I think I forgot to breathe for the first few pages.
First, we get confirmation, right on the first page, that Cyclops is looking to build his own school. In issue #1, I was unclear what exactly he was planning. In "AVX: Consequences," he sounded like he was talking about the Jean Grey School when telling Jake about a place where he could go to learn how to use his powers. As such, it almost seemed liked he was going to drop off the new mutants that he rescued on Wolverine's doorstep in the middle of the night. But, here, it's clear that he was talking about Xavier's School, which, to his mind, no longer exists. To remedy that, he's decided to create the New Xavier School in the old Weapon X facility since he (probably correctly) assumed no one will look for a bunch of mutants there. (Also, it's certainly a nice dig at Wolverine, when he eventually discovers them.) It's a clever move on Bendis' part, since it keeps with the status quo established by "X-Men: Schism:" Wolverine will educate young mutants the way that he sees fit and, now, once again, so will Scott. Of course, it also shows how deeply Scott believes that the Phoenix Force, and not he, was responsible for his actions in "Avengers vs. X-Men," since it takes a lot of chutzpah to name a school after someone you killed.
After that page, we get a dizzying sequence of moments that completely change what we thought that we knew. Immonen really conveys the confusion that Cyclops and Magneto feel about their haywire powers. I actually felt Magneto's fear as he realized that he couldn't stop the helicopter's machine gun as well as Scott's panic as his worst nightmares were realized and he lost any semblance of control over his powers, even with his visor. I'm intrigued to see where Bendis goes with the revelation that it was their exposure to the Phoenix Force that changed Emma, Magneto, and Scott's powers. (I'm also going to have to re-read the first issue to see if they actually use their powers or not.) At any rate, I definitely dig the twist. We're not just adjusting to Scott as the leader of a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the headmaster of this era's Massachusetts Academy, but also to the fact that he and his allies aren't the same as they used to be.
Surprisingly for Bendis, who isn't necessarily known for his ability to work a character on multiple levels, he successfully uses the Brotherhood's altered powers as a metaphor for other changes wrought by the Phoenix Force. Magneto has resumed killing people, as he does here, killing two guards trying to stop them. Emma seems truly distraught over the destruction of Utopia and the death of Xavier and she's clearly reeling at finding herself on the "bad guy" side of the ledge once again. But, as mentioned previously, Scott is desperately clinging to the hope that the Phoenix Force was responsible for his actions, despite Magneto's insistence that, for all the moments of madness and rage that drove him to do things that he regrets, he was always in control of his actions. I thought Bendis was at his best in this scene. Magneto finally felt powerful again and Bendis made it clear that Scott is not going to rule this team unquestioned. He may have commanded Magneto's respect before "Avengers vs. X-Men," but, as we saw throughout this issue, things have changed.
In the end, between the revelation of the lost (or, at least, misfiring) powers and the creation of the New Xavier School, Bendis shows that this series isn't just going to be a war between Scott's side and Logan's side. Instead, it's two groups of people trying to figure out where they stand after a pretty horrific series of events. In other words, "Avengers vs. X-Men" is very much present in this series. It's not just going to be the slugfest that the X-Men have been in the past, but a view into how the two sides of this story are going to handle the physical and mental changes that came from the events that got them here. Great stuff.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Aquaman #14 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I have never read "Aquaman." Despite reading comics for 30 years, honest to God, I have two issues of Aquaman, both of which I'm pretty sure I got as part of the comic-book pack that used to be sold in J.C. Penney's Christmas catalogue. As such, I don't know if Aquaman had a brother in the DCU or if Black Manta has always been a treasure hunter. But, I have to say that I'm sufficiently intrigued by both these characters that I realize now why so many people have been raving about this title. "Throne of Atlantis," I am ready!
Venom #27.1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
OK, as I expected, this issue is really my last issue of "Venom." At the end of the day, I just can't really take the constant pity party. Sure, Flash had some dark times. Sure, he was a teenage bully. But, OMFG, he just needs to get over it. Of course, the whole point of this issue is exactly that. I'll hand it to Bunn that he, too, realized that Flash needs to get over his past. However, unfortunately, Bunn goes about getting Flash to realize that in a pretty ham-fisted way.
I'm not really quite sure where he was going with having the gay kid that Flash bullied in high school call him. Bunn never really makes it clear why A.J. would want to do so. Was he going to berate Flash, hoping that he had changed enough to let him berate him (and not hit him), but didn't because he was such a sob story? We don't know. Instead, this incident only serves to tee up the conversation that Flash has with Peter at the end of this issue, where Pete basically tells Flash what millions of bullied kids around the world know: at some point, your life gets better and you move past the bullying. Flash is clearly inspired by those words to start the same process in his life and, for Flash's sake, I hope he succeeds. But, for me? I'm not going to be there.
Bunn's failure to explain why A.J. wanted to contact Flash is representative of my problem with this series throughout its run. Characters are often simply vehicles for the high-minded concepts that the author is trying to push through the book, a way to set the stage for whatever terrible event Flash is imminently poised to suffer. I'm just not all that interested in that. Plus, I'm really not a demons guy. It's the same problem I have with "Red Hood and the Outlaws:" I expected a lot of espionage and gunfire, but got demons and spells. So, good-bye, "Venom," and good luck, Flash, since, clearly, you're going to need it.
I'm not really quite sure where he was going with having the gay kid that Flash bullied in high school call him. Bunn never really makes it clear why A.J. would want to do so. Was he going to berate Flash, hoping that he had changed enough to let him berate him (and not hit him), but didn't because he was such a sob story? We don't know. Instead, this incident only serves to tee up the conversation that Flash has with Peter at the end of this issue, where Pete basically tells Flash what millions of bullied kids around the world know: at some point, your life gets better and you move past the bullying. Flash is clearly inspired by those words to start the same process in his life and, for Flash's sake, I hope he succeeds. But, for me? I'm not going to be there.
Bunn's failure to explain why A.J. wanted to contact Flash is representative of my problem with this series throughout its run. Characters are often simply vehicles for the high-minded concepts that the author is trying to push through the book, a way to set the stage for whatever terrible event Flash is imminently poised to suffer. I'm just not all that interested in that. Plus, I'm really not a demons guy. It's the same problem I have with "Red Hood and the Outlaws:" I expected a lot of espionage and gunfire, but got demons and spells. So, good-bye, "Venom," and good luck, Flash, since, clearly, you're going to need it.
All-New X-Men #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I thought that Kitty calling Bobby "sweetie" was (obviously) going to be my favorite part of this issue.
I was wrong.
Honestly, I loved this issue. Bendis somehow manages to script the original X-Men's reactions to the present's realities exactly the way that I'd expect them to be, from Scott wondering how everything went so wrong to Jean snarking about discovering that she's dead and dating a homicidal mutant terrorist to Bobby and Warren talking about how nice future TVs are. I also thought that Bendis did a marvelous job of showing how difficult of a time Beast was having facing his past, from seeing Jean again to contemplating how close he and Scott once were. Bendis also accomplishes the key goal of this issue, making you believe that the original X-Men would be sufficiently intrigued by Beast's words to come to the present, if only to prove him to be a liar. ("So we understand each other, if this is a trap I blow off your head.") Plus, original Bobby and present Bobby's reactions upon seeing one another? Classic.
At the end of the day, the reason that I loved this issue is because Bendis portrays the original X-Men as a team, something that they haven't been in a long time. One of my main complaints with the X-titles over the last few years is that they've rarely felt like team books. Be it "Uncanny X-Men" or "Wolverine and the X-Men" or "X-Men" or "X-Men Legacy," these books have been filled with interchangeable rosters that dedicate little time to character development. Everyone has been reduced to a caricature of their character while the main purpose has been to see how the various authors can top the last crisis. We've lost the sense of the X-Men as a close group of powerful friends with a guiding mission and I've often found myself waxing poetic about the Outback days. But, here, Bendis actually gives us a team. You can see it after present Beast leaves the original X-Men on their own to consider his offer. The others all go to comfort original Hank, with Bobby and Scott putting their hands on his shoulders. They care for one another, in a way that I haven't really seen X-Men care about one another, non-romantically, in a long time.
In fact, Bendis gives us two teams, since not only do the original X-Men feel like one, but the present X-Men do, too. From Kitty and Bobby investigating Hank's lab together to Storm asking Hank to tell her how to help him, you actually feel like these people have relationships with one another and have had these relationships for a really long time. After all, it's kind of the point of this series, reminding us of a time when the X-Men were the X-Men and not some random group of "heroes" that accepted every mutant who walked into the Mansion off the street.
Mostly, though, I loved that Bendis really managed to give the original X-Men back their distinct personalities. They've been the caricatures for so long that it was refreshing to remember their characters, to see them in their distilled form. Jean marveling at her abilities ("I can read minds"), Bobby cracking jokes ("He's waaaay too boring to bring on an apocalypse"), Hank being arrogant ("Please, this is me we're talking about."): they're their old selves again. Plus, together, they're a handful. I love how the former students (namely, Kitty and the second generation of X-Men) are going to have to become the present teachers.
I'm genuinely excited to see where Bendis takes us, from how present Scott responds to his original self to how the original X-Men respond to the new world (beyond marveling at the televisions). Moreover, the art is also spectacular. Immonen throws in a ton of great moments. I loved how Jean learns that she can read minds and, in the next panel, you can see her with her hand to her temple totally trying to do it. It's a sign that this car is running on all cylinders from the start and I can't wait to see where we go.
I was wrong.
Honestly, I loved this issue. Bendis somehow manages to script the original X-Men's reactions to the present's realities exactly the way that I'd expect them to be, from Scott wondering how everything went so wrong to Jean snarking about discovering that she's dead and dating a homicidal mutant terrorist to Bobby and Warren talking about how nice future TVs are. I also thought that Bendis did a marvelous job of showing how difficult of a time Beast was having facing his past, from seeing Jean again to contemplating how close he and Scott once were. Bendis also accomplishes the key goal of this issue, making you believe that the original X-Men would be sufficiently intrigued by Beast's words to come to the present, if only to prove him to be a liar. ("So we understand each other, if this is a trap I blow off your head.") Plus, original Bobby and present Bobby's reactions upon seeing one another? Classic.
At the end of the day, the reason that I loved this issue is because Bendis portrays the original X-Men as a team, something that they haven't been in a long time. One of my main complaints with the X-titles over the last few years is that they've rarely felt like team books. Be it "Uncanny X-Men" or "Wolverine and the X-Men" or "X-Men" or "X-Men Legacy," these books have been filled with interchangeable rosters that dedicate little time to character development. Everyone has been reduced to a caricature of their character while the main purpose has been to see how the various authors can top the last crisis. We've lost the sense of the X-Men as a close group of powerful friends with a guiding mission and I've often found myself waxing poetic about the Outback days. But, here, Bendis actually gives us a team. You can see it after present Beast leaves the original X-Men on their own to consider his offer. The others all go to comfort original Hank, with Bobby and Scott putting their hands on his shoulders. They care for one another, in a way that I haven't really seen X-Men care about one another, non-romantically, in a long time.
In fact, Bendis gives us two teams, since not only do the original X-Men feel like one, but the present X-Men do, too. From Kitty and Bobby investigating Hank's lab together to Storm asking Hank to tell her how to help him, you actually feel like these people have relationships with one another and have had these relationships for a really long time. After all, it's kind of the point of this series, reminding us of a time when the X-Men were the X-Men and not some random group of "heroes" that accepted every mutant who walked into the Mansion off the street.
Mostly, though, I loved that Bendis really managed to give the original X-Men back their distinct personalities. They've been the caricatures for so long that it was refreshing to remember their characters, to see them in their distilled form. Jean marveling at her abilities ("I can read minds"), Bobby cracking jokes ("He's waaaay too boring to bring on an apocalypse"), Hank being arrogant ("Please, this is me we're talking about."): they're their old selves again. Plus, together, they're a handful. I love how the former students (namely, Kitty and the second generation of X-Men) are going to have to become the present teachers.
I'm genuinely excited to see where Bendis takes us, from how present Scott responds to his original self to how the original X-Men respond to the new world (beyond marveling at the televisions). Moreover, the art is also spectacular. Immonen throws in a ton of great moments. I loved how Jean learns that she can read minds and, in the next panel, you can see her with her hand to her temple totally trying to do it. It's a sign that this car is running on all cylinders from the start and I can't wait to see where we go.
A+X #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
OK, these issues are really just meant to be fun, so, generally, I don't think I'll be reviewing them. I mean, the Black Widow/Rogue story was super-fun, but it's not really going to change the world. But, I do want to comment on how much I loved the Iron Man/Kitty story. I was of course excited when I saw that Peter David wrote it and it totally met my expectations. I just love that Tony realized that he really wanted Kitty to come work for him. If the post-"Avengers vs. X-Men" world means that we're finally going to see synergies that readers have always thought existed but that Marvel never explored, I am really excited to see where we go. With every issue of "Marvel NOW!" I feel like Marvel is really creating the unified universe that it always claimed to have but never achieved due to stove-piping their titles into groups. Exciting stuff!
Red Hood and the Outlaws #14 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
If you would've told me at the beginning of this title that the only remotely believable character in this series would be a flight attendant who accidentally wound up traveling to a different galaxy with Jason Todd on their first date, I'm pretty sure I would've just saved my money.
I have no idea why Red Hood and the Outlaws decided to attack Superman rather than listen to him. Starfire seems to dislike him only because Tamarans weren't super fond of Kryptonians, which doesn't really seem like a reason sufficient to attack someone who could easily defeat you. Jason spends the entire issue talking about how powerful Superman is, so it seems to make no sense that he'd actually attack the guy and think that he could somehow win. Roy just sorta stands there. It's not until Isabel tells everyone to stop acting like idiots that we discover why Superman's in the issue, but, by then, I can't say I really cared anymore.
Of course, to make matters worse, we forget the Superman story as quickly as it began, moving straight into the teaser for the upcoming "Death of the Family" cross-over issues. The fact that this issue tries to bridge two other characters' storylines -- Superman's fight with Helspont and Joker's reappearance in Gotham -- shows just how much it lacks any sort of direction of its own. It's been 14 issues and I really have no idea where it's going.
Unfortunately, Lobdell doesn't even manage to make the brief appearance by Joker work. After all, Joker is good, but he's not so good that he would know that Jason had somehow met a flight attendant and taken her on an intergalactic first-date. To be able to poison Isabel in the short time-frame depicted here (Jason's post-coital shower), he would've had to have know who she was, where she lived, and, most importantly, when they were returning from space. Had it been Jason's apartment, it would've made more sense. But, it wasn't. It was Isabel's. So, it made no sense, just like the rest of this series.
I have no idea why Red Hood and the Outlaws decided to attack Superman rather than listen to him. Starfire seems to dislike him only because Tamarans weren't super fond of Kryptonians, which doesn't really seem like a reason sufficient to attack someone who could easily defeat you. Jason spends the entire issue talking about how powerful Superman is, so it seems to make no sense that he'd actually attack the guy and think that he could somehow win. Roy just sorta stands there. It's not until Isabel tells everyone to stop acting like idiots that we discover why Superman's in the issue, but, by then, I can't say I really cared anymore.
Of course, to make matters worse, we forget the Superman story as quickly as it began, moving straight into the teaser for the upcoming "Death of the Family" cross-over issues. The fact that this issue tries to bridge two other characters' storylines -- Superman's fight with Helspont and Joker's reappearance in Gotham -- shows just how much it lacks any sort of direction of its own. It's been 14 issues and I really have no idea where it's going.
Unfortunately, Lobdell doesn't even manage to make the brief appearance by Joker work. After all, Joker is good, but he's not so good that he would know that Jason had somehow met a flight attendant and taken her on an intergalactic first-date. To be able to poison Isabel in the short time-frame depicted here (Jason's post-coital shower), he would've had to have know who she was, where she lived, and, most importantly, when they were returning from space. Had it been Jason's apartment, it would've made more sense. But, it wasn't. It was Isabel's. So, it made no sense, just like the rest of this series.
Nightwing #14 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
DeFalco continues to make amends for his "Superboy" run, giving us another "Nightwing" issue that successfully operates on several levels.
First, he reveals that Sophia Branch's connection to Lady Shiva wasn't a collegial one. The Penguin brought in Shiva to assassinate a government official (last issue) and attempt to assassinate Branch all so that the S.E.C. would postpone a hearing that affected his business interests. Here, DeFalco adds a tick in the "good guy" column for the mysterious Branch, since she became a target for the Penguin due to her planned testimony at the S.E.C. hearing. DeFalco does his best work with the Penguin, though. Lately, the Penguin has veered from emotionally unstable to irrationally incompetent across the Bat-titles, but he's a tactical genius here. The Penguin tipped off Nightwing to Shiva's planned hit on Branch since, if Nightwing stopped her, he wouldn't have to pay Shiva's commission and, if Shiva killed Nightwing, well, he wouldn't have to deal with Nightwing. Moreover, he didn't really need Branch dead; he knew that the attempted assassination on Branch, combined with the actual assassination of the official, would be enough to secure a postponement of the hearing. After the erratic Penguin in "Detective Comics" #13, this Penguin was a welcome relief.
The only negative here was the somewhat odd conversation between Nightwing and Shiva while they fought. I'm not really sure why Dick would gush over how talented Shiva was. It felt really odd, like he was sparring with Batgirl and not an assassin trying to kill him.
However, I'm still cautiously optimistic where this title is going. I feel like it's missing a spark and we still have weird conversations like the one that Dick had with Shiva. But, at least we're getting more reliably good stories under DeFalco. Hopefully, they continue.
First, he reveals that Sophia Branch's connection to Lady Shiva wasn't a collegial one. The Penguin brought in Shiva to assassinate a government official (last issue) and attempt to assassinate Branch all so that the S.E.C. would postpone a hearing that affected his business interests. Here, DeFalco adds a tick in the "good guy" column for the mysterious Branch, since she became a target for the Penguin due to her planned testimony at the S.E.C. hearing. DeFalco does his best work with the Penguin, though. Lately, the Penguin has veered from emotionally unstable to irrationally incompetent across the Bat-titles, but he's a tactical genius here. The Penguin tipped off Nightwing to Shiva's planned hit on Branch since, if Nightwing stopped her, he wouldn't have to pay Shiva's commission and, if Shiva killed Nightwing, well, he wouldn't have to deal with Nightwing. Moreover, he didn't really need Branch dead; he knew that the attempted assassination on Branch, combined with the actual assassination of the official, would be enough to secure a postponement of the hearing. After the erratic Penguin in "Detective Comics" #13, this Penguin was a welcome relief.
The only negative here was the somewhat odd conversation between Nightwing and Shiva while they fought. I'm not really sure why Dick would gush over how talented Shiva was. It felt really odd, like he was sparring with Batgirl and not an assassin trying to kill him.
However, I'm still cautiously optimistic where this title is going. I feel like it's missing a spark and we still have weird conversations like the one that Dick had with Shiva. But, at least we're getting more reliably good stories under DeFalco. Hopefully, they continue.
Justice League #14 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I feel like it's been forever since I've read an issue of "Justice League," so this issue was actually a good re-introduction. Johns moves the plot at a pretty brisk pace and accomplishes some real character work in the process.
We see Aquaman get the chance to lead that he's wanted and it's a successful outing, after he develops a plan that successfully traps Cheetah. Trying to make Wonder Woman feel less bad about trusting people after it's revealed that Barbara Minerva was a serial criminal, Superman reveals some of his past to Diana, making it clear that Johns plans on addressing one of the main weaknesses of this series, the fact that the characters all felt like strangers to one another. He's particularly found a good starting point for that process for Clark and Diana, focusing on the fact that they're both alien to the human world as a place to build common ground.
I only had two real quibbles with this story. First, it seemed weird that Barbara Minerva was allegedly some master criminal. Do master criminals really get jobs at the Smithsonian? I get that having that job would give her access to items that she might want to steal, but I have to question how she had the qualifications to get it in the first place. Second, I was disappointed with the revelation that Bruce is spying on Superman and Wonder Woman as they share a moment in Smallville. I'm not really sure where Johns is going with this approach. We know that Bruce isn't a bad guy, so I'm not sure how much mileage he's going to be able to get from the idea of him manipulating everyone behind the scenes like he's Scott Summers. I prefer Bruce more as a confident leader than a Machiavellian prick.
Beyond the character work, Johns also finally begins to move the series beyond just the isolated arcs that we've so far had by creating a looming threat, implying that the Legion of Doom is forming around the Justice League. Cheetah uses some sort of communication device to confirm to someone that she's in Belle Reve, implying that she manipulated events to be placed there. She then confirms that she's waiting for Black Manta, which seems to connect nicely to the upcoming "Throne of Atlantis" cross-over event. I actually hadn't noticed how isolated the arcs have been until this reveal. A lot of the other other authors of the "New 52" books almost immediately introduced a lurking threat that they have yet to spring on their characters. Johns hasn't and I'm realized that it may be why this book hasn't really clicked. In the DCU, almost every character had decades of history, which meant that they had all sorts of archenemies who might appear at any moment. It's this sort of unpredictability that creates the tension that you need to keep readers reading from month to month. "Justice League" has lacked that, but, with the possibility of the Legion of Doom appearing at any moment, I can say that I'm a lot more interested in this title than I've been.
The Shazam story continues to be interesting, though, I have to say, I think it's time for every comic-book author to agree to put the Occupy movement behind them. Seriously. I get that Johns uses it here to get us to question whether Black Adam really is a bad guy, since he's concerned with "freeing" the "slaves" from the "pharaoh." But, it still made me roll my eyes. I'm also not sure why the Sins would be Black Adam's enemies, since it's not like they're Shazam's allies. I guess we'll see. It's also probably time for something to happen, because seeing Billy and Freddy spending money really can only be entertaining for so long.
We see Aquaman get the chance to lead that he's wanted and it's a successful outing, after he develops a plan that successfully traps Cheetah. Trying to make Wonder Woman feel less bad about trusting people after it's revealed that Barbara Minerva was a serial criminal, Superman reveals some of his past to Diana, making it clear that Johns plans on addressing one of the main weaknesses of this series, the fact that the characters all felt like strangers to one another. He's particularly found a good starting point for that process for Clark and Diana, focusing on the fact that they're both alien to the human world as a place to build common ground.
I only had two real quibbles with this story. First, it seemed weird that Barbara Minerva was allegedly some master criminal. Do master criminals really get jobs at the Smithsonian? I get that having that job would give her access to items that she might want to steal, but I have to question how she had the qualifications to get it in the first place. Second, I was disappointed with the revelation that Bruce is spying on Superman and Wonder Woman as they share a moment in Smallville. I'm not really sure where Johns is going with this approach. We know that Bruce isn't a bad guy, so I'm not sure how much mileage he's going to be able to get from the idea of him manipulating everyone behind the scenes like he's Scott Summers. I prefer Bruce more as a confident leader than a Machiavellian prick.
Beyond the character work, Johns also finally begins to move the series beyond just the isolated arcs that we've so far had by creating a looming threat, implying that the Legion of Doom is forming around the Justice League. Cheetah uses some sort of communication device to confirm to someone that she's in Belle Reve, implying that she manipulated events to be placed there. She then confirms that she's waiting for Black Manta, which seems to connect nicely to the upcoming "Throne of Atlantis" cross-over event. I actually hadn't noticed how isolated the arcs have been until this reveal. A lot of the other other authors of the "New 52" books almost immediately introduced a lurking threat that they have yet to spring on their characters. Johns hasn't and I'm realized that it may be why this book hasn't really clicked. In the DCU, almost every character had decades of history, which meant that they had all sorts of archenemies who might appear at any moment. It's this sort of unpredictability that creates the tension that you need to keep readers reading from month to month. "Justice League" has lacked that, but, with the possibility of the Legion of Doom appearing at any moment, I can say that I'm a lot more interested in this title than I've been.
The Shazam story continues to be interesting, though, I have to say, I think it's time for every comic-book author to agree to put the Occupy movement behind them. Seriously. I get that Johns uses it here to get us to question whether Black Adam really is a bad guy, since he's concerned with "freeing" the "slaves" from the "pharaoh." But, it still made me roll my eyes. I'm also not sure why the Sins would be Black Adam's enemies, since it's not like they're Shazam's allies. I guess we'll see. It's also probably time for something to happen, because seeing Billy and Freddy spending money really can only be entertaining for so long.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Catwoman #14 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Man, these Catwoman issues just don't make a lick of sense. The whole point of Joker's chess-piece game last issue seems to have been to prove that Catwoman was a hero, not a villain. But, I'm not really sure why he needed to prove that? Was it to prod Selina to accept what I think his offer is, to break Batman's heart? By chastising her for coming too much like him, hoping that she'd be eager to prove that she was really a villain? If so, despite claiming throughout the issue that his little black-book tells him everything that he needs to know about Selina, Joker clearly doesn't know her at all. Of course, most of this issue has little to do with Joker trying to get Selina to join him in breaking up the Bat-family and instead feels like a bad "Saw" movie as he invents new ways to torture her. It's all a little too "women in refrigerators" for my taste. I'm just glad I don't have to read this title anymore.
X-Factor #247 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I'm not quite sure what to make of this issue. I mean, even for "X-Factor," having Jamie Madrox fight a resurrected Robert E. Lee to prevent him from killing Civil-War reenactors is a different type of story.
First, David does a great job fueling the story with a certain paranoia from the start, a paranoia born from the fact that Vanora murdered Madrox and Layla on their wedding night on the alternate world that we saw in issue #229. David really plays up that fear when Madrox panics after hearing Layla say, "Owww!" on the phone only to reveal that she tripped over a chair. But, it lurks throughout the issue, amping up the tension.
The rest of the issue deals with Madrox's fight with Lee, who blames mutants and their constant resurrections for weakening the boundary between life and death. Several comics have taken up this theme over the last few years; after all, it was pretty much the whole point of "Blackest Night." David is clearly going somewhere with it, though it's not particularly clear to me where at this stage. I'm not sure why mutants are responsible in Lee's mind, since any number of non-mutant heroes (Captain America, Iron Man, the Winter Soldier etc.) have returned from the alleged dead. David also doesn't clarify who sent back Lee. Moreover, it's pretty clear that Lee didn't return simply to get revenge on those people who would mock the dead, but we don't really have a sense of his motives beyond that. But, given the "To Be Continued," banner at the end of the issue and the teaser image for next issue, it seems that we'll have plenty chance for David to reveal everything.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how hilarious I thought it was that David gave us an insight into Madrox and Layla's sex life. Built-in threesome! Marvel really does let him do whatever he wants and I have to applaud them for that.
First, David does a great job fueling the story with a certain paranoia from the start, a paranoia born from the fact that Vanora murdered Madrox and Layla on their wedding night on the alternate world that we saw in issue #229. David really plays up that fear when Madrox panics after hearing Layla say, "Owww!" on the phone only to reveal that she tripped over a chair. But, it lurks throughout the issue, amping up the tension.
The rest of the issue deals with Madrox's fight with Lee, who blames mutants and their constant resurrections for weakening the boundary between life and death. Several comics have taken up this theme over the last few years; after all, it was pretty much the whole point of "Blackest Night." David is clearly going somewhere with it, though it's not particularly clear to me where at this stage. I'm not sure why mutants are responsible in Lee's mind, since any number of non-mutant heroes (Captain America, Iron Man, the Winter Soldier etc.) have returned from the alleged dead. David also doesn't clarify who sent back Lee. Moreover, it's pretty clear that Lee didn't return simply to get revenge on those people who would mock the dead, but we don't really have a sense of his motives beyond that. But, given the "To Be Continued," banner at the end of the issue and the teaser image for next issue, it seems that we'll have plenty chance for David to reveal everything.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how hilarious I thought it was that David gave us an insight into Madrox and Layla's sex life. Built-in threesome! Marvel really does let him do whatever he wants and I have to applaud them for that.
Wolverine and the X-Men #21 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I am not, as you know if you've been reading this blog for a while, a fan of the Kiddie Hellfire Club. Obviously, if you've been reading comics for a long time, you get used to not liking a certain villain or groups of villains. I can't say that I've ever particularly been fond of the Acolytes, who always seemed an amorphous group of crazies than a serious threat to the X-Men, whereas I always enjoyed appearances by the Marauders or the Reavers, who brought a terrifying sense of unpredictability to their appearances. The problem with the Kiddie Hellfire Club, though, is that Aaron refuses to let them go. I could handle not liking the Acolytes because they only appeared for a few issues every 30 or 40 issues. The Kiddie Hellfire Club, unfortunately, appears constantly, to the point where this title should really be named, "Wolverine and the Kiddie Hellfire Club."
The good news is that Aaron manages to use them to provide at least a decent story in this issue. First, although it's unclear what Kade wants with Idie exactly or why she has to join the Hellfire Club of her own accord, we're really only dealing with Kiddie Frankenstein in this issue and not the whole roster of annoyingly insane children. Second, I totally believe that Frankenstein's Monster is combing the world to eradicate every last descendant of Frankenstein. I mean, wouldn't you? The fact that Kiddie Frankenstein has taken up residence in Salem Center to stalk Idie creates a plausible reason for why Frankenstein's Monster and his circus suddenly appear in town. Aaron makes the circus intriguing in its own right, since it's purpose is to harvest souls for Frankenstein's Monster to sell to Hell in exchange for staying alive. Seriously. Of course, the X-Men make it easier for the Monster to do so, given that their powers lend themselves to circus feats that help bring in more "customers" than the circus usually pulls. I thought this part could've veered into cheesy, but Gillen kept it on this side of clever. Overall, it was a pretty tight story, even if it involved a character (Kiddie Frankenstein) that I'd really love never to see again.
The best part of this issue, though, is that it sets up a pretty good storyline for the kids in the next issue. For most of this series, they've pretty much just milled around the School. But, with the professors incapacitated, we might actually get to see them do something.
The good news is that Aaron manages to use them to provide at least a decent story in this issue. First, although it's unclear what Kade wants with Idie exactly or why she has to join the Hellfire Club of her own accord, we're really only dealing with Kiddie Frankenstein in this issue and not the whole roster of annoyingly insane children. Second, I totally believe that Frankenstein's Monster is combing the world to eradicate every last descendant of Frankenstein. I mean, wouldn't you? The fact that Kiddie Frankenstein has taken up residence in Salem Center to stalk Idie creates a plausible reason for why Frankenstein's Monster and his circus suddenly appear in town. Aaron makes the circus intriguing in its own right, since it's purpose is to harvest souls for Frankenstein's Monster to sell to Hell in exchange for staying alive. Seriously. Of course, the X-Men make it easier for the Monster to do so, given that their powers lend themselves to circus feats that help bring in more "customers" than the circus usually pulls. I thought this part could've veered into cheesy, but Gillen kept it on this side of clever. Overall, it was a pretty tight story, even if it involved a character (Kiddie Frankenstein) that I'd really love never to see again.
The best part of this issue, though, is that it sets up a pretty good storyline for the kids in the next issue. For most of this series, they've pretty much just milled around the School. But, with the professors incapacitated, we might actually get to see them do something.
Minimum Carnage: Omega #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
At the end of this story, I have to say, I'm not really sure the story that Bunn and Yost wanted to tell. We really got two stories, a Carnage story in issues #1 and #5 and a Microverse story in issues #2-#4. In retrospect, I'm not entirely sure why they needed to be told together.
As I worried, we never really get to the bottom of the dispute between Marquis Radu and the Redeemer. If this mini-series were a teenage comedy, the Microverse appears to have played the role of the obnoxious blond cheerleader dating the football-team captain; once he realizes that he's in love with the nerdy poor girl, she's quickly forgotten. It's unfortunate, because I was really interested in the intrigue that Bunn and Yost had carefully crafted between Radu and the Redeemer. If this mini-series was intended to serve as little more for an advertisement for a new "Micronauts" series, I would understand why we were left in a lurch. Since it isn't, it simply feels sloppy.
In the end, the fact that the Microverse is so easily forgotten makes you wonder why this mini-series wasn't just a two-issue cross-over event between "Scarlet Spider" and "Venom." Nothing about the resolution required the journey into the Microverse. We instead could've just gotten Venom following Carnage to Houston in issue #1 and then joining forces with Kaine to stop him in issue #2, which is essentially what happens in the first and last issue of this mini-series. But, even if it were just the second of a two-issue cross-over event, I think I'd still be disappointed in this issue. Are we supposed to believe that Kaine accidentally failed to kill Cletus or are we supposed to believe that he just intending to lobotomize him? It makes a big difference, honestly, and I don't understand why it was left so unclear?
In the end, I'm disappointed in this whole affair. I'm also pretty sure that I'm done with "Venom" and I'm pretty glad to see us return to the regularly scheduled programming in "Scarlet Spider." This cross-over event had potential, but, unfortunately, I just don't think it met it.
As I worried, we never really get to the bottom of the dispute between Marquis Radu and the Redeemer. If this mini-series were a teenage comedy, the Microverse appears to have played the role of the obnoxious blond cheerleader dating the football-team captain; once he realizes that he's in love with the nerdy poor girl, she's quickly forgotten. It's unfortunate, because I was really interested in the intrigue that Bunn and Yost had carefully crafted between Radu and the Redeemer. If this mini-series was intended to serve as little more for an advertisement for a new "Micronauts" series, I would understand why we were left in a lurch. Since it isn't, it simply feels sloppy.
In the end, the fact that the Microverse is so easily forgotten makes you wonder why this mini-series wasn't just a two-issue cross-over event between "Scarlet Spider" and "Venom." Nothing about the resolution required the journey into the Microverse. We instead could've just gotten Venom following Carnage to Houston in issue #1 and then joining forces with Kaine to stop him in issue #2, which is essentially what happens in the first and last issue of this mini-series. But, even if it were just the second of a two-issue cross-over event, I think I'd still be disappointed in this issue. Are we supposed to believe that Kaine accidentally failed to kill Cletus or are we supposed to believe that he just intending to lobotomize him? It makes a big difference, honestly, and I don't understand why it was left so unclear?
In the end, I'm disappointed in this whole affair. I'm also pretty sure that I'm done with "Venom" and I'm pretty glad to see us return to the regularly scheduled programming in "Scarlet Spider." This cross-over event had potential, but, unfortunately, I just don't think it met it.
Iron Man #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I was...bored. There, I said it. I was bored!
I'm new to "Iron Man," so maybe it's just growing pains. However, I found the technobabble to be an incredible drain on the story. Somewhere, under all the discussion of "G-Tolerance" and the "standard kinetic blast" just being a "redeployed thruster," you lose sight of the plot. It's unfortunate, because this story had potential. Arthur is enigmatic, but Gillen never really gives us a sense of his motives. Why does he want to create a modern Knights of the Round Table? For good or for evil? It's unclear and we're forced to dismiss him, as Tony does, as a self-aggrandizing megalomaniac. Meredith is also interesting, but Tony defeats her so easily that it's hard to believe that she's as brilliant as she thinks she is. Moreover, Gillen leaves unclear the connection that Arthur had to Maya Hansen's death. Tony seems fairly convinced of it, but I'm not sure why. Is he part of this consortium that possibly killed her to steal the Extremis virus?
I'm definitely going to give this series the full five-issue introductory arc before I make any decisions, but, if I had to guess, I'm not seeing me making it to issue #6.
I'm new to "Iron Man," so maybe it's just growing pains. However, I found the technobabble to be an incredible drain on the story. Somewhere, under all the discussion of "G-Tolerance" and the "standard kinetic blast" just being a "redeployed thruster," you lose sight of the plot. It's unfortunate, because this story had potential. Arthur is enigmatic, but Gillen never really gives us a sense of his motives. Why does he want to create a modern Knights of the Round Table? For good or for evil? It's unclear and we're forced to dismiss him, as Tony does, as a self-aggrandizing megalomaniac. Meredith is also interesting, but Tony defeats her so easily that it's hard to believe that she's as brilliant as she thinks she is. Moreover, Gillen leaves unclear the connection that Arthur had to Maya Hansen's death. Tony seems fairly convinced of it, but I'm not sure why. Is he part of this consortium that possibly killed her to steal the Extremis virus?
I'm definitely going to give this series the full five-issue introductory arc before I make any decisions, but, if I had to guess, I'm not seeing me making it to issue #6.
Captain Marvel #7 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
OK, clearly, at some point, DeConnick was going to have to have Carol have a chat with Monica Rambeau, the other (other) Captain Marvel. She makes a good call having that conversation occur earlier in the run, serving as part of Carol's official whistle-stop coming-out tour. DeConnick brings something to dialogue that I still can't quite name, structuring conversations in a way that doesn't make them really read like typical comic-book conversations. She tends to avoid the more emotional extremes -- threats or gushing-- and Carol and Monica's conversation is a great example of that. It proves to be tense yet still professional. They don't feel like friends exactly, but more like colleagues who respect one another. After all, Monica essentially calls Carol on the carpet for her lack of professional courtesy in not calling her before announcing that she was taking on the moniker. Other authors might've turned it into a cat fight, but DeConnick avoids that trap by injecting the conversation with humor and wit, from Carol teasing Monica when she discovered that she had a Google Alert attached to her former codename to their conversation about their previous multitude of codenames. Again, no one hugs, but no one hits either. It's like comics for grown-ups, by grown-ups, about grown-ups. Actually, maybe it's exactly the approach that provides that unidentified "something" that I mentioned that I feel DeConnick brings to conversations.
Of course, these conversations all help fuel the plot. Monica has asked Carol to help investigate a series of ships that disappeared off New Orleans, fearing to go into the water not only because of the unpredictable effects that the water has on her powers but also the PTSD she suffers from her fight with Leviathan in "Avengers" #293. DeConnick's appreciation for the past goes beyond just Monica's troubles, bringing in Frank Gianelli, a former colleague from Carol's days at "Woman" magazine, to serve as this arc's dude in distress. Gianelli agrees to photograph the ships if Carol agrees to check out the levees that he feels are unsound. The exploration, of course, goes poorly, but we get to see Carol and Monica strut their stuff, with Monica creating small light globes to light Carol's way as she tries to save Frank from a sudden whirlpool. (The "Captain Whiz Bang" and "Captain Lite Brite" jokes were, I have to say, pretty damn funny. It feels a little forced, but, still, I'd rather forced comedy that works than forced comedy that doesn't.)
My only criticism of this issue is the fact that Frank seems a weird agent for arguing about the levees. He appears to be an investigative photographer, if such a thing exists, so I'm not exactly sure what he wants to happen. How is he going to get photos of unsound levees? It's not like they show wear on the outside. To be honest, even if he had been an investigative reporter, I'm still not sure it would've worked. He just happens upon the two Captain Marvels and demands that they check out levees immediately, as if they're going to burst any second? Conversely, it seems weird that Monica blows off his concerns so easily, even if she's right that she's not in the business of fixing levees. As Frank himself says, it seemed a little short-sighted on her part to focus only on her family business, since, if the levees break, her family won't even have a home.
But, in the end, I still find myself more willing to look past this sort of problem than I am in other series. Something about DeConnick's style appeals to me, even if it occasionally presents a plot that's a little difficult to follow or a character that seems a little unbelievable. I'm honestly excited about seeing Carol go toe-to-toe with the giant robot, so I'm going to consider this issue a win.
Of course, these conversations all help fuel the plot. Monica has asked Carol to help investigate a series of ships that disappeared off New Orleans, fearing to go into the water not only because of the unpredictable effects that the water has on her powers but also the PTSD she suffers from her fight with Leviathan in "Avengers" #293. DeConnick's appreciation for the past goes beyond just Monica's troubles, bringing in Frank Gianelli, a former colleague from Carol's days at "Woman" magazine, to serve as this arc's dude in distress. Gianelli agrees to photograph the ships if Carol agrees to check out the levees that he feels are unsound. The exploration, of course, goes poorly, but we get to see Carol and Monica strut their stuff, with Monica creating small light globes to light Carol's way as she tries to save Frank from a sudden whirlpool. (The "Captain Whiz Bang" and "Captain Lite Brite" jokes were, I have to say, pretty damn funny. It feels a little forced, but, still, I'd rather forced comedy that works than forced comedy that doesn't.)
My only criticism of this issue is the fact that Frank seems a weird agent for arguing about the levees. He appears to be an investigative photographer, if such a thing exists, so I'm not exactly sure what he wants to happen. How is he going to get photos of unsound levees? It's not like they show wear on the outside. To be honest, even if he had been an investigative reporter, I'm still not sure it would've worked. He just happens upon the two Captain Marvels and demands that they check out levees immediately, as if they're going to burst any second? Conversely, it seems weird that Monica blows off his concerns so easily, even if she's right that she's not in the business of fixing levees. As Frank himself says, it seemed a little short-sighted on her part to focus only on her family business, since, if the levees break, her family won't even have a home.
But, in the end, I still find myself more willing to look past this sort of problem than I am in other series. Something about DeConnick's style appeals to me, even if it occasionally presents a plot that's a little difficult to follow or a character that seems a little unbelievable. I'm honestly excited about seeing Carol go toe-to-toe with the giant robot, so I'm going to consider this issue a win.
Amazing Spider-Man #698: "Dying Wish Prelude: Day in the Life" (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
** (two of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "Getting close is not a good idea, sir!" "Quiet!" "This here? It's the part of the movie where that guy pops up and eats your face." -- Guard #1 to Guard #2 as he's leaning into Doc Ock, showing that Guard #1 would probably last the longest in a horror movie
Summary
At the Raft, armed guards respond to an alert in Cell Block 6. They confirm that Spider-Slayer, Morbius, and Lizard are all secured, leading them to Doc Ock's cell. Doctors in his cell confirmed that they set off the alarms since, despite assuming that he only has a few hours left of life and after weeks of no activity, Doc Ock suddenly started saying something. One guard wonders how dangerous Doc Ock could be from his deathbed, but another notes that they're talking about the guy who took over New York City's machines with his mind and almost fried the entire planet. He leans over Otto to hear what he's saying and Otto manages to mumble, "Peter Parker." Elsewhere, the golden octobot repeats these words as Spider-Man swings through the city. Rhapsodizing about how great it is to be enjoying the moment after the difficult events of the last few weeks, he's interrupted by a cry for a help. "Destructor" has robbed a Korean grocery-store and Spidey makes quick work of him. A cop later explains that he's a "bluffer," a crook with no powers who pretends to be a super-villain to avoid the harsher sentences that come with holding up stores with toy guns. She asks Spidey to file some paperwork at the station, but he refuses, declaring that he can't because he has a life. Entering his apartment, he contemplates how well his life is going, noting his "high-end apartment" and "boyish good looks." He then checks his messages, and, upon hearing a message from MJ, wonders why they aren't together, a situation that he intends to rectify immediately. He also gets a message from Jay reminding him to visit Aunt May in the hospital and one from Max Modell reminding him of his evaluation. He meets with Max and pledges that his previous inventions were mere "trifles.' He then works in his lab, marveling at the simplicity of his design for his Web-Fluid, particularly since he invented it as a sophomore in high school. Lamenting that it was his last real invention until he came to Horizon Labs, he pledged not to lose a single moment to "stagnation" and live to his full potential as a man of science and as a man.
Making good on his pledge, Pete meets MJ at her club and tells her that they're supposed to be together. MJ expresses shock when he suggests they go somewhere just the two of them, telling him that she promised to go to see Aunt May at the hospital. Peter agrees to accompany her, winking at two women while MJ gets her coat. At the hospital, May works on using her cane and Jay expresses appreciation to MJ and Peter for being there for her first steps since the accident. Pete again tries to talk to MJ, but she demurs, reminding him that they're there for his aunt. Then, his Avengers I.D. card rings, telling him that he's needed at the Raft. He tells Jay that he has to go to a work emergency and Jay expresses frustration, saying that his family needs him there. Pete is set to argue with Jay, but MJ steps into the fight, covering for him. Spider-Man heads to the Raft, marveling at the fact that he's an Avenger. He's greeted by Cap, Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, and Wolverine and Cap informs him that Doctor Octopus is asking for Peter Parker. The Avengers escort him to Otto's cell, but Spidey asks to keep the discussion private and requests that they turn off the cameras. Otto asserts that he's Peter and Peter, revealing that he's actually Otto controlling Peter's body, tells him that he's now Spider-man. He has all Peter's memories and "everything that comes with it." Otto/Peter tells Peter/Otto that he's now trapped in his body, broken after years of his brutal beatings. He pledges not to reveal the secret of how he engineered the switch and Peter/Otto enters into cardiac arrest. The Raft staff try to revive him as Spidey leaves with the Avengers.
The Review
First things first: I knew that Doc Ock became Spider-Man going into this issue. Since this issue was released the second week in November and I'm reading it in the third week of January, it was hard to avoid spoilers for that long. As a result, it's difficult for me to review this issue, since so much of it depends on the reader being dropped in media res and wondering why Peter suddenly became such an overconfident prick. However, even if you didn't know that going into the issue, you know it by the end of it, meaning that any review has to take that reveal into account. Essentially, the spoiler just saved me from having to re-read the issue.
Unfortunately, either way, I'm not a fan of this issue. I'm going to try to save my comments on Otto-becoming-Peter until the end of the arc, but, putting aside my feelings on that change, I feel that Slott makes some fairly sloppy mistakes in this issues. These missteps make it difficult to buy the transfer. He still has three issues to sell me on it, so fingers crossed, because he didn't do it here.
The Bad
1) Pete's narration makes a lot more sense when you know that it's Otto exulting in being Peter. For the first part of the book, it just seems like a fairly simplistic narration, almost like one you'd hear the hero give in an animated series. It's a little more arrogant than Peter normally is ("these boyish good looks"), but it more or less reads as if Slott is writing a Point One issue, meant to introduce new readers to Peter Parker. Although it becomes clear that something is amiss when he meets with MJ (more on that below), Slott clearly wants us to think that Otto is actually Peter in the first part of the issue. The problem is that, looking at it with the knowledge that it was Otto, it's difficult to believe that Otto would be thinking and sounding so much like Peter so quickly. I think it's most notable in his banter with Destructor, because I'm really not sure that Otto would be that clever. Otto is given to pretty cheesy denunciations of his various enemies, so it seems incongruous with his personality that he'd so easily make fun of Destructor for his ridiculous threats ("My God. Who talks like that?"). Even if we're supposed to believe that it's Otto trying to sound like Peter, I somewhat doubt that he'd be able to pull off that mimicry so well. As such, it feels forced. It definitely doesn't have the impact of the "Sixth Sense" reveal that Slott clearly wanted us to feel.
2) Continuing off the above entry, it's Peter's comments about MJ and his aggressive pursuit of her that lets you know that we're off the map. I am really, really nervous of where Slott is going with this plot. After "Amazing Spider-Man" #603, where the Chameleon rapes Peter's roommate (though Marvel later claimed they only kissed), I think we need to establish a bright, clear line that Otto can never, ever be successful with MJ, because we immediately pass into rape. Period. I'm disturbed that I have to even write that sentence. My only hope is that Peter's new aggressiveness signals to MJ that something is wrong. Slott swears that the change between PETER and Otto is permanent, an issue I'll discuss in greater details in later reviews. But, for now, right at the start, I want to make it clear how uncomfortable I am with this approach, if it is indeed true.
3) "I might finally get some grandchildren after all." Sigh. I've never been thrilled with Slott's portrayal of Aunt May but this comment takes the cake. She never pushed MJ and Peter to get married when they were...well, married. Right. I forgot that part. Maybe she was constantly pushing them to get married when they were, um, unmarried, though we just don't know that, since we never saw that part, since, you know, they were married. God, can authors just stop fucking with Peter's life?
The Good
I usually put the Good first, but the Good here depends on the Bad above. Despite the ease with which Otto banters with Destructor, Slott does show some growing pains on Otto's part. Otto blows off the cop's request to fill out some paperwork and doesn't seems to get her hint that he doesn't have to hit everyone like he would the Hulk. He also seems ready to pick a fight with Jay at the hospital, something that he'll probably have to learn he shouldn't do if he doesn't want people wondering why Peter is acting so strangely. Both events center around his annoyance that people take him for granted, given the public service he performs as Spider-Man. Moreover, he marvels at Pete's design for Web-Fluid and commits to using his genius to be even more productive as a scientist. I know that Slott's whole point is that Otto is going to realize the legacy that now weighs on his shoulders as Spider-Man (and Peter Parker) and Slott does a good job laying that foundation in this issue. (It's why he gets two stars instead of one.)
The Really Bad
Slott is going to have to tell us how Otto did it. He is. I mean, yes, it's a tweak on the "super-villain revealing his master plan to the hero in time for the hero to stop it" shtick, so I get that part. But, even if he doesn't tell Peter, Slott is going to have to reveal to the reader how Otto manages to switch their minds, otherwise this whole enterprise is DOA.
The Unknown
1) It seems pretty clear that the golden octobot was somehow involved in exchanging Peter's mind for Otto's. After all, Julia Carpenter referred to everything ending in a flash of gold back in issue #696. However, given Otto's pledge not to reveal his secrets, I'm not sure we'll learn what role exactly the golden octobot played.
2) We also, of course, don't know how Otto discovered Peter's identity. Did the golden octobot simply follow Spidey to his apartment? If so, why didn't his Spider-Sense warn him? Unlike most superheroes, Spidey has always had a reasonable explanation (again, the Spider-Sense) why no one could successfully do just that, follow him home and discover his identity? How could the octobot do so? It's another question that I think Slott needs to answer if I'm going to be on board with this enterprise.
Favorite Quote: "Getting close is not a good idea, sir!" "Quiet!" "This here? It's the part of the movie where that guy pops up and eats your face." -- Guard #1 to Guard #2 as he's leaning into Doc Ock, showing that Guard #1 would probably last the longest in a horror movie
Summary
At the Raft, armed guards respond to an alert in Cell Block 6. They confirm that Spider-Slayer, Morbius, and Lizard are all secured, leading them to Doc Ock's cell. Doctors in his cell confirmed that they set off the alarms since, despite assuming that he only has a few hours left of life and after weeks of no activity, Doc Ock suddenly started saying something. One guard wonders how dangerous Doc Ock could be from his deathbed, but another notes that they're talking about the guy who took over New York City's machines with his mind and almost fried the entire planet. He leans over Otto to hear what he's saying and Otto manages to mumble, "Peter Parker." Elsewhere, the golden octobot repeats these words as Spider-Man swings through the city. Rhapsodizing about how great it is to be enjoying the moment after the difficult events of the last few weeks, he's interrupted by a cry for a help. "Destructor" has robbed a Korean grocery-store and Spidey makes quick work of him. A cop later explains that he's a "bluffer," a crook with no powers who pretends to be a super-villain to avoid the harsher sentences that come with holding up stores with toy guns. She asks Spidey to file some paperwork at the station, but he refuses, declaring that he can't because he has a life. Entering his apartment, he contemplates how well his life is going, noting his "high-end apartment" and "boyish good looks." He then checks his messages, and, upon hearing a message from MJ, wonders why they aren't together, a situation that he intends to rectify immediately. He also gets a message from Jay reminding him to visit Aunt May in the hospital and one from Max Modell reminding him of his evaluation. He meets with Max and pledges that his previous inventions were mere "trifles.' He then works in his lab, marveling at the simplicity of his design for his Web-Fluid, particularly since he invented it as a sophomore in high school. Lamenting that it was his last real invention until he came to Horizon Labs, he pledged not to lose a single moment to "stagnation" and live to his full potential as a man of science and as a man.
Making good on his pledge, Pete meets MJ at her club and tells her that they're supposed to be together. MJ expresses shock when he suggests they go somewhere just the two of them, telling him that she promised to go to see Aunt May at the hospital. Peter agrees to accompany her, winking at two women while MJ gets her coat. At the hospital, May works on using her cane and Jay expresses appreciation to MJ and Peter for being there for her first steps since the accident. Pete again tries to talk to MJ, but she demurs, reminding him that they're there for his aunt. Then, his Avengers I.D. card rings, telling him that he's needed at the Raft. He tells Jay that he has to go to a work emergency and Jay expresses frustration, saying that his family needs him there. Pete is set to argue with Jay, but MJ steps into the fight, covering for him. Spider-Man heads to the Raft, marveling at the fact that he's an Avenger. He's greeted by Cap, Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, and Wolverine and Cap informs him that Doctor Octopus is asking for Peter Parker. The Avengers escort him to Otto's cell, but Spidey asks to keep the discussion private and requests that they turn off the cameras. Otto asserts that he's Peter and Peter, revealing that he's actually Otto controlling Peter's body, tells him that he's now Spider-man. He has all Peter's memories and "everything that comes with it." Otto/Peter tells Peter/Otto that he's now trapped in his body, broken after years of his brutal beatings. He pledges not to reveal the secret of how he engineered the switch and Peter/Otto enters into cardiac arrest. The Raft staff try to revive him as Spidey leaves with the Avengers.
The Review
First things first: I knew that Doc Ock became Spider-Man going into this issue. Since this issue was released the second week in November and I'm reading it in the third week of January, it was hard to avoid spoilers for that long. As a result, it's difficult for me to review this issue, since so much of it depends on the reader being dropped in media res and wondering why Peter suddenly became such an overconfident prick. However, even if you didn't know that going into the issue, you know it by the end of it, meaning that any review has to take that reveal into account. Essentially, the spoiler just saved me from having to re-read the issue.
Unfortunately, either way, I'm not a fan of this issue. I'm going to try to save my comments on Otto-becoming-Peter until the end of the arc, but, putting aside my feelings on that change, I feel that Slott makes some fairly sloppy mistakes in this issues. These missteps make it difficult to buy the transfer. He still has three issues to sell me on it, so fingers crossed, because he didn't do it here.
The Bad
1) Pete's narration makes a lot more sense when you know that it's Otto exulting in being Peter. For the first part of the book, it just seems like a fairly simplistic narration, almost like one you'd hear the hero give in an animated series. It's a little more arrogant than Peter normally is ("these boyish good looks"), but it more or less reads as if Slott is writing a Point One issue, meant to introduce new readers to Peter Parker. Although it becomes clear that something is amiss when he meets with MJ (more on that below), Slott clearly wants us to think that Otto is actually Peter in the first part of the issue. The problem is that, looking at it with the knowledge that it was Otto, it's difficult to believe that Otto would be thinking and sounding so much like Peter so quickly. I think it's most notable in his banter with Destructor, because I'm really not sure that Otto would be that clever. Otto is given to pretty cheesy denunciations of his various enemies, so it seems incongruous with his personality that he'd so easily make fun of Destructor for his ridiculous threats ("My God. Who talks like that?"). Even if we're supposed to believe that it's Otto trying to sound like Peter, I somewhat doubt that he'd be able to pull off that mimicry so well. As such, it feels forced. It definitely doesn't have the impact of the "Sixth Sense" reveal that Slott clearly wanted us to feel.
2) Continuing off the above entry, it's Peter's comments about MJ and his aggressive pursuit of her that lets you know that we're off the map. I am really, really nervous of where Slott is going with this plot. After "Amazing Spider-Man" #603, where the Chameleon rapes Peter's roommate (though Marvel later claimed they only kissed), I think we need to establish a bright, clear line that Otto can never, ever be successful with MJ, because we immediately pass into rape. Period. I'm disturbed that I have to even write that sentence. My only hope is that Peter's new aggressiveness signals to MJ that something is wrong. Slott swears that the change between PETER and Otto is permanent, an issue I'll discuss in greater details in later reviews. But, for now, right at the start, I want to make it clear how uncomfortable I am with this approach, if it is indeed true.
3) "I might finally get some grandchildren after all." Sigh. I've never been thrilled with Slott's portrayal of Aunt May but this comment takes the cake. She never pushed MJ and Peter to get married when they were...well, married. Right. I forgot that part. Maybe she was constantly pushing them to get married when they were, um, unmarried, though we just don't know that, since we never saw that part, since, you know, they were married. God, can authors just stop fucking with Peter's life?
The Good
I usually put the Good first, but the Good here depends on the Bad above. Despite the ease with which Otto banters with Destructor, Slott does show some growing pains on Otto's part. Otto blows off the cop's request to fill out some paperwork and doesn't seems to get her hint that he doesn't have to hit everyone like he would the Hulk. He also seems ready to pick a fight with Jay at the hospital, something that he'll probably have to learn he shouldn't do if he doesn't want people wondering why Peter is acting so strangely. Both events center around his annoyance that people take him for granted, given the public service he performs as Spider-Man. Moreover, he marvels at Pete's design for Web-Fluid and commits to using his genius to be even more productive as a scientist. I know that Slott's whole point is that Otto is going to realize the legacy that now weighs on his shoulders as Spider-Man (and Peter Parker) and Slott does a good job laying that foundation in this issue. (It's why he gets two stars instead of one.)
The Really Bad
Slott is going to have to tell us how Otto did it. He is. I mean, yes, it's a tweak on the "super-villain revealing his master plan to the hero in time for the hero to stop it" shtick, so I get that part. But, even if he doesn't tell Peter, Slott is going to have to reveal to the reader how Otto manages to switch their minds, otherwise this whole enterprise is DOA.
The Unknown
1) It seems pretty clear that the golden octobot was somehow involved in exchanging Peter's mind for Otto's. After all, Julia Carpenter referred to everything ending in a flash of gold back in issue #696. However, given Otto's pledge not to reveal his secrets, I'm not sure we'll learn what role exactly the golden octobot played.
2) We also, of course, don't know how Otto discovered Peter's identity. Did the golden octobot simply follow Spidey to his apartment? If so, why didn't his Spider-Sense warn him? Unlike most superheroes, Spidey has always had a reasonable explanation (again, the Spider-Sense) why no one could successfully do just that, follow him home and discover his identity? How could the octobot do so? It's another question that I think Slott needs to answer if I'm going to be on board with this enterprise.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Spider-Man 2099 #22: "Did You Just Say...?"
*** (three of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "Dana, Gabriel is getting dusty. Where does he keep his damp cloths?" -- Conchata, as she and Dana wait for the boys to exit cyberspace
Summary
In cyberspace, Gabriel reveals that he's known Miguel's identity from the very beginning, recognizing the Day of the Dead costume as Miguel passed him in the hallway while fleeing Venture (in issue #3). Miguel realizes that he's been caught and asks Gabe if he's going to tell. Gabe says that he won't, because it's more fun if only he knows. Miguel tells him that nothing has been fun about being Spider-Man, given that Alchemax and Stark-Fujikawa are trying to get him and "various others have tried to kill me, cannibalize me, fry me." When Miguel asks what sounds fun about that, Gabe responds, "Because it's happening to you, not me." Meanwhile, in Downtown, Kasey and Raff have stolen some sort of vehicle, but they are stopped by someone wearing a S.I.E.G.E. outfit. Kasey asks if it's another kidnapping, but the S.I.E.G.E. figure tells her that it's an invitation and introduces her to its employers, who tell her that they believe their "interests overlap." In cyberspace, a figure riding a horse, named Duke Stratosphere, rides by Gabe's car and thanks him for saving cyberspace. Gabe and Miguel exit, much to Conchata and Dana's relief. Conchata demands that Gabe give up "computer stuff," but Miguel (surprisingly) defends him, saying that he was in a different place the last time that he got hooked and he can now handle dabbling. Gabe agrees, saying that they both know that "letting an alter ego absorb your life is a bad thing." Miguel then grabs Gabe's ear and leads him into the hallway, telling him to cut out the inside jokes or he'll tell Conchata and Dana the truth. Gabe agrees and Miguel asks him to help fix Lyla in exchange for saving him in cyberspace.
At Alchemax, the techs inform Tyler Stone that they should be able to fix everything within the next few hours. Stone watches people cheering for Spider-Man on a video screen, noting that he's more popular than ever. Talking to no one in particular, he declares that the Aesir project was a failure and that it's time to move to Plan B. Elsewhere, two gang members are flying through a crowd, firing weapons, feeling free to do so given that the Public Eye hasn't fully recovered since Discord took down cyberspace. "Waldo" fires at a bystander, but Spider-Man arrives just in time to save him. The two express shock that he's there and try to escape, but Spidey webs the back of their flybikes, causing them to crash. Later, at Miguel's apartment, Gabe arrives and notes the mess made by the security drones, whose parts litter the apartment. Miguel says that he has to clean up everything by himself, given the web residue, the fact that the Babylon Towers' owners might want to know how he managed to defeat the drones, and the fact that the drones' on-board recording systems probably have footage of him destroying them with claws and talons. Gabe asks when Miguel's going to tell him his origin story, but Miguel demurs, putting a droid in a "particle compactor/recycler." He confirms that he dropped off Dana at home and then changed into Spidey to make it across town quicker, given that the Public Eye still isn't fully operational. Gabe questions whether he did it for convenience or because he enjoys it. Miguel tells him to save it and then pushes him to fix Lyla. Gabe suggests that scrapping her might be best, but Miguel insists on saving her. Gabe asks why, and Miguel has a flashback to the day that he bought the apartment. After the agent left, Xina started taking off her clothes, something apparently happening as part of a bet between the two of them. She reveals a tattoo of Marilyn Monroe on her stomach, clearly the inspiration for Lyla.
At Stark-Fujikawa's headquarters, Hikaru-sama orders a complaining Kasey to be quiet. He then tells her that Stark-Fujikawa believes that she has a connection to Spider-Man and would like her to help find him. Kasey asks what happens if she doesn't and Hiraku tells her that they can use her dead or alive. At Miguel's apartment, Gabe says that he can't revive Lyla. Miguel pushes him, reminding him that he saved all of cyberspace. He tells Gabe that whatever Discord did had turned Lyla into a thinking individual, providing an extraordinary research opportunity. He also admits that he misses her. Gabe says that he needs an expert in artificial intelligence and suggests that he goes to Xina, who Miguel apparently dumped to date Dana.
In the back-up story, a young Xina arrives and performs CPR on a young Miguel, who was drowned last issue when someone held his head underwater. Miguel then lies when Angela appears and demands to know what happened, saying that he suffered a "cramp" in his lung. Later, he goes to Xina's room to thank her again, but Xina wants to know who held Miguel underwater, rightfully guessing that the cramp was a lie. She hypothesizes that it was Kron; Miguel admits someone did hold his head under water, but he can't be sure that it was Kron. Xina wants them to go tell Angela to get Kron tossed from school, but Miguel refuses, saying that the school wouldn't expel Kron based just on suspicion and Kron would be even angrier. She accuses him of being scared, something that he admits that he is.
The Review
After last issue's bizarre interlude, we return to the main event, Gabe revealing that he knows Miguel's identity. But, David doesn't just stop there, throwing all sorts of intrigue our way. Miguel's history with Xina, Stark-Fujikawa's offer to Kasey, Tyler's mention of Plan B: the next few issues look like they're going to be rough ones for our man!
The Good
1) As more or less expected, Gabe has known since issue #3 that Miguel is Spider-Man. I have to give credit to David for managing to drag out the reveal in a way that felt natural and somehow still suspenseful. After all, as I mentioned a few reviews ago, Miguel has been pretty busy over the last two months since he got his powers, so it's not like they've really had time for a heart-to-heart. Moreover, I loved how David really used their conversations about it to tease out the relationship between them. Gabe absolutely felt like a little brother here, exulting over finally having something over his big brother. I wonder where David is going to go from here, since this revelation certainly has the potential to make them closer and push them apart. At any rate, it was a joy to read such great character work and learn more about both characters as a result of seeing them interact in a new way.
2) I like how David's exploring Miguel's psychology through Gabe's perspective. Gabe raises concerns here that Miguel's losing himself in his Spider-Man persona, even suggesting that he's "addicted" to the thrill from it despite his protestations to the contrary. I don't recall ever an author ever really discussing a character being addicted to the thrill of being a hero, since we're often just left to assume that they're doing it for purely noble purposes. David once again innovates and amazes.
3) On a side note, a common thread running through Spidey's efforts, so far, in fighting crime has been that he generally doesn't leave the perpetrators for the police. In the present, our Spider-Man usually webs up the criminals for the police to process. However, Miguel doesn't, generally imposing his own penalties on the criminals. Last issue, he made the girls try to make it home on their own without their armor or "black cards" and this issue he leaves the gang members wounded in the wreckage of their flybikes. He's essentially judge, jury, and executioner, a reality that reminds us just how weak the rule of law is in the 2099 world.
The Unknown
1) Plan B certainly isn't going to be good for Miguel.
2) I'm definitely intrigued by the fact that nothing apparently happened between Miguel and Xina (since he had never seen her tattoo) before he bought his apartment and that he would eventually date her, but then leave her for Dana. David certainly knows how to spin a romantic web.
3) I enjoy the morally compromising situation in which David puts Kasey. Will she sell out Spidey, her hero, or won't she? Tune in next week!
Favorite Quote: "Dana, Gabriel is getting dusty. Where does he keep his damp cloths?" -- Conchata, as she and Dana wait for the boys to exit cyberspace
Summary
In cyberspace, Gabriel reveals that he's known Miguel's identity from the very beginning, recognizing the Day of the Dead costume as Miguel passed him in the hallway while fleeing Venture (in issue #3). Miguel realizes that he's been caught and asks Gabe if he's going to tell. Gabe says that he won't, because it's more fun if only he knows. Miguel tells him that nothing has been fun about being Spider-Man, given that Alchemax and Stark-Fujikawa are trying to get him and "various others have tried to kill me, cannibalize me, fry me." When Miguel asks what sounds fun about that, Gabe responds, "Because it's happening to you, not me." Meanwhile, in Downtown, Kasey and Raff have stolen some sort of vehicle, but they are stopped by someone wearing a S.I.E.G.E. outfit. Kasey asks if it's another kidnapping, but the S.I.E.G.E. figure tells her that it's an invitation and introduces her to its employers, who tell her that they believe their "interests overlap." In cyberspace, a figure riding a horse, named Duke Stratosphere, rides by Gabe's car and thanks him for saving cyberspace. Gabe and Miguel exit, much to Conchata and Dana's relief. Conchata demands that Gabe give up "computer stuff," but Miguel (surprisingly) defends him, saying that he was in a different place the last time that he got hooked and he can now handle dabbling. Gabe agrees, saying that they both know that "letting an alter ego absorb your life is a bad thing." Miguel then grabs Gabe's ear and leads him into the hallway, telling him to cut out the inside jokes or he'll tell Conchata and Dana the truth. Gabe agrees and Miguel asks him to help fix Lyla in exchange for saving him in cyberspace.
At Alchemax, the techs inform Tyler Stone that they should be able to fix everything within the next few hours. Stone watches people cheering for Spider-Man on a video screen, noting that he's more popular than ever. Talking to no one in particular, he declares that the Aesir project was a failure and that it's time to move to Plan B. Elsewhere, two gang members are flying through a crowd, firing weapons, feeling free to do so given that the Public Eye hasn't fully recovered since Discord took down cyberspace. "Waldo" fires at a bystander, but Spider-Man arrives just in time to save him. The two express shock that he's there and try to escape, but Spidey webs the back of their flybikes, causing them to crash. Later, at Miguel's apartment, Gabe arrives and notes the mess made by the security drones, whose parts litter the apartment. Miguel says that he has to clean up everything by himself, given the web residue, the fact that the Babylon Towers' owners might want to know how he managed to defeat the drones, and the fact that the drones' on-board recording systems probably have footage of him destroying them with claws and talons. Gabe asks when Miguel's going to tell him his origin story, but Miguel demurs, putting a droid in a "particle compactor/recycler." He confirms that he dropped off Dana at home and then changed into Spidey to make it across town quicker, given that the Public Eye still isn't fully operational. Gabe questions whether he did it for convenience or because he enjoys it. Miguel tells him to save it and then pushes him to fix Lyla. Gabe suggests that scrapping her might be best, but Miguel insists on saving her. Gabe asks why, and Miguel has a flashback to the day that he bought the apartment. After the agent left, Xina started taking off her clothes, something apparently happening as part of a bet between the two of them. She reveals a tattoo of Marilyn Monroe on her stomach, clearly the inspiration for Lyla.
At Stark-Fujikawa's headquarters, Hikaru-sama orders a complaining Kasey to be quiet. He then tells her that Stark-Fujikawa believes that she has a connection to Spider-Man and would like her to help find him. Kasey asks what happens if she doesn't and Hiraku tells her that they can use her dead or alive. At Miguel's apartment, Gabe says that he can't revive Lyla. Miguel pushes him, reminding him that he saved all of cyberspace. He tells Gabe that whatever Discord did had turned Lyla into a thinking individual, providing an extraordinary research opportunity. He also admits that he misses her. Gabe says that he needs an expert in artificial intelligence and suggests that he goes to Xina, who Miguel apparently dumped to date Dana.
In the back-up story, a young Xina arrives and performs CPR on a young Miguel, who was drowned last issue when someone held his head underwater. Miguel then lies when Angela appears and demands to know what happened, saying that he suffered a "cramp" in his lung. Later, he goes to Xina's room to thank her again, but Xina wants to know who held Miguel underwater, rightfully guessing that the cramp was a lie. She hypothesizes that it was Kron; Miguel admits someone did hold his head under water, but he can't be sure that it was Kron. Xina wants them to go tell Angela to get Kron tossed from school, but Miguel refuses, saying that the school wouldn't expel Kron based just on suspicion and Kron would be even angrier. She accuses him of being scared, something that he admits that he is.
The Review
After last issue's bizarre interlude, we return to the main event, Gabe revealing that he knows Miguel's identity. But, David doesn't just stop there, throwing all sorts of intrigue our way. Miguel's history with Xina, Stark-Fujikawa's offer to Kasey, Tyler's mention of Plan B: the next few issues look like they're going to be rough ones for our man!
The Good
1) As more or less expected, Gabe has known since issue #3 that Miguel is Spider-Man. I have to give credit to David for managing to drag out the reveal in a way that felt natural and somehow still suspenseful. After all, as I mentioned a few reviews ago, Miguel has been pretty busy over the last two months since he got his powers, so it's not like they've really had time for a heart-to-heart. Moreover, I loved how David really used their conversations about it to tease out the relationship between them. Gabe absolutely felt like a little brother here, exulting over finally having something over his big brother. I wonder where David is going to go from here, since this revelation certainly has the potential to make them closer and push them apart. At any rate, it was a joy to read such great character work and learn more about both characters as a result of seeing them interact in a new way.
2) I like how David's exploring Miguel's psychology through Gabe's perspective. Gabe raises concerns here that Miguel's losing himself in his Spider-Man persona, even suggesting that he's "addicted" to the thrill from it despite his protestations to the contrary. I don't recall ever an author ever really discussing a character being addicted to the thrill of being a hero, since we're often just left to assume that they're doing it for purely noble purposes. David once again innovates and amazes.
3) On a side note, a common thread running through Spidey's efforts, so far, in fighting crime has been that he generally doesn't leave the perpetrators for the police. In the present, our Spider-Man usually webs up the criminals for the police to process. However, Miguel doesn't, generally imposing his own penalties on the criminals. Last issue, he made the girls try to make it home on their own without their armor or "black cards" and this issue he leaves the gang members wounded in the wreckage of their flybikes. He's essentially judge, jury, and executioner, a reality that reminds us just how weak the rule of law is in the 2099 world.
The Unknown
1) Plan B certainly isn't going to be good for Miguel.
2) I'm definitely intrigued by the fact that nothing apparently happened between Miguel and Xina (since he had never seen her tattoo) before he bought his apartment and that he would eventually date her, but then leave her for Dana. David certainly knows how to spin a romantic web.
3) I enjoy the morally compromising situation in which David puts Kasey. Will she sell out Spidey, her hero, or won't she? Tune in next week!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Spider-Man 2099 #21: "Parlor Games"
* (one of five stars)
Summary
[I disliked this issue, so we're going to keep this one brief.]
Spidey is hiding from three leather-clad girls searching for him. He has previously fought with them and one of them has managed to hurt him pretty significantly. He reflects that he's in this situation because he had been unable to sleep and, patrolling the city to work through his insomnia, had overheard a Public Eye officer getting a report of a disturbance in a "no-cred slum." When it turns out the neighborhood hadn't updated its security contract, the Public Eye tells the officer not to deploy. However, Spidey decides to head there to see if he can help. On the way to the scene, Miguel wonders about the comment that the Vulture had made to him about what "indy" made him. Wondering if indys had made someone like him, he encounters the aforementioned girls, who had used special armor that they purchased with their "black cards" to kill a homeless man. Spidey tries to stop them but, as mentioned above, they're able to repel his attack. Expositing that they're just rich kids who think that their money entitles them to murder, Spidey proceeds to divide and conquer, taking them down one by one. In the battle with the last girl, who appears to be the ring leader, she falls through a board and plummets into the water below before Spidey can save her. The other two girls are shaken by her apparent death, threatening Spidey when the girl's rich father discovers what happened to her. Spidey tells them that he can get in line with all the other people who want to kill him and orders them to go home. They're scared, given that Spidey has appeared to have disabled their armor during their battles and they face the "slash gangs and ripper kids" on the way home. Spidey then makes matters worse for them by tearing up their cards, wishing them a good night as he departs.
The Review
The first strike against this issue is that it's a non-sequitur one-shot that interrupted a pretty great story. We ended last issue with the promise of finally getting to the bottom of Gabe's belief that Miguel is Spider-Man. But, instead, we get dumped immediately into a story about teenage thrill-killers with no reference to where the story fits in context of the previous cliff-hanger. I was expecting something on the letters page, but the editor uses his column to write about a biography he read. Um, thanks, Joey. The second strike is the fact that the story itself isn't all that thrilling. This story doesn't really cover any new ground, feeling much like Spidey's confrontation with the corporate raiders from "2099 Unlimited" #2. Moreover, Edginton seems to want us to be outraged over the disdain that the Private Eye and the girls have for the Downtown residents, but that story has definitely been done and I don't really feel like Edginton brings any new perspective on it. The third strike is that the dialogue is pretty awful. Edginton way over does it with the future slang, with the girls saying things like "shockola extremis double plus." All in all, it's a pretty forgettable issue and I'm just anxious for David to return and deliver us Gabe and Miguel's conversation.
Summary
[I disliked this issue, so we're going to keep this one brief.]
Spidey is hiding from three leather-clad girls searching for him. He has previously fought with them and one of them has managed to hurt him pretty significantly. He reflects that he's in this situation because he had been unable to sleep and, patrolling the city to work through his insomnia, had overheard a Public Eye officer getting a report of a disturbance in a "no-cred slum." When it turns out the neighborhood hadn't updated its security contract, the Public Eye tells the officer not to deploy. However, Spidey decides to head there to see if he can help. On the way to the scene, Miguel wonders about the comment that the Vulture had made to him about what "indy" made him. Wondering if indys had made someone like him, he encounters the aforementioned girls, who had used special armor that they purchased with their "black cards" to kill a homeless man. Spidey tries to stop them but, as mentioned above, they're able to repel his attack. Expositing that they're just rich kids who think that their money entitles them to murder, Spidey proceeds to divide and conquer, taking them down one by one. In the battle with the last girl, who appears to be the ring leader, she falls through a board and plummets into the water below before Spidey can save her. The other two girls are shaken by her apparent death, threatening Spidey when the girl's rich father discovers what happened to her. Spidey tells them that he can get in line with all the other people who want to kill him and orders them to go home. They're scared, given that Spidey has appeared to have disabled their armor during their battles and they face the "slash gangs and ripper kids" on the way home. Spidey then makes matters worse for them by tearing up their cards, wishing them a good night as he departs.
The Review
The first strike against this issue is that it's a non-sequitur one-shot that interrupted a pretty great story. We ended last issue with the promise of finally getting to the bottom of Gabe's belief that Miguel is Spider-Man. But, instead, we get dumped immediately into a story about teenage thrill-killers with no reference to where the story fits in context of the previous cliff-hanger. I was expecting something on the letters page, but the editor uses his column to write about a biography he read. Um, thanks, Joey. The second strike is the fact that the story itself isn't all that thrilling. This story doesn't really cover any new ground, feeling much like Spidey's confrontation with the corporate raiders from "2099 Unlimited" #2. Moreover, Edginton seems to want us to be outraged over the disdain that the Private Eye and the girls have for the Downtown residents, but that story has definitely been done and I don't really feel like Edginton brings any new perspective on it. The third strike is that the dialogue is pretty awful. Edginton way over does it with the future slang, with the girls saying things like "shockola extremis double plus." All in all, it's a pretty forgettable issue and I'm just anxious for David to return and deliver us Gabe and Miguel's conversation.
Spider-Man 2099 #20: "Crash and Burn"
*** (three of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "If I'm not careful, I'll drown in data. Geez. This is a sickeningly apt metaphor for the information age." -- Miguel, showing how clever Peter David is
Summary
Using Gabe's disembodied head as a dummy, Discord plays ventriloquist, narrating the events of last two issues. Enraged, Miguel attacks Discord, but fails to land a punch given Discord's mostly disembodied "body." However, Discord offers Miguel a deal. He throws him off a "cliff," telling him that he can either agree to be his sidekick -- as all "visionaries" have -- or he can die. Meanwhile, back at Gabe's apartment, Conchata is trying to comb out her hair while she and Dana watch Gabe and Miguel's inert bodies. She then drinks from a flask and, when Dana asks how can she drink when both her sons' lives hang in the balance, remarks, "That's how I can be drinking." In cyberspace, Miguel sees Gabe's disembodied head at the bottom of the cliff. Gabe tells him to "pull the plug," but Miguel can't make out what he's saying. He agrees to be Discord's sidekick and the two of them then take a tour of cyberspace on "disk drives," with Discord revealing that he's locked out information from cyberspace. Elsewhere, at Stark-Fujikawa, the assembled executives are surprised to see an alive Hikaru-sama, who orders them to immediately shore up their computer systems. He then informs them that they have a greater problem to consider, "a matter of honor."
Discord continues his tour, telling Miguel that several years ago he instigated a "Domino Crash" and was thwarted by several "supreme banktanks," including Gabriel. Most thought that Discord was brain-fried in the counter-attack, but he clearly wasn't. When Miguel asks why he's trying to destroy cyberspace, he informs him that he had created the "ultimate time-line prediction program" and saw humanity cruising towards the fall of civilization in 2112. As such, he decided to "ease" mankind into Armageddon by destroying cyberspace and giving it a "light taste of oblivion." Miguel dismisses him as insane, but, at that moment, Gabriel's archetype arrives, telling him to pull the plug. Miguel finally understands and realizes that Discord can't see Gabriel, since he's in some sort of private mode. Miguel then speeds towards an outlet, disappearing into it before Discord can stop him. Meanwhile, in the apartment, Dana asks Conchata to hand her the flask. In cyberspace, Miguel races towards an old-fashioned drain plug, just as Discord reaches him. Discord posits that Gabe created a back-up file under his nose in case he returned. He tries to stop Miguel, but Miguel manages to slip past him and pull the plug, allowing information to flow into cyberspace again. As cyberspace rebuilds itself, Discord finds himself trapped in the outlet. Gabe arrives on his car and throws a screwdriver into the outlet, causing Discord to disappear. Gabe thanks Miguel for coming to help him, telling him that his back-up archetype would've eventually resurrected him, but not with enough time. Miguel asks Gabe why he's back into plugging into cyberspace and Gabe responds that "we all have our weird addictions," telling him that he's not running around in a black costume climbing walls and saving the world like his brother, Spider-Man.
In the back-up story, young Miguel gets caught by a professor ogling Xina, the girl from last issue. Miguel later apologizes to her, but Xina tells him not to worry about it. She asks about Miguel's focus and he tells her genetics. She says that her official focus is A.I., but her "off-the-record" one is really E.T.S. Miguel asks why it's "off-the-record" and Xina says that she's not really sure. She says that she was flat-out told that she couldn't focus on it and hypothesizes some connection between Alchemax and E.T.S. She says that it's weird, because Earth used to be crawling with "E.T.S." Miguel expresses surprise and she says that the history texts try to hush up the fact. They're interrupted by Kron, who apologies to Miguel for dumping water on him (and has a bandage on his nose, after the head-slamming event last issue). Xina invites Miguel to join her at the pool later and Miguel agrees. Later, he wades into the cold water while waiting for Xina and, just as he's getting comfortable, someone holds his head under water.
The Review
I dug this issue. I mean, it had some flaws, mainly because Discord went way more super-villain expository than David normally has villains go, but it still flowed well and mostly made sense. In fact, I was surprised how it didn't feel dated, despite describing cyberspace from a 1994 reference point.
The Good
1) I thought the resolution was clever, that Gabriel, who had been instrumental in defeating Discord the first time, had left a back-up program that allowed information to flow back into cyberspace. In fact, I really enjoyed Gabe getting a win. Since he's mostly portrayed as a faint echo of Miguel, it was nice to seem him guide Miguel through something he didn't understand and get to save the day. (Plus, we learn that he had previously saved the day the last time that Discord attacked cyberspace.) It went a long way to giving his character some depth that he's lacked.
2) 2112? Nice.
3) I loved Dana asking Conchata to hand her the flask. Hilarious.
The Bad
1) OK, although David handled it well, I still rolled my eyes a bit at the idea that Discord didn't just kill off Miguel. Sure, David sold it as Discord being so arrogant that he didn't see a threat to showing Miguel just how brilliant his plan was. But, still, at the end of the day, it probably would've made more sense just to kill Miguel and be done with it.
2) We never really learned how Discord survived the "Domino Crash" or how he got the "key" to cyberspace that enabled him to lock out information. I wonder if we're going to learn more about it next issue.
3) I'm also not sure that I buy Discord's motives. He was destroying cyberspace as a humanitarian? Really? I'm not really sure I buy it. I mean, it sort of makes sense, but I'm pretty sure that David wants us to see Discord as a delusional cyber-terrorist and not a misunderstood do-gooder.
4) WTF is ETS?
Favorite Quote: "If I'm not careful, I'll drown in data. Geez. This is a sickeningly apt metaphor for the information age." -- Miguel, showing how clever Peter David is
Summary
Using Gabe's disembodied head as a dummy, Discord plays ventriloquist, narrating the events of last two issues. Enraged, Miguel attacks Discord, but fails to land a punch given Discord's mostly disembodied "body." However, Discord offers Miguel a deal. He throws him off a "cliff," telling him that he can either agree to be his sidekick -- as all "visionaries" have -- or he can die. Meanwhile, back at Gabe's apartment, Conchata is trying to comb out her hair while she and Dana watch Gabe and Miguel's inert bodies. She then drinks from a flask and, when Dana asks how can she drink when both her sons' lives hang in the balance, remarks, "That's how I can be drinking." In cyberspace, Miguel sees Gabe's disembodied head at the bottom of the cliff. Gabe tells him to "pull the plug," but Miguel can't make out what he's saying. He agrees to be Discord's sidekick and the two of them then take a tour of cyberspace on "disk drives," with Discord revealing that he's locked out information from cyberspace. Elsewhere, at Stark-Fujikawa, the assembled executives are surprised to see an alive Hikaru-sama, who orders them to immediately shore up their computer systems. He then informs them that they have a greater problem to consider, "a matter of honor."
Discord continues his tour, telling Miguel that several years ago he instigated a "Domino Crash" and was thwarted by several "supreme banktanks," including Gabriel. Most thought that Discord was brain-fried in the counter-attack, but he clearly wasn't. When Miguel asks why he's trying to destroy cyberspace, he informs him that he had created the "ultimate time-line prediction program" and saw humanity cruising towards the fall of civilization in 2112. As such, he decided to "ease" mankind into Armageddon by destroying cyberspace and giving it a "light taste of oblivion." Miguel dismisses him as insane, but, at that moment, Gabriel's archetype arrives, telling him to pull the plug. Miguel finally understands and realizes that Discord can't see Gabriel, since he's in some sort of private mode. Miguel then speeds towards an outlet, disappearing into it before Discord can stop him. Meanwhile, in the apartment, Dana asks Conchata to hand her the flask. In cyberspace, Miguel races towards an old-fashioned drain plug, just as Discord reaches him. Discord posits that Gabe created a back-up file under his nose in case he returned. He tries to stop Miguel, but Miguel manages to slip past him and pull the plug, allowing information to flow into cyberspace again. As cyberspace rebuilds itself, Discord finds himself trapped in the outlet. Gabe arrives on his car and throws a screwdriver into the outlet, causing Discord to disappear. Gabe thanks Miguel for coming to help him, telling him that his back-up archetype would've eventually resurrected him, but not with enough time. Miguel asks Gabe why he's back into plugging into cyberspace and Gabe responds that "we all have our weird addictions," telling him that he's not running around in a black costume climbing walls and saving the world like his brother, Spider-Man.
In the back-up story, young Miguel gets caught by a professor ogling Xina, the girl from last issue. Miguel later apologizes to her, but Xina tells him not to worry about it. She asks about Miguel's focus and he tells her genetics. She says that her official focus is A.I., but her "off-the-record" one is really E.T.S. Miguel asks why it's "off-the-record" and Xina says that she's not really sure. She says that she was flat-out told that she couldn't focus on it and hypothesizes some connection between Alchemax and E.T.S. She says that it's weird, because Earth used to be crawling with "E.T.S." Miguel expresses surprise and she says that the history texts try to hush up the fact. They're interrupted by Kron, who apologies to Miguel for dumping water on him (and has a bandage on his nose, after the head-slamming event last issue). Xina invites Miguel to join her at the pool later and Miguel agrees. Later, he wades into the cold water while waiting for Xina and, just as he's getting comfortable, someone holds his head under water.
The Review
I dug this issue. I mean, it had some flaws, mainly because Discord went way more super-villain expository than David normally has villains go, but it still flowed well and mostly made sense. In fact, I was surprised how it didn't feel dated, despite describing cyberspace from a 1994 reference point.
The Good
1) I thought the resolution was clever, that Gabriel, who had been instrumental in defeating Discord the first time, had left a back-up program that allowed information to flow back into cyberspace. In fact, I really enjoyed Gabe getting a win. Since he's mostly portrayed as a faint echo of Miguel, it was nice to seem him guide Miguel through something he didn't understand and get to save the day. (Plus, we learn that he had previously saved the day the last time that Discord attacked cyberspace.) It went a long way to giving his character some depth that he's lacked.
2) 2112? Nice.
3) I loved Dana asking Conchata to hand her the flask. Hilarious.
The Bad
1) OK, although David handled it well, I still rolled my eyes a bit at the idea that Discord didn't just kill off Miguel. Sure, David sold it as Discord being so arrogant that he didn't see a threat to showing Miguel just how brilliant his plan was. But, still, at the end of the day, it probably would've made more sense just to kill Miguel and be done with it.
2) We never really learned how Discord survived the "Domino Crash" or how he got the "key" to cyberspace that enabled him to lock out information. I wonder if we're going to learn more about it next issue.
3) I'm also not sure that I buy Discord's motives. He was destroying cyberspace as a humanitarian? Really? I'm not really sure I buy it. I mean, it sort of makes sense, but I'm pretty sure that David wants us to see Discord as a delusional cyber-terrorist and not a misunderstood do-gooder.
4) WTF is ETS?
Friday, January 18, 2013
Spider-Man 2099 #19: "Meltdown"
**** (four of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "I don't believe this. Twice in two months I'm gonna have to leave through my bedroom window. Maybe I should just put in another door there." -- Miguel, as he's escaping the security droids Lyla sicked on him
Summary
With an unconscious Dana in tow, Miguel escapes from the security droids into his bedroom. He webs up a mattress to the door to buy him some time while he changes into his Spider-Man costume. Lyla expresses doubt that a mattress can hold off the droids and Miguel apologizes if his exhortation for her to think is behind her current malfunctions. He then heads to his window, telling Lyla to thank the droids for blasting it. Lyla continues to scream after him, telling him that he should love someone who can do "calculations to the 20th decimal point in a millisecond [sic]" or tell him the temperature in Bombay. She then sends the droids after him as he escapes with Dana. As he climbs down the building, he expresses thanks that his mother chose to go to Gabriel's. At that moment, Conchata discovers a plugged-in Gabe. She tries to disconnect him, but doing so shocks her. Meanwhile, Miguel observes the city in chaos, with the traffic guidance system and moving sidewalks going haywire. He rescues a woman thrown off the sidewalk and they watch as a holographic image at a nearby mall apologizes for the "minor computer difficulties." Suddenly, however, a new face appears saying that everything is not going to be repaired and will, in fact, go to Hell. At Alchemax, Tyler Stone is screaming at his staff as they struggle to discover why Winston went haywire. One of them explains that a virus was introduced and Stone expresses shock, saying that Winston was "bug proof." The staffer says that nothing is bug-proof if the programmer is smart enough and explains that the virus makes programs do the opposite of their core programming. Stone then asks who's controlling the virus and who usurped the announcement board. When one of the staffers says that it might be Discord, Stone comments, "We're dead."
On the streets, the CEO of Stark-Fujikawa, Hikaru-sama, asks his driver why they've stopped. When the driver tells him that the central traffic-control system is experiencing difficults, Hikaru tells him to put it in manual and drive. But, the driver explains that he's trying and can't. Before Hikaru can connect a call to Stone to ask what's happening, the driver notes that a train is heading straight for them. When they try to escape, they realize that the doors are computer locked. They're saved when Spider-Man tears off the roof of their car. Miguel departs to help other people and Hikaru ponders how he's going to continue a blood feud with someone who saved his life. Meanwhile, Dana is revealed to have been stashed in a storage locker when Miguel arrives to free her, handing her a bag with her clothes. He then explains about the chaos and Dana suggests that they go to Alchemax. Miguel instead decides to bring them to Gabriel's since he's the computer whiz. However, once there, they're greeted by Conchata, with frizzed-out hair, who leads them to the plugged-in Gabriel. Dana asks if Miguel can unplug him, but Miguel explains that he can't without knowing what happened to his archetype. Miguel explains that he, too, has an archetype, one created for him by Gabriel who asked him to play with him once. Miguel then proceeds to plug into the Cybernet to go looking for Firelight. Miguel observes that cyberspace is quieter than it was the last time and then expresses some shock when he realizes that his archetype looks similar to his Spider-Man costume, remembering that Gabe thought that he was being funny when he created it for him. However, he does remember that the costume comes with skates and he follows a trail of fire that apparently is the "sig line" of Gabe's maglev car. He arrives at the car's wreckage and comes face-to-face with Discord, who informs him that he should enjoy cyberspace for the remaining 22 minutes that he and "civilization as we know it" have to exist.
In the back-up feature, Angela arrives to discover a drenched Miguel and asks why he's wet. Miguel says it's because he always sweats profusely when he's nervous, but Angela isn't buying it. Miguel confesses that someone dumped water on him but says he doesn't know who it was. Angela promises that things'll get better and tells him that she can get him anything that he wants. He asks for a pony and Angela reminds him that horses are difficult to find after the "Animal Epidemic of '32." Miguel comments that, "You asked. I answered," and then leaves to change. Meanwhile, Angela goes to Kron Stone's room and insists that he apologize to Miguel. Kron refuses and Angela pulls his hair. He pops a knife from his sleeve and tries to stab her, but she grabs his wrist before he can and then slams his head into a wall. Later, Angela finds a dryer Miguel and escorts him through the school, informing him that Kron will be apologizing later. Miguel catches the eye of a cute girl named Xina and Angela leads him into a room where he comes face-to-face with a horse. She tells him that this room is the first of many secrets at the Alchemax School, informing him that Alchemax was able to buy some of the advanced technology lost at the end of the Heroic Age and use it for special purposes. She explains that the holotech in this room is unlike any other and then asks if he wants a ride. Miguel bolts from the room, however, explaining that horses scare him.
The Review
Everything was even more connected than I thought! Not only were Lyla and Winston's malfunctions connected, as I wondered last issue, but it seems that Gabe's cyberspace enemy, Discord, was responsible. Moreover, if I'm guessing correctly, Discord may be Tyler Stone's son, Kron, whose ashes we saw Tyler flush down the toilet in issue #10 and who is revealed to be the one responsible with pouring water over a young Miguel last issue. Talk about multiple levels of intrigue. I really did not anticipate David weaving together Tyler's deceased son, Lyla's odd behavior, and Gabe's cyberspace addiction into one story. Moreover, with the hints at the 2099's world's past and the re-appearance of Stark-Fujikawa, I really felt like we were back where we were before "Fall of the Hammer" hijacked the title. Great stuff. Four stars, no doubt.
The Good
1) For the first time really, David really gives us some hints of the 2099's reality's past, implying that a Third World War happened and referring to the "Animal Epidemic of '32." Moreover, we again hear about all the advanced technology lost at the end of the Heroic Age. These hints not only serves to flesh out the world but raise some really interesting questions that I hope we get a chance to see answered in the coming months. (I'm particularly intrigued by the lost technology, particularly given that the 2099 reality's technology isn't exactly anything to dismiss easily.)
2) I do really love how irreverent Miguel is. Asking Dana if she's the lady of the house when he rescues her from the storage locker or telling Conchata that her frizzed-out hair is a new look for her reminds me of Peter Parker, using quips to offset his nervousness when everything goes badly. To be honest, we saw a lot more of that in the first few issues of this series than we have lately and I'm really glad to see it return, because it's really what makes this book feel like a Spider-Man book.
The Unknown
1) In addition to the aforementioned plot threads that David resurrects here, I'm also intrigued where we're going with Stark-Fujikawa, now that the CEO owes Spider-Man a debt.
2) At the site of the wreckage of Gabe's car, Discord comments, "Well, well...it took you long enough" when he encounters Miguel. At first, I thought he had set up everything to bring Miguel into cyberspace, but he then makes it clear that he doesn't know who he is. But, he seems to have wanted someone to come after Firelight, though I'm not entirely sure why. I guess we'll see.
Favorite Quote: "I don't believe this. Twice in two months I'm gonna have to leave through my bedroom window. Maybe I should just put in another door there." -- Miguel, as he's escaping the security droids Lyla sicked on him
Summary
With an unconscious Dana in tow, Miguel escapes from the security droids into his bedroom. He webs up a mattress to the door to buy him some time while he changes into his Spider-Man costume. Lyla expresses doubt that a mattress can hold off the droids and Miguel apologizes if his exhortation for her to think is behind her current malfunctions. He then heads to his window, telling Lyla to thank the droids for blasting it. Lyla continues to scream after him, telling him that he should love someone who can do "calculations to the 20th decimal point in a millisecond [sic]" or tell him the temperature in Bombay. She then sends the droids after him as he escapes with Dana. As he climbs down the building, he expresses thanks that his mother chose to go to Gabriel's. At that moment, Conchata discovers a plugged-in Gabe. She tries to disconnect him, but doing so shocks her. Meanwhile, Miguel observes the city in chaos, with the traffic guidance system and moving sidewalks going haywire. He rescues a woman thrown off the sidewalk and they watch as a holographic image at a nearby mall apologizes for the "minor computer difficulties." Suddenly, however, a new face appears saying that everything is not going to be repaired and will, in fact, go to Hell. At Alchemax, Tyler Stone is screaming at his staff as they struggle to discover why Winston went haywire. One of them explains that a virus was introduced and Stone expresses shock, saying that Winston was "bug proof." The staffer says that nothing is bug-proof if the programmer is smart enough and explains that the virus makes programs do the opposite of their core programming. Stone then asks who's controlling the virus and who usurped the announcement board. When one of the staffers says that it might be Discord, Stone comments, "We're dead."
On the streets, the CEO of Stark-Fujikawa, Hikaru-sama, asks his driver why they've stopped. When the driver tells him that the central traffic-control system is experiencing difficults, Hikaru tells him to put it in manual and drive. But, the driver explains that he's trying and can't. Before Hikaru can connect a call to Stone to ask what's happening, the driver notes that a train is heading straight for them. When they try to escape, they realize that the doors are computer locked. They're saved when Spider-Man tears off the roof of their car. Miguel departs to help other people and Hikaru ponders how he's going to continue a blood feud with someone who saved his life. Meanwhile, Dana is revealed to have been stashed in a storage locker when Miguel arrives to free her, handing her a bag with her clothes. He then explains about the chaos and Dana suggests that they go to Alchemax. Miguel instead decides to bring them to Gabriel's since he's the computer whiz. However, once there, they're greeted by Conchata, with frizzed-out hair, who leads them to the plugged-in Gabriel. Dana asks if Miguel can unplug him, but Miguel explains that he can't without knowing what happened to his archetype. Miguel explains that he, too, has an archetype, one created for him by Gabriel who asked him to play with him once. Miguel then proceeds to plug into the Cybernet to go looking for Firelight. Miguel observes that cyberspace is quieter than it was the last time and then expresses some shock when he realizes that his archetype looks similar to his Spider-Man costume, remembering that Gabe thought that he was being funny when he created it for him. However, he does remember that the costume comes with skates and he follows a trail of fire that apparently is the "sig line" of Gabe's maglev car. He arrives at the car's wreckage and comes face-to-face with Discord, who informs him that he should enjoy cyberspace for the remaining 22 minutes that he and "civilization as we know it" have to exist.
In the back-up feature, Angela arrives to discover a drenched Miguel and asks why he's wet. Miguel says it's because he always sweats profusely when he's nervous, but Angela isn't buying it. Miguel confesses that someone dumped water on him but says he doesn't know who it was. Angela promises that things'll get better and tells him that she can get him anything that he wants. He asks for a pony and Angela reminds him that horses are difficult to find after the "Animal Epidemic of '32." Miguel comments that, "You asked. I answered," and then leaves to change. Meanwhile, Angela goes to Kron Stone's room and insists that he apologize to Miguel. Kron refuses and Angela pulls his hair. He pops a knife from his sleeve and tries to stab her, but she grabs his wrist before he can and then slams his head into a wall. Later, Angela finds a dryer Miguel and escorts him through the school, informing him that Kron will be apologizing later. Miguel catches the eye of a cute girl named Xina and Angela leads him into a room where he comes face-to-face with a horse. She tells him that this room is the first of many secrets at the Alchemax School, informing him that Alchemax was able to buy some of the advanced technology lost at the end of the Heroic Age and use it for special purposes. She explains that the holotech in this room is unlike any other and then asks if he wants a ride. Miguel bolts from the room, however, explaining that horses scare him.
The Review
Everything was even more connected than I thought! Not only were Lyla and Winston's malfunctions connected, as I wondered last issue, but it seems that Gabe's cyberspace enemy, Discord, was responsible. Moreover, if I'm guessing correctly, Discord may be Tyler Stone's son, Kron, whose ashes we saw Tyler flush down the toilet in issue #10 and who is revealed to be the one responsible with pouring water over a young Miguel last issue. Talk about multiple levels of intrigue. I really did not anticipate David weaving together Tyler's deceased son, Lyla's odd behavior, and Gabe's cyberspace addiction into one story. Moreover, with the hints at the 2099's world's past and the re-appearance of Stark-Fujikawa, I really felt like we were back where we were before "Fall of the Hammer" hijacked the title. Great stuff. Four stars, no doubt.
The Good
1) For the first time really, David really gives us some hints of the 2099's reality's past, implying that a Third World War happened and referring to the "Animal Epidemic of '32." Moreover, we again hear about all the advanced technology lost at the end of the Heroic Age. These hints not only serves to flesh out the world but raise some really interesting questions that I hope we get a chance to see answered in the coming months. (I'm particularly intrigued by the lost technology, particularly given that the 2099 reality's technology isn't exactly anything to dismiss easily.)
2) I do really love how irreverent Miguel is. Asking Dana if she's the lady of the house when he rescues her from the storage locker or telling Conchata that her frizzed-out hair is a new look for her reminds me of Peter Parker, using quips to offset his nervousness when everything goes badly. To be honest, we saw a lot more of that in the first few issues of this series than we have lately and I'm really glad to see it return, because it's really what makes this book feel like a Spider-Man book.
The Unknown
1) In addition to the aforementioned plot threads that David resurrects here, I'm also intrigued where we're going with Stark-Fujikawa, now that the CEO owes Spider-Man a debt.
2) At the site of the wreckage of Gabe's car, Discord comments, "Well, well...it took you long enough" when he encounters Miguel. At first, I thought he had set up everything to bring Miguel into cyberspace, but he then makes it clear that he doesn't know who he is. But, he seems to have wanted someone to come after Firelight, though I'm not entirely sure why. I guess we'll see.
Spider-Man 2099 #18: "Blown Circuits"
*** (three of five stars)
Summary
Dana and Gabe express shock when Miguel walks into his apartment with his mother, given that they were pretty sure that he was dead after Thor threw him from Valhalla. Miguel tells them that he lost consciousness after the throw and hypothesizes that Punisher and Spider-Man saved him since they were there when he awakened. Excited to hear that he met Spider-Man, Conchata asks him to tell her about him. Miguel lies, telling her that he was short and had a "nose the size of the Stark Tower." Recovering from his shock, Gabe asks Miguel what Conchata was doing there and Miguel tells him that it's a long story. He apologizes to Dana for scaring her and she notes that he risked his life defending her. Gabe not-so-cryptically comments that he was lucky to have had the power of Spider-Man; when Miguel asks what he meant, Gabe responds that he just meant that Miguel was lucky that Spider-Man was there. He then leaves, telling Miguel he has something that he wants to discuss with him later and taking Conchata with him. While leaving, though, he comments to Miguel that "there's some stuff I think you should know about Lyla." While Gabe fills in Miguel off-panel, Tyler Stone asks his assistant Winston to give him a report on what the "Net" is saying about the Aesir, asking if they had the impact that Avatarr wanted. Instead, Winston suddenly attacks Stone unexpectedly. Meanwhile, at Miguel's apartment, Miguel confronts Lyla about her behavior towards Gabe and Lyla claims that she was just having fun. Miguel reminds her that she cannot "have 'fun'" and tells her to take herself off-line. When she resists, he threatens to wipe her completely, a threat that panics her. Relieved when Lyla finally disappears, Miguel decides to go to Alchemax to ask Stone about Valhalla, but Dana convinces him to stay to, um, do other stuff. At Alchemax, guards attempt to help Stone extricate himself from Winston's grip, but he only manages to free himself by using an override disk that he had on him.
At Gabe's apartment, Gabe talks to Kasey on the phone, apologizing for how he's been acting. However, when he suggests going by her place, Kasey tells him that it might be time for them to take a "vacation from each other." Gabe suggests that it has something to do about Spider-Man, but Kasey denies it, saying that his insecurity is driving her crazy. She swears it's not about the "S-Man" and promises to call him. However, after hanging up the phone, she comments to herself that, "Of course it's about Spider-Man." Gabe tells his mother that he needs some time alone and heads into his room, where he takes out a dusty box with a wired helmet and announces to no one in particular that "Firelight's back in town." At Miguel's apartment, Miguel and Dana have a post-coital conversation about Gabe. Miguel is worried about Gabe, having seen a look in his eyes that he hasn't seen since his "plug-in days." Dana, in the shower, expresses worry that he would return to that habit and Miguel exposits that it's been three years since Gabe ended his addiction to the "Cybernet." Suddenly, Dana screams and, when Miguel asks what's wrong, she tells him that the water suddenly became scalding hot. She tries to escape the room as it fills with steam but can't, telling Miguel that she's having trouble breathing. Before he can help, though, Miguel is attacked by security droids at the order of Lyla, who says that he's an unauthorized intruder. As Miguel tries to fend off the droids, Lyla expresses disgust over Miguel and Dana having had sex and tells him that she'll call off the droids once Dana's dead. However, Miguel maneuvers the droids to blow open the bathroom door and makes his way to Dana. He pledges to save her, but Lyla tells him that he's being optimistic, since Babylon Towers have plenty more security droids. Meanwhile, Gabe has re-entered Cyberspace, flying in a maglev car with a girl. But, he's suddenly threatened by an unnamed menace whose voice Gabe recognizes as someone who's dead. But, before Gabe can do anything, the voice creates a wall into which Gabe and his girl crash, declaring that Gabe was confusing him with himself (in terms of being dead).
In a back-up story, a young Miguel and his father wait for a car to take him to his new private school, with his father stressing how tremendous of an opportunity it is for the family (and, of course, Miguel). His father notes that they'll be living in a new apartment when Miguel visits them next, because Alchemax takes care of the families of all people that it feels have potential. At that moment, Tyler Stone arrives, much to Miguel's father's surprise, to escort Miguel personally. Conchata, holding Gabe, watches Miguel leave. Miguel is somewhat unexpectedly rude during the ride to Stone, who reminds him how angry his father would be if he lost the advances and perks that he's anticipating thanks to Miguel's new status. Stone asks if his parents ever mentioned him to Miguel and Miguel says that they hadn't. They then arrive at the former Xavier Institute, now run by Angela Daskalakis and called the "Alchemax School for Gifted Youngsters." Stone tells Miguel that he'll be checking on him and, when Miguel tells Stone that he's not afraid of him, he comments, "That's because you don't really know me yet." As Stone departs, Miguel is hit by a torrent of water coming from a room on the second floor, whose window snaps shut.
The Good
1) Miguel describing Spider-Man as essentially a big-nosed troll was hilarious. He's jealous of himself!
2) Gabe's comments about Miguel having the power of Spider-Man reminded me that it seems like we really are dealing with a very short time-frame from the first issue to the current one. Maybe two or three weeks total? Gabe has been seemingly wanting to discuss Spider-Man with Miguel every since the first arc of the series, but since then Miguel had his fight with the Specialist (issues #4-#5) and subsequent Downtown adventure (issues #6-#8), the "crisis" with their mother (issues #9-#10), his fight with S.I.E.G.E. (issued #11) and then Thanatos (issues #12-#14), and the fight with the Aesir (issues #15-#16). Most of those fights blended into each other, so, not only has not a lot of time passed, but Miguel has been occupied for most of it. Now that we've gotten past the obligatory line-wide cross-over event, I'm excited for David to be able to pick up exactly these sorts of dangling threads.
3) The back-up story is, of course, the most interesting part of the issue, revealing not only Tyler Stone's direct involvement in Miguel's life from an early age but also Angela Daskalakis' role as headmaster of the Alchemax School for Gifted Youngsters.
The Unknown
I wonder if Lyla and Winston both losing control are connected some way. Are the machines rising?
The Bad
1) Miguel worrying that Gabe would return to his "plug-in days" just as Gabe was doing exactly that seemed a little overly convenient (and expository) to me, particularly for David, who generally handles these sorts of reveals much more artfully.
2) I wasn't really sure why Miguel was so rude to Tyler. Miguel's obviously a smart kid, so I'm surprised that he would do anything to antagonize Stone, particularly, as Stone himself says, if it could provoke the ire of his father.
Summary
Dana and Gabe express shock when Miguel walks into his apartment with his mother, given that they were pretty sure that he was dead after Thor threw him from Valhalla. Miguel tells them that he lost consciousness after the throw and hypothesizes that Punisher and Spider-Man saved him since they were there when he awakened. Excited to hear that he met Spider-Man, Conchata asks him to tell her about him. Miguel lies, telling her that he was short and had a "nose the size of the Stark Tower." Recovering from his shock, Gabe asks Miguel what Conchata was doing there and Miguel tells him that it's a long story. He apologizes to Dana for scaring her and she notes that he risked his life defending her. Gabe not-so-cryptically comments that he was lucky to have had the power of Spider-Man; when Miguel asks what he meant, Gabe responds that he just meant that Miguel was lucky that Spider-Man was there. He then leaves, telling Miguel he has something that he wants to discuss with him later and taking Conchata with him. While leaving, though, he comments to Miguel that "there's some stuff I think you should know about Lyla." While Gabe fills in Miguel off-panel, Tyler Stone asks his assistant Winston to give him a report on what the "Net" is saying about the Aesir, asking if they had the impact that Avatarr wanted. Instead, Winston suddenly attacks Stone unexpectedly. Meanwhile, at Miguel's apartment, Miguel confronts Lyla about her behavior towards Gabe and Lyla claims that she was just having fun. Miguel reminds her that she cannot "have 'fun'" and tells her to take herself off-line. When she resists, he threatens to wipe her completely, a threat that panics her. Relieved when Lyla finally disappears, Miguel decides to go to Alchemax to ask Stone about Valhalla, but Dana convinces him to stay to, um, do other stuff. At Alchemax, guards attempt to help Stone extricate himself from Winston's grip, but he only manages to free himself by using an override disk that he had on him.
At Gabe's apartment, Gabe talks to Kasey on the phone, apologizing for how he's been acting. However, when he suggests going by her place, Kasey tells him that it might be time for them to take a "vacation from each other." Gabe suggests that it has something to do about Spider-Man, but Kasey denies it, saying that his insecurity is driving her crazy. She swears it's not about the "S-Man" and promises to call him. However, after hanging up the phone, she comments to herself that, "Of course it's about Spider-Man." Gabe tells his mother that he needs some time alone and heads into his room, where he takes out a dusty box with a wired helmet and announces to no one in particular that "Firelight's back in town." At Miguel's apartment, Miguel and Dana have a post-coital conversation about Gabe. Miguel is worried about Gabe, having seen a look in his eyes that he hasn't seen since his "plug-in days." Dana, in the shower, expresses worry that he would return to that habit and Miguel exposits that it's been three years since Gabe ended his addiction to the "Cybernet." Suddenly, Dana screams and, when Miguel asks what's wrong, she tells him that the water suddenly became scalding hot. She tries to escape the room as it fills with steam but can't, telling Miguel that she's having trouble breathing. Before he can help, though, Miguel is attacked by security droids at the order of Lyla, who says that he's an unauthorized intruder. As Miguel tries to fend off the droids, Lyla expresses disgust over Miguel and Dana having had sex and tells him that she'll call off the droids once Dana's dead. However, Miguel maneuvers the droids to blow open the bathroom door and makes his way to Dana. He pledges to save her, but Lyla tells him that he's being optimistic, since Babylon Towers have plenty more security droids. Meanwhile, Gabe has re-entered Cyberspace, flying in a maglev car with a girl. But, he's suddenly threatened by an unnamed menace whose voice Gabe recognizes as someone who's dead. But, before Gabe can do anything, the voice creates a wall into which Gabe and his girl crash, declaring that Gabe was confusing him with himself (in terms of being dead).
In a back-up story, a young Miguel and his father wait for a car to take him to his new private school, with his father stressing how tremendous of an opportunity it is for the family (and, of course, Miguel). His father notes that they'll be living in a new apartment when Miguel visits them next, because Alchemax takes care of the families of all people that it feels have potential. At that moment, Tyler Stone arrives, much to Miguel's father's surprise, to escort Miguel personally. Conchata, holding Gabe, watches Miguel leave. Miguel is somewhat unexpectedly rude during the ride to Stone, who reminds him how angry his father would be if he lost the advances and perks that he's anticipating thanks to Miguel's new status. Stone asks if his parents ever mentioned him to Miguel and Miguel says that they hadn't. They then arrive at the former Xavier Institute, now run by Angela Daskalakis and called the "Alchemax School for Gifted Youngsters." Stone tells Miguel that he'll be checking on him and, when Miguel tells Stone that he's not afraid of him, he comments, "That's because you don't really know me yet." As Stone departs, Miguel is hit by a torrent of water coming from a room on the second floor, whose window snaps shut.
The Good
1) Miguel describing Spider-Man as essentially a big-nosed troll was hilarious. He's jealous of himself!
2) Gabe's comments about Miguel having the power of Spider-Man reminded me that it seems like we really are dealing with a very short time-frame from the first issue to the current one. Maybe two or three weeks total? Gabe has been seemingly wanting to discuss Spider-Man with Miguel every since the first arc of the series, but since then Miguel had his fight with the Specialist (issues #4-#5) and subsequent Downtown adventure (issues #6-#8), the "crisis" with their mother (issues #9-#10), his fight with S.I.E.G.E. (issued #11) and then Thanatos (issues #12-#14), and the fight with the Aesir (issues #15-#16). Most of those fights blended into each other, so, not only has not a lot of time passed, but Miguel has been occupied for most of it. Now that we've gotten past the obligatory line-wide cross-over event, I'm excited for David to be able to pick up exactly these sorts of dangling threads.
3) The back-up story is, of course, the most interesting part of the issue, revealing not only Tyler Stone's direct involvement in Miguel's life from an early age but also Angela Daskalakis' role as headmaster of the Alchemax School for Gifted Youngsters.
The Unknown
I wonder if Lyla and Winston both losing control are connected some way. Are the machines rising?
The Bad
1) Miguel worrying that Gabe would return to his "plug-in days" just as Gabe was doing exactly that seemed a little overly convenient (and expository) to me, particularly for David, who generally handles these sorts of reveals much more artfully.
2) I wasn't really sure why Miguel was so rude to Tyler. Miguel's obviously a smart kid, so I'm surprised that he would do anything to antagonize Stone, particularly, as Stone himself says, if it could provoke the ire of his father.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Spider-Man 2099 #17: "Ye Gods"
*** (three of five stars)
Summary
Miguel (not Spider-Man) is hanging from a rope with a group of angry Thorites shouting at him. He declares that he hates his mother, though notes that she isn't the cause of all his problems. He observes that, just a few hours ago, he was standing on Valhalla with the motley crew of Doom, the Punisher, and Ravage. The Punisher recommends departing the city before they move outside the range of his flybike and Doom agrees that they should leave the "ecological nightmare" before their jury-rigged repairs fail to keep the city afloat. However, flying from Valhalla on the flybike, Miguel and the Punisher observe the city changing course and realize that Doom was now controlling it. Enraged, the Punisher turns around the bike, but Doom appears via a holographic projection to warn them to depart. Doom then fires a warning shot at them and Miguel convinces the Punisher that they should leave before Doom kills them. The Punisher accuses Miguel of not caring about Doom controlling Valhalla, though Miguel says that he cares and wants to be alive to continue caring. The Punisher departs after accusing Miguel of not being a real man, declaring that, "The only battles worth fighting are the hopeless ones." Miguel then makes his way to Downtown, pondering its increased role in his life. He wonders if the coming-and-going of Thor would reduce some of his influence in Downtown, since it was derived mostly from the misguided belief that he was a Harbinger of Thor. Noting that the departure of Thor had left a vacuum "in the faith department," he runs across an enormous rally. Wondering if the cliques had finally united under someone's leadership, he discovers that Bloodsword has somehow recovered the hammer of Thor and is now using it to claim power. More disturbing, though, he sees his mother in the crowd. He wonders how to extricate her from the scene, worrying that appearing as Spider-Man would exacerbate the Spider-Man-as-savior "thing" and raise his mother's suspicions when he pretended just to be a "close, personal friend" of Miguel's. He then decides to head home, where, meanwhile, Lyla is still making Gabe eat crullers and Dana bursts in the door to tell him that Miguel was dead.
In Downtown, Bloodsword tells the crowd that his defeat at the hands of Spider-Man ("the false Harbinger") had made him appear weak and his lieutenant, Hogun, had challenged him for leadership of the Fenris. However, Thor's hammer appeared and smote Hogun, which Bloodsword considered "a sign from on high" that he was to be the "standard bearer for the Aesir." Meanwhile, Miguel (not Spider-Man) puts his hand on his mother's shoulder, telling her that she has to go. Conchata tells Miguel that she's in Downtown to rediscover her roots, as Spider-Man would want. Screaming that Miguel is a kidnapper, his mother calls attention to them and Bloodsword, now calling himself "Bloodhammer," tells his men to bring him Miguel. Miguel tells Bloodhammer that his mother isn't well and he just wants to take her home, a request that Bloodhammer deems reasonable but denies. With Miguel dangling from the rope, Conchata appeals to Bloodhammer to release Miguel, but then gets distracted by telling him about how good of a boy Gabriel is. Bloodhammer tells Miguel to pray to Thor, which he does, asking to be released from "the bondage of the pretender, Bloodsucker" while using his talons to cut the rope. Bloodhammer decries the trick and attacks Miguel. Miguel claims to see Thor in the sky and, while everyone is looking, knocks out Bloodhammer. Whenever returns their gaze, Miguel claims that "Bloodclot" has fainted in the majesty of Thor and that anyone who truly believes had been able to see Thor. The gangs then start to fight whether or not they really saw Thor and Miguel uses the distraction to smuggle out his mother. Conchata leads him to the car that she had stolen from the home and she chastises him for lying about seeing Thor. She tells him that everything was great until he revealed to her what idiots they all were. Meanwhile, some old guy recovers the hammer and mumbles about the lords of industry.
The Review
After the somewhat disappointing "Fall of the Hammer" cross-over event, I'm excited about returning to where we left Miguel. He had just managed to defeat the mysterious Thanatos and embraced his role as the "avenging angel" of Downtown. David wisely gives us a fairly light issue that still manages to wrap up some loose "Hammer" threads and sets the stage for new stories.
The Good
1) I love the Doom double-cross. Whereas it was difficult to say what the CEO's motivations were during "Fall of the Hammer," it's now perfectly clear what Doom's were. The CEO at one point chastised Doom for going soft when he seemed concerns about the impact that the destruction of Valhalla would have. I'm glad to see that he was wrong; Doom just wanted to keep it in tact for himself. Classic Doom.
2) Does David have an ear for dialogue or what? The Punisher and Spidey's argument over whether to mount an attack on Valhalla was perfect, clearly expressing their different philosophies through a conversation that sounded completely natural.
3) I loved Miguel "praying" to Thor to save him. David manages to give us some real comedic relief in a way that totally fits the moment. Plus, as usual with David, no moment is wasted and Miguel's prayer winds up being essential to the plot.
The Unknown
I'm a little unclear of whether we stand, religiously. I thought Thor revealed Spidey as a "false prophet," so I'm not sure why Miguel would be worried that he'd still be considered a savior, unless he figures that the fall of Thor undermined his argument and, as he mentions, people are looking to someone to fill the vacuum. Maybe the Aesir never really got their message outside Valhalla, so the "common people" don't know that Thor denounced Spider-Man?
Summary
Miguel (not Spider-Man) is hanging from a rope with a group of angry Thorites shouting at him. He declares that he hates his mother, though notes that she isn't the cause of all his problems. He observes that, just a few hours ago, he was standing on Valhalla with the motley crew of Doom, the Punisher, and Ravage. The Punisher recommends departing the city before they move outside the range of his flybike and Doom agrees that they should leave the "ecological nightmare" before their jury-rigged repairs fail to keep the city afloat. However, flying from Valhalla on the flybike, Miguel and the Punisher observe the city changing course and realize that Doom was now controlling it. Enraged, the Punisher turns around the bike, but Doom appears via a holographic projection to warn them to depart. Doom then fires a warning shot at them and Miguel convinces the Punisher that they should leave before Doom kills them. The Punisher accuses Miguel of not caring about Doom controlling Valhalla, though Miguel says that he cares and wants to be alive to continue caring. The Punisher departs after accusing Miguel of not being a real man, declaring that, "The only battles worth fighting are the hopeless ones." Miguel then makes his way to Downtown, pondering its increased role in his life. He wonders if the coming-and-going of Thor would reduce some of his influence in Downtown, since it was derived mostly from the misguided belief that he was a Harbinger of Thor. Noting that the departure of Thor had left a vacuum "in the faith department," he runs across an enormous rally. Wondering if the cliques had finally united under someone's leadership, he discovers that Bloodsword has somehow recovered the hammer of Thor and is now using it to claim power. More disturbing, though, he sees his mother in the crowd. He wonders how to extricate her from the scene, worrying that appearing as Spider-Man would exacerbate the Spider-Man-as-savior "thing" and raise his mother's suspicions when he pretended just to be a "close, personal friend" of Miguel's. He then decides to head home, where, meanwhile, Lyla is still making Gabe eat crullers and Dana bursts in the door to tell him that Miguel was dead.
In Downtown, Bloodsword tells the crowd that his defeat at the hands of Spider-Man ("the false Harbinger") had made him appear weak and his lieutenant, Hogun, had challenged him for leadership of the Fenris. However, Thor's hammer appeared and smote Hogun, which Bloodsword considered "a sign from on high" that he was to be the "standard bearer for the Aesir." Meanwhile, Miguel (not Spider-Man) puts his hand on his mother's shoulder, telling her that she has to go. Conchata tells Miguel that she's in Downtown to rediscover her roots, as Spider-Man would want. Screaming that Miguel is a kidnapper, his mother calls attention to them and Bloodsword, now calling himself "Bloodhammer," tells his men to bring him Miguel. Miguel tells Bloodhammer that his mother isn't well and he just wants to take her home, a request that Bloodhammer deems reasonable but denies. With Miguel dangling from the rope, Conchata appeals to Bloodhammer to release Miguel, but then gets distracted by telling him about how good of a boy Gabriel is. Bloodhammer tells Miguel to pray to Thor, which he does, asking to be released from "the bondage of the pretender, Bloodsucker" while using his talons to cut the rope. Bloodhammer decries the trick and attacks Miguel. Miguel claims to see Thor in the sky and, while everyone is looking, knocks out Bloodhammer. Whenever returns their gaze, Miguel claims that "Bloodclot" has fainted in the majesty of Thor and that anyone who truly believes had been able to see Thor. The gangs then start to fight whether or not they really saw Thor and Miguel uses the distraction to smuggle out his mother. Conchata leads him to the car that she had stolen from the home and she chastises him for lying about seeing Thor. She tells him that everything was great until he revealed to her what idiots they all were. Meanwhile, some old guy recovers the hammer and mumbles about the lords of industry.
The Review
After the somewhat disappointing "Fall of the Hammer" cross-over event, I'm excited about returning to where we left Miguel. He had just managed to defeat the mysterious Thanatos and embraced his role as the "avenging angel" of Downtown. David wisely gives us a fairly light issue that still manages to wrap up some loose "Hammer" threads and sets the stage for new stories.
The Good
1) I love the Doom double-cross. Whereas it was difficult to say what the CEO's motivations were during "Fall of the Hammer," it's now perfectly clear what Doom's were. The CEO at one point chastised Doom for going soft when he seemed concerns about the impact that the destruction of Valhalla would have. I'm glad to see that he was wrong; Doom just wanted to keep it in tact for himself. Classic Doom.
2) Does David have an ear for dialogue or what? The Punisher and Spidey's argument over whether to mount an attack on Valhalla was perfect, clearly expressing their different philosophies through a conversation that sounded completely natural.
3) I loved Miguel "praying" to Thor to save him. David manages to give us some real comedic relief in a way that totally fits the moment. Plus, as usual with David, no moment is wasted and Miguel's prayer winds up being essential to the plot.
The Unknown
I'm a little unclear of whether we stand, religiously. I thought Thor revealed Spidey as a "false prophet," so I'm not sure why Miguel would be worried that he'd still be considered a savior, unless he figures that the fall of Thor undermined his argument and, as he mentions, people are looking to someone to fill the vacuum. Maybe the Aesir never really got their message outside Valhalla, so the "common people" don't know that Thor denounced Spider-Man?
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