Not-Very-New Comics: The August 29 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Edge of Spider-geddon #2:  Wow, this issue is intense.  It really invokes "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2, where we first met Spider-Gwen.  Thompson and Nadler fill out Peni Parker's story, introducing not only the VEN#m suit but also a lot of questions.  The authors start the issue by reminding us this Aunt May and Uncle Ben aren't the parental types.  They see Peni as little more than SP//dr's pilot.  May refuses to comfort Peni as she struggles with being "special," telling Peni she's not really special.  To May's mind, a lot of people work on the SP//dr project; Peni is just one of them.  This detachment sets the tone for the rest of the issue.  Peni is also understandably upset when she learns about the VEN#m suit, particularly the revelation it has equipment she doesn't.  It raises the obvious question of why Ben and May didn't just focus on making SP//dr better.  But, the decision to create a second suit might be explained by May's cryptic comments that Ben understood the dangers of the Sym engine when he installed it in VEN#m.  May tries to save VEN#m's teenage pilot as the engine possess her, but May is also lost to VEN#m.  Later, Ben only manages to admit to Peni he's not the best father when their conversation is halted when Spider-Ham arrives to take Peni with him.  As evident by this short review, Thompson and Nader cram in a lot of action and plot here.  Most importantly, they really nail the characterization.  I'm not sure we need a full-time series dedicated to SP//dr, but it's a thrill to see Peni and SP//dr back in the mix again.  

Extermination #2:  This issue is marginally better than the first one, as Brisson does a better job of conveying the original X-Men's emotions.  Scott serves as the reader's surrogate, reeling from the guilt he feels over Bloodstorm's death and the confusion they all feel over the situation.  Young Nathan ups the ante when he kidnaps Warren, though Jean and Scott are able to identify him before he disappears.  Meanwhile, Ahab arrives and appears to be acting independently of (and possibly at cross-purposes as) Nathan.  I'm guessing they're both trying to use the original X-Men to convince their older counterparts to advance their own agendas in the future, but that's still unclear.  However, I'm still not sure I care.  Although I mentioned Brisson does a better job of portraying the original X-Men's emotions, parts of this issue still make little sense or feel obviously wrong.  For example, Shatterstar seems an odd voice for outrage over Cable's death, given he's not really known for his emotions.  Second, it's hard to share his feelings since it seems unlikely Cable is going to stay dead for long.  Whatever.

Hunt for Wolverine:  Dead Ends #1:  This series of miniseries has really been much better than it had any reason to be.  The authors have really collaborated well on a story that strikes at the heart of the Marvel Universe.  It reminds me of the old days, when everyone would get together to attack a problem before we decided such stores had to revolve around how their personalities made that impossible.  Sure, Tony is an asshole, but he also knows it's Kitty's show after the mysterious Persephone kills ten mutants whose powers haven't manifested themselves yet.  I read "The Adamantium Agenda," so the revelation that Persephone swiped Mr. Sinister's DNA catalogue was particularly rewarding.  (FYI, it's how she's identifying the potential mutants.  Storm has to explain to Tony that she chose the perfect threat when she said she'd kill more unactivated mutants if they didn't stop hunting for Wolverine, since Cerebro can only track activated mutants.)  In "The Adamantium Agenda," we learned one of the mutants was a genetically-enhanced mole; I wonder how we're going to see that information unfold in "Return of Wolverine."  Meanwhile, I'm half-tempted to get Daredevil's Wolverine-related miniseries, particularly given the presence of Cypher.  All in all, I'm really happy how this understated event is developing, much to my surprise.

The New Mutants:  Dead Souls #6:  I'm honestly not sure what exactly we see happen here.  If I'm following the story correctly, the explosion in Warlock's cabin in Connecticut happened several months ago.  Xi'an sent Dani to find him, but he absorbed Dani because he was injured and needed her help.  Around the same time, Illyana realized that Xi'an was trying to weaponize magic, inspiring the team's off-the-books trips to New Orleans and the Arctic.  But, she's smart enough to realize it wasn't Xi'an so much as it was Tran manipulating Xi'an.  (Xi'an was motivated by a desire to give the mutants a company -- i.e., the Hatchi Corporation -- to control, like Rand, Stark, etc.)  We learn Xi'an's psyche has shattered as a result of years of Tran's manipulation and their eventual separation.  Surprising everyone, she possesses Illyana to attack Tran with the Soulsword, reabsorbing him.  Here, it gets weird.  (I know, as if it weren't already weird.)  It seems like Tran was somehow behind Warlock's problems.  Xi'an sent Dani after Tran not Warlock; Warlock was simply an unexpected complication.  (I don't think we learn how Tran came to possess -- as I'm assuming he did -- Warlock.)  But, Xi'an took advantage of the moment, and she's had Warlock stashed in a closet making replicas of the New Mutants all this time.  At this stage, it's fight time.  War-dani tricks Rahne into possessing her, and Illyana sends Boomer, Rictor, and Shatterstar to safety before summoning Guido.   But, Guido has a heart attack, and Illyana agrees to let Warlock try to save him.  (Guido has been in Limbo for years even though only 36 hours passed on Earth.)   But, it's a trap:  a now possessed War-guido takes control of Illyana.  Her/his plan realized, Tri'an calls "General Callahan" (as Tran) and promises test subjects (the New Mutants), but War-yana takes over Tri'an as well.  Unexpectedly, the issue ends there.  It seems pretty clear Rosenberg was planning to extend this series past six issues, and we seem likely to see something soon, as Dani, Guido, Illyana, Rahne, and Tri'an are left as part of the Warlock collective now.  But, Marvel might be right in having us stew with this shock for a few months before scratching our curious itch.

Nightwing Annual #1:  I've been pretty on board with Percy's dark-web story because it's an intriguing premise, the idea the machines are more actively controlling us than we think they are.  But, he always risked pushing too far with the social commentary, and we cross that line here.  This issue is essentially a screed against the modern news media.  Nightwing goes so far as to exalt the era when Walter Cronkite's had a total command of the truth.  Beyond the fact he was too young to remember that era (something he acknowledges), it's also a weird position to take.  (I'll let pass having Dick reminisce about the days when straight white men controlled the facts.)  I get that Percy has reinvented Dick as a Luddite, but that type of story feels very ten years ago.  No one living in this particular moment would think it's even possible to return to that world.  It's not about getting rid of technology; it's about managing how we use it.  I thought Percy was telling that sort of nuanced story, but the wheels seem to come off the bus here.  

X-Men:  Blue #34:  On the plus side, Bunn does an excellent job building to the moment when Magneto reforms Asteroid M and the Brotherhood.  After all, he's been building to this moment all series, and that careful spade work pays off here.  We're not seeing Magneto randomly embracing his dark side, as he often has in the past.  Instead, it's more like Scott Summers' gradual evolution into an extremist, with each development leading him farther and farther down that road.  Magneto is shaken to learn of the destruction in the future, though it's still unclear if it's all because of the war with the Reavers or not.  Nightcrawler, Jr. keeps insisting Magneto saved everyone from the Reaver virus, but older Scott tells Nightcrawler, Jr. he doesn't understand the full scope of Magneto's actions.  The older original X-Men try to prevent Mangeto from returning to the present after they realize he hasn't committed his greatest crime yet, but he manages to escape.  When he returns to the present, he finds the lab where the Reaver virus began and kills everyone there.  (Creepily, he leaves a statue of himself on the site, echoing the statues dotting the landscape in the future.)  My only criticism of these developments is Magneto is smart enough to realize that destroying the lab may very well be the "greatest crime" that sets in motion the events of that future.  He doesn't even pay that lip service here, which seems like an oversight.  Moreover, I'll admit it's hard to keep straight all the strains of time travel happening right now.  In "Extermination," we've got the young original X-Men in the present facing young Cable and Ahab from the future and here we've got the older original X-Men in the future facing Magneto from the present.  I like Bunn's story better, but it all contributes to the sense it really is time to wrap up the kids' story.

Also Read:  Dungeons & Dragons:  Evil at Baldur's Gate #5; Marvel 2-in-One #9; Ms. Marvel #33; The New World #2; Star Wars:  Lando - Double or Nothing #4

Not-Very-New Comics: The August 22 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #4:  I like Nick Spencer, and I appreciate him trying to bring back the fun to Spider-Man.  But, this story is just a mess.  I get why Spider-Man is acting weirdly, given Dr. Connors' explanation that his symptoms are side effects of the splitting process.  But, everyone else is acting weird as well.  For example, Spider-Man's lack of a sense of responsibility means his increasingly reckless battles have destroyed several city blocks.  But, by all accounts, he's more of a hero than he was before.  It doesn't matter he destroyed a dog park implied to be full of dogs at the time:  he's a guest on "The View," he's getting endorsement deals, he's awesomesauce!  (I was particularly mad when he was part of "Uber Hero."  Peter's inability to cash paychecks as Spider-Man for lack of a "Spider-Man" bank account has been a plot point for decades.)  It's all just bizarre and rushed.  I'm honestly surprised no one in the editorial team stopped it.  I get the idea of freeing oneself from continuity, but it doesn't mean you get to free yourself from making sense.

Avengers #6:  This arc was OK, I guess.  I know I'm supposed to be all, "ZOMG, giant-sized Avengers, Unimind, Dark Celestials, ZOMG!"  But, I have to be honest:  it all just felt a little meh.  This entire arc had little tension, as we all knew the Avengers were going to win.  In those situations, it's even more incumbent than usual for the author to use the extreme circumstances to tease out some previously hidden part of the characters'...well, characters.  But, Aaron doesn't do that here:  everyone just gets big!  To make matters worse, I don't entirely get their win.  Tony realizes the Celestials who declined to save Zgreb did so in the hope that humanity would eventually evolve to become the cure for the Horde.  Conveniently, he then remembers Ikaris told him the Unimind was the key to defeating the Horde.  Aaron never quite explains the details, but Ghost Rider somehow unites the Avengers' consciousnesses into the Unimind and the Horde apparently disperses.  Then, the Celestials and the Avengers make short work of the Final Host.  It's all pretty convenient how everyone magically knows what they're supposed to do.  It's like if someone had thrown Bruce Wayne's father a machine gun at the right moment.

Old Man Hawkeye #8:  Sacks wisely returns to telling a smaller, more character-focused story than the one he told last issue.  He shows Clint and Kate as still a study in opposites, with Kate insisting on paying for gas that Clint would've just as happily stole (from a mob boss, it should be noted).  Kate is also confused why she’s risking so much in helping Clint achieve revenge, when she should be at the orphanage helping the kids.  This moral dilemma is heightened when she refuses to follow Clint into the convent to kill Melissa, a former friend.  However, perhaps the most poignant moment is when Bullseye kills Bucky.  He’d been reduced to a mindless robot controlled by some guys in a room, and he thanks Bullseye for killing him.  However, Bullseye didn’t do it for Bucky; he did it to have the guys controlling Bucky perform some sort of brain surgery on him.  I'm assuming it's to remove his tracking chip so the Skull can't find him?  I’m sure we’ll see.  At any rate, this issue is a nice return to form as we start to get to the end.

West Coast Avengers #1:  Every time I read Kelly Thompson, I feel better about the state of comic books.  She crafts an excellent team book here, using her great sense of characterization to make us totally engaged with this group right from the start.  We’ve got Kate’s adorableness with Fuse, Gwen’s hatred of Quentin, Clint’s support of Kate:  this issue has it all.  Plus, using a documentary as the funding source for the team is a stroke of genius that I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen since “X-Statix.”  My sidekick obsession meant I was always a huge fan of “West Coast Avengers,” and I can’t imagine someone paying better homage to it than Thompson does here.  I mean, a 40-foot Tigra attacking Santa Monica in the first issue?  It’s just perfect.

X-Men:  Gold #34:  This Storm arc is turning into one of Guggenheim’s stronger stories.  It still feels like he’s rushing from plot point to plot point, but at least this time the progression makes sense.  Storm is rattled when she realizes her parents really do seem to be alive, but she’s too experienced to accept that on face value.  Instead, she goes searching and discovers a set of catacombs with the bodies of all the deceased villagers.  When she confronts Uovo, he informs her the “Reaping” is coming, and he converts all the bodies — and Storm’s parents — into zombies.  It’s obviously a legitimate conundrum for Storm, as she doesn’t want to destroy the bodies of her former worshipers (and parents).  She’s also disturbed to discover Stormcatcher is no longer answering her call, even though she could use the extra power as she faces down a zombie horde.  It’s nice to see Guggenheim ending on a strong note.

X-Men:  Red #7:  This issue is pretty clever.  I wasn’t sure how they were going to prove Jean didn’t kill the British Ambassador, but Taylor happily surprises me here.  The X-Men manage to retrieve the Ambassador’s phone from the plane upon which her possessions are being transported.  Trinary is able to pull the recording of Cassandra Nova whispering her plans (as she did in the first issue) off the phone, and Jean broadcasts it throughout the world.  (I don't remember how Jean knows the phone has any sort of recording that could be useful, but it's clear why she does when you read the story.)  Along the way, we get a pretty amazing battle on board the plane as Nova’s nano-sentinels hijack the new Ambassador.  He grabs one of the security guards' guns and opens fire on the X-Men in the cargo hold.  It’s a really sold mix of excitement and plot.  Taylor is also doing a great job with the characterization; I particularly enjoyed Gambit and Honey Badger’s interaction here.  Given the state of “X-Men Blue” and “X-Men Gold,” I feel like this series is really stabilizing the X-books at this point.

Also Read:  Detective Comics #987; Darth Vader #20; Mr. and Mrs. X #2; Star Wars:  Doctor Aphra #23

Not-Very-New Comics: The August 15 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Astonishing X-Men Annual #1:  This issue is creepy as hell, but it does something most X-Men stories don’t (but should):  it presents Charles Xavier as an unapologetic asshole.  Jean holds a reunion of the original X-Men (leaving a seat for Scott) and they ponder how far their lives are from the lives they wanted as adolescents.  (Hilariously, they agree Bobby is actually doing pretty well.)  However, "X" (as we're now calling him) arrives and whisks them to Lago, New York.  It's the location of an anti-mutant hate crime that happened when they were students at the School.  X reveals Lucifer — the alien who stole his ability to walk — has taken over the town.  Underlining how different he is from Xavier, their conflict ends when X manipulates Angel into becoming Archangel to kill Lucifer.  (The severed link also kills the townspeople, which X doesn't really seem to mind.)  X uses the fight to tell the X-Men to shove their pity party, as the only choice they ever had was to save the world or die in it.  Jean asks if he cared if they were happy.  As he wipes away their memories of these events and departs, he says he had hoped they found happiness in doing good.  The group replays their dinner the next night in a much happier mindset.  It’s hard to know if X changed their perspectives forcefully or they're in a better place through the faded memory of the experience, but it is what it is.  I still can’t say I’m buying “X,” but this issue does make me feel like Marvel should probably be doing more to get the band back together again.  I'm fine with Scott staying dead for a while so we can finally see Jean without him, as we were able to see him without her.  But, it doesn't mean we can't get the four remaining "originals" together to heal some of the wounds they identified before X mindwiped them.  I'd read that series quite happily.

Extermination #1:  I appreciate what Brisson tries to do here, but I don't know if it really works.  "X-Men Blue" has been such a chaotic series lately that Bunn barely had time to imbue Bloodstorm with much personality, making it hard to feel as devastated by her death as Brisson wants us to feel here.  Sure, I feel bad for Scott, but it's also hard to believe he was so attached, seeing how he recently spent a significant amount of time in space.  Also, does anyone even remotely believe Cable isn't going to magically return from the dead?  Brisson tells a more interesting story when it comes to the idea the X-Men are facing two seemingly unconnected threats.  We don't know why Ahab decides to make a play for Cyclops here, but his presence in the present explains why Rachel's hound persona has been emerging lately.  Meanwhile, young Nathan accuses older Nathan of neglecting his duty in not forcing the original X-Men to return to their time.  According to young Nathan, this decision leads to a slaughter at the Mansion 20 years in the future.  Older Nathan claims he's wrong; in a grammatically challenging sentence, he says "they needed them to see...what they became" so they could return to the past and be better.  I'm assuming older Nathan means he allowed the kids to stay in the present in the hope they'd return to their time with some lessons learned.  But I don't get that, because it assumes they'd remember their time in the present, which we seem already to know doesn't happen.  Separately, it's possible Ahab and younger Nathan are working together, but the X-Men know that it wasn't Ahab who "killed" older Nathan.   As we go forward, I hope Brisson keeps the focus on the kids and doesn't get lost in the sprawling time-travel narrative.  If this story ends with the kids accepting a fate where they don't remember their time in the present, it means Bobby accepting returning to the closet, Jean and Scott accepting the deaths and heartbreaks in their future, Warren accepting the horror his life becomes, and Hank accepting the sadness that weighs on him today.  Walking us through that heroism is the story, as I see it, and hopefully Brisson keeps that in mind. 

Multiple Man #3:  Emperor Jamie's shock troops make pretty quick work of the team, though Forge manages to create the time bracelets that send the dupes into the future to become the superhero versions of Jamie.  (Super-Jamies?)  Emperor Jamie has this Jamie brought before him, and we learn Emperor Jamie became unstable around the time the Beast gave him a serum to turn him into the Prime Jamie.  (I don't get this part.  Prime Jamie was the original Jamie.  You can't just turn a dupe into Prime Jamie.  What exactly did the serum do?)  But, this Jamie says it's not why he became unstable; they were in that bunker in the first place because they were the "evil, megalomaniacal" version of Prime Jamie, plotting to displace him.  Emperor Jamie doesn't necessarily buy that argument, but it doesn't matter, because he kills this Jamie.  Yeah, I'm not sure I care anymore either.

Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man #308:  The thing about Chip Zdarsky is that he’s probably the best in the business right now of telling multilayered stories.  He reminds me of Peter David during the “X-Factor” heyday.  Here, we could just be getting a story of Sandman’s death, as his body can no longer stay cohesive.  If it were just that, it would still be great.  The scene where Spidey takes him to the beach at Coney Island is spectacular (heh).  Zdarsky infuses it with incredible emotion, from Flint telling us how his mother would get plastered while he built sandcastles there to him telling Peter not to take off his mask because he doesn’t want to learn he’s Chris Evans handsome.  (Flint tells us he always pictured Spidey as having an ugly mug.)  It’s funny and wistful and meaningful.  It has that certain je ne sais quoi that “Extermination” #1 lacked, that ability to convey emotions through dialogue and lines.  I have to single out Chris Bachalo here as well, as he captures the scenery perfectly; I could hear the seagulls calling, the beach scenes were so evocative.  But, Zdarsky goes one further.  Using Sandman's dreams, he hints that one version of Sandman is living in our future and made of glass and another version of him faces a grimdark iteration of Spider-Man.  These hints are what makes this issue so propulsive, elevating it from a simpler story.  Even with Nick Spencer’s debut on “Amazing Spider-Man,” this title is the main Spidey title to me.

The Weatherman #3:  Well, I certainly didn't see Nathan (allegedly) killing Cross coming.  But, Nathan realizes that Cross doesn't care about him.  From the start of the issue, Leheup hints Cross has some ability to differentiate Ian from Nathan and thus some sympathy for his plight.  But, she also has her mission.  It turns out Miriam Nyseth kept records of the minds she wiped, but she was gone when Fitch's agents got to her lab.  Cross is now trying to find Nyseth's former assistant, Orin Wetzel, with the goal of getting back Ian's memories.  However, Nathan realizes she intends to implant the memories into his brain, turning him into Ian so she can discover details about Jenner's plan.  Leheup and Fox do a great job of showing Nathan on edge at this point.  He and Cross spent most of this issue fleeing people in hot pursuit of them, after the two bounty hunters alert the news media to their presence in Tharsis.  But, throughout this chase, he's actually in a good mood:  he has a blast piloting the car while Cross opens fire on the pursuers, a sign of his inability to take anything too seriously.  But, the grim look on his face as he (allegedly) murders Cross makes it clear Ian might not totally be gone.  Meanwhile, other intrigue builds in this issue.  The Martian president realizes Fitch had gone rogue when her team informs her Amanda escaped the Nebula before it was destroyed.  It's an interesting angle, as I had figured Fitch was running a sanctioned operation in tracking down Nathan.  Leheup also subtly implies we shouldn't rule out the Sword of God's motivations being more complicated than simply looking to do evil.  Sure, it's hard to imagine how they would justify blowing up Earth was for the greater good.  But, an answer may be out there.  Meanwhile, Leheup and Fox continue to drive home the horror of that loss, as Cross and Nathan encounter a dead junkie addicted to a drug that allows you to re-live your memories.  The woman has a stuffed bunny on her lap, and Cross explains that "tethers" help users stay attached to their positive memories while using the drug.  It's hard stuff.  Meanwhile, we're introduced to a crime lord who tortures to death a former employee who stole from him, though it's still unclear how that part of the story connects to Nathan's.  I'm guessing it's not a happy connection.

The Wild Storm #16:  At this point, as much as I'm enjoying this series, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, with so few issues left.  John continues his tour of Thunderbook subjects, this time meeting with a woman with pretty incredible powers over matter.  Angie discovers she can directly access the internet, bringing her to Jenny's attention.  Jenny decides Angie's a cool chick and invites her to work with her and the Doctor if she ever gets tired of Halo.  After this interaction, Angie decides she's tired of hiding and asks Cole to teach her how to shoot a gun.  It's all interesting stuff, but we only have eight issues left.  If everyone goes to war, it's hard to see how it's going to happen in such a short time.  Ellis had previously mentioned two series would follow this one, and it's hard to know which way he'll go.  Will it be StormWatch and Wild C.A.T.s?  I guess we'll see.

Also Read:  Batman #53; Edge of Spider-geddon #1; Infinity Wars #2; Thor #4