New Warriors #2 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (artist), Daniel Curiel (color artist)

The Story: Spurned by the X-Men, the Evolutionaries throw millennia of planning out the window and decide to back a new, more human, horse.

The Review: With the team’s final member making his appearance at the start of issue #2, New Guardians is clearly taking care with how the titular heroes come together. It’s an impressively varied group, but this is the time to prove that the execution will live up to its concept. In that respect, New Warriors #2 is a bit unsteady.

Picking up where we left off last month, this issue opens with our disparate heroes facing off with teams of Evolutionaries. These adversaries are imposing, thanks in no small part to Marcus To’s artwork, but despite the sheer number of conflicts, none of them justify the issue. It’s not that the book lacks spectacle, but that none of these fights feel like the core struggle. I suspect that this will seem less of a problem in trade, but as it’s probably going to be half a year before we see one, Chris Yost should really be providing a stronger arc in each issue.

The Evolutionaries also lose some of their menace this go around. At times this seems like a conscious choice, but in some cases it just diminishes the story. They whine too much and retreat too frequently, though hints of a greater plan keep them aloft.

With thirteen pages devoted to battles with the Evolutionaries or superhero infighting, Yost has to make his remaining seven count. Justice gets some much needed time to shine in the form of a visit to Avengers Tower. This scene could probably have sped up its exposition slightly, but is decidedly helpful to new readers and conveys Justice’s concern without making him seem dull. Then again, maybe it’s just the fact that he’s standing next to ol’ Slim Summers.

New Warriors #1 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (art), David Curiel (color art)

The Story: Clearly Robbie hasn’t been listening to Edwin Starr or Louis C.K…

The Review: Launching a series is a complicated thing. There are all sorts of different requirements that a first issue holds above all other books and it can be nearly impossible to craft the perfect opening to many worthwhile stories. Team books can have an even harder time. How do you bring potentially disparate heroes together, define personalities, and establish what a series will be all in a scant twenty pages?

For New Warriors #1 the answer seems to be breadth. This issue is aware that it’s not a team book yet and it’s unapologetic about it. Held together by a single mystery and a tempting opening page, this issue takes us on a regular tour of North America as we meet our future Warriors.

There’s certainly a sense of youth in this book, even Kaine, apparently the oldest member of the not-yet-team, is accompanied by the cheerful Hummingbird. Kaine is also probably one of the highest profile characters in the book. In some ways that’s refreshing, in others kind of sad. It’s rare that a book from DC or Marvel can claim that its most marketable team member is a recently revived veteran of one of the 90s’ most reviled events, but his sullen, brusque demeanor is an instant draw. Chris Yost does a good job of balancing the off-putting nature of such a reluctant hero against the reality of his recent experience and, if his interactions with Aracely are any indication, he’ll be a fine counterweight to the rest of the team. The pair are a delight to read and their powers are highlighted expertly, perhaps evidence of Yost’s familiarity with them. If you’re not intrigued by the descriptor “Demigod, Manipulation of Emotions, Levitation” I don’t know what to say to you.

Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #2 – Review

Christopher Yost (Writer), Marco Checchetto (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: Kaine goes to visit his friend Peter, only to discover that he has turned into a colossal jerk. Cue Spider-Ock and his arrogant shenanigans.

The Review: Crossovers aren’t always handled quite well. Sometimes, they are simply single issues where another character or team guest-star in another title, showing just who they are in order to boost their appearances. Other times, they are handled in multiple issues where both writers and titles share their characters in a multiple-part story. Both can be done right, yet they each have their weaknesses and strengths.

This issue is part of the latter and unfortunately show very well one of the main weakness of this type of crossover: the fact that it is not a complete story. Of course, most issues these days are part of a whole considering how many writers are writing for the trade paperbacks these days, yet this one does not accomplish much on its own.

The story here is that Kaine visits Peter, being unaware of the switch-up that made Superior Spider-Man a controversial series to begin with, as Otto reacts very violently to his presence and the fact that Kaine is a clone of the body he inhabits. The confrontation itself is precipitated perhaps a bit too fast, as Otto goes on and tries to kill Kaine almost as soon as he shows up, getting to the action scene rapidly after the introduction to Otto and his life.

This prompt the issue to go toward territory that aren’t particularly pleasant, as a lot of the characters become unlikeable and the plot make way for a lot of action without giving the readers much to latch onto in order to enjoy it. The reasons for Otto’s reaction are believable, yet they are not delved very far as we get some text, a panel and that’s it. It is a bit fast in terms of contextualisation for readers to invest themselves in the conflict show here.

Scarlet Spider #2 -Review

By: Chris Yost (writer), Ryan Stegman (pencils) Mike Babinski (inks), Marte Gracia (colors)

The Story: Scarlet Spider punches the bad guy, saves the girl, and finally gets an origin that makes sense.

What’s Good: It’s fun to watch Kaine argue with himself about his actions. Sure, we know that he’s going to be a hero, but watching him struggle with making the right choice is fairly compelling. This guy is clearly damaged goods, frightened about whether or not he can actually do something good, and ridden with guilt over past wrongs.

Give him something to punch though, and he’s all over it. Fortunately, he’s got a pretty good punching bag, in the shape of the Salamander, a massive brute who has been “kissed by the fire god, Xiuhcoatl!” Drawn by Ryan Stegman and Mike Babinski, Salamander is a fairly menacing force. His design is simple, but watching the dancing serpents in the flames he controls is really a visual treat. When we get to the fight scene between the two, we also see that the art team is really trying to give Scarlet Spider a different physicality than his Northern cousin. Kaine is a scrapper. His fighting is focused and aggressive, and he does without Parker’s more acrobatic finesse. The storytelling is much more streamlined in this issue as well, with nothing as gimmicky as the spider-stickers from issue #1.

We also see the beginnings of a supporting cast of local civilians, which I think will be important for the series. Protagonists in the Spider-Man franchise are largely defined by their loyalties and responsibilities to their personal communities. It looks like Kaine is going to have a very different relationship with the citizenry of Houston than Peter Parker or Miles Morales does with New Yorkers. I won’t spoil it here, but I see it as a good sign this book is headed in an original direction.

Scarlet Spider #1 – Review

By: Chris Yost (writer), Ryan Stegman (artist), Marte Gracia (colors)

The Story: Marvel is going to feel pretty stupid when ripped-sleeved hoodies TOTALLY come back in 2012!

The Review: Marvel is certainly wringing Spider-Man for everything he’s worth. Amazing, Spectacular, Ultimate, Avenging, and with guest appearances on Future Foundation and one of the Avengers teams (I can never keep them straight), it’s clear the brand is doing well. Heck, they even have the dark anti-Spider-Man in Rick Remender’s Venom ongoing. So is there really room for Scarlet Spider? Maybe, but it will need to have a clear, compelling difference from the other existing books to justify its presence on the stands. After reading this issue, while I think the creative has a good reason for their book, I also think they need to do a better job of communicating it.

Right away, the opening did not impress me. The comic opens with several narrow, full-page vertical panels that zoom in on a nondescript port. This hardly takes advantage of the opportunity to showcase Houston, a location never previously explored in Marvel Comics. What follows feels like it was lifted straight from the scene in the Narrows in Batman Begins. Neither of these things are bad, exactly, but they aren’t very inspired.

The first three pages are crawling with spiders. Or perhaps I should say “sprinkled” with spiders. They spiders cast no shadows, and don’t seem to make contact with any surface. They are all similarly positioned, none appearing to scuttle or spin webs or indeed do anything at all. They simply hover between the reader and the story going on inside the panels. After three pages of this, the spiders crawl into the panels, and assemble en masse for our first look at Kaine before disappearing for the rest of this issue. I know what Stegman was going for here, and in the hands of a more experimental artist, this could have been really cool. But Stegman’s work is fairly traditional, and the comic looks for all the world like a preschooler stuck spider stickers all over it.

Not too say all of Stegman’s work is bad. The two-page spread explaining Kaine’s backstory was clever and actually made it sound fun. The vistas of Houston, when we finally get to them, are fresh and warm, and the action flows and bubbles with energy. But first impressions are important, and mine was not enthusiastic.

Amazing Spider-Man #666 – Review

by Dan Slott (writer), Stefano Caselli (art), Marte Gracia (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Life is good, and very busy, for Peter Parker, but unbeknownst to him, more and more people in New York City are gaining spider-powers.

What’s Good: Apparently, Dan Slott and the rest of the crew in the Spider-office take that $3.99 price-tag really seriously.  This is a lot of comic book.  It’s 30 pages of dense storytelling, packed with characterful dialogue and narration that’s entertaining, regardless of the exposition.  It’s also amazing quite how many bases Slott touches upon in these 30 pages.  Not only does Slott set the stage for Spider-Island in ever conceivable way, he also gives us an update on more or less every nook and cranny of Peter Parker’s world.  As a result, the number of characters in this book is pretty damned massive, but because Slott keeps it, for the most part, tightly focused on Peter, Spider-readers won’t get lost.

What’s even more remarkable is what a firm grasp Slott has on this immense cast.  Obviously, his Peter Parker is great, but everyone elses’ dialogue is fun and energetic and every character has his or her own distinct voice.  With so many characters on hand, here, that’s pretty impressive.

All in all, this is just a really big, well-rounded package.  It sets up the state for Spider-Island quite well and will leave you ready and willing to dive in, but more than that, you get a little taste of literally everything and everyone relevant to Slott’s run on ASM thus far.  No stone is left unturned, and as a result, you get a Spidey comic that really feels like a Spidey comic.  With so much in this book, this is a pretty immersive experience, one that really brings you into Peter’s world.

Of course, Caselli’s art doesn’t hurt.  It’s as lively and energetic as ever and while Caselli often puts a lot on the page, in both content and panels, it’s never confused or claustrophobic.  Whether it’s a dialogue scene or an action scene, Caselli’s work always feels fast-paced.

Amazing Spider-Man #636 – Review

The Grim Hunt, Part 3 by: Joe Kelly with Zeb Wells (writers), Marco Checchetto, Michael Lark & Stefano Gaudiano (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors) & Joe Caramanga (letters)

Hunting the Hunter by: J.M. Dematteis (writer), Emma Rios with Max Fiumara (art), Fabio D’Auria (colors) & Joe Caramanga (letters)

Spidey Sundays by: Stan Lee & Marcos Martin

The Story: Surprise!  Peter Parker isn’t really dead, but that doesn’t mean that someone didn’t die as part of the sacrifice to bring back Kraven the Hunter.  However, if the Kravinoff’s didn’t sacrifice the real Spider-Man, isn’t the reincarnation going to be kinda screwed up?

What’s Good: I’ve never been a big fan of all the clone garbage polluting the Spider-Man universe, so I was genuinely surprised to see that the death of Kaine touched an emotional chord in me.  It really wasn’t that big of a surprise that he was dead.  I didn’t see it immediately when I read/reviewed ASM #635 (blame reading it and immediately reviewing it), but in hindsight it was pretty obvious that it was going to be Kaine who died in the Kravinoff’s sacrifice.  But, seeing the poor guy looking really quite dead hit me (and there is NO doubt that dude is dead).  It was kind of like seeing and ignoring a panhandler on the same street corner every day.  You know the poor dude has it rough, but he’s annoying, smelly and in your way.  Then one day you learn that he died and you feel like crap because you were never nice to him.  That’s who Kaine was for me: the smelly bum who I just wanted to leave me alone.

The rest of this issue unfolded in pretty average super-hero fashion: Peter Parker wakes up, shakes off the cobwebs (pun intended) and has to go off chasing the Kravinoffs.  That’s a nice bit of role reversal and I like how the creative team handled it.