New Avengers #7 – Review

By: Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Mike Deodato (Artist), Frank D’Armata, Rain Beredo (Colorists)

The Story: We catch up on what the Illuminati are doing one month later as a possible open war between Wakanda and Atlantis might emerge.

The Review: Transition issues can be unsatisfactory. Many readers will know what I’m talking about, when a writer knows that he needs to pad out some issues before he can get to the next storyline in order to converge with something the company is doing. It can be frustrating to see some of the subplots take precedence while the main plot is tossed aside, alongside some of the main characters.

Thank god then that the writer here is Jonathan Hickman and that the convergence is an event of his own creation, meaning that he knows full well what he is doing here. A transition issue this might be, yet it has a huge weight and continues several elements of what makes this series great to begin with.

New Avengers #6 – Review

By: Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Steve Epting, Rick Magyar (Artists), Frank D’Armata (Colorist)

The Story: Another Earth is set to collide on the main Marvel Earth, appearing above Latveria. The Illuminati, in the domain of Doom, needs to act against this new type of intrusion to their universe.

The Review: If there’s one thing that Jonathan Hickman knows how to do, it’s building up a conflict or a situation in a way that can makes us readers feel invested. The stakes are getting higher, the many elements are explained to us in ways that feel expensive and full of potentials, it’s great. However, as much as building can be great, it is another matter entirely to properly capitalize on what was constructed.

Wolverine & the X-Men #11 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Nick Bradshaw (pencils & inks), Walden Wong & Norman Lee (inks), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Going to the X-Men’s aid, Jean Grey School teachers battle Avengers while Logan and Hope are intercepted by a squad of Shi’ar Death Commandos.

The Review:  Two issues in, it’s become clear – AvX has effectively derailed one of Marvel’s best books, and isn’t that the eternal nightmare for comics readers wary of event tie-ins?

The problem is that focusing on Avengers vs. X-Men forces Aaron to move away from much of what’s made the book a rousing success.  We spend far too much time away from the school and from the students.  Indeed, much as the bit with Genesis was last issue’s best moment, this issue’s bits with Kid Gladiator and Kitty’s class’ reaction to Iceman’s fight with Hulk are the highlights, but these portions are far too brief.

No, instead, the bulk of the issue just features mindless action.  Once again, we get to see Avengers and X-Men punching each other in Wakanda/Tabula Rasa/Wundagore/Savage Land, exchanging dialogue that feels completely phoned in, with heroes reiterating their teams’ basic stances.  Most of these characters fighting have no real beef or connection to one another, so the fights really feel meaningless, while other characters have never even played a role in this book prior to this issue (Red Hulk and Doctor Strange, for instance).  Frankly, this “splitting the teams amidst four locations” has been a point I’ve really hated about AvX, as it’s just led to tie-ins like this one, spinning their wheels by filling pages with random heroes punching each other.  Perhaps it would be more forgivable for readers with less extensive pull-lists, but it’s starting to feel like every damned tie-in is doing these “checking in” action scenes; it was lifeless and tiresome to begin with and at this point, it’s simply irritating.

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.

FF #14 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils), Marcelo Sosa (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Doom makes the ultimate sacrifice.

The Review:  Jonathan Hickman’s calling card seems to be his labyrinthine plots, composed of a great deal of moving parts, all leading to an increasingly massive scope.  This can at time lead to some mystifying issues here and there and a constant lingering dread that it’s all going to collapse beneath its own weight, yet you can’t help but admire the ambition and craft.

However, now and then, Hickman’s approach leads to fantastic comic books like this issue of FF, where everything comes together like a meticulously assembled jigsaw puzzle.  Put simply, this is an immensely satisfying issue if only because all the pieces come together and they all fit so very well.  Better still, this is accomplished thanks to, not in spite of, flashbacks and time travel elements.

I loved how Val and Nathaniel, through their tinkering with future possibilities, end up taking something an authorial position.  Through them, Hickman lets us peak behind the current so that, not only do the pieces all come together, but we see exactly how and why they come together as they do.  In seeing Val and Nathaniel’s master plan behind the scenes, get to see a good part of the greater structure that Hickman has assembled in both FF and Fantastic Four.  Really, it’s cool seeing Nathaniel and Val in this sort of meta scene (fittingly, in a different time and place from the rest of the comic and all the other characters), but it also leads to a real appreciation for the mad scientist elegance of Hickman’s craft.

Fantastic Four #588 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta & Mark Brooks (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Review:  Given the upcoming involvement of Spider-Man in Jonathan Hickman’s upcoming FF, it isn’t a stretch to think that Hickman and Dan Slott have been corresponding with one another, and Fantastic Four #588 may provide evidence of that.  As such, Hickman makes similar creative decisions in his dealing with character death as Slott did in this week’s issue of Amazing Spider-Man.  As such, many of the strengths that my cohort Mr. Stell expounded upon in his review of that comic also apply to this one.

Perhaps the most noticeable similarity is Hickman’s decision to have the entire issue, save the back-up and the final page of the main feature, go entire without dialogue or narration.  What results is an experience that’s far more haunting and emotional.  The images on the page and the events they depict become so much heavier and more laden with significance, as the emotions and sorrow of the characters does not have to be expressed, and hence contained, in words.  When it comes to conveying raw emotion, language is a limitation.  It takes, in this case, powerful grief, and shoves and squeezes it into the shape demanded by language’s framing structure, which forces it to adhere to context and that which words can actually express.

Without dialogue, we are without restriction or middle-man.  The emotion of the characters and the story are far more direct, far more honest, and not at all mitigated.  We are allowed to feel the brunt and truth of the emotional pain created by Johnny Storm’s death amongst his family, friends, and the world he left behind.  It’s a serious, heavy comic that is unrelenting, unwilling the compromise the significance of Johnny Storm’s passing with any attempts at banter.  The grief and sorrow are served to us without spice, chaser, or sweetener.

And really, as such, it’s a wonderful farewell for a great character, what that’s guaranteed to hit any FF fan hard.  More than that, at various points, the reader will become so caught up that he will most likely feel the characters’ emotions alongside them.  While I think various readers will respond differently to different scenes, for me, my eyes watered a bit during Ben’s emotional breakdown, which was beautifully told by Hickman and co.  Similarly, I found myself just as enraged as Reed by Annihilus’ absolutely grotesque taunting.  It was utterly sickening and almost too much for me to bear.  In other words, it’s fabulous writing.

Fantastic Four #583 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Steve Epting (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: While the FF do battle in the Neutral Zone, Val strikes a deal with Victor von Doom after discovering some of her father’s secrets.

What’s Good: This month sees the start of a new story-arc and Steve Epting taking over art duties.  I’ll start off by saying that Epting’s art this month is fantastic and he very well-matched for the Fantastic Four.  I love Epting’s art, but I was a bit concerned over how his darker, more shadowed art style would work on FF, but work it does.  Epting’s style gives the book a heavier sense of mystery and epic scope, as well as a high-budget feel of polished professionalism.

With respect to Hickman’s side of the book, this issue is really carried by two people: Val and Doom.  Both of them are wonderfully written.  Val oozes undeniable intelligence and confidence which work in perfect contrast to her age and appearance.  Hickman writes a fantastic Val, as has been the case throughout his run, but here he takes it further, giving us a Val that seems one step ahead of the rest of the book’s cast, even her own father.  Under Hickman’s hand, Val is lovable, heroic, and incredibly smart and I adored reading her, which is significant given my long-standing ambivalence to child characters.

Doom is also pitch-perfect.  He’s brooding and he’s intelligent, and one can practically hear the gears turning whenever he speaks, or even by his body language alone.  Frankly, even when down on his luck, Hickman’s Doom is the total badass that Dr. Doom should be.  Moreover, Hickman does a great job writing Doom’s feelings regarding personal weakness, and how he deals with his own.  The fact that we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in future issues has me giddy.

Brought together, Doom and Val have a really, really strong dynamic.  Their conversation works so well because it’s a mix that reflects both Doom’s being older, while also respecting Val’s intelligence.  There’s a kind of familiarity, even a familial aspect here, and yet there’s also a cat-and-mouse rivalry as well.  It’s perfect and the frame where Doom and Val come to an accord is easily the most memorable image any comic has given me this month.

Thor #606 – Review

by Kieron Guillen (writer), Billy Tan (pencils & inks), Batt (inks), John Raunch & Paul Mounts (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Thor battles the Doom-controlled Destroyer and Balder ventures into the Latverian dictator’s secret lab.

What’s Good: Guillen has done such a fantastic job in writing a comic so seamlessly linked to Straczynski’s work, if it wasn’t for the name on the cover, it feels like JMS himself actually penned it.  Given that this issue is meant to conclude  JMS’ run and tie up the loose ends, that’s a pretty big compliment.  It feels like an organic point of closure for the series and serves its purpose as a gesture to Thor’s re-integration into the larger stories of the Marvel universe.

Everything feels perfectly paced; I wasn’t left feeling that any of the major players had been brushed over or used merely as means to an end, nor did any scenes, narrative components, or subplots feel stretched or rushed.  Each conflict is more or less resolved in good, if expected, form and there really aren’t any needlessly dangling moments or deus ex machina troubles.

Guillen’s also proven that he can write some damned good bad guys.  Though a little more restrained this month, he continues to write a fantastic Dr. Doom.  Guillen has the balance of inferiority complex and arrogance down perfectly, without letting one overpower the other.  Doom never feels overpowered, nor does he feel like a whiny weakling.  He’s Doom.  Pure and simple.  Even when seemingly outdone, the issue also ends with a bit of a cliffhanger that is the specific kind of awesome that only Doom can deliver.

Loki is also as volatile and inconsistent as ever under Guillen’s hand.  At one moment, he’s working in complete cooperation with his fellow Asgardians, being a team player without being sycophantic.  Then, on the turn of a dime, he’s back to his plotting as one of the Marvel Universe’s key unsavory figures.  This night-and-day approach by Guillen is the perfect method for portraying the deceptive trickster’s nature.

Meanwhile, Balder has perhaps his most sobering moment and decision since Thor’s exile.  Guilt-ridden and increasingly conscious of the weight of the crown and, interestingly, his legacy, Balder is more intriguing a character than ever.  Guillen actually made Balder, a character I’ve at times found rather mediocre, compelling.

Finally, though I can’t remember being much of a fan of Billy Tan’s, his work on this arc has been nothing but stellar, and that remains here.  His action scenes are bombastic and loud, as befits an Asgardian comic and his Destroyer looks fantastic.

Thor #605 – Review

by Kieron Guillen (writer), Billy Tan (pencils), Batt (inks), Christina Strain, Emily Warren, & Paul Mounts (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Thor confronts Doom, only to discover the Latverian dictator’s pet project.

What’s Good: Billy Tan is putting out the work of his life on this comic.  I’ve never really been a big fan of his, but this is fantastic, cinematic stuff with a really slick, “high budget” feel.  There’s a lot of detail, a lot of big, flashy images, and Doom’s creations look all kinds of awesome.  Also, while it’s thanks to a combined effort by Tan, Batt, Strain, Warren, and Mounts, the issue does wondrous things in its combinations of light and dark.  The team does “night in Latveria” really well.  Everything feels inky black, navy blue at best, while Thor’s flashes of lightning and the torrential rain really sets the mood and only highlights Tan’s already impressive work.  Tan also draws a deceptively “nice guy” Loki.  It’s a joy just to flip through this book.

Thor #604 – Review

by Kieron Gillen (writer), Billy Tan (pencils), Batt (inks), Christina Strain (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Balder begins his war with Doom, as the Latverian dictator’s experiments stand revealed.

What’s Good: Gillen and Tan have a very unenviable task in following one of the greatest Thor runs of all time.  Thankfully, Gillen tries his best to work in the spirit of JMS’ final few issues.   There are no problematic shifts in character voices.  Balder and Loki in particular remain just as sound as ever.  If anything, Loki seems a little less sinister and a little sleazier under Gillen’s hand.  His manipulations are just a little more blunt and obvious, but for the time being, it works given the circumstances.

Gillen also gets the award for writing the most arrogant and pompous Doom of the month.  At times it’s a little over-the-top, but ultimately, Gillen successfully straddles the line between badass and campy. Gillen’s Doom is a vibrant, scenery-chewing read and really dominates every page he appears on.

In the meantime, there’s a rather humorous Fantastic Four cameo in the book that got a smile out of me and I actually felt Gillen’s Balder to be an improvement over JMS’ portrayal of the character over the past few issues.  While still a far cry from Reed Richards, Balder actually isn’t a dumbass under Gillen’s pen, despite maintaining his standard heroic shtick.

On art, this is some of the best work I’ve seen Billy Tan produce in some time and is head and shoulders over his recent New Avengers work.  It’s clear that Tan put absolutely everything he had into this issue.  It is easily up to the standard that Coipell and Djurdjevic have set for the series.  It’s very detailed, while maintaining a dark and epic atmosphere and mystique.  Tan’s effort is close to faultless and superior to Djurdjevic’s rushed work last week.  Despite my concern, if Tan can maintain the quality he showed this month, he was definitely the right man for the job.  Also, his illustrations of Doom’s “experiments” are fantastic.

What’s Not So Good: I was nothing less than irate over Gillen’s treatment of one of JMS’ original characters.  In my review of last week’s finale, I stated that JMS’ massive change in direction for this character was perhaps the most interesting strand he left open at the end of his run.  Gillen, however, seemed to have nothing for the character and so, decides to kill said character off.  He basically took one of the most interesting dangling plots that JMS left behind and completely snuffed it out.  The fact that he does this in literally the very first scene of the book is nothing less than insulting.

Even if the character isn’t dead, it doesn’t change the fact that Gillen has placed the character in a passive position of distress, in need of being saved.  This would be a massive step backward from the terrifyingly pro-active state JMS left the character in.

Other than that, Doom, while enjoyable, does refer to himself in the third person a little too much.  Also, there’s a bit of dialogue where Donald Blake essentially out-thinks Reed Richards.  That Reed would not be able to figure out a basic line of reasoning, especially one related to technology, is ridiculous.

Finally, in an effort to convey Jane’s shadowed surroundings, colorist Christina Strain somehow manages to change poor Jane’s ethnicity.  I had no idea Dr. Foster was Hispanic.

Conclusion: It’s far from the horrific drop-off some predicted, but there are some small glitches and the character death is absolutely unforgivable.

Grade: C+

-Alex Evans

Thor: Defining Moments Review

by J. Michael Straczynski (writer), Marko Djurdjevic (pencils & inks), Danny Miki & Allen Martinez (inks), Christina Strain (colors), and Joe  Sabino (letters)

The Story: Bill’s final fate is determined while Sif and the Warriors Three battle the doombots.

What’s Good: If you approach this book as just another 22-page issue of JMS’ run on Thor, it really is pretty solid and is consistent with the series’ quality as of late, at least as far as the writing is concerned.  It’s also got a couple of moments that’ll have you saying “hell yeah.”

Chief among these scenes is one involving a very angry and very naked Volstagg that is a perfect combination of comedy and pure awesome.  It is, of course, that same combination that defines the character himself.  The sequence is outrageously badass, but maintains Volstagg’s characteristic charm.  Oh, and Hogun and Fandral are absolutely on fire this month with the fat jokes.

Most readers are probably coming to this issue most concerned about the fate of Bill.  At first, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed.  That said, if you expected him to scream “I HAVE THE POWER,” turn into a god, and battle Doom, you’ll be sorely disappointed, but really, such an ending would be just a little stupid.

Instead, Bill’s ending is the best he can manage by just being Bill, and so Straczynski maintains the integrity of the character and his sub-plot.  Make no mistake, he is a hero and, ultimately, he is accepted as an Asgardian, but he does so without abandoning his humble roots or acquiring superhuman powers.  Bill’s tale has always been about being a mortal, a little guy in a world suddenly populated by the very large.  Bill’s fate is only so poignant because JMS retains this theme; Bill remains that little guy, but even so, he manages become a hero among the biggest of the bigs.

Meanwhile, JMS leaves us hanging regarding Kelda.  I think we all suspected she was more powerful than she let on, and now we’re going to see that in action.

What’s Not So Good: It’s hard not to be a little underwhelmed by this issue.  JMS’ run has had such an epic quality, that it’s hard not to expect his final issue to be grander.  What we get isn’t really any sort of massive flourish or cataclysmic ending.  Rather, we just get another solid JMS issue that simply lives up to the quality of his previous issues, no more and no less.   This final issue really has no feeling of closure and though the cover may say “finale,” that’s not what we’ve gotten.  That said, the issue also didn’t contain the sort of “hot potato” landmark shift in status quo that writers often leave off their runs with.  Ultimately, this feels like the last issue of a story arc, but certainly not the last issue of a run.

Finally, this may be the worst looking issue of Thor that Djurdjevic has drawn.  While the art is by no means unbearable, it’s weak by the standards Djurdjevic and Coipel have set for the series.  It reeks of an artist desperately trying to make a deadline.  The level of detail continually falters, with many of the more zoomed out shots and smaller panels suffering a great deal.  There are also a few panels where Donald Blake looks like a substantially younger version of himself.  Having three different inkers on the book also certainly didn’t help, making the book feel even messier with its details even more in question.  It makes the book feel sloppy, chaotic even.

Conclusion: It’s a strong issue of Thor, but it’s not the “finale” it claims itself to be.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans