Bought/Thought for August 13, 2008; SPOILERS INSIDE!

Dread

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Guess I have to launch one. If someone else did and I missed it, please merge.

This is a larger than average week and most of it is a SECRET INVASION Skrullopalooza, so I'll break this up into Non-Skrullinated and Skrullinated reviews for your pleasure (or annoyance, for those who hate my long texts). As always, this is the B/T so spoilers are unfiltered and welcome.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 8/13/08: Non-Skrullinated Reviews:

BOOSTER GOLD #11
At the very least, unlike most launch teams when they bail, this hasn't been a complete split. Character creator and co-artist Dan Jurgens (as well as finishing artist Norm Rapmund) have stayed on the book. Doing what DC calls a "guest run" is Chuck Dixon, and this is likely a script submitted before DC and Dixon parted ways. I've heard rumors that Jurgens will soon shift to writing chores as well, and that should be good news for the book. BG has been one of DC's rare strong titles these days and it would be good to see it able to survive more than one creative team shift, like BLUE BEETLE has.

Naturally, Dixon brings in characters he knows well from the Bat-verse. It is kind of like Bendis immediately bringing Daredevil into the Avengers, only handled better because Dixon's a better writer (or at least has more experience). He brings in a minor time traveling villain from many years ago in DETECTIVE and has him muck with Batman's time-line. In the meantime, Booster Gold is still getting used to his sister being back (and probably calling him "Mikey"), and I can't blame him. He couldn't save Barbara Gordon or Ted Kord, so I could understand him maybe counting down to when she either is re-killed or he has to let her fade or whatever. The main time-threat is Wiley Dalbert, who is the complete opposite from the threat Booster just surpassed with the time-masters. He is more of a bumbler than a maniac. Armed with a time machine that only goes into the past, he sets up robberies and then lives things up in a present (which for him is his past, being from the 27th century). Unfortunately, one robbery involving Killer Moth goes wrong when Batgirl accidentally crushes the device, fragging the Dynamic Duo from existence. I guess Batman doesn't have an anti-Time Spray. While Batman & Robin get cover credits, Batgirl plays almost an equal role, but she doesn't. Oh well.

This leads to Booster going back in time and taking Killer Moth's place to ensure that Batman survives the robbery, but in doing so seems to "defeat" the caped heroes too quickly, and now Gotham is equally fragged with a Killer Moth who is their central urban figure. Unlike the last run, there is some more light moments here and the idea of Booster screwing up even when he isn't being inept, a rare tightrope most heroes don't handle well (look at Johnny Storm, who often is written like a total ******). Of course, things go horribly wrong when Booster tries to impersonate Batman.

As always, Jurgen's art IS the book, and it still timely and classic. From Booster to Batman, to even a garish color clashing design like Killer Moth, it all looks good without being "edgy" or trying to be photo-realistic or manga-imitative. I like that the tone of this story is a little lighter than the last one, to sort of shake things up a bit. BG wasn't supposed to be bleak and I suppose this is returning things to the first few issues when Booster was interacting with all sorts of history. Bringing in the Bat Mythos reveals the heart on Dixon's sleeve a bit, but it would be fallacy to not presume what a major role Batman holds to the DCU, so it works.

Basically, the issue proves there is life on this book without Johns & Katz at the helm, and if Jurgens is set to be the next regular writer, I figure that will be extremely interesting, considering he created the title character (and like most iconic artists, likely helps brainstorm with the writer or has some imput on the story). That is good because it is one of the few DC staples I have left, since DETECTIVE is stuck in RIP. A series like this really allows Jurgens to shine and I am sure Dixon's DC swan song will be a solid tale. It's started off well as is.

FANTASTIC FOUR #559: The cover asks, "Who are the New Defenders?" and I answer, "The guys upstaging the Last Defenders", which also wrapped this week. Perhaps the biggest story is how the sales for this run are underwhelming, at least if you figured, like the editors likely did, that Millar/Hitch on the book was an A-List team that should have at least kept the title above McDuffie's numbers and in the Top 10-15. In June, this book wasn't even in the Top 25 and was easily outsold by, say, Brubaker's CA or even the second issue of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, which saw an over 40% drop from the debut. It is selling at about 61k and dropping 2-3% a month. The first issue of the run provided a 50k boost but that is virtually all gone now. Three of McDuffie's issues outsold this less than a year ago. Considering that McDuffie isn't nearly as big as Mark Millar and the title has actually been shipping on time so far, this doesn't bode well. The delays of ULTIMATES 2 likely hurt this team's cred and it could be that Millar's star is slipping from CIVIL WAR. Or it could also be that Fantastic Four is one of those titles destined for B-List status regardless of who writes it. Granted, over 60k is still good historically for the book, which in 2003 was barely selling above 43k.

It also doesn't help that this run is separated from the rest of what the MU is doing right now, leaving the SI tie in which should be natural for the Four (as the Skrulls are their enemies) to a mini with a lower-hype creative team (that is selling about 10k less than the "parent title"). This issue more than proves that, as the last page offers a splash that makes anyone who has read NOVA within the past three months go, "WTF!?" as it really is doing it's own thing. Millar may once again be "shooting for the trade crowd" like he used to in ULTIMATES, which means that current sales and continuity don't much matter, as this is self contained. And while it is good, CAPTAIN AMERICA it ain't.

Considering that SI was able to dramatically boost numbers for bottom feeder titles like MS. MARVEL, I wonder if Marvel editors are regretting not allowing one extra steroid shot of event tie-in's help the core FF title. Of course, while Bendis is Joe Q's core hooker in the ****ehouse of Ideas, Millar is the ever-ready #2 who has a movie made about one of his properties. No one will tell him when he's wrong in the biz.

Anyway, the story continues where we left off, with the New Defenders, a motly crew of seemingly new characters, seemingly bring run by The Hulk in his "Professor" identity. After kidnapping Dr. Doom and making him cry like a whipped dog, they're moving against the Four, or at least Johnny Storm, who broke up with member Psionics. Coming to a LETTERMAN taping after a romp with some playmates, Johnny is attacked by Psionics, Lightwave, and another named The Hooded Man. Despite usually being written as a spaz, Johnny is able to hold his own against Psionics and Lightwave, but Hooded Man of course beats him, because he's the cool lookin' dude. Meanwhile, Alssya Moy-Castle meets up with Sue and seemingly reveals that her husband's plans to make New Earth is simply a plan to save the A-List captains of industry and leaving the masses to rot. Quite frankly, that seemed obvious as to where that was going last arc, when her husband bragged about all the financial and government aid he was getting from the world's elite citizens and government members. OF COURSE they would demand front row seats to Earth II. Plus, well, this is a fairly typical plot point, especially from Millar. Rather than being surprising, it comes off as average. Reed, of course, is committed to another means of saving the planet and was suspicious of things from the start.

Oh, and that last panel reveals that the New Defenders have somehow captured Galactus and are using him as fuel. What...the...hell? He was in NOVA not two months ago! Like it wasn't enough that "Dr. Banner's" placement on the team defies all continuity. Maybe this is why 35,000 readers have fled the book within 4-5 months. They get the sense that this run is disconnected and are either put off or are trade-waiting. After all, some of the hottest events have been interconnected like CW and SI. It appears only Joss Whedon could sell over 100k with a book that was largely a self contained franchise. At the very least, this run is having two of Marvel's greatest threats, Dr. Doom and Galactus, job like losers. While Bendis already got the ball rolling on Dr. Doom jobbage this year, Galactus right now is all on Millar. This is a story where if you only read FF, it might be alright, but if you read other comics, now or in the recent past, the flaws start to shake the story apart.

Besides, introducing two teams of Defenders within 6 months has probably been due to an editorial bungle. It seems Millar just liked the name, and, well, no one is going to tell "Mr. WANTED" the word "No". Much as Bendis hasn't likely heard "no" since 2004-2005. But that's the least of the book's quibbles. The team could be called "Merry ****er Band" and it would still have some hassles. I still have hope for the book, and Millar's imagination and direction, but things don't seem to be gelling as easily as they did for ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR (where the expectations were lower) and I can understand why this is a Top 30 book instead of a Top 15 book. There could be rational explainations for the continuity bungles ("Dr. Banner" is merely the Hulk clone created in H4H circa 1998, Galactis is Impossible Man in disguise somehow), but I doubt it.

Hitch's art is solid, it isn't as polished (or over polished) as ULTIMATES 1 & 2 were, but that means that Hitch is actually trying to make his deadlines. Still, I still say that leather, pads, and zippers are the "shoulder pads" of the 2000's and I do get tired of seeing them. "Realism" can sure become just as monotanous as "spraypaint on nakes bodies" when overdone. I'll take Silver Age cheese over Modern Age pretension any day.

This leads us into...

LAST DEFENDERS #6: Wrapping up Joe Casey's seeming love letter to the Defenders franchise, which was last hot around when I was under two years old (and barely at that). It clearly is an ending for either part one of an ongoing arc or setting up a sequel mini. Considering issue #4 sold at 21k and below the Top 100, that seems unlikely. Casey & Muniz just aren't a big enough draw and neither is the franchise concept. The debut issue was at 33k which is barely above where IMMORTAL IRON FIST sold within the Top 70. Granted, Marvel has had an obsession with some mini's that no one likes and never sell, like FAIRY TALES crap, so you never know.

The ending, by the way, doesn't get a whole lot less confusing that some of the prior issues, with Yandroth. He's a bit of an odd villain who fiddles with magic, science, and time travel. His purpose was to basically analyze the past, present, and future incarnations of his old enemies, the Defenders, and ensure that the ideal "future" team comes to be. Of course, that is Casey's team, and it reads a bit like trying to sell it to the audience. Which would be perfectly fine...if Casey hadn't baited-and-switched on Newsarama (and likely other promo material) with the first few issues. Y'know, when he would give lengthy interviews about how Blazing Skull and especially Colossus were ideal members. They were both gone by issue #2 and barely played much of a role before then. The Defenders have always had a rotating cast and this run captured that essence, but I would argue it was never an essence that worked. It was more of a gimmick that some writers worked in better than others. Besides, the runs that most Defenders fans enjoyed were runs that had more stable members. Including the one Casey obviously favored, Kyle Hammond/Nighthawk. He was a B-Lister but he lasted a good long time on Defenders (alongside Dr. Strange, Hulk, Hellstorm, Valkyrie, and Hellcat).

The "Last" Defenders appear via time travel to save Kyle from Yandroth's psuedo-Squadron Sinister, and naturally Kyle is fascinated by the organized team roster, which leads him to ensure that it is assembled. That roster consists of She-Hulk, Krang, Son of Satan, and Joaquin Pennysworth as the new Nighthawk. Who could have imagined that Nighthawk would become a legacy character? Anyway, because of being banned from donning the costume, Kyle has set himself up as the "mentor" and benefactor role, buying a base in New Jersey and trademarking the "DEFENDERS" name so Tony Stark can't use it. He rattles on about a status quo where they aren't a team who is part of The Initiative, but doesn't act against it. That is a bit of rubbish. Post-CW, ANY team that consists of non-registered heroes and/or isn't part of the Initiative is considered no better than the Sinister Six. I mean, that is the angle New Avengers has awkwardly been running for a year, right? Well, I highly doubt Krang or Hellstorm are registered. Krang was a villain for the longest time and SHIELD would have every right to be suspicious if he landed on a team (imagine if some team decided to allow, oh, The Shocker on their roster; that'd raise some alarms). Of course, Registration enforcement has been lax for a while, and considering that the Skrulls helped it along, one wonders what the enforcement will be after that. Anyway, what I am getting to was that I was more able to buy Danny Rand's explanation about why he can't be arrested for bring Iron Fist than I could Kyle here. Marvel is moving from the extreme fascist manner that the SHRA was enforced during CW to one where it is barely enforced at all outside THUNDERBOLTS, NEW WARRIORS, and Bendis comics, which really doesn't work. A middle between extremes needs to be agreed upon line wide, and that would require that, after some 2 years, clearly detailing the SHRA and what it entails. Considering it is the lynchpin of New Marvel, this should have been done back in 2006. But, Joe Q's Marvel is one where they have to crash into a tree from an ice-bank before they think to look out for one. They learn the hard way, and enjoy doing so.

Granted, the CW enforcement of SHRA was stifling and I do encourge a loosening of the screws. I guess I just like consistancy.

At the very least, Kyle is committed to keeping his new team in New Jersey. I guess he hit his head too hard during that fight.

Muniz's art is fine. Casey can tell me that Krang isn't simply a poor man's Namor all he wants, but that is precisely what he is. On the other hand, I do see some charm in Hellstorm's new costume, and Nighthawk II works for me. I wouldn't mind reading another 6 issues about this team, although if given a choice, I'd prefer another 6 issues of THE LONERS instead.

A bit of a misfire, with a needless bait and switch, but I enjoyed it. I should go on record and say that I was proven correct about my issues with Colossus being on the earlier roster. I feared that She-Hulk would overshadow him and he would achieve nothing worthwhile. That happened and Colossus remains in the X-Men Ghetto, being the most underwhelming 75+ ton tanker in Marvel History. People may dislike NEW WARRIORS, but at least that opened up a lot of options for Jubilee and some others. This was Colossus' last chance at something like that, and Casey blew it (it isn't like Colossus would have been the only X-Man to have been on two teams or more at once, *cough* Wolverine, *cough* Storm). I'd be pissed if Bendis pulled even half as much of a switch, so it is only fair that Casey loses some notches here. Still, LAST DEFENDERS is a fun superhero book, not as bleak as many others, and I don't regret buying it. I just regret that it wasn't better.

Get Cebulski off FAIRY TALES and onto THE LONERS, stat!
 
Annihilation did the same thing with Big G a few years ago, so this isn't a Millar-only thing.

As to sales, I really can't see the issue being Millar; Kickass is the highest-selling Icon title ever, and his new Wolverine story kicked off very high.
 
Annihilation did the same thing with Big G a few years ago, so this isn't a Millar-only thing.

As to sales, I really can't see the issue being Millar; Kickass is the highest-selling Icon title ever, and his new Wolverine story kicked off very high.

Millar's WOLVERINE debuted at 98,026 sales. His FF debuted at 98,111 sales (give or take). I'd say that WOLVERINE did on par than the FF debut and I will be interested in the sales drop. It would be his second "self contained franchise run". Since Wolverine is a hotter character, I don't expect it to fall some 36k within less than 6 months like FF did. But we'll see.

And yeah, KICK-ASS is selling amazingly well for an ICON book.

And at least ANNIHILATION nerfed Galactus in space. :p
 
That's cause it Kicks Ass. :) :up:


Let's see those Skrullylicious reviews, Dread! :)

And it has John Romita Jr., who still is a major A-List talent. Likely more of a draw than Hitch is.

Skrullinated reviews will come tomorrow. It is getting late and I have work in the morning.

For the record, they will be SECRET INVASION #5, CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 #4, RUNAWAYS/YOUNG AVENGERS #2, & SECRET INVASION: THOR #1.
 
Walking Dead 51 - Ever since Rick and Carl left the prison, this book has been kind of meandering. Not that Kirkman didn't take a breather with Invincible's 51 a few weeks ago, but that seemed to set up more of an idea where the story might be going. Of course, not knowing what's next, and just how many zombies might be around the next corner, is part of the fun. In the end it does what any good comic should, namely, it gets you excited for the next issue.

Trinity 11 - Was Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman switching their core personality traits a little out of left field for anyone else? The explanation, as far as I can tell, is that because they're in cuckoo-banana-land and because the basic dimensional laws are different, everyone else is starting to go cuckoo-bananas. The best part of this book is that even though the focus is THE TRINITY, plenty of other characters get little bits of the action. Rex checking out Katana was priceless.

I'm still confused, though. At the end of last issue, all of Batman's artifacts were gathered. With the first plane Superman saved, all of his artifacts are collected. But, what is Wonder Woman's third artifact? The security badge, some Wonder Mud, and, ...?

Secret Invasion 5 - A bunch of stuff happens, but it can all be summed up pretty easily. Maria Hill escapes Skrull-Jarvis and blows the helicarrier to smithereens. Agent Brand and Reed show up, deal with the slowest jungle confrontation ever written, and act like supreme bad-asses. Clint's testicles drop and he vows to kill "every @#$%ing last one of them". Here's hoping he follows through and single-handedly puts arrows through hundreds of Skrulls.
 
Bendis made Maria Hill cool.

Secret Invasion wins.
 
Reviews, Part the First: Non-Secret Invasion (1 of 2)

Astonishing X-Men #26

Eh, I have to say I'm not feeling this; Ellis is one of the more reliable practioners of the novelistic approach to comics (he practically invented it on The Authority), so it may rev up in an issue or two; I'll stick around for that; but so far there's not a huge amount to keep my interest. Maybe it's Bianchi's art, which is hyperreal in a way that just doesn't seem to fit Ellis' story, in my opinion. I'll wait out the arc and see how things hash out.

Booster Gold #11

Booster's got four issues to kill before Dan Jurgens takes over writing, the first two by Chuck Dixon, who understandably opts to revisit his old Bat-stompin'-grounds for story material; given the essentially unlimited playing field this series offers fill-in writers, you can justify almost any story, so long as its entertaining. This one is basically in line with the first few issues of the Johns/Katz run: wacky time-travelling antics in various corners of DC continuity, but sufficiently explained, or sufficiently broad, that anyone can get it (I've never read the old story the villain is from, but it worked fine). Dixon also gets the "Michelle's first mission" story; she seems a bit too newbie (like seemingly understanding Booster is a time cop for the first time, when I believe she had that explained last issue), but that's minor. This is a great little book with very likeable, easy-to-root-for characters.

Captain Britain and MI-13 #4

"The Guns of Avalon" wraps up with a pretty terrific finale. If I can say anything bad about Cornell's story, it's that his pacing sometimes feels a bit too fast; events like Skrull John's death, for example, get breezed over in a way that's out of step with the writing standards that we get used to in the current era. Not that I'm advocating stretching things out, but it takes a bit of getting used to, and can seem a bit too fast. Besides that, great, with some fun action, a convincing reinvention of Captain Britain (and Black Knight), and the introduction of a great new character in Faiza. Cornell has fantastic skill at writing humour (the last page had me grinning), and Kirk's art translates it well. This is also the first "Secret Invasion" tie-in to finish its story, so it'll be interesting to see what, if any, mentions are made in #5 next month (Incredible Herc will be in the same boat).

But damnit, Cornell, I will never forgive you for killing Skrull John.:cmad:
 
Bendis made Maria Hill cool.

Secret Invasion wins.

Even though it's great that she did something awesome, was I the only one disappointed that it was a decoy that got swiss cheesed?
 
SI sucks. I mean it's just not doing anything. I almost never review on these boards even after being a member for a while. But after yesterday and reading SI #5 I can't take it anymore. It's just bad.
Now I'm not reading many of the tie ins so maybe I'm just not getting it but I thought after reading Bendis' interviews that all the tie ins weren't needed to get it. Well, I still don't get it.
So the Skrulls invade. Ok, good start. They take out major players and/or are major players such as Reed, Tony, and Black Bolt, Spider woman. Good Stuff, I'm on board.
Then a ship lands in the savage land with a bunch of 70s heroes and I'm thinking "whoa, Bendis has some stones on him!" He wouldn't be saying that for decades we've been reading Skrulls?!
Well no. Not only are NONE of those heroes Skrulls, but there is hardly any action b/w them and the real ones.

Maria Hill steps up and I think finally there is a positive. This could turn around. And then then Reed shoots some sort of "laser" that he just came up with and turns all skrullies back into skrulls? WTF! When did he come up with this little toy? After puzzling over dead skrull bodies b4 getting nabbed he couldn't figure a way to id skrulls. Logan, Spiderman, or Dr Strange couldn't spot em, but after a little painful stretching from the skrulls and Reed has figured out a freaking ray gun that turns them back into Skrulls?!!
And to top it off, the big ending to issue 5 is Hawkeye mad that his dead wife he thought was back is really just another skrull. I mean wow.

My faith in Marvel events is dropping like the housing market. Cival War was ok. WWH was eh. But SI is just just pissing me off. And the worst part is I'm going to buy the rest to see if I'm wrong and it ends up being good. I doubt it, but who knows.

Someone please point out something I'm missing that makes this event cool. Please. :huh:
 
^Yu's art?

oh yeah and the no more skrulls from Captain Britain & Mi:13 was pretty lol.
 
Secret Invasion: Thor #1: All right, I'm just gonna get this out of the way right here: I hate all of the questions surrounding Bill's sudden return because I have a very strong feeling they're going to go unanswered, I hate Bill's return to his old costume via Mjolnir, I hate that the Skrulls could actually beat Bill, torture him, and keep Stormbreaker for themselves, and I hate that Thor's not going to take part in the fighting against the Skrulls because of some stupid contrivance where Don has to deliver some random lady's baby. There, those are the grievances that keep this book from being perfect for me.

Even with those grievances, however, this book still manages to be damn close to perfect. Asgard is besieged, giving us some much-needed action that, by now, I think we can all see JMS isn't planning to give us anytime soon; Don is actually being Don instead of just that guy who's around when Thor's not; we're seeing more facets to Thor's leadership beyond just instant respect from the other Asgardians; we're seeing Loki continue to seize any and every opportunity to throw Asgard into chaos in his new, subtler way; and absolutely best of all, we're finally seeing Balder get some respect in that Thor appoints him Asgard's leader in his stead without a moment's hesitation. Granted, I could've done without seeing Balder get trampled by his own people and saved by Thor, but still, Balder as battlefield commander of Asgard's forces should be fun. This issue is pretty much entirely setup, which is perfectly reasonable--the calm before the storm, to be irritatingly pun-tastic. I'm looking forward to the next issue and I hope Fraction can deliver on the promises he's implied in this one (especially the severely kicked asses of many a Skrull before Balder the Brave). I'm also intrigued to see what Loki will do--he's always had about a 50/50 chance of either watching while Asgard is attacked and laughing or actually joining in the fray to defend it (usually because letting it be destroyed would prevent him from ruling it someday). So next issue should be the real meat of this series, but it's off to a pretty impressive start already.

Oh, and Doug Braithwaite's art is simply phenomenal. I don't know how fast he is, but if Marvel put him in the rotation of artists on Thor's main series, I'd be happy as a clam. His style is perfect for the Asgardians.

Captain Britain #4 wrapped up its first arc and accomplished an astonishing amount for a 4-issue arc by today's standards. It brought a new team of heroes together, gave us their mission statement, reinvented a classic character in a satisfying way, tied into a major event, paid a bit of tribute to some old character friendships and rivalries, and made the papers in what I can only assume was a very slow news day for Great Britain. Not bad for about 120 comic pages. Some parts felt a bit rushed, like John the Skrull's death (I didn't get that whole exchange between Pete and Jackie about how they wanted John for themselves, either; they seemed to be mourning him in what I can only guess is some weird, ironic British way :huh: ), but overall it was a solid story and a fantastic start to a new series.

The one thing that confused me a bit toward the end was the sudden reversal of Captain Britain's stance on killing. He killed before this arc and he killed plenty during this arc, so why is he absolutely averse to killing in the future? Because of the trauma of war? That doesn't really make sense because his fights with the Skrulls were really nothing more than he's used to dealing with on a daily basis as a superhero. I know this is odd coming from me, the guy who complains whenever any hero suddenly decides to start killing, but it just seemed sort of tacked on without much explanation beyond a sudden burst of idealism. Oddly, it sounded a lot like the Doctor's sudden disdain for soldiers in the new Doctor Who series, only that had a more solid basis since his traumatic war resulted in the death of almost his entire race.

Anyway, I'm certainly not going to complain that their mission statement makes a point of not killing. It should be interesting to see how Dane deals with it in light of the Ebony Blade's influence on him, not to mention how Blade will deal with it when he joins. I suspect exceptions will be made. Either way, I'm looking forward to MI-13's new format as primarily a superhero team with a full, government-backed intelligence network backing them up. I suppose it's no different in practice from the Initiative in the States, but the level of respect Brian's involvement brings makes it feel a bit more kosher to me. Really, the only drawback to this series so far is that it'll prevent Kirk from reuniting with Parker for the Agents of Atlas ongoing, but I'm sure they'll get a solid replacement. Can't wait to see more.

Secret Invasion #5 sucked because #4 left us with a cliffhanger implying Bucky and Thor's entrance into the plot, yet they were 100% absent in this issue. Way to make an epic fail at understanding the concept of a cliffhanger ending, Bendis. You promise us Thor and Bucky, we want to f***ing see Thor and Bucky, not Reed Richards on the verge of psychosis and Nick Fury sitting around in some random base. The only good part of this issue was the Maria Hill segment, which I got a chuckle out of. I still can't stand the b****, though.
 
(I didn't get that whole exchange between Pete and Jackie about how they wanted John for themselves, either; they seemed to be mourning him in what I can only guess is some weird, ironic British way :huh:
They were talking about the guy who shot John, who was crushed by Satannish; they both wanted to kill him.
 
Oh, okay, that makes more sense. They kept looking at John himself and I was like, "They wanted to kill John to show him their... love? I don't... what?"
 
Reviews, Part the Second: Non-Secret Invasion (2 of 2)

Fantastic Four #559

After an inker-related (so says Tom Brevoort) delay, the second part of "Death of the Invisible Woman" arrives, and still seems to have remarkably little to do with Sue dying, so I'm guessing this has some context other than the literal. Anyway, Psionics and her dad Lightwave try to capture Johnny, who proves surprisingly competent (the "third-worst breakup" line was hilarious), before being taken down by another member of the group; Millar writes Johnny as immature, but still proficient as a hero, which is a distinction that isn't made often (Wasp is another perennial character in this regard). Elsewhere, Earth Trust predictably is evil (unless there's another twist in store here), and Galactus gets used as a battery for the second time in as many years; can Big G get a break? I find the amount of negative criticism this gets from fans extremely baffling, because it's more or less straightforward superheroics. The first arc was good, though it suffered from a clearly irrelevant villain; this is a big improvement. Hitch's art seemed crisper this issue too for whatever reason.

Wonder Woman #23

Gail Simone's third arc, "Ends of the Earth", concludes (she's adopted a reliable formula here; four-issue arc, two-issue fill-in, repeat). I've found this arc compelling on a scene-to-scene basis, but the structure/setting have been extremely confusing, as have the transitions between issues. The division between the present and past scenes in the first issue, which had me confused as to whether Beowulf's land was a place she'd travelled to somehow or else her mind had taken her there while she lay on the couch, was confusing; and prominent plot devices like the lodestone seem to emerge with little setup. That aside, Simone's Diana is always confident, wise, and funny, which is a big plus for the story, and she does some nice scenes with Donna too (in a more formal tone than she's usually written), although these scenes have Donna endorsing Nemesis as a love-interest (but then, what does Donna know about men? She married Terry Long). The scene where she has to reclaim her soul is powerful, the Devil's death likewise well-depicted. Plus: AU Barbara Gordon with goat-legs! Next issue: Wondy goes to Hollywood. If only.
 
Secret Invasion: Thor #1: All right, I'm just gonna get this out of the way right here: I hate all of the questions surrounding Bill's sudden return because I have a very strong feeling they're going to go unanswered, I hate Bill's return to his old costume via Mjolnir, I hate that the Skrulls could actually beat Bill, torture him, and keep Stormbreaker for themselves, and I hate that Thor's not going to take part in the fighting against the Skrulls because of some stupid contrivance where Don has to deliver some random lady's baby. There, those are the grievances that keep this book from being perfect for me.

Even with those grievances, however, this book still manages to be damn close to perfect. Asgard is besieged, giving us some much-needed action that, by now, I think we can all see JMS isn't planning to give us anytime soon; Don is actually being Don instead of just that guy who's around when Thor's not; we're seeing more facets to Thor's leadership beyond just instant respect from the other Asgardians; we're seeing Loki continue to seize any and every opportunity to throw Asgard into chaos in his new, subtler way; and absolutely best of all, we're finally seeing Balder get some respect in that Thor appoints him Asgard's leader in his stead without a moment's hesitation. Granted, I could've done without seeing Balder get trampled by his own people and saved by Thor, but still, Balder as battlefield commander of Asgard's forces should be fun. This issue is pretty much entirely setup, which is perfectly reasonable--the calm before the storm, to be irritatingly pun-tastic. I'm looking forward to the next issue and I hope Fraction can deliver on the promises he's implied in this one (especially the severely kicked asses of many a Skrull before Balder the Brave). I'm also intrigued to see what Loki will do--he's always had about a 50/50 chance of either watching while Asgard is attacked and laughing or actually joining in the fray to defend it (usually because letting it be destroyed would prevent him from ruling it someday). So next issue should be the real meat of this series, but it's off to a pretty impressive start already.

Oh, and Doug Braithwaite's art is simply phenomenal. I don't know how fast he is, but if Marvel put him in the rotation of artists on Thor's main series, I'd be happy as a clam. His style is perfect for the Asgardians.


Secret Invasion #5 sucked because #4 left us with a cliffhanger implying Bucky and Thor's entrance into the plot, yet they were 100% absent in this issue. Way to make an epic fail at understanding the concept of a cliffhanger ending, Bendis. You promise us Thor and Bucky, we want to f***ing see Thor and Bucky, not Reed Richards on the verge of psychosis and Nick Fury sitting around in some random base. The only good part of this issue was the Maria Hill segment, which I got a chuckle out of. I still can't stand the b****, though.


Hey Corp,
1) Can you imagine the internal turmoil between Thor and Don over whether or not he should have stayed to deliver that baby? Besides, JMS already set Balder up as Prince of Asgard just in time for the SI tie-in. On top of that, they get Bill on their side for what I assume is the time between Thor/Don learning of the invasion and then Thor/Don heading off to New York.
2) They're going to make us wait for that reunion of Thor, Cap and Iron Man (even if a lot has changed since then, namely Cap and also Thor's whooping Iron Man's ass.) And Bendis needed some way to get Iron Man (and the others) out of the Savage Land to New York for the big final battle.
3) I'm glad Reed Richards showed up, because I seriously wondered whether he'd been killed in action or something like that. Just as Bendis or Quesada said, there was something that would help the heroes figure out just who was who.
4) Fraction is awesome.
 
If there was internal conflict over Don delivering the baby rather than Thor staying in Asgard, we probably should have seen it, don't you think? Fraction glossed over it if he intended there to be any conflict in the first place. I can come up with reasons why Don delivering the baby would be a better use of their time, at least to Don and Thor, but that doesn't stop it from coming off kind of pat and lame in the issue itself. It was clearly a way to excuse Thor from the action, since he's at such a power level now that he, along with all of the Asgardians, would make short work of any Skrull attack on Asgard, and it read as such. I like Fraction's work, don't get me wrong; I just think this particular issue has a lot of flaws.

As for SI, really, we've waited a pretty long time for the reunion between Thor, Iron Man, and Cap already. Bendis set it up at the end of the last issue, so logically we would expect to read the actual event itself in this issue, right? This issue reads as some weird diversion. I'm not arguing that Reed's return wasn't necessary--there's just a place and time for it. This was the place and time for Thor and Bucky to join the fray, but Bendis didn't make it happen. I guess it may have been meant to build suspense, but the suspense was already there; this is just obnoxious.
 
Noone has read SI: Inhumans yet? :(

I won't get mine until tomorrow, and I'll try to give you a review of it. The Inhumans mini is supposed to lead into the next cosmic event, so it should be a must read for us Annihilation fans. :cmad:
 
My shop didn't have it. Nor did it have Action Comics. I'm gonna go to another shop after work today and check for them, plus Wildcats: World's End #1, which I still really want.
 
This Inhumans mini is the beginning of a story that will lead to (Hopefully) Vulcan getting the proverbial stuffing beaten out of him by Black Bolt. :up:
 
I'm glad John the Skrull is dead. The only good Skrull is a dead one. If they can kill off Xavin in Runaways I'll be happy too.

I like the fact Ellis is explaining Cyclops and his use of stab force (X-Force). With M Day and everything thats happened the old 90s no kill policy (unless your Wolverine) is redundent. It seems the a natural progression for the modern Badass Cyclops.

Also WTF happened they made me not hate Maria Hill

The MI:13 no kill policy is kind of lame considering half the team have killed and have no problem with killing people. It would be intresting to address Wisdoms return to a goverment agency considering Black Air which was a goverment agency made him slaughter a whole load of people
 
I don't buy that nonsense about how things are tougher now so heroes have to kill. Bad s***'s always happened to heroes. Part of what used to make them heroes is that they rose above it and managed not to sink to their enemies' level by killing. Granted, it's not something that needs to be in place for every single hero (in fact, Cyclops is one of the ones I'm okay with now), but it should still be the rule rather than the exception, as far as I'm concerned. It's dismaying that it's not, but I'm glad Cornell's apparently making a point of not having the superhero portion of MI-13 kill anymore. Plus, it enhances Captain Britain's Superman overtones, which I always liked.
 
Captian Britain has always been pretty cool...especially since he's not bogged down now by Claremont or Meggan. :up:
 
I wouldn't mind Meggan coming back.
The MI:13 no kill policy is kind of lame considering half the team have killed and have no problem with killing people. It would be intresting to address Wisdoms return to a goverment agency considering Black Air which was a goverment agency made him slaughter a whole load of people
Pete Wisdom's been working for government agencies for, like, his entire existence. He's been attached to the current MI agency since New Excalibur, at least. I think he was New Excalibur's liaison or something.
 

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