Avengers: The Initiative #18 (Secret Invasion) – Review

By Dan Slott & Christos N. Gage (Writers), Steve Kurth (Pencils), Drew Hennessey (Inks), and Matt Milla (Colors)

The Story: The Skrull Kill Krew continues to go state-by-state eliminating all the Skrulls that have infiltrated the Initiative program. Meanwhile, Ant-Man continues to spy on a group of Skrulls as he tries to figure out some way to get the information he has learned into the right hands.

What’s Good: As always, it is a blast watching the creative team on this series play in the Marvel sandbox that is the Initiative program. The Skrull Kill Krew storyline provides the perfect opportunity to feature a variety of characters, provide some interesting reveals, and show loads of classic superhero action. Simply put, this is a fun book that makes the most of the Secret Invasion framework.

What’s Not So Good: Although most of the artwork is well-done in this book, it lacks the kinetic energy and vibrant colors that this story is known for. While not exactly deal breakers, the visual hiccups (like weird facial expressions) and muted colors keep this one from being all that it can be.

Conclusion: Avengers: The Initiative is at its best as a series when the creators truly embrace the concept of the Initiative program. That is exactly what is happening in the Secret Invasion issues and I really couldn’t be much happier with the result. Visual complaints aside, this is one of the best Invasion tie-ins on the stands.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

The Order #10 – Review

By Matt Fraction (writer), Barry Kitson (breakdowns), Javier Saltares (pencils), Scott Hanna, Victor Olazaba & Nelson (inks), J. Roberts & Will Quintana (colors)

I’m a fan of The Order. Really, I am! But this last issue felt like a chore. Barry Kitson, the artist who made this book such a joy, had all but abandoned this book a few issues back. Sure he’s on breakdowns, but seriously, it means nothing to me. The finished art isn’t very good and there are times where it’s downright ugly thanks to lots of over coloring. How many people does it take to make a comic book? Eight, apparently. And because this book has so many people on it, it lacks any cohesion. It’s a Frankenstein of a book and it’s not pretty.

Matt Fraction isn’t getting off light, either. It’s like once he found out the book was getting canceled he (like Kitson) committed to finishing the run, but it’s obvious that his heart was no longer into it. The pacing is off-beat, the attempts at being clever are anything but, and the monologues are overbearing. Perhaps the only saving grace is the last third of this book which concludes a chapter of a member’s life and presses the reset button on the team.

What I found more interesting is where things go from here. Yes, this is the last issue, but the team will live on and I’ve got a hunch they’ll be showing up in Fraction’s upcoming Iron Man series. Speaking of Iron Man, Fraction has done a nice job sneaking old shell head into this storyline. In many ways, this last issue acts as a bridge to the aforementioned Iron Man series. The effects of what Ezekiel Stane has done (and promised) will undoubtedly echo throughout that series in the future. But honestly, I hope we never see him again. He’s one of the most annoying villains ever. On the flip side, the return of Pepper Potts into the Iron Man universe will surely make many old readers happy. But as for this series, I was initially sad to hear of its cancellation. But given the stories of the past two issues, I’m glad it’s over and we can all move on. (Grade: D+)

– J. Montes

The Order #9 – Review

By Matt Fraction (writer), Barry Kitson (breakdowns), Javier Salteres (pencils), Stefano Gaudiano & Derek Fridolfs (inks), J. Robers (colors)

The last few issues have been building towards this fight. With one issue to go, it’s The Order versus a plethora of bad guys, lead by Ezekiel Stane (son of Obadiah Stane). What he has in store for our band of west coast heroes ain’t pretty, either. As usual, the beginning of each issue focuses on one of The Order’s team members. This issue gives us Heavy’s backstory, which Matt Fraction writes as a tragic one. It’s also clever how he connects Heavy and Tony Stark’s origins together.

As for the big fight itself, it felt obligatory (honestly, there was no way to avoid it), and just wasn’t very exciting. Even the planning that lead up to it felt “by the numbers”. I realize this issue’s Heavy’s story, but putting him in charge of the team for this mission didn’t seem to make much of a tactical difference. He mentions strength in numbers, and they take an “alternate” route the to bad guy’s base, but other than that, we don’t see any of his battlefield prowess at all.

Remember when Barry Kitson actually drew this book? Me too. It’s a complete bummer we’re at the next to last issue of the series and Kitson’s finished pencils are still sorely missed. Sure, he does the layouts and Javier Saltares does a competent job on finishes, but this is Kitson’s book as far as I’m concerned. Not seeing him ride this book into the sunset is just disheartening. I hate to say it, but this is the first issue of The Order I’ve been disappointed with. The story finishes strong with a sad moment for the team, but everything that happens prior to that is a yawn fest. Please guys, don’t let this book go to the crapper with your last issue. (Grade: C-)

– J. Montes

The Order #8 – Review

By Matt Fraction (writer), Barry Kitson (breakdowns & finishes), Stegano Guadiano, Paul Neary & Jon Sibal (finishes), J. Roberts (colors)

The Order’s left with three issues to go and Matt Fraction is wasting no time tying up loose ends. One again, the story is well written and full of wit. Barry Kitson and company also do a bang up job on art chores. With all these people working on art, you’d think it’d be a mess, but it’s surprisingly consistent. Still, I wonder why it’s becoming harder and harder for Kitson to finish a full issue.

We’re finally shown the outcome of Supernaut and Aralune’s predicament after two issues of suspense. How it’s handled is pretty inventive, but the real kicker is the mastermind behind their attempted apprehension. This revelation gives a lot more relevance to Iron Man’s presence in the book. I’m sure this is all going to build up to issue #10 (just in time for Iron Man’s movie debut), but it’s definitely worth looking forward to.

Meanwhile, Mulholland’s incarceration by the Black Dahlias takes somewhat of a backseat even though it’s prominently featured on the cover.  In fact, the cover is somewhat misleading – The Order does not come to rescue her at all! Perhaps last minute script changes are to blame. Either way, the scenes we’re given of her are shocking (no pun intended), especially near the end of the issue. There is an absence of certain members of the ensemble, but it, in no way, detracts from the story.

It’s gonna be sad seeing this book go. Other than the Runaways, Marvel has no west coast team books and that’s a shame. When you consider the quality of this book, there’s not too many others that have a roster this fleshed out or this likable. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

Casanova – Book One: Luxuria (Trade Paperback) – Review

By Matt Fraction (writer), Gabriel Ba (art)

This book’s a strange one. It’s seven issues of self-contained stories that deal with this crazy spy / secret agent, Casanova Quinn, who works for his father’s organization (sort of), while also being blackmailed (by the bad guys) to work against his dad. If that wasn’t enough, his sister’s crazy and works for the bad guys, too. AND if that wasn’t enough, Casanova’s been yanked out of his original reality and put in a parallel universe (but he’s still working for said organizations and people).

Matt Fraction, who seems so grounded on books like The Order and Iron Fist lets loose and just goes crazy in this book. Like I said, this book’s strange. The plot of each story is simple, yet the dialogue, characters, and situations are sometimes convoluted and completely cerebral. I’ll admit, I have a love / hate relationship with this series. I think some of it might be due to the monochromatic coloring of the book. Some places or characters look too similar at times, or maybe it’s Gabriel Ba’s artwork. I really don’t know what it is, but there are times when it feels like a jumbled mess, yet upon closer inspection, it makes complete sense!

And those plots? They’re genius! Casanova stealing “God”? Priceless. A bunch of savage-minded natives living on remote island knowing more about quantum mechanics than the rest of the human race? Hilarious!

There’s a lot to love about Casanova, but sometimes you’ll be back-tracking through the story trying to figure out if you missed something. It has its head scratching moments, but maybe it’s because Matt Fraction’s just more smarter than the rest of us. (Grade: B+)

– J. Montes

The Order #7 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (Writer), Barry Kitson (Pencils)

If you’re not reading The Order, pick it up now! You’ve only got three issues left before it’s canceled. Now why would you want to start buying a doomed series? Because it’s still one of the best reads on the market.

Boy, can Barry Kitson draw! The first two pages of The Order #7 show plainly how talented this guy is. It’s not only superb storytelling, but it’s also a hell of a lot of art to gawk at. And like I said, it’s only the first two pages!

Namor’s got a wall of water towering above San Francisco and he could, at any moment, thrust it upon the city. Anthem, in the meantime, tries to convince Namor to spare the city from destruction. The panic that sets in San Francisco is grim reminder of what could happen when calamity sets in.

The interview Anthem has with Namor is pure entertainment. Namor has always been an ass, and you can tell he’s toying with Anthem the whole time. And yet, behind his self-righteousness and arrogance lies a lot of truth. Matt Fraction nails Namor down perfectly while giving readers a nice run-through on his storied past. How Anthem handles Namor at the end is just hilarious!

Matt Fraction and Barry Kitson are pure magic together. Breaking them up is a crime. After reading The Ultimates 3 #2, this book solidifies more contempt towards the decision making at Marvel Comics. How Marvel can cancel a series like this after issue #10 – a title which offers more realism and better storytelling than the Ultimates 3 ever could, is a mystery to me. (Grade: A+)

-J. Montes