Bought/Thought for August 17th, 2011 - SPOILERS!!!

[Phaedrus45]

From February 7th, 2007. A quote from the always controversial Darthphere.

Dude, you're an ********, Not Jake has been chomping at the bit to start one of these.

People used to fight to get to be the first to start the Bought/Thought thread. Now, here we are waiting a full day before someone begins one.

Flashpoint: Legion Of Doom #3

While most of this minis for Flashpoint have worked, this one just fell flat. Many of the villians involved just aren't that interesting; and, even turning Plastic Man into one of them still made me despise that character. Even worse was the final battle between the Legion Of Doom's prisoners and Cyborg in this final issue. In all my time reading DC comics, Cyborg has always come across as the most boring of all the Teen Titans. Johns' idea to make him the number one hero of this new alternate reality never caught on; thus, this final battle made it all fizzle in the end.

Wonder Woman and the Furies #3

Kind of an important mini to follow, as we've been getting the history of all that's happened in the war between the Amazons and the Atlanteans. This issue, though, hits a huge stumbling block that should have been addressed by DC: The order in which these books should have been put out. Last week's Emperor Aquaman suffered from a feeling of missing something essential. That "Ah ha" hits today, as it's obvious this issue should have been read before that one. Yet, in reading this issue, it's made apparent that the reader should read the Lois Lane final issue before this one. WAIT! You can't, because it comes out next week!!! Big F up from DC on this one. It makes the whole reading experience feel disjointed and choppy.

Because of that feeling, I can only give this issue a mild .

Flashpoint: Abin Sur, the Green Lantern #3

A rather weak battle between Abin Sur and Sinestro at the beginning of this issue didn't make for a good start. As we read on, Abin is told by the Guardians that he'll lose his green ring when the power runs out; but, no problem, because in the end, he gets to be the wielder of the white ring.

My hatred for the multi-colored rings did not help with my enjoyment of this book at all. Abin Sur has only been interesting in how his life gave Hal Jordan his powers; and, nothing I've read here makes me long for him to be back alive. It's not a good week to be a Flashpoint tie-in, I guess. (I have yet to read the final book, The Outsider. Maybe it will be better.)

Ultimate Fallout: Spider-Man No More #6

I can wrap up this issue very quickly. Aunt May and Gwen Stacy move to Tony Stark's villa in France, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, and Johnny Storm move into the Morlock tunnels, and Mary Jane will not submit her article on why the world killed Spider-Man, because Nick Fury loved Peter Parker and feels responsible for his death. It's kind of a crappy final issue to a mini that's been rather lackluster. Usually these funeral books are one solo issue, but Bendis and crew decided to use it as a way to drum up new excitement for the upcoming Ultimate relaunch. I think it might have actually done the opposite, though. I've never been so unexcited about the Ultimate line of books as I am now.

Killing Spidey might have umped up sales for a short while; but, in the long term, I think Bendis might have just jumped the shark on this universe.

Spider Island: Spider-Girl #1

Tobin wastes no time getting right into the action with this issue. (I guess he must, because it's only three issues long.) The resulting feeling is leaves the reader a little stand-offish to the first half of the book, as we're trying to get our interest up to the point of where Tobin begins it all. In the end, though, I liked this issue more than I disliked it. It was neat to see the book link back to Anya's Arana days; although, I still kind of hate Slott's Spider Island theme of the book. (Seriously, Kingpin getting spider powers, as depicted on the last page, just made me groan.)

I love Tobin. I love Spider-Girl. I hate Spider Island, as it's just Fear Itself with spider powers instead of hammers. I give it a half-hearted . At least it's only $2.99.

X-Factor #224

Okay!

I was waiting to get to this issue, because I've been lambasting the whole Rahne-Is-A-****ty-Pregnant-Werewolf storyline for so long now. In a complete shocker, I absolutely loved this conclusion to that storyline. I'm seriously hoping Peter David played this for laughs, because it might be one of the most ridiculous issues of this book I've ever read. Seeing the baby come out of Rahne's mouth, having the little sucker turn into a little tazmania-type devil who'll attack just about anybody, and then seeing the little sucker go flying out of the house ... just too funny. Oh, man. Peter David and his pregnancies!

It's only $2.99. It's an experience you have to see to believe. Even if you read it standing in your LCS, you need to give the book a look-see. Thankfully, a Point One issue comes next, and David can get past this all, and onto some new storyline to get me interested in his book again.

(Be warned. I'm not sure anyone else will take sure pure enjoyment from this issue. Maybe I was just so down on this book, that this little spark of ridiculousness made me so forgiving. Can't wait to see if anyone else liked it as much as I did.)

Captain America #2

Not a bad issue; but, for a Brubaker Captain America tale, it does fall a bit flat. We aren't even addressing Bucky's death, kind of how Fraction's Mighty Thor isn't even discussing events in Fear Itself. It makes the reader a little aloof to it all. I did find the explanation of Jimmy kind of interesting; and, how the WWII team got abandoned in an alternate reality worked nicely. There just isn't a lot to get gung-ho about, though.

Just a , and not even a big one.

Marvel Universe Vs. Wolverine #3

Another fantastic issue. I hope these minis just keep coming. Whereas I've become rather bored with Marvel Zombies, this alternate reality has so much more for Marvel writers to explore. I love how this issue went back to the beginning, and is filling in all the blanks that Vs. Punisher left out. My only complaint is that we only get one more issue after this one.

 

[Dread]

Surely you meant AUGUST 17TH. Forgetting one digit can sometimes be quite a typo. Someone call a mod!

At any rate, this was my heaviest week in about a month. Let's get on to the spoilers!

DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT FOR 8/17/11, Part 1:

AVENGERS ACADEMY #18: This is not a misprint; AVENGERS ACADEMY is one of many books that Marvel is "double shipping" lately - as in selling two copies a month. This seems to be a new trend at Marvel for many of their titles, especially the ones still priced at $2.99. While it provides extra issues of many beloved, low selling titles (and allows some titles on the verge of cancellation to wrap up stories), it likely does tax the wallets of some cash strapped fans. At the very least, AVENGERS ACADEMY is one of a few titles to maintain an active letter page and they have printed letters from fans on both sides of that debate. That is one of many reasons why this title rocks. Why go on a spiel about something like this? Because when one writes as many "best of the week" articles about one title as I do, it can get repetitive. It wasn't long ago when NOVA had such "problems". This issue is another of the five part FEAR ITSELF crossover, and it reunites writer Christos Gage with fill-in artist Andrea DiVito; the two worked on WORLD WAR HULK: X-MEN together in 2008. DiVito (who is a man) has been one of Marvel's best kept secrets in terms of artwork, having drawn issues of YOUNG AVENGERS and ANNIHILATION in the past, and is on the whole a terrific fundamental penciler. This is actually the first issue in some time that hasn't been drawn by Tom Raney or Sean Chen (at least since Mike McKone left regular art duties with issue nine), but regular colorist Jeromy Cox keeps things consistent with his colors.

This issue naturally picks up from the cliffhanger of the last issue from August 3rd, and the situation for our young heroes is dire. They survived trying to battle Sin's Neo-Nazi horde in Washington, D.C. and save as many civilians and servicemen as possible, but they may not be able to survive the FEAR ITSELF literally coming to their door. Absorbing Man and Titania - who are now the demigod level "Worthy" Skirn and Greithoth, respectively - have invaded the dimensionally displaced Infinite Mansion to slaughter the cadets, and they are on their own. Their mentors are either exhausted waging their own battles or scattered to other areas across the nation to try to keep the peace and save lives. Unlike their battle against Korvac, there is no time-warping woman able to boost their powers. Unlike their battles against Arcade or Psycho-Man, there are no other superheroes (teenage or adult) to bump into for assistance. It says a lot that it has taken 18 issues for such a situation to arise with our teenage leads without any of the prior issues feeling slow or wasteful.

Gage and DiVito waste no time establishing a brooding mood and an intensified tone for this chapter. In less than half the issue, three cadets - roughly half the class - are defeated and even mortally injured by Skirn and Greithoth. That leaves the others to try to save their comrades as well as use whatever powers, wits, and mansion defenses to survive - much less try to actually defeat the Worthy. While they do their best, their plan to "grow" the Infinite Mansion out from "underspace" and into the real world backfires, and they have to choose between allowing a city to be crushed, or attempting what seems like a suicide mission. As intense and riveting as the first few issues were on the kids, this chapter makes those almost seem like a cakewalk.

DiVito's pencils are strong and smooth as always, with him having lots of opportunities to draw heroes, mythical baddies, trippy dream sequences, and even the Microverse! The only quibble remains one of editorial concern - the inconsistency with how "The Worthy" speak. Some of them seem only able to grumble in Norse language, and others seem able to speak normally, albeit possessed. Perhaps it defends on the mortal whose body is a shell for the Worthy, or the Worthy themselves. Hulk, Thing, and Juggernaut, who are mostly used as rampaging brutes, growl like them. The rest of the Worthy (the two here, as well as Grey Gargoyle, Attuma, and Sin) seem capable of normal speech and even essences of their old personalities (such as Sin's continued desire to kill Captain America, or Creel and Titania's vengeance fetish against Giant-Man in this issue). While this makes some degree of sense, it is a shame that fans have to do the work of sorting out this plot detail instead of a firm FEAR ITSELF statement. One also does wonder if these two Worthy can actually be defeated here, and if not, a moot adventure will make for a disappointing ending.

Solicitations for future issues reveal that one cadet in AVENGERS ACADEMY will "leave" the team at the end of this arc, although who and how remains the question. Cover images seem to confirm that Mettle, Finesse, and Hazmat stay put. This issue naturally does a good job of hastening the drum-beat to such revelations, while also providing a more "hardcore" adventure for fans of the series who manage to avoid the Internet. As always, this book remains the best Avengers book on Marvel's publication schedule and has seen a small sales boost from FEAR ITSELF - which is good as it's audience has remained steady for the five or six issues before it began. Even the ".1 Initiative" issue sold exactly as well as a normal issue, which shows a sign of a loyal audience - the one that kept NOVA afloat for three years, and RUNAWAYS for roughly as long. As always, a reliable, entertaining read featuring new characters interacting with the Marvel Universe.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #2: Second issue of this relaunched title, and a sign that there is some struggle to make the deadlines in terms of art seems to be that Steve McNiven needed two inkers this time around; inkers and colorists often bare the brunt of deadline rushes. Chris Bachelo sometimes needed almost half a dozen inkers during some "almost late" X-Men issues. Ed Brubaker continues on his story, which is actually his first major story with Rogers back as Cap in years. While this story features tics that have gotten grating - 1940's flashbacks especially - Brubaker has woven a decent story around his retcons. What helps is that Brubaker is willing to play with some far out comic book stuff in this issue, from the strange dream powers of Jimmy Jupiter to the final page that features one of the wackiest Capt. America villains ever, the Ameridroid (who hasn't been seen in about 35 years).

There's another random fight sequence with HYDRA agents, which Brubaker seems to do a lot as well, but as always, between his pacing and the artwork, he manages to make it work better than he should. The character of "Codename Bravo" gets fleshed out a little more, and the Jupiter dream stuff actually gives Brubaker's love for trippy dream sequences a way to be woven into the story properly. One downer is this story has called attention to the fact that Sharon Carter is related to Peggy Carter, which isn't good because the fact that Rogers is literally dating the niece of his old WWII flame is the sort of skeevy thing that is best left to "continuity by omission", because it reminds me of something Dorian Gray would do. Speaking of which, Bravo's obsession with Peggy causes him to go after Sharon, who naturally looks a lot like Peg did, only as a blond. Bravo as a villain hasn't been fleshed out yet, but I do applaud the effort of making a genuine new villain - even if it is a shame that Brubaker has relied on the tired practice of using a retcon to give the character "weight". One day a writer will make a new villain work without using a cheap retcon stunt, and he or she will win an Eisner and be promptly ripped off by everyone.

The loss of Bucky isn't addressed here at all, but I have already decided that such a thing will be covered in FEAR ITSELF epilogue material, or the CAPTAIN AMERICA & BUCKY spin off. Right now all I care is Brubaker delivering on a story about Rogers that entertains me, and he's pulling it off. There's no reason for it to be $3.99 other than exploitation and greed, but so far I'm along for the ride, as usual.

DAREDEVIL #2: Coming off the terrific debut issue, this second issue of this relaunch by Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera is almost as entertaining (and beautifully drawn) as that. With Joe Rivera on inks and Javier Rodriguez on colors, this issue moves the storyline along at a rapid pace. Daredevil has a fight with Captain America (in time for Cap's film to be in theaters), only for once it doesn't feel like an obligatory misunderstanding. After all, it was only last year that Daredevil was possessed by a demon, took over "The Hand" ninja cult and built a giant fortress in the middle of Hell's Kitchen and declared martial law (SHADOWLAND, as Marvel sold it). Now that Matt Murdock is back in New York, Captain America seeks to arrest him for said crimes. The conclusion of the battle shouldn't surprise anyone, but it skillfully drawn by Rivera and paced quite well to boot to offer some surprises. Meanwhile, the case of Ahmed Jobrani in which Murdock and Foggy Nelson are investigating leads Daredevil into a confrontation with an old school Black Panther villain who makes for an interesting opponent for a hero who relies heavily on sonic vibrations to "see". Given that Black Panther took over Daredevil's "MAN WITHOUT FEAR" tagline for a few months, it makes some degree of sense that Daredevil fight one of T'Challa's enemies. Waid continues to have fun writing a Daredevil who is not brooding in an alley or a dark room and seems to have some vigor and spirit to his battle scenes. United with Paolo Rivera's exceptional artwork - which makes the series stand out against most other superhero comics on the stands - this continues to be another terrific Marvel relaunch. The debut issue sold in the Top 10, and time will tell if the franchise retains some of that bump for long.

FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT #5: Another issue of this FEAR ITSELF anthology mini series hits shelves, and it is automatically better for me by virtue of it no longer having that Cornell AGENTS OF ATLAS story in it. I just didn't care for that at all. While the Speedball strip is still the main story, and calls cover attention, the extra buzz for me with this issue was Fred Van Lente writing a story that unites Amadeus Cho, X-23, Spider-Girl, the new Thunderstrike AND his new Power Man! How was it? Give me a second.

The main Speedball strip by Christos Gage, Mike Mayhew and Rain Beredo chugs along. As is becoming a theme here, Speedball had once again attempted to save a city from one of the Worthy - in this case, St. John's, Newfoundland, from Attuma - and fails. He barely survives a massive wave himself and is about to surrender to despair before realizing he can still save survivors. He gets Jocasta (and all her spare bodies) to take over in that regard, before deciding to film scenes of citizens helping each other to spread viral hope across the Internet. Good luck with that one, buddy - the Internet abhors hope about as much as fire abhors water. Still, it is a comic book where we're supposed to believe in aliens and super-powers, so that detail is fine, too. The strip comes to an end with Gage dusting off another forgotten set of villains, the Sisters Of Sin. They were castoffs from 1980's CAPTAIN AMERICA comics who, as their name suggests, hung around Sin back them. It makes sense to include them somewhere now that Sin herself has become a larger villain, even if I got the drift that they're here to give Speedball someone to fight to justify another three months of strips. While I do like the focus on Speedball and on rehabilitating his relationship with Stamford, CT and the world in general (and Miriam Sharpe in particular), I could do with a little less of his moping. All he does is whine about how he's a failure as a hero and how virtually any peer is better at this than he is. While I commend Gage for doing the hard work of trying to move Baldwin on from being Penance, rather than hit some mental reset button, it does get predictable. The Avengers once saw the entire population of Washington, D.C. slaughtered to Kang and SURRENDERED TO HIM, and they don't whine or get down on themselves.

Now, onto that Fred Van Lente strip. I am pleased that it is a three part strip, so we'll get about 30 pages of this awesome idea to unite a few young heroes in their own adventure. The art is by Alessandro Vitti, with colors by Javier Tartaglia, and it reminds me of this odd mixture of Scott Kolins and Choi Pham in terms of style. X-23 looks odd, but as I don't care for her anyway, that wasn't too bad a thing. She, along with Spider-Girl, Amadeus Cho, Power-Man, and Thunderstrike find themselves zapped to some mysterious platform (which bares the mark of The Serpent) in the middle of the ocean with no idea of how or why they're there. They promptly do a lot of bickering and in-fighting before the threat emerges, and it's about the weirdest thing ever. It's Samurai Shark-Men, seriously. Cho and Thunderstrike (Kevin Masterson) immediately get in each other's faces, which puts Victor Alvarez (Power Man) in an odd peacemaker role. Spider-Girl and X-23 basically stay out of it, although X-23 remains a fairly one note, boring character. It is interesting to see someone else draw Thunderstrike, although I don't recall his mace turning into a stick when he's Kevin (although that mini did end a few months ago). I suppose it could be disappointing that they're fighting something relatively random and minor, but this is a low selling spare anthology - what, did you expect them to fight Sin and win? Marvel hasn't the balls to have any new character do anything major in any crossover event, and never will. For what it is, it's fun, so far. A far better secondary strip than the AGENTS one.

Now for the rest. The one-page Howard Chaykin story is about Mr. Fear, and continues to be a waste of time. This was a little more bemusing, but I fail to see the point of this other than what is an unofficial pension for a long time creator. This one has a funny gag to it, but that's it.

The final strip stars American Eagle, of all characters, in a tale by Si Spurrier and Jason Latour. What, were Razorback or U.S. Archer unavailable? In all seriousness, this turns out to be a perfectly fine strip. American Eagle continues to be the hero of his Native America reservation and it's surrounding area, and he runs into trouble when his tribe are framed for murder at the same time as what seems like lost Native American gods arise to force a showdown between the Indians and the local cops/closet bigots. It all turns out to be a scheme by a corrupt mayor and some rented hicks. What really sells it is Latour's art and colors; it is lovely to look at and has a real flair and style to it. I like how his American Eagle is really just a large Native American man with a western style leather jacket and red gloves - the only really "flashy" superhero style choice.

Overall, solid issue to this series, and I expect better ones to come.

 

[Dread]

Part 2: Webs & Bolts

SPIDER-ISLAND: SPIDER-GIRL #1: Or, as solicited, SPIDER-ISLAND: AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL. This situation is similar to the situation that VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT had. An ongoing title was canceled due to low sales before a year's worth of issues were published, but a crossover event has provided justification for the writer who was on said ongoing series to get three extra issues to play with. Thus, Paul Tobin has a chance to write what is basically SPIDER-GIRL issues nine through eleven. While SPIDER-GIRL was marred by lacking a regular artist for longer than about two issues (at best), hopefully Pepe Larraz (last seen in a NOMAD back up strip in CAPTAIN AMERICA) will stick around for this entire three issue mini series. This series gets off to a fast and action packed start, as it seeks to merge two aspects of Anya Corazon's past and present life together. It seeks to involve the mystical "Spider vs. Wasp Society" stuff from ARANA: HEART OF THE SPIDER from about four years ago, as well as the dilemma of random Manhattanites gaining spider-powers from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN's SPIDER-ISLAND. In the final issue of SPIDER-GIRL, Anya found herself as one of those Mahattanites, which pleased her as it replaced the "magical" spider-powers that she's employed and lost as Arana. Anya and her best friend Rocky are immediately attacked by evil Wasp Men who are "hunting" Anya as well as other "spiders", who are said infected Manhattanites. This forces Spider-Girl to go into action immediately, and in rapid succession we get appearances by Hand ninja, the new Hobgoblin as well as the Kingpin. While it may be good to see an issue that is not decompressed, one gets the feeling that Tobin has come up with a plot that easily could have been stretched to about four or six issues, but since he only has three, he REALLY has to get it moving immediately.

The dilemma is that this issue essentially does pick up where the final issue of SPIDER-GIRL left off, and only readers of that series may be able to read this without feeling disoriented - and that was a series axed for low sales. Of course, Marvel were willing to sell the ONSLAUGHT UNLEASHED mini series for the audience of the canceled YOUNG ALLIES, and at least this has SPIDER-ISLAND to fool retailers into over-ordering it for a month. Larraz's artwork is quite cracking, and benefits from a young heroine and a lot of action sequences; he was solid in back-up strips and it is good to see him get a larger assignment. Tobin is very good with writing his lead heroine as well as providing a lot of fun action and playing with character continuity - traits which have served him well as a MARVEL ADVENTURES writer. The only demerit is that while Anya/Arana/Spider-Girl is a perfectly fun and valid heroine - and unlike many, isn't a vivacious loner - her mystical origins involving societies of Spider and Wasp People was always a drag, and the character has often found better stories once her tales stopped obsessing about it. Hopefully, Tobin will manage to wrest a good story out of it - even if merging it with SPIDER-ISLAND and a Kingpin plot may be a sign of how slight that Society stuff was by itself. Overall, solid start to what should be an entertaining SPIDER-ISLAND spin off. For any SPIDER-GIRL fans, this will fill in for that canceled title for at least another three months.

THUNDERBOLTS #162: Much like with AVENGERS ACADEMY, this is also double-shipping. While I normally like Jeff Parker, and I have stuck with his THUNDERBOLTS for quite a while now, certain things about this segment of the run are coming off the rails. The cast has now expanded to a dozen, which is too many for any character to get much depth or focus. We have two pencilers (Valentine De Landrio & Matthew Southworth) and two colorists, which suggests some sort of rush for deadline. We have the team battling yet another one of Parker's "weird threats of the month", yet it is sold as a FEAR ITSELF tie in. The art is quite good in parts, but certain elements just seem like they are set-up for future issues. The Beta-Squad decides now is their chance to bail, and they officially out Fixer's link to Baron Zemo to assure it. Whatever Man-Thing is evolving into starts to come to fruition. Lots of weird monsters get squished, sliced, or blown to bits. This will set up the premise of the Beta-Squad being on the run with the alpha squad presumably chasing them - whatever is left of that. That jailbreak sounds interesting. Unfortunately, we have to deal with issues leading up to it. While they're not bad, they're a bit forgettable. I've probably abandoned titles at this point, but I have enough faith in Parker - and I usually enjoy his stories regardless, at least as I read them - to stick around for another slog.

At the very least, Satanna is easily stealing every scene she is in. She's the best new addition to the cast, clearly. While all this will read well and be worth it overall, sometimes I wish some of the individual chapters were a little stronger.

VENOM #6: In case you missed it, the tag-line “SPIDER-ISLAND” is posted on 20% of the cover as well as under the trade dress. That is naturally this summer’s “mini crossover” spiraling out of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and crossing over into several other ongoing series, as well as budding a few one-shots and mini series. In fairness, since VENOM is a spin-off of ASM – to the point that it’s “.1 Initiative” issue focused on promoting its debut – it makes an organic choice for a crossover tie-in story. The only dilemma is the story being told by Rick Remender has little to do with what ASM is doing at any given point, and he has to struggle to not make the next three issues seem obligatory. Artist Tim Fowler comes in on his usual fill-in assignment for Tony Moore, with John Rauch on colors. I have no problem with a book having a regular stream of 2-3 artists, especially if their styles complement each other as Moore and Fowler do.

The last issue saw Flash Thompson, who performs very secret military missions for an even more secret government cabal as Venom, stick around New York long enough to see his girlfriend Betty Brant and be confronted with his abusive, alcoholic father one more time. However, SPIDER-ISLAND has seen “hundreds” of ordinary (and not-so-ordinary) Manhattan citizens bitten by genetically altered bugs and gain Spider-Man-like powers. Amid the chaos, a large “Spider-Beast” is rampaging through the city, and when not even local heroes like Gravity and Firestar can stop it, the general sends in Venom. Once again, the general orders Venom to bring in his target alive – a task that has proven difficult in the past due to the circumstances of war as well as Flash’s trouble with containing the alien symbiote’s violent rage. While Venom actually manages to accomplish his mission and bring the monster to the base, the end result of that act proves to be even more dangerous. In the background, Flash’s father is dying of liver failure from his years of alcoholism, and Betty wants him to see the old man off one last time. Will he? Can he?

The biggest strength of this series, besides the great artwork, is Remender’s handling of his lead character. He writes Flash/Venom so well that it almost seems like a tragedy that the long time AMAZING SPIDER-MAN supporting character waited so long to become the star of his own comic book series. The premise is solid and flexible enough that an obligatory crossover diversion from Remender’s own plot doesn’t feel awkward in the slightest; it’s simply another mission, closer to home. Remender and Fowler also mix in some good horror elements to the latter half of the issue, as well as getting the symbiote to Flash in a crisis in a very interesting way. It’s telegraphed bluntly in the panels, but if it were on film, it would provide a chuckle.

The only downside is a bit of a continuity conundrum which isn’t Remender’s fault, but will remain until AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #668 – the next chapter of SPIDER-ISLAND – ships. While this is a very large SPOILER, it is ultimately revealed that the “Spider-Monster” in this issue is supposedly Captain America, mutated into a being by the villain responsible for the whole ordeal, Jackal (yes, of CLONE SAGA fame). Now, this “Spider-Monster” in terms of design looked very much like one of the Jackal’s minions from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #666 & #667, who was given the generic name of “Spider-King”. Are “Cap-Spider” and “Spider-King” the same? Or did Fowler and Remender create their own monster who simply looked a lot like Spider-King? The identity of Spider-King was only vaguely hinted at in ASM #666, with it being kept so to tease fans that it could have been Ben Reilly, long lost Spider-Clone. Regardless, if the Marvel Universe is al supposed to flow together, then it seems very awkward that in VENOM #6, Steve Rogers has been mutated into a monster, while he is busy running around in FEAR ITSELF, his own ongoing series, as well as SECRET AVENGERS and no end of guest appearances due to his film being out. And here some Marvel fans started to question things when only Wolverine or Spider-Man appeared everywhere.

(If Spider-King really was Captain America all along, then it would be a sign that Jackal’s mysterious female accomplice is actually “The Queen”, a Paul Jenkins creation from 2004. In her back story, she was apparently another long lost “super soldier” project and she dated Capt. America briefly in the 40’s. While the Queen had seemingly been killed in an explosion, villains have returned from far more definitive deaths.)

Continuity conundrums aside, this issue of VENOM is another solid installment of what has become not only one of Marvel’s most promising ASM spin-off’s in years, but one of their most successful recent relaunches period.

 

[TheVileOne]

Dread, it is time to stop reading comics and time to start watching new Thundercats! We want to hear your thoughts!

 

[Phaedrus45]

Big thanks to Corp for fixing my error!

X-Men: Schism #3

I've been enjoying this X-event; but, the silliness with the young Hellfire Club members came close to ruining this book. Sometimes there is a fine line between cute and ridiculous; and, the moment one of them said "I farted," I mentally took myself out of the story for a while. Thankfully, the second half picked things up, especially with the break-out star, Indie.

While there are things that I can complain about, the good things outweigh the bad for me. I like the constant arguments between Cyclops and Wolverine, and this issue's dealing with Indie really brought things to a head. When Cyclops said, "You do what you feel you have to do," it brought a chill down my spine. Classic moment. It kind of sums up Cyclops whole attitude when it comes to dealing with things, which is somewhere between Xavier and Magneto. On the other side, since it was dealing with essentially a child, Wolverine feels very protective, which might be a result of his own childhood.

A solid .

Generation Hope #10

Thankfully, I read this issue after Schism #3. I'm guessing it's the order it should be, as the checklist puts it after. The ending won't come as a surprise; but, it just gives the reader more insight into the mind of Indie, especially leading up to Cyclops chilling words. Hope might be the star of this book, but Indie is the heart and soul. Can't wait for more; and, I'm more and more happy that Marvel is continuing to give this book a chance.

DMZ #68

Just to make sure, I asked the owner of my LCS if I was still the only person picking up this title. "Yep," he said. I can see why. Even though we are reaching the thrilling conclusion ... there is absolutely nothing thrilling about it. Matty Roth continues to bore the hell out of me; and, all the politics thrown in the book make for a very dull read.


Gotta go. My daughter wants to see Glee 3D, and I want to make sure we catch a matinee. (Remember when a matinee price used to go to 5 or 6 O'Clock? Now, you have to make the first dang showing! And, 3D matinee only save you about 75 cents!)

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Captain America felt pretty thin to me. I don't know why, but these big relaunches always seem to decompress a bit too much, even if they're by otherwise excellent writers. This issue just felt really light on actual content for some reason. McNiven's art was pretty, but I'll be glad to see who his replacement is. I kind of don't think his style fits Cap particularly well. I'd much rather have an artist who errs toward the dark visuals like Epting again.

Caught up on Incorruptible after about 4 or 5 months. I love the current arc. It's great to finally see some of Max's more serious sins and how he tries to atone for them. The revelation that he murdered Whelan's 12-year-old son hit me like a mack truck and I'm enjoying the fallout. It's just a shame Whelan got killed right after. Also, in the most recent issue, Jailbait literally rides in out of nowhere to save the day, then rides away again. It was the most bald, unadorned example of a cheap deus ex machina I've seen in some time. Max was delirious at the time, though, so I'm hoping it maybe wasn't quite what it seemed. Other than that, though, the series is chugging along nicely. Still not as good as Irredeemable consistently is, but not bad.

 

[El Bastardo]

Caught up on Incorruptible after about 4 or 5 months. I love the current arc. It's great to finally see some of Max's more serious sins and how he tries to atone for them. The revelation that he murdered Whelan's 12-year-old son hit me like a mack truck and I'm enjoying the fallout. It's just a shame Whelan got killed right after. Also, in the most recent issue, Jailbait literally rides in out of nowhere to save the day, then rides away again. It was the most bald, unadorned example of a cheap deus ex machina I've seen in some time. Max was delirious at the time, though, so I'm hoping it maybe wasn't quite what it seemed. Other than that, though, the series is chugging along nicely. Still not as good as Irredeemable consistently is, but not bad.

You make me so proud. Finally, my Corpy is coming home!

Now if only you'd read Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker.

And A Dance with Dragons, darnit!

 

[runawayboulder]

Cap has been uninteresting so far. I think Bru is past his prime on Cap. McNiven's art has been better. I'd rather see Guice back on the book or somebody else.

 

[Phaedrus45]

A bunch of DC final issues in this post.

Justice League Of America #60

Whereas most of the DC final issues have been just awful, Robinson had a little fun with this final issue. We get these brief glimpses into possibly storylines that Robinson never got to tell, while seeing the hows and why this new group of Justice Leaguers end up calling it quits. The final scene with Dick and Donna is a bit touching, too. I guess I just loved that he treated this as being able to take his characters in a different direction, now that everything will be different after the New 52.

Green Lantern Corps #63

This issue wasn't so bad, either. We got to see various members of the Green Lantern Corps, and the other Earthly one was Kyle. It's the direction this book should have stayed with, instead of being turned into was it's been since Sinestro Wars.

Supergirl #67

The final part of a rather boring storyline. I don't need to go into it; but, my recommendation is to skip this one. It really was a comic that should never have reached 67 issues anyway. Most of the time, this series was a stinker; yet, I've been with it since issue #1. It's another case of how bad the Super-titles really have been.

Titans #38

I stopped getting this title about eight issues ago; but, I try and make it a point of picking up final issues. (As I've said before, they are rather hard to get if you ever want to complete a series in the future.) I wasn't missing much of anything, it seems. Like with Justice League, the team disbands at the end (except for two of the characters); but, it lacks the emotion of JLA. In fact, I'd wonder if regular readers walk away feeling like they've had their time wasted. It began with the death of the New Atom, and it ends with his funeral. (Really? Man, that took a long time to happen.)

Power Girl #27

Another DC comic I dropped many issues ago. I love the original writer; but, once it switched, all of the humor went away. Decent final issue, though. I'm not sure how much of a previous storyline this was; but, I got right into it, and liked what I read.

Superman/Batman #87

A comic I never really got into. There was never a sense of urgency to read this, as Superman and Batman's adventures never seemed essential to what was currently happening in the DCU. (That was even made more apparent when Superman went away for a year and Batman died.) I guess this thing was good when it started out, reintroducing Supergirl; but, that's so long ago. Feels like ages ago.

This final issue that wraps up a three part storyline involving Joker was alright. The art was kind of crappy, and I didn't come away with the sense that I need to pick up the previous two issues of this story. (I kind of put that down as a bad thing.) It's cool to see the Joker; but, it was in no way one of the best Joker stories I have read.

A mild .

DC Universe Online Legends #14

I think this title goes on a good month hiatus after this issue. Just to peeve me off, it ends on a nice cliffhanger, as we see Lois Lane apparently murdered by Superman. I hope it sticks! This is an alternate reality, and I'd like to see the writers do things differently for once. My complaint, though, is why we had to deal with seeing the future in the first bunch of early issues, and now that storyline appears to have been done away with.

Batman #713

Crappy, crappy issue! Instead of the writer ending this long running series with a bang, we get a bunch of recap about all the different Robin's who've held the mantle. What a lousy last book.

Flashpoint: The Outsider #3

Probably my favorite Flashpoint book of the week. Good ending with Martian Manhunter; and, since I never liked that character much, I loved seeing him get killed in the end. What I'll miss is the character of The Outsider. He's much more interesting than all the version of Outsider teams that came before him. Maybe with the New 52, we'll get to see him again. He's very much like the Lex Luthor we came to know and love in Action Comics recently.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Sergio Aragones Funnies #2

The joy of this book is when Sergio tells and illustrates something that happened in his past. This time, we witness the first time he got paid for his illustrations. Very cute, and more funny than the rest of the strips that are thrown in here. I cannot wait for his promised telling of the next time he got paid.

Fun book, and much more entertaining than reading another Groo adventure. (After a while, Groo gets very monotonous.)

Venom #6

Gotta admit, this book bores the hell out of me; and, this might be the worst issue yet. I dare say it's Remender's worst comic he's ever put out. I don't like Flash as Venom. Hell, I'd rather have Gargan still have the symbiote! The moments with Flash's dad feel very contrived, especially with him having to try and get to his death bed while fighting Spider Island villians. I'm not feeling Flash's angst toward his father, and the romance with Betty is even more dull. (Oh, how original. A Spidey character who can't explain his sudden disappearances, except to say it's his job that's taking him away.)

BLECK! Hate this book!!!

Executive Assistant: Orchid #2

Above is the reason I'm enjoying these Executive Assistant titles. They are just good fun, I'm seeing tons of new characters, and while it's all fluff, it's fun fluff. I don't have to worry about seeing the same old, same old; or, characters I've known for years acting suddenly like they are James Bond in Spider drag.

Avengers #16

Talking about crappy issues, this might be the worst of the week. While the idea of Steve teaming up with the various female characters that surround his life might have potential, Bendis gives us way too many talking heads with the narration technique he's using; and, it is growing more and more tiresome with each issue. Hell, even Romita's art feels extremely phoned in. Utter crap all around!

Fear Itself: Deadpool #3

Only good thing about this issue is that the mini is done. It's not really even a Fear Itself tie-in; and, if they are going to do a semi-parody of this event, I wish they'd get someone with some original humor. Heck, even the art was ugly.

Uncanny X-Men #542

It's so sad this title got crappy again, after really giving readers some good stuff earlier. It doesn't help that Land draws this issue. I will say there were a few good moments; and, I do like that Colossus is now the new Juggernaut. (I don't expect it to last; but, it might make Peter a tad more interesting.)

Thunderbolts #162

So many dang characters! My Thunderbolts runneth over.

Parker does keep me interested in this book; but, it's nowhere are good as it used to be. I dare say Parker might be one of Thunderbolt's weakest writers. All his titles tend to resemble Agents Of Atlas after a while; although, this one has more interesting characters. It was a good action issue; but, I would love to see some character development. I tend to remember how much I loved Ghost; and, now all her personality has been drained from him.

A mild .

Fear Itself: The Home Front #5

I'm still enjoying the main story, featuring Speedball. I like how the human element is touched on heavily this issue. It's just the other stories fall flat. It's too bad, because the second story has real potential. I would LOVE a book with X-23, the new Power Man, Thunderstrike, Spider-Girl, and Amadeus Cho in it. (God knows, Amadeus needs to get away from Hulk and Hercules. Being with a young team might make him a lot more interesting.) Oddly enough, Van Lente hits all the wrong marks here. You wouldn't even know that X-23 has been with teams before, as she acts more feral than ever before. Thunderstrike is just played for a tool; and, Spider-Girl is missing anything interesting that we've seen McKeever and Tobin bring to the table.

Chakin's one page story is still a waste of space, and the final one bored the crap out of me. While I enjoyed Speedball's tale, I still have to give the overall book a .

 

[CrimsonMist]

Pretty disappointing week.

The Spirit #17. I stopped buying this book because it sucked. David Hine had no grasp of the character of Denny Colt whatsoever. The stories were grim, serious, and the artwork was bland and generic. That said, David Hine had nothing to do with the suckiness of this book. This issue was a 3 story anthology, by writers and artists Howard Chaykin & Brian Bolland, Paul Levitz & Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Will Pfeifer & P. Craig Russell.

Chaykin's story sucked. A senator who was having affairs with several different women is found murdered, after one husband of one of the women threatened him with physical harm. When trying to apprehend said husband, he jumps out of a window. Suicide? Nah. Murder. He was tossed out. The Spirit does some digging, and in a poorly developed reveal, it turns out the Senator's wife, who is revealed to be a incredibly buff and muscular woman, and the wife of the dead husband were having an affair. There's something about stolen money too. I don't know. Too many characters, too many names to remember, in too little pages, with an incredibly awkward ending.

Paul Levitz's story was disappointing. The story is about a news vendor who is ignored by the people he sells stuff to except for the Spirit, who always calls the vendor by his real name. A thug comes and forces the vendor to sell fake lottery tickets so that he can collect protection money from sales and the thug's buddies win money. The Spirit cracks down on it, the thug and The Spirit fight, destroy the vendor's little shack and the vendor, I THINK, dies. What starts off like a classic Eisner story about a little character that keeps The Spirit in the background, ends up finishing abruptly and far from what seemed to be the intention. These kind of Eisner stories usually end up with the little character gaining something meaningful, and the villain either loses or changes his ways. Not here. It felt like the story was missing some pages. The vendor wasn't developed enough and the relevance of why the vendor having a real name is lost, along with any emotional impact his death may have had.

The Will Pfeifer story was fantastic though. The story takes place in musuem, and opens with with a really great Eisner-esque splash page. The story follows 2 janitors, Michael and Louie, who work in the museum. Michael is an art history buff and we follow these characters as Michael delves into the evolution of art, much to the dismay of Louie, who really doesn't care. Meanwhile, in the museum, and kept in the background, The Spirit chases a Thief. What was fantastic about this story was how Eisner-esque it was. It was fun. Plain and simple. The artwork was playful and interesting to look at. Panel layouts were creative. But my favorite moments where when The Spirit and the thief were drawn by Russell to recreate specific pieces of art that Michael is talking about. For example, Michael talks about "The Discus Thrower". The statue is in the background. In the foreground is The Spirit, in the same pose as the statue, only picking up his hat. When Michael talks about "The Laocoon Group", he notes how the serpent looks so realistic as, in the foreground, The Spirit is in the same pose, only wrapped in a hose. I thought it was very creative and very fun. A great story.

Otherwise, the issue sucked and was a crappy conclusion to a rather disappointing series. Hopefully DC does something better with The Spirit after this relaunch. That, or give the character to another company like Dark Horse or something. It's been clear that outside of Darwyn Cooke and Brian Azzarello(in the main First Wave mini), no one else at DC gets what makes The Spirit so great.

DC Retroactive: Batman - The 90's. Definitely NOT worth the 5 bucks I paid. The reprint, Trash, was alright. Nothing really mindblowing. And if I hadn't read much better Grant/Breyfogle Batman stories before this, I'd be wondering why their run gets so much praise. The new story was well-written, but even as a new story, felt dated in it's writing style. It wasn't anything mind blowing. It was a decent little story that really failed to build any momentum. It was pretty one-note. It other words, it was nothing memorable. It was nice to see The Ventriloquist and Scareface again though. They're both such underrated, great character. But the most disappointing aspect of the book was Breyfogle's art. It's taken such a huge decline. It's looser, more cartoony. Oh well.

Daredevil #2: Amazing. Flatout awesome once again. Waid's take on the character, bringing him back to his swashbuckler, upbeat roots is so nice to read. It's a fun, truly heroic book and it's engaging as hell. Paolo Rivera's artwork is killer. It's a book I shall anxiously await from month to month. I hope Waid can maintain the quality of this book for a long time. Also, in the letters column, the editor spoke of a super secret meeting between himself, Waid and Greg Rucka. Daredevil/Punisher crossover? God I hope so.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You make me so proud. Finally, my Corpy is coming home!

Now if only you'd read Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker.

And A Dance with Dragons, darnit!

I finished A Dance with Dragons like 3 weeks ago.

I think I'm gonna wait for a trade on Butcher Baker. It does seem interesting, but I missed a few issues already and I hate tracking s*** down.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Supergirl wasn't ALWAYS trash. There were a few issues and stories that stood out from the rest of the run. When Gates took over the book improved greatly. But, the majority did suck. The book just had no direction.

Power Girl I felt should have ended last issue. They had a good finale story with the PG convention.

But yeah, the DC final issues, overall, make it well known just how sudden this relaunch was as writers had to scramble to end their stories or just fulfill the last of their contracts.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Man, busy couple of days but I'll have my reviews up tomorrow. Pretty good week. I had to debate a few titles and ultimately, after getting caught up a week or two ago, decided to skip out on Avengers Academy. It was okay but I realized there were other issues I was going back and forth on that I was more interested in, namely Daken and Moon Knight, so I got the issues of those I was behind on and skipped Academy and Green Lantern Corps, which I'm debating on dropping. I figure since I'm debating on dropping it I'd hold off buying it until I decided. I skimmed it to make sure I wasn't missing anything so I felt okay dodging it.

And since they're old, I will say that the past two issues of Daken were very good. Taskmaster was portrayed very well and Daken is still portraying his strategist mentality, though it's interesting watching that get screwed up by the drug he's becoming addicted to. I'm glad I bought these. So for now this is back in my buy list. Moon Knight was also good and I'm glad I bought it. I think Moon Knight and Academy are going to be books that I continue with but not necessarilly on the weeks they're released. We'll see. Green Lantern Corps is up in the air right now.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I think I'm gonna wait for a trade on Butcher Baker. It does seem interesting, but I missed a few issues already and I hate tracking s*** down.

It's kind of Casey's ode to the trashy nature and perception of the genre, but still reminding us that it's potentially as awesome as it ever was. That's kind of been my take on it anyhow, and I've been enjoying it quite a bit.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, I'm usually into Casey's stuff. I don't know how Butcher Baker escaped my notice until recently.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I don't either. They played the hell out of that whole 'still teaser image with enigmatic saying at the bottom' to the point of ridiculousness with it. I mean, I think they were going for a parody, but it got boring soooo fast, much like the actual thing.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Okay, time for my reviews.....

Daredevil #2 - This was a pretty good issue that I felt was behind on the times. It was cool seeing Captain America come after Daredevil for his crimes in Shadowland. However, Steve is in the Cap uniform, telling me this takes place during or after the events of Fear Itself... and yet when they deal with Bucky it's his trial, not his death. It just felt/read wierd for me. I get how the trial plot works well with Daredevil's story but I was just struck odd by it. And I love the idea of Daredevil taking on Klaw. I'm real curious to see how that goes.

And can I just say that, as someone who doesn't typically ooh and aah after comicbook/cartoon chicks, Kirstin is super cute! If Rivera is basing her design after someone real I'd love to find out who.

While I have definately enjoyed the first two issues of this title, I honestly enjoyed the darker Daredevil take... so I'm still just kinda reading this book. It's on a "wait and see if I want to continue buying" list for me, though so far it's been enjoyable enough.

Avengers #16 - I thought this issue was pretty good though it had too many talking heads - six pages worth. However, the plot between the talking heads was pretty good. Steve is grieving Bucky's death and goes after a lead on Sin alongside Victoria Hand, Sharon Carter, and Maria Hill. It ends up being a set up and Sin isn't there, but some of Steve's old foes are (none of whom I really cared anything about). But the plot is good and, as a fan of Secret Warriors, was excited when Quake showed up and that Steve found her promising. Since this is a Bendis book I'm thinking that's a lead-in to his using her again in the future, which I'd be all for.

Uncanny X-Men #542 - This story has gotten better from its beginning and I think it's Land's art that keeps me somewhat guarded from it. I liked seeing Avalanche in action again, though it was minor, and even more minor though exciting for a fan like me was seeing Adam X and various semi-creative uses of X-Men's powers. Besides that I enjoyed the flat out telling that Jean is back in some way, hinting at Hope though I don't think it's that straight forward. It might be some mindscrewing being done to Emma but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

And lastly, Colossus becomes the Juggernaut. I actually like this idea but I'm curious how it's played out. I like that he didn't go to Cytorrak with it... it was his sister Illyana. And to prevent Illyana from becoming the Juggernaut Colossus took the charge... so it was still a heroic deed and very much in Juggernaut's nature. How that nature is now that he's the Juggernaut will be explored next issue. I like how Illyana coursed Cytorrak into it too, though it was obvious.

This arc is turning otu better than I expected, though hindered by Land's art. Not the best of stories but one that I am enjoying. My biggest fear however is that it's creating a continuity issue. On the silhouetted preview teasers for Regenesis they show a silhouette of a Juggernaut looking character. It could be either Juggernaut himself once freed from the Serpant's control, or Colossus retaining the Juggernaut status. If it's Colossus then that screws up the timeline with Schism. We see Colossus normal in there and this arc obviously takes place prior to Schism (as everyone's on Utopia). So if Colossus is still Juggernaut when this is over, then he reverts back to normal for Schism and then returns to the Juggernaut post Schism...

I hope this isn't the case because it would bug the crap out of me.

X-Men: Schism #3 - For the first time since this started promoting, I actually found myself enjoying it. The Hellfire kids are a bit odd (and I agree with Phaed that the "farted" joke took me fresh out of the story, same as it did when Slott used it in ASM and others as well). However, what made me like the issue was Scott pretty much giving a kill order to 14-year old Idie and Wolverine's being ticked off at it. This is the first time I've actually seen something to make me think "Yeah, okay, I can see this causing a legit rift." If Cyclops is giving kill orders to impressionable kids, robbing them of their innoscence, for the best of the mutant and human race... I can see how that would split up the X-Men. He is doing what is best for mutants and humans, as happens in wars. Wolverine has always been parental and he wants to save these kidsfrom it (that's why he's been doing the X-Force thing).

Now I'm interested. Xavier drafted kids all the time but he never gave kill orders. He respected lives. Magneto drafted kids and pretty much made killing a requirement. Cyclops is now falling dead in the middle and I'm curious where this goes.

And for artwork that I used to dispise, Acuna's art has really grown on me.

Generation Hope #10 - Idie's point of view of the events from Schism #3 and it was pretty interesting. I loved seeing Prodigy have an actual scene, not just a panel once a year. He was my favorite character from the Academy X team. Also, I liked Idie's comment that Rachel Summers looks like Hope... another clue to a Jean connection perhaps?

I think my favorite part was the page or two reaction from Generation Hope regarding Idie's murders. Hope's anger, Laurie's guilt, Kenji's concern, Gabriel just appears to be shocked. I liked all that... but Idie really was a tragic star in this issue.


Best and Worst of the Week:

Best: Generation Hope #10 - This was just a really good issue. I felt that the whole thing dealing with Idie's issues regarding thinking herself a sinner for being a mutant, and then seeing the horrors of those who've come against mutants in the past (through the mutant museum), and then her choice (influenced by Cyclops) to not let it happen and to kill the Hellfire Club was just really well done... and as I said earlier, the aftermath was interesting. I've really enjoyed this book. It could possibly be working its way up toward the top, though not quite there yet, but it likely won't get there with the status quo change coming in 2 or 3 issues.

Worst: Avengers #16 - Not that it was bad, there were just too many talking heads and the core story couldn't offset my annoyance of it. The plot wasn't bad and Quake showing up was a bonus but the heads just drug it down too far.

 

[Dread]

I'm still not keen on the idea of Colossus becoming Juggernaut. It's in character for Illyana to summon and flirt with corrupting power; she's been corrupted by evil forces since the 80's. Colossus becoming Juggernaut is basically a moment in which a character who most writers can't do a thing with cosplays as another to fix the problem. Cytorrak is a corrupting influence - Piotr can't fight it forever. And if he does, then the boost is brief, because Cytorrak cuts off power to those who aren't destructive enough - Cain Marko experienced that for years. The bit with the Uni-Power was just the last straw. I'd have rather seen a power boost from a less corrupting source - the Russian gods are rarely seen (beyond Perun, who was part of Winter Guard at times), why not have had some of them show up with a Maguffin?

(This also is another story that ignores the long forgotten detail of Colossus being immune, or at least highly resistant, to black magic. That's why he wasn't effected by INFERNO like everyone else was. It's either due to his powers or his spirit or a combination of both. But, most writers have forgotten about it over the years, same as they often forget that he doesn't have to breath in metal form. Even Joss Whedon forgot that.)

Imagine if I have trouble writing, say, Cable. I wish he was more like Captain America. So I literally make him Captain America. I have him dress in the red, white, and blue, give lectures about liberty and whatnot, and trade the giant guns for a shield. I stress about how he's the ultimate soldier and all that, only shift him away from over the top violence. Am I still writing Cable, or Cap Lite? I don't want Colossus to become Juggernaut Lite. It's still dismaying that he usually seems to rotate from being ignored, dead, or evil. The Acolyte era technically was somewhat "noble" too, even it used the same "gasp, goodie goodie metal guy joins the baddies!" promotional ploys. Colossus was traumatized from Illyana's death and wanted to give the other side a try. He spent most of his time as an Acolyte tending to a comatose Magneto and calling out maniacs like Fabian Cortez or Exodus. In the end it stands as a forgotten detail in his history. Given that so many former Acolytes wound up on Utopia, you'd think it would have come up more often - I think Frenzy was an Acolyte at the time, too. Instead it's abandoned, like Colossus being able to touch Rogue in metal form (which was itself a retcon, but, hey, it was Chris Claremont's last major run on UXM).

Now, JewishHobbit, a semi-serious question. You've often not been satisfied with AVENGERS ACADEMY for various personal preference reasons. Yet, GENERATION HOPE has a very similar premise - some random new mutant creations are being trained by mentors to be the future of a superhero team or movement or whatever. What about GENERATION HOPE makes them more appealing to you than ACADEMY? Is it because the X-Men have had a junior team book since the 80's, so it's thus a more familiar thing to read from them? Or has it something to do with the writing? If anything, I'm more cynical of the junior X-Team. Marvel trucks out one per decade and they're always new characters who are eventually abandoned to death or the dustbins of continuity. The original NEW MUTANTS have fared the best, even if not a one of them has accomplished anything approaching relevance to the X-Men mythos. Cannonball is the only one of them who was promoted to the X-Men several times, and aside for stalemating Gladiator once, he hasn't done anything memorable there. All Wolfsbane has accomplished lately is inspiring a lot of twisted furry porn. But at least they're all still alive. GENERATION X from the 90's are a wasteland of dead or forgotten characters; Jubilee endures (poorly) because she existed first, and frankly had a cartoon. ACADEMY X haven't faired much better. GENERATION HOPE are on the heels of even that, and I can't help but start a dead pool wondering when they'll all be sacrificed for a body count in five year's time. I mean, does GENERATION HOPE move faster than ACADEMY in terms of pace? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I'm still not keen on the idea of Colossus becoming Juggernaut. It's in character for Illyana to summon and flirt with corrupting power; she's been corrupted by evil forces since the 80's. Colossus becoming Juggernaut is basically a moment in which a character who most writers can't do a thing with cosplays as another to fix the problem. Cytorrak is a corrupting influence - Piotr can't fight it forever. And if he does, then the boost is brief, because Cytorrak cuts off power to those who aren't destructive enough - Cain Marko experienced that for years. The bit with the Uni-Power was just the last straw. I'd have rather seen a power boost from a less corrupting source - the Russian gods are rarely seen (beyond Perun, who was part of Winter Guard at times), why not have had some of them show up with a Maguffin?

(This also is another story that ignores the long forgotten detail of Colossus being immune, or at least highly resistant, to black magic. That's why he wasn't effected by INFERNO like everyone else was. It's either due to his powers or his spirit or a combination of both. But, most writers have forgotten about it over the years, same as they often forget that he doesn't have to breath in metal form. Even Joss Whedon forgot that.)

Oh, I don't think I'd like seeing Colossus as the Juggernaut longterm. It might be able to run for a short period, an arc or two, but I'm hoping Cytorrak is disappointed in Peter and strips the power from him at the end of the Fear Itself arc. It just makes e nervous due to a Juggernaut looking silhouette in the teasers. I'm hoping that's Cain.

And the magic thing does annoying the crap out of me. I hate that writers forget Colossus's resistance to it and I hate that they've ignored it for so long that even I forgot about it until you mentioned it. It's a pet peeve that I'm apparently growing numb to.

Imagine if I have trouble writing, say, Cable. I wish he was more like Captain America. So I literally make him Captain America. I have him dress in the red, white, and blue, give lectures about liberty and whatnot, and trade the giant guns for a shield. I stress about how he's the ultimate soldier and all that, only shift him away from over the top violence. Am I still writing Cable, or Cap Lite?

Cable actualy respects Cap carried the shield for years prior to coming to the modern day See: Cable & Deadpool #25

But yeah, I agree. That's why I was never huge on the Punisher taking up the mantle for the short time he did.

I don't want Colossus to become Juggernaut Lite. It's still dismaying that he usually seems to rotate from being ignored, dead, or evil. The Acolyte era technically was somewhat "noble" too, even it used the same "gasp, goodie goodie metal guy joins the baddies!" promotional ploys. Colossus was traumatized from Illyana's death and wanted to give the other side a try. He spent most of his time as an Acolyte tending to a comatose Magneto and calling out maniacs like Fabian Cortez or Exodus. In the end it stands as a forgotten detail in his history. Given that so many former Acolytes wound up on Utopia, you'd think it would have come up more often - I think Frenzy was an Acolyte at the time, too. Instead it's abandoned, like Colossus being able to touch Rogue in metal form (which was itself a retcon, but, hey, it was Chris Claremont's last major run on UXM).

It's ancient history so I guess it just doesn't come up much. I was pleased, however, that Mike Carey remembered the Acolytes enough to have Magneto and Frenzy discuss it in a recent issue of Legacy. I thought that was handled really well. I'd still like to see Magneto and Colossus form a buddy relationship due to Peter's caring for him during that time period... but as is usually the case, Marvel whines about using continuity so I'm not seeing it happen.

Now, JewishHobbit, a semi-serious question. You've often not been satisfied with AVENGERS ACADEMY for various personal preference reasons. Yet, GENERATION HOPE has a very similar premise - some random new mutant creations are being trained by mentors to be the future of a superhero team or movement or whatever. What about GENERATION HOPE makes them more appealing to you than ACADEMY? Is it because the X-Men have had a junior team book since the 80's, so it's thus a more familiar thing to read from them? Or has it something to do with the writing? If anything, I'm more cynical of the junior X-Team. Marvel trucks out one per decade and they're always new characters who are eventually abandoned to death or the dustbins of continuity. The original NEW MUTANTS have fared the best, even if not a one of them has accomplished anything approaching relevance to the X-Men mythos. Cannonball is the only one of them who was promoted to the X-Men several times, and aside for stalemating Gladiator once, he hasn't done anything memorable there. All Wolfsbane has accomplished lately is inspiring a lot of twisted furry porn. But at least they're all still alive. GENERATION X from the 90's are a wasteland of dead or forgotten characters; Jubilee endures (poorly) because she existed first, and frankly had a cartoon. ACADEMY X haven't faired much better. GENERATION HOPE are on the heels of even that, and I can't help but start a dead pool wondering when they'll all be sacrificed for a body count in five year's time. I mean, does GENERATION HOPE move faster than ACADEMY in terms of pace? I'm genuinely curious.

I honestly wasn't impressed with Generation Hope at first but it started growing on me around issue 6 or so... just the past 3 or 4 issues. I honestly think it's mostly due to my love of the X-Men corner of the universe and that I've loved their student books since Generation X and this follows suit. While I like Bendis's run on the Avengers I've never been a huge fan of the franchise. Even now, I really primarily enjoy the more street level members that people complain aren't Avengers material (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, etc.). So a student book in the Avengers franchise doesn't interest me as much. The Young Avengers really got me to love them due to the characters themselves and the really good storytelling from issue 1 on. I loved the legacy approach most I think. Academy doesn't have that.

I honestly feel that both Avengers Academy and Generation Hope are lacking compared to their predicesors, Young Avengers and the New X-Men. However, between the two I like the characters in Generation Next better. I thought the members were too cookie cutter at first but then Gillen started digging into them and they aren't as much. I LOVE Teon, Idie, and Zero... I think they are each very fantastic characters. There really isn't anyone on the team that I don't like. With Academy I just don't really click with the cast. I think Reptil, Veil, and Mettle are decent but not enough to really follow the book for them. Striker's alright but forgetable. Even up to date, I still don't give a crap about Hazmat or Finese.

As for the teachers, I never cared anything for Tigra. I didn't like Pym until Slott wrote him in Mighty Avengers but I lost interest when he went back to Giant Man. I typically love Justice, Speedball, and Quicksilver but for some reason I just don't care in this book. I feel like there's too many characters between the faculty and students to really focus on one or the other. I like Generation Hope's approach. Hope runs things with one X-Man overseeing it (first Rogue then Kitty Pryde) and we have Cyclops and Wolverine around as the plot needs them. The kids are the full focus and I feel I connect to them more because of it.

Also, the whole point of the two teams. I find it more interesting that Generation Hope consists of the first mutants born since M-Day, fighting to surviveand save upcoming mutants to keep the race alive. With Academy it's just some kids who has the potential to go bad, so let's train them and keep it from happening. Generation Hope's premise was years in the building while Academy's was an afterthought of Dark Reign.

But as I said originally... I think the BIGGEST part is my love of the X-Men's world and this is just the next step.

 

[Dread]

Oh, I don't think I'd like seeing Colossus as the Juggernaut longterm. It might be able to run for a short period, an arc or two, but I'm hoping Cytorrak is disappointed in Peter and strips the power from him at the end of the Fear Itself arc. It just makes e nervous due to a Juggernaut looking silhouette in the teasers. I'm hoping that's Cain.

And the magic thing does annoying the crap out of me. I hate that writers forget Colossus's resistance to it and I hate that they've ignored it for so long that even I forgot about it until you mentioned it. It's a pet peeve that I'm apparently growing numb to.

Virtually anything remotely interesting about Colossus is ignored, and then writers turn around and usually claim he's boring. No, there's plenty of interesting **** you folks keep ignoring! And the more you ignore it, the more obscure it gets and the more boring he gets! Cycle! ARGH!

I did see that Juggernaut silhouette. He has joined the X-Men so it could be Marko, although it wouldn't surprise me if Colossus' stint in the role lasted longer than a few issues. He lost a year or so as an Acolyte, after all.

Cable actualy respects Cap carried the shield for years prior to coming to the modern day See: Cable & Deadpool #25

But yeah, I agree. That's why I was never huge on the Punisher taking up the mantle for the short time he did.

Indeed, and aside for a skin in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 3, it's a forgotten part of Punisher's history. Like the time he woke up black. Seriously.

It's ancient history so I guess it just doesn't come up much. I was pleased, however, that Mike Carey remembered the Acolytes enough to have Magneto and Frenzy discuss it in a recent issue of Legacy. I thought that was handled really well. I'd still like to see Magneto and Colossus form a buddy relationship due to Peter's caring for him during that time period... but as is usually the case, Marvel whines about using continuity so I'm not seeing it happen.

Marvel is fine with continuity when it suits a sale. SPIDER-ISLAND is basically MAXIMUM CLONAGE, 14 years later, and they're happy with that since it sold at #1. It all depends on the writer, the pitch, and the editor. Lord knows every obscure detail about some characters is used, rehashed, and overdone.

I honestly wasn't impressed with Generation Hope at first but it started growing on me around issue 6 or so... just the past 3 or 4 issues. I honestly think it's mostly due to my love of the X-Men corner of the universe and that I've loved their student books since Generation X and this follows suit. While I like Bendis's run on the Avengers I've never been a huge fan of the franchise. Even now, I really primarily enjoy the more street level members that people complain aren't Avengers material (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, etc.). So a student book in the Avengers franchise doesn't interest me as much. The Young Avengers really got me to love them due to the characters themselves and the really good storytelling from issue 1 on. I loved the legacy approach most I think. Academy doesn't have that.

I honestly feel that both Avengers Academy and Generation Hope are lacking compared to their predicesors, Young Avengers and the New X-Men. However, between the two I like the characters in Generation Next better. I thought the members were too cookie cutter at first but then Gillen started digging into them and they aren't as much. I LOVE Teon, Idie, and Zero... I think they are each very fantastic characters. There really isn't anyone on the team that I don't like. With Academy I just don't really click with the cast. I think Reptil, Veil, and Mettle are decent but not enough to really follow the book for them. Striker's alright but forgetable. Even up to date, I still don't give a crap about Hazmat or Finese.

As for the teachers, I never cared anything for Tigra. I didn't like Pym until Slott wrote him in Mighty Avengers but I lost interest when he went back to Giant Man. I typically love Justice, Speedball, and Quicksilver but for some reason I just don't care in this book. I feel like there's too many characters between the faculty and students to really focus on one or the other. I like Generation Hope's approach. Hope runs things with one X-Man overseeing it (first Rogue then Kitty Pryde) and we have Cyclops and Wolverine around as the plot needs them. The kids are the full focus and I feel I connect to them more because of it.

Also, the whole point of the two teams. I find it more interesting that Generation Hope consists of the first mutants born since M-Day, fighting to surviveand save upcoming mutants to keep the race alive. With Academy it's just some kids who has the potential to go bad, so let's train them and keep it from happening. Generation Hope's premise was years in the building while Academy's was an afterthought of Dark Reign.

But as I said originally... I think the BIGGEST part is my love of the X-Men's world and this is just the next step.

Thanks for the honest answer. I did wonder if it was due to your love of X-Men stuff, and at least you overall admit that it is.

The whole M-Day thing has been a failure. The mutants are supposed to be metaphors for minority relations (whether that minority is the handicapped, or homosexuals, or ethnic minorities, etc.) but in making the number of them total less than a Facebook fan-page, the X-Men are now the Inhumans. A reclusive, rare, classification of freaks who everyone tries to kill who wonder why everyone hates them, while often acting haughty and violent (at best). And I don't think the X-Men work as the New Inhumans. Not even the Inhumans work as the Inhumans, because they don't bloody sell. Neither did THE ETERNALS, who have similar "dozen of us against a cruel world" theme.

For me, at least the cadets of the Avengers Academy haven't taken a nap for years like the Young Avengers have, nor do I feel they'll just vanish into the ether for the moment, either.

Thanks for the answer. Personal tastes naturally gauge the sorts of books we buy, and the sorts of things we're willing to overlook or forgive to pursue them.