Original Sin #1 – Review

by Jason Aaron (Writer), Mike Deodato (Penciler), Frank Martin (Color Artist).

The Story: Nick Fury comes out of retirement to solve the case of the Watcher’s murder.

The Review: Opening issues to event stories always seem quite difficult to pull off, there is always a hefty amount of set up to achieve and pieces put into play whilst still telling an entertaining story on a larger than normal canvas. Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato manage to achieve all of this and more in the first issue of Original Sin which has been marketed as a cosmic murder mystery, the issue feels very different to either the politics of Civil War or the paranoia of Secret Invasion which helps make the event feel fresh.

The writing in this issue feels a lot more character focused than in a lot of event books, with Nick Fury taking something of a starring role, cast as the ‘retired and tired gumshoe being dragged back for the case of the century’. The diner sequence in this issue is a great way to introduce readers to our protagonist as Nick Fury along with other old soldiers of the Marvel Universe attend their regular ‘meat night’. It’s a great way to show how the history between these characters continues to inform their interactions in the present and feels like a very natural conversation between a very natural grouping of characters.

The opening sequence is also incredibly cinematic, ably rendered by Mike Deodato who could not be more of a perfect fit for this Noir murder mystery tale, the book is appropriately dark and shadowy which helps to really sell the tone and mystery of the story. Deodato frames certain panels with such a striking use of shadow that it can’t help but leave an impression upon the reader; the panel revealing Stephen Strange and also the panel showing the Mindless Ones writing in a warehouse immediately come to mind as some of the best examples of the artist’s use of dramatic lighting to great effect in the issue.

Aside from the mystery of the Watcher’s killer there are multiple other mysteries at play in the issue, the most obvious is Fury’s investigation of ‘the unseen’, its unknown at this point who or what exactly the unseen is but this issue succeeds in building mystery and suspense around the answer. The second mystery at play is somewhat more subtle, on first reading it appears that Fury himself is responsible for recruiting the investigation team consisting of some delightfully oddball groupings, however the way the characters refer to their boss is curiously vague. The only time we see the person directing the teams efforts on panel he is of course draped in shadow, also he is shown to be holding a glowing green object much like the growing shrapnel that is later retrieved from the Watcher’s skull. At this point it’s too early to tell if it’s Fury, someone else or a red herring but it’s a very enjoyable feeling knowing that the creators are confident in the mystery of their story enough to play with the readers, even in the first issue.

FF #16 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred (Writers), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: Scott Lang gives a good speech, along with a beating, to Doom in order to remind him how much he sucks. After that, it’s BBQ time!

The Review: It’s always hard to see something beloved go. Many series never get the chance to reach the ending their designated writers and artists have in mind for them, which is always a sad thing to see. Winter Soldier, Dial H, Journey Into Mystery and countless others have received the short end of the stick in this matter, which makes it always a bit infuriating for those who were eager to support them.

However, there are also the rare book that naturally end, with the story simply concluding for actual reasons instead of sales or unpopularity. While it is equally sad to see those go as well, there’s always a certain feeling of satisfaction at seeing something reach the ending the creators had in mind. This is the case of such works like Uncanny X-Force and now FF, with the kooky adventures of the teachers and students of the future foundation finally reaching the point where their journey went full circle. However, while it it’s all nice and good that this series end on its own merit, is the conclusion actually satisfactory?

There could have been some missteps, but in a positively surprising manner, this story hits close to all the notes in a way that manage to give readers and fans most of everything they could have hoped for and perhaps a little more. With the story divided in two segments, there is a clear disparity in the tones of each scenes, yet it all adds up to the general themes of the book in a way that feels not only natural, but earned.

Uncanny Avengers #15 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Steve McNiven, John Dell, Dexter Vines, Jay Leisten (Artists), Laura Martin (Colorist)

The Story: As Wasp fights the revived Sentry, the plan of the Apocalypse twins takes a rather sinister turn.

The Review: With the way the previous issue went down, I suppose it’s fair to assume that Rick Remender is not kidding around with this storyline. While I did enjoy this series in a general way, there was always something holding it back a bit. Either it was too much buildup for not enough payoff or the fact that the cast was so divided it provided for too many subplots at the same time, the book had its problems. However, with the arrival of Steve McNiven and the rather explosive last issue, does Remender actually succeed in upping the ante for this title?

It finally seems that yes, Remender actually did end up giving the gravitas and the high energy this title needed in some of its previous issues. Due to many elements handled very well, he is able to give the fans that were following the book quite a lot of great moments as he continues to make the conflict bigger with each issues.

Where he goes right, in a way, is in how he switch the focus on other characters instead of those that were in the conflict where those who died were situated. Putting Captain America, Wasp and Thor on the spotlight, he is able to not only rotate the focus a bit more on some characters that did not receive that much focus to begin with, but get in their head as well. We get to know how Captain America perceives this team and how he thinks he failed them, how Wasp sees her super heroic side and how some characters reacts to some unseemly news. It seems a bit of a waste to put characters like Sunfire, Havok and Wolverine on the side, yet he does quite a lot with this trio of characters in order to advance his plot.

Deadpool #20 – Review

by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Scott Koblish (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: As it turns out, Deadpool went on some very trippy adventures in the 60’s.

The Review: I have a big affection for what some might call the Marvel age of comics, better known as the 60’s. Titles like the old Fantastic Four from Lee and Kirby, or Amazing Spider-Man by Lee and Ditko were full of imagination, with a certain detail for fun that isn’t always present in every comics on the stand. A lot of what we currently enjoy in the Marvel universe comes from these times, which makes them something to be enjoyed.

However, while I do enjoy them tremendously, I can still see a lot of what is wrong with them when being more analytic with modern eyes. A lot of their stories are set in a cold war mindset that pits evil communists as foes, most of the women characters are either useless or damsels to be saved, logic is usually pretty optional. Most of them are rather silly when looked upon.* This, of course, make them rather ripe when it comes to satire, with so many things to make fun of that perhaps a whole mini-series could be dedicated to the subject.

This, of course, is exactly why this issue is, on a basic level, utterly disappointing as both Duggan and Posehn simply don’t seem to understand a lot of the potential for comedy here. A Jack Kirby inspired issue of Deadpool could very well be something beautiful, like an homage and a parody at the same time that could hit all the right notes. However, this issue has but too many flaws to actually be entertaining.

FF #14 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred (Writers), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: Both sides of the imminent battle prepares as both Dr. Doom and the Future Foundation gets their stuff and strategies together.

The Review: Cohesion is not something to be underestimated or dismissed in terms of importance. Sure, every readers desire a certain amount of memorable scenes, great lines and solid action, but not everyone thinks about their context and how important it is that every scenes follow each other in a natural manner. We may get fan-favourites characters or some of the best concepts ever put on paper, there needs to be a setting in which they can grow naturally to perfection before being unleashed for the readers enjoyment.

This issue, in a way, shows a certain lack in that regard as while the crazy antics and the rather fun mix of serious and comical matters are still very much present, not all of the scenes leads up to another really well.

It’s a bit of shame, as a lot of the very best elements that makes this series enjoyable are present, with the children’s antics, the willingness to mock some of the elements of its premise and the use of the odder ideas of the Marvel universe. The council of Dooms, the search for various robotic replicas, the Watcher and his girlfriend, Dakor the magician along other such ideas are used rather well in this issue, with a certain degree of importance, yet levity given to them.

FF #13 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred (Writers), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: The Future Foundation lands on the blue area of the moon as they play and discuss about past and future events to come.

The Review: This will come off as a rather silly question, but do you prefer fun over drama in your comics? Would you rather have the characters play around with fun concepts and have adventures rather than simply press along with their ongoing storylines, vying for drama and further complication in an endless way?

If you answered yes to these questions, then FFis exactly the kind of comic you might be looking for, as the characters and the story seems to gravitate more toward a certain sense of optimism combined with pure entertainment. It is a joy to read if you are looking for something that isn’t afraid to be silly and to simply point out some of the more out-there elements of the Marvel universe.

A lot of this general vibe come from the kid characters, who let their general enjoyment of things and their sense of adventure permeate the story. Their sense of innocence combined with their playfulness makes their exploration and reactions to what they see on the blue area of the moon fun to see, with the Moloid kids messing around with the apes following the Red Ghost lost in the time mist, or Adolf walking with Luna while holding hands. The kids aren’t the only focus in this issue, yet their scenes are still as delightful as ever.

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.

Fear Itself #1 – Review

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

The Story: Sin awakens an ancient power, Odin is happy about Thor and Tony’s plan to rebuild Asgard on Earth, and the Avengers try to find their place in a disillusioned and divided America.

The Review: In judging a comic book event, I often find myself seeking the balance between status quo and actual narrative.  What I mean by this is that weaker, or downright crappy, events often feel less like an actual story, and means to move the Marvel or DC Universe from point A to point B.

At the very least, Fear Itself #1 promises an event that avoids this pitfall.  It certainly isn’t a mere vehicle for simple status quo change;  Fear Itself presents itself as pure story, one that’s big and with a large cast, certainly, but a story nonetheless, not a mere marketing ploy or editorial shuffle, which makes it feel honest and more engaging.  Furthermore, in keeping it to one clear, concise story avoids the chaos that can result from such a large cast and setting.

Beyond that, there’s a definite sense of relevance to this comic.  It truly feels like a comic event that could only be written in 2010-2011.  In factoring current events and the climate of America into the comic, Fraction puts the “sort of real world” element of the Marvel Universe to good use, while also making a comic that feel a bit more real and important despite hammer wielding gods.  But this also reflects the other way around; much as Fraction uses superheroes to reflect on the social climate of our world, he also does the opposite as well.  There’s a sense of powerlessness in Fraction’s portrayal of the Avengers, faced with enemies like social issues, recession, and political tension, things that superheroes aren’t necessarily built for and certainly can’t be combated like a Dr. Doom or Galactus.  It’s a nice reflection on the nature, and limitations, of superheroes that make the story feel special.  They’re faced with things that they understand, but can’t really do much about, and end up left to wonder at the nature of their place in America.

With all of this in mind, Fraction tells a simple superhero comic book story that has both heart and sincerity.  That carries through to his writing of the actual plot as well; the tension and animosity between Thor and Odin is both violent and real.  It’s the sort of thing I wish we’d seen in his last couple of issues of Thor, solid character-work that it is.  The divide between the two has never been clearer, and Fraction does particularly good work on the rueful, frustrated, and hopeless Odin.

Avengers #11 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Dean White (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The Avengers and the Illuminati raise to secure the rest of the Infinity Gems before the Hood does.

The Review: It’s always something of a treat to see a creator take a big creative risk on a major, mainstream flagship title, and that’s exactly what Brian Bendis does this month.  The entire issue is narrated, heavily, but Uatu the Watcher, with little actual dialogue, by Bendis standards anyway.

When I first realized that this would be the case, I’ll admit that I wasn’t enthused at the prospect of reading a comic with that many words on the page.  Admittedly, it does get a bit exposition-heavy and Uatu’s plot recap early on isn’t the most thrilling, but rest assured, it grows on you.  Over time, Uatu’s narration lends scope and importance to this story.  It makes Bendis’ narrative feel as huge, epic, and vital as it should be.  I mean, they’re battling over the Infinity Gems for crap’s sake!  Amidst all the punching, it’s often easy to forget just how great the stakes are, but Uatu’s solemn role in the comic brings the focus heavily onto that.  His narration also manages to add layers and nuance, essentially going out of his way to tell you exactly why all of this is very, very dangerous.

That’s not to say that there isn’t decent dialogue.  Spider-Man pulls a couple of funny jokes and Bendis throws a jab at Thor’s manner of speaking.  Little bits of humor in a story like this are a surprise, but also welcome.

More than that though, Uatu’s narration allows the comic to speed along at a much brisker pace.  The end result is a comic that is literally a mad-dash all over the world, as the Hood and the Avengers jump from one gem to another.  It lends the race a frantic and exciting pace, and that excitement is something that last month lacked.  In covering more physical ground in one issue, this really does feel like a competition between the Avengers and the Hood where every second counts.

Furthermore, John Romita Jr. helps this along even further by delivering quite possibly his best performance yet on this title.  A couple of his lay-outs are just awesome and his illustrations of the Astral Plane and the gems in action are positively gorgeous, while his action scenes are as fun and dynamic as always.