Seriously, I just don't know what to say here. This series went from the most promising of the "Secret War" tie-in series to the most disappointing.
Instead of focusing on Anwen and her family, Duggan spends most of his time focused on Thanos fighting with his future self. Duggan uses the fight to try to explain what Thanos has been doing with the Time Gem: apparently, the present Thanos is supposed to die so that he can send forward the gems that he's managed to collect to the future Thanos. However, this Thanos refuses to do so, since he's managed to collect five of the six gems. To be clear, I don't understand how the gems would magically appear at the side of the future Thanos, and I think that it makes no sense that the present Thanos would have to die in the first place. Here, the future Thanos attempts to reason with the present Thanos by making it clear that he knew the location of the sixth gem but wouldn't reveal it. However, why not just go to the past Thanos and tell him where all six gems are? Why does the future Thanos have to be the one to collect them? Why can't he even tell present Thanos? Duggan never answers these questions. I spent the entire issue wondering how the editor could've let slip this important of a plot point. (That said, he also let slip two typos in one sentence on the intro page, so I guess that I've got my answer there.)
When the end does come, it's quick and makes no sense. Thanos resolves his identity crisis, and Anwen seems to surrender the Reality Gem to present Thanos. However, it's actually a "Death Gem" that she somehow managed to make with her Reality Gem. (Seriously, just go with me here. It'll be over faster that way.) We're then left to assume that she takes possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, because she's able to free her mother from where she would up trapped, in the Mind Gem. But, then, the series just ends. We have no idea what Anwen does with the Infinity Gauntlet or how this story ties into the larger "Secret Wars" plot. Equally randomly, we never get a good sense of why Gamora, Groot, and Star-Lord are part of this series. They serve a very secondary role here of distracting the giant bug so that Anwen and her family can escape to find the Reality Gem, but it's one that could've easily been occupied by a Red Shirt with little problem.
In other words, it's a mess. These characters continued to be amazing, but Duggan basically benches them in the fourth quarter to focus on the JV squad (a.k.a. the Thanoses). They deserved better than what they got here. To make matters worse, I'm really not even sure what story Duggan thought that he was telling. Was it about the Nova Corps? Thanos? A small family realizing that their love for each other can overcome all odds? The importance of a loyal dog? I have no idea. I just have to hope Anwen and her family appear in the new Marvel Universe in a less rushed way, and we can all forget about the way they were treated here.
** (two of five stars)
Showing posts with label Infinity Gauntlet (2015). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Infinity Gauntlet (2015). Show all posts
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Friday, October 23, 2015
Infinity Gauntlet #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
This series didn't deserve this issue.
First, it has two grammar/spelling mistakes. Ignoring how much that sort of error can pull a reader from a story, it's also a mess, narratively and visually.
We begin the issue with the revelation that Eve has used the Mind Gem to find a city full of people that they never knew existed. (We don't know how Eve knew to look for said city, given that she didn't know it existed, but I digress.) They discover that Adam Warlock has managed to keep the city (called Magus City) safe from the bugs with the help of the Soul Gem. Eve demands that he surrender the gem, he refuses, and a fight ensues. Eve aligns the gems to her chakras to form the Infinity Armor, but Warlock makes short work of her given his superior experience in wielding the Soul Gem. (The spelling of "wield" is one of the mistakes.) While her family fights Adam's "knights," Eve is drawn into a conflict with Warlock on some version of the Astral Plane. We learn that Warlock essentially uses the Soul Gem to possess people (explaining the extreme allegiance of his people to him) and that he's been hiding the "Behemoth Bug" all this time. Thanos arrives to take down Warlock, stealing the Soul Gem and killing Eve for the other four gems.
I tried to present the events of this issue as coherently as possible, but it was a challenge. First, I sort of accept the idea that Warlock could pwn Eve, given his comfort with the Soul Gem. But, Weaver portrays Eve as completely overwhelmed, as if she weren't already a Nova Centurion. I'm pretty sure her battle smarts plus four Infinity Gems would've made her more of a force than she's shown to be here. Then, we've got the totally left-field revelation that Warlock is controlling the bugs. We're given no insight into how or why he came to control the bugs or what his goals are. Presumably we'll get those next issue, but it's hard to believe that Weaver is going to have time to answer those questions organically and without a lot of exposition. To make matters worse, we've also got Drax's insistence at the end that it's really Thanos that brought the bugs and the gems to this world. In other words, we have a lot of questions. It's a tall order for one issue.
Beyond just the plot challenges, the characterization is off. Weaver has added Gamora, Groot, and Peter to the team, but they do little more than fight here. We would've been better just focused on the family, given that they're the emotional core of this series. Speaking of said family, Eve is downright crazy here. Again, given her experience, she should know that she can't just waltz into someone's city and demand that they hand over a powerful artifact. Sure, she has the four Gems and Weaver has already portrayed her as arrogant, but it really almost defies belief that she pretty much just instantly attacks Warlock.
In terms of the art, Weaver also suddenly goes all Liefeld here, throwing extra lines everywhere and making it difficult to follow the action. For example, I have almost no idea what happened in Gamora's fight with Ch'od (one of Warlock's knights).
As I said, it's a mess. Hopefully Weaver will be able to deliver next issue, but (as should be obvious) I have my doubts. It's just a sad state of affairs that started as probably the most fresh and innovative of the "Secret Wars" tie-in series.
** (two of five stars)
First, it has two grammar/spelling mistakes. Ignoring how much that sort of error can pull a reader from a story, it's also a mess, narratively and visually.
We begin the issue with the revelation that Eve has used the Mind Gem to find a city full of people that they never knew existed. (We don't know how Eve knew to look for said city, given that she didn't know it existed, but I digress.) They discover that Adam Warlock has managed to keep the city (called Magus City) safe from the bugs with the help of the Soul Gem. Eve demands that he surrender the gem, he refuses, and a fight ensues. Eve aligns the gems to her chakras to form the Infinity Armor, but Warlock makes short work of her given his superior experience in wielding the Soul Gem. (The spelling of "wield" is one of the mistakes.) While her family fights Adam's "knights," Eve is drawn into a conflict with Warlock on some version of the Astral Plane. We learn that Warlock essentially uses the Soul Gem to possess people (explaining the extreme allegiance of his people to him) and that he's been hiding the "Behemoth Bug" all this time. Thanos arrives to take down Warlock, stealing the Soul Gem and killing Eve for the other four gems.
I tried to present the events of this issue as coherently as possible, but it was a challenge. First, I sort of accept the idea that Warlock could pwn Eve, given his comfort with the Soul Gem. But, Weaver portrays Eve as completely overwhelmed, as if she weren't already a Nova Centurion. I'm pretty sure her battle smarts plus four Infinity Gems would've made her more of a force than she's shown to be here. Then, we've got the totally left-field revelation that Warlock is controlling the bugs. We're given no insight into how or why he came to control the bugs or what his goals are. Presumably we'll get those next issue, but it's hard to believe that Weaver is going to have time to answer those questions organically and without a lot of exposition. To make matters worse, we've also got Drax's insistence at the end that it's really Thanos that brought the bugs and the gems to this world. In other words, we have a lot of questions. It's a tall order for one issue.
Beyond just the plot challenges, the characterization is off. Weaver has added Gamora, Groot, and Peter to the team, but they do little more than fight here. We would've been better just focused on the family, given that they're the emotional core of this series. Speaking of said family, Eve is downright crazy here. Again, given her experience, she should know that she can't just waltz into someone's city and demand that they hand over a powerful artifact. Sure, she has the four Gems and Weaver has already portrayed her as arrogant, but it really almost defies belief that she pretty much just instantly attacks Warlock.
In terms of the art, Weaver also suddenly goes all Liefeld here, throwing extra lines everywhere and making it difficult to follow the action. For example, I have almost no idea what happened in Gamora's fight with Ch'od (one of Warlock's knights).
As I said, it's a mess. Hopefully Weaver will be able to deliver next issue, but (as should be obvious) I have my doubts. It's just a sad state of affairs that started as probably the most fresh and innovative of the "Secret Wars" tie-in series.
** (two of five stars)
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Infinity Gauntlet #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Man, this series just keeps getting creepier and creepier.
First, it still feels like "The Road." In this issue, Gamora and Peter throw in their lot with the Nova family simply because they essentially have nothing else left to do. The world is so desolate that it doesn't even have enough to steal.
But, we're also at a point where reality itself doesn't have much meaning. The plot of this issue revolves around the fact that Thanos is using the Time Gem to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet, traveling into the past every time his latest scheme fails. Said failure appears more often than not to involve the Nova family, so Thanos returns this time to co-opt, rather than combat, them. He convinces the mother to take him with them as she assembles the gems, as much as it pains him to be kind to small children. Moreover, Anwen seems to have the same thought as I did about her mother's coincidentally appearing just as she found the Mind Gem. (Anwen's mother thinks that she's asking if she could resurrect her grandfather with it, but it's pretty clear to the reader what she actually meant.) As Anwen's mom continues to gather gems, you have to wonder if reality is going to have any meaning as she becomes more and more able to control it.
Finally, we also have the arrival on the scene of Drax. He's as determined as ever to kill Thanos, and it seems pretty clear that his discovery of the group is going to be the spark that starts the fire that consumes everyone. (Oddly, Gamora doesn't recognize Thanos, though she does have a bad feeling about it. Go with your gut on this one, Gamora.)
In other words, yeah, it's pretty grim.
*** (three of five stars)
First, it still feels like "The Road." In this issue, Gamora and Peter throw in their lot with the Nova family simply because they essentially have nothing else left to do. The world is so desolate that it doesn't even have enough to steal.
But, we're also at a point where reality itself doesn't have much meaning. The plot of this issue revolves around the fact that Thanos is using the Time Gem to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet, traveling into the past every time his latest scheme fails. Said failure appears more often than not to involve the Nova family, so Thanos returns this time to co-opt, rather than combat, them. He convinces the mother to take him with them as she assembles the gems, as much as it pains him to be kind to small children. Moreover, Anwen seems to have the same thought as I did about her mother's coincidentally appearing just as she found the Mind Gem. (Anwen's mother thinks that she's asking if she could resurrect her grandfather with it, but it's pretty clear to the reader what she actually meant.) As Anwen's mom continues to gather gems, you have to wonder if reality is going to have any meaning as she becomes more and more able to control it.
Finally, we also have the arrival on the scene of Drax. He's as determined as ever to kill Thanos, and it seems pretty clear that his discovery of the group is going to be the spark that starts the fire that consumes everyone. (Oddly, Gamora doesn't recognize Thanos, though she does have a bad feeling about it. Go with your gut on this one, Gamora.)
In other words, yeah, it's pretty grim.
*** (three of five stars)
Monday, July 20, 2015
Infinity Gauntlet #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Weaver and Duggan somehow manage to give us more information in this issue but leave us knowing less.
The main event here is Anwen's mother, Eve, turning the entire family (including Zig-Zag the dog, thanks to the intervention of Anwen's sister Fayne) into Novas. Anwen's father, Menzin, objects, arguing that the girls aren't soldiers. But, Eve argues that he can no longer keep them safe without powers. Menzin doesn't exactly agree, but the girls happily accept the powers. En route to the Nova base, Anwen reveals in passing that she found a "glowing rock" on a dead Nova, and Eve quickly identifies it as the Mind Gem (not the Reality Gem, as I first thought). The Gem comes in handy when the family is attacked by bugs, since Eve is able to use the Gem to convince them to leave.
It's here where it gets odd. The family arrives at the Nova base to discover it destroyed. Eve reveals that they are now the last Novas and that the Novas had been in possession of another Gem, but someone stole it. The thief is revealed to be Star-Lord, and, though he hoped that the Novas had all the stones, he tells Gamora that he's happy to sell this one. Meanwhile, in "the future," Thanos fights an empowered Anwen, and we learn that he's apparently killed the rest of her family. However, he disappears before she can kill him. He reappears...somewhere...and tells another version of himself that it "happened the same way, once again." This version pledges to "try harder," but the defeated Thanos destroys him and announces that it's time for a new strategy.
OK, obviously, I have several questions. First, it's still unclear to me if Eve isn't a figment of the Mind Gem's imagination. She's acting particularly cold, casually dismissing both the death of her father and the risks to her children becoming Nova, and it seems odd. Moreover, Anwen herself mentions during the battle with the bugs that none of it feels real, like she's imaging it. Obviously, I raised an eyebrow at that point. In addition, Eve's disappearance seems to make less sense. After all, Eve had gone into "space" to fight the bugs, but Weaver and Duggan remind us that "space" is still on Battleworld. It's here where the constraints of the "Secret Wars" concept are the most evident. The family can easily fly to the Nova base, and it raises the question why Eve, if she had really been alive all this time, never stopped to see how the family was doing. After all, she would've always been on Battleworld and specifically in New Xandar; it's not like she would have to come from another galaxy or something.
In other words, Weaver and Duggan do a good job of keeping us engaged. It's clear that they're telling a broader story than the one that we've seen so far. Plus, the family continues to feel like a real one, full of arguing and squabbling but also pulling together. Again, I really hope that we see them after "Secret Wars" ends.
*** (three of five stars)
The main event here is Anwen's mother, Eve, turning the entire family (including Zig-Zag the dog, thanks to the intervention of Anwen's sister Fayne) into Novas. Anwen's father, Menzin, objects, arguing that the girls aren't soldiers. But, Eve argues that he can no longer keep them safe without powers. Menzin doesn't exactly agree, but the girls happily accept the powers. En route to the Nova base, Anwen reveals in passing that she found a "glowing rock" on a dead Nova, and Eve quickly identifies it as the Mind Gem (not the Reality Gem, as I first thought). The Gem comes in handy when the family is attacked by bugs, since Eve is able to use the Gem to convince them to leave.
It's here where it gets odd. The family arrives at the Nova base to discover it destroyed. Eve reveals that they are now the last Novas and that the Novas had been in possession of another Gem, but someone stole it. The thief is revealed to be Star-Lord, and, though he hoped that the Novas had all the stones, he tells Gamora that he's happy to sell this one. Meanwhile, in "the future," Thanos fights an empowered Anwen, and we learn that he's apparently killed the rest of her family. However, he disappears before she can kill him. He reappears...somewhere...and tells another version of himself that it "happened the same way, once again." This version pledges to "try harder," but the defeated Thanos destroys him and announces that it's time for a new strategy.
OK, obviously, I have several questions. First, it's still unclear to me if Eve isn't a figment of the Mind Gem's imagination. She's acting particularly cold, casually dismissing both the death of her father and the risks to her children becoming Nova, and it seems odd. Moreover, Anwen herself mentions during the battle with the bugs that none of it feels real, like she's imaging it. Obviously, I raised an eyebrow at that point. In addition, Eve's disappearance seems to make less sense. After all, Eve had gone into "space" to fight the bugs, but Weaver and Duggan remind us that "space" is still on Battleworld. It's here where the constraints of the "Secret Wars" concept are the most evident. The family can easily fly to the Nova base, and it raises the question why Eve, if she had really been alive all this time, never stopped to see how the family was doing. After all, she would've always been on Battleworld and specifically in New Xandar; it's not like she would have to come from another galaxy or something.
In other words, Weaver and Duggan do a good job of keeping us engaged. It's clear that they're telling a broader story than the one that we've seen so far. Plus, the family continues to feel like a real one, full of arguing and squabbling but also pulling together. Again, I really hope that we see them after "Secret Wars" ends.
*** (three of five stars)
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Infinity Gauntlet #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I don't even know how to describe this issue. It's like "The Road" meets the "Starship Troopers." It's maybe the most exciting issue that I've read all year.
In this issue, we meet Anwen and her family. (Or, I should say that I meet Anwen and her family. It's possible that they appear elsewhere in the Marvel Universe, but it's the first time that I've met them.) We learn that Anwen's mother was a member of the Nova Corps and left Earth to make sure that the "bugs" didn't conquer it. But, they did, and Anwen and her grandfather assume that her mother is dead as a result. In the wake of that invasion, Anwen travels with her grandfather, as well as her father, younger sister, and dog, scavenging for food and trying to avoid the bugs.
But, eventually, the bugs find them, and the family's furious flight from them is so engrossing that I swear that I forgot to breathe. Before they're forced to run for their lives, Weaver and Duggan had made it clear how close the family is by showing the tensions between them, as the father and grandfather fight over how hard to be on the girls. But, these tensions disappear when they encounter the bugs. The authors have done such an amazing job of infusing these characters with life that you're already emotionally invested, hoping against hope that they make it. The issue ends with Anwen trapped in a bug's lair and venting her frustration with her mother's disappearance on one of them. In the process, she discovers that the bug seems to contain one of the Infinity Gems, likely the Reality Gem, given that she summons her mother to her side almost immediately. But, she also attracts the attention of a waiting Thanos, something that can't be good for anyone.
Honestly, this issue is just remarkably solid. Weaver and Duggan tell a story that doesn't have much to do with the larger "Secret Wars" plot, but takes advantage of the possibility that the event offers to tell a different story. Hopefully we'll be seeing Anwen and her father when the dust settles, but, in the meantime, I just can't wait for next issue.
***** (five of five stars)
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