Not-Very-New Comics: The August 29 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Edge of Spider-geddon #2:  Wow, this issue is intense.  It really invokes "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2, where we first met Spider-Gwen.  Thompson and Nadler fill out Peni Parker's story, introducing not only the VEN#m suit but also a lot of questions.  The authors start the issue by reminding us this Aunt May and Uncle Ben aren't the parental types.  They see Peni as little more than SP//dr's pilot.  May refuses to comfort Peni as she struggles with being "special," telling Peni she's not really special.  To May's mind, a lot of people work on the SP//dr project; Peni is just one of them.  This detachment sets the tone for the rest of the issue.  Peni is also understandably upset when she learns about the VEN#m suit, particularly the revelation it has equipment she doesn't.  It raises the obvious question of why Ben and May didn't just focus on making SP//dr better.  But, the decision to create a second suit might be explained by May's cryptic comments that Ben understood the dangers of the Sym engine when he installed it in VEN#m.  May tries to save VEN#m's teenage pilot as the engine possess her, but May is also lost to VEN#m.  Later, Ben only manages to admit to Peni he's not the best father when their conversation is halted when Spider-Ham arrives to take Peni with him.  As evident by this short review, Thompson and Nader cram in a lot of action and plot here.  Most importantly, they really nail the characterization.  I'm not sure we need a full-time series dedicated to SP//dr, but it's a thrill to see Peni and SP//dr back in the mix again.  

Extermination #2:  This issue is marginally better than the first one, as Brisson does a better job of conveying the original X-Men's emotions.  Scott serves as the reader's surrogate, reeling from the guilt he feels over Bloodstorm's death and the confusion they all feel over the situation.  Young Nathan ups the ante when he kidnaps Warren, though Jean and Scott are able to identify him before he disappears.  Meanwhile, Ahab arrives and appears to be acting independently of (and possibly at cross-purposes as) Nathan.  I'm guessing they're both trying to use the original X-Men to convince their older counterparts to advance their own agendas in the future, but that's still unclear.  However, I'm still not sure I care.  Although I mentioned Brisson does a better job of portraying the original X-Men's emotions, parts of this issue still make little sense or feel obviously wrong.  For example, Shatterstar seems an odd voice for outrage over Cable's death, given he's not really known for his emotions.  Second, it's hard to share his feelings since it seems unlikely Cable is going to stay dead for long.  Whatever.

Hunt for Wolverine:  Dead Ends #1:  This series of miniseries has really been much better than it had any reason to be.  The authors have really collaborated well on a story that strikes at the heart of the Marvel Universe.  It reminds me of the old days, when everyone would get together to attack a problem before we decided such stores had to revolve around how their personalities made that impossible.  Sure, Tony is an asshole, but he also knows it's Kitty's show after the mysterious Persephone kills ten mutants whose powers haven't manifested themselves yet.  I read "The Adamantium Agenda," so the revelation that Persephone swiped Mr. Sinister's DNA catalogue was particularly rewarding.  (FYI, it's how she's identifying the potential mutants.  Storm has to explain to Tony that she chose the perfect threat when she said she'd kill more unactivated mutants if they didn't stop hunting for Wolverine, since Cerebro can only track activated mutants.)  In "The Adamantium Agenda," we learned one of the mutants was a genetically-enhanced mole; I wonder how we're going to see that information unfold in "Return of Wolverine."  Meanwhile, I'm half-tempted to get Daredevil's Wolverine-related miniseries, particularly given the presence of Cypher.  All in all, I'm really happy how this understated event is developing, much to my surprise.

The New Mutants:  Dead Souls #6:  I'm honestly not sure what exactly we see happen here.  If I'm following the story correctly, the explosion in Warlock's cabin in Connecticut happened several months ago.  Xi'an sent Dani to find him, but he absorbed Dani because he was injured and needed her help.  Around the same time, Illyana realized that Xi'an was trying to weaponize magic, inspiring the team's off-the-books trips to New Orleans and the Arctic.  But, she's smart enough to realize it wasn't Xi'an so much as it was Tran manipulating Xi'an.  (Xi'an was motivated by a desire to give the mutants a company -- i.e., the Hatchi Corporation -- to control, like Rand, Stark, etc.)  We learn Xi'an's psyche has shattered as a result of years of Tran's manipulation and their eventual separation.  Surprising everyone, she possesses Illyana to attack Tran with the Soulsword, reabsorbing him.  Here, it gets weird.  (I know, as if it weren't already weird.)  It seems like Tran was somehow behind Warlock's problems.  Xi'an sent Dani after Tran not Warlock; Warlock was simply an unexpected complication.  (I don't think we learn how Tran came to possess -- as I'm assuming he did -- Warlock.)  But, Xi'an took advantage of the moment, and she's had Warlock stashed in a closet making replicas of the New Mutants all this time.  At this stage, it's fight time.  War-dani tricks Rahne into possessing her, and Illyana sends Boomer, Rictor, and Shatterstar to safety before summoning Guido.   But, Guido has a heart attack, and Illyana agrees to let Warlock try to save him.  (Guido has been in Limbo for years even though only 36 hours passed on Earth.)   But, it's a trap:  a now possessed War-guido takes control of Illyana.  Her/his plan realized, Tri'an calls "General Callahan" (as Tran) and promises test subjects (the New Mutants), but War-yana takes over Tri'an as well.  Unexpectedly, the issue ends there.  It seems pretty clear Rosenberg was planning to extend this series past six issues, and we seem likely to see something soon, as Dani, Guido, Illyana, Rahne, and Tri'an are left as part of the Warlock collective now.  But, Marvel might be right in having us stew with this shock for a few months before scratching our curious itch.

Nightwing Annual #1:  I've been pretty on board with Percy's dark-web story because it's an intriguing premise, the idea the machines are more actively controlling us than we think they are.  But, he always risked pushing too far with the social commentary, and we cross that line here.  This issue is essentially a screed against the modern news media.  Nightwing goes so far as to exalt the era when Walter Cronkite's had a total command of the truth.  Beyond the fact he was too young to remember that era (something he acknowledges), it's also a weird position to take.  (I'll let pass having Dick reminisce about the days when straight white men controlled the facts.)  I get that Percy has reinvented Dick as a Luddite, but that type of story feels very ten years ago.  No one living in this particular moment would think it's even possible to return to that world.  It's not about getting rid of technology; it's about managing how we use it.  I thought Percy was telling that sort of nuanced story, but the wheels seem to come off the bus here.  

X-Men:  Blue #34:  On the plus side, Bunn does an excellent job building to the moment when Magneto reforms Asteroid M and the Brotherhood.  After all, he's been building to this moment all series, and that careful spade work pays off here.  We're not seeing Magneto randomly embracing his dark side, as he often has in the past.  Instead, it's more like Scott Summers' gradual evolution into an extremist, with each development leading him farther and farther down that road.  Magneto is shaken to learn of the destruction in the future, though it's still unclear if it's all because of the war with the Reavers or not.  Nightcrawler, Jr. keeps insisting Magneto saved everyone from the Reaver virus, but older Scott tells Nightcrawler, Jr. he doesn't understand the full scope of Magneto's actions.  The older original X-Men try to prevent Mangeto from returning to the present after they realize he hasn't committed his greatest crime yet, but he manages to escape.  When he returns to the present, he finds the lab where the Reaver virus began and kills everyone there.  (Creepily, he leaves a statue of himself on the site, echoing the statues dotting the landscape in the future.)  My only criticism of these developments is Magneto is smart enough to realize that destroying the lab may very well be the "greatest crime" that sets in motion the events of that future.  He doesn't even pay that lip service here, which seems like an oversight.  Moreover, I'll admit it's hard to keep straight all the strains of time travel happening right now.  In "Extermination," we've got the young original X-Men in the present facing young Cable and Ahab from the future and here we've got the older original X-Men in the future facing Magneto from the present.  I like Bunn's story better, but it all contributes to the sense it really is time to wrap up the kids' story.

Also Read:  Dungeons & Dragons:  Evil at Baldur's Gate #5; Marvel 2-in-One #9; Ms. Marvel #33; The New World #2; Star Wars:  Lando - Double or Nothing #4

Not-Very-New Comics: The August 22 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #4:  I like Nick Spencer, and I appreciate him trying to bring back the fun to Spider-Man.  But, this story is just a mess.  I get why Spider-Man is acting weirdly, given Dr. Connors' explanation that his symptoms are side effects of the splitting process.  But, everyone else is acting weird as well.  For example, Spider-Man's lack of a sense of responsibility means his increasingly reckless battles have destroyed several city blocks.  But, by all accounts, he's more of a hero than he was before.  It doesn't matter he destroyed a dog park implied to be full of dogs at the time:  he's a guest on "The View," he's getting endorsement deals, he's awesomesauce!  (I was particularly mad when he was part of "Uber Hero."  Peter's inability to cash paychecks as Spider-Man for lack of a "Spider-Man" bank account has been a plot point for decades.)  It's all just bizarre and rushed.  I'm honestly surprised no one in the editorial team stopped it.  I get the idea of freeing oneself from continuity, but it doesn't mean you get to free yourself from making sense.

Avengers #6:  This arc was OK, I guess.  I know I'm supposed to be all, "ZOMG, giant-sized Avengers, Unimind, Dark Celestials, ZOMG!"  But, I have to be honest:  it all just felt a little meh.  This entire arc had little tension, as we all knew the Avengers were going to win.  In those situations, it's even more incumbent than usual for the author to use the extreme circumstances to tease out some previously hidden part of the characters'...well, characters.  But, Aaron doesn't do that here:  everyone just gets big!  To make matters worse, I don't entirely get their win.  Tony realizes the Celestials who declined to save Zgreb did so in the hope that humanity would eventually evolve to become the cure for the Horde.  Conveniently, he then remembers Ikaris told him the Unimind was the key to defeating the Horde.  Aaron never quite explains the details, but Ghost Rider somehow unites the Avengers' consciousnesses into the Unimind and the Horde apparently disperses.  Then, the Celestials and the Avengers make short work of the Final Host.  It's all pretty convenient how everyone magically knows what they're supposed to do.  It's like if someone had thrown Bruce Wayne's father a machine gun at the right moment.

Old Man Hawkeye #8:  Sacks wisely returns to telling a smaller, more character-focused story than the one he told last issue.  He shows Clint and Kate as still a study in opposites, with Kate insisting on paying for gas that Clint would've just as happily stole (from a mob boss, it should be noted).  Kate is also confused why she’s risking so much in helping Clint achieve revenge, when she should be at the orphanage helping the kids.  This moral dilemma is heightened when she refuses to follow Clint into the convent to kill Melissa, a former friend.  However, perhaps the most poignant moment is when Bullseye kills Bucky.  He’d been reduced to a mindless robot controlled by some guys in a room, and he thanks Bullseye for killing him.  However, Bullseye didn’t do it for Bucky; he did it to have the guys controlling Bucky perform some sort of brain surgery on him.  I'm assuming it's to remove his tracking chip so the Skull can't find him?  I’m sure we’ll see.  At any rate, this issue is a nice return to form as we start to get to the end.

West Coast Avengers #1:  Every time I read Kelly Thompson, I feel better about the state of comic books.  She crafts an excellent team book here, using her great sense of characterization to make us totally engaged with this group right from the start.  We’ve got Kate’s adorableness with Fuse, Gwen’s hatred of Quentin, Clint’s support of Kate:  this issue has it all.  Plus, using a documentary as the funding source for the team is a stroke of genius that I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen since “X-Statix.”  My sidekick obsession meant I was always a huge fan of “West Coast Avengers,” and I can’t imagine someone paying better homage to it than Thompson does here.  I mean, a 40-foot Tigra attacking Santa Monica in the first issue?  It’s just perfect.

X-Men:  Gold #34:  This Storm arc is turning into one of Guggenheim’s stronger stories.  It still feels like he’s rushing from plot point to plot point, but at least this time the progression makes sense.  Storm is rattled when she realizes her parents really do seem to be alive, but she’s too experienced to accept that on face value.  Instead, she goes searching and discovers a set of catacombs with the bodies of all the deceased villagers.  When she confronts Uovo, he informs her the “Reaping” is coming, and he converts all the bodies — and Storm’s parents — into zombies.  It’s obviously a legitimate conundrum for Storm, as she doesn’t want to destroy the bodies of her former worshipers (and parents).  She’s also disturbed to discover Stormcatcher is no longer answering her call, even though she could use the extra power as she faces down a zombie horde.  It’s nice to see Guggenheim ending on a strong note.

X-Men:  Red #7:  This issue is pretty clever.  I wasn’t sure how they were going to prove Jean didn’t kill the British Ambassador, but Taylor happily surprises me here.  The X-Men manage to retrieve the Ambassador’s phone from the plane upon which her possessions are being transported.  Trinary is able to pull the recording of Cassandra Nova whispering her plans (as she did in the first issue) off the phone, and Jean broadcasts it throughout the world.  (I don't remember how Jean knows the phone has any sort of recording that could be useful, but it's clear why she does when you read the story.)  Along the way, we get a pretty amazing battle on board the plane as Nova’s nano-sentinels hijack the new Ambassador.  He grabs one of the security guards' guns and opens fire on the X-Men in the cargo hold.  It’s a really sold mix of excitement and plot.  Taylor is also doing a great job with the characterization; I particularly enjoyed Gambit and Honey Badger’s interaction here.  Given the state of “X-Men Blue” and “X-Men Gold,” I feel like this series is really stabilizing the X-books at this point.

Also Read:  Detective Comics #987; Darth Vader #20; Mr. and Mrs. X #2; Star Wars:  Doctor Aphra #23

Not-Very-New Comics: The August 15 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Astonishing X-Men Annual #1:  This issue is creepy as hell, but it does something most X-Men stories don’t (but should):  it presents Charles Xavier as an unapologetic asshole.  Jean holds a reunion of the original X-Men (leaving a seat for Scott) and they ponder how far their lives are from the lives they wanted as adolescents.  (Hilariously, they agree Bobby is actually doing pretty well.)  However, "X" (as we're now calling him) arrives and whisks them to Lago, New York.  It's the location of an anti-mutant hate crime that happened when they were students at the School.  X reveals Lucifer — the alien who stole his ability to walk — has taken over the town.  Underlining how different he is from Xavier, their conflict ends when X manipulates Angel into becoming Archangel to kill Lucifer.  (The severed link also kills the townspeople, which X doesn't really seem to mind.)  X uses the fight to tell the X-Men to shove their pity party, as the only choice they ever had was to save the world or die in it.  Jean asks if he cared if they were happy.  As he wipes away their memories of these events and departs, he says he had hoped they found happiness in doing good.  The group replays their dinner the next night in a much happier mindset.  It’s hard to know if X changed their perspectives forcefully or they're in a better place through the faded memory of the experience, but it is what it is.  I still can’t say I’m buying “X,” but this issue does make me feel like Marvel should probably be doing more to get the band back together again.  I'm fine with Scott staying dead for a while so we can finally see Jean without him, as we were able to see him without her.  But, it doesn't mean we can't get the four remaining "originals" together to heal some of the wounds they identified before X mindwiped them.  I'd read that series quite happily.

Extermination #1:  I appreciate what Brisson tries to do here, but I don't know if it really works.  "X-Men Blue" has been such a chaotic series lately that Bunn barely had time to imbue Bloodstorm with much personality, making it hard to feel as devastated by her death as Brisson wants us to feel here.  Sure, I feel bad for Scott, but it's also hard to believe he was so attached, seeing how he recently spent a significant amount of time in space.  Also, does anyone even remotely believe Cable isn't going to magically return from the dead?  Brisson tells a more interesting story when it comes to the idea the X-Men are facing two seemingly unconnected threats.  We don't know why Ahab decides to make a play for Cyclops here, but his presence in the present explains why Rachel's hound persona has been emerging lately.  Meanwhile, young Nathan accuses older Nathan of neglecting his duty in not forcing the original X-Men to return to their time.  According to young Nathan, this decision leads to a slaughter at the Mansion 20 years in the future.  Older Nathan claims he's wrong; in a grammatically challenging sentence, he says "they needed them to see...what they became" so they could return to the past and be better.  I'm assuming older Nathan means he allowed the kids to stay in the present in the hope they'd return to their time with some lessons learned.  But I don't get that, because it assumes they'd remember their time in the present, which we seem already to know doesn't happen.  Separately, it's possible Ahab and younger Nathan are working together, but the X-Men know that it wasn't Ahab who "killed" older Nathan.   As we go forward, I hope Brisson keeps the focus on the kids and doesn't get lost in the sprawling time-travel narrative.  If this story ends with the kids accepting a fate where they don't remember their time in the present, it means Bobby accepting returning to the closet, Jean and Scott accepting the deaths and heartbreaks in their future, Warren accepting the horror his life becomes, and Hank accepting the sadness that weighs on him today.  Walking us through that heroism is the story, as I see it, and hopefully Brisson keeps that in mind. 

Multiple Man #3:  Emperor Jamie's shock troops make pretty quick work of the team, though Forge manages to create the time bracelets that send the dupes into the future to become the superhero versions of Jamie.  (Super-Jamies?)  Emperor Jamie has this Jamie brought before him, and we learn Emperor Jamie became unstable around the time the Beast gave him a serum to turn him into the Prime Jamie.  (I don't get this part.  Prime Jamie was the original Jamie.  You can't just turn a dupe into Prime Jamie.  What exactly did the serum do?)  But, this Jamie says it's not why he became unstable; they were in that bunker in the first place because they were the "evil, megalomaniacal" version of Prime Jamie, plotting to displace him.  Emperor Jamie doesn't necessarily buy that argument, but it doesn't matter, because he kills this Jamie.  Yeah, I'm not sure I care anymore either.

Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man #308:  The thing about Chip Zdarsky is that he’s probably the best in the business right now of telling multilayered stories.  He reminds me of Peter David during the “X-Factor” heyday.  Here, we could just be getting a story of Sandman’s death, as his body can no longer stay cohesive.  If it were just that, it would still be great.  The scene where Spidey takes him to the beach at Coney Island is spectacular (heh).  Zdarsky infuses it with incredible emotion, from Flint telling us how his mother would get plastered while he built sandcastles there to him telling Peter not to take off his mask because he doesn’t want to learn he’s Chris Evans handsome.  (Flint tells us he always pictured Spidey as having an ugly mug.)  It’s funny and wistful and meaningful.  It has that certain je ne sais quoi that “Extermination” #1 lacked, that ability to convey emotions through dialogue and lines.  I have to single out Chris Bachalo here as well, as he captures the scenery perfectly; I could hear the seagulls calling, the beach scenes were so evocative.  But, Zdarsky goes one further.  Using Sandman's dreams, he hints that one version of Sandman is living in our future and made of glass and another version of him faces a grimdark iteration of Spider-Man.  These hints are what makes this issue so propulsive, elevating it from a simpler story.  Even with Nick Spencer’s debut on “Amazing Spider-Man,” this title is the main Spidey title to me.

The Weatherman #3:  Well, I certainly didn't see Nathan (allegedly) killing Cross (a.k.a Amanda) coming.

Nathan realizes that Cross doesn't care about him.  From the start of the issue, though, LeHeup hints Cross has some ability to differentiate Ian from Nathan and thus some sympathy for his plight.  But she also has her mission.  It turns out Dr. Nyseth kept records of the minds she wiped, but she was gone when Fitch's agents got to her lab.  Cross is now trying to find Nyseth's former assistant, Orin Wetzel, with the goal of getting back Ian's memories.  However, Nathan realizes she intends to implant the memories into his brain, turning him into Ian so she can discover details about Jenner's plan.  LeHeup and Fox do a great job of showing Nathan on edge at this point.  

He and Cross spent most of this issue fleeing people in hot pursuit of them, after the two bounty hunters alert the news media to their presence in Tharsis.  But, throughout this chase, he's actually in a good mood:  he has a blast piloting the car while Cross opens fire on the pursuers, a sign of his inability to take anything too seriously.  But the grim look on his face as he (allegedly) murders Cross makes it clear Ian might not totally be gone.  

Meanwhile, other intrigue builds in this issue.  The Martian president realizes Fitch had gone rogue when her team informs her Cross escaped the Nebula before it was destroyed.  It's an interesting angle, as I had figured Fitch was running a sanctioned operation in tracking down Nathan.   LeHeup also subtly implies we shouldn't rule out the Sword of God's motivations being more complicated than simply looking to do evil.  Sure, it's hard to imagine how they would justify blowing up Earth was for the greater good.  But an answer may be out there.  

Meanwhile, LeHeup and Fox continue to drive home the horror of that loss, as Cross and Nathan encounter a dead junkie addicted to a drug that allows you to re-live your memories.  The woman has a stuffed bunny on her lap, and Cross explains that "tethers" help users stay attached to their positive memories while using the drug.  It's hard stuff.  Meanwhile, we're introduced to a crime lord who tortures to death a former employee who stole from him, though it's still unclear how that part of the story connects to Nathan's.  I'm guessing it's not a happy connection.

The Wild Storm #16:  At this point, as much as I'm enjoying this series, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, with so few issues left.  John continues his tour of Thunderbook subjects, this time meeting with a woman with pretty incredible powers over matter.  Angie discovers she can directly access the internet, bringing her to Jenny's attention.  Jenny decides Angie's a cool chick and invites her to work with her and the Doctor if she ever gets tired of Halo.  After this interaction, Angie decides she's tired of hiding and asks Cole to teach her how to shoot a gun.  It's all interesting stuff, but we only have eight issues left.  If everyone goes to war, it's hard to see how it's going to happen in such a short time.  Ellis had previously mentioned two series would follow this one, and it's hard to know which way he'll go.  Will it be StormWatch and Wild C.A.T.s?  I guess we'll see.

Also Read:  Batman #53; Edge of Spider-geddon #1; Infinity Wars #2; Thor #4

Not-Very-New Comics: The August 8 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #3:  This issue makes not a lick of sense.  Don't get me wrong, it's fun.  In fact, it doesn't make sense in part because Spencer is trying to invoke the same sense of fun (and wackiness) that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko did:  Peter and Spider-Man are split into two separate people thanks to yet another accident involving the Isotope Genome Accelerator.  Suddenly, Peter sees the real possibility of living his life without the burden of being Spider-Man.  He won't have to feel guilty that he's not out there as Spider-Man, because Spider-Man will still be out there, fighting terrible evil like the...Tri-Sentinel.  On the downside, Peter discovers Spider-Man got his intellect and his powers, but not his sense of morality and responsibility.  Uh-oh.  Unfortunately, this premise gets a little...wobbly the more you think about it.  For example, the creative team shows Spider-Man only in costume, almost implying if you lifted up his mask his face would be blank.  It's just a little over the top, particularly as Peter doesn't seem anywhere near as worried about it as I think Peter probably would be.  I guess we'll see where Spencer goes from here.

Bloodshot Salvation #12:  I was tempted not to continue reading "Bloodshot" the last time Lemire seemed to give Ray a happy ending, but I’m happy I hung in here.  This issue isn’t perfect, as Lemire seems to be in a rush to hit his marks to get us to the finale.  For example, we never really confirm the identity of his 4002 A.D. doppelgänger or why Baron Samedi wanted the maintenance worker killed.  Moreover, Punk Mambo’s powers seem a little too conveniently strong here, as she essentially shuts down all of Omen’s systems to let Magic and the Bloodshots invade.  But, I’m willing to look past the plot holes because the excellent character beats remain the same.  Lemire never turns Ray into a full-fledged good guy; he murders the maintenance worker because he had to murder him.  Lemire makes it clear that Ray feels some guilt, but he doesn’t regret it, because he did it for his family.  Lemire also reminds us Magic has never been just a scared girl hiding in a hotel room; her childhood left her comfortable with mayhem and murder, making her a match for Bloodshot’s neutral-goodish outlook on life.  Their happiness at the end feels hard won, and it feels like a good time to exit this train with Lemire.  Good luck, Ray.  I’m sure you won’t need it.

Detective Comics #986:  Yup, I’m definitely canceling this series.  I’m not going to stand for Barbara Gordon getting treated like a rank amateur in favor of some C-list hero from Metropolis.  Firstable, she was right to question Jefferson's "plan."  His attempt to keep everyone from the fight likely would’ve resulted in the children dying, because Orphan wouldn’t have been on hand to save them.  Second, I’m also not exactly sure what Jefferson’s powers are.  He controls lightning...and explosions?  Whatever.  Then, Batman announces Black Lightning — a guy he barely knows — speaks for him.  He still can’t let Dick Grayson totally into his circle of trust, but this random guy from Metropolis is basically the new Alfred?  I’ll stay for James Robinson’s arc but then I’m done.

Fantastic Four #1:  Look, Dan Slott and I have been on a long, rough road, and I'm not saying I'm here for the long haul.  But, I've loved what Chip Zdarsky has been doing with "Marvel Two-in-One," so I'm definitely here for as long as it takes to tell the story of Reed and Sue's return.  However, as Skottie Young himself says in the Mr. Impossible short that ends the issue, I'm not quite sure what that timeframe is.  In "Marvel Two-in-One," Ben and Johnny are stranded, powerless, on an alternate Earth.  However, they're back on our Earth here.  Moreover, Victor has apparently lost his pretty face, which I don't think we've seen happen in "Marvel Two-in-One" yet.  It raises questions how Marvel could've timed these releases so poorly, particularly because they seem to have done so intentionally.  To make matters worse, Slott still struggles with conveying emotions here, despite Ben proposing to Alicia and Johnny tearfully accepting Reed and Sue's fate.  I can't exactly put my finger on the problem, but these emotions never feel organic.  It's like a dog trying to explain what they hear to us.  But, it is what it is.  I'm tired of complaining about him and he'd be tired of hearing about it if he knew who I was.  We'll see where we go from here.

Hunt for Wolverine:  Adamantium Agenda #4:  I initially bought this mini-series reluctantly, annoyed with Marvel for using the reunion of the New Avengers as part of its bloated “Hunt for Wolverine” “event.”  But, I can’t say I’m disappointed.  Not only was it great to see the team together again, but Taylor takes us some interesting places here.  First, his character work is excellent.  Tony recalls Wolverine beseeching him to see people before potential after Logan reveals he knew Tony created the superhero suicide-machine.  Logan accepts Tony’s explanation that he’d never use it, but stresses to Tony how its deployment nonetheless proves his point.  As such, Tony caves to Jessica and Peter ordering him to destroy Mister Sinister’s catalogue of the DNA of every living person.  However, he had initially started to decrypt the catalogue, and he learned two things along the way.  First, Laura Kinney isn’t a clone; she’s the actual daughter of Logan and Sarah Kinney.  (I don’t follow X-23 closely enough to get all the implications of that, but I get why it’s important.)  Second, one of the X-Men isn’t a mutant; s/he’s been genetically engineered to appear as one, possibly as a sleeper agent.  Given we don’t know who set loose Tony's suicide machine or invaded Sinister’s catalogue in the first place, Tony seems to be onto something.  This mini-series still doesn't really show us how Logan was resurrected, but that's almost besides the point.  Taylor told a self-contained story that raises some interesting questions for Logan and the X-Men down the line.  I'm not saying it's essential, but it's one of the better examples of the tie-in genre out there.

Oblivion Song #6:  Whoa.  I really didn’t see that one coming.  Kirkman reveals here that Nathan and his team of scientists were the ones who caused the Transference, after a device they built to explore an alternate dimension went haywire.  Nathan explains they built the device because they sensed energy on the other side of the field, but he tells Bridget the field shouldn’t have expanded the way it did.  He initially hypothesized it was because some energy on the other side amplified his device’s power, but he hasn’t seen any technology capable of that on the other side.  To make matters worse, he’s relaying this information in handcuffs, after the feds arrested him for building the device they found in the storage locker.  It's particularly bad timing, too, as he’s convinced his brother Ed to return with him to see what Earth is like.  As such, Ed is functionally stranded on Earth.  Underlining how no one is really having a good go of it, Benjamin appears at Bridget and Duncan’s doorstep when they’re already fighting about Nathan.  Shit’s getting real, folks.

X-Men:  Blue #33:  Yet another time-travel story, yet another unclear situation.  Magneto arrives in the future he's previously hinted he's seen and intuitively knows the devastation he sees there is his fault.  A Nightcrawler-looking child exposits that he assembled a Brotherhood of Mutants — Magic, Toad, Exodus, the Blob, Sabretooth, and someone I think is Unuscione based on her head gear — to stop the "Reaver virus" from destroying the world.  The Avengers and X-Men had been unable to stop the virus because it meant killing the hosts, and Nightcrawler, Jr. tells Magneto that he and the Brotherhood were the only ones willing to do so.  Before we learn more, an Iceman-less team of the original X-Men appears, less than thrilled to see Magneto.  It makes you wonder if Nightcrawler, Jr. isn’t skipping over some parts, since he seems to view Magneto as a hero.  This story ties into “Extermination,” so I wonder where we go from here.

Also Read:  Darth Vader #19; The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #10

Not-Very-New Comics: The August 1 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Astonishing X-Men #14:  OK, last issue might’ve been slow, but this issue is pretty great.  Rosenberg leaves you feeling like a fly on the wall as he focuses on the banter, conversation, and dynamics between the characters.  We get an incredibly sexy, bearded Colossus sounding like Colossus should sound in my head canon (as he rarely does in other authors' hands).  We get Dazzler desperate to leave her middling tour only to discover the “team” actually came for Forge because he was on the hit list that Beast found in one of the Reavers’ processing units.  We have Warpath joining the team under orders from Kitty.  Last but not least, we’ve got zombie Banshee, who...doesn’t seem to be doing so well.  Rosenberg makes it clear that they’re all there for redemption, even if they maybe wished for different teammates for that journey.  But, rather than just use overwrought dialogue to exposit that information, Rosenberg uses witty banter to get there, such as Dazzler criticizing Alex for putting together a sausage party after she learns that he’s not there for her or Alex constantly having to explain that they’re not technically X-Men.  It reminds me of Fraction’s run on “Uncanny X-Men,” which is high praise.

Batman #52:  OK, I’m willing to buy the idea that someone framed Freeze by freezing the women’s brains after the coroner examined them.  But, King will have to explain the coincidence of it being women exactly Freeze’s wife’s age who died at exactly the same time and of exactly the same problem.  (I assume if you buy that Freeze is being framed, that could work.)  I also guess that I can accept the idea of him preemptively preparing for a conflict with Batman, even if it violated his parole to do so.  But, like the difficult woman on the jury, I just don’t buy that he continued to confess to the GCPD for days because he was scared of Batman.  It’s here where Bruce is confusing “reasonable doubt” with any ol' doubt.  Like, yes, in theory, space aliens could’ve caused Mount Vesuvius to explode and wipe out Pompeii.  But, it's unlikely.  “Reasonable” doubt means a believable double, and Bruce’s failing to convince me of his “doubt.”

Captain America #2: I’m really excited about where Coates is going here, as he seems ready to take on a lot of sacred cows.  Steve admits to himself that HYDRA took over the United States not just with a guy wearing his face but with a guy driven by his same need for people to see him as a man:  Coates recalls how Kobik told him to be strong again.  (We have echoes of "Avenging Spider-Man" #5 here.)  It’s what drove Steve to volunteer for the Super-Soldier Program because he was afraid that he was going to be the only boy to remain a boy in the wake of the war.  It’s a brilliant insight into Steve, giving him an honest-to-God weakness for possibly the first time. It’s also driving his need for redemption, as he’s unable to forgive himself as Sharon tells him that he needs to do.  (Don’t we all, Sharon?  Don’t we all?)  It's why he’s made a deal with the Black Panther to take on the Nuke soldiers, despite Thunderbolt Ross telling him that he had to stop his unauthorized missions.  But, Coates goes even one step further:  he shows Steve marinating in the FACT Channel’s conspiracy theories about him, that he and the Supreme Commander are the same person.  Ross alluded to the lack of trust that Washington now has in him, and Steve is obsessed with that absence.  He’s obsessed with it just like the rest of us get obsessed over how people see us, unable to disconnect when we know we should.  In other words, man, Coates is really on fire here.

Infinity Wars #1:  Blah blah blah.  Gamora hornswaggled Peter with a kiss and stole the Power Gem, somehow became Requiem in the day or so between that moment and the Infinity Watch meeting here, and demands the Soul Gem.  She also allegedly kills Peter after saying nothing ever dies.  Sure, OK.  But, it’s really the timeframe that bothers me here.  In “Infinity Countdown,” we saw Requiem force the dwarf to make her the sword, which we now know contains the Power Gem.  I guess that it could’ve happened in the short timeframe we see here, but I thought it actually happened a long time ago.  Also, in “Infinity Wars Prime” #1, Dr. Strange was still lying about possessing the Time Gem even though he called together the Infinity Watch at the end of “Infinity Countdown” #5.  I guess in theory that it could all work sequentially, if you just assume the events of “Infinity Wars Prime” #1 happened before the end of “Infinity Countdown” #5.  It just feels unnecessarily complicated, with Duggan skipping steps.  (We also don’t learn why Iron Lad, and not Kang, came with Adam Warlock to the Infinity Watch meeting.  But, that seems a minor concern at this point.)  Also, Loki meets a version of himself from another universe who wields Mjolnir and talks about the “original” universe.  Is he talking about the one before “Secret Wars?”  I guess we’ll see.

Nightwing #47: This arc doesn’t wrap up nicely, and I totally dig that.  Dick and Babs discover Cloke is really just Wyrm’s somewhat willing victim, as we learn that Wyrm approached him about getting revenge on the three men who shoved him in front of a subway train.  But, we still don’t really know Wyrm’s plans.  We know that he wants to ensnare Earth’s heroes in a “dark web" and that he thought that Dick was the perfect target given his extensive connections with other heroes.  But, we don't know what he wants to do once he was them all in his web.  Dick says that Wyrm is heading to Gotham next, though Percy doesn’t make it clear how Dick knows that.  That said, I’d do the same thing if I were Wyrm.  Making matters all the more confusing, Wyrm manages to pull Cloke through Babs’ phone before he can reveal much more information to the pair, making me wonder in what form we’re going to see him next.

Star Wars #52:  C-3PO, Action Hero!  I always love stories where Artoo and Threepio are the secret heroes of the Rebellion, and this one is no different.  Han realizes that he can’t outmaneuver Vader long enough to pass Luke the message that the hangar doors will open if the ship is broadcasting a Rebel frequency.  However, he notices that one of the cruisers is jettisoning loose escape pods, and it gives him the idea to fire Threepio in a pod at Luke's cruiser.  Han maneuvers through the fire and rubble of the destroyed cruiser to lose Vader for a moment, and Threepio makes it to the cruiser.  But, he’s forced to crawl his way to the airlock, where Luke finds him.  He mentions that it isn’t in his programming to do all that, and Gillen is really making a larger point here, about how Threepio has exceeded his programming.  He’s doing it for his friends, and, man, it made me cry, just as Luke naming his group of ships Rogue Squadron in honor of Jyn Erso did.  This series just gets better and better.

X-Men:  Gold #33:  This issue serves as a coda to my complaints about “Batman” #50 and “X-Men Gold” #30, as Rachel breaks off her relationship with Kurt in order to process the realization that she almost killed everyone.  She says she can’t do so as one-half a couple, again making it clear the editors and authors of Marvel Comics clearly break off relationships the minute anyone faces trouble.  I just don't know what to do with that anymore.

X-Men:  Gold Annual #2:  In this annual, McGuire uses a story about a 14-year-old Kitty Pryde’s time at camp to underline the scapegoating problem that mutants face.  Kitty returns to the camp to try to be normal, something she gets to feel when she reunites with her summer best friends.  Later, looking for her missing phone, Kitty discovers that the junior counselors have been stealing people’s stuff for years, and she uses her powers to return the items to everyone.  But, she goes one step further, scaring the counselors by pretending to be a ghost.  The counselors tell everyone that they saw a real, live mutant, and anti-mutant hysteria takes over the camp.  Kitty’s best friends out her as a “mutant sympathizer,” and she’s forced to meet Asher, one of the kids outside the popular clique to which she belonged.  He’s also a mutant, and when they kiss he’s horrified, saying that breeding for people like them should be a crime.  (Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we, kiddo?)  Kitty’s friends eventually apologize, and she points out the junior counselors were humans and dangerous assholes (e.g., they pushed a girl in a wheelchair into the lake).  But, McGuire makes his point here, that hate is irrational:  her friends sort of agree, but it’s half-hearted.  Asher’s self-hatred shows how deep this hatred runs, and Kitty is left realizing that maybe she doesn’t want to be normal after all.

Also Read:  Ben Reilly:  Scarlet Spider #22

Not-Very-New Comics: The July 25 Everyone-but-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Detective Comics #985:  This series increasingly feels like they asked someone who's never read a "Batman" comic to tell a "Batman" story.  It turns out "Karma" is a "gun-runner" who was operating in Markovia "years ago."  He was also apparently a torturer, even though a gun runner, by definition, is the person selling the illegal weapons and generally not the one using them.  But, whatever.  Karma was a gun runner and torturer who Batman exposed to Scarecrow's gas for his crimes.  Surprised Batman would punish someone with Scarecrow's fear gas?  Yeah, me, too.  Wondering why Bruce was in Markovia in the first place?  OMG, me, too!  (In the flashback, Bruce says the people of Markovia needed freedom, but is he really a freedom fighter now?)  Anyway, Batman "accidentally" creates Karma when, shocker, Scarecrow's gas fractured his mind.  All that said, it's still not clear why Karma wants to purge Bruce of his "weakness," i.e. the Bat-family.  But, do I care?  No.  No, I really don't.  Hill seems unaware that he's just repeating the plot from the much better (but not actually good) "Death of the Family."  He also seems unaware that Barbara isn't a child like Cassandra and Duke.  I'll give it one more issue, but this series is officially on notice.

Doomsday Clock #6:  Not much actually happens in this issue, but I'm not complaining.  Snyder continues to tell character-driven stories here, as we get the sad origin of Marionette and the Mime:  crooked cops murdered their store-owning parents for not paying protection money.  Story-wise, the Riddler tries to convene a League of Villainy to decide whether or not the super-villains (presumably of the United States) should band together in the wake of the Superman Theory hysteria or take up Black Adam's offer of sanctuary in Khandaq.  The Joker brings along a still-paralyzed Batman in a wheelchair, though the group is unexpectedly underwhelmed.  (Only Scarecrow seems to want to look under the mask.)  The group scatters when the Comedian suddenly starts assassinating people in his search for Ozymandias.  Marionette realizes the Comedian probably knows where Dr. Manhattan is, and the Joker is likely to join them in the search because he's (not really all that surprisingly) taken a shine to the two of them.  But, perhaps the most interesting twist here has nothing to do with the narrative but with the costumes.  It seems pretty clear we're dealing with the pre-DCnU versions of these characters based on what they're wearing, and it seems like we have to conclude the DCnU is progressing at least in part alongside the DCU.  I have no idea how Snyder is going to resolve that, but it seems likely it's where this entire endeavor is going at this point.

The New World #1:  I like Ales Kot a lot, not just for his amazing run on "Secret Avengers" but also for his Tumblr feed.  I'm a pretty buttoned up guy and he...isn't, and he makes his kink (for lack of a better word) accessible to me in a way it wouldn't normally be.  This issue is another aspect of that accessibility.  In fact, one of Kot's great skills as a writer is the ability to present a narrative that seems, on the face of it, disconnected but intuitively feels coherent.  Here, Stella the guardian has sex with Kirby the hacker at a club only to learn she has to arrest and possibly kill him the next day.  It's all more complicated than that, obviously.  Her grandfather happens to be the president of New California, one of the successor states to emerge from the dissolution of the United States after five nuclear warheads exploded without explanation over five cities.  At some point, her parents tried to flee to Mexico, but the Great Wall prevented them from doing so.  (The art team makes New Los Angeles seem so colorful you wonder why anyone would want to leave it, accentuating the realization that the reality must be dark indeed.)  It seems like she was raised in her grandfather's care, and she's now one of the top three "guardians" of a popular reality TV show where they hunt down criminals.  If she doesn't get to Kirby, her colleagues (including the one who doesn't share her aversion to following the crowd's wishes to see the perps killed) will.  It's that ability to bottom line it while hinting at the larger dynamic that makes me glad to see Kot back.  

The Realm #8:  Haun and Peck create a creepy as fuck vibe here as Molly and her crew get caught in a series of traps:  they go through a door that closes and locks behind them, the stairs go flat so they tumble into the goblins' lair, and then even that door disappears, leaving only a goblin-sized exit that only Zack can enter.  Along the way, David displays even more magical ability, summoning (possibly unconsciously) a barrier when a goblin leaps at him.  Meanwhile, Will is having dreams of becoming a full-fledged demon, awakening to find himself suspended on a wall in the weird webbing the goblins apparently can produce.  Elsewhere, we learn "the Queen" needs to find the party because the artifact they're carrying is key to re-opening "the portal."  (I assume she means the larger portal that allowed the mass invasion and not whatever means she seems to have -- I think -- to move between the dimensions.)  But, the artifact is hiding itself (and the party) from her.  Good times for the gang, I'm sure.  Basically, it all feels like a "Dungeons & Dragons" session come to life, and I can't think of higher praise than that.

Also Read:  Dungeons & Dragons:  Evil at Baldur's Gate #3; Pathfinder:  Spiral of Bones #5

Not-Very-New Comics: The July 25 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Infinity Wars Prime #1:  OK, here we go.  After the pretty crappy ending of "Infinity Countdown," I can't say I'm all that excited about this event, but I'm game for at least reading the main series.  We'll wait and see about the tie-in series.  At any rate, Duggan gives us three separate (and seemingly unconnected) stories here.  First, Loki discovers that he remembers the tales told in the books in the Asgardian library differently than they're recounted.  He complains he's never the hero of the story, and I wonder if we're going to get an explanation why everyone has seemingly turned their back on Loki as the God of Stories (as he was at the end of "Loki:  Agent of Asgard").  When Loki asks why the stories all involve the same people in different universes, the tomekeeper leads him to a book she remembers dealing with that subject.  But, they're both surprised when the ending has been torn from the book, so they go to the Quarry of Creation, which the tomekeeper remembers also has something to do with the tale.  Elsewhere, Adam Warlock consults with Dr. Strange about the disturbing changes within the Soul Gem.  When they use the Ropes of the Xiand Nomads to enter the Soul Gem (the ropes allow them to stay anchored to our realm), an enormous creature (presumably the one that entrapped Hank Pym in a dreamscape at the end of "Infinity Countdown") looms over the landscape and kills a surprised Adam Warlock.  Dr. Strange is forced to reveal his possession of the Time Gem to Adam in order to save him.  Finally, Requiem, as we seem to be calling the person who had the dwarf create a sword for her in "Infinity Countdown," kills Thanos and then the Chitauri warriors he ruled.  Standing over Thanos' body, she declares the past dead.  (It's some form of Gamora, right?  Maybe Nebula?)  All in all, it isn't a terrible issue, though I still feel like I'm missing something.  At the end of "Infinity Countdown," for example, Dr. Strange summoned the Infinity Watch.  Yet, here, he's lying to Adam Warlock about having the Time Gem.  Does this story take place before "Infinity Countdown" #5?  If not, this part doesn't seem to make much sense.  Whatever.  We'll see where we go from here.

Marvel 2-in-One #8:  Chip Zdarsky, STOP MAKING ME CRY.  After the most recent issue of "Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man," it's just too many feels!  With their powers gone, Ben and Johnny are forced to live normal lives on this strange new world.  After Johnny learns Ben asked this Universe's Amadeus Cho to send out a signal to the Avengers and not just Reed and Sue, he realizes Ben has lied to him:  Reed, Sue, and the kids are dead.  Their subsequent fight is heartbreaking, as Ben confesses he lied because he was worried Johnny was falling to pieces and Johnny only half-heartedly insists he was pulling himself together.  The Fantastic Four returns shortly, but I'm going to miss this period of Ben and Johnny needing to find a way just to rely on each other.  But, I won't miss the crying, Chip!

Mr. and Mrs. X #1:  This issue is goddamn perfect in every way.  Thompson gives Remy and Rogue the wedding they deserved, not the afterthought ceremony we saw in "X-Men Gold" #30.  Moreover, her mastery of their banter is even better than it was during the "Rogue and Gambit" mini-series.  They're definitely in love, but it doesn't mean that they don't have issues or that they can't laugh at each other's expense.  In the letters page, Thompson explicitly mentions how comics can be hard on marriages.  In so doing, she addresses the elephant in the room, essentially promising at least a decent amount of time before we have to worry about them getting a divorce.  With that sort of commitment -- the commitment I think we all expected to get with Bruce and Selina and Kitty and Piotr -- our couple and this series are on solid footing.  It allows Thompson to jump into the deep end, as she does here as Remy and Rogue take a honeymoon in space and come face-to-face with a mysterious egg, Cerise and the Imperial Guard, and Deadpool!  Best start to a series EVER!

Multiple Man #2:  I mean, OK, it's not like I expected a mini-series about the Multiple Man that also involved time travel was going to make much sense.  Rosenberg even plays with that premise throughout this issue to great effect.  But, at some point, it has to make some sense.  As far as I can tell, the dupe we meet here somehow became evil and killed hundreds of thousands of people when he took over the world.  His recent jaunt to the future has already changed it, though seemingly making his repression even more brutal.  Moreover, his return to that future gives him the idea to create the super-powered dupes that save him last issue, completing the loop.  But, at this point, you just have to wonder why he doesn't go to the past and save the real Madrox the moment before Black Bolt releases the Terrigen Mist.  In fact, he could save everyone who died because of the Mist.  After all, altering the "future" isn't any better than altering the "past" since at some point they're the same thing.  [Sigh.]  Fucking time travel.  At any rate, Madrox's interactions with his son and Layla are the best, as the creative team makes Davey's hope and Layla's despair evident.  But, I'd like to follow what's happening at some point.

X-Men:  Blue #32:  Magneto has seen the future, as he mentions here, though I'll admit I can't remember when that happened.  At any rate, he seems to have seen disaster, including something happening to Bobby in particular.  But, he won't tell the kids, though they seem to draw the conclusion that their time in the "present" is growing short.  I'm still intrigued how Marvel is going to resolve their story, and it's increasingly clear we're getting there soon.

Also Read:  Amazing Spider-Man #2; Star Wars:  Doctor Aphra #22; Star Wars:  Lando - Double or Nothing #3

Not-So-New Comics: The July 18 Everyone-but-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman #51:  After last issue, I'm loath to trust King again, but I have to admit this issue is clever.  He hints at the pain Bruce is feeling after the broken engagement by having Mr. Freeze tell a courtroom that he confessed to killing three women because Batman was different the night he found him:  Freeze legitimately thought Batman would kill him.  The twist is Bruce is on the jury, and he may agree with Freeze:  he is the sole juror to question Freeze's guilt when they enter sequestration.  In other words, Bruce's pain might not be directly addressed, but it's present throughout the issue, from Dick (acting as Batman) telling Gordon that Batman isn't doing OK to Bruce ripping a urinal off the wall of the court's restroom, a display of the rage he feels.  I'm grudgingly intrigued.

The Weatherman #2:  Holy fucking crap.  We learn a lot in this issue.  Nathan is allegedly Ian Black, a member of something called the ORCA program.  He and his team were sent to "win the war for Titan."  Afterward, he joined a "mercenary group on the Venusian frontier," but his former commander, Jazen Jenner, recruited him into the Sword of God.  He detonated the bomb that destroyed Earth.  Later, a "fringe neuroscientist named Dr. Mirian Nyseth" helped erase and replace his memories; Ian Black became Nathan Bright.  The problem is Jenner is looking to finish what he started, to destroy Venus and Mars so he can rid them of the same "evil" he felt was infecting Earth.  But the "springboard" protocol prevents Nathan from remembering his life as Ian; a telepath confirms he remembers nothing before the day of the incident.  However, Amanda, in her zeal, almost breaks Nathan's mind in pushing him to remember, so they can maybe learn something helpful in stopping Jenner.  (At one point, she dumps Sadie, Nathan's dead dog, on his shoulders.)  Her commander, Fitch, reminds her that the lives of everyone on Venus and Mars are at stake.  Shortly thereafter, the mercenaries seeking Nathan last issue attack the spaceship where they're located and Fitch's secretary detonates a bomb, destroying the ship.  But Amanda is able to spirit away Nathan just in time.  Wow.  Just wow.

The Wild Storm #15:  Everything starts to unravel here as Bendix, John, and Miles try to control the situation but ultimately can’t (though John is probably the only one to realize that).  Bendix sends a “Little Stick” of diamond crashing from orbit into IO’s Hightower station, destroying it.  (Interestingly, Pennington confirms IO wasn't behind the incursion, but Bendix doesn’t seem particularly interested in who it was.)  The Doctor cures the Mayor.  He then remembers Skywatch experimented on him so he could survive as a slave in a polluted environment, presumably after the Khera destroy Earth.  (It gets even more grim from here.)  Slayton continues his killing spree for the Carer (i.e., the Khera inside him), and John finds Andrew Kwok, another Thunderbook subject.  He’s abandoned the identity John created for him, getting plastic surgery and creating another one.  As John has still (somehow) managed to find him, Kwok tries to kill John for fear John's already lead “them” to him, and John is forced to kill him first.  Bendix seemingly confirms his plans during a rant to Miles, saying he has no problem using a Little Stick on IO’s building in New York because he just wants Earth to be a source for slaves for his breakaway civilization.  For a reason I don’t understand, Miles agrees to let Bendix have back his Ground Division (presumably the part conducting the aforementioned experiments to turn people like the Mayor into slaves), though he’s seen his C.A.T.’s footage and bans Lucy Blaze from New York.  (I’m not sure what the footage showed, but I’m assuming it has something to do with her assassinating Mitch, even though I don’t know how it would appear on C.A.T. footage.)  Jackie says that Skywatch’s countermeasures to the bot attack have revealed their location, and Miles is surprised when Jackie suggests nuking them in space.  But, it’s clear Jackie wants vengeance for Mitch, something she tells Miles she’s going to get.  Finally, Pennington tells Zealot she has to leave New York and implies it’s not a bad thing since New York might not be there much longer.  It goes to a larger point Pennington made a while ago, about how they’re all just edging closer and closer to open conflict and revealing themselves to the world.  With nine issues left, we definitely seem to be going there.

Not-So-New Comics: The July 18 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers #5:  OK, this issue is (finally) pretty great.  The story Aaron has been (slowly) building finally hits full steam here.

Loki exposits the secret history of the Marvel Universe to Cap, revealing the Horde managed to infect the Progenitor while s/he traveled space; life on Earth began from his/her excrement and vomit.  (Nice touch, Jason.)  The divine and radioactive nature of said excrement and vomit is why we have so many superheroes.  The Progenitor’s lover, Zgreb the Aspirant, came to find the Progenitor, but instead the Horde infected him, too.  Odin and his prehistoric Avengers defeated Zgreb, and the First Host came to find him and the Progenitor.  But, they left without them, possibly for fear of the Horde infecting them, too.  The Horde innovated this time, turning Zgreb into a Dark Celestial (Zgreb the Sorrower) instead of killing him.  Somehow the Horde then got its many hands on other Celestials, creating the Final Host, which killed all the other Celestials.

With the history lesson complete, the team swings into action.  Black Panther manages to charge Carol and his suit with the same energy as the Horde emits, allowing them (apparently) to destroy its composite members.  Ghost Rider rescues Cap from Loki’s clutches in the Arctic Ocean, and Cap inspires him to go big, using his powers to take control of one of the dead Celestials.  She-Hulk and Thor ingest Ymir’s blood, growing to the same size as the Celestials, and Tony calls on his Godkiller MKII armor from Mars.  Now, these four "Giant-Sized" Avengers (again, clever, Jason) take on the Final Host.

It’s all pretty great.  I'll say I’m having some trouble buying Cap’s more jocular tone here, but otherwise Aaron has everyone’s voices down so well it’s like watching a Marvel movie, which I assume this arc will eventually be.

Old Man Hawkeye #7:  The problem with this issue is that it's hard to engage emotionally with it when you know it isn't "real."  In fact, it almost leaves you wishing you'd pick up an issue of an event that unfolded this way.  It would be truly shocking to see Magneto murder Wanda.  (Paging "Age of Ultron" #1.)  Instead, Sacks just hits his marks of shocking death after shocking death without really explaining how the villains got the upper hand.  I mean, sure, Magneto unexpectedly kills Wanda, which helps set the stage for the Thunderbolts' successful betrayal; Wanda would've definitely helped mitigate their impact on the battlefield.  But, we're never told why the Thunderbolts betray the Avengers in the first place.  In fact, Abe wants us to believe Melissa is devastated by her decision, though Sacks never explaining why she made it in the first place.  (I assume she made it under duress and we'll learn that once Hawkeye finds her at the convent where she's been hiding.)  However, Atlas gleefully murders the Black Knight and Quicksilver here, despite Hawkeye initially swearing he trusted Eric.  What changed?  Also, Creel's murder of Thor happens essentially off-panel; we're supposed to believe he managed to absorb Wanda's magic (after she died) and Thor's lightning and somehow became a god.  But, would Thor really be hurt by a lightning- and magic-powered Creel?  Isn't he lightning- and magic-powered?  I mean, it's not a terrible issue, but it's not as amazing as the editors wanted us to believe it was going to be.

Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man #307:  Man, Chip Zdarsky has to stop making me cry.  Between Peter and Tinkerer sharing each other's pain to Teresa's decision to turn herself into the authorities before she meets Aunt May, this issue is an emotional fucking roller coaster.  The next issue is a preview of Peter going against the Sandman, and I just hope it's a nice, normal slugathon.  My emotions need a rest.

Spider-Gwen #34:  As I've mentioned before, I wasn't previously a fan of Jason Latour.  I could go into details, but I won't:  let's just leave it at that.  Then, "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2 happened.  Now?  I'm hard pressed to think of a more consistently coherent and emotional story than the one he, Robbi Rodriguez, and Rico Renzi have told over the course of this series.  At no point did a loose end slip or a ridiculous arc drag.  Every moment was packed with emotion and honesty and it drove the next moment packed with emotion and honesty.  From Gwen's original sin of "killing" Peter to her tearful conversation with Harry in Madripoor to her resolved argument with her dad in this issue, this series has always been about her relationships.  Do I really, really hope "Ghost-Spider" involves Gwen traveling town to town with the Mary Janes, solving crimes and righting wrongs in a way that would make Bill Bixby proud?  Yes, yes, I do.  But, it doesn't have to happen.  Latour, Rodriguez, and Renzi have already told the story of a young woman coming to terms with the mistakes that she's made and overcoming the shame those mistakes inspired in her to become the hero she always was.  Origin stories can often glide over the emotional side of this phase, focusing instead on the hero simply learning (usually with an emphasis on comedy) how to use his/her new powers.  Unlike possibly anyone who came before him, Latour put the emotional and relationship mistakes front and center of Gwen's story.  She couldn't simply learn from her mistakes; she had to take responsibility for them.  That's who Gwen Stacy is.  It even took her a while to get there, making you wonder at some points if she would get there.  Now?  She's Spider-Gwen, damn it.  I can't wait to see what she does next.

Star Wars #51:  This issue reads like a goddamn movie and I feel downright privileged to have read it.  The rebels realize the Shu-Torun program only blocks the flight-bay doors from the inside; if someone can fly a ship broadcasting the Rebel frequency near the doors, they should open.  One of the generals tries to fly one of the shuttles (that I assume was attached outside the cruiser via airlocks), but the Empire easily destroys it.  However, Han unexpectedly arrives and, in a bid to impress Leia, takes on the task himself.  I can't tell you the joy I felt reading this issue, from Han putting Threepio on the shields and telling him "life-and-death stakes are a great motivator" to Threepio later yelling, "We're doomed" when Vader manages to hit them.  Did I mention that Vader appears from nowhere just as they're ready to activate the doors?  The first few issues of this series really captured the sense of watching a sequel to "Star Wars" and Gillen recreates that magic again, as everyone acts and sounds the way you expect them act and sound.  I couldn't be happier with this issue.

Thor #3:  It’s hard to believe this issue is only a standard size, given how much happens in it.  After the various children and grandchildren of Odin fight and squabble in hilarious fashion, Loki proposes Balder and Hel get married so they can unite the fractured armies of Hel behind them and take on Sindr before she destroys Niffleheim.  However, Thor reminds Loki the souls in these armies weren’t warriors in real life; they need the Einherjar from Valhalla.  However, you can’t get to Valhalla unless you’re dead, so Loki murders Thor at his request, just as Thor is telling him he still believes in him and loves him.  (It’s hilariously poignant.)  But, it all comes to a head as an unexpected figure stops the wedding:  Thanos.  Honestly, I totally didn’t see that coming, but I can’t get over how brilliant it is.  As ridiculous as this entire issue is (and seeing Thori as a flower girl is as absurd and awesome as it possibly could be), it all works because Aaron has everyone’s characterization and voices down so well.  As Sindr learns from Gar-Toom the Blooddrinker how to murder souls, we come to appreciate the threat Odin’s family faces and why this wedding maybe isn’t as ridiculous as it seems.  It all happens against the backdrop of some of the best art and colors I’ve ever seen.  Aaron and the creative team are quite simply on fire.  (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)

Also Read:  Daredevil #605; Darth Vader Annual #2; X-Men:  Gold #32; X-Men:  Red #6

New Mutants #10: "Betrayal!"

Summary

Surrounded by Bobby, Dani, and Sam, Rahne, in wolf form, is sitting on a throne, which a group of slaves is carrying on a liter through the streets of Nova Roma.  As Sam complains about feeling like an idiot waving to the people, Gallio thought-bubbles how Nova Roma views him as a hero for bringing to it the "living representation of our most revered deity."  Deriding the crowd as fools (of course), he plans on using that belief to break the power of the Senate and end the Republic forever.  As Aquila darkly looks at him, he crows that even Aquila can't stop him from becoming emperor.  Sam comments on them glaring at each other to Bobby, but Bobby says it's none of their business as he instead thinks about his mother.  He figures the patrols would've found her if she had survived; given the lack of word, he worries she's dead.  He sees Dani looking at him and tries to keep up a brave face as he doesn't want his teammates to see how upset he is.  Dani sees through his act, cursing him for being too proud to talk about his feelings but then realizing they're very much alike, which is why she cares.

At the conclusion of the parade, Gallio escorts the kids into a place he's giving to them.  Dani finds a robe for Rahne as she changes into human form, expressing her concern the Nova Romans calling her a goddess is "na' proper."  Gallio chides her, saying she is a god to them and even hypothesizes the Roman gods were actually mutants like them.  (That's an interesting theory, to be honest.)  Gallio brings out a banquet for the kids, but Sam expresses concern slaves are serving them, prompting Bobby to note his father was a slave and their luxury comes at a price.  This talk concerns Dani, remembering how close they came to being slaves themselves and how Gallio could change his mind.  

Later, Dani thanks Gallio for his kindness, but Sam, naively, notes the dark look the guy gave him at the parade.  Gallio says he can guess who it was, but tells him not to concern himself with Senator Aquila.  Sam realizes it's Amara's dad (having noticed a resemblance, apparently) and asks if they don't get along.  Gallio says he's of the patrician class, "born and bred to uphold the ideals and traditions that have made Rome great."  However, Aquilla is "plebeian," a commoner like other Senators, though they serve more honorably than he does.  Gallio tells the kids Aquilla respects "no law but his own and desires nothing but power."  He claims Aquilla is trying to make himself emperor, but Sam isn't buying it.  Gallio reminds Sam of the slick company reps who used to screw over his father and his fellow miners by burying the details in their contracts.  But, he realizes Gallio sees them as kids and Dani's successfully playing him with her obsequiousness, so Sam plays along, too.  He says Amara told him her father ran the republican party, and Rahne bursts into hysterics, screaming at Sam that Amara is a liar and a sneak.  The New Mutants express shock at Rahne's outburst, with Dani wondering why Rahne has been on Amara's case since the start, if it's an issue between her and Amara or her and Sam.  Gallio tells Rahne she shouldn't judge Amara harshly; she's a loyal daughter to Aquilla.  But, he then notes she didn't accompany them to the arena, leaving the New Mutants to their fate.  Rahne agrees, saying the New Mutants stand by their friends and offering her support to Gallio.  Gallio thanks her and then leaves them to rest.

Relieved, Bobby activates his powers and shatters his armor, apologizing to the other kids for his outburst but nothing how hot the armor is.  He collapses into a chair and tells them to wake him in a week "preferably with a kiss."  Sam isn't having it, though:  he asks what Rahne is "playin' at," offering their help to Gallio without running it by the team first.  Rahne asks why she shouldn't have done so, and Sam reminders her they're strangers in a strange land with no idea who the good or bad guys are.  (Good point, Sam.)  He tells Rahne that her "crazy hate" of Amara is blinding her, and Rahne shoots back, telling Sam he likes Amara and it's confounding his judgment.  She asks who made him -- "high-an'-mighty Guthrie" -- leader of the New Mutants, and Sam hilariously tells her to mind her elders.  Rahne gives as good as she gets, telling him she's not going to mind an elder who acts like a baby.  (I'm not really buying Sam acting like a baby here, Rahne.)  Bobby leaves, noting how Dani has been taking lead lately so he'll let her handle the situation.  He realizes she's a better leader than him, since he doesn't have the patience to be one; his answer is to punch someone.

In the hallway, a slave girl offers to "ease [his] sadness," but Bobby says he wants to left alone.  He ponders how his feelings are so evident and if he likes feeling sorry for himself, reviewing for the reader how he was too slow to prevent the death of Juliana, the loss of Xi'an, and the disappearance of his mother.  In tears, he wonders what good his powers are if he can't save the people he loves.  He wishes his father were there, because when they're together they "talk like pals."  (Enjoy that now, 'Berto...)  Just then, he passes a window and notices two women leading a handcuffed woman with red hair into a building.  Bobby rushes down the steps only to encounter armed guards preventing him from leaving, telling him Gallio has ordered them to stay in the palace "for [their] own protection."  Bobby powers up abilities, but he then thinks of Professor X and how he'd be appalled at him for threatening an innocent man doing his duty.  He also realizes the woman has disappeared and assumes he just imagined her.  (Does he often imagine red-haired women who look like his mother?)  He powers down his abilities and apologizes, to the "decurion's" relief.

Later that night, Dani sneaks from her room, using her powers to summon the image of two scantily clad women to distract the guards.  Dani feels guilty given how happy the guys looked, but makes her way outside.  She figures no one will notice her given she's Native American and the city is half Incan, but a hand places itself over her mouth before she can get far.  Later, Rahne is sitting in a window worried that Dani hasn't returned but Bobby assures Rahne that Dani can take care of herself.  He rubs her hair and she laughs, but then admits she's ashamed of herself for saying such hateful things to Sam and for blaspheming by pretending to be a god.  She then sobs that she wonders why God hasn't struck her dead and frets over burning in Hell.  Bobby tells her she shouldn't worry if her beliefs aren't shaken, but she confesses they are shaken, as she likes being a wolf more than a girl, a feeling that increases every day.  Bobby doesn't know what he should say, but then notices a gun pointing from behind the drapes.  The shot glances off his shoulder and sends him tumbling out the window, awakening a boxer-clad Sam.  Sam blasts from his bed out the window to grab him, reminding us again that Bobby isn't invulnerable, even as Sunspot.  Sam hastily returns, as Rahne is in the room with the attempted murderer, but she's already turned into a wolf and leapt at the assailant.  Of course it's Castro, and Gallio and his guards (suspiciously) enter immediately.  Sam tells Gallio they need a doctor, but an enraged Bobby points out Castro is the man who killed his mother.  Gallio promises he'll face justice, but when he asks Castro who sent him Castro spits on him.  Gallio threatens to leave him with Bobby to settle the matter and an allegedly panicked Castro says it was Aquilla.  (Of course it was.)  Gallio orders his centurion to arrest Aquilla.

Meanwhile, Dani awakens in a cave dressed in a bikini and notices two other girls drugged and dressed the same way, including Amara.  Dani supposes her "mutant metabolism" burned off the drug more quickly.  She asks a barely conscious Amara where they are and Amara mutters that she doesn't know.  She asks why they're there and a brute carrying a torch tells her to be sacrificed.  A still woozy Dani realizes she can't fight as she doesn't have control over her spirit forms.  The guards lead her, Amara, and the third girl to a large pit of fire, apparently the "sanctuary of the Cult of Fire" where the girls will be sacrificed to the "eternal flame."  Suddenly, Selene, "daughter of the moon, mistress of fire," appears, telling the girls to come to her.  Dani recognizes the psychic tug and realizes her training is helping her to resist Selene's call.  The third girl begs Selene to stop as she continues to walk closer to Selene and Dani frantically tries to summon her power.  Dani realizes Selene knows she has powers and is blocking her from using them as she sends the third girl to her death so she can have life.  (Aha!)  Selene exposits she's a goddess who's walked Earth before the dawn of time and asks whether Amara or Dani will go next.

At the Aquilla estate, Sam blasts through a wall, surprising Aquilla's personal guards.  However, he thought-bubbles that Castro fingering Aquilla was suspicious, especially since Gallio had his army all set to go after him.  He laments they have no time to think, particularly as Bobby just wants to bust heads.  One of the centurions refuses to allow Rahne to follow Bobby and Sam, as she's the "living heart" of the city.  Sam grabs Bobby, telling him the centurions don't need help massacring other centurions.  Sam acknowledges Rahne might be right about Amara getting to him, but he tells Bobby he doesn't trust Gallio and they can make sure he doesn't "accidentally" kill Aquilla in trying to arrest him; Bobby concurs.  On cue, Gallio's cronies burst into Aquilla's room, where he's ready with a sword.  He takes out one centurion as another declares Gallio wants Aquilla's head on a pike, a different order than we heard Gallio give in front of the kids.  Sam and Bobby arrive in time to prevent the centurions from killing Aquilla.  In Latin, Aquilla asks Gallio if he's disappointed to see him alive.  Gallio privately curses the meddlesome kids but then tells Aquilla he'll be dead soon enough, once the Senate convicts him of high treason due to the "overwhelming" evidence against him.  Aquilla calls him the traitor, and Gallio gloats Aquilla couldn't stop him even if it were true.  Gallio thanks the kids for their help, and Bobby reveals he speaks Latin and realizes they've made a terrible mistake in trusting Gallio.

Meanwhile, Selene has Amara on a platform, telling her she knew she'd come to her as her mother did.  She reveals she knew Senator Aquilla was trying to save her by hiding her in the Amazon with the other refugees from her cult.  She tells a drugged Amara she'll die by her hand and Gallio will kill her husband, spelling doom for the Republic.  Dani is appalled, but Selene is too strong as she tries to break free.  She finally overcomes her, creating a spirit form that scares the goons and allows her to make her way to Selene.  A surprised Selene focuses on Dani for a moment, but quickly recovers before Dani can shove her into the lava.  She tells Dani she realized she was a fellow mutant the moment she entered the arena, and she's surprised she is one, given Selene thought she was alone.  Dani realizes why people hate mutants if they're all such monsters.  Selene asks Dani to join her as she scratches her face and licks the blood, telling her it's allowed her to see into Dani's soul.  (Um, OK.)  Amara suddenly shouts "murderer" and exposits the fight broke Selene's hold on her.  (So it wasn't the drugs?)  But, Selene easily backhands her into the lava pit.  However, suddenly, an earthquake sends columns toppling in Nova Roma, creating a fissure with lava.  In the cave, Amara's powers are fully evident and she swears vengeance on Selene for all the people she's killed.

The Review

This issue really kicks the Nova Roma storyline into high gear.  Claremont does a great job of using the situation to test the kids in a way they previously haven't been, bringing out new aspects of their personalities.  Despite his country-bumpkin act, Sam is insightful in his reading of the political situation in Nova Roma and shows maturity in acknowledging Rahne could be right that his feelings for Amara might be clouding his judgment.  Bobby also shows maturity for recognizing his shortcomings and in embracing Dani's leadership of the team.  For her part, Dani recognizes her pride has led her to build walls around her that aren't helping her, an example she clearly sees in Bobby.  In fact, Rahne is the only one not to show growth here; instead, she reminds us just how much of a sheltered child she remains.  All in all, this arc really sees the kids becoming full-fledged characters and this series really hitting its stride.

Some other thoughts:

- I thought Gallio proclaimed Rahne to be Caesar's descendant because of her short, not red, hair.  In the narration here, it says Caesar had red hair, which was news to me.

- I'm surprised to the extent everyone just accepts Sam's feelings for Amara, given they've all basically spent less than 24 hours together.  Other than carrying her while he was nearly naked last issue, I don't really remember them interacting all that much.

- At the pit of fire, Dani notices she and the other two girls are terrified and wonders why she's so affected, pondering if it was the drug.  Um, maybe it's the huge pit of fire into which Selene is going to hurl you, Dani?

- Sexy time with slaves!  Helping centurions murder other centurions!  Sexy time as slaves!  Seriously, Claremont continues the trend of putting the kids in adult or dangerous situations wearing little more than underwear.  Bobby is thirteen years old, but Claremont has no problem showing a slave throwing herself at him.  (I'm impressed by Bobby's ability to resist.)  It's all very...questionable.  ("X-Men and the Micronauts"  really pushes this envelope.)

- I'm surprised Selene, who's allegedly walked the Earth for centuries, didn't know other mutants existed.  What the what?  Like, she hasn't left the Amazon in centuries?