Five-Month-Old Comics: The November 9 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day - Omega #1:  This issue is almost exclusively focused on the Eternals, so if you're not particularly interested in how they're handling the Judgment Day fall-out you can safely skip it.  

That said, although I don't really follow the Eternals, I was still plenty interested in what Gillen does here.  Zuras declares that Ajak's followers - Ikaris, Kingo, Makkari, Phastos, Sprite, and Thena - are heretics for supporting her reinterpretation of the principles, which puts the Eternals in humanity's service.  He warns that he will Exclude them if their actions go against the principles, so things should get interesting in that corner of the House of Ideas.  Also, the Machine's narration ends with an emoticon, a sign that its personality might still be there, so that's nice.  

Again, I felt this event was one of the better ones in recent memory, and this epilogue doesn't do anything to change that.

Amazing Spider-Man #13:  Oof, this series is just not going well.  

As excited as I was about the Hobgoblin arc when it first started, it ends in a total mess.  It turns out the Goblin Queen was the one using the "Winkler device" on Ned and Roderick in order to manipulate Norman into "becoming his true self again."  She certainly gets him on that road when a still hospital-bound Norman is forced to use an Iron Man-like suit to save Peter.  (He's been watching on the laptop his assistant provided last issue.)

My problem with this issue is that no one seems particularly concerned with the consequences of these events (other than Norman's potential first step on the road back to Goblinhood).  

First things first, Peter is unmasked in front of Ned and Roderick.  I assume that the Winkler device's impact on their memories means that they don't remember that Peter is Spider-Man.  But Peter doesn't know that Goblin Queen mindwipes them after every excursion, so shouldn't he be worried about the fact they both saw him without his mask?

To that point, Wells never explains why Goblin Queen mindwipes them.  Sure, it explains why Roderick was confused in issue #11 when Norman said that he was present when Hobgoblin attacked them.  But why wouldn't the Goblin Queen want him to remember his time as Hogbolin?  Why risk exposing herself to Norman by getting directly involved and not just manipulating Roderick from the shadows?  Along those lines, Norman learns that his assistant didn't bring the laptop to him.  We're clearly supposed to believe that it was Goblin Queen but, again, it was pretty easy for Norman to learn that his staff didn't bring it to him so why risk it?

Also, even if Roderick is mindwiped, Ned isn't.  He's in jail, so it isn't like Goblin Queen can get him into the device.  Shouldn't Peter at least worry that Ned now knows?  Again, we're left to assume that the Winkler device affects his memory enough that he wouldn't remember but stilll.

[Sigh.]  Once again, I'm finding myself on the "obligation," and not "enjoyment," end of the reading "Amazing Spider-Man" spectrum.

Captain America:  Sentinel of Liberty #6:  Honestly, I'm Team Bucky on this one.  

Bucky makes a pretty compelling case that entities like the Outer Circle are only defeated by people on the inside, which is why he needs to take the Revolution's place.  But, as always, Steve decides that he knows what's best and they come to blows.  

Of course, part of Steve's objection comes from his disapproval that Bucky killed someone (i.e., the Revolution).  Lanzing and Kelly use Steve's tantrum to underscore his blindspot when it comes to what Bucky is trying to tell him, that he's always been the one to do the dirty work so he understands the Circle better than Steve does.  

Hopefully Sharon will take some sense into Steve next issue.

WildC.A.Ts #1:  I'm pretty stoked about the WildC.A.Ts' relaunch even if it isn't part of Ellis' amazing "The Wild Storm" series from a few years ago.

Rosenberg throws us right into the action as Grifter, Deathblow (i.e., Michael Cray), and Zealot invade a H.I.V.E. lab to try to recruit a scientist named Tremont for Marlowe.  (We don't really establish why Marlowe can't just, like, ask him to send a resume.)  We begin in media res as (a chattier and more charming than usual) Grifter explains the Dhaemonite-Kherubim war to a security guard.  He's trying to convince the guard that he's unknowingly working for the Dhemonites, but Zealot just kills the guard instead, telling Grifter that his stories are "getting stranger" (thus implying that, in this iteration, the Dhaemonite-Kherubim war didn't happen).

But Grifter fucks up the mission when he shoots Tremont because he (Tremont) killed a chimpanzee that he's using as a lab animal just to prove how useful he can be.  Shortly before Nightwing and Cassandra Cain arrive, the team departs the lab for the still under construction Halo Building in Star City.  Marlowe informs Cray and Zealot that he's adding Fairchild to the team due to their recent failures.  When they balk, he brings them to Adrianna who confirms that she wants Fairchild on the roster.  Based on this exchange and another one later in the issue, it appears Adrianna is more in charge than Marlowe.

At a bar, Grifter tells a fellow patron about how the Anti-Life Equation took over his Earth and he and his companions fled through the Multiverse to this Earth.  (Did that happen?)  It turns out the patron is a scientist at Althea Labs, and Grifter swipes his badge before two heavies try to kill him for his role in killing Mrs. Freeze and Toyman.  (Really?  Did that happen?)  Grifter spends a night in jail, and Marlowe springs him the next morning with his hulking blond bodyguard Jack Colt, who some Googling made me realize is Spartan.

Of course, the mission at Althea also goes badly, and we learn Cray's death is his third one this month.  Also, all the scientists are dead for reasons that aren't clear, as we begin this segment in media res as well.  Maxine - the team's coordinator - has Grifter use Fairchild to escape, though they eventually find themselves in a sub-basement surrounded by the Court of Owls.  That'll go well.

Beyond just the joy of seeing the WildC.A.Ts in action, Rosenberg underlines how integrated the team now is in the DC Universe.  I'm not sure how I feel of that, to be honest.  I don't know if I really want Grifter fighting Green Arrow, as he does here, but I could be persuaded otherwise.  We'll see.

Also Read:  Minor Threats #3; Moon Knight #17

Five-Month-Old Comics: The October 26 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day #6:  You know, this event wasn't half bad!

Gillen delivers what I can honestly say is the best concluding chapter to an event in recent memory.  The resolution isn't convenient or easy, and the Marvel Universe's status quo really is changed.  Go figure, right?

First things first, the heroes win by convincing the Progenitor to change his mind.  Gillen walks us through the Progenitor's thought process throughout the issue, as he finds himself impressed in the small and big ways the Earthlings are resisting his efforts.  That said, he's still actively trying to destroy the Earth and decides to go straight to the Eternals' city at the Earth's core to destroy the Reality Loom.

Meanwhile, Tony's team makes its way to the Progenitor's core, where they encounter the Progenitor's astral form (more or less).  Before Jean can go all Betsy on it, Ajak stops her.  I initially thought it was the moment Ajak turned on the team in the Progenitor's defense.  Then she pointed out he's the only way for them to resurrect the seven billion humans that he's killed, a consequence she (rightfully) says Jean isn't taking seriously given the mutants' ability to resurrect themselves.

At the Earth's core, Cap, Nightcrawler, and Starfox respond to the Progenitor's arrival by opening up Uranos' armories and arming all the humans who sought refuge in the city.  To help defend the city, Syne the Memotaur works with Exodus to somehow channels mutantdom's powers into her so she can take on the Progenitor.  To Jean's horror, Orchis also helps fight the Progenitor.  Believing that they don't have anymore time, Jean commits to taking out the Progenitor and saving who she can.

However, the Progenitor surprises everyone by revealing that he was aware they were in his core (despite him seemingly ignoring them).  He tells the team that Jean's actions secured his belief that the Earthlings deserve to die, since they're all creatures guided by self-interest.  To prove him wrong by showing the Etnerals can change (as seen in "A.X.E.:  Eternals" #1, when the Progenitor feed them from their restraints), Sersi has the Machine connect her to the world's population.  She reveals that the Eternals kill a human whenever they're resurrected and asks the non-Eternal Earthlings to judge them for it.  As Sersi tells the Progenitor that her actions show the Eternals' ability to change, he kills her since the Earthlings wanted her dead.

Before the Progenitor can finish off Earth, Jean reminds him that he failed her for killing a planet when she was totally insane and points out he's doing so with a "cold heart."  She ask if he thinks he can live with his choice, and he begins to realize that he can stop his course.  (Previously, he mused that stopping himself would mean that he made a mistake and thus wasn't a god, something that he comes to realize).  Tony gets him there by saying that he makes amends every day for his actions.  Finally acknowledging that he isn't a god, the Progenitor uses his power to fix what he's done.  Dying from the power he's expended, he asks Ajak if he was a worthy god and she says no.  He agrees and tells her to be better as he gives her his remaining power.

As Tony's team takes in its win, Ajak arrives as Ajak Celstia.  She says that the Progenitor didn't resurrect Sersi as she's a martyr for the Eternals' "new church," bringing "a chance of redemption for our fallen people."

In the epilogue, we get a number of touching moments.  Kenta tells his parents all about the people who helped him in the Eternals' city, not realizing that they were dead.  As a parent, Gillen tugs at my heart strings here as Kenta's parents realize that they're weirdly comforted to learn that kind-hearted strangers took care of their son after they died.

Meanwhile, Zuras apologizes to Storm in front of the cameras for the Eternals attacking the mutants and offers the Arakkii Uranos for one hour in compensation.  Zuras later reveals that he sentenced Druig to serve as Uranos' cellmate, which isn't going to be a pleasant experience for him.

The biggest status quo change here isn't that humanity hates the Eternals (though it does).  It's the revelation of Starfox's plan:  the resurrection of worthy humans.  Jean explains to the world that mutantkind will first resurrect the mutants who died in the mutant genocides.  Then, since mutantkind doesn't have the resources to backup the minds of eight billion humans, Jean will personally backup the chosen few through the Phoenix Foundation, with a priority on "the vulnerable, the weak, the poor and those whom the world has abandoned."  The Five will use five percent of their time to resurrect them.  

Scott tells Jean that it's a win, and it's hard not to see it as such.  In fact, it feels like it really fulfills Hickman's promise of a new reality for the X-Men.  They're not only helping to extend humans' lives and heal humanity's sick, they're now resurrecting humanity's most vulnerable.  But Scott points out the fight was also a win for Orchis, too, given its publicly viewed heroics, which complicates matters.

All in all, though, it was a pretty solid event.  I think we probably could've wrapped it up more quickly and you probably only really enjoyed it if you're an X-Men fan.  But I definitely take a good event any day!

Amazing Spider-Man #11:  Oof.  This issue is a mess.  

When Norman confirms to Peter that Kingsley was on hand when Hobgoblin thrashed him, Peter heads to Betty's. When Betty confirms that Ned has been wearing the costume again, she sends Peter to Ned's secret office.  There, Peter learns that Ned is using the "Winkler device," which is what Kingsley originally used to make Ned think that he was Hobgoblin. 

As such, it isn't a surprise when the Hobgoblin attacks Spidey or when Spidey unmasks him as Kingsley.  It is a surprise when Kingsley seems unaware that he was at the site of Hobgoblin's hit on Kingsley and Norman and when Ned appears beside Kingsley as Hobgoblin.  Two Hobgoblins!

I'm assuming Kingsley is actually Daniel Kingsley, Roderick's twin brother.  If he is, Wells has to explain how he isn't dead.  But I'm disappointed that Wells seems to tread on familiar ground hre.  Insane Hobgoblins with memory issues aren't really a hot take on this old character.  We'll see where we go.

Moon Knight Annual #1:  We get an excellent annual here, as Jack Russell kidnaps Diatrice in order to fulfill a prophecy that allows him to murder Khonshu.  Marc and Badr stop him, obviously, but not before McKay makes you wish that Marlene would allow Diatrice to stay in New York so we could marinate in her awesomeness more often.  In addition to Diatrice's awesomeness, McKay peppers great character moments throughout the issue, like when Marc slips into the Jake persona over the shock of seeing Marlene and Badr showing almost a sense of humor when he refuses to obey Khonshu's orders to kill Diatrice.  Marlene's warning to Reese that she'll one day realize that she can't keep Marc safe also rings scarily true.  All in all, it's a textbook definition of what a great annual should be.

New Mutants #31:  I have the same problem with this issue as I do with most gay movies, which is that I don't understand how we gays can make good movies for straight people but not for ourselves.  You would think that Charlie Jane Anders could write about the transgendered mutant she created for "Marvel Voices:  Pride" in a way that worked.  Instead, Escapade feels just like every "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss," where the only notable thing about the character is that they're [x].  Knowing this series is canceled after another two issues, I don't feel the need to hang around any longer.

Sins of the Black Flamingo #5:  For how uneven the last few issues were, Wheeler really sticks the landing here.

The issue begins with Sebastian touching the Devil's Tooth so that he can find Ezekiel.  (Apparently he saw Ezekiel the first time he touched the Tooth, which I don't remember.)  We then move to Ofelia later meeting with Scar and offering him Ezekiel's location since she's (allegedly) furious that Sebastian is going to give him to the Nazis.  Ofelia also gives Scar the Tooth as proof she isn't lying and asks only that Scar doesn't kill Sebastian.

At Ezekiel's location, Merrilee is none-too-pleased when Scar's men surprise her men.  Believing Sebastian betrayed her, she shoots him.  Sebastian plummets off the roof of the building where they're standing as Scar and Ofelia land in his helicopter.  Ofelia is furious that Scar let Sebastian (seemingly) die, though Scar makes the excellent point that he didn't kill Sebastian and it isn't his fault if Sebastian has so many people who want to kill him.  (Fair.)

As Scar prepares to retrieve Ezekiel, Sebastian arrives burning a magical incense that paralyzes Scar with fear.  Having covered himself in "dead things that allow us to walk among marsh lights" (whatever that means), Sebastian reveals that he's immune to the incense's power.  He then opens the storage container where Ezekiel is imprisoned and tongues him.

Meanwhile, in a nearby alley, a distraught Ofelia contemplates leaving behind magic and living a quiet life somewhere nice.  ("Open a bakery.  Date someone in flannel.  Live, laugh, love.")  Always-sexy Abel is with her and worries about Sebastian.  Ofelia is also worried, though more because Abel dies if Sebastian does.  It isn't looking good for Sebastian (and Abel), though, when Scar reveals that he was playing dead and stabs Sebastian in the neck with the Tooth.

As Abel collapses, Ofelia begins a spell that would sever his connection to Sebastian, though Abel stops her from completing it, giving Sebastian some time.  Sebastian proves worthy of Abel's trust as we learn that he slipped Ezekiel a shard of the Tooth when they kissed.  Ezekiel uses it to cut his collar and then destroys Scar and heals Sebastian, possibly also returning his soul (which Sebastian allegedly sacrificed when he touched the Tooth again, according to Ofelia).  As Ezekiel dissipates, he encourages Sebastian to live.

In the epilogue, Ofelia and Sebastian walk with Abel contemplating how to make the world a better place.

If it isn't clear from this recap, this issue crackles with efficiency and energy.  You really don't know what Sebastian is planning from page to page, making his redemption not a foregone conclusion but a welcome one when it comes.  I'm excited for the next installment in Sebastian's story, because he may just start seeing the benefit of walking on the light side.  Either way, he should definitely fuck Abel.

Also Read:  X-Terminators #2

Five-Month-Old Comics: The October 12 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

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

Six-Month-Old Comics: The September 28 and October 5 Event Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Avengers #1 (September 28):  Gillen delivers one of this event's best issues as he uses the team's invasion of the Progenitor to take a deep dive into Tony's psyche.  

As hackneyed as this sort of premise is, Gillen does a solid job of not letting Tony take the easy road to redemption.  His seemingly heart-felt acknowledgement that he isn't the strong one (in context of his fellow Avengers) is met with derision from the red-headed ladies in his life.  They harangue Tony for continually reassembling the same broken machine without focusing on the missing parts.  It's his father who points out most people would've stopped trying to fix said machine a long time ago.  He (i.e., the Progenitor) tells Tony that he's too hard on himself and passes him.  

It isn't just pschyobabble, though.  The experience makes Tony realize that the Progenitor is still judging people, which gives the team the possibility of passing.

The best part of the issue, though, is Tony's banter with Jean Grey and Mr. Sinister before the melodrama begins.  I wish Gillen would've cut down a little on the journey into the dark night of Tony's soul so we could've seem him verbally spar with Sinister some more.

Amazing Spider-Man #10 (September 28):  Holy shit, this issue was fucking CRAZY.

It didn't come as a surprise that the Progenitor took the form of Gwen Stacy to judge Peter or that he passed Peter because his heart shines so brightly it blinds him and "baffles the mind of man."  I have to hand it to Wells, though:  Peter's heart blinding him is truly an excellent summation of how Peter gets into the messes he does.  

Although it isn't surprising that even the Progenitor was moved when seeing into Peter's heart, I very much didn't see him temporarily resurrecting Gwen!  In fact, I almost thought Wells was permanently resurrecting her, explaining why he broke up Peter and Mary Jane.  But Wells goes even one better:  the Progenitor only temporarily resurrected her because he still needs Gwen, to judge Norman.  Ha!  I almost feel bad for Norman.  The segue of Gwen moving from a still grieving yet marveling Peter to an oblivious Norman is perfectly done.

Moreover, this issue flows better than "A.X.E.:  Avengers" #1 since Wells uses it as a way to give us a tour of Peter's current life, avoiding Gillen's navel-gazing approach to Tony (even if navel-gazing is probably appropriate for Tony).  Also, Dragotta's art is such a welcome relief from JR, Jr.  

I wish it didn't take a forgettable cross-over event for Wells to produce the first issue of his run that really felt like a Spider-Man story but here we are.

A.X.E.:  Starfox #1 (October 5):  This issue reads as if Marvel has big plans for Starfox, as Gillen ably presents his life story for everyone who doesn't follow his every move.  Starfox's history is muddled to say the least, yet Gillen somehow manages to impose some order on it.  

First, Gillen answers my questions from "A.X.E.:  Judgment Day" #3 by explaining that Stafox was in the Exclusion after Thanos killed him and the Machine resurrected him.  Since the Eternals didn't know he had linked to the Machine many years ago (the reason why Mentor and Sui-San had him, to prove a point Mentor was making at the time), they threw him in the Exclusion while they figured out how to make sense of a non-Eternal Eternal.  

As an avid reader of the "Avengers" in the 1980s, I was perfectly happy to spend this time with Starfox, atrocious art aside.  But if you aren't a die-hard Starfox fan I think you can skip this one, as I'm sure the main title will explain his deal with Zuras to save humanity by bringing them into Eternal spaces.

A.X.E.:  Death to the Mutants #3 (October 5):  I read this issue after "A.X.E.:  Starfox" #1, which I think was helpful even if this one clearly happens first.  

As a result of "A.X.E.:  Starfox "#1, I know that this issue addresses one of the four plans the heroes are currently putting in place to save Earth.  They tried to destroy the Progenitor, but, as we see here and in "A.X.E.:  Judgment Day" #5, they weren't successful.  We know that Tony's team in "A.X.E.:  Avengers" #1 is trying to kill the Progenitor, and we saw in "A.X.E.:  Starfox" #1 the remaining heroes trying to save who they can.

Here, we see the other plan go into effect, namely Phastos hard-rebooting the Machine that Is Earth to slow down the Progenitor's efforts.  (I'm not sure I totally followed this part, as the Progenitor is apparently somehow using the Machine to destroy Earth, but it's small potatoes at this point.)  The Machine assists Phastos in his mission, as it watches in panic as the Progenitor destroys the Resurrection Engines and is poised to destroy the Reality Loom.  

Gillen tries to get us to mourn the Machine, our narrator throughout this issue.  But the bro-ish voice that Gillen has used for the Machine throughout the series has never really connected with me.  It's hard to connect with an abstract entity, even one with a voice.  As such, though I get Phastos' devastation when it's clear that the hard-reboot has destroyed the Machine's personality, I can't say I was particularly moved by it.  

Oh, well.  Onwards and upwards.

A.X.E.:  X-Men #1 (October 5):  Jean Grey is a complicated character to write.  She's always so...good.  It's the Captain America/Superman problem.  Of course, the exception with Jean is the one that the Progenitor notes here:  she destroyed a world. 

I was excited about this issue when I saw it advertised at the end of "A.X.E.:  Avengers" #1, and it didn't disappoint.  It's a direct sequel to that issue, as the team makes its way through the Celestial.  But Jean takes center stage here as the Progenitor marvels, somewhat indirectly (and in a way in which I've always marveled), at the number of men who love her.  Despite all that love and respect, the Progenitor denies the idea that the Phoenix, not Jean, destroyed that world.  Jean weakly argues that she wasn't in control and that she's saved enough world to be in the black.  She finally segues into wondering when she's balanced the scales enough.  The Progenitor says never and fails her.

But Gillen totally nailed what makes Jean great and what so many authors overlook:  she's human.  She's pissed that she failed.  As Logan says, she was Charlie's star pupil:  she isn't used to failing.  She calls the Progenitor on his own bullshit as she notes that he judged her for destroying a world as he does the same thing.

The Progenitor at one point in this issue recalls how Cyclops told him to be scared of Jean.  This issue reminds us that he should be.

X-Men Red #7 (October 5):  Although this issue involves Magneto's death, its emotional core lies in the conversation that the Great Ring has as they face the aftermath of Uranos' assault and the coming of the Progenitor's justice.  

Isca the Unbeaten leaves the Great Ring after the Fisher King challenges her to a game of who understands the meaning of loss, forcing her to face - seemingly for the first time - her long history of betraying the Arakkii.  (Is it really for the first time?  Has she really not internalized the betrayals she's committed over her long life?)  

With Isca's departure, the entire Table of Dawn is empty, as Magneto is dead and Isca killed Idyll the Future Seer in issue #5.  To address the imbalance, Storm yields the Seat of All-Around-Us to Lodus Logos so a dreamer and a poet will rule Arakko.  She then takes up Magneto's Seat of Loss.

Arakko continues to be the most interesting corner of the mutant books to me, and I look forward to see where we go with this change in its status quo.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The September 14 and 21 Event Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

X-Men Red #6 (September 14):  This issue is surprising, because I feel like we were led to believe that Uranos pretty effectively destroyed Arakko in his assault in "A.X.E. Judgement Day" #1 and "X-Men Red" #5.  Instead, the Earth-born mutants - namely, Magneto, Storm, and Sunspot - show the Arakkii how to work together to fight Uranos' machines, which apparently continued rampaging on Arakko after he departed.

Roberto reveals to Magneto that he's formed the Table of Shadow, the fourth Great Ring table that traditionally consists of non-omegas and forms itself to keep an eye on the three other tables.  The Night Seats are him, the Fisher King, and Syzya of the Smoke (essentially the Nightcrawler of Arakko).  Upon this revelation, Magneto has a weird conversation with the Fisher King, implying that their meeting in "X-Men Red" #1 wasn't an accident.  Instead, he believes it had something to do with Roberto already having recruited the Fisher King for the Table of Shadow.  Honestly, I don't entirely follow where Ewing is going here.  It seems to have something to do with the Fisher King assessing whether Magneto was worthy, though I don't get why he would have to hide his status as a Night Seat to do so.

Before someone can explain, Ewing instead moves to Magneto taking out the greatest threat to Arakko - an enormous silicone gorilla (yup) - by combining his power with Storm's, a lesson the Arakkii realize they might need to learn.  It sets up the Brotherhood and other Arakkii taking the fight to Uranos in "A.X.E. Judgment Day" #4.

A.X.E. Judgment Day #4 (September 14):  The Progenitor is going to kill everyone on Earth, sure.  At this stage, the only interesting component of this event is whatever Starfox's plan is.  It seems like it's going to combines Eternal and mutant technology to...make the world a better place?  Is everyone going to get resurrected?  Also, Magneto allegedly dies here.  Whatever.

A.X.E. Judgment Day #5 (September 21):  Oof.  Gillen does what he can, as the heroes throw what they have against the Progenitor in an attempt to stall him so that their brain trust can find a way to stop him from destroying Earth.  But we all know that they're going to win.  The mutants resurrecting Captain America so that he can lead whatever charge he's going to lead next issue just means that they're going to do so in the most clichéd and formulaic way possible.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The September 7 Marvel Event Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Death to the Mutants #2:  Meh.  

This issue is all over the place.  The best parts involve Kro, particularly his flirtations with Emma.  If this event results in anything, I would welcome the Deviants suddenly emerging as yet another faction among Earth's squabbling parties, particularly since you could see their allegiance reasonably moving from party to party depending on the situation.  The worst parts involve Gillen getting cute, like Syne the Memotaur discussing poetry with a poet she meets online.  Also does the Progenitor change appearance halfway through the issue?

As I said:  meh.

Immortal X-Men #6:  This issue is almost incoherent.  

In the wake of the X-Men's failed attack on the Progenitor, the Council meets to discuss options.  Emma informs them that Sersei and Starfox are working on their own plans, and Sebastian appoints himself as Krakoa's liaison to them.  

Sebastian meets with Starfox who agrees to send Sebastian ideas on what the mutants can surrender to address the "immortality secret" that started the war.  Um, what?  Other than abandoning immortality entirely, I don't see what outcome could make Druig think the mutants aren't an excessive deviation.  Also, aren't we passed that point, given the Progenitor's ultimatum?  Shouldn't we be more focused on making sure the Progenitor judges Earth as worthy?  Moreover, when has Starfox of all people ever been the person you want developing ideas to stave off the end of the world?  

Shaw uncharacteristically insists that the solution has to "help the children," so I assume some age-based limitation is coming.  But, again, why?  I don't see humankind suddenly supporting the mutants now that they can only die x (heh) number of times.  (If you're wondering when Sebastian suddenly got all altruistic, it's allegedly due to the Progenitor taking the form of Emma judging him.  If you get that part, let me know.)

To make matters, worse, Shaw summons someone named Mother Righteous to make some sort of deal.  I think we're supposed to know who she is, but I'm not sure.

TL;DR:  I can't take this series anymore.

Spider-Man 2099:  Exodus - Omega #1:  This issue is as terrible as I feared.  The good news, though, is Ulana the Watcher confirms that Marvel views this 2099 as a "reality rewoven, unified from disparate timelines."  Hopefully it means someone else will pick up the shovel in this amazing sandbox and build something great.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen here.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 31 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Knights of X #5:  Overall, I liked the story that Howard tells here, as Betsy and company resurrect Gambit and, in so doing, somehow connect the Siege Perilous with Krakoa.   But the execution was terrible.  She spends the entire issue telling, and not showing, us the story.  For example, the climactic battle - where the entirety of Krakoa takes on King Arthur's army - is reduced to a splash page.  Overall, it's sufficiently anticlimactic to make it hard for me to recommend this miniseries unless you're really committed to Betsy's story.

Moon Knight:  Black, White & Blood #4:  Man, this series was terrible.

Star Wars:  Obi-Wan Kenobi #4:  Cantwell continues to use this series as a way of exploring the darker sides of the galaxy far, far away.  It's exactly the type of stories that I wish we'd see more often.

The issue begins with Obi-Wan recalling the final days of the war, where "victories" like the one he describes on Atraken still resulting in millions of dead and the planet left uninhabitable.  He recalls that he and Anakin were the closest during this period, perhaps due to the need to help each other "purge the shrouds of shadow that threatened to fall across [them]."  Hello, foreshadowing.

Anakin and Obi-Wan arrive for a briefing from Admiral Yularen who asks if Obi-Wan remembers Commander Mekedrix from the Battle of Abrion Bridge.  (He does.)  Mekedrix apparently continued serving the Republic after Abrion Bridge, including at the Battles of Ryloth, of Saleucami, and at the Temple of Eedit (battles from the first, second, and third seasons of "Star Wars:  Clone Wars," respectively).  Yularen informs the pair that Mekedrix went rogue after the Temple of Eedit and formed an execution squad called the Death Wind.  

The Death Wind apparently has no allegiance, striking both Clone Trooper detachments as well as Commerce Guild and Confederacy of Independent Systems high-ranking officials.  Yularen and the Republic's military leadership worry Mekedrix is irrevocably broken given the lack of coherence to the Death Wind's targets, and Yularen essentially orders Anakin and Obi-Wan to assassinate him.  Despite the earlier foreshadowing, Anakin is outraged in a way that Obi-Wan isn't.  Cantwell does a great job here, showing how Obi-Wan and Yularen's lack of shock of the Republic getting into the assassination business is only a few steps from Mekedrix's brokenness.

As Anakin and Obi-Wan's journey through Ando's swamps, Cantwell is clearly miming "Apocalypse Now," particularly when they discover Clone Trooper effigies before arriving at the Sith temple Mekedrix has taken as his own.  When they find Mekedrix bearing a sword made from a Clone Trooper's bones, it isn't exactly a surprise.  Mekedrix believes he "freed" his victims by showing them the truth, that annihilation is our existence's goal.  Obi-Wan tries to get him to see that life exists outside death, but it's too late:  he attacks Obi-Wan with the sword, resulting in Anakin impaling him with his light saber.  With his dying words, Mekedrix admits he used Anakin as "suicide by Jedi," if you will.

Cantwell's use of Anakin is the most interesting here, and I'd love to see Marvel put him on a series that explored Anakin's fall.  Anakin is the most morally grounded character in this issue, and Cantwell hints that it's because he's the one still struggling with his demons.  Mekedrix, Obi-Wan, and Yularen have all resigned themselves to the war that dominates their lives, though obviously with different outcomes.  Anakin's struggle with the violence and how it fits his moral code is unresolved, opening the door to the Emperor's manipulation later.

I feel like this series is a must for any fan of the "Star Wars:  Clone Wars."  I can't recommend it enough.

X-Men #14:  This issue is weird for a tie-in issue, since the X-Men basically treat the Eternals' invasion of Krakoa as an inconvenience.  In a way, they're not wrong, as some gamblers who don't know Gameworld isn't in business anymore dump a flare torpedo in the Sun to take out Earth.  It doesn't help the mutants if they survive the Eternals only to die with Earth.

Bobby creates an ice shield around the planet, and the rest of the X-Men take care of the falling ice after the shield holds.  Unfortunately, Duggan decides to use Bobby's heroism as a way to have Bobby come out publicly in the media.  His speech is shunted to one of this era's beloved interstitial pages, which makes it feel awkward and obligatory.  The subsequent Norma Rae speech the journalist delivers to her editor at the end after he tries to take out the gay part is particularly cringe.  

In fact, the most interesting part of the issue is that Scott declares that Jean is his wife when he arrives at the Progenitor for judgment.  The Hickman era has never really address Jean and Scott's relationship, and I'm hoping this hint is a sign that we're going to get the back story soon.  Also, is everyone just wandering up the Progenitor's way?  Is that how it works?

In other words, Duggan makes the odd decision to use a tie-in issue as a way to address two pretty emotional and significant developments in Bobby, Jean, and Scott's lives.  It's a shame, in my book.  I wish Marvel would find a way to get back to some of the great character moments that Hickman managed to include during the early days of his era.

Also Read:  Amazing Fantasy #1,000

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 24 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm bailing on both "Captain America:  Symbol of Truth" and "Marauders" because Marvel has pushed beyond where my loyalty to these characters lie.  Both series read as if the editors failed to read them.  I'm not doing it if people paid to do it aren't.

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day #3:  Surprisingly for an event, people act...rationally here.  That said, the issue is confusing particularly after the twist at the end.  

We begin with the new god (a.k.a., the Progenitor) judging Captain America as a failure; he's tried to inspire America to be a better country for the better part of a century, but, despite America's role as the world leader, the world "is what it is," "worse every day."  As such, Captain America is a failure.  This pronouncement doesn't particularly bother Steve, and he urges Iron Man and his cohorts to solve the problem while he calms the world with a speech.

Not unreasonably, the Progenitor's judgment leads Druig to surmise that the Progenitor is judging people based on whether they fulfill their "aims and duties."  As such, he orders the Eternals to step up their campaign against Krakoa so they can fulfill their duty.  After all, as Uranos says, "any deviation is excess deviation."

Elsewhere, Tony and company try to find a way to stop the Progenitor.  Ajak is trying to commune with it while Tony identifies its weak point.  Phastos warns Tony that destroying it would create a backlash that affects the Eternals and destroys cities.  After Ajak and Makkari leave, Phastos warns Tony and Mr. Sinister that killing it may still end up being the only option, even if millions die.  But he warns them that the Eternals would have to try to stop them, given their third principle is to protect Celestials.  

Sinister tells Destiny about the weakness, and she convinces the Quiet Council to send a strike team to take out the Progenitor.  To ensure they don't balk at the prospect of millions dying, the Council withholds that information from the team.  Emma reveals that she's made outreach to the Deviants, who are similar enough to mutants that they can use Krakoa's gates.  They travel to Krakoa to take on the battle with the Hex so the X-Men can go attack the Progenitor.  As Phastos warned Tony, the mutants' attack prompts an immediate response from the Eternals.

Jean successfully hits the Progenitor's weak spot, triggering its destruction.  Jean is the first to realize the destruction isn't real:  they were inside the Progenitor's mind the entire time.  As humanity expresses relief at its survival, the Progenitor reminds them that their heroes aren't above judgment.  He then gives the White Queen, Kor (the Deviant's leader), Destiny, and Mystique "thumbs down."

With Tony and his team realizing that they have no choice but face judgment, Sersi travels to the Exclusion to free Starfox, who's imprisoned there for some reason.  She hopes that he can convince everyone to love each other, which is probably the best shot they have right now, admittedly.

Captain America:  Symbol of Truth #4:  Sam Wilson deserves better than this series.  It's all exposition and randomness.   Oof.

First, Crossbones and his men attack Sam once he enters Wakanda, which you'd kind of think the Wakandans would've prevented from happening.

Second, he delivers a supervillain speech telling Sam all about the White Wolf's plan to engage in a terrorist attack in Wakanda at the same time as telling Sam that he wasn't going to deliver a supervillain speech.  Hi, pet peeve #3!  

Third, when Sam uses birds to subdue Crossbones (yup, Crossbones), Crossbones spills the beans, telling Sam that the White Wolf has infected the Wakanda Forever emigrants (including the undercover Sam) with a virus that vibranium triggers.  How exactly does an inert metal trigger a virus?  No idea.

Fourth, Onyebuchi doesn't explain why Crossbones even bothered to accost Sam if everyone else is already infected with the virus.  After all, if he hadn't engaged him, he'd have no chance of stopping the attack.  

Instead of addressing these weaknesses, Onyebuchi instead spends time on the Falcon B story that that I still don't understand.  

First, Crossbones doesn't seem like the kind of guy to leave a hostage alive, but he conveniently does so here.  Thankfully, it means the Falcon can help the superhuman immigrants when they try to escape the facility.

Second, Onyebuchi conveniently has one of the immigrants explain that they staged the break-out when the guards' numbers dwindled as they left to accompany Crossbones to Wakanda.  Does the White Wolf really care that much about payroll that he left a skeleton crew (heh) guarding superhuman immigrants?

As if we don't have enough hackneyed plot devices in this issue, the issue ends with Sam fighting Black Panther, because apparently it's OK for Crossbones to come to Wakanda but not Sam.

In other words, I'm done.

Marauders #5:  This issue is incomprehensible.  I seriously have no idea what happens.  As far as I can tell, the Marauders get their hands on the timedrive, but it only contains the consciousness of one mutant.  Otherwise, it's just a mess, particularly the art department, which looks like a junior high student handled it.  Thank God Bobby is in "X-Men" now.

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #26:  We've had so many of these issues - where events pass before us wordlessly but show us how they remind Vader of his life as Anakin Skywalker - that it's hard to feel the impact that Pak wants to evoke here.  We're supposed to feel for Vader as he contemplates not only his long history with sand but also his failure to save his mother or Padmé.  Vader drives into the storm to save Sabé, something that elicits laughter from the Emperor.  But Pak leans so heavily into the Kingesque approach, with barely any dialogue, that it feels almost like you'r reading a children's book.  It's time to wrap up this arc, as we're so far from the original story involving Crimson Dawn and Sabé that I really can't remember what it was anymore.

Also Read:  Amazing Spider-Man #8

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 17 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

New Mutants #28:  This issue is a weird conclusion to Ayala's story as it feels like we skipped a chapter or something.

Illyana and company have spent weeks hiding in a cave while Illyana instructs Madelyne in magic and tries to reforge the Soulsword.  The action begins when she agrees with Madelyne that it's time to complete the ritual that binds Madelyne to her promise not to attack Krakoa.  With the ritual complete, they can take the fight to S'ym.  

In addition to me feeling like we skipped an issue given that we pick up weeks after last issue's ending, the next few pages are essentially an issue in and of themselves as the party waltzes right into S'ym's throne room.  It would've been fun to see them battle their way through S'ym's hordes.  Alas, we don't.

Surprising probably no one, Ayala reveals that an Illyana who decided to stay in Limbo to fix it (rather than return to Earth as our Illyana did) is the power behind S'ym.  She needs to destroy Illyana to solidify her powers, but Madelyne kills her first.  Wah-wah.  As a result, our Illyana absorbs the other Illyana's powers, presenting us with another seemingly unified Illyana.

Several other authors - notably Zeb Wells during his "Fall/Rise of the New Mutants" storyline in "New Mutants" (2009) - have "healed" Illyana.  For various reasons (and likely editorial fiats), though, it's never really stuck.  Ayala may succeed because she gives us a pretty solid narrative about how both Illyana and Madelyne are putting behind what hurt them (the mutants, in Madelyne's case, and Limbo, in Illyana's) and embracing what saved them (the opposites, for each of them).

I'm hoping this duality is enough to give Illyana a shot at a new iteration.  As Colossus says to Madelyne here, the Powers That Be have given X-Men like him so many chances:  it feels like Illyana deserves at least one.  On the plus side, Ayala makes the right decision in using the space that she does have to put Illyana and Peter on the road to reconciliation, which is filled with so much hurt that I can't even remember why they're not speaking.  It's like they're the Real Housewives of Krakoa.  (Marvel, if you're reading, I would totally read that series.)

Star Wars #26:  This issue is random and terrible, and I'm not even talking about the art.  I love Soule, but he bounces around so much in this issue that you're never really sure which events are important and which ones are filler.  

The only promising development comes in the final scenes as we're introduced to two Imperial employees turned Crimson Dawn spies.  Once activated, they flee (with their children) from the black site where they work to inform the Rebellion about its power.  Said site?   The second Death Star.  Dun-dun-DUN!

Undiscovered Country #20:  It's been a while since I've read one of these issues, and I was pleased to see Valentina is as impatient with the constant loop as I am.  I'd normally consider it pet peeve #3 but, honestly, I totally feel her.

We begin with Charlotte and Valentina resurrecting in Revolutionary America for the third time, awakening right before Paul Revere rides by them to warn...well, you know.  They take out Revere to abscond with his horse and find Uncle Sam, who apparently killed them one of the two previous times.  Threatening him with a Zone Possibility gun Daniel gave them, they demand the truth.  Surprisingly, Sam gives it to them:  they've the key, and Ace, Chang, and Janet are the door.

Speaking of the other members of the group, they're in Hegemony, a different "channel" in History.  They're also currently on the run as Hegemony considers them war criminals.  The Destiny Man isn't the only doppelgänger here, as his assistant confirms that Hegemony's elderly versions of Chang and Janet are still locked under tight security in the Black Cells in Hamburg.

Back in Revolutionary America, Sam admits that he doesn't know more than he's told the women because Aurora is getting "strange:"  he says it feels like she's "flailing, trying to course-correct."  He suggests they're resurrecting because Aurora wants Charlotte and Valentina to observe something in History that they'll need later.  He then shoots them.  Instead of respawning in Revolutionary America, they find themselves in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Meanwhile, in Hegemony, the trio successfully flee their pursuers, and an AEA agent and PAPZ agent contact them to help.  I was happily surprised to learn that we're in Beijing in 2074, 15 years after the team left for the United States.  It's a great twist, followed by another one:  Chang and Janet eventually leave the United States and convinced the AEA and PAPZ to invade, starting World War IV.  The United States obviously wins in this scenario, but I wonder if we're going to see one where they lose.

A.X.E.:  Death to the Mutants #1:  This issue isn't the easiest to follow and mostly covers ground we've covered elsewhere.  For example, the Eternals actually conduct the séance that we briefly saw in "A.X.E.:  Judgment Day" #2, but it isn't really all that illuminating (or interesting).  

The most significant event that we haven't previously seen is the Forgotten, Ikaris Kingo, and Sprite infiltrating the Eternals' armory and opening the door to Magic, Wolverine (Laura Kinney), and (I think) Jean Grey.  While the mutants shut off the Hex's power supply, Ikaris takes out Zuras by doing what I've always thought Eternals' enemies should do, namely shunting part of Zuras' brain into another dimension so he's immobilized but can't be resurrected because he's still alive.  

Most interestingly, the Forgotten and Ikaris ponder whether the new god's decree that everyone has to justify themselves is a racially segregated one.  In other words, if the Eternals are found lacking, are they removed from Earth, even if enough of Earth's inhabitants meet the new god's test?  I guess we'll see.

X-Men #13:  We get another "A.X.E.:  Judgment Day" tie-in issue here, this time expanding on what happened after Ikaris and company opened the door to the Eternals' armory to the mutants in "A.X.E.:  Death to the Mutants" #1.  It isn't all that enthralling.  It turns out Magik led the new X-Men team (minus Jean and Scott) into the armory.  With few options, Bobby and Synch froze the engine that fuels the Hex.  It's fairly anti-climactic since, as we see at the end, it's really the new god's arrival that saves Krakoa from the Hex, not the X-Men's actions here.  That said, it does seem like each group is getting judged individually as implied in "A.X.E:  Death of the Mutants" #1, so we'll see how it all goes.  I'll admit any excitement I had for this event is starting to wane.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 10 Big Two Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day #2:  OK, we have a lot going on here.  

I'll say upfront that you probably need to read this event's tie-in issues to enjoy it fully.  Gillen is really just hitting the main developments in this issue, leaving the details and drama to the tie-in issues.  As such, it reads almost like a bulleted presentation rather than a complete story.

The new "god" Ajak and her team are trying to create narrates the issue, starting with six humans living around the world and their thoughts as the war between the Eternals and X-Men begins.  It seems random, but the "god" exhorts us to remember that "everyone is important."

Meanwhile, the Hex - six separate Eternals, as the introduction page informs us - attack Krakoa, and the Avengers arrive to help.   Exodus wants them removed from Krakoa but thankfully Cyclops and Magik aren't insane and welcome them.  Cap informs Scott that Iron Man is working on a "peaceful" solution, which, honestly, would probably worry me if I were Scott given Tony's track record.  Scott sends him after the Hex while he and the other mutants protect the resurrection protocols.  Cap takes a shot at Scott here, criticizing him for keeping secrets "after everything we've been through."  Scott gives exactly the response I would:  "After everything?  How could we [not]?"

The Hex's assault on Krakoa takes its toll on Earth's mantle and causes disasters throughout the world.  Cyclops dispatches the Avengers to deal with the fallout.  Exodus interprets their departure as the Avengers abandoning them, and Destiny cryptically notes that it's an accurate portrayal, because she's seen the future and remembers the past.  (The "god" muses:  "Do we stand alone?  We will see.")

Meanwhile, we get a dense splash page of all the efforts Ajak and her team are putting into creating the "god."  Along the way, Gillen refers to a series of past events that I had to Google to appreciate.  First, Tony excavates Arishem the Judge's "thumbprint of justice" from London where Arishem fell after the Dark Celestials killed him in Aaron's run on "Avengers (2018)," which I remembered not at all.  I also didn't remember Sinister turning the Dreaming Celestial into a version of himself in "Uncanny X-Men (2012)," though he sifts through the debris and finds "a shattered fragment of the heart of a dream."  Odin apparently fought a war against the Celestials, which I'm pretty sure I didn't read, and Makarri combs through the body of the Destroyer, which Odin forged as his weapon, to scavenge "tiny fragments of this absolute power."  Sersei gathers the Eternals who oppose Druig and head to Lemur to perform a séance in order to gather stories from Deviants who the Celestials previously murdered.  Finally, in a move that I'm sure will make Tony insufferable, they use his body as a template for the "god," because his body remembers when "he piloted a dead Celestial when a king wreathed in black ruled the Earth."

Back on Krakoa, Exodus sacrifices himself to take out Syne the Memotaur, leaving five Hex left.  The (Krakoa) Five are working overtime in Arbor Magna to bring back warriors (for the moment putting aside the 15 million Arakkii killed who aren't warriors), and Exodus re-joins the fray.  Syne does as well, resulting in one of the humans we saw on the first page dying since it's the way that the Eternals resurrect themselves.  Syne hurls herself at Krakoa, intending to destroy the island.  The mutants realize that they can't evacuate everyone quickly enough and, if they move to stop Syne, the other five Hex members are free to go after Arbor Magna.

Deliverance comes in the form of the "god" who awakens and calls off the Eternals.  However, it goes a little differently than Ajax planned, as the "god" decrees that he will judge everyone on Earth and -paging the first page - "if there is more that is just than wicked" he'll spare Earth.  If not?  It isn't great, folks.

Amazing Spider-Man #7:  For all last issue's billing that this issue is the biggest change in Spidery's status quo ever, nothing happens here.  Seriously.

Sure, it looks like Peter's going to accept Norman's offer to work for him.  After all, he could use Norman's tech after the Vulture exploits Spidey's most obvious weakness:  attacking him mid-air and destroying his Web-Shooters so that he can't stop his freefall.  (I can't remember anyone ever doing that, surprisingly.  How is the Vulture the first one to think of it?)  But Peter doesn't actually take the offer here.

In fact, Peter storms from Norman's office after he sets up an "accidental" meeting between MJ and Peter.  It sounds like MJ is the step-mom to the kids who we've previously seen, though Wells doesn't confirm that.  If you're wondering, MJ is at Oscorp to have Norman run tests on the Krakoa medicines (smart) after she agreed to help the mutants as a brand ambassador.  Weirdly Paul is there as well.  Does he accompany her on all her work meetings?  That's starting to feel creepy.

I should mention that the Vulture attacks Peter because he's convinced that Spidey told his granddaughter about all his murders, even though she could've just, you know, Googled it.  (Weirdly, someone did tell her, but I still don't get why we're supposed to believe that she never knew her grandfather - the Vulture - killed people.)

[Sigh.]  I've loved Wells work on Spidey, but this run is starting to feel like another Spencer run, where the signs are there early that it isn't going well.  I hope I'm wrong.

Captain America:  Sentinel of Liberty #3:  I'm intrigued by where Lanzing and Kelly are going here.  Right now, they're walking the fine line between conspiracy and ridiculous, and we'll see if they manage to stay on the beam.

The Outer Circle sends a creature called Redacted after Steve to wipe him from history. The fact that the Outer Circle believes that it could wipe Steve Rogers from history shows how powerful its members think they are.  Steve defeats the creature but strikes a pipe that spews lava along the way.  Realizing that the Forge isn't just a green-power plant, he travels through the complex, discovering an "honest-to-God volcano lair."  (He hilariously remarks to himself that Bucky will be mad he missed it.)

In the lair, he sees an imprint of his shield and puts the shield into it, unveiling a recording.  The man on the recording informs Steve that he built his shield at this vibranium-alloy forge.  In order to get the Outer Circle's secret symbol into the public domain, he put fit on the shield - an outer circle, two inner circles "that obey," and the star for their super-soldier (i.e., Steve).  The man doesn't explain why the Outer Circle built the shield for the United States (and thus Steve), but I'm sure we'll get there.  A holographic woman with tentacles emerging from her back named the Machine appears and detonates the Forge, which Steve survives by amazingly using the shield to surf the lava.  (It could've been hokey, but Carnero really sells it.)

Meanwhile, in Madripoor, Peggy takes offense at Bucky implying that she's been part of a shadowy conspiracy for a long time.  He notes several missions that she led that, mission by mission, resulted in the consolidation of power in an increasingly smaller circle.  For example, she and Bucky rescued two men in 1944, one of whom created V.X. nerve gas.  The United States later traded nukes to the U.K. for the gas, altering the global balance of power.  In 1972, Peggy apparently took down the Darkstar oil cartel in Yemen, allowing OPEC to impose the 1973 oil embargo and plunge the world into a three-year recession.  As we've seen, she and the Daughters of Liberty just took down the Power Elite, leading to a series of shell companies securing all their assets.  Peggy refuses to admit that she's either a patsy or working for them, though it's got to be one or the other. 

I loved this entire exchange between Bucky and Peggy.  Peggy is so often portrayed as possessing Mary Sue levels of superhumanly brilliant and capable.  I loved watching her either panicking at the idea that she's been played or at the idea that Bucky - who she clearly doesn't respect - caught her lie.

As I said, we're close to ridiculous, but we're not there.  So long as Lanzing and Kelly stay on this side of ridiculous, this story is a quintessentially Cap one.

Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #26:  Oof, this issue is tough.

Sacks addresses a question that I've had since T'onga functionally took over this series, namely why she thought Cadeliah would trust her when she found her.  T'onga comes face to face with Cadeliah here and Cadeliah tells T'onga that she trusts no one.  After all, Nakano Lash died, Valence ditched her at the first opportunity, and the Empire killed Valance's ex-girlfriend and her husband:  she doesn't have a great record of caretakers.  Cadeliah points out she first met T'onga when T'onga came to kill Lash, and you would've thought after all this time T'onga had workshopped a better response than, "I've grown since then."

T'onga and her crew have impressed Qi'ra, though, by getting so far into her citadel so Qi'ra offers her a contract.  But it isn't exactly a happy ending.  An animal-loving Vukorah is appalled when she has to kill Furball, explaining to Losha that her surrogate father killed her tooka cat in front of her to stress that she couldn't afford attachments.  A devastated Losha threatens to kill Vukorah the next time they meet.  It goes from bad to worse for Vukorah as she overhears Qi'ra's plan to install Cadeliah at the head of the Mourner's Wail and the Unbroken Clan, despite her promise that Vukorah would head the Clan.  Vukorah flees in anguish, a scene matched in its sadness on Tonga's ship when T'onga finds a devastated Losha weeping over Fireball's body asking whether it was all for nothing.

Along the way, Tasu thrashes Dengar and tells him that he's going to kill him one day, and Haydenn makes a pass at Valance who rejects her.  In other words, the bounty hunters aren't doing so well, y'all.

Star Wars:  Han Solo & Chewbacca #5:  Not all that surprisingly, it turns out Han's "dad" isn't his dad but a criminal named Corpus Tyra.  (Or maybe his dad became Tyra?)  Tyra learned that Jabba hired Han to retrieve the MacGuffin...I mean, urn...from a "Kajain'sa'nikto" named Vizam.  Marshal Vancto learned about Vizam from Bib Fortuna and successfully finds Tyra at some sort of Imperial base on Iakar.  (Notably, Tyra doesn't obviously have the urn here.)  

Meanwhile, Chewie and Han are saved on Mollo Tanka by Khel Tanna and her crew and Greedo.  Han informs them that he wasn't sold that his "dad" was his dad, so he put a tracker on him.  They follow it to Paqualis III, where the Benelux Marshal Service Headquarters is located.  They manage to grab Tyra but leave behind Chewie after Greedo shoots Han while he fights Tanna to go after Chewie.  But Chewie finds himself in prison with Maz Kanata, so next issue should be a good time.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 3 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman #126:  As expected, Zdarsky isn't fucking kidding.

The issue begins with a recovering Robin telling Batman to mind his own business when Bruce expresses concern that Tim is already on patrol.  Bruce returns to the Cave, and Zdarsky picks up the thread from last issue as Bruce muses how the kids don't understand that they ultimately can't keep their costumed identities and find "love and happiness."  (Yes, it's weird to see Bruce say the words "love and happiness.")  Before Bruce goes any farther down that road, Failsafe attacks!

Zdarsky makes it clear that Failsafe is Bruce's un-fucking-stoppable Doomsday.  Within six punches thrown, Bruce realizes that he's dead if he stays in the Cave.  He manages to grapple himself to the Batmobile and order it to speed to safety.  But the bomb Bruce throws at Failsafe as he leaves the Cave does no good as, still on fire, it finds Bruce in the city.  Bruce admits to Oracle that the situation is bad, and Jiménez does a great job of showing actual fear in Bruce's eyes as Failsafe grabs his cape and hurls him to the ground before he can escape up a fire escape.  

Bruce contemplates the end, which only doesn't happen because Batgirl (Cassandra), Signal, and Spoiler arrive.  Failsafe almost immediately takes out Stephanie, and Signal distracts Failsafe while Robin gets Bruce into the Batmobile so he can meet Leslie at the Cave.  A concussed Bruce murmurs to himself that Failsafe sounds familiar, and Tim floors it to flee the pursuing Failsafe.  Nightwing arrives in time to buy Tim time to escape.  Failsafe dismisses the team as "little soldiers" and takes out Batgirl and Spoiler.  He then rips off Duke's helmet and scans it, gaining access to the team's systems.

Leslie is startled to find Failsafe in the new Cave, but Bruce had Tim take him to the old one.  Cryptically recalling that he "went too far" in his early days before the "children" softened him, Bruce activates Zur-en-Arrh!

In the back-up story, two previously unidentified Penguin heirs - Addison and Aiden - have murdered their ten siblings.  Well, they tried to murder all ten:  Selina manages to prevent a disguised Aiden from murdering Ethan, from "Batgirl."  But he's left in a vegetative state.

Selina puts together this sequence of events the next day when Addison and Aiden arrive at the Executor's office for the will reading.  They have notarized copies of documents vouching for their DNA, and Selina recognizes Aiden is wearing the same cufflinks as Ethan's attacker.  Since the will excludes Ethan due to his vegetative state, the Executor announces that Addison and Aiden inherit the Iceberg Lounge and Penguin's other real-estate holdings.  Addison loses her mind, though, when the Executor announces that Penguin's money goes to the Flights of Fancy Bird Sanctuary in Metropolis.  Aiden then hustles her out the door.

Before Addison and Aiden arrived, Selina asked the Executor for the names of the mothers of Penguin's children so she could split her $500,000 fee among them .  After Addison and Aiden depart, she cryptically asks the Executor for one more address.

All in all, I couldn't be happier with Zdarksy's run so far.  As I hoped, the main story brings the sort of propulsive energy and astute characterization that he brought to Spider-Man, and the Catwoman mystery is a great accompaniment.

Immortal X-Men #5:  Oof.  

The best part of this issue is Bandini and Curiel's art, whose brightness and clarity brilliantly matches Exodus' story as a knight in the employ of a series of messiahs (Apocalypse, Magneto, and now Hope).

Unfortunately, the art does more to walk us through Exodus' thousand-year journey than anything Gillen does.

Exodus realizes that he's lost in his memories because the Uni-Mind is attacking and it's using this ploy on all the Council members to distract them from the attack.  I'll admit that it's a solid plan on the Uni-Mind's part.  I'll also admit that Gillen does a great job of scripting Exodus' fever-driven way of speaking and thinking.  Combined, however, the disjoint narrative and crazed script make the issue difficult to follow.  

I also don't know enough about Exodus' past to know whether Gillen is ret-conning his history, filling in gaps in said history, or rehashing events that we've seen elsewhere.  But it certainly feels odd for Gillen to spend so much time on Exodus' history when this issue also gives us the Hex attacking Krakoa for the first time.

Again, I keep reading this series because it's essential to understanding the X-Men's current status quo not because it's interesting in and of itself.

Moon Knight #14:  McKay and Cappuccio do a great job balancing Marc's characterization-driven conversation with Jake and Steve with the ass-kicking punishment he gets from Grand Mal and Nemean.  

For example, Jake and Steve point out Marc is getting his ass handed to him because he's trying too hard to keep them on the bench.  In fact, they note Marc is usually the one who gets them into trouble.  Marc says that he's trying to hide his disorder from Reece because he doesn't want to scare her away.  Jake and Steve point out Reece is actually managing her chronic disease unlike Marc, who is actively ignoring it.  All excellent points, fellas.

In the end Hunter's Moon and Tigra find Marc's broken body, and Marc agrees to let in Jake and Steve.  Of note, I was happy to see McKay mentioning previous series' events during the conversation, a rare creator who doesn't pretend he invented a legacy character from scratch.  Good times (for us, not Marc), they're a-comin'!

Spider-Man 2099:  Exodus #5:  This issue is similar to the previous ones:  a long series of expository conversations to update us the status quo of another B-list 2099 hero.  This time, it's the X-Men's turn.

The mutants are homeless after the Cabal used its Sentinels to seize the mutant homeland in the Savage Land for reasons I don't think Orlando specifies other than the Cabal is e-v-i-l.  The action (such as it is) starts when Northstar discovers a mutant at the heart of the Celestial Garden, which Cerebra decides means it's the new mutant homeland.  (Ballsy.)

Upon arriving, the X-Men discover an adamantium mountain that Rogue turns to gas using Voght's powers. Inside is a Doom-manufactured canister holding X-Man's eye.  Before Orlando can explain, the Cabal's Sentinels attack.  Spidey and Nostromo arrive to help just as Osborn arrives with more goons.

This issue is perhaps the most wooden of an already mediocre series, as the X-Men are little more than plot-advancing mouthpieces.  I'm glad we're finally wrapping up this series so someone other than Orlando can hopefully take the 2099 ball and run with it.  It isn't a lot, but it's what I've got.

Spider-Punk #4:  When the villain spares the hero in the penultimate chapter, it's usually the author's naked ploy to amp up the drama.  It is here, too.  Unusually, though, Ziglar gives Green Goblin a solid reason for "sparing" Hobie, Kamala, Karl, and Riri:  he's going to execute them publicly!  During his various super-villain monologues, Norman - whose head survived Hobie decapitating him due to the Venom symbiote - explains to Hobie that his death at Hobie's hands made him a martyr to all the fascists and racists who supported him.  I actually thought at various moments that one or more of the Spider-Band might die, so I'm really not sure how next issue is going to go, y'all!

X-Men Red #5:  Unlike "Immortal X-Men" #5, Ewing shines in this tie-in issue, showing us how Uranos decimated Arakko, as we saw in "A.X.E.:  Judgment Day" #1.

It isn't just Uranos himself attacking the Arakkii, but his "armories," a series of destructive tools that range from a bio-metallic slime infecting the Morrowlands to a self-replicating machine army invading Argyre Planitia.  Ewing provides a timer in each panel, underscoring how devastating Uranos' attack is when Brand, Cable, and Magneto are all dead before Uranos uses up 20 minutes of the hour Druig allowed him.  

The scene where Uranos rips out Magneto's heart is particularly brutal and shocking, which makes the last page's revelation that Magneto somehow survives without his heart all the more confusing.  Other than that, it's a pretty spectacular issue that underscores the threat the mutants face in the Eternals.