Wolverine and the X-Men #1 – Review

By: Jason Latour (writer), Mahmud Asrar (artist), Israel Silva (color artist)

The Story: As the bard hath wrote: high school never ends…

The Review: It’s very strange to see a new Wolverine and the X-Men #1 so soon, but this is what we find ourselves confronted with. Jason Aaron’s post-Schism story for Wolverine and his school was a highly unique one, and one that occupied a very special place in Marvel’s lineup. Now that Jason Latour and Mahmud Asrar have taken over, the question on many minds is how much of the title’s charm was WatXM and how much was Aaron’s sensibility.

Well, to get right to it, it’s certainly not a repeat of Aaron’s work. Latour’s WatXM has a different feel, which might upset fans of the previous volume, but it’s not at all the reversal that the New 52 JLI was. Indeed, as we predicted last week, this could have very easily have been Wolverine and the X-Men #43.

The story picks up right from where we left off, with the solicit even assuring us that this is summer term. Our focus character is Quentin Quire, newly graduated and beginning his new job as a teaching assistant, though who he’s assisting is never made particularly clear. Quire’s always been a foil for Wolverine and, similarly, it’s interesting to see his individual brand of rebelliousness forced into a position of authority. The problem is that, unlike Logan, Quire isn’t dedicated enough to this new stage in his life to sell it in a first issue. He’d probably give up on it if it weren’t for his girlfriend, Idie.

Thunderbolts #22 – Review

by Charles Soule (Writer), Carlo Barberi (Artist), Israel Silva (Colorist)

The Story: Who knew that Hell would be so violent toward those that tries to challenge and overthrow their ruler?

The Review: There are times when, even if one might really like character exploration, big concepts or huge surprises, a person crave for action. With super hero comics being definitely known for delivering on said conflicts and fisticuffs, it’s nice to see that you can sometime count on a genre to deliver on a specific desire.

It is exactly what this conclusion to this arc brings to the table, with plenty of demon-bashing and violent tendencies being shown on the page. However, while a certain aspect might be satisfying, does Charles Soule deliver on other important aspects as well?

It’s a fine enough job, although it certainly isn’t perfect by any means. What work, though, is the continued combination of violence, dysfunctional character and humor that makes the scenes flow very naturally together for the most part. The normalization of violence and the setting in which the team is currently in makes for a strangely effective story, with the focus on action only enhancing the general allure.

What’s also quite good is the way Soule plays around with the character, with him having quite a lot of fun with characters like Ghost Rider, Red Leader, Red Hulk, Punisher and Deadpool. Playing with their quirks, desires and their speech pattern, the humor, action and chaos is accentuated by their reactions, with some moments being satisfying for fans.

Not all characters gets the same amount of work, though, with Elektra and Venom being a bit left on the side. Having few lines and few incidences on the plot, their inclusion seems more like a necessity of the concept rather than a natural and integral part of this present arc. They are present, but certainly not that important.

Still, despite it all, the aforementioned action takes a bit of precedence on the plot, which allows for cool moments and a display of some of the more brutal inclinations. However, the action doesn’t remove the importance of the plot, with the fight for Hell being still a focal point to the evolution of the team in many ways. Mephisto’s machinations, the deal they made and how they want to remove Mercy from their grasp is still dealt with in a manner that is generally entertaining and satisfying.

Captain America #16 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Pascal Alixe (Artist), Edgar Delgado, Antonio Fabela, Israel Silva (Colorists)

The Story: As it turns out, Jet Black really doesn’t like our world. Who knew?

The Review: Liking a character, a concept or an approach does not necessarily means an issue featuring them will immediately be good. While we may have a soft spot for some elements of a particular universe or title, it can somewhat blind us to other undesired elements, resulting in a less-than satisfying read.

I rather like Captain America and Rick Remender as a writer, yet there has been something missing ever since the book got away from Dimension Z. While there have been a good number of earnest attempts at playing with the mythology around the character while adding new layers and new elements around Steve Rogers, there is simply something that does not click as well as it should. Still, with the addition of a new villain and the beginning of a new arc, perhaps Remender can steer this title in an interesting direction?

Unfortunately, this issue isn’t the best of beginnings as far as introductions are concerned. Dealing with how Jet Black, a character Remender hasn’t done much with, deals with the way things are on Earth, her voice becomes clear and very well-defined. Pushing forth the difference in her philosophy, that of a warrior of science, against the outlook of life in New York, there is the beginning of a potentially great character arc on display here. Unfortunately, her demeanour and her vision becomes quickly repetitive, with Jet Black becoming cyclical in her reactions and actions, which hurts the general storytelling. Making her understandable, yet rather unlikable, the issue never lets her advance very far in her personal arc. While this sets her up for a more proactive role in this series in the future, this doesn’t work very well in making it so the readers might possibly want for her to be present.*

Thunderbolts #21 – Review

by Charles Soule (Writer), Carlo Barberi (Artist), Israel Silva, James Campbell, Thomas Mason (Colorists)

The Story: The team tries to find a way out of hell as the Punisher tags along with Elektra for a job.

The Review: It must be hard, yet ecstatic to be Charles Soule right now. While his workload keeps on getting bigger, his general popularity is on the rise as well, with a creator-owned comic as well as several DC and Marvel titles under his belt. Getting a lot of appreciation from many fans, there seems to be little that the writer cannot do, tackling supernatural, humor, cosmic and many other subgenres rather well. Not all of his titles are equal in terms of quality, but 2013 was a year which made him a well-known quantity as far as many were concerned.

One title which did get better, yet not as much as other titles under his reins, was Thunderbolts, the team of killers with popular characters like Deadpool, Punisher and Red Hulk. While the title did get a lot more focus and got a much needed amount of levity and humor despite its rather grim concept, it never went as well as the handle Soule has on titles like Swamp Thing or Red Lanterns. However, any writer can improve with each issue, even if it is by just a little bit.

This issue, as far as it goes, is an enhancement over the previous one, decidedly going for stark contrasts in term of ideas, going for delightful black humor and a certain amount of nonchalance through what could very well be a horrific story. Much of the comedy here pass in the way the characters interact, with the sense of normalcy of Ghost Rider, through the jokes of Deadpool to the constant curiosity of Venom.

The way this unseemly team bickers and try to adapt to such a harsh environment makes for a rather amusing tale, with Soule earning points for his characterization of Johnny Blaze, a man who has resigned to his fate a long time ago, one who decided not to give a crap anymore and not take more than he needs to. The rest of the team is also certainly entertaining as well, with many traits that are well used, such as the tough attitude of Red Hulk or the always planning Red Leader. Much of every character here, from Mephisto to the team in hell are simply fun to read, with their inability to actually work as a team being one of the better aspect of this book.

The use of the larger events of the Marvel universe is also rather good too, as fans of obscure continuity should definitely be pleased. The pact that Red Hulk made with Mephisto, who the actual ruler of hell is and what Johnny Blaze has been up to is something that is definitely pleasing for fans of the Marvel universe at large.

Inhumanity #1 – Review

Matt Fraction (Writer), Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Dustin Weaver (Artists), Israel Silva, Laura Martin (Colorists)

The Story: Karnak tells the Avengers and other guests the story behind the inhumans and what could be the possible future for this blooming species.

The Review: Launching franchises must not be particularly easy stuff. To get people invested in something that needs to be huge must be pretty challenging. Sure, most indie creators do that each time they launch a new series, but right now there must be a lot of weight on Matt Fraction’s shoulders.

Tasked with bringing forth the inhumans as a viable franchise, as a new race that can thrive in the Marvel universe as a whole is something rather big. With a track record which indicates that he might just be better at more ground-level and independent stuff, can he actually pull off a way to make these concepts and characters feel new again?

Unfortunately, it’s a mixed bag filled with elements that are executed really well, while others really aren’t. While it does leave a certain impression and does its job at bringing excitement about the new titles and some of the changes to the Marvel universe at large, there are multiple flaws in this story that makes it weaker than it needs to be.