A WORD ON REVIEWS

For a few years I wrote the Burning Mind Column at ComicsBulletin.com – that came to an end about two years ago, around the time The Amazing Spider-Man was released.

On January 1, I re launched The Burning Mind as this comic book related blog, with a related Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, The Burning Mind went on hiatus on January 29 – the day I died.

But, like any good comic book character, I came back to life.

Ok, so why the sudden stop and just how did I ‘die?’ I have mentioned it before on my personal Facebook page and the Burning Mind page briefly, but for those who don’t know: I suffered a cranial blood rapture on January 29, requiring 6 hours of immediate surgery, a three-week hospital stay and lots of recovery.

My skull was literally cut open and removed while neurosurgeons repaired the main blood vessel to my brain. It was only on May 15 that I received the all clear.

As of this writing, I am mostly recovered, healthy and feeling great.

Okay, to the point of this post, there is a reason it is called A WORD ON REVIEWS, because I briefly want to discuss something I mentioned when I launched this blog – that I would be doing weekly reviews, posted on Saturdays.

Obviously, that hasn’t happened – but it will starting this coming Saturday , June 14.

For the next few weeks I will be focusing strictly on the reviews that I had been planning on doing as far back as January. Where I had planned on reviewing just one issue, I may review multiple issues of a series – if I have kept reading.

There are two types of reviews I will be doing: FLASH REVIEWS and FEATURE REVIEWS.

FLASH REVIEWS

Flash reviews – like Flash Fiction – are short, straight-to-the-point reviews. Flash Reviews will be about 125 words or less, give my quick thoughts on a particular title (single issue or run) and a rating.

Flash Reviews will be random reviews of any title I happen to purchase that I feel like reviewing, and will not be done on a set schedule.

I may do one Flash Review a week, a dozen reviews in a week, or none at all.

FEATURE REVIEWS

Feature reviews are the reviews I had been planning on doing weekly before my ‘incident.’ The original plan was to choose one (1) title per week from my pull list to review – with the goal of having that review online by Saturday.

These reviews will be longer and more detailed than Flash Reviews – upwards of 500 words.

I will mostly focus my reviews on non-DC and Marvel titles, as they get plenty of coverage.

How am I going to choose the title for review every week? Actually, I won’t be choosing what title to review – my mom will (‘nuff said).

RATING
In addition to my written review, I will also be using an 11 (0-10) point rating system as follows:

0 – Worthless. (So bad, one has to wonder why Diamond carries the title.)
1, 2 – A waste of good paper or eyesight if read digitally.
3 – 4.5 – Probably not worth the cover Price.
4.5 – 6 – Average title that may be worth a look. However, the title may have more appeal to fans of the genre or creator (s).
6 – 7 – Good, solid title worth reading.
7 – 8 – Great title.
8 – 9 – Excellent title. REQUIRED reading.
9 – 10 – Masterpiece.

To be fair, 0, 1, 2, 9 and 10 will probably be the rarest of ratings I will give. If I give a review a zero, it needs to be truly bad. For a title to receive a 9 or 10, it needs to be nearly perfect in every aspect.

I am not someone who gives out perfect 10’s just because I like a title. I may like a title, but in the grand scope of things, it may still only rate a six.

On the reverse, a title may not appeal to me for some reason, but may still rate high because it is well made and written.

I can promise you two things in my reviews: 1) I will never take a personal shot at any creator, no matter how bad a book may be; 2) all reviews will be honest.

One thing I can’t promise: a good review.

Now it is time for me to play a little catch-up, as I plan to review titles back to January of this year. All the titles I would have reviewed if my ‘incident’ hadn’t happened.

My plan for now is to try to post two reviews a week until caught up – on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

I want to make one thing clear at this moment, NO ONE has asked me to do these reviews and NO ONE is paying me.

I am doing these reviews out of my love for the medium.

Ace Masters