Superior Spider-Man #13 – Review

Dan Slott, Christos Gage (Writers), Giuseppe Camuncoli, John Dell, Terry Pallot (Artists), Antonio Fabela (Colorist)

The Story: Spider-Ock deals with the Spider-Slayer once and for all as the chaos at the Raft ends.

The Review: It can be hard to have a fitting and decent conclusion to any arc, however long it may be. Most of what is written, be it the action, the conversation, the exposition and so on usually leads to a finale that leads to the next arc or set up something else for the title in question, which is per course for pretty much every superhero books published nowadays. As we have seen Spider-Ock fight a big crisis at the Raft caused by the Spider-Slayer, many other elements went into the situation, as we are now in the very end of the whole deal. Does Slott and Gage manage to give us something exciting in the process of closing that chapter, however?

In many ways, they do succeed admirably in making the most of what Slott had set up in his early run with Peter Parker and with the new character that is Otto. The action is still pretty good, the character work that is to be found here is entertaining and solid and we do get some big surprises along the way. Both writers do a lot of good there, despite some minor fumbles here and there.

One of the most preeminent piece of the story is the action, as we get to see Otto trying to accomplish what he had promised in the previous issue: kill Alistair Smythe, the Spider-Slayer. The confrontation between these two, taking places two times in this issue, reads very well as it is, after all, a villain fight. As Alistair tries to play the nobility and heroism that was more akin to Peter Parker, it is always fun to see just how Otto differentiates from what was previously established. The fight between those two is brutal in some ways and it does show some surprising twist in the second and final encounter between the two. There’s also some other action scenes featuring some of the other characters, like the Lizard, which are actually pretty fun to read too, as the writers uses this character that had been teased during the whole arc. In short, the action is fun and it does play up to may things introduced before in smart ways.

Superior Spider-Man #12 – Review

By: Dan Slott, Christos Gage (Writers), Giuseppe Camuncoli, John Dell, Terry Pallot (Artists), Antonio Fabela (Colorist)

The Story: Spider-Ock deals with Alistair Smythe and his goonies inside the Raft as things get rather chaotic.

The Review: If there’s something that a superhero fan needs to face sometime, it’s the fact that a lot of those capes and tight comics are build on a very specific thing: action. Now, many might argue, with legitimacy might I add, that the superhero genre has evolved in the many years of its existence, yet a lot of them are based on the infallible principle that those men in costumes fight evil or crime or whichever cause they see as wrong in violent ways, much to our delight.

We see here the second issue of a three-parter dealing with Otto fighting people he had put in the Raft, a prison for super-humans, enhanced criminals and the likes. As he fights Alistair Smythe, he also has to contend with Scorpion, Vulture and Boomerang, three super-villains that he has beaten quite violently in the early issues of Superior Spider-Man. The issue is mostly fighting, as Slott and Gage moves several other pieces on the board for the conclusion as they try to give us a story that both encompass plot points from Amazing Spider-Man and Superior Spider-Man.

New Avengers #13 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato & Howard Chaykin (artists), Rain Beredo & Edgar Delgado (colorists), and Joe Caramagna (letterer)

The Story: “Captain, my captain.  Well done, Miss Hand.”

The Review:  New Avengers #13 is a frustrating issue.  Thankfully, it’s frustrating because it’s a good issue, but it’s good in an irritating way that leaves you wondering why the hell Bendis waited this long to pull things together in an arc that has been a complete and utter mess thus far.

The two biggest problems of the arc are solved this month.  Firstly, the much more interesting, and relevant, Mike Deodato illustrated modern day portion takes up most of the issue.  The result is a much more cohesive, and coherent, experience that is much easier to enjoy.

Then there’s the fact that finally, finally, Bendis pulls together the past and the present-day plots, at long last showing how the two relate to one another.  Thankfully, the link isn’t forced or artificial and it is meaningful.  Hell, the brief back-and-forth between the Chaykin and Deodato portions actually works well for once, making the relationship between the two stories seem tight and secretive and when it all comes together, and Nick Fury shows up in the present, it feels like a real bleed-over, and a badassed one at that.  Of course, all of this did also serve to irritate me again about why Bendis took so long to get this formula right, but I can only judge this issue on its own merits.

The issue also makes solid use of Victoria Hand.  Bendis keeps her allegiance clouded in doubt and mystery for most of the issue and there are a couple of real fake-outs.  Cleverly, Bendis never actually has Victoria on panel either; she’s just a disembodied voice from the other end of a phone-line.  It makes her motives all the more murky, all of it leading to a super-slick ending.

Herc #3 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Neil Edwards (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker), Jesus Aburtov (colorist)

The Story: None of you guys are holding, right?  She’ll get seriously mad if you’re holding.

The Review: Sometimes crossover events can really hijack a title, forcing the storyline into a direction it never had any intention of following, or at least one that doesn’t suit the title’s tone or interests (e.g., Brightest Day and Birds of Prey).  Other times, the crossover can be so superfluous, it makes you wonder why they even bother to drag the title into it in the first place.

Anyone who’s worried having the Fear Itself brand stamped onto this issue means distracting spillover for a fledgling title that’s barely got its own story going yet, have no fear.  The one direct connection to Marvel’s summer Big Thing involves a breakout on the Raft (of less scale than the one that launched The New Avengers).  Other than that, the issue’s left to its own devices—evidence of the often pointlessly invasive nature of these big events, I suppose.

Pak-Van Lente continue building on the complications from previous issues; though the plight of Hercules’ followers remains a foreboding mystery, Kingpin’s foretelling about Herc’s newfound public support plays out to a tee.  His popularity quickly builds to a fever pitch, which he handles with characteristic breeziness (“Snuffles will taste my steel.  Next!”) despite the predictably selfish concerns he faces (“First, you gotta get the socialists.”).

Fear Itself #2 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The Worthy are chosen and the world breaks into chaos.

The Review:  You know, it bodes well for an event when the second issue builds upon the first and is, in fact, possibly even better.  It’s all too common for series to have a slam-bang first issue, only to follow it up with water-treading and a loss of direction.  That’s not the case here.  In fact, Fraction’s focus is even tighter this time out and what we get is things getting taken up a level.  Events are bigger, the comic gets a little louder, and the tension gets higher.  Shit hits the fan this month more than the last, while promising even more in the issues to come.  In other words, it’s great pacing all around.

Also, Fraction takes what could be a boring issue structure (focusing on each character as he/she picks up a hammer and is transformed) and uses it to his advantage; jumping from Worthy to Worthy allows Fraction to emphasize the global impact of this event, making the story feel far more expansive.  This is paired with a truly excellent use of textboxes, which carry little snatches of panicked newscasts.  It leads to a sense of desperation and pandemonium, enhanced by the fact that we’re only getting fragments of broadcasts and not anything comprehensive.  Hence, a sense of chaos is created, helping to legitimize the threat of the Serpent and the Worthy.

In focusing on the Worthy, outside of the opening scene in Asgard (probably the only mediocre portion of the issue), Fraction makes the Avengers and the superheroes in general nothing more than a background presence.  Hence, when he has the newscasts, the world, crying out for the Avengers, or Steve Rogers calling for his comrades to no avail, it feels all the  more powerful.  The superhero community, reduced to such a minor presence amidst Fraction’s chaos of globetrotting and panicked fragmented newscasts, seems suddenly impotent.

Captain America #608 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Butch Guice (pencils), Rick Magyar & Mark Pennington (inks), Dean White, Elizabeth Dismang, & Frank Martin (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Cap and Black Widow battle the Beetle as they struggle to discover the identity of their mysterious foe.

What’s Good: Thus far, I’ve very much liked Brubaker’s use of Baron Zemo, understated though it may be.  Never has this been more the case than this month, where Zemo is truly a palpable presence despite only being actually being visible for one page.  Rather than being shown as a direct participant, Zemo instead feels like an all-encompassing shadow, surrounding Cap’s world, the plot, and the general events of this month.  People talk about him in hushed tones and threats while his long reach is demonstrated.  In this sense, he feels all the more powerful and menacing as a villain; he’s the unseen enemy, and as a result, he feels much larger and much more powerful.  Through creating this atmosphere, Brubaker has managed to make Bucky’s predicament much more real and comprehensible to the reader.

Shadowland #1 – Review

by Andy Diggle (writer), Billy Tan (pencils), Batt (inks), Christina Strain & Guru EFX (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Bullseye takes on a newer, nastier Daredevil while the Avengers grow increasingly concerned about that weird castle in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen.

What’s Good: As the first issue of an event, one could look at this issue as being a series of great choices by Diggle.  First and foremost is that it isn’t overburdened by a plethora of characters.  It certainly still feels like a Daredevil book, but has the Avengers, Luke Cage and Iron Fist in particular, be just enough or a presence to make things feel different and a little bit bigger.

Then there’s the central role that Bullseye has in this first issue.  I can’t think of a better way of showing how much Matt has changed than having him fight the guy he’s fought a million times.  It’s a wonderful choice by Diggle, who also writes a really great, crazy Bullseye.  It’s clear the dynamic has shifted when readers immediately get the feeling that Bullseye has insanely bitten off more than he can chew by challenging Daredevil.  It’s also quite the turn to see the “hero” be accompanied by a horde of faceless goons, ganging up on the lone villain.  This, of course, was no doubt what Diggle was going for.

That’s really the strongest point of this issue; there’s no doubt, during this issue and particularly at its end, that the Daredevil of Shadowland is a very, very different Daredevil.  He’s mean, he’s isolationist, and he’s darker than ever.  This, of course, is tied into another great choice by Diggle: debuting the new outfit this month, which looks absolutely fantastic and is a great representation of Matt’s shift in mentality.

But really, the best choices Diggle makes in this issue are related to pacing.  There’s no question that he hits the ground running, but we’re also not overwhelmed by breakneck plot progression and chaotic happenstance.  The plot is simple and straightforward, but filled with great action and status quo defining moments.

Then there’s the last page.  Whoa.  It’s the sort of cliffhanger that you suspect is coming, but can’t actually believe Diggle went for until you flip the page.  Just whoa.  It’s a major character death that gets Shadowland off to an explosive start while hammering home that this is a whole new DD.

I was also very much surprised by Billy Tan’s artwork, which was really solid stuff.  I thought his work was ill-suited to Daredevil after his work on the List one-shot, but this definitely worked.  His style is detailed, but seems a little grittier and Ron Garney-esque.  Strain’s work on colours also helps a lot, as she goes for darker hues with lots of reds and dark blues.

New Avengers #42 (Secret Invasion) – Review

Brian Michael Bendis, (Writer) Jim Cheung, (Pencils), John Dell, (Inks) and Justin Ponsor (Color Art)

With each Avengers comic that comes out, whether it be of the Mighty or New variety, Brian Bendis is a bit closer to fulfilling the promise that all of this Secret Invasion stuff was planned years in advance. I will admit to being skeptical about this grand plan, but so far the payoff for being a loyal reader has been extremely satisfying.

With New Avengers #42, Bendis takes us back to the moment Jessica Drew was replaced by the Skrull queen, Veranke. It goes without saying that more pieces of the bigger puzzle fall into place and those that have been around since New Avengers #1 will find a lot to chew on. For those of you that are fairly new to the Marvel Universe and unfamiliar with the larger scheme of things, I suggest doing some research on both the history of the New Avengers and the events of M-Day as both are key to the story of the Skrully Spider-Woman. While this is an interesting story in its own right, it must be noted that it works best when put into the context of the Secret Invasion. Those looking for something stand alone would be better off looking elsewhere. This is a tie-in story through and through.

The writing by Bendis is spot on in that he answers questions while creating new ones at the same time. It must be noted that a portion of this story really is reused material from old New Avengers issues, but it is hard to fault him for that when it is necessary in order to tell the story. One thing that is very interesting to me is that this issue suggests that there has been Skrull influence through most of the major events of the past few years and, to be honest, it seems like a pretty gutsy move by Bendis. It’s almost as if he’s making more work for himself and I question whether or not he will be able to pull all of this off in a satisfying way. So far so good, but a lot of blanks still need to be filled in as his plot continues to thicken.

The art in this issue is extremely impressive and actually adds to the story being told. The team handles the major Skrull sequences in a way that elevates the entire issue. The transformation sequence the Skrull queen undergoes is somewhat disturbing and the artwork really is in charge of explaining the process. Also, the shadowy meetings of the Skrull agents are put together like a conspiracy theorists dream scenario. This really is good stuff all around, especially the scenes showing the chaos at The Raft from the first New Avengers arc and the imprinting of Spider-Woman’s memories during her transformation. If I have any complaint at all it is that Spider-Woman seems either a bit fat in the face or too square jawed, but that is just a minor quibble.  Also, just an observation, but some of the Skrull agents seen in the meeting scenes look an awful lot like characters that have yet to be revealed, but it’s hard to tell if that was intentional.

I really enjoyed New Avengers #42, but know I would have been a bit lost had I not caught up with the series when I started really investing in the Marvel Universe. This is a good story, but it’s really only a piece of a larger puzzle, so be aware you aren’t getting a complete story with this issue. If there’s any downside, it’s that Bendis expects the reader to do some homework to truly appreciate his story. If you are as hooked on the Secret Invasion as I am, consider this a must read, but make sure to do your homework first. (Grade: B+)

-Kyle Posluszny