Bought/Thought April 30, 2008

[CaptainCanada]

DC Universe #0

Because Countdown was a complete failure, we get this supposed ‘bridge’ between it and Final Crisis, written by different authors than worked on the last weekly book, and, as if to emphasize how little setup is required, they cram in a bunch of tie-ins to the launches of other books, and what stuff there is that relates to Final Crisis has essentially nothing to do with Countdown’s plots. As you no doubt read in the New York papers, the really major thing here is the seeming presaging of the return of Barry Allen; whether this is permanent or not remains to be seen, but, if it is, it more or less marks the triumph of Rossism in the DC universe; speaking as someone who wasn’t even alive when Allen died, it’s irritating to see all the stuff I’ve grown up with junked in favour of the writers’ nostalgia trip. Watch your back, Wally. Elsewhere, there’s some rather vague setup for the next Legion story, Morrison’s "Batman RIP", a Greg Rucka miniseries tying into FC and focussed on the Spectre, and, the part I was really interested in, Gail Simone’s "Wonder Woman: Whom the Gods Forsake", featuring Aaron Lopresti’s first art, which, unsurprisingly, looks great. The story unveils two seemingly unrelated plots, about a cabal of villain scientists (including Doctor Poison, a super-minor league WW rogue (as opposed to her main villains, who make the regular minors)) gathering dirt from various sites of atrocities (Auschwitz, Croatia, Darfur) to make their own Anti-Wondy, and two gods (one of whom is Apollo) creating a male version of the Amazons to bring change to the world.

Green Lantern #30

This is the second part of Johns’ "Secret Origin" arc, and it still isn’t doing much for me. What we get is a mix of Hal going through the familiar motions to become a GL (he gets the ring midway through this issue) and Johns rewriting Abin Sur’s last days to give more information on the "Blackest Night" event that he has on the horizon; in this case, he’s taken some of the ideas from Alan Moore’s original story about the cause of the crash and added the goofily-named Atrocitus as a passenger, removed from the prison world by Abin Sur, which turns out to be the cause of his doom; it’s more action-y, but it lacks the simple horror of Moore’s work. The first thing Hal does on getting the ring is to deliberately sabotage another pilot in order to get himself a job (luckily, Johns establishes that said pilot is both sexist and racist), and then has a "meet cute" with Carol in his Green Lantern form. It’s decent, but this still seems like a largely needless diversion.

New Avengers #40

Well, I finally bought an issue of New Avengers. I blame Jim Cheung. Much like the recent Mighty Avengers #12, this is a backstory issue for the crossover, documenting the efforts of the Skrull faction that is behind the invasion, and introducing the major Skrull characters for the crossover: chief among them, the Queen who appeared briefly in #1 of the main title, a woman named Princess Veranke who is a religious fundamentalist exiled by the Emperor Dorrek shortly after the Kree-Skrull War for being totally nuts. However, all her predictions come true, so she eventually, following the destruction of the Throneworld by Galactus, is recalled by Dorrek’s former staff, gaining control of the infiltration program Dorrek had commissioned. The first thing this issue does is close off any and all replacement theories that date back to New Avengers: Illuminati #1, because it is clearly shown that the Skrulls did not have that capability then. Indeed, though this issue (like the previous MA issue) has no timestamps, it seems that the earliest infiltrator (a Skrull named Siri posing as Elektra) came so earlier than some time around Mark Millar’s "Enemy of the State" arc. Finally, the major revelation here: that Veranke herself has decided to be one of the frontline soldiers of the invasion, and that she decided to replace Spider-Woman. When she did this is not quite clear, of course, but this had been widely guessed. Based on the ground rules that this issue sets out, it seems that the infiltrators don’t know they are infiltrators until triggering, and any slight deviation from their assumed form allows them to be detected. Scene by scene, this is fairly strong writing from Bendis, although the issue lacks much in the way of a strong narrative thread; it skips over years with little warning. Jim Cheung’s art is wonderful, as usual.

X-Men: Legacy #210

This series concludes its first story, and it isn’t an especially strong conclusion; Xavier defeats Exodus and goes out to find himself, and two epilogues show us strange goings-on in the Hellfire Club and with Rogue in Australia. Carey’s take on Xavier’s current mental state seems to be akin to post-Rogue Ms. Marvel; no attachment to his past memories, although in this case he basically takes the position that this has liberated him from all the guilt of his mistakes. I’m not really sure I agree with the stance being taken on Xavier here; the last several years of Marvel publishing have consisted of constantly pissing all over his life’s work, and he almost seems to conclude here that he accomplished nothing worthwhile. Eh. Scot Eaton’s art is looking a bit rushed; the flashback sequences are done by Greg Land, soon to be ruining Uncanny X-Men with his "work". Despite Carey’s strong skills as a writer, I’m really not sure exactly what his goal here is.

 

[Red]

Reviews?

 

[GNR]

The New York Daily News even goes as far as to mention Johns as co-writer on the new Flash books.

I'm all for it,as long as they have a good story to go with it.Barry is a great character,as Waid has shown us many times after his death in many stories.

Besides,COIE was a brutal read and far from the masterpiece it is regarded as IMO.Dying in the first one and coming back in the 3rd or final(?) one sounds good.

 

[DoomJester]

DC Universe 0
At 50 cents, this is an entertaining issue, it is a taste of what DC's main characters have been doing and where they are emotionally on the edge of Final Crisis. In many ways it is like a 50 cent ad for upcoming books. There is a twist at the end, which wraps up the narrative quite nicely, I think long-time fans of DC will appreciate it. It is hard to review this. It is 50 cents. I think that's almost free. The art is great, it does absolutely nothing for the DCU, but it teases the upcoming story arcs appropriately. The Batman/Joker encounter was written well, but thats on Hype somewhere... Do what you will with it. It has nothing to do with the Countdown characters (probably the safe route).

Spoiler

The Crisis on Infinite Earths Flash does come back, it is revealed that he was the narrator, but he is never seen on any page, but his logo in one of the narrative boxes and a large lightning bolt can be scene on the last page. Very tasteful.

The Immortal Iron Fist 14
This book doesn't have the Aja art, and I really noticed it, especially since the other artists tried to follow him, to mixed results. The art isn't bad, but not as good as some of the previous books.

The issue has a very good pace, lots of fighting, all the characters are used, and all the story lines are wrapped up, plus Iron Fist and co. are maneuvered towards the start of a new arc that could go anywhere really. [BLACKOUT]There is a rumored 8th City of Heaven, which is just dropped on us, but kinda cool.[/BLACKOUT]

My one complaint about the book is that I honestly forgot what had happened. I don't know why-- was it delayed or something? I caught the jist as I read before-- "right, train going to destroy city that will probably destroy itself with internal strife" but something about the issue felt off for me. It almost self-consciously tried to tie up all the arcs, in some ways it didn't feel quite organic. But the pacing was very good throughout this issue. If you were reading Iron Fist, you owe it to yourself to finish the arc out. What happens next? Don't know where the book will go from here honestly.

How is the arc in review? It is complicated. Lots of tie-ins and stuff, like that, which I don't know if they should be counted or not, but also, given the way the previous Iron Fist arc ended, the two almost go together. All in all, an entertaining ride, even if the 7 Cities was a bit more complex than it needed to be, with all the political intrigue and Iron Fist back story. It wasn't managed as well as it could've been, the first six issues were great, though-- even if you'll need to actually read the 7 Cities arc to get true closure.

Thor: Ages of Thunder

This was a great book! Two stories, one is fully self-contained, the other is largely self-contained but segues into another book like this that will come out in June (Thor: Reign of Blood). Both stories have a lot of action, revolve around frost giants, Thor, Loki, and Enchantress, and frost giants love Enchantress. The narrative prose is well written, but the narrative tool itself I have some mixed feelings. Because it is like reading an old story book, sometimes the narrative will tell you what is happening on panel-- like in a children's book-- that annoyed me a bit, but it allowed Fraction to also move the book along faster and pack a lot into each story. So the pacing is very good. Which I really appreciate. On the balance, it works. The art is very good.

One thing I have to say is that Fractions take on the gods is that they are quite petty and in many ways jerks. It isn't overbearing, or really any sort of commentary, but these aren't nice heroes, they are people like any other, and they are warriors, so they are kind emotionally extreme. It was interesting for me to read because I thought--- "wow, these people are jerks."

This book was a lot of fun. For anyone who likes super hero comics, who likes great art, great pacing or has been even remotely interested in Thor, this is a must read.

New Avengers 40
I reviewed this somewhat earlier in the Secret Invasion thread, but I'll reiterate-- this gives all back-story, it is better written than Mighty Avengers, but it gives all back-story, if that is something that you don't like you probably won't like this issue. The back-story is neat though, it talks about Skrull politics, and fleshes out their character.

If you buy it you'll get good art and a cool Skrull reveal [BLACKOUT]The Princess/Queen is Spider-Woman[/BLACKOUT] for your trouble. The SI story isn't really pushed forward, but you'll find yourself understanding the Skrulls as people and not just villains, if that makes sense.


X-Men Legacy 210
The end of an arc and the beginning of a new era. Well, Prof X and Exodus have their "big fight" and that means that Exodus throws more deaths at Prof. X, as though we aren't aware that Prof X is aware that he's messed up big time in his life. That just felt very redundant, and it was a decent part of the main story. Then, that plot is neatly wrapped up-- too neatly to be truly believed-- and Rogue shows up for a page (in a seperate city, so it is an independent story here), and something is going on with Shaw and the Hellfire Club.

I really wasn't a big fan of the issue, or the arc. I'll probably leave the series here and check up on reviews/summaries to stay up to pace.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Thor: Ages of Thunder

[...]

One thing I have to say is that Fractions take on the gods is that they are quite petty and in many ways jerks. It isn't overbearing, or really any sort of commentary, but these aren't nice heroes, they are people like any other, and they are warriors, so they are kind emotionally extreme. It was interesting for me to read because I thought--- "wow, these people are jerks."

Haha, I actually made that same observation reading the actual Norse myths. The gods in ye olden days really were a bunch of complete dickwads. Even Odin. There's a whole myth about Odin and the other gods essentially tricking a giant into building a fortress for the gods to use to defend against other giants, and then cheating him out of his payment for the work, and ultimately killing him because he became a nuisance.

 

[iloveclones]

Haha, I actually made that same observation reading the actual Norse myths. The gods in ye olden days really were a bunch of complete dickwads. Even Odin. There's a whole myth about Odin and the other gods essentially tricking a giant into building a fortress for the gods to use to defend against other giants, and then cheating him out of his payment for the work, and ultimately killing him because he became a nuisance.

Wait, isn't that essentially the first story? Are you saying that because you read it, or was that just a big coincidence?

Great story, either way.

 

[El Bastardo]

Haha, I actually made that same observation reading the actual Norse myths. The gods in ye olden days really were a bunch of complete dickwads. Even Odin. There's a whole myth about Odin and the other gods essentially tricking a giant into building a fortress for the gods to use to defend against other giants, and then cheating him out of his payment for the work, and ultimately killing him because he became a nuisance.

The Greek/Roman gods and goddesses are usually a bunch of jerks and crapheads, too.

It's like a running tradition in mythology. Except for God. Well, NT God, anyway. Having a kid really mellowed him out, man.

 

[fifthfiend]

Haha, I actually made that same observation reading the actual Norse myths. The gods in ye olden days really were a bunch of complete dickwads. Even Odin. There's a whole myth about Odin and the other gods essentially tricking a giant into building a fortress for the gods to use to defend against other giants, and then cheating him out of his payment for the work, and ultimately killing him because he became a nuisance.

I love how the gods would boast about their cleverness, where "cleverness" meant "I told him I would do this - but I was LYING! And then I killed him! Oh ho ho ho, we gods are ever so cunning and wise!"

It's like a running tradition in mythology. Except for God. Well, NT God, anyway. Having a kid really mellowed him out, man.

He's still a dick, he's just a dick who discovered propaganda.

 

[Sebastos]

The Immortal Iron Fist 14
This book doesn't have the Aja art, and I really noticed it, especially since the other artists tried to follow him, to mixed results. The art isn't bad, but not as good as some of the previous books.

The issue has a very good pace, lots of fighting, all the characters are used, and all the story lines are wrapped up, plus Iron Fist and co. are maneuvered towards the start of a new arc that could go anywhere really. [blackout]There is a rumored 8th City of Heaven, which is just dropped on us, but kinda cool.[/blackout]

My one complaint about the book is that I honestly forgot what had happened. I don't know why-- was it delayed or something? I caught the jist as I read before-- "right, train going to destroy city that will probably destroy itself with internal strife" but something about the issue felt off for me. It almost self-consciously tried to tie up all the arcs, in some ways it didn't feel quite organic. But the pacing was very good throughout this issue. If you were reading Iron Fist, you owe it to yourself to finish the arc out. What happens next? Don't know where the book will go from here honestly.

How is the arc in review? It is complicated. Lots of tie-ins and stuff, like that, which I don't know if they should be counted or not, but also, given the way the previous Iron Fist arc ended, the two almost go together. All in all, an entertaining ride, even if the 7 Cities was a bit more complex than it needed to be, with all the political intrigue and Iron Fist back story. It wasn't managed as well as it could've been, the first six issues were great, though-- even if you'll need to actually read the 7 Cities arc to get true closure.

Spoiler

8th City?

 

[DoomJester]

Yeah, Iron Fist, but it kinda came out of nowhere. I don't know what to make of it-- I think thats what kept me from being really moved by the event.

 

[Darthphere]

Spoiler

8th City?

Yeah, Iron Fist, but it kinda came out of nowhere. I don't know what to make of it-- I think thats what kept me from being really moved by the event.

Spoiler

I heard that they built this city on rock and roll.

 

[GNR]

Art took a huge nosedive in Immortal Iron Fist.What a shame,it was a great story too.

Hercules #1 from Radical Comics blew me away.For a new publisher,the art was better than 80% of the stuff the big 2 come out with.Imagine Ribic's style with a dash of Djurdjevic.Very dark tone with lots of blood and gore.Hercules is portrayed much differently here than his MU counterpart.Highly recommended to anyone who digs mythology or a more serious tone than the current Herc book at Marvel.31 pages of story for $1.00.

Black Summer was insane as usual.Ellis and Ryp have become one of my favorite creative teams.The amount of detail Ryp puts into every action piece is unreal.Ellis' story has been moving at a neck breaking pace,I can't believe there's still one more issue.Looking forward to their followup,No Hero.

Yet to read,Daredevil:Blood of the Tarantula(loved the annual with him last year,much more enjoyable than the past year of the ongoing),Green Lantern #30 and Thor Ages of Thunder

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Wait, isn't that essentially the first story? Are you saying that because you read it, or was that just a big coincidence?

Great story, either way.

That actually was a big coincidence. I hadn't even purchased my copy of AoT when I mentioned that story. But in the myth it wasn't so much Loki convincing the other gods; the other gods were all totally down with it from the start.

Also, I may be mistaken, but I think the little tryst Loki has with the giant's horse results in Loki giving birth to Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse.

 

[iloveclones]

Cool. Nice to see that they're expanding on the actual myths.

 

[moraldeficiency]

Hey anyone that read that Daredevil/Black Trantula one shot, did it explain why he's so different from what he used to be?

 

[DoomJester]

Spoiler

I heard that they built this city on rock and roll.

Nice t:

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Short reviews this week because I'm tired and I bought a lot of comics.

Blue Beetle #26: The Spanish is kind of fun, although I can't say it really made me empathize with Traci since Traci's only in about six panels in the whole issue. The one part where it did feel out of place was in the fight with the Parasite. Why is the Parasite speaking Spanish? Because he just absorbed the Posse? Nonsense, he doesn't speak Kryptonian when he absorbs Superman's powers, and besides, the Posse are all bilingual anyway. So that was kind of awkward and sort of screamed "this is a metatextual concept!" But otherwise, good stuff. I hope Norton sticks around too. His art's clean and dynamic, as usual.

The Immortal Iron Fist #14: Pretty damn awesome. I didn't find Zonjic's art as insulting to my senses as others; in fact, it was hard to tell it apart from Aja's at times, although Zonjic is weaker with faces in several places. Still, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the issue at all. Way to go for the fill-in rather than delaying the issue another month or two, Marvel. As for the plot, I really loved a lot of what Fraction and Brubaker showed me. Orson's concern for Wendell's future, Xao's send-off, Danny's monologuing, and Davos' redemption were all perfect. The stuff with Misty and Colleen felt a little extraneous, but that may just be because I don't much like Misty or Colleen. Looking forward to the new team cautiously. They may suck, but then again, they may not, and Fraction and Brubaker have certainly left them a strong base to build on.

Avengers: The Initiative #12: So, yeah, I take back what I said about Slott going all superstar on us and just indulging in shock tactics. He clearly had a pretty good idea for putting the main characters through the ringer and salvaging the good ones for future stories. I'm glad Trauma's back up and about and looking to stay on with the Initiative as the camp counselor; Dani would be proud. Tarene's off to Georgia, which kind of sucks, since she could've easily been placed in Oklahoma, opening the door for some good Thor interaction. Still, she can fly, so it's not like Oklahoma's that far to her. Gyrich was hilarious--forget about even playing politics, he's just going to feign ignorance. Perfect Gyrich thing to do. Hell, we even got some insight into why Slott's taking Slapstick into a darker full-on psychosis rather than sticking to his comedically wacky roots. And, of course, we get the Initiative's answer to the question of who watches the watchmen: Counter-Force. I hope Vance's group sticks around as a major part of the Initiative, especially since Slott and Gage built such a diverse team out of Old Warriors and disillusioned ex-Initiates. Steve Uy's art sucked, but I expected that going in so I wasn't too annoyed by it. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was how astoundingly awful some of the graduates' costumes were. I like that Triathlon finally stepped up and took the 3-D Man mantle, but did he have to take that ugly costume, too? Tarene's looks all right, although it seems like people might mistake her for Valkyrie now. Hardball and Cloud 9's are terrible. Anyway, looking forward to the next batch, as well as answers on War Machine's condition and Mutant Zero's identity.

New Avengers #40: Not bad overall. Bendis' answer for why the Skrulls are suddenly 100% undetectable to anything the humans can throw at them kind of sucks, but it was nice to trace the timeline from the Skrull perspective and see what led up to Secret Invasion. Cheung's artwork is excellent, as always.

DC Universe #0: Not... bad. Doesn't particularly get me excited for Final Crisis, which I think I've moved on from being undecided about to definitely not reading. I will be reading FC: Revelations, however, since Cris Allen is a favorite of mine and he couldn't be in better hands than Rucka's and the premise is super-interesting. I'll be reading Wonder Woman's comic because I like Simone's writing, but I'm honestly not that interested in "Whom the Gods Forsake." So, some gods decide that Wondie sucks and men need to spread peace instead? Er... okay. As for who's back, I don't think we can take it as a given that it's Barry, since we never see him. Could be Bart. He merged with the Speed Force, which is part of the underlying foundation of the universe, so the narration might've been him piecing his individuality together again. Could've been someone totally different, with that lightning bolt on the last narration box just there as a red herring. We'll see. Well, you'll see since I won't be reading its continuation; I'll just read about what happens on here. I'm still thinking about whether to get Legion of 3 Worlds, but I probably will end up doing so. Don't much care about the Black Lantern stuff or Batamn RIP, so I'm passing on those. All in all, not a bad value for 50 cents. After skipping the last 30-odd weeks of Countdown, I finally feel well apprised of where the DC universe is headed again. I don't really like aspects of it, but it's good to have that knowledge.

Thor: Ages of Thunder #1: Awesome, awesome, awesome. Fraction is fully exploiting the potential that Oeming put in place with the cycles of Ragnaroks by giving us different takes on the original myths, filtered through the Marvel versions of the characters. These ain't Stan Lee's gods; they're far closer to the myths' characterization of the gods as flawed, eminently vain and arrogant bastards, which makes sense when you consider that these are the guys a whole civilization built on war, theft, and rape (and fishing ) prayed to. Both Zircher and Evans' art is great, although Zircher takes things to a whole new level. The colorist on Zircher's story deserves a lot of credit too; the washed-out colors reflect the bleak take on the gods and the winter setting well. My one point of confusion was when the Enchantress was suddenly made one and the same as Idunn, the caretaker of the gods' golden apples. She was never equated with Idunn in the comics before, and it could potentially cause problems with the fact that the Enchantress is a total ***** and would be quick to use her control over the apples against the other gods if it could gain her... well, anything, really. But, again thanks to Oeming's Ragnarok cycles, JMS doesn't necessarily have to acknowledge Idunn and Amora being the same in the main Thor series; they could've been born as two separate beings in the Ragnarok directly preceding the gods' liberation from the cycles, which would mean they'd still be separate now.

 

[Dread]

The last week in a wacky April with 5 Wednesdays ends with a bit of a bang, at least in terms of hype. Yes, the big story from THE DAILY NEWS is that DC is reviving the Barry Allen Flash in their latest attempt at reviving the Silver Age at the expense of the Modern Age, as if once again choosing to appease the fans over 35 than the ones under 35. The range of responses naturally slice down the lines; older fans are thrilled, younger fans are horrified that they are once again being forced to swallow stuff from their fathers' and grandfathers' generation at the expense of their own Post-Crisis, Pre-OYL stuff. I must say I have never seen DC be so self destructive in ages, and while Q1 2008 sales are down and the economy is in the pits, DC seems to be taking the brunt of the Big Two. I'm only concerned because the longer DC is an easily-overcome rival for Marvel, the more lax they will be in quality. ROCKY III logic; if your opponent isn't hungry, the champ can win without having to be himself. And that is never good.

Bottom line? If DARK KNIGHT underperforms, DC is up ****'s creek.

On the other side of things, Marvel has more SECRET INVASION stuff, and an underappreciated team book bids farewell so Marvel can pimp IRON MAN more with a second title.

As always, unlimited spoilers for all.

Dread's BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 4/30/08:

BLUE BEETLE #26: The bane for everyone who skipped second period Spanish, as 97% of this issue is in Spanish. For those who scream about it being an awkward gimmick…you are right. BB sells at the 13-15k level, as in it competes with Image titles like DYNAMO 5 and INVINCIBLE. It is in "guest creator" mode for at least the next month or so and considering DC is slicing titles left and right (even CATWOMAN ended after 50 issues), BLUE BEETLE could be in danger. But to be fair, Nitz tries to give the story a good reason for being in Spanish. Jamie is taking his mage gal-pal Traci 13 to a family reunion, and most of his extended family speaks little English and all Spanish. In some ways Traci is meant to be our POV character, perhaps, being taken to an environment where she can't understand the words and just has to smile and look at the scenery and actions.

So this is a gimmick that at least makes sense in terms of the story. The main characters are mostly bilingual Latinos. Their relatives speak no English. Even the villain of the piece, Parasite, speaks in Spanish after absorbing the collective powers and psyches of Jamie's allies, the Posse. But it still is a gimmick, and I am fairly certain that more than 50% of the readers are not fluent in Spanish. The English script is in the back, but who enjoys having to flip from script to panel to make sense of stuff and get the lines on a re-read? Movies have subtitles, but comics can't. This isn't some hologram foil epic annual or something, just a regular throwaway adventure, and I can only think, "what editor in the universe thought it would be a great idea to take an issue of a series that struggles to sell within the Top 120 and make it even MORE difficult to read?" It separates Nitz's lines with Norton's artwork and thus ruins much of them. It separates the dialogue from the art for most readers.

And that is a shame because Norton turns in some great pencils. He always has been solid for young hero stories, such as with runs on GRAVITY and RUNAWAYS, and he does great here. The family gathering, the battle with Parasite, it all looks good.

One other thing bugged me, besides the fact that Parasite has never become monolinguial while draining people who spoke other languages before (and the Posse were bilingual anyway). It is that Jamie takes Traci to his reunion and doesn't translate a single word to her. Nothing. He tells his family about her and whatnot, but simply allows her to awkwardly stand there and wave, not understanding one word spoken. Frankly, that should insult her. Traci should want to be kept in the loop. I know I get insulted when I go somewhere with a bilingual friend and he allows me to stand within an entire conversation without even a summary of what happened. I bet some women would have dumped Jaimie on the spot for that.

Naturally, the plot is that while Jaimie's extended family isn't aware he is Blue Beetle, his grandmother is because, naturally, his mother couldn't keep a secret from her own mother. Granny Reyes is understanding and even proud of Jaimie, though. He naturally fights and defeats Parasite by allowing his scarab to go "all out" and it is cool that for a "rookie", he has taken on some heavy hitters like Lobo and lived.

This was a solid issue, with a gimmick as a distraction. Still, I wonder about the long term health of this book without Giffen or Rogers at the helm. A shame if DC were to lose one of the few solidly good books they have.

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #12 Steve Uy does his fill-in gig for Caselli and merely showcases that while Caselli can pull off certain designs, Uy and other artists struggle. Granted, Medina drew the Old Warriors in NEW WARRIORS just week and they looked fine, so, it's just Uy. He's not terrible, mind you, but a steep dip from Caselli's quality. This becomes a problem when the characters get new costumes later, and not all of the designs are flattering. Still, least he draws Iron Man/War Machine well, even of WM looks more like a clone of Iron Man's design than he did in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM.

This issue completes the first year's worth of stories for A:TI and offers a sense of resolution and explanation, at least for most of the characters, in some way. Slott originally pitched this story as a mini and then said he merely "expanded" it when the editorial bigwigs pushed it into ongoing class. I suspect this is the finale of that initial pitch. While it doesn't answer every question in the first HC, it does give the long arc a sense of finality. And the book hasn't seemed to twitch much in terms of quality since Gage has been aboard, which means he and Slott are a good fit. It is good seeing Gage on a good book that actually sells within the Top 35.

It is the end of a semester at Camp Hammond, and the troops mourn their dead, which it turns out are one of the Scarlet Spiders, Dragon-Lord (who hopefully won't be Hammond's version of Grasshopper from GLA, some luckless hero who always dies but has no end of relations to take up the mantle), and Trauma. Thor-Girl hasn't left his side and Hardball, Cloud 9, Komodo, and Gauntlet mourn. But, he just pops up, BOING, like Slapstick, and isn't dead. Naturally, shape-shifters have proven incredibly difficult to really kill off, and competent ones can seemingly avoid mortal wounds altogether. But I am glad that Trauma is alive, because he has lots of potential as a character, and his little romance with Tarene is almost as interesting to read about than Komodo and Hardball. Naturally, upon graduation, the two are separated via deployment. Which, frankly, seems hypocritical of the adult heroes considering how many of them have dated within their own teams, and they head the leadership ranks of the Initiative (Stark and Hawkeye alone porked any Avenger with boobs, or at least tried). While Cloud 9's costume has a sort of cool GATCHAMAN feel to it, Hardball's is rendered stupid by the mask. Komodo and Thor-Girl just get more complicated outfits. Triathalon becomes the new 3-D MAN and Ultragirl wears Ms. Marvel's old leftovers, and it seems appropriate since both are Kree-empowered humans. And yes, 3-D MAN's costume is still silly looking, but really, how many DC legacy heroes just slapped on their predecessor's costume without barely a change to the design? Everyone but Mr. Terrific & Blue Beetle, that's who, so shaddup.

But more entertaining is the meeting that takes place between the Initiative bigwigs. Tony, Rhody, Gyrich, Val Cooper, and so on. Got to love Gyrich using the infamous, "I don't recall" line, and Stark turning it back on him. Ah, "fuzzy memories", allowing politicians and bureaucrats to flat out lie and mislead the people they are supposed to represent since the beginning of human civilization. Even in comics, statesmanship is dead. Handing out the medals to the wounded and it was good seeing what became of Crusader & Constrictor. War Machine is hiding his cyborg status from Stark just like Micheal Jackson hides his "Nose Utility Belt" from the public. Justice's "Counter-Force" gets established, and it is interesting to read this alongside NEW WARRIORS, as in that book, Rage is the one pushing to break from the Initiative, and here it is all Vance. I suppose the plucky Handbook writer will go, "Rage helped convince Vance to make the break, as well as events at--" and so on. Even Slapstick's recent "sort of psychotic streak" gets explained, as Steve Harmon has remained as Slapstick for months now and it is effecting his sanity. I suppose that is a natural enough angle. The end page, though, perhaps sums up the downside of post-CW heroics. They AREN'T fun anymore. Everything has to be grim, serious, dark, with burnt bodies and mutilated hopes. This still is the sort of story Slott rightly mocked with his GLA stories.

That doesn't mean Slott & Gage aren't telling their own version of the "Nu Marvel" story very, very well, they are. A:TI is one of those books that I anticipate every month for a good reason, and it always has so much going on that I feel I get a bang for my three bucks. It is a shame, though, that Justice leaves just as Gyrich, the main cause of all the shifty crap, steps down (in a moment familiar to a time when Cap outranked Gyrich by calling the President during the classic Avengers era). The Initiative needed a guy like him on the inside. This is still the best title with AVENGERS in it and it deserves to sell in the Top 30 like it does.

Still, Hardball looked better in his Ninja Turtle mask. But I'll wait to see how Caselli handles the design. I mean, this was a guy who can barely make Ultragirl and Cloud 9 look separate. Also good seeing a Golden Oldie like Challenger still about, even if saving people from a fire seems against his M.O. (he would "challenge" criminals).

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14: Fraction & Brubaker tell their big finale to the Capitial Cities of Heaven that only took 7 parts and 2 one-shots (including an annual), and it all comes down to a slobberknocker against Hydra for the fate of K'un L'un. There are more artists attributed than there seem to be X-Titles, or close. Iron Fist, Thunderer's army and daughter, the Immortal Weapons, even Davos and the Heroes for Hire pitch in to kick some Hydra ass.

The only major problem, besides the non-Aja art (Zonjic tries his best), is that by shifting Davos and the Weapons to allies, the arc is left with Hydra being the big foil, and fighting them is about as dramatic as fighting Foot Soldiers without a Shredder to lead them. And, well, ANYONE can beat Hydra. And has. So while it is great to see the Weapons pulling off their anime moves against them and splattering blood, it really isn't a lot that we haven't seen before from heroes fighting Hydra. I mean, seriously, give Aunt May a broom and she could beat down some Hydra. Only the Hand & AIM are lower on the lacky totem pole. But, considering the threat Hydra posed at the start, I suppose it is appropriate, and it was drawn and paced very well. The scene where Iron Fist takes down the explosive train is simple bad-assery, and may make someone's "Holy ****" post in one of those topics. But imagine how much cooler it would have been had that been Danny vs. Davos, or something.

Davos seems to recant his ways and wants to repent, which has the downside of taking away Iron Fist's only real enemy, even if it felt like a progression.

At one point Rand claimed he "fought half the immortal weapons" in the tournament, but he didn't. He fought Fat Cobra. And Davos, but that was before the tournament, for about 2 pages. And that was it. We all expected a battle royal with a few immortal weapons, but unless I missed an issue somewhere, it never happened. But that isn't bad per say, Brubaker & Fraction defying expectation, considering the finale was still great to read, even if the heroes are just hacking a no-name flunkies and Xao decides to end himself the same exact way nearly every villain in a children's or Disney movie seems to die; falling from a tall height, self imposed.

Fraction & Brubaker, though, have improved the Iron Fist franchise greater than anyone can say in a review. To say they reinvented it is an understatement. The fact that Danny Rand has yet to defeat a single noteworthy enemy within over a year and a half's worth of stories doesn't even matter, that is how well they have written this run. What once was a vague little magic-land is now an entire universe full of potential.

And that is why in a few months, their shoes will be almost impossible to fill. I'd argue the task may be even harder than the task of filling in after Vaughan on RUNAWAYS proved. It is a shame neither can stay longer than 15-16 issues, and I won't be able to imagine IIF without Fraction or Brubaker, or even Aja somewhere. IIF earned a small but stable audience through sheer quality and the next creative team had better do well to maintain it with equal quality.

There isn't a book Marvel publishes right now that is quite like IMMORTAL IRON FIST. And that is why this relaunch has worked so incredibly well.

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #8: This issue seemed later than usual, and seeing that ALL of the regular artists on the 2 ongoing storylines need fill-in's, I see why. Even though the two 12-parters are interesting in a way, I am steadily losing interest and while I will finish out the run, the sales all but ensure this title will die after issue #12, and I won't miss it one whit.

The mystery of VANGUARD continues on as Stacy Dolan is told by Blade (who, in a bit of 4th wall punning she calls "Wesley" a few times) that the man see seemingly murdered (and was investigating) was yet another super-soldier experiment retconned onto the Steve Rogers story, thereby bringing the total to approximately...over nine thou-sand! (Catch the ref). Naturally, Colonel America nukes a Japanese island, feels bad about it, becomes a hermit who never uses his power except for eternal youth, and Stacy kills him. She's just as confused as I am and then suddenly the Thing is fighting everyone. At the other end of the book, WEAPON OMEGA continues as U.S. Agent spars with Pointer and he starts draining the powers of the rogues Agent Brown is stockpiling against the wills of his masters, and once again seems to become an ultimate weapon. Hmm, yeah, never saw THAT before.

Schmidt & Turini submit a one-shot Cyclops & Wolverine story about Cyke hearing about Havok's troubles with the Starjammers and dealing with the death of his father, Corsair (I don't care how well Claremont & Bryne/Cockrum drew those stories, Cyclops' father being a space pirate is still one of the dumbest parts of the X-mythos to me, like if Peter Parker's parents were heralds of Galactus). There is talking about hunting and Logan helps Cyke come to terms, but it isn't anything exceptional that couldn't have been a subplot in an actual X-book.

Ivan Brandon and Niko Henrichon start a 5 part story about the cover character, Machine Man. He is talking to a shrink about his crisis of psyche after all of his life's trials, from attempting to be accepted as a man (told with a flashback of he and Spider-Man fighting Ultron) to some of the crap that presumably happened in NEXTWAVE, and it just reads like someone trying to ape Ellis, and doing it poorly. It wasn't without charm, mind you, but just shows now NEXTWAVE has taken a rather simple character and turned him into something that has to be off the wall. Maybe it makes Machine Man less bland, especially alongside Vision who always had the same dilemma, but it still read a little awkwardly.

MCP is a "meh" book, which isn't good for $4. At least the first volume of MCP had Wolverine and some occasional break-out talents (like Sam Keith). This incarnation has none of that, at half the pace.

 

[Dread]

Part II:

NEW AVENGERS #40: Much like MIGHTY AVENGERS right now, with Bendis having a few books to handle as he writes SECRET INVASION, he uses each of them as a way to add parts of the stories right now as a sort of Bendisverse, and that is fine. I mean, it is an option. I think the thing that annoys me the most about SECRET INVASION is so far it actually isn't that bad. Bendis almost seems to be trying to avoid stating that this will be a big retcon button. Both in stories and interviews he seems to hint that while the heroes may believe that the Skrulls could have infiltrated them since forever, that may not be the case. They just may be misdirected. Or, as Bendis heroes usually do, overreacting and acting incompetantly.

And like most Bendis stories, the antagonist is a woman who will prove utterly unbeatable. Just like in BLACK CAT or SILVER SABLE in USM, or SECRET WAR, or the Cho run of MIGHTY AVENGERS, and so on. In this case it is Princess Veranke, a Skrull who dabbled in religious affairs that earned her exile in the pro-technology rule of the Skrulls (recall, as Bendis doesn't mention, the Skrulls that practiced magic were punted and eventually became the Dire Wraiths). But after Galactus destroyed their homeworld, and presumably after the Annihilation Wave finished things off, many of the Skrulls have turned to her. And that makes sense; turning to religion when science fails, belief where facts fail.

Quite why her god believes out of all the planets in the entire cosmos, Earth, full of billions of hostile beings to them, is worth all of their trouble is unclear, and may be a deus ex machina. Granted, Moses' so-called "promised land" wasn't without ages of turmoil for "the chosen people" that continues to this day. But naturally, due to the ILLUMINATI retcon, the Skrulls were able to study a sample of most of the human and mutant races on Earth and develop ways to imitate the genome exactly. One bit I can't buy is how cloning Dr. Strange helps you at all with magic. Magic is about personal intellect, imagination, and will, which isn't the same as cloning something. Unless you liked the while EPISODE ONE junk where someone's "Force potential" could be analyzed on a DNA test (which I didn't, I thought it gutted the philosophy of The Force, which was like "chi" to me, life-energy). Now if Veranke had been mentioned as being a sorceror herself, master of the exiled arts and she taught some soldiers some magic, THAT I could buy. These are the little things that make me lose my liking of Bendis, that I can consistently think of things he never bothers with, and I am not being paid to. And haven't there been ages of X-comics noting how one x-gene isn't the same as the other? Xavier may have been a tabula rasa for psychic mutants, but would that automatically mean they could perfectly duplicate, say, Nightcrawler? Granted, comics have always been full of fuzzy science, I guess.

Bendis at least goes through the explanation of noting how this project is more advanced than their last attempts at "Super-Skrulls" into a warrior that cannot be detected on Earth so long as he/she stays shifted. While Kl'rt is mentioned as the most infamous enhanced Skrull, it would have been better if Paibok, Titannus, or Lyja were mentioned. Not saying it was a deal breaker, just saying that would have been better, as enhanced Skrulls never stopped with Kl'rt, just as there have been thousands of retconned super-soldier attempts/upgrades after Steve Rogers. They even discuss a new strategy of conquest beyond "physical force", noting it best to take over figures who were mysterious and vague to begin with, like Elektra. Or, y'know, normal people. But this story, as solid as it is, leaves the same dilemma that the other Skrull stories does, and even outlines 3 pages to it. The Skrull Emperor waltzs in and kills a clone of Reed Richards simply to vent over the Skrulls Reed "made" into cows. It was pointless, petty, and ******ed. It exposes what I have kept saying about this Skrull shebang; by making the Skrulls impossible to detect no matter WHAT, when you need one to be revealed for dramatic effect, they have to be exposed by making some ******ed error in judgment that not even a blind ferret would do. And, really, is that better or worse than Dr. Strange's spells revealing stuff? One allows the hero to one-up the rogue even if the rogue is at 100% efficiency. The other relies on the rogue making a bonehead Hollywood move at just the right moment. Hmm.

I suppose fans of the story would go, "hey, all the technique and goals in the world can't stop anyone and everyone from making a mistake or being petty, even aliens" and that is fine. But after all the hype and buzz about "how dangerous the Skrulls are", to see a story rely on them making errors in judgment that not even Hammerhead would allow in his minions gets irksome. Stupid villains suck.

We also learn that "Skrullectra" was a Skrull woman named Siri and I have to admit I rolled my eyes at the Queen herself revealing the "most important of all" being Spider-Woman, a C-List has been that NO ONE cared about until Bendis pimped her out in 2004. Hey, don't get me wrong, I like that she is back in the swing of things, but it is like Purple Man. He was a nobody, a loser, for 30 years, and then as soon as Bendis does something smart, it is instantly retconned how dangerous he was, like anyone gave two ****'s before ALIAS. I'm all for amping characters up, but don't lie and say that was how it ALWAYS was. Granted, I suppose Drew always had her ties. Allied with SHIELD, HYDRA, ties to Wolverine, Madipoor, LA, even some of the other Spider-Women. And Nick Fury, of course. But still, the only way it could have been a more "Mary Sue" moment would have been had Veranke wanted to become Jessica Jones. I suppose I should commend Bendis for that. So far.

At least by Siri stating Elektra's resurrection, she notes that Siri couldn't have taken her form before the 90's. The timing of the events of the story are vague with years passing between scenes, but that was deliberate to keep fans guessing. At least he shows some sense of researching Marvel lore, even if it isn't perfect or as detailed as a Slott or a Kirkman. Hey, little steps for little feet.

To give Bendis credit, so far this is actually better than I expected, but my expectations were low. Bendis is trying, so far, to not outright retcon stuff, just to keep the illusion of that real enough that we relate to his paranoid Avengers. But, my faith in Bendis is gone, and he often starts out strong on major arcs, only to dip later. SI is off to a decent start, but who truly believes that it will end well? It would be cool, though, if Bendis could actually keep it up all the way through and provide an all around decent event. I just won't believe it until I read it.

NEW WARRIORS #11: Despite lackluster sales, solicts say that Grevioux & Medina's relaunched NW will survive a year and thus last longer than any other NW relaunch since the first volume ended, which is commendable. I still like it, especially with Medina aboard. Even if it still isn't what some expected.

The old New Warriors talk with Sally Floyd, who once again proves to be an Extremist Liberal by equating Ultragirl's youth group to Hitler Youth (by that logic, what are the Boys & Girls Scouts? Demons?), although Grevioux has made that distinction himself. Here, it is Rage who is the major voice of assembling Justice's Counter-Force, whereas in A:TI, Justice was leaning that way as soon as MVP went missing. But I suppose it works alright; Rage may have helped Vance see what he had to do. Still, Floyd annoys me as the type of character who equates anything that isn't left of center as being fascist. But that is a quibble. Her interview of the old Warriors and hints of the flaws of the Initiative contrast with Cat's interview of Sophia in which she notes the unregistered heroes as outlaws.

Said title outlaws, meanwhile, get into a snowfight, a scene I liked simply because it was FUN, a rarity in too many Marvel teams these days. Jubilee and Stacy X get in a borderline-lesbian hug and then it is on to fight Machinesmith, who for some reason is drawn like Cyborg Colossus in some shots. The mission goes to the dogs and Night-Thrasher both ditches the team to DL some files and then leaves half the team at the mercy of Machinesmith. Naturally, he is an alienating sort of leader, and has that hidden agenda. It is a shame some of the other Warriors rally to him more than Jubliee, at least directly. I like the dynamic she and Jono bring to the team with their experience. Wondra's still my favorite part about the book. Really a great revamp of Jubes.

Medina's art is kinetic as usual and naturally I am interested in the secrets yet to be revealed and what happens next, which means the book has done it's job. Counter-Force may be a lame name, but it may be the "New Warriors" team many wanted after CW, and it is cool that Grevioux & Slott seem to be on the same page (if not always on the same sentence).

THE ORDER #10: An original superhero team filled with mostly great, original heroes (and a great version of Pepper Potts, Stark's old supporting lady) goes down the tubes because Fraction was no longer in the mood. Or, saw the book was due to be canned and lost the will. It is curious to launch another IRON MAN title considering his first solo is selling at mediocre numbers despite "movie hype" in full swing for the last 2-4 months now. I seriously doubt it will be the hit Marvel wants, but I could be wrong. I wish Fraction will with it.

THE ORDER #10 tries to wrap up it's story well, and largely succeeds, but essentially is a prelude to the INVINCIBLE IRON MAN series. Stane depowers the Order, inadvertently kills Heavy in the process, and turns Muholland Black into a psychic weapon to destroy LA with. All of it to show that Iron Man is a failure in leading the Initiative. Despite being powerless, the Order steal a SHIELD hovercar and set out to save Black and the city. While Calamity gets a pair of bionic legs and Milo is a kick-ass Marine, this is really Henry's issue and he does most of the action. Unable to stem the riots, they find Black and Henry literally jumps a leap of faith to save her. I liked how the art and story leave vague whether Henry simply calmed her down before she died, JLU/"EPILOGUE" style, or did something to mercifully put her out of her misery, Kid Miracleman style. Left things up to interpretation and imagination, which was classy. Zeke Stane is written as a quirky and entertaining foil, and I look forward to seeing Fraction do more with him.

Fraction resists the temptation to kill his babies rather than possibly let someone else write them, as the surviving Order agree to be re-powered and fight the good fight once more. 10 issues and not a one of them was bad or even mediocre. While I expect these characters to show up in IIM, it is a shame this title didn't take off like RUNAWAYS did, because it more than deserved to. Kitson & Saltares get in some good art to wrap things up, even if it needed more than one colorist. If I was Marvel I would be disturbed at the complete inability to create and maintain new franchises, but that is an argument for another time.

If you liked quality Marvel team books, then you read THE ORDER and will miss it as much as I will. If not, than damn it, buy the inevitable HC or trades, and see why.

This review is short, but there isn't a whole lot more to say. It was a good end to a good series that seemed to end before it's prime. May the Order live on in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN!

 

[GNR]

DCU #0 - Wow,I'm actually looking to alot of what DC has to offer in coming months.Besides the Specter stuff,all of these stories look interesting.This book did it's just of summarizing certain aspects of the DCU and getting that feeling that the entire DCU is ****ed across.Can't wait for the return of the narrator as well. The "I know Hal Jordan" line was a dead giveaway!

Green Lantern #30 - I like how this origin tale is looking at the past in new ways and laying seeds for the future as well.This arc has been a great read so far and a nice change of pace compared to what's come before.This is one of thee best cape books at the moment.

Black Summer #6 - Holy ****.Ellis and Ryp keep bringing the pain.Graphic violence,superheroes fighting armies in the street,people shooting each other in the face and really effective flashback scenes.This series has been a hell of a ride from the start and one of Ellis' best takes on superheroes.

Hercules #1 (Radical Comics) - 31 pages of story for only $1 and well worth it.This is a much more serious take on the Greek demigod.In the same vein as Conan and 300,there's a real grim tone established from the first page( birds chewing on the remains of the dead) and plenty of blood and gore with spears and swords. The art here is fantastic,a surreal mix of Ribic and Djurdjevic's styles.Very impressive for a brand new publisher starting out the gate.Highly recommended for fans of mythology,sword and sorcery or the current ongoing at marvel.

Daredevil: Blood of the Tarantula - The annual from last year was a really solid read and much more enjoyable than the 2nd year of Bru's DD.Carlos was really built up well as a character and Bru and Parks continue to make him into more than a run of the mill vigilante once again.Like the annual,this was a great example of how you do street level drama with superheroes.

Thor: Ages of Thunder - First off,the costume design here is something they should really consider for the movie.Badass look and practical.Fraction continues to impress with his writing chops.He's done every sub genre imaginable in the past 6 months at Marvel,and now he takes it another step with the Norse myths of old.Of course,he succeeds in doing so and delivers 2 stories which showcase a hardass,arrogant god of thunder.When JMS bows out,I think we have our man.

Immortal Iron Fist #14 - Excellent wrap up and some great resolutions.Davos seeks redemption,the shift of power in K'un L'un,the reveal of the 8th city and the fate of the immortal weapons.It's all done so well,but my only complaint was that I wanted to see more of the immortal weapons in action.Who cares about Luke,I want to see Fat Cobra,Dog Brother and John Aman throw down damn it!!!The supporting cast has been beefed up so I hope Duane really uses these guys to full effect.

 

[Blader5489]

If I was Marvel I would be disturbed at the complete inability to create and maintain new franchises, but that is an argument for another time.

Haven't we been over this? Fraction requested that the book be cancelled; it wasn't a corporate mandate.

 

[Red]

But it soon would have been.

 

[iloveclones]

That actually was a big coincidence. I hadn't even purchased my copy of AoT when I mentioned that story. But in the myth it wasn't so much Loki convincing the other gods; the other gods were all totally down with it from the start.

Also, I may be mistaken, but I think the little tryst Loki has with the giant's horse results in Loki giving birth to Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse.

Corpy, I don't know if you've done this before. Since you seem to know a lot about the Norse Mythology, would you consider starting a thread where you talk about where the mythology ends, and Marvel begins. For instance, I always assumed that the Warriors Three were Marvel inventions. Do they have any basis in the myths. Any of Blood Oath taken from them (I doubt Hercules is mentioned in them )? What else from the series/minis are taken from the myths. The line from Odin about how if Loki doesn't fix this, he'll hang him from his kids entrails and have snake venom dripped on him, I remember Gaiman using in Sandman. So I assume, that's part of the mythology also. Stuff like that.

If you do start a thead give us the Issue numbers and maybe some good Norse Mythology references that we could check out of the library. Impress us...

 

[CaptainCanada]

Haven't we been over this? Fraction requested that the book be cancelled; it wasn't a corporate mandate.

The book was selling in the teens; it would have been cancelled at #12 anyway.

 

[moraldeficiency]

Corpy, I don't know if you've done this before. Since you seem to know a lot about the Norse Mythology, would you consider starting a thread where you talk about where the mythology ends, and Marvel begins. For instance, I always assumed that the Warriors Three were Marvel inventions. Do they have any basis in the myths. Any of Blood Oath taken from them (I doubt Hercules is mentioned in them )? What else from the series/minis are taken from the myths. The line from Odin about how if Loki doesn't fix this, he'll hang him from his kids entrails and have snake venom dripped on him, I remember Gaiman using in Sandman. So I assume, that's part of the mythology also. Stuff like that.

If you do start a thead give us the Issue numbers and maybe some good Norse Mythology references that we could check out of the library. Impress us...

I like this idea athough I think it should be expanded to not just Norse but all mythology. Kinda a Myths vs. Heroes thread, so Herc and others could be included.

If someone does the actual footwork I'd be happy to provide any loki related material.