Purchased/Considered, 25th of January, Year 12 of the 21st Millennium

[TheCorpulent1]

Behold, TMOB: issue numbers because I you so very, very much.

The Mighty Thor #10: Fraction continues to improve. This issue was pretty good; I've largely gotten over the little things that irritate me about Fraction's run overall (the Allmother not making any sense whatsoever, the Silver Surfer being a whiny mortal b**** now, etc.), and the only new irritant in this issue was Don Blake's f***ing weird behavior. That's really only irritating because I don't know if it's supposed to be as obvious an indicator that something's up with him as it appears to be or if it's just Fraction's love of writing everyone as a coarse, short-tempered asshat spreading to Blake now. Still, I suppose it is nice that he's actually making use of Blake in some way. Much as I loved Gillen's run, Gillen pretty much let Blake become a distant memory at best. Anyway, most of the plot threads are progressing nicely. Asgardia is mostly up and running and the Allmother convened the first meeting of its new UN-for-the-Nine-Realms government, Thor finally remembered who he is (thanks in large part to Loki, it seemed), and suspicions are starting to arise about Tanarus. My one major complaint is reserved for Pepe Larraz's art. His style is very similar to Pasqual Ferry's, and I don't think that particular style suits Thor very well. Like, the panel where Thor remembers who he is was supposed to be a pivotal moment bursting with significance and power, but it just looked off because Larraz follows Ferry's ugly redesign of Thor's appearance: he's got a five o'clock shadow, his costume looks all sloppy, the discs and linework light up like he's wearing a "FREE BEER!" sign, etc. But overall still good. Better than I've come to expect from Fraction, certainly.

Aquaman #5: Another series that I should be overjoyed about but I've been finding somewhat tainted by a few little issues. The constant disrespect from everyone for Aquaman has worn pretty thin. The little hints about Mera being some kind of savage psychopath that Arthur's barely managing to keep in check are kind of annoying too--and of course it looks like next issue is gonna be all about Mera pointedly not accumulating to modern surface society very well. But the core of the series--the Trench, their newfound ties to ancient Atlantis, the new mystery regarding Atlantis' sinking, the previous mystery about Aquaman's trident--is pretty solid. I'm enjoying it for the most part; I just wish I didn't have to qualify it that way. Definitely can't complain about Ivan Reis' art for a second, though. I'm glad he seems to be keeping a regular schedule. Art this good usually has the artist falling behind pretty damn quick.

Secret Avengers #21.1: "Avengers don't kill." You, Mr. Remender, are off to a damn fine start. I was cautiously excited for Remender's run--excited because of Hawkeye, Captain Britain, and a lot of the other stuff he has planned, cautious because I know he writes a kill-crazy bunch of covert 'superheroes' over in Uncanny X-Force. But apparently some writers still tailor themselves to each assignment and actually learn to understand the characters they're writing because Hawkeye and Captain America were pitch-perfect in this issue. The veneer of camaraderie atop a thick foundation of resentment and stubbornness on each side was evident in spades. The return of Max Fury tightened the series back up around that central plot of the Shadow Council again, too. Rather than dreading the idea of the Secret Avengers turning into X-Force 2.0 with the addition of Venom--a well known killer--I'm now quite interested to see whether Venom's being added to the roster specifically so he'll have others around him who can hopefully show him how to curb those killer instincts in hectic situations. It's just a shame Patrick Zircher won't be sticking around. I love his art. But Gabriel Hardman's excellent too, so I can't really complain.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #5: This series continues to be a pretty good read. I picked it up initially for Kyle, expecting to just tolerate the other Corps' representatives, at best. But now I'm finding I'm quite interested in most of them. Fatality's atonement kick is intriguing, the odd relationship developing between Arkillo and Saint Walker is kind of endearing, and Glomulus is just flat-out fun. This new villain seems cool too. The Orrery appears to have recreations of worlds thought to be gone--I wonder if this is a way to repopulate the DC cosmos a bit, since a lot of the recognizable races' worlds got pretty messed up during all the Crises (Rann, Thanagar, Tamaran, etc.). Good stuff.

I, Vampire #5: Another great issue of this series. This one's noteworthy for being the first to bring superheroes into the vampire war. Yes, Andrew and company head to Gotham City, where they promptly encounter Batman while investigating a vampire attack on a train. Batman's kind of a dick but, judging from Scott Snyder's Batman, which is my only other exposure to him, that seems to be the norm (again) for the post-Flashpoint version. He gets gung-ho about straight up killing Andrew pretty quickly after learning he's a vampire, so I guess that answers the question some people had about whether Bruce's no killing rule applies to undead, demons, et al. But of course Andrew proves he's a decent guy and a tenuous alliance is formed. Tig is the narrator for this issue, which was refreshing. She's been something of an enigma since she professes to hate vampires but then seems to be kind of cool hanging out with Andrew. It turns out that she's viewing him as a means to an end but is very serious about turning on him when she feels the moment is right. Not a particularly novel trope in vampire fiction, but it works well here, especially with John to balance her out by being 100% devoted to Andrew. Anyway, Mary shows up (naked, as usual) with a big-ass gang of vamps at the end and ambushes Andrew, Tig, John, and Batman. Cue cliffhanger.

 

[Themanofbat]

 

[Red]

Loved Hawkeye's "Avengers don't kill" line

 

[runawayboulder]

Secret Avengers #21.1 has me really excited for where this book is headed. I love Cap and Hawkeye team ups. They have a great respect for each other but constantly rub each other the wrong way. I love how they debate/bicker back and forth all while kicking the crap out of the bad guys. The "Avengers don't kill" line was great and thrown in there at the perfect moment by Remender.

 

[moraldeficiency]

Secret Avengers #21.1: "Avengers don't kill." You, Mr. Remender, are off to a damn fine start. I was cautiously excited for Remender's run--excited because of Hawkeye, Captain Britain, and a lot of the other stuff he has planned, cautious because I know he writes a kill-crazy bunch of covert 'superheroes' over in Uncanny X-Force. But apparently some writers still tailor themselves to each assignment and actually learn to understand the characters they're writing because Hawkeye and Captain America were pitch-perfect in this issue. The veneer of camaraderie atop a thick foundation of resentment and stubbornness on each side was evident in spades. The return of Max Fury tightened the series back up around that central plot of the Shadow Council again, too. Rather than dreading the idea of the Secret Avengers turning into X-Force 2.0 with the addition of Venom--a well known killer--I'm now quite interested to see whether Venom's being added to the roster specifically so he'll have others around him who can hopefully show him how to curb those killer instincts in hectic situations. It's just a shame Patrick Zircher won't be sticking around. I love his art. But Gabriel Hardman's excellent too, so I can't really complain.

Flash is a soldier, not really a superhero. Soldiers kill but not from bloodlust which flash obviously does not have (unless the symbiote takes over) so it's really a different thing. Remender has done well to show that in venom so I don't think it'll be a problem carrying over. Personally I think when the current rogue venom run wraps up and he's back in good standing he and cap are going to play very well off each other in a mentee/mentor relationship.

 

[spiderbob]

Loved Hawkeye's "Avengers don't kill" line

Is this the same Hawkeye that tried to kill Norman Osborn a few years back? Sorry for my ignorance, I stopped reading Avengers.

 

[Dread]

January comes to a close with a slightly larger week than the last, and an overall solid one. Spoilers in a half shell, Turtle Power!

DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT FOR 1/25/12:

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #6: Fans of the "heroes in a half shell" didn't know what to expect from their favorite franchise when owner/co-creator Peter Laird sold the rights to the Ninja Turtles in 2010 to Viacom for a $40 million payday to secure his retirement. While a new CGI animated cartoon series for NICKELODEON is awaited with both baited breath and dread after every media leak, and another film is still in the planning stage, IDW won out over Dark Horse to produce a licensed comic relaunching the franchise for the weekly comic book reader. IDW makes their bread and butter from such licensed franchises, such as G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK, GHOSTBUSTERS, and even VOLTRON, but they have also built a reputation for producing quality comics with them. Nothing less could be said of their TMNT comic, written by co-creator Kevin Eastman and co-writer/scripter Tom Waltz, as well as drawn by Dan Duncan and colored by Ronda Pattison. Their product has been an ULTIMATE NINJA TURTLES in all but name; a modern re-invention and re-imagination of a franchise which was over 26 years old. Having Eastman involved is a coup for IDW to maintain the integrity of the original Turtles comics of the 1980's as well as to allow fans to accept some of the changes to the origin and dynamics of the franchise, as IDW's series takes risks with both. This is a series in which neither old, new, or casual fans know what to expect of a franchise that is over a quarter century old, which is why it is so spectacular.

This issue starts the second arc of this ongoing series, although it also wisely carries along the general subplot from the previous issue(s). The origin of the Turtles has finally been told, and while some of the core remains (mutated by ooze and trained to be ninjas), many of the key details have changed. It is an origin which merges fantastic comic book science with eastern philosophy/mysticism such as reincarnation. It may have been felt that the concept of a rat learning ninjitsu from a cage seemed far fetched in the 21st century, so this series gets around that by claiming Splinter and the Turtles are the souls of a reincarnated family killed by the evil Oroku Saki in feudal Japan, and Splinter "inherited" knowledge and skills from his prior life. This issue shows that this new dynamic also works to challenge Donatello's character; the Turtle who relies on science is forced to accept something "magical" to his existence, and the events of their lives. As the start of a new arc, however, it also means setting this up. The Turtles witness some Foot Ninja battling a "French Ninja" from a rival clan/gang, who is a master of parkour and savate. While Raph wanted to immediately intervene, Leonardo maintains a neutral stance, as they don't know what this upcoming ninja turf war will be about. Does the "French Ninja" hail from the banana republic ruled by General Krang?

The other half of the issue focuses on Baxtor Stockman and his unholy alliance with another mutant character, Old Hob (a mutant alley cat who lost an eye to Splinter, who may remind some of Scatch). Another iconic Ninja Turtles menace, the Mousers, are given a 21st century origin and a modest redesign which pays homage with the past and makes them more contemporary - and deadly. The interaction between the two is quite crisp, as the corrupt genius Stockman often loses patience with the simplistic Old Hob. The dialogue in this issue in general is very strong; Donatello's pride in his smarts is thrown at him, and the Turtles' interaction in general is strong. The artwork by Duncan, Pattison, and Eastman (who usually handles inks and layouts) continues to be strong, and in what has become rare in mainstream comics, a six issue run with the same art team without any late issues or excuses, with more to come.

TMNT is IDW's best selling comic, for the moment, and despite the $3.99 cover price, it deserves to. Every issue seems to deliver for the fan base and get better as it gets along. IDW, Waltz, and Eastman could have coasted and played things safe with adapting a well known franchise, but both haven't. Sometimes boldness can go too far or backfire, but it hasn't for IDW's TMNT so far. The Turtles are back in the monthly comic grind, and they've never been better. Honoring the ideas of the old, yet being bold and creative with newer; shouldn't all relaunches be like this? Sadly, they are not, which is why TMNT deserves such attention.

ALPHA FLIGHT #8: This mini series (or ongoing series which was canceled as fast as it was launched) by writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, alongside artist Dale Eaglesham reaches its conclusion. Like any good conclusion to a comic book story, this results in some amusing dialogue as well as a lot of action as Alpha Flight battle Alpha Strike and their old (and only) arch nemesis Master Of The World. The Master has taken over Canada via his Unity Party and his puppet of a prime minister, Gary Cody. His "Unity Process" transforms people in both mind and body to follow his whims; the fact that they have four toes is the only way to tell. Unfortunately, one of those who underwent the process was Heather Hudson, also known as Vindicator and the wife of Guardian/Mac Hudson. The treatment of Heather has often been the biggest blemish on this series, but this issue gets things back on track as she finally realizes the Master doesn't have her daughter's best interests at heart. Every member of the team gets a cool moment, as well as the guest starring Wolverine (who has a former member, his presence is only slightly obligatory). This entire series worked because Pak and Van Lente did not see Alpha Flight as a somehow comedic or inferior team franchise to others, but because they had passion for it and respect for the characters and their interrelationships. Aurora compromises her two personalities, Northstar is reunited with his lover (before heading off for an arc on ASTONISHING X-MEN), Sasquatch continues to be the Canadian Hulk and Puck gets in a good word and a better jump kick. The end of the story does offer the possibility of an ongoing series, but sales did not bare that out; such realities lead to a page long love letter to the series by senior editor Mark Paniccia. This was easily the best ALPHA FLIGHT story, and series, in at least a decade if not longer, and with the end of HERC, it will be interesting to see where Pak and Van Lente will unite at Marvel next.

SECRET AVENGERS #21.1 - Marvel's Point One Initiative continues, and in its latest incarnation is used to launch the run of a new creative team on a long running series. Earlier in the month, it was done to greet Christos Gage and Chris Baldeon on X-MEN LEGACY, and this issue greets Rick Remender and artist Patrick Zircher on SECRET AVENGERS. This series has become an interesting item on Marvel's solicitation sheet. Originally launched by hot writer Ed Brubaker, and existed as "his" Avengers book catering to his "black ops superhero" style. He left the series (along with artist Mike Deodato) after a year, and Marvel seemed to have no long term plans for the book; it sold too well to cancel. Nick Spencer wrote the series for three issues (and last year's .1 issue), which resulted in some one-shot stories. Warren Ellis was next, for a longer run of six issues. Now, it seems, Marvel has a long term strategy at last. Remender, who has been successful on VENOM, is being shifted onto this book. Given that he's a writer who manages to mix military style operations with bizarre superhero tropes and snappy dialogue, this seems to be a perfect fit. As most new writers do on a team book, Remender is set to alter the team roster, but lays in the ground work to that here.

This story wisely plays on the fact that times have changed since Brubaker launched the book back in 2010. Steve Rogers is back as Captain America and is running his own solo adventures alongside being on Avengers again. Thus, he can't run a secondary ops team and needs to pick a successor. To this end he runs a mission alongside Hawkeye, but Clint proves to be a hot-head as usual and seems to dismiss him. But when a mission to protect a politician in a neutral country proves to reveal a new incarnation of the Masters Of Evil, Hawkeye proves once again that he is full of surprises. Historically, Hawkeye has led the Thunderbolts and the West Coast Avengers for stretches of time, so this seems quite organic. The roster of the new Masters is eclectic and interesting, and ties into the previous run with Max Fury, a creation of Brubaker. The interaction between Clint and Rogers is interesting here, and the art by Zircher is terrific; the hall of past Masters Of Evil which resembles a twisted Congressional hall is clever. Hawkeye is the first of Remender's new members on this series; Captain Britain, Giant-Man, and Venom (from his ongoing series) will soon come.

I left this series at the end of the Nick Spencer run; it seemed to have no direction, and for $3.99 an issue that wasn't enough. Given Remender's enormous success on VENOM, he has earned an arc on this series despite the price in the eyes of at least one fan.

FANTASTIC FOUR #602: Jonathan Hickman continues his long run on this franchise with another action packed issue, with artist Barry Kitson filling in for Steve Epting, with Paul Mounts on colors. I actually prefer Kitson in this book to be honest, so it is a treat for me. The last two issues have been all out action as Hickman is finally lining his ducks in a row, which suits me fine. It contradicts or undoes some dynamics that "DnA" set up in their long space run, alas. Essentially, the reborn Supreme Intelligence has retaken control of the Kree Empire and launched an all out war on Earth to try to kill the Inhumans, because he feels Black Bolt is a threat. While the Inhumans were not on Earth at the time, they conveniently returned. Mr. Fantastic has mobilized virtually every Avenger he knows plus a few other old allies and spare heroes to protect Manhattan. The Human Torch is back with his Annihilation Wave, since he's now the warlord of the Negative Zone, but even this isn't enough. To this end, Mr. Fantastic plays his trump card - utilizing a cosmic beeper to summon Galactus which was set up a few issues back. Unfortunately, even Galactus has cause for concerns when the Celestials get rolling.

Highlights, besides the artwork, include Invisible Woman getting to kick butt and save her husband, and Galactus proving what a cosmic bad-ass he is. Genocide causing Nega-Bombs don't even phase him. Johnny Storm's new position as Negative Zone warlord is something which still takes getting used to. Hickman seeks to rehabilitate Johnny to make him more than the team comic relief, but it still seems to be overkill to basically give him the PLANET HULK treatment. In the end, this is another cog in Hickman's long run on the series - now the longest since Mark Waid - but since the action meter is on high right now, some of Hickman's narrative flaws don't show up. Thus, we get some insane Fantastic Four battles in space with far out sci-fi from Marvel, and that's perfectly enjoyable.

X-MEN LEGACY #261: While this is the first regular issue by the new creative team of writer Christos Gage and artist David Baldeon (with Sonia Oback on colors and Jordi Tarragona on inks), this team gave fans their first taste of this title without Mike Carey in the “Point One” issue which shipped on January 11th. The transition is smooth to the degree that Rogue remains the central focus of the series, as she was for most of Carey’s long run on this series. The rest of the team roster for this run is Gambit, Iceman, Rachel Grey, Frenzy, and Cannonball. Other members come and go based on setting, such as Husk, Beast, and in this issue, Wolverine. The X-Men books have been split into two camps following the SCHISM event. Half the characters are still on the island of Utopia with Cyclops, preparing for inevitable battles and conducting endless tactical missions against threats. The other half have returned to a new school setting, founded by Wolverine (of all X-Men). While SCHISM is behind us and the lines have been drawn between characters, that set up becomes critical to this issue. As the cover shows, the former Acolyte Exodus, formerly Magneto’s right hand, returns to tilt the scales of the mutant race once more.

The strengths of this issue remain in Baldeon’s artwork as well as Gage’s treatment of the characters. Rachel and Rogue discuss relationship issues, given that Rogue isn’t sure if she has broken up with Magneto or if she even wants to make it official, now that she is once again working with her ex, Gambit. Gambit, meanwhile, is toying with a new fling with a former “friend with benefits” in Frenzy (a dynamic Gage inherits from Gambit’s solo title from the start of the 21st century). To Gambit, it’s a moment of passion of the flesh he isn’t interested in making more of, while Frenzy desires something more. Rogue’s passion is to protect her young “New X-Men” students from having to battle in any more wars or X-Men missions and to attempt to have as normal a life as they can. In fairness, most of the students themselves are skeptical of that; they have become genre savvy. Cannonball doesn’t do much here, but he had some character bits with his sister Husk last issue. Rogue feels independent now that she can control her powers to the extent that she doesn’t lose her psyche when he absorbs powers/skills from others, nor does she harm others. The issue has a lot of action, which caters to Baldeon’s artwork.

However, unlike Gage’s run on AVENGERS ACADEMY, there are quite a few weaknesses here. The downside to Rogue’s new independent, angst-free nature is that in battle, all she seems to do is figure out which mutants she needs to touch to utilize their powers, which becomes predictable when the school has dozens of students with wide ranging powers. She isn’t as far gone in this regard as Legion, who can literally create a new personality to gain a new super-power, but it is on that route. To a degree, all Rachel seems to do so far is be someone for Rogue to talk to, and fill the obligatory psychic spot that all X-Men squads have had since their foundation. The largest problem thus far is the plot, which is fairly simplistic. Exodus shows up and, as a former Magneto minion, wants to force all mutants to follow that philosophy. Since Magneto is with Cyclops, he thus sides with that aspect and wants to force everyone at the school to follow suit – via brainwashing if angered. Rogue and Wolverine’s master plan is to allow Exodus to reach their minds and see their point of view – that Cyclops is endangering young mutants. Result? Now Exodus wants to kill Cyclops and attack the X-Men on Utopia. D’oh!

I have usually avoided the mainstream X-Men books, on both sides of SCHISM. Christos Gage has long been one of Marvel’s most underrated talents, who has produced exceptional team comics with long runs on AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE and AVENGERS ACADEMY. He’s never written anything which I felt was below average, which is more than I can say of many “high profile” writers. That said, in my opinion he has written some “average” stories, with his debut issue on ASTONISHING X-MEN being one of them. The situation is different with X-MEN LEGACY; Gage has some lesser tier characters which he can actually do things with, such as Rogue, Gambit, and Frenzy. ASTONISHING X-MEN is a high priced book kept apart from the core X-Men line which allows creators to do brief arcs at their whim (at least since Joss Whedon’s launch of the book ended years ago); X-MEN LEGACY is a B-List X-Men book which does “count”, in that it takes part in crossovers. His first two issues have been better than his initial work on ASTONISHING X-MEN, and he is paired with a strong artist here. He has a desire to return the book to having a stable squad of X-Men that go on adventures, which is a format a few X-Men books have lacked for years as the cast has expanded to thousands during the franchise’s time on Utopia battling endless wars. That said, his opening story seems a bit simplistic, and the focus of this book clearly favors certain characters over others; Iceman is simply there to take part in action sequences, for instance. This could change in later issues, but that is unknown.

Two issues in, I am enjoying this more than I have an X-Men book in years. However, I am not in love with it nor would I even call it “great” yet. Hopefully, the subsequent issues of this opening arc fill things out better. A comic priced at $2.99 has a lower bar of expectations to me, but even that has a limit. If I had to give this run a report card grade, I’ll paraphrase a note my old high school used to use alongside them – “Has ability to improve”. If Gage can better juggle his skillful character work with some less simplistic plotting, the series should take off.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Flash is a soldier, not really a superhero. Soldiers kill but not from bloodlust which flash obviously does not have (unless the symbiote takes over) so it's really a different thing. Remender has done well to show that in venom so I don't think it'll be a problem carrying over. Personally I think when the current rogue venom run wraps up and he's back in good standing he and cap are going to play very well off each other in a mentee/mentor relationship.

A lot of Remender's recent issues of Venom have dealt with the symbiote's increasing control and the bloodlust it creates in Flash. He's been actively trying to combat it and has been haunted by that one symbiote-fueled murder of that *****e in the tank in particular. And yeah, he is fighting so you'd think it wouldn't be an issue. But then again, you'd kind of expect Warren to have fought his new dark Archangel side when that started emerging, but instead he joined X-Force to indulge it under Remender's pen.

 

[moraldeficiency]

A lot of Remender's recent issues of Venom have dealt with the symbiote's increasing control and the bloodlust it creates in Flash. He's been actively trying to combat it and has been haunted by that one symbiote-fueled murder of that *****e in the tank in particular. And yeah, he is fighting so you'd think it wouldn't be an issue. But then again, you'd kind of expect Warren to have fought his new dark Archangel side when that started emerging, but instead he joined X-Force to indulge it under Remender's pen.

It's the fighting it that makes him more of a hero then those without alien influence that take the easy way out. But I wouldn't classify him as a hero, just a good soldier.

I haven't read X-Force as that concept just seemed stupid from the start. But I've heard it was good recently. As for warren I don't know but honestly I don't care. Angel just isn't that interesting a character. And to be fair he was converted by apocalypse and who knows what that did to his psyche longterm.

Bottom line Flash isn't going to be the wolverine of Secret Avengers. He will kill if he must but I don't see him taking that as option one ever.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I was cautiously excited for Remender's run--excited because of Hawkeye, Captain Britain, and a lot of the other stuff he has planned, cautious because I know he writes a kill-crazy bunch of covert 'superheroes' over in Uncanny X-Force.

Actually, that'd be wrong. Craig and Yost wrote a bunch of kill crazy superheroes. Remender came in and took out most of the good people. He only kept Wolverine (which made sense at the time) and Warren (which also made sense at the time). He added Betsy for the purpose of keeping Warren in check and then two other actual killers, Deadpool and Fantomex.

In fact, in 20-something issues the team's only killed 5 people and every one made sense in the plot. Fantomex (a killer) killed one (after the restof the team decided they shouldn't kill that person), Deadpool (a killer) killed the second to save everyone, Archangel (note, not Warren) killed the third (and this was definately played as having been a bad thing) and the rest of the team felt wrong about it. I don't recall who killed the 4th but I want to say it was Wolverine in self-defense. Then there was Archangel himself who Betsy killed reluctantly to save the entire world.

Nonetheless, Remender's handled the killings in X-Force wonderfully. The bloodthirsty X-Force you're thinking of was entirely under Craig & Yost.

But then again, you'd kind of expect Warren to have fought his new dark Archangel side when that started emerging, but instead he joined X-Force to indulge it under Remender's pen.

Warren joined X-Force early into Kyle and Yost's run. They're the ones that turned him into a bloodthirsty killer. Remender just took what was already there and built a good story upon it, including adding Betsy to the roster in attempts to keep the bloodlust in check. Warren's battle with the Apocalypse side of him was a major plot and the first time he actually DID kill someone was when Warren finally lost that battle and Archangel took over. Remender took Craig and Yost's questionable approach and turned it into an amazing and sad story.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Also, everyone talks like X-Men killing was unheard of before X-Force but that's not true at all. Just off the top of my head Cyclops (in his more heroic days) killed Mr. Sinister, Longshot killed Mojo, Colossus killed Riptide, Archangel killed Kamikazee, Wolverine killed Sabretooth, Ceclia Reyes killed the leader of the Neo.

And that's just off the top of my head. The X-Men have always killed, but only when necessary (and not even all of those listed were necessary).

And just now when Warren left the team and Remender needed a replacement, he brought it yet another already established killer, AoA Nightcrawler, which makes sense and keeps the heroes out of the killing business. Basically, Wolverine's trying his hardest to keep the heroes heroic and people like him and the rest of X-Force doing what needs done (and that isn't even very often).

 

[JewishHobbit]

Anyway... hey look, my reviews!

I missed Justice League last week so I picked it up this week. It was alright. I've never been a big fan of "origin" or "founding" stories so I'm determined to stick with this book through the second arc. Once that happens we'll see if I continue or not. There's not much depth to the story so far but I'm curious how it all ends and where the team is now.

Also, I found the last 4 issues of Batwoman's Detective run so I'm glad to have that run complete so I can finish reading it.

Batman: The Dark Knight #5 - Of the 3 Batman books I read this one's the least of them. As Jenkins has said in an interview this book is moreso the movie blockbuster title with the big names and big action, and I'd say that's true. Batman covers the deep plot and Batman & Robin covers the father/son dynamic. I don't read Detective but I'm assuming that covers the detective angle. This book is just fun.

So far we've seen Flash, Wonder-Woman, and Superman guest star and we've seen Batman take on Two-Face, Clay Face, Deathstroke, Poison Ivy's plants, and now Scarecrow. I do like that we're getting Batman's rogue gallories in this book, whereas they're absent in other titles, but the plot isn't very deep. It's a fun read but as my wallet gets tighter this will likely be one of the next I drop. I'm eager to read Bane next issue though. I've always liked him and haven't read much with him since Knightfall.

As for this issue itself I thought Jenkins wrote a great Scarecrow who gets the better of Batman. He wears him down with his toxins and then injects him with the no-fear toxin that's been a major factor in the book so far. This toxin eliminates all fear and most rational thought and also pumps the vicim up big time. Scarecrow escapes just as Superman shows up and Batman and Superman duke it out and Superman wins. Decent and fun plot. David Finch really works on Batman and I wish they'd put him on a better Batman book, but he excells at the dumb violence so he certainly fits here.

Good issue, not great, but good.

Justice League Dark #5 - Man, I just love Mikel Janin's art in this book. I don't think I've seen him anywhere else but its just gorgeous.

This concludes the Enchantress arc and it was pretty decent. The team is somewhat together, or maybe just established at this point, and they're all somewhat likable. I find that I don't give a crap about the dude with the vest but I like the rest of the team. Enchantress was an awesome villain and I have hope that she might join the team down the road. I'm not sure what to expect next but I just keep hoping that the Spectre shows up at some point. It feels like this would be HIS book.

Slow beginning to the series but it picked up. Milligan is writing a very good, dark book without being overly dark, which is what I like. I'm on board for the foreseeable future.

X-Men Legacy #261 - There were parts I liked here but I wasn't overly impressed with this book. I love Exodus and thought his role here was decent but overall the plot was fairly simplistic. I like that Gage uses continuity in regards to Exodus and Frenzy and I thought the little turn around in the end was fun. I thought it was an enjoyable title but in comparison to Wolverine & the X-Men it's barely a shadow so far. I do like the lineup though. Where as W&tXM focuses more on Wolverine, Beast, Kitty, and Iceman, this book focuses on Rogue, Gambit, and Frenzy. Rachel and Sam balances between both books. It annoys me though that Husk is still in the background of both.

Supposedly Chamber is here as well but he's not shown up yet so I'm curious what the plan is for him. I was hoping he'd be in Liu's Astonishing cast but no dice. With him listed as being in Westchester, Husk being there, and Blink being sent there in the newest issue of New Mutants I'm hoping they're canceling Generation Hope to make room for a new Generation X book in Westchester but we'll see. The 90's are back, right?! One can always hope.

Secret Avengers 21.1 - I thought this issue was just mediocre. I like Cap but I can't read a comic without him being in it somewhere so this is just a dime a dozen for him and Hawkeye just sorta bores me alone. So them being the focus didn't wow me any and I felt this issue suffered from it. I like that Max Fury is back so that interested me and I'm glad the whole choosing a leader thing is over and we can move on next issue with an actual team. I'm more interested in other members of the team anyhow. It wasn't a bad issue though and I trust Remender to put up a good story here. I'll at least buy the title through AvX likely. After that I'm revaluating my Avengers buying with Bendis leaving.


Best and Worst of the Week:

Best: Justice League Dark #5 - I think this is the first time this book made my favorite of the week but it didn't have much competition. It was a pretty mediocre week and this was the only book I thought was above mediocre. It's a very different team and I like that about them. The art is fantastic and the plot is very smart. I'm excited to see what comes next.

Worst: X-Men Legacy #261 - This wasn't a bad issue but it wasn't that great either. I was hopeful with Gage but so far I'm not really feeling him. I had my hopes up too high I think and that's hindering my reading enjoyment. I need to take a step back for now on and just expect about this quality and I think I'll be fine. With the exception of Ages of X and the arc that followed Gage has at least been better than Carey's later years on the book.

 

[runawayboulder]

Actually, that'd be wrong. Craig and Yost wrote a bunch of kill crazy superheroes. Remender came in and took out most of the good people. He only kept Wolverine (which made sense at the time) and Warren (which also made sense at the time). He added Betsy for the purpose of keeping Warren in check and then two other actual killers, Deadpool and Fantomex.

In fact, in 20-something issues the team's only killed 5 people and every one made sense in the plot. Fantomex (a killer) killed one (after the restof the team decided they shouldn't kill that person), Deadpool (a killer) killed the second to save everyone, Archangel (note, not Warren) killed the third (and this was definately played as having been a bad thing) and the rest of the team felt wrong about it. I don't recall who killed the 4th but I want to say it was Wolverine in self-defense. Then there was Archangel himself who Betsy killed reluctantly to save the entire world.

Nonetheless, Remender's handled the killings in X-Force wonderfully. The bloodthirsty X-Force you're thinking of was entirely under Craig & Yost.



Warren joined X-Force early into Kyle and Yost's run. They're the ones that turned him into a bloodthirsty killer. Remender just took what was already there and built a good story upon it, including adding Betsy to the roster in attempts to keep the bloodlust in check. Warren's battle with the Apocalypse side of him was a major plot and the first time he actually DID kill someone was when Warren finally lost that battle and Archangel took over. Remender took Craig and Yost's questionable approach and turned it into an amazing and sad story.

JH, you hit every nail on the head. Now I don't have to type for 45 min defending Uncanny X-Force, thanks!

 

[hippie_hunter]

Yeah, anyone who dismisses Uncanny X-Force because they use lethal force is seriously missing out on some great storytelling and the actual morality and consequences of their actions.

 

[Shockdingo]

Bingo. The keyword here is consequences. It's not "woooh! Killing is so 90s and extreme!" While I nejoyed Yost and Krane's run, it looks a bit juvenile in comparison. I mean really, extra bloody covers and all? I was amused, but still...

Also. For the brief moments he's in, Deadpool is handled fantastically. I'll never forget him and Logan's confrontation in issue 6 over a certain someone's elimination. The scene works so well that whether Remender wrote it with some key knowledge of Wade's history or not makes the point still incredibly strong.

This is why I'm afraid Way's little "Dead" event will take Wade out of X-force.

 

[Dread]

Flash Thompson is a soldier, but the assumption that all soldiers are remorseless killers is usually only held by those who don't understand war, or very, VERY extreme liberals. Thompson is willing to kill - especially if ordered to do so by a commanding officer - but it isn't something he takes lightly or seeks out to do. It is the symbiote which is bloodthirsty, and preys upon his repressed desires and frustrations. As VENOM showcases, Flash fights it every step of the way and is often disgusted with himself when he fails. He's caught in between a rock and a hard place; he knows the symbiote is corrupting him, but he is addicted to the power it grants him - especially the ability to walk, which is a reasonable thing to desire.

It is unlikely Steve Rogers would have put Venom on a Secret Avengers squad, but then again, Hawkeye isn't Rogers. He has more tolerance for reformed villains or those who walk a bit on the gray side of morality; he did lead the Thunderbolts for quite a while, after all. He also worked with the Defenders for a stretch in the 60's, a group which included frequent menaces like Namor and Hulk. Perhaps if any Avenger understands the situation Thompson is in, it's Barton.

We also don't know how long Venom will be a member; SECRET AVENGERS often has one roster slot which changes. In the first arc, Nova was on the team (technically). For the second, it was Shang-Chi, with John Amon hanging around a bit, too.

At any rate, I have high hopes for Remender on SA. I will give him a chance on that book despite the cover price.

 

[THANOSRULES]

The reality of being a soldier is everybody is different.

I know a lot of guys who were ruthless , unbalanced, and, other guys who were moral, sane, and level headed.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Not sure if I'll get to any reviews this week; but, I've read quite a few of my comics this week. I just have to say, Deadpool 49.1 is truly, truly awful. Please, Marvel, get Way off this title. This single issue is the single worst .1 title that's come out. Why? Because, it's nothing but a recap issue of the past 49 issues that Way has done. The only thing that sets it apart is that Deadpool tells his story in rhyme to certain songs. (And, what does a recap of all of Way's work tell us? That we've now had 50 not-very-good issues of Deadpool. Heck, it actually makes me miss Deadpool Team-Up!)

Overall, I've been rather disappointed with the comics this week. The list of mediocre to bad books is amazing.

Mediocre (aka, quickly forgotten) = Teen Titans, Legion: Secret Origins, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Aquaman, Justice League, Batman: The Dark Knight, Alpha Flight.

Bad = Fury Of Firestorm

Slightly Better Than Mediocre = I, Vampire, Voodoo, Strawberry Shortcake

Of course, Strawberry Shortcake is for my daughter, and she'd rank it higher; but, I actually liked that book much more than the Mediocre books. It hit it's target audience nicely, at least. (Too be fair, I haven't read many of my Marvel titles. I'm behind on DC enough, and I've been trying to keep up or catch up each week.) Surprisingly, on my Mediocre list, Justice League might be the worst of that bunch. It's all flash with very little substance. For me, many of these DC books are getting worse and worse. Plus, having to have many of the titles tie into another book is just downright annoying. (It's not even a strong tie-in.)

Oh, and Alpha Flight just kept getting worse and worse with each issue. The last one was rather disappointing. (Plus, having Wolverine make an appearance a couple issues back only made things worse.)

Kudos to Walking Dead, Secret Avengers, TMNT, Mighty Thor, American Vampire, and The Unwritten. Those six issues I did enjoy ... especially the stuff coming out of The Unwritten. (Seriously. The Unwritten puts all the books I mentioned to shame.)

 

[hippie_hunter]

Deadpool #49.1 was utterly horrific, easily the worst issue in Way's run.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Deadpool #49.1 was utterly horrific, easily the worst issue in Way's run.

 

[Themanofbat]

It's so horrific, it needed to be said twice... t: t: t:

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm actually thinking of trying Fury of Firestorm in a month or two, whenever Joe Harris starts as its new writer. I tried the first issue and found it to be pretty awful, but Harris could turn it around. He wrote Slingers back in the day and has been doing a lot of indie stuff lately. It'll be nice to see him back on superheroes.

And for those chirping about Uncanny X-Force: I'm still not gonna read it.

P.S.--Nyah, nyah!

 

[THANOSRULES]

I followed it to issue 3 and dropped...its a mess.

 

[JewishHobbit]

And for those chirping about Uncanny X-Force: I'm still not gonna read it.

P.S.--Nyah, nyah!

So you're one of those people who doesn't believe they're good enough for great things huh? That's alright... you can keep reading those little insignifigent Thor books. You'll eventually come around to good writing.

 

[moraldeficiency]

you can keep reading those little insignifigent Thor books. You'll eventually come around to good writing.

Hey, hey, let's not say things we can't take back. JiM is the mosquito's ****