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Reviews of 
Comic Book Mini-Series

by the Masked Bookwyrm

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Part of the appeal of TPBs and graphic novels is (theoretically) that you can get self-contained stories, no plot threads left dangling -- y'know, stuff that reads like a true graphic novel. Admittedly, it doesn't always work out that way, but that's the idea. Mini-Series and Limited Series are similar, except they aren't always republished as TPBs (those that are I've reviewed in my TPB section, so you might want to check there if it's not reviewed here). So, here are some reviews of various mini-series I've read over the years -- click on the title for the full review.

Actually, as time goes on, some of these have been collected in TPBs, so in some case I've moved the existing review to my TPB section...other times, 'cause I'm lazy, I've left it here, but noted if it's available as a TPB.


Alpha Flight Special
(Fabian Nicieza / Michael Bair)
"..beyond the concept, the execution is a tad prosaic."

Aquaman
(Keith Giffen / Robert Loren Fleming / Curt Swan / Al Vey)
"This isn't a bad mini-series, but it's seriously flawed..."

Armageddon 2001
(Archie Goodwin / Denny O'Neil / Dan Jurgens)
"..the concluding issue becomes somewhat problematic..."

Avengers: Celestial Quest
(Steve Englehart / Jorge Santamaria / Joe Staton / Scott Hanna)
"..appealingly self-contained, telling a story that is meant to exist in these pages."

Batman: Run Riddler Run
(Gerard Jones / Mark Badger)
"maybe that's the best part of the saga -- it feels like a romp..."

Batman: Year Three
(Marv Wolfman / Pat Broderick / John Beatty)
"..the story genuinely works on the level of a human drama, and a suspense tale..."

Batman/Catwoman: Trail of the Gun
(Ann Nocenti / Ethan Von Sciver)
"..detractors notwithstanding -- Trail of the Gun is pretty good."

Black Canary (New Wings)
(Sarah E. Byam / Trevor Von Eden / Dick Giordano)
"..Byam's ear for dialogue and her feel for characters is decidedly more sure."

The Black Panther
(Peter Gillis / Denys Cowan / Sam de la Rosa)
"..this emerges as a fairly compelling saga."

Black Panther: Panther's Prey
(Don McGregor / Dwayne Turner)
"..uneven...but...in some ways brilliant."

The Adventures of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty
(Fabian Nicieza / Kevin Maguire / Kevin West / Steve Carr / Terry Austin / Joe Rubinstein)
"(it) begins to suffer from its own light-weightness..."

Captain Canuck: Unholy War
(Riel Langlois / Drue Langlois)
"it's a likeable effort with a likeable hero..."

Cinder and Ashe
(Gerry Conway / Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez)

"Often comic fans point to titles as being the sort that can woo non-comic readers. Cinder and Ashe might be a good nominee..."

The Crimson Avenger
(Roy and Dann Thomas / Greg Brooks / Mike Gustovich)

"Less a simple super hero-fights-super villain, it owes more to the Byzantine plotting of Raymond Chandler...though with a death ray or two thrown in..."

DC Comics Presents
(various)
"overall, each issues offers at least some entertainment."

Deadman
(Andrew Helfer / Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez)
"Though it's not boring or draggy, little really sticks with you either..."

Dreadstar and Company
(Jim Starlin)
"(it's) a decent enough read, with strengths and weaknesses.."

The Falcon
(James Owsley / Paul Smith / Mark Bright)
"I'm not sure why I don't like this more than I do..."

Flash Gordon
(Mike Schultz / Al Williamson)
"..full of charm, and wonder, and old fashioned escapism..."

Green Arrow
(Mike Barr / Trevor Von Eden / Dick Giordano)

"(Barr can) infuse the scenes with asides and character dialogue, that makes the moments live and breathe beyond just progressing the plot."

Legend of the Hawkman
(Ben Raab / Michael Lark)
"This may not be the best Hawkman story it could be...but...it's enjoyable."

Hulk: Nightmerica
(Robin D. Laws / Brian Ashmore)
"..one wonders if this was intended to be a road trip across the soul of America."

Invasion
(Keith Giffen / Bill Mantlo / Todd McFarlane / Bart Sears)
"..it's not a terrible read, but a disappointment..."

The Jack of Hearts
(Bill Mantlo / George Freeman)
"..thanks to Mantlo's seeming conviction, and Freeman's atmospheric art, Jack of Hearts is a pretty good read."

James Bond: Permission to Die
(Mike Grell)
"..(it's) a moderately enjoyable adventure..."

JLA: Incarnations
(John Ostrander / Val Semeiks / Prentis Rollins)
"..As a grab bag of self-contained larger-than-life adventures, it's pleasantly entertaining."

The Justice Society Returns
(James Robinson / David Goyer / Mark Waid / Michael Lark / Stephen Sadowski / various)
"..the first major JSA story in a few years...never quite manages to be the definitive JSA adventure one might hope for..."

The Krypton Chronicles
(E. Nelson Bridwell / Curt Swan / Frank Chiaramonte)
"(not) a must read... But there's a charm to it."

The L.A.W.
(Bob Layton / Dick Giordano)
"starts out kind of fun...but starts to drag...

Magnus Robot Fighter / Nexus
(Mike Baron / Steve Rude / Gary Martin)
"The initial concept is sound enough, but it doesn't really go beyond that..."

Millennium
(Steve Engelhart / Joe Staton / Ian Gibson)

"Based on some reviews...Millennium is one of DC's least well-regarded crossover epics...(but) I liked it better than many I've read..."

Nightcrawler
(Dave Cockrum)
"Cockrum manages to be funny...while still maintaining the logic of the character..."

The Phantom Zone
(Steve Gerber / Gene Colan / Tony DeZuniga)

"..for older fans, there's lots of pre-Crisis goodies, like the use of the "true" Krypton in some flashbacks, the Phantom Zone, and the original Supergirl..."

Hal Foster's Prince Valiant
(Elaine Lee / Charles Vess / John Ridgway)
"What gradually emerges is an absorbing, atmospheric saga..."

The Silver Age
(various)
"..not an unqualified success, but entertaining."

Six from Sirius II
(Doug Moench / Paul Gulacy)
"..doesn't necessarily hold up to great scrutiny...but is enjoyable..."

Spider-Man: Lifeline
(Fabian Nicieza / Steve Rude / Bob Wiacek)
"..Lifeline ultimately delivers a refreshingly fun, fast-paced story..."

Spidey's Totally Tiny Adventure
(various)
"..darn it, it was kind of enjoyable..."

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Hearts and Minds
(Mark Altman / Rob Davis / Terry Pallot)
"..a self-contained story that emerges as a pretty good romp."

Star Wars: Devilworlds
(various)
"..an anthology collecting a bunch of shorter tales featuring the talents of soon to be fan-favourites..."

Superman: The Secret Years
(Bob Rozakis / Curt Swan / Kurt Schaffenberger)
"..(it's) actually a better, more compelling tale than...Superman for All Seasons..."

Super Powers (first mini-series - 1984)
(Jack Kirby / Joey Cavalieri / Adrian Gonzales)
"It's goofy, it's juvenile, but it's refreshingly...fun..."

Sword of the Atom
(Jan Strand / Gil Kane)

"(they) jetison the whole superhero aspect (save the costume) in favour of trying this new sword & sorcery template..."

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps
(Len Wein / Joe Staton / Frank McLaughlin)

"Though I'd fallen back into comics over the last few years, I'd forgotten...how much the character of Hal had gotten under my skin..."

Tigra
(Christina Z. / Mike Deodato, Jr.)
"..for what it is...Tigra is an agreeable enough read..."

The Warlord (Ballad)
(Mike Grell / Dameon Willich)
"..a lot of scenes of characters talking, reiterating the same thing..."

Wrath of the Spectre
(Michael Fleisher / Jim Aparo)
"Reading these issues...one can easily imagine that, after the initial novelty wore off, the audience lost interest."

X-Men / Alpha Flight (1998)
(Ben Rabb / John Cassaday)
"..this could've been more than this pleasant romp down memory lane..."

X-Men Archives featuring Captain Britain
(Alan Moore / David Thorpe / Alan Davis)
"to my mind the best stuff Moore wrote were these Captain Britain tales...

X-Men and the Micronauts
(Chris Claremont / Bill Mantlo / Butch Guice / Bob Wiacek)
"I...re-read it just recently, and I remain...ambivalent..."


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Masked Bookwyrm's Graphic Novel Reviews 1