Bought/Thought for 12/4/08 (spoilers inside)!

[Dread]

Only four books this week, but when one of them is the (slightly delayed) ending to Marvel's annual "crossover event", it counts as a big week for the launch of December. That will probably be the longest review, so I may save it for last. As usual, spoilers aplenty.

Dread's BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 12/4/08:

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #10: Sour grapes with Marvel or not, I have enjoyed getting Kirkman's "monthly" Image books more often, especially Wolf-Man, which lost a lot of steam when it was only coming out every 2-4 months. Kirkman promises that it will be monthly starting in 2009, but I'm not holding my breath.

As the cover suggests, the crux of the issue is focused on Zechariah, Gary's vampire mentor turned enemy. Zech relates to an old man in a hospital his origins of having been bitten in 1915 and being dismayed that vampires were disorganized and weren't nearly as focused on world control as he was once he gained their powers, so he has sought to do so himself. Certainly turning a superhero team into vampires plays into that scheme. Like many villains, of course, Zech believes his control of the world will result in more order and whatnot. The old man turns out to be Zech's now elderly son, who is too old to be much use as an undead, so his father puts him out of his misery. "Agent Invincible" gets picked up by his partner, and Gary continues to undergo "obligatory harsh hero training" with the Elder Werewolf who bit him.

One could argue not a whole lot happens this issue, but I did like getting to know Zechariah's origin, and Jason Howard's art on the book is as rock solid as always. This book will be tying into INVINCIBLE for two issues, and I am curious how that will work if Gary is supposed to be in the woods training and hiding? Does Invincible decide to look for him upon the word that he is a killer? Hopefully it will be interesting, rather than a random team-up/fight. Technically, they have met before in INVINCIBLE, albeit only technically.

The last page cliffhanger was interesting; Gary's daughter turning to Zech for revenge against Gary, of course unaware that Zech was the one who killed her mother? Oh, that is all kinds of comic book horror there.

WOLF-MAN is basically the comic that Marvel wishes it could make WEREWOLF BY NIGHT into.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #20: Swierczynski's first arc writing Fraction & Brubaker's successful relaunch concludes, technically, with sales starting to slip, which is bad for a book that was struggling to hang onto about 23-27k monthly. The irony here is that some of the artists from this run worked on the last, and Swiercynski hasn't remade the wheel on the property. He's working from where Fraction & Brubaker left off and has managed to capture the tone and allure of the property, with the funky martial arts mysticism. Of course, this might be due to a supportive editor, but it is something to be appreciated. If this book ends up failing because the launch team left, at this point that is unfair, and proves how fickle fans can be.

In this issue, Iron Fist defeats the antagonist of the arc. No, seriously! Sure, he had help from his allies, whether they be the Heroes for Hire (Cage & Knight) or the other Immortal Weapons (Amon, Dog Soldier, Fat Cobra, Bride of 9 Spiders), but many heroes have help from allies, don't they? In the end, Danny Rand got to face the villain of the arc and take him down, which is honestly a first for this launch, almost 2 years in. Goes to show you how good it was beforehand, that it didn't matter, eh?

Basically, the force of Ch'i-Lin, this monstrous dragon/beast thing, has fused with the soul of a man named Zhou Cheng for over 130 years. It empowers him to kill Iron Fist's from K'un L'un once they reach age 33 because in doing so, it gains access to K'un L'un through their dying hearts (or something like it) and seeks to eat the dragon of Shou Lou's egg. It is like Galactus, only instead of only being able to eat planets, it can only eat K'un L'un dragon eggs. Of course, this is a problem for K'un L'un because without the reborn dragon every lifetime, they can't have an Iron Fist to challenge it. It has failed every time, but as there are always new Iron Fist's, it always has a chance. It failed to kill Orson because Orson drugged himself to the point where it could no longer smell his chi. It all sounds horribly complicated, but it isn't nearly as much of a mess as I imagine Morrison's BATMAN run has proven to be.

With the dragon of Ch'i-Lin basically denied a chance at that egg since the late 1800's, it is especially desperate to finish Danny off and get another chance (where, knowing the cycle, the Thunderer and an armada wait to fight the beast). Quite what isn't explained is the obsession with the age 33 (why not 30 or 34), but that is a minor detail. Having been slipped poison by his secretary, who has been dating Cheng, Rand is at death's door. The combined might of all of his allies buys him enough time to gather enough of himself that he uses the poison against Cheng. Much like drugs, it has masked his chi to the creature, and thus Cheng can neither sense his location nor predict his moves. The entire strategy then boils down to "Rocky Logic"; get really ticked off and throw all technique out the window in favor of just punching until someone falls. It worked for the Italian Stallion practically every time (even against Ivan Drago, with over a ton of punching pressure per square inch should have been fighting Captain America), and it works for the Iron Fist. The pacing of the fight isn't exactly like Brubaker's usual flair, but it can be followed and was satisfying at the end, which is what is important. Having found a map to the legendary 8th mystical city, Danny goes off with the other "weapons" to explore it.

According to some of the epilogues, Danny does not return. The New Avengers are getting a roster shift and I am curious if Rand is being nixed from that roster, too. It isn't like he did a whole lot as a New Avenger if so, as it seemed he was only there for his bank book. Foreman & Heath's art is as solid as ever.

Swierczynski came in with a tall order, to hold down the fort that Fraction & Brubaker built, and so far he has done a fine job of it. It would be a shame if the industry continued to not reward people who follow up a launch team and actually do well. Still, IIF should see past a second year, which is incredible for a former 70's star. Especially in an era where Luke Cage gets all the attention. Still one of Marvel's best books, despite being written by the CABLE guy (pun intended).

NEW AVENGERS #47: The cover depicts Hawkeye with a slew of past Avengers. So, naturally, the story inside is about Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and finding his parents. I know covers don't usually predict interiors with a lot of accuracy these days, but JEEZ, man. Not everyone lives on the Internet and memorizes solicts from a few months ago; I wonder if the "silent majority" of readers who buy 100k copies of this are starting to be peeved by misleading covers. I know, Skrull-itizing classic Avengers ones, but it has gotten old. I am glad to see it end.

Honestly, this isn't an issue of NEW AVENGERS; it is an issue of ALIAS or THE PULSE, which is helped proven by the fact that Gaydos does most of the art for the issue. Tan is credited before Gaydos on the cover, but he only drew 8 pages. Much like with IMMORTAL IRON FIST, the art style changes with the flashback. Actually, considering Bendis' speed writing and Marvel's greed, I AM a bit surprised this story wasn't packaged and sold as a SECRET INVASION: THE PULSE one shot at, oh, $4.99 and Bendis asked to come up with some other filler story for NA #47, since he has had dozens in him so far. But maybe that is my cynicism kicking in.

Or the fact that because it read like THE PULSE or ALIAS, it meant that Bendis was in his niche and thus the story was actually good. Nothing irritates me more these days than a Bendis story I can't really tear to shreds over. Which may be a sign it is time to bid NA farewell, despite wanting to stay abreast of the Marvel Universe.

Bendis' niche is urban/noir type stories that usually explore a character conflict between one or two characters. It isn't team superheroics, aliens, or action blockbusters. DAREDEVIL catered to his strengths which is why most of that run was solid, even as he got predictable on it. ALIAS/THE PULSE presumably did the same. USM simply ran it's course. But the rest of Bendis' Marvel work has abandoned this niche and not every writer can write everything, Bendis included. This issue caters to that strength.

The present, drawn by Tan, depicts Luke and Jessica going through changing their child and discussing care for the babe. The topic of when Luke first fell in love with Jessica (and not vice versa) includes the Gaydos flashback in which Luke hires Jones to find his estranged father. She does, but Mr. Lucas is not ready for a meeting with his son, and may never be. While the Marvel universe is part of that story, it is really a tale about lost family connections and the struggle to let go of perceptions once they become ingrained in one's head. Jones was there to support Luke, and hence where their relationship blossomed. It felt very human and real, and for once Bendis's cookie cutter dialogue wasn't too bad.

The story honestly reminded me that amping Luke Cage from laughable blaxplotation thug into a more modern and serious character was one of his genuine gifts to the Marvel Universe and that when he isn't being asked to write beyond his means, he is capable of a solid issue. Quite why Bendis doesn't attach this level of focus and care to 95% of the other characters he has written is a mystery only he knows. It is obvious that Luke Cage is the character Bendis likes among the most in the MU, to the point that other writers kid him about it.

The cliffhanger of course is from the last issue of SECRET INVASION, where their child has been stolen by the Skrulls and is missing. I don't feel as bitter about Bendis tearing apart a family he himself created. It is a drag, though, that the lesson of Marvel Comics is that beauty and happiness never last, and all of life is one bleak, miserable struggle until you finally die, usually murdered in some random incident. I'm a cynic, but this theme is waring thin on even me. I read comics to escape, not feel more miserable than I already am. Cripes.

A rare, solid, even GOOD issue. The next brings about DARK REIGN stuff and a roster shift, which will give Bendis plenty of time to ruin Bucky Barnes. I am seriously considering abandoning the book; the economy is rough and it is getting harder to justify spending $36 a year on a series where the rare good issue almost irritates me more than a typical issue that is flawed up the wazoo and I can have fun lashing against. Misleading cover aside, this is one of the better SI tie-in's, even if it has little to do with SI until the last few pages. That is mostly why it is good.

 

[Dread]

Speaking of the devil...

SECRET INVASION #8: Despite a delay of a few weeks with the last chapter, SECRET INVASION has actually come out on schedule, which is something FINAL CRISIS could not do which is a large reason, many believe, of why it is outselling the competition. That and the simpler premise.

This is the main event, folks. I may be here a while. As SECRET INVASION comes to a close, it, of course, leads to the next event, as well as gives a chance to comment on the entire body of work, now that it is done.

As always, Bendis offers no one any surprises. In many ways, the ending is similar to the ending of SECRET WAR. In SECRET WAR, the head villain, some nasty chick, creates a giant biological bomb that makes everyone scream and levitate, according to the art. She is then taken down by someone out of nowhere with a big gun. SECRET INVASION #8 ends the exact same way. Only this time, trade "bunch of supervillians" for "the Wasp" as the bomb, trade Von Bardas for Veranke, and swap the "gunman out of nowhere" from Nick Fury to Norman Osborn. Yes, yes, Osborn has done some stuff in IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF SHIELD and THUNDERBOLTS to build up to this. But little has been done to build Osborn in the core mini that most people read, and haggles like that remind me of CIVIL WAR. Everyone lashed out on WORLD WAR HULK, but in retrospect Pak was far more focused. I am waiting for the day when Bendis can write something, anything, that every single reader on the Internet can't predict with 100% accuracy and that doesn't just rip off some past work of his. Claremont is a hack now but he made it over 15 years before he had to rip himself off shamelessly. Bendis hasn't even been going for one decade and he's never written anything new for years now. He just changes the details and the agents.

There also is a strange and disturbing trend of misogyny in his work. Under Bendis' pen, Scarlet Witch went from stable and strong heroine to typical out-of-control hysterical nymphomaniac. Tigra was pistol whipped and made to beg for mercy in her own bedroom by the Hood and Jigsaw; a scene a few female readers on blogs claimed "felt like reading a rape". He wrote Dr. Doom making the most crass and low down insults about female bodies since Andrew Dice Clay was banned from MTV. He sets up seemingly invincible female adversaries like Von Bardas or Veranke who in the end can be undone and made into whimpering feebs by random attackers. And nearly every large scale event of his requires the personal or physical death of a female character, this time the Wasp. The Wasp is a curious figure; over 40 years old and a founding Avenger, but is barely on the B-List and probably not one too many people will miss. While I am not saying Bendis is a sexist; he has also written his share of interesting and dynamic women, I am just saying if Bendis continues, there may be no decent heroines left in the Avengers franchise.

Thor manages to save everyone from the Wasp-bomb by banishing her into oblivion with a tornado (or something). Bendis writes a few speaking scenes and of course has missed the memo from JMS that Thor no longer speaks in "thy" and "thou" in his own book. In just a few pages, as if it was no threat at all, the heroes finish off the Skrulls and smash all of their ships. Um, yay? Eh, oh well.

On the plus side, everyone the Skrulls had taken are found alive. An explanation is given that "their new shifting process needed DNA" and "live hostages were a bargaining chip" and all that and it almost makes sense. That at least means that the worst superhero ever, at least in Bendis' eyes, Hank "I did nothing but beat my wife for 40 years" Pym is perfectly fine, as are Dugan, Elektra, Susan Richards and of course, Spider-Woman. That limits the damage done to the universe and at least means that other writers who want to use some of these characters won't have to mop up much. The biggest caveat is Mockingbird, who was seemingly taken from the Skrulls during the West Coast days. The problem is that various heroes have literally MET HER IN THE UNDERWORLD. There is no way to explain that if the dead Mockingbird was a Skrull. None. It would have been a Skrull soul. It would not have looked human. She's been on the LEGION OF THE UNLIVING how many times? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for some romance or reunions, but this is one where the explanation, "oh, the one who was killed by Mephisto was a Skrull" doesn't work. It doesn't work so much that it makes me genuinely curious about whether Bendis actually knows HOW Mockingbird was killed, as in the details. I suppose someone could try winning a No-Prize by going, "Mephisto knew it was a Skrull but hid her identity, even after she was killed and would have reverted, just to be nasty to Hawkeye, because he is mean & petty like that", but even that is more annoying than it should be. I pity the poor Handbook writer who has to make sense of that crap. Retcons suck, don't they?

Can Clint go back to at least using arrows? Ninjas are old hat. They even used arrows anyway. No? Forget it, then. Bendis is one of those guys whose only research on ninjas was watching the Ninja Turtles in the 80's, or AMERICAN NINJA films on CINEMAX.

The Baxtor Building is blown up for the 55th time, the religious stuff hinted at in earlier interviews really never comes to pass much beyond some details, and the President embraces Norman Osborn because, at least according to this mini, he shot Veranke on national TV.It makes me wonder what sort of rewritten B.S. Marvel has from OMD where no one knows about the Green Goblin and treats Norman Osborn like god. It is like Marvel is trying to rip off what DC once did with Lex Luthor, only years after no one gives a damn about it anymore. Naturally, Osborn assembles the "Illuminaughty" of Namor, Dr. Doom, Emma Frost, Loki, and The Hood and they presumably start to discuss taking over the world of ungrateful hero haters. When was the last time a genuine hero who didn't act like a complete A-Hat was celebrated on Marvel earth? Iron Man was, but that was only after pummeling all of his friends over a piece of paper. Marvel's theme seems to be that America only works in one overreaction after another and the wrong people are always selected to protect us. Which is going to seem very old in 2009 when Obama takes office and the rest of the media remembers that Congress hasn't been controlled by Republicans for two full years. The moral of "America is always screwed up and corrupt at the top" is not one that is going to seem as fresh with The One on the podium. The next year with DARK REIGN will seem very interesting in that concept. I had thought without Dubya Hitler and the Demonic Republican run Government to puke against, the Marvel universe might actually get a little lighter or balanced. Silly me.

SHIELD has also been dismantled and the Initiative may not be far away, considering it was how the Skrulls exploited the superheroes to infiltrate them. Iron Man thus returns to a status quo not too far removed from the film one. Shocking, huh? Still, him being Iron President was getting a little old and I don't mind the scale back so we can almost root for him again. It makes me wonder, though, what power does the U.S. have to dismantle SHIELD? It isn't the Ultimate universe; SHIELD is worldwide, like Interpol on steroids. Is the rest of the world agreeing to dismantle SHIELD? Or does the President no longer see SHIELD as a useful club?

Again, a subplot where the evil, corrupt Osborn has been given "the keys" to the country and planet would have been a very edgy plot in 2006 or even 2007. But as 2008 ends, and as we have a new President Elect who will become the nation's first black President amid a world full of good will, it just seems mistimed and old hat. Like, "enough, we get it, America is evil". Which is NOT a theme most forms of entertainment adopt during Democratic administrations, no matter how corrupt or imperfect they may be, too. Besides, Iron Man still helped save the world with his friends. I am sure his tech will be updated and viable. It just reeks of plot convenience that he would be so dismissed and replaced. I mean, if people were automatically persona non grata for one screw up, government wouldn't be as corrupt and full of nepotism as it is. It seems too haphazard, the role Osborn is in now. It merely proves that ONE MORE DAY was in many ways Marvel's Mini-Crisis.

Let's recap; the Skrulls, according to this story, have been quietly infiltrating the Earth for years, using stolen genetic samples of the Illuminati they had for years and for some reason never really used until Veranke came to power following ANNIHILATION, or before, or whatever. They infiltrated virtually every form of government and superhero team. Then their entire plan was simply to invade from the skies and bludgeon the planet until it stopped moving. No different than every single alien invasion story since the 50's and it ended in the same way, in an alien loss through human grit. The Wasp was sacrificed to give the nameless Skrulls weight, and Marvel is out one strong heroine. The heroes basically only can react to their own screw ups and the world once again celebrates someone evil, in this case, Norman Osborn. I am waiting a WHAT IF story where Marvel's heroes literally throw up their hands, leave the planet and become legends in the stars and leave the ungrateful, hysterical, mutant-phobic masses to their fate. I call it WHAT IF THE MARVEL CITIZENS GOT WHAT THEY WANTED? Which is heroes to give up and to live under the fist of whatever villain manages to conquer the rest. Heroism has often been thankless, but it seems it has never seemed SO thankless, like to the point of sheer masochism for anyone who is in any way noble at Marvel. "Depressingly bleak" is not exactly "realistic".

Got to love how the recap page makes it out as it being SO rare that virtually every hero and some villains teamed up to save the world, despite doing that last year in WORLD WAR HULK, or in earlier years in countless other stories. A short attention span and a shorter memory is the hack's best friend.

I might wonder why in the world Emma Frost would be meeting with CLEAR supervillains like The Hood and Dr. Doom since she has tried to be a "psuedo heroine" for ten years real time (at least), but no matter. She'll act however Bendis wants her to act, and that means he will be mucking with the X-Universe once again. As if literally smothering their entire premise like a candle wasn't enough in 2005. Why is Dr. Doom listening to Norman Osborn or even considering anyone but himself an equal? Oh, I can't wait to see how haphazardly they are written.

The teasers in the back, so New Cap joins the New Avengers and Pym gets to return, for real, in A:TI. DARK REIGN gets a one-shot and so does Slott, which may lead up to his MIGHTY AVENGERS run soon.

In conclusion, SECRET INVASION is another story that has difficulty with endings, climaxes, originality, characterization, or a sense of hope. It is an improvement over HOUSE OF M, even while it replicates a lot of the cluster**** battle royales. It is also an event that never feels like it ends, because it is already trying to sell you the NEXT event before the last page. It wasn't the worst event ever, but it won't be one I remember for long. Add Janet Van Dyne to the growing list of good characters Bendis felt he had to slaughter to feel empowered. And add one more overhyped, overrated and oversold mess-ter-piece to his bibliography of mess-ter-works. At least finally, FINALLY, the overzealous "change" advertisements and covers can end. I didn't think anything could be worse than monkey or zombie covers, but SI proved me dead wrong.

When the hell will Marvel do a good event that isn't the red-headed ANNIHILATION step-child? When will it find a writer to do it who can handle the narrative as well as the action and characters? And when the hell will Marvel let a story have a conclusion and give their fanbase a chance to breathe and accept the alterations before shoving the next crossover down their neck? For chrissakes, this recession is hitting everyone and the entire comic industry is relying on fewer and fewer stretched wallets. Do they want to flirt with disaster? And can we leave WAR out of the next title? Make WAR OF KINGS the last? It's been used more than CRISIS. Or NEW.

The only bright spot is Dan Slott getting on MIGHTY AVENGERS for some damage control. It's about time.

 

[stillanerd]

Speaking of the devil...

SECRET INVASION #8: Despite a delay of a few weeks with the last chapter, SECRET INVASION has actually come out on schedule, which is something FINAL CRISIS could not do which is a large reason, many believe, of why it is outselling the competition. That and the simpler premise.

This is the main event, folks. I may be here a while. As SECRET INVASION comes to a close, it, of course, leads to the next event, as well as gives a chance to comment on the entire body of work, now that it is done.

As always, Bendis offers no one any surprises. In many ways, the ending is similar to the ending of SECRET WAR. In SECRET WAR, the head villain, some nasty chick, creates a giant biological bomb that makes everyone scream and levitate, according to the art. She is then taken down by someone out of nowhere with a big gun. SECRET INVASION #8 ends the exact same way. Only this time, trade "bunch of supervillians" for "the Wasp" as the bomb, trade Von Bardas for Veranke, and swap the "gunman out of nowhere" from Nick Fury to Norman Osborn. Yes, yes, Osborn has done some stuff in IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF SHIELD and THUNDERBOLTS to build up to this. But little has been done to build Osborn in the core mini that most people read, and haggles like that remind me of CIVIL WAR. Everyone lashed out on WORLD WAR HULK, but in retrospect Pak was far more focused. I am waiting for the day when Bendis can write something, anything, that every single reader on the Internet can't predict with 100% accuracy and that doesn't just rip off some past work of his. Claremont is a hack now but he made it over 15 years before he had to rip himself off shamelessly. Bendis hasn't even been going for one decade and he's never written anything new for years now. He just changes the details and the agents.

There also is a strange and disturbing trend of misogyny in his work. Under Bendis' pen, Scarlet Witch went from stable and strong heroine to typical out-of-control hysterical nymphomaniac. Tigra was pistol whipped and made to beg for mercy in her own bedroom by the Hood and Jigsaw; a scene a few female readers on blogs claimed "felt like reading a rape". He wrote Dr. Doom making the most crass and low down insults about female bodies since Andrew Dice Clay was banned from MTV. He sets up seemingly invincible female adversaries like Von Bardas or Veranke who in the end can be undone and made into whimpering feebs by random attackers. And nearly every large scale event of his requires the personal or physical death of a female character, this time the Wasp. The Wasp is a curious figure; over 40 years old and a founding Avenger, but is barely on the B-List and probably not one too many people will miss. While I am not saying Bendis is a sexist; he has also written his share of interesting and dynamic women, I am just saying if Bendis continues, there may be no decent heroines left in the Avengers franchise.

Thor manages to save everyone from the Wasp-bomb by banishing her into oblivion with a tornado (or something). Bendis writes a few speaking scenes and of course has missed the memo from JMS that Thor no longer speaks in "thy" and "thou" in his own book. In just a few pages, as if it was no threat at all, the heroes finish off the Skrulls and smash all of their ships. Um, yay? Eh, oh well.

On the plus side, everyone the Skrulls had taken are found alive. An explanation is given that "their new shifting process needed DNA" and "live hostages were a bargaining chip" and all that and it almost makes sense. That at least means that the worst superhero ever, at least in Bendis' eyes, Hank "I did nothing but beat my wife for 40 years" Pym is perfectly fine, as are Dugan, Elektra, Susan Richards and of course, Spider-Woman. That limits the damage done to the universe and at least means that other writers who want to use some of these characters won't have to mop up much. The biggest caveat is Mockingbird, who was seemingly taken from the Skrulls during the West Coast days. The problem is that various heroes have literally MET HER IN THE UNDERWORLD. There is no way to explain that if the dead Mockingbird was a Skrull. None. It would have been a Skrull soul. It would not have looked human. She's been on the LEGION OF THE UNLIVING how many times? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for some romance or reunions, but this is one where the explanation, "oh, the one who was killed by Mephisto was a Skrull" doesn't work. It doesn't work so much that it makes me genuinely curious about whether Bendis actually knows HOW Mockingbird was killed, as in the details. I suppose someone could try winning a No-Prize by going, "Mephisto knew it was a Skrull but hid her identity, even after she was killed and would have reverted, just to be nasty to Hawkeye, because he is mean & petty like that", but even that is more annoying than it should be. I pity the poor Handbook writer who has to make sense of that crap. Retcons suck, don't they?

Can Clint go back to at least using arrows? Ninjas are old hat. They even used arrows anyway. No? Forget it, then. Bendis is one of those guys whose only research on ninjas was watching the Ninja Turtles in the 80's, or AMERICAN NINJA films on CINEMAX.

The Baxtor Building is blown up for the 55th time, the religious stuff hinted at in earlier interviews really never comes to pass much beyond some details, and the President embraces Norman Osborn because, at least according to this mini, he shot Veranke on national TV.It makes me wonder what sort of rewritten B.S. Marvel has from OMD where no one knows about the Green Goblin and treats Norman Osborn like god. It is like Marvel is trying to rip off what DC once did with Lex Luthor, only years after no one gives a damn about it anymore. Naturally, Osborn assembles the "Illuminaughty" of Namor, Dr. Doom, Emma Frost, Loki, and The Hood and they presumably start to discuss taking over the world of ungrateful hero haters. When was the last time a genuine hero who didn't act like a complete A-Hat was celebrated on Marvel earth? Iron Man was, but that was only after pummeling all of his friends over a piece of paper. Marvel's theme seems to be that America only works in one overreaction after another and the wrong people are always selected to protect us. Which is going to seem very old in 2009 when Obama takes office and the rest of the media remembers that Congress hasn't been controlled by Republicans for two full years. The moral of "America is always screwed up and corrupt at the top" is not one that is going to seem as fresh with The One on the podium. The next year with DARK REIGN will seem very interesting in that concept. I had thought without Dubya Hitler and the Demonic Republican run Government to puke against, the Marvel universe might actually get a little lighter or balanced. Silly me.

SHIELD has also been dismantled and the Initiative may not be far away, considering it was how the Skrulls exploited the superheroes to infiltrate them. Iron Man thus returns to a status quo not too far removed from the film one. Shocking, huh? Still, him being Iron President was getting a little old and I don't mind the scale back so we can almost root for him again. It makes me wonder, though, what power does the U.S. have to dismantle SHIELD? It isn't the Ultimate universe; SHIELD is worldwide, like Interpol on steroids. Is the rest of the world agreeing to dismantle SHIELD? Or does the President no longer see SHIELD as a useful club?

Again, a subplot where the evil, corrupt Osborn has been given "the keys" to the country and planet would have been a very edgy plot in 2006 or even 2007. But as 2008 ends, and as we have a new President Elect who will become the nation's first black President amid a world full of good will, it just seems mistimed and old hat. Like, "enough, we get it, America is evil". Which is NOT a theme most forms of entertainment adopt during Democratic administrations, no matter how corrupt or imperfect they may be, too. Besides, Iron Man still helped save the world with his friends. I am sure his tech will be updated and viable. It just reeks of plot convenience that he would be so dismissed and replaced. I mean, if people were automatically persona non grata for one screw up, government wouldn't be as corrupt and full of nepotism as it is. It seems too haphazard, the role Osborn is in now. It merely proves that ONE MORE DAY was in many ways Marvel's Mini-Crisis.

Let's recap; the Skrulls, according to this story, have been quietly infiltrating the Earth for years, using stolen genetic samples of the Illuminati they had for years and for some reason never really used until Veranke came to power following ANNIHILATION, or before, or whatever. They infiltrated virtually every form of government and superhero team. Then their entire plan was simply to invade from the skies and bludgeon the planet until it stopped moving. No different than every single alien invasion story since the 50's and it ended in the same way, in an alien loss through human grit. The Wasp was sacrificed to give the nameless Skrulls weight, and Marvel is out one strong heroine. The heroes basically only can react to their own screw ups and the world once again celebrates someone evil, in this case, Norman Osborn. I am waiting a WHAT IF story where Marvel's heroes literally throw up their hands, leave the planet and become legends in the stars and leave the ungrateful, hysterical, mutant-phobic masses to their fate. I call it WHAT IF THE MARVEL CITIZENS GOT WHAT THEY WANTED? Which is heroes to give up and to live under the fist of whatever villain manages to conquer the rest. Heroism has often been thankless, but it seems it has never seemed SO thankless, like to the point of sheer masochism for anyone who is in any way noble at Marvel. "Depressingly bleak" is not exactly "realistic".

Got to love how the recap page makes it out as it being SO rare that virtually every hero and some villains teamed up to save the world, despite doing that last year in WORLD WAR HULK, or in earlier years in countless other stories. A short attention span and a shorter memory is the hack's best friend.

I might wonder why in the world Emma Frost would be meeting with CLEAR supervillains like The Hood and Dr. Doom since she has tried to be a "psuedo heroine" for ten years real time (at least), but no matter. She'll act however Bendis wants her to act, and that means he will be mucking with the X-Universe once again. As if literally smothering their entire premise like a candle wasn't enough in 2005. Why is Dr. Doom listening to Norman Osborn or even considering anyone but himself an equal? Oh, I can't wait to see how haphazardly they are written.

The teasers in the back, so New Cap joins the New Avengers and Pym gets to return, for real, in A:TI. DARK REIGN gets a one-shot and so does Slott, which may lead up to his MIGHTY AVENGERS run soon.

In conclusion, SECRET INVASION is another story that has difficulty with endings, climaxes, originality, characterization, or a sense of hope. It is an improvement over HOUSE OF M, even while it replicates a lot of the cluster**** battle royales. It is also an event that never feels like it ends, because it is already trying to sell you the NEXT event before the last page. It wasn't the worst event ever, but it won't be one I remember for long. Add Janet Van Dyne to the growing list of good characters Bendis felt he had to slaughter to feel empowered. And add one more overhyped, overrated and oversold mess-ter-piece to his bibliography of mess-ter-works. At least finally, FINALLY, the overzealous "change" advertisements and covers can end. I didn't think anything could be worse than monkey or zombie covers, but SI proved me dead wrong.

When the hell will Marvel do a good event that isn't the red-headed ANNIHILATION step-child? When will it find a writer to do it who can handle the narrative as well as the action and characters? And when the hell will Marvel let a story have a conclusion and give their fanbase a chance to breathe and accept the alterations before shoving the next crossover down their neck? For chrissakes, this recession is hitting everyone and the entire comic industry is relying on fewer and fewer stretched wallets. Do they want to flirt with disaster? And can we leave WAR out of the next title? Make WAR OF KINGS the last? It's been used more than CRISIS. Or NEW.

The only bright spot is Dan Slott getting on MIGHTY AVENGERS for some damage control. It's about time.

I say members of the Hype this Christmas should pool some of their hard earned cash and, instead of spending it on over-hyped, over-blown, and ultimately unsatisfying crossovers such as Secret Invasion, they should buy Dread a punching bag with Bendis's grinning mug on it, just in case his reviews aren't enough for him to let off some steam.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

After reading the latest New Avengers, am I supposed to care about Cage's baby? Cuz I don't

 

[StreetWarrior]

WHAT THE HELL IS WITH MARVEL THINKING THEY CAN CHARGE A DOLLAR MORE FOR EVERY BENDIS WRITTEN COMIC!? Check the new Previews... every Bendis comic in 2009 is a dollar more than it should be for the same number of pages. WHY!?

 

[SUPER MARVELMAN]

3.99 is not new.

 

[SUPER MARVELMAN]

Plain and simple, Secret Invasion was great overall.

 

[StreetWarrior]

3.99 is not new.

It is when we're getting the same number of pages. It's called getting screwed.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Maybe the ink is better or something lol

 

[Dread]

I say members of the Hype this Christmas should pool some of their hard earned cash and, instead of spending it on over-hyped, over-blown, and ultimately unsatisfying crossovers such as Secret Invasion, they should buy Dread a punching bag with Bendis's grinning mug on it, just in case his reviews aren't enough for him to let off some steam.

Hey, I actually liked NA #47, didn't I?

After reading the latest New Avengers, am I supposed to care about Cage's baby? Cuz I don't

I cared more about the story with Luke's father than the kid. Lord knows it will be 20-30 years before that kid is even 6, and that is assuming she survives that long. Got to love "Marvel time".

WHAT THE HELL IS WITH MARVEL THINKING THEY CAN CHARGE A DOLLAR MORE FOR EVERY BENDIS WRITTEN COMIC!? Check the new Previews... every Bendis comic in 2009 is a dollar more than it should be for the same number of pages. WHY!?

Supposedly, the price of paper has increased. It is $3.99 for all mini's from Marvel now. Ongoing titles at the moment are still $2.99. MARVEL MAX books may be even higher.

It does stink that Marvel didn't at least raise the prices gradually instead of BAM, $1 more, but, that's how much they appreciate the loyalists.

I would not be surprised if the added price of mini's added to more trade waiting. A 6 issue mini is now $23.94 overall, while the average TPB is still under $20. Even if the price of trades went up a dollar or two, trade waiting is now even more attractive for mini's.

 

[GNR]

As with most of Marvel's events,the aftermath is always more exciting than the event itself.

However,I felt that SW was leagues above CW,HOM and WWH.I can't really put my finger on it,but this "event" just seemed to really deliver.It was entertaining,it had a great mix of characters stepping up,it didn't try to break new ground and it was an overall fun story on its own.

The aftermath that is DR looks to be even more interesting.Final Crisis goes on about how it's "the day evil won".That slogan should be tacked onto SI instead because that's what it really feels like.

Also,I read SI on it's own without following any tie-ins and wasn't lost for a second.Oops,I was reading Herc(already on the pull list) and Si:Thor,but those were too awesome to pass up and were just great stories on their own that weren't required reading for the main book.

Looking forward to....

More Diggle Thunderbolts
Osborne hunting down Stark
War Machine

 

[Dread]

Yeah, at least this time the Marvel heroes did all unite for the battle despite a lot of differences. Just, well, Norman Osborn took all the credit for it.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Yeah, I really wonder where War Machine is gonna fit in now. i still need to read the last issue of IM: Director of SHIELD mind you.

 

[hippie_hunter]

SHIELD has also been dismantled and the Initiative may not be far away, considering it was how the Skrulls exploited the superheroes to infiltrate them. Iron Man thus returns to a status quo not too far removed from the film one. Shocking, huh? Still, him being Iron President was getting a little old and I don't mind the scale back so we can almost root for him again. It makes me wonder, though, what power does the U.S. have to dismantle SHIELD? It isn't the Ultimate universe; SHIELD is worldwide, like Interpol on steroids. Is the rest of the world agreeing to dismantle SHIELD? Or does the President no longer see SHIELD as a useful club?

Iron Man: Director of SHIELD stated that the United States provided the vast majority of SHIELD's funding, pretty much explaining why SHIELD did whatever the hell the US wanted.

Without US funding, SHIELD cannot sustain itself and by cutting off such funding, the US pretty much gets to dismantle SHIELD.

And if you think about it the other major powers are probably fine with it.

The United Kingdom probably feels the same way the United States feels because they took a huge brunt of the Skrull invasion along with Wakanda and Russia. China, Latveria, and Russia don't recognize SHIELD's authority. Since Atlantis was not a member of the United Nations, SHIELD does not have authority there and Atlantis does not have a say in SHIELD matters. And in real life, Japan doesn't spend a lot on military and peacekeeping endeavors.

That accounts for most of the major powers of the Marvel Universe (asides from real life powers France and Germany).

 

[Dread]

France & Germany do count.

But, yeah, SHIELD got a lot of U.S. funding and Tech. Still, it has been dismantled before and usually come back, and Marvel will have SHIELD in movies, so I am a bit unconvinced that it will be gone forever.

Besides, there was an agency that dealt with aliens; SWORD.

 

[hippie_hunter]

France & Germany do count.

Of course they do. Hence why I said MOST major powers within the Marvel universe. But we didn't get France or Germany's viewpoint of the Skrull invasion so we have no idea how they feel about SHIELD being disbanded.

Japan doesn't provide much funding for such operations in real life, and since Marvel is just sooooo... dedicated on making their universe like ours, I'd bet that Marvel's Japan is the same.

But when the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Atlantis, Latveria, and Wakanda decide to drop their support of SHIELD or don't even recognize SHIELD's authority, it becomes a completely ineffective organization when only two major powers support it, let alone two powers that are nowhere near the most powerful like the United States, Wakanda, China, Russia, and Latveria.

The US alone didn't bring about SHIELD's downfall.

But, yeah, SHIELD got a lot of U.S. funding and Tech. Still, it has been dismantled before and usually come back, and Marvel will have SHIELD in movies, so I am a bit unconvinced that it will be gone forever.

Obviously

Besides, there was an agency that dealt with aliens; SWORD.

Which was a part of SHIELD.

 

[Marcdachamp]

SI- PICK OF THE WEEK! Some of the twists were kind of spoiled, but I gotta give Bendis HUGE props on the

Spoiler

Mockingbird

thing. I don't think anyone called that. The art is gorgeous as ever, and the Dark Reign preview has me salivating. I am VERY excited for the next few months. My only complaint was that

Spoiler

Janet's death

was over far too quickly. I think there are a lot of very good benefits to be gained from it, but I think it could have been handled better. Otherwise, loved it. 9/10

New Avengers- One of the best issues of the run. One reason I love Bendis is because he has a masterful way of knowing the right buttons to push. He keeps a great stable of artists on hand for issues like this, and it was just perfect. I really miss Alias a lot, and this issue just made me remember how much. I'd love it if Marvel collected the flashback and the Pulse issues Gaydos did as Alias vol.5. I'd double dip in a heartbeat. 9/10

Marvel Zombies 3- Speaking of double dipping, I promise that the Hardcover of this will be on my shelf. Man, I didn't think anything could top the first mini, but this one is fantastic. Aaron on the cycle being chased by the Speedsters was great. The art is perfect, and the darkness is just creepy. That last page has me a little worried though. 9/10

Transformers Animated- The opening story is kind of unnecessary, but the second story was brilliant. An awesome Looney Tunes style story that had me smiling and laughing the whole time. I loved seeing Swindle show up. He's one of the few combiners outside the Constructicons to actually get a personality (yes, I know he's not a combiner in Animated). This book is way too much fun. 8/10

Amazing Spider-Man- This was a really good arc. Short, but sweet, with some excellent art. Martin draws such a great Spider-Man that evokes the classic stuff but still keeps a modern sensibility. I can't think of another artist that has drawn Spider-Man quite the same way. I hope Jonah's Dad isn't completely out of the picture, I thought he was interesting here. 8/10

My shop also had some pretty sweet Punisher freebies. Got a badass t-shirt and a couple posters. Even if the movie sucks, the t-shirt is awesome.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

^Has Marvel zombies 3 been better than 2?

 

[Dread]

Of course they do. Hence why I said MOST major powers within the Marvel universe. But we didn't get France or Germany's viewpoint of the Skrull invasion so we have no idea how they feel about SHIELD being disbanded.

Japan doesn't provide much funding for such operations in real life, and since Marvel is just sooooo... dedicated on making their universe like ours, I'd bet that Marvel's Japan is the same.

But when the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Atlantis, Latveria, and Wakanda decide to drop their support of SHIELD or don't even recognize SHIELD's authority, it becomes a completely ineffective organization when only two major powers support it, let alone two powers that are nowhere near the most powerful like the United States, Wakanda, China, Russia, and Latveria.

The US alone didn't bring about SHIELD's downfall.


Obviously


Which was a part of SHIELD.

Fair enough.

 

[Doc Destruction]

So, I guess the Skrulls went to hell and got Mockingbird then?

 

[Phaedrus45]

First, YES, Marvel Zombies 3 is much better than Marvel Zombies 2.

I have to finally give props to Bendis. I loved the final issue of Secret Invasion, which finally makes up for the lame endings of World War Hulk and Civil War. Sure, we've seen supervillians in position of power before (i.e. Lex Luthor as President); but, this collection of heavy hitters does a great job of juxtaposing (sp??) the Illuminati (again, sp?).

This issue, I think, does a great job of creating interest in the other books, too. Maybe some don't care about Luke Cage's baby being abducted (maybe it brings about too much similarity to Peter Parker/MJ's baby being abducted during the whole Clone Saga storyline); but, I'm jacked to read more about it. I love the character of Jessica Jones, and it was great to see a story in New Avengers that brought back the old Alias days. I love FINALLY getting Mockingbird back, and it will be great to see her and Hawkeye in new adventures together. It's great to see Bendis off the one Avengers book, and it being taken over by Slott!

Probably the only thing that I didn't like was how all the missing characters were convienently stowed away on a ship right above Earth. That was too quick of a solution. I think it would have been better to have Earth's heroes discover they were at some Skrull base in another system, and maybe have a spin-off mini that showed them being rescued.

Now, I can't wait to read the new issue of The Sword!

 

[Marcdachamp]

^Has Marvel zombies 3 been better than 2?

Marvel Zombies 2 started good but quickly fell apart, in my opinion. Marvel Zombies 3 is easily my favorite Marvel Zombies series. The pacing feels like a horror movie, the artwork is damn creepy, the continuity is VERY impressive (not just with the Marvel Zombies stuff, either, it ties up a lot of loose ends with Machine Man) and its even more disturbing. If you even remotely enjoyed anything Marvel Zombies, I cannot recommend it enough.

 

[Themanofbat]

WOLF-MAN is basically the comic that Marvel wishes it could make WEREWOLF BY NIGHT into.

I wish Marvel would do a WEREWOLF BY NIGHT on going...

However, I believe Jack Russell is slated for the next Dead of Night mini... so hopefully, people are buying these books...

 

[Blader5489]

Besides, there was an agency that dealt with aliens; SWORD.

Which was the first thing that Skrulls took out at the beginning of SI.

 

[Max J Power]

Batman #682
Grant Morrison's Batman run has been polarizing, especially RIP. And while I'd still say I'm on the side that likes it, I'm getting a little impatient waiting for the end. Last week's issue left me a little annoyed because the "Conclusion" was not that conclusive. This issue was well written and pretty interesting, but it seems like the next three issue will be treading water until Gaiman's arc starts. And apparently the fate of Batman will be revealed in Final Crisis, instead of any of the Batman books. Thanks, DC.

Criminal #7
Great conclusion. Events played out differently than I expected so most of the issue was pretty surprising. What impressed me most was Brubaker's characterization; he really showed the characters in a different light than before, but it all made sense. I can't wait for Incognito.

Punisher X-Mas Special
I've bought a couple Punisher holiday one-shots in the past couple years, and they weren't really anything special. This one, on the other hand, impressed me. The story isn't deep or anything, but Aaron handles the Punisher character well, and fills the story with fast action. It has a happy ending for a Punisher issue, too. I'd be interested to see what Aaron could do with a full Punisher arc.