A.X.E. Eternals #1: Gillen delivers another solid tie-in issue here, as Ajak and Sersi struggle not only with the Progenitor's judgment but the idea of anyone judging them at all. During their conversation, the Progenitor calls bullshit on Ajak's belief that humans aren't in a place to sit in judgment given the rich benefit from the poor. To remind her of the Eternal's own sins, the Progenitor forces Ajak to re-kill everyone who died so the Machine could resurrect her. Doing so, she convinces the Progenitor to delay judging her, though the Progenitor makes it clear that she's ultimately going to have to chose to destroy or help him. I'm interested to see what she chooses.
Amazing Spider-Man #11: Ho boy, Spidey is in some trouble.
I'm happy to say that we've seemingly moved past the point where Wells spends most of the issue dedicated to teasing whatever happened six months ago. In other words, we're starting to get some actual Spider-Man stories.
That said, Wells takes a huge risk by centering his first one on the Hobgoblin. I'm hard pressed to think of a character whose history is more convoluted than Hobby's. But Wells makes the right choice by leaning into that chaos. When Ned informs Peter that Norman is engaged in some sort of activity with Roderick Kingsley, it seems like Norman is back to his old tricks. (I'll admit that schtick is getting old at this point.) But Norman confesses to Peter that he's simply returning the companies that he previously stole from Roderick to him.
Of course, Norman is still Norman. Peter insists on going with him as Spider-Man to sit in the shadows and make sure Norman is OK at Norman's meeting with Roderick. Norman agrees but intentionally gives Peter the wrong day of the meeting, setting off every reader's Spider-Sense. At said meeting, though, Norman really does just give Roderick back his companies, raising the question of why he lied to Peter.
Before you think we're in a one-and-done story, though, enter Ned. The issue started with Betty screaming when she walked into her son's (Winston's) room to see Hobgoblin holding him. It ends with Hobgoblin attacking Norman and Roderick and then returning to Betty and Ned's apartment. Hobgoblin informs Winston that he gave mommy something to help her sleep and that "they' did good work that night, so it seems like Ned has gone back to basics, if you will.
Again, it's nice to see us focusing on Peter in the present and not whatever the hell happened six months ago.
Star Wars #28: This issue is incredibly rushed for reasons that aren't clear.
For the first half of the issue, Bevelyn and Melton desperately try to stay one step ahead of Imperial security officers them while the Rebellion officers try to dissuade Luke of his insane idea to pose as an Imperial officer to find the family on Coruscant.
Then, it's all resolved in five pages. Luke arrives on Coruscant, asks some Stormtroopers where the search is focused, and then finds the family in the sewers. We don't even see how he somehow managed to get them off-planet: it happens off-panel. The issue ends with Luke informing Admiral Ackbar, General Syndulla, and Senator Mothma that the Imperials are building a new Death Star.
It feels like Soule had a much longer arc planned only for editorial to tell him to condense it to a shorter story. Either way, I feel robbed of a more exciting adventure.
Star Wars: Visions #1: I hadn't watched the "Star Wars: Visions" episode that precedes this issue, so I did, and I'm very happy I did.
In that episode, Okazaki blends feudal Japan with "Star Wars," a combination that goes hand-in-hand given how much Kurosawa influenced Lucas. We're introduced to the Ronin, a mysterious figure traveling through the post-war galaxy with his droid. A Sith Lord and her minions attack the village where he's staying, and he defends it.
The surprise is that he's carrying a red lightsaber, identifying him as a Sith Lord himself. After defeating his opponent, we learn that he's collecting red Kyber crystals, making it clear that he's out there killing Sith. He hands the crystal he just collected to the young boy in charge of the village, telling him that it wards off evil. (Does it?)
In this issue, some goons attack the Ronin and his droid, who we now know is named Fivesix. Afterwards, the Ronin encounters a blind traveler and his droid at a "secret" hot springs," where they share a soak and saké. The traveler tells the Ronin the story of how he lost his sight: he received a vision from "the Father" (who looks like the Buddha), who told him to go to the Tempe of Elujoji on Sukalan to find truth. The Ronin tells the traveler that he's heard of it as a place where "the truth of the galaxy is" and where one can purify one's soul.
The next morning, the two depart, only for the Ronin to ask the traveler if he's forgetting to kill him. Revealed as a Jedi Master, the traveler quickly slices the Ronin's lightsaber/sword in two, telling him that he hasn't forgotten anything. The issue ends ambiguously, as the Ronin makes his way to a TIE bomber and comments, "Let's go, Master," though I'm not sure if it's to Fivesix or the seemingly departed traveler.
Again, the premises of these two stories is great, and I'd welcome more time with this character, particularly given how little we still know about him.
Also Read: 007 #3
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