Well, this is a bit awkward. Between a cold, the sudden snow, and work schedule I haven't posted in the B/T for about two weeks. So, cramming in two weeks of reviews now. And no, they're not all just pastes from Examiner. Spoilers ahoy.
BOUGHT/THOUGHT FOR 2/6 & 2/13/13!
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #7: Criminally underrated writer Fred Van Lente continues to weave an action packed and hilarious revision of the classic Valiant franchise with this issue, which appears to wisely extend the regular cast beyond the two titular leads. This issue sees Archer and Armstrong meet up with the latter's equally immortal brother Gilad, who seeks their death due to the accidental murder of a representative of the earth itself, "the Geomancer". Fortunately for them, former corporate shill Kay McHenry has become the newest "Geomancer", which forces Gilad to call off his agenda to unite for a common threat. Said threat is tycoon Mr. Zorn who is part of a secret cabal seeking to undo all of reality since 212 B.C. and only now is reaching fruition. It is never bank robbers or mobsters with this book; every arc seems to be against the apocalypse! The skill with which Van Lente embellishes and exaggerates history and modern "mythology" and religion as well as he did with the lore of the Marvel Universe is impressive and appears seamless. The artwork by Emanuela Lupacchino continues to impress and flow well alongside the previous arc drawn by Clayton Henry. This series doesn't seem to be making as many critical website rounds as "Incredible Hercules" did, which is a shame as it is an impressive work regardless of what franchise it is. Few scribes manage to weave adventure, drama, and comedy as well as Van Lente does, and this series is merely another example of this skill. Seekers of fun adventure comics skip it at their detriment.
SUPER-DINOSAUR #17: Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard continue on their creator owned vehicle which is vaguely similar to an 80's Saturday morning cartoon, only usually written smarter. This issue sees Kirkman perhaps pander a bit too much to the juvenile audience by introducing characters who literally eat poop and use it as a joke several times. While there is always a place for juvenile humor - I admit a weakness for fart gags sometimes - it did take me out of the story a bit here. SD and Derek manage to clear up the situation with the warring races of inner-moon before coming home for a quest to save Derek's mom. The art is solid as always and this remains a bit more coherent and stable series than INVINCIBLE is right now. I still like it more than HAUNT, but not as much as ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN, and I still wonder how much longer it will last given how low sales are.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #18: Believe it or not, this is actually the first issue of IDW's regular ongoing TMNT series which has shipped this year. This is because that IDW smartly scheduled two issues of a spin off mini series, "The Secret History of the Foot Clan" to ship in January and fill that gap. Fortunately, it is the start of a new month and the lead in time for new artist Ben Bates was well spent. Writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz alongside colorist Ronda Pattison continue to advance their all encompassing revamp of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise with this latest arc. It is a story which spans across dimensions and space and mingles material from both the original 1987 cartoon series with the mid-80's Mirage Studios comics which preceded it. In specifics, it merges "TMNT #4-5" circa 1985 with "Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X", circa 1987. The result is an exciting and often brilliant method of bringing fans of various Turtles material together into a cohesive whole while still offering a new spin on it.
Last issue, while trying to back up April as she sought answers about their enemies from Chet Allen, one of the resident professors at the company run by Baxtor Stockman. What they didn't know was that Chet is actually the Fugitoid, a Neutrino scientist from Dimension X who fled to earth to escape tyranny and eventually avenge his murdered family to it. When a group of Neutrino rebel soldiers (updated versions of the former "hot rodding teenagers") beam to Earth to snatch Chet, the Turtles wind up being taken accidentally to Dimension X and learning far more about the intergalactic figure who has been their enemy all along, General Krang. In the original cartoon, Krang was a unique villain loosely based on the Utrom aliens of the original comic; this series makes him an outright Utrom, but also makes the Utroms a race of conquering brains instead of pacifists. Instead of finding themselves in the midst of a fight between the Triceritons and the Federation like in the original comics from 1985, the Turtles find themselves in the middle of a fire fight between the Neutrino resistance and Krang's genetically modified stone soldiers. While some of the Turtles are confused, others (namely Mikey) leap into the fray with glee to help save a princess. Once the lasers stop firing, however, the Turtles learn far more about the sources of their origins than they ever imagined. Meanwhile on earth, Splinter, Casey, and April are left to plan a course of action without the Turtles to aid them, but strive to do so.
Bates is a far different artist in terms of style than the previous artist, Andy Kuhn, and his style may be more appealing for those who prefer a "house style" with smoother lines. His style actually gels well with the style of the original artist for the series, Dan Duncan. As always, the writers manage to capture the voices of all four Turtles without the sense that one is hogging the others. They also continue to weave a rich tapestry around the over 25 year saga of the Turtles across various mediums and forge a brand new saga to add to such a legacy. While this may not be the Utrom villain Ch'rell from the 2003 era cartoon, this is also not the bumbling comedian Krang from the original cartoon. It also paints Krang as a rival of the Shredder and the Foot, which for the time being is smart and adds suspense - as our heroes are in the middle of their struggle. While it may have been a month gap between issues, IDW's publishing practices mitigated the delay and this week's offering gets things back on track. Each arc seems to build on the last and improve the narrative and characters as it goes, which is the ultimate goal of serialized fiction. The only reason this series doesn't appear on many critics "best of" lists is due more to bias of 80's nostalgia properties than on actual content. Judged on content, and this run is among the greats.
FEARLESS DEFENDERS #1: A mere two months after the previous comic book with "Defenders" in the end as written by top tier writer Matt Fraction was mercifully canceled due to poor sales, up comes a new series written by current rising star, Cullen Bunn. The only connection this series has to previous "Defenders" comics is the involvement of Valkyrie, one of the long term B-list members of that "non-team". The inkling for this is to craft a team of female heroes to serve as Valkyrie's new "shield maidens", and apparently someone in editorial decided that titling it after the "Defenders" and not "Valkyrie" would sell better. With Will Sliney on art and Veronica Gandini on colors, this issue is an entertaining introduction to a new team, fulfilling the obligation by the cover of teaming Valkyrie with Misty Knight (one half of the "daughters of the dragon"). Misty is actually coming off quite a few long term alliances lately; broken up with Iron Fist again as well as no longer working alongside fellow "daughter" Colleen Wing since the "Shadowland" event of 2010. Her investigation into an artifact smuggling operation for her client (Dr. Annabelle Riggs, a supporting character for the series) very quickly develops into an affair involving dead Norse warriors which brings Valkyrie into the fray. The dialogue between the characters is a lot better than the plot, which is standard comic book fare to get people to team up. The art by Sliney is fine, although there may be one too many broke-back poses by the female heroines for some readers to bare. This will be Marvel's second "all female" team books alongside Brian Woods' reboot of "X-Men", but as always with any team book, it is the characters which make it work, regardless of gender. While the story itself is quite simple, the dialogue is sassy and entertaining enough to hook a reader for at least the opening arc.
IRON MAN #6: Kieron Gillen and Greg "The Mad Tracer" Land start on their second arc on this series, "The Godkiller". Despite being 20 pages, the story seems to go by very quickly. Iron Man has flown into space with some new armor for the sake of exploration, and has quickly made friends with the Voldi, who have been retconned as a civilization which pre-dated and influenced the Kree and the Shi'Ar. Mistaken for a Spaceknight, Tony Stark is about to score some hot alien sex until his current date freaks out at his mustache and he's arrested by space cops for essentially killing the Phoenix in AVX. It is an interesting progression, although some of the execution here seems a bit simple and as always Land's art is a downside. Part of this seems obligatory as Iron Man has been added to the cast of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY as their "Wolverine" figure. There is a good idea in here, even if the Voldi are a bit generic, and hopefully the next issue improves here. So far this series remains in the solidly "alright" category for me.
SCARLET SPIDER #14: Writer Chris Yost and regular artist Khoi Pham (alongside colorist Antonio Fabela and a whopping five inkers) continue their story for the second year of this spin off title featuring a redeemed Kaine and a family of villains from the Conway/Buscema run of Spectacular Spider-Man in the late 1980's. Mysterious psychic youth Aracely, who is somehow connected to the Aztec gods, is on the run from a brother and sister of the Lobo family, who can transform into werewolves. Kaine/Scarlet Spider has attempted to protect her, but it seemed like he was torn asunder in the previous issue. As Aracely flees for her life, Kaine goes through a metaphysical transformation which seems to borrow from the continuity of the "Amazing Spider-Man" story "Grim Hunt" from 2010. Kaine's struggle between trying to be a man or a killer is compared to that of a spider, and ultimately he chooses what seems natural to him. To a point this issue is more of an issue of transition than a story itself, but it does make for an interesting metaphysical struggle for Kaine. It is a sign of the times that a ASM spin off like this now has a higher issue count than the core Spider-Man series right now, but that doesn't change the fact that this has been a surprisingly solid spin off series. Hopefully the second year of this series remains as great as the first.
SECRET AVENGERS #37: Another awkward issue of a Marvel Comic where the cover boasts of a "final issue" while the back pages advertise the latest #1 issue of the same series which hits the stands next week. Doesn't anyone in the editorial office realize this strategy is so absurd it borders on unintentional self parody? Regardless, this is the final issue as written by Rick Remender, who first hopped aboard the series with issue #21.1 last year. Having written more issues of this title than any previous writer - even Ed Brubaker who launched the series - this marks quite a finale to end on. Flanked by artist Matteo Scalera and colorist Matthew Wilson, the long term storyline with the Descendants reaches an exciting but morally complicated climax. The Descendants are a race of techno-organic life forms created by the father of Captain Britain to become the next stage of mankind; and to this end they have interbred with humans for years, finally siring the start of a new generation. Their "Father" saw this as the time to begin the mass "evolution" of all humanity into these beings - starting with New York City, as villains do. To this end he saw fit to kill Ant-Man and replace him with an LMD, and transform Hank Pym into a cyborg, among others. This issue marks the team's last stand to try to save humanity from a forced evolution, although the moral implications of their solution - killing all of the Descendants with a bomb before the transformation is complete - is hazy and Remender is a wise writer to not shy away from it. Forced or not, the "evolution" brings with it immortality and physical prosperity; something which Capt. Britain wisely argues would strip humanity of the struggle which makes it unique. Hawkeye struggles the most with the task at hand, but ultimately it is the android Human Torch who makes the final decision. While it is a victory, it is hardly a victory which came easily or seems to be all pomp and circumstance afterward - it comes with a hollowness and a sense of conflict to the outcome. Earlier issues which saw the Descendants making anti-Avengers signs which held them responsible for the near extinction of mutants rise to the memory with the pace of this issue. Remender could have chosen to make his finale an emotionless over the top affair, but instead he was genuine with the moral dilemma he presented his heroes; thus, this finale is better for it. Remender has moved onto "Uncanny Avengers", and one hopes that will be as thrilling as this run was.
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #3: With sales figures for January 2013 available from Diamond, the relaunch of "Amazing Spider-Man" as "Superior Spider-Man" for this story line topped the month with copies of the first two issues selling well into six figure margins. Regardless of how one feels about the move and especially the promotional scheme for it, it has worked in the manner that Marvel Comics cares most about - sales. In terms of the story, it is perhaps one of the most ambitious "mind swap" stories ever done in a mainstream superhero comic in years, if not decades, courtesy of solo writer Dan Slott and starting artist Ryan Stegman (alongside Edgar Delgado's colors).
Dr. Octopus is still in mental possession of Spider-Man's body, while Peter Parker's "soul" or "will" or whatnot continues to exist in some state alongside him, unable to influence any but the most severe of actions. The previous issue saw the Vulture emerge as the latest villain of the month and "Spidey-Ock" closing the door on chasing Mary Jane romantically, much to Peter's relief. This issue sees the "superior" Spidey manage to get along with J. Jonah Jameson as well as explores Ock's memories and relationship with the Vulture - who is one of his former "Sinister Six" teammates. The issue also focuses on another lady in Peter's life, Carlie Cooper - who is apparently the only person in his cast who suspects something is up. Peter also learns that he can access Ock's memories the same way that Ock can access his, which makes for some interesting perspective. By the end of the issue, it seems obvious that this status quo may not last much longer; the question is, will it end before it stretches too thin, and how wrecked will Peter's life become afterward?
Stegman's artwork is top notch as always, excelling at the action as usual. Slott's angle for the Vulture is to have him become a figure akin to Fagin from "Oliver Twist" as someone who exploits the young for his crimes. This time Adrian Toomes crosses a line even Doc Ock won't stand, even if it does cause him to "break character" before Carlie. As for the aforementioned CSI, Slott's task is not an easy one with her. He has the task of depicting Carlie as being smart enough to figure out before anyone else that something isn't right about Spider-Man; yet Spider-Man himself essentially told this to her in ASM #700, which mitigates this. Peter Parker himself has parodied how nobody in his cast has noticed that his "body" is talking like a Republic Serial villain. Slott also has to walk the odd tightrope of having to cement for editorial purposes why Peter and MJ no longer "work" as a stable relationship while promoting Carlie as a newer reoccurring romantic interest. To a degree this entire story is akin to walking a tight rope; if it stretches too long it becomes absurd, but if not long enough the marketing stunt seems more obvious than it already is.
Due to sheer execution of an interesting, often funny and at the very least imaginative new twist on an old story trope, Dan Slott has managed to turn what could have been a nightmare into an very unique Spider-Man story. One hopes he continues to walk that tightrope as skillfully as a spider in terms of handling this arc, because thus far it is always a riveting read, warts and all.
VENOM #31: Cullen Bunn teams with former THUNDERBOLTS secondary artist Declan Shalvey for the first issue of his "Venom in Philly" era. It is the sort of quiet introspective issues that Rick Remender used to excel at. Bunn wisely seeks to construct a supporting cast around Flash Thompson here, even if they are a bit stereotypical as most characters are in infancy. He also seeks to continue his vigilante crusade, although he takes more measures to conceal Venom's involvement. Unfortunately, Flash is losing himself to the literal "demon" within him, and Eddie Brock is returning as the new Toxin to haunt him. It's the start of a set building exercise, but so far it is successful. Bunn's rebounded on this title these last few issues, and it is good to see.
) It was a good issue and I don't regret having bought it. I love Damian as a character and I really hope he comes out of this Incorporated thing alright. He's a great character and the Bat-Books would be worse off without him.
