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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also Read:  X-Terminators #2

Five-Month-Old Comics: The October 19 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Moon Knight #16:  This issue is a bit slow since Moon Knight spends a lot of time listening to Tutor's rival, Lady Yulan, explain vampire politics.  

Apparently Yulan worked for "the dread immortal Yi Yang" and claims to have killed a thousand men a century before Dracula was even born.  But Yi Yang went nuts due to the immortality's inherent alienation, and Yulan fled.  

Years ago, a still-human Tutor came to her with ideas about how vampirism could be humanity's next evolutionary step.  She didn't buy it.  When she refused to turn him into a vampire, he used one of her "brides" to turn himself.  

Now Tutor wants to gain international recognition for his budding empire, and Yulan hypothesizes that he's coming at Moon Knight because he's afraid that Moon Knight is making his own vampires.  (We found out Reese accidentally created Soldier after a piece of her heart entered his heart when they were shot.)  

Yulan informs Moon Knight that she a truce with Tutor since otherwise he'd inform Yi Yang about her whereabouts.  But she informs Moon Knight where he can find the conclave that Tutor is holding to gain his recognition.

Oh, also, it seems like Grand-Mal and the Nemean killed Hunter's Moon.  Moon Knight will handle that well.

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #28:  If this Sabé storyline doesn't end soon, I'm done.  

Pak is really taking it too far as Sabé stays with Vader even after he brings her to the Emperor to decide what her future is.  The Emperor sees the darkness and ruthlessness in Sabé, so he encourages Vader to continue to mold her as an asset.  I get that.  After all, she's the Queen's Shadow turned just a Shadow, as Vader says.  

Their first assignment together is on Skako Minor, where Wat Tambor's grandson, Jul, is stirring up trouble.  (Vader killed Wat at the end of the Clone Wars.)  Vader sends Sabé to infiltrate Jul's organization.  I get that, too.

But Pak doesn't even try to explain why Sabé is still playing this game.  Once Vader betrayed her by surrendering her to the Emperor (and not confronting the Emperor for his lies, as Sabé believed they were doing), why didn't she leave at the first opportunity?  She didn't kill Vader because she trusted Padmé that there was good in Vader, but surely she has to see now that she was wrong.  

Pak's failure to address her motives is making this story all the more unbelievable than it already is.

X-Men #16:  Ugh.  I actually liked this story more than I thought I would, except Duggan undoes decades of Alex's development and growth by turning him into an impetuous and jealous child (metaphorically, not literally).  

The X-Men's mission is almost ruined when Alex suddenly - and for no reason that I can see - attacks Scott over the fact that Scott didn't support Alex joining the X-Men.  Why they're having this fight in the middle of a high-risk mission, Duggan doesn't say.  But Alex's attack accidentally (and conveniently) releases the real Perro (who Forge is impersonating inside the Vault).  It takes the X-Men's best efforts to get Perro into stasis again.  It's a cool fight, but I was enraged the entire time given how it started.

Meanwhile, the issue's preamble showed Forge approaching Sinister to help him build his suit, and the identity of the third mutant whose gifts Forge used to build it remains a mystery.  It seems this mutant's gift will allow Forge to escape the Vault quickly, though his plan is set back a bit when it turns out the mutant he detected is Laura, not Darwin.

Forge is now worried Darwin is dead and the Children of the Vault have his powers, though I feel like he's underestimating Darwin's powers.  After all, if he could live for decades inside Vulcan, couldn't he live inside Laura?  I guess we'll see.

Miracleman by Gaiman & Buckingham: The Silver Age (2022) #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Oh, Neil Gaiman.  How glad I am that you decided to make this dream a reality.

One of the things that I found distressing about "Miracleman (2022)" #0, which I couldn't quite articulate at the time, was the fact that all the stories seemed so...pulpy, like the original Miracleman stories set in the 1940s and 1950s.  The characters were all two-dimensional.  I found myself wondering why "Miracleman (2014)" and "Miracleman by Gaiman and Buckingham (2015)" captivated me in the first place if all the stories were like that issue's.

Gaiman in his brilliance shows that I was almost meant to feel this way.  Young Miracleman serves as the reader's surrogate as he struggles to get a grasp on the technocolor insanity of this era.  

The issue begins with Jenda and Zapster, two of the Miraclechildren (who we first saw in "Miracleman (2022)" #0), fighting each other on "an island in the South Pacific" that looks a lot like Manhattan.  Gaiman gives sly nods to Marvel throughout their fight:  the children battle a Galactus-like figure named "Klingsor the Galaxatron, Destroyer of World;" Jenda yells, "It's pulverizing time;" and "Klingsor" quips that Earth will become another battery in his cosmic "power pack."

Suddenly, a fellow Miraclechild, Mist, interrupts the battle to inform the pair that Panorama wants them to come to her since Miracelman is waking up Young Miracleman.  It turns out "Klingsor" is a third Miraclechild, named Duncan, and they're all excited to see the awakening.  Given the destruction they're committing, I assumed that the scene would dissolve into something like the Danger Room, but the Miraclechildren talk about reconstructing the island after resuming their fight the next day.  

Here, Gaiman is making it clear the extent to which Miracleman and his cohort really are gods and Earth is their playground.  It's possible the island is just a playground created for them, as they keep referring to destroying the World Trade Center (which definitely isn't on a South Pacific island) in a previous fight.  It would explain why we see no people throughout their battle.  Either option, though, underscores just how powerful the Miracles are.

The Miraclechildren arrive at a floating space station where we're introduced to other Miraclechildren, including Panorama.  She uses her telepathic powers to connect to Winter, who is present at Young Miracelman's awakening.  

Young Miracelman (who'll I'll call by his "human" name, Dicky, to save on typing) awakens, and Miracleman enters his room.  Miracleman explains to Dicky that he has been dead for 40 years and stresses that he wants to take his reintroduction slowly.  Buckingham is brilliant in these pages, as Dicky is basically the epitome of a handsome 1950s teenager, something Gaiman emphasizes through the script as well.  It helps highlight just how displaced Dicky is in this reality.

When Winter enters Dicky's room, against Miracleman's wishes, Miracleman realizes that his plan of a slow reintroduction has failed.  He then takes Dicky into the rest of Olympus and introduces him to the Pantheon:  Miraclewoman (Dicky is taken aback when Miracleman introduces her as his "consort" though not as Winter's mother), British Bulldog (formerly Big Ben), Huey Moon the Firedrake, Kana Blur and Phon Mooda of the Warpsmiths, and Mors from the Qys.  Dicky is unfailingly polite through this conversation, with his 1950s vernacular standing in sharp contrast to the wonders he's encountering.  He then asks Miracleman to escort him to his room so he can rest.

In his room, Dicky explodes.  He asks about the "woman in that - that filthy bathing suit," the "coloured gentleman," and the man in the animal costume.  He expresses confusion over an extremely large statue of Johnny grabbing onto who we know is Kid Miracelman and a similarly large portrait of Dr. Gargunza.  

Realizing he has to tell Dicky the truth, Miracleman asks Dicky recount his origin story.  To Dicky's mind, he was an orphan who stumbled upon a secret plot where former Nazis sent messages to each other in "hollowed-out vegetables from the orphanage market garden," a brilliantly ridiculous plot only an old-school comic could contain.  Dicky met Micky Moran, who was on the story's trail for the "Daily Bugle," and they found the Nazis' submarine headquarters.  During the fray, one of the Nazis shot Dicky.  Micky called for Guntag Borghelm to save Dicky, which he does by allowing Miracelman to share his energy with him.  Dicky exposits to us that he had to call out "Miracleman" instead of "Kimota" since he didn't have a direct connection to "atomic harmony" like Miracelman did.

Reluctantly, Miracleman is forced to tell Dicky his real history.  He informs Dicky that his father didn't die in the Battle of Britain, and his mother didn't die in the Blitz.  Dicky's father came home to find Dicky's mother in bed with his best friend and killed them both before committing suicide.  Gargunza later kidnapped Dicky from the orphanage to become part of the Spookshow.  Miracleman explains all their memories from that period where artificial implants (something I had forgotten) while they actually slept for eight years.  The British government eventually balked at the program, and, in in 1963, they were all sent to their deaths via atomic bomb, as we know.

Miracelman explains that he resurrected Dicky after taking over the world, and Dicky devastatingly asks why.  Miracleman explains that he thought he deserved a second chance.  Dicky asks if Miracelman killed Johnny (news that Miracleman had broken to him earlier) to make the world safe for "peace and democracy," and Miracelman explains that he alone is in charge.  Dicky asks for a minute, and Miracleman leaves.  He then turns into his human form - dressed as the messenger he was - and, in one of the most devastating scenes I've ever seen in comics, sobs that he wants his mom.

Back at the space station, the Miraclechildren watch, with the same emotionlessness that we saw earlier.  Kay announces that she wants to have sex with Dicky, and another Miraclechild comments on Dicky's hokey accent.  Conversely, Panorama is shaken, and Mist ominously notes how traumatized Dicky is and "where it goes from here is anybody's guess."  Jenda and Zapster then discuss resuming their fight.  Jenda declines because "sometimes you can get really bored with hitting people through buildings," and the issue ends with Duncan and Zapster continuing the fight on their own, with Duncan appearing as another Marvel villain, Vril-Vrox-Vrang  (i.e., Fin Fang Foom).

Again, Gaiman is brilliant here.  It's clear that he's using Dicky to show us the corruption and perversity of the Pantheon and the Miraclechildren.  Given Dicky's comment about "peace and democracy," it seems possible that Dicky will be the one to take on Miracelman and his regime.  The question still is how welcome Earth's people will find his attempt to do so.  Do they really appreciate the 19 years of "miracle" they've enjoyed at this point?  Or are they under the thumb of a god-like dictator and his insane lieutenants?  (British Bulldog in particular seems unhinged.)  Only time will tell!

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

A.X.E. Eternals #1:  Gillen delivers another solid tie-in issue here, as Ajak and Sersi struggle not only with the Progenitor's judgment but the idea of anyone judging them at all.  During their conversation, the Progenitor calls bullshit on Ajak's belief that humans aren't in a place to sit in judgment given the rich benefit from the poor.  To remind her of the Eternal's own sins, the Progenitor forces Ajak to re-kill everyone who died so the Machine could resurrect her.  Doing so, she convinces the Progenitor to delay judging her, though the Progenitor makes it clear that she's ultimately going to have to chose to destroy or help him.  I'm interested to see what she chooses.

Amazing Spider-Man #11:  Ho boy, Spidey is in some trouble.

I'm happy to say that we've seemingly moved past the point where Wells spends most of the issue dedicated to teasing whatever happened six months ago.  In other words, we're starting to get some actual Spider-Man stories.

That said, Wells takes a huge risk by centering his first one on the Hobgoblin.  I'm hard pressed to think of a character whose history is more convoluted than Hobby's.  But Wells makes the right choice by leaning into that chaos.  When Ned informs Peter that Norman is engaged in some sort of activity with Roderick Kingsley, it seems like Norman is back to his old tricks.  (I'll admit that schtick is getting old at this point.)  But Norman confesses to Peter that he's simply returning the companies that he previously stole from Roderick to him.  

Of course, Norman is still Norman.  Peter insists on going with him as Spider-Man to sit in the shadows and make sure Norman is OK at Norman's meeting with Roderick.  Norman agrees but intentionally gives Peter the wrong day of the meeting, setting off every reader's Spider-Sense.  At said meeting, though, Norman really does just give Roderick back his companies, raising the question of why he lied to Peter.

Before you think we're in a one-and-done story, though, enter Ned.  The issue started with Betty screaming when she walked into her son's (Winston's) room to see Hobgoblin holding him.  It ends with Hobgoblin attacking Norman and Roderick and then returning to Betty and Ned's apartment.  Hobgoblin informs Winston that he gave mommy something to help her sleep and that "they' did good work that night, so it seems like Ned has gone back to basics, if you will.

Again, it's nice to see us focusing on Peter in the present and not whatever the hell happened six months ago.

Star Wars #28:  This issue is incredibly rushed for reasons that aren't clear.  

For the first half of the issue, Bevelyn and Melton desperately try to stay one step ahead of Imperial security officers them while the Rebellion officers try to dissuade Luke of his insane idea to pose as an Imperial officer to find the family on Coruscant.  

Then, it's all resolved in five pages.  Luke arrives on Coruscant, asks some Stormtroopers where the search is focused, and then finds the family in the sewers.  We don't even see how he somehow managed to get them off-planet:  it happens off-panel.  The issue ends with Luke informing Admiral Ackbar, General Syndulla, and Senator Mothma that the Imperials are building a new Death Star.

It feels like Soule had a much longer arc planned only for editorial to tell him to condense it to a shorter story.  Either way, I feel robbed of a more exciting adventure.

Star Wars:  Visions #1:  I hadn't watched the "Star Wars:  Visions" episode that precedes this issue, so I did, and I'm very happy I did.  

In that episode, Okazaki blends feudal Japan with "Star Wars," a combination that goes hand-in-hand given how much Kurosawa influenced Lucas.  We're introduced to the Ronin, a mysterious figure traveling through the post-war galaxy with his droid.  A Sith Lord and her minions attack the village where he's staying, and he defends it.  

The surprise is that he's carrying a red lightsaber, identifying him as a Sith Lord himself.  After defeating his opponent, we learn that he's collecting red Kyber crystals, making it clear that he's out there killing Sith.  He hands the crystal he just collected to the young boy in charge of the village, telling him that it wards off evil.  (Does it?)

In this issue, some goons attack the Ronin and his droid, who we now know is named Fivesix.  Afterwards, the Ronin encounters a blind traveler and his droid at a "secret" hot springs," where they share a soak and saké.  The traveler tells the Ronin the story of how he lost his sight:  he received a vision from "the Father" (who looks like the Buddha), who told him to go to the Tempe of Elujoji on Sukalan to find truth.  The Ronin tells the traveler that he's heard of it as a place where "the truth of the galaxy is" and where one can purify one's soul.

The next morning, the two depart, only for the Ronin to ask the traveler if he's forgetting to kill him.  Revealed as a Jedi Master, the traveler quickly slices the Ronin's lightsaber/sword in two, telling him that he hasn't forgotten anything.  The issue ends ambiguously, as the Ronin makes his way to a TIE bomber and comments, "Let's go, Master," though I'm not sure if it's to Fivesix or the seemingly departed traveler.

Again, the premises of these two stories is great, and I'd welcome more time with this character, particularly given how little we still know about him.

 
Also Read:  007 #3

Six-Month-Old Comics: The October 5 Non-Event Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Captain America:  Sentinel of Liberty #5:  My main issue right now with this arc is that I'm totally fine with the idea that a shadowy organization has manipulated Steve, Bucky, and the world for Bucky's entire life.  I'm just not sure I buy that it was this shadowy organization.

Assuming for the time being that I do, this issue is fine.  Steve, Bucky, and Redacted invade the Circle's secret base and learn that the world's real Powers That Be tithe equipment, money, and soldiers to the Circle.  While Steve and Bucky play for time, Redacted destroys the machine that controls the soldiers.  By the time Steve and Bucky arrive at the Circle's conference room, only the Revolution remains.

We know from the issue's preamble that the Revolution is bored of the game and wants to die, going so far as leaving an encrypted flash drive for his lover (the Love).  Bucky is ready to fulfill the Revolution's wish, and  Steve tries to stop him.  Bucky isn't having it, though.  He tells Steve that the Circle had his father killed so the Army could adopt him and he could serve as the Circle's way to control Steve.  When Steve went off the map at the end of the war, the Circle turned him into the Winter Soldier.  Eventually, Bucky shoots through Steve to kill the Revolution, whose place I'm guessing he'll wind up taking.

Returning to the Circle itself, the Love made it sound during the Circle's expository lecture to Steve and Bucky that like the Century Game emerged from the First World War's ruins.  The Love implies the Circle is actively working with the Powers That Be to mitigate the world's chaos and, presumably, direct the chaos that exists to benefit the Powers That Be.  I guess I could kinda buy that.  But the Power makes it sound like they were all bored when the last century's game ended in a tie.  Wasn't that the point, though?  

I'm also not entirely sure how exactly they've been controlling Bucky.  I'm going to assume Bucky wasn't getting message his whole life on how he should manipulate Steve.  If he wasn't, we probably need more clarity on how the Circle got Bucky to do what it wanted.

Again, I'm not totally rolling my eyes at this plot, but I'd like some strong answers.

Miracelman (2022) #0:  There was a time when I'd lean into the various stories that the authors tell here and try to figure out how they fit into the reality we saw at the end of "Miracleman by Gaiman & Buckingham (2015)" #6.  Had we ever previously seen Big Ben, Jakksa Gun, or Wednesday?  Am I supposed to know what the Ikai Key or the Whisper is?  After seven years, I can't even remember the difference between the Qys and the Warpsmiths.  This issue mainly serves as a way to whet our appetites for the upcoming "Miracleman by Gaiman & Buckingham:  The Silver Age" series.  If you don't need your appetite whet (whetted?) for that, you can probably skip this one.

Spider-Man #1:  Oof.  Nick Lowe writes in his letter at the issue's end that he and Dan Slott agreed that the Spider-Verse saga needed a concluding chapter.  I guess they didn't see it as finished until they resorted to the oldest cliché in the book, the hero working with his arch-enemy against a greater threat.  Of course, Peter is already working with his actual arch-enemy, Norman Osborn, in "Amazing Spider-Man," so his surprise team-up with Morlun in this issue feels pretty redundant.  It doesn't help that the "greater threat" is Shathra, whose name alone makes it hard for me to take her seriously.  I'll hang in here because I feel obligated, but Slott doesn't do anything here that makes me excited about this series.

Seven to Eternity #10-#13: "Rise to Fall" (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Seven to Eternity #10:  This issue is interesting because we encounter people who are at least as strong as Garlis if not stronger.  That said, it isn't the easiest issue to follow, which is already a high bar for a series that seems to pride itself at times on its obtuseness.

Adam's opening letter describes he and Garlis enduring a month-long journey through a "treacherous, subterranean labyrinth" called the Great Hollow.  Unlike the swamp, which expels its poison onto you, the Moss Weavers who live in the Hollow "draw from the mind all evil, a cleansing that might sound pleasant but is, in fact, a vile madness."

The issue begins with a giant fish-like humanoid (almost like a Sleestak from "Land of the Lost") called an Elemntak emerging from a well in a lake.  He's holding in his hand a bubble containing Adam, Garlis, and the White Lady's owl and they're all sitting atop a whale-like creature.  (It's kind of hard to explain.)  Adam notes that he and Garlis both clearly feel lighter after the Moss Weavers' cleansing.  Garlis promises to fulfill his promise to the Elementak once he's seen to Adam's offer while Adam is forced to admit to himself that he's seeing Garlis in a new light.  Although he knows how brutal Garlis can be, Adam realizes that, like him, Garlis faced a dilemma and "made the best compromises he could."

Given this issue was written over four years ago, it's unbelievable how well Garlis' subsequent treatise on "high-mindedness and intellectualism" fits our current political discussion.  He observes that "progressive ideas" start in elite circles but never make it to the layman because he (the layman) finds them difficult to understand.  The laymen dismiss these ideas as dishonest because they're confusing and instead embrace simple ideas because they're easy to understand.  Garlis justifies his actions because he saved Zhal from "falling to the control of frightened, confused dolts."  It's the sort of speech an authoritarian progressive leader would deliver to justify her regime as preventing the MAGAs from taking power.

Lest we get lost in ideas too long, though, Adam and Garlis leave behind the Hollow and come upon dead bodies surrounding a destroyed coach.  When Adam observes that the perpetrators left no tracks, Garlis looks at the corpse of one of the perpetrators and announces that he was a "balloon man" or Sky Bandit of Volmer, the God of Thieves.  (They came from the sky, hence no tracks.)

Telling Adam that Volmer kills anyone who gets in his way, Garlis asks him how many nails he has remaining.  Adam responds that he only has one but can use the White Lady's lantern to pull more souls from the Well.  Garlis frantically tells Adam not even to think about doing so, because he wouldn't be able to control what he grabbed.  (Adam is clearly going to do so at some point.)

Suddenly, a four-armed warrior and her companion, Juk, arrive to kidnap Garlis.  Adam uses his grandmother's nail and her power to "strip away masks and illuminate reality," but Juk can turn energy forms into physical forms and Four-Arms (as I'm calling her) destroys his grandmother's now-solid spirit.  Four-Arms then hurls Adam into a tree, and Garlis takes the chance to kill the White Lady's owl, freeing him to make offers again.  Before he can, Four-Arms knocks him unconscious.  Leaving Adam on the ground, she and Juk take Garlis into the skies to the floating city of Skod and bring him to Volmer.

In Volmer's fortress, we learn that Volmer's wife, Ama, made a deal with Garlis at some point.  Garlis cryptically makes an offer to Volmer (I think) telling them that he'll "stop your [Volmer's, I think] captains from hovering around your lovely Ama's valley."  It isn't really clear what the deal here is, to be honest.  Based on a subsequent ribald conversation between two Sky Bandits, I think Ama is having sex with Volmer's captains.  But I don't see what it has to do with Ama's deal.  Also, Volmer claims Ama made her deal for "Solm" but we're never told what or who Solm is.  At any rate, Volmer threatens to kill Garlis but knows that he can't kill him without killing his wife, so he tortures him instead.

As the rest of the party comes across the destroyed coach, Adam makes his way to Skol.  With the White Lady's owl dead, he can now feel Garlis' seeing through his eyes and knows that he did, in fact, sell his soul to him.  Adam realizes that he's making his way to Skol to save Garlis in and of himself and not because Garlis can save him, a situation that surprises him.  Upon arriving at Skol, Adam encounters Four-Arms and her crew.  Poor Adam.  It's never easy.

Seven to Eternity #11:  This issue is unusually straight to the point.

At the Osidis farm, Adam's wife, Nival, tries to keep up appearances as the kids' realize that the roots are dying and their food is disappearing.  Nival tries to get the kids to focus on the positive, particularly since Rosie's (their infant sister's) fever has broken.  When one of the children sees through the window that the Mud King's servants are arriving, Nival hides the kids in a closet or the basement and rushes to the front door with a sword.  But she's startled to see that Garlis' servants are there bearing gifts, since, as one says, "the Mud King cares for his servants."

In one of Volmer's prison cells, Garlis explains to Adam that Volmer was a "soft coward who lost his bid for power and fled to hide in the clouds...blaming his fate on his father, as so many failures do."  Garlis also informs Adam that he's used his restored sight to send his people to provide supplies to Adam's family.  As Garlis reminds Adam that Volmer isn't his only son (i.e., he's arranged for their rescue via the Piper), Volmer enters with Ama.

Fearing Volmer will kill Garlis and everyone connected to him (himself included), Adam tells Volmer that he and his party are trying to get Garlis to Torgga to separate him from his "servants."  Volmer tells Adam that he knows that he was with a party of seven, and Adam claims that he took Garlis via the Great Hollow to prevent Garlis' "loyalists" from finding him.  Ama responds by outlining the events that we know are true, of Adam betraying his party and agreeing to go to the springs of Zhal after hearing Garlis' offer.  Adam interestingly insists that he never heard an offer, though Ama points out he has the White Lady's lantern, which she was unlikely just to hand to Adam.  Adam counters by telling Ama that the White Lady was a servant of the Black Well and promises to bring Garlis to Torgga once he's healed, which he needs to be for his family's sake.

Volmer has sympathy for Adam, telling him that he believes that Adam believes that, having rationalized his decision.  But Volmer says that he wants to spend more time with his father, cryptically saying that he won't spend the rest of his life in the sky.  He then rips out Garlis' remaining eye so that he can hear Garlis' offer without Garlis looking at him.  It's a lot.

Elsewhere, the rest of the party struggles with the fact that they don't know how to get into Skod without alerting either Garlis or Volmer.  Jevalia asks Katie why she's upset; when Katie says that she's worried about her father, Jevalia tells her that she knows Katie is also worried that Adam is a traitor.  Weirdly, Jevalia provides assurances that he's a good man "facing impossible odds," a more favorable view of him than we saw in issue #8, when she pays Dragan to kill Adam.  Before we can learn more, the Torgga witch appears in a vision and tells the party that the White Lady's owl is dead and Garlis has regained his "throngs."  Meanwhile, we see the Piper assembling a race of flying humanoids, who look a lot like Beak from the X-Men.

Seven to Eternity #12:  We get another surprisingly direct issue here as Volmer believes himself to have the upper hand only to realize that he never had a hand at all.

Volmer's guards bring Adam to Volmer due to Adam's deteriorating condition.  Instead of helping Adam, Volmer brings him on a walk so that he can lecture him.  (Volmer claims the sea air that Adam can breathe while they walk on the outside promenade will help his condition.)  

During the War of Whispers, Skod's residents apparently managed to refuse hearing Garlis' offers though soon found Garlis-controlled territories surrounding them.  As Garlis cut off Skod from the rest of the world, Ama approached him.  She accepted his offer to isolate Skod permanently from the war, not realizing that the catch was that any Skodian who set foot on Zhal's soil would die immediately.  As such, Volmer was forced to raise his city into the clouds.

Volmer tells Adam that his men had to attack the coach that we saw in issue #10 so they could steal water.  Adam isn't buying Volmer's excuses for his men's cruelty, noting that "rationalizing murders seems to be a family trait."  Volmer tells Adam that he can't take Garlis to Torgga until Volmer accepts Garlis' offer to free his kingdom.  (I don't really get this part since Garlis didn't make that offer.)  He's enraged when Adam refuses because he'll be dead in days, since he believes that Adam will free Garlis once he brings him to the springs of Zhal.  (Again, I don't get the problem.  Can't Volmer just demand Garlis offer to free his kingdom and then send Adam on his way?  Is he afraid it'll take more time than Adam has to wear down Garlis?)

Before Four-Arms and Huk can force Adam to walk the plank, the Beak-like humanoids from last issue (called Jolspians) start to impale themselves onto Skod in suicide attacks.  (Remender suddenly starts calling Four-Arms "Juk" in this issue and Juk "Huk."  I thought it was me, but I checked issue #10 and Four-Arms addresses "Huk" as Juk several times.  But, from this point forward, I'll use their new names.)  Volmer realizes the Piper is behind their attacks and orders Juk (Four-Arms) and Huk to guard Garlis.  Adam arrives at Garlis first, outraged that the Piper is killing the Skodians with the controlled Jospians.  He threatens to kill the Piper, which outrages Garlis.  Regardless, Adam frees Garlis and grabs the White Lady's lantern, and they make their way across Skod to flee.

The next part is unclear.  A pink energy aura seems to protect Garlis, and I think it comes from the Piper.  At any rate, something makes Adam flee into a building and activate the lantern, connecting him directly to the Well.  Given that he calls this decision in an aside to us his greatest mistake, next issue should be a doozy.

Seven to Eternity #13:  This issue is wonderful and terrible all at the same time.

Adam's journal tells us that his actions on this day set the stage for Zhal's freedom, the "liberation of [Zhal's] children from the whispers."  As such, the bar is pretty high for the tale that follows, given it's the turning point in the war against Garlis.

The action begins with Garlis hiding from the Piper, a curious act that Ama hypothesizes is because he knows "there is bartering yet to be done."  Garlis tells Ama that he knows what Volmer wants (presumably freeing Skod), but his answer is no.

Meanwhile, Adam travels into the Well.  If I'm reading between the lines correctly (an increasingly acute problem with this series), Garlis' spirit - which appears as a sword-wielding archdemon - informs us that the Mosak believe that mortals are seeds planted in soil to grow spirits that inhabit the "true world" in the Well.  The figure says that he believes that it is "the other," which I'm guessing means that the Well grows spirits to inhabit the true world in Zhal.  But we don't really get explore these cryptic comments enough to make them coherent (surprise, surprise) because Adam comes upon the Excellent Librarian, who tells him that the figure will "hear no more offers" (hence why I think it's Garlis).

The Librarian reveals that the swamp has infested the Well, though I don't know if we know how it happened.  Adam says that it isn't his fault, though I also don't know why Adam would think it was.  The Librarian then seemingly empties the Well into Adam's gun and returns him to Zhal.  (He asks Adam if he'll serve himself or Zhal, and Adam replies, "I am Zhal."  OK then.)

On Skod, Garlis seemingly kills Ama and then faces Volmer who stabs him.  Adam returns to Skod with Garlls calling for him.  Seeing Volmer ready to kill Garlis, Adam chooses "the path of mercy" and releases the Well's souls to destroy Skod.  Adam says he does it for "them," but I'm still not clear on who "them" are.  The people of Skod?  Given they all die, the only benefit that they gained from Adam destroying their home is the fact that they now won't die if they set foot on Zhal because, you know, they're already dead.  If it isn't "the people of Skod," I have no idea who "them" are.

On the ground, Katie and the rest of the party are going through Skod's ruins, and Katie wonders where the bodies are.  (Maybe Adam wasn't as brutal as we thought?  Did he somehow evacuate everyone?)  Dagan and Spiritbox find Volmer's body, though.  Katie asks Goblin to help her bring Volmer to the water to wash his wounds, and Volmer revives long enough to tell Katie that Adam killed them all before he dies.

Final Thoughts:  Oof.  Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel at this point.  This arc is stunning visually.  Opeña is just a fucking marvel throughout this arc.  If the Gliff Lands were a fallen Utopia, the Skylands are all colorful wonder.  It's hard to get your arms around its destruction, no matter how good of a job Opeña does showing it.

But the story itself feels like it's buckling under the weight of this majesty.  Remender does an excellent job of keeping us focused on Adam's overriding need to get Garlis to the springs to heal him.  Amidst all the chaos, it remains our true north.  But Remender is therefore reduced to giving us little more than hints when it comes to other parts of Zhal's history, mythology, and people.  From the Librarian's cryptic words in issue #13 to the exact nature of what Volmer wanted from Garlis, important parts of this story feel like they're missing and won't get addressed.

It feels like Remender can't decide if he wants to provide us a spectacular world-building experience or a deep dive into human frailty.  It's increasingly feeling like his desire to split that baby is weighing down the story, which isn't how I want to feel about this epic.  It also seems impossible that he'll have it done in just four more issues, but I guess we'll see.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The October 5 Non-Event, Non-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!) (Updated with "Blade Runner: Black Lotus" #3)

Batman #128:  This issue is spectacular.  If you didn't believe Zdarksy and Jiménez were going to deliver an epic story after the first three issues, this issue will make a believer of you.

Zdarksy leans fully into the Tower of Babel as Bruce helplessly watches Failsafe use Superman's moves against him (as he would do).  Failsafe lures Superman into a position where he can stab him with a kryptonite shard.  Bruce and Clark are only saved because Black Canary, Green Arrow, Hawkwoman, and Martian Manhunter arrive.  

Realizing he's outnumbered, Failsafe leads them to a Gotham block that Bruce owns.  Showing how deeply the Failsafe program ran, Failsafe deploys a series of countermeasures designed specifically to take out Black Canary, Hawkwoman, and Martian Manhunter.  When Nightwing wonders how Failsafe plans to take out him and Green Arrow, Failsafe responds simply that he'll do it personally, since he can clearly just beat them to death.  Fun!

I can't explain how brilliant this entire sequence is.  Zdarksy shows how Zur-en-Arrh has anticipated the Justice League's every move since Bruce would've anticipated every move.  In so doing, Zdarsky also displays an extensive and intuitive grasp of Bruce's character.  Plus, Jiménez is on fucking fire throughout these scenes.  He not only delivers amazing action sequences but also somehow captures the terror on the heroes' faces as Failsafe surprises them at each turn.

To that point, Zdarksy also uses small moments to convey the situation's seriousness.  For example, Green Arrow dryly remarks, "That's...bad," when he and Tim discover Bruce slumped over Clark.  (Bruce lost consciousness after bandaging Clark's wound.)  I mean, I think we'd all respond with a certain level of terror at seeing Batman and Superman seemingly dead.

At this point, Green Arrow metaphorically throws the keys of the League's ship to Tim and tells him to escape with Bruce and Clark.  A barely conscious Bruce sends Tim to the Fortress of Solitude to heal Superman, since he's the world's hero.  Before he dives off the plane (so that Failsafe doesn't follow him to the Fortress), Bruce tells Tim how proud he is of him.  Again, it's a small moment, but it's also a sure sign that Bruce thinks that he's going to die.

But Bruce (and Zdarsky) isn't done.  Aquaman saves him, and Bruce awakens two weeks later mostly healed.  Aquaman then informs him that Failsafe has taken over Gotham to goad him into returning.  It's a full Brother Eye situation as some Bat-Family members (like Oracle) are captured and other ones (like Cassandra Cain and The Signal) are on the run from the robot minions that Failsafe has patrolling Gotham.  Zdarsky ends the issue with Bruce contemplating his cowl and asking himself what the plan is, in a way doesn't inspire much confidence.

The "Zur-en-Arrh:  Year One" back-up story is just as compelling as we watch Bruce undergoing his "treatments" to create Zur-en-Arrh.  Bruce wants privacy, but Commissioner Gordon gets him on the red phone when Joker starts poisoning people again.  Bruce meets Gordon who comments that Joker is behaving like he used to be.  Bruce observes that he's behaving like he was before Dick became Robin and lightened up everyone.  (I love this comment, a sly almost ret-con of Joker's more cartoonish iterations.)  But Bruce realizes the victims of Joker's poison aren't smiling and wonders if Joker isn't broken like he is, a truly terrifying prospect.

In case I didn't make it clear, this issue is a candidate for Issue of the Year.  I love everything Zdarksy and his creative team are doing here.

Blade Runner:  Black Lotus #3:  This issue  is rough.  The script is basically a never-ending sequence of the characters uttering clichés.  For example, Dixon, Junkett, and Miguel all utter some version of, "I knew there was something different about [Elle] when I first laid eyes on her."  The plot is better, but at times the visuals don't match what the characters are describing.  For example, when Junkett reveals her stash of explosives for Elle to bring to Barnes' facility, Miguel calls her a genius, even though he's just looking at a large metal box.  I'm hoping next issue is stronger than this one.

Minor Threats #2:  Although this issue isn't as great as the first one, it's still a good time.  

Brain Tease puts together the pieces to the puzzle of Stickman's motives and deduces that he's heading to the Trophy Room Nightclub to brag about killing Kid Dusk.  (Brain Tease realized that Stickman would've been able to see the Trophy Room's spotlights from his prison cell.)  Brain Tease is right, though not in the way he thinks.  

In a truly grotesque and shocking scene, Stickman's henchmen roll out Kid Dusk's corpse on a motorized wheelchair.  The Insomniac appears and cries over Kid Dusk's body, leading Playtime to realize that Stickman was chumming the waters to get revenge on the elite criminals who never approved of him.  Playtime follows Stickman's henchmen onto the roof, but she's wounded when one of their bullets ricochets off a pursuing Insomniac's armor.

Again, although it lacks of some of the first issue's charms, it compensates by showing the very real stakes at play here.  The Insomniac's rampage through the Trophy Room makes you realize the Continuum may be too late to stop him from going too far.  It also makes you wonder if Playtime is going to realize how far over her head she is here.

Undiscovered Country #21:  Now we're getting somewhere.

The Resistance duo bring Ace, Chang, and Janet to a bunker under the completely obliterated Forbidden City, where they're surprised to learn that Pavel is leading the Resistance.  Pavel explains that he survived and took over Destiny and then walks the trio through this sub-zone's status quo.  

We learn that America opened its doors 13 days after the team entered it and the team emerged with a cure for Sky.  Despite the world seemingly on its way to reconciliation, Chang and Janet saw something in America that convinces the AEA and PAPZ to destroy America.  Instead, America makes short work of the Alliance in a three-week war, establishing Pax Americana.

Beyond the obvious question of what Chang and Janet saw, I'm also curious how exactly Chang and Janet didn't know that America would win.  After all, Pavel describes America unleashing all the horrors that we've already seen on the world.  How did Chang and Janet not think it was going to do that?

Snyder and Soule don't dwell on that question, as it's clear we're not supposed to be thinking too hard about these hypothetical outcomes.  When President Graves somehow invades the bunker under the Forbidden City, his men mow down everyone.  Just like Charlotte and Valentina, Chang and Janet awaken to a new reality, one where they and Pavel rule the world.

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Valentina aren't doing so well.  They make their way to Sam in Pearl Harbor while discussing how they still feel their wounds from their previous deaths and feel weaker.  Sam confirms that they only have so many lives left, and an irate Valentina pins him to the ship where he's a captain so that he can die with them.  Instead of moving to the future, they discover themselves in the middle of the Civil War.

This arc has definitely lit a fire under this series in a positive way, but I'll also admit that some of these mysteries are getting old.  In a way, nothing here really helps us understand more about Aurora and the series' core mysteries, as we're spending our time just sussing out Zone History's mysteries.  I'm sure they'll be connected, but it's probably about time to get there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh, well.  Onwards and upwards.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blade Runner 2029 (2020) #9-#12: "Redemption"

This arc stats with a six-month jump in time, which surprised me.  But Johnson uses it to great effect to show how the LAPD, the Underground, and Yotun's movement are all struggling against each other to get to the Replicants.

Issue #9 opens with Ambrose, a beloved care-facility nurse, fleeing the facility after his employer brought in a Blade Runner to run a Voight-Kampff test on him.  His employer informed Ambrose that they found "inconsistencies" in his hiring in 2025 and made it clear that all employers are under pressure to root out Replicants.  

When Ambrose appears at the now-closed Diamant, Ash and Freysa bring him into the Underground.  But Pekka, one of Yotun's disciples, arrives to take in Ambrose for Yotun's movement.  She didn't come alone:  four diseased-looking Replicants attack Ash and Freysa.  Ash shoots two of them, but Pekka hustles Ambrose from the scene before Ash and Freysa can stop her.  Ash hypothesizes that the disease is a side effect of Yotun draining life from his followers.  At the movement's hideout, a deteriorating Yotun is clearly sucking all the life from his followers now:  Ambrose awakens trapped in one of the "donation" chairs.  

Later, Ash's boss informs her that he's going to pair her with a Blade Runner named Marlowe.  Ash refuses, and her boss gives her one week to find a lead on Yotun before he forces Marlowe on her.  That said, her boss clearly knows that she's helping the Underground and separately dispatches Marlowe to get confirmation.  He implicitly authorizes Marlowe to kill Ash if she is.

Johnson kicks it up a notch in issue #10.  Ambrose is now catatonic after rejeuvenating Yotun.  Pekka expresses surprise, since the other Replicants haven't fared that way, and Yotun vaguely pins it on the other Replicants benefitting from his "Awakening."

Meanwhile, Ash arrives at a clock tower to meet a man who reported that a Replicant broke into a vault there and escaped.  Ash exposits that Yotun has tapped the LAPD's communications system, so she's on a race to get to the Replicant before the movement can.  She offers to help the Replicant as she chases them, which is weird since the Replicant killed the vault's guards and thus doesn't really fit with Ash's "save the good ones" approach.  Before she can get to the Replicant, she runs into Pekka.  In a shocking moment, Pekka is shot before she and Ash finish their confrontation.  Ash turns and finds Marlowe holding the gun.

Marlowe "reminds" Ash that she's supposed to retire Replicants "on sight," but Ash isn't wrong when she screams at Marlowe that Pekka was her best link to Yotun.  Ash notices that Pekka has the same signs of disintegration as the Replicants she faced in the alley and goes after the Replicant who accompanied Pekka, though they manage to escape.  

Later, we learn that the vault's owner was a woman named Alice Leopold.  Her will pays for the vault and orders it to remain closed for another century.  Kalia gives Yotun what the Replicant stole from the vault:  one of Alice's journals.  To Kalia's surprise, Yotun tells her that he remembers writing in the diary.  He then surprises us even further:  the memory comes from Eldon Tyrell.  "Alice Leopold" was Tyrell's younger sister, Alice Tyrell.  Dun-dun-DUN!

Issue #11 is straight to the point as Johnson moves us to the end game.  Ash responds to a tip about Replicant activity in the industrial sector.  It turns out they were trying to sabotage a plant (for reasons that aren't made clear, other than possibly Yotun's ongoing war against Los Angeles) but all died on the spot.  Ash recognizes the degeneration symptoms and goes to find the Replicants' spinner.  As she examines it, Kalia appears on the screen.  She assumes Ash has killed the Replicants, but Ash informs her that they all died of the degenerative disease.  Ash realizes in time that Kalia intends to detonate the spinner and barely escapes.

Meanwhile, Marlowe uses a little girl he hired to trick his way into Freysa's apartment, where he demands the serial numbers and location of every Replicant that she's helped.  When she refuses, he threatens Ash.  Freysa manages to kill Marlowe before he kills her, but Marlowe tells her it's too late to save Ash.  

At Yotun's hideout, Kalia tells him that Ash said the Replicants died of the "weakness."  Yotun informs her that salvation is at hand, as Tyrell's journal shows him how to create new Replicants, a secret that Tyrell took to the grave.  The journal also confirms that Yotun is special as Tyrell did implant his memories in him.  (Last issue, we saw a dead owl was one of Yotun's earliest memories.)

Ash managed to get Yotun's coordinates from the spinner before Kalia detonated it and arrives at the temporary LAPD headquarters to gather up a posse.  But her boss strips her of her badge and gun and arrests her for working with the Underground.

And then it all coms crashing down.  

Ash makes Wojciech her call, and Wojciech in turn calls Freysa.  Wojciech distracts the cops transferring Ash to a new facility so Freysa can take out the cops.  Ash then takes Freysa with her to Yotun's headquarters in an upscale downtown building.  (She exposits how the wealthy have fled the city since Yotun's attack.)  As they arrive, Ash's spine continues to deteriorate, but she hangs in there.  They find a disintegrating Kalia, who tells them that Yotun is Tyrell.  

Ash exposits that every schoolkid learns that Tyrell was born poor in the mountains, so Ash takes Freysa there.  Seeing the police markings on the spinner that she and Freysa swiped, Yotun takes out the spinner, leaving Freysa unconscious.  Ash's back gives out entirely, but Yotun helps her to the spot where his memories tell him to dig.  He says that he doesn't know what's there, but he knows why it's there:  to provide answers on Replicants' creation.

Johnson's genius is that Yotun is right but not in the way he expected:  the grave contains owl bones.  Yotun realizes that the grave doesn't hold the answer but the original question:  could he (Tyrell) beat death?  It's this childish question that puts Tyrell on the path to creating the Replicants and changing the future.  Disappointed, Yotun is still hopeful that others will keep the fire that he started burning.  Freysa kills him before he can say more.  Freysa than carries Ash and tells her that there's a story she needs to tell her about "a miracle," with the post-script telling us that the story will conclude in "Blade Runner 2039."

Final Thoughts:  Johnson subverts a lot of tropes with this series, which is what makes it so gripping.  First, Yotun's revolution fails not because the authorities (or "good guys") stop it but because he isn't able to keep himself and his followers alive long enough to keep it going.  His hubris is that he could've kept it going if he had allowed himself to die (since he wouldn't have drained all his followers' lives).  But he believed himself to be Tyrell reborn, the Replicants' Messiah, and needed to see that become a reality by finding Tyrell's secrets.

Meanwhile, I only realized with the concluding scene that Freysa is the Replicant Underground leader from "Blade Runner 2049."  (Yes, I'm slow.)  I'm stoked that Ash's trilogy will interact definitively with the movie and can't wait to see where it all goes.  As all the critics say about this series, if you're a fan of "Blade Runner," you should definitely be reading Johnson's work.