Amazing Spider-Man #589 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Amazing Spider-Man #589, about which I write the following sentences: "Fred Van Lente absolutely makes it work by grafting a Punisher-style storyline into a Spider-Man comic and putting the Spot in the Frank Castle role. I know that sounds ridiculous, and it is, but that's why this is such a good issue of "Amazing Spider-Man": Van Lente takes a handful of conventional comic book moments and mixes them up into his own unique blender. We get the Russian mob, an innocent child, a supervillian turned vigilante, a guy who can shoot webs from his wrist bands and stick to walls, a Christian Bale impression, and more. All in a single, done-in-one Spider-Man story."

Read the entire review HERE.

X-Men: Noir #4 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: X-Men: Noir #4, about which I write the following sentences: "Ultimately, this series surprised me, not just because Calero's art worked better in the conclusion than it did in the opening. But it also surprised me because Fred Van Lente didn't take this series down the expected path. It didn't simply become about Xavier's team of mutants acting like themselves while wearing fedoras. It didn't just become a 'Star Trek' holodeck adventure."

Read the entire review HERE.

X-Men Noir #1 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: X-Men Noir #1 about which I write the following sentences: "This comic has David Niven playing a role, and Adrian Brody as the 'Gambit' character -- albeit one with a tuxedo instead of a pink costume and trenchcoat. I'm sure I'm leaving out some other notable faces, but it's really very similar to the style Greg Land has used so egregiously since the post-CrossGen days. And Calero sometimes repeats the same exact panel multiple times on a page, without variation. I understand that it's an artistic choice, and it may indicate a passivity within a scene, but body language is an important part of storytelling, and having both characters in a scene sit in the same pose for panel after panel is a poor way to tell this particular story."

Read the entire review HERE.

Eternals Annual #1 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Eternals Annual #1, about which I write the following sentences: "Van Lente, aided by artist Pascal Alixe, provides more plot and characterization in his single story here than we've seen in the entire Neil Gaiman mini-series and the half-dozen ongoing 'Eternals' issue thus far. Van Lente uses captions to quickly establish who's who and the essence of their character (no small feat when you're dealing with a large cast like this), and then demonstrates the shifting alliances between the Eternals throughout their combat with the Young Gods."

Read the entire review HERE.

Marvel Zombies 3 #2

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Marvel Zombies 3 #2, about which I write the following sentences: "With Van Lente at the helm, the Marvel Zombies franchise has transcended its status as a one-joke potential cash-grab and has become a natural successor to the brilliant but short-lived 'Nextwave.' Van Lente puts his own spin on it, of course, but his 'Marvel Zombies 3' is in that same winking, manic, completely-over-the-top mode. It's not all blood and jokes, either, with a real 'human' moment leading to the climax of this issue."

Read the entire review HERE.

Marvel Zombies 3 #1 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Marvel Zombies 3 #1 about which I write the following sentences: "Van Lente hits all the right notes here, as he balances the sick humor with an engaging plot, providing a few twists and turns in just a single issue. And Walker's art is streamlined an effective, with a kind of blocky Steve Dillon vibe that I haven't seen from him before. 'Marvel Zombies 3' #1 is just what the franchise needed: and injection of Van Lente, straight into the brain. It's continuity heavy without being the least bit inaccessible. It's sleek and violent and funny, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series."

Read the entire review HERE.