Dread,have you read any of Bendis' other work such as Daredevil,Alias or Powers?
I read most of his DAREDEVIL run. It was predictable and slow at points but it was good. As was ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN for the first few years. I never read ALIAS, THE PULSE, or POWERS.
Dread: But the entire fate of the Marvel universe doesn't hinge on those books, and I must read everything that Marvel tells me is a big deal because if I don't I'll be completely lost and my life will be devoid of meaning and the universe will implode AAAAAAAAAARRGH!!!
I wasn't kidding or throwing a fit when I said, "I am ****ing done" with NEW AVENGERS. It has become obviously clear that NA's direction is crap and I more often than not don't like Bendis' work anymore. Now that the prices are about to jump up a buck for the honor of the Avengers franchise, it is high time I trim some fat. I am not bothering with DARK AVENGERS, NEW AVENGERS, LIGHT AVENGERS or any other Avenger thing he writes. Or SECRET WARRIORS either. Thanks to the Internet, I can still probably comment and complain about some of the dumb choices he makes without having to actually buy the comics and have them clog space in my room.
Also, there is a reason comic reviews should not be typed while suffering from a cold; I forgot one yesterday and will add it now.
Last, and certainly NOT least:
X-MEN AND SPIDER-MAN #2: Unlike BIG HERO 6, and like ADAM: LEGEND OF THE BLUE MARVEL, this is a mini that is $3.99 without adding any extra material. At only four issues, it will be cheaper than some, although trade waiting may have been the best option. Initially skeptical about it, I gave the last issue a try based solely on writer Christos Gage, whose work I usually have enjoyed. The debut issue read like a very good issue of X-MEN: FIRST CLASS for me and convinced me to stick around.
The premise of the series is to retcon in a series of team-up's between Spider-Man and the X-Men of various decades, which all involve some secret unspoken plot by Mr. Sinister (who is now dead). Quite what this will add to either franchise is unknown and it likely was commissioned because Spidey & the X-Men are still hot franchises for Marvel and they wanted extra material of both for some weeks. November's sales figures are not in yet and I am curious how it debuted. With little promotion and a non big name creator credit roster, if it launched within the Top 65, that'd be something.
But honestly, what made the first issue impressive was the execution and the strong sense of continuity. It was set when Peter was just starting college and the original X-Men had "graduated" to more unique costumes, but before Havok & Polaris joined the team, and before GIANT-SIZE X-MEN. This issue takes place in the 80's era, where Spidey was a newlywed (although that detail is not stated), he was still in his black costume and had JUST recovered from "KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT", where Kraven defeated Spidey, buried him alive, donned his costume, fought Vermin and then killed himself, believing he would never duplicate such an honor. This was also the era when the X-Men had just survived the Morlock Massacre, barely. So that means powerless, mohawk Storm, brown-uniform Wolverine, teenage Rogue and Dazzler (fresh off the end of her solo series, which ran for over three years). The other various X-Men were either not there (the founding roster at the time were organized as X-Factor, or the X-Terminators to the public), and quite a few others, such as Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Shadowcat, were injured.
Investigating Kraven's home after his suicide, Spidey stumbles upon his client files and realizes the "mundane" adventure years earlier with Blob was a contracted hit to acquire the X-Men's DNA. Still wrecked emotionally from his ordeal and probably itching for a fight, Spider-Man arrives at the X-Mansion, finding none of the original X-Men and the four present distraught after the Morlock ordeal and not in the mood for a random team up. But once Spidey mentions the name of their enemies' leader, they decide to help. Investigating the lab location according to the file, the X-Men & Spidey stumble upon Mr. Sinister's lab, which leads to a section of the Morlock tunnels. It also leads to a showdown with most of the Marauders (Arclight, Harpoon, Scalphunter, Scrambler, and of course, Sabretooth, the only one who is too competent to need to be cloned).
Naturally, this era of the X-Men was quite dark, but so was Spider-Man during this period so they mesh up well. While I am sure someone could find some bits about the continuity that don't work, Gage does a good job with his history that it does mesh up rather well. In fact the only hiccup is it adds a second retcon as to how the Marauders gained such easy access to the Morlock tunnels. In the original story, they stalked and then murdered a Morlock teenager who had went from the surface to the tunnels. In a 90's retcon, Gambit was hired to lead them to the Morlocks, then regretted his choice when they started murdering them (and tried to attone by saving "Sarah", later known as Marrow). This comic, over a decade after THAT Gambit story, suggests that this "secret" lab had a trap-door that led directly to a Morlock tunnel entrance, which allowed the killers to gain easy access and experience with the terrain. So if their boss Mr. Sinister had a lab nearby, why would they have needed to hire Gambit? Oh, well.
As usual, artist Mario Alberti does some incredible art for the issue, but I think I noticed something subtle; he adjusted his panel angles to suit the era he is working on. For example, X-MEN AND SPIDER-MAN #1 had no double-page splashes; those were not common in the 60's. This issue, set in 80's continuity, has one midway through. Some of the panel compositions, I believe, are made in this issue to match up or at least be in theme with the artists on UXM at this time. Gage also captures the ultra-violence of this era of the X-Men, where Wolverine guts Sabretooth to chop off Scalphunter's hand. I especially like how Alberti was able to capture the costumes of the era, especially Scalphunters. He genuinely made it LOOK like a suit of spare materials, which some artists struggle with. Plus, also true to the era, the Marauders were a match for the X-Men and did not simply die because they were cloneable.
Mr. Sinister had been working on clones of the founding X-Men in his lab, which were twisted. The lab is blown up and the heroes survive the tale, albeit a little shaken up. Spidey comments about it being creepy to have a clone of oneself, which will seem more interesting since the next issue supposedly stars Ben Reilly in the 90's era. The last page revelation was that Mr. Sinister had done something with Kraven's DNA, which will be explored in figure issues.
Alberti's art is probably worth half the cover price in itself, and Gage's writing is executed very well. It manages to transport us to another time for each issue, which helps things work out. Of course, the 80's were more modern than the 60's so there is less reworking to be done. I am finding myself enjoying this series and I am curious how it will finish.
