Doomsday Clock #10: This issue is surprising in the sense that Johns lays all his cards on the table, which I didn't expect to happen until next issue.
We learn that Dr. Manhattan arrived in the DCU on April 18, 1938, the day that Superman appeared to the public. He also meets Carver Colman on that day. When Dr. Manhattan arrives, it's in an alley where Carver is sleeping; his grand plans to make it in Hollywood have definitively failed. Dr. Manhattan subsequently meets with Carver every April 18 to tell him the events of his life for the next year. I think Dr. Manhattan meets with Carver because he needs to focus on someone from this Universe to help him see its future. This part isn't totally clear, though. If I had to guess, Dr. Manhattan is also rewarding Carver for checking the pulse of the cop who struck him with a baton right before Dr. Manhattan arrived. Dr. Manhattan's appearance knocked the cop unconscious, and he seemed impressed that Carver would show compassion to a man who hit him.
As the issue unfolds, Dr. Manhattan realizes that Superman's history keeps changing; at some point, he revisits April 18, 1938, and Superman isn't there. Instead, Superman now appears in public for the first time in 1956. Dr. Manhattan continues to observe the changes to the time stream as Superman's date of arrival is pushed farther and farther into the future. Dr. Manhattan is intrigued as history shifts around Superman, noting the central role that Superman seems to play. He begins to realize that, if someone alters Superman's history, s/he alters this Universe's history. (He notes the Anti-Monitor and Extant have both done so.) In so doing, Johns is telling the story of DC's constant ret-conning of its own history, and it's nothing short of brilliant. Dr. Manhattan comes to the conclusion that the Multiverse reacts to this Universe, which he dubs the Metaverse. Dr. Manhattan removes Alan Scott's access to his lantern to experiment on the Metaverse, which he realizes is always changing. In so doing, he creates the Rebirth version of the DCnU. But, Dr. Manhattan comes to realize that he's made a mistake. When Wally West confronts him in the time stream, he realizes that the Metaverse is not passive; it takes steps to protect itself. I'm not sure what that means for the series' eventual outcome, but it seems to be the key point, because it means Dr. Manhattan can't just do whatever he wants here.
In terms of Carver, the errata at the end of the issue reveals that his mother is the person who murders him. He initially fled home after she found him kissing another boy, and she has been blackmailing him ever since. Interestingly, his alter ego, Nathaniel Dusk, survives his encounter with death, as the errata also explains. I'm still not sure where we're going with Carver, but the plot is definitely thickening.
The Wild Storm #23: Man, DC really released all its mythology books this week. This issue is surprisingly easy to follow, as Ellis continues to focus on the war between IO and Skywatch. Bendix thinks that IO foiled his attack on Apollo and Midnighter, so he activates their triggers (as well as the Mayor's) to send them to New York to kill everything in sight. Conversely, when Miles learns of the attacks, he orders the destruction of all of Skywatch's supply depots on Earth. The Mayor is able to shake off the trigger due to the Doctor's conditioning, and she manages to free Apollo and Midnighter before they arrive in New York, thanks to Angie catching Apollo mid-flight. They explain the situation to them, and Apollo (though surprisingly not Midnighter) sees that it's the other side of the same war; IO needs to exist to restrain Bendix and Skywatch. Angie tries to get Marlowe to send in the Wild C.A.T.s, but he refuses, since it has nothing to do with his plans. (I can see that. A world without IO or Skywatch is probably easier for Halo.) We'll see how it all converges next issue.
Also Read: Detective Comics Annual #2; Transformers #6
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Scott Snyder has always been a genius at starting an epic story, and this issue is no different. I'm hard pressed to think of a story that covers so much ground and functions on so many levels after just one (admittedly mega-sized) issue. Let's break it down, shall we?
This issue consists of three separate stories.
In the opening sequence, Batman is intrigued when he realizes that someone has been drawing five-foot lines in chalk around Gotham for a little over a year. But, he's disturbed when he realizes through satellite imagery that they form an outline of Batman, with his heart located right where his parents died in Crime Alley. When he visits the scene, he finds a dead ten- or eleven-year-old boy posed like a prop on his knees under an umbrella. As he investigates, Bruce is surprised when a mechanism on the boy's arm activates and fires a revolver at him.
We then move into the second story. Bruce awakens in Arkham Asylum with someone who looks a lot like the Joker claiming that he's his psychiatrist. Dr. Redmund Hudd. (Heh. I only noticed the name in the second reading, I'm embarrassed to admit.) Bruce has been in a delusional state since he (allegedly) murdered his parents, but a new drug that Wayne Enterprises developed has brought him back to reality. ("Heliox" is the new dionesium.) Alfred arrives to explain that Batman existed only in Bruce's deluded head. In an interview room, he explains that Batman's rogues gallery is comprised of members of Arkham's staff and Bruce's skills come from his various therapies. For example, he learned Mandarin at the library under the watchful eye of Thomas Elliott (get it?) and martial arts for Dr. Algol (GET IT?)
Snyder is possibly at his best here, as he makes you believe this story is the subject of the mini-series. We're going to watch Bruce try to prove that Batman was real, like a reverse St. Elsewhere. Alfred eventually shows Bruce that his "Batsuit" is just a shock-therapy cowl attached to a straight jacket. Alfred reaches out his hand, begging Bruce to come home. Bruce takes Alfred's hand and his eyes widen noticeably. He takes the suit and bolts, making his way through Arkham's orderlies and guards as they try to restrain him. On the roof, he demands to know why Alfred lied to him, and Alfred relents. He tells him the truth.
However, Snyder doesn't rush his story. Our only hint about the status quo is that Alfred tells Bruce that nothing exists outside the hospital. Bruce realizes that such destructions means that he failed. He asks Alfred to tell him what happened, but Alfred again beseeches him to just accept that he's Bruce Wayne now. Bruce taps Alfred's face, and Alfred's digital mask fades, revealing a much older self. We learn that, when Bruce took Alfred's hand in the interview room, he felt his pulse and realized that Alfred was older than he was acknowledging. Alfred says that he hadn't yet perfect the device to correct that, because Bruce woke up two years early. He explains Toyman constructed the fake Gotham, with Alfred acting all the parts, his masterpiece. When Bruce asks why Alfred's old and Bruce isn't, Alfred tells him that he won't like the answer. He asks for one last hug from his boy before he tells him the truth, because he knows that Bruce will leave after that. This part wasn't particularly emotional for me in the moment, but reading it a second time -- knowing that Alfred isn't lying about the devastation outside "Arkham" -- it's devastating. After all, Alfred is right -- Bruce leaves after he tells him the truth (off-panel, keeping us guessing). Alfred gets his last hug, and it seems pretty clear that Alfred is going to commit suicide once Bruce leaves, his last grasp at some happiness denied him.
(The only part here that I didn't get was Alfred mentioned an "infection from a bat bite" when he describes the events that led Bruce to becoming Batman, like Joe Chill murdering his parents. What? Is Snyder implying Bruce has Spider-Man-like powers?)
The next moment is the series' iconic moment, with Batman (in the cobbled-together Arkham suit) emerging from the sand into a desert and discovering Joker's head in the lantern. Snyder's Joker is hilarious, and I hope that we see more of him for the rest of the series. (I loved when he pretended not to know that he didn't have a body. Ha!) Batman takes the Joker with him to Coast City, where he confronts a series of Green Lantern-created babies running wild. Apparently Braniac leached Mogo, and Green Lantern rings rained from the sky for anyone to grab. This entire sequence is kind of ridiculous, but it's fun due to the Joker constantly asking what he's missing after Bruce tucked him under his arm to flee the babies. ("Do I hear babies? I love babies!") Bruce is saved when someone emerges from a mid-air door and grabs him. I don't recognize her, but she's with Poison Ivy on patrol in an invisible tank. We first learn of Omega here when the woman tells Bruce that he (Omega) has scouts -- like Bane and Scarecrow -- all over the place. They take Bruce to Gemworld, and it's here where the truth emerges.
Diana is our narrator as we learn about the present. As they walk through Gemworld, she tells Bruce about the status quo: Earth's population has been reduced to the 100,000 or so people living below ground. Before Bruce gets any ideas, Diana tells him that virtually no one is alive on the surface and the people who are alive up there wouldn't follow him. She and the refugees are only safe in Gemworld because it refracts everything, even space-time, so Omega can't detect them.
Snyder and Capullo do a great job making this next sequence chilling. As they arrive at the ruined remains of the Hall of Justice, Diana tells Bruce that it all started with a speech that Lex delivered in which he lamented that everything was falling apart: the Earth is heating, the resources are gone, and the powerful are tightening their grasp. According to Lex, the "powerful" want us all to play nicely so we "win" at the end. Lex decried "goodness" as the oldest lie: be good and stay in the garden rather than eat the apple and learn the truth. Lex encouraged everyone to eat all the apples at once. All Hell then broke loose.
Slowly but surely, everyday people begin to pick off the heroes and the scales start to tip. Bruce encourages the Justice League to throw open the doors to the Halls of Justice, hoping that empowering the people will quell their outrage. Instead, the crowd kills him immediately. (Diana refers to Batman in the third-, not second-, person here, so we know that this Bruce isn't the ur-Bruce, explaining why he's so young.) Luthor thinks that he's won, but, unfortunately for him, they turn on him and the villains, too. (I'm not really sure what Lex thought would happen, since he was one of those elites with a vested interest in everyone playing nicely.) But, it went from bad to worse when someone named Omega rises. He has the Anti-Life Equation, and, even after the remaining heroes and villains band together, he destroys them and takes over the East Coast. Diana then explains to Bruce that this already terrible situation is getting worse, as we learn that Omega has found a way to amplify the Anti-Life Equation where it'll reach even into Gemworld.
Appalled, Bruce encourages Diana to work with him to stop Omega. We learn that he exists because Alfred convinced Diana to bring the machine that Bruce created to replicate himself to the desert. Bruce sees this act as a sign that she has hope, but she tells him that it was a mercy to an old man. Bruce encourages her to fight, and Diana is harsh: she tells him that he died before the fighting even began. It's here where you realize that she's been fighting this fight for twenty-something years: Bruce's optimism has to be grating for her. After all, she reveals that Omega is rumored to be one of Bruce's former disciples. Jason? Tim? Damian? All seem like potential candidates. Bruce asks about Clark, and Diana dismisses rumors that he's alive and sulking in the "Fields of Solitude." Diana saw him fall and, besides, she's scoured the Plains. (If she looked even after seeing Clark fall, maybe Bruce isn't wrong that she has some hope?)
It all leads to the revelation that Diana is leading the remaining population into the Underworld to escape Omega's Anti-Life Equation. (One of the most poignant moments is when she meekly tells him that Hades has promised her to give her a realm with some light.) Bruce is apalled and adamant they do something to save the world. The second moment of this issue (beyond Lex's speech) that rings particularly true to me is here, when Diana tells Bruce that the world up there doesn't want saving and maybe never did. She encourages Bruce to come with them, to help protect the 100,000 good people who need heroes; he could be a new Batman for a new age.
Capullo's Bruce has always been the handsomest, and it's always fun to see that. But, this handsomeness is...weaponized, for lack of a better term, in the next scene. A bruised and battered boy approaches Bruce, who looks like an idealized 1940s college football player with a golden heart that shines through his baby-blue eyes. If our America has a hero, it is someone who looks like Bruce, not Batman. The boy asks Batman if he can see in the dark because he's a bat. Bruce tells him bats navigate by echoes, and the boy informs Bruce that he's not supposed to make echoes down in Gemworld because they bother people. Bruce laughs, and they make one together. It's Bruce as a symbol of hope, but Snyder makes it such a feeble light in such an overwhelming darkness that you understand Diana and her desperate plight all the more. The next morning, she's not surprised when he's gone. I found myself hoping that Bruce is right and that she'd allow herself a shred of hope.
In other words, this issue is a tour de force of world-building. Snyder builds one entirely compelling world -- the Arkham Asylum reality -- only to reveal that it's a front, hiding an entirely different one. But, Snyder is often very good at this sort of thing. It's sticking the landing that I often find is difficult for him, and I find myself hoping against hope that he manages it here, after such an amazing first issue.
This issue consists of three separate stories.
In the opening sequence, Batman is intrigued when he realizes that someone has been drawing five-foot lines in chalk around Gotham for a little over a year. But, he's disturbed when he realizes through satellite imagery that they form an outline of Batman, with his heart located right where his parents died in Crime Alley. When he visits the scene, he finds a dead ten- or eleven-year-old boy posed like a prop on his knees under an umbrella. As he investigates, Bruce is surprised when a mechanism on the boy's arm activates and fires a revolver at him.
We then move into the second story. Bruce awakens in Arkham Asylum with someone who looks a lot like the Joker claiming that he's his psychiatrist. Dr. Redmund Hudd. (Heh. I only noticed the name in the second reading, I'm embarrassed to admit.) Bruce has been in a delusional state since he (allegedly) murdered his parents, but a new drug that Wayne Enterprises developed has brought him back to reality. ("Heliox" is the new dionesium.) Alfred arrives to explain that Batman existed only in Bruce's deluded head. In an interview room, he explains that Batman's rogues gallery is comprised of members of Arkham's staff and Bruce's skills come from his various therapies. For example, he learned Mandarin at the library under the watchful eye of Thomas Elliott (get it?) and martial arts for Dr. Algol (GET IT?)
Snyder is possibly at his best here, as he makes you believe this story is the subject of the mini-series. We're going to watch Bruce try to prove that Batman was real, like a reverse St. Elsewhere. Alfred eventually shows Bruce that his "Batsuit" is just a shock-therapy cowl attached to a straight jacket. Alfred reaches out his hand, begging Bruce to come home. Bruce takes Alfred's hand and his eyes widen noticeably. He takes the suit and bolts, making his way through Arkham's orderlies and guards as they try to restrain him. On the roof, he demands to know why Alfred lied to him, and Alfred relents. He tells him the truth.
However, Snyder doesn't rush his story. Our only hint about the status quo is that Alfred tells Bruce that nothing exists outside the hospital. Bruce realizes that such destructions means that he failed. He asks Alfred to tell him what happened, but Alfred again beseeches him to just accept that he's Bruce Wayne now. Bruce taps Alfred's face, and Alfred's digital mask fades, revealing a much older self. We learn that, when Bruce took Alfred's hand in the interview room, he felt his pulse and realized that Alfred was older than he was acknowledging. Alfred says that he hadn't yet perfect the device to correct that, because Bruce woke up two years early. He explains Toyman constructed the fake Gotham, with Alfred acting all the parts, his masterpiece. When Bruce asks why Alfred's old and Bruce isn't, Alfred tells him that he won't like the answer. He asks for one last hug from his boy before he tells him the truth, because he knows that Bruce will leave after that. This part wasn't particularly emotional for me in the moment, but reading it a second time -- knowing that Alfred isn't lying about the devastation outside "Arkham" -- it's devastating. After all, Alfred is right -- Bruce leaves after he tells him the truth (off-panel, keeping us guessing). Alfred gets his last hug, and it seems pretty clear that Alfred is going to commit suicide once Bruce leaves, his last grasp at some happiness denied him.
(The only part here that I didn't get was Alfred mentioned an "infection from a bat bite" when he describes the events that led Bruce to becoming Batman, like Joe Chill murdering his parents. What? Is Snyder implying Bruce has Spider-Man-like powers?)
The next moment is the series' iconic moment, with Batman (in the cobbled-together Arkham suit) emerging from the sand into a desert and discovering Joker's head in the lantern. Snyder's Joker is hilarious, and I hope that we see more of him for the rest of the series. (I loved when he pretended not to know that he didn't have a body. Ha!) Batman takes the Joker with him to Coast City, where he confronts a series of Green Lantern-created babies running wild. Apparently Braniac leached Mogo, and Green Lantern rings rained from the sky for anyone to grab. This entire sequence is kind of ridiculous, but it's fun due to the Joker constantly asking what he's missing after Bruce tucked him under his arm to flee the babies. ("Do I hear babies? I love babies!") Bruce is saved when someone emerges from a mid-air door and grabs him. I don't recognize her, but she's with Poison Ivy on patrol in an invisible tank. We first learn of Omega here when the woman tells Bruce that he (Omega) has scouts -- like Bane and Scarecrow -- all over the place. They take Bruce to Gemworld, and it's here where the truth emerges.
Diana is our narrator as we learn about the present. As they walk through Gemworld, she tells Bruce about the status quo: Earth's population has been reduced to the 100,000 or so people living below ground. Before Bruce gets any ideas, Diana tells him that virtually no one is alive on the surface and the people who are alive up there wouldn't follow him. She and the refugees are only safe in Gemworld because it refracts everything, even space-time, so Omega can't detect them.
Snyder and Capullo do a great job making this next sequence chilling. As they arrive at the ruined remains of the Hall of Justice, Diana tells Bruce that it all started with a speech that Lex delivered in which he lamented that everything was falling apart: the Earth is heating, the resources are gone, and the powerful are tightening their grasp. According to Lex, the "powerful" want us all to play nicely so we "win" at the end. Lex decried "goodness" as the oldest lie: be good and stay in the garden rather than eat the apple and learn the truth. Lex encouraged everyone to eat all the apples at once. All Hell then broke loose.
Slowly but surely, everyday people begin to pick off the heroes and the scales start to tip. Bruce encourages the Justice League to throw open the doors to the Halls of Justice, hoping that empowering the people will quell their outrage. Instead, the crowd kills him immediately. (Diana refers to Batman in the third-, not second-, person here, so we know that this Bruce isn't the ur-Bruce, explaining why he's so young.) Luthor thinks that he's won, but, unfortunately for him, they turn on him and the villains, too. (I'm not really sure what Lex thought would happen, since he was one of those elites with a vested interest in everyone playing nicely.) But, it went from bad to worse when someone named Omega rises. He has the Anti-Life Equation, and, even after the remaining heroes and villains band together, he destroys them and takes over the East Coast. Diana then explains to Bruce that this already terrible situation is getting worse, as we learn that Omega has found a way to amplify the Anti-Life Equation where it'll reach even into Gemworld.
Appalled, Bruce encourages Diana to work with him to stop Omega. We learn that he exists because Alfred convinced Diana to bring the machine that Bruce created to replicate himself to the desert. Bruce sees this act as a sign that she has hope, but she tells him that it was a mercy to an old man. Bruce encourages her to fight, and Diana is harsh: she tells him that he died before the fighting even began. It's here where you realize that she's been fighting this fight for twenty-something years: Bruce's optimism has to be grating for her. After all, she reveals that Omega is rumored to be one of Bruce's former disciples. Jason? Tim? Damian? All seem like potential candidates. Bruce asks about Clark, and Diana dismisses rumors that he's alive and sulking in the "Fields of Solitude." Diana saw him fall and, besides, she's scoured the Plains. (If she looked even after seeing Clark fall, maybe Bruce isn't wrong that she has some hope?)
It all leads to the revelation that Diana is leading the remaining population into the Underworld to escape Omega's Anti-Life Equation. (One of the most poignant moments is when she meekly tells him that Hades has promised her to give her a realm with some light.) Bruce is apalled and adamant they do something to save the world. The second moment of this issue (beyond Lex's speech) that rings particularly true to me is here, when Diana tells Bruce that the world up there doesn't want saving and maybe never did. She encourages Bruce to come with them, to help protect the 100,000 good people who need heroes; he could be a new Batman for a new age.
Capullo's Bruce has always been the handsomest, and it's always fun to see that. But, this handsomeness is...weaponized, for lack of a better term, in the next scene. A bruised and battered boy approaches Bruce, who looks like an idealized 1940s college football player with a golden heart that shines through his baby-blue eyes. If our America has a hero, it is someone who looks like Bruce, not Batman. The boy asks Batman if he can see in the dark because he's a bat. Bruce tells him bats navigate by echoes, and the boy informs Bruce that he's not supposed to make echoes down in Gemworld because they bother people. Bruce laughs, and they make one together. It's Bruce as a symbol of hope, but Snyder makes it such a feeble light in such an overwhelming darkness that you understand Diana and her desperate plight all the more. The next morning, she's not surprised when he's gone. I found myself hoping that Bruce is right and that she'd allow herself a shred of hope.
In other words, this issue is a tour de force of world-building. Snyder builds one entirely compelling world -- the Arkham Asylum reality -- only to reveal that it's a front, hiding an entirely different one. But, Snyder is often very good at this sort of thing. It's sticking the landing that I often find is difficult for him, and I find myself hoping against hope that he manages it here, after such an amazing first issue.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The May 22 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #3: This series has gone from being an amusing tie-in series that you're pleased you don't hate to a bona fide team epic that I really don't want to end.
War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #2: It's sad that the actual "Uncanny X-Men" series is so bad at this point that I found myself truly understanding the potential that Rosenberg is squandering while reading this issue. This series feels the way that series should. Alex and, most importantly, Scott find themselves put in their respective places, serving as little more than mindless cannons to ensure the safety of the refugees whom the X-Men are assembling at Citi Field. Karma is running the show, and it's the generational transition that I thought that Rosenberg was going to show us in the main title. (I didn't expect for Scott to pass the torch to Karma without a fight, per se, but I at least thought that we'd see said fight. Instead, the New Mutants in that title are all either dying or quitting.) I'm not sure why Rosenberg seems to have a better grasp on the characters here than there, but I guess I have to take what I can get.
War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The Land of Giants #1: Oh, Buttercup. (Sniff.) You were a good horse.
X-Force #8: I like this series, but for some reason this issue didn't sing to me in the same way that the other ones have. Stryfe seems just completely unhinged here and as such makes overly convenient (in terms of the plot) mistakes. For example, it's hard to believe that he'd so blithely order his telepaths to free Rachel of their hold simply so that they could redouble their control of the MLF to take out X-Force. Moreover, Nate's descent into disintegration should be compelling, but for me it was lost among the chaos. I feel like Brisson has to pull us together here.
Also Read: Avengers #19; Detective Comics #1,004; Marvel Comics Presents #1-#5; Mr. and Mrs. X #11
War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #2: It's sad that the actual "Uncanny X-Men" series is so bad at this point that I found myself truly understanding the potential that Rosenberg is squandering while reading this issue. This series feels the way that series should. Alex and, most importantly, Scott find themselves put in their respective places, serving as little more than mindless cannons to ensure the safety of the refugees whom the X-Men are assembling at Citi Field. Karma is running the show, and it's the generational transition that I thought that Rosenberg was going to show us in the main title. (I didn't expect for Scott to pass the torch to Karma without a fight, per se, but I at least thought that we'd see said fight. Instead, the New Mutants in that title are all either dying or quitting.) I'm not sure why Rosenberg seems to have a better grasp on the characters here than there, but I guess I have to take what I can get.
War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The Land of Giants #1: Oh, Buttercup. (Sniff.) You were a good horse.
X-Force #8: I like this series, but for some reason this issue didn't sing to me in the same way that the other ones have. Stryfe seems just completely unhinged here and as such makes overly convenient (in terms of the plot) mistakes. For example, it's hard to believe that he'd so blithely order his telepaths to free Rachel of their hold simply so that they could redouble their control of the MLF to take out X-Force. Moreover, Nate's descent into disintegration should be compelling, but for me it was lost among the chaos. I feel like Brisson has to pull us together here.
Also Read: Avengers #19; Detective Comics #1,004; Marvel Comics Presents #1-#5; Mr. and Mrs. X #11
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The May 15 X-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Age of X-Man: The Marvelous X-Men #4: I admit, I lost the plot here, though I can't really say that I care. I feel like I've read the same issue of this series four times: everyone marvels (heh) at how amazing Nate is, someone remembers a past love and tries to defect, Moneta is an asshole, and Nate tries to close the fractures in this reality. Rinse and repeat. The only dramatic tension in each issue is whether someone is going to remember the past, but we all know that they will, because again the cycle repeats. We also still don't really have any idea how or why Nate created this reality despite arriving at the event's end. What a mess.
Uncanny X-Men #18: Honesty, this series is getting hard to read. It might be easier if we didn't know that Jonathan Hickman was going to disregard the X-Men's history when he takes over the line, making everything happening here irrelevant. (Yes, I know Marvel insists that he isn't going to do that. But, Marvel also insisted that Peter Parker was dead and Otto Octavius was Spider-Man, so whatever.)
However, with that knowledge, it's impossible to take Rosenberg's cavalcade of death here seriously. Chamber kills the Marauders despite them swearing that they didn't murder the Morlocks and then Harpoon murders Chamber. [Yawn.] Moreover, Rosenberg is screwing with everyone's powers in a way that the deaths overshadow. Dani seems to have regained her mutant abilities, as she displays her previous ability to summon a psionically charged bow and arrow. Alex also pushes himself to the limit in the fight with Sinister, phasing outside reality for reasons that no one understands.
The only positive development in this issue, to my mind, is Logan and Xi'an leaving the team because, in Xi'an words, they're just throwing themselves against walls hoping they fall. Of course, the problem is that neither Logan nor Xi'an has any better ideas about how they can try to prevent the X-Men's old enemies from taking advantage of X-Man whisking away almost all the X-Men. Oh, well. It won't matter soon anyway.
Uncanny X-Men #18: Honesty, this series is getting hard to read. It might be easier if we didn't know that Jonathan Hickman was going to disregard the X-Men's history when he takes over the line, making everything happening here irrelevant. (Yes, I know Marvel insists that he isn't going to do that. But, Marvel also insisted that Peter Parker was dead and Otto Octavius was Spider-Man, so whatever.)
However, with that knowledge, it's impossible to take Rosenberg's cavalcade of death here seriously. Chamber kills the Marauders despite them swearing that they didn't murder the Morlocks and then Harpoon murders Chamber. [Yawn.] Moreover, Rosenberg is screwing with everyone's powers in a way that the deaths overshadow. Dani seems to have regained her mutant abilities, as she displays her previous ability to summon a psionically charged bow and arrow. Alex also pushes himself to the limit in the fight with Sinister, phasing outside reality for reasons that no one understands.
The only positive development in this issue, to my mind, is Logan and Xi'an leaving the team because, in Xi'an words, they're just throwing themselves against walls hoping they fall. Of course, the problem is that neither Logan nor Xi'an has any better ideas about how they can try to prevent the X-Men's old enemies from taking advantage of X-Man whisking away almost all the X-Men. Oh, well. It won't matter soon anyway.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The May 15 Non-X Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Amazing Spider-Man #21: Holy shit, this issue and "Star Wars" #66 make for a fucking intense week. Kraven eventually "rescues" Peter from the horde of Vermins, because they're just a prelude to his actual plan. Said plan is a doozy: to prove Peter is man enough to take on the Hunter, Kraven sets up Peter to rip out Curt Connors' inhibitor chip so the Lizard can, in turn, save Billy (and the Black Cat) from Kraven's son. Yup. To Kraven's mind, Peter is forced to sacrifice his "No One Dies" code (and, by extension, his view of himself as an uncompromising hero) to save Billy and Felicia. I wouldn't necessarily see it that way, but Spencer make a compelling argument that Peter does, and Peter's opinion is obviously the only one that matters. Moreover, on the road to this denouement, Curt and Billy reveal (to Peter and the Black Cat, respectively) that Billy remembers his dad eating him. Oy. As I said, intense. "Hunted" has been cruising on auto-pilot since the Gibbon issue, but Spencer floors it at the right moment. I can't wait to see how it ends.
Batman #71: Reading an issue like this one, I always wonder how exactly it got to be this bad. Yes, some people will continue to interpret (or, to my mind, confuse) King's obtuseness for genius, in the same way that I feel people interpret (or confuse) Hickman's obtuseness for genius. But, this issue goes beyond just the question of whether obtuseness equals genius. In both stories we see here, Bruce isn't Bruce. In both stories, he's spouting phrases that it's impossible to see him saying in any form, from repeatedly telling Bane that he's going to break his "damn back" to busting into a hospital mumbling paranoid dribble about seeing the truth behind Bane. King pretty clearly seems to be building to a reveal where we learn Bruce was right all along and Bane has been running Gotham in secret. But, King has dragged out this story well, well, well beyond any point where I could care. Taking into account that the Bat-family connects Bruce's current state of mind to Catwoman leaving him at the altar, King has functionally been telling this story for almost a year at this point. But, nothing has happened. Sure, maybe Bane, with the help of Bruce's father, is secretly running Gotham from Arkham and Bruce had to escape a machine designed to make him crazy to stop Bane. Or, maybe Bruce has just been...staring at the wall imaging that for the better part of the last year? Even if Bane is engaged in shenanigans, it's been 21 issues and we're not even close to confirming if he is, let alone to getting to the point where Bruce addresses it. I almost literally feel robbed.
Guardians of the Galaxy #5: This series has pleasantly surprised me from the start, but revealing that Thanos chose Eros, not Gamora, for his host was great. First, it makes total sense from a biological standpoint: as Hela says, it had to be a Titan. But, it also makes sense from a characterization standpoint as well, as it's so...cruel. Thanos delights in the fact that Eros thought himself to be a leader finally, assembling a team to do what it needed to do to save the galaxy from Thanos. In the end, he just achieved Thanos' goal of distracting everyone so they couldn't see the truth right in front of them. I'm used to this level of plotting from Aaron and Gillen, but it's nice to see someone like Cates throwing his hat into that ring.
Star Wars #66: Gillen actually gives Trios redemption here, something that I didn't think possible. She attempts to get Kanchar to end his aerial bombardment, but he refuses, committed to killing Leia even if it means killing Trios. (He assumes another "pampered aristocrat" will take the throne, so it's no great loss to the Empire, to his mind.) Trios realizes that she has no other option other than take out Leia and hopefully stop the assault, so she rushes Leia and her squad's position in the throne room. She and Leia have a full-on sword fight, which Leia wins. Trios calls Leia a monster at the start, and Gillen reminds us that she thinks Leia is trying to destroy Shu-Torun. After Leia strikes the killing blow, she explains that she's only trying to disable the Spike. Trios informs Leia that the plan has "gone awry." Leia promises to stop the Partisans, something Han notes might be a tall order. But, Trios' dying words are the best part here. She tells Leia that she fought for Shu-Torun like Leia would've for Alderaan. She curses the fact that she survived the attack on her family and laments that Shu-Torun may be destroyed because of her actions. As she dies, she tells Leia that she believes her and apologizes for making Leia believe her. It's sad. Gillen makes us really feel the weight on Trios' shoulder this entire time, as she was forced to choose between a set of increasingly bad options. The only good news for Trios as she dies is that she's leaving behind a pissed-off Leia committed to saving her planet.
Star Wars: Tie Fighter #2: This issue is interesting not because of anything its usual cast of characters does, but because of the issue's "villain." Shadow Wing finds itself captive after it fails to protect the Star Destroyer that it was supposed to protect and squad leader Broosh surrenders to the assailants. It turns out an Imperial officer, Admiral Gratloe, is running the outfit, hoping to operate a small mining operation outside the Imperials' notice. It's not entirely an enthralling issue, particularly since Shadow Wing goes all do-gooder here, in the sense that they plan on re-claiming the operation for the Empire. But, it does do something that we don't normally see, showing us the expanding chaos in the post-"Return of the Jedi" galaxy. Gratloe just wants to get him some, and I find myself relieved that the Powers That Be in "Star Wars" Land finally show this type of story. In all the galaxy, someone has to try to seize the moment. We often only see this galaxy far, far away through the eyes of ideologically motivated protagonists. But, I love watching a NPC operating on the margins and hope we get more issues like it.
War of the Realms #4: I haven't really written about "War of the Realms" mostly because I continue to enjoy it. Aaron hasn't really provided anything worth criticizing, but he also hasn't presented anything so amazing that I felt the need to comment. It's just a really solid event.
Aaron's plotting is above reproach, where he yet again manages to keep so many balls in the air while still giving each one its due. Virtually every other event author at this point in the story has you confused and tired, usually because they're trying to incorporate events that happen in the various tie-in issues. Not so here. The tie-in issues flesh out the events here, sure. But, honestly, you could really just read this mini-series and completely understand the events transpiring in it. How often do we get that, huh? Moreover, Aaron is funny as ever. The dwarves' reactions to She-Hulk calling on them to help her smash were hilarious, from one of them saying that he had dust in the eye to another one complimenting her on her motivational speaking. Thori is also great, as always, and Spider-Man continues to have such on-the-nose one-liners that I'd love for Aaron to write him one day. Dauterman is also, as always, on fire. The Iron Odin suit? Amazing. As Ghost Rider said, it's all very metal.
The only criticism I could find is that Aaron doesn't have a ton of space for emotional beats. Aaron has spent months, if not years, showing us the virtually non-existent relationship between Odin and Freyja. Here, Odin appearing to help her at her final stand on the Black Bifrost may have her claiming he finally "turned her on" for the first time ever, but it's rushed. If Aaron had more time, I could imagine him using flashbacks to remind us where we've been with these two, building to this rapprochement, instead of just hurling it at us to give us (presumably) the requisite event deaths. Again, it isn't a hideously off-note; it's just a note that I wish Aaron had more time to hit. It's a minor complaint for an otherwise great event, but there it is.
Also Read: Nightwing #60; Spider-Man and the League of the Realms #1; Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Lando Calrissian #1; Transformers #5; War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The War Avengers #1
Batman #71: Reading an issue like this one, I always wonder how exactly it got to be this bad. Yes, some people will continue to interpret (or, to my mind, confuse) King's obtuseness for genius, in the same way that I feel people interpret (or confuse) Hickman's obtuseness for genius. But, this issue goes beyond just the question of whether obtuseness equals genius. In both stories we see here, Bruce isn't Bruce. In both stories, he's spouting phrases that it's impossible to see him saying in any form, from repeatedly telling Bane that he's going to break his "damn back" to busting into a hospital mumbling paranoid dribble about seeing the truth behind Bane. King pretty clearly seems to be building to a reveal where we learn Bruce was right all along and Bane has been running Gotham in secret. But, King has dragged out this story well, well, well beyond any point where I could care. Taking into account that the Bat-family connects Bruce's current state of mind to Catwoman leaving him at the altar, King has functionally been telling this story for almost a year at this point. But, nothing has happened. Sure, maybe Bane, with the help of Bruce's father, is secretly running Gotham from Arkham and Bruce had to escape a machine designed to make him crazy to stop Bane. Or, maybe Bruce has just been...staring at the wall imaging that for the better part of the last year? Even if Bane is engaged in shenanigans, it's been 21 issues and we're not even close to confirming if he is, let alone to getting to the point where Bruce addresses it. I almost literally feel robbed.
Guardians of the Galaxy #5: This series has pleasantly surprised me from the start, but revealing that Thanos chose Eros, not Gamora, for his host was great. First, it makes total sense from a biological standpoint: as Hela says, it had to be a Titan. But, it also makes sense from a characterization standpoint as well, as it's so...cruel. Thanos delights in the fact that Eros thought himself to be a leader finally, assembling a team to do what it needed to do to save the galaxy from Thanos. In the end, he just achieved Thanos' goal of distracting everyone so they couldn't see the truth right in front of them. I'm used to this level of plotting from Aaron and Gillen, but it's nice to see someone like Cates throwing his hat into that ring.
Star Wars #66: Gillen actually gives Trios redemption here, something that I didn't think possible. She attempts to get Kanchar to end his aerial bombardment, but he refuses, committed to killing Leia even if it means killing Trios. (He assumes another "pampered aristocrat" will take the throne, so it's no great loss to the Empire, to his mind.) Trios realizes that she has no other option other than take out Leia and hopefully stop the assault, so she rushes Leia and her squad's position in the throne room. She and Leia have a full-on sword fight, which Leia wins. Trios calls Leia a monster at the start, and Gillen reminds us that she thinks Leia is trying to destroy Shu-Torun. After Leia strikes the killing blow, she explains that she's only trying to disable the Spike. Trios informs Leia that the plan has "gone awry." Leia promises to stop the Partisans, something Han notes might be a tall order. But, Trios' dying words are the best part here. She tells Leia that she fought for Shu-Torun like Leia would've for Alderaan. She curses the fact that she survived the attack on her family and laments that Shu-Torun may be destroyed because of her actions. As she dies, she tells Leia that she believes her and apologizes for making Leia believe her. It's sad. Gillen makes us really feel the weight on Trios' shoulder this entire time, as she was forced to choose between a set of increasingly bad options. The only good news for Trios as she dies is that she's leaving behind a pissed-off Leia committed to saving her planet.
Star Wars: Tie Fighter #2: This issue is interesting not because of anything its usual cast of characters does, but because of the issue's "villain." Shadow Wing finds itself captive after it fails to protect the Star Destroyer that it was supposed to protect and squad leader Broosh surrenders to the assailants. It turns out an Imperial officer, Admiral Gratloe, is running the outfit, hoping to operate a small mining operation outside the Imperials' notice. It's not entirely an enthralling issue, particularly since Shadow Wing goes all do-gooder here, in the sense that they plan on re-claiming the operation for the Empire. But, it does do something that we don't normally see, showing us the expanding chaos in the post-"Return of the Jedi" galaxy. Gratloe just wants to get him some, and I find myself relieved that the Powers That Be in "Star Wars" Land finally show this type of story. In all the galaxy, someone has to try to seize the moment. We often only see this galaxy far, far away through the eyes of ideologically motivated protagonists. But, I love watching a NPC operating on the margins and hope we get more issues like it.
War of the Realms #4: I haven't really written about "War of the Realms" mostly because I continue to enjoy it. Aaron hasn't really provided anything worth criticizing, but he also hasn't presented anything so amazing that I felt the need to comment. It's just a really solid event.
Aaron's plotting is above reproach, where he yet again manages to keep so many balls in the air while still giving each one its due. Virtually every other event author at this point in the story has you confused and tired, usually because they're trying to incorporate events that happen in the various tie-in issues. Not so here. The tie-in issues flesh out the events here, sure. But, honestly, you could really just read this mini-series and completely understand the events transpiring in it. How often do we get that, huh? Moreover, Aaron is funny as ever. The dwarves' reactions to She-Hulk calling on them to help her smash were hilarious, from one of them saying that he had dust in the eye to another one complimenting her on her motivational speaking. Thori is also great, as always, and Spider-Man continues to have such on-the-nose one-liners that I'd love for Aaron to write him one day. Dauterman is also, as always, on fire. The Iron Odin suit? Amazing. As Ghost Rider said, it's all very metal.
The only criticism I could find is that Aaron doesn't have a ton of space for emotional beats. Aaron has spent months, if not years, showing us the virtually non-existent relationship between Odin and Freyja. Here, Odin appearing to help her at her final stand on the Black Bifrost may have her claiming he finally "turned her on" for the first time ever, but it's rushed. If Aaron had more time, I could imagine him using flashbacks to remind us where we've been with these two, building to this rapprochement, instead of just hurling it at us to give us (presumably) the requisite event deaths. Again, it isn't a hideously off-note; it's just a note that I wish Aaron had more time to hit. It's a minor complaint for an otherwise great event, but there it is.
Also Read: Nightwing #60; Spider-Man and the League of the Realms #1; Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Lando Calrissian #1; Transformers #5; War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The War Avengers #1
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The May 8 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Detective Comics #1,003: Given the state of affairs in "Batman," this series is pretty much the only coherent Batman series. After a somewhat rough start, Tomasi finds his footing here. First, he doesn't drag out the mystery of the Arkham Knight's identity too long: as Batman and Robin arrive at Arkham, we learn that she's Jeremiah Arkham's daughter. If she isn't going to be Jason Todd per the video game, Tomasi at least makes her connection to "Arkham" make sense. That said, her grand plan still doesn't make any sense to me: she's fixated on the "eclipse" that she's going to bring to Gotham to blot out Batman's shadow. But, Tomasi has plenty of time to tease out her motivations. Right now I'm just glad to be reading a Batman story with characters engaging in dialogue and not just quoting non sequitur lines of poetry.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6: This issue is an ode to "Amazing Spider-Man" #246, or "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man," and a fitting one at that. Taylor reimagines the story for the current era, where Spider-Man would've worked with the parents of a kid dying of cancer to create an entire adventure for him. It's the sort of story that Taylor (and Zdarksy before him on "Spectacular Spider-Man") has been delivering for a while and exactly the sort of story that we've been missing in "Amazing Spider-Man" for a long time. Although it might lack the punch of "Amazing Spider-Man" #246, I'm thrilled to see Taylor swinging for the fences.
Invaders #5: Zdarsky continues to tell a tight story here. We learn that Roman was positioned at the base not to prevent the U.S. Navy from launching missiles, but to launch them, so Namor could justify his strike. Cap sends the Avengers to Atlantis, but Namor outsmarts him by hiding the missiles right off the U.S. coast. You don't often expect to see the bad guy win here, but he does, as we see a series of bombs successfully explode. Next issue, we'll see what they wrought. Also, Zdarsky assures us that Bucky isn't, in fact, an idiot, as we learn that he put blanks in his gun. In other words, Zdarsky really keeps you guessing, which is impressive given the fact that he's dealing with 70-year-old characters.
X-Force #7: This series continues to be well plotted and scripted, though I feel like we're just re-treading ground that we covered in the '90s. That said, my only real complaint is that Brisson throws "the Zoo Family" and "the Circle" at us here without any real explanation. It's hard enough to keep all the various factions in the Transian war in the present and Askani war in the future straight without more players getting randomly added. Cannonball and Shatterstar steal some sort of ion engine that Deathlok needs to activate the time portal that Stryfe left behind. They seem to steal it from the Zoo Family, but the Circle also claims it? I don't know. I feel like they could've just stolen it from some random thugs without fan-wanking the three people who might recognize either team. Overall, we're solid, but I'm still not sure how much longer I'm going to hang in here.
Also Read: Captain America #10; Conan the Barbarian #6; War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #2
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6: This issue is an ode to "Amazing Spider-Man" #246, or "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man," and a fitting one at that. Taylor reimagines the story for the current era, where Spider-Man would've worked with the parents of a kid dying of cancer to create an entire adventure for him. It's the sort of story that Taylor (and Zdarksy before him on "Spectacular Spider-Man") has been delivering for a while and exactly the sort of story that we've been missing in "Amazing Spider-Man" for a long time. Although it might lack the punch of "Amazing Spider-Man" #246, I'm thrilled to see Taylor swinging for the fences.
Invaders #5: Zdarsky continues to tell a tight story here. We learn that Roman was positioned at the base not to prevent the U.S. Navy from launching missiles, but to launch them, so Namor could justify his strike. Cap sends the Avengers to Atlantis, but Namor outsmarts him by hiding the missiles right off the U.S. coast. You don't often expect to see the bad guy win here, but he does, as we see a series of bombs successfully explode. Next issue, we'll see what they wrought. Also, Zdarsky assures us that Bucky isn't, in fact, an idiot, as we learn that he put blanks in his gun. In other words, Zdarsky really keeps you guessing, which is impressive given the fact that he's dealing with 70-year-old characters.
X-Force #7: This series continues to be well plotted and scripted, though I feel like we're just re-treading ground that we covered in the '90s. That said, my only real complaint is that Brisson throws "the Zoo Family" and "the Circle" at us here without any real explanation. It's hard enough to keep all the various factions in the Transian war in the present and Askani war in the future straight without more players getting randomly added. Cannonball and Shatterstar steal some sort of ion engine that Deathlok needs to activate the time portal that Stryfe left behind. They seem to steal it from the Zoo Family, but the Circle also claims it? I don't know. I feel like they could've just stolen it from some random thugs without fan-wanking the three people who might recognize either team. Overall, we're solid, but I'm still not sure how much longer I'm going to hang in here.
Also Read: Captain America #10; Conan the Barbarian #6; War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #2
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The May 1 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Age of X-Man: Prisoner X #3: One of the major questions -- actually, the major question -- running through this event is who, exactly, is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Who dispatches Fred and the X-Tremists on missions? Who gives orders to Force and the Danger Room? We've always assumed that it was X-Man, but, given Bishop's conversation with Legion in this issue, maybe it's Legion? Wouldn't that be a twist? At the very least, this series has kept this mystery at its core unlike the other series, which continue to get lost in attempts to make it seem like it's all really the new status quo and isn't going to be undone in a month or so.
Batman #70: I feel like I'm waiting for someone to give me permission to stop reading this series. I mean, I just cannot fucking take another non sequitur poem. Amazingly, King plummets even lower here, employing the most boring cliché of all Batman stories: the assault on Arkham. Bruce finally awakens here, and he makes a mad dash through Arkham, laughing at Bane thinking his nightmare experience has broken him. King uses an off-panel conversation between Bane and the Ventriloquist to show that Bruce is doing exactly what Bane wants him to do, and the hysterical tinge of Bruce's voice implies that he might not be as with it as he thinks that he is. But, it still doesn't mean that it isn't ridiculous that Bruce is able to defeat the Riddler, Killer Croc, Hush, Zsazz, Man-Bat, the Flamingo, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Amygdala, Solomon Grundy, Two-Face, and several other characters whom I didn't recognize in one fell run. It's clear that he barely even works up a sweat. Why read a Batman comic if he's so powerful? He's essentially Superman here. The worst part is that we're nowhere near close to the final confrontation with Bane and Thomas Wayne, making you wonder just how long King is going to leave us hanging here. [Sigh.] This whole experience feels like penance, though I'm not sure what my sin was.
Star Wars #65: The exciting part of this arc is that Gillen continues to surprise us with how badly Leia's plan is going. At the start, it seemed like she and the guys were just going to waltz through Shu-Torun with ease. Sure, the SCAR Squadron guys might get off Hubin and arrive at the last minute to make matters interesting, but it seemed beyond a doubt that Leia was going to get her revenge (no matter how much she claimed that she wasn't trying to get revenge). But, Gillen is making it a lot more difficult than it usually is for heroes. Trios decides to jeopardize the lives of everyone stuck in the auditorium with her in order to allow her and her elite guard to break free. Sure, she possibly condemned Shu-Torun's nobility to a fiery, painful death, but she understands that Leia is playing for keeps. (In fact, she intuitively understands it better than Leia does, since the Partisans' attempt to destroy Shu-Torun is something Leia missed entirely as a possibility.) Moreover, SCAR Squadron gets in touch with the Empire more quickly than I thought it would, resulting in Commander Kanchar bringing his ship to Shu-Torun for his version of fun. I can actually see a scenario where Leia and Trios have to work together to save Shu-Torun from the Partisans, a possibility that just shows how complex of a tale Gillen is weaving here.
Uncanny X-Men #17: I don't understand how this issue goes so completely off the rails so quickly. Sure, this series has occasionally had some dips in the quality of its dialogue, but Rosenberg has generally been pretty good about the consistency of his characterization. But, everything goes out the window here.
First, we're supposed to believe that four frat boys beat Rahne to death because Rahne didn't fight back. I'm sorry, what? Rosenberg portrays Rahne as suicidal in her refusal to use her powers after she initially attacks one of the boys in a rage. Rosenberg seems to want us to ignore the fact that Rahne has been in this game since she was a pre-teen. We're supposed to believe that she can't control her powers enough to safely put down four frat boys? Also, these frat boys are clearly sociopaths because when Wolverine finds them (with the help of Kwannon) they're just playing video games. Really? They just blithely kill a girl and decide, cool, let's go play "Fortnite?"
Then, we've got Karma reciting this ridiculous list of dead X-Men at Rahne's funeral, as if anyone really believes they're dead? Given the X-Men's history, almost all of the X-Men inexplicably disappeared and no one even paused to consider if there is more than meets the eye here? We're really just supposed to believe that they all believe all their friends are dead? Shouldn't they be a little more despondent? Shouldn't they just be drinking whiskey and crying all the time?
Then, we've got Scott so mad at Logan for skipping Rahne's funeral that he unilaterally evicts him from the team even though, as Logan himself notes, he's not the team leader anymore. They're a democracy. Also, it's not like Scott was really "there" for the team as he claims that Logan should've been. He starts the service by announcing that the doesn't know what he should say and just turns over the podium to anyone who wants to say something. Inspiring leadership, Scotty.
Then, we've got Logan being all inexplicably emotional, saying that he and Scott keep sending kids to die. Again, Rahne was a grown-ass woman. If anything, Logan not stopping her from leaving the team was probably a good decision in terms of her safety, since she had a better chance of surviving when she wasn't getting hunted as a member of an outcast mutant outfit. How was he to know she'd go all suicidal?
Honestly, this issue is just the fucking worst.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #20.HU; Marvel Team-Up #2; Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #8; Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Han Solo #1; Transformers #4; War of the Realms #3; War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The Dark Elf Realm #1
Batman #70: I feel like I'm waiting for someone to give me permission to stop reading this series. I mean, I just cannot fucking take another non sequitur poem. Amazingly, King plummets even lower here, employing the most boring cliché of all Batman stories: the assault on Arkham. Bruce finally awakens here, and he makes a mad dash through Arkham, laughing at Bane thinking his nightmare experience has broken him. King uses an off-panel conversation between Bane and the Ventriloquist to show that Bruce is doing exactly what Bane wants him to do, and the hysterical tinge of Bruce's voice implies that he might not be as with it as he thinks that he is. But, it still doesn't mean that it isn't ridiculous that Bruce is able to defeat the Riddler, Killer Croc, Hush, Zsazz, Man-Bat, the Flamingo, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Amygdala, Solomon Grundy, Two-Face, and several other characters whom I didn't recognize in one fell run. It's clear that he barely even works up a sweat. Why read a Batman comic if he's so powerful? He's essentially Superman here. The worst part is that we're nowhere near close to the final confrontation with Bane and Thomas Wayne, making you wonder just how long King is going to leave us hanging here. [Sigh.] This whole experience feels like penance, though I'm not sure what my sin was.
Star Wars #65: The exciting part of this arc is that Gillen continues to surprise us with how badly Leia's plan is going. At the start, it seemed like she and the guys were just going to waltz through Shu-Torun with ease. Sure, the SCAR Squadron guys might get off Hubin and arrive at the last minute to make matters interesting, but it seemed beyond a doubt that Leia was going to get her revenge (no matter how much she claimed that she wasn't trying to get revenge). But, Gillen is making it a lot more difficult than it usually is for heroes. Trios decides to jeopardize the lives of everyone stuck in the auditorium with her in order to allow her and her elite guard to break free. Sure, she possibly condemned Shu-Torun's nobility to a fiery, painful death, but she understands that Leia is playing for keeps. (In fact, she intuitively understands it better than Leia does, since the Partisans' attempt to destroy Shu-Torun is something Leia missed entirely as a possibility.) Moreover, SCAR Squadron gets in touch with the Empire more quickly than I thought it would, resulting in Commander Kanchar bringing his ship to Shu-Torun for his version of fun. I can actually see a scenario where Leia and Trios have to work together to save Shu-Torun from the Partisans, a possibility that just shows how complex of a tale Gillen is weaving here.
Uncanny X-Men #17: I don't understand how this issue goes so completely off the rails so quickly. Sure, this series has occasionally had some dips in the quality of its dialogue, but Rosenberg has generally been pretty good about the consistency of his characterization. But, everything goes out the window here.
First, we're supposed to believe that four frat boys beat Rahne to death because Rahne didn't fight back. I'm sorry, what? Rosenberg portrays Rahne as suicidal in her refusal to use her powers after she initially attacks one of the boys in a rage. Rosenberg seems to want us to ignore the fact that Rahne has been in this game since she was a pre-teen. We're supposed to believe that she can't control her powers enough to safely put down four frat boys? Also, these frat boys are clearly sociopaths because when Wolverine finds them (with the help of Kwannon) they're just playing video games. Really? They just blithely kill a girl and decide, cool, let's go play "Fortnite?"
Then, we've got Karma reciting this ridiculous list of dead X-Men at Rahne's funeral, as if anyone really believes they're dead? Given the X-Men's history, almost all of the X-Men inexplicably disappeared and no one even paused to consider if there is more than meets the eye here? We're really just supposed to believe that they all believe all their friends are dead? Shouldn't they be a little more despondent? Shouldn't they just be drinking whiskey and crying all the time?
Then, we've got Scott so mad at Logan for skipping Rahne's funeral that he unilaterally evicts him from the team even though, as Logan himself notes, he's not the team leader anymore. They're a democracy. Also, it's not like Scott was really "there" for the team as he claims that Logan should've been. He starts the service by announcing that the doesn't know what he should say and just turns over the podium to anyone who wants to say something. Inspiring leadership, Scotty.
Then, we've got Logan being all inexplicably emotional, saying that he and Scott keep sending kids to die. Again, Rahne was a grown-ass woman. If anything, Logan not stopping her from leaving the team was probably a good decision in terms of her safety, since she had a better chance of surviving when she wasn't getting hunted as a member of an outcast mutant outfit. How was he to know she'd go all suicidal?
Honestly, this issue is just the fucking worst.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #20.HU; Marvel Team-Up #2; Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #8; Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Han Solo #1; Transformers #4; War of the Realms #3; War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The Dark Elf Realm #1
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The April 24 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Age of X-Man: X-Tremists #3: I officially have no idea what's happening in this series. First, everyone speaks in some sort of literary tense; it's like reading 18th century French literature written in the passé simple. Moreover, everyone seems to have their own delusions. For example, we have Moneta believing in an Emmanuel Goldstein-esque Resistance and Blob somehow not realizing people hated Department X. (Yes, Blob, they all loved you for erasing their memories of the people they loved.) Betsy tells Blob about how happy she is that they put the "old ways" behind them, because she used to have an eating disorder and hated her body. (I guess she doesn't hate it now that she doesn't love anyone?) Also, everyone apparently no longer believes in the mission except Moneta, but no one actually says that. Again, like Fred, they seem not entirely clear on what their mission is? Honestly, I have no idea.
War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #1: This issue is truly excellent, definitely the best issue of "War of the Realms" to date. Rosenberg does a number of clever things here. First, he follows the formula of all good tie-in issues by not completely ignoring the team's existing storyline. When Dani gets Odin's call to assist the Valkyries (as seen in "War of the Realms" #2), she and the X-Men are fighting Nanny and the Orphan-Maker. Moreover, the team's banter and challenges are even more on display here than they usually are in the main title. Alex is the annoying little brother challenging his older brother, the New Mutants are a separate unit more dedicated to each other than the larger team, and Madrox is...Madrox. Finally, Rosenberg wisely puts the X-Men on the sidelines of the action. When they arrive in New York, it has already fallen: Dr. Strange has evacuated the city's population, and Frost Giants and dark elves are just wandering the streets. Rather than trying to insert the X-Men between panels of the main series, Rosenberg uses the team to show us the aftermath of the Battle of New York. He really leans into the banter and challenges here as he has everything descend further into chaos: Wolfsbane and one of Jamie's dupes fall down a hole, and Magik answers Cyclops' call to get reinforcements but can only find a full-snark Hope and a still-dead Banshee. The remaining members of the party unwisely split -- Hope takes Chamber to find Wolfsbane and the dupe while Scott and company find a devastated Dani looking at the bodies of her fellow Valkyries. Something about the nature of a tie-in issue really let Rosenberg spread his wings, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes.
The Wild Storm #22: My concern at this point is that Ellis has done such an amazing job throughout this series of keeping all the plates spinning in the air that we're approaching the moment when they're all just fall to the floor. He focuses simply on two stories in this issue, which seems unbelievable given how many threats we have out there.
First, Marc Slayton attempts to kill Jackie, but the "Battalion Device" that she swiped from IO protects her, disintegrating Slayton. Jackie exposits that Angie was right: the device is both scary and completely invisible to scanners, a point Elis and Davis-Hunt emphasized by opening the issue with Jackie getting scanned without incident while exiting the building.
But, we quickly move to the empty village in the middle of Utah, where Apollo and Midnight are awaiting the Skywatch ships after their shenanigans last issue. Jenny and company arrive after the Doctor felt the ships "drop" toward the planet; Angie was able to see into Jenny's mind and triangulate the ships' destination. Midnighter is understandably suspicious that they're Skywatch, given their use of teleportation. Jack introduces himself as a scrambled Skywatch experiment, but Midnight isn't convinced. Jenny then pledges to help them to prove their worth. When Apollo asks why, she rather convincingly responds that they've all lost or escaped people who know what Earth is really like and that they're the last people left to save the Earth. The combined team makes pretty quick work of the impressive-looking Skywatch ships, mostly due to Apollo and Jenny, who turn into a gigantic energy-being of some sort.
It's all totally fine. But, with only two issues left, I find myself wondering about Voodoo, who we saw in the background of the first few issues but haven't seen since. We also haven't seen Zealot or Marlowe and the Wild C.A.T.s in a long time. It's starting to feel like Ellis' careful planning wasn't so careful. Then again, I also know the 24-issues framework is a lie, as two mini-series follow this one. In other words, I can be patient, but I also hope that patience is rewarded and this series maintains the high level of excellence we've enjoyed so far.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #20; Detective Comics #1,002; Mr. and Mrs. X #10; Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions #3
War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #1: This issue is truly excellent, definitely the best issue of "War of the Realms" to date. Rosenberg does a number of clever things here. First, he follows the formula of all good tie-in issues by not completely ignoring the team's existing storyline. When Dani gets Odin's call to assist the Valkyries (as seen in "War of the Realms" #2), she and the X-Men are fighting Nanny and the Orphan-Maker. Moreover, the team's banter and challenges are even more on display here than they usually are in the main title. Alex is the annoying little brother challenging his older brother, the New Mutants are a separate unit more dedicated to each other than the larger team, and Madrox is...Madrox. Finally, Rosenberg wisely puts the X-Men on the sidelines of the action. When they arrive in New York, it has already fallen: Dr. Strange has evacuated the city's population, and Frost Giants and dark elves are just wandering the streets. Rather than trying to insert the X-Men between panels of the main series, Rosenberg uses the team to show us the aftermath of the Battle of New York. He really leans into the banter and challenges here as he has everything descend further into chaos: Wolfsbane and one of Jamie's dupes fall down a hole, and Magik answers Cyclops' call to get reinforcements but can only find a full-snark Hope and a still-dead Banshee. The remaining members of the party unwisely split -- Hope takes Chamber to find Wolfsbane and the dupe while Scott and company find a devastated Dani looking at the bodies of her fellow Valkyries. Something about the nature of a tie-in issue really let Rosenberg spread his wings, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes.
The Wild Storm #22: My concern at this point is that Ellis has done such an amazing job throughout this series of keeping all the plates spinning in the air that we're approaching the moment when they're all just fall to the floor. He focuses simply on two stories in this issue, which seems unbelievable given how many threats we have out there.
First, Marc Slayton attempts to kill Jackie, but the "Battalion Device" that she swiped from IO protects her, disintegrating Slayton. Jackie exposits that Angie was right: the device is both scary and completely invisible to scanners, a point Elis and Davis-Hunt emphasized by opening the issue with Jackie getting scanned without incident while exiting the building.
But, we quickly move to the empty village in the middle of Utah, where Apollo and Midnight are awaiting the Skywatch ships after their shenanigans last issue. Jenny and company arrive after the Doctor felt the ships "drop" toward the planet; Angie was able to see into Jenny's mind and triangulate the ships' destination. Midnighter is understandably suspicious that they're Skywatch, given their use of teleportation. Jack introduces himself as a scrambled Skywatch experiment, but Midnight isn't convinced. Jenny then pledges to help them to prove their worth. When Apollo asks why, she rather convincingly responds that they've all lost or escaped people who know what Earth is really like and that they're the last people left to save the Earth. The combined team makes pretty quick work of the impressive-looking Skywatch ships, mostly due to Apollo and Jenny, who turn into a gigantic energy-being of some sort.
It's all totally fine. But, with only two issues left, I find myself wondering about Voodoo, who we saw in the background of the first few issues but haven't seen since. We also haven't seen Zealot or Marlowe and the Wild C.A.T.s in a long time. It's starting to feel like Ellis' careful planning wasn't so careful. Then again, I also know the 24-issues framework is a lie, as two mini-series follow this one. In other words, I can be patient, but I also hope that patience is rewarded and this series maintains the high level of excellence we've enjoyed so far.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #20; Detective Comics #1,002; Mr. and Mrs. X #10; Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions #3
Monday, March 23, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The April 17 "War of the Realms" Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I'm back. Yes, I'm aware that this event happened almost exactly a year ago. I also became a parent almost exactly a year ago, explaining why I'm a little...late in posting. But, I figured why not get back on the horse where it threw me, right?
(Marvel didn't publish these issues in the same order as the reading checklist in the back of "War of the Realms" #1 shows them. I'm presenting them here in the recommended order, even though they're not all strictly "April 17" issues.)
War of the Realms #2: I don't have much to say here because Aaron is an expert at delivering this sort of pitched battle; I don't think anyone else does it remotely as well. Only the opening issue of "Age of Ultron" comes close in my mind to using so many characters so effectively to convey the increasing sense of desperation and then doom that falls over the heroes as they struggle against Malekith's horde. Aaron's characterization is stellar, from small moments (like Wolverine's "Good catching up" quip to the Punisher after Frank simply states that he's "reloaded") to larger ones (like Jane's persistent need to find Malekith to hand him his head). No one acts against character just to advance the plot, as we often see in these events. When Dr. Strange inadvertently evacuates everyone to Avengers Mountain, you feel the heroes' overwhelming sense of confusion, as they want to return to battle but also realize that they can't win in a head-on conflict. (Also, how often does someone make a mistake in these events? That alone was a breath of fresh air.) Aaron then does a great job setting the stage for the four different quests the Avengers and their allies begin: rescuing Thor from Jotunheim, destroying the Black Bifrost in Svartalfheim, taking out Roxxon so T'Challa can essentially reboot the internet, and defending Earth. Aaron is pulling in every thread of his years-long run on the various Thor titles, and it's a wonderful tapestry to behold. By the time Malekith murders Valkyrie, you begin to believe the scroll, that the time of gods and Valhalla has ended. I am very excited about this event.
Thor #12: Aaron cleverly uses "A Christmas Carol" as inspiration here, forcing Loki to confront his various selves -- past, present, and future -- as he dissolves in Laufey's stomach. Loki is forced to confront his long (and persistent) history of evil, from allowing Eldred, his mentor in magic, to starve to death in the prison where Loki first met him to facing Kid Loki's accusation that maybe poisoning his mother wasn't the best way to prove that he wasn't evil. In the latter case, Loki insists that he was doing it to save her, but he has a much harder time justifying his evolution into Loki the Necrogod. Perhaps mostly notably, for fans of Loki's "Young Avengers" and "Loki: Agent of Asgard" arcs, I think Aaron finally acknowledges Loki's attempt to become the God of Stories here. I've been waiting a long time for that moment, and Aaron doesn't disappoint. In the past, Aaron has seemed to ignore Loki's evolution in those series, but here he more or less confirms that people continue to misunderstand Loki. But, importantly, Aaron also has Loki embrace the "truth" underlying that misunderstanding, his desire not to be a villain. To that end, he seems to accept his death in Laufey's stomach in order to prevent his evolution into the Necrogod. I don't think that it'll stick, to be honest. But, again, it's nice to see Aaron not using Loki as simply a useful tool of evil, instead forcing Loki to confront the fact that maybe all his scheming with Malekith didn't work out exactly the way that he hoped.
Avengers #18: This issue is...weird. We learn Agent Coulson has made some sort of deal with Mephisto not only to return to life but also to exert control over the Squadron Supreme. He controls them absolutely, convincing them that they've been guarding the United States for years. I'm not sure if Coulson's heel turn has been covered in a S.H.I.E.L.D. series, but I'll say that it's jarring to see him this way. Aaron does a good job tying the team's debut to the War of the Realms, as they help fend off a Frost Giant attack on Washington, DC. In that way, it's a solid tie-in issue, using the event to advance an ongoing plot line (even if it's one at which Aaron has only hinted previously). But, I have to admit that it feels like a little too much, a development that the already ambitious "War of the Realms" story could've managed not to include.
Also Read: War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #1; War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1
(Marvel didn't publish these issues in the same order as the reading checklist in the back of "War of the Realms" #1 shows them. I'm presenting them here in the recommended order, even though they're not all strictly "April 17" issues.)
War of the Realms #2: I don't have much to say here because Aaron is an expert at delivering this sort of pitched battle; I don't think anyone else does it remotely as well. Only the opening issue of "Age of Ultron" comes close in my mind to using so many characters so effectively to convey the increasing sense of desperation and then doom that falls over the heroes as they struggle against Malekith's horde. Aaron's characterization is stellar, from small moments (like Wolverine's "Good catching up" quip to the Punisher after Frank simply states that he's "reloaded") to larger ones (like Jane's persistent need to find Malekith to hand him his head). No one acts against character just to advance the plot, as we often see in these events. When Dr. Strange inadvertently evacuates everyone to Avengers Mountain, you feel the heroes' overwhelming sense of confusion, as they want to return to battle but also realize that they can't win in a head-on conflict. (Also, how often does someone make a mistake in these events? That alone was a breath of fresh air.) Aaron then does a great job setting the stage for the four different quests the Avengers and their allies begin: rescuing Thor from Jotunheim, destroying the Black Bifrost in Svartalfheim, taking out Roxxon so T'Challa can essentially reboot the internet, and defending Earth. Aaron is pulling in every thread of his years-long run on the various Thor titles, and it's a wonderful tapestry to behold. By the time Malekith murders Valkyrie, you begin to believe the scroll, that the time of gods and Valhalla has ended. I am very excited about this event.
Thor #12: Aaron cleverly uses "A Christmas Carol" as inspiration here, forcing Loki to confront his various selves -- past, present, and future -- as he dissolves in Laufey's stomach. Loki is forced to confront his long (and persistent) history of evil, from allowing Eldred, his mentor in magic, to starve to death in the prison where Loki first met him to facing Kid Loki's accusation that maybe poisoning his mother wasn't the best way to prove that he wasn't evil. In the latter case, Loki insists that he was doing it to save her, but he has a much harder time justifying his evolution into Loki the Necrogod. Perhaps mostly notably, for fans of Loki's "Young Avengers" and "Loki: Agent of Asgard" arcs, I think Aaron finally acknowledges Loki's attempt to become the God of Stories here. I've been waiting a long time for that moment, and Aaron doesn't disappoint. In the past, Aaron has seemed to ignore Loki's evolution in those series, but here he more or less confirms that people continue to misunderstand Loki. But, importantly, Aaron also has Loki embrace the "truth" underlying that misunderstanding, his desire not to be a villain. To that end, he seems to accept his death in Laufey's stomach in order to prevent his evolution into the Necrogod. I don't think that it'll stick, to be honest. But, again, it's nice to see Aaron not using Loki as simply a useful tool of evil, instead forcing Loki to confront the fact that maybe all his scheming with Malekith didn't work out exactly the way that he hoped.
Avengers #18: This issue is...weird. We learn Agent Coulson has made some sort of deal with Mephisto not only to return to life but also to exert control over the Squadron Supreme. He controls them absolutely, convincing them that they've been guarding the United States for years. I'm not sure if Coulson's heel turn has been covered in a S.H.I.E.L.D. series, but I'll say that it's jarring to see him this way. Aaron does a good job tying the team's debut to the War of the Realms, as they help fend off a Frost Giant attack on Washington, DC. In that way, it's a solid tie-in issue, using the event to advance an ongoing plot line (even if it's one at which Aaron has only hinted previously). But, I have to admit that it feels like a little too much, a development that the already ambitious "War of the Realms" story could've managed not to include.
Also Read: War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #1; War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1
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