Bought/Thought June 25th, 2008

[CaptainCanada]

A huge week of books, including a whopping nine regular purchases plus two spur-of-moment ones. And everything is pretty good, too. Great, in many cases.

Avengers Fairy Tales #3

I don’t follow these normally, but this one was Young Avengers-themed, so I figured what the hey; the "fairy tale" of the month is Alice in Wonderland, which was a book, but whatever, with Cassie Lang in the Alice role. The setting is in 19th century England, where Cassie is trying to fit in with all the other Young Avengers kids, but they’re jerks (there’s a particularly hilarious take on Eli and Kate as a snooty upper-class couple who enjoy playing nasty tricks; in Wonderland, they’re the King and Queen of Hearts), so she runs off and ends up shrinking into Wonderland. C.B. Cebulski seems to be having a lot of fun with this setup, and it’s maybe the most purely amusing comic I’ve read all week. This is the first of two Young Avengers comics with art by Takeshi Miyazawa this week, and his work is quite good (Wonderland is a kind of Victorian steampunk world, with Cassie’s dress fitted with mechanical wings for some reason).

Captain America #39

One issue from #40, eleven from the landmark #50, and apparently only three issues away from the end of this epic story in #42. The solicit promises a final battle, but whether that’s truly the end and we transition to something new, or just continue on, remains to be seen (I’m eagerly awaiting the solicit for #43 next month). As indicated by the cover, NuCap (as they’re calling him at Marvel, according to Brubaker) comes face to face with Evil 50s Cap (can we get this guy a proper name?), but only at issue’s end. The bulk of the story is leadup; Bucky and Sam spar and invest some pages in developing a decent friendship, and it’s quite fun, before Bucky takes off to investigate Senator Wright, who gets a big boost in popularity when Evil 50s Cap saves his life. My favourite part is with Sharon, who is now drugged and eleven weeks pregnant in the infirmary, a room she shares with Sin, which is hilarious; after her last escape attempt ended in failure, she tries again, and gets the drop on her guards before holding a knife to Sin’s throat. Sharon’s had a fairly compelling downward spiral the last 14-ish issues, but it’s nice to see her getting back in the game. Guest art comes from Roberto De La Torre, and it’s quite good; the various artists on this book (and Frank D’Armata) do a great job of keeping a consistent look.

Fantastic Four #558

Millar’s first arc on the title I thought was pretty good, but it suffered from a really gratuitous antagonist who was clearly only there to give the Fantastic Four some villains to knock over while all the more long-term plots were set up. This issue, though, really clicked; we transition to the next arc with the appearance of Doctor Doom, who shows up at the Baxter Building demanding Reed’s help, after a squad of baddies break into the Raft to try and free him. The "New Defenders", as they call themselves, are also the family of Johnny’s girlfriend Psionics (whose name is Cindy), and they’re quite powerful, enough to easily penetrate the Baxter Building (and the Raft, for that matter), defeat Ben Grimm, and subdue Doom effortlessly. The idea of an opposing family of villains to fight the First Family has a certain appeal; Mark Waid tried to recreate the Frightful Four as a sort of dysfunctional family in his run, but these guys get along fine, so they’re more dangerous. However, the most intriguing bit involves the kids’ new nanny, Ms. Deneuve, an elderly, Harkness-esque woman, and what she knows about Valeria: Valeria’s intelligence has taken a quantum-leap, making her almost as smart as Reed, but she’s hiding it from everyone because she thinks it will disrupt the family dynamic (make Sue isolated, please Reed but ruin his relationship with Franklin in the process). Hitch’s art is quite good here too. This is Millar at his best, I think.

Green Lantern #32

Part 4 of "Secret Origins", and things are starting to get interesting, with the arrival of Sinestro, some compelling interactions between Hal and Carol, and the origin of Hector Hammond, who gets hisself some superpowers and goes on a villainous rampage at issue’s end, with Carol as his objective, since he’s a bit possessive. Sinestro’s appearance ties in nicely (including some dialogue references) with the origin backup in the Sinestro Corps Special a year or so ago, but we don’t get a huge amount of interaction (although he does a nifty power demonstration); I still feel this story has been too slow, but now it’s about up to speed. Reis’ art is, of course, terrific.

Huntress: Year One #4

Ivory Madison’s fantastic origin story hits its fourth chapter (of six), as Helena executes the boss of bosses of the global mafia, Mandragora, who ordered the hit on her father, and then, with some advice from "the Pope" (one of the dons), goes after the man who actually carried out the execution, which takes her back home to Gotham City, and to Wayne Manor in particular, where her love interest Tony is getting married, with a reception hosted by the fabulously wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne, who has invited all of Gotham’s mobsters over so that he can eavesdrop on them (Alfred disdainfully notes that they’re getting such scintillating information as "you’ve got to try the shrimp"). We get Helena’s first meeting with Barbara (in an airport bar in Italy, where the latter is attending a conference), and later she turns up as Batgirl, helping out with the mob surveillance; I’m looking forward to Batman and Batgirl coming face-to-face with the Huntress next issue. Madison’s writing is very strong, and this issue lacks some of the more blatant Feminist Statements that kind of threw me off in previous issues. Cliff Richards provides excellent art, that captures the feel of a Godfather-type film very well.

New Avengers #42

Another case of Bendis rewinding the clock and following the career of Queen Veranke in her Spider-Woman guise, filling in what she was up to in various New Avengers plots, and answering various fannish questions (for example, why people like Tony Stark and Reed Richards aren’t on the chopping block immediately: the Skrulls want to try them; also, this issue confirms that Tony clearly isn’t a Skrull, not that there was much doubt). The end leads in to Cheung’s third issue, which will come in a few months, explaining what the Skrulls were up to in House of M (an event which, as demonstrated here, they were not actually behind, so much as caught up in).

Runaways #30

Whedon’s six issue run comes to an end, and with it my involvement in the series. The scheduling has resulted in a ludicrous four-issue pileup of Young Avengers and Runaways-related material this week. Anyway, the ending is decent, but, as with Astonishing X-Men, I can’t be prevailed on to care too much. Moving on...

Secret Invasion: Runaways & Young Avengers #1

The Runaways get first billing this time; I suppose having a (nominally) ongoing series trumps greater popularity (theoretically, at least; YAP so far hasn’t measured up to the first volume in sales, but I’m not sure that can be used as a proper indicator of interest in a second volume with creative carte blanche). As with the first issue of the Civil War miniseries, this issue is better than 90% Runaways-related, with the Young Avengers making only a token appearance in the battle, followed by Xavin rescuing Hulkling (temporarily, at least). Most of the issue is either setting the stage with the Skrulls (including a brief, years-ago flashback with Veranke discussing the issue of Hulkling, who is the issue of the daughter of the rightful emperor; Veranke wants him dead), or sees writer Chris Yost introducing the Runaways’ newest member, child-bride Klara, to the 21st century; these scenes are executed quite well; Yost has a great talent for capturing characters’ personalities. Takeshi Miyazawa is on art duty, and his style works quite well for the Runaways (heck, he was their artist for a bit); I’m not sold on his rendering of the Young Avengers yet, but then, they’ve barely appeared. All in all, this is a promising start.

She-Hulk #30

I dropped in for the guest-appearance by Hercules; I enjoy Peter David’s writing, but I generally never end up following his books, either because they’re peripheral (and with so many good books out there, I’m drawn to things that are relevant) or because Marvel sticks a terrible artist (Larry Stroman) on them, forcing me to drop it. Herc’s appearance is quite well-done (slotting in as part of the road-trip between issues #115 and #116 of his title), as he and She-Hulk brawl with a Celtic god, and then get it on (before she hurriedly leaves on a case, leaving him feeling used; Athena and Cho agree that she will not call him). A fun story.

Uncanny X-Men #499

The five-issue post-"Messiah Complex" arc concludes, as Scott and Emma save San Francisco from the damn dirty hippies, getting in the Mayor’s good graces in the process (Angel saves her from getting hit by a truck, and, unlike most MU politicians (or people in general) she does not react by blaming the whole incident on him), while Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler brawl with Omega Red, before hightailing it home to their new San Francisco digs, where the X-Men will be pitching their tent for the foreseeable future. The two plots in this book have held my interest somewhat unevenly throughout; in one issue, one is interesting and one isn’t, and often it hasn’t been the same ones; here, both stories are mostly action, but the hippy plot is the better of the two (it’s more important, for one). Martinique ends up running away and ending up in the company of a mysterious figure who will be leading the "Sisterhood of Evil Mutants" in the coming months, which should be fun. Art duties are split here, with Choi doing the Russia plot, and Ben Oliver doing the San Francisco stuff; it’s a shame that Choi couldn’t finish the whole arc, but Oliver does a decent job. Choi’s off to X-Force now, where I’m looking forward to seeing him work. Weird cover, by the way; Emma looks like her hair-dryer blew up. I’m very much looking forward to the arrival of Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson next issue, but Greg Land makes me tear my hair out; I can only pray he’s quickly sent somewhere I don’t care about (I’m sure one of the Ultimate titles needs a new artist?). Fan opinion has been divided on this arc, but I’ve found it an amusing diversion, and Brubaker is clearly having a lot of fun playing with the big guns. And speaking of Matt Fraction...

Young Avengers Presents #6

The miniseries (or series of one-shots) concludes with what is probably it’s best issue (only Paul Cornell’s #4 gives it any competition); looking back, I think it was a mistake for Marvel to go with the format they did; the team would have been better-served with concocting a six-issue story for them, which would make up for the writers’ inability to actually push the plot forward in most cases; what we got ended up being a series of stories that, at their worst, seemed to exist merely to reacquaint us with the characters; at their best, they captured the feel of the original volume. Fraction probably comes the closest, and, after reading this, put me down for him on the next one. The story is about Kate, but he’s the only writer who makes full use of the team (not that the other writers’ necessarily should have; 22 pages necessitates story economy), albeit in most cases only briefly; also, Cassie is, like last issue, hanging out with the gang like Civil War never happened; eh, what a waste of a good story. Kate goes on a date with Eli, which ends in her giving him the dreaded "friends" speech, before Hawkeye, er, Ronin appears ("the Central Park carriage ninja"), leading to an archery contest over the custody of Hawkeye’s bow, which Kate loses; at which point she falls into depression, then, at Speed’s instigation, goes to break into the New Avengers HQ and steal it; Clint is impressed, and lets her keep it. Great writing from Fraction, and great art from Alan Davis.

Best of the Week: Hmm, I’ll give this to Young Avengers Presents, for bringing back the feel of the original. Huntress: Year One is close behind.

 

[Kevin]

Mighty Avengers. Dropped.

 

[Dread]

Last week, I only got three comics, and one of them was Image. Apparently, Marvel saved their comics for the week when FINAL CRISIS #2 shipped. Not a bad strategy in terms of business, but bad for the wallet. 13 books, nearly $40, and I want to scream when it comes time to type review posts. Whole lot of SECRET INVASION stuff this week. June ends with a bang.

As always, full spoilers ahead.

I flipped through FC #2, and Superman's line "praying" for a resurrection at J'onn's funeral was unintentionally hilarious. The X-Men should have funerals like that.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 6/25/08:

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #14: After two issues of Gage & Uy mostly running the show, Slott & Caselli return for the SI crossover tie-in. Considering Yellowjacket spends whatever time he isn't in MIGHTY AVENGERS on this book, it makes perfect sense to include him. Slott & Gage set this up with the annual and now green fruit is being borne. I must say right off the bat that Caselli's art was sorely missed; he IS this book and designs that Uy struggled with, Caselli usually nails, specislly the new 3-D Man's costume.

Like all good A:TI issues, this one splits focus to several characters. It runs with the revelation that Pym is a Skrull and uses that to explain how he survived the Texas explosion and then KIA's blast; being a super-Skrull allowed him to survive, while selling the lie that Pym could "shrink" to subatomic levels to live. While this at least hints that Marvel was setting up SI since 2006-2007 behind the scenes, in a way it is a shame that all of Slott's attempts to try to redeem Pym again from Bendis' mucking are for naught. But the rest of the issue kicks so much butt that it really doesn't matter.

Crusader gets a bit of play and naturally Slott & Gage are having a ball with Robert Kirkman's MTU left-over as a Skrull superhero who actually LIKES Earth as it is and doesn't want it conquered by his kin. When a minor lunchroom detail clues Crusader into thinking Yellowjacket is a Skrull like himself, he is stuck in a terrible situation; how to tell anyone without immediately revealing himself as a Skrull? He resorts to using his "Freedom Ring" to warp reality to get out of some jams, but at the end of the issue, it comes back to bite him, as most cheesy powers should. I thought Crusader was a bit of a Dues Ex Machina type character in MTU but Slott & Gage have really helped flesh him, and SI actually comes at a good time for him. Nice to see another "good" Skrull besides Xavin in RUNAWAYS.

The other half of the issue is focused on Delroy, formerly Triathlon, who has decided to accept his legacy fully as the new 3-D Man. He gets his blessing from the "original" WWII pair before heading off on assignment to the Hawaii team where he has been stationed. They cite being the first line of defense against Asian monsters, and that bit actually feels accurate considering how many monsters Marvel has. Among the group of newbies is Devil-Slayer, which at least explains why Nighthawk wasn't allowed access to him in THE LAST DEFENDERS (Stark stationed him elsewhere). It isn't long before one of the rookie heroes proves himself to be a Skrull. Fortunately, the goggles Delroy got from the original 3-D Men allow him to be able to detect the Skrulls regardless their enhancements, a major advantage in SI. Some may be miffed that a D-Lister like him has this ability when uber class mages like Dr. Strange and whatnot can't, but I don't mind. It isn't everyday you can claim a story made 3-D Man look like a bad-ass, but this one did. Unfortunately, when he returns to the Hammond base in a panic regarding the situation, Crusader uses his ring to save his identity, therefore making Delroy see EVERYONE as a Skrull.

In fact, the only major bummer is a typo. Crusader claims Delroy is wearing the garb of the hero "who slaughtered his mind half a century ago." He means "kind". It is official; Marvel editors do nothing besides give interviews.

While the core event of SECRET INVASION has been mediocre at best (which is an improvement on HOM), so far it has spawned some decent stories from the tie-in's that won't matter one whit to the core mini. This is one of them. Despite the serious subject matter, Slott & Gage never forget to have some amusing one liners here and there to break the tension. Once again, Eric O'Grady is hilarious; Robert Kirkman is like a gold mine for Slott & Gage.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #39: Unlike Millar & Hitch's FANTASTIC FOUR, this series is clearly seperated from the rest of the Marvel line right now and sales haven't dove nearly as much. Granted, the high from the death & replacement of Cap is still paying dividends for the book, which should bring caution to anyone eager to get Steve back in the mask. Bucky's selling just as well if not better for over a year now.

This is another issue that manages that line between seeming to have little happen before the end pages, but having enough that you never feel cheated. The Red Skull's flunky, Sen. Wright, pitches his false Third Wing campaign and an attack is set up to introduce the Grand Director as the Skull's "Cap", and he looks and sounds almost exactly like the original, enough to fool the masses. In a more perfect world, one could imagine Marvel ****ing out this plot detail to other books for reactions, if only they weren't all busy ****ing out Bendis' little green men. This act at last gets Falcon and Bucky onto a fresher trail to finally rescue Sharon Carter. Sharon, who is still preggers with Steve's lovechild, manages to begin another escape attempt on her own, turning the tables on the vicious Sin. And the battle of the Cap's as depicted on the cover starts by the end pages.

De La Torre comes in to fill-in for Epting and does a good job. His style matches that of Epting & Perkins enough that the change is noticable but doesn't upset the flow of the book, which is ideal for fill-in artists (and sometimes a lost fact of comics). The scene where Sam & James are sparring is as good as Perkins or Epting make action scenes look. The book of course has some chilling commentary about the current political climate looking for "change" (which in politics is as tired a cliche as anything) and desperation with the economy and whatnot. Written at least a month or more before being printed, Brubaker was able to see some trends coming and the book is very contemporary without seeming pandering. The fact that Bucky, as Winter Soldier, did actually murder the Grand Director's old partner Nomad/Jack Monroe, is only the icing on the cake of their battle. Considering Brubaker has given us three Bucky vs. Crossbones fights within a year and all of them were cool, I have no doubt this conflict will be special, too.

Reviews for this book get a little routine. Every issue is good, and if you're aboard you know this by now. The question every month is merely, "How good was it?" CA is skipping SI, because it is kicking too much ass to worry about Marvel's color of the month. Besides, we'll all get to read Bucky being written horribly by Bendis in SI soon enough.

FANTASTIC FOUR #558: The one time Mark Millar adheres strongly to continuity, it is something Bendis did. Years and years of friendships developed over decades of stories by a multitude of writers destroyed in CW without nary a thought, but when his Ultimate-Founding Butt Buddy does something, oh, STOP THA PRESSES, we gotta make it fit. **** on a hat. Crap like this makes some fans like me bitter towards certain writers.

Yes, in this issue, Dr. Doom returns. Millar is very careful to note how the fiends, calling themselves the New Defenders (not to be confused with the LAST DEFENDERS that Casey is writing in a mini; but because he didn't help found Ultimate, Millar doesn't care about stealing his thunder, see?) broke Dr. Doom out of prison and seem intent on doing the doctor harm in some way. Even Victor is afraid of them and running for his life, trying to ask Reed for help. The bad guys pound Thing into the street, scare his new girlfriend, and reclaim their target. Between this and MIGHTY AVENGERS, it has been a bad year for Dr. Doom. No year I can recall did two writers seem to work in tandem to turn Marvel's most dangerous villain into a pathetic, sad sack schmuck. It sucked when the latest FANTASTIC FOUR: WORLD'S GREATEST HEROES cartoon did that on CN every week, and it sucks here. One caveat is that Millar actually redeemed Ultimate Doom from Ellis' hoofed monstrosity, so those who have faith Millar may set Victor right at the end of the arc can be justified in some optimism. But right now, Doom is looking about as bad as Bendis' Nekkid Fembot Ultrona. Of course, I understand what Millar is getting at. He wants the reader to go, "OMIGOD, if even Doom is scared of these guys, they MUST be bad-ass!" And while that works every week on WWE RAW, over here where more intelligent storytelling rules the day, we recall how Dr. Doom completely jobbed to the Mighty Avengers and SENTRY of all heroes, so this reaction can only be met with an eye-roll. Timing really is everything.

This event naturally spooks Ben's new girlfriend, but she may in fact be a spy. Serves him right for completely ignoring Alicia Masters after, basically, encouraging her to dump her faithful fiance to give his craggy arse a chance to commit again in THE THING. We also learn that Valeria is more than she appears to be, but so is her old nanny. Johnny Storm breaks up with the worst named supervillain of 2008, Psionics, because she can't stop her crime sprees. In typical cliche fashion, she whines about funding a noble cause. And considering we don't know the angle of the New Defenders yet, besides stalking Dr. Doom, they very well could be on a noble cause. So was Moy last arc, just things went haywire on 'em. They are another family of superpowered beings, seemingly being led by the Hulk, in his "Professor" persona. If this is seriously the Hulk, then Millar is purposefully ignoring about 2-3 years of Hulk continuity (at the least), further pigeon-holing this FF run as an "elseworlds" type deal, which won't help sales. For the record, despite all the hype, and the fact that this run is actually pretty entertaining, FF has fallen back to McDuffie levels.

Of course, "Dr. Banner" may not be Banner. Back in the 90's HEROES FOR HIRE, the Hulk was cloned by The Master, and that clone was seemingly left for dead when his base exploded. For all we know, this could be him. Or another gamma impostor. But with Millar, you never really do know. Much as the arc is titled, "THE DEATH OF THE INVISIBLE WOMAN", while half of me is certain it is a ruse, like the other few times stories promised this, I remember that this IS Millar. A writer who, along with Bendis, has turned destroying characters, either through actions or actual death, into a drinking game.

Hitch's art is what it is, you are either into it or not. I usually enjoy it, although I will say that his "rivets, pouches and zippers" designs get just as old as spray-painted spandex after a while. At the very least, I am amazed this has maintained a near-monthly schedule for a good 5 issues now. I guess Satan is wearing a winter coat and shoveling snow off his lawn, because it's gettin' mighty chilly down there indeed. Or maybe having lost to Cassaday and Ryan in the semifinal match for the title of "Slowest Artist of 2007-2008", Hitch is shrugging his shoulders and grinding it out, satisfied that he has already won his "Slowest Artist of the New Millennium" trophy for ULTIMATES 1 & 2. Seriously, he started on those books before the War In Iraq started. I wonder if even Hitch's bed-sheets are leather, have 4 zippers, and a pouch. For "realism".

Nitpicks aside, it was a decent issue, and I am enjoying the run overall. Millar at the very least isn't being as bleak or anti-American as usual, and I do get the feeling that he genuinely likes the Four franchise. Unlike Bendis, I still maintain hope for the direction of the run here. But the next issue or two may be key to that.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #16: The last issue by co-launchers Fraction and Aja seeks to wrap up the last year and a half of IF stories into an epilogue sort of story. It sure has been a long period for the man once known as Luke Cage's lessor half, and it has been one of growth and discovery, not to mention endless potential. It isn't every year a character's franchise foundation comes out improved after modern "revelations", but this one has. Maybe it helps that Fraction & Brubaker stuck with the genre and basically went to the furthest conclusions, rather than insert things awkwardly (like, oh, web-slingers and magic, thanks JMS).

With the tournament over and Xao's scheme to destroy K'un L'un over, but with the man dying leaving more questions than answers, Rand and the rest of the Immortal Weapons have to move on. While they investigate the rumor of an 8th City of Heaven (and Fat Cobra enjoys the modern world), Rand gets his affairs in order. He runs a dojo for underprivileged kids, and turns his company into a charity organization. He is giving the "blood money" back to society, as a hero should. Being mentored by Orson and learning more about his heritage has made Rand a stronger person, allowing him to focus and embrace his mystic destiny. There is a 2 page sequence that pretty much gives you a perfect montage of why adding a legacy onto the IF franchise works so well for it.

Danny also tries to clear where things are with he and Misty (she is happy being FWB, but Rand wants more), and rebuilds the Heroes for Hire with Luke Cage. Along the way Fraction never forgets that Danny is a New Avenger via Bendis for years and weaves this into his stories, a favor Bendis gives for no writer save Millar. Just when things are seeming too mushy, Danny comes upon the revelation that all of the Iron Fist's before him either die or vanish by age 33, and guess how old Danny is now? I am more surprised that Marvel has allowed one of their heroes besides Reed or Stark or even Banner to be over 30. Guess Fraction caught 'em while they were asleep.

Oh, and as usual, the cover is awesome.

Fraction leaves things with a lot of potential for the new creative team, and while I'm not totally feeling them, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and an arc to prove themselves. I mean, after staying on MOON KNIGHT about 6-7 issues longer than I should have (and it was NEVER as good as IIF was), it is the least I can do.

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #10: Only two issues left to go before I leave and the series is canceled, likely at the same time. The sales for this are dire and the SI: WHO DO YOU TRUST? one-shot was a better issue of MCP than MCP usually is. That sense that these are filler stories with B-List characters and talent has never left the series and the pace is smothering.

Sure, Blade does some cool stuff in the VANGUARD story, but he'll be in CAPTAIN BRITAIN & MI-13 soon, which will be much better (oh, amazing twist; Vanguard is actually alive). There is more weird therapy with the MACHINE MAN storyline, which may or may not be ignoring the fact that Madam Menace was killed in PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL a few months ago. There is a fun if not generic DEADPOOL story. And WEAPON OMEGA limps along without a whole lot happening. When even 8 page stories seem to be dragging a little, that is not encouraging.

The market has not encouraged a monthly anthology series for about a decade now. MCP does not break this rule. In fact, it all but enforces it. It isn't completely horrendous, but I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I only remain for completion's sake. The cover's pretty cool, though.

The irony is some of the best stories were the "one and done" stories in MCP.

 

[Blader5489]

Much as the arc is titled, "THE DEATH OF THE INVISIBLE WOMAN", while half of me is certain it is a ruse

Only half?

 

[Dread]

Only half?

It shows that part of me is liking the run, and Millar's last on UFF, that only half of me is certain Millar would actually kill Sue Storm for shock value.

I thought I did explain the other half in the review.

 

[Blader5489]

It shows that part of me is liking the run, and Millar's last on UFF, that only half of me is certain Millar would actually kill Sue Storm for shock value.

I thought I did explain the other half in the review.

How many times has Millar killed major characters in the MU? I think nobodies like Hornet and Bill Foster are a bit more expendable than Sue Storm.

 

[Dread]

How many times has Millar killed major characters in the MU? I think nobodies like Hornet and Bill Foster are a bit more expendable than Sue Storm.

Hornet was such a damned waste. That was OFF PANEL. That sucked.

At least J'onn's death scene was one panel.

 

[Dread]

More of my weekly readings:

MIGHTY AVENGERS #15: John Romita Jr. lends the art to this tale by Bendis, detailing exactly at which point Hank Pym was taken over by a Skrull. The timing on this is a little ropey, because Bendis is trying to make you believe he has been planning SECRET INVASION since 2004, which is bull**** on stilts. Since 2006 I could buy. That is about when Marvel started to set things up. But things are so obviously being piggy-backed onto older stories here that it is almost funny that Bendis is selling this as more than it is. Seriously, finding ways to develop older stories isn't so bad, Bendis. But it would require admitting he was mortal, and not THE GREATEST WRITER WHO EVER LIVED, which is something Bendis finds alien to him.

Romita Jr. devotes his A-List pencil to the tale of Hank Pym, in Europe on a lecture tour during that period between DISASSEMBLED and before NEW AVENGERS started, or around NA #2 to be exact. Hank can't escape his years as an Avenger even by diving back into academia, and as usual for a Bendis story, a title character runs into a random ****, has meaningless sex, and it turns out to bite him in the arse. Seriously, hasn't Bendis done this story about 3 times by now? Didn't Mark Millar already do a "Hank Pym hits rock bottom and sleeps with a teenager" story in THE ULTIMATES? Wasn't that story overrated to death? Yeah. His Greatness is phoning it in this month.

Of course, Hank being on the rocks with Janet and seeking other lovers is nothing new. McDuffie got that ball rolling with Firebird in BEYOND!, before Bendis promptly did what he does best, ignore other writers' work, to have him sleep with Tigra. But both Firebird and Tigra are fellow Avenger heroines who Hank knew for some time before getting romantic with them, so it makes some sense. Sadly, McDuffie tried to hint that Hank may have been seeking something more than empty sex from Firebird, but that has been ignored. But this is basically Hank meeting a college student in Europe, and not only promptly sleeping with her (and everyone seems to remind her about what a loser Hank is), but revealing every single damned secret to her. I mean, if I was Hank, I'd be hesitant to tell a complete stranger about Ultron for one thing, even if she brought it up. But what do us mere customers know about human reactions? Bendis is an infallible MASTER. God himself asks Bendis for tips, right? So of course, in an outcome that was obvious by page ****ing 2, the chick turns into a Skrull, and seemingly defeats Pym in his birthday suit. Whether he is KO'd in a tube somewhere, or actually dead, is unknown. Considering this is MIGHTY AVENGERS, the second best selling ongoing Marvel usually has, it would not be unreasonable to have a major character death there, especially for an event tie-in also written by Bendis. So it is a very real possibility that Hank Pym was murdered in the nude by a random Skrull he was dumb enough to be suckered by, hook, line, and sinker. Because Hank is a chump. This is SUCH new ground for Bendis.

The story basically reveals by the time Pym arrived in MIGHTY AVENGERS during the Nekkid Cho Ultrona rubbish, he was already a Skrull. That puts things back to, surprise, about 2006 in terms of scripts (Bendis' scripts are months ahead of published issues), and MA was already running months behind by then.

The best part of the issue is detailing the ceremony, which is almost religious, that a Skrull goes through before they "become" the person they are impersonating. It involves standing naked in pools of liquid, chanting incantations, and being covered by a sheet (or skin) of blood. That part was actually interesting. And of course, Romita Jr. provides solid art to anything he draws. There are bits and pieces of a better story here, but instead, Bendis tells a rehashed tale with a character he clearly can't stand.

Everyone predicted Hank would get the shaft, because he is one of Bendis' most tortured characters, one he seems to almost go out of his way to mangle. The issue delivered on that regard. And if you think this review was laden with sarcasm and venom, we have one more comin' up.

NEW AVENGERS #42: This issue details how the new Skrull Queen Veranke, who is pretty much like the Latverian Ambassador from SECRET WAR, only a Skrull (token vile woman enemy who came from nowhere and will go back to nowhere when she dies at the end of the story) impersonated Jessica Drew. Now, of course, this is another point where Bendis so desperately wants you to believe that this has been planned for over four years, and where it is even more ludicrious. If it was, then why the GIANT SIZE SPIDER-WOMAN explaining the new powers? Why the SPIDER-WOMAN ORIGINS storyline? No, this reeks of Bendis coming up with a story idea in 2006, or refreshing an old one, going back into his text files, and making it all work. And that is perfectly fine, really, if only he would acknowledge that. But he isn't, and that's the biggest load of bull since, "I did not...have...sexual...relations...with that woman." I mean, seriously, this is a mack truck full of bull**** and the issue is a straw. How much are YOU gonna slurp? None for me, thanks.

On the plus side, Jessica isn't exactly shown outright being murdered, and if ANY Avenger turns out to be alive in a tube somewhere, it is Bendis' fetish heroine. Which gives hope to Pym fans, in the name of fairness.

This issue details that Jessica Drew, and for that matter Jarvis, the SHIELD agents and Pym, were Skrulls since NA #1, which contradicts a little of MA #15. She has been a Skrull since the jailbreak and everything was connected. Sure it was. Frankly, if it was, then SOME CHARACTER would have commented on Drew's blatent power error in NA #2. "Hey, you couldn't fly without your costume before, could you?" But there was nothing. Nada. You mean to tell me that if Bendis was planning this for 4 years, he wouldn't have laid a parade of clues? No, this is clearly back-peddle writing. The sooner Bendis admits it honestly, the smoother it will all go down.

So of course because of Drew's connections, she is the perfect position for Veranke. They infiltrate SHIELD from within and seek out to target Vibranium and the mutant population. Skrullowjacket was involved in HOM, although he didn't do a whole lot. The issue ends with HOM, which Bendis continues to rehash because it mattered to him, yet no other fan I have ever heard gives as much of a damn about it. Something happened to Veranke at that point with the reality mucking.

As an extra kick to the nards, Veranke and Skrullowjacket muse about how no one treats Pym with any respect, yet writers before DISASSEMBLED showed him plenty. It wasn't until after Bendis tainted the Avengers and after Millar went extreme on Ultimates did the Pym-bashing begin anew. I always hate when writers blame characters for their OWN tendencies.

The only plus side is that since Hank has been a Skrull since NA started, his actions during CW are explained perfectly. He didn't cause it, but he helped things along for the good of the empire. Of course, that also means all the stories about his angst, even from Bendis, were basically worthless. One of the things I hate about comics in general is the fact that revelations most often make past stories a sham and a waste of money and paper in the end. At least Brubaker & Fraction didn't do that with IMMORTAL IRON FIST, which was why that launch was actually GOOD. This doesn't explain why the rest of the Marvel heroes got divided like schoolyard ******s, but at least having Skrulls push things along on the inside makes some sense.

And there is a dig for sympathy at the Skrulls making Maria Hill a "patsy". I'm sorry, but no. I don't give a **** about her. Why couldn't SHE have been a Skrull?

All of this is for naught, as for all her cleverness, Veranke revealed herself right in front of Stark for dramatic effect. And that is the problem with the Invasion; on the one hand, Bendis tries to spook you with how scary efficient the Skrulls are now. On the other hand, they fall victim to the same tired, obvious mistakes that do villains in since the dawn of fiction (arrogance, assuming they have already won, etc.). So which is it? You can't be both efficient and inept. You have to choose. And this would be annoying enough, but now I know from solicts that we are expecting some "conflict of conscience" story element to SI, that people on Earth, even heroes, don't think being ruled by Skrulls would be so bad. I mean, out of all stories with the perennial muddled gray doesn't fit, it is this one. This is INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS! You don't all stand in a circle and go, "would it really be so bad to have our bodies jacked?" Bendis seems to live in a Twilight Zone of his own design, and the shame of it is that he didn't start his career here, but success and yes-man editors have coddled him there.

As usual, Cheung delivers solid art. And he seems to have fun recreating some scenes that Finch did, only adding more lighting and less pouting. Still, if you believe that Bendis would seriously murder his second favorite heroine (that he didn't create) and always planned for her to be an impostor since he first started doing non DD 616 work...then I have a bridge to sell you. It is the HOOEY BRIDGE and it connects you from NONSENSE to GULLIBLE. Any bidders?

I must say, though, it makes sense for Bendis to use his team comics to fill in the storyline gaps, and if one wasn't asked to swallow some mighty big fish, it would be sort of suspenseful.

Comin' up soon: NEW WARRIORS #13, RUNAWAYS #30, RUNAWAYS/YOUNG AVENGERS #1, X-MEN FIRST CLASS #13, YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #6, & WHAT IF THIS WAS THE FANTASTIC FOUR?

 

[CaptainCanada]

Why the SPIDER-WOMAN ORIGINS storyline?

Because he felt like updating the character's origin, as he has plans for her? Joe Q has said that a post-SI Spider-Woman series is still a go.

 

[Dread]

Because he felt like updating the character's origin, as he has plans for her? Joe Q has said that a post-SI Spider-Woman series is still a go.

He had plans for her then, too. He was reintroducing her into the 616 Universe. It makes little sense for all of that to have been a Skrull. Then all the inner monologues and whatnot are a sheer, complete waste. It makes more sense if sometime in 2006 or so, the story hit him and he started connecting his dots.

If you really buy this, then the Spider-Clone Saga of the 90's saying that all of Spidey's adventures since the 70's were that of a clone is good story-telling too. Fans hated THAT because it made all of Spidey's adventures for a generation worthless.

 

[Blader5489]

He had plans for her then, too. He was reintroducing her into the 616 Universe. It makes little sense for all of that to have been a Skrull. Then all the inner monologues and whatnot are a sheer, complete waste. It makes more sense if sometime in 2006 or so, the story hit him and he started connecting his dots.

If you really buy this, then the Spider-Clone Saga of the 90's saying that all of Spidey's adventures since the 70's were that of a clone is good story-telling too. Fans hated THAT because it made all of Spidey's adventures for a generation worthless.

Which is exactly why he said he canned the Spider-Woman ongoing.

 

[CaptainCanada]

If you really buy this, then the Spider-Clone Saga of the 90's saying that all of Spidey's adventures since the 70's were that of a clone is good story-telling too. Fans hated THAT because it made all of Spidey's adventures for a generation worthless.

Uh, those are separate issues.

One retcons a bunch of stuff by other writers.

Another is a writer shining a different light on his own work, whether or not you believe he had it in mind from the start.

 

[Marcdachamp]

On one hand, my week was much cheaper than expected. On the other, I had to lose 6 books in the process. Seems my LCS is suffering from some water damage to the roof. The owner put away half the titles, but decided against risking damage to the other half. Considering that I missed last week, maybe it's not so bad.

Captain America- Things are really getting interesting. Sam and Bucky's relationship is fun to watch grow. Funny how Bru's taking characters I never cared for and really making me enjoy them. Nice to see Sharon take on Sin, too. De La Torre is a suitable fill-in, but Epting is a tough act to follow. 9/10

Wolverine- This is going to be a hell of a lot of fun. No doubt in my mind. 9/10

Fantastic 4- Gotta be the best issue of this team's run. Things are frantic and all over the place, but I'm looking forward to figuring out where everything is going. Looks like Doom is really getting his ass kicked around, here. 9/10

Transformers Spotlight: Cyclonus- Man, this arc is gonna be crazy. Furman has been building up so much with so many different characters, and the pay off seems very close. Hound's team, Arcee, Monstructor, Galvatron, Nemesis Prime... oh baby, this is getting good! 9/10

Transformers Spotlight: Wheelie- This is so much better than it has any right to be. A great new take on a much maligned character, and it even fits in with current AND 1986 movie continuity! The opening two page spread, the sketchbook, and the Lilformers strips make this a great package. 9/10

Ultimate Spider-Man- "Eddie's telling everyone Peter's identity? How can Bendis write his way out of that?" 20 pages or so later and I've got a very creepy answer, courtesy of Bendis and Immonen. Yikes. Kinda feel like playing the game again, too. 9/10

Runaways- Delays killed this arc. A throughly enjoyable story, but waiting to see it end was really tough. Not sure how the team's new addition is gonna work, though. 8/10

Young Avengers- Alan Davis shows us that he's still got the goods. Meanwhile, Fraction really kills with the characterization. Loved seeing Cage and Spidey playing videogames, and Clint playing the father figure role. 8/10

X-Factor- At first, I thought I must have missed the Layla one-shot. I was kinda pissed. Glad PAD was just messing with us a bit. The ending is pretty interesting. I'm glad the team is still investigating. I really wanna see them taking on some freaking cases, though. I liked Theresa and Jamie's moment. It was pretty nice. All in all, I liked this issue a lot. 8/10

Amazing Spider-Man- The anti-smoking stuff was taken down a notch here. That's good. The Spider-Tracer mystery deepens, too. Not bad. 7/10

American Dream- Starting to drag a bit, but that's okay, the conclusion's coming soon, and Nauck's art is perfect. Kinda funny how Hawkeye ends up blind in two possible futures. 7/10

Also bought: The Umbrella Academy trade. Cannot wait to sink my teeth into this!

 

[fifthfiend]

Re: Fantastic Four 558, I didn't think it was possible to fit every single awful new-villain cliche into one book. It's like a paint-by-numbers except Millar left all the numbers visible.

Iron Fist: HOLY **** CLIFFHANGER 0MG!

 

[kguillou]

Just a question about the new NA issue, i just wanna make sure i got this right, so is it safe to say that the shadowy figure talking to Electro in NA#1 was Hank pym? Well the skrull Hank Pym anyway?

 

[Blader5489]

Just a question about the new NA issue, i just wanna make sure i got this right, so is it safe to say that the shadowy figure talking to Electro in NA#1 was Hank pym? Well the skrull Hank Pym anyway?

Uh, wasn't the shadowy figure who hired Electro revealed way back as one of the Savage Land people? I forgot his name but he hired Electro to break out their leader, because a SHIELD faction (now revealed to be Skrulls) was stripping the land.

 

[kguillou]

Well, the new NA confirmed that Electro was hired by skrulls, there's a conversation between skrull-spiderwoman and skrull-hank Pym proving that. I just wanted closure on who that shadowy figure was in #1 who hired electro and orchestrated the whole thing. Besides i dont think bendis would bother hiding the shadowy figure and just have it end up being some savage land dude, that was a loose end we never found out.

 

[gildea]

More of my weekly readings:
Bendis. But it would require admitting he was mortal, and not THE GREATEST WRITER WHO EVER LIVED, which is something Bendis finds alien to him.

Another episode in our occasional series where I ask if you've any actual proof of this? And wonder why you can't comment on the issue without commenting on the man?

 

[Doc Destruction]

Because he goes out of his way to BE the issue.

And gildea, you are the worst poster ever. And my only proof is to have everyone else simply read your posts. That's all I need.

 

[iloveclones]

Just a question about the new NA issue, i just wanna make sure i got this right, so is it safe to say that the shadowy figure talking to Electro in NA#1 was Hank pym? Well the skrull Hank Pym anyway?

In the Mighty Avengers iss, the skrull who is snookering Hank shows him the headline of the Avengers getting back together, so he wasn't a skrull yet.

It would really make no sense for the shadowy figure to be him anyway. From Electro's point of view, wouldn't you be a little suspicious that a former Avenger was hiring you to do this?

Since we're talking about the skrulls, it really doesn't matter who he was. It's like saying, "Which mask did the bank robber use, Reagan or Carter?"

I want to say something about the planning for this event. I see a lot of comments about how there's no way that Bendis was planning this since Disassembled. And that could very well be the case. But I've seen no evidence that convinces me otherwise. My suspicion is that BMB set up the shadowy figure, and the rotten-eggs-at-SHIELD subplots as kind-of Mad-Libs. In other words, he knew he wanted to do something big, so set up a framework that something he comes up later could fit into. But I'm finding it just as likely that he came up with the idea 4,5, or 6 years ago. I have no problem with that. I mean, were not talking Stephen King planning the Roland Saga over 30 years here. For all Bendis' faults, he has shown that he'll stay on a title for a good long time. Time enough to develop a larger storyline (I won't call it an epic.) I see no reason why he couldn't go to JQ and say that he wants to develop a story over a few years.

I complain about Bendis when he deserves it, but I think, so far, SI has been good. Better than HoM. Less character-mangling than CW. And less "action-movie" than WWH. And I liked all of those (in reverse order.) In fact, this might be the one time that I'm enjoying the tie-ins more than the event.

I think a lot of people are ready to knee-jerk complain that BMB is going to use this to "fix" some of his mistakes (See, all you people complaining that Spider-Woman was flying, I knew what I was doing all along. Ha!) And I would say, Oh, so what? They're comics. If he comes up with a fun little explanation post-facto, that's fine with me.

Now, if and when BMB drops some Deus Ex Machina in our laps to end the whole story, I take all of that back. But so far, so good.

 

[Doc Destruction]

For all Bendis' faults, he has shown that he'll stay on a title for a good long time.

I would consider that a fault

 

[iloveclones]

^ Ba -DUM-dum

 

[Doc Destruction]

Thank you! I'll be here all week. Be sure to tip your waitress! Enjoy the veal!

 

[DestinyMakerX]

Avengers: The Initiative #14 - I love this title so much. Slott and Gage are doing an amazing job with this Secret Invasion tie-in...the ending was so awesome! 4.5/5

Captain America #39 - This was a good issue, though not too much happened. We got the two Captain Americas finally meeting up at the end, and we got Sharon up and running, although nothing new happened that blew me away; it all seems like a set-up for next issue. Still, Robert De La Torre's art is even better than Epting's (never thought I'd say that!) 4/5

Hulk #4 - Aw man, this is definitely the best this week. Red Hulk vs Green Hulk! That was so intense. And can the Red Hulk really be Doc Samson? AHH!! 5/5

Marvel 1985 #2 - Also an amazing issue. This is a brilliant limited series. Millar is really at his best here. Tommy Lee Edward's art is also awesome. 5/5

Mighty Avengers #15 - Interesting issue. We learn how Pym was replaced by a Skrull, and it was pretty cool. John Romita JR's art was fantastic. 4/5

New Avengers #42 - So we take a close look at the Skrull Spider-Woman. Pretty interesting, nothing too special. Cheung's art is pretty good as well. 4/5

Teen Titans #60 - Well this ends an amazing Teen Titans arc. Sean McKeever is really scoring on this title. I'm very much looking forward to the Terror Titans limited series to find out what happens to Ravager! 5/5

Thor: Reign of Blood - I loved Ages of Thunder, so now we have another interesting one-shot. Fraction is really proving that he can write Thor, and I am really looking forward to his Secret Invasion: Thor limited series. 4.5/5

Thunderbolts #121 - Warren Ellis' run was just fantastic. I cannot believe that it is finally over, but it was great. Mike Deodatos' art was also amazing. I sure hope Christos Gage does as good a job (he is the perfect replacement for Ellis). 5/5

Trinity #4 - Well, month #1 ends in an interesting way. We got more of the Trinity fighting konvikt. It's all pretty cool. However, Bagely's art feels more rushed than his amazing art on Ultimate Spider-Man. Still, great issue. 4/5

 

[GoblinScrier]

I am not liking the treatment of the best damn villain in the history of comics...first Bendis has Doom's a** handed to him by the Mighty Avengers...then Millar has him SCARED....of a bunch of new characters that can torture his mind...this story better end with Doom dominating everything...and taking back his country, and show the MU just why you should fear the name DOOM!

I know this is suppose to lead to some revelation about some epic character that Doom knows or something...yeah Doom being scared of something....yeah right...Waid did it right...when Doom was in Hell...the demons were torturing him and they said "Cry, beg for our master, Mephisto"....Doom whimpering yet in defiance says "Co...rec.tion...temp..temporary master" Perfect...