X-Men Legacy #22 – Review

by Simon Spurrier (Writer), Khoi Pham (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: With everything going to hell, it’s a nice thing that David has the help of multiple X-Men for his problems.

The Review: It’s always exhilarating to see a title get to its conclusion. While the end may be coming, to see all those subplots and plot threads developed bloom is something that is always a bit satisfying, especially if you are part of the readers that were there during the inception of the title. There’s always the chance that the title might end up being disappointing, but the chance of it being right is always exciting nonetheless.

X-Men Legacy could have very well become something rather insipid in its last few issues, yet the weird energy and the themes brought by Simon Spurrier are strong here. This issue, in many way, is a culmination of many ongoing themes and developments brought to the character of David Haller, providing plenty of entertainment and excitement as the showdown against the evil Xavier goes forth.

Still putting plenty of emphasis on the narration of David, this issue gives readers plenty of the fascinating thoughts that fueled this series and its development, this time giving us a deep insight on the evolution of his introspection and his relation to mutant kind. The way he interacts with other characters he has met and those he didn’t in this battle against his hate and fears personified is very interesting, revealing how his point-of-view changed with each experiences, giving some nice points to how Spurrier handled his evolution throughout the series as seen in the pages of this issue.

X-Men Legacy #21 – Review

by Simon Spurrier (Writer), Khoi Pham (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: David has one good dialogue with Blindfold as he tries to fight the evil golden Xavier that fled from his head.

The Review: Simon Spurrier is a comic book anarchist. There, I said it. Let it be known to all that he cares not for how most capes comics are written and that he’ll do whatever he feels like. Serious issues and social stigmas aren’t normally discussed in super hero universes (at least not in ways that are blatantly direct), but Spurrier doesn’t care. He’s right here to destroy everything we think we know about how super heroes should be handled.

Let it not be said that it isn’t a good thing, though, as X-Men Legacy has been nothing if not delightful when it handles David Haller’s adventure and how he envisions the world. Spurrier, without shying away from what makes capes comics popular in the first place, use these concepts to actually put better ones to the forefront in order to make it both personal and grand in scale.

Simon Spurrier here seems to focus largely on David and his struggle with his mistakes, his powers, his grief and his inability to trust others, which he weaves easily into his tales and through the interactions with a person he loves and one he hates. The dialogue with Blindfold, which makes for the first half of the issue, is something that goes from poignant to a mix of optimism and pessimism, with David fully knowing (or at least he seems to think so) how humanity functions and how everything could be.

X-Men Legacy #18 Review

by Simon Spurrier (Writer), Khoi Pham (Artist) Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: David shows Cyclops his master plan concerning many of his goals during a somewhat heated discussion. Irony then ensues…

The Review: Simon Spurrier sure knows how to anticipate the expectations of his readers. While it is hard nowadays to truly surprise anyone in most medias, he seems to be able to do so as he plays around with his status quo and with the premise of his story. Doing so in this issue, Spurrier advance the general subplots alongside his characterization David, creating some astonishing moments in this issue. However, for all those surprises, does it advance his general plot as well as create an interesting issue overall?

It’s a bit of a hit and miss, really, as while Spurrier plays to his strengths in this issue, there are some weird pacing issues in this month’s instalment that make for a bit of an unsatisfying experience when it comes to the payoff of some of the longer running subplots.

The strongest point, though, is the characterization as David is being one of the more interesting mutant characters thanks to the reinvention of the character by Spurrier. The use of his powers, his methods alongside how he operates shows the inherent problem the character needs to go through, which is consistent with his evolution as well as his actions throughout this arc. On the thematic side of things, this issue has a very strong display on how David perceive the mutant world and the battle between humans and mutants.

Daredevil #13 – Review

by Mark Waid (writer), Khoi Pham (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Javier Rodriguez (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Matt fights for his life against Megacrime, still holding onto the Omega Drive

The Review:  You’ve got to feel for Khoi Pham.  Daredevil has had some really, really great artists work on it (Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, Chris Samnee) and Pham is in the unenviable position of living up to the high standard those guys set.  Worse still, Rivera and Martin basically defined the book visually with a very unique, distinct look.  As such, Pham here is forced to try to ape Rivera’s aesthetic to some extent and, unfortunately, it becomes clear that he’s not quite up to the task.

Were this any other book, Pham’s art may not be that bad at all, but here, it’s hard not to focus on the clear drop in art quality, particularly after last issue’s brilliant outing by Samnee.  Pham’s work often appears rushed, almost unfinished at times.  It may not actually be rushed, but rather an effort by Pham to adopt a looser style to follow Rivera, but unfortunately, the impression given off is the former.  While Pham does fine enough when drawing a close-up, anything else feels weirdly barren, empty even.  It’s hard to say why exactly, but regardless, Pham’s work does not have the vitality of Rivera’s work.

Mark Waid’s script is fun enough.  Daredevil beating up bad-guys is always a blast and Matt’s narration really emphasizes that, truly, he is the man without fear.  Waid hammers home the daring-do nature of Daredevil, the carefree, risk-taking style of combat that Matt employs and constantly gives off the sense that in every battle, Matt is flirting with disaster and is always just right on the cusp of everything going very, very badly.

X-Men Legacy #259 – Review

By: Mike Carey (writer), Khoi Pham (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Antonio Fabela (colors), Cory Petit (letters) & Daniel Ketchum (editor)

The Story: A hitchhiker came back when Rogue, Magneto and gang returned from outer space.

Five Things: [with SPOILERS]

1. Odd time to set a story – This story is set during the break-up phase at the end of Schism.  It’s really weird because for folks who have been following the X-Men on a monthly basis, we’re already 2 issues into the new status quo in most of the other books.  So, it’s off-putting to see the early part of this story revolve around Rogue trying to make her decision about whether to go with Wolverine and Cyclops because that issue is kinda settled.  And even though Rogue is still making up her mind, Logan, Bobby, Kitty, et al are no where to be seen, but Rachel Summers is still lurking in the background.  It’s just an odd hybrid of old and new that falls a little flat.  ONE good thing to come out of this is a nice conversation between Cyclops and his brother, Havok, about the philosophical split between the two camps.

2. Interesting concept for mystery – The way the central mystery of the issue unfolds is pretty cool: Rogue absorbs some of Magneto’s “point of view” to see why he is choosing to stay with Cyclops.  When she does this, she notices that he has a hitchhiker in his psyche and that ALL of the folks who went on the mission to rescue the Starjammers (in the last story cycle) have a hitchhiker.  Who could it be?  Friend or foe? Carey does a nice job of teasing this story along until we finally get to the reveal.

3. Can’t anyone stay dead? – My goodness was it a bummer to see who the hitchhiker was.  Ariel?  Really?  If a character a low-value as Ariel can’t stay dead we know that death is truly ruined in comics.  If you don’t remember, she was killed in Second Coming in a scene that was designed to show the reader that “this is serious stuff.  I mean, people are DYING!”  When I saw that reveal, I almost wondered if Carey was tired of playing second fiddle in the X-office and was annoyed that he’s been stuck doing a good job on X-Men Legacy for years and now he’s watching Keiron Gillen and Jason Aaron waltz in to take the spot-light.  Maybe he had this plotline all cooked up as a way to bring back someone cool like Jean Grey and when he found out he’d not be getting “promoted” off Legacy he said, “Fuck it.  I’ll just bring back Ariel instead.”  It just seemed like less inspired writing than I’ve come to expect from Carey (remembering that this is the guy who writes The Unwritten!).

X-Men Legacy #251 – Review

By: Mike Carey (writer), Khoi Pham (pencils), Tom Palmer, Craig Yeung & Nelson DeCastro (inks), Marte Gracia (colors), Cory Petit (letters), Sebastian Girner (assistant editor) & Daniel Ketchum (editor)

The Story: An X-team consisting of Magneto, Rogue, Gambit, Frenzy, Legion and the Professor head off to “capture” several of Legion’s personalities that have broken free.

What’s Good: The various Legion personalities are kinda neat.  I do have a fundamental problem with them that I’ll talk about below, but seeing new mutants introduced who have weird and wacky powers is fun and a good call-back to the old days when it seemed like new mutants were turning up every issue.  I don’t want to go back to those days, but it’s still fun to see new characters sometimes.  It’s only a slight spoiler, but there’s one guy named Chain who turns everyone he touches into a clone of himself except with a different weapon, so when Rogue and Magneto fight “him” they’re really fighting an entire city.  Then there’s another personality that is a little girl that feed off and manipulates emotion.  Seeing these new characters is kinda fun.  Can’t wait to see what Styx can do!

The pacing of this issue is also pretty solid as the team resolves a few of the wayward Legion personalities in this issue.  When I first heard that Legion had 6 breakaway personalities, I groaned a little bit in fear that we might have a 6-issue story arc, but that appears not to be the case.  And, to his credit, Carey hasn’t given us many overly long stories during his multi-year tenure on the title.

The remaining positive is just the freshness of this team.  These are all characters that aren’t getting much to do in the other X-books AND the issue is completely devoid of Cyclops and Wolverine.  Even if a few of these characters aren’t my favorites, there are fans who enjoy them and it makes sense for at least one of the X-books to focus on “other” characters.  Heck, each book should focus on unique sets of characters, but that would be asking too much.

X-Men Legacy #250 – Review

By: Mike Carey (writer), Khoi Pham, Tom Palmer & Marte Gracia (pencils/inks/colors – Legion Story), Steve Kurth, Jay Leisten & Brian Reber (pencils/inks/colors – Rachel Summers story), Cory Petit (letters), Sebastian Girner (assistant editor) & Daniel Ketchum (editor)

The Story: A two-parter for this special anniversary issue.  In the first part, we visit some of Legion’s out of control personalities.  In the second, we learn a little more about Revenant/Rachel Summers and where she and the Starjammers are.

What’s Good: I really like the general style of story telling that Mike Carey is going for here.  Too often modern comics have these discrete 6-issue arcs that collect nicely into trade paperbacks with each 6-issue arc having very little to do with the last one.  Here, Carey is picking up some ideas that spun out of his Age of X storyline and actually playing with them.  You wouldn’t be totally lost if you were a part-time X-Men reader and picked this issue up cold without reading Age of X, but you might be a little confused.  And that’s how it should be dammit!  Nothing makes me feel like a bigger chump than realizing the money I plunked down for the BIG STORY in 2010 isn’t having any impact on the stories I’m reading today.

The Legion story is well told and features a diverse grouping of X-Men: Legion, Professor X, Magneto, Rogue, Gambit and Frenzy.  Even though I do roll my eyes a little bit every time I see Legion or Gambit on the page, I think we should give credit to Carey and the X-editors for creating a team that doesn’t include Wolverine, Cyclops or Emma.  Just having this different team setting off on a different mission to contain some break-away Legion personalities is fun because I’m not wondering how these characters can be in multiple places at one time.

But, the star of the issue is the Starjammers storyline.  If you’ve been reading X-Men for longer than a couple years, you know that Ed Brubaker took the  team off into space for the Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire story.  That story lasted one year and when it was done, some of my favorite characters (Rachel Summers, Havok and Polaris) were left in space.  Well….they’ve been gone for ~4 years now with nary a peep so it is nice to see that story line being picked back up.  Again….this type of story telling makes fans feel like we weren’t chumps for buying those issues in 2007.  And I’m ready for another good X-Men-In-Space romp.

Age of X Universe #1 – Review

Avengers story by: Simon Spurrier (writer), Khoi Pham (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Sonia Oback (colors)

Spider-Man story by: Jim McCann (writer), Paul Davidson (art), Antonio Fabela (colors)

Entire issue: Joe Sabino (letters), Daniel Ketchum (editor)

The Story: Those following the Age of X story have seen what is going on inside Fortress X, but what about the “heroes” living on the outside?  Are there Avengers and Spider-Man in this alt-world?

What’s Good: Not a whole lot, to be honest.  The best thing about this issue is that it is NOT required reading for those following Age of X.  There is nothing here that could be called vital and that is now these tie-ins should be.  Unfortunately, it also makes them pretty passable.

The best part of the Avengers story is simply these alternate versions of Marvel heroes and villains that we know and love.  It’s always kinda fun to look at a characters in an alternate universe and see how he/she is mostly the same, but different in some very fundamental ways.  All of these characters are similar enough that you can say, “Ohhh…. Look at how Iron Man is different!”

Similarly, learning a tiny bit more about this alternate universe is kinda interesting.  Of course, the concept of a universe where society REALLY hates the mutants isn’t new, but it is always entertaining to see what sort of trigger caused society to go bat-shit bananas on the mutants.

Probably the story highlight of the issue was the shorter, Spider-Man back-up that shows Spidey together with a certain redhead after society has determined that even altered DNA-types like Spidey need to be eliminated.  How far do you think Spidey would go to protect those that he loves?

Chaos War #5 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Khoi Pham (pencils), Thomas Palmer & Bob McLeod (inks), Sunny Gho (colors), Simon Bowland (letters) & Mark Paniccia (editor)

The Story: Time for the final throwdown battle between Herc and the Chaos King!

What’s Good: This Herc storyline wrapped up in a really nice and fun way.  As one would expect, the supporting cast gets relegated to… well… supporting roles to make way for Herc and his buddy Cho to save the day.  In the end, it is a combination of Cho’s genius and Herc taking a heroic turn that defeat the Chaos King.

Van Lente and Pak have come up with some neat ideas in their time as collaborators, but the resolution that Cho comes up with the beat the Chaos King is one of their best.  There is really no way to discuss it without SPOILING it, so you’ve been warned…  As the issue unfolds, things look pretty bleak for the heroes, but just as things look their darkest, Cho and Galactus collaborate to form a pocket universe into which the humans of Earth can be evacuated.  Only there isn’t going to be anywhere near enough time to get everyone out (since even a powered-up Herc is able to do little more than delay Chaos King).  Suddenly it dawns on Cho to just toss the Chaos King into the pocket universe.  There he can be happy with his entropy and life can return to normal in the Marvel U.  The end!  How cool is that?

This story also has some fallout.  Herc powered up greatly during the course of this story, but let’s just say that he is NOT the same at the end.  Oh, and a certain team of superheroes made famous by John Bryne seems to still be alive at the end of the issue.  Cool!

The art in this issue does a solid job with the story telling and that is what art really needs to do in a comic.  Good story telling is preferable to the occasional artistic flourish that sacrifices the story.  The layouts are impeccable and Pham does a great job of conveying the epic scale of a battle between Gods.

Chaos War #4 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writer), Khoi Pham (pencils), Thomas Palmer (inks), Sunny Gho (colors), Simon Bowland (letters) & Mark Paniccia (editor)

The Story: Now that the Chaos King has given the beat-down to just about the entire Marvel U., how is anyone going to stand up to him?

What’s Good: This issue becomes much more of a Hercules story than a Marvel U. story.  If you’re a Herc fan, you’ll love it because all of the other Marvel characters who have played roles in Chaos War thus far kinda fade to the side.

The central problem is that Herc’s God Squad and all other forces standing against the Chaos King have been pretty thoroughly trounced and they’ll either have to flee (which leads to a neat Galactus/Cho moment) OR someone is going to have to seriously level-up.  I’ll let you guess what is probably going to happen as the issue ends on a note that makes me excited for issue #5.

Pham, Palmer and Gho continue to do a nice job on the art.  A special kudos needs to go to colorist Sunny Gho.  Colors are really important to making cosmic or godly events seem…well…cosmic and godly.  And he does a very nice job.  Also, I usually don’t care about cover art at all, but Dan Panosian’s cover is really nice.  Note, I’m giving the kudos based on the art being a pin-up and I’ll discuss the dictated content below.

Chaos War #3 – Review

By: Fred Van Lente & Greg Pak (writers), Khoi Pham (art), Sunny Gho (colors) & Simon Bowland (letters)

The Story: The Chaos King ramps up his attack on the godly realms.

What’s Good: If you were not a religious Hercules reader (and perhaps even if you were), Chaos War #1 was pretty uneven.  After reading it, you couldn’t help but think that Marvel had screwed the pooch by having FOURTEEN tie-in issues (one-shots & minis) associated with this event.  “Those aren’t going to sell at ALL”, thought this reviewer.  But then Chaos War #2 was quite good and now Chaos War #3 is seriously excellent.  Those tie-ins are looking very purchasable right now!

This comic is everything you could want in a big event comic: the stakes feel very large and it has big action.  And I mean BIG action…..like Zeus punching Galactus in the face!

Catching up on the story, the Chaos King, in the form of Amatsu-Mikaboshi (Wiki it if you’re confused) has laid waste to the planes of Hell and now is turning his attention on the various realms of “heaven” leaving nothing but Herc and his God Squad to save the universe.  It is very good and has lots of big, “hell yeah” or “Oh no!” scenes as well has some trademark Van Lente humor (Amadeus and Thor getting a little friendly when Venus sings a love song).

This was Pham’s strongest issue of the series thus far and there are a few really spectacular splash pages (i.e. you don’t feel ripped off that you sacrificed an entire page of story for that).  He and Palmer give this comic an almost throw-backy feel with all the cross-hatching as contrasted with the heavy shadow we see in so many Marvel books these days. But, it is throw-back with modern sensibilities in terms of panel construction, perspective and coloring.  It is very nice.

Chaos War #2 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Khoi Pham (pencils), Thomas Palmer (inks), Sunny Gho (colors) & Simon Bowland (letters)

The Story: The Chaos King continues his assault, taking on underworld as Herc tries to raise a squad of immortals to defend the universe.

What’s Good: There was just something wrong with Chaos War #1.  If you were not following the overall Hercules story for the last couple of years, you felt a little like being at a cocktail party where you don’t know anyone and no one is really making an effort to include you in the conversation.  BUT, after reading through this issue #2, you feel like you know everyone and that this is a party that you won’t mind hanging out at too much.

It was just a lot of fun seeing Herc trying to raise a team of gods to do battle with the Chaos King.  Of course, he’s going to get Thor and that’s kinda fun because neither of them is the sharpest tool in the shed (moreso Herc).  And there is a fun little scene of Venus trying to revive the fallen mortals by singing Bob Marley (“Get up, stand up…” it must be a LOT of fun to pick these slightly inappropriate songs for Venus).  But from there the fun really begins as Herc starts using his new supergod powers to summon a raft of big-time powerful folks to help in his battle against the Chaos King and they’ll need it because the Chaos King has some serious firepower on his side too (as if he needs it).  This issue just clicked in a way that the first one did not, so if you were really down on the first issue understand that you might want to give it another chance.

Chaos War #1 – Review

By: Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente (writers), Khoi Pham (penciller), Tom Palmer (inker), Simon Bowland (letterer)

The Story: Hercules returns from a death that never really happened, gets made fun of by the heroes of the Marvel U, fights with them needlessly and then uses his apparent semi-omnipotence to bring them along to fight generic monsters.

What’s Good: Pham and Palmer put some pretty attractive art onto the page. Pham’s got the creativity to make the alien come alive and I’ve always thought that Palmer makes any artist’s work look more fluid. They both create some nice textured effects, especially in the opening scene with the weird backgrounds of Nightmare’s realm. King Chaos’s appearance is very dynamic and Nightmare’s emotive face is almost all we need to tell the story. I’ve never had strong feelings about letterers before, but I really feel this issue would have worked better if Bowland had used invisible ink for this issue; that would have kept the writing from sinking this battleship.

Mighty Avengers #29 – Review

By Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writers), Khoi Pham (artist), Allen Martinez (inker), John Rauch (colors)

The Story: US Agent, Quicksilver, and the People’s Defense Force are still dancing around The Unspoken, understandably reluctant to directly confront him again even as he unearths the ominously named Slave Engine. Stature, Ronin, and the Young Avengers are still working on getting some answers out of Scarlet Loki, and Pym is still too busy to be bothered with all of this. Can’t say I blame him.

The Good: I liked the cover.

The Not So Good: This is tricky. We’re in the middle of “The Unspoken” so it’s hard to speak to this issue directly when it’s only one component to the entire storyline. You can’t appreciate this issue without having read the previous two, which were much more promising, and you can’t appreciate successive issues without having read this. What I can say with certainty though is that after reading this issue I was bored to tears. I feel like “The Unspoken” has taken a nosedive and become yet another generic potboiler. That’s not to say the story can’t improve next month, because I really hope it will, but right now I cannot think of one reason why you need to buy this. The Unspoken’s explanation of Xerogen gas and Xerogenesis was weirdly moronic, the Slave Engine sounds like something selected at random from the Big Book of Generic Ideas, and the Young Avengers’ battle with Scarlet Loki was anticlimactic, considering how great a threat Loki poses. And then there was that tender moment between Ronin and Scarlet Loki, which may have not totally jumped the shark, but came pretty damn close. Assuming we are in fact in the middle of this story, I would think that this is the point where things need to happen, tension needs to build, and excitement should become palpable. None of these things happened though, and I honestly have no idea why because until now Mighty Avengers has enjoyed a string of great stories.

Conclusion: I hate to say it but for me, the honeymoon with “The Unspoken” is over, and I’m left wondering when this story is going to end so we can move on to better things. You don’t need this.

Grade: D

-Tony Rakittke

Mighty Avengers #28 – Review

By Dan Slott and Christos Gage (writers), Khoi Pham (artist), Allen Martinez (inker)

The Story: Cut off from the rest of their team by the machinations of Loki, US Agent and Quicksilver have no other choice but to battle The Unspoken alongside China’s premiere superhuman army.  Statue discovers ‘Scarlet Loki’s’ treachery but is prevented from revealing it to the other Mighty Avengers so she turns to her friends on the Young Avengers for help.

The Good: Ever since Slott came on board, I feel like this title has found new life and a sense of fun that is well worth my money.  There is a vibe to this book that reminds me of the kinds of Avengers stories I grew up reading, when dynamic and dramatic team rosters united against epic foes. Uber Republican US Agent was by far my favorite character in this issue, and I laughed out loud when he reverently referred to Norman Osborn as being a patriot.  What made that scene even cooler was his fight with the Collective Man, a Communist who can summon the strength of every person in China.  Delightfully mad ideas like this keep me coming back to this book every month.

The Not So Good: This was a fairly average issue that didn’t amount to nearly as much as it would have you believe it did.  I was so into the battle against The Unspoken that when Slott changed scenes to Pym injecting team members with keys to the Infinite Avengers Mansion or Stature deciding how to overcome the spell Loki placed on her, I felt like they dragged on longer than necessary .  The funny thing about that though was that when I went back to look at these scenes again, they really weren’t that long after all.

Conclusion: The Mighty Avengers is one hell of an entertaining book that harkens back to an older, more enjoyable tradition of Avengers stories.  If you’re fed up paying $8 a month for Bendis’ Avengers books, I strongly encourage you to give this a try instead!

Grade:  B

-Tony Rakittke

Mighty Avengers #23 – Review

By Dan Slott (writer), Khoi Pham (artist), Allen Martinez and Danny Miki (inkers)

Even as I grew to despise Bendis’s writing over the years, I was always willing to give him a chance when it came to The Avengers because they have long been a favorite team of mine since childhood.  From Avengers, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, and right up to Dark Avengers, Bendis has conned me into thinking that each new iteration of the team might be the one that delivers the kind of epic action and drama that I’ve come to associate with the franchise.  Sadly, every title has let me down.  They’ve become vanity projects for Bendis full of overblown, Seinfeldian dialogue and plots that aren’t nearly exciting enough to justify the $3.99 price tags that are conveniently on his comics.  Needless to say, when I learned that Bendis was leaving Mighty Avengers I became optimistic, and when I read the roster for Slott’s new team, I became excited.  This team, a powerful combination of characters old and new, was a group of Avengers that made sense.  More importantly, it was a team I felt would be fun to read, and so far this title definitely delivers.

Completing the “origin” story of this new team of Avengers, this issue finds Hank Pym, now calling himself Wasp in honor of his late wife, being challenged by none other than Tony Stark for leadership of the group, which has been mysteriously assembled to combat the ancient Chaos god Cthon.  During the conflict egos clash, insecurities arise, a leader emerges, and the team’s malevolent founder is revealed.  In the sea of crap that Bendis has thrown the Avengers franchise into, Slott’s opening storyline on this title is a much needed breath of fresh air.  His script easily balances action, comedy, and characterization in ways that remind me why I’ve loved the Avengers for so long.  Khoi Pham’s art works best on a large scale, and if you don’t believe me, just check out the covers to his first three issues of this comic and tell me you wouldn’t buy a poster of it right now if you could!  Slott and Pham will need a little time to make this title their own, but I’m willing to give it to them because they have finally given me an Avengers comic I can enjoy again.  This is shaping up to be quite a fun comic and I hope you’ll give it a try!

Grade: B+

Tony Rakittke

Mighty Avengers #19 (Secret Invasion) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (story), Khoi Pham (pencils), Danny Miki and Allen Martinez (inks), Dean White and Paul Mounts (colors)

The Story: The Skrulls have a bunch of sleeper agents on Earth just waiting for the right time to be awoken. Among these sleeper agents is Captain Marvel and perhaps another Kree soldier, Noh-Varr. After he discovers the true nature for his return to Earth Mar-vell wrestles with his conflicted personality. Does he go with the brainwashing he received and take the mantle of the Captain Marvel persona, or does he follow the orders of the Skrull empire?

What’s Good? The visual use of storytelling takes front and center with Khoi Pham leading the charge. He not only manages to deliver on Brian Bendis’ script, but also produces many striking images as well.

After the initial set up of the opening pages the book goes for a non-stop ride until the tragic finish. It’s very tempting to skip over Mar-Vell’s inner monologue and be whisped away be Pham’s art, but to do so would deny the yourself of the turmoil he faces.

It’s also been a while since a lettering job has really wowed me. Dave Lanphear’s work on this issue is some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. It’s an exhibition of sound effects and it makes the action much more gratifying.

What’s Not So Good? If you’ve been reading Secret Invasion, you already know the outcome of this story. Also, the lack of dialogue and a lack of a more beefier story will upset some readers who plucked down their $2.99.

Conclusion: This is essentially issue #6 of last year’s Captain Marvel mini-series from Brian Reed. And that, by no means is a bad thing. Even though this is the end of a character, the last page shows a seed that will mostly likely germinate from the ashes.

Grade: B

– J. Montes

Mighty Avengers #17 – Capsule Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Khoi Pham (Pencils), Danny Miki and Andy Lanning (Inks), and Dean White (Colorist)

Can I get a refund? No, seriously? Because this is not only one of the weakest Secret Invasion tie-ins I’ve read, but it is one of the weakest issues I have ever read, period! Skrull-Pym tries to convince Skrull-Dugan that the invasion won’t work, and then they fight. No, that wasn’t the description of the first few pages, that was the summary of the issue. (Oops, spoiler warning, too late.) We even get three pages of what is essentially “It won’t work.” “Yes it will.” “No, it won’t.” etc.

The art wasn’t anything worth mentioning either. It doesn’t suck by any means, but Khoi Pham’s pencils certainly aren’t spectacular. Even being as pointless as this is, it could have been redeemed if it was relevant in the big scheme of things. But I don’t see anything in here that I think would be of importance later. Who knows, maybe Bendis will pull a fast one, and the secret of the Skrulls’ defeat lies somewhere in these pages. But until that happens, I’ll still consider this worthless. (Grade: D-)

-M. Staples

A Second Opinion

He’s being a little too harsh. This is hardly one of the worst issues you’ll ever read.

I’ll agree that Khoi Pham’s art, which I usually love is a bit uneven in this issue but the story is a poingant and strong one.  Sure, this issue is rife with more “connecting of the dots”, but I like how this whole story leads up to the Ultron story arc seen last year. It does a good job showing us how Hank found himself involved with Tigra. But there’s more to this story than backstory, it shows us how the Skrulls are making a costly mistake. Moreso, it shows us that there are even some things that they cannot control or predict; an inherent flaw in their invasion plan. And who knows – sooner or later is looks like it’s going to backfire. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes

Mighty Avengers #16 (Secret Invasion) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Khoi Pham (Pencils), and Danny Miki (Inks), Dean White (Colors)

Last night my wife asked me why I was buying so many comics lately. She thought it was a reaction to stress from my job. I tried to explain to her about the Skrulls and this plotline that had secretly been in the works for over three years and how cool it was. She looked at me with pity, as if I was a gambling addict who had just told her that blackjack was an important part of my retirement plan.

Anyway, since this issue of Mighty Avengers is another keystone in the Secret Invasion story, it goes without saying that it’s good. In fact, my only real beef is with the art. Pahm and Miki do a fine job for the most part, but the first first two pages of the book are a retelling of the Electro scene from New Avengers #1, the book that launched the whole Secret Invasion, though we didn’t know it at the time. It turns out it was the Skrull Elektra who hired Electro, but it’s a rocky start, since the art can only disappoint in comparison to David Finch’s gorgeous work.

After that, fortunately, we begin to cover new ground. Specifically, how Elektra got replaced by a Skrull. Elektra has never been a particularly subtle character, so there’s not a lot of dialogue, just an extended fight scene, beautifully choreographed by Bendis and Pham. The Skrulls, in their own sick way, respect Elektra. First they send a single soldier, who tries to defeat her honorably in hand to hand combat. But the Skrulls are simply not in her league, so they keep upping the ante, finally resorting to sheer numbers and brute force to subdue her.

In the next scene, Skrull Elektra meets with Skull Spider-Woman, Princess Veranke. As always, Bendis does an impressive job of conveying the Skrull point of view. They passionately believe in the rightness of their cause, and since they are in human form, their passion is expressed in human terms. We’re also given a hint that the death and exposure of the Skrull Elektra was a deliberate part of their plan. How this could help them is unclear, but to the religious extremist mindset, “how” is never as important as “why”, and that’s one of the big questions that has yet to be resolved. “Why do the Skrulls think Earth is rightfully theirs?” “Why are they attacking us this way?”

And, of course, the biggest question of all: “Can Earth survive?” (Grade: A)

– Andrew C. Murphy

A Second Opinion

I’m going to keep this short since I agree with just about everything Andrew had to say. The only thing I disagree with him here is the art. Khoi Pham’s storytelling and fight sequences are just brilliant. I love the unique style he brings to the book, and while I enjoy Dave Finch’s work as much as anyone, I don’t think he could have drawn a better fight sequence than the one we get of Elektra versus her doppleganger and the other Skrulls.

This is a brutal issue – probably the most hard-hitting issue of the entire Secret Invasion saga thus far. Elektra took a lot of abuse in the Mark Millar’s Wolverine run (3 or 4 years ago?) where she eventually disappeared into the Hand organization, but the endless battle she fights here is hopeless and we know it. Eventually, her body breaks down from the abuse of battle and, well, her demise ain’t pretty.

If you buy this book, you’ll blow through it in 5 minutes, but these are high quality minutes you’re paying for. Brian Bendis allows Khoi Pham to do the heavy lifting and the result is a strong, memorable issue. It doesn’t do much to push the Secret Invasion story forward, but it does serve as a nice reveal to the beginnings of New Avengers. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes

Mighty Avengers #14 (Secret Invasion) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Khoi Pham (pencils), Danny Miki (inks), Dean White (colors)

I understand that Marvel loves to have characters with flaws, but this is ridiculous. The Sentry is the lamest super hero on the Avengers roster, and Brian Bendis, refusing to kill him, finally gives us a legitimate reason as to why Tony Stark keeps him on the team. Yep, this issue is strictly about The Sentry, and I know most of you hate him as much as I, but hear me out for a moment because this issue may actually be worth your hard-earned cash.

Okay, who am I kidding? Any Sentry-centric story should never be paid for (unless it’s drawn by John Romita Jr.), but this issue teeters on that fine line due to its heavy involvement with the Secret Invasion story arc. In a nutshell, this issue discloses how the Skrulls planned to deal with our schizophrenic hero. There’s quite a lot of “talking heads” in this issue, as Jarvis uses his unlimited access to the Avengers database to compile a dossier on The Sentry (and other Avengers, I’m sure).

Eventually, all this knowledge leeds to the exploitation of Sentry’s psyche that we all witnessed in Secret Invasion #1. Personally, I could care less about how the Skrulls learned to compromise The Sentry (it’s not hard, folks!), so the first two-thirds of this book felt completely wasted. But the last third is where things get more interesting, giving us an interesting twist that’ll have readers talking for the next month.

Guest penciling the book this month is Khoi Pham, whose recent work in The Incredible Hercules has been nothing less than brilliant. Here in this book, his art feels more domestic and less exciting (sad to say). But I can hardly fault the guy, he makes The Sentry look like a complete wuss. And he is a wuss. Does that make this good storytelling? Only if you’re trying to make me hate The Sentry even more. Put this artist back where he belongs. (Grade: C-)

– J. Montes

Hulk Vs. Hercules: When Titans Clash #1 – Review

By Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Khoi Pham, Paul Neary, Dennis Calero, Eric Nguyen, Reilly Brown, Carlos Guevas, Terry Pallot, Chris Sotomayor, Bob Layton, and Guru EFX (artists)

I’m always wary of annuals, “Giant-Size” issues, and “One-Shots”. Usually if a story ends up in an annual it’s because it has no clear place in continuity, and can usually be safely ignored. (The exception is weddings. For some reason superheroes love to get married in annuals.) Plus the publishers usually pad the book out with reprints so they can charge a higher cover price. So I always think twice before I pick one up.

The Hulk Vs. Hercules one-shot seems to exist to serve as a sort of a bridge of the “Incredible” book from Hulk to Hercules. It starts with Amadeus Cho, Hercules, and Athena in a diner somewhere in the mid-west. When Hercules leaves the table to buy some beer, Athena asks Cho why he stopped helping the Hulk and now follows Hercules. Cho replies, “Because regular Hulk readers would buy the book by default, thereby increasing sales.” Just kidding! Cho’s answer is that during World War Hulk he recognized the Hulk’s true savagery and decided to switch his allegiance to someone more deserving of his friendship. This launches Athena into a rambling tale designed to show that Hercules is not the teddy bear he sometimes seems to be. Her story begins at the dawn of time, with the war between the Titans and the Olympians, moves to the recent past, with the Hulk fighting the Avengers, then on to a wresting match between Hercules and the Thing (nicely illustrated by Bob Layton), and culminates in a chaotic battle involving Hercules, the Hulk, the Olympians, the Titans, and a primal uber-god known as Demogorge, the God-Eater. Things get nasty, and Hercules gets a chance to demonstrate his inner barbarian. He may be better than the Hulk, Athena says, but Hercules can still be a monster.

All in all, it’s a decent story, but certainly not a turning point in the lives of any of the characters involved. So should you buy it (along with the Tales to Astonish reprint that fills the remaining pages)? Offhand, I’d say no, but a “special preview” insert seems to indicate that Demigorge (whom old-timers may remember from Thor Annual #10) will be coming back soon, so the story might be an important part of continuity after all. (Grade: C+)

– Andrew C. Murphy

The Incredible Hercules #115 – Review

By Greg Pak (writer), Khoi Pham (pencils), Paul Neary & Danny Miki (inks), Dennis Callero (colors)

Could it be? Could it be that I’m actually enjoying this book more with Hercules and Amadeus Cho at the helm than when it was just Bruce Banner running around on an alien planet as Conan? To answer that question, it’s really like comparing apples and oranges. Other than the two protagonists being brutes, you really can’t compare the two. But one thing is certain, Greg Pak and company are putting out one of the most entertaining comics you’ll read each month.

In what feels like a pivotal issue, Amadeus Cho hovers dangerously close to crossing the line and becoming a full-fledged villain. There’s no doubt that Cho would be one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel Universe were he to tread down that path. He’s conflicted, young, extremely resourceful, and always feels like he’s doing the right thing. He’s got SHIELD by the balls and he’s unwilling to flinch because of the past misdeeds the organization’s done to him and those he cares about. Even Hercules cannot dissuade the kid from getting revenge, but with Ares pummeling the crap out of him, it’s a bit hard to concentrate on the problem at hand.

Using a perfect blend of hilarity, flashbacks, and action, the writing team of Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente smack another issue out of the park. There’s a wonderful chemistry between Hercules and Cho that almost make this book feel like a “buddy cop adventure”. Penciler, Khoi Pham along with Paul Neary and Danny Miki on inks serve up another fantastic feast for the eyes. I heard Pham is leaving the book soon, and I really hope that doesn’t happen. Arthur Adam’s cover? His best Hercules piece to date. The farewell tribute to Hercules’ colorist Stephane Peru, who recently passed away is touching. Seriously, there’s nothing to not like about this book.  (Grade: A)

– J. Montes

The Incredible Hercules #114 – Review

By Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers) Khoi Pham (pencils) Paul Neary (inks) Stephane Peru (colors)

Let me start off by saying that The Incredible Hercules is a book I never look forward to reading. I never go, “Oh wow, Hercules is coming out next week – I better pick that up! I can’t wait to read it!” I just don’t. It’s Hercules, after all. I mean, who cares, right?

As much as I could care less for this book, it never fails to entertain me. Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente are doing very much what Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction have done on Iron Fist – they’ve taken a second tier character and expanded upon their character’s mythos while throwing in jaw-dropping action scenes. The similarities, however, end there. Whereas Iron Fist is a very serious story, Hercules is full of hilarious dialogue and crazy antics. Why I don’t look forward to reading this book is beyond me.

Hercules is on a rampage thanks to the Hydra blood he was hit with by Ares. The Avengers are scattered about, unable to contain him – only the Black Widow is left in the area (that’s what you get when you punch Ares into the next county). She uses her ingenuity to not only snap Hercules out of his drunken craze, but she also manages to knock out Amadeus Cho.  Unfortunately, she nearly kills his coyote pup and this brings out a side of Cho that we’ve never seen before. Cho is now at a crossroad in his life and I’m rooting for him to not go down the wrong path. As silly as this book is, things just got really serious.

Khoi Pham is insanely talented and his supporting art team of Paul Neary and Stephane Peru do a great job of bringing his work to life. If you’re not picking up Incredible Hercules for the story, you should be picking it up for the art. Either way, it’s a win-win situation for all. Buy this book. Support it. It deserves to stick around. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes

Incredible Hercules #113 – Review

By: Greg Pak (Writer), Khoi Pham (Pencils)

Let’s face it, World War Hulk’s ending was pretty disappointing. And honestly, I thought this book was going to go downhill when it became a “Hercules” book, but I was wrong about Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente – this book is actually a lot of fun! Herc’s relationship with Amadeus Cho is just plain fun.

The two play of each other like comedic duo – one being the brains, the other the brawn. Cho want to destroy SHIELD and Herc wants to run. Ares enters the mix as Hercules life long adversary and craziness ensues. Pak and Lente accomplish a lot this issue as Ares pursues Hercules with a weapon that’ll put him down for good. The whole back story on this weapon is explained in a mythological sense and makes for very good reading.

Khoi Pham’s art is to die for. I think this is my first encounter with his art (if I’ve seen it before, I’ve not really noticed), but his art on the flashback sequences is amazing. When Hercules goes nuts, his facial expressions are simultaneously funny and psychotic. This book is a pleasant surprise. (Grade: A-)

-J. Montes