Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker #1: I picked up this series -- the only "Infinity Wars" tie-in miniseries I'm getting -- because it promised Darkhawk. But, he doesn't appear here. Instead, I had to make my way through Marvel's attempt to make Sleepwalker happen again. The only upside to this issue is that I now understand a little better what Gamora did in the main title. At first I thought Marvel was saying we always existed inside the Soul Gem, but now I realize Gamora's "first order of business was to combine and transplant the essence of every life on Earth into the Soul Gem." The Sleepwalker Council for some reason finds this move less horrible than when Thanos did it, because for some reason it didn't inspire the same level of "unease and panic." I'm not quite sure how it's true, but it is what it is.
Shatterstar #1: Given how popular Shatterstar has been as a character over the last 27 (gulp) years, it seems hard to believe this miniseries is our first real look at him. Peter David on "X-Factor" is really the only author that gave him a personality, with most other authors just treating him as a somewhat unhinged (or, at least, unremorseful) killer. Seeley wisely decides to start at the beginning, focusing on Shatterstar's roots in the Mojoverse. But, the good news is that he does so without undoing what David's excellent characterization. Here, "Ben Gaveedra" is landlord of a building that provides refuge to other time-displaced persons. It's a brilliant device, creating a motley crew of supporting characters and a solid motivation for a driftless "Ben" all in one fell swoop. We get a better sense of how the Mojoverse still frames Ben's outlook, as he sees the world through the lens of entertainment: everyone around him is a character with his or her own plot. For example, we learn Rictor tearfully ended their relationship because Ben had lost interest in him since they didn't fight enough. We don't hear directly from Ben here, so we can only guess whether he believes that characterization is fair. But, it definitely fits with the idea that he was a warrior bred and he misses the drama. He gets enough of it here, when a former lover from his gladiator days kidnaps his tenants in some sort of revenge plot. This device allows us to see Ben fully embrace his Shatterstar persona in what promises to be a Liam Neeson-esque spree of fury. Obviously, I'd like him to be with Julio when this miniseries ends; if Shatterstar's ex-lover had swiped Rictor, I feel like we would've gotten to the heart of their relationship more quickly. But I'm also happy to wait to get there. Seeley is giving us the sort of street-level view of superheroes' lives that I loved in "Batgirl" and the too-short "New Mutants" reboot from a few years ago. If Marvel were smart, they'd move all the New Mutants to Brooklyn and give us a show. For now, I'm happy to see where Seeley goes from here.
Star Wars #55: This issue wraps up the "Hope Dies" story well, though I admit it's almost too well. I would've preferred for Han, Leia, and Luke to have stayed stranded on this random moon a little while longer, to give them time to contemplate the events of "Hope Dies." After all, Leia's overconfidence cost the Rebellion 90 percent of their ships and 50 percent of their just-built cruisers. Gillen makes it clear her failures in this arc make her into the woman she becomes, but I think we could've spent a little more time seeing her actually process those emotions. Moreover, Han almost single-handedly saved the Rebellion here. His return to help Luke destroy the Death Star at the end of "A New Hope" is no longer a fluke; he's an honest-to-God hero of the Rebellion. Leia dealing with her failure and Han dealing with his heroism while stranded on a moon together seems to me to be a story with some potential. Instead, Gillen rushes us to the next phase. Mon Mothma promotes the three of them because she has few options left, and they're all quickly on their way to locate the Falcon and Chewie, even though it's unclear how they're going to do so. That said, I'm still more or less happy with the story as it ends. In one of the better moments, Gillen uses the waning panels to reveal Meotri's name means "hope." She plays a significant role here, as she's forced to pilot a ship to a cruiser to provide them with the codes Leia swiped. It's a nice reminder of the supporting characters we saw throughout this arc sacrificing themselves for the greater good. Gillen doesn't skip over the fact that the Rebellion's greatest losses from this debacle were its people, from General Draven last issue to General Dodonna in this one. It reminds me of the end of "The Last Jedi," where we have to wonder how the Rebellion rebuilds after this incredible loss.
The Superior Octopus #1: This issue is remarkably clever for how it sets up "Spider-geddon." Otto is busy trying to establish himself as the protector of San Francisco, but finds himself increasingly frustrated as everyone associates him with HYDRA. Underlining the point, he's surprised to find Arnim Zola in his HQ. Zola views Otto as part of HYDRA and wants his help working on new cloning technology. Otto refuses and Zola sics a LMD Gorgon on him. Otto seems lost when Gorgon turns him to stone, but he reappears in a new body and defeats Gorgon. Zola is stunned because mind-transference is exactly the sort of cloning problem he wanted Otto to help address; after all, the people Ben Reilly cloned only maintained their memories if they were cloned from the ashes of their previous body. Otto defeats Arnim and reveals his secret: he's using the Inheritors' cloning technology. On Loomworld, the Web Warriors disband as they've returned all the loot the Inheritors stole. But, Captain Britain and Karn are on hand to hear a beep that confirms the Inheritors' cloning technology is active. Although they don't yet know it's Otto using it, Karn realizes the Inheritors can use the communications systems in the robots they've been sending to their location (as seen in "Spider-geddon" #0) to transfer their minds to new bodies in Otto's HQ. Game on! I love the fact that Otto's arrogance has once again blinded him to reality. I wonder how he'll take it this time!
X-Men: Black - Magneto #1: As others have observed, the X-Men seem custom-made for our current era. Claremont leans heavily into dialogue and narrative that initially seem overly political, except for the fact this story and these speeches happen every day in today's media. Here, the immigrant children being taken from their parents are substituted with mutant children, with O.N.E. putting them in detention facilities "for their own safety." Claremont has little work to do; he could've probably composed 95 percent of the issue's dialogue from comments talking heads have made. But, it's a good sign of where Marvel (rightly) seems to be going with the X-Men. It's been a long time since they faced the concerted efforts of the U.S. government to imprison them, and this era suits that story perfectly. I'm excited to see where we go from here.
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