Original Sin #0 – Review

Mark Waid (Writer), Jim Cheung & Paco Medina (Pencilers), Justin Ponser (Colorist).

The Story: Sam Alexander bonds with Uatu the Watcher over their paternal issues.

The Review: Daddy issues, all of my favorite heroes from Jon Snow to Scott Summers have them. I would never have listed Uatu and Sam Alexander as part of that group before reading this fantastic issue that sets up Marvel’s big summer event with a quiet, character driven prelude.

I’m not entirely sure how much of Uatu’s origin that was revealed in this issue was the invention of Mark Waid and how much (if any) had already been established but this story injected a lot of pathos and tragedy into a figure that has always been slightly lacking in depth of characterization. Much like with his stellar work on Daredevil, Waid shows a fantastic knack for taking the established framework of a character’s history, personality and powers and putting a unique spin on it. Throughout this issue Waid concretely explores the background of Uatu and his race, explains why the Watcher’s watch, the reasons behind their vow of non-interference as well as the why of Uatu’s seemingly constant struggle to uphold said vow.

Another unexpected treat within these pages was the inclusion of Nova, I’ve been following the Nova book with varying degrees of interest as it’s gone on but assumed that his inclusion in this #0 issue was just part of Marvel’s attempt to promote the character. While that may be true to an extent, his inclusion in this issue feels organic and vital as seeing the Watcher through a relatively fresh set of eyes allows the reader to view him in a different light.

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.

Infinity #6 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Jim Cheung, Dustin Weaver, Mark Morales, Guillermo Ortego, Dave Meikis, John Livesay (Artists), Justin Ponsor, Ive Svorcina (Colorists)

The Story: The fight against Thanos and the Black Order reach its crux as close to every players gets to weigh in on the ongoing action.

The Review: Well, this is it. Many events in Marvel’s history had a rather great premise, yet always failed to deliver on their ending, rushing things along to prepare for the next big status quo or to simply lead to the next big thing. However, with Infinity being rather different in many aspects when compared to the likes of Siege, Secret Invasion and Avengers vs. X-Men, does it actually delivers on the good with every players being in the grand finale against Thanos and his Black Order?

Surprisingly, Infinity goes for the unexpected as it manages to both create new possibilities for stories along with a new status quo, but it also conclude very well on some of its themes. Bringing a sense of evolution and change to some of its key players, the event does fulfill some of the promises that every events bring forth to readers. It doesn’t accomplish this without any sacrifice to some elements of the story, but it is still rather impressive nonetheless.

One of the biggest draw of this issue would be the action, with a good chunk of this book dedicated to the fight against Thanos and his lieutenants in the Cull Obsidian. These scenes, despite them not featuring most of the Avengers, are quite striking as members like Thor, Hyperion, Captain Marvel and other heavy hitters are along for the rather brutal, yet diverse enough slugfest. Other parts of the action are also divided amongst the Illuminati and the group fighting in space, but the main feature is the battle against the Mad Titan.

Guardians of the Galaxy #6 – Review

Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Sara Pichelli, Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales (Artists), Justin Ponsor, Ive Svorcina (Colorists)

The Story: Star-Lord continues his discussion with Thanos, as the rest of the team face-off against Angela.

The Review: As Bendis continues his huge tale featuring the X-Men from the past, present and future, it would be hard to remember the fact that he has another team book under his sleeve. With this book seeing a particularly harsh delay in its release (with the latest issue being released at the end of July), it kind of got lost in the shuffle of big events that is up with the bit two. However, with Angela supposed to be properly introduced in this arc, does Bendis manage to convince the readers that the wait was worth it?

Unfortunately, not so much as this issue simply doesn’t seem to know what it wants to achieve. There are interesting tidbits, to be sure, yet those moments don’t amount to much for both this simple issue and in the long run of this comic, or so it seems. While the discussion that Star-Lord and Thanos share is indubitably captivating, with Bendis actually writing the voice of Thanos in a much better way this time around, it amounts to build up toward Infinity, an event that has already seen its third issue being released. On its own merit, it does manage to play well into the current version of Thanos that is being pushed by Marvel.

Another character that seems to be thoroughly pushed by Marvel, albeit it is a somewhat-new yet not-so-much one, is Angela. While the action certainly do push certain qualities of the character to the forefront, it does not amount to much in terms of readers investment, as her characterization is almost non-existent. Despite a few lines here and there and being generally very angry, Angela just has no presence that justifies the big push she has been getting. Besides beating the tar out of the whole team in an overly log action scene, she gets one line of dialogue, which is exactly one word: ”Demon”. Not the best introduction to a character, especially not one that Neil Gaiman is consulting for.

X-Men #1 – Review

By: Brian Wood (Writer), Olivier Coipel (Penciler), Mark Morales and Olivier Coipel (Inkers), Laura Martin (Colorist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer)

The Review: As the old saying goes the female of the species is more deadly than the male, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to Marvel’s mutant community. While it’s often down to the guys to cause the conflicts and draw the battle lines, it’s usually the girls’ power sets that prove more decisive in a fight. Jean Grey’s daunting telekinesis, Storm’s mastery  of the weather, Emma Frost’s diamond form/psionic powerhouse double-dip…they’re hardly what you’d call a bunch of shrinking violets. Which is perhaps why the X-franchise is best placed to launch a title whose core team is comprised solely of women; there’s so many great, well-established female characters to choose from. The real challenge though was for Brian Wood to make this book about more than just gender politics, to make it great read for either sex by concentrating first on just making it a great comic book. On that front it’s most definitely a case of mission accomplished.

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.

Fantastic Four #2 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (Writer), Mark Bagley (Artist), Mark Farmer & Mark Morales (Inker), Paul Mounts with Wil Quintana (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

The Review: I made a point in my FF #1 review that, though I felt the comic itself was excellent, I was concerned that its potential audience may be put off by the fact that it seemed like you had to be reading Fantastic Four as well to really get the most of it. I certainly didn’t expect for things to be the other way round, but somehow that’s what we’ve got; if you’ve not read FF #1 or been keeping up with all things Marvel NOW on the Interwebs, Fantastic Four #2 may leave you feeling like you’ve missed something.

First, a recap. Fantastic Four #1 established the premise for the series: Reed, Sue, Ben, Johnny, Franklin and Valeria are set to take a year-long vacation through time and space, ostensibly to spend some quality time together as a family but secretly so that Reed can find a cure for the cancer he’s found to be working its way through his body. However, not wanting to leave the Earth undefended for the four minutes (Earth-time) that they’ll be away, a temporary team had to be put together to take their place, with each member of the group choosing their respective replacements. Take a skip over to FF #1 and you’ll see that team get put together.

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #9 – Review

By: Allan Heinberg (writer), Jim Cheung (pencils), Mark Morales & Cheung (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), Cory Petit (letters), Lauren Sankovitch (associate editor) & Tom Brevoort (editor)

The Story: The aftermath of the battle between the Young Avengers are Dr. Doom.

A few things: 

1. A very nice Young Avengers story. – It took a while for this to come out, but now that it is over, this is a very nice Young Avengers tale.  It has a beginning, middle and end as well as a compelling hook: the search for the Scarlet Witch.  Now that everything is finished, it feels like the YA are more tightly integrated into the Marvel Universe and….of course…..the Scarlet Witch is back.  So, we get character development for our young heroes and events of import to the Avengers-proper and the X-Men.

2. But not quite the story it could have been. – Even though this was a nice story, it’s hard to not be a little disappointed.  Around issue #6 or so, it seemed like we might be getting a story that would undo M-Day (when Scarlet Witch stripped most mutants of their powers), but it was not to be.  It also seemed like the timing was working out such that this finale could have factored into the upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men event, but that didn’t happen either.  Even though this was a good series, it could have been great.  It also didn’t help to hear Tom Brevoort saying, “Keep an eye on this series, because it’s going to be BIG.”  It simply isn’t that big of a deal.

3. Strong art. – It’s hard to say much negative about a Jim Cheung drawn issue.  This is beautiful work and better than 99% of the comics you’ll see out there.  Two things really stand out to me about Cheung’s work.  One is how well he composes group scenes.  It isn’t easy to draw all these panels with 5+ characters and have them look great, time after time.  I also love how Cheung draws women’s faces.  His Scarlet Witch is beautiful!  A big tip of the cap to Justin Ponsor too.  I’m usually not a fan of highlighted colors, but this is some beautiful work.  The only negative is that a few panels in this issue looked a bit rushed, like there might have been a push to get this done before AvX kicks off?

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #7 – Review

By: Allan Heinberg (writer), Jim Cheung (pencils), Mark Morales, John Livesay, Dexter Vines & Cheung (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), Cory Petit (letters), Lauren Sankovitch (associate editor) & Tom Brevoort (editor)

The Story: Now that the Scarlet Witch is back and can restore mutant powers, will she get the chance before someone tries to bring her to justice for M-Day.

What’s Good: Prior to the big events of issue #6, I’d honestly thought that this miniseries would be high quality since Heinberg is a wonderful writer and Jim Cheung can make grown men weep with his pencil work, but I really didn’t think it would “matter”.  How could Marvel have a bi-monthly 9-issue miniseries “matter”?  I just didn’t think they could plan ahead that well.  Well…issue #6 changed that and for that reason, readers picked up this issue with a big sense of anticipation.  That feeling is so rare in these days of internet spoilers that this comic scores some points before even being read.

And problems aside, this issue still left me with the feeling that important stuff is happening here.  Scarlet Witch is back and she can restore mutant powers.  And this story isn’t out-of-continuity either because X-Factor this week showed Rictor (who was repowered in issue #6) using his powers and there’s even an editor’s note in X-Factor referring to this series.  So there.  Now, there are still a lot of questions to be answered.  Will Scarlet Witch give all mutants their powers back?  What about the mutants who are happier to be “normal”?  Or will it just serve to restore a few mutants that some writer wants to play with?

There are moments of absolute artistic brilliance in this issue.  Unfortunately, the art is a little inconsistent, but it never gets into “bad” territory.  And the good pages are just glorious, but they do make you wish that all the pages could be so pretty.  I’d guess that this series is on more of a timeline that we originally thought since it seems to be syncing up with “present day” mutant events and that might be making some of it look rushed.

Captain America #1 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Steve McNiven (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors) and VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters & production)

What’s Good: Ed Brubaker has been touting Cap #1 as a fresh start for the series almost since it was announced, and he is absolutely true to his word. This issue functions as a handy catch-up on Cap and his allies as characters, as well as some of their history together. It is also heavy on the WW II flashbacks, which will help orient any movie fans who might try the comic, as well as a treat for a Cap-in-the-40s junkie like me.

Steve McNiven lives up to the high bar that the preview pages set, and delivers a beautiful product. (There were a couple of times–especially on Cap’s shield throws–that I didn’t quite follow the action at first glance, but that’s a very small complaint when held up against his work as a whole.) While it lacks the excellent, gritty feel of the old Cap series, Justin Posnor’s bright, primary-focused colors help sell the book as what it is: a super hero tale. Coupling this with McNivin’s pencils makes for a fantastic visual experience.

Avengers The Children’s Crusade #6 – Review

By: Allan Heinberg (writer), Jim Cheung (pencils), Mark Morales, John Livesay & Dave Meikis (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), Cory Petit (letters), Lauren Sankovitch (associate editor) & Tom Brevoort (editor)

The Story: Now that the Young Avengers have found the Scarlet Witch, what do you think will happen?

What’s Good: How sneaky good and (possibly) momentous was this issue?  The cynical comic reader will look at this issue with a jaded eye and think that the events that seem to be taking place in this issue can’t be real.  Surely, if this was going to happen, Marvel would have had a press release hyping the issue or structured an event around the concept.  One could argue that this maxi-series is kind of an “event”, but it comes sans all the hype and tie-in miniseries that bloat most events in today’s comics.

Clearly, I’m being incredibly vague about this story because an event this cool that was completely unspoiled in this day of the internet, doesn’t deserve to be spoiled by a mere review.  And, it may not even hold up.  We might get to issue #7 in a few months and have everything reversed, but until then, this sort of spontaneous surprise in a comic reminded me of reading comics when I was a kid.

Aside from the big event that takes place, it is just a really nice comic that features the Young Avengers (who are just fun as hell), the Avengers and a bunch of stuff from the Avengers going all the way back to Disassembled.  No Avengers fan could fail to enjoy this comic.

The Mighty Thor #3 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Olivier Coipel (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Given an ultimatum, Thor rumbles with the Surfer.  Meanwhile, Volstagg finds himself unwanted in Broxton.

What’s Good: It always feels really good to get your money’s worth with a comic.  I definitely felt like I got a meaty book with Mighty Thor #3.  Despite having no more than the standard number of pages to work with, Matt Fraction covers quite a lot of ground this month.  While the plot progresses at your standard rate, a great deal happens and plenty of characters are visited.  There’s the big Surfer/Galactus plot, of course, but there’s also an amusing scene of kid Loki mischief, a subplot involving Volstagg and the residents of Broxton, and the lingering issue of Thor’s mysterious wound.  All of these elements are, for the most part, disparate which removes any sense of decompression and delivers a more rounded and comprehensive reading experience.

Many characters receive solid treatment.  Loki’s scene with a very naked Sif is admittedly a digression, but it’s a fun one that only continues to make kid Loki one of my favourite Marvel characters right now.  Volstagg is as humorous as ever and his exaggerations regarding the citizens of Broxton’s newfound hostility is a lot of fun, all the more because if ever there were deaf ears for those citizens to speak to, they’d be Volstagg’s.

As far as the main plot goes, I’m still really loving this Galactus/Asgardian clash, as it brings together the high fantasy of Thor with the cosmic in a way that continues to feel fun and fresh.  The fight between Thor and Surfer is awesome, if only due to the participants.  Best of all though, I really liked how Fraction hinges much of the plot on who between Odin and Galactus is less trustworthy.  That’s a major conundrum, to say the least, and one that has me looking forward to next issue.

Captain America #614 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Butch Guice (pencils), Stefano Gaudiano w/ Mark Morales, Tom Palmer, Rick Magyar, Mike Perkins and Butch Guice (inks), Bettie Breitweiser w/ Chris Sotomayor, Humberto Ramos and Frank Martin (colors), VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters and production)

The Story: The trial of Bucky Barnes continues, with things going about as well as can be expected for the good guys under the circumstances. A new wrinkle is thrown in when Falcon and Black Widow are captured by Sin and Master Man, who threatens to blow them up (along with the entire Statue of Liberty) if Bucky does not surrender himself to them by sunset.

What’s Good: This storyline is still chugging along nicely between Brubaker’s writing and Guice’s pencils (and ungodly-sized army of inkers and colorists, but the book doesn’t seem much he worse for all the hands involved.) I especially enjoy the court scenes; they may not be action packed in the traditional sense, but it’s a lot of fun to watch the strategies and counter-strategies play out, especially since Bucky is technically guilty of all the crimes he’s being accused of.

Also: Dr. Faust is awesome.

What’s Not So Good: Although I like this arc, it’s beginning to suffer from a bit of schizophrenia. The juxtaposition of battle of the trial’s battle of wills and intellect, and the physical battle going on between Falcon/Window and Master Man, just isn’t handled very well. I would honestly have preferred they just finish out the trial, and focus on that; trying to do both in the same issue gave both story halves the shaft. I would have been more than happy with a couple issues just dealing with the trial and its fallout. And why does Sin suddenly want Bucky to turn himself in to HER, anyway? Wasn’t the whole plan to discredit him publicly? I know the trial was going decently well, but you’d think she would at least have waited for a verdict, after all the trouble she went through to put these pieces in play.

Siege (Hardcover)-Review

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Pencils by Oliver Coipel, Michael Lark, Jim Chueng, with art by Lucio Parillo, and colors by Laura Martin, John Rauch, Matt Holligsworth, and inks by Mark Morales and Stefano Gaudiano.

If you haven’t read this yet, there may be spoilers, but if you’ve been reading Marvel, all of this is known already.

Siege may go down in comic history as Marvel’s last big event before everything became an event. At only four issues, it’s hard to imagine that this series is supposed to conclude ten years of Avengers stories, but it does conclude a good three or four, at least from Civil War on. Not only that, but it unites the solo stories of Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man in a way that actually makes a lot of sense. Siege wouldn’t have worked without all three of them, and on a story level, they needed each other to finally defeat Norman Osborn and put down the Sentry.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Siege is the final battle of Osborne’s Dark Reign. Loki manipulates him into attacking Asgard, which forces Steve Rogers, Iron Man, and Thor to work together for the first time in years. It’s an event designed to do one thing: show why these three Avengers are so important to the superhero community. You can throw anyone you want onto an Avenger team, but when Cap (any Cap, it seems), Iron Man, and Thor are united as one? Well, shit gets done. If this event did anything, it rekindled the magic of superheroes. Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign was such a, well, dark time for Marvel that seeing these three heroes come together was an amazing effect. People might not like Bendis, but he’s crafted the tone of the Marvel Universe perfectly over the years to make “the big three” coming together really mean something.

And while we’re on it, let’s talk about Bendis. Most people hate to admit it, but he is one of the best superhero writers out right now. He knows how to craft a story—but that doesn’t mean he always knows how to tell it. Avengers Disassembled was a good concept but poorly executed. House of M was an improvement, but the last couple of issues faltered too much. Secret Invasion was close to being really great, but it was too long and that last issue fell really flat even if the outcome was cool. So how does he do with Siege? Near perfectly, actually. It’s always the end issue that has fans going “okay, now Bendis is going to drop the ball.” But he doesn’t. Every issue is actually really well told, with important things happening. Maybe it’s the shortness of the series that did this—Bendis didn’t have time to drop the ball. That’s not to say Siege is perfect, but out of all of his events, Siege is the best written.

So, why isn’t it perfect? Well, there are a few things missing that might mean four issues were too short. It was a big event, but it could have been bigger. One issue of pure battle (like issue 7 of Secret Invasion) would have served it well. Also, and I know I might be chastised for saying this, the X-Men needed to be involved. Before you decide to hate me, hear me out. The semi-big event before Siege that Marvel made such a big deal about was Utopia, which pitted the Dark Avengers against the X-Men and finished with Cyclops starting his own island nation for mutant. Marvel kept saying and are still saying that the X-Men would be much more integrated with the rest of the Marvel Universe. So, when Captain America is leading the Avengers to Asgard, where are the X-Men? We get one panel of Wolverine and Cyclops watching the news, but I highly doubt that if they saw Cap leading the charge and they were in need of help—say, when the Hood’s army of super villains arrives—he would have stayed home. The Avengers may have appeared in Second Coming (not doing too much), but if Marvel really wanted to unite their universe, Siege was the place to do it. Cap, Iron Man, and Thor could have still saved the day; I’m not saying the X-Men should have done that, but they should have had much more of a presence considering that Osborne is trying to do to the Asgardians what he has already done to the mutants—drive them out.

Seige #2 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Olivier Coipel (penciller), Mark Morales (inker), Laura Martin (colorist)

The Story: Osborn has managed to start his war with Asgard pretty well. He’s got Thor down, the Asgardians are on the ropes and things look good, until Ares clues in that Osborn wasn’t entirely truthful. Divine blood is thicker than water and Osborn’s got to pay. But then, Ares has a problem: Sentry.

What’s Good: Coipel is always a treat to watch. My comic reading experience here slowed waaaay down, just to admire the beautiful pencils, inks and colors. Steve Rogers has a very definite look under Coipel’s inks. Ares, with or without helmet, is an awe-inspiring figure. The Sentry’s motion is so fast as to disappear in some panels in a style that reminds me a lot of Gene Colan’s art. The other artist that Coipel really reminds me of is Paul Smith, especially Wolverine. While Daken stalks Thor in Broxton, he looks so much like his dad did under Paul Smith in the Uncanny X-Men or in the X-Men-Alpha Flight miniseries. And for the fans of more gruesome content, you may wish to check out this issue if you want to see what Wolverine and Ares look like from the inside. I won’t explain – it’s worth the look…

The events Bendis has set in motion are a big deal. That’s good for a story and I’ll give you some examples of stuff that matters. Sentry is now a bad ass. Not only can I tolerate his presence, I actually like this brutal punisher that Osborn has on a leash. Captain America and Bucky are sorting themselves out, for the long run. They are each deciding who they will be. Osborn seems to be coming closer and closer to a comeuppance. Ares fights Sentry and it ain’t pretty. Steve rallies the divided troops. For a lot of reasons, this series is showing that it matters; events in this book will affect the rest of the MU.

Mighty Avengers #30 – Review

By Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writers), Sean Chen (artist), Mark Morales (inker), John Rauch (colorist)

The Story: Hank Pym and the embodiment of reality have a heart to heart while a ridiculously impressive number of past and present Avengers unite to collectively bitch-slap The Unspoken.

The Good: I enjoyed the subplot of this issue far more than I did the main story, but that’s not saying much when talking about “The Unspoken”.  The conversation between Pym and Eternity was far-fetched and more than a little ridiculous, yes, but at the same time it was so wildly off the wall that I couldn’t help but admire its brazen audacity.  I question if this is the right direction for Pym, but am also curious to see where Slott and Gage go with it.  This issue seems to be a prelude of sorts to the upcoming “Siege” storyline, as the New, Mighty, and Young Avengers all meet for the first time.  I was pretty impressed with how epic and powerful that moment felt, and am really hoping to see new team rosters come from this assembly.

The Not So Good: Why, oh why won’t this story end already?!  We’re now four months into this sloth-like monstrosity and practically nothing has happened.  Despite the writers’ efforts to convince us otherwise, The Unspoken continues to be an uninspired and thoroughly boring villain.  I’m utterly baffled that three full teams of Avenger are needed take down this guy when it takes him so long to get anything done.  Sure, the Slave Engine has finally been raised, but at the rate this story is going it will take another four months for this moron to actually activate the damn thing!  My concern is that this storyline will be dragged on right up until “Siege” begins, and I’m not sure I can hold out that long, this story is really that dull.

Conclusion: Mighty Avengers continues to be a fun comic and the best Avengers title being printed right now, but it is taking a serious beating from a bad story that is getting worse every month.  There are a few slivers of good ideas present here, but not nearly enough to justify buying the comic.  You don’t need this one, either.

Grade:  D

-Tony Rakittke

Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1 – Review

By Mark Millar (Writer), Steve McNiven (Pencils), Dexter Vines w/Mark Morales (Inks), and Morry Hollowell (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ll be honest and admit that I’m pretty torn about the conclusion of Old Man Logan before even reading a single page of it. Why? The $4.99 price tag.

The Story: Logan gets revenge against the Hulk clan…

What’s Good: As far as violent, brutal confrontations go, Logan’s strike against the members of the Hulk family is top-notch. The blood flies early and often as Logan’s rage is let out in full force. It’s entertaining as hell and suitably epic from start to finish.

While Mark Millar tosses in some cool dialogue here and there (“People piss themselves when I get angry.”), the majority of Giant-Size Old Man Logan is almost entirely a showcase for the talent of Steve McNiven and his art team. McNiven’s pencils are nearly flawless and do an excellent job of detailing the carnage that Logan unleashes. Simply put, the gore is something to see for those that like it bloody. Also, thanks to Morry Hollowell’s colors and the inking done by Dexter Vines and Mark Morales, nothing gets lost in all the chaos. Everything pops off the page in a way that really shows what McNiven is capable of.

The action is what you should buy Giant Size Logan for, but that doesn’t mean that action is all the book has to offer. Mark Millar wraps his tale up rather well and leaves the door wide open for more exploration of the universe that he’s created. In addition, a few of the slower moments of Giant-Size Old Man Logan deliver what I like to call “poster-worthy moments,” courtesy of Steve McNiven and his team. Wolverine staring at the Hulk kids, claws out… quite badass and iconic if you ask me.

What’s Not So Good: The biggest problem I have with Giant-Size Old Man Logan is how quickly it’s over. For $4.99, the comic is one hell of a fast read. Sure it’s pretty satisfying and damn impressive looking as a whole, but the extra padding that is supposed to help justify the price tag (cover images and pencil/ink work) just simply isn’t worth the extra buck.

Another complaint I have is that, occasionally, Steve McNiven’s storytelling seems to be a bit off. There’s either a jump in the action or the panel/page is a bit hard to follow. The best example of what I’m talking about comes when something tears through members of Hulk’s family. I’m still not entirely sure exactly what takes place in that scene or even how that scene came to be.

Conclusion: The great-looking Giant-Size Old Man Logan definitely caps Millar’s Wolverine arc well. That said, I’m not entirely convinced it’s worth the price tag. Check it out, but just be aware that, outside of the visuals, you aren’t getting as much as you might think for your five bucks.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #3 – Review

By Paul Cornell (Writer), Mark Brooks (Pencils), Mark Morales & Walden Wong (Inks), and L. Molinar & A. Street (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Dark Reign: Young Avengers has been a strange mini-series so far. It’s unlike anything Marvel is putting out and yet, I’m not quite sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

The Story: The real Young Avengers test the wannabe Young Avengers by teaming up with them against a bunch of Hydra thugs. Is someone testing them both?

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Alright. Now I’m certain that Paul Cornell is content to let the Dark Reign: Young Avengers mini-series frustrate the hell out of me. The third issue reads extremely well (Cornell makes great use of clever dialogue), looks mighty solid (the darker coloring by Molinar and Streets is an upgrade for the series), and adds a number of interesting twists to whatever the hell the overall plot is about (I’m still not entirely sure). That said, it also leaves me feeling exactly like I did after reading the first two issues of the series. So how did I feel? Confused about the future of the characters and wondering what the whole point of the mini-series is.

Conclusion: So I’m certain Paul Cornell is trying to frustrate me. You know what else I’m certain of? That Dark Reign: Young Avengers is going to read much better as a trade than a monthly. I know I’ll finish it out as a monthly, but I have a feeling everyone else will be better served by reading it once the mini-series is collected.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Thor # 602 – Review

By J. Michael Straczynski (writer), Marko Djurdjevic (pencils), Dany Miki and Mark Morales (inks) Paul Monts (colors)

The Story: Thor gets wind of Sif’s whereabouts and enlists the help of Doctor Strange to fix Mjöllnir. However, his mighty hammer’s repair comes with a mighty price and one that may eventually cost him dearly. On the other side of the world, the Asgardians, led by king Balder and manipulated by Loki, continue to settle into Latveria, the kingdom of Doctor Doom. Kelda brings William the mortal into the new Asgard where he quickly becomes an unexpected  confidant of Balder and almost nearly as fast a target for restless warriors.

What’s Good: The highest praise I can heap on this book is that it is a full read. JMS tells a lot of story in these pages and at $3.99, you almost get your money’s worth. Almost. Many different plot lines develop and end, and there are many interesting moments. It’s in issues like this where you see why JMS was such a good TV writer as Thor reads like a soap opera. Not that I ever watched one of those…

Over and over JMS has set up Thor’s return to be an uneasy, delicate, and tenuous affair. Thor is dealt another dramatic challenge as Mjöllnir’s  rehabilitation is a veritable Pandora’s box. After being exiled from Asgard, killing his Grandfather, and busting his hammer, you’d think that finally finding Sif would be a pure moment of happiness for Thor. But, it’s not to be, and Thor’s troubles continue.

The scenes with Strange were the highlight of this issue. Its good to see both of these heroes interacting, and the way Strange fixed Mjöllnir by calling primordial energies and such was very well done. Also, William’s role in this series suddenly became more interesting and important. A nice development that I’m sure will be used to tell some compelling story.

What’s Not So Good: I’m not sure if it was the pencils, inks or colors, but something about the art in this issue just didn’t seem up to par with previous installments. For sure,  the color scheme seemed flat and burnt, rather than the sharp and bright hues of the first couple arcs. The character designs while decent, seemed rushed, with faces left undefined.

This issue seemed more like a Simonson issue than a Straczynski one. Just something about Thor lying on a bedroom floor seems silly; and that bubbly, almost campy  feel of tons of characters and big dialogues in varied settings, pulsed throughout this issue. I became a fan of this series for JMS’s character work on Thor and his near unmatched ability to capture memorable moments of a story, not this type of crowded, perhaps rushed even, story telling. I’m not saying this is a bad, it just lacks the novelty and specialness of the first 12 issues of this series.

Conclusion: This may be the weakest point or issue in this series so far, but at the rung of the comic book ladder where Thor resides, that is still not a bad a place to be. There is quite a lot to like here, but I wish it focused more on Thor and less on the Asgardians, as I rather learn about their plight through Thor’s.

Grade: B-

-Rob G

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2 – Review

By Paul Cornell (Writer), Mark Brooks (Pencils), Mark Morales w/Walden Wong & Dexter Vines (Inks), and Emily Warren & Sotocolor’s L. Molinar (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Dark Reign: Young Avengers got off to an interesting start. The first issue of the mini-series frustrated as much as it entertained, yet it still had that “something” that made me want more.

The Story: The Young Avengers and their Dark counterparts battle over name rights. The fight quickly turns into a discussion however as the coolest heads prevail. Coat of Arms tells her story and more is revealed about how the Dark Young Avengers came to be.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Am I allowed to just copy and paste my review for Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 into this section? I ask because, in all honesty, most of what I said about the first issue applies to the second. In Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2, more questions are raised than answered, Paul Cornell tosses around some cool ideas about being a superhero in the Marvel U., and most of the cast remains an intriguing mystery. Sounds like another C+, right? Well, almost…

The second chapter of Dark Reign: Young Avengers gets a higher grade than the first for two reasons: the artwork improvements, and Coat of Arms. The artwork looks much more defined and detailed. As a result, the characters look much more distinct and recognizable. As for Coat of Arms, her dialogue is written in such a way that it’s difficult to tell whether she is artsy, pretentious, obsessive, or, possibly completely bat-shit insane. And you know what? It works to great effect. While I wish more of the cast would stand out like Coat of Arms does, I’ll take what I can get.

Conclusion: Dark Reign: Young Avengers stands out because it really feels like something unique. If Paul Cornell can develop the plot a bit more next issue, I think I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of the Dark Young Avengers in the future.

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny

Wolverine #70 (Old Man Logan) – Review

By Mark Millar (Writer), Steve McNiven (Pencils), Dexter Vines & Mark Morales (Inks), and Morry Hollowell & Justin Ponsor (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Simply put, Wolverine #70 is,  in many ways, a make or break point for the entire “Old Man Logan” arc. While I’ve enjoyed the slow burn storytelling, the unique setting, and the rather fresh take on Wolverine, I’m ready for some answers. And considering that the entire storyline is based around the “What If?” styled premise of Logan being a pacifistic farmer, there had better be a damn good reason behind the berserker’s rather unique (taking his past into account) new lifestyle choice. The ball is firmly in Mark Millar’s court. Time to find out if he can deliver something that finally makes the fundamental concept of “Old Man Logan” truly satisfying.

The Story: How much can I really say without spoiling the surprise? In Wolverine #70, Mark Millar finally reveals the reasoning behind Logan’s decision to keep his claws inside for over fifty years. As you probably guessed, the reasoning involves lots of bloodshed and general brutality.

What’s Good: While I have a few complaints about the big reveal, the good definitely outweighs the bad throughout the entire issue of the latest “Old Man Logan” chapter. And the credit for that goes almost entirely to Steve McNiven and his team. The action during the big flashback is brutal, visceral, violent, and extremely satisfying; thanks to the outstanding and surprisingly memorable visuals. It goes a long way towards making up for the rather simplistic story by keeping the reader engaged enough so that the focus is more on the ride than the details. I know that sort of sounds like a negative, but it actually works in the book’s favor quite a bit if you think of the arc as the comic equivalent of a bombastic blockbuster/popcorn flick.

What’s Not So Good: I know that more than a few people are going to take issue with the explanation for Logan’s pacifism. And in all honesty, I don’t think I can blame anyone that does. Long story short, the whole plan the villains use against Wolverine just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny all that well. In addition, the chaos that results from the plan seems to ignite far too easily considering all the factors that seem to be at play. I could go into a bit more detail about why the events are frustrating to me, but I could end up spoiling something. And I wouldn’t want to do that.

Conclusion: Wolverine #70 rocks as long as you don’t think about it too hard.  That said, in regards to the grade, I still have to acknowledge the lingering disappointment that exists in the wake of the big reveal.  My suggestion? Just open it up, soak in the bloody visuals, and enjoy the ride…

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Thor #12 – Review

By J.Michael Straczynski (writer), Olivier Coipel (artist), Mark Morales (inker)

The Story: In this thematic prequel to “Dark Reign,” Loki hijiacks the title for an issue and meets with Hela in Las Vegas.  There, he asks for her help in sending him back in time in order to confront the demons of his past, and maybe even create them.

The Good: Thor continues to be one of the most well-produced comics out there.  Straczynski’s characterizations of the Asgardians are dead on, epic and otherworldly. He captures the stoic detachment of gods forced to walk the Earth and interact with humans.  Likewise, Coipel’s art is absolutely stunning to look at.  Thor has never been more regal, more powerful, and more intimidating than Coipel’s rendition of him. The same goes for Loki in this issue as well.  In the hands of such a stellar creative team, Loki is a truly malicious villain, moving with ease from moments of great cunning to horrible brutality in pursuit of his goals.  When he insists to Hela that he is close to bringing down Thor once and for all, I actually believe it.

The Not So Good: Thor is not meant to read like a traditional superhero comic.  Straczynski’s scripts are tightly structured and methodically paced, and a new reader may grow frustrated with the lack of action and speed they’ve come to expect from other comics.  Also, longtime readers of the title may even consider this issue something of an oddity, a sub-plot at best that was allowed to be stretched out for the sake of filling pages.

Conclusion: This issue was a dark look at the thoughts and actions of one of Marvel’s most notorious villains, and longtime readers of the series will probably enjoy the experience.  To be fair though, it’s not for everyone, and new readers may want to wait for the next collection to hit the stands before reading it.

Grade:  C+

-Tony Rakittke

Secret Invasion #8 (of 8) – Review

By Brian Bendis (story), Leinil Francis Yu (pencils), Mark Morales (inker), Laura Martin (colors)

Once again, Brian Bendis (one of my favorite comic book writers) fumbles the ball on yet another Marvel event. If you thought House of M and Secret War was lame, well, feel free to lump Secret Invasion right along with those titles. Sure, the series had some great highs, but the conclusion is so anti-climatic and uneven that I couldn’t help but shake my head the entire time. What a waste.

Right from the get go the on-going narrative/conversation speaks to the reader in past tense. The war is over by all accounts and the plot moves along, connecting the dots as if Bendis is running down his checklist of things to scratch off. The fate of The Wasp? Check. The rescue of the captured humans? Check. Tony Stark made the scape goat? Check. The rise of Norman Osborn and the most ridiculous status quo change to ever hit the Marvel Universe? Check. Oh yeah, and all this goes down in one day. This wasn’t a war or invasion. It was a skirmish.

It’s amazing to see how far Marvel has fallen over the last year. With continuity problems running amuck, the screwing of Spider-Man’s marriage, and now the undoing pretty much everything Civil War set up (not to mention the inevitable cover price increases to $3.99), well, let’s just say I’m at the edge of my rope here. I think it’s time Joe Quesada stepped down and Marvel put some editors in place who won’t let writers run wild with ridiculous ideas. Secret Invasion started off with a bang and ended as a farce.

Sorry guys but Dark Reign is an incredibly stupid idea.

Grade: F (FAIL)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

As I have mentioned a few times before, Secret Invasion is really my first experience with an event series. As such, I don’t have any lingering disappointment from something like House of M or Civil War to compare my thoughts about the conclusion of Secret Invasion to. That said, I am disappointed with Secret Invasion #8…just not to the extent my colleague Jason is.

Deep down, the fanboy within me wants to address and argue every single negative about the book mentioned in the main review. I woke up this morning to find the review and instantly thought to myself “it can’t possibly be that bad.” And you know what? It really isn’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that my critical side actually agrees with nearly every point that Jason makes above. In many ways the event’s conclusion is a big disappointment from start to finish. Now, after reading that I imagine many of you are wondering what’s with the fairly good score then. Allow me to explain.

While S.I. #8 mostly fails as the conclusion to a big, bloated, far too lengthy event, I believe it really succeeds as a mechanism for riling up the masses for the new status quo of the Marvel Universe. Truth be told, outside of a few new books set to launch (especially the Jonathan Hickman/Stefano Caselli Secret Warriors title), I really didn’t have a whole lot of interest in Dark Reign prior to today. Now, I simply can’t wait to see what happens next. That is why I absolutely must give credit where it is most definitely due. It is far from perfect, but it also does what was needed extremely well. And that counts for something.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Secret Invasion #7 (of 8) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Leinil Yu (Pencils), Mark Morales (Inker), Laura Martin, and Emily Warren (Colorists)

The Story: The penultimate chapter of the Secret Invasion is all about the action. Heroes and villains from throughout the Marvel universe come together for an epic battle against the Skrull army. But this isn’t just a straight forward fight, the final seeds planted months ago by writer Brian Bendis finally come to fruition.

What’s (very) Good: The action. The artwork here is absolutely phenomenal. Each panel packs a punch and it seems as though every character involved in the fight gets a chance to shine. There is a LOT going on in this comic and the art team pulls it off spectacularly. As far as action goes, this is one epic fight that manages to live up to the hype. Hats of to Leinil Yu for delivering the goods!

What’s Not So Good: The dialogue. I know that I may sound a bit too critical here, but most of the battlefield dialogue just simply doesn’t work for me. The banter and catch-phrases, while (admittedly) fun, take away from the seriousness and scope of the battle at hand. I held on to some hope that the encounter would somehow be able to transcend above its summer blockbuster status, but it doesn’t. It is all very fun, but considering how seriously some of this story has been taken, I can’t help but feel the tone is a bit off. It just seems like some of the characters involved are having way too much fun.

Conclusion: For all out Marvel superhero action, you really can’t get much better than this. It doesn’t try to be something it’s not. Whether that is a positive or a negative is up to you, the reader, to decide.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

A Second Opinion

As short-changed as some might feel, this book doesn’t need the dialogue. Why? Because there’s really not much of a story here. It’s a full blown brawl fest — Marvel porn at its finest. Finally… finally some of those New Avengers and Mighty Avengers stories that were dismissed as “throwaways” make sense and carry more weight. The concept of Wasp being chosen to be the doomsday weapon is a bit silly, though. And why only infect her when you can infect others as a contingency plan? That logic throws me off a bit, but whatever. This once dreaded invasion is showing signs of fatigue. At least I now know why Marvel released that Marvel Boy hardcover a couple of weeks back.

At this point I just want this series to be over.

Grade: C

– J. Montes

Secret Invasion #6 (of 8) – Review

By Brian Bendis (story), Leinil Yu (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin (colors)

After coming off the high of last issue’s rousing cliffhanger, Secret Invasion #6 comes off as a disjointed mess. There’s plenty of stuff that happens in this issue, but the transitions that lead from Point A to Point B almost seem to be non-existent (at times). Leinil Yu’s artistic endurance is taxed beyond measure as he’s forced to draw big scene after big scene. He’s working in George Perez territory now, and I think due to the high demands of this issue, some of Yu’s storytelling ability was sacrificed or lost in the shuffle.

Many times I was forced to flip back and forth between pages just to make sure I hadn’t accidentally skipped a page, because that’s what this issue feels like: it’s missing pages. It even feels a lot thinner than most of the comics I bought this week and those issues cost a dollar less! Still, at $3.99 you’ll be treated to a bevy of double-page splashes that’ll make your jaw drop.

Like I said, the story is disjointed, but there are some memorable scenes. Finally, we get to the street level with civilians actually buying into the Skrull manifesto. You’re going to love hating these people. In fact, I was hoping Nick Fury would tell his commandos to open fire on them (heh). As for the rest of the story, it basically all finally leads to what’s going to be the inevitable throw down between Earth’s mightiest and the Skrull Empire. And as much as I take issue with flow of the story, the last five pages go a long way in redeeming the rest of the book. When Nick Fury says, “Well my god has a hammer,” I couldn’t help but laugh… hard. Easily the greatest moment of this series thus far. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

As much as the Marvel fanboy in me enjoyed reading this latest chapter of Secret Invasion (the last few pages are the stuff fangasms are made of), the critic side of me can’t help but feel let down by the lack of forward movement and the surprising number of pages that felt almost completely unnecessary. For example, was there really a need to have three (admittedly awesome) splash scenes covering six pages when it seemed as though far too much was crammed onto certain pages? The pacing just felt off throughout the entire issue. The story was either meandering about or moving way too fast.

With that said however, Secret Invasion #6 is still a fun read. This is summer blockbuster styled entertainment and it makes no effort to really hide that fact. The writing is tight (and suitably cheesy at times), the action delivers (but has yet to actually begin), and the pieces are in place for one hell of a conclusion. The real battle is about to start and I simply can’t wait. (Grade: B-)

-Kyle Posluszny