Five-Month-Old Comics: The November 9 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day - Omega #1:  This issue is almost exclusively focused on the Eternals, so if you're not particularly interested in how they're handling the Judgment Day fall-out you can safely skip it.  

That said, although I don't really follow the Eternals, I was still plenty interested in what Gillen does here.  Zuras declares that Ajak's followers - Ikaris, Kingo, Makkari, Phastos, Sprite, and Thena - are heretics for supporting her reinterpretation of the principles, which puts the Eternals in humanity's service.  He warns that he will Exclude them if their actions go against the principles, so things should get interesting in that corner of the House of Ideas.  Also, the Machine's narration ends with an emoticon, a sign that its personality might still be there, so that's nice.  

Again, I felt this event was one of the better ones in recent memory, and this epilogue doesn't do anything to change that.

Amazing Spider-Man #13:  Oof, this series is just not going well.  

As excited as I was about the Hobgoblin arc when it first started, it ends in a total mess.  It turns out the Goblin Queen was the one using the "Winkler device" on Ned and Roderick in order to manipulate Norman into "becoming his true self again."  She certainly gets him on that road when a still hospital-bound Norman is forced to use an Iron Man-like suit to save Peter.  (He's been watching on the laptop his assistant provided last issue.)

My problem with this issue is that no one seems particularly concerned with the consequences of these events (other than Norman's potential first step on the road back to Goblinhood).  

First things first, Peter is unmasked in front of Ned and Roderick.  I assume that the Winkler device's impact on their memories means that they don't remember that Peter is Spider-Man.  But Peter doesn't know that Goblin Queen mindwipes them after every excursion, so shouldn't he be worried about the fact they both saw him without his mask?

To that point, Wells never explains why Goblin Queen mindwipes them.  Sure, it explains why Roderick was confused in issue #11 when Norman said that he was present when Hobgoblin attacked them.  But why wouldn't the Goblin Queen want him to remember his time as Hogbolin?  Why risk exposing herself to Norman by getting directly involved and not just manipulating Roderick from the shadows?  Along those lines, Norman learns that his assistant didn't bring the laptop to him.  We're clearly supposed to believe that it was Goblin Queen but, again, it was pretty easy for Norman to learn that his staff didn't bring it to him so why risk it?

Also, even if Roderick is mindwiped, Ned isn't.  He's in jail, so it isn't like Goblin Queen can get him into the device.  Shouldn't Peter at least worry that Ned now knows?  Again, we're left to assume that the Winkler device affects his memory enough that he wouldn't remember but stilll.

[Sigh.]  Once again, I'm finding myself on the "obligation," and not "enjoyment," end of the reading "Amazing Spider-Man" spectrum.

Captain America:  Sentinel of Liberty #6:  Honestly, I'm Team Bucky on this one.  

Bucky makes a pretty compelling case that entities like the Outer Circle are only defeated by people on the inside, which is why he needs to take the Revolution's place.  But, as always, Steve decides that he knows what's best and they come to blows.  

Of course, part of Steve's objection comes from his disapproval that Bucky killed someone (i.e., the Revolution).  Lanzing and Kelly use Steve's tantrum to underscore his blindspot when it comes to what Bucky is trying to tell him, that he's always been the one to do the dirty work so he understands the Circle better than Steve does.  

Hopefully Sharon will take some sense into Steve next issue.

WildC.A.Ts #1:  I'm pretty stoked about the WildC.A.Ts' relaunch even if it isn't part of Ellis' amazing "The Wild Storm" series from a few years ago.

Rosenberg throws us right into the action as Grifter, Deathblow (i.e., Michael Cray), and Zealot invade a H.I.V.E. lab to try to recruit a scientist named Tremont for Marlowe.  (We don't really establish why Marlowe can't just, like, ask him to send a resume.)  We begin in media res as (a chattier and more charming than usual) Grifter explains the Dhaemonite-Kherubim war to a security guard.  He's trying to convince the guard that he's unknowingly working for the Dhemonites, but Zealot just kills the guard instead, telling Grifter that his stories are "getting stranger" (thus implying that, in this iteration, the Dhaemonite-Kherubim war didn't happen).

But Grifter fucks up the mission when he shoots Tremont because he (Tremont) killed a chimpanzee that he's using as a lab animal just to prove how useful he can be.  Shortly before Nightwing and Cassandra Cain arrive, the team departs the lab for the still under construction Halo Building in Star City.  Marlowe informs Cray and Zealot that he's adding Fairchild to the team due to their recent failures.  When they balk, he brings them to Adrianna who confirms that she wants Fairchild on the roster.  Based on this exchange and another one later in the issue, it appears Adrianna is more in charge than Marlowe.

At a bar, Grifter tells a fellow patron about how the Anti-Life Equation took over his Earth and he and his companions fled through the Multiverse to this Earth.  (Did that happen?)  It turns out the patron is a scientist at Althea Labs, and Grifter swipes his badge before two heavies try to kill him for his role in killing Mrs. Freeze and Toyman.  (Really?  Did that happen?)  Grifter spends a night in jail, and Marlowe springs him the next morning with his hulking blond bodyguard Jack Colt, who some Googling made me realize is Spartan.

Of course, the mission at Althea also goes badly, and we learn Cray's death is his third one this month.  Also, all the scientists are dead for reasons that aren't clear, as we begin this segment in media res as well.  Maxine - the team's coordinator - has Grifter use Fairchild to escape, though they eventually find themselves in a sub-basement surrounded by the Court of Owls.  That'll go well.

Beyond just the joy of seeing the WildC.A.Ts in action, Rosenberg underlines how integrated the team now is in the DC Universe.  I'm not sure how I feel of that, to be honest.  I don't know if I really want Grifter fighting Green Arrow, as he does here, but I could be persuaded otherwise.  We'll see.

Also Read:  Minor Threats #3; Moon Knight #17

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

Six-Month-Old Comics: The September 14 and 21 Event Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

X-Men Red #6 (September 14):  This issue is surprising, because I feel like we were led to believe that Uranos pretty effectively destroyed Arakko in his assault in "A.X.E. Judgement Day" #1 and "X-Men Red" #5.  Instead, the Earth-born mutants - namely, Magneto, Storm, and Sunspot - show the Arakkii how to work together to fight Uranos' machines, which apparently continued rampaging on Arakko after he departed.

Roberto reveals to Magneto that he's formed the Table of Shadow, the fourth Great Ring table that traditionally consists of non-omegas and forms itself to keep an eye on the three other tables.  The Night Seats are him, the Fisher King, and Syzya of the Smoke (essentially the Nightcrawler of Arakko).  Upon this revelation, Magneto has a weird conversation with the Fisher King, implying that their meeting in "X-Men Red" #1 wasn't an accident.  Instead, he believes it had something to do with Roberto already having recruited the Fisher King for the Table of Shadow.  Honestly, I don't entirely follow where Ewing is going here.  It seems to have something to do with the Fisher King assessing whether Magneto was worthy, though I don't get why he would have to hide his status as a Night Seat to do so.

Before someone can explain, Ewing instead moves to Magneto taking out the greatest threat to Arakko - an enormous silicone gorilla (yup) - by combining his power with Storm's, a lesson the Arakkii realize they might need to learn.  It sets up the Brotherhood and other Arakkii taking the fight to Uranos in "A.X.E. Judgment Day" #4.

A.X.E. Judgment Day #4 (September 14):  The Progenitor is going to kill everyone on Earth, sure.  At this stage, the only interesting component of this event is whatever Starfox's plan is.  It seems like it's going to combines Eternal and mutant technology to...make the world a better place?  Is everyone going to get resurrected?  Also, Magneto allegedly dies here.  Whatever.

A.X.E. Judgment Day #5 (September 21):  Oof.  Gillen does what he can, as the heroes throw what they have against the Progenitor in an attempt to stall him so that their brain trust can find a way to stop him from destroying Earth.  But we all know that they're going to win.  The mutants resurrecting Captain America so that he can lead whatever charge he's going to lead next issue just means that they're going to do so in the most clichéd and formulaic way possible.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 24 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm bailing on both "Captain America:  Symbol of Truth" and "Marauders" because Marvel has pushed beyond where my loyalty to these characters lie.  Both series read as if the editors failed to read them.  I'm not doing it if people paid to do it aren't.

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day #3:  Surprisingly for an event, people act...rationally here.  That said, the issue is confusing particularly after the twist at the end.  

We begin with the new god (a.k.a., the Progenitor) judging Captain America as a failure; he's tried to inspire America to be a better country for the better part of a century, but, despite America's role as the world leader, the world "is what it is," "worse every day."  As such, Captain America is a failure.  This pronouncement doesn't particularly bother Steve, and he urges Iron Man and his cohorts to solve the problem while he calms the world with a speech.

Not unreasonably, the Progenitor's judgment leads Druig to surmise that the Progenitor is judging people based on whether they fulfill their "aims and duties."  As such, he orders the Eternals to step up their campaign against Krakoa so they can fulfill their duty.  After all, as Uranos says, "any deviation is excess deviation."

Elsewhere, Tony and company try to find a way to stop the Progenitor.  Ajak is trying to commune with it while Tony identifies its weak point.  Phastos warns Tony that destroying it would create a backlash that affects the Eternals and destroys cities.  After Ajak and Makkari leave, Phastos warns Tony and Mr. Sinister that killing it may still end up being the only option, even if millions die.  But he warns them that the Eternals would have to try to stop them, given their third principle is to protect Celestials.  

Sinister tells Destiny about the weakness, and she convinces the Quiet Council to send a strike team to take out the Progenitor.  To ensure they don't balk at the prospect of millions dying, the Council withholds that information from the team.  Emma reveals that she's made outreach to the Deviants, who are similar enough to mutants that they can use Krakoa's gates.  They travel to Krakoa to take on the battle with the Hex so the X-Men can go attack the Progenitor.  As Phastos warned Tony, the mutants' attack prompts an immediate response from the Eternals.

Jean successfully hits the Progenitor's weak spot, triggering its destruction.  Jean is the first to realize the destruction isn't real:  they were inside the Progenitor's mind the entire time.  As humanity expresses relief at its survival, the Progenitor reminds them that their heroes aren't above judgment.  He then gives the White Queen, Kor (the Deviant's leader), Destiny, and Mystique "thumbs down."

With Tony and his team realizing that they have no choice but face judgment, Sersi travels to the Exclusion to free Starfox, who's imprisoned there for some reason.  She hopes that he can convince everyone to love each other, which is probably the best shot they have right now, admittedly.

Captain America:  Symbol of Truth #4:  Sam Wilson deserves better than this series.  It's all exposition and randomness.   Oof.

First, Crossbones and his men attack Sam once he enters Wakanda, which you'd kind of think the Wakandans would've prevented from happening.

Second, he delivers a supervillain speech telling Sam all about the White Wolf's plan to engage in a terrorist attack in Wakanda at the same time as telling Sam that he wasn't going to deliver a supervillain speech.  Hi, pet peeve #3!  

Third, when Sam uses birds to subdue Crossbones (yup, Crossbones), Crossbones spills the beans, telling Sam that the White Wolf has infected the Wakanda Forever emigrants (including the undercover Sam) with a virus that vibranium triggers.  How exactly does an inert metal trigger a virus?  No idea.

Fourth, Onyebuchi doesn't explain why Crossbones even bothered to accost Sam if everyone else is already infected with the virus.  After all, if he hadn't engaged him, he'd have no chance of stopping the attack.  

Instead of addressing these weaknesses, Onyebuchi instead spends time on the Falcon B story that that I still don't understand.  

First, Crossbones doesn't seem like the kind of guy to leave a hostage alive, but he conveniently does so here.  Thankfully, it means the Falcon can help the superhuman immigrants when they try to escape the facility.

Second, Onyebuchi conveniently has one of the immigrants explain that they staged the break-out when the guards' numbers dwindled as they left to accompany Crossbones to Wakanda.  Does the White Wolf really care that much about payroll that he left a skeleton crew (heh) guarding superhuman immigrants?

As if we don't have enough hackneyed plot devices in this issue, the issue ends with Sam fighting Black Panther, because apparently it's OK for Crossbones to come to Wakanda but not Sam.

In other words, I'm done.

Marauders #5:  This issue is incomprehensible.  I seriously have no idea what happens.  As far as I can tell, the Marauders get their hands on the timedrive, but it only contains the consciousness of one mutant.  Otherwise, it's just a mess, particularly the art department, which looks like a junior high student handled it.  Thank God Bobby is in "X-Men" now.

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #26:  We've had so many of these issues - where events pass before us wordlessly but show us how they remind Vader of his life as Anakin Skywalker - that it's hard to feel the impact that Pak wants to evoke here.  We're supposed to feel for Vader as he contemplates not only his long history with sand but also his failure to save his mother or Padmé.  Vader drives into the storm to save Sabé, something that elicits laughter from the Emperor.  But Pak leans so heavily into the Kingesque approach, with barely any dialogue, that it feels almost like you'r reading a children's book.  It's time to wrap up this arc, as we're so far from the original story involving Crimson Dawn and Sabé that I really can't remember what it was anymore.

Also Read:  Amazing Spider-Man #8

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 10 Big Two Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day #2:  OK, we have a lot going on here.  

I'll say upfront that you probably need to read this event's tie-in issues to enjoy it fully.  Gillen is really just hitting the main developments in this issue, leaving the details and drama to the tie-in issues.  As such, it reads almost like a bulleted presentation rather than a complete story.

The new "god" Ajak and her team are trying to create narrates the issue, starting with six humans living around the world and their thoughts as the war between the Eternals and X-Men begins.  It seems random, but the "god" exhorts us to remember that "everyone is important."

Meanwhile, the Hex - six separate Eternals, as the introduction page informs us - attack Krakoa, and the Avengers arrive to help.   Exodus wants them removed from Krakoa but thankfully Cyclops and Magik aren't insane and welcome them.  Cap informs Scott that Iron Man is working on a "peaceful" solution, which, honestly, would probably worry me if I were Scott given Tony's track record.  Scott sends him after the Hex while he and the other mutants protect the resurrection protocols.  Cap takes a shot at Scott here, criticizing him for keeping secrets "after everything we've been through."  Scott gives exactly the response I would:  "After everything?  How could we [not]?"

The Hex's assault on Krakoa takes its toll on Earth's mantle and causes disasters throughout the world.  Cyclops dispatches the Avengers to deal with the fallout.  Exodus interprets their departure as the Avengers abandoning them, and Destiny cryptically notes that it's an accurate portrayal, because she's seen the future and remembers the past.  (The "god" muses:  "Do we stand alone?  We will see.")

Meanwhile, we get a dense splash page of all the efforts Ajak and her team are putting into creating the "god."  Along the way, Gillen refers to a series of past events that I had to Google to appreciate.  First, Tony excavates Arishem the Judge's "thumbprint of justice" from London where Arishem fell after the Dark Celestials killed him in Aaron's run on "Avengers (2018)," which I remembered not at all.  I also didn't remember Sinister turning the Dreaming Celestial into a version of himself in "Uncanny X-Men (2012)," though he sifts through the debris and finds "a shattered fragment of the heart of a dream."  Odin apparently fought a war against the Celestials, which I'm pretty sure I didn't read, and Makarri combs through the body of the Destroyer, which Odin forged as his weapon, to scavenge "tiny fragments of this absolute power."  Sersei gathers the Eternals who oppose Druig and head to Lemur to perform a séance in order to gather stories from Deviants who the Celestials previously murdered.  Finally, in a move that I'm sure will make Tony insufferable, they use his body as a template for the "god," because his body remembers when "he piloted a dead Celestial when a king wreathed in black ruled the Earth."

Back on Krakoa, Exodus sacrifices himself to take out Syne the Memotaur, leaving five Hex left.  The (Krakoa) Five are working overtime in Arbor Magna to bring back warriors (for the moment putting aside the 15 million Arakkii killed who aren't warriors), and Exodus re-joins the fray.  Syne does as well, resulting in one of the humans we saw on the first page dying since it's the way that the Eternals resurrect themselves.  Syne hurls herself at Krakoa, intending to destroy the island.  The mutants realize that they can't evacuate everyone quickly enough and, if they move to stop Syne, the other five Hex members are free to go after Arbor Magna.

Deliverance comes in the form of the "god" who awakens and calls off the Eternals.  However, it goes a little differently than Ajax planned, as the "god" decrees that he will judge everyone on Earth and -paging the first page - "if there is more that is just than wicked" he'll spare Earth.  If not?  It isn't great, folks.

Amazing Spider-Man #7:  For all last issue's billing that this issue is the biggest change in Spidery's status quo ever, nothing happens here.  Seriously.

Sure, it looks like Peter's going to accept Norman's offer to work for him.  After all, he could use Norman's tech after the Vulture exploits Spidey's most obvious weakness:  attacking him mid-air and destroying his Web-Shooters so that he can't stop his freefall.  (I can't remember anyone ever doing that, surprisingly.  How is the Vulture the first one to think of it?)  But Peter doesn't actually take the offer here.

In fact, Peter storms from Norman's office after he sets up an "accidental" meeting between MJ and Peter.  It sounds like MJ is the step-mom to the kids who we've previously seen, though Wells doesn't confirm that.  If you're wondering, MJ is at Oscorp to have Norman run tests on the Krakoa medicines (smart) after she agreed to help the mutants as a brand ambassador.  Weirdly Paul is there as well.  Does he accompany her on all her work meetings?  That's starting to feel creepy.

I should mention that the Vulture attacks Peter because he's convinced that Spidey told his granddaughter about all his murders, even though she could've just, you know, Googled it.  (Weirdly, someone did tell her, but I still don't get why we're supposed to believe that she never knew her grandfather - the Vulture - killed people.)

[Sigh.]  I've loved Wells work on Spidey, but this run is starting to feel like another Spencer run, where the signs are there early that it isn't going well.  I hope I'm wrong.

Captain America:  Sentinel of Liberty #3:  I'm intrigued by where Lanzing and Kelly are going here.  Right now, they're walking the fine line between conspiracy and ridiculous, and we'll see if they manage to stay on the beam.

The Outer Circle sends a creature called Redacted after Steve to wipe him from history. The fact that the Outer Circle believes that it could wipe Steve Rogers from history shows how powerful its members think they are.  Steve defeats the creature but strikes a pipe that spews lava along the way.  Realizing that the Forge isn't just a green-power plant, he travels through the complex, discovering an "honest-to-God volcano lair."  (He hilariously remarks to himself that Bucky will be mad he missed it.)

In the lair, he sees an imprint of his shield and puts the shield into it, unveiling a recording.  The man on the recording informs Steve that he built his shield at this vibranium-alloy forge.  In order to get the Outer Circle's secret symbol into the public domain, he put fit on the shield - an outer circle, two inner circles "that obey," and the star for their super-soldier (i.e., Steve).  The man doesn't explain why the Outer Circle built the shield for the United States (and thus Steve), but I'm sure we'll get there.  A holographic woman with tentacles emerging from her back named the Machine appears and detonates the Forge, which Steve survives by amazingly using the shield to surf the lava.  (It could've been hokey, but Carnero really sells it.)

Meanwhile, in Madripoor, Peggy takes offense at Bucky implying that she's been part of a shadowy conspiracy for a long time.  He notes several missions that she led that, mission by mission, resulted in the consolidation of power in an increasingly smaller circle.  For example, she and Bucky rescued two men in 1944, one of whom created V.X. nerve gas.  The United States later traded nukes to the U.K. for the gas, altering the global balance of power.  In 1972, Peggy apparently took down the Darkstar oil cartel in Yemen, allowing OPEC to impose the 1973 oil embargo and plunge the world into a three-year recession.  As we've seen, she and the Daughters of Liberty just took down the Power Elite, leading to a series of shell companies securing all their assets.  Peggy refuses to admit that she's either a patsy or working for them, though it's got to be one or the other. 

I loved this entire exchange between Bucky and Peggy.  Peggy is so often portrayed as possessing Mary Sue levels of superhumanly brilliant and capable.  I loved watching her either panicking at the idea that she's been played or at the idea that Bucky - who she clearly doesn't respect - caught her lie.

As I said, we're close to ridiculous, but we're not there.  So long as Lanzing and Kelly stay on this side of ridiculous, this story is a quintessentially Cap one.

Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #26:  Oof, this issue is tough.

Sacks addresses a question that I've had since T'onga functionally took over this series, namely why she thought Cadeliah would trust her when she found her.  T'onga comes face to face with Cadeliah here and Cadeliah tells T'onga that she trusts no one.  After all, Nakano Lash died, Valence ditched her at the first opportunity, and the Empire killed Valance's ex-girlfriend and her husband:  she doesn't have a great record of caretakers.  Cadeliah points out she first met T'onga when T'onga came to kill Lash, and you would've thought after all this time T'onga had workshopped a better response than, "I've grown since then."

T'onga and her crew have impressed Qi'ra, though, by getting so far into her citadel so Qi'ra offers her a contract.  But it isn't exactly a happy ending.  An animal-loving Vukorah is appalled when she has to kill Furball, explaining to Losha that her surrogate father killed her tooka cat in front of her to stress that she couldn't afford attachments.  A devastated Losha threatens to kill Vukorah the next time they meet.  It goes from bad to worse for Vukorah as she overhears Qi'ra's plan to install Cadeliah at the head of the Mourner's Wail and the Unbroken Clan, despite her promise that Vukorah would head the Clan.  Vukorah flees in anguish, a scene matched in its sadness on Tonga's ship when T'onga finds a devastated Losha weeping over Fireball's body asking whether it was all for nothing.

Along the way, Tasu thrashes Dengar and tells him that he's going to kill him one day, and Haydenn makes a pass at Valance who rejects her.  In other words, the bounty hunters aren't doing so well, y'all.

Star Wars:  Han Solo & Chewbacca #5:  Not all that surprisingly, it turns out Han's "dad" isn't his dad but a criminal named Corpus Tyra.  (Or maybe his dad became Tyra?)  Tyra learned that Jabba hired Han to retrieve the MacGuffin...I mean, urn...from a "Kajain'sa'nikto" named Vizam.  Marshal Vancto learned about Vizam from Bib Fortuna and successfully finds Tyra at some sort of Imperial base on Iakar.  (Notably, Tyra doesn't obviously have the urn here.)  

Meanwhile, Chewie and Han are saved on Mollo Tanka by Khel Tanna and her crew and Greedo.  Han informs them that he wasn't sold that his "dad" was his dad, so he put a tracker on him.  They follow it to Paqualis III, where the Benelux Marshal Service Headquarters is located.  They manage to grab Tyra but leave behind Chewie after Greedo shoots Han while he fights Tanna to go after Chewie.  But Chewie finds himself in prison with Maz Kanata, so next issue should be a good time.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The July 20 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day #1:  This issue is solid. 

First things first, this latest iteration of the oversized event issue is almost unique - and seriously helped - by the fact that it has a single art team.  When that team is Schiti and Gracia, it makes for a great experience.  With Gillen providing an interesting story and sharp script, it all comes together nicely.  You feel like you're watching an action movie that actually makes sense.

The action gets going as Destiny realizes that the Eternals, and not Orchis, are coming after the mutants.  She and Mystique head to brief the Quiet Council as Kurt heads to Arakko to brief the Great Ring.  But they're too late.  Druig has successfully convinced the Uni-Mind that the mutants' ability to resurrect means that their deviation will continue forever, something that the Eternals can't allow, particularly as the mutants are now spreading beyond Earth.

With the Uni-Mind's approval, Druig launches two strikes.  As the Council begins to meet on Krakoa, half the Eternals' "committed forces" combine into the Uni-Mind and attack the Council telepathically.  While the Council's telepaths protect their colleagues, a separate group of Eternals launch a physical attack.  The X-Men arrive to help the Krakoans defend the island.  During the battle, Wolverine smells Egg's blood and tracks it to Jack of Knives, stopping her before she can kill Hope.  Realizing that the two attacks were cover for taking out the Five, Wolverine gets Jean to deploy all resources to protecting the Five.  Their mission spoiled, the Eternals retreat.

Since Egg made some extra eggs, the remaining Five are able to resurrect him.  As Wolverine is telling Jean to dispatch X-Force, Kurt arrives, telling the Five to resurrect "them" because Arakko will need leaders.  It turns out Druig's other strike was more effective:  in the hour Druig gave him, Uranos killed most of Arakko.  Gillen makes it clear that this near-genocide will further complicated the X-Men's public-relations problem, as Scott noted earlier that people are still killing mutants so the Five won't be getting to resurrecting humans anytime soon.

With his mixed score card, Druig uses Earthers' smartphones to announce that the Eternals are going after the X-Men.  We see joy in the streets, a sign that the "public-relations problem" means the X-Men are right back at "the hate and fear" stage (as Scott also noted earlier).  That said, humanity's relief might be tempered when they notice the "towering death machines," as Druig dubs them, known as the Hex rising off the western seaboard.

As the Avengers are assembling, Tony realizes that Eternals have entered the Celestial. He encounters Ajak and Makkari.  Ajak notes that they face only two outcomes.  The first, and least acceptable, one is the Eternals fighting the battle (thanks to their own ability to resurrect) until all mutants are dead, leaving Earth a barren wasteland.  The second one is Tony helping Ajak, Makarri, and a bound Sinister build a god who can rewrite the Scripture on which Druig is fighting his holy war.  Tony asks how they're going to make a god, and Ajak makes it clear that they're going to resurrect the Celestial.

Again, it's a great start to this event.  The stakes feel real, particularly since it's clear the Five don't have the capacity to resurrect the million or so mutants Uranos killed in this issue.  Also, humanity cheering on the Eternals probably isn't going to do much for human-mutant relations...

Knights of X #4:  Oof, this series is really going off the rails. 

Gambit's death serves as the sacrifice necessary to open the gate to Mercator, since it turns out Mercator itself is the Siege Perilous.  Rachel saves everyone from facing their fears and kisses Psylocke.  [Eye roll.]  Mercator informs the team that they're in the Siege Perilous but have to face Merlyn, who somehow also managed to enter Mercator in pursuit of Roma, Saturnyne, and Shogo.  

Beyond the ham-fisted kiss, my main complaint about this issue is that we seem to get a ret-conning of Rachel's powers via interstitial page, as Rachel is capable of "chronoskimming."  Maybe Rachel has always had this power, but Howard uses it in a nonsensical way, as she connects it to Rachel's ability to save everyone from their fears.  That seems more connected to Rachel's telepathic abilities, since it isn't like the Siege Perilous is a time-traveling device.

At any rate, this series concludes next issue, and it just feels like one of those mini-series where the end is inevitable and the author is spinning their wheels trying to justify the number of issues needed to get there.

Moon Knight:  Black, White & Blood #3:  I don't know how many different ways I can say this series is awful.  The first two stories in this issue are fine if lackluster.  The third one makes not a lick of sense, once again.  Why am I still buying these issues?

Star Wars:  Han Solo and Chewbacca #4:  This issue moves pretty fast, as it focuses on Chewie storming Graves' villa on Mollo Tanka to rescue Han after Krrsantan captures him.  Along the way, we get some nice moments between Chewie and Han's dad, which makes it all the more depressing when Chewie frees Han only for them to discover Han's dad - and the Falcon - are missing.  Han told Graves that he dropped the urn when Krrsantan nabbed him, so I'm guessing that Han's dad has it.  I'm hoping he and Han had a plan for him to skedaddle with the urn?  Maybe?

Also Read:  Star Wars #25; Star Wars:  Darth Vader #25