Bought / Thought July 19 2007.

[Kevin]

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

Like many said, WWH 2 explained the questions many of us had with the Spin Tech, now I'm wondering what the mystery with Komodo is. And cringing at the fight that will obviously be the Sentry having difficulty with the Hulk.

 

[Roughneck]

Colossus actually held his own for a while against Hulk....y'know, unil Hulk broke his hands and forearms.....

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Yeah, not sure what they're hinting at with Komodo. Maybe the fact that she can "power down" and transform

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Colossus actually held his own for a while against Hulk....y'know, unil Hulk broke his hands and forearms.....

We try not to think about that, kthx

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

Yeah, not sure what they're hinting at with Komodo. Maybe the fact that she can "power down" and transform

More like WHO she is, I mean.

 

[Dread]

Quite a large WWH week, although I only got about half the titles. On the one hand, some of the tie-in's seem rather obligatory; on the other hand, it offers rather straightforward action, and aside for FRONTLINE, is gelling rather well continuity-wise.

As always, heavy spoilers.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 7/18/07:

THE SPIRIT #8: After last month's filler, Cooke & Co. are back with their continuing adventures with Will Eisner's superhero sleuth. This issue brings together various elements from past issues such as reporter Ginger Coffee (rescued by the Spirit in issue 1), agent Silk Satin and the nefarious Mr. Octopus and his Octogon card. Ock has stolen a nuke and is set to blow Central City sky high; Spirit is on his trail and Satin literally jumps right into it. In a way, this is a reverse of their last encounter, where Satin essentially carried Spirit. This time, SHE bungles his fight with Octopus and then is rendered an amnesiac by his stun gun. The amnesia ploy for suspence is about as tired as they come, but Cooke & Co.'s classic comic noir theme manages to make it read as less boring and predictable as it is, although it goes through the motions. Spirit, or "Mr. Sexypants" manages to awaken her memory with a deep kiss; how's THAT for macho? They defuse the bomb, Satin burries her wild sexual passion for Spirit and the fella manages to save the city, but winds up in the doghouse with his girlfriend. Nothing as earth-shattering as Hulk beating people up with his alien friends, just good solid entertainment with good art and very cinematic pacing. Cooke is a master of capturing the spirit (pun intended) of the franchise with this relaunch. It doesn't sell particularly well (around the Top 90-95), but you could say the same of a lot of DC now since DiDio took over, and the fact it sells within the Top 100 at all should be amazing. I actually wasn't expecting to see this issue but it was a very pleasant surprise, a fresh gasp of air before plunging head-first into Marvel's Green Event. If you've avoided the book by now, I can only say wait for the trade, but if you're aboard, you likely know how I feel.

WORLD WAR HULK #2: Normally I review books in alphabetical order, but since a few of my titles springboard off this, and since this is the "big comic" of the week/month, may as well get it over with here. Two issues in and while there are niggles, this is a lot more satisfying to read than CIVIL WAR was, and Pak is a far better story architect than Millar was in some ways. Which is amazing because this is the same fella who wrote PHOENIX WARSONG, which was so bad not even a completist like me could finish it. After smashing Hulkbuster Iron Man last issue, the Hulk is ready to take on the rest of the heroes. The only one who has a prayer against him is Sentry, because of his sheer power to "calm" him. Unfortunately, Sentry is still sitting about his house zonked out on head-meds and being a general mess of psychosis molded into the shape of a man, so Hulk's got to face everyone else. To Pak's credit, he doesn't have Hulk simply jolly-stomp everyone; he has the Warbond appear as Hulk's own "team" to even the odds when the Mighty Avengers and half the New Avengers show up to fight him. She-Hulk tries to reason with Hulk, but the Hulk is essentially beyond reason; I did at least like that Pak made the gesture, instead of going a route I have gotten used to with Millar & Bendis, which is to pretend these characters have hated each other forever. The fight goes as expected (Hulk can't lose so early), although I do question some of the power levels, simply because we don't know them. Brood is just a Brood drone bug; albeit one with a lot of combat experience, but it's not one of the hive-mothers or her jacked guardians. This poses a problem because the Brood are a few steps removed from the Hand; usually nasty ALIEN rip-offs, but ones that Wolverine & Gambit have slaughtered by the dozen; so how exactly does Ms. Marvel lose to one? Spider-Woman exclaims, "Each one of his buddies are as strong as Hulk used to be", which sounds right for Korg, Miek, and Hirom, but I have issue buying that from Brood & Elloe. Of course, Elloe is in some alien armor, and Red King's armor allowed him to trade punches with the Hulk over on Sakaar, so I can buy that. But a Brood beating Ms. Marvel, no matter how jacked, just seems a bit B.S. to me. I also could argue that Hulk shouldn't have beaten Ares so easily, or that Korg should have been challenged more by Wonder-Man (flight should give you manuverability), but thus is the problem with all-out action, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the battles make sense in terms of power level and sometimes they don't. One can say that an advantage the Warbond have are sheer brutal gladitorial experience, something few of the heroes they battled, save Ares, had. Hulk then proceeds to battle the FF on his way to avenge himself against Reed, and not even a classic "Reed B.S. machine" to duplicate Sentry's energy, nor a combo attack with Human Torch & Storm, nor Mr. Fantastic going elastic, can do much against Hulk. Naturally, half of the appeal is Romita Jr.'s art, and while you do notice he had less lead in time for this issue than the last, he excells at action, and Pak's not a writer who drowns his artists in dialogue (as Bendis does; good lord, some issues of USM all but screamed of Bagley's boredom). I did like how Rick Jones tried, and failed, to calm the Hulk and that the Green Giant seemed the most fazed from some "mental" spell from Dr. Strange. Trucked out at the end is Gen. "Thunderbolt" Ross with another wave of Hulkbusters. Ross makes sense, and now the old coot at least is justified in his vendetta against Hulk (even if he spent years provoking his rampages). In another book, Ross has his own squad of Gamma-Corps freaks, but I took a pass on that book. Despite the simplicity of the action (fight Hulk, lose, repeat) and despite some characters seeming to go down very quickly, this event is working out better than CW did. There is less pretentiousness of questioning genre expectations or political laws. There is a lot less talking and repetition of debate points (although the tie-in's have shown us Hulk's video and Stark's defeat a billion times by now, but 'tis the nature of the beast). This is just good ol' fashioned superhero slobbernocker action. It also benefits from the fact that this isn't the first time Hulk has battled superheroes before, just now he has a legitimate revenge motive, even if the motive's specifics are not clear. The Illuminati who sent Hulk into space may not have rigged his ship to explode, but Hulk has every reason to assume it was them so far. It was great seeing Thing have his one-sided rematch with Hulk; you know he'll lose, as he has some 99 out of 100 times, but you have to give it up for the lug for trying.

In fact, the only major flaw in the story is that it runs the risk of overdoing a good thing and sacrificing some characters' power levels for the sake of the plot. By overdoing, I mean the concept of Hulk beating everyone down is cool in the beginning, but it can ware thin and get predictable, and at worst could merely become an offering to Hulk Fanboys. And for power levels, every one of us could come up with ways Iron Man or Dr. Strange or Reed could have better defended themselves against Hulk, even within 24 hours, but they can't because the Hulk can't either lose or be appeased until October. But at the very least we have solid action and art, and for the first time in years, an event that unifies heroes and has them acting, well, heroic (unless you read FRONTLINE, that alledges the government hates blacks, poor people, and every liberally protected sacred cow). Pak on the one hand does want some of the audience to feel for Hulk; but on the other, he has no qualms about how berserk he is now. He just BEAT DOWN HIS OWN COUSIN, who had NOTHING to do with Sakaar, because she was in his way. He has been a hero, but he also is uncontrollable, and uncurable. PLANET HULK in a way showed that, that the Hulk lives for combat and no peace with him can last long (usually due to others provoking him; in this case, Brood & Miek didn't want him to be docile).

It's a summer blockbuster with some of the same flaws, but at least unlike CW, which was treated as one despite needing some subtle writing and better flow, this event so far seems to have more together. I just hope that the ending is worthwhile; two events in a row with shoddy endings is one thing; 3 will be a strikeout.

AVENGERS: INITIATIVE #4: Even in the pitch stage, this title was destined to tie into WWH; just now said tie-in is 2 issues instead of one once it became an ongoing instead of a mini. Much like with his CW SHE-HULK tie in, Slott is a master of continuity and in weaving around the plot of his own book with the tie-in, so that it feels like a natural issue that happens to cross over with the event, rather than something obligatory (example on how to muck this up is next). In fact, WWH doesn't happen until about halfway through the issue. Hardball manages to sneak out a sample of Stark's SPIN-tech to his blackmailer, who lays in his hooks for future machinations. Hardball is examined a bit and it is shown that he is holding back with his powers, and that he is still a jerk, albeit one who isn't having life cooperate for him much. Justice is still counselling Cloud 9 and trying to not only seperate her from the shady supervision of Gyrich & Gauntlet, but act as a moral compass. However, a visit to MVP's home seems to reveal that the boy is somehow...alive? But Hardball just passed his corpse on panel this VERY ISSUE! Ah, Slott, you master of mystery. Is it a twin? A quickly produced clone to cover things up? A ghost even? Who knows. The kids are in the middle of a track-and-field exercise when WWH happens. As it turns out, there was a very good reason the SPIN-tech failed to beat Hulk in WWH #1; that was the very bullet that Hardball swapped with a dud. It is a bit of an amazing coincidence, but then again, so are most superhero origins. And it works to give Hardball a lot of guilt over his actions, which will work down the line for the title. Komodo obviously was spooked by last issue's events, and now has become more of a "following orders" type. It also is revealed that War Machine was kept out of the loop as to Stark's dealings, and the construction of the Hulkbuster armor is shown; Slott once again proves himself reliable and skillfull with working in continuity, therefore showing that writers who treat such things as a bane (Bendis) merely lack imagination, skill, or humility. The recruits direct traffic and stomp some looters for a bit before deciding to try to fight Hulk head-on, something that not everyone is gung-ho for. I like that some of the older heroes naturally show off their experience over the younger ones; Rage mentions how he was an actual Avenger before Triathalon (who is a field commander), and Slapstick, Thor Girl, and Ultra-Girl naturally are more gung-ho about it than Cloud 9 or Hardball. Oh, and Slapstick on "morale duty"? Classic. The kids apparently run into Hulk & the Warbond after they pummeled the New & Mighty Avengers, but before they battled the FF, from WWH #2. Which means they lose. But that's a given, and may become a problem with all these tie-ins; the ending is pre-determined from page 1. In the background, Gyrich reveals his "black ops" team; Trauma, Bengal, Constrictor, the Scarlet Spiders, and some armored woman. They're vastly weaker than even the kids and Trauma's powers would only enrage the Hulk, so I don't see them having any better success either. Of course, they're there to bring the kids home, not to battle the Hulk (covers may be misleading, but who knows). While the ending to this tie-in is somewhat pre-determined, Slott brings in enough natural elements of the book to make these worthwhile chapters. Even Ant-Man is mentioned! Another solid issue of a series that leaves me wanting more and is, on the most part, telling solid stories with new characters or C & D-Listers. And Caselli's art is still amazing. An A-effort in my book, and a good example of how to do a tie-in right.

GHOST RIDER #13: An example of how to make a crossover tie-in feel random, obligatory, and pointless. Essentially during the 24 hour period Hulk gave the city to evac, he found time to not only fight the X-Men or Cho's Champions, but also Ghost Rider. Blaze decided to go in and play hero, Hulk smacks him down, Ghost Rider takes over, decides they're not avenging the innocent, so they blaze out. That's it. The art is great from Saltares & Hanna, and the book reads amazingly fast; I breezed through it in barely 3 minutes. The tie-in goes exactly as one could predict with zero hooks. It doesn't feel terribly natural at all, but a stunt to boost sales, which worked because in June, the first tie-in issue moved the book up 10 slots in the Top 100. I am not saying it was bad, or unreadable, or not pretty to look at due to the art. But it just feels obligatory, and I only got it because I'd been reading GHOST RIDER all along. To those who haven't, it isn't essential for WWH. If you always wanted a well drawn Ghost Rider vs. Hulk fight, though, you'll be entertained.

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST: QUASAR #1: Quietly sneaking in around Hulk's giant footprints is the B-Event, the sequal to ANNIHILATION, which was an incredible story and a moderate seller despite a low key cast. It also has the benefit of bring written by Gage, who has quickly proven himself efficient and solid at Marvel superhero stories. Phyla, or Quasar, and Moondragon set out on their quest to find the lone Kree who can seemingly save the universe from the Phalanx. They meet up with the Priests of Pama for rest and guidance, but wind up attacked by the Phalanx anyway, and especially their new big, bad minion, Super-Adaptoid. The guy basically went to space because he hated humanity and embraces the "bliss" that being assimulated by the Phalanx brings. It makes a lot of sense for andriods to enjoy it most of all. This also provides a blockbuster enemy, as S-A has the combined powers of the Avengers, including Capt. Marvel. What I did like here is that Gage shows that Phyla is still a rookie with the Quantum Bands, but that doesn't make her a feeb, or incompetant, a mistake other writers make. She uses what skills she does have, as well as surprise, to escape for a time. Gage even weaves in the Cotati, otherwise known as the plant aliens who caused Iron Fist a lot of hassles. The priests get slaughtered and Phyla & Moondragon are out for blood. Some of the dialogue does feel a little stilted, but it is to be expected with space epics, and Gage acknowledges Moondragon's past with the original Quasar. It is so good to see a rise of writers who acknowledge and use continuity, rather than ***** about it (Pak, Slott, Gage, Fraction, etc). Lilly's art is solid as well, doing well with complex designs and high octane action. Gage also wins points for not turning a lesbian couple into a soft-core cliche. Much better than WRAITH was (so far). It also is good that Gage has selected a powerful enemy for his potent heroines, rather than just underpower them (NOVA last week showed that even a "Level 12 threat" like Rich could be challenged and even possibly killed). It is a shame that ANNIHILATION may never get the pub over Marvel's A-event, but so long as it always delivers on the fundamentals, I don't mind.

MYSTIC ARCANA: BLACK KNIGHT #1: Mystic Arcana is an event being told via a series of one-shots with an interweaving sidestory with Ian McNee, a boy mage who last appeared some 20+ years ago being remade into a hybrid of Harry Potter and John Lenon as he gathers some mystic artifacts for some quest. The cover is misleading; the story inside does not feature Dane Whitman, but the original Black Knight, Sir Percy, basically retelling his origin. There is a lot of stilted exposition and whatnot, but solid art. Still, I wasn't impressed with it, and was a little bit miffed that the cover was all but a bait-and-switch; imagine the cover of a story featuring Thor, but inside, it's nothing but a flashback of Eric Masterson. If any book justified flipping through comics in-store before buying them, this is it. It's not bad, and Black Knight historians may geta kick out of it, but I wasn't impressed. Neither good or bad, but a book I'll forget rather quickly, and will cause me to question picking up the Sister Grimm issue. Especially since the interlocking backstories are not terribly friendly to readers who don't get all the one-shots. I guess as far as Sir Percy origins go, it was a decent retelling at least, well drawn and whatnot.

 

[Dread]

Part II, which has some launches:

THE ORDER #1: Or, THE BOOK FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE CHAMPIONS, EVEN THOUGH IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM AND MARVEL JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE LAZY WAY OUT WITH A FRANCHISE TITLE. Honestly, giving an original franchise an original name that doesn't confuse people by connecting it to a prior one it has no connection to should seem basic, but Marvel essentially needed legal threats to have common sense. That aside, this is Fraction, writer of PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL and co-writer of IMMORTAL IRON FIST launching a new series from the basis of the 50 State Initiative. The cover gives the impression that this will be another collection of stock characters, but so far displays more intelligence and humor than one may have expected. Enter Henry Hellrung, a former actor who played Iron Man in films who became alcoholic and sobered up years before the actual Stark did, and helped him through AA. Now he is Anthem, one of the new team of metahumans being made under Stark's orders. They stop a rampaging "Infernal Man" and save California, but Fraction very quickly burns through some of the designs Millar & McNiven introduced by having them get fired for night-time drinking binges; these "created" heroes sign a clause not to drink or do drugs, which hampers their judgement. The technology that artificially produces super-powers only lasts in their bodies for a year before the strain gets dangerous, thus the "1 year gimmick" to the title (4 years in real time, perhaps). Pepper Potts is remade as "Athena", who cybernetically moniters their progress; it makes sense that Stark would trust people he knows with his plans. The issue also makes very clear that SHIELD's initiative is NOT the same as the U.S. government's machinations, and sometimes they do step on each other's toes. The explaination as to why Ares doesn't mind the takeoff on the Greek pantheon was very funny. The new team assembles and their first threat appears to be an assembling of some Cremlin adversaries, who at least appear to look a lot like Gargoyle, Crimson Dynamo, Iron Maiden, Ursa Major, et al. But aren't some of those dead? Guess that waits until next issue. This was actually a solid effort; Fraction accomplishes the rare task of inserting a retcon without it seeming terribly jarring; Henry weaves into Stark's backstory rather well, and as Stark usually tries to keep his personal demons unseen, makes sense why we've never heard of this guy before. The rest of the cast and their powers are explained, and they look alright enough; I expect the next few issues to flesh them out more. A solid start to a rare thing for a Marvel title; a book that introduces a new franchise with new characters. Let's hope it is rewarded with better sales than these sort of things due to being hooked into THE INITIATIVE push. I feared this would come off as a ripoff of X-STATIX, but it doesn't, and the one-year gimmick at least is a gimmick that was explained right out and doesn't seem too unrealistic. I feared that making the one-year limitations mandatory as some government paranoia thing would lead to bitterness and whatnot, but it being a limit of the empowerment process flows better with the genre. What WOULD someone do if they were given superpowers for a year and a task to defend their home state from evil & disasters? Guess we'll find out. Consider me aboard.

SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP: MODOK'S 11 #1: Believe it or not, I have seen longer titles to a mini (usually X-related). Every now and again, especially seeing the success of modern crime/mafia/caper movies and TV shows, Marvel has tried launching some books that focus on the criminals; UNDERWORLD was the last notable one. This one shirks any mafia trappings and deals with straight-up colorful, garish super-baddies. As an obvious riff on the OCEAN's series, MODOK employs 11 villains to steal something for him for a fee of $5 million each; sounds simple. The hook is that not all of these characters have been straight-out villains; some have just been folks down on their luck. Armadillo was a has-been hero who was quickly bounced from the Rangers superhero team of Texas (and I mean FAST, like 3-4 months real time) and is reduced to wrestling for cash like a pit-bull for a Latino hood. Rocket Racer is taking care of his comatose mother and running out of cash. Puma, on the other hand, has always been a merc for hire, as are just about any other baddie here. MODOK's origin is retold and played for some dark humor, and it works well; his design is too goofy to take completely seriously, and Van Lente keeps some levity to it. The rest of the "11" so far, for lazy scorekeepers, are Nightshade, Chamleon, Mentallo, Living Laser, and the Spot (who is the wisecracker of the team, not unlike his enemy, Spider-Man). Van Lente does acknowledge continuity, although not as skillfully as Slott; in a way it seems random that Armadillo was bounced from the Rangers so fast, and Purple Man is supposed to have fled to Canada in CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES, yet here he is running a casino that Mentallo tried to dupe. The Spot was recently killed and resurrected by the Hand 2 years ago in WOLVERINE. It treats supervillains seriously without having them be superhero punchings bags, and naturally has a cast with varying motives and powers. Other series have attempted to pull this off before (IDENTITY DISC comes to mind), but this may have the best shot, especially as it keeps some has-beens from getting too dusty. I haven't heard of Van Lente before, but he pulls off this issue here, and Portela's art is solid. I wasn't big on Armadillo spouting some token Spanish, but aside for that this is a solid launch to a mini out for some caper fun. Any book that makes MODOK readable has a shot with me.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

I like how the Living Laser is in use again so quickly after his ressurection, doing what he wants to do most, be human.

I also like how the Initiative makes good on their deal to just terminate bad heros. Granted, they probably should've given them a warning first. But if they didn't, then they wouldn't have big boobed girls who make armies.

I also like how that guy in Mystic Arcana is fated to bang Le Fay.

 

[Roughneck]

I didn't like how Purple man is back and running a Casino he got last week.

Wasn't he just kinda....run out of the country?

 

[Dread]

I didn't like how Purple man is back and running a Casino he got last week.

Wasn't he just kinda....run out of the country?

Yeah, in CW: CHOOSING SIDES, he fled to Canada with U.S. Agent hot on his trail and eager for a beat-down. So it did seem odd that he slipped back in to run a casino so soon.

But, if Kingpin can do it (at the hands of Whedon, no less)...

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

Yeah, in CW: CHOOSING SIDES, he fled to Canada with U.S. Agent hot on his trail and eager for a beat-down. So it did seem odd that he slipped back in to run a casino so soon.

But, if Kingpin can do it (at the hands of Whedon, no less)...

Whedon isn't super awesome like some say he is.

Either way, USAgent, if ever he finds this out, would drop OF like a sack of Brood to get back to America.

 

[PWN3R]

Colossus actually held his own for a while against Hulk.

I knew it I knew it. Colossus > MU

...y'know, unil Hulk broke his hands and forearms.....

 

[Dread]

Whedon isn't super awesome like some say he is.

Either way, USAgent, if ever he finds this out, would drop OF like a sack of Brood to get back to America.

No, Whedon isn't. I was just saying.

I expect U.S. Agent to run into Purple Man eventually if OF officially becomes an ongoing.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Ghost Rider #13

That sucked. Basically, Ghost Rider and Hulk tussle with each other for a few pages and then GR leaves. End of issue.

Honestly, that's it.

It wouldn't be so bad if it at least delivered on the action like WWH X-Men does but the whole thing seemed to be over before it began.

The art was good.

2/5

Captain America #28

This issue immediately loses a point for lack of Red Skull.

In any case, it was a damn fine issue, it was nice to see Nick as always, especially now that his appearances have become much less frequent.

This issue really sets things up more than anything, so there's not much to say. Looking forward to next month.

4/5

Countdown #41

People have said everything there is to say about this title.

The only reason I'm getting this is to not be utterly lost when Final Crisis finally rolls around.

2/5

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

I knew it I knew it. Colossus > MU

Pretty much everybody else held up longer. o.o

 

[CaptainCanada]

Black Canary #2 - If nothing else, I think this miniseries proves that Tony Bedard should be writing the upcoming Green Arrow/Black Canary title. In the first two issues, he has demonstrated a very strong handle on the title heroine, her adopted kid, Sin, and now, in this issue, on Green Arrow and Speedy II. There's nothing here quite as Gail-Simone-surreal as the Elvis kill-team from issue 1, but Green Arrow's spiel about the types of arrows her carries comes close (my favourite being "fake uranium arrow"). While the first issue focussed pretty much exclusively on Black Canary and Sin, with Green Arrow appearing only in flashbacks, this issue is, if anything, divided up pretty evenly between Green Arrow and Speedy, BC and Sin, and the villains of the piece, Merlyn and a faction of the League of Assassins (Bedard recaps the current status of the League, and how various different factions are looking for a successor to Ra's, namechecking recent developments involving both Talia and Cassandra Cain). Black Canary's role in this issue is actually fairly minimal; Green Arrow and Sin are probably the most important. This is an under-the-radar miniseries, but it's highly enjoyable.

Captain America #28 - The fourth installment of Brubaker's instant-classic "Death of the Dream" storyline sees various different plots in motion; two issues ago, the Red Skull's disturbingly dangerous/sexy daughter Sin departed to assemble a team for some vague mission. As the cover gives away, the team is a new incarnation of that classic Captain America villain group, the Serpent Squad: their first mission is raiding a stock market facility and blowing some stuff up, which will cause major trouble on Wall Street, which the Skull wants for reasons as yet unclear (between this, and his meeting with the Treasury Secretary in #26, it’s safe to assume the financial sector is in for a beating). Next, they plan to spring Sin’s boyfriend, and Cap’s first gunman, Crossbones, from SHIELD custody, with aide from Doctor Faustus. We see Crossbones being interrogated by Professor X in this issue, and this is one of the many reasons I love Ed Brubaker; ‘realistic’ books like this tend to ignore characters like Professor X when it suits them, but Brubaker has Tony do the logical thing and ask him to help, only to find a completely reasonable reason why Xavier can’t help. Sharon and Sam, meanwhile, are on the trail of the Red Skull, and we get our first flesh-and-blood appearance by Nick Fury in a good while.

Gargoyles #5 - This is an erratically published indie comic, but the cartoon series was a major part of my childhood entertainment, so it doesn’t bother me all that much, especially since I get to see all the plot threads I remember being picked up (although it just rubs in the fact that the second half of season two is not being released on DVD, which, again, is abominable). This issue is pretty wild, featuring the trademark humour and drama of the cartoon, with more violence and swearing then would have been permissible on a 90s cartoon show. The main focus here is on the Illuminati, which was the most underdeveloped part of the show, and simultaneously one of the most intriguing, so I’m glad to see it get attention. And, after a brief breakup, Elisa is already back to admitting her love for Goliath and her being a part of the clan; it was only two issues, but it felt like longer. The Illuminati has their hands in so much stuff at the moment that it will be fascinating to see what happens next.

New X-Men #40/Endangered Species #4 - The Limbo/Belasco/Magik arc reaches its penultimate installment, and I have to say that I haven’t been enjoying this storyline as much as some of the previous ones, largely because I wasn’t a reader of the original 80s New Mutants series, so I have no real investment in the Magik character, or this entire aspect of X-Men continuity. Nevertheless, the issue is good, and contains enough character stuff to satisfy me. Anole, Pixie, Rockslide undergo notable physical transformations; Rockslide, in particular, is on his third form in this series; I think I liked the second one best, but I haven’t seen enough of his new molten form to really judge. There is one truly priceless moment, which is Pixie’s reaction to finding out that she has a whole in her soul as a result of Magik’s actions. It’s also worth noting that this is about the only X-book that makes any attempt (and perhaps, has ever made any attempt) to portray Sentinel Squad ONE and the whole ONE setup as being even remotely useful to the X-Men; in fact, both this and the previous storyline featured the Sentinels going side-by-side with the X-Men into battle. It’s nice to see Kyle and Yost trying to do something with what has largely been a mismanaged editorial edict. I’ll be interested to see how this story wraps up, and what ultimately becomes of Magik.

Over in the "Endangered Species" story, Beast talks with Kavita Rao, the only person on his contact list that isn't a certifiable supervillain, merely ethically challenged, and now penitant. This sequence establishes that all samples of mutant DNA taken are inert, rather than just mutants themselves, but the more important issue is what ethical lines Beast may be willing to cross in search of a cure (Rao notes that he has Arnim Zola's phone number, in response to his criticisms of her, which she does not deny).

World War Hulk #2 - Another good issue. So far, this series has done a strong job of delivering what it promises: lots of smashing and bashing, with some genuine emotional/character moments. This is a straight-up blockbuster style of comic. Although if, like me, you think the Hulk is ludicrously overpowered, your mileage may vary.

The story continues to be surprisingly fair to both sides here; if anything, the Hulk gets the short end of the stick. He quite frankly comes across as a vicious thug, albeit with a genuine grievance, who is the odds-on favourite in every fight, while the heroes arrayed against him are facing next to impossible odds and the possibility of death and dismemberment, but don't desert their friends and allies. I honestly don't know how someone could think that the Hulk is being set up for anything other than a huge dive in the final issue at the Sentry's hands; this is really the classic superhero setup: the raging monster, the One Hero Who Can Beat Him, reluctance to engage (for whatever reason), and, finally, and most importantly, the fact that all the fights the Hulk has had so far completely lack any drama. The Hulk is portrayed as an utterly unstoppable force; if he was actually battling hard to get what he wants, I might think otherwise, but there's really no dramatic reason to frame the conflict like this unless the Hulk loses in the end.

John Romita Jr.'s art, which I initially was kind of neutral on, is much more enjoyable in the second issue; maybe it's true when fans call him an acquired taste.

Next issue promises Hulk vs. the military (he just beat the Greek God of War and a team of powerhouses, so I kind of doubt they'll have much impact) and Hulk vs. Doctor Strange; even with the aid of Hiroim, who's apparently a mystic of some skill, this is still going to be a tricky victory for the writers to convey, given Strange's incredible power.

 

[PWN3R]

Pretty much everybody else held up longer. o.o

o.o you

I still haven't read it but Colossus wins. The end.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

Except the Thing, the Hulk actually wasn't playing around with the Thing. Everybody else, he was just kinda, "Let me show you how pathetic you are by not trying."

 

[PWN3R]

Yeah you know what? Screw continuity. Colossus is big and shiny and Hulk is what....green? Oh mah gawd I'm scared. Colossus wins. The End.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

Colossus went down like the Wasp does to Yellowjacket's backhand.

 

[GNR]

I just hope it doesn't culminate into a Sentry/Hulk climax without anything else.I know we're getting a fight between the 2,but hopefully Pak can set other plots in motion besides having splash pages of KRAKKA BRAKAAMA THROOM

 

[PWN3R]

Colossus went down like the Wasp does to Yellowjacket's backhand.

The French > everyone else.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

I knew it I knew it. Colossus > MU

:heart:

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Pretty much everybody else held up longer. o.o

Lies!