Bought/Thought April 19th

[euroq]

Peter does have a driver's license, he used to drive a car during the clone saga when he was living in Portland with MJ.

We've seen him driving after that too, during the "Digger" story in ASM and also in "Skin Deep".

 

[Unleashed]

Just cause he's driving doesnt mean he has a license

 

[tt]

Peter Parker being the responsible guy that he is wouldn't be driving around without one. That should be clear to anyone who knows the character.

(I don't know what actually happened in New Avengers since I dropped that crappy title months ago, if Bendis ****ed up that's nothing new)

 

[Unleashed]

A responsible guy wouldn't just turn his enemies in just so they can break out again.

 

[GNR]

X-Men 185 - Alright issue. Apoc's proposition was awesome. I really dislike the way Larroca draws Rockslide. 7/10

New Avengers 18 - I thought this issue could have been a lot better.. Bendis either writes too much or too little. All his action sequences were "wtf moments" like Carol getting barraged with attacks and whatever The Collective did to Sentry. Also, is there ever an inappropriate time to crack jokes. They're in a life/death situation and Spidey's license comes up; seriously? 6/10

Is it just me,or is Apocalypse(yawn) walking into the UN and bargaining lame as hell?That's Magneto's job.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

What he told them to do was ballsy and arrogant as hell. I'm a sucker for bad guys.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Sentinel Squad O.N.E 4- The mediocrity of this issue aside; I noticed something I'd been thinking about for a while. You'd imagine that the groups of people that should be the most accepting of mutants would be African Americans, Jews, homosexuals, and other minorities that have been discriminated against. To see Briggs(a black guy) exhibiting such prejudice towards "mutie freaks" as he calls them, is just illogical.

 

[Dwarf lord]

I just see it as very cartoonish and rough compared to DiVito's clean and bold art.No diss to Dwyer at all,it's just not my preference.

I understand now. I just see way too many people diss comic book art for being too comic booky. That ticks me off to no end. For the record, I perfer DiVito on this book too.

 

[BrianWilly]

A pretty low-key week for me.

New Avengers #18
I, too, found the completely inappropriate Spider-Man jokes to be very distracting. And some of them felt really forced-in, as well. I mean, "It's not so different from flying a helicopter?" Why in the world would Carol Danvers assume that Spider-Man knew how to fly a helicopter?? Is that a sort of education that folks in the Marvel U just automatically receive, or something?

I also agree with people that this is the best issue of New Avengers that we've had to date and that, yes, that's not really such a brag-worthy claim considering the quality of the issues prior to this.

The villain in question, on the other hand, is appealing a bit more to me. Michael's still quite flat as a character, but his premise is really cool; instead of being just a giant blobby mass of Wanda/mutant energy, he can use the power of every single depowered mutant. More than a million mutant abilities stuffed into one guy, including powerhouses like Xavier, Magneto, maybe even Wanda herself. This makes him pretty much the most powerful being in the entire Marvel universe, topping even Galactus or Phoenix. He's literally every superpower conceivable. I dunno, I find that really cool for some reason. No, I don't particularly like how he's being written now, but if the character sticks around I'm seeing a lot of ways for him to be really interesting. And, yeah, seeing him take on the Sentry was great. This book has been so damn pedantic with the TALKING GRITTY NINJAS TALK SHIELD TALK that, frankly, it was about damn time that someone got punched into space again.

On the other hand, I literally laughed out loud at that full-page spread of depowered mutants on the SHIELD screen. Why? Because in this Very Important Page which gives us a Pivotal Reveal, we recognize a total of absolutely no one on the screen. They had to give us the names in print below and then bold print the more recognizable ones like Quicksilver. I laugh because it so very mocks the overblown and craptastic fallout from House of M..."No More Mutants/Decimation" was hyped as such an important event in the scheme of Marvel, and yet here we see the actual victims of said "important event" plain as day: a bunch of unimportant and unrecognizable C and D-listers, and then a mere handful of B-listers. Bendis is mocking himself, and he doesn't even realize it. Classic.

(7.5 out of 10)

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

But...but...but...the internet was split in half and stuff!

 

[Nasty-B]

Magneto was on the screen, that's kind of a big deal

 

[PWN3R]

Squadron Supreme #2

I jumped on board with this book when issue #1 came out last month. I was aware it was a MAX tittle and Hyperion and Nighthawk had minis. I never checked them out, but man I should shoot myself for not. I know alot of you have issues with JMS on ASM, but his writing here is awesome. Issue one and two flow together nicely, and the character interaction is great. It is a awesome team book, a great spin on DC characters, and a really good read.


Daredevil #84

Brubaker is a man beast. Like wow, every issue since he has been on, has had me giddy as a little schoolgirl. I mean, every paged turned brings more excitement, DD right now, is one of Marvel's best monthlies. In this issue, we get Murdock looking for answers on Foggy, he fights Hammerhead, and just beats the crap out of him.

There was a really funny article at the top of the Daily Bugle page that made me laugh, it read, "New Avengers least popular team yet."
Oh yeah, the end, .....


Wolverine Origins #1

I really do not know why I got this book, I just liked Tuner's variant cover alot....

It was ok, nothing special. He has his memories back, yet we learn nothing new. He tricks SHIELD and the Whitehouse, and goes after some official for answers.
I'll give it another shot, I want to like Wolverine, it is just the man is in so many titles....

 

[Spidey Rules 2]

I have a question regarding New Avengers. Wasn't the Vision killed off or something during Avengers: Disassemble? How was he able to show up in this latest issue and what has he been doing since Disassemble? Why isn't he part of the New Avengers?

 

[Darthphere]

I have a question regarding New Avengers. Wasn't the Vision killed off or something during Avengers: Disassemble? How was he able to show up in this latest issue and what has he been doing since Disassemble? Why isn't he part of the New Avengers?

Theres a new Vision, with the Young avengers.

 

[Phaedrus45]

As I'm still playing catch-up, I'll just makes some notes about a few books I've read this week:

X-Static Presents Deadgirl #4: This really is one of those surprisingly, well-written comics that surprise me each year. Now, Deadgirl was always my favorite character; but, this really is one of the best appearances by Dr. Strange in many a year. For me, the humor just works well...especially after the adventures of X-Static kind of went out with a whimper during the entire Princess Diana fiasco. 9/10

Wolverine - Origins #1: Boy, talk about disappointing. Wasn't this book suppose to be different from Wolverine's main title by showing us his past? This book read no different from the main title, with the exception of the art not being on par to what I'm used to with Wolverine. With Punisher, I don't mind this artist...but, it made an already bland story even worse. (I will point out my disappointment stems from what I was expecting this title to be not happening.) 7/10

X-Men #185: I'm mixed in my reaction to this book. One the one hand, the story is much better than the previous, which centered on the Leper Queen and Polaris. But, as someone pointed out, this isn't the Apocalypse we all know and love. He's pretty wimpy in many aspects. I do like the surprises that they have thrown at us with each issue, making each of the horsemen of Apocalypse someone who's played an important role in X-Men stories of the past (although, War doesn't quite fit that bill...I do love him most of all. His design is just awesome). 8/10

Daredevil #84: As stated, I have a number of books yet to read, but this is possibly the book of the week. Each issue gives us a new twist, and the idea of all of these volitile forces coming together in the one prison is really increasing the tension. So far, Daredevil is definitely not hurting without having Bendis around anymore. 10/10

Captain America #17: Another solid book, one that keeps adding layer upon layer to it's story in the search for Bucky and beyond. Teaming up Crossbones with the Red Skull's daughter was an absolutely brilliant move, and I'm mixed on who I would like to see each issue focus on. Between Bucky, Red Skull, and Crossbones/Sin, this book could shoot off in any direction and I'd be happy. 10/10

Sentinel Squad O*N*E* #4: As I've said before, this is one of the worst of the Decimation titles. I read it, and I really can care less about any of the characters. The battle with Brainchild really ended very lamely (Brainchild gets bonked in the head by a woman, passes out, and other Sentinel Squad members come to the rescue), and I was really unhappy that they didn't take the opportunity to just end this title with issue #4. 3/10

 

[GNR]

Did anyone else pick up Iron Man?

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I did, didn't read it yet, though. Two weeks worth of books and I've got a lotta crap to do this week.

 

[iloveclones]

I picked up IM. Probably the one I liked the least of what I picked up this week.

 

[Assassin]

New Avengers-Yes after last issue feturing detroit i bought it again...and it wa spretty good, and since i didnt read dreads thoughts yet (lack of time) i'm guessing that the new villan has all the powers of all the mutents that lost theirs?

8/10

Robin-Still the same old book only one year ahead
9/10

American Virgin #2
getting better, 8/10

Birds of Prey??
Dropped it, and i didnt even bother finish reading it, waste of time and money..gotta remember to take it off my pull list before next month

Son of M #5

Awsome, best marvel book out
9.5/10

Justice
10/10

 

[THANOSRULES]

ANNIHILATION: NOVA #1: The only ANNHILATION title I planned on buying (aside for PRELUDE) and the inevitable conclusion), and overall was left happy with what I got. Now, before someone says it, YES, Nova is easily Marvel's answer to DC's now-hot Green Lantern titles, but this is hardly new. Nova's origin, circa the 70's, literally reeked of an attempt to "imitate" some of that GL goodness, so seeing Marvel play that card again now is hardly unrealistic for the character, and is in fact a decent approach to it. Once again, Nova is the last remaining member of the Nova Corps alive, and he's directed by their "Worldmind" to survive and save what is left of Xandar by absorbing all of their "Nova Force", and becoming ION...wait, wrong title. No, he simply gains a sleeker, updated costume and risks going insane with power (much as "Super-Nova" once did) the longer his body must remain a vessal. Rider, meanwhile, is not happy about taking orders from an alien machine and compares him to his dad, as well as wants bloody revenge against Annihilus' armada for destroying the Corps. Nova's anguish and response is easy for someone who has undergone wartime "survivor's guilt" or some PTSD. Space stories, naturally, allow for all sorts of metaphors into "real life", which is why they have appeal. And why Marvel's ignored them for a while; metaphors take work, and it's easier to have someone leap over rooftops and fight the Kingpin. Drax makes an appearence at the end, and the first issue is off to a good start to hopefully make Nova a contendor again. "Marvel's GL" is a much better niche than "yet another teen hero", eh? Especially since the New Warriors seem to be the whipping boys of Joe Q these days. And unlike Spider-Man, I actually like Nova's new armor. I'll likely be in the minority. It's certainly better than his last "costume update" during the last NW stab about 6 years ago.

Oh, and despite ANNIHILATION being important to Marvel, one doesn't think that it will tie into CIVIL WAR, much as DC managed to tie in ADAM STRANGE/RANN-THANAGAR and SHADOWPACT into their event. Also, if Silver Surfer is busy in his own ANNIHILATION title, how is he appearing in PLANET HULK as a GLADIATOR reject? For lord's sake, seeing the company that INVENTED cohesive universe continuity being completely unable to pull it off in the age of cell phones and email is utterly, unforgiveably pathetic.

NEW AVENGERS #18 Speaking of being utterly, unforgiveably pathetic, here comes Marvel's A-title. The book that has their A-list characters, their A-list writer, constantly what they consider A-list art, and achieves...almost consistant mediocrity (its mediocre run spinkled with a handfull of good issues and a near equal amount of near abysmal trash). This book was supposed to be a trend setter, the best thing since underware, and by and large, the team is written better by other people. Consistantly. Regardless, THE COLLECTIVE continues on its merry way, and actually this story isn't so bad, if only because the New Avengers are FINALLY taking on a threat that is actually worthy of that sort of team, instead of, well, facing jobbers like Sauron and The Hand. The problem? The Collective, as he is, has been hinted at by Bendis for months, so the big reveal this issue loses some of its teeth (basically, he's a postman from the North Pole who has been embued with all of the "energy" that mutants lost from M-Day, because despite the MU being filled by meta-class genuises, their universe is ruled by principles from 4th grade science, because the writers themselves are not scientists). The Collective, as he is, is also nothing more than a walking plot device, not unlike Doomsday. His design is simple and really not as keeping, he has zero personality, and simply seems to rampage mindlessly and hurt/kill whoever the story demands. This arc is far better than "RONIN", though, and even if Collective is a bit lame, it is good seeing the New Avengers fully assemble (yes, even Sentry shows up) to tackle an enemy that really challenges them. Its also good to see Spider-Man use his brain for once, as he figures out the identity of the Collective at SHIELD. Meanwhile, Iron Man and Ms. Marvel get "OWNED" big time by Collective, as he is able to use the powers of every mutant who lost theirs on M-day, which basically makes him almost omnipotent in terms of power. Not even Sentry can battle Collective toe-to-toe for very long (and it becomes obvious that he's basically a mentally challenged stand-in for Thor). Despite the big reveal not being such a surprise, the story is paced out very well. Oh, and the Young Avengers show up for a page, but only because Bendis needs Vision to show up in the story, and I suppose it is good to see Vision doing something with the Avengers, even if he sounds nothing like the Vision 2.0 that Heinberg writes. As usual, Bendis likes inserting wisecracks when they feel inappropriate to say, especially by adults in the middle of a crisis (save Spider-Man, of course, because that's his schtick). Overall, not a bad story, one of the better arcs of NEW AVENGERS so far, just such a shame that their first REAL challenge is such a flat, boring, non-character. Maybe the reason some villians get overexposed is because of modern creators being utterly unable to create any NEW ones. I mean, its not like anyone will be wearing a T-Shirt with Sammy Silke or Geldoff on it.

Not the best issue of NEW AVENGERS, but easily amung the Top Five. Granted, that may not be much of a milestone. When a mediocre series has a "decent" outing, is it really an accomplishment? When one's expectations are nearly zero, it skews the scales a bit.

On Nova..

good to hear this book is good. i went today to buy it and it was sold out at my comics store. I hope Marvel doesnt overdo the "immenant insanity" thing...seeing as how this was so recentley done with Captain marvel, and probably isolated him from fans and doomed his comic days. If anything its probably plausible incentive to spread the power out over the long run. In other words, to rebuild the corps.



On New Avengers..


I've been rough on this book myself, and what we get here is not perfect, but much more in line with the kind of threat and story I'd like to see. I had no problem with Spidey's banter , Bendis gives him some of the best material IMO , his lines in New Avengers and Secret War have had me in stiches.

Is Micheal a bit generic? Sure...But so much about him is cool. First, he is megalo powerful. Secondly, he represents a nice opportunity for the aftermath House of M to become a little clearer. Thirdley, due to his power, follow up storys and questions abound..If the New Avengers defeat him, do all the people listed as comprising his powers get their powers back? Will he lead to any new Clues about Wanda etc..? We need to give this story some time to develop. (jeez not surprising with NA)

If I do have one complaint, its that the New Avengers once again dont impress me as a team. We have Ms.Marvel acting on her own the issue before, then we see Iron Man attempting a stupid move on his own, then once again-the Sentry comes in on his own. It felt like I was back in 8th grade watching somone play street fighter II..and Michael was the guy who always played Chun Li and couldnt be beat. Cap just doesnt have a grasp of how too coordinate these people. Its called teamwork folks, and so far its poor.

Thats about my thoughts on the issue...

 

[Wolverine84]

Did anyone else pick up Iron Man?

Yeah, i picked it up. I thought it was good. i'm not so sure whats up with otny though. Its the first issue i've picked up of iron man.

New Avengers: Great art, good story, anxious to see where this goes.

Wolverine: Origins 1: I was a bit dissapointed in this one, but i just cant give up on it. It has some real potential, and hopefully it'll pick up next issue.

 

[Jacko]

Anyone else notice that in New Avengers, when they were recapping the events of House of M they wrote "Months ago" and then later on in the book, Spidey said that they've only been Avengers for 2 weeks?

 

[Darthphere]

Anyone else notice that in New Avengers, when they were recapping the events of House of M they wrote "Months ago" and then later on in the book, Spidey said that they've only been Avengers for 2 weeks?

Eh, I wouldnt put too much effort into it.

 

[Nasty-B]

Maybe Spidey was only counting the time since the official media announcement.

 

[Marcdachamp]

Anyone else notice that in New Avengers, when they were recapping the events of House of M they wrote "Months ago" and then later on in the book, Spidey said that they've only been Avengers for 2 weeks?

Could've been a joke/gross exaggeration. Spidey is known for those.