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Bought/Thought 9/17

We all do.

Except the godless heathens who like the New Avengers.

Burn the heathens! :up: :cmad:


I think my favorite era of the Avengers was when Beast and Wonderman were on the team...and Justice...and Firestar. :O
 
I wonder if Kurt Busiek will ever write the Avengers again. :(

Anyway, I read Echo #6 this morning. Good stuff. Terry Moore's pacing and storytelling is nearly beyond comparison. Any one else picking it up?
 
If there's one thing Bought-Thought threads typically lack, it's ASS.

Incredible Hercules

I'm kind of hoping Cho gets laid, then tries to think up a brilliant escape plan, but he can't because hot ersatz-Wonder Woman ****ing has made him ******ed.

Issue was kind of silly (which isn't a slur, it was totally great silliness) but this series pretty much thrives on silly setups that turn deadly serious so I expect high Olympian dramatics to follow.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Damn that was good. The one character who I was in no way expecting to be up to some naughty **** turns out to be. Also Drax turns out to be very, very Drax.

I've had some earlier quibbles with this book but they've all pretty much evaporated to be replaced with breakneck thrill-ride paranoid scheming time-destroying action awesome.
 
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Regarding Athena's eyes, I'm assuming that (like with the blonde hair) the real reason is to make her look more like Thena, who has blonde hair and green eyes.
 
Regarding Athena's eyes, I'm assuming that (like with the blonde hair) the real reason is to make her look more like Thena, who has blonde hair and green eyes.

I dunno, the fact that Mikaboshi specifically pointed it out makes me think otherwise. If you're slipping in a retcon like that you don't usually have a character go HEY THAT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THAT WAS IT MAYBE WE SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF THAT THING THAT IS UNUSUALLY DIFFERENT FROM HOW IT PREVIOUSLY HAS BEEN.

It could be something they thought they were going to use in the Sacred Invasion arc but ended up not? But then Athena's clearly still up to some naughty **** so they could pop something out of that later on.

I mean the blonde hair yeah, that's probably just a low-level retcon.
 
I dunno, the fact that Mikaboshi specifically pointed it out makes me think otherwise. If you're slipping in a retcon like that you don't usually have a character go HEY THAT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THAT WAS IT MAYBE WE SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF THAT THING THAT IS UNUSUALLY DIFFERENT FROM HOW IT PREVIOUSLY HAS BEEN.
By the same token, though, Herc had no reaction to it, so he didn't think there was anything amiss.
 
Yeah but he was pretty preoccupied with like 75% being pissed at her for making him lead the team 20% figuring out how he was going to lead the team 5% wanting to tap that sweet Snowbird ass.
 
Incredible Hercules = incredibly awesome.

Mighty Avengers was also a pretty kick-ass read. A lot of people complain that MA and NA aren't showing anything new and it's just a bunch of crap that doesn't matter but f*** that. I WANT to see how Fury put together and trained the Secret Warriors and I WANT to see that the Void has taken control of Reynolds' body and I want to see that it was a Skrull who gave Janet the formula to make her giant sized...

Why? Because then when those things start to take effect in SI, I know how it all happened and I've gotta say: MA and NA have been really, really fun to read.
 
Regarding Athena's eyes, I'm assuming that (like with the blonde hair) the real reason is to make her look more like Thena, who has blonde hair and green eyes.
I wonder if that's why Ares and his kid are suddenly blonde, too.
 
Yeah, that really threw me off too. Ares JUST had brown hair in MA and now he's blonde?
 
He used to have reddish hair originally. And a mohawk on his actual head instead of just his helmet.
 
Oh yeah, that was in the Ares mini right? I was thinking of the MA hair:
ares.jpg
 
Hobbit's Spoiler-filled Bought Thought!

Starting with the Secret Invasion Tie-Ins:


Guardians Of The Galaxy 5 - Definately a good read, and it's getting better with each issue. The start didn't do much for me, but the further along it gets the more I like it. It still doesn't feel like much of a Secret Invasion tie-in as much as it does it's own story involving hidden Skrulls... and I like that actually. There's no reason for these guys to tie-in and I like that the story is self contained. Bring in more readers and keep this Cosmic line running and building.

I think the thing that got me the most this issue was the revelation that Cosmo is working with the Skrulls of Knowhere. However, if you read the exchange between him, them, and Adam Warlock before they attack one another (and what an awsome image of Cosmo that was!) it sounds to me like it's not what it seems. My guess is that these Skrulls are non-confrontational Skrulls that fled from the Invasion rather than take part of it, and Cosmo is trying to protect them, seeing that they are innocent. Also, his "Stay" comment to Starlord and company earlier had me grinning. I think Cosmo shined in this issue.

Adam Warlock is still the bore of the book for me, and being that a few issues ago there was a Warlock cacoon found, I'm hoping he turns out to be a skrull and leaves the book. He does nothing for me and I'm ready to see him go.

Starhawk returns, as a woman?! Well, I'm not questioning it, I'll just keep reading and see what comes of it. I'm curious how the whole Starhawk/Major Victory thing turns out, so I'll comment on that once it all comes to a head.

And lastly, Drax. What a crazy mofo! But I like him. Wouldn't hang out with him, but I like him.

Mighty Avengers 18 - I gotta say... Bendis rocked this issue. We see a bit of Fury's training of the Secret Warriors and what they were doing at the moment of the Invasion's beginning. The best thing about it was the art, as Caselli (of Avengers: The Initiative) does the best pencils for this title since it's start.

We see Fury as the bad mofo he is and how harsh his training tactics are, but in the end everyone... though bloody and bruised, are better off for it. I certainly wouldn't want him for a boss! And I like Maria Hill's involvement in the issue as well. Not much to talk about regarding it, but good nonetheless.

Iron Man Director Of Shield 33 - First off, I love Chen's art. Have ever since I first noticed it in Nova, so it's good to see it here. I also like that War Machine takes center stage here directly out of Avengers: The Initiative. It's a good read so far, but all in all it's still just another cool character fighting Super Skrulls, which is getting old. However, we do get to see behind the mask of War Machine and all his metal faceness, and there's clues to what happened to him... to be revealed at a later date. I'm not a fan of Iron Man, but I do like War Machine and if this and the next issue are good enough, I may consider giving his new book a shot. We'll see.

And Now The X-Men Stuff

Uncanny X-Men 502 - You know, I never really got everyone's criticism on Greg Land's art. I know he copies sometimes, but overall it's pretty to look at and I like it. However, this issue, for some reason, kinda got on my nerves. And I think it all stems from that horrid image of Emma flexing in her diamond form. I just shook my head and gagged a bit when I saw it. Horrendous. Though I still liked other parts that didn't seemed copied, so I guess it levels out a bit... but I'm worried I may be on a downward slope of anti-Landness, and I hate that, being that I loved his stuff in Sojourn.

Now, besides the art, the story was alright. I gotta say I don't give a lick about the Hellfire Cult, and the Red Headed Dominatrix comes accross pretty stupid for me. Although I'm always for a Jean return, I find myself hoping this isn't her due to the fact that it feels so lame. And Empath has never really interested me, so no dice there either. I was interested by Magneto in issue 500, but since then I just don't care about the threats thus far. I hope Bru and Fraction don't run with this Hellfire Cult thing for too long, because I may lose interest.

I'm still hating the dangerous Cyclops approach the X-Men are going with. His torturing the Hellfire Cult member left a bad taste in my mouth. Emma's worried look during it gives me hope that this may be addressed and altered soon, and man I hope so. I can't stand the way they're writing Cyclops these days. I've waited years for him to step up and lead the team full out, and now that he is I'm totally overshadowed by his approach at it and his banging Emma... because I can't stand what Morrison did there and still don't like it.

It's cool seeing little cameos of other X-Characters in the book. In this one we have Karma and Dazzler. Karma's cool, Dazzler's a tool. I don't mind her, but she was very hokey in this issue and I hope they don't continue writing her like so.

Pixie, I thought, was one of the best in the comic. Ignoring the aging from 12 to 17 or so randomly, she's what has me most interested in this book. She's a cool character and I'm definately interested in what she brings to the table. She's kinda the new Kitty/Jubilee. Hisako was Whedon's attempt at it in Astonishing, but the downward spiral that was Astonishing X-Men due to mediocre storytelling and horrible delays made that fall flat, and I find Pixie more interesting anyway. I hope things work out well for her.

All in all, a decent issue. I'm eager to see how I feel about it 6 months from now. I think I'll either really love it, or absolutely hate it. One or the other. Hopefully the former.

X-Factor - Eh. About as good as it's been lately. But the art makes it so much worse. Longshot returns for real, so that's good. And there's some mention of his and Dazzler's former relationship... which I don't think has been addressed since both of their returns in Exiles and New Excalibur. About the only thing good I found in this issue was the humor with women being attracted to Longshot, and the apparently gay Lieutenant. Other than that I found myself not caring. I may drop this title soon.

Young X-Men 6 - Now I'm starting to see some promise in this book. The first arc (concluding last issue) was very underwhelming, and coming off of a book as good as New X-Men, and New Mutants before it, was... that's not a good thing. This issue deals with the aftermath of the first arc, and it's better than the whole first arc put together. The art is a lot better as well, being that I hated the art of the first arc.

This issue is all character driven, and in my opinion, Rockslide soared in this issue. His aggression toward Cyclops in the beginning at losing Wolfcub and later Ink was good, but the part that got me was his finally breaking down and crying in Cyclops' arms. That full page splash has got to be the best scene I've read this week, and in a long time. I absolutely loved it!

The scenes with Ink were well done and the comparison to Cannonball's working with Pierce originally was definately good. And we get the idea that Ink is the character who isn't actually a mutant. And the other new character, Graymalkin, also has some insight given. Beast learns that he's over 200 years old (though appearing 17) and is an ancestor (forefather) of Prof. Xavier. Yeah, that threw me for a loop and I have no idea where that's going... which is good. So the 2 new characters that annoyed me because so many other good students could have taken their place, are starting to grow/intrigue me. I'm glad they stayed in the book and I'm curious what's to become of them.

Speaking of staying in the book, we have three new additions to the permanant cast. But we had to make some room before they could stay. Wolfcub died last issue, and Blindfold leaves the team in this issue. I'm glad that Blindfold is gone, as her riddle speak is only so tolerable, and she isnt' really battle worthy, as noted in this book. And now with them gone we have a new student recruited to the team... Anole! I new he'd be back due to preview covers, but it's good to see him here officially... though he now looks way older! Artist rendition I guess. And the other two permanant additions are two instructors... Moonstar and Sunspot. I guessed Moonstar would stick around since she has history with these kids, and I assumed the other would have been Magma, but I was wrong... and I'm totally excited about it. Sunspot's not done squat since his leaving X-Force years ago. His finding a place here in this book continuing the training of the next generation of X-Men is a great thing for this book, and that alone would keep me coming back!

So that leaves the main cast as Rockslide, Dust, Anole, Ink, and Graymalkin... with Moonstar and Sunspot as instructors. I gotta say, I'm starting to like the line up just a bit more than I did before. I still miss Prodigy, Elixer, Surge, Hellion, and Mercury... even Nezhno... but I'll stick around and see where this book goes. I hope it builds to the greatness of it's predicessor, but we'll see.

And lastly... the none Marvel

Echo 6 - This is it. It's the only one I got that wasn't Marvel. It was good though. This story's been buildin slowly, but it's good and enough to keep me coming back. It wasn't as good as the previous issues in my opinion, a bit of an inbetweener issue, but it's suited it's purpose. Julie and the park ranger guy (I forget his name) get to know one another better and discuss the explosion that gave Julie her breast plate. Julie takes care of a rabid dog and curses it's owner who's sitting on the toilet. We see Julie's butt... which surprised me a bit (as a modest reader, I don't care to see that, but as long as there isn't too much stuff like that I can get past it). And Ivy's still searching for Julie, searching her apartment for clues. She finds something in a box in the end that makes her smirk and she says Julie's going to be more fun than she thought. I don't know if it's something important, a *****, I don't know, but it ends there. Not a great issue, but as I said before, a bit of a filler. It moves the story along. Hopefully the next issue will be better.



Now, besides new stuff, I got some back issues. I got Slingers 1, 5-10 out of a quarter bin. I loved the series but had to get rid of it a while back, so it's good to have half of them back again. And I only got charged a whopping $1.25 for the whole bunch.

And since I've decided to become a Green Lantern Reader, I caught up with Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps from post Sinestro Corps War to now. I've read a few of them here and there before now, but I'm excited to read the in order now and be up to date. I'm working on back issues as well, but I get the jist of what's been going on from Rebirth to Now... so Blackest Night... here I come!

And I planned on picking up Captain Britain & MI13, but overlooked it. I called and my comic guy is putting a copy in my file for me, so I'll probably pick it up next week... along with 3 other comics I've kept in there because they're the last issues the store has and I want them.
 
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Adam Warlock is still the bore of the book for me, and being that a few issues ago there was a Warlock cacoon found, I'm hoping he turns out to be a skrull and leaves the book. He does nothing for me and I'm ready to see him go.

Kind-of agreed although I think the team needs a boring stick-in-the-mud.

Starhawk returns, as a woman?! Well, I'm not questioning it, I'll just keep reading and see what comes of it. I'm curious how the whole Starhawk/Major Victory thing turns out, so I'll comment on that once it all comes to a head.

It seems like the idea is that Starhawk is coming from a far-distant future which is being continually rewritten due to the actions of the GotG. Sometime's he's a she, sometimes she's a he, sometimes s/he doesn't exist at all, sometimes something else entirely!

And lastly, Drax. What a crazy mofo! But I like him. Wouldn't hang out with him, but I like him.

I find his approach to problem solving admirably straightforward.
 
Part II: Secret Invasion

Guardians of the Galaxy #6

This late-starting "Secret Invasion" tie-in hits its mid-point (there are a lot of three-issue arcs in this event, I must say). It's a fairly standard "who do you trust?" story, focussing on how the potential of Skrulls among the Guardians exacerbates existing tensions within the group. Pretty much everyone is chafing against Starlord's attempts to keep everyone in line, while Drax decides to take rather extreme measures to determine whether or not anyone is a Skrull (I'm assuming there's a bit more to his plan, given the ending). Phyla still feels a particular devotion to Drax, since he's Moondragon's father, and she finds reassurance from, of all people, Gamora (still ugly; I demand my hot green cheesecake back). DnA exploit how recent the team is, so it's more believable that they have trust issues. There's an excellent fight scene between Drax and three random Luminal guards that actually makes the three redshirts seem incredibly powerful in their own right when their role is basically just to get beaten up. It's all very well done. Paul Pelletier's art is up to his usual standard. The issue ends by suggesting Cosmo is the traitor, in league with the Skrulls, but from the looks of it these are clearly non-aligned Skrulls; they look and sound totally non-threatening.

Secret Invasion: Thor #2

Matt Fraction's three-issue (there's that number again) dust-up between the Skrulls and the armies of Asgard hits the midpoint, with Beta Ray Bill (seemingly regressed back through most of what was done with the character by Oeming post-"Ragnarok") and Balder defending Asgard while Dr. Blake delivers a baby in the town of Broxton (this miniseries is the first place where I can recall the town being given a name). The Skrull invasion force (who go for a frontal assault; no "who do you trust? shenanigans so far, apart from some last issue that were entirely caused by Loki) are talked up by the narration as "godkillers", but this seems mainly to be to explain why they can give the Asgardians any fight at all, as the Asgardian warriors seem to handle them without too much trouble. The big villain of the issue is a big female Skrull, with the powers of four major female villains, and twin battleaxes fashioned out of Bill's hammer. This is said to be possible by some vague scientific processes, which, okay; indeed, she's described as being soulless. The fight between her and Bill is very well-done ("Fall! Fall! Fall!" is up there with his entrance in "Ragnarok", I think). Blake, meanwhile, delivers a kid in town, while some firefighters head over to Asgard to help with what they think is a fire; the "strength of humanity" moments in this walk a fine line between touching and treacle, but I think it works fairly well in the end. Thor has, ever since the death of Odin in Jurgens' run, had something of a problem in that, as All-Father, he had outgrown most of his rogues gallery (and most of the MU in general), if portrayed consistent with Odin's past power levels. Having the Skrulls coopt Asgardian magic is a good touch of legitimacy, though his victory next issue with likely still be harder then it theoretically should be. Fraction's style of writing here is narration-heavy, but I think it mostly works, conveying a mythic tone. Braithwaite's art is impeccable, though I'm not sure if Reber's colours are the sort I'd choose for this.
 
Seven comics this week, which for me is the large side of "average" quantity. Mostly a Marvel week, but DC & Image get some love too (and offer a break from Skrull crap). As always, full spoilers.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 9/17/08:

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #12:
For those curious of when the first issue shipped, it was November 20th, 2005. That means it took nearly 3 years for this "monthly" maxi-series to finish. Alongside ALL-STAR BATMAN, this title was one that rarely shipped, but when it did, it usually sold in the 6 figures. Unfortunately, that lateness took a lot of steam out of the series itself and the line in general (you'll notice that there aren't any more ALL-STAR books being promoted, are there). Compared to it's partner, AS-S was usually considered the better of the two. While the subplot was Superman's impending death via solar radiation overload (from a scheme by Luthor), most of the stories were one shots or 2-shots and that helped with the lateness. Morrison, of course, would go on to write many DC comics since 2005, including a year on 52, a Batman run and other stuff. Quietly was always a slow artist, hence why Morrison's NXM run often had fill in art.

Still, if this issue shipped at less than 100k this month, DC really only has themselves to blame.

Last issue, Luthor escaped from death row with an elixir that gave him Superman's powers for 24 hours (similar, ironically, to one Superman made for Lois Lane's birthday back in the 3rd issue). Superman has seemingly expended the last of his energy fighting a sun-parasite monster summoned by Luthor, and dies as Clark Kent at the PLANET building. Kal-El has a near-death experience with his father Jor-El which basically claims that Kryptonians have a different "afterlife" experience than humans. They all break down into energy when they die and join a collective, or something. Kal, of course, decides to sacrifice all that for another short period back with the mortals. The sun-monster ends up backstabbing Luthor to poison the son, with the vain demi-god vowing he can "fix it". Superman returns and basically defeats Luthor with a Gravity Gun that burns out his false powers, then decks him. Superman seemingly sacrifices himself to repower the sun, which would be original if Hal Jordon hadn't basically done that in FINAL NIGHT about 12 years ago. Superman's death is kept a little ambiguous with Lois refusing to believe that he won't return at some point, like he always did.

In the end, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN has been a playground for Morrison's love of Golden & Silver Age cheese-ball super-science and plot points. If you are someone who wanted to see some "classic" things done in modern ways, you enjoyed it. If you felt stories about SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSON were best left in the 50's, then most of this series probably seemed daft. I'm all for reinventing things in ways besides black leather and bleakness, and even a series about Superman's death avoided being bleak. I liked how it also defined Luthor as someone who, despite what he says about things, is simply a vain, petty mad scientist with a grudge at the end. Even with Superman's death, it isn't enough for Luthor; he NEVER will be an equivalent to "The Man of Tomorrow". It also defined Superman as not someone who "makes humanity lazy" by "doing everything for them", but someone to aspire to.

Quietly's art is what it is; great for background and he makes everyone's face look like a mummified 87 year old woman. But it works and it manages to fit the tone of the series well, and Morrison gets along well with him.

This will probably make a nice Hardcover, but in the end all I can say is that it was an entertaining lark. It was more about big ideas and wonked out science than pulse packing action. It was more like Superman stories of old being told in more of a 21st century way, only without apologizing for the bits that were outdated, instead believing they are "timeless". They aren't, but the attempt is more noble than, erm, a Mark Millar style, cynical-bleak-leather-fest. Considering the book shipped less often than ASTONISHING X-MEN under Whedon & Cassaday most months, it will just be another book that I don't have to expect at random every 2-4 months. Some will adore the small moments and ideas, and while I liked them, overall, it's alright. The Superman universe, at the very least, works out better with a "Anything 60's is gold!" mantra than Batman sure does. BAT-HOMBRE did not need to return.

At least ALL-STAR SUPERMAN didn't need to manufacture a curse-strewn recall to get reorder numbers up and create a black market collectable. What? You think DC is so naive that they didn't know what would happen? It was totally rigged to drum up interest. Those who think DC isn't that desperate obviously have not been reading sales reports for the last year. Any ground they made up to Marvel in 2006 is gone. Comic sales overall have been down for 7 straight months (compared to 2007) and as #2, DC feels the punch more.

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #8: In which Wolf-Man's tone moves from CAPES WITH HORROR to "The Incredible Hulk TV Show". After the events of last issue, Gary is on the run from both his family and the law, framed for murdering his wife (which his former vampire mentor, Zachariah, did "accidentally"). His daughter hates him and the world knows that he is Wolf-Man, and there are FBI agents hunting him and a bounty on his head. Even something as simple as hitch-hiking across the highway nearly costs Gary his life when he is spotted and shot at.

Apparently, though, mortal wounds in daylight "regenerate" as soon as the night comes and he becomes Wolf-Man (presuming rigor mortus doesn't set in). He returns to the same park where he was originally bitten and received the "curse". Wolf-Man finds the original "Elder Brood" who empowered him, seeking training in "how to kill a vampire".

Issue #7 changed the tone of the series and got things back down a more horror route. While I did like the superhero stuff, I do like that this is a middle-ground between INVINCIBLE and what I presume WALKING DEAD is like. Jason Howard's art is cool as always, and in the letters page, Kirkman puts all the blame on his late books on himself. He claims that with him now devoted solely to Image now, things will get back on track. WOLF-MAN has been a bimonthly (and still late) since the beginning and that can take some Oomph out of a serial story. But aside for that, it's been a good ride. I'd argue AW-M is a better update of a WEREWOLF BY NIGHT sort of premise for the 21st century (WWBN was created back in the 70's) and owes a bit to that old Marvel franchise.

After initially being accepted by society, Wolf-Man has entered the Hulk-ish area of being an anti-hero, considered by many to be a monster. This works out for him and is probably the genre expectation for a werewolf, although I do appreciate that Kirkman flirted with the other side of things for quite a while. It isn't his best comic, but one that I still enjoy quite a bit, and hope that time between issues does finally shorten.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 #5: The issue fans of the series have been waiting for; the Skrulls are dust and Blade, former Marvel movie star and recipient of some of the worst comics of the past decade returns to print. Will the third time be the charm for Blade, who has been in one waste after another in terms of comics after the 1998 film put him and Marvel on the map?

Cornell at least is giving the Daywalker the ol' college try. He envisions Blade as a vampire hunter by specialty, but a killer-of-supernatural-beasties in general. He takes time to explain things about Blade's past without going into Claremont-level exposition; revealing, or reminding rather, that Blade has a mechanical arm, and that he was technically born in Britain. Blade agrees to join the team because of all the supernatural monsters unleashed during the Skrull Invasion. This naturally fits him, especially for eagle-eyed fans who note that Lillith was among those freed monsters and Blade worked exclusively with the Midnight Sons group to put her away years ago. Cornell gets the right tone with Blade; he is a man of few words, but when he does speak, he speaks powerfully, and usually has his own agenda. In a way, he reminds me of what Drax is to the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

To me, one limitation I always felt Blade had was that his personality made a solo comic about him bleak and monotone. He needed other characters to bounce off of. In his own series, he was always paired with stock vampire hunters who usually got slaughtered to showcase how bad-ass Blade was by surviving in comparison. Here, Blade gets to interact with other superhero characters like Brian Braddock and Pete Wisdom, and it works well. Brian and Wisdom have battled monsters and criminals before, but haven't devoted themselves quite like Blade has. Plus, Blade has no sense of humor, and they do. It works.

I also don't mind Blade without the trenchcoat, because trenches are kind of played out after the 90's. The bolt tat's/hairdo is weird, but distinctive.

Most of the issue focuses on Dane Whitman talking to Faiza's Muslim parents about getting permission for her to join MI-13. Her father, a doctor, is especially suspicious, especially given Black Knight's role in the Crusades, a continuity tid bit I can imagine half of Marvel's editors don't care to know. Faiza's mother causes more hyjinks to ensue by incorrectly assuming that Dane wants to marry her daughter. Dane officially makes Faiza his "steward", which I guess is like an apprentice, but the pair do have romantic chemistry together. Overall, Faiza is a great new character for me. She's a Muslim without beating one over the head with it or adhering to stock cliches. Her parents are concerned about things like scapegoating and security, but they also come off as real people besides all that. It was also good to see Strider again (or whatever magic winged horse Whitman is using now since Al Kravenoff ate the genetically bred one in PWJ). Why use a motorcycle when you have a magic horse that breaks the speed barrier? You think chicks dig cars? They LOVE horses. ;)

Union Jack guest stars as he and Spitfire take down some Sons of the Serpent terrorists (whichever ones were left over from LAST DEFENDERS). Jack is happy with MI-5 and isn't joining Jaqualine's new team, but wants to explore their relationship and work with her new half-vampire status (it appears she is normal by day and at night, or when angry, struggles with her bloodlust). In a way it is a shame that Union Jack won't join, but so long as he guests every arc or so, it seems fine. She also mourns John the Skrull before having a very eventful meeting with Blade for the cliffhanger ending.

Brian's new powers, as shown in the previews, connect his new power levels to willpower and emotion; basically he can become as strong and tough as he wants and wills to. To me, a fan of emotional heroic moments, this is more ideal than "you get weaker the farther you are from England" and limitations of the past. It's a similar power level that Gladiator from the Imperial Guard has, only without the space mohawk.

I agree with the sentiment that the issue was low-key. Most of it was talking scenes aside for the final page; if that is considered "action packed", then all of Bendis' DAREDEVIL issues were action blockbusters. Unlike Bendis, the conversations here are full of wit and are interesting. Blade reacts to Spitfire's status exactly as I imagined and that makes issue #6 one that I heavily anticipate. Cornell has crafted a great team book here that ignores some of the cliches of other team books while embracing what works. The only niggle was explaining MI-16 as purely a monster-hunting force when they just fought off an alien invasion and Spitfire was helping fight a terrorist cell. Granted, in superhero work, the roles overlap.

Olliffe fills in for Leonard Kirk on art and does a good job; his Brian looked a tad beefier and that is good. I also wouldn't mind if Olliffe stayed here and Kirk reteamed with Jeff Parker for AGENTS OF ATLAS, but there is no way that Marvel is giving that book another shot, unfortunately (especially with Namora busy in INCREDIBLE HERCULES). I really have little negative to say about this book; if you like team superhero comics and want one that doesn't base things in NYC or is mired in bleakness, CB&MI13 is for you.

GHOST RIDER #27: Picking up from last month, where Dan Ketch, who is working for the evil angel Zadkiel, attacked the Caretaker with a squad of GR rogues; all but Blackout were killed (or at least severely injured). Johnny Blaze was on the road at the time, and ran into a random nun.

Her name is Sara and she turns out to be of vital importance, being Caretaker's grand-daughter. She is tasked with filling in for him, since he was dying and all. With but a touch of his library tomes, she mystically absorbs all his knowledge. It seemed like a bit of a length to replace a crusty-old-man mentor with a virginal nun one, but it works out. Blaze and Blackout also have an interesting one-page fight that doesn't go well for ol' Blacky. Ketch believes he is "saving" people, while we finally meet Zadkiel in the flesh at the end of the issue, and he is hardly compassionate.

The theme of the run of GR is that the lines between Heaven and Hell, and even Demons and Angels, are very blurry. After all, many demons were once angels who fell from Heaven, after all. Zadkiel is an angel with lofty ambitions for the throne of Heaven and is worse than many demons. Pitting the old and new Ghost Rider's against each other has also drummed up interest among fans of the franchise, although it may not have done much for sales. This is still a book that straddles the Top 85-100 very precariously. Not everyone is a fan of that either, since Ketch still has many fans and some don't like seeing him cast as the antagonist for Johnny Blaze. Aaron's convinced me to let things play out. For me, Blaze had the better name and origin, while Ketch had the better design and powers. Now things are getting merged a bit and I am interested in how they play out. Lord knows the GR continuity is a nightmare to piece together with all the retcons anyway. He's almost like Marvel's Hawkman.

Huat had seemingly become the new regular artist and while I still am not a big fan of it (he has odd angles and makes Blackout look like a girl), it isn't bad enough to turn me off completely, and reminds me of Image house style for B-List titles like SAM AND TWITCH from the 90's.

I still think the book would have been better off if Aaron and not Way had launched it, but now that Aaron is on, he's taken the horse by the reigns and really is working things as best as he could. It isn't one of my favorite books, but one I usually don't mind reading; a B-List title that I don't regret buying. Giving "the next guy" after Way a 6 issue chance for once paid off.
 
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I also wouldn't mind if Olliffe stayed here and Kirk reteamed with Jeff Parker for AGENTS OF ATLAS, but there is no way that Marvel is giving that book another shot, unfortunately (especially with Namora busy in INCREDIBLE HERCULES).
Huh? The AoA are getting a new series.

Part III: X-Men

Uncanny X-Men #502

Hrmm. I'm thoroughly divided as to what I think about the writing in this book, but I hate the art. From the start, I was afraid that Greg Land would ruin the story, and I can't decide how much of my ambivalence towards this issue is art and how much is writing. There's a certain relentless attempt to be "cool", and it really come across as the writers trying too hard. There at least aren't any plugs for green science in this issue, but we get more discussion of high fashion, fast car-driving, and generally everyone acting "cool", all rendered with Land's usual plastic, posed, out-of-proportion art. The art just doesn't work. I was originally planning to just buy the Dodson issues, before deciding to try and stomach Land, but I think I'm going to have to revert to my original idea, and then I'll be able to get a fairer gauge of how Brubaker and Fraction are doing. For all the talk of Uncanny as the X-hub, this so far has just meant a couple of cameos (in this issue, Karma and Dazzler). For the most part, UXM and Astonishing have the same focus characters, which seems like a wasteful use of two separate team books. The contraction of casts after "Messiah Complex" has left a lot of reasonably big characters with stories only told in small snatches in miniseries. Some parts work really well, such as most of the captions given to characters (my favourite being Dazzler's "Totally fabulous" comment and Storm's "Kenyan Weather Goddess. Bare-Knuckle Streetfighter."). Still a work in progress.
 
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Dread's Bought/Thought for 9/17/08, Part II: THE SKRULL STUFF!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5:
This obligatory SECRET INVASION tie in is turning out better than I expected, even if I still wonder if it could have been avoided and wonder why the heck the Neo Skrulls give a damn about Knowhere at the edge of the universe. Presumably, an explanation will come next issue.

Knowhere is still under lockdown after the teleporters are blown up and it is revealed that Skrulls were responsible for a terrorist attack. Two Luminals are suspicious of the "vigilante team" that is operating among the science community of Knowhere, acting very holier-than-thou considering some of their rank unleashed Abyss upon Knowhere in NOVA. Drax has gone missing and his own agenda is being discovered. Drax takes out several Luminals hunting for him and the team, despite being "teeped" by Mantis into getting together as quickly as possible, is becoming strained. Phyla feels bad for "setting" Drax up, only to be encouraged to go after him by the still-regenerating Gamora. Adam Warlock sees the entire episode as a distraction to the mission and literally asks the psyche of the Celestial head that comprises Knowhere for aid. Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon have a heart-to-heart.

And Starhawk returns, and is now mysteriously a woman (they call it "Bendisized" now) and still sees Major Victory as something worth destroying. Despite some confusion, I understood the reference. Starhawk used to be merged with his sister Aleta inside the same body, and they would share dominance. This could be why Starlord can seemingly change genders.

The last few pages are full of not one, but three cliffhangers. Starhawk vows to destroy Major Victory and Knowhere to save the universe. Kosmo, it turns out, is harboring the Skrulls and swears allegence to their loving deity, and attacks Adam Warlock in a scene that would make be feel suspense, but after TEEN TITANS a month ago turned Wonder-Dog into a serial killer, only made me chuckle; timing is a b****. It seems 2008 is the summer of Cujo-esque killer mutts. Oh, and Drax has figured out the best way to figure out who is a Skrull; fry their synapse, and then examine the corpse, with Phyla as the test subject. Hey, whatever you say about Drax, he is hard-core.

Frankly, I am tired of the obligatory "team tears itself apart before issue #6" which has been a trend since forever, which is why it is so played out. SI provided an opportunity for Abnett and Lanning to do this sort of story and it's as good an excuse as any. But it is a team plot angle I am very, very tired of. At the very least, with Kosmo harboring the Skrulls, none of the actual teammates have been replaced. It would be a shame to lose Kosmo just to chase Bendis' dollars, though. But Rocket at least would replace him as the animal mascot. A lengthy explanation ("The Skrulls helped save me in deep space when the Russians abandoned me and so I am dedicated to helping them" could suffice) next issue could clear everything up, or at least some of everything. At the very least, I am not as afraid of a team member being "sacrificed" as I was two months ago. That's a positive.

Another positive, besides DnA's consistently entertaining lines, is Pelletier's art. He is more of a fit here than he was on FANTASTIC FOUR, which is amazing unto itself. It gives him a range of locals and character types for him to shine.

This is still one of my favorite team books, alongside CAPTAIN BRITAIN & MI-13 of course. The characters are good, the premise is solid and the locals are great. Once the SI gets over with, I imagine the next arc will be more my speed. As it is, at least we are getting the most overdone team plot point in fictional history over with. And sales did go up a little for the book in August, so the tie-in worked. Now if only some of those extra few thousand stick aboard....

MIGHTY AVENGERS #18: More SI themed filler stories from Bendis, the master of filler stories. This one focuses on Nick Fury training his team of Secret Warriors. It isn't anything bad, but it isn't extraordinary either. The highest point is the art from Caselli; for the first time, the Secret Warriors looked distinct, and almost cool. Yo-Yo is still the stupidest name for a character, let alone a speedster, in comic book history. Yes, even worse than Dr. Bong.

Nick Fury "hazes" the team, or at least Yo-Yo, by pretending to abduct them as HYDRA to see if they crack. Then he tasks them with capturing Maria Hill, because he believes she is a Skrull (or at least that is what he says). The team succeeds, but they have only captured her LMD (which reminded me of the bit from SPACEBALLS: "You IDIOTS! These are not them; you've captured their STUNT DOUBLES!"). Then, the Invasion happens.

It is worth noting that The Druid appears to be just as effective here as Dr. Strange was in NA, which further proves how poorly Bendis wrote Strange because Druid is a novice while Strange is a Sorcerer Supreme.

The only downer about the issue is that I realized that a fill-in issue of AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE in either the recent past or future is because Caselli was busy here, and his fill-in artists on that book aren't as distinct. While I have no malicious ideas in my head, it just is a reality and a shame when Caselli misses A:TI issues.

The story's stock, but the art is pretty.

SECRET INVASION: THOR #2: Or more faithfully, "SECRET INVASION: BETA RAY BILL & BALDER, GUEST STARRING THOR". The battle is waged between New Asgard and the Skrull Armada sworn to take them out, while Donald Blake is busy delivering a baby one town over. Fraction writes the gods very well and if and when JMS leaves the book, I would easily favor Fraction dumping INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and moving in with THOR. Or writing both, if he could manage.

The Skrull warriors created to fight the Asgardians are called "Godkillers". but aside for the one at the end who has Stormbringer, they don't seem any different than the other various Neo Skrulls fighting every other hero. The Asgardians are holding their own until the big beef woman one shows up with the hammer, and things go to pot. Beta Ray Bill and Balder get in some good Skrull slicing moments, though. Braithwaite's art is excellent as expected. He makes seeing Skrulls get sliced in two look very beautiful.

Blake, meanwhile, is still delivering the baby and is touched when a group of firefighters try to fight the fires burning Asgard under the "we're all neighbors" mentality. Unfortunately, they also discover that the storms are a ruse, and are likely not coming at all.

In a way, if I was an Asgardian, I would be questioning why Thor saw fit to abandon New Asgard's first and deadliest battle to deliver a random mortal baby and leave things in the care of a Rookie and an Alien. Of course it all makes sense to Thor and the readers, I could imagine Loki playing with it a great deal. At the end, Blake shows up in front of Mjolnir for the final round.

And hey, when was the last time this much happened in a Thor book in 2 issues? Or less than 7? I enjoyed it. It's mindless action, but it is good mindless action, and it gets us Bill back. Although it sucks that his hammer has been hacked to pieces. I imagine Thor could have a new hammer made for him, though, with "Thorpower" or whatever they call it now (once you become king of Asgard, you have to name everything after yourself, like Batman or Superman. Like a sleep isn't just sleep, it's Odinsleep or Thorsleep, much like Batman or Superman can't just have a sandwich, it has to be a Bat-Sandwich or a Super-Sandwich).

Next issue promises some Thor jolly-stomping, and I look forward to it. It's been a while since we've seen some.
 

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