Bullet Reviews #49: Spider-Man, Ghosts and Godzilla

Each week at Comic Booked we like to offer some quick reviews of the previous week’s books in hope of introducing fellow readers to books you might not generally think about trying. This comes in handy, especially if you’re having a small week! (It should also go without saying that there could be a few spoilers in some of these reviews). This week: Amazing Spider-Man #679.1, Ghostbusters #6, Godzilla Kingdom Of Monsters #12 and Ninjas Vs. #6:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #679.1 (Marvel)
Another Point One issue? That’s pretty much what I was thinking when I heard about this and was fully prepared to just ignore it. For the most part this whole Point One gimmick hasn’t had any real impact on the stories so they become little more than pointless one shots.
This one, however, was very fun and fits in the main book’s continuity perfectly. It begins during Spider-Island for no other reason than to give a quick introduction to Uatu Jackson, one of the minds that works at Horizon with Peter Parker. He always seemed like an interesting kid but I had no idea how interesting he was!
It all stems from his curiosity over who the person in Lab 6 is. Well, the cat’s been out of the bag for a while now. It’s a certain Living Vampire and he’s been working on a cure for himself as well as furthering his blood research. Things gets nuts here when Morbius looses control of himself forcing Spider-Man to get involved and exposing one of Uatu’s hobbies: he’s been working on ways to fight, and kill, all sorts of supernatural creatures. Vampires, werewolves, zombies and more.
Things don’t turn out very well for Spider-Man/Peter Parker as Parker’s boss at Horizon isn’t pleased with Spider-Man’s interference and we also learn Morbius isn’t just working on a cure for himself, he’s also working to help another Doctor who’s inflicted with being a monster. Another non-surprise considering the Amazing Spider-Man reboot movie is coming out soon!
This was a very fun read. Dan Slott and Chris Yost share writing duties and do a fantastic job. And look at that cover… Truly deserving the label Amazing! -Skott Jimenez

GHOSTBUSTERS #6 (IDW)
IDW’s Ghostbusters series seems to be the perfect blend of the movies and the animated series yet, strangely enough, something entirely unique as well.
Keeping in line with the movies, Walter Peck from the EPA is back and has the Busters right where he wants them: under his control. He was able to get all their permits pulled and now calls the shots on which ghosts they can bust.
All that aside, they still have a job to do and this issue takes them to a carnival which is become very haunted and the source is an Indian curse, a “hungry manitou” that feeds off the spirit and has a preference for emotions, especially ones like greed.
The hunt begins for the source which turns out to be a young boy. In the end the boy is saved but the Busters aren’t out of the woods yet as one of their own is now host to the manitou!
While not a regular reader of this series I have to say writer Eric Burnham makes it very easy to enjoy these stories. Granted all you really need is knowledge of the movies but with these continuing adventures accessibility is key. As I read this I could hear the voices and even the music from the movie, and, yeah, even the sound of the Proton Packs (an all time favorite sound effect of mine) so the writing is solid.
On the art side, I have nothing but good things to say. Yes, it’s a cartoony version but you can still see who is who and it helps this series stand on its own, which is very important. Dan Schoening is doing a great job drawing the Ghostbusters!
Fans of the movies should be looking for this book. It’s only 6 issues in and there are trade paperback collections available for the miniseries that came out before the ongoing started and the first trade for the ongoing should be available soon. Check it out if you’re a fan, you won’t regret it! -Skott Jimenez

GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #12 (IDW)
Final Issue! I had no idea this was the concluding issue for this series, however, as I was reading it I started to wonder what was going on. It was as if writer Jason Ciaramella was doing a wrap up.
This issue seemingly concludes the stories of our human characters. MechaGodzilla is back in Detroit for repairs and the nations of the world begin to rebuild.
Godzilla and Battra are down for the count and the twins are presumed dead after the nuclear explosion last issue, Rodan seems to be fine as he flies off.
But the Earth isn’t out of the woods yet. New threats loom on the horizon as something digs its way from underneath the snow in the Arctic. A monster isn’t revealed but it seems like Gigan would be a good choice for this mystery monster. But as big a threat as Gigan may be, the issue ends with a shot of Space Godzilla on the moon staring at the Earth! Bad news!
So, this is the big wrap up issue and it’s told in a series of splash pages and does, in my opinion, a really nice job of wrapping the series up. I’ve seen many complaints about this issue, and about the series in general, but I still don’t see why. If anything, the only valid complaint I would have would be the issues seem to be short due to lack of dialogue but that’s when you try to pace it like a movie. Personally, I see all of these issues as parts of a movie and I’ve enjoyed the whole run.
While I’m sad to see this series end, IDW and Godzilla editor Bobby Curnow made the following announcement on the IDW boards:

 In May we’ll be launching a new Godzilla ongoing, simply titled “GODZILLA” It will be written by Duane Swierczynski and art by Simon Gane. Ronda Pattison will be returning to colors. Our own Chris Mowry will continue as invaluable creative consultant.
It will be a ‘soft reboot’ meaning that the story takes place in the same world as Kingdom of Monsters. Other than that though, pretty much everything will be different. The tone, the characters, the story arc. We might revisit some unanswered questions left by KOM, but for the most part, expect a completely different book. Think of it as a movie sequel with a different director, writer, cinematographer, and actors.
Issue #1 will have covers by Art Adams (see below for cover A wrap-around awesomeness!), Tony Harris and Ryan Kelly. Moving forward expect to see great covers from Zach Howard, Matt Frank and Jeff Zornow, among others.
We’ll have a special ‘Preview Prologue’ up in the next month or so, to get a little taste of what we’re aiming to do with the new series. I’m completely psyched… I think it will be a wild ride that doubles as a classic Godzilla tale. We hope you’ll check the Prologue and the new series out when they hit!

-Skott Jimenez

NINJAS VS. #6 (Azure Press)
*Ninjas Vs. Zombies is no longer about Zombies and the cover actually reads Werewolves, I’m going to use the shortened Ninjas Vs. title for future Bullet Reviews*
Zombies are now in the past but there are new monsters for our Ninja heroes to fight! The town of River has a long and dark history and our Ninjas are part of it. What is this all about? Well, we are learning as the Ninjas are.
Meanwhile, we have some new players on the board! Seth, who is the leader (master?) of the werewolves and possibly more, wants  Ann for purposes not yet revealed and he also wants the rest dead.
The mysterious Abigail seems to be playing on both sides of the fence. At first she’s working for Seth but it quickly becomes apparent that she has her own agenda and the Ninjas play a major role in it. The best part? This all ties in with the history of River as well as Eric and Randall, the brothers who were the reason these guys are Ninjas, as their father was one of Seven who were to guard the book that Randall used in the beginning to bring his brother Eric back from the dead, thus beginning the Ninjas Vs. saga!
I love a story that has roots. It always makes things more solid.
Then there is the problem of the vampire Lily losing control…and not in a private place either. That can’t be good!
Now, expanding on a concept that started as a movie that spawned two sequels can’t be easy. The story is trying to find its footing beyond the movies and I think it’s doing pretty good so far. There are a few stumbles here and there, sometimes the panels progression isn’t very clear, but the characters are solid and the art is fantastic. With this series now entering new territory there is going to be some growing pains but don’t worry, I have a feeling that they won’t be bad and the overall story will be worth the read!
For more information, as well as ordering previous issues for this and other books, check out the Azure Press website! -Skott Jimenez