Dread
TMNT 1984-2009
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Part II of II:
SPIDER-GIRL #1: This is a spin off series launch from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN that actually is more complicated than the cover would suggest. It is a major attempt to re-introduce Anya Sofia Corazon, the heroine formerly known as Arana, to the general reading audience. Introduced back in 2006 by a protoge of then ASM writer J. Michael Straczynski as an attempt to spring off his "mystical spider-totem" story, her origin and early adventures involved mystical spider-powers (and armor), battles with mystical wasp people, and goggles. At the time Marvel made a big deal about ARANA in promotions because they claimed she was their first Latina who starred in her own series; it was canceled within a year, and she floated about the edges of the Marvel Universe ever since, appearing here and there in guest appearances. Over the course of several years, especially as JMS has become detached from Marvel (he's happy at DC now), it seems that elements of Anya's origin were removed, root and stem. She lost her mystical powers, and ultimately even her costume. During a recent ASM story called, "The Gauntlet", he decided to adopt the costume of Julia Carpenter, formerly Spider-Woman and Arachne and who currently decided to replace the deceased Madame Web. If it sounds contrived, it is only because it is. The irony about Arana is that written outside of her spider-totem society origins, she was actually a fun, quirky heroine. Aboard for this launch is writer Paul Tobin, best known for MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN, penciler Clayton Henry (INCREDIBLE HERCULES), and colorist Chris Sotomayor (who colored another comic that Anya appeared in, the recently axed YOUNG ALLIES). It is a very fun and well written comic book; there's some drama along with the action but nothing on par with angst. One does get the impression that Marvel seeks to re-introduce the character to their readers, only with virtually everything about her from 2006 being gone besides her civilian name, her father, and her ethnicity. Spider-Girl isn't even a name she has chosen, but the name virtually everyone in her life assumes she has, so she adopted it. She also has nothing to do with the last SPIDER-GIRL series that lasted over 100 issues and too place in another continuity (MC2). In fact, she has more of a connection to the Fantastic Four than Spider-Man these days; her father is their semi-official interviewer, and she has apparently been meeting members of the Four since she was a kid. This is further embellished in a back-up strip also written by Tobin and drawn by Dean Haspeil. I wonder if the only reason Anya is even Spider-Girl is because launching a spin-off of the FANTASTIC FOUR has historically been a recipe for disaster; with another modest re-write she could have been Fantastic Girl.
Behind the editorial re-construction, Tobin and Henry deliver on a solo superheroine title. Spider-Girl is a devoted superheroine despite having no super powers (but enough training to make all of this fantastic rooftop jumps and dives and grappling hook swings like Batman's family can), but who has a close relationship with her father as well as being a budding part of the Marvel Universe. She may be a heroine, but she also struggles to make new friends and move into a new apartment. Henry's artwork is terrific, and it is a shame that his stints on major superhero titles seem to rarely last longer than 4-6 issues. A $3.99 price tag for issue one for a SPIDER-GIRL relaunch was probably not the wisest pricing scheme, but the back-up strip at least doesn't make it outright robbery. Overall, a solidly entertaining debut.
THUNDERBOLTS #150: If I was disappointed in any comic this week, it would be this one. This wasn't on the level of, say, a bad issue of USM or NEW AVENGERS, back when I would read them and drive myself batty over them. But it isn't what I expected of Jeff Parker, and is frankly overpriced to the point of being akin to robbery. Even the cover has the balls to say that it has 96 pages. Technically, that is very true. The lead story, by Parker, the returning Kev Walker, and two color artists is 40 pages. The other 56 pages, though, are reprint material. 8 pages are a THUNDERBOLTS SAGA that summarizes the previous volume(s). The remaining 48 pages are a color reprint of THUNDERBOLTS #1, circa 1997. Marvel wisely doesn't show the cover price in the reprint of the cover, because I assure you that it was not anywhere near $4 for 48 pages of material back then, and Marvel was IN THE RED and they weren't as fanatically greedy as they are now. This gives me no faith that the upcoming INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #500 for $5 will be anything different. Marvel has solicited both as having 96-100 pages and not noted how much was reprint material. It's legal fraud. I am very close to arguing that this issue should be skipped, unless you see it in your shop's half off bin. You can use the Internet for any spoilers. I won't be shy about them. When Marvel do these specials, they would do their customers a favor by having one edition that lacks the reprints and is a dollar cheaper, and the "extra large" version that has the reprints for those who want them. But they won't do that, because they know that retailers would order fewer of the extra-large, and Marvel's business is all about rooking them as badly as their readers.
The 40 page lead story isn't bad, but it's not Parker's finest hour. The anticipation I got from seeing the cover image online was not justified in the comic within. The "big three" Avengers (Rogers, Iron Man, and Thor) are heading out to evaluate Cage's T-Bolts program, only after the last mission, he's had it. He kicks Moonstone off the team and at least at the start plans to dismiss the rest of them after this last evaluation. Thor is also there to meet Troll and try to convinced her to return to Asgard, but she's too beastly and literally bites him. Unfortunately, Ghost is able to hack into Cage's feed and tells the rest of the T-Bolts that their days with the team are numbered. He convinces them to allow him to mess with the teleportation system (basically, Man-Thing) so that they may escape custody once and for all. Unfortunately, things go wrong and both they and the Avengers are zapped to another dimension, one in which newcomers are transformed over time and can see their "true selves" within the mystical water.
This naturally leads into a battle between the T-Bolts and the Avengers; Crossbones vs. Rogers, Ghost vs. Iron Man and Thor & Cage vs. Juggernaut. Man-Thing does what he does best, which is stand around and do nothing. And, oh, did I mention the fisherman frog named Frog who looks like he's a refugee from a children's book? I remember when people would mock DEFENDERS for having such absurd details in them. At any rate, there is some good stuff here, although some of the execution is awkward. Crossbones' wickedness comes to light, as he uses his secretly gained Terragen Mist eye-beam powers to try to kill Steve Rogers. Iron Man manages to convince the Ghost to leave him alone by informing him that he's no longer a gazillionaire insider who controls everything, but is more of an outsider these days, trying to claw back in. Juggernaut vows to fight to the death to avoid going back to prison, but Cage ultimately gets the Avengers to stop beating on him, and Marko actually uses his experiences to figure out how to get Man-Thing to lead them home. The fact that Crossbones also killed that police officer Cage wanted them to save during the SHADOWLAND mission was also revealed (by Ghost, who witnessed it and kept silent, waiting to use it at the best moment, like he usually does).
To be honest, it should have been of little surprise that Crossbones would be unable to be controlled and murder someone honest, especially if they were black. He's a racist Neo-Nazi killer and aiming him at other things to kill is almost as bad as brainwashing Wolverine or Hulk to go take people out. I will be amazed if anyone else retains Crossbones' powers. Luke Cage seems to change his mind about staying on the T-Bolt program, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. He does mention that he's unable to change them, but feels himself becoming more like the cons; it is a sense of familiarity? Is it because at least Ghost and Juggernaut don't seem to be fanatics? Or is it because otherwise the series would end?
Kev Walker's art is good as usual, and I did like how despite being nowhere near as though as he used to be, Juggernaut puts up a good fight against Thor, Cage, and Iron Man. He doesn't clean house, but he refuses to go down.
The lead story itself isn't bad, but it isn't Parker's best, and with the additional reprints and saga material added on to jack up the price, I can't say the package is worth it unless you really did want a reprint from 1997. Ironically, THUNDERBOLTS #1 was willing to give their readers more original content than this 150th issue, and that seems very backwards to me. I still like Jeff Parker's work overall and I still like his run of T-Bolts overall. I like how he handles the characters overall. But, this story was not worth the cover price; there's no other way I can say it. It had some good moments, but the lack of any major antagonist combined with the fact that this "mission" was really just an excuse to have a large brawl left me a bit cold. The reflection stuff was metaphorical, but why WAS Juggernaut's image shifting?
If I had to pick a dud of my week, it'd be this. The pro's just couldn't outweigh the cons. It seems likely that Troll will replace Crossbones, and Moonstone will hop back onto the roster (if anything, because Man-Thing seems infatuated with her), and the next story should be better...even if this title just hops from one crossover or tie in to the next, without any overreaching arc. Usually the interaction is enough to make up for it, but just once I'd like to see Parker have a big bad show up here. Just bloody once.
SPIDER-GIRL #1: This is a spin off series launch from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN that actually is more complicated than the cover would suggest. It is a major attempt to re-introduce Anya Sofia Corazon, the heroine formerly known as Arana, to the general reading audience. Introduced back in 2006 by a protoge of then ASM writer J. Michael Straczynski as an attempt to spring off his "mystical spider-totem" story, her origin and early adventures involved mystical spider-powers (and armor), battles with mystical wasp people, and goggles. At the time Marvel made a big deal about ARANA in promotions because they claimed she was their first Latina who starred in her own series; it was canceled within a year, and she floated about the edges of the Marvel Universe ever since, appearing here and there in guest appearances. Over the course of several years, especially as JMS has become detached from Marvel (he's happy at DC now), it seems that elements of Anya's origin were removed, root and stem. She lost her mystical powers, and ultimately even her costume. During a recent ASM story called, "The Gauntlet", he decided to adopt the costume of Julia Carpenter, formerly Spider-Woman and Arachne and who currently decided to replace the deceased Madame Web. If it sounds contrived, it is only because it is. The irony about Arana is that written outside of her spider-totem society origins, she was actually a fun, quirky heroine. Aboard for this launch is writer Paul Tobin, best known for MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN, penciler Clayton Henry (INCREDIBLE HERCULES), and colorist Chris Sotomayor (who colored another comic that Anya appeared in, the recently axed YOUNG ALLIES). It is a very fun and well written comic book; there's some drama along with the action but nothing on par with angst. One does get the impression that Marvel seeks to re-introduce the character to their readers, only with virtually everything about her from 2006 being gone besides her civilian name, her father, and her ethnicity. Spider-Girl isn't even a name she has chosen, but the name virtually everyone in her life assumes she has, so she adopted it. She also has nothing to do with the last SPIDER-GIRL series that lasted over 100 issues and too place in another continuity (MC2). In fact, she has more of a connection to the Fantastic Four than Spider-Man these days; her father is their semi-official interviewer, and she has apparently been meeting members of the Four since she was a kid. This is further embellished in a back-up strip also written by Tobin and drawn by Dean Haspeil. I wonder if the only reason Anya is even Spider-Girl is because launching a spin-off of the FANTASTIC FOUR has historically been a recipe for disaster; with another modest re-write she could have been Fantastic Girl.
Behind the editorial re-construction, Tobin and Henry deliver on a solo superheroine title. Spider-Girl is a devoted superheroine despite having no super powers (but enough training to make all of this fantastic rooftop jumps and dives and grappling hook swings like Batman's family can), but who has a close relationship with her father as well as being a budding part of the Marvel Universe. She may be a heroine, but she also struggles to make new friends and move into a new apartment. Henry's artwork is terrific, and it is a shame that his stints on major superhero titles seem to rarely last longer than 4-6 issues. A $3.99 price tag for issue one for a SPIDER-GIRL relaunch was probably not the wisest pricing scheme, but the back-up strip at least doesn't make it outright robbery. Overall, a solidly entertaining debut.
THUNDERBOLTS #150: If I was disappointed in any comic this week, it would be this one. This wasn't on the level of, say, a bad issue of USM or NEW AVENGERS, back when I would read them and drive myself batty over them. But it isn't what I expected of Jeff Parker, and is frankly overpriced to the point of being akin to robbery. Even the cover has the balls to say that it has 96 pages. Technically, that is very true. The lead story, by Parker, the returning Kev Walker, and two color artists is 40 pages. The other 56 pages, though, are reprint material. 8 pages are a THUNDERBOLTS SAGA that summarizes the previous volume(s). The remaining 48 pages are a color reprint of THUNDERBOLTS #1, circa 1997. Marvel wisely doesn't show the cover price in the reprint of the cover, because I assure you that it was not anywhere near $4 for 48 pages of material back then, and Marvel was IN THE RED and they weren't as fanatically greedy as they are now. This gives me no faith that the upcoming INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #500 for $5 will be anything different. Marvel has solicited both as having 96-100 pages and not noted how much was reprint material. It's legal fraud. I am very close to arguing that this issue should be skipped, unless you see it in your shop's half off bin. You can use the Internet for any spoilers. I won't be shy about them. When Marvel do these specials, they would do their customers a favor by having one edition that lacks the reprints and is a dollar cheaper, and the "extra large" version that has the reprints for those who want them. But they won't do that, because they know that retailers would order fewer of the extra-large, and Marvel's business is all about rooking them as badly as their readers.
The 40 page lead story isn't bad, but it's not Parker's finest hour. The anticipation I got from seeing the cover image online was not justified in the comic within. The "big three" Avengers (Rogers, Iron Man, and Thor) are heading out to evaluate Cage's T-Bolts program, only after the last mission, he's had it. He kicks Moonstone off the team and at least at the start plans to dismiss the rest of them after this last evaluation. Thor is also there to meet Troll and try to convinced her to return to Asgard, but she's too beastly and literally bites him. Unfortunately, Ghost is able to hack into Cage's feed and tells the rest of the T-Bolts that their days with the team are numbered. He convinces them to allow him to mess with the teleportation system (basically, Man-Thing) so that they may escape custody once and for all. Unfortunately, things go wrong and both they and the Avengers are zapped to another dimension, one in which newcomers are transformed over time and can see their "true selves" within the mystical water.
This naturally leads into a battle between the T-Bolts and the Avengers; Crossbones vs. Rogers, Ghost vs. Iron Man and Thor & Cage vs. Juggernaut. Man-Thing does what he does best, which is stand around and do nothing. And, oh, did I mention the fisherman frog named Frog who looks like he's a refugee from a children's book? I remember when people would mock DEFENDERS for having such absurd details in them. At any rate, there is some good stuff here, although some of the execution is awkward. Crossbones' wickedness comes to light, as he uses his secretly gained Terragen Mist eye-beam powers to try to kill Steve Rogers. Iron Man manages to convince the Ghost to leave him alone by informing him that he's no longer a gazillionaire insider who controls everything, but is more of an outsider these days, trying to claw back in. Juggernaut vows to fight to the death to avoid going back to prison, but Cage ultimately gets the Avengers to stop beating on him, and Marko actually uses his experiences to figure out how to get Man-Thing to lead them home. The fact that Crossbones also killed that police officer Cage wanted them to save during the SHADOWLAND mission was also revealed (by Ghost, who witnessed it and kept silent, waiting to use it at the best moment, like he usually does).
To be honest, it should have been of little surprise that Crossbones would be unable to be controlled and murder someone honest, especially if they were black. He's a racist Neo-Nazi killer and aiming him at other things to kill is almost as bad as brainwashing Wolverine or Hulk to go take people out. I will be amazed if anyone else retains Crossbones' powers. Luke Cage seems to change his mind about staying on the T-Bolt program, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. He does mention that he's unable to change them, but feels himself becoming more like the cons; it is a sense of familiarity? Is it because at least Ghost and Juggernaut don't seem to be fanatics? Or is it because otherwise the series would end?
Kev Walker's art is good as usual, and I did like how despite being nowhere near as though as he used to be, Juggernaut puts up a good fight against Thor, Cage, and Iron Man. He doesn't clean house, but he refuses to go down.
The lead story itself isn't bad, but it isn't Parker's best, and with the additional reprints and saga material added on to jack up the price, I can't say the package is worth it unless you really did want a reprint from 1997. Ironically, THUNDERBOLTS #1 was willing to give their readers more original content than this 150th issue, and that seems very backwards to me. I still like Jeff Parker's work overall and I still like his run of T-Bolts overall. I like how he handles the characters overall. But, this story was not worth the cover price; there's no other way I can say it. It had some good moments, but the lack of any major antagonist combined with the fact that this "mission" was really just an excuse to have a large brawl left me a bit cold. The reflection stuff was metaphorical, but why WAS Juggernaut's image shifting?
If I had to pick a dud of my week, it'd be this. The pro's just couldn't outweigh the cons. It seems likely that Troll will replace Crossbones, and Moonstone will hop back onto the roster (if anything, because Man-Thing seems infatuated with her), and the next story should be better...even if this title just hops from one crossover or tie in to the next, without any overreaching arc. Usually the interaction is enough to make up for it, but just once I'd like to see Parker have a big bad show up here. Just bloody once.
that book.
