You are here: Home / Archives for Marvel and DC

Review: Batman #20 – Snyder / Capullo / Miki

May 14, 2013 by

batman-20This issue is the end of the two-part Nowhere Man story arc as well as the final story to be told in the present day in Batman, as Year Zero begins in issue 21. This is another amazingly rendered issue by Greg Capullo. His Clayface is menacing. His fantastically detailed visage is freakishly frightening as he twists his amorphous body into an oozing blob of murderous intent, actually swallowing a battered Bruce Wayne in the opening pages of this issue. He is then very unceremoniously spat into a crusher used by Wayne Enterprises R&D Department to eradicate unusable prototypes – he joins a previously deposited Lucius Fox. Fox informs him that Clayface has over-ridden the fail safe protocols and that there is no other way out. All the weapons are gutted before being disposed of, but there hidden beneath a mound of bits and pieces of discarded Wayne-Tech is a concept suit which he Bruce dons to rescue them both. In a nod to Batman Beyond, Lucius explains to Bruce that it will be twenty years before this suit will become cost effective. Bruce leaves in pursuit of Clayface.

In the guise of Bruce Wayne, Clayface is leading the Gotham Police on a high speed motorcycle chase. Batman, now wearing a sort of electrified armor, catches up to him and informs him that his blackmail scheme is over. He then attempts to use hydrogen fluoride to thwart the shape-shifting monster – to no avail. Clayface taunts Batman by morphing his fingers into grotesque puppet-like versions of The Joker, Penguin and Riddler. Batman tries solvent, coolant – anything that would have worked on the old Clayface. Nothing works so then he resorts to electricity – he charges the suit and releases every ounce of power he can generate into Clayface.

This does nothing more than tingle the hulking villain. He grabs Batman by the head, crushes the face mask of his helmet and makes contact with his skin just as Commissioner shows up with a squad of police officers. They hold their guns on Clayface and he transforms again into Bruce Wayne. Clayface now believes he has uncovered Batman’s secret identity for all to see. Since making contact with Batman’s skin should have allowed him to become whoever he is under the mask. However in the confusion, Clayface is trapped in a panic chamber that has been programed to respond to the only person Batman can be sure that Clayface cannot duplicate the DNA of – Basil Karlo. It seems that in becoming everyone he touched, Basil Karlo had lost his own genetic code thus, making himself a cipher, a perfect clay man. Batman explains that he was wearing a fiber mask of Bruce Wayne’s DNA, which is the reason he became Wayne after touching him, once again preserving his secret identity. This angers Clayface so much so that he takes on the likeness of Damien Wayne and rages against the rich like Bruce Wayne and their disregard for everything including his own son. Batman is still raw from his loss and flies into a blind rage, kicking the panic chamber containing Karlo who is still maintaining the image of Damien.

Batman is recounting the capture of Clayface to Alfred back at the Batcave. Alfred has just finished wrapping Batman’s most recent bruises, when he joins him for an evening of reminiscing about his lost son. In an extremely poignant and tender moment we see a single tear stream down Bruce’s cheek as he watches the view screen inside his visor.

This was an extremely well written arc. Scott Snyder kept the possibility of Batman’s identity being exposed just out of reach for the entire story. The suspense just added to the excitement of an already pulse-pounding plot. Snyder re-invents Clayface as a more powerful, far more formidable foe. This was a nice send off before Year Zero starts next issue, which will tie things up for the next eleven months. I could read Scott Snyder’s dialogue forever – it is so good that I find myself quoting it as one might do from a favorite film.

Let’s move from some of the best writing in comics to talk about some of the best artwork in comics today.

Greg Capullo is unbelievable at drawing horrific monsters – just look at his work on Spawn and Haunt. The amount of detail he puts into his creatures is what makes the difference. His Clayface is not just a blob but a layered mass of crust and teeth and muddy goo, something truly disgusting and awful to behold let alone to be swallowed by. I can only call to mind the words of Han Solo when he commented about a freshly opened taun-taun, “And I thought they smelled bad on the outside”. Just imagine what Bruce Wayne endured while inside Clayface. I’m sure it was an assault on all senses, and Greg Capullo brings that so sharply into focus that you can almost smell the dank musty mud. His artwork is second to none and his work on Batman is some of his best.

The back-up story written by James Tynion IV, with art by the great Alex Maleev, is also brought to completion here. It’s not an Earth shattering epic but just a nice Batman/ Superman team-up story. The two heroes battle a supernatural entity called Will O’ The Wisp. The end of the story shows us a moment of deep friendship and the effects of Batman’s loss on that friendship. Ultimately that’s really what this story is, a glimpse of a deep friendship.

Batman #20 is an all-around top-notch comic book with fabulous writing and fantastic art. If you are not currently a regular reader of Batman you might want to take the upcoming Year Zero event to jump on. You will be happy you did, trust me.

So until next week, see you at the comic book store.

Filed Under: DC Tagged With: , ,

Marvel is Building Bridges I Don’t Need

May 10, 2013 by

I-Have-An-Issue-Banner

‘I Have An Issue’ is a regular opinion column from Kimberley Griffiths, with no fear or favour shown. If you’d like to suggest something for a future column, drop us a line. Also, check out Kimberley’s blog!

There’s this strange disconnect between Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios at the moment, and while I’m loathe to be critical of franchises I usually love almost in spite of their foibles, I’m certainly feeling some trepidation.

While Studios seems to be doing its utmost best to define the clear, vast, and very welcome difference that is the gap between 616 and the Cinematic Universe (MCU), some of the current comic writers seem to have missed that memo.

When looking at a film like Iron Man 3, you can see that Marvel Stuidos has placed a clear this is a completely different part of the multiverse stamp all over it.  The changes to The Mandarin, and the Extremis storyline were, in my opinion, inspired.  They bought a cheesy, more than a little bit racist villain into the 21st century and placed him in a context that made sense in the MCU.  Extremis was adapted to fit far better into this less fantastical universe, and even then you only really need to look at Tony himself to recognise that Marvel has the right idea here.

On the other side of the coin, the increasing desire to bring elements of the MCU into the primary continuity is strange at best, and incredibly frustrating and a little creepy at worst.  While I’m certainly no detractor to the occasional snippet of blatant fanservice, I found myself immediately uncomfortable with one book in particular.

SA1Nick Spencer’s Secret Avengers is only four issues in, and within the first half of issue one, the tone is set for the aforementioned MCU capitalisation.  Marvel has attempted to suck in fans of The Avengers movie, particularly those who latched on to one line in particular – You and I remember Budapest very differently – and in doing this have created one of the strangest books I’ve come across in the last few years.

The insinuation that MCU fans will require a clear path to follow as a way to bridge the films and the comics is frankly insulting.  To those of us who are long time Marvel comics fans, the sudden and pointless addition of 1610/MCU ‘Nick Fury’, explained away as being the older model’s son with a nice matching eyepatch, and the clumsy introduction of Phil Coulson as a 616 character, is jarring and uncomfortable.  While I understand the desire to get some of these fans to crossover into comics, the minimally advertised, low key release of SA Vol 2 meant that the concept is largely redundant. And many of those fans who did take notice, have been alienated by the creepy mind-wipe aspect of the storyline. That then begs the question: if you’re cashing in on a line like that, what’s the point of ensuring neither of the characters involved remember ‘Budapest’ at all?

So all in all, Secret Avengers is failing at all its attempted tasks.  It’s not as edgy as it’s trying to be, it’s aiming at a market that it’s not reaching, and what lip service it does pay to those fans, it completely undermines by using illogical plot points and pointless references.  Luke Ross’ art is patchy, and at points it’s obvious he’s tried to give Natasha the same look as Scarlett Johansson, but the inconsistency means this really doesn’t work.  Coulson also, is obviously designed using Clark Gregg as a reference, but then we have Clint who is… something else entirely.

SA is a S.H.I.E.L.D. book, and shouldn’t be trying to masquerade as anything else, particularly with issue #3 having a focus on Daisy Johnson (Quake), who is the new yet still unconfirmed director of the organisation.  A book focussing mostly on Johnson, Hill, and the rest of the SHIELD team would hold my attention far better than SA has managed just four issues in.

IM3P1For those MCU fans wanting a great starting point in comics, Marvel already has the film tie ins.  These have proven to be well put together, standalone stories. With some better marketing, these could really increase readership not just of the MCU titles, but of others featuring fan favourites too.  Fraction’s Hawkeye has proven to be hugely popular with fans of the The Avengers who are new to comics, and thus far has stuck firmly in the existing primary continuity, with a couple of subtle nods to Cinematic Universe  imagery.

With Avenging Spider-Man #20 also featuring the crack team of Widow, Hawkeye, and Coulson, it looks like this is a path Marvel is keen to pursue in multiple titles.  I can only hope that other writers can give it a more refined treatment.  SA #1 hit us over the head with about as much subtlety as Mjolnir travelling at terminal velocity.

Filed Under: Marvel, Opinion Tagged With: ,

Review: Aquaman #19 – Johns, Pelletier and Reis

May 8, 2013 by

aquaman19Some Atlantean weaponry has fallen into the hands of The Scavenger, who is operating out of a pilfered Russian nuclear submarine, and Arthur has taken it upon himself to retrieve it. He seeks the assistance of Topo, a giant octopus-like monster with intelligence equal to that of a human.  Geoff Johns has mined the silver-age to bring back this one-time Aquaman side-kick.

Meanwhile on the surface at the Belle Reve Penitentiary Orm is presented with the reality of facing multiple murder charges. He is told that unless he pleads guilty to the murders that the victims’ families are going to speak on their behalf. Orm is beyond reluctant to take this legal advice – in fact he feels the Atlanteans that were killed are being swept under the rug while only the American lives lost are worth mentioning. He dismisses the lawyer with a foreboding threat as he alludes to the fact that he has plenty of non-air breathing friends.

Murk and Tula are searching old Murk City for Swatt, an Atlantean who cannot breathe under water without the aid of a special helmet. He is not home when they arrive so they let themselves in to wait for him. It is then that they notice all of the surface objects Swatt has been hoarding. Tula is fumbling with an old camera when Swatt surprises them – the flash goes off, flooding the room with bright light. He lunges at Murk and they begin to scuffle. Tula gets behind Swatt and tries to restrain him but he has other plans. He shocks her but while dealing with her Murk is able to get a hold of him and remove his helmet. Now that he cannot breathe under water, Murk forces his head into a pool and holds it under. He releases him just short of drowning and Swatt scrambles to replace his helmet. Everyone settles down long enough for Murk to tell Swatt that he and Tula need his help in freeing King Orm. He goes on to explain that it is Swatt’s knowledge of the surface world that they have need of. Before anything can be resolved, Tula and the Drift are summoned to Arthur.

Now somewhere south of the Florida Keys, a small sailboat is tossed like a cork caught in a tumultuous storm. The doomed sailors go below deck to the safety of the lower cabin, however one of them notices a lone woman perilously adrift in the threatening waters – it is Tula. The boat begins to spin completely out of control and just when she thinks all is lost a hand reaches out to grab Tula and pull her aboard. The exiled King of Atlantis has saved her but she refuses to bow before him when asked. He tells her they are being pulled down into the triangle by his design. Down and down they go, and as the tiny sailboat is crushed, Tula swims away.

Arthur leads the soldiers of The Drift in search of The Scavenger’s fleet as they now know he has more than one submarine. Tula has finally joined up with her King and is told to take The Drift further down the coast and then circle around. He takes a complement of Drift soldiers with him and stays close to the ocean floor. It is then that he notices a strange smell in the water – fuel. Just then an explosion throws Arthur and his men like dolls, scattering them along the shoreline where a broken and damaged submarine sits lifeless like a beached whale. On board the tattered vessel Arthur and his men find two of their own, one is already dead the other has undergone some type of hackneyed surgery. He lies close to death but clinging tenaciously to life on the floor of the submarine. Arthur instructs his men to help him and bring him home.

Amid the backdrop of sunken ships and the long forgotten relics of maritime plane crashes, Princess Mera swims gracefully through the skeletal remains in search of Nereus, her estranged husband. She finds him standing regally atop the broken deck of a barnacle encrusted ship, spear in hand. He asks just one pointed question, “Where the hell have you been?”

Granted this issue was predominately set-up, the story didn’t advance all that much but Geoff Johns can sometimes go for issues on end without advancing the plot, just introducing characters. That seems to be what he has done here. The one I enjoyed the most was The New 52 debut of Topo. This is a completely new look for him. More kraken than actual octopus now, Topo is truly a sea-monster, albeit one with an extreme intellect. Beyond that we had Swatt and this whole sub-plot involving Murk and Tula’s plan to break King Orm out. With all these Kings and pretenders to the throne I can’t help but think of this as Game of Thrones underwater (without the nudity). There is lots of intrigue and even some hints at a love triangle at the very end of this issue. Ultimately this is Geoff Johns doing what he does best – writing great character driven stories full of good solid dialogue and characters you can actually care about.

Paul Pelletier’s art is dynamic on its own but Rod Reis’s colors really give this book the feeling that it is taking place under water. The muted blues and greens applied over the other colors cast an ethereal other-worldly glow over everything. This works especially well on Pelletier’s incredibly detailed graveyard of sunken ships. More than backgrounds these meticulously rendered scenes frame the action without overpowering it. I found them to be some of my favorite pages. Pelletier and Reis seem to have a great chemistry and it comes through in their work.

Overall Aquaman is fast becoming a stand out in the New 52. Geoff Johns is doing here very much the same thing he did for Green Lantern, writing great stories week after week and making the character his own. I look forward to a good long run from him on this title. If you don’t already get it, give Aquaman a look – I don’t think you will be disappointed.

So until next week, see you at the comic book store.

Filed Under: DC Tagged With: , , ,

Review: FF#6 – Matt Fraction & Joe Quinones

April 30, 2013 by

If there was a prize for best fill-in artist it would have to go to Joe Quinones. Actually, that doesn’t do the art in this chapter of FF justice – if for whatever reason Mike Allred couldn’t return, and Joe Quinones were to take over, I’d only be a little bit sad. FF#6 manages to come together (excuse the pun) fantastically,despite the lack of Allred, remaining at the high standard associated with Matt Fraction’s titles these days.

ff6Quinones’ art really shines in this issue. While not the exact pop-art aesthetic of Allred’s work, the entire look of this issue feels like an FF issue (thanks in part to the equally brilliant colours courtesy of Laura Allred), which is the highest of praise. Quinones’ panels  draw on Allred’s unique design sensibilities, but he manages to make it his own, with some excellent layout designs. His characters are also expressive and suitably fun, with small details like the hoodies the Yancy Street Gang wear, making this issue feel like the cartoon it should.

Despite the cartoon-ish art style, Fraction manages to continue his skill in telling multiple stories. Bentley-23 and Medusa are still missing, Tong has a revelation, and Scott – amongst dealing with his grief over the loss of his daughter – helps Darla fight off the Yancy Street Gang. Each of these stories feels suitably fleshed out, with the Tong one in particular being a standout. Only Fraction could show a character’s development on a single page, and make it feel worthwhile.

Scott Lang’s slow descent into losing it is also a highlight of the story. He’s constantly lost when he has nothing to do, often dwelling on the death of his daughter, but when he takes control of things outside of caring for the Future Foundation’s children, he’s focused and smart. It’s a clever way of showing how badly the death has affected the way he reacts to any child he deals with, and it seems he has a ways to go.

A ways to go is what I hope with this title. In fact, I’d be happy if the Richard’s family never came back, because FF is one of the best titles in the Marvel Now!, and I never want it to end.

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: ,

Review: Deadpool #8 – Duggan, Posehn and Hawthorne

April 27, 2013 by

deadpool8

Deadpool, ‘The Merc with the Mouth’ could more accurately be called the Merc with the Mouths now that he is sharing the space inside his head with Agent Preston, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who hired him to kill the reanimated presidents in the first story arc. She was killed before she could cross over to the other side, so her consciousness was trapped inside Deadpool’s head by a bumbling necromancer named Michael. Now Deadpool is on a quest for revenge and money owed to him from S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Gorman, however before he deals with that there is the matter of getting Agent Preston out of his head.

In an ill-conceived plan to visit Agent Preston’s family, Deadpool hijacks an ice cream truck, hog ties the driver and shows up at her home in the middle of the night. Armed to the teeth he climbs up a tree leading to Agent Preston’s young son Jeff’s bedroom window. He enters the child’s room, waking him to the sight of a crazed masked man in head to toe red and black spandex with twin katana blades strapped to his back. The child is understandably shaken. Deadpool silences the kid by placing a hand over his mouth and then attempts to explain where his missing and presumed dead mother is. To add to Jeff’s confusion Deadpool tells him that his mother is not only alive but that she is here inside his head. Jeff asks if he can speak to her and after a short chat she tells Deadpool that he needs to get out of there before her husband Shane wakes up. At this point a shot-gun wielding Shane enters the room and opens fire on Deadpool.

Deadpool hauls his buckshot riddled butt out the window and away to the waiting ice cream truck. He then frees the hog-tied driver and speeds from the scene. A safe distance from the house Deadpool discovers he is not alone in the truck. A demon named Vetis, who had previously made a deal with Deadpool to get Tony Stark drinking again, reveals himself and the two begin tussling. Vetis refers to the the satisfaction guaranteed clause in their contract and states most ardently that he was anything but satisfied. He then hands Deadpool a scroll upon which is written five names, one of them is the name Michael, the necromancer and quasi-friend of Deadpool. Vetis then tells him that if he kills the other four Michael will get a reprieve.

Now in The East Village of New York City, in a dingy dive of a diner, Deadpool, Michael and the re-animated Ben Franklin occupy a corner booth. Ben Franklin tells Deadpool that the names on the list are of men who have signed their souls over to Vetis in exchange for various abilities beyond those of mortal men. When asked why he did this Michael explains that he was about to wash out of the experimental S.H.I.E.L.D. program for magic users when Vetis found him and offered him the power he needed. Agent Preston joins the conversation and it is discovered that Ben Franklin is acquainted with the very first Sorcerer Supreme called The Ancient One and he knows the location of his hidden writings. They decide that the answers they need to defeat Vetis may be in these writings. They also decide that they need a dead body to send Agent Preston into and since her body is no more they will have to come up with one. Deadpool is of the opinion that one of the names on the list will work just fine.

The first name on the list is located in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Corrado Coloruno is one of New Jersey’s most wanted, responsible for bank robberies and murders up and down the state. He traded his soul for invulnerability. Deadpool spots him leaving the scene of a robbery with a gym bag full of cash in his hand. The getaway car is waiting but unfortunately for him so is Deadpool. He runs a sword through the roof of the car clean through the drivers head killing him instantly. Coloruno then flees on foot which doesn’t work out any better for him. Deadpool lassos him around the neck with a chain. He then speeds off in the getaway car dragging Coloruno behind. His ill-gotten invulnerability is now working against him as Deadpool drags, chokes and shoots Coloruno all the way to a metal recycling plant. He tells Deadpool that as long as his body drew breath he could not be hurt. To remedy this Deadpool coats Coloruno’s head in molten metal sealing his mouth and nose thus effectively shutting off his airways. Once the body is good and dead he offers it to Agent Preston. She promptly turns it down and requests that Deadpool give her some time to think about their next step.

Deadpool is approached by a young woman who asks him if he would walk her home. She tells him that some weirdoes are following her. While she engages him in conversation her accomplices open fire on Deadpool. His attention now thoroughly occupied, another thug approaches him from the rear and tazes him unconscious. Now the entire group sets up a makeshift operating room and begins an impromptu surgery. They are after his liver and a kidney. They get the kidney and two pints of blood but their time runs out before they can get the liver sample. It is not clear who they are or for whom they work but it is implied that they do in fact work for someone as they leave Deadpool lying lifeless on the side of the road.

Deadpool has been one of my favorite characters since the first ongoing series, however when he first showed up in the Marvel universe I paid little attention to him. This is because he was created by Rob Liefeld and I tried to avoid anything even remotely related to Rob Liefeld. This is a rule I still live by to this day. Having said this, I did read The Deadpool Corps book that Liefeld did a few years back. It was awful. But it is not my intention to trash Rob Liefeld here –  I mention him merely to show how this character can be misused. When in the hands of a capable writer who understands the comedic aspects of Deadpool, he is so much fun – but when the opposite is true Deadpool is just another gun crazy mutating sword swinging jackass in tights. In other words, he is every character churned out by Image in the early 90s.

Fast forward to the 2000s and thanks to writers like Daniel Way, Andy Diggle, Victor Gischler and Fred Van Lente, Deadpool is thriving and entertaining. Now enter crazy man Brian Posehn, known more for his roles in such films as Rob Zombie’s Devil’s Rejects and the voice of Murray the robot in The Haunted World of El Superbeasto but is now along with Gerry Duggan the writer of Deadpool. And they are doing an awesome job. The humor is there, the action we have come to expect is there and so is the trademark snappy dialogue. This is a consistently well written book. I know we are only 8 issues into the run but every one has been a gem. I hope Posehn and company stay on this title for a good long time.

Mike Hawthorne was the artist on this issue. He did a four-issue mini-series called Three Days in Europe for Oni Press in 2002. His art is clean and intelligible. Hawthorne is a good visual storyteller able to convey a wide spectrum of emotion through his characters’ body language and facial expression. His page layouts are clear and understandable adding to his ability to keep the pacing of the story kinetic and entertaining. I’m looking forward to seeing more work from him.

Overall Deadpool is back on track in the hands of a very capable creative team. I hope to see the level of quality kept high and not seeing Deadpool dropped into any book that needs a boost in sales. This title is not for everyone, but for those of us who love irreverence and biting satire, Deadpool is definitely worth a look.

So until next week, see you at the comic book store.

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: , , ,

Review: Nova #3 – Loeb and McGuiness

April 20, 2013 by

nova3Sam Alexander’s first flight after putting on the Nova helmet lands him on the moon, but not alone. He looks up from the moon’s surface, and towering over him is a giant bald man dressed in a Romanesque toga. He is known as The Watcher. He stands silent as stone refusing to respond to Sam’s rapid fire succession of questions. Instead he only raises a hand to point ominously out into space. Sam’s gaze follows The Watcher’s indicating finger to see a vast fleet of alien spaceships. This does little to clear things up for him – quite to the contrary Sam fires off another salvo of questions. These too go unanswered by The Watcher. Realising that further inquiries would be futile, Sam bids farewell to The Watcher and rockets toward Earth. Re-entry proves tricky as the immense build-up of heat turns Sam into a veritable fireball. However he is unharmed by the incredibly high temperature much to his surprise and delight. He touches down safely in his own backyard.

Sam makes his way into the kitchen where he finds his mother waiting up for him. She has a thousand questions of her own for him but Sam understands very few of them as she is speaking Spanish. However he understands enough to ascertain that she is mad. He calms her enough to sit down and have a conversation about his father. She tells him that his dad used to disappear like this from time to time but that after Sam was born he tried very hard to be a good father. Although he appreciates his mother’s willingness to talk about his father, Sam senses that she is not being entirely forthcoming. To her credit as a mother she likewise senses that Sam may be keeping something from her. She leaves her son alone with his thoughts.

Sam places his father’s helmet upon a shelf, where he begins to speak to it as though he were able to question his father through it. But it is the green skinned Guardian of the Galaxy Gamora who answers. She and fellow Guardian, Rocket Raccoon appear in Sam’s house. They have come to explain exactly who Sam’s father was and the importance of the helmet and what it means to his future. It is immediately apparent that Rocket Raccoon, who holds Sam’s father in the highest esteem, has feelings of an entirely opposite nature for Sam himself. Gamora is somewhat less critical of young Sam Alexander but still tells him that his behavior is an insult to Richard Rider also from Earth. He and the rest of the members of Nova Corps made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. She and Rocket Raccoon tell him to suit up for training.

His performance in the training session is less than spectacular. Sam is not especially pleased about being fired upon by Rocket Raccoon, who is even less pleased to lose his favorite laser pistol when Sam blasts it to pieces. Gamora enters the training at this time, swinging her broad sword at Sam’s head – from this point on it’s Sam being relentlessly pummeled by the two superior combatants. Beaten and defeated, Sam surrenders at the point of Gamora’s blade. She informs him that actual enemies will not be as forgiving as she. The two Guardians begin an impromptu lesson on the various warring alien species, focusing on the Chitauri who have gained control of a weapon called The Ultimate Nullifier. They plan to use the weapon on Earth as its test case. This prompts Sam to recount his encounter on the moon with The Watcher and the glimpse of the Chitauri armada he was shown. Rocket Raccoon surmises that it was the Nova helmet that allowed Sam to see the alien warships. The helmet logged the coordinates which would allow Sam to return, mark their position in the quadrant and allow them to make arrangements for reinforcements. However in order to do this Sam will have to “Space Jump” to get there. This involves reaching a certain velocity to complete the jump. Sam is more than willing to do this, so he leaves Earth and begins building up speed until the proper velocity is reached. The “Space Jump” is successfully executed. He finds himself right in the line of fire of the Chitauri armada, who waste no time blasting him.

Sam Alexander is not a reluctant hero. He has the courage to save the world but lacks the training and discipline. Not unlike Luke Skywalker, Sam’s father casts a long shadow over his life. One must learn the ways of the Force, the other the ways of the Nova Corps. The fate of many hangs in the balance for both of these young men. Jeph Loeb’s Sam Alexander is very human, his father is very human complete with frailties and flaws, but it is in overcoming these frailties that Sam becomes heroic. The more Loeb reveals about Sam’s father the more we see those heroic attributes come to light in Sam. Jeph Loeb is taking us on a journey of discovery – we are learning about Sam Alexander and the Nova Corps as the character learns. We make these discoveries page by page with Sam. Incredibly well paced, the story unfolds quickly and moves of its own volition but still leaves us wanting more. I read this issue three times – admittedly one of them was to more fully appreciate the excellent artwork.

Expertly rendered by Ed McGuinness this book is gorgeous to look at. The pages of Sam’s encounter with The Watcher are amazing. Without a single word McGuinness gives The Watcher a complete and undeniable personality. His facial expressions speak volumes. The training session is so cinematic that you can almost hear the 80’s rock as the montage plays out. His Gamora and Rocket Raccoon are superbly rendered. This book is beautifully executed from start to finish. It is exciting, fast-paced, action packed and visually stunning – everything a good comic book should be. We are only three issues into this series, so if you have been on the fence about this one, I suggest you make room on your pull list for Nova.

So until next week, see you at the comic book store.

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: , ,

Review: Iron Man #8 – Gillen and Land

April 20, 2013 by

Iron_Man_No8For reason I don’t totally understand, the Marvel NOW “Iron Man” title seems to get no love from comic fans – to the degree that I never see it mentioned except for a few cases where it was complained about and dismissed as a horrid book.  Maybe it’s the upcoming film giving people this negative attitude towards it, I don’t know.  What I do know is that this title is in no way a lead-up or hyped-up film-related project.  Throughout the title’s eight-issue run they have kept the Iron Man world as it’s been for some time.  I am really into this book and, while it may not be the best on the shelf, it’s a satisfying read each month, which is something to be said nowadays with the ‘Big 2’.

This issue is the conclusion to the recent ‘Godkiller’ arc, and is more or less a decent closer to this story.  As a lot of Marvel NOW titles tend to be, this comic also ties in with the events and aftermath of the whole ‘Avengers Vs. X-Men’ debacle, but in an interesting way.

We begin the arc with Tony Stark creating another new armor and, with the capabilities of the suit and its new P.E.P.P.E.R. AI system, he decides to head off and explore outer space.  He realizes that with the power he has within his armor he can experience more in his life, things he wouldn’t have found otherwise.  For a man and hero who, by this point, has seen quite a great deal, this is quite the statement.  As he begins his travels, he happens upon a Pirate attack, and in true hero style busts his way into the battle, defeating the Pirates and being taken in as a victorious warrior by the alien race he helped – the Voldi, a seemingly peaceful race.  The celebration of Stark’s help and win begins, and things are going great until it is revealed that Tony had a hand in the destruction of the Phoenix Force during the ending parts of ‘AvX’.  The problem?  The Voldi worship the Phoenix as one of their gods, and they are not happy in the slightest to learn of Stark’s actions.

Stark is tossed into a cell to await his trial, when he is approached by Recorder 451, who looks to be a robotic lifeform of some kind.  He tells Tony there is a legal loophole in the Voldi system which allows Tony to request a ‘Trial-by-Combat’, giving him a better chance of survival – if he can live through the fight.  451 promises Tony that he will get the Iron Man armor to him as soon as he can, Tony just needs to stay in the fight long enough for 451 to do so.  The clever Voldi call upon their own loophole, and instead of a fight with “no enchanted combatants” who are to battle “as nature finds you”, they bring out the 30 foot tall cyborg Death’s Head.  First off, it’s awesome to see Death’s Head, who is one of those side characters that I’ve always enjoyed.

Tony and Death’s Head begin their battle, and Stark is obviously losing very quickly.  When he brings up the fact that Death’s Head is in no way the type of fighter promised, even with the loophole, Death’s Head calmly tells him that since he isn’t using his ‘upgrades’ (such as rockets and the like) it is completely fine.  The fact that the Voldi see most any creature, robotic, cybernetic, or whatever as actual living beings helps, as well.

Death’s Head is smearing the arena with Stark, who is almost completely naked – his bare chest glowing a light blue – when we cut to 451, somewhere within the ‘Chamber of Evidence’.  After moving something into a waiting spacecraft, he finds the armor and – with the addition of the new AI – he is able to talk with it, letting it know that Tony is in some major trouble.  As the suit takes off towards the arena, we see 451 climb into the ship and escape.  This, of course, makes one curious.  Where is he going?  What was his actual plan?

Back at the arena, Death’s Head is about to smash Tony with a large boulder, no doubt to break his very exposed bones and flesh.  As he raises the stone above his head, the P.E.P.P.E.R. driven suit blows its way into the fight, finally giving Tony the opportunity to suit up.  This does not sit well with the Voldi, who scream that Tony has forfeited his case.  In true Stark style, he basically ignores them all as he jets out of the Voldi’s hold and back out into space.  As he attempts to fully escape, he finds that he has been chased down by a batch of Voldi battle drones, who waste no time in engaging him.  Iron Man speeds off to a nearby location, where a weapon is waiting for him, and he locks it onto his wrist.  Pointing the fully integrated weapon at the drones, he takes most of them out in one quick burst.

We now see Veritina – the leader of the Voldi – in her Palace, watching Iron Man’s escape on a viewscreen.  She is both excited and appalled by what she’s watching, commenting on his amazing ‘heroism’.  Above her, through a roof of glass and metal, we can see the large bodies of the ‘Star Giants’, also known as the Celestials.  Though the Voldi worship these gods, they also have been using the ‘Heart’ to keep themselves cloaked from the Star Giants’ sight.   The ‘Heart’ was what 451 had loaded into his ship in the earlier scene, so it is no surprise when the Star Giants begin to destroy the Voldi.

As we go back to Tony battling the drones, he is curious when they shut down on their own out of nowhere.  Suddenly, appearing as if there were a giant screen in the fabric of space, 451’s face appears.  He explains to Tony that he did, in fact, steal the ‘Heart’, and that the Star Giants have decided to destroy the Voldi because they see them as leeches who, had they not been hidden, might have been destroyed already some time ago.  451 explains how he set Tony up from the start to reach this goal, and Tony barks back about 451 letting an entire race be wiped from space just so he could get his hands on a ‘fancy cloaking device’.  Finally, as 451’s projection dissolves, Tony has the suit’s new AI check for any survivors, of which there are none.  Angry and blown away mentally by what has just transpired, he vows to find and stop 451, no matter what.

This title has, for me, been enjoyable from the very first issue, and has yet to let up.  There are a few points here and there that bother me, such as the too-conviently placed weapon awaiting Stark out in deep space, but overall the writing is solid and straightforward.  No muss, no fuss, just stories with a purpose told very well.  There never seems to be a moment wasted, and it never feels like things are moving too fast.  Great pacing for such an action heavy title.  And, this issue itself is probably the most action-packed yet which, due to the nature of the issue in the arc, feels perfect, and like the ending of some great space epic.  Tony is written like the Tony Stark we’ve known for some time, not at all like the Robert Downey Jr. film version, which Marvel seems to like doing (just watch an episode of ‘Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ and you’ll be cringing like I was, most likely).  He is the egotistical yet fragile character he has been for some time, and Kieron Gillen’s scripting holds true to that fact.  As mentioned, this may not be the best book on the shelves, but the writing is well tuned and flows well.

I know a lot of people seem to have major problems with Greg Land’s artwork, to the point of videos being posted showing his artwork up against the actual magazine photo, etc. that Land based his drawing on.  Honestly, most of these are spot on, and some are even directly stolen from the photo in question.  This doesn’t matter to me, as I’m not here to comment on his style of working, but his work as presented here.  I like it, and at times even *really* lie it, but a lot of times it can feel very flat and emotionless.  His Tony really only has about three expressions, and a lot of the character models look very similar to one another.  I do like his work on this title, but that is the main thing that bothers me.  The adventures in the suit, however, look great.  This seems to be Land’s strong point – space battles and any sort of action scenes.  This is where his work shines and makes it worth pulling yourself through the more Tony-oriented dramactics.  So, a very uneven title in terms of art, but enjoyable, nonetheless.

Overall, I was waiting for a new Iron Man title for some time, and this is just about what I needed.  It’s not 100% solid or even consistent in the production (especially and mostly in the artwork), but it has kept me reading for 8 issues so far, and I am more than excited for #9.  Don’t overlook this title if you’re even a remotely interested fan.  It’s still Iron Man under the hood, he just has a bit of a damaged exterior.

 

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: , ,

Review: Uncanny X-Men #4 – Bendis & Bachalo

April 11, 2013 by

UNCANNYX-MEN-NO4-COVER1 As a lifelong X-Men fan going back to the mid 80s, I have followed this constantly shifting crew of heroes and villains into some very exciting and downright mind-blowing periods.  You can look at so many different eras of the various titles and a debate can be had over which of the many big moments are the most important, or the most defining for the X Universe.

Personally, I think this is the start of one of those great eras, beginning with the launching of the Marvel NOW X titles.  With multiple crossover events taking quite a toll on these mutants and their worlds over the past chunk of years, this has put them in a very interesting position.  So for me, it’s a great time to be an X-Men fan, and this 4th issue of Uncanny X-Men is more proof for my brain that while big and sweeping changes may mean difficulties in setting up good stories or even complete arcs afterwards, it can also open a tired area of Marvel’s Universe up to new and special things.

This issue is special in its own way, as it is mostly a scene we saw play out in the newest issue of All New X-Men, except from a whole different perspective.  In ‘All New’ we had the straight up scene, with all the drama and danger it held.  Scott and his new team (the ‘Uncanny’ one) arrive at the Jean Grey School campus, attempting to recruit new members for their team, or ’cause’ depending on how you see it.  The issue ended with an unknown X-Men member crossing sides over to Scott’s “mutant terrorist” group, which was a great cliffhanger.  Luckily, I also read this title, as that ending is continued within this issue #4.

Now, the way this scene plays out is one of those moments in recent X books that make me excited for the future.  Instead of the full scene we had already read in “All New X-Men”, we get the same scene, only lightly told in the background of a psychic conversation between Emma Frost and her ‘Stepford Sisters’ – Celeste, Mindee, and Phoebe.  In the issue of ‘All New’ we see the 3 girls join Scott’s side near the end of the comic, and here we get to see the ‘behind the scenes’ of why they made that choice.  It is a brilliant way to catch an important scene from two completely separate viewpoints, giving a more solid feel for the overall scene itself.

Another major part of this new issue is learning more about the ‘new mutants’ Scott is ‘keeping’ at the new (and very secret) Xavier School.  We open on the group – the whiny Benjamin, the very powerful Eva, the over confident Christopher and the seemingly useless Fabio – discussing their role at the school, and pondering the fact that they have been left to their own devices within the school.  There are some very light attempts at character development, and even some within the group dynamic, but these come off as a bit forced and the scene itself leaves you wanting.  Seeds are planted for what may or may not be future complications and closer relationships among the group, but most of it feels very stereotypical for such a scene.  The most glaring of these is when we have the egotistical Christopher rudely hitting on the smart-ass Eva, in a way so ‘by the book’ that it almost makes the very pages themselves feel stale.  There is no life, no spark of anything between any of the group, save for a short but slightly sweet exchange between Eva and Benjamin.

There is a hilarious section where the new group accidentally find themselves fighting in the Danger Room, not knowing where they are or how they got there.  It’s a great couple of panels, yet it’s nearly completely ruined by the weakly thought out reason behind their plight – goofy Fabio was ‘looking for a phone’ and just randomly hit buttons until the Danger Room was inadvertently activated.  This was a downer to such a great moment, and it really bugged me.

With this title and All New X-Men I have been enjoying Bendis’ writing, but a lot of that has more to do with what is currently happening in the X titles than the actual writing itself.  A lot of times it’s too stiff, too forced.  This is one of those times.  Even with a pretty brilliant story device in the Emma/Stepford conversation, this issue fell flat pretty quick.  Add in a seemingly random problem with Magik, and what you get at the end is a bit of disappointment and confusion.

My main complaint – and this is a spoiler – is that it turns out to be the Angel from the past that joins up with Scott.  That was the ‘cliffhanger’.  It really bothered me that the one character that expressed the most unhappiness with the whole situation would be the one to join.  It may make sense, but it feels too easy.  I expected to be surprised when this was revealed and, though I had figured it would most likely be Angel, I really thought Bendis would have thought that too easy as well.  I’m sure it’s leading into something bigger, but it left me cold, and killed my interest in the idea of a member ‘jumping ship’.  The worst thing a writer can do is kill excitement for a book’s development and although Bendis can write some pretty good stuff when he wants to, this is not a shining moment for him.

A lot of people I know have issues with Chris Bachalo’s artwork for this title, and wish he didn’t work on any of the X books.  While I had major issues with his previous work on Wolverine & the X-Men (where it felt too far ‘out of the box’ with no real grounding at all in the X Universe), I have been a diehard fan of his work since finding him in Shade: the Changing Man in the early 90s.  Not only was that title written wonderfully by Peter Milligan, but Bachalo’s artwork sealed the deal, making it one of my favorite runs in nearly any comic’s history.  So I’m a bit biased, as I’m a huge fan.  I have not had much of a problem here as I had with Wolverine, and a lot of his work is damn beautiful – especially the covers (with the exception of the poorly designed cover to #3), which have become mini-posters on my wall I love them so much.

It may sound like I’m not the fan that I make myself out to be when it comes to the X in Marvel, but it is actually that exact thing that makes me so critical of this issue.  This is one of my favorite recent eras for these titles, and having this issue fall so short of what it has been so far is a real downer.  I hope issue #5 will pick it back up.  I’ll be there, either way.  It’s an X book, after all.

 

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: , ,

Review: Thanos Rising #1 – Jason Aaron & Simone Bianchi

April 8, 2013 by

thanos-risingUsually when I see Thanos’ name thrown around, it’s accompanied with titles such as “The Mad Titan” or “Avatar of Death”. So when Thanos Rising was announced, it was Jason Aaron and Simone Bianchi’s chance to introduce us to the villain making its rounds on the film side of Marvel. This team has set out to make Thanos more sympathetic, detailing the journey it took to create a villain in a more tragic light. Unfortunately, it seems that there is such a thing as being too sympathetic, as this first issue mostly fails to capture the spirit of a killer.

Thanos Rising #1 kicks off with the birth of Thanos himself, as his first moments in life are his own mother trying to kill him, then jumping forward to his life as a teenager. Seeing Thanos as a teenager is jarring- this is a man who conquers entire worlds and kills millions of people –  but at the moment he’s a soft spoken artist. It seems that some of the appeal of this super villain is lost when you begin to pull away the layers to find an child who has a penchant for not harming animals.

That said, Aaron does manage to fit in some truly disturbing scenes into this first issue. The scene where Thanos recounts a reccuring dream to his mother of how she is trying to kill him, while she sits in a straight-jacket, is particularly memorable, as well as a fairly gruesome scene later in the book when Thanos discovers his friends massacred, thanks to Bianchi’s art. It does sow seeds for what is likely to come, but right off the bat it isn’t enough.

Bianchi’s art is a mixed bag. In the aforementioned scene it is particularly fantastic, but some of his character work leaves something to be desired. Faces appear flat and wide, and the children all have the exact same stereotypical body shape of small body and big head – Thanos included. It’s an odd choice of artist, whose work appears more surreal, and perhaps the story would have benefited from more realistic looking art, but we’ll see how this plays out over the next four issues.

The intent is clear in Thanos Rising #1, and the talent is more than capable of delivering on such a promise, but the execution leaves much to be desired. However this is only the first issue of five, and Jason Aaron has proven himself in the past, so I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt. Let’s just hope it can find its footing soon.

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: , ,

Review: Superior Spider-Man #7 – Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos

April 8, 2013 by

superior-spidey7Dr. Elias Wirtham is a humanitarian about to re-open a free clinic to treat the city’s less fortunate.  The re-christened H.E.A.R.T. Clinic (Hospital for Emergency Aid and Recuperative Therapy) is located in the building that formerly served as a front for Mister Negative’s criminal empire.  The crime lord used the facility’s good works to hide his evil endeavors. Now Dr. Wirtham will treat New York’s poor ill and infirm while as Cardiac he will use the clinic’s remaining hidden passages to conduct medical procedures that have not been approved by the F.D.A. – procedures he deems medical miracles.

He and a team of like-minded doctors work tirelessly healing the forgotten of society with experimental technology. When a little girl with severe brain damage requires a device that can only be procured by stealing it from Yardale Storage, the police impound for items seized at superhuman crime scenes, Cardiac crosses paths with The Superior Spider-Man.

Peter is on the verge of a breakthrough in regaining control over his body from Doc Ock. Before being awakened by the patrol app on his phone Peter attempts to move his hand while his body under Doc Ock’s control slumbers. His attempt at scribbling a note is less than successful and he knocks his notebook into the trash can as Doc Ock wakes to go on patrol. Upon reaching Yardale Storage (also known as the Boneyard), Spider-Man orders the responding police officers to maintain a perimeter and leave the super-powered criminal inside for him to deal with, effectively relegating them to security guard duty. Once inside Spider-Man makes quick work of subduing Cardiac. He is about to pummel the apprehended culprit mercilessly when he hears a voice shout “Stop right there!” The voice belongs to Peter Parker.

Taken aback by the outburst in his head, Spider-Man allows Cardiac to regain his footing. Single-minded the doctor redoubles his efforts to obtain the device that has brought him to this place. There amidst the wreckage of crushed and battered evidence containers Cardiac finds exactly what he is looking for. But there is no way Spider-Man is going to allow him to leave with it, especially when he finds out that the object in question is one of his own technological breakthroughs, a neurolitic scanner, the device that allowed Doc Ock to communicate with his mechanical arms. He attacks Cardiac with renewed vigor and intensity, pinning him to the floor. All set to demolish Cardiac’s face, he is again put off by the disembodied voice of Peter Parker causing his punch to land just beside Cardiac’s head, crushing the concrete floor instead of the doctor’s face. This diversion allows Cardiac to escape but not before Spider-Man is able to attach a spider-tracer to the fleeing doctor’s ankle.

In the aftermath of the battle Spider-Man is collecting his thoughts when he receives a priority one alert from The Avengers. It seems they have noticed his disconcerting and uncharacteristically violent behavior of late. In light of this, Captain America calls for a full battery of tests to prove the identity of this Spider-Man. However this isn’t met with approval, not by a long shot. Spider-Man throws Cap across the room and challenges the entire team to a fight. This is exactly what Peter Parker has been hoping for. Finally Doc Ock’s sinister deed will be uncovered and the process of regaining control over his body can begin.

I have to admit that way back in the beginning when the idea of the “body swap” was announced, I was somewhat less than enthused. Although I am a life-long Spider-Man fan and have thoroughly enjoyed Dan Slott’s work thus far, this was sounding like the time to abandon ship. But I stayed through the entire clone saga so I had to at least try to get through this. As it turned out my misgivings and doubts were completely unfounded. This has been one of the most fun and exciting chapters in the Spider-Man universe in quite some time. I love it. Week after week I look forward to Superior as well as Avenging Spider-Man.

Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos are creating a perfect comic book, not just once but issue after issue. The writing has been flawless. The character of Superior Spider-Man is not merely Doc Ock nor is he just Peter Parker. He is conflicted in a way no other Marvel hero is or could be. He is truly his own worst enemy. Dan Slott has created a perfect anti-hero. Superior Spider-Man does what Amazing Spider-Man refuses to do. He kills, but not indiscriminately. He weighed his options, then he acted but in so doing he opened the floodgates. Now when faced with an opponent who does not deserve such harsh treatment, that thin blurred line is not enough to stay Superior Spider-Man’s hand. He is about to brutally beat a man who albeit by illegal means wants nothing more than to help sick people. These moral dilemmas are skewed when filtered through the mind of Doc Ock and governed over by Peter Parker. Decisions are reached by committee. Dan Slott does a great job of portraying that inner conflict and the helplessness felt by Peter Parker when watching Doc Ock destroy his reputation – but much more than that as Parker watches himself betray that great responsibility that comes with his great power.

This is a great time to be reading Spider-Man, not only for the fantastic writing but also for the amazing art of Humberto Ramos. His work is so dynamic and recognizable. His style is so kinetic and alive that it adds a fluidity and movement to his pages. He has also given Superior Spider-Man a look very much of his own. Subtle in some ways but no less unique are the changes to his eyes, hands and feet which make this a new character, not just a new costume.

The Superior Spider-Man is an original in every way. I love this book and number seven is a good spot for new readers to jump on. It begins a new story arc and promises to be a turning point in the evolution of the story and the character of The Superior Spider-Man.

So until next week see ya at the comic book store. You can follow me here and @bagandbored1 as well as on Twitter @shawnwarner629.

 

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »