Cloak and Dagger #1 – Review

by Stuart Moore (story), Mark Brooks (pencils, Walden Wong (inks), Emily Warren (colors) and Dave Sharpe (letters)

The Story: After the events of Dark X-Men, Cloak and Dagger must decide if they belong on Utopia with the X-Men.

What’s Good: We’ve been teased for about 25 years by the duo of Cloak and Dagger.  They were created in the 1980’s as super-powered heroes in the war on drugs, but it was never made clear if they were mutants or not.  They have failed (commercially) in a few attempts to give them their own ongoing series over the years, but had increased visibility over the last year as members of the Dark X-Men.  In this issue we do definitively learn that they are not mutants.  I liked the way this revelation was handled because it showed that even among the mutants, Cloak and Dagger just don’t really fit in.  They are kind of “other”.

I was also pleased for editorial reasons that C&D are not going to become X-Men.  The mutant roster is already so full that A-listers like Nightcrawler aren’t getting much to do. Two other cute story moments: Dr. Nemesis kicking butt while sneering at the bad guys’ technology, and Cloak suspecting Dagger of having an affair with the homosexual Anole (esp. Anole’s reaction).

As for the art, it is mostly a positive in this issue.  It’s a very bright and pretty book and I think Brooks nails the X-Men.  The cover is also really nice (if you care about that sort of thing).

Ms. Marvel #41 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Sergio Ariño (Artist), and Emily Warren w/Christina Strain (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Yeah, it’s weird… But I’m digging the current Ms. Marvel arc quite a bit. A deceitful, morally shady “hero” that’s standing in for the real hero? Storyteller jar babies? Colorful cosmic looking entities that may or may not be parts of a “dead” hero?! That’s good stuff people!

The Story: Everyone (as in Deadpool, Ms. Marvel, the New Avengers, and the multi-colored cosmic entities) wants to get to the M.O.D.O.K./Storyteller babies.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Frantic, funny, clever, and full of action, Ms. Marvel #41 delivers in ways that matter most as the series heads into the War of the Marvels arc. Brian Reed, who has been setting up the pieces and building momentum for the return of Carol Danvers, brings everything to a head in a way that makes great use of nearly every aspect of the story he’s been weaving. If I have any complaint about the way Ms. Marvel #41 plays out, it’s because Deadpool’s appearance feels rather tacked on and somewhat unnecessary. The Merc, as expected, has some entertaining lines, but there just isn’t a whole lot for the character to do.

The artwork in the latest issue of Ms. Marvel is something of a mixed bag. While the vibrant, striking color work by Emily Warren and Christina Strain compliments Sergio Ariño’s work well, it tends to overpower what Ariño does from time to time. Also, Ariño seems to have a bit of trouble with Ms. Marvel, as she looks inconsistent or awkward at times. Thankfully though, Ms. Marvel is really the only character I have any complaint about. Ariño’s Spider-Man looks great and his Wolverine looks impressive as well.

Conclusion: It’s always nice to see a series gain and maintain positive momentum heading into a major arc. Bring on the War of the Marvels!

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2 – Review

By Paul Cornell (Writer), Mark Brooks (Pencils), Mark Morales w/Walden Wong & Dexter Vines (Inks), and Emily Warren & Sotocolor’s L. Molinar (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Dark Reign: Young Avengers got off to an interesting start. The first issue of the mini-series frustrated as much as it entertained, yet it still had that “something” that made me want more.

The Story: The Young Avengers and their Dark counterparts battle over name rights. The fight quickly turns into a discussion however as the coolest heads prevail. Coat of Arms tells her story and more is revealed about how the Dark Young Avengers came to be.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Am I allowed to just copy and paste my review for Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 into this section? I ask because, in all honesty, most of what I said about the first issue applies to the second. In Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2, more questions are raised than answered, Paul Cornell tosses around some cool ideas about being a superhero in the Marvel U., and most of the cast remains an intriguing mystery. Sounds like another C+, right? Well, almost…

The second chapter of Dark Reign: Young Avengers gets a higher grade than the first for two reasons: the artwork improvements, and Coat of Arms. The artwork looks much more defined and detailed. As a result, the characters look much more distinct and recognizable. As for Coat of Arms, her dialogue is written in such a way that it’s difficult to tell whether she is artsy, pretentious, obsessive, or, possibly completely bat-shit insane. And you know what? It works to great effect. While I wish more of the cast would stand out like Coat of Arms does, I’ll take what I can get.

Conclusion: Dark Reign: Young Avengers stands out because it really feels like something unique. If Paul Cornell can develop the plot a bit more next issue, I think I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of the Dark Young Avengers in the future.

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny

Secret Invasion #7 (of 8) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Leinil Yu (Pencils), Mark Morales (Inker), Laura Martin, and Emily Warren (Colorists)

The Story: The penultimate chapter of the Secret Invasion is all about the action. Heroes and villains from throughout the Marvel universe come together for an epic battle against the Skrull army. But this isn’t just a straight forward fight, the final seeds planted months ago by writer Brian Bendis finally come to fruition.

What’s (very) Good: The action. The artwork here is absolutely phenomenal. Each panel packs a punch and it seems as though every character involved in the fight gets a chance to shine. There is a LOT going on in this comic and the art team pulls it off spectacularly. As far as action goes, this is one epic fight that manages to live up to the hype. Hats of to Leinil Yu for delivering the goods!

What’s Not So Good: The dialogue. I know that I may sound a bit too critical here, but most of the battlefield dialogue just simply doesn’t work for me. The banter and catch-phrases, while (admittedly) fun, take away from the seriousness and scope of the battle at hand. I held on to some hope that the encounter would somehow be able to transcend above its summer blockbuster status, but it doesn’t. It is all very fun, but considering how seriously some of this story has been taken, I can’t help but feel the tone is a bit off. It just seems like some of the characters involved are having way too much fun.

Conclusion: For all out Marvel superhero action, you really can’t get much better than this. It doesn’t try to be something it’s not. Whether that is a positive or a negative is up to you, the reader, to decide.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

A Second Opinion

As short-changed as some might feel, this book doesn’t need the dialogue. Why? Because there’s really not much of a story here. It’s a full blown brawl fest — Marvel porn at its finest. Finally… finally some of those New Avengers and Mighty Avengers stories that were dismissed as “throwaways” make sense and carry more weight. The concept of Wasp being chosen to be the doomsday weapon is a bit silly, though. And why only infect her when you can infect others as a contingency plan? That logic throws me off a bit, but whatever. This once dreaded invasion is showing signs of fatigue. At least I now know why Marvel released that Marvel Boy hardcover a couple of weeks back.

At this point I just want this series to be over.

Grade: C

– J. Montes