Bought/Thought 12/24

[JewishHobbit]

Hey... I've never started one before... why not now. Merry Christmas to me!

As always, my reviews contain spoilers.

Nova 20 - This was simply a fun issue. Nova's a little annoyed at Worldmind forming the Nova Corps without him, and specifically for his brother now being among them. And so he goes to former New Warrior friends, Justice and Firestar, to talk it over at the old New Warrior base. Ignoring the conversation, I really like seeing these three together again. Being a fan of the old New Warriors it just made me giddy. Their conversation is good and really just feels like old friends talking over issues. Not much happens between them other than dialogue, but it's still a fun scene. We see Nova's brother, Robbie, in Nova Centurian action and he actually does rather well. The end made me laugh a bit though. We keep mentioning how this title is beginning to become more Green Lanternish (and I'm cool with that) and who shows up in the end? A Nova Centurian deputies Ego the Living Planet! Yes... the Nova Corps has it's Mogo!

All in all it's a nice issue. Not spectacular, but a fun read.

New Avengers 48 - I haven't decided if I'm going to ditch this title yet or not due to price, but the $4 an issue doesn't start until next issue, so I thought I'd pick this up and decide based on story. I'm not as big of a Bendis/New Avengers hater as most and even somewhat like New Avengers.

This was a simple issue. In the aftermath of SI's final battle Captain America tells Clint to meet him at his base and words gets around. Various people show up and it's the formation of the updated lineup of the New Avengers. After looking through it I've decided that I really like this line up better than the last update. The official line up consists of Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Clint (Ronin still), Mockingbird, and Spider-Woman (fresh from la la land). Iron Fist is there but declines staying with the team due to personal issue, but is there for them when they need him (kind of a reserve Avenger kind of thing). Luke and Jessica show up as well but aren't confirmed and are more focused on trying to find their baby.

And with that the new team, along with Iron Fist and the Fantastic Four, begin the search. Turns out that everything's still in code red so there's no way out of the city and Jarvis has to still be around. After ruffing up some people, villains, etc. They find a skrull in hiding among a large group of former Shield employees. They question her and she agrees to tell them where Jarvis is, but then one of the Shield soldiers shoots her dead, obviously still upset over everything.

The story ends with a desparate Luke Cage agreeing to work with Norman Osborn if Norman can help him find his daughter. I think this could open up some interesting storyline potential so I'm curious where it goes.

All in all it wasn't bad and I rather liked it. I am curious where the story goes so I've decided to stick with the book at least until Baby Cage is found. Unfortunately I'll have to drop something else to afford it, but since New Warriors is ending with the next issue I think I'll be alright.

Speaking of...

New Warriors 19 - Eh. You know, I like this book, I really do, but I hate that it's going out on such a crappy arc. Time Travel does nothing for me and alternate futures are pointless. So the surviving members of the team's stuck in the 1984ish future where an elder Dwayne Tayler (the original Night Thrasher) rules the world dressed as Iron Man, and an elderly Tony Stark rivals him dressed in the classic Night Thrasher costume.

The story's okay, but I hate that it's the last arc that's finishing off the book. I just don't care about it. The ending of this issue was predictable. The New Warriors help Tony raid Dwayne's stronghold but Dwayne isn't alone. Donyell, the current Night Thrasher, leader of the New Warriors, and Dwayne's brother, is at his side ready to fight his own team. It makes sense, being that he's spent the entirety of the series preparing to return Dwayne from the dead (after he blew up at the beginning of Civil War). I figure next issue he'll learn some great lesson, the surviving members will make their ways back to the modern day world, and the title will end.

I'm sad the book is ending, but then again, I think I'm ready for it to. Hopefully more comes of the characters after the title ends. There's some developed potential there, so we'll see.

The Immortal Iron Fist 21 - Again... eh. I'm not a big fan of the "Other" Iron Fist stories... and this one seems very pointless. Previous ones have been history of the Iron Fist.. but this is an Iron Fist of the far future. Unless that has something to do with what's coming up in the book I can't help but to feel it's a waste of an issue. Anyhow...

So Earth is basically dead or uninhabitable and robots rule. There's only one Chinese family left in the universe, a father with two children, and they've prayed for a savior to come. Now, after many long years, the savior comes. A 9 year old boy named Wah Sing-Rand had lived in K'un-Lun and touched the heart of the dragon. As the new Iron Fist he left to save the universe but was somehow frozen in time for 24 years. Now free, he challenges the king of the universe, as well as his half robotic Fat Cobra, plucked from the past. The Kid is killed, but then returns and easily defeats them both. The universe recovers and all is well.

To me, this was pointless, and it wasn't even that good of a story by itself. I liked Swierczynski's first arc but this issue kinda sucked in my opinion. I'm looking forward to his next arc but I hated that I have to wait an extra month to read it.

Ultimatum 2 - Now I'm not a fan of the Ultimate Universe. I read the first 30 or so issues of X-Men before giving up, Ultimates 1 and 2, the first two arcs of Fantastic Four, and the Venom and Carnage arcs of Spider-Man. Not a huge fan but I've read enough to know the characters and the way of the Ultimate universe.

That said, I picked up the first issue of Ultimatum on a whim and actually really enjoyed it. This issue was just as good in my opinion. It still has that feeling of dire situation and death. Several people died in the first issue (Dazzler, Nightcrawler, Beast, others I don't remember) and there's quite a few added to the list in this issue. Iron Man brings Captain America to the Triskelon after he's stopped breathing and they're working to save his life. Thor finds Valkrie dead but challenges Hela to save her soul. Captain America shows up in the world of the dead to help Thor, so Captain America and Valkrie are up in the air. There are two deaths however, that are definate. The first is Wasp, who is found by Hawkeye half eaten by the Blob (her guts are overflowing and everything). Now I don't know when Blob became a cannibal, but okay. The second is Professor Xavier, who receives a visit from Magneto. Seeing that Xavier will always be there to stop him, Magneto snaps Xavier's neck and kills him to stop his interferance.

Storyline wise, there's not much there, but it's a fun mindless read. Knowing that several titles are coming to an end in this series, the deaths actually mean something, as they very well could be perminant. I kinda like that (though only in the Ultimate Universe. If this was 616, I'd be ticked!)


Now besides the above, I also picked up but still need to read The Umbrella Academy 2, She-Hulk Cosmic Collision One Shot, and Hulk 7-9. I don't know why I picked Hulk up, but I was just kinda feeling Hulkish and I had extra money. Thinking back I wish I would have picked up Hercules, as I was looking over my SI tie-ins the other day and am now curious to see what's become of Herc and Cho. Maybe next week.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Well I can see why there won't be any more Ultimate X-Men after Ultimatum. After two issues they've already killed Xavier, Nightcrawler, Dazzler, and Beast.

 

[JewishHobbit]

No kidding. Cannon fodder of Ultimatum.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Best of Week:

Daredevil #114

"Lady Bullseye" hits its penultimate issue, though the solicits suggest that, in typical Brubaker style, this will all flow into the big "Return of the King" story without much interruption. Matt's personal problems worsen, and, we learn, there's apparently a link between that and the agenda of his supervillain tormentors, or, at least, Lady Bullseye. LB turns out to be even more of a rogue than previously suspected, and it seems like her power-play is also against the Hand itself. Brubaker talked up this arc by, among other things, saying that LB would have a secret ID and a normal life, unlike Bullseye, and she turns out to be a lawyer - worse, the Donovans' lawyer! It seems like we're on course for Milla to exit Matt's life permanently at this point, barring a major course-correction, though I can't see the whole Dakota situation ending anywhere other than angst-city. Anyway, another strong issue of what I would currently call Brubaker's best title, since Cap is in a bit of a lull.

Thor #12

Hey, it came out! Thor came out! This issue, there's not much in the way of Thor (none, even), as Loki takes centre-stage, and briefly reclaims his original genital configuration in the process; among other things, this drives home that I kind of prefer fem-Loki to the regular Loki. There's something about her that's more sneaky and dangerous. Anyway, this reminded me really strongly of the Gargoyles episode "Vows", where Xanatos travels back in time and we see how he sets up his own success in a predestination paradox (Gargoyles was big on those); in this case, Loki goes back in time to insure his own history goes as planned, and we get the real truth behind the story Odin told in #7-8 of this series; basically, Loki played Odin like a fiddle over a span of a good long while. I'm not sure of the long-term ramifications of the changes JMS makes to Loki's motivation, which takes away the idea that he grew up with a gradual resentment of Thor's prominence in Odin's graces, instead having him be a sort of sociopathic nihilist from almost the cradle. Psychological realism of a believable kind exchanged. That reservation aside, well-written and well-drawn.

 

[yenaled]

The Immortal Iron Fist 21 - Again... eh. I'm not a big fan of the "Other" Iron Fist stories... and this one seems very pointless. Previous ones have been history of the Iron Fist.. but this is an Iron Fist of the far future. Unless that has something to do with what's coming up in the book I can't help but to feel it's a waste of an issue. Anyhow...

So Earth is basically dead or uninhabitable and robots rule. There's only one Chinese family left in the universe, a father with two children, and they've prayed for a savior to come. Now, after many long years, the savior comes. A 9 year old boy named Wah Sing-Rand had lived in K'un-Lun and touched the heart of the dragon. As the new Iron Fist he left to save the universe but was somehow frozen in time for 24 years. Now free, he challenges the king of the universe, as well as his half robotic Fat Cobra, plucked from the past. The Kid is killed, but then returns and easily defeats them both. The universe recovers and all is well.

To me, this was pointless, and it wasn't even that good of a story by itself. I liked Swierczynski's first arc but this issue kinda sucked in my opinion. I'm looking forward to his next arc but I hated that I have to wait an extra month to read it.

That sounds bad :/

 

[SouLeSS]

The Immortal Iron Fist 21 - Again... eh. I'm not a big fan of the "Other" Iron Fist stories... and this one seems very pointless. Previous ones have been history of the Iron Fist.. but this is an Iron Fist of the far future. Unless that has something to do with what's coming up in the book I can't help but to feel it's a waste of an issue. Anyhow...

So Earth is basically dead or uninhabitable and robots rule. There's only one Chinese family left in the universe, a father with two children, and they've prayed for a savior to come. Now, after many long years, the savior comes. A 9 year old boy named Wah Sing-Rand had lived in K'un-Lun and touched the heart of the dragon. As the new Iron Fist he left to save the universe but was somehow frozen in time for 24 years. Now free, he challenges the king of the universe, as well as his half robotic Fat Cobra, plucked from the past. The Kid is killed, but then returns and easily defeats them both. The universe recovers and all is well.

To me, this was pointless, and it wasn't even that good of a story by itself. I liked Swierczynski's first arc but this issue kinda sucked in my opinion. I'm looking forward to his next arc but I hated that I have to wait an extra month to read it.

I'm not a big fan of the "non-Danny Rand" IIF issues, to a point where I don't pick them up anymore. =/

 

[CaptainCanada]

Secret Invasion: Requiem #1

Eight pages of new material here, which is bad value, but I like Slott and want to get the whole of his Avengers run, so I forked over the cash. Anyway, the story is a brief spotlight on Hank Pym and Jocasta, told from Jocasta's point of view (and, at least partially, from the viewpoint of "Jocasta Pym" in 2010), as Hank assumes his new identity: he's the new Wasp, in tribute to Jan. I'm not sure that Hank really needed another ID, but it's a nice sentiment, and at least they'll be making something of Jan's death on an ongoing basis. We get a decent look at Jocasta's thought processes, and the take Slott will be taking on the character in Mighty Avengers (I've never read any stories with the character before, so that's especially useful for me); it's similar to the Vision II situation, where she has Jan-like feelings for Hank but doesn't think it's her place to act on them (hey, and Vision II will be on the team too; maybe they can swap notes); she comes across as quite likeable. The ending dialogue suggests Slott is planning to use this platform to take Hank into the big leagues, if he can, which is a nice break for the character. Khoi Pham's art is pretty good.

 

[MightyAvenge]

So Hank is officially the new Wasp? Kinda girly, but i'll get used to it.

 

[GNR]

Powers Vol.8-11
Conan Vol.1 The Frost Giant's Daughter
Conan #7-22

Only got thru the first couple chapters of Busiek's Conan,but so far this is amazing stuff.I was always interested in Conan but never knew where to start.Busiek's short run is highly praised plus Busiek is one of those writers you can always expect quality from.Nord's artwork is beautiful,I cannot see anyone else doing these stories justice.

Any other good Conan books you guys would recommend?

 

[CaptainCanada]

Wonder Woman #27

"Rise of the Olympian" hits its second issue, though the title character isn't in sight, and apparently won't be seen until the fifth of eight parts, based on solicits. This is a pretty busy story arc so far: it's got the Cheetah and the Secret Society creating Genocide to fight Wonder Woman, the return of the Gods from Darkseid's control, seemingly another shuffle of the Pantheon's leadership (as yet another piece of Rucka's work is chipped away and Zeus takes over), the return of the Amazons from their post-AA exile, and, at some point, the introduction of the male versions. Without seeing the finished product, one can't know how it will work out, but I'm so far finding the stuff related to the gods and the new Amazons far more compelling than the Genocide portion. Simone's attempts to sell the Genocide situation as unprecedently bad just don't ring that true (and the character's design just doesn't work very well); she's a pretty generic looking bruiser who beats up Diana and takes the lasso (that's moderately notable, I suppose), and then defeats a few low-rent members of the JLA (Black Canary, Vixen, Firestorm, Red Tornado (who gets destroyed, of course), and John Stewart). It's nice to see a return of the Perez-era Cheetah, though. The scenes with Zeus are very strong, though; his sincere plan to improve the lot of the Amazons actually makes quite a bit of sense from a perspective of their history and theology, so you can see why he thinks it's a good idea.

 

[Dread]

Never was one for Christmas cheer, and to finish off the month, and the year, we have an above average week. News that I was tied with Anubis for the SHH Comic Forum Poster of 2008 was pleasant, and I'm fine with sharing the "award" with him. Unfortunately, I meant what I said a week or so ago; I was done with NEW AVENGERS. It came out this week, I skipped it, and haven't regretted it. Just wanted to get that out there now for those expecting the usual Bendis tirade this week. There're better comics to focus on.

As always, spoilers are being unwrapped in this space.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 12/24/08:

UMBRELLA ACADEMY: DALLAS #1: Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba's sequal to their Dark Horse hit continues and this chapter has a bit more of that offbeat zany humor infused with the bizarre adventures of the titular team than the last issue. This is good, helps show that this isn't just a mindless follow up, but another manic romp much like the last installment.

We have two serial killers with a Mr Wint/Mr. Kidd quality to them, as well as a fine love of baked goods, out killing people to investigate, seemingly the time traveling Number Five. The Kraken has a talk with a Jim Gordon like cop to be allowed to investigate the diner incident from last volume. He also gets into a confrontation with the now-obese Spaceboy, who seems to be taking his ineffectiveness last arc to heart. The Rumor, who still can't speak, tracks down Number Five in the middle of an, erm, kinky Monroe scene with a monkey. The mysterious Mr. Perseus makes his debut and the Seance gets sucker-punched talking to the dead ape, Pogo.

This is of course a strange universe where it seems apes (or at least chimps) that talk are part of normal society. Ba's art is great as usual and the there were quite a few funny lines, exchanges, and scenes here, all the while offering a continuation of the story.

While not as high selling as BUFFY, which is outselling Dark Horse's STAR WARS stuff recently, UMBRELLA ACADEMY garnered good sales and a lot of positive critical response. DALLAS looks to continue that as well as advertise some more cool merch for the franchise. Could this be the start of the next HELLBOY type franchise from DH? I certainly wouldn't mind. The Big Two need more competition. Plus, $2.99 an issue with zero ads; not every company is sticking it to their fans over "paper costs". If you haven't gotten onto this series and are in the mood for some quirky superhero action with some offbeat humor to it, as well as some hyper violence, grab the trade and hop aboard.

INVINCIBLE #57: Part one of a two part crossover story with THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN, and as a special Christmas gift, that issue actually shipped too! Kirkman has vowed to be "on time in '09" with his Image titles and while I'm not convinced quite yet, it was great getting to read two parts to a story in one sitting instead of one. Usually one only gets that via trade. Considering that THE BRIT may be facing cancellation even by Image's sales standards, I wonder if this crossover is an attempt to boost Wolfy or even both books.

Taking Oliver to the Teen Team's HQ (or rather "The Team Formerly known as the Teen Team") to have Robot investigate the fragments of that probe that burst last issue, Oliver learns he can have some gamer friends while Mark learns nothing new. Assuming that Cecil has decided to nose in on his family, he storms into their base and throws some accusations around. Cecil denies that he is behind the probe, and of course we readers might presume that it is from the now-living Angstrom Levy, who popped up alive some issues ago. However, Cecil is tracking down the fugitive Wolf-Man and asks for Invincible to capture him as a favor, in return for investigating this lead for him. Invincible is less than eager, however, when a rampaging Giant is spotted within the area (for plot convenience), Invincible naturally flies off to help capture him. Wolf-Man is still within the area being trained by the Elder Werewolf, who predicts he will encounter some conflict and wishes to see how he handles it.

I did like that despite the drama between Mark and Oliver over philosophy, Kirkman hasn't forgotten that Oliver is still a kid who would be thrilled to play a video game with others who "appear" his age (but neither Robot or Monster Girl are). It was cute.

Despite the cover, Invincible and Wolf-Man don't really fight. They met during the Doc Seismic crisis, and Invincible lands one punch to try to capture him, but quickly believes Wolf-Man's story. Naturally, it is an obvious one to those following the title. While the police and his own daughter believe he killed his wife, she was actually murdered by Zechariah, his former vampire mentor. Gary is currently training to slay the vampire himself. Cynically figuring that Cecil would be more than willing to help Gary despite the murder rap if he agrees to play ball for the government (as Darkwing is part of the Global Guardians despite murdering several people, as well as Cecil using D.A. Sinclair's Reanimen project that was honed by dead and injured people), Invincible leads Wolf-Man back to Cecil's base, only for the pair to be set up in the "white room" to fight some Reanimen. You'd think Mark wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

Honestly, while the story is fine enough, it is basically a bare bones excuse to have Invincible and Wolf-Man team up. Of course, Kirkman's created his own little "universe" and has had all of them guest in Invincible a few times; Capes characters even after CAPES ended, Brit, even an appearance by Tech-Jacket, Kirkman's first Image work, years ago. I have to admit those got me to buy the trades for CAPES and TECH-JACKET, respectively. For a team up story, it follows the basic angles that most go through; an initial misunderstanding, a brief fight, before the heroes ultimately team up against a common foe, in this case Cecil and his Reanimen. For Invincible, it helps follow up his mistrust angle with Cecil as we see the two former allies on icy terms. For Wolf-Man...eh, it's just a team up. Granted, this is Invincible's series, and Part Two, which talks place in Wolfy's, has more from him. It also allows Ryan Ottley to draw Wolf-Man again, and naturally he pulls off the design flawlessly. Probably the most contrived part was Gary slapping on his old costume; there really was little purpose to it beyond iconic imagery. I liked the notion of Mark believing Gary's story because he, too, had his own falling out with a mentor or two.

Last issue was definitely better, but so far it is fine for a team up. And thankfully, Part Two is right here.

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #11: Part Two of the Team-Up story between Invincible and Wolf-Man; the cover shows the pair fighting, but by now the two are allies. They smash some Reanimen and escape Cecil's lab, and while Cecil can no longer hurt Mark with a chip inside his head, he can sic the Global Guardians, his old allies, at the heroes.

Jason Howard gets to draw the familiar characters and he does an alright job, although he makes Invincible look a little generic. But he at least can handle Immortal's complicated design. The Global roster now is of course Immortal, Dupli-Kate, Shapesmith, Black Samson, and Bulletproof. Out of everyone, Dupli-Kate does very little besides stand there and help someone up and it made me wonder if Kirkman kind of forgot she was there. Immortal brings up the point that Invincible may be becoming more like his father every day, but I have to admit I laughed when Mark just grabbed Immortal by the head, used him as a bat to topple the others, and flew away with Wolf-Man. That was friggin' classic.

The rest of the comic after the fighting shifts to focus on Wolf-Man, which is natural as we are in his title now. He asks Invincible to fly him back home so he can at least see his daughter through a window, and then speak with his entrusted Butler, Dunford. Dunford has been trying to raise Gary's daughter Chloe in the days and weeks since the murder of her mother, but is unable to cope with her vengeful state. Gary promises to prove his innocence by defeating Zechariah. He and Invincible depart as friends. Cecil, in the meantime, despite claiming that Gary's murder rap is "too public" for him to be useful on a government team, still figures Wolfy could come in handy and doesn't authorize his capture, at least immediately.

While Gary got some focus in the last act, I did feel that Invincible hogged quite a bit of the story, and it reminded me of when Spider-Man or Wolverine often guest star in someone else's book for a crossover. Wolf-Man does little in the fight and while Invincible is just sort of "there" for the scene with Dunford, that was only about 3 pages of material. I like Invincible more than I do Wolf-Man so I didn't quite mind it, but I did notice it and wondered if some of the folks who just read Wolf-Man would mind. The idea was to try to boost the sales and recognition of both titles and I will be curious if it succeeded. INVINCIBLE usually averages around 13-15k sales (but naturally does well in HC and TPB sales) and while WOLF-MAN had a higher debut, it has probably slipped a bit lower. The story seemed to be more of an "Invincible, Guest starring Wolf-Man" tale, but that is likely because it involved more of his cast and themes. It would be interesting if a future team-up, which Kirkman admitted in the letters page as inevitable, featured more supernatural angles in Gary's wheel-house.

Still, it was fantastic getting both parts to a 2 part story this week, and while hardly perfect, it was a fun action romp between the two characters, their meeting felt genuine, their alliance a little forced but nothing too uncharacteristic, and it's over before it drug on too long. No complaints.

Next: the Marvel comics of the week!

 

[Darthphere]

So Hank is officially the new Wasp? Kinda girly, but i'll get used to it.

It really isn't. I mean, yeah because Wasp has always been Janet, a humanoid with a vagina but the name Wasp isn't necessarily girly.

 

[MightyAvenge]

I totally agree, I'm pretty much saying because Wasp was used by a women, it sounds girly for the moment, sorry I didn't make that clear.

 

[MightyAvenge]

Hulk - Still no ID, wonder what Thundra agreed too?

New Avengers - So when all is said and done is Luke gonna end up registering?

She-Hulk - Always good.

Thor - Great Art, cool paradox/time-loop, good to see classic Loki.

 

[Darthphere]

I totally agree, I'm pretty much saying because Wasp was used by a women, it sounds girly for the moment, sorry I didn't make that clear.

Nah, I gots you man.

 

[MightyAvenge]

Yea, you did, you really got me good.

 

[Darthphere]

We get each other dude, we're on a whole new playing field.

 

[Manic]

Well, there's an exchange that'll give you diabetes.

 

[Dread]

Dread's Bought/Thought for 12/24/08: The Marvel Edition!

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #21: The easiest word to describe the issue is "filler". It is another one of those break issues in which some other Iron Fist's life is described from beginning to end in 22 pages to add to the legacy angle. To give credit, Swierczynski tries to do something unique with it. Instead of going with a Fist of the past, he tries for one of the future, the year 3099 to be exact.

Now, that's a nice, far off date. Now that the year 2099 may actually be seen within some of our lifetimes and we will be disappointed to see no flying cars or cyborgs with flaming skulls, 3099 is a nice face off date for a future story. No humans should be left alive on the planet by then. The tale doesn't even take place on Earth, but on another planet that has been terraformed by humans and which is under the brutal regime of a dictator and his robots. Down comes a ten year old Iron Fist who is able to liberate the world despite all odds.

My biggest problem with a few of these "random Iron Fist" tales, at least the ones not based around Orson, are that they mean nothing to the current story. Now, a tale of a past Iron Fist could be made to matter with a simple line of, "Danny was reading about their adventure to learn a move/perspective" sort of line. Brubaker & Fraction never bothered with that, and neither has Swierczynzki. A tale a future fist who dies by the end just serves as a break for Trevor Foreman, the regular artist.

The timing could not be worse. Once a stable title, thousands of readers left with Brubaker & Fraction and apparently haven't bothered giving Swiercynski a chance. Which is a shame; on a normal story he captured the tone well. But an issue like this that is easily skippable will try the patience of some fans who are left. Much as ancedotal evidence noted that "the all Spanish issue" of BLUE BEETLE, which seemed harmless, convinced many readers to bail on it. For small books, losing a thousand or so readers can be everything.

It wasn't a bad story, but not one that felt essential. Not every story has to be part of some grand arc or whatnot, but more attempts should be made to at least include a subplot or theme. The only one that is here is Fat Cobra (or perhaps a decendant of his) becoming an evil cyborg, which wasn't enough for me. Timothy Green does the art and it's not bad, but if you really need that extra $3 to spend on Black Friday, this is a skippable issue. While I commend Swiercynski for trying to go the opposite way with the "token Iron Fist tale" issue, a better effort would have been finding a way to make it relevant to the CURRENT story about the CURRENT Iron Fist, y'know, the one some 28-32k readers once lined up to read about. Or, of course, Orson Randall, who usually is good for one or two $4 "specials" a year.

NEW WARRIORS #18: A dead book walking, this canceled title reaches it's prenultimate issue. The sales were atrocious and it's end was inevitable. Paco Medina has moved onto regular chores on DEADPOOL, which leaves Reilly Brown as the last regular artist on the title. Grevioux's launch and run on the book hasn't been that bad, it has tried to be unique and offer twists, but in the end he actually is doing better work on ADAM: LEGEND OF THE BLUE MARVEL right now, and I probably won't miss this title much. I'll just hope whoever uses the characters next doesn't completely erase the work he did, at least with Jubilee/Wondra.

Accidentally stuck about 30 years in the future to escape Agent Sykes and her cape-killer unit, the New Warriors have found themselves in an America under the iron fist of Iron Man and his army of robots. Virtually any superhuman has been banished to the Negative Zone and even advanced technology is illegal to own by civilians. The major hook, of course, is that Iron Man is a revived (and older) Dwayne Taylor, the man that his brother Donyell the current Night-Thrasher has worked to revive. The Future Night-Thrasher is an older Tony Stark, who is pretty spry for a guy pushing 60. While it hasn't been stated yet, I am expecting the series to end with Donyell realizing that his brother is better off dead if this sort of future is what comes of his revival. Which, honestly, is a bit of a downer. On the other hand, NEW WARRIORS has sort of cornered itself into a hole of reacting to CIVIL WAR even years after the rest of Marvel kind of moved onto other things to react to, like Hulk or Skrulls. Given that Iron Man in other books relaxed his SHRA enforcement quite a bit and was easing off his Iron Fascist persona, it also seemed like it's point was irrelevant. Now that Iron Man has been replaced by Norman Osborn, a true villain, it may truly be best for the New Warriors to fade into the sunset.

This issue builds up to the climax, basically. Dwayne tries to convince his time-flung brother to join him and embrace the quest. Old Stark convinces the reluctant Warriors and Sykes that even if they don't want to fight his battle, Iron Man has the only time machine anyway, so they are stuck together as allies. The team manages to fight past a squad of armored guards before being felled by the brothers Taylor. The next issue will be the last.

Brown's artwork is fine for the title and I am satisfied with it; he has easily been the best artist on the book since Medina, and it has seen two fill-in artist's prior. Grevioux at least cares enough about past continuity to mention stuff like Silhouette in the past. To me this run has been defined by two things. Donyell's survivor's remorse upon losing the brother that he had spent so long being a rival to (especially in a senseless manner, which produced the SHRA), and several of the depowered, retired X-Men, especially Jubilee, Beak, and Chamber, finding that they can still aid the world without their powers with mainstream superhero technology. I am waiting for a time paradox sort of reveal at the end where Dwayne is alive because Donyell is SUPPOSED to go back in time to resurrect him, but something now happens that prevents it, leaving this a divergent reality.

Of course, the idea of Stark and Dwayne swapping roles sort of makes little sense aside to throw the reader. Why would either abandon their identity and take on the one of their rival? Aside for a story twist, it didn't do a whole lot for the story, which in a way has been Grevioux's flaw on the title. That said, at least he will get a chance to end the book on his terms and I hope the finale has a lot of bang for the buck. At the very least, Grevioux' NW volume has been the longest lasting since the first, even if it had few of the original characters. On the whole it may have been a failed experiment, but it has left some characters in a better place than "limbo".

NOVA #20: Yes, that is AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE's Steve Uy with the cover art, which seemed a bit bizarre at first. The issue is mostly a low key issue compared to the bang of other NOVA issues, but that is good. Honestly, comics have too few issues like this sometimes. An issue where character interrelationships are embraced and the star has some time to process the last major revelation. That is, Richard Rider learning that not only has Worldmind been going over his helmet to recruit five Nova Corpsmen while he slept, Worldmind has now deputized a few dozen members of Project PEGASUS to that end, including Richard's brother, Robbie.

In order to cope, Nova actually has a very human reaction. He calls some of his best friends and chats with them over beer, pizza, and nostalgia. As Angelica Jones and Vance Astrovik are the only two founding New Warriors who aren't either dead or insane, Richard invites them to some closed off TAYLOR property for the get together. Angelica is still retired (and in college) and Vance is still running Counter-Force, although little of the latter was mentioned. What amazed me the most was not how well the three got along, but how well Vance and Angelica got along. The last time they showed up was when Firestar felt overwhelmed by the marriage and broke off their engagement. I could imagine other writers having the two bicker and fight, and at least one of them (Vance) feeling nasty and bitter. All most Marvel writers like to do is hammer home the point that any relationship a hero has with a woman is doomed to end in misery, death, or tragedy, so best not to bother, or to ask a demon to annul it at the first sign of hardship. Not here, and not Abnett & Lanning. They actually remembered that characters can feel something in between "bitter rage" and "slavish love" with each other. That Vance & Angelica were friends and teammates for many years before becoming romantic and engaged. They've split up, but are still on friendly terms. You have no idea how damned rare that is in comics. I expect never to see it again.

Here the trio sort of nostalgically remember their original adventures as the New Warriors and sort of wonder if things were ever that simple. Nova outright asks his pals if he was always a loner or a glory hog, being unwilling to share the spotlight. Rather than assume Worldmind is automatically wrong, Richard is conflicted and thinks that it was his own failings that kept him from reorganizing the Corps sooner, or is bristling with the idea of Worldmind going around him to do so. Robbie in particular thinks Richard finds the new status quo unsettling and even accuses him of being jealous and unable to handle his "little brother" getting to be a superhero. At first Nova is concerned for the safety of the new Corpsmen, but wonders if he is being too stubborn. It was a very human conflict of conscience for Richard to have and I appreciate that a full issue at least was devoted to it, rather than leaving it as a vague subplot as the fight of the week happened.

Of course, there was a fight of the week. The new squad of five aliens take on Dragon Man, and Robbie Rider proves his mathematical worth by figuring how to best entrap the villain and on mastering his powers faster than most rookies. It is easy to see why Richard may have some sibling concerns given how quickly his brother is taking to the mantle. Vance and Angelica, however, convince Richard that his concerns over safety and abruptness aren't out of character, but that it may be time to step back and let Worldmind do his thing. They scare off some security guards and go their separate ways.

Naturally, with Richard on the verge of accepting the new status quo, means that something has to go horribly wrong next issue or so. This issue at least was a fun and character focused issue. It acknowledged the history with and among the New Warriors and wasn't ashamed of it; in the contrary, that past was embraced for a strong story. It also allowed Nova to see how far he has come and strengthen ties he has with friends. Alves has less action to draw this month, but he still does a terrific job. Nothing flashy, nothing "shocking", just a good issue of substance. That is why NOVA is among the best of Marvel's lot.

PATSY WALKER: HELLCAT #4: The quirky mini-series by Kathryn Immonen skipped nearly two months before returning, and I don't expect a sequel mini as the sales are terrible. Granted, as the spin off to a MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS story, what were they expecting?

`Sent to defend Alaska by Iron Man, Hellcat has taken on a mystical quest by a few witches to rescue their daughter from some monster cannibal, and along for the ride are a few quirky magical beings. Naturally, it isn't that simple. The daughter wasn't kidnapped, but was just staying for too long with her cannibal yeti boyfriend and her witch parents are overprotective. She refuses to return home and Hellcat resorts to clocking her before trying to drive her, and the yeti boyfriend, back home.

David Lafuente's art matches the tone perfectly. The book is full of quirky antics and humorous bits, although it isn't nearly as original as it thinks it is, especially with UMBRELLA ACADEMY back on the shelves. Hellcat acts more like Squirrel Girl's older sister on a sugar rush than how she usually acts, but it may be a more unique angle for her. Lord knows the Marvel Universe can be rather humorless, and Hellcat has one of those designs that is both iconic and bland without something else added. This book was naturally not promoted, doesn't feature any top character or well known talent (Katheryn's husband is a well known artist on USM, which is barely in the Top 30), so it sunk from the Top 100 almost immediately and I doubt the digest will light the sales figures aflame. Better than BIG HERO 6, but not something I'll yearn for after it ends.

The letters page was funny, though.

But those expecting Kathryn to break through the "glass ceiling" of comic book writers (as DC's Gail Simone is pretty much the only well known woman in the comic writing biz, beyond some editors), I doubt HELLCAT will garner that much attention. Still, this book is fun as a quick sugar high and doesn't try to be more than it is, so I can accept it on those terms, at least for another issue.

THOR #12: After nearly two years, THOR finally reaches the one year mark. Coipel has hardly been known as a speedy artist (HOUSE OF M was late due to him, after all) so he may be why this book has at times become an bimonthly. Next issue is the 600th issue of THOR so it returns to normal numbering, which has to be all kinds of confusing for newbies.

This is also the first issue of THOR I have read after discovering INCREDIBLE HERCULES last week, and the two couldn't be more different. Sure, the title characters are different, so the tone should be. But, at the very least, Herc is good enough to appear in every issue of his own series; the Odinson often takes issues off. In 22 pages of IH, quite a lot can happen. A few fights, some laughs, a story advanced and that story usually is done in five issues or less, usually around four. But, my god, THOR is on that slow JMS slog. It makes ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN look compressed. What a normal human might write as two issues, JMS takes four or twelve. We are a year into the book and the resolution to the main arc with Loki is still building.

Speaking of Loki, the issue is about him. He meets with Hela, Thor's old enemy and the Norse Goddess of Death/Hell. At a fraction of her power, she shares Loki's quest to dethrone Thor and take more power. Loki goes back in time and JMS reveals that it was he who magically slew Odin's father Bor and ensured that he would be adopted by Odin from the Frost Giants in the first place. He sticks around in the past just long enough to murder his abusive Frost Giant father. It isn't a bad story and naturally Loki is building towards that conflict. Hela reveals he is literally using Sif's body as a vessel, which is why Loki is now a woman (among other reasons). To that I say, if Thor has all the power of Odin and can't tell that his greatest enemy is using his girlfriend's body as a vessel, that same girlfriend that he's been mysteriously unable to find, then he's as dumb as Peter Parker. And a dumb Thor is boring. It's a good ploy by Loki but it should be something Thor has figured out by now. The entire act with Loki reeks of plot convenience (in order for Loki to betray everyone, Thor has to allow himself to be betrayed); this just adds to it. This is something the drunken Hercules might have called; Thor's supposed to be King of the Asgardians. I completely can't buy that Thor can't see through some of this.

Of course, JMS might have a reveal where Thor kind of goes, "I knew of many of your tricks, Loki. I was just allowing you more rope to hang yourself, out of fairness and a hope you could change. But you can't, can you? And now I put you down." But, knowing JMS, it might be another 25 issues until we get here.

Sorry Thor, but INCREDIBLE HERCULES blows your slow paced, tedious mess out of the water in the Battle of the Gods. I mean, THOR is a good pleasure cruise, but sometimes I would like to get to my destination before I die of old age, y'know? I've been waiting on this book and we are no closer to the end of the story in issue #12 than we were by issue #7. Considering how rarely the issues come out, we are nearing ASTONISHING X-MEN territory. To quite Boomhauer from KING OF THE HILL, "Speed it the hell up!"

 

[Dread]

SECRET INVASION: REQUIEM: A one shot from Dan Slott & Khoi Pham, the next creative team on MIGHTY AVENGERS, that picks up after SECRET INVASION with Hank Pym and Jocasta, two members of the new roster. It offers 8 pages of story framed around two recolored reprints from the older days. TALES TO ASTONISH #44 from Stan Lee & Jack Kirby detailing how Ant-Man and Wasp first met, and the infamous AVENGERS #213 from Jim Shooter & Bob Hall depicting Pym's Avengers court-martial and his hitting Jan, which has defined his character for about 25 years, especially within the last five.

For some, paying $4 for two reprints from the Silver Age and eight pages of new material may be a bit much for some people, but not for me. However, as I skipped NEW AVENGERS, it will have to do for the weekly amount of controversy from me.

Best to focus on the positive. Within eight pages, Slott narrows down the angle he is taking with Jocasta and sells her as an interesting character and a worthy Avenger at this time. She is basically going to go through some of Vision's old motions. While that may seem mundane, now that Vision II is basically Iron Lad, that will seem a lot more original, as well as a gender swap. She was programmed by Ultron with Janet's brain patterns, but she is aware that she is not Janet, and both has to be unique while trying not to take too many liberties with her Janet knowledge, especially with Hank. Pham nails her design and the first pages with Jocasta in Janet's extensive closet were great. Slott also has fun with Jocasta's android ignorance to some human behavior patterns. It isn't anything too new for Jocasta, but it is her being written well and logically, and it works completely.

Pham's art is also solid. His design for Hank Pym's new costume is pretty cool, and I look forward to his art for MIGHTY AVENGERS, especially having seen his stuff from INCREDIBLE HERCULES earlier in the year. His MA assignment will be a Herc reunion of sorts for him.

As for the rest of the issue, well, there are some mixed reactions from me.

Of course, commenting on the reprints is a futile effort. Of course, the Lee & Kirby story from the 60's was a product of it's time, and looked at now, seems simple, stilted, and very plot convenient. I must say, after all the mainstream abuse Aquaman has for "talking to fish", I have to say that "talking to ants" was about as lame if not lamer. At least Aquaman could call force some large ocean mammals or sharks, but Pym was stuck straddling ants for a while. The 1981 "Court Martial" issue from Jim Shooter of course has aged a bit better, and whether one likes it or not, is the story that has defined Hank Pym. The modern recolors look a bit strange, especially on Kirby's artwork. Some of those old stories just looked more authentic in their natural colors.

Back in the MIGHTY AVENGERS topic, I reacted to a few posters who guessed that Hank was about to rename himself "The Wasp" after his dead ex-wife. I feel then as I feel now; that is a step in the wrong direction for Hank into the "obsessive" category. Mourning Janet and wanting to honor her memory is one thing; wearing her clothes is another. Plus, the fact that Hank is a white male with blond hair and blue eyes, and is a figure of some financial privilege sort of invites an unintentionally hilarious angle to him calling himself "The Wasp".

But more to the point, let's look at things from the angle this one-shot, with the reprints, presents. Hank Pym started as a solo hero, Ant-Man. Hardly the most powerful but he did his thing. He was inspired to become a superhero after his first wife was murdered by agents from her terrible home country, which she foolishly picked as their honeymoon spot. He first meets Janet Van Dyne when her father seeks his aid in an experiment and is attracted because she basically "looks like my dead wife, only younger". At first vapid and selfish, Janet takes on a braver stance after a monster from Kosmos kills her father and insists on avenging him. By sheer coincidence, Ant-Man was seeking a partner for his crusade, fearing he would die without an heir, and probably being a bit lonely talking to ants all day. I can't imagine they have much interesting to say beyond what they see and what a picnic tastes like. Respecting Pym now that she sees he is a brave superhero, Hank gives Janet super-powers like him and they stop Kosmos, or rather, he beats Kosmos after saving Janet from her own recklessness. The Ant-Man/Wasp team are born.

Fast forward about eighteen years. Both are founding Avengers and longtime members of the team. Out of the two of them, Janet has grown into her own, having been leader of the team on occasion as well as a well known socialite and fashionista. Hank Pym, on the other hand, is buried in self-doubt and envy of his fellow Avengers. He feels he has accomplished nothing in his life but failure, and doubts he can compare with his mightier Avengers. He overcompensates for this by basically being a jerk. The irony of course is that his fellow Avengers do respect him and outright look for any excuse to explain away his jerk behavior, including being brainwashed by his own creation, Ultron, for a time. After shooting a surrendering enemy in the back, the Avengers order an internal court-martial investigation. Hank was overzealous in the battle and wanted to be the hero at all costs. He doubted the investigation would be fair and ordered it rigged with, what else, another evil robot. Unbeknowst to him, new member Tigra had his back, and both Iron Man and Captain America were conflicted upon investigating the matter or doubting him, Iron Man especially. But no matter. He builds the robot and pushes Janet aside when she tries to console or seduce him, infamously backhanding her, telling her to shut up about his plan, and having her walk into the court-martial with a black eye (under some sunglasses). Of course the robot goes berserk and Hank gets his arse kicked and can't be the hero like he planned. It also didn't help that Janet sold him out the minute the robot appeared. Having proven the case against him by his own insecurity complex, Yellowjacket leaves the team in disgrace.

Of course, Hank Pym would have a lot more moments of redemption since 1981. He and Janet got divorced, but soon managed to get to some amicable terms with each other. Hank Pym redeemed himself as a hero, stopping no end of threats including Dr. Octopus' Masters of Evil. He even made new discoveries with his powers, at least during his 90's "Doctor Pym" days. There was more to him beyond his worst moment. However, by 2003-2004, Bendis and Millar came in from Ultimate. The Pym/Janet spat was done in ULTIMATES and made bigger, louder, more violent in the Mighty Millar Fashion. When both came upon 616, it was a fresh event to them, so it became a fresh event to the actual Avengers, despite years of Marvel time between it. Hank even had returned to the Yellowjacket name. So, answering for that act has required more penance than Bruce Banner usually feels for being the Hulk and nearly killing thousands of people for a decade. That compiled with Janet's tragic death makes Hank want to honor her legacy.

(Considering that Spider-Man went nuts and smacked his wife, a bit that was even depicted in SPIDER-MAN 3, yet he doesn't have to spend a generation answering for it, seems a bit hypocritical).

But let's put the pieces together. Janet fell for Pym because she respected him as a superhero. Over the years, she fought with him desperately to let go of his self-doubts and need to compare himself with the other Avengers. His worst acts were performed when he was trying to overcompensate for his own self loathing, for his inability to accept himself and what he could do. Janet was probably proudest of him when he was happy calling himself Doctor Pym and using the full range of his inventions in battle. So now that she is dead, what does Hank do? Renounces his name and takes hers. He still sees himself as worthless. He's learned absolutely nothing. Rather than embrace his own worth as Janet once did, he clings to her legacy as a shield and an excuse for his own failings. It is because of THAT, as well as the fact that taking a girl's name is rather wussy for a man, that I dislike it, and think it carries things too far.

Clint Barton watched Mephisto, for all intents and purposes the Devil Himself, murder his wife Bobbi out of spite, similar to the Skrulls killing Janet out of spite. Did he become Mockingbird? Hey, there are male mockingbirds in nature. It's a gender neutral name. Nope. No matter the loss or pain, Clint accepted himself. All he does is shoot arrows and he gets it, or used to. He even envied Hank's power and acted as Goliath for a while. Now, of course, he's wearing Echo's underware into battle, so maybe he is a bad example.

Pheonix is a gender neutral name, too. Cyclops could have taken it and changed his color scheme when Jean died. He didn't, and this is a guy who is so messed up he married a clone of her and than ditched his first born when Jean returned, before later cheating on Jean and then making out with his mistress on her grave.

In fact the only reason I am not completely hating it, besides the good design by Pham, is that Slott expects this response. Jocasta looks upon Hank literally become his wife, powers and all (soon to be hormone treatments) and her look is one of concern, at best, horror at most. Jocasta perhaps sees this is not the best way for him to cope, that he is repeating old patterns. And why not? She has Janet's mind, and Janet all but begged for Hank to accept himself. Now she's dead and he isn't even trying to. Even an andriod can...gasp!

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/081226-dan-slott-hank-pym.html#comments

In this interview, Slott mentions how other members of the team mention it, too. So I may be willing to sit back for a while, call it a stage of grieving and perhaps expect some changes later on. After all, Hardball changed costumes three times and his outlook quite a bit in about 18 months of AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE. Expecting Hank to be "He-Wasp" forever would at this stage be an overreaction. It may be a way to stay close to Janet and perhaps if Hank can lead the new squad properly for a bit, he can grow into his own and change it, get his testosterone back and accept himself, which would truly honor Janet's soul. This isn't Bendis doing something wacked out and being shocked when fans react a certain way. Slott is aware of what he is doing, so it gives me a little faith. He outright says he wants Hank to seem a bit off at times, like he has his issues. This is clearly one. This is the superhero version of Norman Bates "honoring" his mother.

Plus, the fact of the matter is, men taking on a woman's name is not considered endearing. Otherwise, simply mentioning Kevin Federline's old nickname, "Mr. Britney Spears", which is perfectly legal for a then-married guy to be called, wouldn't make you smirk. It wouldn't be sitcom comedy gold (and a sitcom cliche) to have some bit where a man has chosen to taken on his wife's last name and is usually mocked for being emasculated. It is a Double Standard, but to be fair, female heroes taking on a "feminized" version of a male hero's name rarely is due to his death. If Wasp wanted to avenge Hank by calling herself "Yellowjacket", I would be appalled upon her shirking her individuality, too, and it would make her seem a bit domestic or even "battered housewife". I think characters work best under their own names, and the feminization of male hero's names is mocked as lazy for a reason. Pham can keep on drawing that cool costume, all I'll see is, "Jan's Dress" and be disturbed.

Slott wants to have Hank step up and grasp for A-List. That's a lofty goal for the character and I commend him for it. But to me, Hank can never be A-List until he is as confident of his own identity as Dr. Reed Richards, or at least close to it, since Reed RARELY goes by Mr. Fantastic so much anymore (which is itself a silly name). That will be how he honors Janet best, by finally seeing that she was right to once love him and respect him, to finally rid himself of some of his trauma. On that level, I can see "He-Wasp" as a stage of development and put up with it for a while. Especially since everyone will just call him Hank or Dr. Pym anyway. Slott's hardly perfect but I have faith in him to do the right thing here in time, to take Pym to a better place than he's had in a decade. MIGHTY AVENGERS is going to be sweet. Here's hoping the goggles at least survive into the next design for Pym.

As a final note, they threw in an updated Bio for Wasp/Janet, and what is great is how the final paragraph clarifies things that SECRET INVASION #8 from Bendis & Yu didn't make clear. Janet wasn't just moaning in pain; she was containing the explosion. Thor didn't simply make her vanish with a tornado; he helped her rise into the atmosphere to explode safely. She was supposed to seem a little more heroic than victim, but that was not the impression I got from the issue itself. Thank heaven for those Handbook writers who have to make sense of all those retcons and inconsistencies in superhero history!

 

[CaptainCanada]

For all the mentions of Millar using the spousal abuse thing with Ultimate Hank, his writings of 616 Hank and Jan never once mentioned it, so far as I know; he wrote them both sympathetically and generally working as a duo.

 

[Dread]

For all the mentions of Millar using the spousal abuse thing with Ultimate Hank, his writings of 616 Hank and Jan never once mentioned it, so far as I know; he wrote them both sympathetically and generally working as a duo.

Millar wrote the exaggerated version in THE ULTIMATES, and Bendis came in and treated it as, well, as if it happened a year or two ago. While you're correct, Millar was the chicken, and Bendis the egg in that equation.

To add to my review, the fact that Skrull Hank seemed to get more praise and national spotlight and acclaim than normal Hank did, cover of TIME, shaking hands with the President, has to hurt.

 

[Darthphere]

SECRET INVASION: REQUIEM: A one shot from Dan Slott & Khoi Pham, the next creative team on MIGHTY AVENGERS, that picks up after SECRET INVASION with Hank Pym and Jocasta, two members of the new roster. It offers 8 pages of story framed around two recolored reprints from the older days. TALES TO ASTONISH #44 from Stan Lee & Jack Kirby detailing how Ant-Man and Wasp first met, and the infamous AVENGERS #213 from Jim Shooter & Bob Hall depicting Pym's Avengers court-martial and his hitting Jan, which has defined his character for about 25 years, especially within the last five.

For some, paying $4 for two reprints from the Silver Age and eight pages of new material may be a bit much for some people, but not for me. However, as I skipped NEW AVENGERS, it will have to do for the weekly amount of controversy from me.

Best to focus on the positive. Within eight pages, Slott narrows down the angle he is taking with Jocasta and sells her as an interesting character and a worthy Avenger at this time. She is basically going to go through some of Vision's old motions. While that may seem mundane, now that Vision II is basically Iron Lad, that will seem a lot more original, as well as a gender swap. She was programmed by Ultron with Janet's brain patterns, but she is aware that she is not Janet, and both has to be unique while trying not to take too many liberties with her Janet knowledge, especially with Hank. Pham nails her design and the first pages with Jocasta in Janet's extensive closet were great. Slott also has fun with Jocasta's android ignorance to some human behavior patterns. It isn't anything too new for Jocasta, but it is her being written well and logically, and it works completely.

Pham's art is also solid. His design for Hank Pym's new costume is pretty cool, and I look forward to his art for MIGHTY AVENGERS, especially having seen his stuff from INCREDIBLE HERCULES earlier in the year. His MA assignment will be a Herc reunion of sorts for him.

As for the rest of the issue, well, there are some mixed reactions from me.

Of course, commenting on the reprints is a futile effort. Of course, the Lee & Kirby story from the 60's was a product of it's time, and looked at now, seems simple, stilted, and very plot convenient. I must say, after all the mainstream abuse Aquaman has for "talking to fish", I have to say that "talking to ants" was about as lame if not lamer. At least Aquaman could call force some large ocean mammals or sharks, but Pym was stuck straddling ants for a while. The 1981 "Court Martial" issue from Jim Shooter of course has aged a bit better, and whether one likes it or not, is the story that has defined Hank Pym. The modern recolors look a bit strange, especially on Kirby's artwork. Some of those old stories just looked more authentic in their natural colors.

Back in the MIGHTY AVENGERS topic, I reacted to a few posters who guessed that Hank was about to rename himself "The Wasp" after his dead ex-wife. I feel then as I feel now; that is a step in the wrong direction for Hank into the "obsessive" category. Mourning Janet and wanting to honor her memory is one thing; wearing her clothes is another. Plus, the fact that Hank is a white male with blond hair and blue eyes, and is a figure of some financial privilege sort of invites an unintentionally hilarious angle to him calling himself "The Wasp".

But more to the point, let's look at things from the angle this one-shot, with the reprints, presents. Hank Pym started as a solo hero, Ant-Man. Hardly the most powerful but he did his thing. He was inspired to become a superhero after his first wife was murdered by agents from her terrible home country, which she foolishly picked as their honeymoon spot. He first meets Janet Van Dyne when her father seeks his aid in an experiment and is attracted because she basically "looks like my dead wife, only younger". At first vapid and selfish, Janet takes on a braver stance after a monster from Kosmos kills her father and insists on avenging him. By sheer coincidence, Ant-Man was seeking a partner for his crusade, fearing he would die without an heir, and probably being a bit lonely talking to ants all day. I can't imagine they have much interesting to say beyond what they see and what a picnic tastes like. Respecting Pym now that she sees he is a brave superhero, Hank gives Janet super-powers like him and they stop Kosmos, or rather, he beats Kosmos after saving Janet from her own recklessness. The Ant-Man/Wasp team are born.

Fast forward about eighteen years. Both are founding Avengers and longtime members of the team. Out of the two of them, Janet has grown into her own, having been leader of the team on occasion as well as a well known socialite and fashionista. Hank Pym, on the other hand, is buried in self-doubt and envy of his fellow Avengers. He feels he has accomplished nothing in his life but failure, and doubts he can compare with his mightier Avengers. He overcompensates for this by basically being a jerk. The irony of course is that his fellow Avengers do respect him and outright look for any excuse to explain away his jerk behavior, including being brainwashed by his own creation, Ultron, for a time. After shooting a surrendering enemy in the back, the Avengers order an internal court-martial investigation. Hank was overzealous in the battle and wanted to be the hero at all costs. He doubted the investigation would be fair and ordered it rigged with, what else, another evil robot. Unbeknowst to him, new member Tigra had his back, and both Iron Man and Captain America were conflicted upon investigating the matter or doubting him, Iron Man especially. But no matter. He builds the robot and pushes Janet aside when she tries to console or seduce him, infamously backhanding her, telling her to shut up about his plan, and having her walk into the court-martial with a black eye (under some sunglasses). Of course the robot goes berserk and Hank gets his arse kicked and can't be the hero like he planned. It also didn't help that Janet sold him out the minute the robot appeared. Having proven the case against him by his own insecurity complex, Yellowjacket leaves the team in disgrace.

Of course, Hank Pym would have a lot more moments of redemption since 1981. He and Janet got divorced, but soon managed to get to some amicable terms with each other. Hank Pym redeemed himself as a hero, stopping no end of threats including Dr. Octopus' Masters of Evil. He even made new discoveries with his powers, at least during his 90's "Doctor Pym" days. There was more to him beyond his worst moment. However, by 2003-2004, Bendis and Millar came in from Ultimate. The Pym/Janet spat was done in ULTIMATES and made bigger, louder, more violent in the Mighty Millar Fashion. When both came upon 616, it was a fresh event to them, so it became a fresh event to the actual Avengers, despite years of Marvel time between it. Hank even had returned to the Yellowjacket name. So, answering for that act has required more penance than Bruce Banner usually feels for being the Hulk and nearly killing thousands of people for a decade. That compiled with Janet's tragic death makes Hank want to honor her legacy.

(Considering that Spider-Man went nuts and smacked his wife, a bit that was even depicted in SPIDER-MAN 3, yet he doesn't have to spend a generation answering for it, seems a bit hypocritical).

But let's put the pieces together. Janet fell for Pym because she respected him as a superhero. Over the years, she fought with him desperately to let go of his self-doubts and need to compare himself with the other Avengers. His worst acts were performed when he was trying to overcompensate for his own self loathing, for his inability to accept himself and what he could do. Janet was probably proudest of him when he was happy calling himself Doctor Pym and using the full range of his inventions in battle. So now that she is dead, what does Hank do? Renounces his name and takes hers. He still sees himself as worthless. He's learned absolutely nothing. Rather than embrace his own worth as Janet once did, he clings to her legacy as a shield and an excuse for his own failings. It is because of THAT, as well as the fact that taking a girl's name is rather wussy for a man, that I dislike it, and think it carries things too far.

Clint Barton watched Mephisto, for all intents and purposes the Devil Himself, murder his wife Bobbi out of spite, similar to the Skrulls killing Janet out of spite. Did he become Mockingbird? Hey, there are male mockingbirds in nature. It's a gender neutral name. Nope. No matter the loss or pain, Clint accepted himself. All he does is shoot arrows and he gets it, or used to. He even envied Hank's power and acted as Goliath for a while. Now, of course, he's wearing Echo's underware into battle, so maybe he is a bad example.

Pheonix is a gender neutral name, too. Cyclops could have taken it and changed his color scheme when Jean died. He didn't, and this is a guy who is so messed up he married a clone of her and than ditched his first born when Jean returned, before later cheating on Jean and then making out with his mistress on her grave.

In fact the only reason I am not completely hating it, besides the good design by Pham, is that Slott expects this response. Jocasta looks upon Hank literally become his wife, powers and all (soon to be hormone treatments) and her look is one of concern, at best, horror at most. Jocasta perhaps sees this is not the best way for him to cope, that he is repeating old patterns. And why not? She has Janet's mind, and Janet all but begged for Hank to accept himself. Now she's dead and he isn't even trying to. Even an andriod can...gasp!

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/081226-dan-slott-hank-pym.html#comments

In this interview, Slott mentions how other members of the team mention it, too. So I may be willing to sit back for a while, call it a stage of grieving and perhaps expect some changes later on. After all, Hardball changed costumes three times and his outlook quite a bit in about 18 months of AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE. Expecting Hank to be "He-Wasp" forever would at this stage be an overreaction. It may be a way to stay close to Janet and perhaps if Hank can lead the new squad properly for a bit, he can grow into his own and change it, get his testosterone back and accept himself, which would truly honor Janet's soul. This isn't Bendis doing something wacked out and being shocked when fans react a certain way. Slott is aware of what he is doing, so it gives me a little faith. He outright says he wants Hank to seem a bit off at times, like he has his issues. This is clearly one. This is the superhero version of Norman Bates "honoring" his mother.

Plus, the fact of the matter is, men taking on a woman's name is not considered endearing. Otherwise, simply mentioning Kevin Federline's old nickname, "Mr. Britney Spears", which is perfectly legal for a then-married guy to be called, wouldn't make you smirk. It wouldn't be sitcom comedy gold (and a sitcom cliche) to have some bit where a man has chosen to taken on his wife's last name and is usually mocked for being emasculated. It is a Double Standard, but to be fair, female heroes taking on a "feminized" version of a male hero's name rarely is due to his death. If Wasp wanted to avenge Hank by calling herself "Yellowjacket", I would be appalled upon her shirking her individuality, too, and it would make her seem a bit domestic or even "battered housewife". I think characters work best under their own names, and the feminization of male hero's names is mocked as lazy for a reason. Pham can keep on drawing that cool costume, all I'll see is, "Jan's Dress" and be disturbed.

Slott wants to have Hank step up and grasp for A-List. That's a lofty goal for the character and I commend him for it. But to me, Hank can never be A-List until he is as confident of his own identity as Dr. Reed Richards, or at least close to it, since Reed RARELY goes by Mr. Fantastic so much anymore (which is itself a silly name). That will be how he honors Janet best, by finally seeing that she was right to once love him and respect him, to finally rid himself of some of his trauma. On that level, I can see "He-Wasp" as a stage of development and put up with it for a while. Especially since everyone will just call him Hank or Dr. Pym anyway. Slott's hardly perfect but I have faith in him to do the right thing here in time, to take Pym to a better place than he's had in a decade. MIGHTY AVENGERS is going to be sweet. Here's hoping the goggles at least survive into the next design for Pym.

As a final note, they threw in an updated Bio for Wasp/Janet, and what is great is how the final paragraph clarifies things that SECRET INVASION #8 from Bendis & Yu didn't make clear. Janet wasn't just moaning in pain; she was containing the explosion. Thor didn't simply make her vanish with a tornado; he helped her rise into the atmosphere to explode safely. She was supposed to seem a little more heroic than victim, but that was not the impression I got from the issue itself. Thank heaven for those Handbook writers who have to make sense of all those retcons and inconsistencies in superhero history!

Probably your longest review yet.

 

[Dread]

Probably your longest review yet.

Seriously? I wasn't keeping score.

 

[SouLeSS]

Probably your longest review yet.

Which is amazing, considering it was only about 8 pages worth of something to review.