Captain Kirk’s log: ‘Twas the night before Christmas

uncanny-x-men-29-detail

‘Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the house,

Nobody was stirring

And I had comics to browse.

 

The comic book stack was set

By the computer with care

With a list and a scotch

Reviews were ready to share.

 

The list for this week

Is before you to peruse,

Let us see what was good

And what you should refuse.


DC Comics

Batman Annual #3

Robin Rises Alpha #1

Sinestro #8

Marvel Comics

Uncanny X-Men #29

Superior Iron Man #3

All-New X-Men Annual #1

Image Comics

Mercenary Sea #8

Rasputin #3

Graveyard Shift #1


Batman Annual #3

batman-annual-3A wonderful tale of madness

By James Tynion IV, you know.

We see the depths of depravity

To which the Joker will go.

 

An “Endgame” tie-in that will delight

and summarizes the Joker in five years ‘til now.

We see how randomly spiteful he is,

To him minor events mean much and how.

 

Buy this book, it won’t disappoint;

These days, Batman has risen much above the clatter,

That even non-Batman fans must wonder

Just what is the matter?

 

The answer is simple,

It’s perfectly clear.

It’s more obvious

than the sound of reindeer.

 

The writers for Batman these days

Are no random outsiders.

They truly know Batman well,

Like Tynion and Scott Snyder.


Robin Rises Alpha #1

robin-rises-alpha-1Seemed a bit hectic – rushed, if you like,

Though no one could slight

Andy Kubert’s stunning pencils,

– what a glorious sight.

 

There was clearly information you needed

To read, and understand this tale,

Damian Wayne and Apokolips

And the entire Bat-Squad detail.

 

It was fast, it was quick,

But it was a very thick book.

About forty pages of work,

A great deal of effort it took.

 

Still, I would say not an essential read,

So skip this one unless you really need.

As clearly, Damian’s back and there’s more later on,

So just wait a bit: more will be revealed anon.


Sinestro #8

sinestro-8I’m liking Cullen Bunn’s take on this book

As I read it more – I’m glad that I stayed.

The forces of New Genesis discover more

Of what stuff Sinestro is made.

 

As a bonus, you will discover

The variant cover by Darwyn Cooke,

Of whom I am a great fan. A great artist to

Draw a cover for any comic book.

 

Bunn understands that Sinestro is ego,

Insecure, but driven to succeed.

A true megalomaniac, but a powerful foe

Who will use everyone and anyone indeed.

 

It definitely has gotten better,

Of this I am glad.

I enjoyed reading this issue,

It wasn’t half-bad!


Uncanny X-Men #29

uncanny-x-men-29Definitely a pivotal issue to read

And I can’t help but think,

Is this the one that will

Make the X-Men not stink?

 

Stories about time-travel

Are always a chore

Because writers don’t know,

Like you, what’s in store.

 

Though it seems to me

That this might be a quick fix,

The chance that Professor X

Comes back is worth the risk.


All New X-Men Annual #1

all-new-x-men-annual-1The end to the tale of Eva Bell,

Where she disappeared a few issues ago.

A story that got forgotten,

But in truth, it should have stayed so.

 

Andrea Sorrentino’s art is a little hard to take,

massive two page spreads in place of dialogue.

It’s a hurried tale, rushed, a little confusing,

Another X-Men story in a time-travel fog.

 

Still, it’s this character that Bendis has charged

With making the X-Men a premiere title again.

We’ll see if the gamble pays off

And prestige returns to the mighty X-Men.


Superior Iron Man #3

superior-iron-man-3I’ve never liked a Marvel title with

The word “Superior “in front of it.

This might prove an exception to that

And make it a view I have to omit.

 

To see Stark revel in vice

Makes me enjoy his character even more.

Heroes aren’t heroes unless they learn

To be better than what they abhor.

 

Stark went through a crisis like this

Remember ‘Demon in a Bottle,’ my Iron Man fans?

It’s a progressive understanding of a hero who fell

But then got up when he had to take a stand.

 

I hope that ‘Axis’ will show this to be true

And that Stark will learn yet another lesson well.

To be God and play human is a twist

But let’s hope he returns to this human shell.


Mercenary Sea #8

mercenary-sea-8One of my favourites to be sure,

War stories are a blast to read.

Yet this one has a swashbuckling twist

That makes it something special indeed.

 

This issue is finally the beginning of the search

For Koji-Ra, a mysterious Island.

To recover treasure and all sorts of things,

Our heroes have much to apprehend.

 

What’s really cute, is at the end,

There’s a special insert for a reason.

This book was released on Christmas Eve,

An appropriate extra for the right season.


Rasputin #3

rasputin-3Wow … finally. A little bit more

Understanding of this book and

Its characters and of the

folklore of this Russian land.

 

The first two issues were incredibly slow.

They were minimal and revealed very little.

I was about to give up but I am glad I did not,

For there is a great more to this here riddle.


Graveyard Shift #1

graveyard-shift-1It’s a vampire book – this much is true,

But I don’t want to turn you off by that.

It’s a solid story and great art to boot,

I’m just not a vampire-lovin’ type of cat.

 

Jay Faerber has done a pretty good job

Of presenting straightforward characters and plot.

Fran Bueno’s art is top knotch

And her talent is something I enjoyed a lot.

 

So my pick for this week,

If I can continue your attention,

Must go to Batman Annual #1,

my own surprised contention!

 

As I said, Tynion has demonstrated

That the Joker he clearly knows.

He’s not just a deranged clown,

He is the face of madness and it shows.

 

To imagine torturing a person so protracted and long

With such precision and detail precise.

That there can only be one outcome

That one must fall into insanity’s vice.

 

Good work to James Tynion IV, in adding to “Endgame”;

I congratulate you on opening my eyes.

I now appreciate the Joker on another level

That it makes me wonder what will Snyder devise?

 

And with that I say, to all a good night!

I now must away to my slumber cot.

For my children will wake me in a few hours

And share with me just what Santa has brought.

 

But this has been my own Christmas gift:

To read these titles and share my thoughts.

I hope that these meandering rhymes have

Entertained you—well, at least somewhat.

 

So Merry Christmas to all,

And a Happy New Year too!

I’ll be back again next week,

So I bid you adieu!

About Captain John K. Kirk

Captain John K. Kirk
John Kirk is an English and History teacher and librarian in Toronto, Canada. In addition to the traditional curriculum, John tries to teach his students to make sense of geek culture. And with the name "J. Kirk," it's hard for him to not inject "Star Trek" into his lessons. Comics, RPGs and the usual fanboy gear make up his classroom resources.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.