Mighty Avengers #13 – Review

By: Al Ewing (Writer), Salvador Larroca (Artist), Matt Milla (Color Artist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer), Greg Land & Frank D’Armata (Cover Artists)

The Story: Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! By their powers combined, they are DEATHWALKER PRIME!  Go, Deathwalker! 

The Review: I’m so glad that Larroca has taken over as an artist, so that I have a new artist to critique. And as much as I was a huge fan of Larroca during the 90s/00s (and I WAS), I have really come to the opposite view nowadays and I remain disappointed in how his artistic style has evolved. I remember him delivering bold, dramatic scenes, but now I only see bland, dull ones.

Take the first panel of the first page. Molina’s pose is 90 degrees to Marvel’s, but she is “supposed” to be looking straight at him. Her hand is floating somehow, looking like it’s poking directly out of her breast. The dialogue suggests she is making a innuendo, but she’s looking/gesturing completely at odds to the statement. (Perhaps Molina’s superpower is to have oddly shaped hands, because each panel on page one displays strange anatomy?) At least Marvel is looking in the direction that matches the innuendo, but his expression is more pleased at the comment than taken back/embarrassed as his speech indicates. And the characters are not integrated into the background, which has a different vanishing point to the way the characters stand as well as having its own Escher-like perspective for each floor. Notice how the line weight for the characters is exactly the same as for the background, meaning there’s no visual distinction and making them appear flat and indistinct, except for shadows which are huge swaths of black areas that have no consistent light source. This falls on the color artist, who has to fill big areas of negative space with subtle gradients and use a light source that incongruously tries to lay 3D color on extremely flatly designed layouts.

And that’s the first panel on the first page. Suffice to say, these problems of little-to-no rendering, large areas of empty space, oddly placed perspectives, and ill-shaped anatomy continue throughout the book. I’ll be a bit gracious to point out a few places that I think really work, like various panels of Blade’s fight against the were-scorpions, and Kaluu’s sequence of progressive close-ups (which also works because of the scripting and the more deliberate use of glows by the color artist.)

The story continues the epic of the Deathwalkers and reunion of the “first” Might Avengers, but now we get more interaction with the current team, who actually have more to say, finally. (Except maybe for the silent White Tiger.) It’s still largely set-up, however, with most pages being exposition of things we more or less already know, but it does allow for Blade to show off his power. The big show down, unfortunately, is just a two-page spread of ten panels, in order that the Big Bads can combine into an Even Bigger Bad.

Mighty Avengers #12 – Review

By: Al Ewing (Writer), Greg Land (Penciller), Jay Leisten (Inker), Matt Milla (Color Artist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer), Greg Land & Frank D’Armata (Cover Artists)

The Story:

They’re Talismaniacs, and they’re zany to the max!
Their half-animals attack; the Avengers will fight back!
They’re Talismaniacs!

The Review: It’s actually a pretty short list for what makes a satisfying comicbook read for me, and this book checks (nearly) all the boxes, and with a big fat maker too boot. It rounds out the Marvel universe mythos, introduces some intriguing new characters, and sets the scene for a big throwdown.

Apparently, the name “Mighty Avengers” had some previous useage, even if it was born from a bit of a tongue-in-cheek banter among the band of brothers and sisters and bears (oh my!) in the 1970s. This gives us established characters (Blade, Kaluu), rounds out some others (Cage by way of his dad, Blue Marvel), and provides some new ones (Constance Molina, The Bear.) There’s also, of course, more time given to the Deathwalkers, nearly demigod-like in their elemental power, reliant on human sacrifices.

The Deathwalkers are established both by others talking about them, which does tend to be a bit tell-not-showy, and by the action sequence of the book, as the 70’s-MA don’t really fare that well against them. What I mean is that, while it helps set the stakes of our villains, it doesn’t really give them a way to interact much with the heroes or even with themselves, keeping them relatively in set-piece mode rather than truly rounded characters.

It’s a little better with The Bear, who has the automatic complexity of her dual nature, but doesn’t really do much except rely on the dichotomy. You know, because she sexy-sassy but also a Bear? Get it? This plays to the strength of Land’s art here, giving him the opportunity to use some glamour shots and then show her bestial form. But overall perhaps we loose the opportunity to really connect with her since there’s very little vulnerability or self-doubt to allow us to sympathize with her. And what’s with the dogs that featured so prominently in her appearance last issue? And where is she now in 2014? At least one of these questions may be a deliberate mystery from the author and the other likely an oversight.

Mighty Avengers #11 – Review

By: Al Ewing (Writer), Greg Land (Penciller), Jay Leisten (Inker), Frank D’Armata (Color Artist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer), Francesco Francavilla (Cover Artist)

The Story: 

Who’s the black New York cop
On the “freak beat” with a hero squad?
DAD! Ya damn right.

Who is the man that would throw down
With a were-beast man?
DAD! Can you dig it?

Who is the cat that will team up
With Afro Blade and his goggles?
DAD! Right on.

They say that Cage’s dad
Is a bad mother – (Shut your mouth)
But I’m talkin’ ’bout his DAD – (We can dig it)

He’s a complicated man
Who’s been hidin’ all this stuff from his son
(Luke Cage!)

The Review:
I’m not sure how much it was planned to have this issue coincide with Father’s Day weekend in the U.S., but it sure was appropriate. This issue is all about Luke Cage’s dad, James Geary, and an untold tale of what we can dub the “70s’ Mighty Avengers.”

I’d like to get the familiar criticisms out of the way and take the opportunity to add one more. First, yes, Greg Land displays his usual strengths and weaknesses. In particular, I’d point out the double-page spread of the Kaluu-Blade fight as a strength, and the utter lack of any visual context with the page-turn appearance of “the Bear” that does nothing more than serve as an opportunity to show a very Land-y fashion pose. The colorist is also to blame on that one. Really, the only thing connecting that “panel” to the ongoing story is the dialogue.

Loki: Agent of Asgard #5 – Review

By: Al Ewing (story), Lee Garbett (art), Nolan Woodard (colors)

The Story: Loki finds himself and realizes he was better off lost.

The Review: For the purposes of discussion, let’s all agree that right now, Loki has one big secret: the murder of his younger self, the “crime that will not be forgiven.” True, he’s confessed it to his Young Avenger pals, but it’s a bit like dealing with your newfound atheism or homosexuality. You can proudly flaunt it to everyone else in the world, but as long as you keep it from your Bible-worshipping, you’ll always feel a little bit trapped.

Loki will be feeling especially so after this issue, now that he’s discovered the goblin-ish Loki scheming from the wings is not a manifestation of his past self, but his future. We’ve all known the real conflict in the series would come to this: the Loki trying to change versus the Loki who loves who he is. It bodes ill for the ultimate outcome of the battle that older Loki completely outmaneuvers younger Loki here. Able to freely traverse the past and see into the future, older Loki can shut down the younger’s plan of attack before he even conceives of it. It’s a foregone conclusion.

Mighty Avengers #10 – Review

By: Al Ewing (Writer), Greg Land (Penciller), Jay Leisten (Inker), Frank D’Armata (Color Artist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Story:
Sad times on the Blue Area of the Moon, and prices aren’t the only things being slashed at the Biggest Buy store.

The Review:
One thing that’s rapidly characterizing Al Ewing’s run on Mighty Avengers is a good, conscientious use of continuity, both in context of the book itself and in the Marvel universe overall. This issue in particular picks up ongoing subplots and, even with a cross-over into the narrative of the Original Sin, does well to stand on its own as a solid example of comicbook storytelling.

The events of the Original Sin storyline show up twice here: One, as the Avengers battle a Mindless One in New York, and Two, as Blue Marvel checks in on the Watcher’s family. The battle sequence is quick– only three pages– although it offers Photon a key moment, where she builds a powerful attack that lays the monster low. It’s a nice moment for Photon, where she also explains a bit about her previous experience with NextWave. Unfortunately, it’s not a very clear explanation. It’s equally unfortunate that after her attack she only appears one more time, if you count being in the background of a small panel with her head cut off by the frame as “appearing.”

The more extensive use of the event brings Adam Brashear/Blue Marvel to the Watcher’s “family,” namely Ulana, his “wife,” and their baby. This naturally extends from the Brashear’s friendship with the Watcher (long-standing continuity, apparently), but it also provides a way for him to deal with the events of previous issues and the loss of his own family. It’s effective characterization for Brashear, while also providing a lot of humanity (for lack of a better word) in memorial for the Watcher. (That “humanity” is doubly ironic since the scene explores many quite alien concepts.)

Loki: Agent of Asgard #4 – Review

By: Al Ewing (story), Lee Garbett (art), Nolan Woodard (colors)

The Story: Who cons the con man?

The Review: Anybody here watch the Golden Globes? Remember last year’s ceremony, when Kristin Wiig and Will Ferrell did a bit where they pretended to have no idea who any of the nominees or their respective movies were? I laughed at the sheer silliness of it all until my eyes watered, and so was rather surprised to find people who not only didn’t laugh at the bit, but who didn’t think it was funny at all. Certainly Tommy Lee Jones didn’t.

The point of this story is that comedy strikes different people in vastly different ways, which makes it one of the tougher things to fairly evaluate. Who am I to say something is positively funny or unfunny? What strikes me as barely amusing can be a total crack-up to someone else. This is all to warn you to take my review here with as much salt as you can handle, because much of it has to do with Elwing’s particular comedic sensibilities.

Loki: Agent of Asgard #3 – Review

By: Al Ewing (story), Lee Garbett (art), Nolan Woodard (colors)

The Story: What if the Norse gods had the power of automatic weapons fire?

The Review: Anytime you have a story that features a villain, former or otherwise, you’ll notice a lot of time is spent exploring his villainy, certainly more time than a hero’s story is spent exploring his heroism. You don’t need a reason to admire someone who does good, but evil requires more justification for your interest, I think. Hence the endless slew of childhood traumas that plague nearly all of our Big Two supervillains. Loki may be unique in that the only reason for his evil is he’s written that way.

Loki’s mission to do good in exchange for having his past infamy wiped from humanity’s collective consciousness is merely the starting point of Agent of Asgard‘s metafiction. Elwing takes it a lot further in this issue by making Loki’s inner conflict manifest, creating a relatively unique situation in which Loki is his own antagonist—and the greatest. If there’s one clear difference between the new, hipster-ish Loki and the original, goblin-esque Loki, it’s that Old Loki* sees much more of the big picture than his younger counterpart.

Loki: Agent of Asgard #2 – Review

By: Al Ewing (story), Lee Garbett (art), Nolan Woodward (colors)

The Story: Loki was born for the modern dating scene.

The Review: I’ve heard people elsewhere criticize this series as an attempt to drive Loki towards his on-screen portrayal, and I wonder at that.  Certainly there’s a rakish, snarky element to him now that’s reminiscent to his appearances from The Avengers onward, although Elwing is really just following Kieron Gillen’s lead there.  Anyways, this is ostensibly a new Loki for a new age of Marvel comics—for Marvel NOW, so to speak—so why not rejigger him in the process?

What I personally find suspect is this issue’s focus on Lorelei in the very same week she made a guest appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Now, this may just be fortuitous coincidence, but I tend to think otherwise.  What are the chances that a high-profile comic book and TV show would simultaneously feature a minor Asgardian character who is really the poor man’s Amora?  Sounds a lot like business synergy to me, rather than original thinking.

Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 – Review

By: Al Ewing (story), Lee Garbett (art), Nolan Woodward (colors)

The Story: Loki proves that backstabbing may be the sincerest kind of love.

The Review: No matter how good a comic book is, no matter how well it renders a character, there is simply nothing that compares to the exposure a major film (or TV show, as the case may be) provides.  Surely it’s no coincidence that Journey Into Mystery began starring Loki in the same year Thor was released.  Call me a downer, but I doubt that without Tom Hiddleston’s popular film portrayal of Loki, Loki: Agent of Asgard would ever have been greenlighted.

Which is why it’s our good fortune that Loki has become the pop culture icon he is, because Agent of Asgard is a great premise, well-executed.  Every decent person loves a good redemption story, and boy, Loki can really use a lot of redeeming.  There’s no doubt that he’ll inevitably return to his dastardly deeds someday, but even with that foregone conclusion, you want to see him succeed at doing good for as long as he can.  Loki, a hero?  What’s that even like?

Avengers Assemble #15 – Review

By: Al Ewing (Writer), Butch Guice (Penciler), Tom Palmer with Rick Magyar (Inkers), Frank D’Armata (Colorist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

Review: Jesus, is Age of Ultron still going on? Feels weird to think so sometimes…and I’ve been reviewing each and every issue. The thing is, it lacks a sense of importance; and some of that can be put down to the lack of tie-ins. Sure, there are many justifiable grievances held against Marvel’s usual approach to tie-in culture (gumming up the flow of our favourite series mid-run etc.) but one thing’s for sure: in the case of Secret Invasion, Siege et al, you at least felt like the events of those books were dramatically affecting the breadth of shared continuity. Not so much with AoU and the feint corona of books that illuminate it.

Avengers Assemble #14 – Review

By: Al Ewing (Writer), Butch Guice (Penciler), Tom Palmer (Inker), Frank D’Armata (Colorist), VC’s Clayton Cowles

Review: For better or worse I’ve reserved myself a copy of every tie-in issue allied to the Age of Ultron event. Not done that for a while, maybe not since Secret Invasion…and that was a buttload of (mostly interminable) comics. Still, AoU has a wallet-pleasingly small amount of titles attached, and most are done-in-ones which purport to shed light on interesting bits of backstory tied to the main book which I was keen to see addressed. This is especially true of Avengers Assemble #14 which deals solely with Black Widow.

Avengers Assemble is a title I’ve shied away from so far. It’s not had the worst of creative teams but its all-ages remit coupled with its perceived existence outside of regular Avengers continuity combined to make it an easy omission from my Pull List. However, this does make the series a prime candidate for the repository of stand-alone tales; I can’t see this issue fitting in anywhere near as well with any of Hickman’s Avengers titles, for instance.

Ghosts #1 – Review

By: Way too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Proton packs won’t work against these ghosts—not even if you merge streams.

The Review: Early in my reviewing career, I covered an intermittent anthology series called The Gathering (which has no relation to the card game that somehow survived my prepubescent years).  At the time, I felt most of its offbeat features were raw and unpolished, on both the story and art sides.  Vertigo’s Ghosts takes up pretty much the same format, only with established talents on board, resulting in a much more impressive book.  Get ready; this one’s a doozy.