Vinnie's Weekly Haul: September 5, 2014

Kicking off the month of September with a couple big comic releases in the Death of Wolverine #1 and Original Sin #8. And against all odds, the Superman: DOOMED storyline still hasn't come to a conclusion, even though I've seen it solicited for the past two weeks, and plugged it on my podcast for the past two weeks...

Anyway, I also bought more Lego. Where you expecting any less?

So here's my comics pull, with my picks of the week in bold and my digital purchases in italics, cause I'm fancy like that.

• All-New Doop #5
• Avengers Worlds #12
• Batman Eternal #22
• Black Widow #10
• Captain America #24
• Death of Wolverine #1
• Grayson: Future's End #1
• Green Arrow: Future's End #1
• Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #6
• Legendary Star-Lord #3
• Moon Knight #7
• Original Sin #8
• The Punisher #10
• Robocop #3
• Rocket Raccoon #3
• She-Hulk #8
• Spider-Man 2099 #3
• The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #15
• Swamp Thing: Future's End #1
• Uncanny X-Men #25

Death of Wolverine was actually pretty good, which isn't surprising since Charles Soule was at the helm. That man write anything and it'll be amazing. Original Sin, on the other hand, was a bit lackluster, and in true Marvel fashion, another event comic that doesn't so much end as it sets up what books you need to buy to get the rest of the story.

I also bought this bad boy, the Lego AT-AT. At over 1100 pieces, I can't wait to rip into this bad boy.

And for spending at least $99 at the Lego Store this week, I also got the White Lego Spaceman give away,

I made an unboxing video since I thought the set was neat. Definitely a step up from Lego's normal polybag give aways. I'm embedding the video here so you can check it out if you like.

So that's it for this week. Catch y'all next time!

The name's Grayson, Dick Grayson

After a nice, albeit short vacation, I'm back with a review of a new New 52 title focusing on Gotham's favorite son. I was hoping to have this up about a week ago, but what can I say? VACATION!

Grayson #1
Written and plotted by Tim Seeley and Tom King
Drawn by Mikel Janin

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I dropped Nightwing a couple years back because it wasn't speaking to me and avoided Forever Evil like the plague. With the ads in place, I knew they were setting Dick Grayson up for something big, and DC has never been one to shy away from changing the status quo, especially when it comes to Batman's favorite ward, and it really seems like they've delivered. Grayson #1 is a pretty big departure from the Dick we know and love but doesn't veer too far away from what makes him the character he is.

Grayson starts off very high energy and doesn't really let up, allowing for the action and setting to speak for itself. It avoids a long, drawn out explanation as to why Dick Grayson is now an international man of mystery and merely thrusts you into this world that he's found himself in, and it's much better for it. It did leave me with a few questions but I suppose that's the hook to keep me coming back. I was also surprised to see a few familiar faces, and I won't spoil who they are, but I am interested in seeing how they'll factor into the series, especially since I'm not familiar with their New 52 incarnations. 

Along with the action, Tim Seeley also injects the book with a good amount of humor that doesn't come off as forced, given the situation. It plays well with the more light-heated character that Dick is normally portrayed as. The last thing I would've wanted is a serious, brooding Dick Grayson in response to his newly acquired "deceased" status. 

Mikel Janin also does a great job on the art side of things, bringing a great sense of motion into his artwork, which works magnificently with acrobatic nature of the title character. His artwork conveys a lot of motion and seems to have a lot of weight behind it. The colorist Jeremy Cox also gives the book a good psychedelic vibe that plays into the story and adds to the spy movie feel of this issue.

For a first issue, there's a lot going on here, but it doesn't make you feel like you're missing something if you didn't read anything leading up to this book. I was worried I'd be lost, especially since DC isn't the best at catching new readers up on what's going on, but it works well here. I'm very interested in seeing where this series goes, and the ending definitely has me wondering where it will take our hero.

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Now for a little housekeeping. I should have a review of the Lego Ghostbusters Ecto-1 set up by Wednesday. Also be on the lookout for my thoughts on the X-Men vs the Sentinel and Guardians of the Galaxy Milano Spaceship Rescue Lego sets.

I'm planning of having more than just Lego and comic reviews coming up but I'm still trying to get into the swing of things.