BOUGHT/THOUGHT May 9th

[PhotoJones]

However slow or fast paced it may be, are you enjoying the book?

 

[Darthphere]

We've established this as a yes.

 

[bored]

I know it's for the sake of decompression (a silly concept), but Bendis is making good use of all the space he has to work with here. The flashbacks are probably more fun than the story itself, but the main plot involving Echo and the Hand is what makes it all coherent.


Man, I still can't believe I'm defending Bendis like this. A year ago, I'd be railing at how ninjas destroyed Iron Man's armor.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Countdown #51: "Fold-out cover, mother****er!" That was my first thought upon opening this comic. You just don't see 'em enough these days. It's a relatively boring fold-out, what with the blank white background and all, but it's nice to see Andy Kubert's take on all of the DC heroes' current looks. I was especially pleased to see Mr. Miracle--the real one, I mean--on the cover. What little I can see of Steel's new look is sweet, too. It looks like they're doing away with the cape and just adding some red to his armor, which I think is a great choice. Steel's cape never really worked for me. Captain Marvel's new look is still kind of lame, especially with Mary Marvel right there next to him. They should've switched her back to the red. I liked it when each of the Marvels had their own color. Martian Manhunter's look has grown on me, although his new attitude still hasn't. I still ****ing hate Captain Monarch over on the right there.

I'm also not fond of the fact that Jason Todd still exists, let alone that he's playing a big role in Countdown. He seemed surprisingly reasonable in this issue, too. He barely even tried to kill Duela Dent, and when the Monitor did kill her, he seemed strangely affected. Plus, his line about not liking gun-toting psychopaths blew my irony meter out. I'm wondering if this is New Earth's Jason Todd or some other, less ******edly unstable version. If it's the latter, I may have to rethink my abject hatred of him. I did still wish that Monitor got to blow a hole through him, though.

Not much to speak of where the plot is concerned. Right now we seem to just be seeing a bunch of unrelated events, much like how 52 started out. I was dismayed that there was no Ion at all in this issue, but he's on the cover of #49, so I'm looking forward to that. Anyway, Darkseid's mysterious yet obviously dastardly plotting was cool. Anytime one of the greatest manipulators around has a table covered in little statues of Earth's heroes, I'm happy. The Jason Todd/Duela Dent thing was mostly confusing, although it seems pretty obvious that there's at least one rogue Watcher--I mean Monitor, and he's hunting down people who "don't belong" on New Earth. The Mary Marvel story is sad. Freddy and Billy are unqualified *****. If they don't want to give her her powers back, fine, but she's Billy's ****ing recently comatose sister; they could at least drop in and say hi or, y'know, explain themselves. Confused about what's going on with the Piper. I wasn't sure why he was back with the Rogues in the last issue of Flash, and I heard he was revealed to not have gone back to evilness in this issue, but I didn't see any of that. All I saw was that he's spying on the Rogues, he has some other plans, and Trickster might jeopardize those plans. Nothing there indicates goodness to me, unless his plan is to finally find out where the **** his friend Wally is. The visit to the Source Wall was both a blessing and a curse: it sucks that the Source Wall has now been reduced to merely the "door" between the various Earths' dimensions, but seeing "Ray Palmer" spelled out as the solution to the looming "disaster" was awesome. I can't wait for Ray to come back.

Too early to tell how this story's gonna be right now. 52 wound up moving in all sorts of directions, some of which I liked, some of which I didn't, and that was written by a consistent creative team. This series boasts a different writer on each issue, and I can't help wondering if that'll lead to more cohesiveness (because they're probably following a tighter plan) or less (because no matter how tight the plan is, each writer interprets things differently). Dini did a pretty good, if necessarily enigmatic, job here. It'll certainly be interesting to see how the others fare (except for Beechen, whose parts we already know will suck).

I give it a 37 out of 51.

 

[Sebastos]

Immortal Iron Fist #5 - Fantastic issue! We get a whole bunch of plot movement, action what to look forward to on what's ahead for this series and of course something important that Danny will be learning.

This issue starts off with the lords of the "Seven Capital Cities of Heaven" discussing the matter that someone they know from K'un-Lun has violated their laws. And so, the Crane Mother vows that the traitor must pay. Back to Danny and Orson, with an awesome splash page, we see Danny and Orson fighting the HYDRA soliders, with Danny doing various kung-fu moves to defeat them and Orson using his "gun-fu." That page was really well done, and the action was intense!

Orson enters a train in the underground railrounds and finds his real "inheritance", a book about the "History of the Iron Fist." With the book in hand, Danny and Orson jump off the train and escape the battle with HYDRA and go back to the streets of New York. Orson hands the book to Danny and states that the book is made of the scales of Shou-Lao the Undying and contains all the kung-fu secrets of the past Iron Fists! Orson tells Danny to read and learn all the kung-fu moves, to prepare for what's next.

Orson reveals that he is the one that the Crane Mother and the Seven Cities of Heaven are after. Reason being because he declined the offer to take part of the martial arts tournament with the champions of the Seven Cities. So the six champions of the Seven Cities were sent to kill Orson and Orson ended up killing one of the champions and escaped. So that's why everyone is after him, and this leads me to believe that this is why Orson gave the book that holds all the kung-fu secrets to Danny because Danny will take part in the martial arts tournament in the next arc. And Danny needs to learn the kung-fu secrets to prepare for the tournament.

Back to Steel Serpent and his plot to take down both Iron Fists, he builds his army of assassins and heads to Rand Corp to kill both Danny and Orson. And also at Rand Corp., Jeryn is there talking to none other than Luke Cage, Misty Knight, and Collen Wing! Why? Because an enemy of Danny's named Xao, kidnapped Jeryn's mother and made him agree to sell new tech to China. So now, Jeryn needs Luke Cage, Misty and Collen to help save Jeryn's mother.

Back to Danny and Orson, they are making their way back to Rand Corp. and I liked the bit where Danny explains that he owns half the buildings in Manhattan, that was so cool. As Danny and Orson make their way back to the elevator, they take it and when the doors open, they are greeted with Steel Serpent, his band of assassins, and the HYDRA soldiers!! It is here that the final battle will take place, and it's sure to be epic. Can't wait for the next issue!

Once again, this book proves why it's one of the best books Marvel has out right now. The story is just great in every way and the art in this issue was awesome. Brubaker and Fraction continue to do a fantastic job on this book. #5 was a solid read. And I can't wait to see how this arc ends!

9/10

 

[Sebastos]

Immortal Iron Fist #5

Spoiler

Pretty good issue, a few things bugged me however but more on those later.

Orson and Danny escape HYDRA with Orson managing to acquire a book detailing the history of the Iron Fist. then warns Danny about a tournament where he will have to face other Immortal weapons (which we know is the second arc).

Steel Serpent is meanwhile assembling an army to destroy the two Iron Fists. It's also hinted that Steel Serpent is working under someone else’s command.

Over at RandCorp tower Danny's Jarvis wannabe lawyer Mr. Hogarth is at breaking point after HYRDA kidnapped his mother and threatened to kill her unless he sell RandCorp to them. Desperate to get her back he calls in Luke Cage, Misty Knight and another female who I didn't recognize but I'm sure is a past member of H4H. The issues end with a fun sequence in an elevator between the two Iron Fists before the doors open to reveal Steel Serpent's legion.

As I said a few things irked me such as Danny shrugging off the fact they just murder a bunch of HYDRA goons. Sure, HYDRA was out to kill them and it wasn't directly Danny who did kill them but it still bugs me somewhat. Also some of the dialogue gets a tad confusing during Orson’s talk about the Iron Fist legacy.

On the upside both artists continue to impress, especially Foreman who sadly only gets a triply flashback sequence at the beginning.

Spoiler

The woman with Misty and Luke is Collen Wing.

 

[PhotoJones]

The Immortal Iron Fist #5 - So, there's not just two Iron Fists; there's seven. And Danny's going to have to fight them all. Thank God, Orson gave the Bible of Kung Fu. That's the big revelation in this issue. Seven Iron Fists. Or, as Orson calls them, "Immortal Weapons". If you want a more indepth review, go elsewhere.

Marvel Zombies: Dead Days - Wow, if you thought Reed was a *****ebag during Civil War, you're in for a surprise. Ouch.

Someone mentioned that with each passing return to the Zombie-verse it gets less and less fun. I think I agree. It's still fun, and it's a treat to see Nova take the spotlight for awhile, but it seems redundant. Marvel's clearly beating a dead horse AND milking a golden cow at the same time.


Next is the Holy Trio of Comics: Invincible, DMZ and The Killer.

 

[PhotoJones]

Invincible #41 - If anyone's not reading this book it's because they've never picked it up before. It's the best superhero book on the stands. That means that nothing Marvel or DC put out (superhero-wise) is better than this one little Image book. That's a quite a feat Kirkman and Co. have pulled off, considering it's about a character that's only been around for a few years.

Anyway, the story continues on at an un-Bendisy pace, with Invincible and the rest of the Guardians defeating the Squids and returning home as champion heroes. It turns out that Dupli-Kate did in fact die, and the funeral is also held, off panel in the issue. Rex survived, even though he was shot point blank in the head, and it looks like the jury's still on Ray's status. It looked like he bit the bullet last issue, but there's no confirmation yet.

We also get treated to an appearance from Brit, which I'm sure will become the norm in the coming months as his new ongoing is preparing to debut.

The biggest thing in the issue is of course Mark and Amber's breakup. Hat's off to Kirkman for writing the scene with intelligence and understanding on both the character's parts. I don't think it's the end for these two just yet, though. I just have a feeling that it's not going to work out between Mark and Eve.

Lastly, is it me, or does Ryan Ottley's interiors get better and better with each issue, while his covers get worse and worse?

 

[PhotoJones]

DMZ #19 - I read this book and it feels like real life. The tone is so down to earth, while the sitiuations are so incredible. Maybe they're not so incredible. People have been talking about the possiblity of another Civil War (non spandex) for years. Maybe that's why this comes across as palpable.

This is part two of "Friendly Fire", and part one would've been the perfect jumping on point, should anyone want to pick this up. The arc retells the same day from different perspectives. It's the day "the War" officially started, and man is it bloody. The military trials of the personnel involved are finally proceeding, and it's come back into the public's mind. Matty Roth's job right now is to interview various people who were present and/or affected by that day for a story for Liberty News.

I'm really enjoying the guest artists. For this arc, naturally the story shifts from the present day to the flash backs of the people Matty's interviewing. Each person's story is illusrtated by a different artist, with Jeremy Cox doing all the colors to tie everything togther. It works perfectly, and it's a real treat to see work from guys like Nathan Fox and Viktor Kalvachev who don't really do regular comic book work.

My only complaint is the paper. For most Vertigo titles, the books are printed on the non-glossy paper. This is one of those books. It's a shame because when you see the previews for the art online, they always look better than what's on the printed page. The colors definitely don't translate as well from the computer screen to non-glossy paper. What I don't understand is how this is the same price as American Virgin, yet AV is printed on glossy paper. Stupid DC.

Anyone looking to pick this book up should start with last month's issue, as well as issue #12 if you can find it. Issue #12 is sort of a handbook of sorts, and a really good place to wrap your mind around the world Brian Wood has created here.

 

[samurai black]

Marvel Zombies: Dead Days - Wow, if you thought Reed was a *****ebag during Civil War, you're in for a surprise. Ouch.

Someone mentioned that with each passing return to the Zombie-verse it gets less and less fun. I think I agree. It's still fun, and it's a treat to see Nova take the spotlight for awhile, but it seems redundant. Marvel's clearly beating a dead horse AND milking a golden cow at the same time.

with Army of Darkness vs MZ and the new Zombie Galactus showing up in Black Panther/F4 we're getting an overload of the zombie-verse. Marvel's use of the zombies reminds me of a pretty funny SNL skit that turned into a semi-humorous movie.

 

[PhotoJones]

with Army of Darkness vs MZ and the new Zombie Galactus showing up in Black Panther/F4 we're getting an overload of the zombie-verse. Marvel's use of the zombies reminds me of a pretty funny SNL skit that turned into a semi-humorous movie.

Pretty much. It sucks that the idea of Marvel Zombies is going to be cheapened by the cash cow it's turned into. I'll admit, I'm enjoying the MZ vs. AoD series for what it is, but that's about where it should have ended. We don't need Dead Days, and we certainly don't need a crossover in Black Panther, of all titles. Marvel's ****ing out their creations and in the process, watering them down. And we, the real "Marvel Zombies" eat it up.

 

[GNR]

Invincible #41 - If anyone's not reading this book it's because they've never picked it up before. It's the best superhero book on the stands. That means that nothing Marvel or DC put out (superhero-wise) is better than this one little Image book. That's a quite a feat Kirkman and Co. have pulled off, considering it's about a character that's only been around for a few years.

Anyway, the story continues on at an un-Bendisy pace, with Invincible and the rest of the Guardians defeating the Squids and returning home as champion heroes. It turns out that Dupli-Kate did in fact die, and the funeral is also held, off panel in the issue. Rex survived, even though he was shot point blank in the head, and it looks like the jury's still on Ray's status. It looked like he bit the bullet last issue, but there's no confirmation yet.

We also get treated to an appearance from Brit, which I'm sure will become the norm in the coming months as his new ongoing is preparing to debut.

The biggest thing in the issue is of course Mark and Amber's breakup. Hat's off to Kirkman for writing the scene with intelligence and understanding on both the character's parts. I don't think it's the end for these two just yet, though. I just have a feeling that it's not going to work out between Mark and Eve.

Lastly, is it me, or does Ryan Ottley's interiors get better and better with each issue, while his covers get worse and worse?

How's the book been without Burchielli?Loved his depiction of NYC's post apocalyptic dirty ass streets.

 

[PhotoJones]

The Killer #4 - If Invincible is the best superhero book and DMZ is the best non-superhero book, then The Killer is the best foriegn book. Archaia Studios knows what's up.

The Killer, after returning to Paris, finds himself being tricked into one last job by his fixer, Edouard. The Killer wants out, and Eddie doesn't want to pay up. Instead the hit he gives to the Killer is really a guy hired by Edouard to take the Killer out first. It doesn't work, and the beans are spilled courtesy of a little gun motivation. The Killer then returns to Ed's house and makes his death look like a suicide. He takes the money that was owed to him, and reenters the world alone, working only for himself.

I love Luc Jacamon's style. It's perfect for the story, and would translate perfectly to the big (or small) screen should this book ever be turned into an animated movie or series. And I love the way he draws Parisian architecture. Matz's script is as hardboiled as you can get. There's literally no fat left, it's all meat. He's also the one that did the translation from French, and I wonder if he's changed anything since it was originally published in France. I'd love to get my hands on a copy of the original.

And speaking of the physical book itself, it's actually my one complaint. It's about a 1/4 inch larger than standard comic book size, making it impossible to fit in my "modern size" bags. Archaia Studios is weird about that; every one of their titles is off shape in some way. If it's not a square like Mouse Guard, then it's oversized like this. Every single one. I don't get it.

 

[PhotoJones]

How's the book been without Burchielli?Loved his depiction of NYC's post apocalyptic dirty ass streets.

He still does the book. With the present storyarc, he's handling the scenes that take place in the present day, namely anything involving Matty Roth. He's such a detailed artist, and this book maintains a strict monthly schedule that I'm sure it's a welcomed break to be joined by the others for a few issues.

 

[Dread]

After some middling about movie franchises, onto a very busy week. It actually felt strange to have 52 over, to not have some weekly DC thing to pick up. Yes, I know COUNTDOWN started, but I have no interest in it. I saw Kubert's white colored/haired Capt. Marvel on the cover, and good lord, what has HAPPENED to him?

Dig This. As always, spoilers and rants will be served.

DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 5/9/07:

INVINCIBLE #41: To paraphrase a line from Topher Grace's Brock Jr./Venom from SPIDER-MAN 3, "I like reading Invincible. It makes me happy." Despite whatever paragraph or so I spend summarizing or throwing adjectives towards this book, that is my gut feeling, month after month. It offers all the things about superheroes that I like. Action. Comedy. Bright colors. Good dialogue. Human emotion. And when you least expect it, gore and sometimes death, without Newsarama or WIZARD killing it. If one is a true fan of the superhero genre, you're either reading INVINCIBLE, or dismayed at the thought of catching up on 41 issues via hardcovers to catch up. Or one of those poor, poor mainstream souls who doesn't know the book exists, because your shop orders maybe 6 copies at most and they're gone by the time you arrive, or stacked below or at the end of all the MARVEL/DC stuff. I did notice some things; firstly, while Ottley's art is again stellar, some panels seemed rushed, especially some of the backgrounds with all those sequids. Secondly, as issue #42 is being sold a dollar cheaper and as a "jumping on" point for new readers (it seems Kirkman does this with Invincible about every 2 years or so), there seemed to be some sort of rush to wrap up a lot of the subplots, so things happen in a hurry. I didn't mind it, but let's say if you are used to, say, 4 issues that take place within one scene, it gets very jarring. I loved the solicts for this issue, though, making no secret of Invincible's triumph. What? It IS his book after all. What the issue did show, however, is how forceful and direct he is getting in group battles. He rallies the team together when Eve's forcefield breaks. And when Robot finishes his device, he gets in Immortal's face to stop his constant showboating/aggressiveness, which hadn't helped much during this mission. As Eve noted, while Mark has always been a little smug at times, he's definately become more confident as his experience and powers have grown; he outright declares that he is stronger & faster than Immortal now. There still are those unresolved feelings with Eve, and by the time Mark gets back home, Amber's getting cosy with the new guy while still being "faithful". He gives her the break-up speach, and she's emotionally cut off, because she sort of ended the relationship in her mind beforehand, I felt. At least Mark had noble reasons for it, feeling it wasn't fair to string Amber along in his life, although naturally noting he wants to finally explore his feelings for Eve. They throw Invincible a parade, but aside for the cover and a TV screen, it happens off panel, which was interesting. Of course, the B-plot is actually what many of us really were surprised by. Rex gets shot in the head but STILL manages to take down the villian at the end, and while he is in the hospital, Dupli-Kate is indeed dead, with no confirmation of Shrinking Ray. Seeing as he was swallowed, Tweety-Bird style, I could imagine he lived. The ending of course is classic Kirkman, leaving a threat to be revisited for another day. Being that #42 will be a recap of the entire series, I am wondering how Kirkman will pull it off, but to be fair, he managed that in #0 and made it look relevant, being that it was Mark explaining his life to Amber, warts and all, and going over things that were then-raw, like his father's betrayal. So I'll wait and see. Naturally, every issue of Invincible is an enjoyable one to me. I fully admit that I am probably beyond all ability to objectively rate this book most times. I just love it. I gush about every issue like some obsessive fan, and that's the way it is, at least barring any meltdowns from Kirkman (lord knows the best of impressions couldn't keep me from being horribly disappointed by a lot of his ULTIMATE X-MEN). But here he has full reign over an entire universe full of quirky characters. I also wonder if his Wolf-Man character will ever guest in an ish, like Kirkman's Capes squad and even Tech-Jacket (and The Brit). Still, for a fan who caught the franchise late, it is good watching Invincible grow as a hero. Yes, grow. He's nowhere near the same at issue #41 as he was in issue #1, and it is a shame I couldn't say the same for USM. And Kirkman embraces all of the conventions and expectations of the superhero genre, instead of feeling like he has to apologize for them. Hence why he can even make "standard" things seem exciting, and pull some twists. Oh, and Ottley does have quite a few incredible splash-panels. No one can replace him on this book, not even Walker the co-creator. He's the Romita Sr. to Walker's Ditko on this book. Not the artist who co-created the character, but a legend on him in his own right. Bring on #42 in June, and I hope more readers give it a shot.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #540: Part 2 of BACK IN BLACK, although technically this title has been in a constant story without any defined end since PRELUDE TO CW, so we are talking about a year and a half of constant story; makes RISE AND FALL OF THE SHI'AR EMPIRE look compressed. But, unlike CW, I can buy Spider-Man as a character reacting this way to the shooting of his aunt by a hitman, especially as she lays at death's door in a coma. I mean, he got like this when Gwen died, when Jean DeWolfe died (Daredevil had to literally defeat Spider-Man to keep him from killing Sin-Eater, and the shotgun-carrying pug was permantently nerve-damaged from his injuries at the hands of the web-slinger), even when Ben Rielly died. This is an all Spidey issue as MJ is just around long enough to remind us she exists. Garney's art is still great looking here. If there is one quibble, it is that "grim & gritty" heroes seem to be about as predictable and cooky-cutter to write as "fun and goofy" heroes were in the 50's. I read Parker's narration and can see it gelling with simular stuff from Moon Knight, Batman, or Daredevil. The thing is that unfortunately, while "fun & goofy" has no pretentions, many fans and those in the industry always assume that if something is dark & gritty, it therefore is more "real" and thus better. I am not saying BACK IN BLACK is bad; hell, out of PRELUDE and CW on ASM, it easily is the best (and has to be better than THE OTHER). But in realizing that bit about grittiness as I read it, I felt it was worth mentioning. JMS at least finally utilizes some tolls in Spidey's arsenal; Spider-Tracers are back, and he even uses Spidey's new "enhanced" spider-sense to find the gunman in a crowded train station. Unfortunately, after cruising the underworld to find the hitman, the lunk is shot up by his employer and dies in the same hospital that May is at, but the issue ends with Peter learning that the Kingpin hired the hit, and naturally the cliffhanger oozes with tension. Revenge being a dish served cold goes both ways. Some weary of grim & gritty, and I bet there are many, may groan at Parker's narration admitting that had the hitman not been shot up, he might have actually murdered him. But the guy's an emotional wreck right now. A good arc right now, but not one that disproves those who are weary of "dark" comics, and one that lays bare how generic even they can seem after a time.

GHOST RIDER #11: Despite the glaring and useless retcon, this is still an enjoyable relaunch, although compared to IRON FIST, NOVA, OMEGA FLIGHT, MOON KNIGHT, etc it probably is the worst. Ghost Rider & the sheriff make a stand against Devil-Jack O' Lantern and his army of zombies. The Rider blows them up and the sheriff comes to grips with his undead louse of a relative, who got iced in Part 1. Immediately afterwards, Blaze is ordered out of town and walks off into the sunset, presumably into WORLD WAR HULK, the next event this series is tying into. While this CASUALTIES OF WAR story was really not tied into the CW thing much at all, I do grow concerned for books that can't seem to stand without being connected, loosely or heavilly, to crossovers. It reaks of the dysfunction of the 90's when you had some books, especially C-List X-books like EXCALIBER or X-FACTOR towards the end of the 90's that existed only for crossovers. GR sells moderately within the Top 50. Texeira's art is pretty as always and Way gets some good lines out of Jack. But not much more to write about. I mean I enjoy it, but it's a little like BLUE BEETLE, you can only talk so much about it. And I really wonder what exactly Ghost Rider is going to do against The Hulk. Hulk obviously can't lose, and wouldn't to Ghost Rider. At best it may remind some other heroes that GR is back, which could be interesting as he used to guest star with everyone back in the day, along with Wolverine & the Punisher.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #5: Another solid issue of everyone's favorite costume-clad street fighter from Brubaker & Fraction, with art by Aja, Foreman & Hollingsworth. If any title could be held to a spotlight as how to properly relaunch a faded franchise, this is it. Bru & Fraction add to the Iron Fist mythos without negating anything that happened before; granted, to be fair, they had the benefit of large portions of Rand's backstory being left open for interpretation. There is a slight sense of Danny Rand becoming the sidekick to Orson Randall, although this issue doesn't make that seem as apparent. Perhaps the best comparison is Batman and Nightwing. Nightwing's obviously the younger & less experienced of the pair, but has his own strengths and expertise. The double page spread of the pair laying waste to some HYDRA goons with their own distinct styles made even a routine goon-clobber look good (my favorite was the "Brooklyn Headbutt" being thrown in there, I know that one, too). And that is what good writers/artists do, they take a story and/or a sequence that done poorly is generic and make it explosive and exciting. There were some bits that are confusing if only because they are a bit mysterious, like the bunch of "immortal" warriors manipulating things from the scenes. Randall won't fight for them anymore and killed one of them when they tried, so they want him dead, and one of them is using Steel Serpant & his HYDRA connection to terminate the Iron Fists. In some ways perhaps the Iron Fists are becoming something like many of the U.S.'s super-soldiers, living weapons who usually refuse to tow the line for masters after a while. Orson passes along this mystical tome of all of the Iron Fist's secrets to Rand, and that all but confirms the old man likely won't live the arc. Luke Cage, Misty Knight & Colleen Wing were hired to protect Mr. Hogarth and save his mother, but apparently they weren't able to stop HYDRA & Steel Serpant from abushing the Fists when they arrive back at Rand Corp. Oh, and the cover bares a striking simularity to one of DAREDEVIL, although I don't recall the exact issue. Hopefully Orson's sacrifice, if it comes, doesn't rob Danny the change to have a real battle with Steel Serpant, because with Bru, Fraction & Aja pacing, I am rather stoked for it, even if he's a D-List villian at best in the scheme of Marvel. If this title proves anything, it is there are no unwriteable characters or concepts, just ones awaiting the proper voice.

`NEW AVENGERS #30: The obvious statements; yes, this is the issue where Dr. Strange is stabbed with a sword by Hand-Brainwashed-Echo. To be fair, for the past 2-3 issues Strange has been a god-moder, single-handedly saving the team from the Mighty Avengers and keeping them hidden from Brother Voodoo (who isn't as gung-ho for the SHRA as he appears, while still obeying it), and Iron Man. After 4 issues they are STILL fighting bloody ninjas, and unlike Bru/Fraction/Aja on IMMORTAL IRON FIST, Bendis DOESN'T make a generic scene seem exciting or brand-new; he just makes he wonder why the bloody hell is everyone once again being pwned by ninjas. Okay, I get that it isn't Bendis' fault that the Hand have been treated as useless fodder for the past 15 years or so, but that doesn't change the fact that it seems awkward. It's a shame that Batman can usually outfight 10 thugs at once even if half of them are twice his size, but that doesn't mean I would be wowed if suddenly Batman was rendered helpless by generic henchman for 4 straight issues in which scenes have passed, and none in the right order. "I'd pay a dollar to explain this to me", indeed. Also, Ronin II is HAWKEYE, no surprise to just about everyone who guessed. Why he feels the need to ditch his schtick and turn to a motif that isn't his and in which he has less expertise (he is a better archer than fighter, Cap training be damned) is beyond me; it's like Claremont's past fetish to have some new X-Man randomly take on Thunderbird's name from X-TREME X-MEN, despite having no connection to the original in origin or powers. Bendis also struggles with large teams, where some members just seem to have no purpose there but to waste space; Spider-Woman still seems all but wasted in many of these issues, and Iron Fist talks for maybe two panels. Luke Cage is definately evolving into a leader here, however, tempered a bit with Wolverine, strangely. Spider-Man certainly isn't all grim, and acts in de-facto Bendis mode; immature, useless, and whiney. Alicia Silverstone's Batgirl appeared more together. Bendis at least uses this issue to summarize his slow-moving conspiracy arc from before CW, which is nice for those of us who forgot over the course of the 2 damned years it has spun it's heels. Yu's art is sometimes chaotic, but in a way it sort of fit in some bits; I imagine fighting about a 100 ninjas would seem chaotic. Not only is this arc moving slowly, but Bendis' entire MOTIF for the series is moving slowly, especially since he connects it loosely to SECRET WAR too. Bendis seriously needs to make some major revelations about this conspiracy, or get off the pot. At this point, the romance between Clark and Lois/Lana on SMALLVILLE seems simplier and more compressed. Still, to be fair, this team as it is seems more "level" than the last roster, and it still is superior to trash like THE COLLECTIVE and some of the earlier launching issues. But it still is Marvel's most overrated book. The alternative? MIGHTY AVENGERS, where the art is better, and the tone lighter, but they are apparently fighting a Nekkid, Boringly Invincible She-Stark-Wasp-Iron Man guy thing. There is no question; Bendis is simply lost on superhero books many times, especially team books. Marvel allowing him to branch out beyond his niche has done their sales wonders, but his quality no favors. There are some cute lines, especially one about Spider-Man "ruining his life" by unmasking. Ya damn right. Voodoo's line about what villians do was cool, although I rolled my eyes at Bendis' inability to let using a line from BLAZING SADDLES escape him. I mean, it was predictable, even if that is Mel Brook's funniest film after SPACEBALLS, IMO.

NOVA #2: Another amazing relaunch by Marvel, continuing post-ANNIHILATION by the same writing team of Abnett & Lanning who handled Nova's last mini. Despite the cover, no, Nova & Iron Man don't fight, so those wanting some Shellhead payback may have to wait for Hulk to come knockin'. What we do get, though, is a personal issue of Nova coming home again after spending so long in space, and in a metaphor about growing up, finds that his "home" has changed and is nothing like he left it. The superhero community is in chaos, and his old teammates are dead, either physically or in the media's memory. And he has become more used to aliens than men, outright freaking out his parents when he arrives to visit. I like all of the far-out concepts here, such as him "used to talking in Kree for so long" and the fact that he needs to spend at least 6 weeks in costume lest he infect Earth with any space-viruses, and that Worldmind can hack SHIELD and posess Rich's body as he sleeps. One wonders if Worldmind is moving into position to replace Richard's father, as he often compares the two. Nova gets an explaination of the SHRA by Iron Man, who is rather stunned that Nova's power level has dramatically increased. You see, things Stark can't control always make him nervous. It is revealed that while Nova found out about the "Civil War" in space, he didn't know details, like Stamford and so on. Iron Man once again goes on about it all being "not to have another Stamford happen again", which in a way is a little silly because those sorts of acts were usually the exception, not the rule, no matter what Marvel says. Despite the fact that Nova is already highly trained and technically acting under intergalactic authority and really doesn't have to give a spit about Earth laws anymore, Nova agrees to give it 24 hours to think about joining The Initiative. It also is noted that Iron Man got no word from Mr. Fantastic about the Annihilation Wave. Hmmm. There is a reunion between Nova and Justice which is one of those things fans have wanted for a while, and it goes as one would expect. They talk about lost friends and the new status quo. Chen's art is good although he seemed to forget to draw Richard's scar distinctly, because you really can't see it. Nova's old foe Diamondhead returns but instantly gets pwned, but Nova comes across hassles delivering him to the police, and runs afoul of the Thunderbolts (Moonstone, Venom, Radioactive Man, and Emoball), and how anyone mistakes them for looking "heroic" is beyond me. I've seen groupings of the Secret Society that didn't look as nasty. Diamondhead notes how the exposure of the NW from the SHE-HULK books allowed him to stake out Richard's home, which begs the question of why aren't the families of heroes protected? Diamondhead could have slaughtered his family and Iron Man wouldn't have lifted a finger. Naturally a reunion between Richard and Robbie Baldwin may be interesting. I will be curious if the Thunderbolts provoke a fight where there is no need for one. The villian is captured, Nova is being cooperative. He just hasn't dotted all the I's in his forms.

PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #7: I got the cover with the Captain Punisher comic, and like NA, the pacing on this is messed up to make the story seem deeper than it is. Punisher heads south to take out a new Hate-Honger from icing Mexican people who live between borders, and has an entire fascist death-squad to help deep in the heart of Skinhead-Land. Punisher feels the need to honor the memory of Cap by wearing his own "silly costume" and calling himself Capt. America. A reporter, who acts like nearly every nosey female reporter ever, is on the case, and runs into Stuart Clarke, an old flame. And quite why anyone can confuse Hate-Monger with Cap's costume is beyond me. It has a swatstika on it for F's sake! It reminds me of the 90's SPIDER-MAN cartoon where the media confused Morbius, a guy with chalk white skin, fangs, hair, a trench, and NO mask, as Spider-Man. I mean there are hints of Cap's design, but Hate-Monger looks about as much like Cap as Frank does. Some people are appalled by this goofy stuff, but maybe because I really don't care about Punisher as a character, more like a concept, that I can read this. "You look perfectly ridiculous", indeed. My interest is waning and I may be done after this arc. The undercover stuff wasn't bad, though. I just hate comics that confuse "confusing/convelted/wacky pacing" with "artsey".

 

[Dread]

B/T Part II:

SPIDER-MAN/FANTASTIC FOUR #2: For those of you who want old-school Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, rejoice, this mini is here, from Jeff Parker (AGENTS OF ATLAS, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) and Wieringo. The continuity of this book is obviously set before CW, but after Aunt May learning about Spidey's identity. Aliens come to invade the earth, and the FF and Spider-Man team up to stop 'em. At first Spider-Man feels it is out of his league, until he finds MJ & May turned into aliens, and figures only the Four can help. It turns out these aliens are taking over via "downloading" themselves into billions of earthlings to assimulate them without any violence, and their main agent the Imperator is one of those omnipotent types who really doesn't fight because nothing the heroes do can get past his cosmic machines. However, when Invisible Woman manages to halt his "download" for several seconds, Imperator decides that what few heroes remain are an actual threat, and summons some alien bugs to stop them. It is revealed that the aliens can take over anyone who isn't genetically enhanced, which means Captain America, Wong & Dr. Strange have been taken over, as well as a good score of superheroes besides them. The aliens seem to be ignoring children or the handicapped, sparring Alicia and the Richards' kids. They also need about 5 billion people, leaving the other 1-2 billion humans on Earth vastly outnumbered. They are a race that shares history and see it as being a beneficial collective experience, but naturally superheroes aren't going to go, "oh, they don't sound too nasty at a glance, let's allow them to take over the world and see what happens", so I can buy the team assembling to stop them. Reed has to go to their past conquored worlds to find clues, and leaves Spider-Man in his place, complete with a 4 on his chest (Thing's reply to this was laugh-out-loud funny, and I rarely do that). What I like about this series, besides the light & adventurous tone, and good art, is the fact that it plays up the close relationship Spider-Man has always had with The Four. After all, they first met in ASM #1. They showed up a few times within his first year of comics, and Spidey & Torch have been rivals/allies countless times. When the alien costume first sharted looking fishy, who'd Spidey turn to? The Four. Who did Spider-Man usually call first whenever he was over his head in battles? The Four. So many years worth of comics note this that to this day it amazes me that if Marvel wanted Spider-Man to briefly join the pro-SHRA forces, why in the world did they invent some baloney friendship with Iron Man from thin air instead of simply developping & building on the relationship he already had with Mr. Fantastic. Of course, Mr. Fantastic agreeing to all that was terrible as it was, but the point still stands. Moot, but it stands. I always wondered, too, with all of their roster shifts why Spider-Man never was once officially part of the team, when even Luke Cage and Namorita once filled spots (and no, the "New FF" were unofficial). I honestly don't see this series selling well, but for those who want a non-bitter Spidey and the iconic FF in non MARVEL ADVENTURES fare, this is it. Enjoy the interlude. It won't be the best book of the year, but it's a fun diversion.

ULTIMATE POWER #5: Despite being a random mini, this is the best Ultimate book as it is. Even noting that, and while this issue was perfectly fine, 9 chapters is looking like it was too long, as this ish doesn't have a lot happen. The Ultimates Squad, which comprises the Ultimates, the FF, the X-Men and Spider-Man, follow Thor into the Supreme Power universe to rescue Reed Richards, who surrendered after accidentally destroying their world looking for an interdimensional cure for Ben. On Fury's part, it's more about making sure this new universe doesn't discover any means of wiping out Ultimate world, not just to rescue Reed. Spidey & Cap note, secretly, that Fury knows more than he is letting on (all together now, NO ****, SHERLOCK). Thor, Torch & Sue throw down with Hyperion, and they all get jolly-spanked. Elsewhere, the rest of the team once again battle the Squadron at the base where Reed is held. Land's art is still pretty if not stiff, but this is a given. The story is actually interesting for a psuedo-homage to the original "Avengers vs. the Squadron Supreme" story, but simply is too long and is dragging out longer than it should. I bet when the entire series is finished, proper editting could have shaved at least 2-3 issues off. On the plus side, Bendis' installments weren't bad, and neither are JMS' here. Not a book I count down the weeks for, but one that I don't mind reading when it comes out, and am enjoying more than Ultimate X-Men or, most times, Ultimate Fantastic Four. Here's hoping Carey can get his act together on UFF as I have all but lost hope on Kirkman's UXM.

 

[Not Jake]

To paraphrase a line from Topher Grace's Brock Jr./Venom from SPIDER-MAN 3, "I like reading Invincible. It makes me happy."

Possibly the worst thing you've ever posted. And just so you and I are clear, it's not because I thought the line was bad in the movie. This one's all on you.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Despite the fact that Nova is already highly trained and technically acting under intergalactic authority and really doesn't have to give a spit about Earth laws anymore, Nova agrees to give it 24 hours to think about joining The Initiative.

If he wants to operate on Earth, then he 100% has to obey Earth's laws. On Earth, Iron Man is the representative of the government and the people, not Nova, who gets his power from an almost completely destroyed agency that has no mandate from Earth and who almost no one on the planet would have ever heard of.

 

[Darthphere]

If he wants to operate on Earth, then he 100% has to obey Earth's laws. On Earth, Iron Man is the representative of the government and the people, not Nova, who gets his power from an almost completely destroyed agency that has no mandate from Earth and who almost no one on the planet would have ever heard of.

I know you're from Canada, but you realize that the United States don't represent all of Earth right?

 

[PhotoJones]

If he wants to operate on Earth, then he 100% has to obey Earth's laws. On Earth, Iron Man is the representative of the government and the people, not Nova, who gets his power from an almost completely destroyed agency that has no mandate from Earth and who almost no one on the planet would have ever heard of.

Not Earth. Just the United States. I would have thought someone with "Canada" in the name would have recognized the difference.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I know you're from Canada, but you realize that the United States don't represent all of Earth right?

Yes. "Earth" was just a figure of speech (although Tony is head of SHIELD, which is allegedly still an international agency, despite the many indications to the contrary).

 

[Darthphere]

Yes. "Earth" was just a figure of speech (although Tony is head of SHIELD, which is allegedly still an international agency, despite the many indications to the contrary).

Even if that was the case, the SHRA and Initiative only apply to the United States.

 

[PhotoJones]

Yes. "Earth" was just a figure of speech (although Tony is head of SHIELD, which is allegedly still an international agency, despite the many indications to the contrary).

Right. But the Registration is an American law, making it unenforcable anywhere else.

 

[Darthphere]

Is there an echo in here?

 

[PhotoJones]

Yes. "Earth" was just a figure of speech (although Tony is head of SHIELD, which is allegedly still an international agency, despite the many indications to the contrary).

Right. But the Registration is an American law, making it unenforcable anywhere else.