Really now?
Ask and ye shall receive!
Dread's Bought/Thought for 7/23/08 Part II:
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #17: Here it is; the first issue without the launch team of Fraction, Brubaker, or Aja. The only "familiar" name is Foreman, who provided art previously during the run for flashback sequences. Here he gets to deal with the present, with flashback art by Heath, chronicling yet another Iron Fist in the legacy, this one who died in the ol' Wild West during the 19th century. These scenes are simple enough and I thought the concept worked. Swierczynski is writing the book now. His prior work was on CABLE; which I hardly find endearing.
The rest of the issue is more of a mixed bag. The issue opens with a sequence 10 years in the future, in which the child of Misty Knight is asking how his father, seemingly Danny Rand, died. I thought this was an awkward way to start, since the main character on a franchise title can almost never die outright. One could claim that it was vague enough to imply that Rand, at the very least, dies within the next 10 years of his life, and isn't exactly specific to this CURRENT threat to his life. But still, I thought it was a bit heavy-handed and unnecessary.
As for the rest of the issue, it starts off where Fraction & Brubaker left off; Danny Rand has just turned 33 years old, and has also just discovered in his K'un L'un tome that virtually every Iron Fist has died at age 33. The only one who survived past that was Orson, and he pulled that off by quitting, which was taboo. The issue opens with a generic fight where Luke Cage and Iron Fist (back in his original costume for some reason) saving a man from some street toughs. Of course, this man is more than he appears to be. He is covered with scars and works for a dragon named Ch'i Lin. So the answer for why 99% of Iron Fist's die at age 33 is basically because, "another heavenly warrior murders them". That does seem a bit stock and cliche, but on the other hand, this IS a franchise centered around martial arts battles, and I've seen plenty of anime and martial arts films with shakier concepts. The question of course is what is Ch'i Lin and the purpose. Is he connected by K'un L'un perhaps as a measure to ensure Iron Fist's don't get too powerful or collectively drain their well of power by living longer than 33? Or something else entirely.
I was less than impressed by another fight were Rand gets pummeled. As cool as this book has been, it hasn't become so because it made Danny Rand an unquestioned arse-kicker like, oh, DnA on NOVA (or Giffen on ANNIHILATION). Every single noteworthy enemy that Rand has battled in this series, he has either lost or drawn against. Think about it; HYDRA Robot = Lost. Davos = Draw. Fat Cobra = Lost (it is unclear whether Rand deliberately threw the fight as asked to by Thunderer's daughter, but the end result is the same). The only opponents in 17 issues that Danny Rand has ever defeated were either nameless HYDRA grunts or random fighters like the mugs in the alley. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE the expanded history, Rand has been written well as a character and he has learned some impressive new moves with his chi. But you can't include "kicking ass" into that category because he's beaten the same threats that any superhero can beat; goons. Any noteworthy opponent he has lost to, or needed aid to survive.
This fact brings me to the opening, which only required the Heroes for Hire to save the "man"/assassin from evil people, and I think that it would have been cooler if some sort of super-villain were thrown in, just to break things up. Hell, I'd even have taken Rhino at this point. Just someone for Rand to pummel besides nameless thugs. It is good that Swierczynski isn't trying to remake the wheel, but that doesn't mean he can't be creative.
Still, this isn't a bad debut issue, and sets up more. I planned on giving the new writer 6 issues and after this one, I don't mind another 5 at this time. But we'll have to see.
MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #11: The home stretch now. Only one issue to go before the three core stories are finished, and both I and Marvel can call it a day on this series. It is selling poorly and while the stories are competent enough, they move too slowly and aren't too inspired or thrilling. Not enough to endure a sluggish 8 pages a month (or what Terry Dodson would call, "speedy"). There isn't much about the VANGUARD, MACHINE MAN, or WEAPON OMEGA stories I could say here that is much different than what I have said for issues #10 or #9.
So instead I am going to focus on the one story I did like, the one-off STINGRAY story. And y'know what? Some of the better stories from MCP have come from the one-and-done tales, such as the one for Magneto a while back and Taskmaster even farther back. Even the lone Spider-Man story that was in #1 was more fun than, say, MACHINE MAN was.
B. Clay Moore provides the words and Lee Weeks, from the last CAPTAIN MARVEL mini, does some stellar art. The story involves Stingray working with some seamen (insert joke here) on salvaging a sunken ship without disturbing the sea-life below. It isn't too glamorous, but Dr. Newell earns his paycheck doing more than being a C-List superhero, after all. The crew of the boat he is with, of course, are star-struck to be working with an Avenger, any Avenger. Stingray swims into the depths to scope out the relic, and it happens to be rested near a sea-monster. Like the type that Mole Man and Collector usually handled and would rampage during the 50's for random reasons. Stingray is unable to kill it, and it happens to literally choke on him after swallowing him whole. Stingray is hardly thrilled with such a "heroic" victory, but the crew eat it up anyway.
And Weeks' art? Let's just say his panel of Stingray was so cool, someone rightfully added it as the official character picture for his Wikipedia article.
My only quibble is it seemed that Clay Moore all but forgot that Stingray has "electric blasts" that he could have tried using, before just asking the fellas in the boat for bombs. I liked Walter's characterization here as an intelligent but hardly A-List superhero and thought it was a cute little story. If these two were announced for a STINGRAY mini, I don't care if it would sell approximately 14 copies, because I'd probably buy it.
In a way it is a shame that Stingray hasn't done much over at AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE as this tale shows some of the potential with him. As I get older and sometimes get put off by certain A-Listers getting overexposed to death, I find some lessor-exposed C and D Listers that I like and kind of wish had more supporting roles on team books. Stingray is one of them.
The rest, eh, whatever. Just waiting for the endings to all three and not expecting any of 'em to be satisfying or make sense.
NEW AVENGERS #43: What I absolutely adore (sarcasm) about Bendis' stories is that when he is writing a one-shot tale that is either a pointless flashback or filler, he actually does a solid, decent job; able to handle a character well. It is when he writes a story that actually has weight or relevance where he turns in something that is more often than not generic or Bat-Crap Terrible. At least on NEW AVENGERS.
So it goes this issue. It still takes place between SI issues with Spider-Man having run into Ka-Zar, Shanna, and their Fall people while everyone is ****ing around in the Savage Land (and from prior issues). They also run into a Skrull Captain America, who is obviously a Skrull. But he is so convincing, and convinced (thanks to the Queen's bonding technique) that he has Spidey almost convinced, and Bendis is able to make a decent story about the lone soldier's motivations and fake history. They fight "Cap" and eventually he is hit with poison darts, exposed, and killed by Shanna. Oh, well.
But, basically, this is $3 for about 18 pages focusing on a random Skrull warrior who was of no significance and repeated some of the Queen's motives for the Invasion. It isn't about taking over the world and beating everyone physically, it is about dividing them. That is why she is having "suicide warriors" pose as dead or other heroes to confuse the Avengers. But we knew this before, because the Queen has outright said this before in about 3-4 speeches. Seriously, SI isn't so complex that you need to keep hammering out the theme like CIVIL WAR supposedly was. It still is a bit jarring that so many Skrulls were ready to return to more religious ways after countless centuries just because of some planet turmoil, but I've seen worse stretches.
Another niggle is the way the Skrull is revealed. The darts hit him, and he isn't dead, but is exposed. Now, before, Skrulls couldn't be uncovered these days even if TKO'd. It was only after they actually died. Which, medically, makes no sense because being knocked or rendered unconscious can be very close to death, at least for a moment. But here, the Skrull was semi-conscious but being effected by the darts. I mean it made sense overall, but in the context of how "jacked" the "New Skrulls" have become, it seemed odd. Again, the exact power and competence level of these Skrulls hasn't been maintained or kept fluid, and in trying to "fix" past capers with the aliens, Bendis ends up repeating some of the errors. As he always does, but is too arrogant to ever admit to.
Oh, and the art from Tan is fine.
Basically, a solid, if mostly pointless, issue. Still, adding this issue to a checklist of "ESSENTIAL SI TIE-IN's" would almost seem like a cynical cash ploy from Marvel.
NEW WARRIORS #14: A SECRET INVASION tie-in, which at least boosted sales enough that my LCS was sold out of this yesterday and I had to buy it elsewhere. Maybe this issue will actually sell in the Top 100, which NW's has fallen off of in June. But I doubt that boost will last, and this may be a dead book walking. It is solicted for August's issue #18 at least, but beyond then?
Grevioux acknowledges the SI event but mostly tries to get around it as quickly as possible to focus more on what his book is about right now. Which is, the new Warriors being a bit suspicious of Night-Thrasher right now (besides just Jubilee), and the, erm, Old Warriors reacting to their upstarts. Grevioux doesn't allow the tie-in to overwhelm his story, but uses it to bring out the natural elements of his storyline. And isn't that what a tie-in should do? Acknowledge the sales-boost aspects of the event but try to stay distinct?
Turnbull comes in for a fill-in run for, presumably, this 2 issue story. He is better in style than Jon Malin was, less stiff and whatnot. It still took a few moments to distinguish some other characters like Stacy X and so on, but that is standard for a fill in artist. The fight sequences work and are fluid.
The team gets in an obligatory fight with an enhanced Skrull while following Thrash. The Skrull invasion has him questioning if his brother is really dead or if Skrulls were involved in Stamford, which is a theory many fans have guessed and Grevioux wisely taps into. The Old Warriors, or "Counter Force", led by Justice, now believe that the Night-Thrasher who is stalking around is a Skrull (since Dwayne is dead) and prepare to fight. The getting-crazier Slapstick jumps the gun and thing snowball. Turnbull I think drew Rage a bit cartoonishly huge, or maybe I was used to some other artists drawing him, well, within human proportion. Strangely, the cover seems to show Silhouette, but she isn't in the interiors. But overall, Turnball's a decent fill in for this run and if he had to stay on the book for longer than the 2 issue tie-in, it wouldn't be so bad. Even if Medina defines the book.
Yeah, the plot is a bit bare bones, providing the obligatory fodder to get two generations of New Warriors to fight. But this sort of thing was inevitable ever since Grevioux mostly ignored the "old warriors" to make a team of former X-Men behind Donyell. I can't say it worked perfectly, but it was more unique than I expected. Some characters get lost in the shuffle, though, like Chris and Stacy X; they almost seem there to pad the roster to a full count.
Still, not too shabby. Counter-Force should probably be able to overcome their counterparts via power and experience, but it will likely end in a draw.
SECRET INVASION: SKRULLS!: A Handbook dealing with various Skrull warriors and related material from a Skrullian perspective. Clever and informative.
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We barely knew ye. No, seriously, we barely knew him, but his presence had brought that tiny (HAWW!) bit more color and panache into his book, making it the eclectic awesome that it is; he'll be very missed.
