Not-Very-New Comics!: The April 10 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Age of X-Man:  The Marvelous X-Men #3:  We’re halfway through this event, and I’m still not quite sure what story Marvel is telling here.  At this stage, we seem to have two main conflicts:  Apocalypse is calling for the mutants of this reality to embrace love, and X-Man is struggling to keep his hold on everyone.  Even the other two series I’m reading — "Prisoner X" and "The X-Tremists" — are focused on these two conflicts.  But, the larger point isn’t particularly clear to me.  The original Age of Apocalypse was exciting because you got to see familiar characters making different decisions and living different lives based on their new shared history.  Plus, Bishop was starting to remember his past, which would allow him to undo Legion's assassination of Professor X.  It all came together as you watched the X-Men, different as they now were, sacrifice themselves for a better world.  In Age of X-Man, X-Man is making everyone live these different lives, so it's a lot less interesting.  Plus, the scope of the differences is narrower:  it’s pretty much just the same people arguing over love with a script they've been handed.  Moreover, at this stage, no one's even really trying to return them to reality, as Bishop was in Age of Apocalypse.  Magneto comes the closest at least to discovering the truth, as he realizes that they all seem to be aware of memories of a previous life, one that might be the real one.  But, he doesn't really do anything with this insight; he still commits to confronting Apocalypse at the Xavier Day event in London.  The only theme I can tease from these issues is a critique of the majority's predisposition to embracing authority, but I'm not sure that's really all that interesting in the way it's presented here, since, again, no one is consciously making that decision.

Avengers:  No Road Home #9-#10:  Man, this series flew right off the rails.  The last few issues haven't been great, as the authors have let the story wander.  But, we never really return to a clear path.  It turns out it wasn't about Hercules seeking redemption or the Hulk seeking power.  It was about...Marvel's 80th anniversary?  Throughout the series, the authors gave conflicting motivations for Nyx.  In issue #9, she says it's revenge, but didn't she get that when she (easily) murdered all the Olympian gods?  In issue #10, she seeks to remake the Universe without light, but never seems to understand that she'd rule over a dead Universe.  Then, it all collapses under its own weight when Nyx inexplicably discovers the house that she's seen several times is the "House of Ideas."  Vision follows her through the doors, and he uses his imagination to defeat her, sending team after team of Avengers at her.  Of course, the authors never have Nyx use her imagination to fight fire with fire:  after a few millennia in Zeus' jail cell, you would've figure she'd have thought up some sort of tortures she could've deployed to save herself.  Moreover, Vision acknowledges that he didn't kill Nyx; she's essentially just...gone?  I get the House of Ideas reference like every other kid who read Marvel comics in the 1970s and 1980s.  But, I honestly have no idea why the authors weaved it in here.  It made the series feel like one of those promotional comics you used to get in that era, like when the X-Men were inexplicably shilling for Pizza Hut.  (I totally made my parents go to Pizza Hut for that reason, obviously.)  Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, we then get everything essentially ret-conned, as the Olympian gods are now essentially Flash Gordoned with their Buck Rogers fashions?  I mean, we even end with Hercules standing facing the camera, if you will, despite the fact he's actually shaking someone's hand.  Ugh.  "Avengers:  No Surrender" was a fun romp with a great cast, and I'm sad that its successor series turned out so mediocre.

Invaders #1-#4:  This story is very, very different from the ones I’m used to reading from Chip Zdarsky, but I am very much not complaining.  It’s really one of the more gripping treatments of Namor and, frankly, Cap, that I’ve read in a long time.  This series continues the story started in “Avengers,” with Namor preparing for his war on the surface world.  But, it goes to all new places.

In the first issue, Namor brings a group of secessionist Atlantean militants to heel, using his newfound powers over water to awe them into servitude.  On the surface, Jim Hammond is writing a book about the Invaders.  After interviewing Cap, he travels to Maine to visit Randall Johnson, one of the soldiers who served in their support unit.  In flashbacks, we see the Invaders dealing with the aftermath of a battle where a few members of their support unit, including a kid named Tommy, died.  Namor was particularly close to Tommy, and we see him engaging in his usual terrible behavior in the days after Tommy's death to avoid dealing with the loss.  Equally usual, we see Steve convince Namor to grieve.  These stories collide in a brilliant way at the end:  in a flashback, we learn that Tommy’s last name was Machan (from his dog tags), the same name as Namor’s consigliere.  Then, through the eyes of the defeated separatists, we learn only Namor can see Machan.  Dun-dun-DUN!  In one fell swoop, Zdarsky ups the ante, as we’re now dealing with Mad King Namor.  These sorts of reveals are usually cheesy as hell, but Zdarsky built to this moment beautifully; it was legitimately chilling.

The other main development is issue #1 is Jim stumbling upon a photo of Namor, during the period after the war where he was amnesiac, standing with Charles Xavier.  Randall’s daughter Nay (named after Namor) hastens to cover up the photo, and Jim is now reasonably suspicious about it.  Meanwhile, in issue #2, Cap tries to confront Namor, which goes as poorly as expected; but, he also catches a glimpse of Hydro-Man, understanding Namor’s newfound powers.  We learn Cap’s confrontation was just a ruse so Bucky had time to root through Namor’s room.  (Tricky, tricky Steve.)  Meeting with Cap and Jim later, Bucky reveals that Namor’s making a bomb to exterminate humanity.  Meanwhile, Nay signals for Namor, grateful for everything he’s apparently done for her son.  Namor is unconcerned about Steve and company exploring his past with Charles, seeing it as a wild-goose chase, but he encourages Nay to destroy all the other evidence. But, Zdarsky raises the stakes here as “Machan” encourages Namor to kills the Johnsons and rid himself of the liability.

Everything goes from bad to worse in issue #3.  Cap informs the Avengers, and, despite Tony seeking to confront Namor immediately, Cap is reasonably certain T’Challa will give him the space he needs to try to reason with Namor on his own.  He and Hammond travel to the naval base working on underwater warfare, established to address the threat that the U.S. government (correctly) sees Namor as posing.  The base’s commander is appalled when Cap informs her that the base may be in danger but then asks her not to attack Namor.  Zdarsky does a great job here, as it’s getting harder and harder to side with Steve and his desire to reason with Namor, particularly if you’re not aware of his fragile mental state.  But, the visit is again revealed as a ruse as Bucky tries to sabotage the bomb that the base is developing, because it has the raw materials that Namor needs for his bomb.  Bucky recruits a lab worker to help him while Cap takes selfies with the base’s enlisted men.  But, Zdarsky doesn’t stick his head in the sand here:  one of the soldiers confronts Cap over his connection to the Supreme Commander, noting that the heroes play at gods while they watch their friends die.  It’s a moving moment, and Cap has no response.  It’s a perfect companion to what Coates is doing in “Captain America,” showing the lack of trust the world is starting to have in its “heroes.”  Cap and Jim then visit Randall, who tells Cap that Namor thought that he cured the “oxygen imbalance” that previously explained his “temperament.”  But, Randall somewhat convincingly argues that Namor has no true home but war and needs Cap’s help.  But, Nay has again signaled Namor, and he attacks, flinging Cap into the ocean.  Jim rushes to save him, while Randall confronts Namor.  Namor now seems more concerned about the Xavier connection, and Randall asks if he’s willing to destroy all the evidence, namely Randall and Nay.  Randall then unexpectedly dies of a heart attack.  His last words show his worry about who is going to save Namor now that he's gone, and it seems likely that his death will just push Namor further over the edge.  But, it does make Nay realize that she needs to help Cap and Jim.

She does so in issue #4.  We learn that Namor spent long periods of time with the Johnsons, interrupted by periods where he returned to Atlantis.  He was tormented by his memories of the war during this period.  Then, Charles Xavier arrived.  It was the time before he created Cerebro, so the only way he could find other mutants was to be near them.  Charles recruits Namor to help him find mutants like them.  Zdarsky makes it clear that it’s the cocky, reckless Xavier that we're getting here; he specifically mentions how the term homo superior unnerved Jim, but Xavier had his “hooks” in Namor.  (Knowing Charles, he probably was telepathically manipulating him.)  But, to Namor’s frustration, they fail in finding new mutants.  (There’s a great scene of them walking in the woods with Wolverine using his claws to hide in a tree above them.)  But, they finally encounter one, a young man who had been turning animals into humans (who still acted like cats and dogs, drawing a certain amount of attention to the town).  Charles is thrilled, seeing him as using his ability to change species to create more mutants.  Namor rightly calls Charles an idiot, predicting that they’ll use him to exterminate mutants.  It all becomes moot when the cops kill him after he turns one of them into a cat.  Namor is enraged and attacks the cops.  Charles, in what will become a long line of brilliant moves, invades Xavier’s mind, creating a telepathic version of Tommy to serve as Namor’s in-mind therapist, since he trusted him.  But, Namor resists, and Tommy instead becomes Machan, urging him to win the war.  (Thanks, Charles.)  From there, the story continues as we know it.  Namor eventually regained his memories and returned to the Johnson’s, taking Nay’s son Roman under his wing.  In the present, we see the consequences of that.  The lab technician shoots Bucky in the head with the gun that he (pretty stupidly) gave her in issue #3, revealing that she’s working with Roman...who’s working at the base.  Unaware of Bucky’s plight, Cap and Jim head out looking for a telepath who might be able to heal Namor.

In other words, wow.  I haven't read this sort of tightly scripted thrilled since I think Bucky's time as Captain America.  Zdarsky isn't giving us brightly spandexed heroes here, but complex humans trying to do the right thing even though they're not entirely sure that they are.  It's a great story, and I recommend for anyone.

West Coast Avengers #10:  I am devastated this series is ending.  It was such an amazing breath of fresh air, full of feelings and fun and heart.  I am glad Thompson was able to advance the story of Kate's mom, and I totally bought the idea that her evil father somehow turned her into a vampire.  I somewhat less bought the idea that Johnny and Noh-Varr were suddenly in love (or, more accurately, in lust with another).  The sitcomesque group laugh after Kate wondered if she had ever dated anyone straight was funny, I guess?  But, you could tell it was rushed, and that devastates me, because this series deserved so much more.  I can't believe I'm not going to see Jeff the Landshark happily sitting in Quentin's lap anymore.  [Sigh.]  Kelly Thompson continues to be one of the best assets that Marvel has, and I hope Marvel finds something awesome to give her.  Paging a Young Avengers reboot, anyone?

X-Force #6:  In this issue, Hopeless really manages to unify a lot of threads from numerous stories not just over the last few months, but over the last few years.  He essentially uses the events of "Extermination" to reboot Cable, Stryfe, and their shared history entirely.

The core struggle between them remains the same as it was in the 1990s:  Apocalypse groomed Stryfe to take his essence, but he recanted when he realized Stryfe was Nathan's clone.  Stryfe believes himself to be the original Nathan, and he and Nathan go to war, causing destruction all around them.  Stryfe laments that destruction in this issue, wondering in his own megalomaniacal way how everything went so wrong.  (He's essentially mad he rules over a dead world.)  We learn that he and Clan Chosen are essentially at a standstill, and he's in desperate need of soldiers to gain the upper hand.  He gets that opportunity when a brief temporal storm leads the MLF to Nathan's headquarters and then to their journey into the past to find Cable.  Stryfe recognizes his chance in Transnia, providing its leaders with futuristic weapons in exchange for them giving mutants refuge.  The Transnians unknowingly then give him his army as he convinces the mutants to follow him into the future to live in the mutant Utopia that he's promised.  But, he then engineers the deaths of dozens of the refugees in transit to said Utopia, claiming that the same forces of oppression in the future destroyed the transport.  The refugees then rally to his cause.  Moreover, while in Transnia, he learns that its leaders have not only captured Ahab but also Rachel, and Stryfe brings her into the future with him.  In said future, Clan Chosen has been reconstituted after Nathan successfully ended the temporal storm when he returned the original X-Men to the past.  Clan Chosen is trying to find Cable when Rachel and her fellow hound attack.  In the present, Stryfe informs Kid Cable that he's captured Clan Chosen, has Mother Askani, and plans to have his MLF kill X-Force (whose assess they're kicking) if he doesn't surrender.  He does, and into the future they go.  If you're a fan of the 1990s stories about Cable and Stryfe, as I am, it's hard to be disappointed here.  Hopeless gets the, well, hopelessness of their relationship.  I'm hoping (heh) in the subsequent issues he examines the core struggle of identity that lies at the heart of their story.  But, for now, I'm a happy camper.

Also Read:  Amazing Spider-Man #19; Star Wars:  Age of Rebellion - Princess Leia #1

Not-Very-New Comics: The March 20 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers #17:  This issue is OK, though it felt rushed, to be honest.  Aaron is trying to fit in a lot of plot here, so he resorts to having important sequences, like the Legion of the Unliving taking on the Winter Guard right before the Avengers arrive, occur off-panel.  The battle itself between the Avengers and the Legion is fine, though Aaron again hurries the battle between Blade and Colonel, with Blade defeating him too easily.  He also rushes to the conclusion that Dracula planned the entire "civil war."  The Colonel is revealed to be his son, Xarus, and Dracula's goal all along was to get the Russians to imprison him in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, apparently because the radiation somehow heals him.  (I'd love to see the physics of that.)  But, this revelation doesn't explain why Dracula was willing to sacrifice all his subjects in Transylvania just to move his kingdom to Chernobyl.  Couldn't he have just...snuck into the Exclusion Zone?  Did he have to be invited to an entire geographic space?  It isn't like Chernobyl is a house.  Overall, it was still a strong arc, but I feel like an extra issue would've made it all the better.

Avengers:  No Road Home #6:  Although I know the authors are stoked about getting to use Conan and I'm loving Aaron's run on "Conan the Barbarian" itself, this issue was a dud to me.  Even with the expanded length, they cover too much ground, literally and narratively.  Conan and Wanda seem to cover the entire Thurian continent in search of the thieves who stole the shard.  Some of the individual moments are great, but the authors move off them too quickly to advance to the next location.  The arrival at Shadizar is a great moment, but it would've been even more impactful if I still hadn't been trying to figure out where they had been before they got there.  Moreover, this specific flaw exacerbates the problem that I have with the regular series, where Aaron (and now the trio here) are telling stories across Conan's lifespan.  Here, he loves Bêlit, but we haven't even met her in the regular series yet.  I get that Conan fans will recognize all these various timeframes and characters, but it's a challenge for a newbie like me.  As such, it feels like too much of the authors playing with a toy, particularly given the fact that Conan's presence here is a stretch from the start.  I initially thought that they were going to connect Nyx with the Night-God whose worshipers Conan and Wanda encounter on the way to Shadizar.  How cool would it have been if they had gone to all this trouble to shield Wanda's eyes so Nyx wouldn't know that they found the shard, only for the "Night-God's" worshipers to successfully open a portal to her?  These missed opportunities are what make me feel like the authors are rushing through this mini-series just like Aaron is rushing through "Avengers."  

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4-#5:  For the fact that these issues involve Peter learning Aunt May has cancer, they're not as devastating as you'd expect them to be.  But, it isn't necessarily a bad thing, to be honest.

In issue #4, Tayor wraps up the Underworld storyline in a fantastic way.  The villain arrives demanding Spider-Man and the Rumor turn over his daughter and grandchildren, and they refuse.  Fighting ensues.  But, before we get there, Juann Cabal provides one of the greatest panels I've ever seen, akin to the famous Hawkeye mask covering Hawkeye's hawkeye.  As Peter tells Johnny the story of saving Leilani from her father from the top of an alternate Empire State Building, Cabal given us a Super Mario Bros. background to underline the point.  It is...mind-blowing.  Moreover, during the aforementioned above-ground fight, he delivers an amazingly (heh) kinetic panel showing Peter dodging the thugs' bullets while also saving a cat and setting up the fight's denouement when Peter manages to web every gun and pull them towards him.  The emotional denouement comes when a crowd gathers around Spidey to stand with him, eventually forcing the Kingpin -- who arrived on the scene to force Spider-Man and the Rumor to surrender Leilani and the kids -- to break his deal with the villain.  This entire arc has been great from start to finish, focusing on Peter's New York as promised.

Even after Aunt May arrives in Peter's apartment in issue #5 to tell him she has cancer, Taylor keeps up said focus, when Peter catches one of the homeless kids from the neighborhood stealing a car.  When it turns out he's running from his mother's abusive boyfriend, Spidey -- feeling a little guilty that he got distracted and broke the kid's wrist -- actually helps him steal said car to prevent from getting arrested.  (I guess Peter learned how to drive at some point...)  Peter winds up webbing the car above an alley to allow them to escape the ensuing police, a sequence you kind of have to see to appreciate.  Peter brings the kid to see Dr. Strange, who (somewhat reluctantly) sets the arm.  Peter confesses he broke the wrist because he's distracted by May's illness, and Dr. Strange jokingly refers to making a deal with an interdimensional demon to help her, though suggests that it could bring an eternity of torment.  (Ha!)  Peter wisely passes, and Dr. Strange tells him that some things are beyond magic and medicine.  After originally telling Aunt May he has "a lot going on right now" when she asked if he'd go to chemo with her, he's there when she arrives, with the nurse touchingly referring to him as her "son."  I always love the moments when May and Peter acknowledge their mother-son relationship directly, and this one is no different.  Did I roll my eyes at Peter's initial response of saying that he was too busy to be at her appointment?  Yes, because Peter probably wouldn't have responded that way.  But, Taylor is killing it so much in this series, I can look past it.  Also, Cinar and Woodard's art is so impressive here (including a beautiful Peter) that they convey emotions that Taylor's script alone doesn't necessarily convey.  

In other words, just like "Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man," this series is increasingly my go-to Spider-Man series, no matter how much I like what Nick Spencer is doing in the main title.

Nightwing #58:  This issue is a little heavy handed with the narrative, from Hutch's extended meditation on why he's not "cut out for this vigilante crap" to Joker's Daughter's eyeroll-inducing diatribe about the elites to Bab's earnestness in telling "Ric" that Dick would be proud of him.  But, Lobdell and Kaplan still do a solid job of showing how Ric's membership in the Nightwings happens organically, to the point where this new status quo starts feeling more and more familiar.  But, it's really Moore and Bonvillain who shine here; Hutch is so beautifully rendered in the first few panels that he looks almost lifelike.

Uncanny X-Men #14:  Rosenberg continues doing a solid job here.  By the end of the issue, you get the sense that Scott is going to find himself with his hands full of mutants, and Rosenberg implies then it'll really start to get interesting.  After all, he added Logan in issue #11, Havok, Magik, and Wolfsbane in issue #12, Dark Beast and Multiple Man in issue #13, and now Chamber in this issue.  (I don't really count Karma and Mirage from issue #12 since they've unfortunately been non-entities.)  In other words, this issue really gets Scott's little war going.  So far, he's really just struck against O.N.E. for holding Havok, Multiple Man, and the New Mutants and then Dark Beast.  In this issue, we have the team chase down Reaper (only to learn he's depowered and not working with the MLF) and help the remaining Morlocks relocate to Chernaya after eliminating the fascist opposition forces left after X-Force's sojourn there.  (I think they're the same place?  If not, Marvel is really pushing the limits of credulity to make two made-up Eastern European countries into mutant havens with fascist uprisings.)  Why do they need to relocate the "remaining" Morlocks, you ask?  Because the Marauders killed the rest of them...again.  (I'm imaging the Marauders are moving up Scott's hit list.)  Also, the move to Chernaya killed a few too birds with one stone, as Scott and Logan got Valerie Cooper to agree to do them favors if they do her favors (like eliminating said fascist opposition forces).  In other words, Scott's got a lot of irons in the fire.  But, the team takes a well advised moment to celebrate the "small victories" only to have Captain America crash the party.  Again, Rosenberg is doing a great job of making each issue complicate Scott's life even further, but I'm also glad he's giving the team some time to bond as well.  As Jono himself implies, no one on this team has enjoyed a good run over the last few years.  Most of them really need these wins, even if it's clear whatever limited roll that they're enjoying now is going to come to an end.

West Coast Avengers #9:  This issue is great.  It's like Thompson hit full speed as we got to the top of the mountain and she's just letting us enjoy the free fall as we make our way down the other side.  Ramone and Johnny are children of a Dora Milaje?  Ramone's powers allow her to fuse permanently with vibranium?  Johnny and Marvel Boy might forget Katie and get together themselves?  Katie's mom is a vampire?  Each new development builds off previous developments, so it doesn't all sounds as random as it does here.  Plus, we get the usual adorable crazy moments, like discovering Jeff the Shark loves Quentin and likes to sit in his lap.  (The panel where Jeff is actually sitting in Quentin's lap should win Gang Hyuk Lim some sort of award.  That, and the panel where Gwenpool, Quentin, and Ramone all put their hands to their chest in faux outrage, like they're grabbing their Southern ladies grabbing their pearls, after Kate's mom reveals that they're dealing with vampires, not Skrulls.)  I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  as Quentin's t-shirt says, West Coast, Best Coast!

The Wild Storm #21:  As we approach the end, each issue seems much more focused now.  Jenny Sparks' trip through Skywatch's computer system allowed her to discover the existence of Midnighter and Apollo.  Wisely, she realizes their defense of the village meant not only that they were preventing Skywatch from making more people like them and the Mayor but also that they were probably good recruits for the still-forming Authority.  Meanwhile, Miles orders Ivana to start creating a narrative that an "extranational terrorist network" is ramping up its activities in nuclear-armed countries, and it leads her to call someone to report that they "may have a situation."  Bendix seems to believe IO shot down some Skywatch ships, but I can't tell if he's confusing Midnighter and Apollo's attack with IO or if he's referring to that fight at Skywatch's ground base a few issues ago.  Bendix is ready to burn down the world, but Lauren warns him that he should focus on IO specifically to prevent them from having "supply issues."  To help the Doctor recognize Skywatch ships when they enter orbit, Angie provides her with a device that allows them to communicate telepathically, projecting to her images of a Skywatch ship.  (Interestingly, Angie is super aggro all issue, and it takes the Doctor confronting her to make her admit the events of the last few weeks are weighing on her.)  Elsewhere, Jackie finds some sort of device in the IO equipment room, and the guy that Miles hired to kill her is on her tail.  Later, Jenny confirms that the bot attack IO launched on Skywatch (though I think it was really the Wild C.A.T.s) allowed them to see the Skywatch space station.  Jenny then observes that everything that's happened since Cray tried to kill Marlowe has meant that "the most powerful people in the world are terrified of everything and everyone," putting the world on the brink of annihilation.  I'm not sure if Ellis is describing their world or our world, but there we are.

(NB:  I tagged this post "Nova" because Richard appears in "Guardians of the Galaxy" #3, but I didn't review it.  It's a fine issue; it just didn't seem to merit much discussion at this phase of the story.)

Also Read:  Batman #67; Dungeons & Dragons:  A Darkened Wish #1; Guardians of the Galaxy #3; Marvel's Spider-Man:  City at War #1; Star Wars #63; Thor #11

Not-Very-New Comics: The February 20 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  No Road Home #2:  I was perfectly OK with this series not serving as a sequel to "Avengers:  No Surrender."  After all, the first series was a fun romp, so I was totally down with Marvel get the band back together for another one.  But, the authors do actually make it a sequel in an unexpected way.  In a flashback to Nyx and her children murdering the Olympian gods, we learn Zeus imprisoned Nyx somewhere until the sun disappeared.  Well, the Challenge and the Gamemaster managed that when they moved Earth during their challenge, freeing Nyx to seek out her revenge.  The authors then rely on a similar format as the first series, as Voyager sends three teams of Avengers to beat Nyx's children in capturing the shards of her soul that Zeus scattered around the Universe.  But, the authors go one better here, as it isn't all about the action.  Clint provides an increasingly dramatic narration throughout the issue, as he talks about how people often ask him how he does what he does, fighting alongside and against gods.  He admits he's just lucky, but his luck seems to have hit a wall:  he awakens in a hospital room missing the thumb on his right hand.  Clint barely has time to process that when the Hulk reveals himself, ready to exact his vengeance.  It shows the authors are working multiple stories on multiple levels, just like the first series.  I'm definitely happy I picked up this one.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3:  OMG, this issue was awesome.  It turns out Leilani -- the mother of the two orange-skinned kids -- is the daughter of the dictator of Under York, an underground version of New York accessible by a magic elevator.  We learn Under York used to interact with our New York, but the dictator cut off ties, forcing Under York to stagnate.  (Apparently all our best ideas -- like the Empire State Building -- come from Under York.)  Peter and the Rumor manage to break into the dictator's penthouse and nab Leilani.  Peter gets shot in the process, but he manages to scale the miles-deep elevator staff with the two women after the Under Yorkers cut the power.  The Rumor warns Peter to prepare for a small war.  I know it sounds insane, but Taylor's script really sells it; I could read Peter and the Rumor bantering all day.  Taylor manages to capture the spark of a Spider-Man story without weighing down the issue with all of Peter's usual bullshit.  This issue really carries on the great tradition of Zdarsky's work in "Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man."  I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2:  OK, this issue is really good.  Like, really good.  First, Cates makes it clear that Peter is spiraling into alcoholism and depression because he can't get over the fact Gamora killed him.  That's...sound.  (To be honest, I barely remember her killing him, and I definitely don't remember how he got resurrected.  Oh, "Infinity Wars."  You were such a bullshit event.)  Cates does a great job of not telling us this information, but showing it to us, through Peter's late-night call to Kitty.  Phyla-Vell even tells him he looks terrible when he delivers some uniforms to her and Moondragon.  But, Peter doesn't just get to sleep the sleep of the drunk, as he has to break up a fight between Ghost Rider and Groot.  This part of the issue is the only part I disliked.  I'm still struggling with the characterization of Groot as an adolescent surfer, and Ghost Rider doesn't really sound the way Frank Castle sounds.  That said, their fight is hilarious, as Ghost Rider inadvertently creates an army of mini-Groots by cutting off parts of him.  They're fighting as Ghost Rider learned Beta Ray Bill and Groot plan on saving Gamora.  Peter invites him to leave if he wants, notably telling Beta Ray Bill and Groot to do the same, showing he has no intention of saving Gamora.  Castle leaves, leading us to realize just how big of a story Cates is telling.  The Shi'ar have rescued a now-scarred Starfox and some other "heroes" who fell into the vortex, and Castle joins their crusade to find Gamora.  Also in this group is Nebula, who suggests they'll find Gamora through the "stupid boy she loves:"  Nova.  Peter might be upset about that, particularly since he thinks he and Groot are the only ones who know where Gamora is.  We also see Hela and the Black Order in action here, as they shake down the Collector to discover Thanos' head is in the Negative Zone.  Does no one burn a body anymore?

Nightwing #57:  Although Lobdell's plot is fine here, it's Kaplan who really makes this issue sing.  It's the first one in the Ric Grayson era where Ric feels like a character in and of himself.  Kaplan makes it clear that Ric's moral compass is essentially the same as Dick's:  he's moved beyond words when he accompanies Bea to a community meeting with a councilman eager to destroy a homeless shelter to build a parking lot for a new stadium.  Bea reveals she grew up homeless, and it's a clever move on Lobdell's part.  It would feel ridiculous to watch Dick Grayson, ward of wealth, try even to comprehend that, but Ric is another story altogether.  Kaplan also really sells Ric finding himself agreeing to work with the Nightwings, particularly in playing up the hilarity of Detective Sapienza exerting such a sense of ownership over the identity.  Despite the jumble of authors who've worked on this story, they've carefully built each supporting character piece by piece; no revelation has felt forced.  At this point, they all feel like fully fleshed out characters at this point, and, regardless if Ric recovers his memory, I hope they all stay.  But, it isn't all about the perfect tone Kaplan is able to strike.  Lobdell using the Joker's Daughter in a war against elites doesn't feel over the top.  She kidnaps the councilman and sends him into a fancy restaurant as a suicide bomber, interrupting all the conversations praising gentrification happening at the moment.  If that isn't a 2019 plot device, I don't know what is.

Return of Wolverine #5:  Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure what happened here.  Like, sure, I get Persephone's evil plan to kill all of humanity and then resurrect them as her mindless slaves.  But, I'm still not sure how Wolverine himself was resurrected.  If I had to guess, his fire claws were some sort of secondary mutation that activated once he was encapsulated in the adamantium, allowing him to claw his way to freedom.  Or maybe Persephone gave him that power?  I honestly don't know.  Soule does manage to wrap up the primary story about Persephone in a believable way (Logan destroy the space station, natch), but I'm surprised after all the preceding mini-series and then this series I'm still not clear on how we got to this point in the first place.

Uncanny X-Men #12:  Man, you put Scott and Logan together and they can really find themselves some trouble.  Logan somehow knows O.N.E. is keeping a group of mutants hostage, and he and Scott pretty roughly break into the relevant base.  Logan tries for subtlety by posing as a O.N.E. solider and kidnapping another, but the plan goes hilariously awry when the kidnapped soldier yells out Logan is trying to break in the base.  Once they deal with the soldiers, they encounter the en-Warlock-ed New Mutants, who O.N.E. has tried to turn into living Sentinels.  We learn Magik and Rahne have managed to emerge from the techno-organic virus, with Rahne positing because they're also shapeshifters they have a certain immunity.  They also discover a few Jamies as well as Havok, who O.N.E. is using to power the base.  Magik is unable to use her powers to teleport, and O.N.E. soldiers pounce on them all as they try to escape.  Someone at O.N.E. has implanted bombs in the Madri, and Strong Guy sacrifices himself to take the brunt of the blast.  Thankfully, said blast knocks out the field disrupting Illyana's powers, and the team manages to escape, with O.N.E. Director Callaghan now aware the X-Men have returned.  I have to say, Scott and Logan find themselves with a helluva team.  Even if the New Mutants have to stay on the sidelines, an X-Men team of Cyclops, Havok, Wolverine, Rahne, and Magik is no freaking joke.  As I mentioned in my last review, Rosenberg really imbues this issue with a "What If...?" sense, as if we're reading "Days of Future Present" come to life.  You really have no idea where we're going next.

The Wild Storm #20:  This issue is really more about letting Davis-Hunt and Buccellato run wild as they depict Midnighter and Apollo make short work of a Skywatch team sent to capture (or kill) them.  But, we do learn some interesting things along the way.  First, Miles is under obvious strain and asks Ben Santini, the leader of the Razors Alpha CAT, for advice.  He suggests Miles uses IO's resources to engage in violence to distract people from the evils of "dark capitalism," implying IO has been behind civil wars, school shootings, terrorist attacks, and other violent acts.  Miles listens to his advice and then dispatches Ben to give Ivana and Jackie their "pension plans."  Meanwhile, Skywatch's spaceships arrive at Midnighter and Apollo's farm, and they annihilate them before they can hurt anyone in town.  Along the way, based on a sketch of Apollo's eyes, it seems like he's actually some sort of android.  One of the spaceship's pilots panics and hails Skywatch on an open line, allowing Jennie Sparks to travel to Skywatch HQ.  Once Midnighter confirms no one in the town was hurt, the two of them depart.

Also Read:  Avengers #15; Batman #65

Not-Very-New Comics: The February 13 Avengers Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  No Road Home #1:  I really enjoyed "Avengers:  No Surrender," so I was perfectly happy to return for this sequel.  The authors do a really solid job of setting the stage for the event here.  In fact, they might've done too good of a job.  In the first series, the mystery of Valerie Vector kept us guessing for the first several issues.  Here, we know right off the bat that Nyx has murdered the gods of Olympus and stolen all light in the Universe.  Even if her motives aren't yet clear, I'm surprised by how quickly the authors revealed she's the culprit (at least, as far we know).  Maybe it's a sign of just how much ground they plan on covering.  (Rocket does seem to be plotting something...)  Plus, Paco Medina takes on the art duties, giving it the true feel of event-dom.  It wasn't quite the debut "Avengers:  No Surrender" #1 was, but it was a solid start nonetheless.  An Avengers story featuring the Olympic gods (dead though they may now be)?  I'm definitely there.

Winter Soldier #3:  Higgins does a great job here.  Although I'm still not quite sure how exactly Bucky's souped-up arm helped him defeat The Spot, the requisite super-villain fight really takes a back seat to the psychological struggles both Bucky and RJ are having.  Bucky throws himself full tilt into helping RJ start healing from his time under Hydra's care, and Higgins does a good job throughout the issue of foreshadowing how desperate Bucky is to believe RJ can be healed.  When RJ reveals he's read Bucky's diary and knows he himself questions whether he himself can be healed, Higgins shows just how much he understands Bucky.  Bucky admits to RJ that he's struggling with the idea that he can be redeemed, and this moment of authenticity breaks down some of RJ's walls as he tearfully admits to Bucky he doesn't want to be a killer anymore.  As happy as I am with the script, the art just really doesn't fit for me.  Reis' artistic use of watercolors certainly allows for whole new depths when it comes to depicting bruises, but it doesn't translate well for emotions.  Given this issue is all about emotions, Reis' style spoiled certain moments, where I wound up more focused on the odd art choices than the emotions I was supposed to be feeling.  (For example, the characters often have random white spots on their faces that aren't tears.  For a while I thought they were laser pointers Reis forgot to color red.)  At any rate, Higgins is at least doing a bang-up job and I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Also Read:  Thor #10