Nova #36 – Review

By: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Andrea DiVito (art), Bruno Hang (colors) & Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: After a multi-issue battle with the Sphinx, Nova returns to Earth.  Will his stay there be quiet?

What’s Good: I’m excited for the Thanos Imperative, and this issue of Nova was a nice lead in.  I was a little afraid that this issue would be an issue to get Nova ready to become a Secret Avenger and perhaps focus on his relationship with the not-dead-anymore Namorita, but DNA don’t give us any of that.  Instead we get evil Quasar and parasitic mind-control organisms, as Nova returns to Earth and Project PEGASUS, only to find an open portal to the Fault down in the basement with one of those big, nasty, tentacled, pointy-toothed monstrosities coming through.  Cool story and a nice lead in to the Thanos Imperative!

Realm of Kings – Review

By Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Leonardo Marco & Mahmud Asrar (artists), Bruno Hang (colorist)

The Story: What lies beyond The Fault? It’s an answer Marvel’s cosmic heroes have wanted to know ever since the war between Black Bolt and his Inhumans and the mutant Vulcan came to its tragic conclusion. Quasar, newly resurrected and desperate to prove his worth to his colleagues, has offered to delve into the tear in time and space to find out what lies on the other side, but what he finds there threatens to consume the entire Marvel Universe.

The Good: Readers will know that lately I’ve been taking a long overdue interest in Marvel’s cosmic heroes, and since I’ve missed the previous storylines set in this corner of the Marvel universe, I’ve decided now’s as good a time as any to jump on the rollercoaster and fully experience what so many other critics have been buzzing about for years now. I’m glad I’m starting here, because this issue has set the stage for a truly epic, terrifying story. Abnett and Lanning have masterful control over this little corner of Marvel’s universe, and it shows in the tight, interlocking arcs they are weaving together. From Annihilation right on through War of Kings, each story feels like a natural extension of the one that came before and not just another overly-marketed gimmick. These guys have literally rebuilt the universe from the ground up and it shows with the rich characterization and intricate plots they have developed. Quasar rings true as a devastatingly powerful hero struggling to earn his role as the guardian of the universe right at a time when it is most threatened, and the confidence with which he handles himself on the other side of The Fault reminds us why it remains a role he was born for. As for what lies beyond The Fault, I’m choosing not to comment because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, except to say the eerie combination of Lovecraftian horror and traditional superheroes is a delight and something I sincerely hope to see more of even after this storyline concludes.

The Not So Good: Nothing that won’t spoil your reading experience. This issue is primarily set up and exposition for the storyline proper, but I swear you’ll be so freaked out and have such a good time following Quasar’s journey (and I never thought I’d be saying that about a man named Wendell Vaughn) that you’ll hardly notice, and if anything want just a few more pages to see what happens next.

Conclusion: In a year highlighted by shockingly mediocre storylines, I feel like Marvel may have finally struck gold with Realm of Kings, and I’m really excited to see what happens next.

Grade: A-

-Tony Rakittke

 

Nova #31 – Review

By Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Andrea DiVito (artist), Bruno Hang (colorist)

Some Thoughts Before the Review: Being a die-hard, loyal Green Lantern fan, it goes without saying that I love a good space story.  It’s with some bewilderment though that I confess I’ve never been a huge fan of Marvel’s space faring heroes.  Sure, I devoured Infinity Gauntlet like everyone else, but haven’t touched this corner of the Marvel Universe until I started hearing good things about their Annihilation storyline.  That feedback, coupled with Abnett’s amazing storytelling, has persuaded me to pay closer attention to Marvel’s cosmic comics.

The Story: In the wake of the “War of Kings”, Nova pursues Darkhawk, his friend and alleged assassin, to the outworld Shard in search of answers regarding his involvement in the murder of the Shi’ar Empress Lilandra.

The Good: I can honestly say I was not expecting to like Nova as much as I did, but this issue made me hungry for more of Marvel’s cosmic continuity (yes, I know I’m abusing the alliteration here, but it’s so much fun I can’t resist!).  I first came to Abnett’s work through his efforts for Black Library’s Warhammer 40k games and books, and easily consider him to be one of the finest writers I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.  Why it’s taken me this long to get into his comics is beyond me but I’m glad I finally did.  Abnett crafts intelligent, dynamic stories that boldly venture into the unexplored corners of Marvel’s universe and create a new mythology from the ground up.  Through his care, Richard Rider is one of the most engaging characters in Marvel right now.  A young man of unimaginable power, he is tasked with protecting not a city, a country, or even a world, but the entire universe, and in this issue you really feel the weight of that burden as Nova must continue building the ranks of his Nova Corp even as he attempts to apprehend the friend who has been branded a galactic assassin.  This issue walks a fine tightrope between being rich in continuity and accessible to the new reader like me, and that is a damn rare quality to find in a comic.

The Not So Good: If it looks like the art in this issue was utterly breathtaking, take a look again and you’ll realize it was Hang’s brilliant colors that you were really admiring.  DiVito’s art was lifeless and not very interesting to look at, seeming to exist only to give Hang a chance to make it look better than it deserves to be through his beautiful palette.  The confrontation(s) between Nova and Darkhawk were also strangely anticlimactic, with a whole lot of nothing actually happening once you stopped to think about it.

Conclusion: Stellar writing and a richly-developed universe has convinced me that Nova is entertainment worth following.

Grade:  C+

-Tony Rakittke

 

Thunderbolts #137 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Mahmud A. Asrar (Pencils), Rebecca Buchman (Inks), and Bruno Hang (Colorist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: With Jeff Parker due to take over the Thunderbolts series soon, I’m not entirely surprised to see a one-and-done story filling the space in between creative teams. It’s not such a bad thing as long as the filler stuff is entertaining.

The Story: Norman Osborn has unfinished business with Luke Cage. So what’s Osborn do? He abducts Cage’s best friend, Danny Rand (A.K.A. Iron Fist), in order to use him to take out Cage.

What’s Good: Before diving into Thunderbolts #137, you should be aware that the comic is as much about Norman Osborn’s team as it is about the friendship that exists between Luke Cage and Danny Rand. That’s not a bad thing at all though because Rick Remender’s script definitely delivers the goods. Not only does it do justice to what Andy Diggle has built up over the last few months as far as the overall Thunderbolts dynamic is concerned, but it’s got satisfying action beats and a number of nice character moments as well.

I’ve got to say that I’m extremely impressed by how smoothly Remender slides into his role as a Thunderbolts writer (I’d be pretty happy if he took over the series after Jeff Parker to be honest). By wisely choosing Ghost (the wild card) and Ant-Man (the outsider) as his focal points, Remender is able to effortlessly capture what makes the team such a ticking time-bomb. From Osborn’s plan to Mister X’s taste for violence, Remender’s story reads as though the writer has been on the series for quite some time.

Luke Cage and Danny Rand are, thankfully, handled with just as much care as the Thunderbolts are. While the “brain-washed best friend” plot isn’t anything new, Remender throws in a lot of effective character work to make up for any complaints one might have regarding originality. There’s a lot of history between Cage and Rand and writer uses that to full effect throughout the latest issue of Thunderbolts. Most of the dialogue between the two characters (when Rand isn’t being controlled by Osborn) is a mix of fun banter and personal exchanges that really drives home the point that Cage and Rand are tight.

The artwork in Thunderbolts #137 is solid, though mostly unspectacular. The action is easily the highlight thanks to the way Mahmud A. Asrar stresses the impact of every punch and kick. The action looks painful and that goes a long way towards driving home just how deadly Iron Fist and Luke Cage can be.

What’s Not So Good: I already mentioned how generic the plot of Thunderbolts #137 is, so the only other thing left to talk about is how disappointed I am by the artwork. I’m a big fan of Mahmud A. Asrar’s art for the Dynamo 5 series, so I had pretty high expectations when I saw his name on the cover of an issue of one of my favorite series. Unfortunately, it turns out that Asrar’s style is better suited for colorful, more traditional superheroes than it is for the gritty, brutal characters featured in Thunderbolts. While Asrar’s work is in no way bad, it is underwhelming considering what some of his other comic art looks like.

Conclusion: Art issues aside, Thunderbolts #137 is a great one-and-done story about some of the more underappreciated characters of the Marvel Universe.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Amazing Spider-Girl #18 – Review

By Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Frenz (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Bruno Hang (colors)

After a somewhat disappointing issue last month, Spider-Girl gets back on track and wraps up the current story arc in fine fashion. I’m really impressed; it’s like Tom DeFalco read my complaints and addressed every one of them. Right from the get-go, we’re thrust into the middle of Crimelord’s auction of Kingpin’s “secret files”. With just about the whole crime community of New York ready to bid, Hobgoblin crashes the party with the intent of being the sole owner of the files.

Little does he know that Crimelord is prepared for him. After a sniper destroys the Hobgoblin’s glider, he’s surrounded by a mob of angry thugs. It’s here that he unleashes Mindworm to do his bidding. But Mindworm, finally showing a bit of intelligence, double crosses Hobgoblin and uses his powers to take control of everyone in the room (except Spider-Girl). In a desperate move, the Hobgoblin frees Spider-Girl. Together, butt-kicking ensues.

This issue does a nice job of addressing all the questions posed from this story arc. We learn the identity of Crimelord (it’s not who you think it is!), we get the results of Ben’s surgery, Spider-Girl finally kicks the crap out of Deadspot, and we learn the fate of Mindworm and the Hobgoblin. Perhaps the only thing missed was the whole reveal of who Deadspot is. She’ll be back, for sure.

It’s great to see the creative team back in good form. I was afraid they’d hit a creative wall after the dragging we were put through last issue. Great way to end an arc. Oh and that last page with Wes, May, and Gene. Wow… just wow! (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

Amazing Spider-Girl #17 – Review

By Tom Defalco (script), Ron Frenz (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Bruno Hang (colors)

I hate to say it, but this issue was pretty boring. The aspect I love the most about this series is May Parker, the person. We don’t get much of it this issue. Instead the villains take center stage and sadly, they are an uninteresting lot. Why? Because while there may be a big auction taking place among crime lords, none of them posses the viciousness, charisma, or cunning as someone like The Kingpin. What we’re given instead is a bunch of washed up thugs vying for Kingpin’s scraps. It’s just not very compelling.

Wait a sec! I’m not done yet.

This story with Hobgoblin and Mindworm needs to be finished… soon. May needs to expose Detective Drasco as the Crimelord. And she needs to lay the smack down on Deadspot. I mean, for a villain who was so prominent last issue, she (Deadspot) sure is given the shaft this issue as she’s relegated to a brief cameo appearance. At least she has May somewhat concerned for her well-being, too. That’s the kind of villain I want to see in my Spider-Girl books, not these lowlifes who want to be a third string Kingpin!

The stuff I do like is fleeting at best. Gene Thompson has been trying to reconcile with May for months and once again we’re given one page where nothing is addressed. The Parkers finally receive news that Ben’s hearing can be restored with an operation. That’s good progression. What bothers me, however, is Peter nor May seem to be scoffing at the fact that the hospital will need blood samples from them. This has always been a serious issue in the past – why isn’t it now?

Ron Frenz delivers solid art, as always. Tom DeFalco, however, has dropped the ball with this story line. Hopefully, he can wrap this up by next issue and we can move on to better things. (Grade: D+)

– J. Montes