Axis: Hobgoblin #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I realized in reading this issue that the reason that I liked this series was that it had very little to do with "Axis."  Unfortunately, that changes here, and my enjoyment with it.

Shinick is eventually forced to toe the Axis line, with Steve Rogers recruiting Hobgbolin for the Avengers at the end of the issue.  This offer comes after Hobby successfully foils Phil's plans to assassinate him at a public ceremony thanking him for his efforts to save the city.  (Yeah, we're not even going to talk about it.  Shinick cleverly uses an aside comment from one police officer to another to establish that they're going to "overlook" his previous crimes because they can't confirm that it was Kingsley under the mask when they were committed.  It's weak, but I'll throw Shinick that bone, since Hobby's convoluted 30-year history isn't his fault.)

It gets interestinly only in a brief moment where Hobby seems to acknowledge to Phil that he is, indeed, still evil, after he seems to have killed his crew lest Phil use them against him.  But, this moment is undermined by his subsequent revelation that he only "killed" holograms of his crew; they're all still fine.  It's unclear then why Hobby gave his little speech.  Moreover, the rules of the inversion in "Axis" have so far been air-tight.  No one -- not a single person, so far -- has been able to shake off the inversion, not matter how inspired to do so they are.  As such, Hobby's speech about being evil can't be true, because he literally can't feel that way.

I would've really loved to see what Shinick could've done here if he didn't have to set up Hobby being part of the "Avengers" in "Axis" #6.  But, I pretty much feel that way about every "Axis"-related issue, so it's not really a surprise.

** (two of five stars)

Axis: Hobgoblin #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Beyond all the jokes, Shinick does a good job of making sure that this series has an actual plot.  An increasingly unhinged Phil Urich feels like Hobgoblin is dissing him through his high-profile return, since Phil knew that he had survived Norman's attack on him.  But, it's his discovery that Roderick is in control of a amnesiac Lily that seems to really send him over the edge.  Interestingly, Shinick sets up the possibility that Phil might actually win this one.  Roderick seems to underestimate how angry the super-villains that he abandoned were, leaving Phil with something like a real Goblin Army.  I'm intrigued to see what happens next issue.  Moreover, the jokes really are good.  The fake advertisements that appear throughout the issue were legitimately hilarious.  For a tie-in series, this one is really carving out its own niche.  Again, it's more of a "Goblin Nation" tie-in series than an "Axis" one, but I'll take it.

*** (three of five stars)

Axis: Hobgoblin #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

As I mentioned in my review of "Magneto" #11, I was hoping this issue would address my main unanswered question related to "Axis," namely why street-level villains like Hobgoblin would join Magneto's crusade against the Skull.  I could see the Hobgoblin having a business argument either way.  On one hand, he wouldn't want to see the Skull control the world enough that he would eliminate all competition.  But, on the other hand, the Skull would likely be looking for some non-mutant enforcers.  A guy in the business of supplying super-villains with identities and powers seems like the type of guy who could carve out a niche as a sub-contractor providing the Skull with said enforcers.

However, it quickly becomes clear in this issue that this series has no intention of answering any of those questions.  In fact, it's really more of an epilogue to "Goblin Nation" than it is a tie-in issue to "Axis."  We learn that Phil Urich has managed to retain the mantle of Goblin King (probably because no one else particularly wanted it) and Lily Hollister lost her memory as a result of Phil's botched attempt to rescue her.  The "Axis" tie-in only provides the spark for the series:  as a result of his newfound role as a hero, Roderick realizes that he has ignored an untapped (and even larger) market of people wanting to be superheroes.  He immediately sets about filling that gap.

At first, I'll admit to being slightly annoyed.  I mean, why am I reading about an infomercial for Roderick's pyramid scheme?  Why are we not addressing the serious questions that I have about "Axis?"  FANBOY ANGRY.  FANBOY SMASH.  But, then, when Roderick goes Tony Robbins for the special "few" customers that qualified for "Phase Three" of his superhero program, I just had to laugh.  I mean, the "Ned Talks," named in honor of the first person to "successfully" participate in his "program?"  That's freaking hilarious.  Maybe it's just a reflection of how grim comics are lately or how badly written comics trying to do comedy (like "Axis," in parts) are.  But, I really just found myself enjoying a comic book.  Go figure.  

Honestly, even if you're not reading "Axis" or never read "Goblin Nation," get this series.  It's such a wry take on the superhero genre, reminiscent of "Damage Control" back in the '80s.  But, if you are someone that read "Goblin Nation," it really is worth a read, since it explores the unsettled issues between the various Goblins in a way that we haven't seen in "Amazing Spider-Man."  I wouldn't expect an occasional comic-book writer focused mostly on comedy to have such a good grasp on continuity or characterization, but, man, Shinick really delivers.

***** (five of five stars)