Bought/Thought 4/2 Secret Invasion Edition

[Darthphere]

Yeah, that one was good. All time top 5, though? That must be a weak list.

It's my personal top 5, there are better designs out there, but I refuse to put them on my list. Like Spider-Man, one of the best, not on my list though.

 

[Egotastic]

It's my personal top 5, there are better designs out there, but I refuse to put them on my list. Like Spider-Man, one of the best, not on my list though.

Oh.

 

[Darthphere]

It's like when you don't read a book you know is really good, it's probably better than all your books on your pull list, but you don't buy it anyway. Ask Dread for further details.

 

[Egotastic]

HAHAHA! Point taken.

 

[Darthphere]

Try the veal, I'll be here all week.

 

[Egotastic]

I'd say my all time top 5 costumes/character designs are:

1) Spider-Man
2) Hellboy
3) Blue Beetle (Jaime)
4) Multiple Man (current)
5) Iron Man

 

[Darthphere]

Solid.

 

[Egotastic]

Short Reviews:

Anna Mercury #1 - Really good first issue. Lately the term "first issue-itis" has been floating around the internets. It's not unfounded. A lot of series use the first issue as set-up first and actual story second. A lot of the time, it's a necessary evil, but Warren Ellis is smart enough to know how to get around it. This issue contains the first part of a story, not a set-up issue for a story. There's a distinct difference. Anyway, it's weird and it's clever and the art is beautiful. The last page is a great surprise.

Casanova #13 - I love this series and I honestly think that this issue might be the best one yet. It's good to see Casanova again (after a 7 issue absence), even if it is only in flashbacks. I love the way Fraction has built up the cast as being just as important (sometimes moreso) than the actual protagonist. We see that Zephyr isn't quite the ***** that the last issue would have us believe and a cast member dies for good. As usual Moon's art is astonishing.

Scalped #17 - Best book EVER. Seriously though, this issue kicked monster ass. I'm really digging this arc. The dynamic between Dash and the kid who's mom's murder Dash is investigating is too awesome for words. Guera's art keeps getting better with each issue. For reals, this is probably the best book on the racks.

 

[sandwraith]

How's the art for Anna Mercury. Didn't see it at my shop.

Tangent: Superman's Reign #1:
I've no idea what this is about. The short backstory for the Tangent Universe's history seems interesting. Art's alright, I was a little suprised by how different this ish's Tangent Flash (now referred to as T-Flash) differed from Benes' T-Flash. Considering that Ed Benes draws some great women, I suppose I prefer his T-Flash. I'm interested in T-Joker though, I might keep buying this just to see what happens.

 

[fifthfiend]

So here's my (in many cases extremely belated) boughts and/or thoughts

Incredible Hercules

I felt the issue would have worked a lot better if they'd showed Cho's actions having negative consequences. Like he takes out Shield and some actual bad **** goes down and some good people get hurt and/or are threatened with the possibility of getting hurt. It would have added weight to Herc's speech about facing up to your own motivations.

That said, as a mythology nerd from the age of like ten years old the invocation of "Herakles" basically guarantees that I will buy any comic Greg Pak cares to write ever again. That particular discrepancy of popular nomenclature (IE the common use of Grecian names for the majority of mythological figures along with Herakles' Romanized moniker) has nagged at me like a Goddamn toothpick for a decade and a half and Pak acknowledged it and justified it in one beautiful sweep of remythologization.

Secret Invasion

The Bendisese is toned way down from the last one of his comics I read so that's okay. Past that it was kind of a lot of the lukewarm self-important "THIS ARE BIG EVENT COMIC EVERYTING ARE DIFFERANT NAO" tone that characterized HoM and Disassembled.

One of the two characters whose Skrullishness would actually justify this event is instead attacked by a skrull so that was lame pretty hard. The end with like Thor and Jean was kinda silly and a given Bendis calling "onetwothreetakebacks!" on it by page two of the next issue. It'd be nice if Iron Fist got to do something interesting or Hawkeye got to stop wearing the lame Ronin costume but I don't think either of those is happening any time soon so whatevs. In all I don't actually hate it but I can't imagine what leads people to purchase this with actual money.

Atomic Robo

I am kind of enjoying this fun little series and thought the sixth (of six) issues was the best yet. The previous four (missed number 1) actually left me kind of meh in a lot of places but this time around the dialogue seems sharper and the art pops a bit more. I liked the bit at the end about "Hubris is building yourself a steel robot body and then putting your disembodied brain on top of it in a glass bubble" (or however that line goes I'm not quoting exact).

Daredevil

I was really disappointed that Matt let doctor-guy shove him out of Milla's existence without talking to her one more time. It just didn't ring true to me that he would just leave her to other people's devices without wanting to hear from her that this is what she wanted. The bit with Ben Urich as an editor was really good.

Iron Fist

Writing great, art sucked

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Well it's good that Buffy (by which I mean Joss Whedon) got the lesbian fling out of her (his) system and now things are back to business. As Matt might put it the fat kid has had his cupcake and now he can sit down and get cracking on his homework. I really got a kick out of Dracula, I just have this soft spot for old-timey racism. The little aside with Satsu didn't really work for me as it seemed like that one scene was supposed to say "it was a one-night fling get over it" but to me it just read like hey whatever is going on nobody told you you get to start arguing the ****in' chain of command. That said it was kind of stupid in a way that realistically these characters would in all likelihood be (both Satsu and then Willow's kind of lacking-on-the-aforementioned-point chit-chat afterwards) so I can't really fault the writer for doing it that way.

All-Star Superman

This was a totally excellent comic, though marred a bit by the totally unnecessary "I AM ALIEN U ARE HUMAN WE CAN NEVAR LOVE" crap best left to the Millers and Millars of the world. I mean if there were any writer I would expect to understand the simple logic of "If Superman's powers prevent him and Lois from being together it would be totally ridiculous and stupid therefore Superman's powers do not prevent him and Lois from being together" it would be Grant Morrison but oh well. The scene with Lex Luthor was possibly the single best scene with Lex Luthor of any Superman comic ever written, I mean I don't know how many times I've read Lex spout that same old tired-ass self serving "I am the real hero" horse**** and Superman straight-up calls him on it, the way only Superman could. Also, Superman just sacking up and taking Kandor out of the damn bottle was kind of poetically beatiful, just a little bit.

Thor

It kind of felt like half of a comic. I mean I'm actually not one of the people who have previously had issues with this book's pacing it just felt like this issue in particular accomplished like half of what it should have.

X-Force

Seriously it's a whole team of Wolverines I mean I just I what

 

[Blader5489]

X-Force

Seriously it's a whole team of Wolverines I mean I just I what

"That wasn't even a sentence."

 

[Dread]

It's like when you don't read a book you know is really good, it's probably better than all your books on your pull list, but you don't buy it anyway. Ask Dread for further details.

That was a shot out of nowhere.

 

[Egotastic]

How's the art for Anna Mercury. Didn't see it at my shop.

Anna Mercury #1 - Really good first issue. Lately the term "first issue-itis" has been floating around the internets. It's not unfounded. A lot of series use the first issue as set-up first and actual story second. A lot of the time, it's a necessary evil, but Warren Ellis is smart enough to know how to get around it. This issue contains the first part of a story, not a set-up issue for a story. There's a distinct difference. Anyway, it's weird and it's clever and the art is beautiful. The last page is a great surprise.

 

[yenaled]

Secret Invasion left me very apathetic.

I haven't read enough Bendis, I'm not used to how he writes and I can't stand his style. His moments of action, suspense and supposed shock just felt flat to me.

I know this story will wipe out some of my favourite Avengers/Marvel stories - the big retcon-ball of 2008 will not be merciful. I was hoping to enjoy the ride despite that.

Maybe not.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm actually willing to give Bendis the benefit of the doubt when he says that SI will not be a retcon frenzy.

 

[yenaled]

I'm actually willing to give Bendis the benefit of the doubt when he says that SI will be a retcon frenzy.

Is that missing a 'not'?

 

[xisaacx]

I'm actually willing to give Bendis the benefit of the doubt when he says that SI will be a retcon frenzy.

When did he say it was going to be a retcon frenzy?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Is that missing a 'not'?

Yes. Yes, it is.

 

[Dread]

Secret Invasion left me very apathetic.

I haven't read enough Bendis, I'm not used to how he writes and I can't stand his style. His moments of action, suspense and supposed shock just felt flat to me.

I know this story will wipe out some of my favourite Avengers/Marvel stories - the big retcon-ball of 2008 will not be merciful. I was hoping to enjoy the ride despite that.

Maybe not.

To be fair, the first issue of SI wasn't bad. That actually might have pissed me off a bit when I typed the review. But, I am in the same boat as you. The potential for this to be a Retcon Engine for characters Bendis deems "needs fixing", which usually is off the mark, is too great. I don't see him not snatching that glory.

But, yeah, I am more bracing for SI than anything.

I'm actually willing to give Bendis the benefit of the doubt when he says that SI will not be a retcon frenzy.

Just like he said Blade would show up in New Avengers. Not saying I wanted Blade, but he heavily implied that would happen, and it hasn't. I wouldn't say he outright lies to the fans' faces as much as Joe Q, but he naturally wouldn't want to give away his own story, and he thrives on controversy. The kind of stories other writers "would dare never do" are the stories he is set to write, every time. And not in the way that Brubaker does.

The saying, "fool me once," and all that. I used to give Bendis benefits of doubt. I used to hold out hope. I don't. I just can't avoid a good train wreck.

Just because I may be a sucker for buying SI doesn't mean I delude myself about the massive, unshakable harm it could do to the entire line, the same harm that has crippled the X-Line for over a year before Carey and Brubaker decided to try something, anything, rather than ignore the problem. That is what Bendis does, he is big and bold about a controversial story, but leaves other writers to have to deal with the consequences.

It wouldn't bother me if there was a give-and-take; if other writers were as free to shake Bendis' stories. If another writer, say, decided to do something massive to Jessica Jones, or something. But none would dare, and that is where a lot of the fan contempt comes from. That feeling that things aren't equal. As Marvel's #1 writer on their #1 ongoing, them's the brakes, but it still is irksome.

 

[bullets]

Bendis is certainly controversial but I'm not so sure that is a good thing for the long run. Although I am enjoying the secret invasion so far . This is his last chance with me.