's shoes and get more or less the same effect) but it works fine (and honestly there is only so much you can put in one-shot issue).

Recommended to fans of heroic fantasy and Gilad The Eternal Warrior in particular.

I liked this story a lot and I am particularly glad I read it as collection edition and not issue-by-issue because I am not sure I would have liked it that way as much.

James Bond in this story arc is for all means and purposes an assassin - he is sent to prevent transaction between a known and very dangerous terrorist organization and a crime syndicate and he is ready to do whatever is necessary to achieve the goal.

Everything in his path that does not help him he treats as an obstacle and he either disables it or kills it.

True surprise starts when he encounters his South Korean counterpart (Odd Job homage) - person as dedicated and dangerous as James but with his own agenda. So while chasing the same goal (mysterious package so much coveted by the terrorists) these two super-spies will clash, lie and try to kill each other so much that reader is kept to the very end ignorant of what is actually happening.

I said I am glad I have not read this one issue-by-issue and reason is simple - some of the chapters are just fillers and do deviate from the main story - focus does get back to our hero eventually but these jumps tend to break the story-line.

Art is very good and fight scenes are pretty well drawn - unlike some action comics of late there are no weird anatomical situations and you can figure out what is up and what is down.

All in all good [first half of the] story, interesting protagonists (especially new Odd Job) and rather formidable antagonists. Cannot wait to see what is waiting in follow up volume.

Recommended to all fans of James Bond.

This was just really really awful.

Terrible, Distracting Art Ruins a Decent Story

The story throughout its good enough and interesting. However, the change in art for the last two issues is jarring and constantly distracting. I found myself pulled out of the story because the art was a ridiculous mashup of Liefield-esque proportions and some weird pseudo-anime drek that dragged enjoyment way down into being a slog.

I wasn't impressed. Writing was OK, but the art work sucked.

Cool, but confusing, especially with the events of "Doomed" intruding into the middle of it (I wasn't reading that event). I LOVE the art though and it definitely didn't come of as your usual DC plot.

Oops, when i backed this on Kickstarter I didn't realize that either 1) it was a sequel or 2) we didn't own the first book. Still enjoyable on its own, a short but needed lesson on being nice to your friends even if they're not "the best" at whatever you're trying to do. Wide variety of kids, dragons, and other friends at the Battle of the Bands makes this perfect for children.

eh, underwhelming.

This second arc of Greg Pak's series sends a destroyed Vader back to Mustafar for a new test from the Emperor. The Emperor believes Vader to be weak and needs him to become strong. With the deadly assassin Ochi of Bestoon, a prophetic alien head monster, and a tie-in to Rise Of Skywalker of all things, these six issues propel Vader further down his arc towards Return Of The Jedi, giving us some more context for his eventual betrayal of the Emperor, as well as showing why he is one of the most awesome and tortured characters in the Star Wars universe. As mentioned, this ties heavily into the Rise of Skywalker, which is a film I really dislike. However, I am curious to see how Vader deals with Palpatine's secrets now that they are revealed and how this might change how I view the Saga as a whole. What I am discovering with the Vader comics is they give more nuance to understanding the first six films. If they could do that for the weak sequels, I'd be surprised.

Vader hunting down answers to his past that revolve around Padme, while Padme's handmaidens and those who have sworn their allegiance to her try to stop him. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Make this into a Disney show now!

When Hulk crash lands on planet Sakaar after being exiled into outer space by the Avengers, he is sold into slavery and becomes the Green scar, the planet's mightiest gladiator. Yet, his new masters get more than they bargained for when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow fighters and together they start a revolution to overthrow their captors. This comic partly inspired the storyline in Thor: Ragnarok, but unlike that comical action adventure, this is a savage sci-fi fantasy more in line with Dune, Mad Max, and tales about the Roman Empire. Highly recommended.

Still good. But I’m finding Kenichi way too gullible.

Underwhelming and that's even with a +1 for the 2015 Dr Aphra episode

Fun! Erica is one of my favorite characters from Stranger Things. You can’t spell America without Erica.

Enjoyable!

6.5/10, not that enjoyable to be honest.

I keep getting Wat and Jeffrey Tambor confused.

2023 Book #48. 2015. The last of the $2 specials from my library used bookstore. The last time he faced Doomsday, Superman was killed (remember, it was in all the papers). This time (spoiler alert) Superman is victorious, with the help of his friends.

2023 Book #45. 2014. In this issue we get another version of Superman's origin story and meet grown-up Lana Lang (Superboy's girlfriend). Another $2 special from my local library's used bookstore (where I volunteer once a week BTW).