Revolutionary War Alpha #1 – Review

by Andy Lanning, Alan Cowsill (Writers), Rich Elson (Artist), Antonio Fabela (Colorist)

The Story: Pete Wisdom and Captain Britain needs to gather the crew back as trouble arrive in the UK with Mys-Tech rearing its ugly head back.

The Review: Marvel has a rather large library of characters. Mutants, magic users, cosmic beings, street-level heroes, monsters, oddities and many more are but a selection of the kind of characters one can see when reading one of their books. While the very same is true for the Distinguished Competition as well, the new 52 reboot kind of crushed this large selection for them in unfortunate ways.

We all have some characters we especially like for various reasons. Nostalgia, a certain cool factor, a presentation or a concept that resonates with what we generally like to read and many others can indicate why we like some characters more than others. One of those character, for me, is Captain Britain. A man that tries to protect the whole omniverse with other people from various universes with the same power sets and similar codenames? Now that’s cool.

My general appreciation of the character made me go out and buy this comic, which was sweetened by the fact it incorporates other elements like Pete Wisdom and writer Andy Lanning, a part of the DnA duo that gave us many excellent cosmic stories. Teamed with Alan Cowsill to revive old UK characters and reintegrate them in the larger Marvel universe and its continuity, this book certainly has potential to be particularly fun.

Journey into Mystery #641 – Review

By: Kieron Gillen (writer), Rich Elson (art), Sotocolors (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Loki brings an unpopular kind of peace to Otherworld and fulfills his debt to Hela.

The Review:  KIERON!!!!!!  Seriously, this issue made me feel like Captain Kirk in Wrath of Khan.

That’s actually not really a bad thing though.  It’s just that Gillen delivers an absolutely heart-rending, downright unfair character death this month that almost hits too hard.  Given that it’s a character that Gillen has done such a great job of building from the ground up, and one with a really great dynamic with Loki, it’s hard to read.  Gillen also shows his skill as a writer:  this is one of the best written death scenes that I’ve read in a big two comic in some time.  In just a couple of pages, Gillen makes the scene truly emotional by capitalizing on the reader’s investment, using dialogue that recalls former elements of the character’s relationship with Loki.  I guess that’s what makes it so sad as well: those elements are, chiefly, a running joke between the two that now takes on a very sad and ironic, and hence very different, meaning.  I guess this touches upon why this death is written so well – it feels meaningful because Gillen has spent so much of the series getting us invested in the character and his/her relationship to Loki.  Gillen spent the time in the script, he made the investments, and now he’s reaping the dividends.

Journey into Mystery #639 – Review

By: Kieron Gillen (writer), Rich Elson (artist), IFS (colorist), and Clayton Cowles (letterer)

The Story: Loki and Leah arrive to aid a beleaguered Otherworld at war with….urban sprawl?

The Review:  I’ll admit that while it certainly ended better than it started, I wasn’t particularly thrilled by the Exiled crossover.  It’s a good thing then that this issue of Journey into Mystery feels like a righting of the ship as Gillen gets back to doing what he does best.  I’ve often felt, with his character-centered stories and sense of humour and general Englishness that Kieron Gillen bore some resemblance to Paul Cornell.  As such, having Gillen do a Captain Britain story in a fantasy setting just makes sense.  It’s a natural fit.  Moreover, it lets Gillen get back to telling a straight up fantasy story, as opposed to the somewhat awkward urban fantasy with mutants that was exiled.

Where this book succeeds most is when Gillen allows the mundane and he magical to intersect, allowing elements of the fantastical world of Loki and Otherworld to crossover into our world.  You get hilarious scenes like Loki and Leah taking a cab across England and Hern the Hunter waiting to pick them up at the airport, sign and all.  It leads to a kind of absurdity that suits Gillen’s comic voice very well.

Uncanny X-Force #10 – Review

by Rick Remender (script), Billy Tan & Rich Elson (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Archangel races to cover things up as a reporter gets footage of his killing a guard, but his actions lead X-Force to believe that Warren is no longer in control.

The Review:  When you first open this issue, you’re in for a nasty surprise.  Dean White didn’t color this issue.  Now, that’s not to say that Tan or Elson’s art is bad, or that Paul Mounts’ colors are weak.  I generally enjoy Mounts’ work and the art here is solid, leaving very little to complain about in either that scenes or the action sequences.  It’s a solid looking book with a high-budget feel.  The problem, though, is that Dean White was doing the best work of his career on this book and his unique palette for Uncanny X-Force had become a signature, or staple of the book, never mind the fact that it made the art really, really awesome.  Not having White is a bit of a let-down, as the art becomes instantly less distinctive and closer to being just another Marvel comic, albeit a decent looking one.

Plot-wise, this is a definite improvement over last month.  While Deadpool gets all of one line this month, this issue generally shows the benefit of having a small team and Remender’s ability to highlight the emotions and relationships between them.  I liked, in particular, Logan’s complete lack of hesitation and instant resolve when it comes to heading out to kill Warren, only to freeze up at the last second.  It’s an intelligent move the shows the complexity of the situation and how Logan’s friendship with Warren impairs his natural instincts.  Fantomex’s not-so-secret crush on Psylocke is also awkward, but appropriately so.

Then there’s Warren himself, who comes across like a monster this month.  Even when out of Archangel form, he’s a scary, creepy dude.  That said, Remender also writes the “character fighting for control of his mind” in a way that doesn’t feel utterly tired, an accomplishment in itself.  I swear, no one says “just fight it!”

But really, the best thing about this issue is just how much ground Remender covers.  It’s never a laborious or exposition-heavy read, and flies by quite quickly, but despite that, so much happens, all of it interesting.  We have a brief journalistic thriller, a focusing on Warren’s relationship with his team, a new character is brought (temporarily?) onto the team, and there’s a prelude to the Dark Angel Saga.  In the latter’s case, I am absolutely giddy.   The concept put forward regarding Warren’s current state is guaranteed to make you go “ooooh.”

Thor #613 – Review

by Kieron Gillen (writer), Rich Elson (pencils & inks), Jim Charalampidis (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Thor journeys across hell on his quest for Eir-Gram while Tyr tries to hold the line.

What’s Good: In this issue, Kieron Gillen’s latest story-arc really feels like it’s come together into something really special.  There’s a greater sense of craft and purpose that leads to a thoroughly entertaining and page-turning experience.

Part of the reason for this is Gillen’s use of narration.  The narration only accompanies the scenes depicting Thor’s quest, but it lends it an epic feel that makes it seem all the more grand and Odysseus-like.  It makes Thor’s journey seem even bigger and more inspired.  It’s also proof of Gillen’s skill as a writer, functioning as an extremely clever way for him to condense Thor’s trek into only a few pages, without making the reader feel cheated or the material rushed.

Better still is how Gillen even goes so far as to bring humour and self-awareness into the book through this narration.  The narrator actually turns out to be a visible character in the comic whose sole function is, well, narration.  He’s actually narrating Thor’s quest for Mephisto as well as us, which somehow turns Mephisto into a reader much like ourselves, almost putting him on our level of experience.  Apparently Mephisto is so powerful, that he’s actually able to read, or listen to, the comic book that he’s in.  It gets even more fun when Mephisto even offers criticism of the narrator’s “writing,” and by extension, Gillen’s.

While Thor’s journey is certainly epic, Gillen also continues to strengthen Tyr as a character.  Gillen has not only brought Tyr back in his run, but also expands the God of War further, making him both conflicted and badass and more compelling than ever.  It’s easy to make a god of war a two-dimensional ass-kicker, and Gillen is doing anything but.  This is a Tyr forced to live up to, and negotiate, that very stereotype despite the fact that he is very capable of feeling fear.  There’s a great shame complex to the character that I love reading.

Thor #611 – Review

by Kieron Gillen (writer), Rich Elson (art), Andy Troy (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: The souls of the Asgardians who fell during Siege come under attack in Hel.

What’s Good: It sure feels good to see a good old fashioned Thor story, rife with occult baddies, Hela, and trademark Norse heroism.  The last couple of pages in particular are something of a “hell yeah” in that last regard as Thor literally leads his men to hell.  That’s pretty damned awesome in concept alone and very, very “Thor.”

What makes it even more effective, however, is how Gillen has subtly made this upcoming war in hell into something of an echo of Siege itself.  In doing so, perhaps this story arc can be seen as a kind of redemption for the Asgardians.  Hela has turned herself into a castle to house the souls of the departed Asgardians from the attacking Disir and Thor and his band, at issue’s end, go to relieve the besieged.  Essentially, they’re fighting another siege, in hell, to save those who died in, Siege.  It’s really well orchestrated and I’m quite impressed with Gillen’s being able to find such an effective parallel to recent events.

Gillen does a great job with these Disir, who are really, really creepy.  The demonstrations of their power are also pretty impressive and, in one case, explosive.  I’ve got to say that Gillen doesn’t hold back one iota on the gore and violence.  One particular trick pulled by the Disir late in the issue is downright shocking.  All told, their used very effectively by Gillen.  I also thought it was pretty cool to see Hela back in action again.  In fact it’s just cool to see her in an important role again and a sign to me that it’s back to business as usual for Thor and that we’re leaving the event behind.

On art, I generally like Elson’s work.  It has a painterly feel that sort of reminds of classic fantasy pin-ups, which really suits Thor.

Thor #609 – Review

by Kieron Gillen (writer), Billy Tan, Batt, & Rich Elson (art), Christina Strain & June Chung (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Loki faces the consequences, Kelda stands and fights, and Volstagg picks himself up.

What’s Good: With Thor not being present this month, several supporting characters pick up the slack.

Kelda, a character I’ve enjoyed since JMS introduced her, still strikes a sympathetic portrait.  Her defending Bill’s parents was touching and it was nice to see them come together.  Of course, it’s always a blast just to see Kelda kick some ass.  She’s one of those characters’ whose potential we’ve never been sure of and I’m glad to see her in a more empowered position this month.

Having a similar “fist-pump” moment this month is Balder, who reminds the world why his name is “Balder the Bright.”  Gillen does his best to make Balder personify the Heroic Age.   When he lights himself up to rally the troops and owns the Hood in a Matrix-like fashion, it’s all kinds of awesome.  Balder has bumbled around quite a bit and it’s nice to see him take up position as the quintessential hero.