Four-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero January 5 and 12 (2022) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #84 (January 5) and #85 (January 12):  This story is a two-parter, so I'm reviewing these issues together.  

Per pet peeve #2, Ziglar reveals that Dr. Octopus didn't just discover in issue #80.BEY that Beyond was using the Spider-Man name that he trademarked but also some inventions that he created.  Needless to say, he isn't happy.  

In issue #84, he breaks into one of Beyond's offices to steal a drive that Maxine later underscores is essential to Beyond's operations.  Spidey tries to stop him, but Otto somehow manages to use Beyond's own security system against him.  We're also treated to some "classic Doug" (as Ben quips) when he runs into the guy who gave him the anti-"weirdness" pill in issue #80.  Ben's interaction with Doug is an issue #84 highlight.

In issue #85, Otto storms into Beyond HQ to recover his inventions and take out Maxine so that he can take over Beyond.  I have to say that I don't totally buy this part; it feels too impulsive for Otto.  At any rate, Ben arrives in time to save Maxine from Otto.  Their fight spills onto a nearby rooftop where Otto gives Ben the drive to show him that Beyond chose him due to his unstable psychological profile.  Ben loses his shit over the revelation, as it undermines the sense of belonging that he finally found at Beyond.  Later, he smashes a mirror that showed a faceless reflection, which mirrors (heh) a nightmare about a faceless Uncle Ben that he's been discussing with Dr. Kafka.

In other words, we're going places, and all directions seem bad for Ben.  Ben lies to Maxine and Janine here, telling them that his fight with Otto destroyed the drive.  Before Dr. Octopus' roof-top revelation, Ben seemed off-kilter most of this issue, obsessively focused on the idea that he belonged and that Beyond let him do good.  Now that he's adrift, I worry where we're going.

Inferno #4 (January 5):  This issue begins with a bang.  

Surprising Magneto and Professor X, Nimrod and Omega Sentinel kill the Orchis soldiers who arrived with them in Terra Nova.  They explain to Magneto and Professor X that they hate humans as much as they hate mutants.  They crow that Magneto and Professor X's nightmare has arrived:  mutantkind has conquered humanity only for its real enemy - machines - to arrive.  

Confirming what I thought last issue, Destiny and Mystique left behind Moira's arm to draw Magneto and Professor X to Terra Nova and escaped to somewhere else.  Moire "reminds" Mystique that she can't die, and Mystique disagrees.  Mystique shoots Moira who...

...doesn't die.  It looked like she did, thanks to the excellent art team.  But, it turns out Mystique shot Moira with the weapon that Forge created to strip mutants of their powers.  (Hickman really is Chekhov, man.)  Setting up the moment, Hickman expands the scene from last issue between Destiny, Emma, and Mystique.  Emma tells the pair that Moria's tracker is in her arm (I was wondering how they knew to leave behind her arm) and gives them Forge's weapon.  

In the present, a now-human Moira admits to Destiny and Mystique that her hard-won knowledge led her to believe that the only way mutants win is by not existing:  her goal was to "cure" mutants before they manifested, a cure that we saw her create in her third life.  I have to admit, Hickman really sells this moment.  Moira clearly has PTSD from a millennium's experience with death and war, to the point where it's hard to fault her for taking the position that she does.  Despite Omega Sentinel's insistence that the mutants always win, Moira claims that they always lose, either to the humans or the machines.  

Before Mystique can kill her, though, Doug arrives, looking sexy as fuck.  He reminds Mystique that Moira is now human, so Mystique can't kill her under Krakoa's laws.  Mystique declares that she's going to kill him instead, though Bei, Krakoa, and Warlock make it clear that it won't be easy.  Destiny tells Moira that Doug is the axis around which they all didn't know they spun.  By deciding to save Moira, Doug creates three possible outcomes:  1) Mystique is exiled for killing him, and Destiny dies six months later and isn't resurrected; 2) they fail to kill him, and Mystique dies but is likely resurrected; or 3) they agree to let Moira go, and she and Mystique consolidate powers as does Doug.  They obviously choose the latter.  

Doug has Warlock provide Moira with an arm and Krakoa with a one-way gate that will close to her forever once she passes through it.  In a hilarious scene, she asks if he's going to wish her luck before she goes through the gate, and he simply replies, "Nope."  She asks Destiny and Mystique if they'll come after her, and Destiny tells her that it won't just be them.

After dying at Nimrod's hands, Magneto and Professor X are later resurrected.  Since Nimrod crushed Cerebro, they don't remember their conflict with him.  They also awaken to learn about the changes that happened while they were dead.  Professor X is condescending as usual when he asks Emma what she's done, and her answer puts him in his place.  She told the Council all their secrets, and they all agreed that the only thing that Magneto and Professor X did wrong was keeping their secrets to themselves.  As Emma says, the Council now becomes a curse, and Professor X gets to resume his status as primus inter pares because he's the guiltiest of them all.  Ha!  So true.

All in all, this series was excellent, and Hickman leaves us wanting more, which I assume that we'll see addressed in "Immortal X-Men."  To whit:

• I have to assume that Magneto and Professor X didn't know what Moira was planning.  When they learn, they're going to have to confront the fact that Destiny and Mystique were correct and they were wrong.

• I'm curious how and when Moira was planning to act on curing mutantkind.  Why was it necessary to allow Krakoa to come into fruition before she acted?

• As Destiny said, Moira's future is also unclear.  Does she join Orchis?  Does she focus on stopping the machines?

• It'll be interesting to see how the power dynamics evolve on the Council.  After all, Magneto and Professor X were working with someone bent on destroying mutantkind, and it was Destiny and Mystique who saved the day. 

• Of course, Cypher stopped them from killing Moira, opening up a new power center on Krakoa.  Doug's ascendancy is the most interesting story for me going forward.

I've talked a lot of smack about Jonathan Hickman over the years.  But, I am just beyond thrilled with what he's done with the X-Men.  Fair winds and following seas, Jonathan.

X-Men #6 (January 5):  Holy fucking shit, this issue is fucking intense.  

The issue starts "a week ago" with the appearance of a hero dubbed Captain Krakoa.  Six days ago, Scott is furious when the Quiet Council insists that he has to accept Captain Krakoa onto the X-Men's roster.  

Meanwhile, Feilong arrives on Phobos to colonize it, a move that, frankly, the X-Men probably should've seen coming.  But, I didn't see it coming and, honestly, I laughed out loud when it happened.  Brilliant.  When an Arakkii mutant arrives to take out Feilong, Sunfire tries to stop him, but Feilong doesn't need the help:  he uses his post-human powers to incinerate him.  

Duggan first hinted that something is amiss when we learn that Feilong found Nightcrawler's corpse on Phobos.  But, it all comes to a head when Captain Krakoa arrives at the Treehouse with a memorial to Cyclops underway.  We learn that Cyclops died recently in a public manner and that he's Captain Krakoa.  

When a furious Scott calls Ben Ulrich, likely to confirm his resurrection story, Ben has no memory of it.  The last panel is haunting, as a stunned Scott sits on a subway platform alone.  I have no idea where Duggan is going here, but this issue is so perfectly executed that I cannot fucking wait. 

Darkhawk #5 (January 12):  This ending is solid because it leaves a lot on the table.  Normally, I'd be annoyed by that, but Higgins does it in a way that shows how much potential Connor has a character.  

First, Connor comes with a lot of drama.  Derek's sister resents the fact that Connor defined her brother's life, a point that the paparazzi appearing at Derek's funeral to get photos of Connor underlines.  Plus, Shawn reveals that he knows that Connor is Darkhawk after Darkhawk's too quick appearance after Connor's departure last issue.  (That said, I'm glad Higgins went this route, because plenty of other authors would've pushed our willful suspension of disbelief by having Shawn remain clueless.)  I assumed that Higgins was going to kill off Shawn since he knows Connor's secret identity, but he doesn't, which really catapults Shawn into arch-nemesis territory.  Moreover, Connor outs himself to his teammates about his multiple sclerosis, and they encourage him to keep playing while he can.  It's all a lot for a teenager.

But, the Darkhawk drama isn't insignificant either.  It seems like Chris Powell is alive at the Tree of Shadows, though given how menacing he seems it could also be someone else, like Robbie Rider.  I'm also loving Connor's friendship with Miles Morales, and I hope that continues.

Again, we don't get resolutions here, but Higgins hopefully convinces Marvel that Connor has enough juice to give him a monthly title.

Hawekye:  Kate Bishop #3 (January 12):  I've read virtually every issue with Kate Bishop in it, and I still have no idea what Nijkamp is doing with her here.  The "ring" that her sister hired her to find is also somehow a Cosmic Cube fragment that her sister swiped from either her ex-husband or her father.  I think?  Also, it appears that the Circus of Crime is responsible and likely arranged everything to entrap Kate.  Maybe?  Honestly, I have no fucking idea.

Marauders #27 (January 12):  "Marauders" wraps up more or less how I expected, which isn't a bad thing.  

Emma and Shaw leave their posts to focus on the Quiet Council, which I assume is driven more by the upcoming "Immortal X-Men" series than any real desire on their parts to abdicate the roles that have defined their adult lives.  Lourdes will replace Shaw, and the Five in One will replace Emma.  

Again, I'm not sure that I buy Shaw leaving so easily, though Duggan makes a good go at explaining it as Shaw seeing an opportunity for Shinobi to take over the Hellfire Trading Company, which women now run.   (It's nice that Shaw still views Shinobi as his son, despite Leland being Shinobi's biological father.). You'd think after Emma, Kate, and Storm have all recently beaten his ass that he'd be more enlightened.  Ah, Shaw.

Duggan also throws in a surprise, as Kate seems willing to give Mr. Fantastic the knowledge that Charles wiped from his mind so that she can use the gates.  This step seems incredible dangerous on Kate's part, a level of selfishness that we don't usually see from her.  As such, I'm assuming that she has something else up her sleeve here.

My only real disappointment is that Iceman is leaving, though I'm hoping that it means that we'll see him somewhere else.  I did enjoy the idea that he's off flexing his muscles, something that clearly excites Christian.  Omega top time!

Also Read:  Dark Ages #4 (January 12)

Five-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero December 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #80 (December 1):  Ziglar hits all the right notes in this issue, from Aunt May brining in Dr. Octopus to consult on Peter's condition to Maxine siccing her lawyers (and hopefully just her lawyers) on "Brooklyn Spider-Man," a.k.a. Miles Morales.  Ben's psychedelics-induced banter with the other captured Beyond employees was a real highlight.  It's nice to have some fun again in a Spider-Man comic.

Darkhawk #4 (December 1):  I initially rolled my eyes at Captain America's appearance here until I realized that "Mr. Colt" was the AIM recruiter from "Winter Soldier (2019)," which was one of the best and most devastating mini-series that I've ever read.  Given how blithely Colt used RJ in that series, Colt's experiments on Shawn probably aren't going to end well for him.

New Mutants #23 (December 1):  OMG.  SO.  MUCH.  TALKING.  I mean, I like the idea that the Lost Club gets the adults (i.e., the New Mutants) to realize that Amahl is just as much the Shadow King's hostage as they were.  But, Ayala has the Lost Club repeat those points over and over and over again.  I was basically skimming at the end.  I hope the new story arc that they're teasing for next issue isn't as boring and chaotic as this one has been.

Winter Guard #4 (December 1):  This mini-series wraps up fairly unsatisfyingly if you're not planning on reading "Avengers" indefinitely to get the necessary answers.  

It isn't at all surprising that Red Widow disabled Crimson Dynamo for fear that he would side with Red Guardian.  But, I still don't understand what Red Guardian gained from betraying White Widow at the end of last issue.  After all, she's forced to provide Red Widow and Vanguard his location in order to secure her freedom.  

Moreover, it seems hard to believe that Red Guardian would keep the Operation:  Snowblind drives in a briefcase that a kinetically driven shield could destroy since he had to know that a guy with a kinetically driven shield was coming after him.  I'm also not sure what White Widow gains by seemingly controlling one of the drives, since I though that the user had to use them all together to access the information.  

At any rate, I enjoyed spending time with these characters, but if you were expecting a self-contained story you'll be disappointed.

X-Men:  Trial of Magneto #4 (December 1) and #5 (December 22) (TPB):  Overall, I'm OK with the story that Williams told here.  She manages to thread the needle in probably the only way possible to turn Wanda from the Pretender to the Redeemer.  

To atone for her sins, Wanda creates a pocket dimension where all mutants souls - including the ones who died before Cerebro came online or before their X-gene manifested - go to wait for resurrection.  It's sufficiently grand to, well, redeem her.  After all, it advances Krakoa's first law:  make more mutants.

But, Williams seriously, leaves out some pretty important details.  Bullet points!

• I don't think that we're ever shown how Wanda recruited Hope and Toad to implement her plan.  Toad's participation is particularly important as he accepts exile as his punishment for "killing" Wanda.  Did he agree to sacrifice himself or did Wanda manipulate him without his knowledge for the greater good?

• We're never told why Wanda had to go through the Resurrection Protocols to create the pocket dimension.  It makes a certain amount of sense, but I would've liked it spelled out a little more clearly, particularly since the idea that she could go through them itself is dodgy, since she's allegedly not a mutant.  

• I don't buy that it was necessary for Wanda to act in secret lest people suspect that she was colluding with Magneto.  I get the Council would be distrustful of Wanda, but I feel like they've got enough powers between them that they could've vetted her scheme.  It seems like Magneto could at least have brought Lorna and Pietro into the plan.  After all, Pietro's rage almost jeopardizes the outcome.

• Eye-Boy can see magical enchantments but not uru?  What?

• I don't understand how the Waiting Room, as Hope dubs it, replaces the Crucible as a way for mutants to opt into resurrection.  The Crucible was only necessary for mutants who lost their powers in M-Day; every other Cerebro-era mutant was automatically opted into the Protocols.  Presumably they could've just put themselves on a "do not resurrect" list if they didn't want to go through the Protocols.

In terms of the characters, everything wraps up way too neatly.  Magneto somehow reconciles with Lorna, though I don't buy that she would simply forgive him for the awful things that he said to her over the course of this series.  He could've pretended that he was the villain without saying what he did.

[Sigh.]

In all honesty, it feels like, going into issue #4, Williams had one outcome in mind and editorial made her change it.  I would say that you really don't need to read this series unless you're a dedicated Wanda fan.  Wanda is redeemed, and Thunderbird is resurrected.  I'm going to guess that all this mini-series' other developments will fade into obscurity.

Amazing Spider-Man #80.BEY (December 8):  You guys, this issue may be the worst one that I've ever read.  Ziglar renders May and Otto into ridiculous caricatures of themselves.  Their innuendo-filled dialogue is just painful to read.  I skimmed most of the issue, and I'll save you the trouble.  

Otto realizes that the U-Foes were the ones who were fighting the Spider-Men when Peter got hurt, and he and May break into a super-villain holding facility to get samples of Vapor and X-Ray's powers.  (May's conversation with Vapor is this issue's highlight.)  In the process, Otto discovers that Beyond runs the holding facility, and May is furious that his search for more information on Beyond distracts him.  She leaves, though Otto later provides Peter's doctors with his findings, allowing them to heal him.  

Later, Otto attacks some guards on a rooftop to hack into a terminal that seemingly holds all Beyond's secrets because why wouldn't every random terminal provide the user access to all a corporation's secrets?  He discovers that Beyond purchased Parker Industries and [sigh] swears vengeance.

In other words, a Google search could've resolved Otto's questions about both who attacked Peter and who owned Parker Industries.  I don't understand how an editor decided that this story needed 33 pages, but someone should demote them.

Devil's Reign #1 (December 8):  I have to give Marvel credit for waiting so long to get to this point, of Fisk declaring war on superheroes.  They could've rushed it and foregone all the interesting moments that Fisk's mayoralty has brought.  Instead, they bided their time, which is hard to do in comics.

This series is clearly an outgrowth from Zdarsky's "Daredevil," and Zdarsky does a decent job of presenting that series' status quo for the rest of us.  Most relevantly, Fisk has apparently appointed his other son, Butch, as Kingpin, and Matt's "brother" Mike is apparently helping him.  I rolled my eyes at these long-lost relatives, but I'm not reading "Daredevil" so it isn't my problem.

The catalyzing event that kicks off this story is that Kingpin loses his shit when he realizes that he no longer remembers Daredevil's secret identity; in fact, even the file on Daredevil that he keeps in his safe no longer contains it.  Enraged, he announces a ban on unsanctioned superhuman activity, following a federal ban on unsanctioned superhuman activity by people under the age of 21 years old.  (I'm assuming that happened in "Champions?")

Kingpin has clearly been planning this move for a while, because he deploys his shock troops - in the form of mixed superhuman and human Thunderbolt units - quickly.  Darkhawk and Moon Knight are almost immediately taken off the table.  

A Thunderbolt unit grabs Miles Morales as he's saving people from a burning building, but Captain America saves Miles before they unmask him.  (This issue comes on the heel of Cap and Miles' appearance in "Darkhawk" #4, and I'm really digging that team-up.)  Daredevil, Elektra, and Spider-Man arrive to help, and, in a safehouse later, Daredevil admits that he provoked Kingpin into action.  But, in a great moment, Cap tells him that sacrificing himself won't stop Fisk. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Octopus and federal troops storms Four Freedom Plaza.  If you read "X-Men/Fantastic Four," you'll appreciate the Schadenfreude of Otto using a power-dampening collar on Reed and Sue.  Sue manages to alert Ben and Johnny who escape with the kids.  Chechetto is on fire throughout this issue, but the look on Ben's face when the Thunderbolt unit opens fires on him and the kids (who he blocks with his body) is worth the price of admission.  Otto is keen to access a specific Reed invention, seemingly one of his multiverse portals.  I'm sure it's for totally benign reasons.

Later, Shocker and his Thunderbolt unit come after Luke Cage and Jessica Jones as they're trying to help victims of a bus crash, and Luke delivers a Cap-like speech telling people that Fisk is coming for them once the superheroes are gone.  

The issue ends with one revelation coming right after another:  Wilson murders the Purple Man whose powers he seems intent on taking the Power Group that installed Kingpin as mayor plans on running him for President, and Tony tells a fleeing Jessica and Luke that he plans on running against Fisk for mayor.

Honestly, I'm pretty thrilled with this issue.  It feels like how the inevitable confrontation between the heroes and Kingpin would go, and it's clear that Zdarsky has a bunch of tricks up his sleeve.  I can't wait to see what they are.

 

Inferno #3 (December 8):  Hickman is unusually concise in this issue, despite its 44 pages.  We have three major developments.

First, we learn that Cypher initially prepared Krakoa to host mutantkind by having Warlock consume part of Krakoa and then Krakoa consume the new parts of Warlock.  In so doing, Warlock essentially became Krakoa's nervous system.  Since he and Warlock didn't trust Professor X, it meant that he maintained knowledge of the No-Space that Krakoa created for Magneto and Professor X.  As such, he knows all their secrets.

Second, Emma informs Destiny and Mystique of Moira's existence.  They all agree that Moira represents a threat to everything that they've built since at any moment she can start a new life and change this particular present.  Emma declines to throw her support clearly behind Destiny and Mystique but makes it clear them that she's no longer in Charles and Erik's camp.  Destiny and Mystique engineer Orchis kidnapping Moira at her Paris gate and bringing her to Terra Nova.  When Charles and Erik arrive to save her, Nimrod arrives through the translocator (whose existence Mystique discovered last issue), ready to take out Charles and Erik.

Finally, we learn that the "Trickster Titan" sent back Omega Sentinel's consciousness so that she could bring Nimrod online earlier than in her timeline.  She informs Nimrod that Apocalypse will return to defeat the Children of the Vault and eventually humankind and the machines.  Only through the Trickster Titan separating himself from his sibling does he survive long enough to send back Omega Sentinel's consciousness.  She then uses this knowledge to find Devo and convince him that he also experienced her future.  Together, they create Orchis.

In other words, man, shit goes down here.  It's hard to see how Krakoa even remotely functions as it has after this event.

Amazing Spider-Man #81 (December 15):  The Beyond Board is doing an excellent job of slowly but surely making Ben's position at Beyond more and more untenable given Maxine's goals conflicting too often with his own goals.

In this issue, she disciplines Marcus when Ben fails to confront Miles Morales during their team-up over his "use" of Beyond's trademark.  When Ben suggests that he wasn't going to beat up a teenager, Maxine makes it clear that it's exactly what she wanted him to do.  

Ahmed does some nice character work throughout this issue, as Ben admits to Janine that he's not as impulsive as he was thanks to his work in therapy.  It means that he doesn't get mad at Janine when she asks if he's ready to fight Rhizome with Miles right after his fight with Kraven.  Ahmed also connects the dots that Ben's patience with Maxine comes from this work.  That said, it's pretty clear that said patience is going to end.  

Meanwhile, as Kaeden says in their note in the back, the art team is on fire here.  If you're a Miles fan, you definitely want to check out this issue.

Devil's Reign #2 (December 29):  As I expected, Kingpin moves to the next stage as Crossbones and his Thunderbolt unit break into Danny Rand's apartment to arrest him even though he's no longer Iron Fist.  

In an example of pet peeve #2, we learn form the intro page that Kingpin didn't kill Purple Man; he cut off his finger and put it in his staff, somehow giving him his power.  (Yeah, it's a stretch.)  Meanwhile, Otto creates a device that harnesses the rest of Purple Man's powers, allowing Wilson to coerce, though not control, New York's population.  It ends Otto's part of his bargain with Kingpin.  That said, he uses Reed's multidimensional gate to bring Ghost Rider, Hulk, and Wolverine to "our" Earth, so he's clearly got something up his sleeve.  

Meanwhile, the heroes aren't doing so well.  Kingpin assigned Taskmaster to find out Spider-Man's secret identity, and Taskmaster somehow manages to block Ben's powers in their ensuing fight.  Where's Beyond when you need them?  Also, the reformed New Avengers convince Tony that Luke should run (since rich guy vs. rich guy might not read well with the public), and Tony doesn't seem happy about it.

My only criticism of this issue is that it's a little hard to follow the status quos of the various heroes.  In addition to finding out Danny isn't Iron Fist, for example, Elektra is panicked because she realizes that Fisk knows that she betrayed Matt, though I have no idea what she did.  But, every event stuffers from a similar problem, so it's small potatoes give how much I'm enjoying the event overall.

Also Read:  Marauders #26 (December 1); Nightwing Annual 2021 #1 (December 1); Amazing Spider-Man #82 (December 22) and #83 (December 29); Hawkeye:  Kate Bishop #2 (December 22); Moon Knight #6 (December 22)

Six-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero October 6, 13, 20, and 27 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #75 (October 6):  If I'm being honest, I have to admit that Spencer's run gave me PTSD just like Peter.  I opened this issue with a certain amount of dread, expecting to end it as frustrated as I often was after a Spencer issue.  The good news is that it's a pretty solid start for this new chapter.  The bad news, to the extent that it's "bad," is that I still don't feel ready for full optimism.

As mentioned, Peter is struggling with the events of the last few weeks, most notably Harry's death.  Ben Reilly's return represents another hit after Ben reveals that Beyond bought the rights to the Spider-Man name after Parker Industries (i.e., Otto) trademarked it.  Peter takes it reasonably well after Ben tells him that he's not asking for permission, stressing that he has the same compulsion to do good as Peter has.  (I'm sure that it didn't really help Ben's case, though, when he paid for lunch mentioning the "stupid" amounts of money Beyond is paying him.)  Ben never explains why Beyond wants a Spider-Man other than it wants to get into the "superhero game."  I'm sure they're just totally altruistic.

Later, when the U-Foes attack Empire State University for...some reason, both Ben and Peter respond.  These scenes play to Wells' strengths, as Ben and Peter's banter leaps off the page; they're more than the sum of their parts.  Wells and Zdarsky are probably my favorite Spider-Man writers, and I'm thrilled that he's serving as the Beyond Board chair, if you will.  

Wells makes the wise decision to take Peter off the board for a few issues.  After X-Ray explodes to take out both Spideys, Ben is left standing given his suit's "radiation-shielding and air-scrubbing micro-mesh," but Peter lapses quickly develops radiation poisoning.

Again, I'm excited to see where we go here.  The Beyond Board clearly has a vision, and I'm excited where that vision is going.  But, Spencer also had a vision, and it went some...not great places.  That said, this Spider-Man looks and sounds more like the Spider-Man I know, so I'm going to take the win, temporary though it may be.

Dark Ages #2 (October 6):  It's weird reading this issue six months further into the pandemic than when it was released.  Peter describes a world that lost billions of people to the natural disasters and power struggles that came after electricity disappeared from Earth.  Given COVID-19 has killed 6,000,000+ people and Russia invaded Ukraine a few weeks ago, it isn't that hard to connect with this situation.  The action-forcing event here is Apocalypse kidnapping Iron Man to help Reed Richards and RiRi Williams reawaken the Unmaker so Apocalypse can steal his power.  He reveals that they're using Magneto to block the Earth's electromagnetic field enough to build a Faraday cage and that he's using the Purple Man to force the hero geniuses to work for him.  Given Apocalypse has established a brutal dictatorship in Europe, it isn't hard to see what his goals are.

Amazing Spider-Man #76 (October 13):  As I recover from my PTSD, I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this issue.  I mean, "enjoy" is probably the wrong word, since Peter eventually slips into a coma from his radiation exposure.  

But, I feel like the Beyond Board walks us through a pretty logical series of consequences stemming from X-Ray's attack.  First, Peter is in a bad way.  It's pretty clear that he's only alive due to his Spider-Powers, but he's barely alive.  Second, Ben is struggling with his loyalty to Peter and his desire to embrace his life as Beyond's Spider-Man.  In violation of his contract, he takes off his uniform to bring Peter to the hospital and calls Aunt May and MJ to meet him there.

Later, Ben again defies his handler, Marcus, when he refuses to go after the U-Foes immediately and instead goes to the hospital to seek Peter's blessing to be Spider-Man.  Here, Wells does the reverse of what Spencer did during his run.  Instead of showing Peter's good heart by having him wallow in guilt, Wells has Peter understand that if he feels like Ben is asking him to share his life with him then it has to be even harder for Ben.  Peter gives Ben his blessing and beseeches him to "be amazing."

As usual with Wells, we get great character moments along the way.  Peter remains funny as he weakly jokes about his situation, and Aunt May is a force of nature when it comes to berating the doctors for not helping Peter.  I particularly enjoyed Colleen and Misty telling Marcus to have some respect after he says that, in Beyond's eyes, Ben is the only Spider-Man.

Do I dare to hope that I'll look forward to reading "Amazing Spider-Man" every month?  Maybe!

X-Men:  The Trial of Magneto #3 (TPB) (October 20):  This issue is beyond odd.  As we saw last issue, someone resurrected the Scarlet Witch.  However, she seems to have almost no memories of herself.  Jean and Rachel provide her with her "greatest hits," as Rachel calls them.  

But, before they can help Wanda process them, three kaiju suddenly attack Krakoa.  The Avengers and X-Men assemble to fight them, but they seem nearly unstoppable.  Meanwhile, Wanda somehow re-enters the astral space that we've previously seen her occupy and discovers her older self, who - based on her white costume - seems like the person who killed her?  

It's fine to drag out the mystery so you can hit four issues, but the kaiju attack is such a random way to do that that it feels like Williams (or, probably more to the point, the editorial staff) just picked it from a hat labeled "obstacles."

Amazing Spider-Man #77 (October 27):  I've dreamt of Kelly Thompson writing "Amazing Spider-Man," so I'm thrilled to see her here.  Ben has functionally taken over the title at this point as Peter remains in a coma.  But, as usual, everything isn't wine and roses for Ben.  I mean, not only does Morbius bite him, but he also forgets how one of his memories about Uncle Ben ends as he's recounting for Dr. Kafka.  Ruh-Roh.  Given the long line of clones who suffered degeneration syndrome, I'm worried where the Beyond Board is going with this one.  Ben also meets Maxine, the head of Beyond's superhero program, and she's...intense.  It's also a reminder that we know very little about Beyond or its goals.  I'm sure they have Ben's best interests in heart.

Inferno #2 (October 27):  We have a lot to cover here, as Hickman is telling essentially five separate, though connected, stories.

First, Hickman walks us through how Mystique used her powers to trick the Five into resurrecting Destiny.  It's pretty straight-forward:  she was the Magneto whom we saw last issue grabbing Cerebro from Island M (is it a duplicate?) and the Professor X whom we saw getting Destiny's DNA from Mr. Sinister.  Posing as Professor X, she then has the Five resurrect a younger version of Destiny, at the age she was when they first met, a gift to both of them.

Second, we have the Council machinations.  Mystique is able to assemble a coalition of Exodus (the believer), Mr. Sinister (the spoiler), Nightcrawler (the son), and Shaw (the cynic) to vote with her.  The surprise is Emma, for whom she obtains a special object in exchange.  We'll return to this point later.

Third, we have the Orchis drama.  First, Omega Sentinel reveals herself as a mutant (I think) to Nimrod, though it's unclear right now where that story is going.  The main development is that Orchis has managed to create a translocator from Earth to the Forge.  However, I'm not totally clear how they plan to use that.  The monkey doctor tells Mystique disguised as Sage (I think) - who found the Orchis HQ after discovering the X-Force mission log about the Paris gate - that they want to unleash the Sun through the portal.  I initially thought that he meant on Earth, but I'm now guessing that he means Arakko?  A lot relating to this thread isn't clear.   (One question I have is how Mystique knew to look for the security log?)

Most importantly, we have Moira.  She seems pretty damn near crazy, yes?  At this point, the main question to me is still why Moira is so afraid of Destiny.  She's right that Destiny is onto her:  she tells Mystique that she sees a "hole" in the future, and we all know what (or who) that means.  But, if Charles, Erik, and Moira are really committed to building a paradise for mutantkind, why would Destiny care?  Isn't that essentially what she told Moire to do when the Brotherhood killed her in issue #1?  

Moira also mentions that Destiny will see through Charles and Erik.  If I'm reading between the lines correctly, it implies that Destiny discovering that Moira is lying and scheming to destroy mutantkind wouldn't the only spoiled plot:  Charles, Erik, and Moira are clearly planning something that Destiny wouldn't see as in mutantkind's best interests.  Charles himself mentions how willing Moira is to spill blood.  Then again, Erik refuses to kill Destiny simply because Moira finds it expedient, so maybe Charles and Erik are comfortable with the risk of mutantkind learning of their (likely not as heinous as Moira's) plans.

Returning to the Council machinations, Charles and Erik suggest to Moira that they bring Emma into their scheme because they can trust her.  In exchange for the truth, she would then support their choice for the final Council seat.  (Moira is skeptical that a Council seat alone would get them the support that they need.)  At the Louvre, Emma meets Moira with Charles and Erik and reads her mind, learning "the truth."  But, the plan backfires:  Emma is appalled at how long and how much Charles and Erik have manipulated her.  Emma apparently sees the threat that a precog represents, though it's clear yet that she's willing to play ball.  After Emma leaves in a huff, Moira acknowledges that their best bet at this point is putting someone on the Council they can trust, who they decide is Colossus.  The literal glint in his eye as he appears before the Council makes it unclear whether they're right or not.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with where we're going here.  Charles and Erik seems finally to be getting some form of comeuppance, and I hope that Emma is the one to serve it.

Marauders #25 (October 27):  OMG, this issue couldn't have been better.  I rolled my eyes at the end of last issue when Rixlo spaced the Marauders, but Duggan and Noto are spectacular as we watch the team work together to survive.  Bobby creating the ice bubble, Bobby and Pyro creating water that scientist Kate could electrify to create oxygen, and Bishop and Shaw serving as the "dude-thrusters" were all just great.  (I only had to stretch my ability to suspend my disbelief at the idea of Bobby "catching" some oxygen in the ice bubble right after they were spaced.)  As Emma said, Kate then ghosting into the ship and kicking Rixlo's difficult-to-kick ass was quite exciting.  It's exactly the sort of story that I was hoping that we'd see again in this title.  Boo yah.

Moon Knight #4 (October 27):  I think I've mentioned on this blog that "West Coast Avengers" was my jam when I was a teenager.  I've always been a sidekick person - Bucky Barnes, Clint Barton, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Sam Wilson - and "West Coast Avengers" was the greatest assembly of sidekicks ever.  As such, I was thrilled when Tigra walked through that door.  As Tigra's rooftop conversation with Marc reveals, Marc could really use a friend in his life right now, isolated as he is.  (I'm going to have to read this Avengers' arc where he fights them on Khonshu's behalf.)  Moreover, McKay is putting together a rogue's gallery that really fits with Moon Knight's commitment to protecting the night.  All in all, I continue to be happy where we're going here.

Also Read:  New Mutants #22 (October 6); X-Men #4 (October 13)

Seven-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero September 22 and 29 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Guardians of the Galaxy #18 (September 22):  This issues goes pretty much as I expected, as we knew that Doom was going to get something from his involvement with the Guardians. 

Using Drax, Groot, Moondragon, and Star-Lord as the other points of the pentragram, Doom casts a spell to drain Dormammu of his powers.  He then uses part of this drained power to send the Guardians across the galaxy, to where Gamora, Nova, and Rocket are waiting with the gun that Cable helped Rocket build in "Cable:  Reloaded" #1.  With Peter powering the bullet, Gamora firing it, and Nova providing some extra oomph, it shatters Ego.  Dormammu is forcibly expelled to the Dark Dimension, and Ego is now an asteroid belt around Spartax.  Hurrah!

The only remaining question is what scheme Doom planned.  Of course, he kept the rest of Dormammu's power.  It turns out he was in cahoots with Sister Talionis this entire time.  As his Doombots have conquered Chitauri Prime, he gives it to her, from where she plans to launch her revolt against Hulkling.  Of course, Doom thinks that he's outsmarted everyone, but Rocket knows that Doom pulled some sort of fast one here so he's on the case.

The best part of the issue is Gamora, Pete, and Rich's interactions.  Before they shoot the bullet, Pete tells Gamora that he loves Rich, too, and Gamora says that she knows, that they'll always be family.  Rich then tells them that he loves them, too.  It's lovely.  Later, at Gosnell's, Rich confesses that peace means that he can actually do what he wants, that he doesn't have to feel so alone.  Storm then welcomes everyone to Arakko after Marvel Boy suggests that it's a good place for Rich to go have some fun.  As Gamora says, Rich may be a pessimist, but I'm thrilled that he has a chance just to be.

I'm sad that Marvel ended this title, but I'm sure we'll be seeing everyone again.  It was really a spectacular run, and I hope that it's Ewing who brings back the team soon!

X-Men #3 (September 22):  This issue is fun because the High Evolutionary's Evolutionary Guard hand the X-Men their asses.  

When the X-Men refuse the High Evolutionary's "gift" of a virus that'll sterilize humanity, he agrees to depart so long as he gets a drop of Synch's blood.  His interest in Synch makes it pretty clear that Duggan plans on making Synch and his seeming Omega-level powers a core part of the X-Men's story going forward.

I have to say that Duggan shows a real flair for writing Scott here.  I loved when Synch expressed concern that his decision to give the High Evolutionary his blood will haunt them, and Scott quipped, "First time with the High Evolutionary, huh?"  (He assures Synch that he made the right decision, because he saved as many lives as possible, particularly because every fight with the High Evolutionary ends this way.)  But, I really loved him telling the Evolutionary Guard member chocking him that it was his lucky day that the High Evolutionary stopped the fight because he had them right where he wanted them.  I mentioned the choking, right?  It wasn't just funny; it also underlined the X-Men definitely weren't going to win.  

As the dust settles, Jean and Scott decide to split the team after the High Evolutionary gives Jean more information on Gameworld, so I'm excited to see how Jean's team does in space.  But, it isn't like Scott is going to have an easy road.  First, Dr. Stasis gives Ben Ulrich the information that he needs (in the form of Scott's autopsy report) to write about mutant resurrection.  Second, Gyrich is working with Feilong, who wants a seat at Orchis' table in exchange for his plan - which has something to do with still colonizing Mars - succeeding.

No one said it was going to be easy, Scott.

Amazing Spider-Man #74 (September 29):  In terms of the positive developments during Spencer's run, I think that we have to give him credit for undoing "Sins Past" and most of "one More Day."  I thought that he'd undo all of "One More Day," with MJ and Peter remembering their deal with Mephisto.  In the end, he made it clear that he didn't need to do that.  As the kiss on top of the skyscraper shows us, they found their way back to each other.  It's even more profound than another snap of Mephisto's fingers.

But, I can't ignore Kindred.  

It turns out Kindred was Gabriel and Sarah, not Harry and Sarah.  Mephisto was the one who kept resurrecting them, though I'll admit that I'm not totally sure why he did so, other than possibly that he enjoyed them torturing Peter.  When MJ saves Peter from the rubble under which Kindred(s) buried him, Dr. Strange wins his bet with Mephisto.  As a result, Gabriel and Sarah die since their service as Mephisto's pawns was over.  

I'll admit this part doesn't make sense to me.  Mephisto was using them before the bet, if I've been following this story correctly, so I don't understand why he'd give up such useful tools simply because he lost the bet.  To be honest, I was hoping that he'd just free them from his service.  After all the trauma, they deserved to live a life on their own terms.  Either way, though, I don't get why their fates were tied to the bet.

I also can't ignore Harry.  Spencer confirms that he was a clone; when he died in "Spectacular Spider-Man" #200, he really died.  Harry went straight to Hell for his "Lifetheft" and "Sins Past" machinations (which Mephisto hilarious said were low, even for him.  There, Mephisto tells him that he's always been collateral damage in a larger game.  

This part also doesn't make sense to me.  For example, who activated Harry's clone?  I'm assuming that Mephisto did, but I don't really get why he wouldn't just resurrect him; clones aren't really Mephisto's deal.  I've read online that people thought that it was the Harry AI, which makes sense.  But, I re-read this issue and issue #73, and Spencer doesn't actually say that.  

All that said, I was surprised that Spencer killed Harry and left Norman alive, though I guess Peter needs some trauma in his life.  Notably, Mephisto honors his deal with Dr. Strange:  although I thought that he'd reveal his meddling in MJ and Peter's relationship, he releases Harry's soul.  It isn't a happy ending, but it's better than Harry soul's status quo was.

I'm less clear on where the Ben Reilly story is going.  I know of Janine only because I read the "Life of Reilly" blog; I never read "Spider-Man:  The Lost Years."  It seems a lot to ask of us to be emotionally invested in a character who appeared in two four-issue limited series over 15 years ago.  Moreover, it seems to ignore everything Ben Reilly has been through these last few years.  Some of it I don't mind:  I really disliked "The Clone Conspiracy" turning him into a villain without little explanation, and the series that followed it did little to undo that characterization.  But, I read "Free Comic Book Day 2021:  Spider-Man/Venom," and it didn't shed any light on how we went from Ben crying in an alley at the end of "Ben Reilly:  Scarlet Spider" #25 to (blond) Ben freeing the love of his life from prison here.

At any rate, it is what it is.  Kindred(s) is finally behind us, and I'm excited to turn this page.

Darkhawk #2 (September 29):  Man, Higgins really summons the angst and tension of the original "Darkhawk" series here.  Then, Chris Powell was trying to fight crime and support his family after finding out that his dad was (supposedly) a crooked cop.  Now, Connor Young reveals his secret identity to Derek after he realizes that Derek was one of the thieves.  

It all happens after Connor turns into Darkhawk to save Derek after he goes after some guys who stole the shoes that they just bought.  Higgins really ups the ante, though.  Connor doesn't just reveal his identity to Derek:  Derek sucker punches him with a bomb after revealing that he needs to steal the armor for Shawn.  Of course, when he later tells Shawn that he couldn't do it, Mr. Colt shoots him.  Is he dead?  Or is someone else under the grave next issue?  We'll see!  

Meanwhile, Higgins does a great job of reminding us how few options Derek had in Woodlawn.  As he explains to Connor, at some point he realized that he should simply rob the stores rather than work in them for the rest of his life for minimum wage.  I'm not sure that plan is going to work out so well for Derek, but I get the sentiment.

Inferno #1 (September 29):  Hickman has mostly focused on external threats so far but switches to internal ones here, much to my delight.

Staying on the external threats for a minute, though, Director Devo and Dr. Gregor review Krakoa's various attempts to take out Nimrod.  Devo expresses his surprise that the mutants haven't evolved and successfully taken out Nimrod.  Gregor suggests that they must not remember the attacks, which we know isn't true.  But, Omega Sentinel notes that someone remembers, which is why they keep trying.

Here, we segue to Moira's third life, as she and her colleagues have successfully developed a cure for mutants.  The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants attacks, killing Moira's colleagues.  Destiny and Moira then have the conversation that cues this event's premise, namely Destiny demanding that Moira spend her next life trying to help mutantkind instead of destroying it.  It's also the conversation where Moira learns that she has ten or eleven lives depending if she makes the "right choice" at the end.

In the present, Moira is visiting sites important to her and returns to her No-Place to find Charles and Magneto waiting for her.  We learn that they've ignored her previous advice, though it isn't particularly clear what she told them to do.  At any rate, they acknowledge that their repeated attempts to take out Nimrod have failed and basically admit that their way isn't working.  Moira notes that only two real threats exist:  Nimrod and Destiny.  She stresses that they have time to address the Nimrod situation but must take Destiny off the board immediately.  Moira suggests that they take away Mystique's leadership role and destroy all samples of Destiny's DNA.

When Scott resigns as Captain Commander due to his X-Men role and the captains promote Bishop in his place, Charles and Erik use this moment to suggest that anyone who wants to retire from the Quiet Council should do so.  It doesn't go according to plan:  instead of Mystique retiring, she introduces a resurrected Destiny to take Apocalypse's place.

All in all, I'm pretty thrilled with this issue.  Hickman has a number of plots moving here that could go in all sorts of ways. 

For example, it feels like Moira wants Destiny removed because she plans on betraying mutantkind and doesn't want Destiny to know that.  It seems related to her potentially 11th resurrection:  if she removes Destiny's DNA in this life, does it mean Destiny is gone in her 11th, allowing her to destroy mutantkind more easily?  Also, it appears that Mystique has somehow gotten around the Resurrection Protocols, which raises all sorts of issues going forward.

Moreover, Charles and Erik each clearly have their own agendas, and their difficult relationship with Moira implies to me that Nimrod isn't their own frustration.  (It does explain that they're not just being assholes in refusing to resurrect Destiny.  I wonder if they knew that Mystique would fail to take out Nimrod in "X-Men" #20 and thus could "promise" to resurrect Destiny.  If they didn't, I wonder how they would've done if she had succeeded)

In other words, all in all, I'm pretty stoked about this event.

Also Read:  Free Comic Book Day:  Spider Man/Venom (2021) #1 (August 14); The Last Annihilation:  Wakanda #1 (September 15); Marauders #24 (September 15); X-Men:  The Trial of Magneto #2 (TPB) (September 15); Moon Knight #3 (September 22); Winter Guard #2 (September 29)