Hulk #2 – Review

By: Mark Waid (Writer), Mark Bagley (Penciller), Andrew Hennessy (Inker), Jason Keith (Color Artist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Story: In this corner, weighing in at 980 pounds, the Abomination. In this corner, Hulk. Somewhere in the middle? Maria Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Review: I was cautiously optimistic after reading the previous issue, as I noticed a certain trope of suspense/horror genre was being used to a good effect: namely, the sidelining of the “monster” to focus on the *effect* of the monster on characters and setting. By the second issue, this sidelining of the monster remains, but gone is the effect. And without it, there is no explicit tone of mystery to maintain a level of distinction for this book.

To be clear, there is still a mystery as the core plot of the book, but there is no overt tone/atmosphere to it. S.H.I.E.L.D. is protecting (and to some extent coddling) a brain damaged Bruce Banner/Hulk, even though the Mysterious Organization of Mystery has found him and sends a newly-reconstituted Abomination after him. However, the cliffhanger suggests the M.O.M. really has it out for S.H.I.E.L.D. instead.

Other things are missing from last issue as well, including the woman who was a key player for the villains. Also? There’s not much time to really explore things– you certainly can’t call this comic “decompressed.” Before the fight with Abomination, we learn it took S.H.I.E.L.D. a month to infiltrate a town pretty extensively, we see some token the affection for Bruce by his new caretakers, some foreshadowing of Bruce’s transformation, and Maria Hill’s arrival and reveal. I am all for non-decompressed stories, but we’re missing out on some big implications. I don’t necessarily care for Bruce’s caretakers or really much for the town in general, and I don’t know why these characters, like Maria Hill, are doing what they’re doing. Sure, it’s S.H.I.E.L.D. and all, and they are protecting and serving, I guess, but there’s no sense that they really care about Bruce as a *person.* I feel that Maria Hill cares more about success at her job than truly ensuring peace for Bruce or protection for the town. Maybe it’s there in one panel as she apologizes for instigating the Hulk’s transformation, but this issue seems to care more for a breakneck pace of plot to the detriment of character, setting, tone.

One thing that’s not missing is the storytelling skills of Bagley and the art of Hennessy and Keith. Bagley’s Hulk, and Abomination for that matter, is as visceral and solid-looking as ever, and he brings a sense of power to the characters; the battle is genuinely fun to watch. There are some more attempts of verisimilitude in characters’ expressions, but this remains a bit of a weakness as Bagley usually portrays the characters in “grim” mode more than anything. Camera angles are deliberate, although some opportunities for more atmospheric drama are missed, such as when the Reverend gets his mysterious phone call in the beginning– this is a key plot point that could have been emphasized in the illustration. Also, I’m not a fan of Bagley’s depiction of Bruce, as the sharp cross-hatching creates a gaunt and weathered look even though it “reads” like it wants to be presented as something soft and rounded.

Hulk #1 – Review

By: Mark Waid (Writer), Mark Bagley (Pencils), Andrew Hennessy (Inks), Jason Keith (Colors), VC’s Cory Petit (Letters), Jerome Opena w/ Dean White (Cover Artists)

The Story: Banner hurt. Shadowy People in Shadows make Doctor Guy poke Banner’s brain. Hulk smash! Now Banner dumb. Dumb Banner.

The Review: It’s always interesting when a Hulk-story doesn’t necessarily feature the Hulk (and/or Bruce Banner, if we need to differentiate.) The story instead must rely on its supporting cast, its antagonists, or other elements of its world-building. And really, when that happens it makes these kinds of Hulk-stories essentially monster-stories– in any given monster-story, the monster itself does not have to be the protagonist; only its implicit presence and horror need be felt to impact the characters, plot, tone, etc.

Mark Waid gives us this kind of monster-type story, with Banner/the Hulk essentially in the background for the majority of the issue. In the beginning, the narration boxes even suggest some things about “story” in the abstract, while setting up a surgeon who is only tangentially related to Banner’s past but is now caught up in the existential horror having the Hulk’s life in his hands. The boxes shift very dramatically to remind us that “this isn’t his story,” at which point the comic brings the Hulk more actively into the story. Even still, Banner/the Hulk is merely the object of the story, not its subject– as it’s Agents Hill and Coulson who arrive to track Banner down for the last-page cliffhanger. However, perhaps this page suggests that we will return very specifically to Banner-driven drama in subsequent issues. It’s equally likely that he will remain a kind of background character, and that would create a unique tone, actually, and would make me intrigued to continue reading the series if it does.

Deadpool #25 – Review

by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: I suppose that even Deadpool had to learn in some ways that violence doesn’t always solve every problems. Most, but not all of them.

The Review: There seems to be a more seasonal approach to comic book storytelling with the big two in the past few years. With new number ones getting released to indicate a change in volume, a change in paradigm or one in term of creators, many books now emphasize the ever-changing or evolving status quo of their very storylines.

Deadpool by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn is very much in the same boat, yet does not seemingly boast about it more than it actually conclude a particular chapter and then moves on. With many of the subplots relative to certain characters and ideas introduced in the very first arc now done, this issue serves as a rather great conclusion to a certain analysis of the character and what he does great.

Where this issue does a lot of things right is with how Duggan and Posehn handle his relations with the other characters. He might have been a bit unsavory at times, yet how he departs from them, how he actually try to show he can change and make his life happier for their sake is a rather touching moment. With his evolution passing through his ordeals and through his various moments shared with them, the way he acts with Agent Adsit, Agent Preston, Michael and the others is a pretty touching element of the book.

Deadpool #24 – Review

by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Agent Preston finally gets transferred out of Deadpool. The only thing she needs to do is get out of his head.

The Review: The more you read cape comics, the more you begin to learn to appreciate honest effort from any creative team. While it can be a hard task to differentiate those that actually care from those that only wants a paycheck, there are times when the work is clear-cut in its quality that it is immediately noticeable.

This issue of Deadpool is one of the latter, with both writers actually going around with plenty of elements firmly established from their run as well as previous ones to present not only a definitive version of the character, but one that has plenty of hidden depth to boot.

What Posehn and Duggan does impossibly right is making the character an actual person, one with regrets, feelings and genuine emotions that are both said and unsaid, leaving room for readers to interpret things as well as invest themselves in. With this issue being the culmination of several elements brought up since the first arc, the evolution on display here is superb, with all the horror, the thrills and the actions of Wade Wilson coming back to him, making him not only a sympathetic character, but also one that becomes genuinely likable in many respects. To transform this character from recurring and sometimes annoying joke to an actual person takes skill, which is very commendable for both writers.

Uncanny X-Men #17 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils & colors), Tim Townsend w/ Al Vey & Jaime Mendoza (inks)

The Story: The newest X-Men battle chickasaurs, carrot people, Shelob, and S.H.I.E.L.D. while simultaneously acting in the greatest Verizon commercial never made.

The Review: In the past few months Uncanny X-Men has become a home for some of the best one-in-done stories in modern comics. After a look at the women of the New Xavier School and a spotlight on Magneto, Brian Michael Bendis gives us a, debatably, more traditional team story.

Another interesting trait of this title is Scott Summers’ emerging habit of putting his students in life threatening danger for training. While the issue hints that Magik is keeping an eye on them, it’s certainly in keeping with his mutant revolutionary status and differentiates his teaching style from Wolverine’s. Indeed, rather than retread classic X-Men ground and send his squad to the Savage Land, Bendis explores a newer locale. In the end the actual difference is pretty limited, but it’s an apt metaphor for what’s going on here.

This is the first issue of Uncanny X-Men where the teaching staff is largely absent. For the first, and the long overdue, time the success or failure of this issue rests entirely on the New Xavier’s students and, fun as a book about Scott, Emma, and Ilyanna can be, these kids are entirely up to the task. Likewise, while we all love a good Savage Land story now and again, Tabula Rasa presents a feeling of mystery and possibility.

Deadpool #23 – Review

by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: I am *&/?$ tired of those (*$?%* Deadpool in my ($*$&% heli-carrier killing my (“*/&$ minions!

The Review: Deadpool is a character that had a particularly strange development as a character, both in-universe and out-of-universe. Starting up as a Deadstroke look-alike, he turned into something completely different after writer Joe Kelly cemented a whole new take on the character, turning him into something relatively unique by the time he had his own ongoing. In turn, this made him popular, which made him appear in many other series, receiving mini-series and other ongoing titles at the peak of his popularity, making him appear everywhere akin to popular characters like Batman, Spider-Man and Wolverine. However, while that was going on, not every portrayal of the character was actually decent or even close to what made the character popular to begin with, leaving him to be a rather unappreciated stain when he had been portrayed as a mix of comedy and misery that made him endearing and likable despite the kookiness of his actions and reactions.

Thankfully, it seems that both Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan do understand just what makes the character decent to begin with, with this issue being a splendid example of why. While this volume had its share of up and down, there is something inherently right in the way they handle the Merc with a Mouth that makes this series a delight for long-time fans.

An area where they excel here, in this particular issue, is the juxtaposition of humor and violence without sacrificing the effect of one over the other. In this issue, Wade Wilson deals with a heli-carrier full of henchmen and does so in a way that is brutal, yet also true to the character and to his development in this series. Through all of this, many of the characters reacts to the action, be it the minions themselves, agent Gorman, Coulson, Preston and Deadpool himself. Fine-tuning a balance between hyper-violence and jokes, both Posehn and Duggan adds a certain levity without diminishing the effects or either elements.

Deadpool #22 – Review

by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool needs to get to the man who has put a bounty on his head. Thankfully, he has help from some special agents…

The Review: Being purely objective and detached from anything is a difficult task. To try and let go of personal experiences and opinions is almost impossible, as it permeates the very being you are as well as your beliefs. Reviewing comics is something that is supposed to be done in a purely objective manner, which is what I try to do each time I open an issue and analyze it.

Lately, it had been a bit difficult for me to properly review Deadpool, for a very specific reason. The story arc The good, the bad and the ugly was something that no one really saw coming in terms of quality. It was a great arc that went ahead with a tone and some themes that were generally very surprising for a Deadpool story, being rather serious instead of silly on many occasions. Thus, it kind of made me analyze this series based on the merits of this arc more than the merits of a singular issue, which made the latest two issues a bit less-appreciated from my part.

Thankfully, both Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn went ahead and cranked the action and humor up a notch in this issue, proving that they can return to the previous tone of the series without throwing away what they wrote some issues prior. Overall, I’d say it’s an improvement, but there are still some little issues all along, like most comics out there.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S01E06 – Review

By: Paul Zbsyzewski (story)

The Story: Yet another reminder that death can strike like a bolt out of the blue.

The Review: It’d be folly for me to lay down any hard and fast rules as to what does or doesn’t constitute a proper story, but I think we can all safely agree that a story essentially has two components: plot and characters.  And if you ask me, I’d say it’s really the characters who, more often than not, carry the story.  You can enjoy whole hours of practically nothing, plot-wise, if the characters intrigue you enough; indeed, most sitcoms offer little else.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s biggest struggle thus far has been giving you good reason to keep up with the cast, even when the plot is sub-par (as it has been in most of the episodes we’ve seen).  The show has made the mistake of fixating too much on the relationship between its prettiest members, Ward and Skye, which has to be built from scratch, while neglecting the characters who have history built in: May and Coulson, Fitz and Simmons.  This episode reverses this trend and gains a whole lot more emotional legitimacy for it.  Alert—spoilers ahead.

Secret Avengers #10 – Review

by Ed Brisson (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: There’s a new recruits for field work at S.H.I.E.L.D. and she’s one of the new inhumans. It’s a pity for her that Infinity is still going on…

The Review: It’s not necessarily the fairest or most positive thing to say, but there is a reason why most people hate even tie-ins. Shoehorning elements or characters important to the main book, stopping the natural narrative flow for elements that will be untouched further along and many more are possible reasons for the general dislike those issues receive. There are some rare cases where it can produce something of quality, like when Jason Aaron took on Black Panther during Secret Invasion, yet those are few and far between.

This is one of those issues, as regular writer Nick Spencer is replaced by Ed Brisson in order to show readers what S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing during Thanos invasion in Infinity. Set right after the terrigenesis, this shows how a young agent gets turned into an inhuman and then gets sent to the field right away. While this concept could actually give way for a satisfying story, this issue doesn’t really use it very well as it rushes along.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S01E01 – Review

By: Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen (story)

The Story: Introducing the heroes’ heroes.

The Review: Given the enormous popularity of the Marvel movies, you can be easily forgiven for getting inordinately excited about the prospect of a weekly TV series revolving around the Marvel universe.  Why should DC have all the fun?  But allow me to be the voice of cautious optimism.  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. should be viewed as a colorful supplement to the Marvel cinematic canon, not a way to have a summer blockbuster come into your home every week.

Still, a smaller medium in no way puts a cap on the entertainment possibilities a show like this can have.  Only a lack of imagination can do that.  And although a pilot obviously doesn’t determine the fate and direction of a whole series, it’s still concerning when the first episode seems so dependent on predictable and safe television conventions and is riddled with some awkward bits of writing besides.  Agent Grant Ward’s explanation of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s purpose—to Agent Maria Hill,* of all people—captures both of these defects:

Secret Avengers #6 – Review

Nick Spencer (Writer), Butch Guice, Rick Magyar (Artists), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: James Rhodes gain access to an army, several agents tries to compromise A.I.M as some directorial tension sets in at S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Review: Characters can be everything for a successful comic. If you don’t have some fan-favourites on your title, it can mean an early demise as people might not be interested in the adventures of a C or D-lister. However, having an A-lister on a book can also be some kind of curse, as these characters cannot necessarily evolve in any way, mostly due to the heavy editorial handling they surely have, which can be somewhat problematic for some writers.

Secret Avengers does not seem to have that problem, despite the fact that it possesses big players like Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow, due to the fact that it mixes these characters with other fan-favourites like James Rhodes, Taskmaster, Mockingbird among others. With a cast as diverse as this one, Spencer manage to make the most of it by juggling with several plot and sub-plots with ease, thanks to a switching of characters in some issues, with this one more dedicated to Taskmaster, Mockingbird, Maria Hill and James Rhodes.

Right out of the gate, Spencer goes back toward a character he knows very well, using him in a way that is quite smart, yet also feels true to the character: James Rhodes, who is also known as War Machine. Here, the writer makes a smart use of the military and armor-based history of the character to propel him forward in a new role that not only suits the character, but also connect him to the story in a way that feels natural and exciting. He is perhaps one of the most interesting character of the issue, although he is not the only one.

Another character that is genuinely interesting, which always come as a surprise to me on a personal level, is Maria Hill. No doubt, many were like me in my initial dislike of the character when she first appeared in the Marvel universe, being the bossy new kid on the block who seemed like a cold-hearted women ready to do anything in order to be efficient at her job. I hated her for these characteristic, yet much to my dismay, I find myself liking her exactly because of these character traits. The reason for that is mainly due to the fact that due to the espionage and political aspect of the title, the character feels much more at home in such an environment, making use of these traits in order to serve the story, not just to set her as being the bossy woman. Serving as a connection to what happens in most of the issue, it is through the internal situation in S.H.I.E.L.D where she shines the most. There is a scene where she deals with a new addition to the agency with some troubling ideas where she shows how she actually fits in such a context. It is an uneasy, yet very tense scene that this issue shows that Maria Hill will become an even better character through this series.

Indestructible Hulk #8 – Review

By: Mark Waid (Writer), Walter Simonson (Artist), Bob Wiacek (Ink Assist), Jim Charalampidis (Colorist), Chris Eliopoulos (Letterer)

The Review: And so, as with all good things, Mark Waid and Walt Simonson’s Gods and Monsters story arc comes to an end. So far this story has offered a whip-smart marriage of science and magic and this issue is no exception, even going so far as to add a heady dose of comic book nerdery into the bargain. There’s action, there’s laughs, there’s drama, and it all blends seamlessly. There’s even a touching scene of Hulk-on-Thor man-love…more on that later.

One definite strength of this story is how there’s been a lot going on at all times but nothing has ever gotten too muddled. Banner and his crew of scientists are still on mission to extract a sizeable amount of Eiderdűrm for their research purposes, and on that front Viteri has his own enjoyable team-up with Thor. The two work out a way to extract the element from a Jotunheim waterfall by way of using Mjolnir for “Electrostatic separation,”…I ain’t got a brain for science but this seems pretty legit, so this comic gets extra marks for teaching me more than just how to smash Frost Giants.

Secret Avengers #4 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (Writer) Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist)

The Story: S.H.I.E.L.D needs to take care of a platoon of sentient Iron Patriot armors, cue Bruce Banner.

The Review: I had another idea on how to summarize this story, one that would not have actually told what essentially happens, yet it would have been perfect in tone: ‘’S.H.I.E.L.D strikes back’’. In the two past issues of this title, we had seen how A.I.M had become a whole new thing, as we were presented to an organisation with a completely new and more focused vision, spearheaded by Andrew Forson, the scientist supreme.

Taking just where the last issue left us, we now get a fascinating concept about giving personality to a suit of armor, giving it sentience in order to accomplish some goals. With A.I.M having done so with the help of Mentallo, they try to create a situation in which S.H.I.E.L.D could look disastrous. This then leads to some scenes that shows just how Spencer can handle this title and how much it differentiates itself from other titles with ‘’Avengers’’ in their name.

Avenging Spider-Man #20 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (Writer), Marco Checchetto (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: Spider-Ock gets on a S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier in order to free the Chameleon from their prison, just as the Russian are getting ready to do the same. What are the odds?

The Review: I do have to say it’s a strange time to be a fan of Spider-Man. It’s even a stranger time to begin reading Spider-Man, like I did, just as a big controversial change had been put in the series. While the change from Peter Parker to Otto Octavius has been a rather weird one for a lot of people, it can’t be said that it hasn’t given us some quality stories in both the main title, Superior Spider-Man and its sister title Avenging Spider-Man. While it has been fun to see just how Otto acclimates to the life of being a webhead, it has been a blast to see just how he interacts with the larger Marvel universe as well. Having seen him with the X-Men, the FF and Thor, it has been fun to read how he sees them all and it has given us some surprisingly fun stories to boot.

Secret Avengers #2 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Nick Fury Jr. gets to Bagalia and has to rescue Taskmaster from there. Meanwhile, the scientist supreme of A.I.M sets some of his machinations in motion.

The Review: After a debut issue that, despite its share of problems, managed to be particularly enjoyable, Nick Spencer’s version of Secret Avengers continues, bringing us the espionage of the previous issue, while adding some considerable elements and surprises along the way.

Indeed, the way the first issue was structured, we could have easily foreseen that a series of one-shot issues would probably have been the norm for the series, but it seems that the actual plot of the series begins here. From what we can see here, Nick Spencer does give the Secret Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D a particular challenge, rising the A.I.M agency from low-grades scientific criminals to downright menaces, akin to what Jonathan Hickman had done with Hydra in Secret Warriors. As a matter of fact, a lot of things here do look a bit like that series, which should be seen as some high praise indeed.

The Avengers – Movie Review

The Story: When these guys show up, it’s your signal to stock up on disaster insurance.

The Review: Don’t take this as a sweeping statement of superhero movies, but I tend to think they work best when they’re just straight-up action-adventure vehicles.  Just give people what they want: plenty of thrills and laughs, a solid plot, and you won’t need to mix in any dramatic nonsense or political statement in between.  That latter stuff would be nice—an exciting movie with some relevance is always a good thing, but sometimes all you really need is the excitement.

With that in mind, The Avengers easily takes a position as one of the best in what has been a Golden Age for superhero films.  The prologue alone has enough explosions, gunfire, car chasing, martial artistry, crumbling rubble, and suspense to fill several Daredevils, and the movie only builds in scale right to its very last second, proving that more really is sometimes more, and that you can never go too big or too splashy if you know how to do it right.