Not-Very-New Comics: The August 29 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Edge of Spider-geddon #2:  Wow, this issue is intense.  It really invokes "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2, where we first met Spider-Gwen.  Thompson and Nadler fill out Peni Parker's story, introducing not only the VEN#m suit but also a lot of questions.  The authors start the issue by reminding us this Aunt May and Uncle Ben aren't the parental types.  They see Peni as little more than SP//dr's pilot.  May refuses to comfort Peni as she struggles with being "special," telling Peni she's not really special.  To May's mind, a lot of people work on the SP//dr project; Peni is just one of them.  This detachment sets the tone for the rest of the issue.  Peni is also understandably upset when she learns about the VEN#m suit, particularly the revelation it has equipment she doesn't.  It raises the obvious question of why Ben and May didn't just focus on making SP//dr better.  But, the decision to create a second suit might be explained by May's cryptic comments that Ben understood the dangers of the Sym engine when he installed it in VEN#m.  May tries to save VEN#m's teenage pilot as the engine possess her, but May is also lost to VEN#m.  Later, Ben only manages to admit to Peni he's not the best father when their conversation is halted when Spider-Ham arrives to take Peni with him.  As evident by this short review, Thompson and Nader cram in a lot of action and plot here.  Most importantly, they really nail the characterization.  I'm not sure we need a full-time series dedicated to SP//dr, but it's a thrill to see Peni and SP//dr back in the mix again.  

Extermination #2:  This issue is marginally better than the first one, as Brisson does a better job of conveying the original X-Men's emotions.  Scott serves as the reader's surrogate, reeling from the guilt he feels over Bloodstorm's death and the confusion they all feel over the situation.  Young Nathan ups the ante when he kidnaps Warren, though Jean and Scott are able to identify him before he disappears.  Meanwhile, Ahab arrives and appears to be acting independently of (and possibly at cross-purposes as) Nathan.  I'm guessing they're both trying to use the original X-Men to convince their older counterparts to advance their own agendas in the future, but that's still unclear.  However, I'm still not sure I care.  Although I mentioned Brisson does a better job of portraying the original X-Men's emotions, parts of this issue still make little sense or feel obviously wrong.  For example, Shatterstar seems an odd voice for outrage over Cable's death, given he's not really known for his emotions.  Second, it's hard to share his feelings since it seems unlikely Cable is going to stay dead for long.  Whatever.

Hunt for Wolverine:  Dead Ends #1:  This series of miniseries has really been much better than it had any reason to be.  The authors have really collaborated well on a story that strikes at the heart of the Marvel Universe.  It reminds me of the old days, when everyone would get together to attack a problem before we decided such stores had to revolve around how their personalities made that impossible.  Sure, Tony is an asshole, but he also knows it's Kitty's show after the mysterious Persephone kills ten mutants whose powers haven't manifested themselves yet.  I read "The Adamantium Agenda," so the revelation that Persephone swiped Mr. Sinister's DNA catalogue was particularly rewarding.  (FYI, it's how she's identifying the potential mutants.  Storm has to explain to Tony that she chose the perfect threat when she said she'd kill more unactivated mutants if they didn't stop hunting for Wolverine, since Cerebro can only track activated mutants.)  In "The Adamantium Agenda," we learned one of the mutants was a genetically-enhanced mole; I wonder how we're going to see that information unfold in "Return of Wolverine."  Meanwhile, I'm half-tempted to get Daredevil's Wolverine-related miniseries, particularly given the presence of Cypher.  All in all, I'm really happy how this understated event is developing, much to my surprise.

The New Mutants:  Dead Souls #6:  I'm honestly not sure what exactly we see happen here.  If I'm following the story correctly, the explosion in Warlock's cabin in Connecticut happened several months ago.  Xi'an sent Dani to find him, but he absorbed Dani because he was injured and needed her help.  Around the same time, Illyana realized that Xi'an was trying to weaponize magic, inspiring the team's off-the-books trips to New Orleans and the Arctic.  But, she's smart enough to realize it wasn't Xi'an so much as it was Tran manipulating Xi'an.  (Xi'an was motivated by a desire to give the mutants a company -- i.e., the Hatchi Corporation -- to control, like Rand, Stark, etc.)  We learn Xi'an's psyche has shattered as a result of years of Tran's manipulation and their eventual separation.  Surprising everyone, she possesses Illyana to attack Tran with the Soulsword, reabsorbing him.  Here, it gets weird.  (I know, as if it weren't already weird.)  It seems like Tran was somehow behind Warlock's problems.  Xi'an sent Dani after Tran not Warlock; Warlock was simply an unexpected complication.  (I don't think we learn how Tran came to possess -- as I'm assuming he did -- Warlock.)  But, Xi'an took advantage of the moment, and she's had Warlock stashed in a closet making replicas of the New Mutants all this time.  At this stage, it's fight time.  War-dani tricks Rahne into possessing her, and Illyana sends Boomer, Rictor, and Shatterstar to safety before summoning Guido.   But, Guido has a heart attack, and Illyana agrees to let Warlock try to save him.  (Guido has been in Limbo for years even though only 36 hours passed on Earth.)   But, it's a trap:  a now possessed War-guido takes control of Illyana.  Her/his plan realized, Tri'an calls "General Callahan" (as Tran) and promises test subjects (the New Mutants), but War-yana takes over Tri'an as well.  Unexpectedly, the issue ends there.  It seems pretty clear Rosenberg was planning to extend this series past six issues, and we seem likely to see something soon, as Dani, Guido, Illyana, Rahne, and Tri'an are left as part of the Warlock collective now.  But, Marvel might be right in having us stew with this shock for a few months before scratching our curious itch.

Nightwing Annual #1:  I've been pretty on board with Percy's dark-web story because it's an intriguing premise, the idea the machines are more actively controlling us than we think they are.  But, he always risked pushing too far with the social commentary, and we cross that line here.  This issue is essentially a screed against the modern news media.  Nightwing goes so far as to exalt the era when Walter Cronkite's had a total command of the truth.  Beyond the fact he was too young to remember that era (something he acknowledges), it's also a weird position to take.  (I'll let pass having Dick reminisce about the days when straight white men controlled the facts.)  I get that Percy has reinvented Dick as a Luddite, but that type of story feels very ten years ago.  No one living in this particular moment would think it's even possible to return to that world.  It's not about getting rid of technology; it's about managing how we use it.  I thought Percy was telling that sort of nuanced story, but the wheels seem to come off the bus here.  

X-Men:  Blue #34:  On the plus side, Bunn does an excellent job building to the moment when Magneto reforms Asteroid M and the Brotherhood.  After all, he's been building to this moment all series, and that careful spade work pays off here.  We're not seeing Magneto randomly embracing his dark side, as he often has in the past.  Instead, it's more like Scott Summers' gradual evolution into an extremist, with each development leading him farther and farther down that road.  Magneto is shaken to learn of the destruction in the future, though it's still unclear if it's all because of the war with the Reavers or not.  Nightcrawler, Jr. keeps insisting Magneto saved everyone from the Reaver virus, but older Scott tells Nightcrawler, Jr. he doesn't understand the full scope of Magneto's actions.  The older original X-Men try to prevent Mangeto from returning to the present after they realize he hasn't committed his greatest crime yet, but he manages to escape.  When he returns to the present, he finds the lab where the Reaver virus began and kills everyone there.  (Creepily, he leaves a statue of himself on the site, echoing the statues dotting the landscape in the future.)  My only criticism of these developments is Magneto is smart enough to realize that destroying the lab may very well be the "greatest crime" that sets in motion the events of that future.  He doesn't even pay that lip service here, which seems like an oversight.  Moreover, I'll admit it's hard to keep straight all the strains of time travel happening right now.  In "Extermination," we've got the young original X-Men in the present facing young Cable and Ahab from the future and here we've got the older original X-Men in the future facing Magneto from the present.  I like Bunn's story better, but it all contributes to the sense it really is time to wrap up the kids' story.

Also Read:  Dungeons & Dragons:  Evil at Baldur's Gate #5; Marvel 2-in-One #9; Ms. Marvel #33; The New World #2; Star Wars:  Lando - Double or Nothing #4

Not-Very-New Comics: The August 8 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #3:  This issue makes not a lick of sense.  Don't get me wrong, it's fun.  In fact, it doesn't make sense in part because Spencer is trying to invoke the same sense of fun (and wackiness) that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko did:  Peter and Spider-Man are split into two separate people thanks to yet another accident involving the Isotope Genome Accelerator.  Suddenly, Peter sees the real possibility of living his life without the burden of being Spider-Man.  He won't have to feel guilty that he's not out there as Spider-Man, because Spider-Man will still be out there, fighting terrible evil like the...Tri-Sentinel.  On the downside, Peter discovers Spider-Man got his intellect and his powers, but not his sense of morality and responsibility.  Uh-oh.  Unfortunately, this premise gets a little...wobbly the more you think about it.  For example, the creative team shows Spider-Man only in costume, almost implying if you lifted up his mask his face would be blank.  It's just a little over the top, particularly as Peter doesn't seem anywhere near as worried about it as I think Peter probably would be.  I guess we'll see where Spencer goes from here.

Bloodshot Salvation #12:  I was tempted not to continue reading "Bloodshot" the last time Lemire seemed to give Ray a happy ending, but I’m happy I hung in here.  This issue isn’t perfect, as Lemire seems to be in a rush to hit his marks to get us to the finale.  For example, we never really confirm the identity of his 4002 A.D. doppelgänger or why Baron Samedi wanted the maintenance worker killed.  Moreover, Punk Mambo’s powers seem a little too conveniently strong here, as she essentially shuts down all of Omen’s systems to let Magic and the Bloodshots invade.  But, I’m willing to look past the plot holes because the excellent character beats remain the same.  Lemire never turns Ray into a full-fledged good guy; he murders the maintenance worker because he had to murder him.  Lemire makes it clear that Ray feels some guilt, but he doesn’t regret it, because he did it for his family.  Lemire also reminds us Magic has never been just a scared girl hiding in a hotel room; her childhood left her comfortable with mayhem and murder, making her a match for Bloodshot’s neutral-goodish outlook on life.  Their happiness at the end feels hard won, and it feels like a good time to exit this train with Lemire.  Good luck, Ray.  I’m sure you won’t need it.

Detective Comics #986:  Yup, I’m definitely canceling this series.  I’m not going to stand for Barbara Gordon getting treated like a rank amateur in favor of some C-list hero from Metropolis.  Firstable, she was right to question Jefferson's "plan."  His attempt to keep everyone from the fight likely would’ve resulted in the children dying, because Orphan wouldn’t have been on hand to save them.  Second, I’m also not exactly sure what Jefferson’s powers are.  He controls lightning...and explosions?  Whatever.  Then, Batman announces Black Lightning — a guy he barely knows — speaks for him.  He still can’t let Dick Grayson totally into his circle of trust, but this random guy from Metropolis is basically the new Alfred?  I’ll stay for James Robinson’s arc but then I’m done.

Fantastic Four #1:  Look, Dan Slott and I have been on a long, rough road, and I'm not saying I'm here for the long haul.  But, I've loved what Chip Zdarsky has been doing with "Marvel Two-in-One," so I'm definitely here for as long as it takes to tell the story of Reed and Sue's return.  However, as Skottie Young himself says in the Mr. Impossible short that ends the issue, I'm not quite sure what that timeframe is.  In "Marvel Two-in-One," Ben and Johnny are stranded, powerless, on an alternate Earth.  However, they're back on our Earth here.  Moreover, Victor has apparently lost his pretty face, which I don't think we've seen happen in "Marvel Two-in-One" yet.  It raises questions how Marvel could've timed these releases so poorly, particularly because they seem to have done so intentionally.  To make matters worse, Slott still struggles with conveying emotions here, despite Ben proposing to Alicia and Johnny tearfully accepting Reed and Sue's fate.  I can't exactly put my finger on the problem, but these emotions never feel organic.  It's like a dog trying to explain what they hear to us.  But, it is what it is.  I'm tired of complaining about him and he'd be tired of hearing about it if he knew who I was.  We'll see where we go from here.

Hunt for Wolverine:  Adamantium Agenda #4:  I initially bought this mini-series reluctantly, annoyed with Marvel for using the reunion of the New Avengers as part of its bloated “Hunt for Wolverine” “event.”  But, I can’t say I’m disappointed.  Not only was it great to see the team together again, but Taylor takes us some interesting places here.  First, his character work is excellent.  Tony recalls Wolverine beseeching him to see people before potential after Logan reveals he knew Tony created the superhero suicide-machine.  Logan accepts Tony’s explanation that he’d never use it, but stresses to Tony how its deployment nonetheless proves his point.  As such, Tony caves to Jessica and Peter ordering him to destroy Mister Sinister’s catalogue of the DNA of every living person.  However, he had initially started to decrypt the catalogue, and he learned two things along the way.  First, Laura Kinney isn’t a clone; she’s the actual daughter of Logan and Sarah Kinney.  (I don’t follow X-23 closely enough to get all the implications of that, but I get why it’s important.)  Second, one of the X-Men isn’t a mutant; s/he’s been genetically engineered to appear as one, possibly as a sleeper agent.  Given we don’t know who set loose Tony's suicide machine or invaded Sinister’s catalogue in the first place, Tony seems to be onto something.  This mini-series still doesn't really show us how Logan was resurrected, but that's almost besides the point.  Taylor told a self-contained story that raises some interesting questions for Logan and the X-Men down the line.  I'm not saying it's essential, but it's one of the better examples of the tie-in genre out there.

Oblivion Song #6:  Whoa.  I really didn’t see that one coming.  Kirkman reveals here that Nathan and his team of scientists were the ones who caused the Transference, after a device they built to explore an alternate dimension went haywire.  Nathan explains they built the device because they sensed energy on the other side of the field, but he tells Bridget the field shouldn’t have expanded the way it did.  He initially hypothesized it was because some energy on the other side amplified his device’s power, but he hasn’t seen any technology capable of that on the other side.  To make matters worse, he’s relaying this information in handcuffs, after the feds arrested him for building the device they found in the storage locker.  It's particularly bad timing, too, as he’s convinced his brother Ed to return with him to see what Earth is like.  As such, Ed is functionally stranded on Earth.  Underlining how no one is really having a good go of it, Benjamin appears at Bridget and Duncan’s doorstep when they’re already fighting about Nathan.  Shit’s getting real, folks.

X-Men:  Blue #33:  Yet another time-travel story, yet another unclear situation.  Magneto arrives in the future he's previously hinted he's seen and intuitively knows the devastation he sees there is his fault.  A Nightcrawler-looking child exposits that he assembled a Brotherhood of Mutants — Magic, Toad, Exodus, the Blob, Sabretooth, and someone I think is Unuscione based on her head gear — to stop the "Reaver virus" from destroying the world.  The Avengers and X-Men had been unable to stop the virus because it meant killing the hosts, and Nightcrawler, Jr. tells Magneto that he and the Brotherhood were the only ones willing to do so.  Before we learn more, an Iceman-less team of the original X-Men appears, less than thrilled to see Magneto.  It makes you wonder if Nightcrawler, Jr. isn’t skipping over some parts, since he seems to view Magneto as a hero.  This story ties into “Extermination,” so I wonder where we go from here.

Also Read:  Darth Vader #19; The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #10

New-ish Comics: The May 23 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Detective Comics #981:  This issue is so good.  Tynion has everything completely and totally collapse.  That alone is a surprise in comics, but he goes one better by making everyone the better for it.

The end comes as Stephanie shows Tim the future that Brother Eye edited -- where Kate kills Bruce not because she's working for the President but because he had terminal cancer and killing him allowed her to pass Amanda Waller's psi-scans.  It's then a quick road to Tim reasserting control over himself.  The Belfry collapses, and the dream is dead.

But, Tynion makes it clear it should be dead.  Both Kate and Tim are shaken by the revelations about their future, mostly because they realize they both spent so much time worried about their futures that they've neglected their presents.  The team ends so everyone can take time to assess where they are.  The President pardons Jacob on the promise he dissolve the Colony, so he helps Kate as she becomes an independent Batwoman again.  Cass goes to live with Leslie, and Babs has agreed to tutor her.  Clayface (in human form) watches her happy ending from the shadows with a tear in his eye before leaving Gotham with Victoria.  Tim and Bruce embrace the fiction of Tim going to Ivy University as, instead, he and Stephanie head into the sunset (literally).  (Tim tells her he doesn't want to take the lonely path his future self took.)  Jean-Paul is left searching for his own truth while Luke dedicates himself to studying Brother Eye so something like it can never happen again.  In other words, none of them is in the place to be part of a superteam right now.

Tynion does a great job of showing of how each development is connected to each character's experience over the course of his run; they're not just left somewhere DC needed them to be because of some upcoming event.  Interestingly, it's Bruce who's possibly the most changed.  He's still smarting from Babs' analysis of his relationship with Kate, and, in typical Bruce fashion, he sees it as a problem (Bruce = bad at relationships) to solve.  (Tim even comments on how odd it is to see him smile.)  In other words, Bruce's lesson is the value of trusting his family and saying he's sorry.

It takes someone of Tynion's talent to leave everyone so broken but thus better, but he totally does that here.  This entire long arc has been one of the strongest Batman stories ever told, incorporating a supporting cast in a more profound way than we've previously seen.  I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Hunt for Wolverine #1:  I wasn't going to read this event, because, OMFG, I'm over events.  Also, Marvel is engaged in a cash grab of almost unprecedented proportions with four mini-series spawning from this issue.  But, when I saw one of the mini-series involved getting the New Avengers together, well, I just couldn't pass up the chance to see the old band again.  The goods news is Soule is as good as he usually is here.  He wisely chooses the Reavers to be the villains who go after Logan's corpse.  First, their motive is pretty clear:  their last few jobs haven't gone well (a nod to the general incompetence of villains), and they need money for repairs and upgrades.  But, they're also formidable enemies even in their weakened condition (a nod to their illustrious past of ass-kicking).  Along the way, we learn their attempt to extract Wolverine from the statue was always doomed to fail, because Kitty had phased his body from the adamantium months ago.  I've wondered why she hadn't done so numerous times since Wolverine "died," so it's good to see Marvel going with this approach here.  It also makes sense:  they wanted to keep it a secret so he could have a legitimate resting place.  Soule also wisely uses a framing device of Kitty telling Logan this story at his grave, not just because it's lovely, but also because it sets up her discovering he's not there.  The second story has Kitty recruiting help from all the corners of Logan's life, setting up the four (!) mini-series.  Soule is successful here because he spends a lot of time focused on the characters' voices and personalities; everyone sounds and acts like s/he should.  If the authors of the mini-series keep that attention to detail, it could be a good time, even if it is a cash grab.

Infinity Countdown:  Darkhawk #1:  I have two main questions after reading this issue, and I'm afraid only one is going to get answered.  The one I expect to get answered is how the Raptors are now able to survive without their link to the Tree of Shadows.  But, the question I don't think I'll get answered is how the Fraternity of Raptors went from a somewhat feared group to the hot mess it is here.  The Raptors are apparently mad at the Fraternity for stealing from them, but I'm not entirely clear what they stole.  In Chris Powell's case, he switched places physically with the Darkhawk armor.  If the Fraternity only opened a portal into the Nullspace for the first time in this issue, how did they get their hands on Raptor suits in the first place?  If I remember correctly, they're actually using knock-off Raptor suits but, if that's the case, what did they steal from the Raptors to make them so angry?  Moreover, why did Robbie wait until now to actually open the portal to the Nullspace with the Nega-Bands?  Shouldn't they have jumped on that opportunity previously?  It seems like they've maybe been waiting to collect the Power Stone and their failure to do so left them with no choice, but I'm not sure.  I guess I had more questions than I thought...

Star Wars #48:  I'm not really sure what Urtya's plan is here.  I get the idea that he wanted to be the one to broadcast the king's dying message to his people; as he himself said to Leia, it wasn't Leia's responsibility to do so.  In fact, Gillen does a pretty good job of showing Leia as too forceful here.  Urtya's right:  she's endangering the lives of his people, and she's not the one to get to make that call.  But, Leia's also right that his decision to broadcast the piece to his people almost immediately is absurd, since they're nowhere near prepared to rebel.  Why hold Leia and her allies at gun point to retrieve the video instead of working with her and her considerable resources to free Mon Cala from the Empire's rule?  I'm assuming Gillen has an ace up his sleeve, because this sort of loose end is unusual for him.  That said, Threepio's star turn is hilarious, as he and the Clawdite deliver an impromptu three-hour play after the Shu-Torun opera concludes to buy Leia and her team more time.  A big break indeed.

Star Wars Annual #4:  This issue is sort of fun, mostly for the fanwank moment where Darth Vader is impressed with Luke's ability to fly a podracer but then damages the racer to keep his legend (as Anakin Skywalker) for being the only human able to do so in tact.  But, despite Bunn having 30 pages, I still have a lot of questions here.  I don't get why Vader wordlessly destroys one of Darth Astrius' lightsaber.  I mean, assuming he somehow knows Luke destroyed its twin (though I'm not sure how), did it really not have any value on its own?  Also, was I supposed to recognize the items Sana swiped to fence?  It seems like I am, but I don't.  It's not a terrible issue, but I feel like Bunn skipped some steps here.

Also Read:  Falcon #8; Hunt for Wolverine:  Adamantium Advantage #1; Old Man Hawkeye #5; Star Wars:  Doctor Aphra #20; X-Men:  Gold #28