Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The July 27 Everything Else Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm current!  Hurrah!

All-New, All-Different Avengers #12:  Waid spends this issue driving home the point that the team is starting to act like one, as each member takes a turn fighting Annihilus in the Negative Zone.  But, it's Vision immediately finding the second Nega-Band to switch places with Miles that got me.  For too long, authors have written Vision as little more than a robot, unrecognizable from his days with the West Coast Avengers.  Waid uses this moment of loyalty and selflessness to remind us why he's been such an enduring character for so long.

Black Panther #4:  I could really just read Ramonda arguing with Changamire every issue.  Changamire believes himself to be morally superior to the kings and refuses to provide information on the Great Mound massacre to Ramonda, asserting that he won't do the work of her agents.  In other words, he's the pacifist who relies on others to keep him safe and refuses to acknowledge that.  But, Ramonda isn't having any of it, lecturing him that philosophy never built a well or fed a child.  Changamire laments a lack of wisdom in Wakanda and the fact that it was supposed to be a "Golden City."  However, he provides no roadmap on how to make it so.  As we learn, even his pupil, Tetu, has resorted to Zeke Stane providing him (I think) with the technology that grants him his powers.  How will Changamire feel about that?  He is essentially alone atop the hill.  That said, Coates doesn't make it that simple, as we're also seeing the results of Ramonda being too operational.  After all, her by-the-book condemnation of Aneka inspired the revolution that she and Ayo are now leading.  The fact that I haven't even mentioned T'Challa yet in this review just shows what a complex and detailed story Coates is weaving.

Captain America:  Steve Rogers #3:  Spencer ups the ante in this issue, as we settle into the reality that Kobik has rewritten Steve's history to make him a HYDRA sleeper agent.  Here, Darth Steve communicates via hologram with an Emperor-like Red Skull, explaining his success in killing Baron Zemo and Dr. Selvig (after sending their jet into a building) but acknowledging his failure to eliminate Jack Flag.  The Skull obviously orders Steve to take out Flag, but Spencer shows that Steve is bucking his programming:  he crushes the communications device and then asks Dr. Selvig, revealed to be alive, if he's ready to do what needs to be done.  That said, we don't know what Steve thinks needs to be done.  Does he think that the Skull lacks honor?  (He mentions that he was upset that the Skull's plan wouldn't let Flag have a proper funeral and that he tried to save the agent sent to blow up the train because he felt that it was the waste of a good agent.)  Even if he's rebelling against the Red Skull because he doesn't agree with his methods, he is still likely seeing HYDRA as a tool to take down S.H.I.E.L.D.  In other words, we're not wrapping up this story quite yet.

Extraordinary X-Men #12:  The "Apocalypse Wars" have been...odd.  They were seemingly billed as a cross-over event, but the three series involved in the "event" never actually connected.  "All-New X-Men" told the story of Evan trying to save En Sabah Nur in the past, "Uncanny X-Men" told some sort of story about Archangel and Warren in the present, and this title focused on stopping Apocalypse in the future.  However, Lemire seems almost to run out the clock quicker than he expected.  Storm is forced to bring a dying Apocalypse to the present with the team to save Colossus, but Apocalypse transports Colossus into Clan Akkaba's clutches.  However, it's unclear when this Clan Akkaba exists.  Plus, I'm really, really, really tired of Colossus always playing the patsy.  First it was Juggernaut then it was Phoenix and now it's Apocalypse.  Enough.  Really.  We also get some dark vision of a future that Sapna creates when she breaks bad, but I'm really struggling to care about that story.  It might be interesting on its own, but Illyana's tutoring of her in magic has been mostly a distraction.  I'd rather Lemire have taken the time to tie up the Colossus story before leaping into yet another story about an apocalyptic future.

Mighty Thor #9:  I don't remember the Silver Samurai being anywhere near as cool of a villain as he is here, but I invite him to return as often as he wants!  He's particularly awesome considering that he's part of the Sinister Six (or so) that Aaron has assembled here, working with Oubliette to learn all of Dario's secrets.  In fact, this issue is all about excellent pairings:  Jane and Roz are a fun (and tense) duo looking to save New York from the Agger Imperative, and Dario and Oubliette hate each other so much I expect that they'll be dating when the dust settles.  We've been a little wobbly in this series lately, but I think Aaron is at his best when he leaves behind the Asgard shenanigans and focuses on Jane operating in the real world.

Also Read:  Uncanny Avengers #11

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The July 20 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Darth Vader #22-#23:  I had to re-read issue #21 to make sure that I hadn't lost the thread of the larger story, but I think that I eventually got there.  Put together, these issues reveal that Cylo has been playing a long game.  We still don't know (as far as I can tell) why he betrayed the Empire, but we have a better sense of how he did it.  Gillen reveals that Voidgazer used her time working with General Tagge to install a series of protocols on his flagship, the Executor.  After Vader delivers a killing blow, she puts the protocols into effect:  they shut down the controls and then release a gas that knocks all staff unconscious.  Cylo and Morit are then able to board the Executor and turn it into their new flagship.  She also sends the ship where she and Vader were fighting (Cylo's previous flagship) on a collision course into the Executor, hoping it would kill him.  It (obviously) doesn't; instead, it simply gives Vader a ride to the Executor...and Cylo.  Vader cuts the engines, and Cylo orders an eager Morit not to engage Vader as he goes to fix them.  But, Vader finds Morit and -- in a thrilling series of panels that Delgado's colors make amazing -- dispatches him by sending him hurtling to the nearby gas giant.  In so doing, Vader finally dispatches all of Cylo's potential rivals for his position and now makes his way to Cylo.  But, Cylo confirms what we by now know:  he created Vader.  In so doing, he also installed programming that no one ever disabled allowing him control over Vader's technology.  He shuts down the machines that keep Vader moving, commenting as he does that it answers his question whether Vader is really more machine than man.  My guess is that this theory will be tested next issue.  Again, it's a complicated story that requires some careful reading, but the payoff is worth it in the end, particularly for this insight into Vader's untold history.

Star Wars #21:  Of all the characters that Aaron has created for this series, you can tell that Kreel is his favorite.  He's thought through his back story, and he has a clear sense of how it guides Kreel's actions and beliefs in the present.  As such, he's a great character, and I was thrilled to see him return here.  In fact, Aaron does more with Kreel and his SCAR Squad in just this one issue than Soule has managed to do with Poe Dameron and Black Squadron in his title.  (I'm guessing that Soule is dealing with a lot more "notes" from the story team.)  At any rate, we learn that Kreel was raised on a planet where fighting in the pits was compulsory for anyone not rich enough to get an exemption, explaining why he was chosen to infiltrate Grakkus' arena.  Eventually, the Empire arrived to take over his planet, freeing the fighters and giving them jobs.  It explains Kreel's view of the Rebels as terrorists sowing chaos, since, to his mind, freedom comes with law and order.  It's really hard to argue with his position, and it's a testament to Aaron's storytelling skills that he's able to so convincingly present Kreel's position.  (In fact, I found it the most convincing of all the attempts by writers over the last 40 years to make the Empire less monolithically evil than it's portrayed to be in the original trilogy.)  As the new leader of SCAR, Kreel is responsible for taking out these terrorists; along the way, he also has to win the trust of his squad.  He might not win it in this issue, but he sure as hell impresses them when he pulls out his lightsaber to deliver the coup de grâce to the Rebels.  Along those lines, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Molina's excellent work here.  The last page -- of the Squad standing over the sole Rebel survivor, from the Rebel's perspective -- is chilling.  I could honestly read an entire series about Kreel and his team, and I hope Marvel is going in that direction.  If not, hopefully we'll see a lot more of them.

Uncanny X-Men #10:  Honestly, I still have no idea what the deal with Warren is.  We do get an answer to my question from last issue:  the Death Flight responded to Archangel's arrival; he didn't bring a separate one with him.  For reasons that are unclear to me, though, Archangel doesn't respond to Psylocke's request for assistance; he and Death Flight just start indiscriminately killing the townspeople.  Eventually Warren realizes that he has to merge with Archangel to give him a human grounding (so he's not just a predator drone, as Psylocke calls him).  But, I still have no idea who this version of Warren is.  Is it the Warren from "Wolverine and the X-Men?"  Moreover, Bunn seems to dismiss the idea that Magneto wanted to kill Psylocke (at least indirectly); Fantomex and Mystique are simply his own X-Force, there to help him take down Genocide and Clan Akkaba.  Was Fantomex just fronting when he told Psylocke that Magneto wanted her eliminated?  In other words, the storyline related to "Apocalypse Wars" is a confusing mess.  It's only Sabretooth's offer to allow Monet to feed on him, to satisfy Emplate (after he embeds himself in her), that really saves this arc, despite the fact that this Morlock sub-plot was a distraction in the first place.

Also Read:  Spider-Man #6

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The July 13 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

All-New X-Men #11:  From a character perspective, Hopeless does a great job here with Evan.  He shows his anguish in a way that reminds us that he's a teenager:  he's not thinking through the ramifications of his actions as he seeks to save En Sabah Nur from his future.  When Hank is forced to return them home lest they do more damage, Evan is despondent, his chance at redemption lost.  That said, from a plot perspective, Hopeless leaves so much on the table here that I have to assume we'll revisit this story one day.  First, Hank trades a story of the future with the Mystic to get back the Mask of Horus, though we don't learn what story Hank tells him.  Does Hank give the Mystic information that helps him mold En Sabah Nur into Apocalypse?  Does he do it intentionally, given his belief he and Evan shouldn't change the past?  Second, Hank tells Evan that the Mask showed him something on their journey to the present, but Evan refuses to hear what it is.  It's presumably more important than the winning lottery numbers, so I'm assuming that we'll hear what it is one day.  Finally, Hopeless more or less leaves us hanging when it comes to En Sabah Nur himself.  His father pledges to basically brutalize him until he becomes a man.  However, Hopeless did such a good job of showing us En Sabah Nur's decency that it's hard to believe that his father could ever be so successful.  How does En Sabah Nur finally break?  We really need another arc (or mini-series) to close this circle.

Civil War II #3:  I don't have much to say except that I'm Team Tony all the way here.  As Tony himself says to Carol, we're basically at the point where she could justify murdering everyone with powers, because Ulysses could, at some point, predict them going off the deep end.  Bendis also makes Tony's position compatible with his position in the original "Civil War:"  he believes that they need to be protecting people, but that also means protecting each other.  Moreover, Bendis did a great job keeping the denouement of this issue a surprise.  I was really expecting Carol to force Ulysses' vision of a rampaging Hulk to come true.  When Hawkeye does what he did here, I was as confused as the characters, adding to the drama.  I legitimately can't wait to see where we go from here.

Detective Comics #936:  We get a surprising amount of answers here, given that I assumed we'd spend at least a year not knowing the identity of the organization hunting the team.  Tynion gets right to it, though:  it's called the Colony, Kate's dad is at least one of its leaders (if not the leader), and he's been training her explicitly for the purpose of joining him.  He claims that it's an altruistic organization fighting global threats that Batman has ignored due to his singular focus on Gotham.  They've got a target in Gotham, and they had to take down Batman since he'd likely try to stop them from eliminating it.  That shadiness -- in addition to the years of lying -- leads Kate (and the reader) to conclude that they're probably not as altruistic as Kate's dad is pretending they are.  Kate and the team escape, and we're really cruising for a bruising now.  For me, the great part is that Tynion shows that he's playing for keeps here.  The revelation that Kate's dad has betrayed her isn't something that a future author is just going to be able to ignore.  Plus, Tynion digs into Kate herself; this story is about addressing her own self-doubts.  He brilliantly uses Renée to reveal these doubts, as she notes that Kate seems all business to most people but the few people that know her well know that she needs direction.  But, without Batman to lead, she's going to have to trust herself and her teammates.  We're three issues into this relaunch, but it already feels like this team has been together for years.  Team Belfry all the way, man.

New Avengers #13:  You know, I'm really happy I hung in here.  With the focus shifting to Bobby and Sam, I feel like we're getting the old band together again.  They even have a secret "mutual friend" on the island!  I was a little surprised when I learned that Sam is married with a kid, but a little Internet research reveals that it happened during the time period where the Avengers jumped eight months into the future.  (If I'm not mistaken, we're now 16 months from that original point, since we're eight months after "Secret Wars."  Maybe?  Or is it the same eight months?  Whatever.)  Also, I'm starting to feel invested in the other characters, particularly Songbird.  She really compliments Bobby, and I have to wonder, after all this time, if he hasn't met his match (other than Sam, obviously).  When you add in there the Maker and a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as enemies, every issue is really a series of unpredictable events.  It was a slow, uneven start, but Ewing is finding his footing here.  Score one for an event keeping me engaged in a series (he says, shocked).

Nightwing:  Rebirth #1:  Seeley somehow manages to wrap up every loose end from "Grayson" in a coherent narrative that unfolds naturally.  The frame of the story has Dick on the hunt for a device that can disable the bomb that the Court of Owl put in Damian's brain at the end of "Robin War."  Although Tiger isn't able to help him, Midnighter is, providing him with such a device.  To warm up an unaware Damian, Dick brings him to the arcade to play his favorite video game ("Cheese Vikings").  Seeing the two of them together made me long for the days when they were a team, since their banter is so naturally good.  As always, Dick brings out the best in Damian as a character (moving him beyond his often one-dimensional portrayal):  when Dick tells him about the bombs, Damian demands more ice cream and video games, acting almost as a normal kid.  With the bomb eventually defused, Dick is now freed from the Court of Owls.  However, we learn that he's actually beholden to the Parliament of Owls, a more global group.  (I had no idea they were two different entities, and I can't tell if we're learning that for the first time here or if we've known about it for a while.) At any rate, Lincoln March is crowing over his success in securing Dick to the Parliament, but he's seemingly killed by a Talon, expositing that they really want more direct access to Nightwing.  They're going to get it, too, because Dick takes up the Nightwing persona again at the end of this issue specifically to take down the Parliament.  As thrilled as I am with Seeley tying up all these loose ends, it was really Dick's brotherly time with Damian that I enjoyed the most.  I hope that we see him frequently in the coming series.

Also Read:  Bloodshot Reborn #15; Dungeons & Dragons:  Shadows of the Vampire #3

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The June 29 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Black Panther #3:  Man, T'Challa just can't catch a break.  On one hand, he finally tracks down Tetu, but he seems to have become one with at least some part of Wakanda, displaying control over trees and the like.  Continuing on that theme, Shuri is encouraged in the afterlife to remember that Wakanda was great before it had vibranium.  Coates definitely seems to be telling a story where all the characters involved will need to get in touch with the Wakanda that was and use that connection to try to defeat each other.  Meanwhile, the Midnight Angels have realized that they need to form their own army of the women who they save to stop the White Gorilla Army.  Will T'Challa and Tetu take out each other, leaving Aneka and Ayo to step into the void?  Will Shuri return to find Wakanda destroyed by civil war?  I guess we'll see.

Captain America:  Steve Rogers #2:  Spencer goes down the route that I expected him to take, revealing that Kobik sought out the Skull after her "birth" and he used her to create Steve's "new" past as a loyal servant of HYDRA.  Spencer even goes one better, showing that "Avengers Standoff" was all part of the Skull's larger plan.  In so doing, he actually improves on that event, explaining some of its weaker moments (even though it was already a pretty solid event).  I know a lot of people were upset after the first issue, but I feel pretty comfortable now.  I'm hoping that Spencer doesn't make the mistake that Slott did with Spider-Ock, drawing out the story longer than he should.  But, I could see Spencer going with a year-long arc similar to what Remender did with Dimension Z.  If he does that successfully, we really will be in a golden age of "Captain America."

Captain Marvel #6:  This issue is fairly important to the overall story that we're seeing unfold in "Civil War II," because it sheds some light on why Carol takes the position that she's taken in this event.  First, the Alpha Flight Board -- led, of course, by Henry Gyrich -- calls her on the carpet for the last-minute save that she and Alpha Flight managed against the Satori (as far as they know).  Gyrich compares it unfavorably to the Avengers' commanding defeat of the Celestial with limited damage.  Carol alludes to the Inhumans' ability to predict the future in explaining the Avengers' success, though doesn't directly mention Ulysses.  The Board orders her to collaborate with the Inhumans, and she decides to do so after she fails to prevent Dr. Minerva from killing a group of townspeople with one of her experiments.  (She overlooks the fact that she saved everyone else in the town, though Minerva did manage to escape.)  The Gages show us that Carol's decision to employ Ulysses is grounded firmly in these losses.  That said, I still don't agree with her.  She's playing a little fast and loose with the truth at times in her conversation with the Board, and she's really only paying lip-service to Tony's worry that they're putting way too much faith in Ulysses.  It's clearly all going to end in tears.

Extraordinary X-Men #11:  We're at the endgame here, as Kurt and Storm face Apocalypse while the rest of the team fights the Horsemen.  The interesting part is that Kurt has gone totally over the edge.  Moon Knight (one of the Horsemen) even comments on it, telling him that he's almost as crazy as Marc Spector was.  Lemire shows us how true that is when Kurt kills Moon Knight.  Surprisingly, Storm doesn't comment on that.  Is it because it's the future, so it's not really killing people?  Lemire doesn't say.  It isn't until Kurt kills Apocalypse in a rage over him destroying the embryos that Storm sees fit to comment, but then only because Omega World begins to collapse without Apocalypse supporting it.  Beyond Kurt and Storm's sudden comfort with murder, the most interesting part of this issue for me is that the heroes lose:  Apocalypse does destroy the embryos.  It makes sense from a narrative perspective, since I think it would've been a little difficult to suddenly have the X-Men raising 600 babies.  But, it's rare that we see the heroes lose, and I'm intrigued to see how Lemire handles the fallout from that, assuming they all survive.

Spider-Man #5:  As I've mentioned before, this series is the first time that I'm following Miles Morales.  As such, I don't really know much about his supporting cast.  That becomes particularly relevant in this issue, because I'm not sure if the revelation that his father was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is news just to me or if it's news to everyone.  Either way, Jefferson is now in some form of cahoots with Maria Hill without Miles' knowledge, and, in my experience, nothing good comes from being in some form of cahoots with Hill.  I wonder what Jefferson has promised in exchange for S.H.I.E.L.D. protecting Miles.  That said, he's not wrong that Miles needs the help:  it's only through S.H.I.E.L.D. wiping all record of him from all databases that prevents the Black Cat and Hammerhead from learning his identity.  Moving onto Miles, his use of a souped up venom blast to take out everyone is one of the cooler moments I've seen in comics in a while.  I was right proud of him, as I was when he later confronted the Black Cat with nary a hint of fear.  Pichelli does a really outstanding job of conveying this grit in his confrontation with Felicia:  even she saw the anger in him and knew that it wasn't time for a fight.  This entire sequence reminds us how brave and driven Miles is.  It's a good thing that he is, because he's now also got Jennifer Jones on his tail, after his grandmother hires her to figure out his coming and goings.  He's going to need all his cleverness and smarts to stay one step ahead of the now legions of people after him.

Uncanny X-Men #9:  Bunn has really lost me here, to be honest.  I get that Genocide is using his Angel's wings to create a "death flight" of Angels.  Angel comments how he agreed to submit to having his wings removed because he could feel the evil in them, so I'm assuming that his feather wings will become the metallic ones when placed on the members of Death Flight.  I still don't understand what plans Magneto has for Psylocke, but I assume that we'll get there.  But, the part that has me the most confused is Archangel's arrival.  First, he arrives with an entire squad of Archangels.  How did that happen?  He has his own Death Flight?  But, also, I don't get why the inhabitants of the town -- all seemingly mesmerized as servants of Clan Akkaba -- are so excited about his arrival.  They have their own Angel.  Why do they need an Archangel, too?  In other words, I am seriously confused. 

Also Read:  All-New, All-Different Avengers #11; Spider-Gwen Annual #1; Uncanny X-Men #9

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The June 15 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Civil War II #2:  Again, I don't really have much to say here, but this time it's because Bendis so perfectly anticipates what I expected to happen after the events of last issue:  Tony kidnaps Ulysses, the Inhumans want revenge for the affront, and Carol asks for a shot at bringing in Tony before the Inhumans go to war.  Along the way, Carol and Tony have possibly the best banter ever.  (Really.  I usually hate Bendis' banter, but this banter is top-notch.)  Now we just have to see if the Hulk kills everyone next issue.

Civil War II:  Amazing Spider-Man #2:  Gage does here what the best tie-in issues do, using the premise of "Civil War II" to advance a character's ongoing storyline.  In this issue, Peter may create a self-fulfilling prophecy, when Ulysses' prediction that Clayton Cole will again take up his Clash identity drives Peter to push Clayton into doing just that.  Peter realizes his mistake, but it might be too late, as Clayton puts in a rush order on his Clash costume with the Tinkerer.  Although ostensibly Peter's fault, Gage isn't totally easy on Cole:  after all, he was secretly building his Clash uniform again.  Gage also gives us some great insights into Harry along the way, as he warns Peter that it's hard to put aside the limelight that the costume brings.  My guess is that this experience with Cole is going to put Peter firmly on Tony's side, believing that the unintended consequences of acting on Ulysses' visions aren't worth it.  But, it's really the characterization that makes this issue, and it makes me wish that someone would finally pry "Amazing Spider-Man" from Slott's hands and give it to Gage.  (This issue actually came out July 13, but I read it by accident, mistaking it for "Civil War II:  X-Men" #1.  Just like Ulysses, you're seeing into the future!)

Moon Knight #1-#4:  I knew that Lemire, Smallwood, and Bellaire had me in the scene from issue #4 where Khonshu appears to Marc in a bathroom stall while he's at the urinal.  Everything about this scene is so great:  Lemire putting the characters there, Smallwood making it so realistic, and Bellaire creating a great atmosphere.  My only previous exposure to Moon Knight came as a loyal reader of "West Coast Avengers" in the '80s.  I was always intrigued by him, but he had back story in the way that Spider-Woman had back story.  In other words, it was complicated.  I had flagged this series as a possible pull, but it wasn't until "Black Knight" and "Red Wolf" got canceled that I felt that I had some time for it.  I'm glad that I took the plunge.  The creators are telling a wonderfully original story, and, after four issues, I honestly can't say what reality is and isn't.  Is Marc insane?  Is he sane?  Maybe he's both?  I was disappointed when Lemire's "All-New Hawkeye" got canceled, but reading this series makes me feel like I got a reprieve.  I highly recommend it.

Spider-Gwen #9:  This issue is extremely difficult to follow if you (like me) didn't read every part of the "Spider-Women" event.  First, Gwen has apparently lost her powers; she has a "power-up" device that she can use to temporarily become Spider-Woman, but once the device's charges are exhausted she's done.  Second, a picture of her shaking hands with Captain America has been released, apparently making the public re-assess their view of Spider-Woman.  (I was surprised by this development, since I feel like this picture was taken quite a long time ago.  Why is everyone just reacting to it now?)  Moreover, Captain Stacy has done his part in helping the public change its mind about Gwen, releasing a video on YouTube that details why the police and the public rushed to judgement on her guilt.  (Again, I don't think that this event happened in this title, but it's possible that it did in one of the "Spider-Women" issues.  That said, we might be seeing it for the first time here.)  At any rate, this last development is the catalyst for the events of this issue, as Frank Castle decides to present his case to the District Attorney.  He in turn tells Castle that he's not touching it given the now positive view that the public has of Spider-Woman.  Frank doesn't handle that well, stalking Gwen and confronting her in front of her friends when he stops a robbery at the hot dog place.  In a rage, Gwen powers up and attacks him in front of her friends, later fleeing.  Latour does a great job of showing how overwhelmed Gwen is:  she previously lamented the fact that she didn't get a choice in getting her powers, but now that she has one it's too much to handle.  But, this message is undermined by the confusion that I felt since I really had absolutely no idea what was happening for most of the issue, since I didn't read "Spider-Women."  Hopefully it'll be easier to follow next issue, because I refuse to be forced to read an event retroactively that I didn't want to read in the first place.

Uncanny X-Men #8:  Bunn really loses me here, to be honest.  First, we have Fantomex and Psylocke at each other's throats over some betrayal that I don't understand because I didn't read "Uncanny X-Force."  (For all the ranting that Fantomex does here about Besty's betrayal, you'd think that he could've actually mentioned what it was.)  Then, we learn that Fantomex is there at Magento's invitation, allegedly to kill Betsy, though we're given no idea why he would want to do so or why he would choose then and there to do it.  Finally, we learn that Clan Akkaba wants Betsy there to summon the Archangel drone, though we don't know why.  After all, they cut off Warren's wing:  why would they just another Warren with wings?   If you were a long-time reader of "Uncanny X-Force," this issue might make more sense to you.  For me, I spent most of it wishing the Wikipedia entry on Fantomex was more current.

Also Read:  Amazing Spider-Man #14; Archangel #1-#2; Civil War II:  X-Men #1; Dungeons & Dragons:  Shadows of the Vampire #2; Han Solo #1; Spidey #7; Star Wars #20

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The May 11 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

All-New X-Men #9:  Hopeless does a great job with Evan here as he celebrates his 16th birthday.  He shows us Evan's birthday wish, that he could return to his idyllic childhood in Kansas.  But, it turns out Evan didn't actually have that childhood; his cloners simply implanted those memories.  (Even after reading "Wolverine and the X-Men" for as long as I did, I still didn't know that.)  Hopeless also lets us know that Evan feels pressure to be "the smiley guy in the corner," as Bobby describes him:  he's afraid that his friends will panic if they ever see him angry or sad, since he is, after all, Apocalypse's clone.  However, before he can spend too long at this pity party, he visits Hank in his lab and absently puts on the mask that Dr. Strange gave Hank.  Hank is testing a time-travel device at the time, and the two items interact.  Evan and Hank find themselves in ancient Egypt, where Evan comes face-to-face with the young (and significantly less evil) Apocalypse.  Although I still have no idea how these "Apocalypse Wars" stories are linked, this installment is just as interesting as the other ones that I've read.

All-New, All-Different Avengers #9:  If you read "Free Comic Book Day:  Civil War II" #1, you were left to conclude that the new Wasp was going to be an enemy, since she appears to take down the Vision in that issue.  However, she isn't, by a long shot.  She comes to the Avengers to inform them that she's Hank Pym's daughter:  his first wife, Maria, was pregnant the Soviets kidnapped her.  Nadia was raised in the Red Room, but she was able to escape after reverse-engineering a black-market Pym Particle that the Soviets had acquired.  Of all the crazy "child of a superhero" stories, I have to say that this one is actually one of the more believable ones.  It also perfectly shows what Waid is trying to do here:  create a book that feels like an old-school Avengers comic while bringing the cast and stories into the modern era.  Throughout this issue, I felt like I was reading something from the mid-200s, so I'd say that Waid is really doing a solid job implementing his vision.

Speaking of Vizh, he provides the action of the issue, as he begins to randomly displace in time and, in those moments, attack the Avengers.  Nadia eventually uses her abilities to fix the problem (explaining what we saw in the "FCBD" story).  Although the Vision is worried that Kang might still control him, Tony decides that the group is first going to help Sam find his still-lost father.  Meanwhile, Jarvis provides the heart of the issue (as he usually does).  When the Wasp initially appears, he berates her for daring to use Janet Pym's name, but relents when Nadia reveals the truth.  In fact, after struggling at the start of the issue with the fact that he finds himself making tea on a hotpot, Jarvis decides to embrace change and take Nadia to meet her step-mother.

It's pretty clear that Waid has a lot of different stories on the burners here, and I'll admit that I'm surprised that he decided to go with helping Sam track down his father next.  But, in some way, this narrative chaos might be the thing that makes this series, and particularly this issue, actually feel like an old-school Avengers story, so I'm hesitant to complain.  We'll see where we go from here.

Batman #52:  Tynion manages somehow to take yet another story about Bruce's decade of training and put an original spin on it.  He focuses on a journal that Leslie Tompkins gave to a young Bruce use to explore ways to move past his parents' death.  Bruce filled the book with all sorts of creepy lessons that explain the modern Batman, like "disappear" or "feel nothing."  Alfred finds the journal and adds, "remember that your parents will always be proud of you."  A young Bruce is outraged, but an older Bruce admits to Alfred that it's the one lesson that he struggles to learn.  It's a touching message that manages to humanize Bruce, reminding us that he isn't the machine that we're always led to believe he is.  Moreover, Rossmo is a great find.  He's got a markedly different style than Capullo, but it's the same high quality.  He not only does a great job portraying emotions, but he shows younger versions of Bruce that don't just make him into a miniature version of his adult self.  I'd love it to see Tynion and he take over the series, since I enjoyed this installment of "Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" even more than Snyder and Capullo's entry in the previous issue.  The plot device that gets us to the emotional ending is a little forced (how exactly did the villain discover that Bruce was keeping the journal in a safety deposit box in a bank in the poor part of town, I wonder), but I'll happily suspend disbelief given how pleased I am with the issue overall.

Black Panther #2:  Not surprisingly, Coates is telling a multilayered story here, based around a central theme:  how do you recover what it is that you lost?  For T'Challa, the answer to this question will force him to find a way to consider himself legitimate in his own mind.  After many setbacks, he does not view himself to be the ruler that he once was, and he seems to believe that his sister, Shuri, would do better.  But, she's currently dead-ish, so she's not an option:  he has to find his way to redemption on his own.  But, Coates isn't making it that easy for him.  Wakanda is a broken place, full of thieves and warlords.  The escaped Midnight Angels, Aneka and Ayo, free a group of women from confinement here and set their sights on overturning the patriarchal system of chieftains that so corrupts Wakanda.  Meanwhile, Tetu from Niganda appears ready to overthrow T'Challa, arguing that he sits atop this corrupt system.  Based on the attempted rapes that Aneka and Ayo stop, it's hard to disagree with him.  In other words, T'Challa may be the only person not happy that Coates is at the helm of his story.

Dungeons & Dragons:  Shadows of the Vampire #1:  I really liked this crowd from Zub's "Legacy of Baldur's Gate" story, so I was excited to see them return.  Minsc is as engaging as ever, though I'm excited for Zub to spend more with his three companions, particularly the blond rogue whose name I can't remember.  However, Zub goes one better, dragging the characters to Ravenloft!  The premise of the issue is that a group of wererats steals a relic from a church of Kelemvor that allegedly will hide them from Strahd, the master that they fear.  The head priest of the church has hired the team to defend the relice, much to the annoyance of one of his paladins.  However, the time on the clock expires, and they all find themselves in Ravenloft.  As Zub says in his note at the end, this combination of fear and fun promises to be a great story.

Also Read:  Darth Vader #20; FCBD - Civil War II #1

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The May 4 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #12:  The only parts of this issue that I enjoyed were the ones where we didn't have to deal with Peter.  Slott does a solid job of introducing Regent into Prime Earth continuity, showing us that his vendetta against superhumans comes from an attack that left his wife and child dead.  (You'd think he'd be looking just to lock up superhumans, but instead he thinks that the world would be a better place if he alone had their powers.  It's the megalomania that helps you recognize a super-villain!)  But, the rest of the issue shows a return of an almost Austen level of misogyny, with Peter and Tony Stark all but measuring their penises after Peter is outraged that Tony hired Mary Jane as his personal assistant.  Peter even goes so far as to offer a job to Pepper Potts, since, after all, all women are the same.  Moreover, it's not like Tony was acting from a business perspective, since I'm pretty sure other people were more qualified to serve as his personal assistant that a former actress/nightclub owner.  To make matters worse, it's hard to recognize the relationships that Slott portrays here.  He has Tony Stark essentially forget that Mary Jane and Peter lived with him (though he could be fronting), and Peter's panic over seeing Mary Jane with Tony seems to ignore the fact that he's seen her date other people, including that firefighter (who she could potentially still be dating, since, despite Peter's childish conclusions, she's not actually dating Stark).  Slott further reduces Peter to his high-school self, as he panics speaking in public after his "confrontation" with Tony.  I think it might be time for Slott to take a break for a few issues so that he can decide who he wants Peter to be.  That said, maybe he really has decided that he's a misogynistic, superior asshole.  If so, it's time for him to go.

Spider-Man 2099 #10:  Venom 2099!  Miguel returns to the future in this issue, after stumbling upon the Fist's attempt to use Gloriana as an anchor for its time-travel technology.  (They were going to send back Kweeg, but Aisa took the opportunity to send back Miguel when he fell on the platform.)  He's greeted by an Alchemax HQ that looks like an overgrown fortress, but it's Kron's presence that implies that this iteration might be closer to his reality than other ones.  (Someone in this issue hypothesizes that it's Kweeg's presence in the present that causes the distorted future, an assertion possibly confirmed by Kweeg changing his name to Venture after hearing Spidey use it.)  Regardless of the outcome, it's just exciting to have finally returned to 2099, at least for a little while.  Plus, the next issue teases the return of the Green Goblin, setting up the possibility that Miguel will be fighting with both his brothers.

Uncanny X-Men #6-#7:  I haven't been reading "Uncanny X-Men," so these issues felt a little like getting thrown into the deep end.  First, we've got the mysteries of the two Warrens:  the one in his Angel form that appears to be the amnesiac from "Wolverine and the X-Men" (despite Psylocke declaring that he's not Warren) and the one in his Archangel form that appeared half-dead before Magneto several months ago.  (I stopped reading "Wolverine and the X-Men" before its last iteration got started, so I'm not actually sure what happened to that version of Angel, like whether or not he ever recovered his memories.)  Moreover, I also have the mystery of Magneto.  Last time I saw him, I think in the "AXIS" tie-in issues of his own series, he was using mutant-growth hormones to amplify his fading powers.  If I'm connecting the dots correctly here, he's now using Xorn to heal him.  (I'm just assuming here that Xorn as a separate character from Magneto happened in the years when I wasn't reading comics.)  Finally, we've got the fact that the amnesiac form of Angel is colluding with Genocide, Apocalypse's son, for reasons that are unclear.  We also don't know how this development ties into the events of "Extraordinary X-Men."  In other words, Bunn has a tall order to fill next issue.  That said, I'm tempted to get the first five issues of this series, because I did enjoy these two issues.  (I'm also tempted to read Remender's "Dark Angel" saga, but I've go to draw the line somewhere at this point.)

Also Read:  Detective Comics #52, Midnighter #12; New Avengers #11; Poe Dameron #2; Spider-Gwen #8; 

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The April 20 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Dragon Age:  Magekiller #5:  Given that the other blog that I write is about "Dragon Age," I was obviously excited about this miniseries.  I was particularly excited that it was set in Tevinter.  As I said in my review of the first issue, I figured that it might be a prelude for the upcoming "Dragon Age 4."  After the second issue, it seemed clear that Rucka would use Marius as his tool to introduce us to the Imperium, particularly through exploring Marius' past a slave.  Then...we just didn't do that.  The characters are somewhat awkwardly brought to the attention of the Inquisition in the third issue, revealing that the series actually takes place during the game.  I barely remember the fourth issue, other than its forced introduction of a relationship between Tessa and Charter, seemingly done solely to introduce doubt into Tessa's mind about her relationship with Marius.  This issue is entirely focused on those doubts, as Marius and Tessa play a minor role in the Inquisitor's eventual confrontation with Corypheus.  Instead of showing us unseen parts of an unexplored continent and delving into the history of the series' main characters, Rucka leaves us with little more than a coda to the game and a not very interesting one at that.  The squandered potential here really leaves me bummed.

Extraordinary X-Men #9:  I don't have too much to say about this issue, since, after all, not a lot happens:  Anole, Ernst, Glob Herman, and No-Girl are forced to wander through the six lands that remain in post-Apocalyptic Earth as they try to find a way to contact the X-Men.  But, I have to give Lemire props for characterization and imagination.  On the latter, we learn that Apocalypse found these six lands -- including Atlantis and Wakanda -- worthy and preserved them in bubbles; everything else on Earth is gone.  It's a clever twist on Apocalypse's "survival of the fittest" mantra; I didn't think it was even remotely possible to add anything new to Apocalypse stories, so I take off my hat to Lemire for finding something.  But, this issue is really made by the conversation that the kids have on the raft, with Anole and Glob Herman lamenting that they'll likely never get a chance to ask out their crushes (Striker and Jean Grey, respectively) as Ernst wishes that they could just go home.  The kids wind up stuck in the bubble worlds for a year, and Lemire and Ramos show us how much more experienced and powerful they are at the end of it.  But, it's this conversation on the raft that reminds us that they're just kids, making where they are at the end of the issue all the more impressive (and sad).

Also Read:  All-New Hawkeye #6; Bloodshot Reborn #12; Captain America - Sam Wilson #8; Captain Marvel #4; Mighty Thor #6; New Avengers #10