Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #24-25: I love Peter David, but this series has been a mess almost from the start. To be fair, he inherited Dan Slott's terrible decision to turn lovable Ben Reilly into a crazed homicidal maniac, so he had a rough road before him. He seemed to find his stride when he struck onto the idea that Ben would heal his soul -- and his face -- by doing good. Ben really exemplifies the selflessness he used to exhibit here: at the end of issue #24, he takes a bullet to prevent Cassandra from inadvertently running in its path. Mephisto claims his soul and, to maximize the torture left in his wake, he allows Cassandra and Kaine to remember the truth about Ben. To be honest, if David ended the series with someone allowing Ben to go to Heaven (instead of Hell), I'd be perfectly happy with how this series ended. Ben died a hero, just as he did the first time he died.
But, it's here where David goes off the rails. He brings back Abigail as the same kind of entity as Gabriel is, whatever that is. To pay her debt to Ben, she returns him to life after proving Mephisto had stolen his soul prematurely. (This part made no sense. David seemed to be saying that Mephisto only won Ben's soul through machinations and as such he engineered it prematurely. But...um...that's what Mephisto does. Wouldn't everyone be saved if they were only going to Hell due to his machinations?) Unfortunately, Abigail doesn't listen to Ben when he says Death told him he'd be irreversibly evil if he died and returned to life one more time. As such, he is now fully evil, as he realizes when he kills a returned Misty without thinking. (It turns out she's really a robot Mephisto created, so David hedges his bet here, allowing Ben to kill, but not really.) He then seems to kill Kaine, but we know they're both in "Spider-geddon," so that seems unlikely. Instead, the issue ends with him sobbing in the rain while Gabriel and his assistant somehow observe him.
In other words: [sigh]. Again, David had a hard road here, because he had to undo the character assassination Slott committed against Ben in "Dead No More!: The Clone Conspiracy." But, I never really understood why he kept Ben in Las Vegas so long. Originally, it seemed to be the first stop on his David Banner-esque journey across the country; he'd save Abigail, heal his soul a bit, and move onto the next case leading him down the road of Redemption. But, instead, David got mired in Vegas, telling the same story about Abigail over and over again. The interesting "The Incredible Hulk" premise was gone. Ben Reilly deserved better than he got here, and I can only hope Marvel corrects course with "Spider-geddon." Fingers crossed.
Edge of Spider-geddon #4: Perhaps the most exciting part of this pretty exciting issue is the preface about this world being a relatively unexplored one. It adds a layer of mystery, implying we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg and more will eventually be revealed. In this reality, Peter Parker definitely seemed to have gained Spider-Powers, but it's unclear if he really became Spider-Man. One way or another, he wound up working for Oscorp and a six-armed Norman, who apparently also gained Spider-Powers. Peter and Harry eventually work against Norman, who seems all-powerful here in ways we've seen in other realities as well. It's not clear why Harry and Peter finally turned against Norman, but at some point Norman discovers their treachery and kills Peter. Peter's death activates a message to Harry, who makes his way into Oscorp HQ to retrieve -- in possibly the "Spider-Gwen" moment of this series -- the Kobold suit that he and Peter developed. He successfully gets past Norman's defenses and discovers Norman has acquired a remnant of the Cosmic Cube, which Harry then dies destroying. Before we can learn more, Spider-Punk whisks Spider-Norman into wherever it is the Spider-People are gathering. It's all so great that I really wish we could get at least a miniseries showing how we got to this point. At any rate, it only makes me more excited about "Spider-geddon," so mission accomplished, Marvel.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #310: I do not write the following statement lightly, given how many Spider-Man issues I've read, but Chip Zdarsky is possibly the best Spider-Man writer I've ever read. I'm devastated he's leaving this title. But, he leaves on the highest of notes, with a brilliantly laid-out tribute to Spider-Man. He gets to the character's heart better than any other story I think I've ever read, at least since "Amazing Spider-Man" #314. (Also, his Peter Parker is downright sexy.) If you read one Spider-Man story ever, it should probably be this one. Seriously. I can't believe we only had a year and a half with him, but it's one of the best runs I can remember. I'll see you in "Marvel Two-in-One," Chip!
Spider-geddon #0: Oy. As cool as it is to have the hero of the new Spider-Man video game make his first comic-book appearance, it would've been even the cooler if the story wasn't terrible. I usually like Gage, but both Spidey and Otto sound like a 14-year-old boy wrote the script. They're constantly confessing their feelings to each other, in a way that doesn't make sense for people who just met each other (particularly in Otto's case). Plus, Gage overuses ellipses to make every statement of emotion seem...profound. After five issues (including the "Edge of Spider-geddon" series), we at least finally learn in the back-up story how the Inheritors lay the groundwork for their escape. I could've done with a lot more of the B story than the A story, though.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #6
Showing posts with label Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider (2017). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider (2017). Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Not-Very-New Comics: The September 5 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Astonishing X-Men #15: I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about this series rubs me the wrong way. I mean, I like where Rosenberg is going with the idea the team is full of rejects: Kitty disavows them publicly, they have to take a bus instead of jetting everywhere in a Blackbird, etc. It's not only funny but it also puts them in situations we don't often see. How would a superhero team function if a wealthy patron wasn't paying the bills? Moreover, I'm enjoying angry and drunk Alex; he's super fun here, in a "total mess" kind of way. (Maybe he can drunkenly go bi-curious with Bobby?) But, I'm not sure I'm buying everything else. First, we have some odd character beats, like Proudstar being chatty and Dazzler calling Beast fat. Then, I'm still not sure I get what O.N.E. wants with the Reavers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a child of the ‘80s, so I love me some Reavers. But, I almost feel l like I missed an issue when it comes to their connection. When you add in the Greg Land porn poses, the series has some weaknesses that I hope get addressed because it also has potential.
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #23: I'm totally on board with what David is doing here, so it's weird that I don't really seem to care. I mean, I love the twist here, with Mephisto killing Abigail by tricking Cassandra and Peter into thinking he was an immortal Abigail traveling back from the future with only one wish: to die. Of course, he goes one better and then implants false memories into Cassandra's and Slate's minds, making them believe Ben let Abigail die so he could sell the cure to a major pharmaceutical company. If Ben survives an hour, Mephisto will restore their (still fake, but better for Ben) memories! Hurrah! But, 23 issues into this series, I still feel like I don't really know Ben. Slott turned him into an entirely different character than the one we all knew and loved, but David hasn't really done much to give us any additional insight into his thinking. The entire series feels a lot more shallow than the typical David story, as if David doesn't really know who he wants Ben to be. As such, he just jumps from crisis to crisis. He doesn't really have a life or any supporting characters (other than possibly Kaine) who care about him. In fact, David seems just to tell the same story about trying to cure Abigail over and over again, a far cry from the road epic I thought we were going to get when this series started. In other words: meh?
Captain America #3: Coates is really on fire here as he shows how an entity called Power Enterprises stepped into the vacuum HYDRA left in fly-over country. At a street fair, Steve chats up an average Joe (henceforth, Average Joe, like the gym). He describes what his life used to be like: unemployed, wife on disability, son on drugs. Then, HYDRA came and did what the government couldn’t: reopened the mines, improved the schools, got people healthy. It’s morning in America, according to Average Joe. When HYDRA collapsed, Power Enterprises took over that role. But, Steve knows better: he entered the mines and discovered the "miners" were just moving around dirt. Later, he and T’Challa discuss how easy it is for the people to look the other way with their belief in how life is realized. (Steve also hypothesizes HYDRA got rid of anyone that would’ve caused problems.) With the remaining residents of the town blissfully satisfied, Power Enterprises has a great place to operate: the empty mine below the town houses Zeke Stane’s base, where he’s creating his army of Nukes. T’Challa briefs Steve on the Power Elite: they’re a coterie of criminals (including Stane) who fought HYDRA, so they enjoy influence in the new Washington. Steve and T'Challa discover someone in Washington is Stane’s handler, and I’m guessing it’s General Ross, who sees America in similar terms as Average Joe. Meanwhile, Sharon finds herself face-to-face with Selene in Albania, an interesting development to say the least. Honest, Coates is really telling a classic -- in all senses -- Captain America story. He’s really working through the thought experiment of what America would look like after a hostile takeover. (Actually exploring the aftermath of an event alone earns him a medal.) He explores the winners and losers, both within the government and outside it. Moreover, he has sympathy for Average Joe’s plight, but this sympathy has limits: Joe clearly only cares about what he gets, without wondering who paid for it. It’s a political story, but it’s not a partisan one. In fact, it underscores the challenge politicians have in this environment, where compromise is virtually impossible since no one wants to give up anything. Whereas I find myself bored with most of the other marquee titles right now, Coates is making “Captain America” a must-read one.
Nightwing #48: I totally dig the premise of this issue, because Dick Grayson definitely lends himself to a story about a secret cosmic motocross race. In fact, I feel like Percy rushed us too quickly into the story, as I would've enjoyed Dick doing his best Han Solo in the pubs before the race. We know two of the racers -- Flamingo and Professor Pyg in an ode to "Batman" #666 -- but Dick barely has time to register for the race before it begins, so we don't really know anyone else. It feels like a missed opportunity, but only because I dig the premise so much. But, the main problem is the fact this story ties into the larger Wyrm story. Dick informs us he's racing for his "friends" Vicki Vale and Willem Cloke (a sign Dick seems to use "friends" loosely). If he wins, he gets to ask Cimialcinnus, the Celtic deity of paths, a question. But, he apparently has to hack into Cimialcinnus' "techno-mythological" altar instead as part of his deal with Wyrm. (I don't really remember Wyrm asking him to do so, but there you go.) Dick's plan seems to be just to ride and hope he can figure out a way to avoid hacking into the altar as he goes. To make matters worse, DC has inserted Silencer into the issue. They've been pushing her heavily for months and for some reason she's here to kill Dick. All these twists just weigh down what could've been a pretty great story. I guess we'll see if Percy can stick the landing.
Star Wars #53: This issue is spectacular. It has everything you could possibly want. Han and Luke enjoy some banter, but then they get to work. Luke uses the fireworks rig from the commissioning ceremony to show Ackbar any ship broadcasting a Rebel signal can open the flight doors, getting the fleet back into action. Han is uncharacteristically all business here, and it’s a side of him we’ve never really seen. He and Chewie manage to crash-land the Falcon on one of the cruisers, and he immediately demands a ship to rejoin the fight. Gillen is really showing Han to be the hero he is when no one is looking. Meanwhile, Leia’s guilt eventually overwhelms her. When one of the hackers discovers the override codes are on the Executor, Leia impersonates Trios to get on board the ship, since the Imperials don’t know she bailed in an escape pod. The only problem is Vader has her dock in his own private hanger. The Rebels accompanying her then blast their way through the support staff as Vader approaches the ship. If the opening arc of this series felt like “Star Wars” 1.5, this arc feels like “Star Wars” 1.75. If Disney had any idea what it was doing, it would use this plot as the basis for the next movie.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Annual #2: This issue is nothing but fun. Throughout the issue, Spurrier keeps you guessing what Aphra's angle is and the reveal doesn't disappoint. He also introduces us to two characters that feel ripe for a miniseries or spin-off series. Aphra has shown Disney that this galaxy far, far away can tell stories outside the Skywalker saga, so I hope they embrace that lesson with Winloss and Nokk.
Also Read: Avengers #7; Batman #54; X-Men: Gold #35
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #23: I'm totally on board with what David is doing here, so it's weird that I don't really seem to care. I mean, I love the twist here, with Mephisto killing Abigail by tricking Cassandra and Peter into thinking he was an immortal Abigail traveling back from the future with only one wish: to die. Of course, he goes one better and then implants false memories into Cassandra's and Slate's minds, making them believe Ben let Abigail die so he could sell the cure to a major pharmaceutical company. If Ben survives an hour, Mephisto will restore their (still fake, but better for Ben) memories! Hurrah! But, 23 issues into this series, I still feel like I don't really know Ben. Slott turned him into an entirely different character than the one we all knew and loved, but David hasn't really done much to give us any additional insight into his thinking. The entire series feels a lot more shallow than the typical David story, as if David doesn't really know who he wants Ben to be. As such, he just jumps from crisis to crisis. He doesn't really have a life or any supporting characters (other than possibly Kaine) who care about him. In fact, David seems just to tell the same story about trying to cure Abigail over and over again, a far cry from the road epic I thought we were going to get when this series started. In other words: meh?
Captain America #3: Coates is really on fire here as he shows how an entity called Power Enterprises stepped into the vacuum HYDRA left in fly-over country. At a street fair, Steve chats up an average Joe (henceforth, Average Joe, like the gym). He describes what his life used to be like: unemployed, wife on disability, son on drugs. Then, HYDRA came and did what the government couldn’t: reopened the mines, improved the schools, got people healthy. It’s morning in America, according to Average Joe. When HYDRA collapsed, Power Enterprises took over that role. But, Steve knows better: he entered the mines and discovered the "miners" were just moving around dirt. Later, he and T’Challa discuss how easy it is for the people to look the other way with their belief in how life is realized. (Steve also hypothesizes HYDRA got rid of anyone that would’ve caused problems.) With the remaining residents of the town blissfully satisfied, Power Enterprises has a great place to operate: the empty mine below the town houses Zeke Stane’s base, where he’s creating his army of Nukes. T’Challa briefs Steve on the Power Elite: they’re a coterie of criminals (including Stane) who fought HYDRA, so they enjoy influence in the new Washington. Steve and T'Challa discover someone in Washington is Stane’s handler, and I’m guessing it’s General Ross, who sees America in similar terms as Average Joe. Meanwhile, Sharon finds herself face-to-face with Selene in Albania, an interesting development to say the least. Honest, Coates is really telling a classic -- in all senses -- Captain America story. He’s really working through the thought experiment of what America would look like after a hostile takeover. (Actually exploring the aftermath of an event alone earns him a medal.) He explores the winners and losers, both within the government and outside it. Moreover, he has sympathy for Average Joe’s plight, but this sympathy has limits: Joe clearly only cares about what he gets, without wondering who paid for it. It’s a political story, but it’s not a partisan one. In fact, it underscores the challenge politicians have in this environment, where compromise is virtually impossible since no one wants to give up anything. Whereas I find myself bored with most of the other marquee titles right now, Coates is making “Captain America” a must-read one.
Nightwing #48: I totally dig the premise of this issue, because Dick Grayson definitely lends himself to a story about a secret cosmic motocross race. In fact, I feel like Percy rushed us too quickly into the story, as I would've enjoyed Dick doing his best Han Solo in the pubs before the race. We know two of the racers -- Flamingo and Professor Pyg in an ode to "Batman" #666 -- but Dick barely has time to register for the race before it begins, so we don't really know anyone else. It feels like a missed opportunity, but only because I dig the premise so much. But, the main problem is the fact this story ties into the larger Wyrm story. Dick informs us he's racing for his "friends" Vicki Vale and Willem Cloke (a sign Dick seems to use "friends" loosely). If he wins, he gets to ask Cimialcinnus, the Celtic deity of paths, a question. But, he apparently has to hack into Cimialcinnus' "techno-mythological" altar instead as part of his deal with Wyrm. (I don't really remember Wyrm asking him to do so, but there you go.) Dick's plan seems to be just to ride and hope he can figure out a way to avoid hacking into the altar as he goes. To make matters worse, DC has inserted Silencer into the issue. They've been pushing her heavily for months and for some reason she's here to kill Dick. All these twists just weigh down what could've been a pretty great story. I guess we'll see if Percy can stick the landing.
Star Wars #53: This issue is spectacular. It has everything you could possibly want. Han and Luke enjoy some banter, but then they get to work. Luke uses the fireworks rig from the commissioning ceremony to show Ackbar any ship broadcasting a Rebel signal can open the flight doors, getting the fleet back into action. Han is uncharacteristically all business here, and it’s a side of him we’ve never really seen. He and Chewie manage to crash-land the Falcon on one of the cruisers, and he immediately demands a ship to rejoin the fight. Gillen is really showing Han to be the hero he is when no one is looking. Meanwhile, Leia’s guilt eventually overwhelms her. When one of the hackers discovers the override codes are on the Executor, Leia impersonates Trios to get on board the ship, since the Imperials don’t know she bailed in an escape pod. The only problem is Vader has her dock in his own private hanger. The Rebels accompanying her then blast their way through the support staff as Vader approaches the ship. If the opening arc of this series felt like “Star Wars” 1.5, this arc feels like “Star Wars” 1.75. If Disney had any idea what it was doing, it would use this plot as the basis for the next movie.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Annual #2: This issue is nothing but fun. Throughout the issue, Spurrier keeps you guessing what Aphra's angle is and the reveal doesn't disappoint. He also introduces us to two characters that feel ripe for a miniseries or spin-off series. Aphra has shown Disney that this galaxy far, far away can tell stories outside the Skywalker saga, so I hope they embrace that lesson with Winloss and Nokk.
Also Read: Avengers #7; Batman #54; X-Men: Gold #35
Monday, July 2, 2018
New-ish Comics: The June 20 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Amazing Spider-Man #801: This issue is lovely. As I mentioned in my review of last issue, I have a complicated relationship with Dan Slott. After I wrote that, though, I realized you have to have a complicated relationship with someone after ten years. The people who claim they loved every issue of the 180-issue run? I either don’t believe them or don’t think they’re paying that much attention. Like Dan says, I’ve loved Spider-Man since I was eight years old, and I take that relationship seriously. I couldn’t possibly love everything Dan did here. In fact, the only real umbrage I took with Dan is the period when he implied if I didn’t love his work I didn’t love Spider-Man. Thankfully, Dan moved off that position, and we’re better for it. It’s like a relationship after successful couple’s therapy. The scars are there, but you don’t focus on them anymore. These last few issues — from “Go Down Swinging” to this one — are a reminder of the best Dan Slott had to offer, and I’m glad we got to go out this way. Happy trails, Dan!
Avengers #3: We don’t really learn too much here, to be honest. Instead, everyone breaks into teams specifically to find out more. Loki kidnaps Cap and takes him on an exposition tour of the situation, showing him the “Progenitor” Celestial at the center of the Earth who’s allegedly the cause of the current problems. Carol and T’Challa head to Alpha Flight to learn more about the bugs emerging from the center of the Earth (the ones Dr. Strange and T'Challa fought last issue). Tony takes Dr. Strange with him to see the Eternals and learn more about the dead Celestials. Thor and She-Hulk go interrogate Odin about his role in the death of the Celestial that he and his Prehistoric Avengers allegedly killed. Finally, Robbie hopes his car can track down Dark Celestials. (I guess the car is his partner?) All in all? That's a bold move, Cotton. Let’s see how it plays out.
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #20: I’ll admit I’m reading this series mostly from a sense of obligation at this point. But, the good news is this issue is fun, and the surprise revelation at the end could set up a fun few issues. (Hopefully.) But, this Abigail storyline has to wrap up soon. I don’t even understand why Ben is still working on it. First, his face appears healed here, presumably after his heroics during “Damnation.” I get that helping Abigail will help his soul, but he could probably do countless other things on a larger scale that would accomplish the same goal more quickly. I don’t understand why we’re stuck with this one.
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #20: I’ll admit I’m reading this series mostly from a sense of obligation at this point. But, the good news is this issue is fun, and the surprise revelation at the end could set up a fun few issues. (Hopefully.) But, this Abigail storyline has to wrap up soon. I don’t even understand why Ben is still working on it. First, his face appears healed here, presumably after his heroics during “Damnation.” I get that helping Abigail will help his soul, but he could probably do countless other things on a larger scale that would accomplish the same goal more quickly. I don’t understand why we’re stuck with this one.
Captain America #704: OMG, this issue is a mess. Man, I am glad Coates is coming soon.
Jack has somehow commandeered a laboratory that is conveniently full of scientists who know how to run a machine that can read Pursur's mind. Jack has apparently deduced the Super-Soldier Serum is deadly to anyone with a Kree gene after he realized it was killing his son, Steve. (Steve apparently has a recessive Kree gene, but we're never told which of Jack's ancestors mated with a Kree. Whatever. We have bigger fish to fry here.) For some reason, after realizing the Serum was deadly to the Kree, Pursur decided to expose every human to the Serum rather than destroy it. Jack says it's because destroying it would've raised "flags," but Waid never explains why exposing all of humanity to it was Pursur's only other option. Plus, I'm still not sure what exposing humanity to the Serum accomplished for the Kree. If they're all sleeper agents, why not activate them to prevent them from rioting and then use them against the Skull? I mean, what's the point of sleeper agents if you can't activate them in time of distress? Don't you have sleeper agents to avoid exactly the outcome we have here, where the Kree are forced to send its armada such a long distance to quell an uprising? Anyway, Jack hopes to torture Pursur into revealing the locations of the storage facilities containing the Serum, but Pursur withstands the assault. Jack then just uses his miraculous technology to painfully rip the information from Pursur's mind, uttering only a caustic "Pity" as he does so. (Yeah, I'm definitely rooting for this guy, Waid. He's a real winner.)
Meanwhile, we learn the Red Skull was able to broadcast Jack's message to all humanity last issue because somehow Jack's attack on the Cube imbued the Red Skull with its powers. (That wasn't clear to me last issue.) As such, he's now single-handedly taking on the Kree armada. However, Jack realizes he can't do it alone, so, once he gets access to the Serum, he uses it to create large-scale chemical weapons and commits genocide on the Kree. (Steve would def approve, Jack.) With the Kree devastated, he then tries to warn the United States about the Skull, but the Skull stops him before he can. He asks the Skull to honor their deal for the Skull to save his son, but the Skull refuses. Although Jack was seemingly running the military base where the mind-reading machine was held, he now claims he's a fugitive who would be killed by the first soldier who sees him. I'm not really sure why, though. He claims it's because he's collaborating with the Skull, but the whole problem is no one is aware of the Skull's existence. If they were, Jack wouldn't need to rally them to his cause. Anyway, Jack tells the Skull he'll capitulate to save his son, and the Skull is willing to accept his capitulation as a sign he won the war with Steve Rogers. But, no, Jack doesn't have a change of heart at the last minute, realizing the real Captain America would abhor the tactics he used here. No, instead he reveals the Skull is the Cube. When Jack grabs the Skull's hand to kiss it, he reveals he's really using his touch to exert his will over the Skull as one would do over the Cube. He then rallies all Americans to join their will with his will, defeating the Skull once and for all. Later, he tells his son they have to show "eternal vigilance" as the cost of peace, as Steve taught them.
If Jack is supposed to be Steve's surrogate, Mark Waid apparently thinks Captain America is a genocidal, tortuous, xenophobic despot. Oy. Ta-Nehisi, take us away!
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #1: Man, I teared up again over a JJJ, Jr. story! Zdarsky is really re-inventing him as a character. I didn't know he needed to be re-invented, but Zdarsky makes a convincing case for it here, as Jonah continues to face the mistakes he made in the past. It's a pretty compelling story, folks.
Spider-Gwen #33: Latour gives us a fascinating take on Gwen's imprisonment here. First, he uses her relatively light sentence (after Foggy drops any charges related to Peter's death) as an exploration of privilege, as Gwen realizes anyone who didn't look like she did would've gotten a tougher sentence. But, she also feels like the lighter sentence robbed her of the punishment she feels she deserves for her role in Peter's death. Her light sentence denies her her penance, meaning her responsibility still weighs on her. When Captain America tries to recruit her for an Earth-65 Suicide Squad, Gwen refuses in part because she doesn't want that sort of redemption. She doesn't want to be saved. It's hard to see how Latour is going to wrap up this story in one issue, but, man, I'm there.
X-Men: Gold #30: This issue is beautifully drawn, which is a shame, because it's terribly written. Unlike real life, everything one reads in a comic book comes from an author's mind. The decisions characters make are ultimately decisions the author makes. As the reader, we feel connected with those decisions if they feel right. After years of following a character, you have a sense of how they'd respond to a given decision based on various authors using a consistent portrayal of them. Remy proposing to Rogue on the spur of the moments makes sense, not only because he's a romantic but also because he loves her deeply. Rogue accepting his proposal makes sense because, as Remy himself says, she sees in him the man he wants to be. But, those decisions are based on groundwork other authors have laid, most notably Kelly Thompson in the recently concluded "Rogue and Gambit" mini-series. Guggenheim's couple was Kitty and Pitor, and he fails them miserably here. Kitty Pryde goes from the confident, self-assured woman she has always been to one easily swayed by her best friend's doubts. She goes from taking the initiative to propose to Piotr to abandoning him in front of their family and friends when she suddenly realizes she can't marry him. When he finds her, she can't even remotely summon an explanation. Guggenheim is the one who ultimately set us on this path, and it seems unbelievable we end here. I don't mean it in the sense that it's unbelievable we wasted so many issues to get to this moment. I mean, it literally feels unbelievable that the events -- as they related to Kitty and Pitor -- would unfold the way they do here. Everyone here -- Remy and Rogue, Kitty and Piotr, us readers -- deserved better.
Also Read: Daredevil #604; Infinity Countdown: Black Widow #1; Infinity Countdown: Champions #1
Thursday, May 31, 2018
New-ish Comics: The May 16 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Avengers #2: First things first, I have to go on record as opposing the apparent reversion of Loki to his eviler incarnation. Kieron Gillen (in "Young Avengers") and Al Ewing (in "Loki: Agent of Asgard") did such amazing work on his character, evolving him from the God of Lies to the God of Stories, that I can't accept any story that undoes that. Aaron had been seemingly undermining that story in "The Mighty Thor" with Loki stabbing Freya, but the revelation that he did it to save her life helped keep hope alive. But, Aaron almost rules out that possibility entirely here, as Loki is revealed to be conspiring with the Final Host, seemingly to "cure" humanity of its heroes. Loki implies heroes were created through a mistake the Celestials made a million year ago, presumably during their battle with the prehistoric Avengers. I get the homage to Loki originally bringing together the Avengers, but I draw the line at any conclusion to this story that doesn't reveal a more nuanced approach to Loki than we're seeing now. That being said, I'm still enjoying the story. The banter between Cap, Carol, Thor, and Tony is great, though Aaron leans a little too heavily on exposition when it comes to the new Ghost Rider. But, hopefully Aaron's conveyed everything he needed to convey with this monologuing and Robbie will join the banterers' ranks soon.
Batman #47: So. Goddamn. Awful.
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #18: I haven't been too thrilled with this series lately, but this issue is solid. Mysterio's daughter Misty plots to make Cassandra's casino disappear so she can get her hands on an artifact she believes is located below it, an artifact that her father Mysterio doesn't think actually exists. Dusk has been tailing Misty (as we've previously seen), so when Ben becomes suspicious about Misty's intentions she and Ben join forces. (Cassandra's henchman, Slate, is also concerned, but Cassandra insists it's just like David Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappear.) Ben and Dusk watch the festivities from the outside while Ben has Kaine stashed on the inside watching Cassandra and Slate. Cassandra is surprised when the casino actually disappears and they suddenly face an alien landscape filled with Mindless Ones. Meanwhile, Ben and Dusk hightail it after Misty and Mysterio, and suddenly this series is a lot more interesting.
Captain America #702: I want to be as gentle here as I can be, because I know this series means a lot to Mark Waid. But, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with this story. Jack successfully flees to a safehouse that this reality's historians maintain; it conveniently isn't on the government's radar. The safehouse also conveniently has house rules that nothing discussed within its walls can be discussed outside them. Jack tells his story to a colleague, but she thinks this Kree "conspiracy theory" is insane. An oldster named "Old Vic" (I'm guessing the Vision, given his reference to wearing many faces) conveniently (notice a theme?) uses a special monocle to show Jack that Cap and the Red Skull have been locked in battle inside the Cosmic Cube below Washington for decades. The government raids the safehouse (likely because they followed Jack there). Despite no real physical training, Jack manages to make his way through the ruins of Washington because the monocle conveniently (OK, I'll stop now) shows him exactly where the Cube is located. Jack discovers Cap's shield conven...lying nearby, so he smashes the Cube with the shield, but only the Skull emerges. Uh-oh? I guess? Clearly, the string of coincidences is too strong here to feel like we're reading a naturally evolving story. Instead, Waid is doing the same thing he did last arc, manipulating events to show exactly the impression of Captain America he wants us to have. But, the coincidences starts to lead you to believe Steve Rogers isn't really all that brave: he's just been lucky. I don't think that's the conclusion Waid wants us to draw, but I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to conclude here.
Daredevil #602: The story continues to move along smoothly, as Matt declares a state of emergency to shut down the buses, schools, and subways in an attempt to keep New Yorkers off the streets. He also brings in Foggy as his chief of staff so he can go hero. Foggy notes the city needs him more as the Mayor than as a hero, as plenty of other heroes -- Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Misty Knight, etc. -- are on the case. Matt wavers briefly, but when he learns One Police Plaza is under assault he and Blindspot hit the bricks. Soule and Henderson do a great job with the action sequences here. First, the guys have to rescue two cops who were late to the building so didn't get trapped inside it when the Hand swarmed it. Then, they have to make their way through a kill zone the Hand established outside the building, forcing them to ignore the wounded officers on the ground begging for help. (Blindspot gets hit when he's distracted by one officer's appeal.) But, when they finally claw their way into the building, the Hand has somehow removed everyone -- by removing the center of the building. Henderson is really on fire here. Matt is all square jaws and determined glares; it's a good look for him. Meanwhile, Soule really conveys the exhaustion everyone is starting to feel, particularly as they just dealt with the Kingpin imprisoning all the heroes. I was wavering a bit on this series, but Soule focusing a little bit more and Henderson injecting a strong sense of energy into the story has helped establish a more stable equilibrium.
The Wild Storm #13: This issue isn't bad, per se, but it isn't great given the unnecessary exposition Lynch and John employ to explain situations that we, the readers, already understand. I wouldn't call it a miss, but it's probably the weakest installment of this outstanding series so far.
- Lynch tracks down Colonel Marc Slayton, the first volunteer for IO's experiment to embed into human beings the "viable, active genetic material" they found on alien beings in ancient burial sites around the world. The Wild C.A.T.s' invasion of IO tripped the alarms Lynch set on the Thunderbook files, and he's there to warn Slayton someone may be coming after them. (I'm pretty sure it was the Wild C.A.T.s who accessed these files, but Lynch thinks it's IO itself.) However, Slayton has gone a little crazy after years of coexisting with an alien. (We later learn he's been sacrificing people to send "many souls" to his alien's planet.) Slayton claims he deserved to have been the only alien-human hybrid, and he's mad that Lynch made more. Slatyon tells Lynch the aliens sense something different about him and then attacks, though Lynch manages to escape (as he always does, Slayton later laments to his alien reflection in the mirror).
- Miles orders King to task three C.A.T.s to destroy Skywatch's Ground Division in New York in retribution for Mitch's murder. Similarly, Bendix orders his right-hand woman (whose name I always forget) to develop plans to destroy some of IO's research facilities (a scaled-back version of the Science City Zero attack) or kill a lot of its people. (He'll decide later.) In the end, she complains Bendix and Craven are both too afraid of the big fight, which would expose them to humanity. She proposes they engage in actions that "will radically destabilize life on Earth, break IO's control over the planet and make it impossible for any global order to replicate it." Go big or go home, as she says.
- John records himself stripping off his human body and revealing his alien body, something he does once a year on the day he picked as his "birthday." He sends the video to Jacob to taunt him, even speaking the name of their planet - Khera - despite Jacob banning its muttering. John exposits he was just a solider, but Jacob ruining the Expedition and stranding them on Earth was the best thing that could've happened to him.
- Meanwhile, Jenny and the Doctor track down the Mayor (I think) and an alien appears to Voodoo while she sleeps and tells her to "dream of the world as it truly is."
In other words, we still have a lot brewing, over halfway through this series. Even if this issue was a little slow, it's pretty clear this series is going to be pretty spectacular once this fight breaks into the open.
X-Men: Red #4: Taylor does a great job peeling back the onion slowly over the course of this issue. Jean and the team eventually incapacitate Storm, and T'Challa scans her brain, revealing a nanite on her amygdala. Jean uses Trinary's powers and T'Challa's knowledge of the brain to extract the nanite with her telekinesis, and Trinary's study of the still-active nanite reveals it's a sentinite. Cassandra Nova (though they don't know it's her) is using them to turn everyone into a Sentinel, as the sentinites activate once they come in contact with a mutant. Eventually, we learn Nova achieved this feat through bringing Forge under her control. She then infects world leaders with the sentinites, ensuring the destruction of mutantkind. However, Jean and her team have fled Wakanda for the more remote Atlantis, where a devilishly handsome Namor has provided them sanctuary. Trinary and the Wakandans have whipped up some suits that can serve as a firewall for the sentinites, which cause mutants (as we see with Storm here) to attempt to commit suicide when they infect them. (It unfortunately also means, in Gabby's words, Namor has to cover up "Abs-lantis.") This story is brilliant mostly because it's ripped from the headlines: it literally weaponizes the Russian misinformation campaign, as Trinary herself mentions here. It's proving to be one of the smarter series on the shelves, and, with the excellent art team, is really starting to find its stride.
Also Read: Bloodshot Salvation #9; Eternity #1-#4; Infinity Countdown: Daredevil #1; Mighty Thor: Gates of Valhalla #1
Batman #47: So. Goddamn. Awful.
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #18: I haven't been too thrilled with this series lately, but this issue is solid. Mysterio's daughter Misty plots to make Cassandra's casino disappear so she can get her hands on an artifact she believes is located below it, an artifact that her father Mysterio doesn't think actually exists. Dusk has been tailing Misty (as we've previously seen), so when Ben becomes suspicious about Misty's intentions she and Ben join forces. (Cassandra's henchman, Slate, is also concerned, but Cassandra insists it's just like David Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappear.) Ben and Dusk watch the festivities from the outside while Ben has Kaine stashed on the inside watching Cassandra and Slate. Cassandra is surprised when the casino actually disappears and they suddenly face an alien landscape filled with Mindless Ones. Meanwhile, Ben and Dusk hightail it after Misty and Mysterio, and suddenly this series is a lot more interesting.
Captain America #702: I want to be as gentle here as I can be, because I know this series means a lot to Mark Waid. But, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with this story. Jack successfully flees to a safehouse that this reality's historians maintain; it conveniently isn't on the government's radar. The safehouse also conveniently has house rules that nothing discussed within its walls can be discussed outside them. Jack tells his story to a colleague, but she thinks this Kree "conspiracy theory" is insane. An oldster named "Old Vic" (I'm guessing the Vision, given his reference to wearing many faces) conveniently (notice a theme?) uses a special monocle to show Jack that Cap and the Red Skull have been locked in battle inside the Cosmic Cube below Washington for decades. The government raids the safehouse (likely because they followed Jack there). Despite no real physical training, Jack manages to make his way through the ruins of Washington because the monocle conveniently (OK, I'll stop now) shows him exactly where the Cube is located. Jack discovers Cap's shield conven...lying nearby, so he smashes the Cube with the shield, but only the Skull emerges. Uh-oh? I guess? Clearly, the string of coincidences is too strong here to feel like we're reading a naturally evolving story. Instead, Waid is doing the same thing he did last arc, manipulating events to show exactly the impression of Captain America he wants us to have. But, the coincidences starts to lead you to believe Steve Rogers isn't really all that brave: he's just been lucky. I don't think that's the conclusion Waid wants us to draw, but I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to conclude here.
Daredevil #602: The story continues to move along smoothly, as Matt declares a state of emergency to shut down the buses, schools, and subways in an attempt to keep New Yorkers off the streets. He also brings in Foggy as his chief of staff so he can go hero. Foggy notes the city needs him more as the Mayor than as a hero, as plenty of other heroes -- Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Misty Knight, etc. -- are on the case. Matt wavers briefly, but when he learns One Police Plaza is under assault he and Blindspot hit the bricks. Soule and Henderson do a great job with the action sequences here. First, the guys have to rescue two cops who were late to the building so didn't get trapped inside it when the Hand swarmed it. Then, they have to make their way through a kill zone the Hand established outside the building, forcing them to ignore the wounded officers on the ground begging for help. (Blindspot gets hit when he's distracted by one officer's appeal.) But, when they finally claw their way into the building, the Hand has somehow removed everyone -- by removing the center of the building. Henderson is really on fire here. Matt is all square jaws and determined glares; it's a good look for him. Meanwhile, Soule really conveys the exhaustion everyone is starting to feel, particularly as they just dealt with the Kingpin imprisoning all the heroes. I was wavering a bit on this series, but Soule focusing a little bit more and Henderson injecting a strong sense of energy into the story has helped establish a more stable equilibrium.
The Wild Storm #13: This issue isn't bad, per se, but it isn't great given the unnecessary exposition Lynch and John employ to explain situations that we, the readers, already understand. I wouldn't call it a miss, but it's probably the weakest installment of this outstanding series so far.
- Lynch tracks down Colonel Marc Slayton, the first volunteer for IO's experiment to embed into human beings the "viable, active genetic material" they found on alien beings in ancient burial sites around the world. The Wild C.A.T.s' invasion of IO tripped the alarms Lynch set on the Thunderbook files, and he's there to warn Slayton someone may be coming after them. (I'm pretty sure it was the Wild C.A.T.s who accessed these files, but Lynch thinks it's IO itself.) However, Slayton has gone a little crazy after years of coexisting with an alien. (We later learn he's been sacrificing people to send "many souls" to his alien's planet.) Slayton claims he deserved to have been the only alien-human hybrid, and he's mad that Lynch made more. Slatyon tells Lynch the aliens sense something different about him and then attacks, though Lynch manages to escape (as he always does, Slayton later laments to his alien reflection in the mirror).
- Miles orders King to task three C.A.T.s to destroy Skywatch's Ground Division in New York in retribution for Mitch's murder. Similarly, Bendix orders his right-hand woman (whose name I always forget) to develop plans to destroy some of IO's research facilities (a scaled-back version of the Science City Zero attack) or kill a lot of its people. (He'll decide later.) In the end, she complains Bendix and Craven are both too afraid of the big fight, which would expose them to humanity. She proposes they engage in actions that "will radically destabilize life on Earth, break IO's control over the planet and make it impossible for any global order to replicate it." Go big or go home, as she says.
- John records himself stripping off his human body and revealing his alien body, something he does once a year on the day he picked as his "birthday." He sends the video to Jacob to taunt him, even speaking the name of their planet - Khera - despite Jacob banning its muttering. John exposits he was just a solider, but Jacob ruining the Expedition and stranding them on Earth was the best thing that could've happened to him.
- Meanwhile, Jenny and the Doctor track down the Mayor (I think) and an alien appears to Voodoo while she sleeps and tells her to "dream of the world as it truly is."
In other words, we still have a lot brewing, over halfway through this series. Even if this issue was a little slow, it's pretty clear this series is going to be pretty spectacular once this fight breaks into the open.
X-Men: Red #4: Taylor does a great job peeling back the onion slowly over the course of this issue. Jean and the team eventually incapacitate Storm, and T'Challa scans her brain, revealing a nanite on her amygdala. Jean uses Trinary's powers and T'Challa's knowledge of the brain to extract the nanite with her telekinesis, and Trinary's study of the still-active nanite reveals it's a sentinite. Cassandra Nova (though they don't know it's her) is using them to turn everyone into a Sentinel, as the sentinites activate once they come in contact with a mutant. Eventually, we learn Nova achieved this feat through bringing Forge under her control. She then infects world leaders with the sentinites, ensuring the destruction of mutantkind. However, Jean and her team have fled Wakanda for the more remote Atlantis, where a devilishly handsome Namor has provided them sanctuary. Trinary and the Wakandans have whipped up some suits that can serve as a firewall for the sentinites, which cause mutants (as we see with Storm here) to attempt to commit suicide when they infect them. (It unfortunately also means, in Gabby's words, Namor has to cover up "Abs-lantis.") This story is brilliant mostly because it's ripped from the headlines: it literally weaponizes the Russian misinformation campaign, as Trinary herself mentions here. It's proving to be one of the smarter series on the shelves, and, with the excellent art team, is really starting to find its stride.
Also Read: Bloodshot Salvation #9; Eternity #1-#4; Infinity Countdown: Daredevil #1; Mighty Thor: Gates of Valhalla #1
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
New Comics!: The April 11 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #17: This issue is an uncharacteristic miss for David. Ben prattles on all issue about his soul and his deal with Mephisto, and at some point I realized I just didn't care. I'm OK with the existing supernatural component of this series -- Ben's need to repair his soul after his brush with Death. But, the deal with Mephisto just feels like overkill at this point, as if Batman suddenly spent all his time hunting vampires. Even David winking at us -- with Ben berating himself for thinking he's the only person dumb enough to make a deal with Mephisto -- made me roll my eyes. David is usually great at playing the long game, but even the premise of Ben having to save Abigail is starting to feel old. I feel like we could use a refresh here.
Captain America #700: I’ll be honest and say I’m not sure Waid is the best writer for “Captain America.” He leans into Cap's corniness in a way that makes him even more unbelievable than he normally is. Cap stories are usually their best when he's forced to question his ideals, but for most this arc Cap spouted nothing but inspiration-poster bromides. When he finally faces a seemingly unwinable challenge, he caves completely. It's not my Captain America, to be honest.
We start several weeks after Steve and his allies defeated Babbington. Liang and Banner want to send Steve to the present, so he can stop Rampart before it launches the missile and prevent the future from happening. Steve refuses, saying he can't just abandon the future for Banner's "Hail Mary" pass. However, this commitment to the future felt dishonest. Waid never really explored the psychological repercussions of Cap finding himself displaced in time yet again. In fact, Cap seems not even to remotely care he's never going to see Sharon or his friends again. He's just a stalwart of dependability and determination and we leave it at that. In so doing, Waid winds up undermining Cap's bravery in committing to this era, because he makes it seem like he doesn't care.
We watch as Cap and his supporters spend a year trying to expel the foreign invaders who have taken over large swaths of America while also rebuilding the agriculture and infrastructure of areas they control. But, when someone nukes New York just as Cap and his troops liberate Philadelphia, Cap just surrenders. He faces the reality he entered this conflict too late, and he accepts the only possible option is Banner sending him to the present. It's jarring, to say the least, for him to go so dark so quickly. (Even Banner is surprised by Cap claiming hope isn't a strategy, but, per pet peeve #3, I'm not going to give Waid credit for having a character point out the logical failings of the plot.)
Safely in the present, future Cap sacrifices himself to stop the rocket, and the ensuing explosion frees present Cap from the ice almost immediately after he was frozen. It means present Cap doesn't take with him the lessons future Cap learned, and I'm not sure where we go from here. Waid seems to be returning to Cap traveling America, but I don't really get why we detoured from that story for this one in the first place. I think my main problem is I'm intrigued by this arc's premise, where Cap can't save the day. That would've been a story worth telling. We could've seen a story like Remender's "Dimension Z," where we watch Cap lose more and more ground and see how he handles that. Instead, Waid essentially jumps to the end, and it cheapens Cap exactly at a time we're supposed to be celebrating him.
Detective Comics #978: Whoa. One of the advantages of Tynion -- beyond being a great writer with a clear sense of the characters he's portraying -- is that he's been working on Batman-related titles for years now. He's been dropping hints for months about Tim's delicate mental state, given his alleged death, subsequent imprisonment, and Future Tim's subsequent arrival. However, Tynion makes it clear we shouldn't have been worried, because Tim is still Tim. Even in his weakened state, he rejects Ulysses' attempt to co-opt him, recognizing Ulysses is crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed. In fact, Tynion takes a different perspective on recent developments than we've seen. Previously, Tynion has mostly left the reader supporting Kate's position about some lines needing to be crossed to save lives. However, Tim's resoluteness here reminds us how dangerous it is when someone like Ulysses -- and, by extension, Kate -- takes matters into his own hands. Tim quickly realizes Ulysses is controlling the Colony soldiers while Bruce is at "stately Kane Manor" hearing from Kate and Jake that they didn't order the soldiers to open fire. Watching the drama from afar, Ulysses wryly notes the Joker and the like have always had it all wrong: the best way to take down Batman is to leave breadcrumbs to a mystery he feels a compulsion to solve. Ulysses kicks up the crazy a notch here as he shaves his head and starts calling himself the General, using the Colony's integrated network to unleash the OMAC virus on its soldiers as well as Tim. At this stage, the tension driving this story isn't just related to the (legitimately scary) rise of Ulysses and Brother Eye. It also has to do with the sense Tim is quickly facing the moment where he will past the point of no return when it comes preventing his dark future. We saw Future Tim was born when he kills Batwoman for killing Bruce for activating Brother Eye. But, given the events of this issue, it's hard to see how that sequence of events would happen, particularly since Ulysses has already activated Brother Eye. Does Kate take out Bruce because he activates it again at a later date? Or, has Ulysses already changed the future (through his knowledge of it) by preemptively activating Brother Eye? I guess we'll see.
Oblivion Song #1-#2: In his letter in issue #1, Kirkland tells us he'll be telling a very different story at issue #30 than the one he's telling here, and it's easy to believe him when he says it's going to be a fast-paced story. As you read issue #1, you're pretty sure it's going to be a story about a man trying to find redemption by finding his brother. Like Dr. Richard Kimble catching the One-Armed Man in the series finale of "The Fugitive," I expected Cole was finally going to find his brother Edward in the last issue and embrace him, a man at peace. The only problem with that scenario is we've already met Edward, on the last page of issue #1. It's a sign Kirkland means what he says; he's not going to dragging out stories too long.
The first two issues pretty convincingly lay out the basic framework of the story. Somehow, Philadelphia and land from another dimension changed places. Cole -- our main character -- was able to find the right frequency to access Philadelphia in this new dimension. He and his team were able to save many people stuck on the other side. However, at some point, Cole and his team stopped finding new people, and the government cut his funding. We start the series with Cole in Oblivion (i.e., the transferred part of Philadelphia) finding and rescuing a married couple. The couple reveals they were part of a group of 100 or so people living on the outskirts of the city; they only came into the city on supply runs, hence why Cole hadn't found anyone for a while. Making matters worse for Cole, the couple have revealed their leader is named Edward, fueling Cole's anxiety over the possibility of finally finding him. However, this group doesn't seem to want to be found, and we end the first issue with Edward observing Cole (not realizing who he is) and telling his followers to set a trap for him.
At this stage, I still don't think we know how people escaped Philadelphia after it was transferred to another dimension. When Cole walks the couple through the museum dedicated to the "Transference," he explicitly mentions all sorts of people who escaped and survived in the first few days. Did it take a while before the transfer was complete? Cole shows the couple he rescued the barren area where Philadelphia used to be located, implying Philadelphia is (at least now) completely in the other dimension. Moreover, we obviously don't know why the Transference happened, though it seems likely the government played some sort of role given their reluctance to keep funding Cole's excursions. After all, why else would the government not want him locating people? Cole is running everything using his own resources, so it's not like it would cost the government that much to give him a workable team.
Kirkland also doesn't sleep on the interpersonal drama. Cole is supported by a married couple, Duncan and Bridget, though Bridget is carrying on an affair with the man she was dating before Cole saved Duncan from Oblivion. Also, Cole asks Marco, one of his former team members, for help, but Marco refuses, commenting he has kids -- and sleep -- now. It's an immediate refusal: he doesn't even let Cole finish his beer before he walks into the house. Cole himself is portrayed as a man possessed. Although he's in a relationship with a woman who works for the government agency he wants to provide him funding, Marco's comments on how Cole just appeared after a year of no contact imply he exists solely for the mission.
All in all, it's a strong début. I wouldn't say I had the same visceral response to it as I did the first issues of "The Realm" or "The Wild Storm," but I'm definitely intrigued.
Rogue and Gambit #4: Gambit and Rogue learn Lavish's powers here: each time she drains someone of his power (which she then stores in a cloned body), she also steals his memories. It's why ParaÃso has so many mindless zombies wandering around the health unit. Rogue realizes she and Remy have been getting along so well because, at this point in their stay, they've been stripped of almost all their baggage. Disturbingly, Lavish can only access the power when she destroys one of the bodies (as she does here after Gambit injures her and she destroys a body with healing powers). Rogue and Gambit make this discovery as they both take out one of the other's doppelgängers, resulting in them absorbing not only the other one's powers but also a specific memory. (For Gambit, it's the love Rogue felt as he put the garter on her at Scott and Jean's wedding. For Rogue, it's the hurt Gambit felt when Rogue didn't trust him enough to join the Avengers.) They realize they need to take out only their own clones to limit their exposure to the other's innermost feelings and gain back their specific powers. Rogue considers just standing pat, allowing them to leave behind their baggage by never reclaiming their memories. But, Remy tells her essentially to have faith in them and their ability to find each other again. Man, Thompson better keep them together this time. I have a lot invested in this story.
X-Men: Red #3: I was sort of skeptical where Taylor was going with this series, but I have to admit he got me with this issue. Trinary reveals she believes humanity is being programmed to hate mutants; someone (Cassandra Nova?) is using algorithms that push decontextualized stories and lies to people with known biases and concerns. In other words, someone has essentially weaponized social media. (Sound familiar?) Gambit sees that first hand, as he tries to save a young woman who dared to defy an anti-mutant mob. However, he fails to stop a gun-totting protester (similar to the ones we saw in India who Jean couldn't control) from opening fire. In India, we learned the trio was able to resist Jean's power due to the presence of nano-Sentinels in their bloodstreams. Taylor is taking a page from Spencer's playback in being obvious in his disdain for the far right; it doesn't take a journalism student to recognize the allusion to Charlottesville when Gambit makes fun of the protesters for using tiki torches in their march. As folks in the letters page said, this series feels like it matches our time perfectly. It's not trying to capture an old feeling (like Guggenheim on "X-Men Gold"), but instead tells an updated story about the persecution mutants face in the present. It would be wrong just to repeat "Fall of the Mutants." Taylor is telling a new story even if the theme is familiar. The letters page also focuses on the fact Jean is finally standing on her own two feet; she's no longer defined by Cyclops or Wolverine. Cyclops repeatedly got to spread his wings without Jean; it's time for her to do the same. Finally, I totally agree with Tom from Columbus, who says Jean not knowing what to do but wanting to do something is all of us right now.
Also Read: Avengers #688; Bloodshot Salvation #8; Darth Vader #14; Falcon #7; X-Men: Blue #25
Captain America #700: I’ll be honest and say I’m not sure Waid is the best writer for “Captain America.” He leans into Cap's corniness in a way that makes him even more unbelievable than he normally is. Cap stories are usually their best when he's forced to question his ideals, but for most this arc Cap spouted nothing but inspiration-poster bromides. When he finally faces a seemingly unwinable challenge, he caves completely. It's not my Captain America, to be honest.
We start several weeks after Steve and his allies defeated Babbington. Liang and Banner want to send Steve to the present, so he can stop Rampart before it launches the missile and prevent the future from happening. Steve refuses, saying he can't just abandon the future for Banner's "Hail Mary" pass. However, this commitment to the future felt dishonest. Waid never really explored the psychological repercussions of Cap finding himself displaced in time yet again. In fact, Cap seems not even to remotely care he's never going to see Sharon or his friends again. He's just a stalwart of dependability and determination and we leave it at that. In so doing, Waid winds up undermining Cap's bravery in committing to this era, because he makes it seem like he doesn't care.
We watch as Cap and his supporters spend a year trying to expel the foreign invaders who have taken over large swaths of America while also rebuilding the agriculture and infrastructure of areas they control. But, when someone nukes New York just as Cap and his troops liberate Philadelphia, Cap just surrenders. He faces the reality he entered this conflict too late, and he accepts the only possible option is Banner sending him to the present. It's jarring, to say the least, for him to go so dark so quickly. (Even Banner is surprised by Cap claiming hope isn't a strategy, but, per pet peeve #3, I'm not going to give Waid credit for having a character point out the logical failings of the plot.)
Safely in the present, future Cap sacrifices himself to stop the rocket, and the ensuing explosion frees present Cap from the ice almost immediately after he was frozen. It means present Cap doesn't take with him the lessons future Cap learned, and I'm not sure where we go from here. Waid seems to be returning to Cap traveling America, but I don't really get why we detoured from that story for this one in the first place. I think my main problem is I'm intrigued by this arc's premise, where Cap can't save the day. That would've been a story worth telling. We could've seen a story like Remender's "Dimension Z," where we watch Cap lose more and more ground and see how he handles that. Instead, Waid essentially jumps to the end, and it cheapens Cap exactly at a time we're supposed to be celebrating him.
Detective Comics #978: Whoa. One of the advantages of Tynion -- beyond being a great writer with a clear sense of the characters he's portraying -- is that he's been working on Batman-related titles for years now. He's been dropping hints for months about Tim's delicate mental state, given his alleged death, subsequent imprisonment, and Future Tim's subsequent arrival. However, Tynion makes it clear we shouldn't have been worried, because Tim is still Tim. Even in his weakened state, he rejects Ulysses' attempt to co-opt him, recognizing Ulysses is crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed. In fact, Tynion takes a different perspective on recent developments than we've seen. Previously, Tynion has mostly left the reader supporting Kate's position about some lines needing to be crossed to save lives. However, Tim's resoluteness here reminds us how dangerous it is when someone like Ulysses -- and, by extension, Kate -- takes matters into his own hands. Tim quickly realizes Ulysses is controlling the Colony soldiers while Bruce is at "stately Kane Manor" hearing from Kate and Jake that they didn't order the soldiers to open fire. Watching the drama from afar, Ulysses wryly notes the Joker and the like have always had it all wrong: the best way to take down Batman is to leave breadcrumbs to a mystery he feels a compulsion to solve. Ulysses kicks up the crazy a notch here as he shaves his head and starts calling himself the General, using the Colony's integrated network to unleash the OMAC virus on its soldiers as well as Tim. At this stage, the tension driving this story isn't just related to the (legitimately scary) rise of Ulysses and Brother Eye. It also has to do with the sense Tim is quickly facing the moment where he will past the point of no return when it comes preventing his dark future. We saw Future Tim was born when he kills Batwoman for killing Bruce for activating Brother Eye. But, given the events of this issue, it's hard to see how that sequence of events would happen, particularly since Ulysses has already activated Brother Eye. Does Kate take out Bruce because he activates it again at a later date? Or, has Ulysses already changed the future (through his knowledge of it) by preemptively activating Brother Eye? I guess we'll see.
Oblivion Song #1-#2: In his letter in issue #1, Kirkland tells us he'll be telling a very different story at issue #30 than the one he's telling here, and it's easy to believe him when he says it's going to be a fast-paced story. As you read issue #1, you're pretty sure it's going to be a story about a man trying to find redemption by finding his brother. Like Dr. Richard Kimble catching the One-Armed Man in the series finale of "The Fugitive," I expected Cole was finally going to find his brother Edward in the last issue and embrace him, a man at peace. The only problem with that scenario is we've already met Edward, on the last page of issue #1. It's a sign Kirkland means what he says; he's not going to dragging out stories too long.
The first two issues pretty convincingly lay out the basic framework of the story. Somehow, Philadelphia and land from another dimension changed places. Cole -- our main character -- was able to find the right frequency to access Philadelphia in this new dimension. He and his team were able to save many people stuck on the other side. However, at some point, Cole and his team stopped finding new people, and the government cut his funding. We start the series with Cole in Oblivion (i.e., the transferred part of Philadelphia) finding and rescuing a married couple. The couple reveals they were part of a group of 100 or so people living on the outskirts of the city; they only came into the city on supply runs, hence why Cole hadn't found anyone for a while. Making matters worse for Cole, the couple have revealed their leader is named Edward, fueling Cole's anxiety over the possibility of finally finding him. However, this group doesn't seem to want to be found, and we end the first issue with Edward observing Cole (not realizing who he is) and telling his followers to set a trap for him.
At this stage, I still don't think we know how people escaped Philadelphia after it was transferred to another dimension. When Cole walks the couple through the museum dedicated to the "Transference," he explicitly mentions all sorts of people who escaped and survived in the first few days. Did it take a while before the transfer was complete? Cole shows the couple he rescued the barren area where Philadelphia used to be located, implying Philadelphia is (at least now) completely in the other dimension. Moreover, we obviously don't know why the Transference happened, though it seems likely the government played some sort of role given their reluctance to keep funding Cole's excursions. After all, why else would the government not want him locating people? Cole is running everything using his own resources, so it's not like it would cost the government that much to give him a workable team.
Kirkland also doesn't sleep on the interpersonal drama. Cole is supported by a married couple, Duncan and Bridget, though Bridget is carrying on an affair with the man she was dating before Cole saved Duncan from Oblivion. Also, Cole asks Marco, one of his former team members, for help, but Marco refuses, commenting he has kids -- and sleep -- now. It's an immediate refusal: he doesn't even let Cole finish his beer before he walks into the house. Cole himself is portrayed as a man possessed. Although he's in a relationship with a woman who works for the government agency he wants to provide him funding, Marco's comments on how Cole just appeared after a year of no contact imply he exists solely for the mission.
All in all, it's a strong début. I wouldn't say I had the same visceral response to it as I did the first issues of "The Realm" or "The Wild Storm," but I'm definitely intrigued.
Rogue and Gambit #4: Gambit and Rogue learn Lavish's powers here: each time she drains someone of his power (which she then stores in a cloned body), she also steals his memories. It's why ParaÃso has so many mindless zombies wandering around the health unit. Rogue realizes she and Remy have been getting along so well because, at this point in their stay, they've been stripped of almost all their baggage. Disturbingly, Lavish can only access the power when she destroys one of the bodies (as she does here after Gambit injures her and she destroys a body with healing powers). Rogue and Gambit make this discovery as they both take out one of the other's doppelgängers, resulting in them absorbing not only the other one's powers but also a specific memory. (For Gambit, it's the love Rogue felt as he put the garter on her at Scott and Jean's wedding. For Rogue, it's the hurt Gambit felt when Rogue didn't trust him enough to join the Avengers.) They realize they need to take out only their own clones to limit their exposure to the other's innermost feelings and gain back their specific powers. Rogue considers just standing pat, allowing them to leave behind their baggage by never reclaiming their memories. But, Remy tells her essentially to have faith in them and their ability to find each other again. Man, Thompson better keep them together this time. I have a lot invested in this story.
X-Men: Red #3: I was sort of skeptical where Taylor was going with this series, but I have to admit he got me with this issue. Trinary reveals she believes humanity is being programmed to hate mutants; someone (Cassandra Nova?) is using algorithms that push decontextualized stories and lies to people with known biases and concerns. In other words, someone has essentially weaponized social media. (Sound familiar?) Gambit sees that first hand, as he tries to save a young woman who dared to defy an anti-mutant mob. However, he fails to stop a gun-totting protester (similar to the ones we saw in India who Jean couldn't control) from opening fire. In India, we learned the trio was able to resist Jean's power due to the presence of nano-Sentinels in their bloodstreams. Taylor is taking a page from Spencer's playback in being obvious in his disdain for the far right; it doesn't take a journalism student to recognize the allusion to Charlottesville when Gambit makes fun of the protesters for using tiki torches in their march. As folks in the letters page said, this series feels like it matches our time perfectly. It's not trying to capture an old feeling (like Guggenheim on "X-Men Gold"), but instead tells an updated story about the persecution mutants face in the present. It would be wrong just to repeat "Fall of the Mutants." Taylor is telling a new story even if the theme is familiar. The letters page also focuses on the fact Jean is finally standing on her own two feet; she's no longer defined by Cyclops or Wolverine. Cyclops repeatedly got to spread his wings without Jean; it's time for her to do the same. Finally, I totally agree with Tom from Columbus, who says Jean not knowing what to do but wanting to do something is all of us right now.
Also Read: Avengers #688; Bloodshot Salvation #8; Darth Vader #14; Falcon #7; X-Men: Blue #25
Friday, April 6, 2018
Not-So-New Comics: The March 14 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Avengers #684: We finally learn the truth about Voyager in this issue, as she reveals she's Grandmaster's daughter. We also learn the Hulk is apparently more or less immortal now, which actually makes a lot of sense the way the authors present it.
If I'm following the story the authors are telling correctly, Grandmaster gives Voyager powers appropriate to each game he's playing, and he then uses her to make sure he wins. Her current set of powers allows her to move through space and time and she can also use them to "move" through memories somehow as well. As a result, she was able to implant the false memories about her in the Avengers' minds. Apparently, the parasite in Jarvis’ memory center prevented her from altering his memories.
I have to be honest, I feel like everything related to Jarvis has been plain old bizarre. I don't understand why the authors spent so much time making him immune to Voyager's powers. I'm pretty sure all the events that have happened so far would've still happened in the same sequence if he hadn't been immune. It just meant Hank accepted he was telling the truth when he woke from his coma, because Hank had been inside his brain. But, this knowledge doesn't have any impact on the story; Voyager is still able to swipe the spirit Pyramoid. Moreover, the authors didn't have to use some cockamamie excuse that her teleportation powers somehow allow her to alter memories. As the daughter of an Elder of the Universe, it would've been totally believable that she had advanced telepathic powers as well. But, whatever. It is what it is.
All that said, Voyager's motives are less clear than we first thought. She seems tired of helping her father rig his games, so it's unclear what she plans to do with the spirit Pyramoid. I guess we'll see.
Meanwhile, the authors make the compelling argument the Hulk is immortal. They review all the times he’s died and survived, and they imply he survives because his rage keeps a spark of life alive in him each time. I totally buy that. The authors do require a pretty significant knowledge of Hulk’s history to understand the nuance of the story they’re telling. I accept I'm not going to follow everything about every character, and they do include a helpful guide at the end of the issue tying the events to specific issues of the various Hulk titles. But, the entire sequence is made confusing through the use of a third-party narrator talking about a door (presumably to resurrection) that I didn’t quite follow as a metaphor. (I think the Challenger was the narrator, but I'm not sure.)
At any rate, the authors right the ship once the Hulk is fully resurrected, showing how awesome he is as he tears through the skeleton team guarding the back-up HQ where Toni is working and Voyager has fled with the spirit Pyramoid. (This part is clearer now. Last issue, I thought she was in a bunker in the hospital, but now it's clear she teleported to the HQ once she grabbed the Pyramoid.) The other teams are racing back, but the only thing standing between the Hulk and Voyager right now is...Iron Red Hulk! Awesome sauce. (Also, I’m pretty sure Hulk killed Captain Glory and Mentacle. R.I.P., Mentacle.)
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #15: You don’t really have to pick up “Damnation” to follow this issue. David makes it clear enough Dr. Strange’s attempt to repair Las Vegas allowed Mephisto to open his “Hotel Inferno” on the Strip, unleashing hordes of demons onto Vegas like “Inferno” did to New York. In his usually brilliant fashion, David uses the event to advance the series’ plot, revealing the little girl who kidnapped Aunt June works for the Diogenes Initiative. It apparently has an augur on staff who predicted this event, and the girl instructs Ben to find the Midnight Sons. When he does, he drives a cement truck into a group of demonized Avengers poised to attack them. Yeah, it’s pretty great. I’m guessing we’re going to learn Ben is immune to demonization because of Death’s hold on him, but we’ll see. It’s all very reminiscent of the “Circle of Four” event in “Venom” from a few years ago, but David does his best with the hand corporate has dealt him.
Darth Vader #13: This issue is really interesting, because it serves as a prequel to the story Gillen is telling in the main title, namely the fall of Mon Cala. The Emperor sends Darth Vader to help Governor Tarkin take over Mon Cala for two reasons. First, he believes it is time to show the Empire's citizens that the Empire isn't a successor of the Republic, but an entity unto itself under his sole control. Second, he believes King Lee-Char is receiving help in negotiating the terms of a trade agreement from a Jedi, and he wants Vader to crush him. (In the main title, Lee-Char is being held prisoner, and Mon Cala is suffering under the Empire's thumb as punishment for its rebellion.) Tarkin is urging caution among his troops, reminding them Mon Cala has many resources they don't want to destroy. However, upon Vader's arrival, the Imperial ambassador's ship mysteriously explodes, prompting Tarkin to launch the invasion. Soule has made it clear this fight is a proxy for Vader's internal struggle, as we begin the issue with him replaying his fight with Obi-Wan on Mustafar in his mind but this time winning. Is Obi-Wan the mysterious Jedi helping the Mon Calamari? We'll see.
The New Mutants: Dead Souls #1: As someone who possesses every issue of the original "New Mutants" run, including the cross-over event with "Dazzler" during "Secret Wars II," I'm obviously game for this mini-series. Rosenberg makes it clear he's got big plans. Shan has hired Magik, Boom Boom, Rictor, Strong Guy, and Wolfsbahne to work for her company, Hatchi Corporation. Their first job is taking out a bunch of zombies attacking a hurricane-relief center Hatchi is running in New Orleans. It turns out the foreman (allegedly) stole a ring from a dead woman who happened to be a witch, and she "overreacted" by infesting the area with zombies. (Removing the ring apparently forced her soul to get stuck in Limbo because it broke certain seals of protection she had put on the neighborhood, hence the ability of a dead woman to "overreact.") Oddly, Magik just lets her go once she reunites her with her ring, something Shan finds objectionable. After all, she was responsible for killing a not insignificant portion of the town. But, Rosenberg makes it clear something else is going on here, as the foreman himself didn't really know why he stole the ring and Shan refuses to answer Rictor's question why Shan needs paranormal investigators in the first place. Rosenberg also does a solid job establishing the status quo of each character, as Shan says she settled for this crowd because everyone else from the New Mutants -- Cannonball, Magma, Skids, and Sunspot - had their lives together. But, something feels...off here. I think it's the fact the paranormal angle feels somewhat forced, but I think that might be on purpose. I'm definitely willing to give Rosenberg some space here. That said, if he really wants me for the long haul, Shatterstar should be popping up soon.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #301: This issue is really all about Joe Quinones, given his ability to nail the retro look this issue needs to make you believe it's happening in the past. It's his ability to distinguish between older (and extremely handsome) Peter with younger (and so young) Peter. The look of shock on both JJJ, Jr. and Peter's faces as they confront how young he really was is both hilarious and moving.
X-Men: Blue #23: Holy shit, this issue is an effing barn-burner. We have multiple threats building at once. First, Emma Frost and Havok are working with Bastion and Miss Sinister to launch Mothervine, some sort of artificial intelligence (I think) that will quadruple the mutant population within a year and help bring about secondary mutations. (Bastion wants more mutants just so he can slaughter them, and Alex and Emma assume Miss Sinister wants to rule them all.) Meanwhile, Miss Sinister's agents are tracking someone, and Bloodstorm and Jimmy are on their trail. However, since they're not from our Earth, they don't recognize Xorn when he reveals himself to the trackers. The Raksha arrive at Magneto's house to inform him they fought some Hellfire Club goons right there in Madripoor, and Magneto realizes it's time he takes out Sebastian Shaw, even though Briar is pretty sure it's just Emma trying to distract him. If it is, it works, as Magneto goes after Shaw, but is surprised when Shaw reveals a secondary mutation (thanks to Mothervine): he can now collect ambient kinetic energy. In Madripoor, Gazing Nightshade uses her powers to see Lorna believes she can save Alex from his inversion, but Bunn complicates matters when Ferris presents her a necklace he found in Jean's effects: Malice is back! In other words, this series isn't really about the original X-Men anymore. It may be in the future, but Bunn is clearly using their absence to advance some long-simmering plots, bringing Alex and Emma from the shadows and even raising the possibility of Alex getting cured. Based on this issue, though, that might be too optimistic of a read of the future.
Also Read: Astonishing X-Men #9; Falcon #6; Marvel 2-in-One #4
If I'm following the story the authors are telling correctly, Grandmaster gives Voyager powers appropriate to each game he's playing, and he then uses her to make sure he wins. Her current set of powers allows her to move through space and time and she can also use them to "move" through memories somehow as well. As a result, she was able to implant the false memories about her in the Avengers' minds. Apparently, the parasite in Jarvis’ memory center prevented her from altering his memories.
I have to be honest, I feel like everything related to Jarvis has been plain old bizarre. I don't understand why the authors spent so much time making him immune to Voyager's powers. I'm pretty sure all the events that have happened so far would've still happened in the same sequence if he hadn't been immune. It just meant Hank accepted he was telling the truth when he woke from his coma, because Hank had been inside his brain. But, this knowledge doesn't have any impact on the story; Voyager is still able to swipe the spirit Pyramoid. Moreover, the authors didn't have to use some cockamamie excuse that her teleportation powers somehow allow her to alter memories. As the daughter of an Elder of the Universe, it would've been totally believable that she had advanced telepathic powers as well. But, whatever. It is what it is.
All that said, Voyager's motives are less clear than we first thought. She seems tired of helping her father rig his games, so it's unclear what she plans to do with the spirit Pyramoid. I guess we'll see.
Meanwhile, the authors make the compelling argument the Hulk is immortal. They review all the times he’s died and survived, and they imply he survives because his rage keeps a spark of life alive in him each time. I totally buy that. The authors do require a pretty significant knowledge of Hulk’s history to understand the nuance of the story they’re telling. I accept I'm not going to follow everything about every character, and they do include a helpful guide at the end of the issue tying the events to specific issues of the various Hulk titles. But, the entire sequence is made confusing through the use of a third-party narrator talking about a door (presumably to resurrection) that I didn’t quite follow as a metaphor. (I think the Challenger was the narrator, but I'm not sure.)
At any rate, the authors right the ship once the Hulk is fully resurrected, showing how awesome he is as he tears through the skeleton team guarding the back-up HQ where Toni is working and Voyager has fled with the spirit Pyramoid. (This part is clearer now. Last issue, I thought she was in a bunker in the hospital, but now it's clear she teleported to the HQ once she grabbed the Pyramoid.) The other teams are racing back, but the only thing standing between the Hulk and Voyager right now is...Iron Red Hulk! Awesome sauce. (Also, I’m pretty sure Hulk killed Captain Glory and Mentacle. R.I.P., Mentacle.)
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #15: You don’t really have to pick up “Damnation” to follow this issue. David makes it clear enough Dr. Strange’s attempt to repair Las Vegas allowed Mephisto to open his “Hotel Inferno” on the Strip, unleashing hordes of demons onto Vegas like “Inferno” did to New York. In his usually brilliant fashion, David uses the event to advance the series’ plot, revealing the little girl who kidnapped Aunt June works for the Diogenes Initiative. It apparently has an augur on staff who predicted this event, and the girl instructs Ben to find the Midnight Sons. When he does, he drives a cement truck into a group of demonized Avengers poised to attack them. Yeah, it’s pretty great. I’m guessing we’re going to learn Ben is immune to demonization because of Death’s hold on him, but we’ll see. It’s all very reminiscent of the “Circle of Four” event in “Venom” from a few years ago, but David does his best with the hand corporate has dealt him.
Darth Vader #13: This issue is really interesting, because it serves as a prequel to the story Gillen is telling in the main title, namely the fall of Mon Cala. The Emperor sends Darth Vader to help Governor Tarkin take over Mon Cala for two reasons. First, he believes it is time to show the Empire's citizens that the Empire isn't a successor of the Republic, but an entity unto itself under his sole control. Second, he believes King Lee-Char is receiving help in negotiating the terms of a trade agreement from a Jedi, and he wants Vader to crush him. (In the main title, Lee-Char is being held prisoner, and Mon Cala is suffering under the Empire's thumb as punishment for its rebellion.) Tarkin is urging caution among his troops, reminding them Mon Cala has many resources they don't want to destroy. However, upon Vader's arrival, the Imperial ambassador's ship mysteriously explodes, prompting Tarkin to launch the invasion. Soule has made it clear this fight is a proxy for Vader's internal struggle, as we begin the issue with him replaying his fight with Obi-Wan on Mustafar in his mind but this time winning. Is Obi-Wan the mysterious Jedi helping the Mon Calamari? We'll see.
The New Mutants: Dead Souls #1: As someone who possesses every issue of the original "New Mutants" run, including the cross-over event with "Dazzler" during "Secret Wars II," I'm obviously game for this mini-series. Rosenberg makes it clear he's got big plans. Shan has hired Magik, Boom Boom, Rictor, Strong Guy, and Wolfsbahne to work for her company, Hatchi Corporation. Their first job is taking out a bunch of zombies attacking a hurricane-relief center Hatchi is running in New Orleans. It turns out the foreman (allegedly) stole a ring from a dead woman who happened to be a witch, and she "overreacted" by infesting the area with zombies. (Removing the ring apparently forced her soul to get stuck in Limbo because it broke certain seals of protection she had put on the neighborhood, hence the ability of a dead woman to "overreact.") Oddly, Magik just lets her go once she reunites her with her ring, something Shan finds objectionable. After all, she was responsible for killing a not insignificant portion of the town. But, Rosenberg makes it clear something else is going on here, as the foreman himself didn't really know why he stole the ring and Shan refuses to answer Rictor's question why Shan needs paranormal investigators in the first place. Rosenberg also does a solid job establishing the status quo of each character, as Shan says she settled for this crowd because everyone else from the New Mutants -- Cannonball, Magma, Skids, and Sunspot - had their lives together. But, something feels...off here. I think it's the fact the paranormal angle feels somewhat forced, but I think that might be on purpose. I'm definitely willing to give Rosenberg some space here. That said, if he really wants me for the long haul, Shatterstar should be popping up soon.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #301: This issue is really all about Joe Quinones, given his ability to nail the retro look this issue needs to make you believe it's happening in the past. It's his ability to distinguish between older (and extremely handsome) Peter with younger (and so young) Peter. The look of shock on both JJJ, Jr. and Peter's faces as they confront how young he really was is both hilarious and moving.
X-Men: Blue #23: Holy shit, this issue is an effing barn-burner. We have multiple threats building at once. First, Emma Frost and Havok are working with Bastion and Miss Sinister to launch Mothervine, some sort of artificial intelligence (I think) that will quadruple the mutant population within a year and help bring about secondary mutations. (Bastion wants more mutants just so he can slaughter them, and Alex and Emma assume Miss Sinister wants to rule them all.) Meanwhile, Miss Sinister's agents are tracking someone, and Bloodstorm and Jimmy are on their trail. However, since they're not from our Earth, they don't recognize Xorn when he reveals himself to the trackers. The Raksha arrive at Magneto's house to inform him they fought some Hellfire Club goons right there in Madripoor, and Magneto realizes it's time he takes out Sebastian Shaw, even though Briar is pretty sure it's just Emma trying to distract him. If it is, it works, as Magneto goes after Shaw, but is surprised when Shaw reveals a secondary mutation (thanks to Mothervine): he can now collect ambient kinetic energy. In Madripoor, Gazing Nightshade uses her powers to see Lorna believes she can save Alex from his inversion, but Bunn complicates matters when Ferris presents her a necklace he found in Jean's effects: Malice is back! In other words, this series isn't really about the original X-Men anymore. It may be in the future, but Bunn is clearly using their absence to advance some long-simmering plots, bringing Alex and Emma from the shadows and even raising the possibility of Alex getting cured. Based on this issue, though, that might be too optimistic of a read of the future.
Also Read: Astonishing X-Men #9; Falcon #6; Marvel 2-in-One #4
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Not-So-New Comics: The January 31 Edition! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Avengers: #678: Whoa. We’ve got a lot going on here. Both Avengers teams eventually realize the Legion and the Order are after the Pyramoids, but come to those conclusions in different ways. Rogue’s team in Rome continues to take on the Blood Brothers, Mentacle, and Metal Master from the Legion. They also manage to secure Quicksilver before the Blood Brothers kill him, but he remains paused. To make matters worse, Cannonball is concussed after he flies straight into Mjolnir to prevent Metal Master from hitting Thor with it. (Yes, Metal Master can control Mjolnir. Surprise!) Rogue sends Voyager to HQ with Cannonball and Quicksilver, but it exhausts her transportation powers, leaving both teams stranded. To make matters even worse in Rome, Black Dwarf, Black Swan, and Supergiant arrive to take the Pyramoid. Black Dwarf mentions the game, which clues in Rogue that they should focus on the Pyramoid (a little late, to be honest, as Gamemaster himself suggests). Supergiant takes down Metal Master, freeing Mjolnir, but Black Dwarf makes it to the Pyramoid first and disintegrates (allegedly) upon touching it. In Peru, Sam recognizes Ebony Maw and instructs Synapse to go “brain-to-brain” with her fellow telepath, clueing them into the fact both sides are after the Pyramoid. Lightning speeds after it, while the Avengers leap into action to save Ferene the Other from Corpus Glaive. Red Hulk and Torch both realize the point of the game and leap after the Pyramoid. Torch is particularly motivated after we saw him earlier thinking about how Reed would've immediately had a plan to save the day (as opposed to Sam, who seems to be struggling to develop a successful approach). Lightning somehow knows they shouldn’t touch the Pyramoid, but Johnny does it for the Four, wanting to show they’re still in the game. He then also disintegrates (allegedly). I'm guessing the team isn't going to take that well.
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #13: This issue is just weird. Black Marvel is revealed to be a demon who brought Cyber from Hell with him because he (Cyber) wanted a shot at being a good guy. When “Black Marvel” took over Black Marvel’s identity, including his abilities and memories, he became intrigued by Marvel’s unresolved relationship with the Slingers. He tells Prodigy he wants to help finish teaching them (as Black Marvel was apparently doing) in order to really mold them into a team. (Yeah, I don’t get it either.) Anyway, it turns out Prodigy didn’t really know Marvel was a demon and “Hornet” was Cyber; he was just so happy Marvel was alive he didn’t ask questions. (Right, because if someone I knew was dead just suddenly appeared alive, I'd be all, "Dude, you're back! Let's get drinks, but don't tell me why you're alive again!") Slate then knocks down the wall of the theater to rescue Cassandra, and the team splits: Ben and Kaine go after Marvel while the Slingers go after Cyber. Cyber escapes the Slingers while Ben finds himself in a death match with Marvel in the Bellagio's fountain. Marvel helpfully exposits that the Diogenes Initiative is the one who rescued him from Hell and that it has great plans for Vegas. (But, it was totally OK with him adopting the Black Marvel persona, putting back together a superhero team, and then telling an entirely different superhero all about their plans?) Kaine arrives and cleverly uses his invisibility to pretend to be God, convincing a priest watching the fight to sanctify the water. Marvel tries to escape, but Ben holds him under the now-holy water until he dissipates. The teams (such as they are) regroup, and the Slingers let Ben off the hook for attacking Thorne since they’re not exactly sure they’re 100% good guys anymore either. (Given Prodigy had Ricochet watching Thorne, presumably under Black Marvel's orders, I assume Thorne is somehow connected to the Diogenes Initiative as well.) Dusk warns Ben about Mysterio while, later, Kaine gets Cassandra to write a check for the veterans clinic. If you're a hard-core Slingers fan this arc was probably awesome for you. But, I had to take a lot on faith just to get through this issue. Moreover, I get the sense that, even if I understood Slingers' history, I'd still be left scratching my head over developments like Black "I'm a demon now!" Marvel. It's a rare miss from David, to be honest.
Falcon #4: This issue is great. I wasn’t really sure where Barnes was going with this Blackheart story, but it now makes total sense. Barnes condemns Sam to Hell because he doesn’t know who he is anymore: he’s been pulled between too many beliefs and people to know himself. He must confront his seemingly perfect father (who admits he was more focused on adulation than salvation), the AIDS-ridden nephew he ignored as he died, and both good and bad Steve Rogers. In so doing, Sam accepts they all have their baggage and he has his baggage. It allows him to break free of Mephisto and seek his escape. Thankfully, Falcon has allowed Voodoo to possess him so he can use Falcon and Sam's mutual connection to Redwing to communicate with Sam. (It makes sense when you initially read it.) But, most importantly, Shaun serves as the portal between our world and Hell, allowing his respect for Sam to keep it open. It’s a great moment when Sam returns, confident in who he is. Watch out Blackheart!
Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #5: Rosenberg really sticks the landing here, essentially reconfiguring Jean’s relationship with the Phoenix. Logan does his job, reminding Jean who she is. Then, it becomes a grudge match between Jean and the Phoenix, as the Phoenix shows her all her loved ones who have died since she's been dead and offers her the possibility of resurrecting them. But, Jean tells the Phoenix its attempt to protect her from loss and pain means it’s trying to protect her from being alive. She tells it she accepts that she was supposed to die in that shuttle all those years ago. She used to feel special because the Phoenix chose her then and kept on choosing her, despite all its other possible hosts in the Universe. But, now, she just wants to live. The Phoenix then plays its last ace, throwing a real Scott at Jean. But, it miscalculates, as it gives Jean what she really wants: one last moment with her husband. It’s the epilogue Jean and Scott deserved, and, with this moment, Rosenberg shows he really got the point of this series and what it needed to do. But, it doesn't end there. We get a truly lovely moment between Jean and the Phoenix as the Phoenix shrinks to the size of a bird and cuddles in Jean’s hand. They part ways, and the X-Men welcome Jean home. Jean returns as her own character, no longer overshadowed by her relationship with Scott or the Phoenix. In fact, perhaps the most important part of this sequence is Jean’s insistence that she was better off dead, because she was supposed to die. She’s returning almost grudgingly, and it’ll be interesting to see how that unfolds. In the meantime, Rosenberg really accomplished what he said he was going to do. It’s the rare mini-series I can recommend, but I definitely do, particularly for Jean fans. “X-Men Red,” here I come!
Spider-Gwen #28: We’ve been waiting for this issue for a long time. Not only does Gwen reveal her secret identity to Ben, May, and the Mary Janes, but Murdoch also walks us through his history. We learn Murdoch was essentially like the Murdoch we know until the Hand successfully defeated Stick earlier in his past. The Hand then raised him, turning him into a living weapon. Even they became afraid of him, so they sent him to New York. After he stole everything the Kingpin had, he was close to suicide, realizing he had nothing else left. But, he saw Spider-Woman swing past his window, and he found a new purpose: he wanted to corrupt her with power, to confirm he wasn’t the only one power corrupted. But, as we learn, the difference in their fates is that Murdoch didn’t have family and friends. Gwen tells everyone she had to let them know who she was because she’s going to give herself to Venom to get revenge. The Mary Janes think she’s crazy, but Ben doesn’t: he says everyone else has paid a price - Ben, Peter - for Gwen’s powers except Gwen. He’s...not wrong. We end the issue with Punisher storming Murdoch’s building, and I can’t wait to see where Latour goes from here. Each issue builds on the last one brilliantly, and I honestly have no idea how any of it is going to get resolved.
Also Read: Detective Comics Annual #1; Moon Knight #191; Quantum & Woody #2; Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #16; Tales of Suspense #100-#102
Friday, March 2, 2018
Not-So-New Comics: The December 27 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #12: I feel like I’ve lost the plot a little here, because David is really leaning into the Slingers’ history as if I should be as familiar with it as Ben’s. I don’t know who Black Marvel or Cyber is. I vaguely remember the “Cyberwar” cross-over “event” when they renamed all the Spider-Man books “Scarlet Spider” in the ‘90s, but it wasn’t exactly the best era of storytelling. After all, you probably had to buy all four books to even remotely understand the plot, as Marvel was doing back then. It’s not impossible to enjoy this story here without recognizing these two characters; after all, the main drama of the issue is Ben wrestling with trying to be a good guy by turning himself into the police for his assault on Thorne. But, David is assuming a level of comfort with the Slingers that I don’t have, so I find it hard to understand everyone’s motivations. For example, why does Ricochet really care about Ben and whether he becomes a good guy? Wasn't Prodigy working with Black Marvel? Did he know he was dead and/or a bad guy? If so, is he dead, too? I'm also having trouble following some developments related to the title itself. For example, I don’t have any memory of Kaine protecting a veterans’ shelter, as he's apparently doing in this issue. David is a master of slowing weaving mysteries issue-to-issue. But, when the main plot relies heavily on intimate knowledge of a 12-issue series that happened 20 years ago, it's hard not to just feel confused about everything.
Doomsday Clock #2: OK, here we go.
We start with security-camera footage of Marionette and the Mime breaking into an office of some sort and demanding the contents of the vault. It's a little confusing, because these images are shown while Veidt's voice-over narration recounts how the Minutemen's appearance in 1939 caused "every wannabe gangster and low-rent thug" to seek out a woman dubbed "the Tailor's Wife" for an identity and costume. At first, I thought the duo was robbing her shop, but I don't think it's the case; it seems more like they were robbing a bank. But, we focus a lot on the teller here, so I'm not sure. At any rate, Dr. Manhattan appears at the scene but doesn't kill Marionette or the Mime, possibly because they have a child. (He repeats the word "Babum" to himself twice as he looks at the photo of the teller's child. Yeah, I don't get it either.) Johns reveals Veidt is telling the present-day Rorschach this story as justification for recruiting Marionette and the Mime. He needed people who come from Jon's past. He couldn't get Laurie to agree to help, and, even if he did, he was worried Jon would be upset to see her with Dan. As such, he's hoping somehow Marionette and the Mime convince him to return to this Earth. (This part seems a stretch to me. It's not like Dr. Manhattan was buds with Marionette and the Mime. But, as Lex Luthor says later, Veidt doesn't really have a great track record when it comes to his schemes achieving his desired goals.) At any rate, the team assembles, and Veidt reveals every person has a "quantum fingerprint" comprised of the "four fundamental forces of nature." They follow Dr. Manhattan's fingerprint to the universe where he fled, just in time to escape the nuclear bomb the Russians (I'm assuming) have launched at New York. (I think they did so as part of the escalation of tensions Johns described last issue, but I'm not 100% sure, to be honest.)
Initially, it seems obvious we're all supposed to believe this new universe is either the DCU or the DCnU, but Johns calls that into question almost immediately. We're introduced to Bruce Wayne as he's taking a Rorschach test (heh), something Wayne Enterprises' Board demanded he do for insurance purposes after he answered a test too honestly seven years earlier. In this Gotham, people are rallying against Batman after the "Supermen Theory" has spread around the globe like wildfire. We learn in the appendix that Markovian geneticist Dr. Helga Jace advanced the theory several weeks earlier; it claims the U.S. government created metahumans after Superman's appearance, explaining why most metahumans are concentrated in America. The government did so by activating the "metagene" that 12 percent of the population possesses. However, the U.S. government encouraged the subjects to claim an outside event -- such as accidental exposure to an ancient energy source or a flight-or-fight response triggered by danger -- led to them developing powers. The theory seemed to be confirmed when leaked documents showed Rex Mason, a.k.a. Metamorpho, was a willing participant in the procedure Stagg Industries used to give him powers; they were all under contract with the U.S. government. These documents contradict the aforementioned "accidental exposure..." origin Metamorpho previously claimed; in fact, he had criticized Stagg for the "accident." Moreover, several of Metamorpho's "archenemies" confessed they were part of the scheme, agreeing to become super-villains in order to undergo their own transformation. Adding fuel to the fire, Kurt Langstrom admits the "accident" that led to him becoming Man-Bat happened while he was working for the U.S. Department of Metahuman Affairs.
Bruce wants to ignore it all as noise, dismissing it as paranoia that Russia and Markovia are spreading. However, Lucius encourages him not to do so. He's afraid the Board is losing its faith in Bruce and will sell Wayne Enterprises to Lexcorp, exposing their "special projects." Bruce is less concerned, because Lexcorp is facing charges of industrial espionage for trying to steal Wayne Enterprises' work on the metagene. However, the appendix also implies Lexcorp has made better strategic decisions to acquire companies that were part of the U.S. government's program, whereas Wayne Enterprises has struggled to do so. (I'm assuming Bruce hindered the acquisitions in part to hide his connection to the program.) Lucius stressed he needs Bruce as Bruce, not as Batman, particularly given the "Supermen Theory" protests. In other words, Lucius is trying to convince Bruce a sea change has happened in terms of the public perception of metahumans, while Bruce just wants everything to continue as normal.
Returning to the travelers, Rorschach locks up Marionette and the Mime while he and Veidt go after the smartest men in the world: Lex and Bruce. Veidt approaches Luthor with a proposal, claiming he'll help Luthor achieve everything he's ever wanted if he helps him. (It's not clear what he wants Luthor to do, though.) Before Luthor can answer, a shot is fired: Veidt dodges it, but it hits Luthor, possibly killing him. The Comedian steps from the shadows, shocking Veidt. Meanwhile, in the Batcave, Batman confronts Rorschach, who's been making his way through the Cave and expressing disgust at its various mementos.
I don't really have much to say here. Johns is still setting up the story, so I'm giving him space to do so. At this point, I'm still not feeling the forced combination of the DCU/DCnU and the "Watchmen" universe, but we'll see where we go.
Moon Knight #190: WHOA. I did not see that coming. I thought Bemis was going to drag out revealing what exactly it was Jake had been doing, the secret the Truth revealed to Marc Jake was keeping last issue. I figured 15 or 20 issues from now, dun dun DUN, we’d learn Jake was actually Marc’s mysterious new nemesis. But, no. Bemis revealed it right away, and it makes the most sense. I mean, what greater weakness would Marc Spector have than a child he never knew he had with Marlene? It addresses his lack of family, something Bemis underlines in a flashback where Marc tells Marlene he used a grenade to kill his brother after he killed his girlfriend. (Yeah.) The only part I don’t get is the Sun King’s initial lie to Marc, that he'd been sleeping with Marlene for two years. Given he immediately reveals Marlene’s secret to Marc, it seems unnecessary to try to rattle him in this way. He didn’t really need to disarm Marc if he was going straight to the heart. But, I’m also not sure if it’s the secret Bushman earlier told the Sun King's army he had on Marc. They all seemed surprised to see the photo of the girl, so maybe Bushman just knew where Marlene lived? I’m sure Bemis will let us know. I also have to praise the art here: Burrows, Ortego, and Lopes really hit a home run with the image of a demonic Marc looming over Jake and screaming, “What have you done?” What have you done, Jake, indeed.
Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1: For the record, I am totally OK with Jean returning. Marvel did the unexpected with Jean Grey, putting her almost in the same category as Uncle Ben: everyone else seemed to return from the dead except them. It was a wink and a nod to her past, where she seemed to die and be resurrected on an almost constant basis. The only surprising thing left to do with her character was let her stay dead. She's been dead for 14 years, almost a third of the time she was actually alive. In so doing, Marvel successfully reset her character by making us believe what we had come never to believe: she could really die. As such, it's time for her to return.
Rosenberg makes it clear he's not going to rush the story, as we're left with more questions than answers in this issue. First, we're introduced to two Jeans. In Annandale-on-Hudson (the original Jean's hometown), two kids find a seemingly dead girl in the street, recalling the moment Jean's powers manifested (when her friend Annie died in her arms). A child Jean appears on the scene, and she renders these two children in the same state as the seemingly dead girl: they're all bleeding profusely from the head but show no wounds. (The two kids eventually are revealed to be comatose but otherwise fine, even with the bleeding.) The other Jean is a young-adult waitress who lives with her parents (not Elaine and John, as far as I can tell) in an existence the creative team somehow makes you feel is from the 1950s. It includes her sweater-clad boyfriend Scott (wearing those familiar ruby-quartz glasses) arriving with flowers for dinner.
The action starts when Cerebro sends the X-Men to Annandale-on-Hudson to investigate the weird circumstances surrounding the children. In so doing, Beast discovers three odd energy signatures that Kitty sends three teams to investigate. Kitty's team encounters the usual blank-masked henchmen at the abandoned Hellfire Club mansion in New York, and we're treated to scenes that feel like they could be straight from the "Dark Phoenix Saga." Rogue's team encounters Seamus Mellencamp, one of Magneto's former Acolytes, at a monastery in France, which Rogue notes is odd because Seamus is dead. Finally, Logan's team encounters his younger self at the North Pole. Did I mention Waitress Jean also seems to serve Sean Cassidy? All these moments recall in their own ways Jean's past. It makes sense because Rosenberg mentions in his letter to the readers he's trying to pay homage to that past. That's clear in this issue, and we'll see where we go from here.
Spider-Men II #5: The premise of this mini-series was that we were finally going to discover what Peter found when he Googled Miles’ name after they first met. The answer is...nothing. Despite his dramatic “Oh, my God,” comment that concluded the original "Spider-Men" mini-series, Peter reveals here he found nothing. We learn it's because the Kingpin wiped all mention of the Earth-616 Miles from the Internet because Earth-616 Miles was his friend and simply wanted to live a nice life with his wife. But, she died, so the Kingpin then helped transfer him to another Universe (seemingly the Ultimate universe) where she was alive. That’s it. It’s the whole story. Along the way, Peter blurts out the fact he’s uncomfortable with Miles being Spider-Man, and Miles correctly deduces it’s because Peter views Spider-Man as his specific pain. It make sense, I guess. But, it really has nothing to do with the point of this event. I get Bendis wasn’t obligated to reveal the Earth-616 Miles as some sort of secret bad guy, but he certainly heavily implied he was throughout the earlier issues of this series. Moreover, Bendis had sold us on the idea that the Earth-616 Miles was "our" Universe’s analogue of "our" Miles. But, he wasn’t — they just two dudes who shared the same name. It’s anti-climactic to say the least, and I kinda of want my money back.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - The Storms of Crait #1: The problem with this issue is that Acker and Blacker treat their subjects too reverently. Aaron and Gillen have excelled at their individuals efforts in this corner of a galaxy far, far away because they’ve treated these iconic figures as people first, foibles and all. Sure, even they have trouble having Leia make a mistake, but they compensate for that reverence by at least explaining her motivations to us. Acker and Blacker don’t accomplish that here: Leia is all knowing, Luke is all whining, Han is all bluffing. Even Han’s affection for Leia is too explicitly stated. On top of that, the issue just doesn’t make a lot of sense. For example, [whatever the bad guy's name is] decries Leia for being just like her father, seeing past the good in a person just to the secrets he wants to keep. But, everyone -- including [whatever the bad guy's name is] himself -- spent the whole issue saying they’re exactly not like that, that they see the past the secrets to the good in people. I think Acker and Blacker are implying [whatever the bad guy's name is] is ranting because he knows he’s fallen to his baser nature, failing to take the opportunity Bail and now Leia offered him to be noble. But, they don’t actually make that argument; I’m making it for them here. Also, I don't even know how to discuss the moment where Wedge Antilles goes on a 'roid rage. It's like they just whacked him in there because they always dreamed of writing a comic where he appeared. In other words, you can safely skip this one.
X-Men: Blue #18: The most interesting part of what Bunn is doing here is the fact the original X-Men seem to almost always be the bad guys in whatever future or past they visit. However, he kicks it up a notch here. When Emma Frost shows young Jean the vision of how the team turned against the rest of mutantkind, wanting to enslave them, the older Jean sees the younger Jean. Younger Jean is shocked, because her presence shouldn’t change a memory. But, she seems to realize it’s part of a large, cross-time assault, something Hank also realizes. At least, I think that's what it is. I’m legitimately interested to see where this one goes.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #793, Detective Comics #971, Hawkman Found #1
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