New Avengers #4 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The Avengers beat demonic faces and Iron Fist confronts Dr. Strange.

What’s Good: There’s a lot of action this month.  In fact, there’s a ton of action.  The great news is that that means we get a lot of sweet, sweet Stuart Immonen artwork, highlighted by the big, bright colors of Laura Martin.  Along with von Grawbadger, this is one of the most underrated art teams at Marvel.  Their work is pure, Saturday morning bliss and when there’s as much mayhem and as many explosions as there are this month, it makes for art that is a whole lot of fun.  It’s the sort of stuff that makes you excited, while carrying a gleefulness that brings the kid out of you.

Bendis’ story this month, much like the past couple of issues, also manages to really highlight just how starved we are for a Marvel mystic story and just how underused this corner of the Marvel Universe is.  That Bendis has decided to center his first arc around a fully mystic plot makes the comic feel fresh and unique amidst Marvel’s products, no small feat for an Avengers title.  This freshness only adds to the fun that Immonen’s art already naturally brings forth.

Really, though, Bendis’ script this month is mostly about promises of big things to come.  The hinted-at developments towards the end of this issue are really intriguing and I can’t wait to see where they go.  Bendis seems to be implying some darker, and less heroic roots for Dr. Strange, which definitely has me very interested.  This looks to be a surprising turn of events that should elevate this story and keep it feeling distinct and important.

What’s Not So Good: This issue has much of the same problems as last month’s did in that there’s only so high I can grade a book that is almost entirely action.  Worse still, it’s action that pits the Avengers exclusively against faceless, nameless, and voiceless demons.  These demons attack in such numbers and are so void of personality and distinguishing features that it’s impossible to ever really feel them as legitimate threat, and certainly not a special or unique one.  As a result, I never really felt invested in the action or its high stakes, and certainly not to the extent that Bendis desired.  It was fun action, sure, but it also felt insubstantial and superficial.

New Avengers #3 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The Avengers fight against the hordes of demons invading Earth while Iron Fist finds himself trapped in another realm.

What’s Good: Of the new Avengers books, this continues to be the best of the lot.  The characters have the strongest chemistry and there’s an upbeat camaraderie present that, to me, is generally a key component of any successful superhero team book.

While there’s a lot, a lot, of fighting in this issue, it’s not totally mindless.  The dynamic between the Thing and Spider-Man continues to be a highlight for me.  Their conversation mid-battle this month is both humorous and surprisingly meta-textual and self-aware.  The innate understanding that Spidey has for both the Thing, and what it means to be a comic book character, is fantastic; I also enjoyed how Bendis managed to use this as a means to express what I assume to be one of his own beliefs: in a book like New Avengers, sometimes giving the people what they want is more important than trying to be innovative for the sake of innovation.

Readers of my Avengers-related reviews will also know about my well-documented love for Victoria Hand.  Given that, the fact that she makes an appearance this month is already a plus.  My fanboyism aside, however, she really is put to good use.  Her gradual redemption, her awkwardness about performing a heroic deed, and her general frustration over her situation is all great to read and continue to make her as likable as possible.  Bendis’ use of Hand also remains perhaps the most solid representation of the Heroic Age, and how it marches forward from Dark Reign.

New Avengers #1 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Luke Cage (re)assembles his Avengers team and something very, very nasty possesses the former Sorcerer Supreme and it wants the Eye of Agamotto.

What’s Good: Last month, I griped a little bit about Avengers #1.  Overall, I was just underwhelmed and not as impressed as I thought I would be.  As a result, heading into New Avengers #1, I didn’t have a great amount of confidence.

I’m happy to report that my trepidation was unwarranted.  New Avengers #1 is, in many ways, of the caliber that I had expected out of Avengers #1.  It spins out of Dark Reign in an organic, touching way and its team-building portions are quite a bit of fun.  More importantly, despite being a title at the forefront of the Heroic Age, it doesn’t at all feel forced or artificial.

The team’s formation, with Cage’s objection to being a government man and Stark’s solution to this dilemma, is enjoyable and speaks well to the core essence of the team.  I’m glad that Bendis has also opted to make this team a more intimate affair; it basically feels like a group of buddies, lending the issue a more genuine feel.

Perhaps the strongest part of this issue, and certainly the portion that really hooked me, is unfortunately something that I can’t reveal.  Suffice it to say, a certain character integral to the bad guy side of Dark Reign joins the team, and he/she remains as compelling as ever and works wonderfully with the team.   His/her motivations and his/her dynamic with the team are very strong and adds a spice to this issue that makes it feel all the more lovable and substantial.

Team building aside, one of the toughest parts of making a successful issue like this is setting the roster and status quo while simultaneously introducing the conflict for the next story-arc.  All told, Bendis manages this admirably.  When the team finally runs into its new enemy, it’s not at all jarring like Kang’s appearance in Avengers #1.

Immonen meanwhile hits this out of the park.  I love Mike Deodato’s work, but right now, I think this is the best looking Avengers book.  It’s bright, happy, and accessible.  The characters all look adorable, while the mystic pyrotechnics are impressive.  Also, don’t be fooled by the Saturday morning aesthetics: urban backgrounds reveal a lot of detail.

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #4

By: Rick Remender (writer), Jefte Palo & Alessandro Vitti (artists), Jean-François Beaulieu (colorist)

The Story: Nightmare has taken over the world. The other heroes of the Marvel Universe, including Doctor Strange, are his captives. Only Doctor Doom has escaped the clutches of Nightmare, and his fortress is falling.

What’s Good: Remender’s take on Nightmare is brilliantly conflicted. He’s made Nightmare a creature of irrational appetites, but of cunning intellect. If that’s hard to understand, let me put it this way: Nightmare has been slowly materializing Jericho Drumm’s nightmares for decades, signs of hyper-intelligent cunning. However, pages later, when Nightmare is on the verge of conquering Doom, the last holdout of humanity, he doesn’t care that this will result in their mutual destruction. Even when Doom points it out to him, it’s like Nightmare doesn’t care, not because he doesn’t understand the consequences, but because they seem disconnected from what he wants. It’s an interesting and disturbing take on such an old and powerful Marvel villain.

Remender’s vision of Drumm was equally compelling. I liked the visible arc of Drum growing into the role of sorcerer supreme (arcs similar to those being followed by Bucky, Donna Troy, Dick Grayson and Wally West) over the last couple of issues, but the revelation that Drumm himself, in combination with Nightmare’s influence, was creating the curse he is suffering, was awesome. Suddenly, I saw why Drumm had been tapped as the sorcerer supreme. It made sense, as much as it had when Strange had taken on that mantle. Remender did some great work here.

And, although I’m running out of space to praise Remender, I have to point out the great world building he did here. Those of us following Dr. Strange thought we’d seen all that could be seen of Marvel and magic. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Remender’s magic, and the introduction of the Lao, and a different set of cosmic (who all seem to be minor, compared to the ones Strange had tapped) is really, really cool.

And the art was great. It was not realistic. The stylistic, gritty take on Drumm’s magic is great. Nightmare never looked better or creepier than on the cover of this book. The spookiness evoked by Palo and Vitti works, through the dangling, shrunken heads on the staff of Legba, the clawing hand at the entrance to Bondyè and the scary supernatural creatures now working for Nightmare (including the spirits of vengeance!). The action sequences were dynamic, the faces expressive, and the world and people textured and real. All in all, art and story matching really well.

Strange #1 – Review

by Mark Waid (writer), Emma Rios (artist), Christina Strain (color artist), Lauren Sankovitch *(associate editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)

The Story: Strange, powerless, has found the demon Tul’uth possessing a baseball team. He also finds a girl with an unusual aptitude for magic.

What’s Good: I really, really wish I could have found something to write here.

What’s Not So Good: As a big Dr. Strange fan, it kills me to say this, but I was… disappointed. I know Steven Strange doesn’t draw the readership he once did, but except for a few years here and there, he’s always been somewhere in the monthly books because he’s a compelling character. As much as Tony Stark, Stephen Strange is about redemption and unlike the new Stark, Strange is still selflessly, unflinchingly, unquestioningly heroic. This first issue of this limited series isn’t showing Strange the love.

First off, there’s nothing wrong with Emma Rios’ pencils, but the wild-blue-hair anime style does not suit the menacing mystic worlds that surround Dr. Strange. Even Casey’s true view through enchanted glasses revealed a world of deep, riotous color, but without the foreground shadows or darkness that really make Strange’s adventures moody and spooky. So…good artist, wrong book.

On the writing side, I’ve read a lot of great Mark Waid books, but this story is starting in a particularly unambitious way. First of all, I don’t understand where all of Strange’s power went. He first appeared in 1963 as Master of the Mystic Arts and didn’t become Sorcerer Supreme until about 1972. In those nine years he wasn’t the Sorcerer Supreme, he had power enough to defeat Mordo, Nightmare, Dormammu and anyone else who came his way. In the late eighties, he used some black magic (much like he recently did with the Avengers). This tainted him for a while, so he had to look for new sources of power. Despite the fact that he couldn’t call then upon his typical patrons, he was still skilled enough to use the black magic that Kaluu taught him. So why then is this Strange so powerless that he can’t beat a second-rate demon without playing baseball?

More unambitiously, this newly humbled Strange, instead of seeking to regain his might (not necessarily the supremacy he had, but his mastery), pits himself against a minor demon in what looks to be a 1-issue mop-up operation with no significance to Strange or the rest of the Marvel Universe. On the Marvel website, some prominence is given to Strange finding a new student. This leads me to think that Marvel is trawling for new teen readers drawn to a teenage girl growing up under Strange’s tutelage, and that she’ll be the one growing as a character, not him. I hope I’m wrong, but otherwise, by issue #4, I’m going to be suggesting that the limited series should have been called “Casey, Apprentice of Strange”.

Like I said, it kills me to criticize a Dr. Strange book, but there’s so much they could have done with this title. Some of Strange’s best adventures have been when he is massively outgunned and has to survive on his wits and skill alone in alien dimensions. Why couldn’t Waid, Sankovitch and Brevoort have picked out something like a quest to redeem Strange? A journey to reclaim lost skills and take what he is and the wisdom he has learned and save some world from evil, with only his wits and limited magic to help him? Lead a magical guerrilla war on some foe Dr. Voodoo is too busy to fight? The possibilities for heroic redemption are endless, but none of them are suggested by this first issue.

Conclusion: I’m disappointed not only for this series, but also because I know that the failure of this series will delay a true return by Dr. Strange to the mainstream of the Marvel Universe for a couple of years. (I’ll still buy issue #2, though, because Stephen Strange is such a great character)

Grade: D

-DS Arsenault

 

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1 – Review

By Rick Remender (writer), Jefte Palo (pencils & inks), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors)

The Story: Jericho Drumm, the Houngan Supreme, and now Sorcerer Supreme, has to establish his street cred and get the big job done before a prophesied evil swallows the universe. First stop: Dormammu, and that’s just the prologue! Stephen Strange is there too, finishing up handing over the reins of power before heading off. Then, alone, Doctor Voodoo heads into the world himself, but is surprised by an old enemy and a new challenger for the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme.

What’s Good: The new conception of the Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Voodoo is not your dad’s Doctor Strange! He’s walking around with human skulls on his belt and shrunken heads dangling off the Staff of Legba. He’s in-your-face and daring, the Gunner of God and the Houngan Supreme. It is seriously cool. The Haitian angle brings a new feel and tone to the Marvel Universe’s top sorcerer. Remender hit all the right notes. At the same time, Voodoo’s got some cockiness issues. Strange lost the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme because he’d become complacent and stopped learning, but Voodoo is into some nasty magic that Strange wouldn’t touch. Anyone smell hubris?

Palo and Beaulieu deliver some beautiful art. I think that magic always gives an artist room to run with the ball and we get a new classical-Greek view of Dormammu’s domain, shrunken heads, the Scrying Stones of Chthon, gritty New Orleans and a defeated, shaken Strange. And the variant cover by Tan was awesome. I’ll give a no-prize to anyone who can tell me which classic cover and artist it’s based on!

What’s Not So Good: Having really learned the worlds of Doctor Strange in the surreal weirdness of Ditko, Brunner, Russell, and even Paul Smith, I found some of the dimensions and environments visited by Voodoo to be a little… restrained. Don’t get me wrong. The art was well done, but I’m not used to straight lines anywhere the Sorcerer Supreme walks. Palo’s extra dimensional designs have a regularity that seems like a lost opportunity compared to the psychological chaos that usually provides the backdrop to Marvel’s magical adventures. Even the brief view of Shuma-Gorath felt like Palo was holding back. I hope in the next couple of issues, Palo lets himself go nuts and to put whatever bizarre wackiness he can think of onto the page.

Conclusion: There are lots of challenges to writing and drawing the Sorcerer Supreme well. Marvel has hit on the right concept and launched a great new series. I expect a few growing pains, but this first issue caught the tone needed to make the Sorcerer Supreme work. Go out and get it.

Grade: B+

-DS Arsenault

New Avengers #54 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Billy Tan (pencils & inks), Batt Tan (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: The battle with Dormammu comes to its conclusion as Brother Voodoo makes use of his newfound power.

What’s Good: Brother Voodoo really is a very fun character and Bendis does a great job of playing up the dynamic Voodoo has with the spirit of his dead brother.  It’s good old-fashioned, schizophrenic fun with solid comedic legs. Speaking of comedy, Spider-Man was also on a roll this issue.  Pretty much everything that came out of his mouth made me laugh.  Son of Satan also continues to be a refreshing character as he continues his nonchalant attitude towards Dormammu

Most of this issue is spent on the actual action scenes between Dormammu and the Avengers.  Ultimately, though, the best moments of the book come at its end.  Loki’s appeal to the Hood is interesting to say the least and promises big things to come.  This is also definitely the case with respect to Clint’s last words in the book concerning what must be done with Norman.  Both scenes show great promise and left me itching to know what’s going to happen next.

Art-wise, there’s a whole lot of fire.  It’s all solid enough and the characters look good; basically, if you’re familiar with Tan’s work, you know what to expect.  The man most deserving of props is colorist Justin Ponsor who does a fantastic job with the all the flames and shadows.  Ponsor truly enhances Tan’s work and makes for an impressive Dormammu and a fairly pretty book overall.

What’s Not-So-Good: Unfortunately, while I do like Brother Voodoo as a character, towards the end of this issue, I really started to feel that the book was beginning to feel like too much of a shill for the upcoming “Dr.Voodoo” on-going.  From Son of Satan’s foreboding words of the upcoming challenges for Voodoo to Clint’s dubbing him “Dr. Voodoo” on video, it’s a little trying.

The biggest problem for this book though is definitely in Tan’s artwork.  When the majority of a book is spent on a giant action scene, it’s not good when there are several frames that are utterly confusing.  There were a few times where I just couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on during the fight.  There’s a particularly heinous pair of frames of Ms. Marvel on top of the demon that have me at a total loss.  Whether it’s due to Dormammu’s size/design or the flames, things just get a bit hard to discern.

Lastly, maybe I’m splitting hairs here, but Cap’s shield smacking Dormammu or, worse still, Mockingbird drop-kicking Dormammu just looks stupid, all the more so when I’m supposed to believe that Dormammu actually felt it.

Conclusion: A decent book with an interesting set of characters, but unfortunately the Avengers themselves play second fiddle.  An interesting ending can’t change the fact that this arc’s purpose was to sell a new series.

Grade: C+

-Alex Evans

New Avengers #53 (Dark Reign) – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Billy Tan (pencils), Matt Banning (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), and Albert Deschesne & Jimmy Betancourt (letters)

The Story: It’s the Hood vs Son of Satan as a new Sorcerer Supreme is crowned.

The Good: The definition of a solid New Avengers issue as Bendis does what he does best in his portrayal of the team.

The dialogue was definitely more a display of the Bendis we love than the Bendis we hate. Spider-Man’s conversation with Luke Cage regarding his wife’s high school crush on Parker had me in stitches. Furthermore, Son of Satan, a low tier Marvel character– if there ever was one, came across really well in this issue; if only because we finally got a character that was completely unimpressed and unsurprised by the demonically possessed Hood.  We’ve had comic after comic of characters reacting in horror and shock with respect to the Hood, speaking of him/Dormammu only in hushed whispers, so it was nice to finally have a character behave in completely opposite fashion.

In the little side parts during the battle with Madame Masque, “Bucky Cap,” as Spider-Man insists on calling him, sees some nice interactions as well, particularly with respect to use his of guns.  It’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek moment when Cap shows just how much easier things would be if the heroes just started using weapons. Bendis does a great job in showing how Cap’s use of firearms is something of a rift between he and his teammates, and in so doing, exposes Bucky’s unique place on the team.

However, it was not all character development. Tan’s artwork was allowed to really shine in what was a very action-packed issue.  With Son of Satan and Dormammu involved, you can bet on there being a ton of glorious explosions and firestorms– all the things to make Tan up to the challenge.  The result: the action sequences are well thought out and a joy to the eyes. In particular, I loved the Bendis/Tan’s creativity in the fight between Madame Masque and Spider-Woman, with the two squaring off as silhouettes enveloped in smoke clouds.

The Not-So-Good: I wasn’t particularly impressed with the identity of the new Sorcerer Supreme, especially considering a build-up that even saw Dr. Doom mentioned. It appears Bendis has decided to create and build a character by giving the crown to a less central figure as opposed to going with a story-arc fueling shocker. It wasn’t quite as impactful, but hopefully it’ll pay dividends in the long run.

Some may also miss Chris Bachalo’s presence on the art this month, particularly since he drew a very good Hood and lent the whole Sorcerer Supreme arc a distinctly eerie feel. While Bachalo’s art was wonderful, I have never been a huge fan of having more than one penciller on an issue, as I’ve always felt that it leads to a more disjointed comic.

Conclusion: A really solid New Avengers issue that truly succeeds as a “superhero team” comic, where every member of the team has their own unique moment and gets their own time to shine, even despite Son of Satan’s highly entertaining presence.  This is the most enjoyable New Avengers issue since #49.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

New Avengers #52 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Billy Tan, Matt Banning, and Justin Ponsor & Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, and Antonio Fabela (Art Teams)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: New Avengers #51 actually managed to get me interested in the situation surrounding the title of Sorcerer Supreme. I never thought that to be possible. Now it’s time to find out whether Brian Michael Bendis and his art teams can manage to hold that interest.

The Story: Dr. Strange goes to the New Avengers team in order to find some relief following his face off with The Hood. The team offers to help Strange with his search for the Sorcerer Supreme and soon the group is off to New Orleans. Meanwhile, The Hood tries to maintain his grip on reality as he fights to keep control of his power…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The highlight of the latest issue of New Avengers is Chris Bachalo’s handling of the scenes featuring The Hood. Action-packed at the start and downright creepy later on, they are almost worth the cover price alone. In fact, I would go as far as to say that they end up carrying nearly all of the weight in an issue that turns out to be fairly lackluster half of the time.

While Brian Michael Bendis does a good job handling the witty, story-related dialogue and Billy Tan puts forth some decent visuals, everything feels rather dull when The Hood isn’t around. Superheroes sitting around exchanging banter and nailing out plot points just isn’t all that compelling when compared to the explosive opening scene or the disturbing breakdown that comes later in the issue. Things do pick up toward the end though, so consider me still hooked on the whole Sorcerer Supreme thing.

Conclusion: I wish I could say more, but not a whole lot really happens in New Avengers #52. It definitely has some great moments, but as a whole it feels like a series of starts and stops. As a result, it is frustratingly inconsistent.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

New Avengers #51 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Billy Tan, Matt Banning, Justin Ponsor, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, and Antonio Fabela (Artists)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Under normal circumstances, I would use up this spot to give my thoughts on where my opinion stands regarding whatever series/work/event I am about to dive back into or, in some cases, dive into for the first time. However, these are not exactly normal circumstances considering that this is the first review I have posted since taking a break from the site in order to deal with a number of medial issues. As such, I feel that this space is best used to say that it feels great to be back and I look forward to picking up where I left off by informing, entertaining, and interacting with the great Weekly Comic Book Review community as much as I possibly can. So, with that said, it is now time to get down to business. And remember! Questions, comments, concerns, and debate topics are always welcome.

The Story: Since Dr. Strange is no longer the Sorcerer Supreme (after a spell dealing in the dark arts), that means someone else is. Or someone will be soon enough… Strange knows this, as does The Hood (among others). Who will find, or do what’s necessary to become the new Sorcerer Supreme? That is the question that dominates most of The New Avengers #51. As for the rest, since a new team means a new leader, the Avengers gather up for an old-fashioned meeting to try to straighten out the new hierarchy.

What’s Good: I’ve got to say that the latest New Avengers surprised the hell out of me. And it’s not because of some shocking twist, or an earth-shattering revelation, or a stunning image.  Nope. It’s simply because the creative team behind New Avengers #51 actually managed to make me give a damn about the situation surrounding the question of who is/ will be the new Sorcerer Supreme. Chris Bachalo’s stylish visuals coupled with Brian Michael Bendis’ compelling dialogue made me glad I picked up the first New Avengers I had considered skipping in quite some time.

As for the non-Sorcerer Supreme related stuff in the issue, your enjoyment will depend a lot on what you think of Bendis’ flair for team banter and Billy Tan’s handling of the more casual moments of superhero life. It worked well enough for me and did little to detract from my overall impression of the issue. In fact, I found the dialogue to be rather humorous and I wouldn’t be surprised if you did too.

What’s Not So Good: (Slight spoiler warning!) I wish I knew more about the Young Avengers prior to reading the issue because I had absolutely no idea who Dr. Strange was talking to until pausing to hit up the interweb to look for some answers. As it turns out, Billy is a Young Avenger named Wiccan (cue the “the more you know” jingle). Anyways, besides Bendis’ assumption that I would know the Young Avengers on a first name basis, my only complaint about the issue mostly has to do with my general distaste for comic books that feature more than one art team. While both teams did a nice job, the shift back and forth between visual styles was a bit jarring.

Conclusion: There is a lot I liked about the latest issue of The New Avengers. Chris Bachalo’s art was impressive, Billy Tan continued to show improvement, and Brian Michael Bendis made the beginning of the search for a new Sorcerer Supreme quite compelling. While I’m sure some will be a bit irked by the team meeting (or the art team changes), the good stuff ultimately outweighed the bad by a large margin.

Grade:  B

-Kyle Posluszny