Very, very short week this week; only two comics, all Marvel, and all with "event" taglines. So, let's get to it. Spoilers ahead, as always with these sort of things.
Dread's Bought/Thought for 1/7/09:
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #9: Honestly, DARK REIGN is helping this title. It has allowed Fraction to write Tony Stark with the moral high ground against a clear enemy, all while giving the impression that some of this is karma for the whole Initiative business. The idea of Iron Man being a fugitive on the run from a government that is now far more dangerous because it is being run by an outright sadistical maniac (rather than someone with good intentions, as Stark usually had or claimed to have even at his worst moments). It is easier for me to get behind Stark has an underdog on the run, and it also makes his placement on Slott's MIGHTY AVENGERS all the more interesting. It also may help rebuild some bridges with his old ally, Hercules.
Last issue we learned that Stark left a techno-virus as a parting gift for Osborn after he tried to, illegally, hack into the SHRA database to learn the identities of every superhero known to SHIELD (which is damn near all of them). This prompts Osborn to go after Stark, as well as Maria Hill and Pepper Potts, with all the gusto of a former Halloween themed psycho turned executive. I do like how Fraction uses subtle touches to show Norman's obvious insanity, such as him having punched at his window in frustration to the point of bloody knuckles. The bit that surprised me the most wasn't Norman using the media to aid in his quest to arrest Stark and his cohorts, but in how he chose to do it. He claimed that Stark & Co. knew of the "imminent" threat the Skrulls posed and delayed taking action against them to negociate. It surprised me because it reminded me of various talking heads holding the feds just as responsible for 9/11 as the terrorists because they "failed to connect the dots" and admit that Al-Queada was a worthy threat (a policy that began in the Clinton administration and Bush Jr. continued for over half a year; one could argue underestimating his enemies has remained constant). It surprised me because Fraction was having a villain use and exploit what has often been a liberal debate point to hammer the old cliche of "conservatives being best at national defense". I thought it made for a very current sort of detail to the plot and a realistic angle for Osborn to exploit.
I've commented a bit about the idea of Osborn being the Marvel Messiah right now and how ridiculous it seems. But let's make a point clear. I see the appeal of, after eight years, having someone who is unquestioningly a villain be the focal point of the antagonism for our heroes. If anyone is going to reunite many of them after 2005-2006's CIVIL WAR, it would be Green Goblin running the show. I would compare it to Luthor being President at DC some years ago, but honestly DC heroes have usually been more cooperative with each other than Marvel's. I can see the appeal of Osborn being at the helm of HAMMER and employing his bad guy allies as federal agents (in the next comic we read, former mafia goon Man Mountain Marko becomes head of a small cadre of soldiers). While Iron Man had been making villains into shock troopers and THUNDERBOLTS for years now, this time we have an outright villain to hate doing it. I see that appeal, editorially speaking. My only dilemma is that even with the Marvel citizen's compulsion to only trust the corrupt and wicked, it stretches even my disbelief that a guy who was in prison less than 6 years ago in real time for countless explosive atrocities, as well as trying to blow up New York or newspaper buildings and whatnot, is now practically an unelected Vice President of the U.S. with blind support from everyone but superheroes. Had the circumstances been better, or maybe a more believable villain winning everyone's trust, I wouldn't mock it as much as I do. That said, in terms of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and Fraction's execution with this scenerio he inherited from
"Bendis the Horrendous", he's doing quite well with it, better than he did with Zeke Stane.
In terms of our heroes, Tony Stark is in the process of trying to deliberately fry his brain to prevent Osborn and HAMMER from ever getting access to the critical data in it. He has programmed his MATRIX-esque machines to need imput from Hill and Potts, the two he trusts most beyond himself. Maria feels the idea is reckless and overreactive, but is tricked into aiding. Potts, however, ultimately agrees to help Tony. At the very least, it is a good idea of getting Iron Man back to character levels from a few years ago. Fraction has also done a bit to actually make Maria Hill more rootable than Bendis or Millar ever did. I am not saying I like her character. I just hate her less with every issue of this title Fraction writes her in, which is a positive. Plus, now the Extremis is out of Iron Man's system and while Fraction acknowledges it happened, editorial may want Stark back in the "not actually a superhuman" category, and this helps. Maybe if I was a hardcore Iron Man fan I would be more irritated at basically going back to a status quo shortly after a movie grossed a half billion dollars worldwide. I'm not, though, so I don't mind it as much.
Larroca continues to redeem himself on art after spending years toiling under Chris Claremont stories. His cover actually works for me because it is simple, and I do like his interior art. It gives the book a distinct feel to me. Plus, he can draw the armor well, which is always a plus.
This was a set up issue, but one I still managed to enjoy. If part of DARK REIGN was making Iron Man a character who can be rooted for again, mission accomplished. While he deserved some comeuppance, Osborn is overkill, and Stark is trying to do the right thing for other heroes. This is one title that might and is seeing some improvement from the new "official" event.
SECRET INVASION: WAR OF KINGS #1: A new Marvel practice is releasing a one-shot for $4 that bridges the gap between one event and introduces another, usually making for long and awkward cover titles. The cover is in fact accurate; Black Bolt, formerly a captive of the Skrulls, kills a messload of them and ends up becoming ruler of a new people. Pelletier, pulled off of penciling duties on GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, provides art for this one-shot and will be drawing the WAR OF KINGS mini that starts up in March. Space veterans Abnett & Lanning pen the tale.
I hadn't read INHUMANS in ages, but the gist of what has been going on is they've had rough times. After both Quicksilver and the U.S. government went after their Terragen Mists for various reasons, they learned that Black Bolt was in fact a Skrull and had been for an unknown period of years. That at least explains why he seemingly jobbed to the Hulk so badly in WORLD WAR HULK, and "Skrull-Bolt" may have in fact helped vote to send the behemoth into space to begin with. Anyway, the point is the Inhumans had some adventure and rescued Black Bolt. The question is, "Now what?"
Personally, I do wonder if the number of Inhumans equal or are greater than the number of remaining mutants.
With Crystal, perhaps one of the most well known Inhumans as the focal point of the issue, Black Bolt chooses to embrace the technology from his brother Maximus and travel to the stars. Using machines that are literally powered by the intense sonic power of his voice, their city of Attilan is converted to a large space vessal and goes after the fleeing Skrulls with no mercy, slaughtering many of them. In the process, they run afoul of a few Shi'ar vessels, giving the battle-eager Emperor Vulcan all the reason he needs to fight them. The Inhumans end up going all the way to Hala and battling their way to Ronan's throne room. Having been created to be elite Kree warriors centuries earlier, Black Bolt now wants to rule the Kree and take on their space enemies directly. Left with no option and seeing his role as caretaker one that was never supposed to be permanent, Ronan agrees (especially as he was given no support by Blastaar, who in GOTG is planning to invade Earth via the 42 Prison in the N-Zone).
Part of me did think that Ronan simply submitting to Black Bolt was not as dramatic as it could have been; I expected him to at least make Bolt earn it by defeating him in combat. On the other hand, one could claim the Inhumans were the product of the Supreme Intelligence many years before and Ronan usually respected the decisions of the Intelligence. But there is still a part of me that thought that DnA had to get Black Bolt as leader of the Kree within a one shot and this was just the quickest way.
As TheCorpulent1 noted in another topic, if all of Marvel history is a 15 year period, the Kree have been through a lot of crap, especially being ruled by various forces. While at the very least the Inhumans have some connection to their history, this only has to add to that humiliation of the last generation.
Crystal of course is disturbed by seeing her family become more aggressive and pro-active in their violence. She laments that they have been unable to force steady alliances on Earth and that they are easily able to leave at a moment's notice from wherever they are. She is especially disturbed at seeing the two youngest Inhumans, her daughter Luna and Ahura (her nephew) witness the new round of bloodshed. She fears for the consequences as violence, even in vengeance, usually begets more of the same. The other Inhumans, especially Medusa, see the time of the Inhumans being defensive victims being past and encourage Black Bolt's decision.
Pelletier's art was great as usual, as he is a master at drawing various kinds of creatures and locals well. The Inhumans at least have ties to the Kree in the past so there is some logic in them now ruling the empire, although part of me wonders if the decision was just done to merge the Inhumans into the space event better and shake things up. It isn't as awkward as Vulcan's "I hate the Shi'ar/I want to rule the Shi'ar" turn in UXM, but then again DnA are more comfortable in space stories than Brubaker. Overall it was an effective one-shot and a key piece of WOK literature. Even if the entire conflict between the two "kings", Black Bolt and Vulcan, apparently is, "Black Bolt randomly blew up some Shi'ar ships in his quest to nuke Skrulls, and Vulcan is always eager for a fight."
Plus, the preview of AGENTS OF ATLAS was cool.
