BOUGHT/THOUGHT for June 13, 2007

[PhotoJones]

Not a bad week at all. Oh, and get your spoiler on...

New Avengers #31 - Since Civil War, this title has generally been readable, if not fairly good. Bendis has made the new team bond and gel in ways they haven't before, and they now have a purpose. Bendis has also been building to "something huge", and we get to see some hints as to what that may be here in this issue. The big reveal (which I correctly predicted some time back ) has already been spoiled by someone on Newsarama, so that takes some of the shock value away. Even so, I don't think it would've helped things much to leave the surprise unspoiled. This issue isn't very good.

There is one good thing, though. This issue marks the end of the Ninja Fight. That's right, after five whole issues, we're finally done with one fight. And no Mighty Avengers show up either. However, the real problem is the dialogue, which is weird because that's something Bendis usually doesn't struggle with (or does, depending on your tastes). The banter between Clint and Pete seems ver forced. Actually, nothing that comes out of Spider-Man's mouth feels natural. The whole issue is basically one long fight scene, but the dialouge ballons just seem so random. It's like it doesn't matter who's actually talking, it's just inserting random soundbytes and attaching them to random characters.

The meat of the story comes from the big revelation that Elektra is really a Skrull. Bendis has hinted at their return for revenge in the pages of NA: Illuminati. According to the solicits for this issue, this is supposed to mark the start of the next big crossover: another Kree/Skrull War, which makes no sense and perfect sense at the same time. It makes no sense because the Skrull's homeworld is gone. They're literally on the brink of extinction, thanks to Annihilus. It makes perfect sense because Bendis does what he wants, and if he wants to ignore Annihilation, Marvel's not going to stand in his way. That's just an incredibly sad truth.

So that's that. It shouldn't take anyone longer than 5 minutes to read through the whole issue. Which coincidentally, is how long it seems Bendis took actually writing the issue.

World War Hulk #1 - My biggest worry was that the team-up between the New Avengers and the Registered Heroes was going to seem forced. I thought that seeing the New Avengers doing things their way, and doing a great job at it would be interesting to see. It would reinforced their stance that they can save lives without the government telling them who to save and how to do it. It didn't work out that way, and instead Strange, acting as the representative for his team speaks with Tony about the New Avengers helping out. Apparently, any un-registered hero who lends a hand gets a full pardon should they choose to register after the Hulk is defeated. It makes sense considering the scale of the threat, and honestly, I didn't hate it. It works just fine.

There's not a whole lot to say. The first issue delivers on every point you'd expect. You really can't come away from this thing disappointed. Hulk beats the hell out of Black Bolt, and precedes to beat the hell out of Tony (during which Stark Tower/the Sentry's Watchtower is demolished). People might complain about how Hulk took Black Bolt so easily, but well...he's just THAT angry.

My favorite part in the whole issue is that the heroes worked together and managed to get all 5 million people evacuated from Manhattan in 23 hours. That makes this event all the more enjoyable, being that you don't have to worry about civilian casualties. Hell, the Hulk gave them the head start just so they could get everyone out of the city. That's a nice touch by Pak that helps that idea that as mad as the Hulk has gotten, he's never killed anyone because of it.

The artwork by JRJR, Janson and Christina Strain is ridiculously good. Strain's coloring is phenomenal. She's definitely a star in her own right. And even as brief as it is, it's always good to see a Romita draw Spider-Man.

 

[Shockdingo]

Hell, the Hulk gave them the head start just so they could get everyone out of the city. That's a nice touch by Pak that helps that idea that as mad as the Hulk has gotten, he's never killed anyone because of it.

Thanks for the review, I look forward to this more. This is an important detail that I'm soooo glad they included. I also think it shows a bit of change for the hulk's mentality. He's madder than he's ever been, but he's doing things in an orderly fashion without going on a mindless rampage and killing scores of people; his problem is with the heroes not "nameless unimportant puny humans."

 

[SouLeSS]

You didn't like the banter between Spiderman and Ronin? I thought it was pretty funny. The rest of the dialogue was pretty much useless and unneeded, but that was pretty good. Or at least I thought it was.

 

[PhotoJones]

Sub-Mariner #1 - This is quite the pleseant surprise on all fronts. Cherniss and Johnson do a helluva job presenting Namor to the badass that he is, as well as writing Tony to come off as being fair and balanced. I'm really starting to feel bad for the guy. Lately he's been put between a rock and a hard place, and this is no different.

An attack was made on a small rown in Kansas. A victim was found with gills scratched into his neck with signs of Atlantean DNA. To make matters worse, the U.S. government is pushing for a connection between this latest attack, and the Stamford tragedy. They're trying to link Nitro with Namor. Hmm...Saddam/Osama, anyone?

Namor is of course stunned (but not exactly saddened) by the news and vows to Tony that he'll find the rogue Atlanteans responsible for the actions and punish them. That's not good enough for the U.S. government, and plans are set into motion to visit Atlantis with the goal of Namor's surrender before a war breaks out. Namor learns of this through a mole within SHIELD's infrastructure, and prepares for war himself.

This is a GREAT start for this book. Even Briones, who's work has been not so hot in the past, has really stepped up his game. The artwork's fantastic; very detailed and great storytelling. I'm looking foward to the next issue.

Nova #3 - Abnett and Lanning are tearing this one up. While the tone is much different, they're doing just as good a job as Brubaker and Fraction are doing over on Immortal Iron Fist. Chen is also turning in really solid artwork; the best since his Iron Man days.

This issue finishes the fight between Rich and the Thunderbolts. It's actually interupted and ended by Tony and SHIELD, who've come to see if Rich had made a decision about registering. After Rich puts the past six months of Marvel Comics back into perspective for Tony, he eventually makes the decision that he doesn't need to register....because he's not sticking around. Too much has changed, and he just doesn't fit in anymore; not with what he's been through. Compared to the Annihilation Wave, Civil War was just a big squabble to him, and it is. The problem is that he just can't relate anymore to the troubles of Earth anymore, as much as it's his home.

It was definitely a smart move to start the series with Rich going home. That way we get a nice slice of continuity and Marvel can (attempt to) cash in by putting "The Initiative" on the cover of the book. It also sets up the direction for the book. Nova's an intergalactic hero, not an Earth-bound one. These stories are going to be grand, and there really is no better team than that of Abnett and Lanning to handle that.

Another great issue.

 

[PWN3R]

Elektra is a Skrull? That is the big reveal? Yeahbutwhat?

 

[DoomJester]

New Avengers--
I agree with OP about New Avengers. I read the spoiler on the boards yesterday and it sounded so stupid I couldn't believe it. The fighting was alright, I wouldn't say buy the issue for the fight sense last issue had a fight. The only thing that happened was that Elektra was skrull and is (most likely dead, the skrull, not real Elektra). Honestly that was all that happened. I was dissapointed.

WWHulk--
It was written better than I thought it would be. It was personal, it followed Tony almost as much as the Hulk. I found I couldn't agree at will the Hulk. He speaks as though he doesn't consider himself Human anymore, he postures himself more as an invader than someone seeking to get make a select group of people pay. I think to have Hulk get angry and beat everyone is sloppy writing, and I do feel that is what we are in for, but but w/e. The first issue shows promise. I will find myself probably hating Hulk (even though you are supposed to more or less feel a little sorry for him, I have no sympathy for him) and hoping he gets put in his place hardcore. On a side note, I really don't like John Romita Jr's art. That's just me. Nothing against him (I don't even know him). And the fights aren't that amazing. It is more like seeing the after effects than seeing the two brutes trade blows like in New Avengers or Mighty Avengers, so in that sense I am definitely not that impressed. (if you want action those two books have action). In the end though the event shows promise.

 

[Red]

You should see the loyal Bendis followers over at Jinxworld defending this idiotic twist.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

So... Do those people at Jinxworld finally justify my utter annihilation of human kind agenda?

 

[CaptainCanada]

World War Hulk #1

Yep, despite my early intention of avoiding this event, I bought it; but I resolve to buy nothing outside of the main series. I've never had much interest in the Hulk as a character. He oftens comes across as fairly one-dimensional. In this story, so far, the most interesting parts are given to the heroes on the ground, especially Iron Man, who is to most eyes the villain of the piece.

Speaking of that, the pacing of this issue surprised me (in a good way). I (along with most people, I imagine) thought that Iron Man would be the end-boss of this Event, and that Hulk wouldn't get to him until the last issue; but, by the end of this, both Black Bolt (physically, the most powerful of the Illuminati) and Iron Man have been taken down. That leaves only Reed (and I'm really not sure what he would do; I suppose he always has the power of Science) and Doctor Strange. Speaking of Strange, his refusal to just send the Hulk away is somewhat contrived (like most times he gets involved in a story); why does sending him away entail sending him to an inhabited world? Transport him to the Illuminati's original destination, and cast a spell to keep him there; think, "stupid magician." Anyway, I'll be very interested to see how they handle Hulk vs. Strange, because, on the face of it, there's no way the Hulk could win.

One other thing I'll mention is the way the odds are stacked in this story. Normally, the heroes are set up as the underdogs; in this story, by the writer's own admission, the Hulk is meant to be so powerful that it's a mystery how the Illuminati could ever beat him. Many readers want to set this up with the Hulk as an unquestioned good guy, but, even forgetting about some of the things he does in this issue (like threatening to kill everyone on Earth), the fact that the Illuminati are the underdogs in this story quite frankly makes them closer to the traditional heroes of an Event.

Romita's art didn't impress me. Too cartoony. The fights didn't have much oomph.

New X-Men #39

The kids are still in Hell/Limbo. Last issue, David had his heart ripped out by Belasco, which is quickly resolved, as I predicted, by Elixir healing him. However, Belasco then disintegrates X-23, leaving only a pile of bones and her adamantium claws; it's going to take a bit more effort to bring her back, but I don't doubt that they will, because she's the title's biggest character. Elsewhere, the few heroes on the surface are aprised of the situation, and Illyana (who acts rather evil) takes Pixie's soul to forge a new Soulsword for herself to kill Belasco. These kids just never have any fun.

Fables #62

The Fabletown council continues it's maneouvring, and, based on Frau's intelligence, they've actually caught Lord Hansel and his men completely off-balance. Sir Lancelot tells his story (which is basically what you would expect, up until the point where he botches his suicide attempt and becomes trapped in his mystical armour), and becames Ambrose's guide/page in the coming battle. Ambrose dons the mystical armour (which becomes magically new because his soul is pure), draws Excalibur from the stone, and leads Lancelot down the Witching Well on an errand before they go to reclaim his kingdom. I'm still waiting for Snow and the Wolf to be brought back in (which Charming promises to do this issue, like he did in the last one), but otherwise a strong issue.

 

[GNR]

WWH #1 - Despite some awkward exposition and some corny moments of the whole world watching,this issue got started in a hurry and you can't complain about that.I hope to see some reaction from the heroes of the ILL's actions to banish Hulk.It seemed as if they all got in line right away and started following Tony's orders without hesitation.Of course they were most likely doing it for the civilians,but I hope Pak doesn't turn this into a situation where everyone's going to be following Tony's orders the whole story and not even question their motives.JRJR's art was great as usual,he really hit the mark on all the high points of action.KRAKBRA THROOOOOOM!!!!!

Justice #12 - Good ending,I was hoping for a double page spread of the entire League to cap things off instead we get the Legion and the GLC,pretty good.Didn't expect Zee to step up the way she did and Aquaman's beating of Manta was quite the exclamation point.Overall,I look forward to reading this in one sitting when time allows.This was the first DC comic I picked up since getting back into it all and it's been one hell of a treat every 2 months.Dougie and Alex's art was top notch the whole way thru and only got better as the series progressed.The story itself was just a good old fashioned good guys VS bad guys battle royale with some minor tweaking to make things interesting.This is going to be a standard must read JLA stories in the years to come and I look forward to Absolute Justice in 2008.t:

Yet to read...

Punisher War Journal #8
Black Summer #0

 

[gildea]

You should see the loyal Bendis followers over at Jinxworld defending this idiotic twist.

Why is it idiotic? It's not as if it's not in character.

(It does however become idiotic if annihilation isn't addressed)

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

World War Hulk #1

Yep, despite my early intention of avoiding this event, I bought it; but I resolve to buy nothing outside of the main series. I've never had much interest in the Hulk as a character. He oftens comes across as fairly one-dimensional. In this story, so far, the most interesting parts are given to the heroes on the ground, especially Iron Man, who is to most eyes the villain of the piece.

Given the sentence just before this one, do you think you can actually STICK to this current promise?

I doubt's it.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Given the sentence just before this one, do you think you can actually STICK to this current promise?

Probably. I haven't seen anything other than the main title that really interests me (I would have bought the Young Avengers one-shot, but it was cancelled).

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

If you don't, you owe me ten bucks.

And I do mean the animal.

 

[GNR]

I'm already picking up Incredible Hulk,which ppl need to be reading, and will most likely get WWH X-Men for DiVitto's art.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Thanks for the review, I look forward to this more. This is an important detail that I'm soooo glad they included. I also think it shows a bit of change for the hulk's mentality. He's madder than he's ever been, but he's doing things in an orderly fashion without going on a mindless rampage and killing scores of people; his problem is with the heroes not "nameless unimportant puny humans."

Exactly. Kudos to Pak for that one.

 

[PhotoJones]

DMZ #20 - This series, like Invincible and Irredeemable Ant-Man, has gotten pretty review proof for me. There's nothing bad I can say about it, and therefore I am incapable of writing an objective review. I will say that Kristian Donaldson's artwork for this issue is amazing. He's so damn good it hurts.

B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls #4 - Like the above, this is getting to the point where it's pointless for me to review it. It's a lot more accessable than Hellboy but at the same keeps the themes and tone intact. Guy Davis is doing the work of his career with this title; just beautiful stuff.

Black Diamond #1 - I bought the preview issue last year, and since then have been eagerly awaiting this mini. The artwork definitely takes some getting used to, and I don't think I'm quite there yet, but the story and premise is just so good, it actually overpowers the art.

Basically, the book is about the Black Diamond. It's a super-freeway, 150 feet above ground that runs from Los Angeles to Baltimore. It was built as a place where people who speed, drive drunk or just plain drive recklessly can go instead of taking up road space on the cleaner, quieter streets below. Basically it's the result of conservative fear.

The plot revolves around Don, a mild mannered dentist, and his mission to get his kidnapped wife back. His wife is the daughter of the Black Diamond's creator and architect, and someone or something is holding her hostage for an as of yet unknown reason. Don has to get from LA to Baltimore and fast. But the roads are too congested. And fast cars have been illegal for years. Uh-Oh...looks like someone's got to take the Black Diamond! And in an illegal 1973 Mercury Cougar, no less!

The premise is perfect for a summer action movie: one long chase scene with muscle cars, 150 feet in the air? Sign me up and check my brain at the door.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Not a bad week at all. Oh, and get your spoiler on...

New Avengers #31 - Since Civil War, this title has generally been readable, if not fairly good. Bendis has made the new team bond and gel in ways they haven't before, and they now have a purpose. Bendis has also been building to "something huge", and we get to see some hints as to what that may be here in this issue. The big reveal (which I correctly predicted some time back ) has already been spoiled by someone on Newsarama, so that takes some of the shock value away. Even so, I don't think it would've helped things much to leave the surprise unspoiled. This issue isn't very good.

There is one good thing, though. This issue marks the end of the Ninja Fight. That's right, after five whole issues, we're finally done with one fight. And no Mighty Avengers show up either. However, the real problem is the dialogue, which is weird because that's something Bendis usually doesn't struggle with (or does, depending on your tastes). The banter between Clint and Pete seems ver forced. Actually, nothing that comes out of Spider-Man's mouth feels natural. The whole issue is basically one long fight scene, but the dialouge ballons just seem so random. It's like it doesn't matter who's actually talking, it's just inserting random soundbytes and attaching them to random characters.

The meat of the story comes from the big revelation that Elektra is really a Skrull. Bendis has hinted at their return for revenge in the pages of NA: Illuminati. According to the solicits for this issue, this is supposed to mark the start of the next big crossover: another Kree/Skrull War, which makes no sense and perfect sense at the same time. It makes no sense because the Skrull's homeworld is gone. They're literally on the brink of extinction, thanks to Annihilus. It makes perfect sense because Bendis does what he wants, and if he wants to ignore Annihilation, Marvel's not going to stand in his way. That's just an incredibly sad truth.

So that's that. It shouldn't take anyone longer than 5 minutes to read through the whole issue. Which coincidentally, is how long it seems Bendis took actually writing the issue..

Here's the thing though; (and mind you, im not a particularly staunch Bendis supporter by any means, especially in view of his opinion in regards to the Hulk's "mass murderer" status)...

arent we kind of putting the cart before the horse here? It's true that when the dust from Annihilation settled, the Skrulls were still a planet-less people, reduced to petty squabbling and in-fighting amongst themselves, but isnt it possible that a new Kree/Skrull war could involve that race trying to reunite and regain a planet of their own by infiltrating the Kree and/or planet Earth?

Im gonna wait to see where Bendis goes with this before i condemn him.

 

[Marcdachamp]

Here's the thing though; (and mind you, im not a particularly staunch Bendis supporter by any means, especially in view of his opinion in regards to the Hulk's "mass murderer" status)...

arent we kind of putting the cart before the horse here? It's true that when the dust from Annihilation settled, the Skrulls were still a planet-less people, reduced to petty squabbling and in-fighting amongst themselves, but isnt it possible that a new Kree/Skrull war could involve that race trying to reunite and regain a planet of their own by infiltrating the Kree and/or planet Earth?

Im gonna wait to see where Bendis goes with this before i condemn him.

Logic! **** YOU! This is a comics forum!

It's interesting, no question. This book's got me more interested than any other right now. It wasn't the best thing I read this week, but looking at what Bendis has in store, I'm VERY pumped.

 

[PhotoJones]

Here's the thing though; (and mind you, im not a particularly staunch Bendis supporter by any means, especially in view of his opinion in regards to the Hulk's "mass murderer" status)...

arent we kind of putting the cart before the horse here? It's true that when the dust from Annihilation settled, the Skrulls were still a planet-less people, reduced to petty squabbling and in-fighting amongst themselves, but isnt it possible that a new Kree/Skrull war could involve that race trying to reunite and regain a planet of their own by infiltrating the Kree and/or planet Earth?

Im gonna wait to see where Bendis goes with this before i condemn him.

It's possible, I suppose, but not probable. What we know from Bendis is that he likes to keep a pretty tight continuity. The problem is that his continuity exists only on the books he writes. I'm saying that if Bendis does indeed go the route of using the Skrulls as a massive threat, I bet he'll do without once referencing Annihilation.

 

[Marcdachamp]

VERY good week.

World War Hulk- PICK OF THE WEEK! Very good stuff. Huge action and awesome art. Really not much left to say. Only problem I had with this was I thought She-Hulk was depowered? Strange. 9/10

New Avengers- Hmmmm. Some very strange implications from that final page. Just when I thought I knew where Bendis was taking things, he throws us another curve. I LOVED the interaction between Clint and Peter. I'm so glad he turned out to be Ronin. 9/10

Justice- Man, if more DC books had fun stories like this, rather than that multiple earth's nonsense, I might be a bigger fan. Krueger, Ross and Braithwaite delivered a great series. So many characters had great moments, even Plastic Man, one of my personal favorite DC characters ("Form of a Giant Lawn Mower"). Oh, and that two page spread of the Legion? Man, it just makes me want another old school style series, but this one featuring the classic Legion. DC, I'd buy that in a heartbeat. 9/10

Cable and Deadpool- Great issue, but a bummer at the same time. Providence was a great part of this book, and I really liked Blackbox. Oh well, I'm really interested in seeing where the story goes. On the plus side, Creed got the royal ass-kicking he's so justly deserved. That's great, I couldn't stand him being with the X-Men. 8/10

Nova- Picked this up for the Thunderbolts cross-over, and I'm glad I did. I won't be buying this regularly, but the exchange between Robbie and Rich was really nice. Great cover, too. 8/10

Spider-Girl- DARKDEVIL! Man, I've missed him. He's one of my favorite supporting characters in this book. For some reason, I really don't get into May's non-powered supporting cast, though. 8/10

New X-Men- Whew. Really thought he bought the big one (I won't give any names). Glad he didn't, though, he's one of my favorite characters. I HIGHLY doubt the other death this issue is real, as well. Seems very unlikely. I'm still trying to decide if I like Skottie Young's art, here. He's definitely no Niko Heinrichon. I would've loved to see Niko handle the whole arc. 7/10

Punisher: War Journal- The story is good, but it's taking its sweet time getting off the ground. 7/10

Also bought the Planet Hulk hardcover. Can't wait to sink my teeth into this. t:

 

[Dread]

A short week for me, especially since I chose to bypass WORLD WAR HULK. I know it is a development of about a year's worth of build-up, but despite reading HULK for years for free via a relative's sub, I just am not terribly interested in the character. I know what he represents and has had many great stories, but he's just virtually unbeatable physically and that takes pretty much any drama out of a fight scene. Either Hulk will always win, or they come up with some baloney "magic bullet" way to kill him which never works. I'll be getting whatever tie-in issues of other books there are, like AVENGERS: INITIATIVE, GHOST RIDER, and probably MIGHTY AVENGERS & NEW AVENGERS. But I haven't read PLANET HULK, nor care to. However, it is good timing for Marvel to have the HC of that story as WWH #1 hits the shelves. And as Marvel knows full well that Iron Man needs some amount of de-*****ing if they are going to have a prayer of milking him properly next year for his movie, I can see WWH as a sort of redemption, providing a threat that is only stopped because Iron Man, through sin and vice, assembled most of the heroes together and attempted to have them trained. On the other hand, half the appeal for fans is seeing Iron Man get beaten down as if he was Dr. Doom or something, which is he very close to being. Anyway, I need a rest from another mega-event, and as I am not as invested in seeing Hulk basically imitate Doomsday's schtick, this is it.

Especially since if I did get it, I'd likely get suckered into buying more books I can ill afford because I am a sucker for action sequences.

Still, another solid week, with some quibbles however. And I will end up evoking statements from BrianWilly once.

Worldmind suggests Level 12 Planetary Spoilers. Proceed with Caution.

DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 6/13/07:

JUSTICE #12: After two years it finally comes to an end. This series has gotten some criticism, and some of it is warrented. Some say it essentially is a fairly generic JLA story, and investing 2 years and $42 (plus lord knows how much in HC and ABSOLUTE form) is a bit much. Others naturally pin it as more proof of Alex Ross' almost unending lust for the Silver Age, especially the 70's era of DC (an era that, ironically, DC is once again strip-mining for ideas). Still others note that DC has been cynically greedy in releasing it, often cranking out multiple covers (which always lead to ridiculous shop over-orders) and releasing it in THREE (!) mini-hardcovers to catch impatient suckers who can't wait for the entire shebang in one Absolute edition (that, as always, will be horribly overpriced. Yes, NEW FRONTIER is awesome, but for $100 bucks!?). That point I agree; it's terribly shameless, and considering DC's sales have not been much to brag about compared to Marvel for quite some time now, cynically exploiting their remaining audience just doesn't smell right. However, the rest of these criticisms I believe miss some points. Yes, JUSTICE took quite a while to finish, but unlike, say, the ALL-STAR line, or ULTIMATES 2, or ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK, or even ASTONISHING X-MEN (which truthfully is better anyway), Ross & Co. have been honest about this pacing. They said bimonthly for 2 years since issue #1, so if fans didn't realize what that meant until after issue #7 or #8 that is their own fault. As for the story itself, yes it will reak of genre cliches. But the point of Ross & Co. was telling a definitive JLA story using the "iconic" roster of Superfriends heroes and enemies. On that level, it succeeds. Ross was unafraid of Silver Age designs, almost to a fault, and merrily went about embellishing them in an era when making everyone darker and more leathery is key. I say to a fault because at the end he revives Brainiac's pink silk shirt and no pants design from SUPERFRIENDS, which is just utterly ******ed, and has been mocked for good reason. At first the villains, the Legion of Doom, seemed to be acting to save humanity by doing what the JLA never did, directly solve problems and establish power bases. It inevitably all turned out to be a mad scheme by Brainiac to take over the world, which may have been unique had we not seen this storyline done a few times elsewhere, including JLU a year or so ago. It also was packed to the gills with more and more characters towards the end that it could get dizzying counting them all up or figuring out who was there in armor and who was being impersonated by the Metal Men or something. But, Ross & Co. did boil down the core of these characters, from Hal's bravery to Superman's determination to Batman's drive and whatnot. In tales where other writers seek to blur the line between good and evil, Ross never does; bad guys are bad guys and he'll iron out why because they always have a choice in some way to be more than they are. There is some random stuff done by Joker, but in the end I felt it was a little obligatory, like it is only there so Joker could play some role in a story that really didn't need him. Considering how damned overexposed the Joker is, I would have been hesitant to use him beyond a cameo early on. You have the JLA saving the world from everyone and everything imaginable, from sinking cities to nukes and whatnot, and it is acceptable in that fantastic omnipotent superpower way (in one scene, J'onn psychically links Grodd and Luthor while Grodd uses the Quardian Ring to stop the Nukes). Perhaps the best bit is that without giving him long hair or a hook hand, Ross & Co. protrayed Aquaman as a bad-arse. And in an age when many comics can be read in a few minutes, these are always packed to the gills. Yes, this is "yet another" LOD vs. the JLA story, where the JLA saves the world by the final bell. But the point was to take that sort of Silver Age dynamic and do it well and definitively, and to me it succeeds. Ironically, the heroes end up removing ALL nukes from the world and giving humanity a chance to hopefully evolve, and the future shows they do, into the future of the LEGION OF SUPERHEROES in the 31st century. All that praise said, the schedule did lead me to forget about it after every issue, and if any book needed a recap page, it is this one. Some bits are a cluttered mess as Ross & Co. sought to get in everyone they could think of, but it's been his strongest work in a while, at least since his first oversized specials (the SUPERMAN & BATMAN ones were the best, SHAZAM was alright and WONDER WOMAN was a bit "meh"). Hopefully, though, Ross has said everything he wanted to about the Silver Age and can find something else to inspire him. The ending was slightly anti-climatic; instead of a defining showdown with Brainiac, he just ports into his outfit that not even Sailor Moon would be caught dead in, and gets frozen in a shrunken ship. "Great Hera". Speaking of which, seeing Diana crumble & be reborn from Cheetah's attacks was actually interesting. Zatanna was just there for her powers and little else. But despite the flaws I liked it for the fundamentals. The age of cynicism can't stop some from doing black and white superhero yarns. I inevitably will read it all in one sitting, which likely will make my head spin with all the namedropping. It makes the cast of KINGDOM COME look small. And I do feel sorry for the LCS' like mine that have like 2-3 dozen of each cover on the shelves, because that is where they will be for the next year, right next to some stray copies of ALL-STAR BATMAN #1 and the last few issues of JUSTICE and 52 that got overordered. And I am concerned with DC resembling a snake eating itself on stripmining their past so much. But for what this is, so long as you could cope with the flaws and the release schedule, it was fine. Least for me. I enjoyed it, although not more than other books, but more than some.

NEW AVENGERS #31: While still an improvement from a lot of the fare pre-CW (like THE COLLECTIVE), this title is bogged down by some slow pacing, some at-times scratchy art by Yu, and Bendis' fetish for ninjas. I bet BAD DUDES was his favorite game on the NES, a game where all you did was fight ninjas to rescue the president (and proclaim, "I'm bad!" in grainy NES vocals after every stage completed). It also is one of those comics that shows you something on the cover and then attempts to build up to that scene like it was a surprise. The cover plainly shows Echo gutting Elektra; the interior spends 3-5 pages building to this like it was unexpected. This is a problem with many comics these days and probably is the reason why many covers are generic, to avoid doing things like that. To Bendis' credit, he throws in an even bigger twist at the end to counter this. This team has much more chemistry than the last assembly, although there still are problems. Iron Fist gets in some play, using his "iron fist" strike as a sort of ground wave (think "Power Wave!" from Terry Bogard of Fatal Fury/KOF fame), which was kind of cool, and trying to shake Echo free of her brainwashing, but is outdone by Dr. Strange and still seems obligatory, like he is only there because he's Cage's best buddy, the Robin to his Batman. Spider-Man and Hawkeye have some fun trying to one-up each other in banter, until you remember that Hawkeye is a character Bendis has utterly mutilated with silly deaths, sillier resurrections, and the silliest "revenge/aimless sex/obligatory costume change" in all of comic fiction. You gave up your trademark weapons just because you needed the only costume in the room? Ugh. Speaking of "ugh", gutteral grunts of pain or anger were the the most overused lines of dialogue here. Yu tried to do something new with Wolverine in a fight, show his claws as swurling lines of silver or white chopping down ninjas. It was a worthy effort, but it just made Logan resemble a superspeed anime character. I mean, Spider-Man is about double or triple the speed of a human, shouldn't he look like that, too? Nope, he's busy shooting webs that he himself claims are useless and not even batting an eyelid when Wolverine screams for everyone to start slaughtering ninjas, and half the team agrees. This was a hero who used to get into FIGHTS with Wolverine because he killed people so wantonly. This would be understandable in ASM right now, but Bendis is still writing Peter as usual, so it doesn't fit. Still, there are positives. As I said, look past some of the errors and the team has some chemistry, especially since they all have battled together at various periods. After like 5 issues they FINALLY beat the ninjas, a feat most heroes accomplish in pages (one could said that it isn't Bendis' fault that other writers have made the Hand a joke for years, but they are still the facts even if Bendis as usual accepts only what he wants). And I did like Elektra's seemingly desperate attempts to stop Luke Cage. Plus, Bendis goes through the rare honor of explaining why Dr. Strange got stabbed so easily; the sword was covered in the "black magic" that the Hand use, which is demonic in nature (they worship some demon named The Beast or somethingorother). Strange manages to overcome it with Wong's aid and free Echo, thus rendering Iron Fist's one noteworthy moment in the whole damn arc useless. Oh, well, least was have Bru & Fraction on his solo title working wonders. The big reveal is that Elektra was a Skrull. The first thing I thought of was this rant BrianWilly made in the midst of CW where he felt the only way everyone's blatent mischaracterization made sense was that they all were Skrulls. Well, here we are. That leaves only Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, and a slew of others. But, seriously, this raises all sorts of issues, namely, how long has Elektra been impersonated? Just this arc, or longer? And is this a sign of a full scale invasion, or sleeper agents stuck here from before? Their homeworld was destroyed in ANNIHILATION, which in theory could mean they REALLY need to take over another planet soon. But the reality is that attempting to tie this into larger stories written by others is something Bendis does on a whim. If he feels like connecting to your story, he will, and half the time botch it. But most times he does what he wants and OTHERS have to adapt to what HE does. That is precisely part of why the fan community villifies him, because he is the comic equalivant of someone who can never be told "No" and always gets his way, not unlike Paris Hilton (only he works for a living, and probably would only cry if someone had Jessica Jones scream, "Not like This!!" and blow up in a story; I almost literally pray for the day when another writer has the cajones to humiliate and kill one of his characters, like he so enjoys doing to those of others). The ending also hints that maybe the Cage baby is a Skrull. Honestly I expected Bendis to end trying to introduce his storyarc with The Hood, but to hell with that. That'd have made actual sense. There is potential in the Skrull factor, though; back in the old days, they did countless Skrull imposter stories, and in the 21st century they haven't been as frequent. Bendis may want to do something simular, in his decompressed way. And at least it explains why Elektra was leading the Hand, and could take kicks to the crotch by men with 25 ton class and remain standing (that scene, coupled with his 1-2 page spread in USM Clone Saga making urine jokes, could be put on a poster of Bendis with the caption, CLASSY). Despite all the grief I gave the last issue of MIGHTY AVENGERS, that book is hundreds of times better than NA is, still, despite it's own heavy flaws. But at least this read fast, beat out past stories thanks to lowered expectations, and does open up a mystery that could be interesting. Now all we need is for Clint to dump the silly ninja outfit, Bendis to discover a purpose to Iron Fist, and hopefully not overdo Echo the next arc (she has the same ability as Taskmaster. Taskmaster has been a wuss for the past year, and she is a Bendis beloved heroine. Guess who is on the verge of being shown as a bad-arse, and who is an inch from moving from B-List to C-List). One could argue Spider-Woman is simularly wasted here, but she has been for a while so it's not an issue, besides, one of Bendis' crowning achievements was bringing her back into the fore, so I can forgive him for not always doing the best with her. The concept of the entire "conspiracy" angle the book runs on being headed by Skrulls could be interesting or terrible depending on how it is written, and I will give Bendis a chance. It is simply a shame his quality is so inconsistant.

 

[Dread]

Dread's Bought/Thought for June 13th, 2007, Part II:

NOVA #3: On the verge of becoming review-proof, this is another solid Marvel relaunch out of many they have done the past 1-2 years, perfectly building on the character's gains from ANNIHILATION and providing an arc that was pretty much full of everything fans wanted Nova to do once CW came out. The only bad part is Chen feels the need to not bother drawing Rich's scar on his face, which sometimes is mentioned in dialogue (it wasn't this issue, but was in the previous one). Some might argue that using a crossover to try to booster sales after #1 for 2 issues before another crossover event tie-in, ANNIHILATION: CRUSADE, is a tad shameless and reminds some of books in the 90's that existed solely for crossover tie-in purposes (like, oh, EXCALIBER or X-FACTOR or X-FORCE towards the mid-end of the 90's). I say, again, that criticism misses the point. Fans have wanted Nova to visit Earth and react to CW and the status quo of the Initiative, and meet Speedball, and Iron Man, and even Justice, and he does all that here. In fact the only major disappointment for some was that Nova never fought Iron Man, but that was because of Stark's "Bully Diplomacy". By that I mean, when Stark is dealing with a hero he can easily overpower, or feels he can overpower, like Spider-Man, he goes in with repulsars radiating, giving his "Resistance is futile!" speach. But against a "Level 12 threat" like the new Nova or Sentry, and all of a sudden Stark becomes reasonable, patient, and polite, allowing Nova 24 hours to "think" about registering. Quite what Iron Man would have done had Nova decided to stay and not register he never says, of course. It naturally makes more sense to engage a weaker hero than a stronger one, of course, and that I get; it's just when you compare it to other instances during CW it can be amusing. Abnett & Lanning continue the skill with Nova they showed in his ANNIHILATION mini and perhaps use him to note what critics of CW, but fans of ANNIHILATION, have said all along. Nova comes back from a space war where he watched friends and allies die, knew billions died, and witnessed alien species who had been enemies for longer than Earth was civilized reach an alliance, so he has some perspective. What he finds, frankly, appalls him. The world is more cynical of heroes than when he left, even his own parents, who are dismayed at him seeming more used to aliens than people at times (not unlike John Stewart from JLU). After doing his civic duty and apprehending Diamondhead as quickly as possible (after being jumped by him), the cops call the Thunderbolts on him. Much like Iron Man, the Thunderbolts are all monstrous bullies, only aren't as prudent as Stark, nor share any of his morals. They are used to ganging up on C-Listers and taking glee in hobbling them. Gargan-Venom (I dub thee Genom) outright murdered Typeface during the final battle and has shown no qualms about adding to his body count yet continues to be used as a resource. And most of all, Speedball went through a trail by fire like Nova did, but instead wasted all of his potential to become a psychotic Voldo ripoff who couldn't even come up with a unique codename, but had to steal one from a gal from Generation X. How does he even SEE through that spiked fetish helmet!? Nova reasonably asks the Thunderbolts not attack because civilians are in the area, and they don't care. Nova withstrains himself as best he can and still manages to beat down Genom & Moonstone, until Emoball blows him through a building. Nova essentially takes their best shots (with the only marks to show for it were some tumbles and some dusty armor spikes) and was clearly ready to go all Annihilus on their asses until Iron Man swoops in and saves them, basically. A while back in the NOVA topic the question of jurisdiction came up and that issue came in here; towards the end Nova was reading the Thunderbolts the directive of the Nova Corps as they presumably were on the verge of becoming a Corps worthy threat. The Corps guard over the entire universe, but does the Earth recognize it? Abnett & Lanning also include one bit that has confused readers; The Thunderbolts and SHIELD (which Iron Man is head of) work together, but the Thunderbolts act under the orders of the CSA, NOT SHIELD. The CSA is American, and thus corrupt (until Bush leaves office; my I pity comic/TV/movie who will be at a loss for inspiration once Bush leaves; "Bush Bashing" has become not only a political movement, but an entire genre that will be lost in 2008-2009) and SHIELD is international and, well, also corrupt, but sometimes more reasonable. Nova is rejected by his parents and finds his old school has been condemned; in this way the 2-parter is an allegory of growing up and realizing you can't go home again, because you have evolved past it. Nova meets Robbie Baldwin, and is naturally appalled at his new psychotic digs and essentially tells him to "not let them twist you into something you're not". He offers his parents a video "Dear John" letter, but doesn't feel Iron Man is worthy of that. ZING. Lots of times, people debate what sort of character is considered relatable or sympathetic, but I say Nova has become both easily. He said and reacted pretty much every way he should, which means the writers have done their job. Contrary to what Bendis, Millar & the architects of CW will say, bending characterization to have characters act as the story desires regardless of who they are and what they stood for is a sign of WEAKNESS, not strength. Any hack could write a story where Superman date-rapes Wonder Woman, but only a competant one knows Superman enough to know he'd never do that. The gang gets it right with Nova here. He's just out to save the universe and has, and has gained experience and perspective that others at home, to his dismay, lack. Nova feels out of place with his hometown but that is what keeps him seeming human, ironically (he can face down aliens, but not his parents). He hasn't been overwhelmed by cynical media spin and has a clear objective reaction: The World is Nuts and I want Off. He'd rather go fight the Badoon. There's yet another crossover tie-in coming, but I can't argue with a 2-parter that gave fans what they've asked of the character for months now. Abnett & Lanning know that a story is satisfying without twisting everything to try to outthink the audience, a lesson not even HBO writers know. Nova delivered expectations and still rocked hard. Over the past year, some characters have stumbled, and some have risen and evolved. Nova is the latter.

PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #8: I would have liked this story a lot more had Fraction just told it straight. It would probably be shorter that way, but more satisfying. Instead Fraction has made the mistake of too many writers these days who feel they can make a standard story more "artsey" by mucking with the order of scenes. The film MOMENTO made this popular (in the modern era) and no end of movies and comics have ripped it off. But this effects things like expecting a scene where the sudden revelation of Hate-Monger as leader of the National Force is supposed to have any weight, when this was obvious in Part 1. For some stories, mucking the order can build suspence, but here it has made it more annoying, which is a shame because it is simple enough that I might have still enjoyed it. Punisher decides to don his "Capt. Punisher" costume seemingly not only to honor the death of Cap, but to use his image to combat the "cracker Nazi's" of the National Force (as Hate Monger is using a bastardized version of Cap's uniform). Unfortunately, Hate-Monger has become a villain whose arrogance has morphed into outright stupidity, something I call "pulling a Vegita" that is all too common as well. Rather than just kill Punisher, instead he ties him up, gloats, and then is baited into untying Punisher and keeping him alive enough to walk into Frank's trap, and inevitably lose. I like seeing heroes, or anti-heroes, win over the baddies, but it feels empty when that victory is because the baddie is a ******. Which is a shame because Hate-Monger actually does look sort of cool, like big nasty Nazi version of Cap's design. Some of Punisher's taunts were funny as hell and Olivetti's art is solid even with generic pics of trees for some backgrounds (headbutts look like they hurt when afterwards you have a chunk of eyebrow flesh missing). Even though the cover gets the merged symbol of Capt. Punisher wrong on his chest, but not the background. It's absurd dumb action like MIGHTY AVENGERS, only unlike MIGHTY AVENGERS, the Punisher is acting in character and having an understandable, if not insane, reaction. I mean, it's no news flash that Frank Castle's off his rocker. Ennis basically established that he's been so since Vietnam, at least, and Fraction is smart enough to be honest about that. Castle's cared more about Cap's death then everyone in MIGHTY AVENGERS (and no, I don't give a rat's butt if they react in a one-shot. Why can't in character reactions be shown inside their core books? Because decompressed writers can't be bloody bothered to interupt their precious yarns to have their characters act like human beings!?). He hasn't gleefully betrayed his friends and then went on about life like it never mattered. And this book isn't written by the most overrated writer alive. It's hardly perfect, but I'll stay on it for now. I do wonder what is in store for this after the Initiative tie-in is over, especially as sales seem to slowly be dipping. It's a fun absurd little book. I at least hope the finale with Hate-Monger is satisfying despite the scene order. It doesn't get any better than stomping Nazi's.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

On the other hand, half the appeal for fans is seeing Iron Man get beaten down as if he was Dr. Doom or something, which is he very close to being. Anyway, I need a rest from another mega-event, and as I am not as invested in seeing Hulk basically imitate Doomsday's schtick, this is it.

Still, another solid week, with some quibbles however. And I will end up evoking statements from BrianWilly once.

He's not close to being Doom.

And ONLY once if you're lucky. It most likely will pop up somewhere else, if not here.

 

[Dread]

He's not close to being Doom.

And ONLY once if you're lucky. It most likely will pop up somewhere else, if not here.

Dr. Doom is a guy in armor who became enemies with his best friend and seeks to take over the world in order to "save" it and produce his idea of a better one. Backstabbing allies for personal gain, or when they are of no use, is also a standard tactic.

No, Iron Man isn't Dr. Doom. Stark seems to have slightly more honor (such as in allowing many in Cap's resistance "second chances" to register and not be arrested) and token willingness to avoid conflicts. But at times he has seemed very close lately.

It's not Stark's fault. The fault falls at the feet of Millar, JMS, Hudlin, Jenkins, and other writers who ridiculously overplayed the SHRA hand to make them seem loathesome in order to throw the audience. They were supposed to be the heroes and Cap was supposed to have made an error in judgement. This would have worked had the writers not been afriad of the audience catching on and properly built that, instead of making Iron Man a jack booted thug who hires supervillains and providing splashy distractions like Clor and Spidey Unmasking. Some of the one-shots that came via delays made far better sense of Iron Man's agenda without villifying him than some of the core mini's. But it is what it is.

He'll eventually be redeemed, though. WWH could be part of it.