Avengers Assemble #15 – Review

By: Al Ewing (Writer), Butch Guice (Penciler), Tom Palmer with Rick Magyar (Inkers), Frank D’Armata (Colorist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

Review: Jesus, is Age of Ultron still going on? Feels weird to think so sometimes…and I’ve been reviewing each and every issue. The thing is, it lacks a sense of importance; and some of that can be put down to the lack of tie-ins. Sure, there are many justifiable grievances held against Marvel’s usual approach to tie-in culture (gumming up the flow of our favourite series mid-run etc.) but one thing’s for sure: in the case of Secret Invasion, Siege et al, you at least felt like the events of those books were dramatically affecting the breadth of shared continuity. Not so much with AoU and the feint corona of books that illuminate it.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Steve McNiven & Sara Pichelli (Penciler), John Dell, Mark Morales, Steve McNiven & Sara Pichelli (Inkers), Justin Ponsor (Colorist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: Something about Guardians of the Galaxy still seems a little…off. It’s definitely an enjoyable read but Bendis doesn’t quite seem as at home with space opera as he does with the more earthbound drama of books like All New X-Men, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man or (and I know this is a bone of contention) Age of Ultron. A big hint lies in that this, his first story arc, is centred entirely around Earth and its position of Universal importance. 2008’s GOTG crew never set foot on Earth once and was no poorer for it. The much maligned Green Lantern movie could barely slip the surly bonds of Earth and look how that turned out. When you’ve got an  entire universe at your disposal – a limitless expanse of planets and alien cultures for your cast to explore – ditching your characters on Terran soil at the first opportunity ends up feeling a little uninspired.

The Unwritten #17 – Review

by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (layouts), Ryan Kelly (finishes), Chris Chuckry & Jeanne McGee (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Lizzie/Jane’s past is revealed and Savoy and Tom make a daring rescue effort in a special “pick-a-story” issue.

What’s Good: Is have to give props to Carey and Gross for having the balls to even attempt a “choose-your-own-adventure” issue.  The experience of reading this comic is quite unlike anything I’ve experienced reading comics, the layouts are unique, and it’s all clearly the result of an extremely labor intensive creative effort.

Format aside, the story that Carey tells here is a good one, equally divided between exploring some of the series’ early moments in greater detail while also surprisingly trucking the plot forward.   The scenes detailing Lizzie’s past do a fantastic job of illuminating events from the Unwritten’s first issues that were clouded in mystery and completely puzzling at the time.  Now, Carey clarifies them, while also showing how much sense it all makes knowing what we know now, something that’s quite pleasant when recalling how mystifying these happenings were back when we read them.

Meanwhile, the present day events deliver a satisfying feel of the gang “coming together” as character relationships are stronger than ever.  Tom and Lizzie’s relationship has never felt more meaningful, even if it ends up being solidified by a fiction, while Savoy and Tom’s banter livens it all up.  An interesting parallel between these scenes and those from a Tommy Taylor novel also give everything a heavier and more significant tone.