SENYC Report: Marvel – The Next Big Thing

Marvel came out in force for Special Edition: NYC. Though they easily flattened the competition when it came to number of panels, this was the one to see if you wanted to know what was coming from the House of Ideas.

The panel was moderated by Senior VP of Publishing Tom Brevoort and featured a slew of top name talent. This included Senior X-Men Editor Mike Marts, fan favorite writer Peter David, Storm writer Greg Pak, and Deadpool editor Jordan D. White. There was even a surprise guest in the form of Katie Kubert, the former editor of Batman and Detective comics who had announced her departure from DC less than twenty-four hours before!

Uncanny X-Force #32 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Phil Noto (art), Frank Martin Jr. & Rachelle Rosenberg (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story:  Deadpool to the rescue!  Quick, somebody rescue Deadpool!

The Review:  If there’s one thing this issue hammered home for me, it’s that I really, really love how Rick Remender writes Deadpool.  Honestly, if Deadpool were written like this more often, I might actually be tempted to pick up his ongoing.  Remender’s Deadpool actually feels like a three-dimensional, believable human being.  Yes, he’s unhinged, yes, he’s goofy, but he’s not the over-the-top cartoon caricature that he’s usually portrayed as.  Rather, he has inner struggles and insecurities and one always gets the feeling that there actually is a hero with a sense of morals underneath all the jokes.  That’s the thing about Remender’s Deadpool:  there’s a real person, and a good one at that, sitting beneath the surface, or fascade, of wackiness.  That’s not something a lot of writers do correctly, most seemingly focused on that surface as being the be all and end all of Deadpool.

Wolverine and the X-Men #17 – Review

By: Jason Aaron (writer), Michael Allred (art), Laura Allred (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story:  So just what exactly IS Doop’s job at the school, anyway?

The Review:  No  more AvX tie-ins for Wolverine and the X-Men!!!  Is it any surprise that this is the best issue of WatXM in months?  I highly doubt it; with the shackles of AvX gone, Jason Aaron is allowed to go back to his usual craziness and here he gives us the kookiest issue in quite some time.

It’s a done-in-one that spotlights Doop and is drawn by the Allreds.  If that sounds awesome to you, rest assured that it is awesome in every way that you think it is.  It’s been quite a while since I read a Marvel comic that was this freaking funny from cover to cover.  Seriously, Jason Aaron does not let up for one moment with the jokes.  Once the issue gets started, it’s gag after gag after gag, occasionally even simultaneously.  The issue is so utterly ludicrous and some of the jokes are so completely over the top (and even, in one case, kind of twisted…) that it almost feels like WatXM has gone on a Doop fueled fever dream for a month.

Uncanny X-Force #27 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Phil Noto (artist), Dean White (colorist), and Cory Petit (letterer)

The Story:  Unrequited love or not, Fantomex races to Psylocke’s rescue.

The Review:  This is one of those issues that’s very difficult to review without spoilers, so bear with me.

Really, this issue encapsulates  much of what makes Remender’s X-Force a success:  heart-pounding drama and intensity.  The book’s pacing is fantastic, as it keeps you turning the pages, desperate to know what happens next.  It’s one of those books that grabs you and doesn’t let go.

X-Factor #231 – Review

By: Peter David (writer), Emanuela Lupacchino (penciller), Guillermo Ortego (inker), Matt Milla (colorist)

The Story: “They Keep Killing Madrox”, Part 3: Jamie continues his jaunt through parallel universes. In this issue, he finds quite a different world with a surprising twist related to a major Marvel event. It is, however, nothing more for him than jumping from frying pan to frying pan.

What’s Good: One of my week’s books is some weird time travel (Avengers Academy), and another is jumping through parallel universes (this one). Both parallel universes and time travel are standard science fiction fare because there’s so much a writer can do with these ideas, and because the artist gets to give goatees to normally clean-shaven characters. The charm of this X-Factor arc is the visiting the paths not taken. The tragedy of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers in this book stuck to the inside of my mind even after I was done reading. Those were two heroes (villains?) carrying heavy ghosts. Jamie’s monologue carried us effectively through this new reality as a kind of guide to hell.
Artwise, Emanuela Lupacchino, ably assisted by Ortego and Milla, laid down some fine pages. I loved the view of the Iron Man-Sentinels taking off into a ravaged red sky. The environments were very evocative. The characters were effectively drawn, although not show-stoppingly so in the beauty of their depiction. When the involvement of Wanda hits Madrox, I think this is the most expressive and emotive artistic moment of the book, in part because the rest of the emotions were guarded as characters tried to figure each other out. My favourite artistic moment of the book, however, was when Strange turns around.

Uncanny X-Force #18 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Jerome Opeña & Esad Ribic (artists), Dean White (colorist

The Story: The new Apocalypse gives way to a new Genesis.

What’s Good: The Dark Angel Saga has come to a close. It’s been quite a ride. In fact, it’s been such a ride that it’s been hard to follow occasionally. The locations have been unfamiliar and worlds apart, the list of active players has been ever-shifting, and the dastardly scheme has been huge in scope and complex in detail. And it’s been eight issues long. Normally, I would have fatigued on such a prolonged story, but for the break-neck-pace with which it’s been coming out—eight issues in six months, with only one issue featuring a guest artist. It’s a remarkable feat, and a testament to the abilities of Jerome Opeña, Esad Ribic, and Dean White, who have kept the artwork consistently excellent.

But that’s the arc so far. The question now is: does the last issue deliver? The answer: almost entirely. Coming into this issue, I was worried the final battle might feel anti-climatic. After all, in the last issue we saw Archangel take out Sabretooth, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and the freaking Pheonix Force all at once without appearing to break a sweat. What more can you throw at the guy? Wisely, Remender dodges the trap of simply pulling out a really powerful person who can get the job done. Instead, the final battle comes down to Archangel versus the two people who are most important to his dual personalities. It plays well off some of the bigger themes Remender has been exploring.

Speaking of the themes, would you ever expect Uncanny X-Force to have as one of its central themes the triumph and salience of love? Me neither. But I cannot deny the effectiveness of its implementation here. From its general role in the conflict between the good guys and the bad guys, to the specifics of Deathlok against War and his psychotic host, Remender drives his message home without ever dipping into schmaltz. Similarly effective is the theme the trustworthiness on the part of Fantomex. Have his distortions, whether against friend or foe, been kinder and have served a greater good than all the forthrightness of Psylocke or Wolverine? It’s hard to say.

Uncanny X-Force #10 – Review

by Rick Remender (script), Billy Tan & Rich Elson (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Archangel races to cover things up as a reporter gets footage of his killing a guard, but his actions lead X-Force to believe that Warren is no longer in control.

The Review:  When you first open this issue, you’re in for a nasty surprise.  Dean White didn’t color this issue.  Now, that’s not to say that Tan or Elson’s art is bad, or that Paul Mounts’ colors are weak.  I generally enjoy Mounts’ work and the art here is solid, leaving very little to complain about in either that scenes or the action sequences.  It’s a solid looking book with a high-budget feel.  The problem, though, is that Dean White was doing the best work of his career on this book and his unique palette for Uncanny X-Force had become a signature, or staple of the book, never mind the fact that it made the art really, really awesome.  Not having White is a bit of a let-down, as the art becomes instantly less distinctive and closer to being just another Marvel comic, albeit a decent looking one.

Plot-wise, this is a definite improvement over last month.  While Deadpool gets all of one line this month, this issue generally shows the benefit of having a small team and Remender’s ability to highlight the emotions and relationships between them.  I liked, in particular, Logan’s complete lack of hesitation and instant resolve when it comes to heading out to kill Warren, only to freeze up at the last second.  It’s an intelligent move the shows the complexity of the situation and how Logan’s friendship with Warren impairs his natural instincts.  Fantomex’s not-so-secret crush on Psylocke is also awkward, but appropriately so.

Then there’s Warren himself, who comes across like a monster this month.  Even when out of Archangel form, he’s a scary, creepy dude.  That said, Remender also writes the “character fighting for control of his mind” in a way that doesn’t feel utterly tired, an accomplishment in itself.  I swear, no one says “just fight it!”

But really, the best thing about this issue is just how much ground Remender covers.  It’s never a laborious or exposition-heavy read, and flies by quite quickly, but despite that, so much happens, all of it interesting.  We have a brief journalistic thriller, a focusing on Warren’s relationship with his team, a new character is brought (temporarily?) onto the team, and there’s a prelude to the Dark Angel Saga.  In the latter’s case, I am absolutely giddy.   The concept put forward regarding Warren’s current state is guaranteed to make you go “ooooh.”

Uncanny X-Force #9 – Review

by Rick Remender (script), Billy Tan (art), Dean White (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Logan does a favor for Magneto that has him going solo.

The Review:  Last month I raved about just how utterly amazing the art provided by Tan and White was and this month, I think it’s even better, though thoroughly different in tone and content.  This is quieter, more emotionally driven issue, allowing for Tan and White to deliver an issue that’s subtle and haunting.  Tan’s work on his character’s faces speaks volumes and is full of complexity.  What I appreciate most though, and granted this is largely due to White’s colors, is the way in which this issue manages to look both dark/gritty and hyper-polished, two things that don’t ordinarily go together.  The result is a gorgeous issue where single panels would make for great splashes.  Couple this with excellent storytelling all around, and the art just about carries the issue.

Which is good, because this isn’t the strongest narrative from Rick Remender.  That’s not to say that it’s bad, only fairly middling, a little too comfortable.  Remender relies on emotional tenor to drive an otherwise unremarkable story.  In some ways, it almost works.  Magneto’s emotions are very human and Logan’s relationship to death and killing is as interesting and engaging as ever.  More than that, these are items that allows for Remender to let Tan tell the story.  Certainly, on the latter plot-line regarding Logan, the issue’s ending on a “what goes around, comes around” warning that reframes the entire issue under that message is a good one.

Unfortunately, beyond these emotional high-points, the nuts and bolts of the story aren’t overly strong.   For instance, I just didn’t buy Logan doing Magneto a favor just because Magneto gives him sad puppy eyes.  This is Magneto, for God’s sake.  Remender doesn’t even really try all that hard to sell this, either.  Magneto asks, looks sad, and Logan, nice guy that he is, caves and moves out.  It’s a big stretch and one that’s oversimplified under a gloss of emotion that almost fools the reader into believing it.

Uncanny X-Force #8 – Review

by Rick Remender (script), Billy Tan (art), Dean White (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Psylocke and the rest of X-Force go out to take down the Shadow King, but is Archangel the greater threat?

The Review:  While it’s not packed with dialogue or overly dense with panels, in telling a complete story from start to finish in 22 pages, Remender gives us a really meaty issue, one that feels like it’s packed with story and worth more than it’s $2.99.  This is a full comic book that does the absolute most that it can with its 22 pages, leading to a well-rounded and satisfying package.

This is also an issue that demonstrates just why Uncanny X-Force is among the very best team books on the market.  Each character is filled with various internal conflicts, making every member just as compelling as any other.  Take for instance Psylocke, who is a big focus this month.  She’s a good woman unable to fully reconcile the killer she finds herself ending up as.  It’s not an unfamiliar story, yet Remender still fills it with just enough sorrow and emotion to make it feel genuine.

Then there’s Warren, and really, what an issue this is for him.  Psylocke’s mental battle with his Archangel side is gritty, dark stuff and when Betsy takes on the Shadow King within the landscape of Warren’s mind, it leads to some really cool stuff that makes for a battle more meaningful and, really, more special than a standard beat-em-up.  This mental battle leads to more emotion and more awesome, over-the-top visuals than any round of fisticuffs could.

But really, the best part is how the story resolves.  Remender leaves us in a tremendously interesting grey area.  Is Warren still Warren, or has Archangel taken over?  Indeed, there are suggestions that it may not be as simple as that, that it’s not one or the other and that rather, we’ve been left with a hybrid…if it that wasn’t always the case to begin with.  That, ladies and gents, is fantastic superhero comic book writing right there and writing that suddenly makes a character more interesting than ever.

Uncanny X-Force #7 – Review

by Rick Remender (writer), Esad Ribic (pencils), John Lucas (inks), Matt Wilson (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: X-Force fights their way through Deathloks and the World in their mission to take out Father.

The Review:  While this is probably the best issue of this arc, it still doesn’t quite match up to the previous Apocalypse Solution though, admittedly, that may be due to just how awesome that arc was.  Something about this Deathlok/World centered arc doesn’t have the same sense of energy and uniqueness.  I think that may have something to do with this arc’s reliance on prior continuity, drawing on Grant Morrison’s X-Men work and such.

With that said, Rick Remender nonetheless does do some really cool character-work this month that makes up for much of this.  Surprisingly, much of this comes from Deadpool.  Remender has really done surprising work with Deadpool, making him a more realistic character that isn’t just a caricature of himself.  The Deadpool that Remender gives us here is a compelling, complex character that has quite a lot going on (including a weird mix of pride and self-loathing) beneath that jokey exterior, regardless of how many screws he has loose.  Remender gives us little peaks beneath the hood, both through Deadpool’s clash with Fantomex and Father’s hypnotic words to Wade that reveal a great deal about this character.  This Deadpool isn’t just the comic relief, he’s also a tremendously interesting character.

Fantomex comes off well this month also, particularly due to the hostile relationship he has with Deadpool, with the two trading highly personal barbs.  Through one another’s words, both characters expose each others’ unique and troubled psychologies.  The result is dialogue that isn’t only a joy to read, but dialogue that also illuminates both characters involved, makes them both more nuanced, and makes them both much more interesting to the reader.  Wade’s emphasizing the contest between he and Fantomex to not be the most reviled and disrespected member of the team is a really cool new component to the team’s dynamic and, at issue’s end, Remender reveals just who’s winning that contest in a very subdued and haunting fashion.

Uncanny X-Force #6 – Review

by Rick Remender (writer), Esad Ribic (pencils), John Lucas (inks), Matt Wilson (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Fantomex fights to keep the World safe from superpowered Deathloks, but will X-Force bother to save him?

Review:  In some ways, this latest installment of Uncanny X-Force is a disappointment.  A big part of what made Rick Remender’s title, for me, so special was the team dynamic and the relationships among this small band of five.  Yet, this month, instead of an X-Force book, we get, for the most part, a Fantomex/Deathlok team-up with action scenes all over the place.  That’s well and good, Fantomex is as fun as always and the action scenes are drawn in exciting and intense fashion by Esad Ribic, but it’s not the book at its best.

That being said, amidst this Deathlok story, there are some really cool ideas.  For instance, what would a world look like without superheroes?  According to Remender, pretty damned awesome.  The future these Deathloks come from is one without superpowers and, as such, it’s a utopia.  It’s a really neat move by Remender, as seriously, how many times have we seen a burning, future dystopia due to a lack of heroes?  It’s one of the most well-worn plot points in superhero comics and for Remender to reverse this entirely is not only brilliant, but it also puts X-Force into yet another moral conundrum.  After all, in fighting the Deathloks, they are preventing a lot of deaths, but they’re also possibly stopping utopia from being reached.  And when Remender reveals just who hope is pinned on and who the rebel is in the future, well yeah, that just makes that conundrum all the wonkier.

Interestingly though, the opening scene of the book is probably the strongest, even though it has nothing to do with Fantomex, Deathloks, or the World.  It’s a conversation between Psylocke and Captain Britain that is really well-written and a great piece of introspection for the character, showing Betsy’s increasingly tragic situation regarding her role in X-Force.  The twist at the end of this scene is wonderfully sad, even pathetic, and the whole scene shows Remender’s strengths as a writer.

I think this fantastic opening may also play a role regarding my comparative disappointment with the Fantomex/Deathlok stuff.  All the bluster and action just felt a little shallow compared to this awesomeness.  That being said, Fantomex is pretty darned funny and is as charming as ever, so the comic never drags.

Wolverine: Weapon X #15 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Jason Keith & Matt Milla (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Can a Deathlok find salvation?

What’s Good: Without a doubt, the main Deathlok focused upon last month is the strongest point of this issue, as he takes center-stage yet again.  He makes for an unlikely protagonist, but a compelling one, as Aaron turns the tables by making the human inside the cyborg the sociopathic monster, while the AI is the empathetic side, showing an interest in humanity and emotion.  In the end, it’s a clever move by Aaron, as he makes the machine component of the Deathlok more human than the actual human component.  The end result is a robot that’s easy to root for and has allied itself with humanity, and as we learned from Terminator 2, that’s badass.

Much of this is accomplished through a fantastic use of textboxes, which act almost as parallel thought bubbles, or even conversations between the AI and the killer inside the Deathlok.  The slow, coming to consciousness for the AI is elegantly done and its eventual superseding of the killer’s mind feels appropriately momentous.  Once the AI is firmly in control, Aaron does a great job in making those textboxes feel claustrophobic and trapping, as the killer’s dialogue goes totally ignored, those textboxes become a kind of prison where the character is locked away.

Wolverine: Weapon X #14 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Jason Keith & Matt Milla (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: We peek into the mind of the most successful Deathlok and his creation before Miranda and her commandos attempt to complete their desperate sabotage mission.

What’s Good: Opening with an intense monologue and moving on to depraved narration throughout, Aaron does a fantastic job with the voice of the serial killer turned Deathlok who takes center stage for much of the issue.  I’ve always appreciated it when a writer puts so much into what would otherwise be an incidental character.  The murderer’s voice feels authentic and very unsettling.  There’s also a definite cool factor to seeing what thought processes rest behind the automaton behaviour and dialogue we’ve been getting from the Deathloks thus far and it’s wonderfully horrific to learn that what lurks behind that cold droning is something very, very evil.  It imbues the Deathloks with a very nice sense of internal conflict and it’s sickeningly enjoyable to see how for a serial killer, being a Deathlok is like a video game.

Aaron shows us that what hides beneath the surface is often far more disturbing than what we can see, even if what we can see is violent and awful enough already.  It puts the Deathloks into a whole different light, making them even more menacing when we aren’t privy to the narration, now that we know what’s going on behind those dead eyes and robotic statements.

There are other little demonstrations of Aaron’s twisted imagination as well.  The machine the rebels in the future use to convey their psychic messages to the present day Miranda is guaranteed to give rise to plenty of ghoulish grins.  Meanwhile, the book’s ending is a wonderful twist in that it involves present-day Miranda turning the tables on the Deathloks by effectively using their own tactic against them; the most innocent character thus far looks to get just as brutal as the Deathloks themselves.  Then there’s the implied identity of the rebels’ “general,” which looks to be another inversion.

Garney’s art is a joy on this title, as it has been throughout.  The man is clearly made for a Wolverine book, particularly one as gritty as this.  His Deathloks continue to look great and his facial expressions are expertly done.

Wolverine: Weapon X #13 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Jason Keith (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The New Avengers get involved as Cap and Logan confront the inventor of the Deathloks.

What’s Good: Going into this issue, I was not overly thrilled with the idea of Aaron bringing in the New Avengers.  I liked his inclusion of Captain America, but bringing in a whole team, I feared, would dilute the comic.  What I didn’t count on, however, was the fact that Aaron writes an awesome Spider-Man.

His Spider-Man is absolutely hilarious.  His banter is awesome and his constant ribbing of the Thing is equally riotous.  But Aaron’s Spider-Man’s wit is so sharp that it borders on the metatextual.  For instance, his complaints regarding the fact that characters from the future always come from a dystopian wasteland, or his mocking of the sheer number of catch-phrases that the Thing has are both wonderfully done.  When Aaron writes Spider-Man talking and bantering exactly like the Thing, it’s utter genius and a hilarious statement on the character.

Then, not done yet with character, Aaron presents us with a grizzled, commando Spidey of the future who is a tragic shadow of his present-day go-getter.  Aaron’s Spidey, so madcap and hilarious in his present day version, finds himself unable to tell a joke or find humor in the future.  This alone speaks volumes about the darkness of his environment and in retrospect, is chilling.

Beyond this, what we get from Aaron is basically a smattering of coolness.  We get a headless Deathlok flailing about and punching through a guy’s chest.  We get a surprising callback to Aaron’s Wolverine: the List one-shot.   Then there’s a demoted mad scientist who makes cyborgs from roadkill, who serves as a surprising source for comedy (“Take care….of my possums…”).

Wolverine: Weapon X #12 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Ron Garney (art), Jason Keith (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Logan and Bucky Barnes battle Deathloks to save the future.

What’s Good: It was clear last issue and it’s even more clear this issue: Jason Aaron loves the old Terminator movies.  The influences run throughout, and given that those movies are two of the greatest science fiction films of all time, that’s far from a bad thing.  We have the dystopian near future with a hunted group of underground rebels, and when one character discusses the Deathloks’ plan of coming to the present to snuff out the future leader of the rebellion, well, it’s just all kinds of cool.  The idea of taking a classic plot like that of Terminator and tossing it into the Marvel Universe and involving Wolverine as a kind of wildcard is just total genius.  It shouldn’t work, but it does, and it’s all kinds of fun.  If you have any love for the Terminator films, it’s hard not to totally geek out.

Deathlok #1 – Review

By Charlie Huston (writer), Lan Medina (artist), Brian Heberling (colorist)

The Story: In the near future, war is still hell but it’s also become an incredibly popular type of sports entertainment.  Countries, corporations, and private military contractors now settle grudges by pitting their teams of proxy armies against each other on the popular TV show Battlezone.  At the forefront of this new industry is Mike Travers, the billionaire celebrity soldier of the Roxxon Corporation, and his conservative co-captain Luther Manning.  On the battlefields of the future, their already strained relationship is about to be put to the test.

The Good: I was initially drawn to this story based on Huston’s successful relaunch of Moon Knight, and based on this first issue it looks like I was right to put my trust in his storytelling.  Huston has a masterful control over his characters and does an excellent job of making dialogue sound tough and macho, and yet completely natural-sounding.  Everyone from Travers and Manning to the Battlezone commentators feels like believable, fully realized people in a world that places a premium on being a badass.  Huston commits to this world and its nuances completely, and that in turn sells the idea of Battlezone as an important aspect of global policy.  Medina and Heberling are a fantastic art team that turn in some beautiful pages here.  Medina’s illustrations perfectly convey the human arc of this story, and Heberling’s lush palette of colors render everything from the cool, metallic corridors of the Roxxon Rockers to the dry, warm battlefield where the end of the issue takes an explosive turn.  Honestly, if these guys are doing this good a job on the first issue, I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with once Deathlok officially enters the picture.  Well done, guys!

The Not So Good: The central premise in this issue of ‘war as entertainment’ is certainly not treading any new grounds here, and I feel like I’ve come across this type of story way too many times to be especially impressed or entertained by it.  I may have not minded it so much if it hadn’t taken up the entire issue, but I felt like Huston spent too much time trying to establish the logic and society of this world and not enough on the dynamics between Travers and Manning, which would have benefited enormously from further exposition.  I also became annoyed with the frequency of comments from the Battlezone sportscasters, and eventually stopped reading their captions towards the end of the issue simply because it wasn’t adding anything to the plot.

Conclusion: While Deathlok #1 did not benefit from its slow, potboiler plot, it featured enough great characterization and outstanding artwork to make me want to come back for next month’s issue.  I’m curious to see where the guys will take this.

Grade:  B-

-Tony Rakittke