Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #16.1 Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), David Marquez (Artist), Justin Ponsor (Colorist), Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: At first glance this is kind of a strange move from Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. The book’s technically still in the midst of the Divided We Fall/United We Stand storylinebut has taken the decision to drop a Point.One issue just before the crossover draws to a close. This is most likely down to editorial requirements so that Spider-Man and the Ultimates ship their conclusions to the event in the same month, but no matter; even when this creative team are dealt a logistical curveball they still manage to smash it out of the park.

Essentially this issue follows The Daily Bugle’s Betty Brant, hot on the trail of Spider-Man’s secret identity for an article which she hopes will propel her to stardom. She starts with a close inspection of the footage of Miles’ climactic fight with his Uncle Aaron when she stumbles across five important little words: “You are…just…like me.” Betty recognizes this as one of the most decisive moments in this new Spidey’s mythology and sets out to discover the truth behind the character’s origin. Betty first digs into Uncle Aaron’s history as costumed thief The Prowler, and then uncovers a major find while scouring his abandoned apartment for clues – this in turn leads to some minor revelations regarding Oscorp’s role in how our hero received his powers. Some final snooping on Miles and his family seems to fill in the remaining blanks. At its heart this story is a procedural drama about one journalist’s quest to land the biggest scoop of her career, and even with Spider-Man himself barely making an appearance it’s still a thoroughly engrossing read.

I’m not quite sure how Bendis does it. He’s been writing this title for well over 10 years but still seems to approach each issue like it’s his first, always brimming with energy and enthusiasm. While he’s been known to make a habit of composing his scripts a little on the talk-heavy side, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man benefits the most from this practice with a series of convincing back-and-forth exchanges between Brant and her often-reticent cast of contacts. With the Police she’s sweet and charming while with her source at Roxxon she’s a hard-nosed manipulator who’s quick to resort to blackmail to get the information she needs. The book’s best moments see her butt heads with J Jonah Jameson over the veracity and/or need for this story. Here’s where that decade-plus history on the book really comes into play. Bendis has crafted the Bugle’s Editor-in-Chief into a character whose history with Spider-Man is deep and rich, a man who’s learned the hard way what it means to put the story before the person it affects. In my mind he almost steals the show from Brant, but both are wonderfully handled here.

New Avengers #31 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Gaydos (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story:  The New Avengers reel from the news of Cage and Jessica’s departure while a mysterious mystic enemy takes possession of a friend, intent on hunting down the Marvel Universe’s folks of mystic inclinations.

The Review:  Bendis has been on New Avengers, whatever the numbering, for one hell of a long time.  As is so often the case in massively long runs, it’s been a bumpy road, one that often had me thinking that Bendis may have, whether he realized it or not, exhausted his Avengers repertoire and overstayed his welcome.  Well, I’m happy to say that at the very least, New Avengers looks intent on closing the show in fine form.

Reading this first issue, it really does feel like the beginning of an apt farewell for Bendis.  I say this because this one issue basically encapsulates all of the unique strengths of Bendis’ run.  For instance, I was really drawn by the strong human element present here, as Bendis really does a fantastic job in his writing of the teams’ varied reactions to Luke and Jessica’s departure, as well as their own emotions as they say goodbye.  In many ways, with Jessica and Cage being Bendis staples (or creation, in the former case), Jessica and Cage’s leaving the team in some way feels like Bendis himself saying goodbye.  Naturally, this also leads to the New Avengers wondering if the team can continue without them – much as the New Avengers comic can only be dramatically different without the man who created it.

This meta-commentary aside, the couple’s impending departure brings out the best in Bendis, allowing him once again to portray the team as a family, a bunch of close friends more than anything else.  It’s not just a group in spandex who fly out to pound out the bad guys – these are living, breathing people attempting to deal with the relationships and bonds forged between them over the years.  It’s retrospective and it’s very sincere.  And, of course, in a highly personal, character-driven issue of Bendis’ Avengers, you know there are going to be some funny bits as well.

The Avengers #29 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Walter Simonson (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Jason Keith (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story:  The Avengers hunt down Rachel Summers in an attempt to neutralize the X-Men’s telepathic advantage.

The Review:  The main Avengers title has been frustrating me for a while now.  Despite being what should be Marvel’s flagship book and being helmed by a fantastic, generations-spanning creative team, the book has been flailing, seemingly without any meaningful direction.  This led to a frustrating arc where Bendis and Simonson did an inexplicable re-tread of a story that was already being told in Secret Avengers.  Sadly, this month continues that trend, this time with Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men in its sights.  For reasons unknown, Marvel decided that it would be a good idea to have Bendis retcon a random issue of Wolverine and the X-Men, and not even  particularly good one at that, that came out June.

New Avengers #19 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story:  Norman Osborn explains the mission statement to his new Avengers and Victoria Hand plays her…hand?

The Review:  Every now and then, as a devoted comic reader, you find yourself reading something that’s just mind-numbingly stupid.  New Avengers #19, for me, is one of those times.

There is so much within this general plot that is so poorly conceived that even a diamond hard suspension of disbelief would find itself fractured.

With respect to this “HAMMER War,” Bendis tips his hand a bit and what we get is….a complete redux of Dark Reign, only shittier because we’ve seen Osborn’s plans fail once before already.  Even these new (and even more D-list) Avengers themselves ask Osborn (as I suppose many readers will as well) what makes this effort by Osborn any different from his last efforts under Dark Reign.  Norman’s answer is so vapid and empty that it can’t even be called an answer at all. Seriously, one of his reasons is that they now have a “Hulk.”  Right, because that’s more impressive than having the freaking Sentry and a GOD on your team? This is simply the same shit all over again and even though it failed once, we’re going to see it again.  Just because.

I remember when Dark Reign started up, a lot of people had believability issues.  Would the American government really give so much power to a former supervillain?  Well, given the very public failure of Osborn and how his general craziness was exposed for all the world to see  in Siege, this second effort by Osborn only becomes all the more unbelievable.  We get the same old scene of Osborn and his Avengers rushing in to save the day and hence get in the good graces of the American public while upstaging the New Avengers.

Are you kidding me?  Are we really going to see the American public embrace Osborn who is currently an ESCAPED PRISONER with NO government backing?  Really?  How can this even be a plot point?  The result is either going to be really stupid or an incredibly cynical take on the American people, possibly both.

And don’t get me started on Hand’s treatment.  I can’t help but feel that all the potential in Hand, who I called one of the best things to come out of Dark Reign back at the start of the Heroic Age, is flushed down the toilet this month.  All that cool stuff about the character proving herself, redeeming herself, all that back-and-forth banter with paranoid ol’ Spidey…it’s all for nothing, as Bendis goes three steps backwards with the character.

Avengers #16 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Having gotten a lead, Steve Rogers leads a strike force to claim vengeance against Sin.

What’s Good:  Aside from the first couple of pages, this isn’t really an Avengers comic at all.  Rather, it’s almost entirely a Steve Rogers comic, seeing Steve, Sharon Carter, Maria Hill, and Victoria Hand battling Nazis in an old castle.  Quite honestly, I’m perfect fine with that and I’m thrilled Bendis did this.  This is absolutely a comic that needed to be written, as we haven’t really seen much of a focus on Steve Rogers’ reaction to Bucky’s death.  Finally, we see the extent of his grief and inner turmoil, both from his own perspective and those of his friends.  With Brubaker’s new Cap series being divorced from Fear Itself, there really needed to be a Cap tie-in within which we could experience this emotional fall-out, and that’s pretty much what this is.

Bendis also does well in his pacing and framing of this issue, as “emotional fall-out” could’ve easily just been Steve wailing and whining for 22 pages.  In framing the issue within the context of a revenge mission against Sin, Bendis is able to give us enough thrills and the sort of fluid, high-paced action Romita excels at.  The result is a balanced issue, with almost dialogue-free action scenes interspersed by the monologue sequences that have been the staple of these Avengers tie-ins.

The end result is an issue that feels emotionally genuine, while also managing to move along at a brisk pace and remain fairly exciting throughout.
Also, readers familiar with Jonathan Hickman’s recently concluded Secret Warriors will be really, really happy by a cameo towards the end of the issue, which is a really pleasant surprise that promises things to come for a fun character with a lot of potential.

New Avengers #15 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Squirrel Girl tries to prove her worth, as she runs through a New York City under attack to get to Luke and Jessica’s baby.

What’s Good: When I read that this issue was going to be centred on Squirrel Girl, I honestly expected goofy comedy.  I realize that Fear Itself doesn’t exactly lend itself to belly laughs, but I just couldn’t see a “Squirrel Girl saves the day” comic being anything but comedy.

Bendis manages to make me feel pretty guilty, in this respect.  He puts out an issue that’s fairly serious, one that focuses on the tough life of being an unknown superhero.  The result is a comic that is far more rewarding than one played simply for cheap laughs.  Squirrel Girl, under Bendis’ hand, becomes a fully realized, sympathetic character who ends up being more “Doreen” than “Squirrel Girl.”  It’s hard not to root for her and like her and she certainly has that “lovable loser” appeal, but without ever becoming a punch-line.  With goofy lines like “Great Lakes Avengers, represent!” after beating Wolverine in combat, she’s naturally adorable in a way that’s never forced.

There are monologues from Doreen as well, with the issue following much the same format as last month’s Mockingbird feature.  Once again, it lets us really get to know Squirrel Girl.  She’s more “person” than superhero, and Bendis very naturally portrays her “hard luck” status, being a relative unknown from a team of Avengers no one’s ever heard of.  Worse still, having a giant squirrel tail makes her stick out like a sore thumb, even as she struggles to go about doing normal, everyday things.

New Avengers #14 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: The New Avengers race to defend New York against Sin’s attack while Mockingbird tests her newly gained powers.

What’s Good:  When he puts his mind to it, Brian Bendis is capable of truly fantastic, intimate character-work, and that’s exactly what we get this month with Mockingbird.  The issue is divided up between a monologue by Bobbi and scenes of her and her comrades battling those pesky Nazi robot suits.

The best thing I can say about this issue is that even if you never gave much of a crap about Bobbi Morse, you will come to love her over the course of this issue.  Bendis captures her voice perfectly and makes her so innately likable, both adorable and heroic, that it’s impossible not to like her, want to hang out with her, and root for her.  She comes across as completely and utterly human, with a multi-faceted, fully realized personality complete with humour, doubt, and, of course, heroism.  She just comes across as being so real, which is no small feat in superhero comics.   Funnily enough, she even manages to make light of the fact that up until now, she’s not been the most interesting Avenger and has frequently been put in the background by Bendis.

Well, not anymore, apparently.  The scenes of her kicking ass are almost as much fun as her monologue.  There’s such joy and exaltation in her discovering and exploring her new powers.  It’s uplifting to see her jump twenty feet in the air and blow shit up with her fists.  It’s empowering and you can’t help but root for her and feel good for her.  Frankly, it’s issues like this that turn otherwise unremarkable characters into fan favourites.

Better still, this close-up work with Bobbi makes the most of Fear Itself.  Essentially, Mockingbird decides to make the events of Fear Itself as a means to make the most of this second chance at life.  Basically, seeing Avengers Tower crumble and the world in flames, but finding herself also newly empowered, Fear Itself has become her mission and an event by which she hopes to define herself as a superhero.  That’s a really, really cool idea and a great use of an event tie-in, one that keeps the explosive “big” stuff more personal.

Avengers #12 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Dean White (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Parker Robbins makes his stand against the Avengers in attempting to gather all of the infinity gems.

The Review:  Wow.  Art-wise, this is simply gorgeous.  Both Romita Jr. and Dean White go all out this month, putting out what may very well be the best looking issue of this series thus far.  Romita and White go old-school crazy on us in their depiction of the astral plane, Thanos, and the cosmic powers of the infinity gems with high-powered combat that is explosive fun.  Everything glows, carries an epic but gleeful cartoony tone, and is just so much fun to look at.  Clearly, putting Romita and White on a story like this was a good call, as it really lets them shine.  It’s clear that the artists are having a really good time, and that carries over to the reader.

Unfortunately, not soon after the issue begins, Bendis sort of spoils this by putting a completely foul tastes in the mouth of pretty much every reader.  Last issue’s Thano’s cliffhanger was awesome in an “oh no you didn’t” sort of way.  Well, this month, we learn that Bendis….actually “didn’t” after all.  I hate, hate, hate it when comic book writers pull cheap bait-and-switches like this.  They serve absolutely NO purpose other than to create a quick shock at the end of an issue.  They serve little to no narrative benefit and, honestly, this whole Thanos ruse proved to be utterly pointless.  It wasn’t an overly vital tactic on the part of the Avengers.  It was just a cheap move to get a rise out of the reader, which only led to crushing disappointment this month.

And worse still, if this is all a bait-and-switch, why have the Hood be in heavy dialogue with “Thanos” for five pages at the start of this issue?  That borders on sadism and it really just makes the ensuing wound all the more painful.

On the plus side, while this trick put a damper on the issue as a whole, Red Hulk does really shine this month.  By focusing on Red Hulk the most and having him seemingly lead the charge against the Hood and take him on in single combat, beating on Parker both physically and intellectually, Bendis nicely cements Rulk’s place on the team while also garnering support for the character.  This bodes well for the series in the long-term while also providing someone to cheer for this month, as well as a decent bit of character-work.

New Avengers #11 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writing), Mike Deodato & Howard Chaykin (art), Rain Beredo & Edgar Delgado (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Doctors try to save Mockingbird while in the past, Nick and friends raid a Red Skull base.

The Review: New Avengers #11 is a very frustrating issue to review.  On the one hand, it’s unquestionably better than last month’s debacle.  In fact, it does a lot of things really, really right.  Unfortunately, it also has many of the same major flaws from last month, which ultimately hamper the entire package.

The biggest example of this is the division of the issue between two stories, in two different timelines, in a constant back-and-forth.  We’re well into this arc now, and there is still absolutely no correlation between these two stories.  There’s no hint of an explanation as to why they’re occupying the same issue.  At this point, Bendis should quite with the back and forth and just call the book a double feature.  There’s nothing significant in common between these two plots and no narrative interaction whatsoever, leading to a bizarre reading experience.

But it honestly wouldn’t be so bad if the two stories were of equal merit.  Of course, that’s far from the case.  The present-day story is simply head and shoulders above the Nick Fury story and it feels like a chore whenever we return to the latter.  While Howard Chaykin’s art, while still idiosyncratic, does improve from last month’s disaster, the bottom-line is that the tale itself just isn’t very interesting at all.  While that jazzy, old time tone is there thanks to Chaykin, this is nothing more than a standard Nick Fury Nazi-hunting story, with nothing at all unique or exciting about it.

Which is a shame, because Bendis does so much right with the present day story.  Mockingbird’s critical condition creates real human drama and emotion.  The tension is palpable and sincere, which is really quite the accomplishment given that “certain death until the last moment” is usually so tired.  But Mockingbird really does feel threatened here and the reaction of the Avengers is genuine.

Avengers #11 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Dean White (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The Avengers and the Illuminati raise to secure the rest of the Infinity Gems before the Hood does.

The Review: It’s always something of a treat to see a creator take a big creative risk on a major, mainstream flagship title, and that’s exactly what Brian Bendis does this month.  The entire issue is narrated, heavily, but Uatu the Watcher, with little actual dialogue, by Bendis standards anyway.

When I first realized that this would be the case, I’ll admit that I wasn’t enthused at the prospect of reading a comic with that many words on the page.  Admittedly, it does get a bit exposition-heavy and Uatu’s plot recap early on isn’t the most thrilling, but rest assured, it grows on you.  Over time, Uatu’s narration lends scope and importance to this story.  It makes Bendis’ narrative feel as huge, epic, and vital as it should be.  I mean, they’re battling over the Infinity Gems for crap’s sake!  Amidst all the punching, it’s often easy to forget just how great the stakes are, but Uatu’s solemn role in the comic brings the focus heavily onto that.  His narration also manages to add layers and nuance, essentially going out of his way to tell you exactly why all of this is very, very dangerous.

That’s not to say that there isn’t decent dialogue.  Spider-Man pulls a couple of funny jokes and Bendis throws a jab at Thor’s manner of speaking.  Little bits of humor in a story like this are a surprise, but also welcome.

More than that though, Uatu’s narration allows the comic to speed along at a much brisker pace.  The end result is a comic that is literally a mad-dash all over the world, as the Hood and the Avengers jump from one gem to another.  It lends the race a frantic and exciting pace, and that excitement is something that last month lacked.  In covering more physical ground in one issue, this really does feel like a competition between the Avengers and the Hood where every second counts.

Furthermore, John Romita Jr. helps this along even further by delivering quite possibly his best performance yet on this title.  A couple of his lay-outs are just awesome and his illustrations of the Astral Plane and the gems in action are positively gorgeous, while his action scenes are as fun and dynamic as always.

New Avengers #10 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato & Howard Chaykin (art), Rain Beredo & Edgar Delgado (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: The Avengers continue the fight against Superia while in 1959, Nick and Dum Dum meet some new friends.

The Review: Oh, Howard Chaykin.  What the hell happened this month?  There’s got to be a story here.

That’s the first thing of note about this issue, unfortunately; Chaykin’s work is a disaster.  It is incredibly rushed and it looks completely unfinished.  Everything is oddly ill-defined, character anatomies are all over the place and, at times, barely human, and any form of detail flies out the window the minute we get far enough to see a character’s entire body.  Quite simply, this artwork is an embarrassment, especially from a guy like Chaykin.  At times, this artwork just looks cheap and even amateurish and then there’s even one panel in an action scene that is so gloriously botched that I’ve no idea how it made it to print.  Overall, there’s no polish and no sense of completion.  Frankly, I’m not sure how editorial let something so clearly rushed and unfinished onto the stands.

While that’s the biggest disaster this month, Brian Bendis doesn’t have a particularly good outing this month.  He does do the little things right, though.  The banter is enjoyable, particularly Spider-Man’s and the back-and-forth between Luke and Jessica.  Those are Bendis’ usual strong points.  However, from there, things sort of fall apart.  For instance, perhaps it’s because of Bendis’ decision to divide the issue between two stories, but nothing of note actually happens in the present day story.  We are literally exactly where we were last month: the Avengers are on the ropes, Mockingbird is lying on the ground dying; and we still have no idea what Superia’s plans were.

Powers #7 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Christian and Enki question members of the Golden Ones while dealing with Deena Pilgrim’s surprise return.

The Review: It has been five months since the last issue of Powers came out.  Five months.  It wasn’t the end of a story-arc.  It wasn’t an official hiatus.  There was never  a stop to the solicitations.  That’s really the biggest, and truly the only, knock I have on this issue.  I absolutely hate the fact that Bendis and Oeming took a five-month break to work on Takio between issues during a story-arc.  As a result, some of the details here are a bit murky without going back to re-read issue 6.  For instance, I struggled to remember much at all about the murdered Damocles.

But it is an excellent comic, one that shows that Brian Bendis can still write a really smart book when he wants to.  He espouses some interesting ideas on religion, particularly conventional religion in a world populated filled with superpowers, and how that phenomenon challenges faith.  It’s thought-provoking and elegantly, honestly written stuff.

More than that though, this whole arc with the Golden Ones is fulfilling the promise I saw in the first issue.  Bendis begins to really mine the concept of mythological gods in a superhero-populated universe here.  Indeed, there always has been something a bit ambiguous and problematic about Thor, Hercules, and such running about in such a world.  There are so many interesting questions that arise, and Bendis scratches the surface here.  For instance, there’s the fact that in the world with superpowers, there’s no black and white distinction between man and god; there’s now a weird gray area of superhumans between the two.

Avengers #10 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), and Dean White (colors)

The Story: The Avengers check to make sure that Xavier and Namor’s infinity gems are safe.

The Review: Avengers #10 is, unfortunately, something of a stumbling block for the series after a couple of solid outings.

The main culprit is the story structure, which sees various Avengers checking on the locations of Xavier, Namor, and Stark’s infinity gems.  Clearly, Bendis intends for us to be impressed with where and how each character has hidden them, each in his own distinct fashion.  Unfortunately, it’s honestly not that interesting.  Each character basically puts them in just the sort of place you’d expect them to.  Worse still, there’s something bland and formulaic about the narrative structure: we follow the characters to each location, Bendis tries to wow us with each locations security feature, and then we get a look at each of the gems.  It almost feels like a tedious video game, with each location being a level to play through.

The other thing that dogs Avengers #10 and, I suspect, is something that will hinder the series for some issues to come, is just how many freaking characters there are.  Avengers #10 began to feel a bit like a bad issue of Uncanny X-Men, where any sense of an actual team is thrown out the window and there’s basically just a mob of X-universe characters moving about.  Here, it’s just that, but it’s the Avengers universe instead.  Bendis has slammed all the teams together, and I can’t even say that it was really all that necessary.  I mean, even the Secret Avengers show up and, as Iron Fist awkwardly points out, isn’t that a little off if they’re supposed to be, you know, “Secret?”

New Avengers #9 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Howard Chaykin & Mike Deodato (art), and Rain Beredo & Edgar Delgado (colors)

The Story: The Avengers interrupt Superia’s plans in the present while, in the past, Nick Fury finds himself recruited into a certain initiative.

What’s Good: I wish Howard Chaykin would draw more comics.  He handles the Nick Fury flashback portions of the issue, and truly his style is like no other.  It’s gritty, a little cartoony, and absolutely brimming with life.  His chase sequence is filled with drama and his depiction of Fury’s 1950s spy world is slick and characterful.  Of course, that’s not to say that Mike Deodato’s work is no good; he and Rain Beredo deliver the same caliber of work we’ve been getting from them for some time now.  I also felt that the dichotomy between Deodato’s super-polished style and Chaykin’s more idiosyncratic look did a good job reflecting the past/present nature of the two plots.  There’s also a truly fantastic panel by Deodato that depicts the Avengers as the bad guy ex-HAMMER goons see them, and they look absolutely terrifying.

I had fun with Brian Bendis’ script as well.  As always, the New Avengers feel like a group of buddies more than anything.  Much as was the case last month, this issue’s dialogue is legitimately funny.  More than that though, Bendis enhances the humour with superpowers.  Seeing Luke Cage’s method of competing with his wife and Iron Fist in a truck-race (you read that right) is hilarious, as is Thing’s initiation of his battle plan.  Of course, the best laughs and the tone in general come from the character’s back-and-forth rapport, which is always completely natural, lively, and good humoured.  More than that, it’s also free of the notorious Bendis-speak.

Avengers #9 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer) & John Romita Jr. (artist)

The Story: The Illuminati are caught in the act and the Hood comes back more dangerous than ever.

What’s Good: Already, I’m enjoying this second arc quite a bit more than its predecessor.  The title feels less hamstrung in its storytelling thanks to the lack of all that time-travel nonsense.  If anything, this feels more like a true Avengers tale: a big, important story, a team of good guys that feel like a dysfunctional family, a cackling villain, and a heavy touch of the cosmic.

All that aside, I want to start with John Romita Jr.’s artwork this month.  While this was a more dialogue heavy issue without any pyrotechnics or major fight scenes, I actually feel that this may quietly be the best issue he’s put out for this series thus far.  His work feels a lot more polished and not at all rushed.  It just seems like more time and love was put into this issue.  Granted, some of that may be due to the new colorist(s), but either way, I liked the art quite a lot.

On Bendis’ side, I always respect when a writer can cram two completely different narratives with two different tones and locales into one 22 page issue without making the issue lose cohesion, and that’s what Bendis does this month.  More than that, both sides are equally interesting.

You’ve got Rogers and the gang discovering the Illuminati’s continued existence.  Bendis did a fantastic job illustrating the boiling over of tension between Iron Man and Steve Rogers.  It didn’t feel at all forced and came across genuinely and logically.  More than that, Bendis highlighted the awkwardness of it all; that it’s basically a persona conflict/agreement escalated into and taking place in the public sphere.  I also quite enjoyed how Bendis used the other Avengers to good effect here, making them feel like awkward bystanders.

The other half of the issue sees the Hood’s meeting an Inhuman in prison.  Again, the fact that Bendis was able to balance the above story with a prison drama was fairly impressive.  The Hood’s machinations are as fun to read as ever, while the character he meets is creepy, likable, and certainly intriguing.  The final two pages of the issue are also the sort of high-drama/big event stuff that’ll have you wanting the next issue ASAP.

With so much dialogue this month, I also have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to see the Bendis-speak (when Bendis uses repetition in a weird attempt to emulate conversation) nearly absent.  When it does crop up, it highlights moments of tension or rapport, meaning that it never dominates the writing.

Scarlet #4 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (art & colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Scarlet’s video of her assassinating the police chief goes viral, causing a flash mob of Scarlet supporters to rally.

What’s Good: For all the critical buzz it’s been getting, I’ve still been a bit on the fence about Scarlet, and I’m a huge fan of Brian Bendis.  The potential is definitely there and the art is great, but something wasn’t fully clicking for me.  That changed this month, in a big way.

I think my issue has been that the comic has been in intro mode for the last three issues in that we weren’t getting a firm enough idea of what this comic was going to be like in the long run.  With Scarlet #4, the picture is suddenly clear and much more developed, and I like what I’m seeing.

Scarlet #4 makes it clear that this comic, or at least a big part of it, is going to be about the intersection of myth and personhood.  In other words, it’s about the relationship between Scarlet the public persona and Scarlet the actual human being.  This is far, far more compelling, and not to mention smarter, than a comic that’s simply about revolution and saying no to the Man.  In putting herself out there, Scarlet has made herself into myth and legend, a person that is more idea than person, an idea that Alan Moore touched upon so well in V for Vendetta.  What Bendis does wonderfully, however, is also show how this myth coincides with Scarlet Rue the person; for all the signs, slogans, and rallies, Scarlet is still shown to be very human.  We get scenes of her getting out of bed, chatting with her friend, and trying to rationalize her actions.

More than that though, Bendis also shows the toll the myth takes on the person.  In becoming legend, Scarlet runs afoul of her family, leading to an encounter with her mother that makes clear the price of what she’s done, suggesting perhaps that being both person and legend may not be entirely possible.

With this issue, Scarlet becomes a phenomenon.  Her presence resounds throughout the world of the comic.  The public myth of Scarlet is less a person and more a symbol and idea, and that makes for engaging and exciting reading.  The world in the comic has gone topsy-turvy and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

In presenting two very different sorts of Scarlet, Bendis ends up almost telling two stories that bounce off of one another: there’s the story of Scarlet getting out of bed and dealing with her mother, and there’s the story of protesters carrying signs bearing her name in front of police fearing a riot.  Both stories are about Scarlet, both are related, but both are also very different.  It’s really fun stuff.

Alex Maleev’s artwork is brilliant, as expected.  He does an absolutely fantastic job of highlighting Scarlet’s humanity (that last splash in particular will stick with you) while also illustrating the brazen mayhem of the rally.  He strikes the exact same balance regarding Scarlet as Bendis strives to in his script and so, as such, you couldn’t hope for much better compatibility between writer and artist.

Avengers #8 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Dean White & Paul Mounts (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The Illuminati re-unite to discuss the recent infinity gem troubles.

What’s Good: It’s another solid issue of Avengers as this title continues to improve.  More than anything, Avengers #8 further solidifies this book as the Marvel Universe title where the big boys play.  It loosely hearkens back to Avengers lore, provides an old school tale with cosmic touches, and features some major players.  With the Infinity Gems in play, it feels like a classic Avengers title and, after years of street-level Avengers heroics, that’s pretty welcome.

But this issue is more about the Illuminati than the Avengers, and I’m fine with that.  Brian Bendis does a great job in bringing the gang back together again, overlaying it all with a constant tension between the characters and a, for the most part, unspoken sense of the sins of the past, guilt, and responsibility.  The dialogue feels weighty, the characters feel guilty and conflicted, and all in all, there’s a conspiratorial feeling that haunts the issue.  These characters are together when they shouldn’t be, discussing things they shouldn’t be discussing.  It’s all dark shadows and hushed whispers about a particularly dangerous topic between characters with a bizarre dynamic.

The best part of Bendis’ work here though is that so much of the tension between the characters, the guilt, and their flat out not wanting to be here is all between the lines.  You get it from their abrasive demeanour, their irritability, and the seeming desire to get the conversation to its end point as quickly as possible.  It’s all between the lines and I think that even Bendis’ most vocal detractors will be satisfied with his dialogue work this month.

As far as the art goes, John Romita Jr. continues to shine on this comic after a rocky start with the series.  I can now say, without any qualifications, that I am enjoying his work.  There weren’t any panels that I cringed at or anything I disliked.  He used his usual cartoony style, but managed to make it carry both the darkness and the cosmic power of the tale being told.  His fight scene between the Red Hulk and “Infinity Gem guy” was also absolutely wonderful, big, and genuinely exciting.  I also much enjoyed Romita’s little comedic touches in his giving the characters winter-clothes.  Professor X wears a suit without a jacket…and a ski mask?  The Thing wears ear-muffs?!  In such a serious issue, these little humorous touches come across almost like easter eggs, and it made me all thearmuffspreciative of them.

New Avengers #7 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: The Avengers set their house in order and get a little help along the way.

What’s Good: This is one of those issues that’ll serve as a litmus test for how much of a fan you are of Brian Bendis.  I myself like his work quite a bit, so I enjoyed this issue, as it played to many of his strengths as a superhero writer.

I thought the dialogue was well done.  It was full of laughs and felt dynamic, going through at a good clip.  Yes, there is that Bendis-trademark of repeated lines between characters, but it’s not as overbearing at it occasionally is, and seem to be used in a more restrained fashion.

Ultimately, this is an issue that highlights the strong chemistry that this team shares, arguably the strongest of any of the Avengers teams out there right now.  New Avengers truly does feel like a bunch of friends hanging out, all characters that have been through a lot and know each other well.  This makes the dialogue all the more pleasant to read.  It also makes a conversation-based issue like this one end up being a kind of feel-good read.  It’s pleasant and easy and sometimes it’s just fun to see your favourite characters chatting and having some fun with each other, especially after a big arc.  It takes the series back to the basics that distinguish it while giving it a momentary sigh of relief.

As far as the actual events of this month, a lot of it is really just consolidation and cementing of the status quo, but Bendis’ dialogue and the tight character relationships make this comic far less of a snooze than it could have been.  Once again, Bendis also does fantastic work with Victoria Hand, re-establishing that she you may very well be the best thing to come out of Dark Reign.  She’s a compelling character with interesting motivations and, as she says this month, she adds something unique and special to the team.  The additions of a “household” staff to the Avengers Mansion is also a lot of fun.  Squirrel Girl as nanny is wacky and already a good fit and the addition of a very familiar, grumpy cook, or a Jarvis with an attitude problem, looks to be a blast.  Of course, I’ll leave that cook’s identity for you to see.

Even in a quiet issue like this one, Stuart Immonen’s artwork still shines.  His Victoria Hand in particular looks positively excellent.  I worry that this series will lose a good chunk of his appeal now that he’s leaving the book, which is funny given how iffy I felt when he first came on-board.

Avengers #7 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Dean White (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: There’s somebody trying to collect infinity gems, and that can’t be good…

What’s Good: After all the time-traveling hijinks, the is actually a really comforting issue of the Avengers if only because it feels like the series is getting back to basics and, in doing so, it also continues to solidify its identity and tone.  Bendis has things much more under control and the result is an issue that is something of a relieving read.  This is a well-structured comic that hits the right notes.

As the first issue of a new arc, this book is all set-up and as such, functions as a perfect prelude.  There’s a mysterious new bad guy (maybe) who we know nothing about.  Despite this, his quest for the infinity gems and his use of their powers is enough to make him a foreboding figure and a real threat.  I like that Bendis didn’t reveal any of his cards this month, as it made me all the more intrigued to find out what happens next and to learn just who the hell this guy is.  I’m already far more interested in this plotline than I was the previous.  It’s all shrouded in secrecy, but the infinity gems alone are such a collective bogeyman that the issue is all the better for it.  The whole “pissed off Wonder Man” thread is also re-introduced, and it has me as interested as ever, as Simon continues to remind me of a grumpy forum-dweller.

New Avengers #6 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Laura Martin & Rain Beredo (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: A mystically roided up Wolverine takes on Agamotto for the fate of the universe.

What’s Good: This arc has bothered in a way; Bendis seems so intent on convincing us of the scale and stakes of this conflict but, perhaps due to the facelessness of the bad guys, I never quite bought into it.  Last month’s issue promised a mystic battle of epic proportions, yet again, but this time, we get an issue that truly delivers on that.  New Avengers #6 is just as big in scope and action as it promises to be.

The duel between Wolverine and Agamotto is well done, with Agamotto taking on various forms from the Marvel Universe and Wolverine’s past.  It feels explosive and, well, powerful and in that sense, it does what it’s meant to.  What really helps out the duel, however, is how Bendis emphasizes the Avengers team and keeps it from being just “Wolverine vs. Agamotto.”  By watching the battle, showing concern, and giving support, the battle with Agamotto instead feels like a team effort by friends and, as such, it becomes a lot easier to root for Wolverine and emotionally invest in the battle itself.  It’s one of those situations where Bendis is really able to highlight the chemistry this team has.

The conclusion of the conflict will no doubt be a source of some controversy, but the event itself is well done.  Bendis delivers on his promise of a major character death and, all told, it’s done in good taste.  The character goes out in truly heroic fashion and it feels appropriately important and massive in scale.  Better still, it leaves behind a new and very compelling villain.  It also leads to an excellent final page where Daimon Hellstrom wonderfully sums up who the New Avengers are and what makes them unique as a team.

The real star this month, however, is Stuart Immonen.  His action scenes are as exciting as ever and his characters are, as always, very likable.  What’s really awesome though is how he alters his style when depicting Wolverine’s duel, which is rendered in a really awesome, almost painted feel.

Scarlet #3 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (art & colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Scarlet finds a new ally and declares war on Portland’s police department, taking on its chief.

What’s Good: I really feel as though the ball got rolling with this issue.  The story moves at a decent pace and, finally, I’ve gotten an overall impression of what this series is going to end up feeling like and what the overall concept is.  It’s great to get an understanding of the series as a whole and the type of story it’ll be pursuing.

More than anything, we get a little bit more of Scarlet as a central character and protagonist in action, an actual character, as opposed to someone relegated to flashbacks, or someone attempting to sell us on the comic in the present.  She truly feels like an action hero this month, and that makes the comic feel more solid in its being anchored around her.  There’s a mix of insanity, vulnerability, gleefulness, and sadness to the character, but unlike past issues, all of this is shown as opposed to simply told to us by Scarlet herself.  We’re able to observe a little more.

Much of this is due to Bendis’ reigning in the breaking of the fourth wall a bit.  While the narration still often speaks to the reader, we don’t get anywhere near as many panels of Scarlet staring at the reader and talking to him/her.  While it’s a cool concept, it took up valuable page-space and slowed the comic down far too much.  I’m glad to see it under control.

This also means fewer panels of Scarlet talking against a bare background, which allows Alex Maleev to do some solid work here.  Great scenery, a fun sniper sequence, and another of those great montages spice up the goodness we’ve come to expect from Maleev.

All told, the comic got across its “one against many” theme and feel a bit more than it has in previous months, mostly because there was less talking and more doing.  I’ve always been a sucker for that old story, and thanks to that, this issue gave me something good to grab a hold of.

Siege #4 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Olivier Coipel (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The battle with the Void concludes, leading to the dawning of a new chapter for the Marvel Universe.  Oh, and two major characters die.

What’s Good: The majority of this book is one gigantic fight with the Void.  This big stuff and the sense of scale are pretty dwarfing, as is the sheer number of heroes involved.  That being said, amidst all the battling, Bendis is very particular in how he uses his heroes and who lands what blow.  If it wasn’t clear before, it is now: Siege is an Avengers book more than anything else.  As our heroes team up on the multi-armed Void, you get a kind of nostalgic feel as you realize that we’re basically seeing another classic scenario where the Avengers team up against a big monster.  And what a team-up it is.  Bendis goes for the always fun “everything but the kitchen sink” dynamic, as the Avengers throw themselves at the former Sentry.

That being said, what’ll get most people talking are the two major deaths.  While one is fairly expected, the other really is something of a surprise, especially given the character in question’s natural ability to get out of scrapes.  What’s even better is the way in which the character goes out.  I couldn’t have imagined it being done any better, as he/she does so purely because he/she acts entirely contrary to his/her pattern of behaviour.  For a brief moment, he/she makes a stand and becomes perhaps the most heroic figure in this entire book.  It’s a major moment of redemption for the character.

On the art, this is some more amazing work from Coipel.  The explosions are jaw-dropping, the burial of the dead character above (a cremation in the Sun) is touching, and the Void looks truly terrifying.  As far as being a big-time artist, Coipel has most certainly gone far above and beyond earning his stripes.

The best thing about the issue though is its end and where it leaves the Marvel Universe.  It truly feels like a fresh beginning and will surely leave Marvel fans excited for what’s to come.  Oh, and Steve Rogers ends up in a very, very interesting position.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #4 – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), David Lafuente (Pencils), Justin Ponsor (Colorist)

The Story: Following the drama of Johnny Storm moving in, and the shouting-contest with MJ, Spider-Man finally faces bigger challenges this month. The mysterious hooded vigilante (aka the Shroud) serves up his/ her brand of justice once again, while saving MJ. Meanwhile, Mysterio strikes, cementing his position as NY’s #1 bad guy.

What’s Good: Almost everything but the art. Bendis crafts a good Spider-Man story, weaving together entertaining and cinematic action with the signature focus on the “human aspects” for the teen hero. From MJ’s emotional breakdown to the chemistry developing within the Parker family, Bendis does an amazing job highlighting family and relationships– two crucial aspects to the Spider-Man mythos. In between all the explosions and chaos, it’s good to see that Bendis can still cleverly finds ways to fit in all the proper character drama that make up a good Spider-Man book. A perfect example of this is with the use of the character on the cover. He/she reluctantly shows up and makes for some good opening action, while his/ her effect on the characters not only moves this arc forward, but also brings about an interesting character change in MJ, while possibly introducing a new conflict for Peter. Issue #4 holds as Bendis delivers in character and relationship developments.

What’s Not So Good: Lafuente’s manga style continues to fail. Peter’s hair still sucks. Speed lines look last minute. And there’s way too much gratuitous anime-style eating and food debris flying. I understand how Lafuente’s style is supposed to fit with USM, especially with the series dedicated to all the high school drama… But do all these goofy, stocked anime scenes have to make the pages? I just wish the exaggerated reactions and the ridiculous looking characters weren’t such a distraction for a story that’s packed with this much drama.

Conclusion: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man scores pretty high this month, as Bendis gives us the familiar compelling Spider-Man storytelling. If Bendis can consistently deliver memorable villains and the exciting drama surrounding Parker’s relationship issues, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man might not just be a good reboot of the character and the series, but it might just be the Spider-Man book that everyone should be reading.

Grade: B-

-Raymond Hilario

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3 – Review

By Brian Bendis (writer), David Lafuente (art), and Justin Posner (colorist)

The Story: Mysterio makes his move against NYC while Peter and MJ air-out their anger against one another. Plus, Johnny Storm establishes his permanence in Peter’s daily life.

What’s Good: Those of you who like the “Bendis banter” will like the lengthy dialogue that Bendis dishes out in this issue, as everyone has yucks it with another member of the cast. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bendis’ Spider-Man is supremely Seinfeldian. To this end, this issue continues this tone and thrust.

Meanwhile, Mysterio is an awesome character and his agenda is a great place to reboot this franchise. In this issue, we get more insight into him, though exactly what he is still remains a mystery-o (I know…).

Overall, this issue cements that Ultimate Comics Spider-Man will be as rich and layered as USM was, before Loeb, I mean Magneto,  killed it.

What’s Not So Good: For a slow read with a lot of dialogue (attributes I tend to look for in a comic), not a whole lot happens in this issue. There is basically zero suspense and if it wasn’t for the solicitation for next issue at the end of the comic, I would think that there was no momentum to this series, save the teenie-bop Peter/MJ/Gwen love triangle. Which brings me to my second point: I hate the Peter/MJ/Gwen love triangle. The heavy focus on this plot-line and the magna styled art, makes me think that this comic is geared for teenage girls. This is all well and good as I guess this demographics is underserved, but at the same time, I am really losing interest in this book. I’m used to seeing Peter suffering through dramatic events and devastating battles where he barely survives in the pages of USM. Now, the biggest things facing him are his after-school job and  his girl problems. I don’t know, something just doesn’t work unless Peter and everything he knows is under some type of mortal threat. Most worrisome is that Johnny Storm’s constant presence can only signal more teenage angst for the Webbed- One.

I really like the art when Peter is in costume and the visuals of the villains he faces off against, but the people in general and their faces specifically are really quite one dimensional. Everyone looks like they are closely related and Japanese-toon statues . As Ray said in his last review on this series, the art is really distracting to this series.

Conclusion: This usually fresh and upbeat fun series is starting to feel stagnant and predictable. Not only predictable in the macro sense (Johnny Storm meets Gwen Stacey), but also in the micro where every conversation and interaction is predictible and hovering on the cliche. Basically, I think it is time for USM to grow up. I know Bendis is just rebooting this series and the ball just got rolling, but I’m barely feeling this series. That being said, I am looking forward to the new focus on a new character next month.

Grade: C

-Rob G.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2 – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), David Lafuente (Pencils), Justin Ponsor (Colorist)

The Story: Johnny Storm returns, while it’s another day for Spider-Man: school and battling NY’s criminals. Meanwhile, somewhere in his monitor-filled hideout, Mysterio reveals his plans.

What’s Good: Not a whole lot, considering that this was one giant “beat around the bush” issue filled with lots of vague and generic text.

What’s Not So Good: First and foremost, I @%&^#$ hate the art. From Peter’s outdated J-Pop hairdo, to the walking oval logo head of SPider-Mans’… The whole anime look just isn’t working. If anything, it amplifies a silly tone even throughout the action scenes and the “compelling” moments. The faces can’t be taken seriously, and the body movements and gestures are either way over the top or too exaggerated. The splash page where Spidey meets his foes for the issue capture all of this. Hence, I’m calling this the weakest splash I’ve seen in a long time.

As for Bendis’ writing, he showcases his trademark “teenagers don’t sound like that” dialogue and his vague, cliche, not-so-haunting monologues. WTF?! Peter’s too old to be saying $#^! like, “He was living in New York… when everything went jablewy.” As for Mysterio’s monologue, it lost all of its credibility when he barked out the whole “I don’t want a piece, I want the whole thing” line. Almost everything each character says in this book is either stupid or cliche (or both).

Another unfortunate thing about this book is that it beats around the bush (a cliche for the ones that believe that allow cliches to pass…). In the previous issue, you’re left with a pretty big cliff hanger with Johnny Storm returning. So in this issue, what do we get? Absolutely nothing. We don’t learn anything new about the Human Torch, nor do we see any stakes raised for Peter. Instead, readers are treated to a meaningless battle between Spider-Man and a mother and a daughter, as Aunt May waits and sees if Johnny Storm burns the couch in his slumber. It’s your signature Bendis TPB-filler issue.

Conclusion: Definitely not a good read, but I’ll still stick around to see if it gets better. Issue three will probably read more like the real “#2,” when we finally find out just what the hell happened to the Human Torch. But as of right now, the prolonged storytelling and the annoying anime look are not helping.

Grade: C-

-Raymond Hilario