Amazing Spider-Man #11: This issue is solid, as JJJ, Jr. -- desperately seeking acceptance once again from New York's high society -- agrees to Wilson Fisk's invitation to present him with an award at an exclusive private club. The catch is that Fisk wants Spider-Man there, too, as part of his campaign to make it seem like Spider-Man supports him. Spencer has a good read on JJJ, Jr., particularly when it comes to the lenses through which other characters, like Robbie Robertson, see him. That said, I still feel like this series is missing something. It's not terrible by any means, but Spencer doesn't seem to be hitting his steps as neatly as he did when he was writing "Captain America."
Mr. and Mrs X #6: I really enjoyed this issue. We don't really see enough issues focused on the X-Men spending time with each other anymore, and Thompson delivers. Surprisingly, she's possibly at her best in depicting Bobby and Laura, to the point where I really think we could use a Thompson-penned "Iceman/X-23" road-trip series, something I didn't know I needed until this issue. But, she also does a great job of showing Remy and Rogue confront their pasts. Remy has to face down Bella Donna and a Thieves' Guild furious at him for marrying a goody-two-shoes like Rogue. For her part, Rogue has to encounter Magneto, but it's a much more helpful reunion. He tells her to talk to Remy about her concerns over her fluctuating powers but also something else she needs to hear, that Remy isn't going anywhere. Magneto, apparently ever the romantic.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #313: This arc ends more strongly than I expected as Peter successfully outfoxes Morlun, drugging him into submission with tranquilizers he found at the zoo. It feels inspired by the "Marvel's Spider-Man" videogame, as we don't usually see Peter interact with New York as specifically as he does here (and as he does throughout the videogame). Peter makes a speech at the end of the issue that summarizes Ryan's assertion on why he defeats Morlun so often, namely that Morlun assumes he's going to win because he's faster and stronger and thus never has a plan. I more or less buy that logic, and it does at least partly address my criticism of issue #312. It's not perfect, but I'll take it. Frigeri is also on fire here; he can draw half-naked Spidey whenever he wants in my book.
Spider-Force #3: I read the words, but, honestly, I barely understand what they were saying. I think Priest was telling a story about no one trusting each other, so they made bad decisions. The problem with that premise is he also repeatedly mentioned they were all bonded to each other after Jameson linked their minds. But, apparently Kaine lied about his Web-Warrior watch being broken, though I have no idea why he did so? It doesn't help that understanding this issue requires you to remember what happened in issue #1, since we reach that moment here. I'm sure if you're reading this series as part of a TPB it might make sense but I don't at all remember the details Priest wants me to remember two months later. Plus, "Spider-geddon" #4 already spoiled the ending, showing Jessica arriving on Earth-616 with the Solus crystal. This series had great potential, but it's really just a mess at the end.
Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #3: I'll admit I don't totally buy the resolution here. Gwen realizes the Green Goblin is spending time at the warehouse where she and the Mary Janes practiced in her reality, and she brings Mary Jane with her to try to reason with other Gwen. The Green Goblin sees Mary Jane and almost instantly remembers who she is, which is...weird. After all, Mary Jane talks about how the Green Goblin had previously seen her: every time she threw a pumpkin bomb at Mary Jane, she missed. If so, why didn't she remember who she was all those times that she saw Mary Jane? The only thing our Gwen does here to help is remove the Green Goblin's mask, but that seems pretty...basic. At any rate, I have to say I'm overall happy with the way this arc went because the characterization was really strong. I wouldn't mind returning to this Earth in a future anthology, just to see how everyone is doing. (That said, Peter doesn't share that hope. He remarks here that he hopes they don't see Gwen again because he's pretty sure she hates him.) Now, let's get back to our Mary Jane, shall we? (I loved when she mentioned Mary Jane is terrifying in any reality.) It's time to see what Gwen's life is like with "Spider-geddon" in the rear-view mirror.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #27: I'm making the somewhat difficult decision to stop getting this book with this issue. It's difficult because I've actually enjoyed this arc more than previous ones. Aphra is almost human here, and Triple-Zero is a thrill as always. But, I feel like this series has definitely lost its way. It just seems to recycle the same scenarios and antagonists, setting up yet another situation where Aphra betrays her companions but not so badly that she's irredeemable. I could hang in there another four issues to see how the arc ends, but I feel like I already know how it will go. I've been following Aphra for almost four years, after her debut in "Darth Vader," so it's sad to let her go. But, why delay the inevitable? Bye, Aphra. I hope you survive Triple-Zero to betray another day.
Also Read: Avengers #11; Fantastic Four: Wedding Special #1; Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker #4; Uncanny X-Men #5; X-Men: Red #11
Showing posts with label Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (2017). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (2017). Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Monday, February 4, 2019
Not-Very-New Comics: The November 14 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Avengers #10: Can I just admit I'm not feeling this series? I mean, I love Aaron usually, but something isn't clicking here for me. Maybe because it's all a little...much? Defenders of the Deep! The Winter Guard! Squadron Supreme of America! Phoenix Wolverine! Blade! I get it's the 700th issue, and I appreciate Aaron trying to tell one coherent story for this extra-sized issue, instead of dividing it into forgettable back-up stories. But, he seems to rush the most interesting part of the story, namely the increasingly chaotic melée between the Defenders, the Guard, and the Avengers. I would've preferred him and the artists really spreading their wings there. Instead, he spends eight pages on Odin lecturing Ghost Rider about the history of animosity between the Rider and the Starbrand. Le sigh. I get artist constraints probably contributed to that, but it was a disappointment nonetheless.
Captain America #5: I love the story Coates is telling here: it's essentially the sequel to Brubaker's original Alexander Lukin story, with all the players -- including the Red Skull -- now on the board again. My only question at this point is how exactly Alexa resurrected Lukin. I figured Selene was going to drain Sharon's life force and imbue it into Lukin's body. But, Steve seemed to interrupt that transfer. Later, the Army's doctors proclaim Sharon as rested as if she had gone to Club Med. How does that work, then? Did Alexa use the Cosmic Cube instead? Curiouser and curiouser. At any rate, Alexa makes an excellent point to Selene about now they're striking while the iron is hot in America. After all, Cap's time as the head of Hydra has left people uncertain who the heroes and villains are. It's a moment ripe for interference. The best part of this story is the fact Coates isn't stretching anyone's characterization to make people's actions and statements mirror our current political environment. He's chosen his characters perfectly. In fact, he almost implies Marvel anticipated this particular moment when Brubaker created some of these characters over ten years ago.
Fantastic Four #3: This issue is great, though I wonder where Slott is going with the overall story. On the plus side, Slott does a great job of showing how clever Reed is. He realizes the Griever is an agent of destruction, not of creation. As such, he has the extended team destroy all her teleportation pods save one. Since she can't create a new one, she's left with no option but to use it before the heroes destroy it, stranding her in this finite Universe. Reed is able to take this risk of stranding the team because he has faith in its ability to create its own device, something Valeria easily does with the help of assembled geniuses like Black Panther and Spider-Man. This part is great. It puts the science front and center, exactly where it should be. Slott also manages to hit emotional notes just right, a major accomplishment for him. Ben's conversations with Franklin is great. Whereas Peter tries to lay the "with great power..." talk on him, Ben rejects putting the responsibility to stop the Griever squarely on Franklin's adolescent shoulders. As Franklin despairs over his failure to stop her, Ben tells him that guys like them draw strength from their family and keep trying even when they fail. I totally cried when they jointly declared it was clobberin' time. For me, the only downside of this issue is that Reed and Susan are still acting weirdly. Franklin all but collapses when he sees Ben, telling Ben that he knew they shouldn't have left them for the five years. Johnny's joyous and wordless reunion with Valeria is equally moving. But, they only serve to highlight the question at the heart of this relaunch: why didn't Reed and Sue tell Ben and Johnny they were alive? The recent issue of "Marvel Two-in-One" focused on Ben and Reed also didn't answer this question, and at some point Slott is going to have to get to it. But, in the meantime, he's told a pretty spectacular (heh) Fantastic Four story here. I'm legit excited about the wedding.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #312: This issue is OK. The idea of using the Central Park Zoo’s full allotment of tranquilizers on Morlun is solid. The problem is that Morlun is always conveniently slow at exactly the right moments. Last issue we saw how fast and seemingly unstoppable Morlun is; in other words, it showed why he’s such a threat. Here, Miles fights Morlun but fails to stop him in his search for Peter. However, Miles is able to find Jameson, have a conversation with him, find Peter, and have a conversation with him all before Morlun finds them. It’s a little unrealistic, given how in awe of Morlun’s superior speed and tracking ability we’re supposed to be.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #9; Darth Vader #23; Detective Comics #992; Dragon Age: Deception #2; Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #26; Thor #7; Vault of Spiders #2
Captain America #5: I love the story Coates is telling here: it's essentially the sequel to Brubaker's original Alexander Lukin story, with all the players -- including the Red Skull -- now on the board again. My only question at this point is how exactly Alexa resurrected Lukin. I figured Selene was going to drain Sharon's life force and imbue it into Lukin's body. But, Steve seemed to interrupt that transfer. Later, the Army's doctors proclaim Sharon as rested as if she had gone to Club Med. How does that work, then? Did Alexa use the Cosmic Cube instead? Curiouser and curiouser. At any rate, Alexa makes an excellent point to Selene about now they're striking while the iron is hot in America. After all, Cap's time as the head of Hydra has left people uncertain who the heroes and villains are. It's a moment ripe for interference. The best part of this story is the fact Coates isn't stretching anyone's characterization to make people's actions and statements mirror our current political environment. He's chosen his characters perfectly. In fact, he almost implies Marvel anticipated this particular moment when Brubaker created some of these characters over ten years ago.
Fantastic Four #3: This issue is great, though I wonder where Slott is going with the overall story. On the plus side, Slott does a great job of showing how clever Reed is. He realizes the Griever is an agent of destruction, not of creation. As such, he has the extended team destroy all her teleportation pods save one. Since she can't create a new one, she's left with no option but to use it before the heroes destroy it, stranding her in this finite Universe. Reed is able to take this risk of stranding the team because he has faith in its ability to create its own device, something Valeria easily does with the help of assembled geniuses like Black Panther and Spider-Man. This part is great. It puts the science front and center, exactly where it should be. Slott also manages to hit emotional notes just right, a major accomplishment for him. Ben's conversations with Franklin is great. Whereas Peter tries to lay the "with great power..." talk on him, Ben rejects putting the responsibility to stop the Griever squarely on Franklin's adolescent shoulders. As Franklin despairs over his failure to stop her, Ben tells him that guys like them draw strength from their family and keep trying even when they fail. I totally cried when they jointly declared it was clobberin' time. For me, the only downside of this issue is that Reed and Susan are still acting weirdly. Franklin all but collapses when he sees Ben, telling Ben that he knew they shouldn't have left them for the five years. Johnny's joyous and wordless reunion with Valeria is equally moving. But, they only serve to highlight the question at the heart of this relaunch: why didn't Reed and Sue tell Ben and Johnny they were alive? The recent issue of "Marvel Two-in-One" focused on Ben and Reed also didn't answer this question, and at some point Slott is going to have to get to it. But, in the meantime, he's told a pretty spectacular (heh) Fantastic Four story here. I'm legit excited about the wedding.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #312: This issue is OK. The idea of using the Central Park Zoo’s full allotment of tranquilizers on Morlun is solid. The problem is that Morlun is always conveniently slow at exactly the right moments. Last issue we saw how fast and seemingly unstoppable Morlun is; in other words, it showed why he’s such a threat. Here, Miles fights Morlun but fails to stop him in his search for Peter. However, Miles is able to find Jameson, have a conversation with him, find Peter, and have a conversation with him all before Morlun finds them. It’s a little unrealistic, given how in awe of Morlun’s superior speed and tracking ability we’re supposed to be.
Uncanny X-Men #1: This issue is so bad that I really have to wonder what the purpose of editors is, if they allow something so terrible to get to market. No, seriously, it’s that bad. Let's get to it.
First, the plot makes little sense from moment to moment. The tension of this initial arc is that someone — we don’t know who, at this point — has created a “vaccine” that can “cure” mutantdom. OK, I get that part. That's pretty standard fare and not a terrible way to up the stakes so high that every mutant is called off the benches. But, the actions we see here related to that central tension make no sense. First, for some reason, Kitty takes a group of trainees to stop Forearm from destroying a pharmacy. The first problem is the “trainees” are Anole, Armor, Glob Herman, Idie, Pixie, and Rockslide. Really? Are we pretending they’re still trainees? (One of the back-up stories implies Anole and Armor are annoyed about this treatment, but pet peeve #3 says an author can’t just have a character note how idiotic a situation is and get credit for it.) To make matters worse (an expression I'll use a lot in this review), the authors portray X-23 as a hardened X-Man, even though she was part of Kyle and Yost’s New X-Men team with Anole, Armor, Pixie, and Rockslide. But, whatever. It's the least of our worries at this point. More problematically, Kitty doesn’t put two and two together to realize where Forearm is, the Mutant Liberation Front may not be far behind. This lapse in judgment is particularly notable because they’re going to save the pharmaceutical factory creating the “cure,” something Kitty doesn’t tell the kids and they only learn after she mysteriously disappears. Professor X much, Kitty? Also, you didn't think the MLF would hit a target like a pharmacy producing a "cure" for mutantdom? Also, note I mentioned Kitty "disappears." She does exactly that: as she's trying to find a place to land the Blackbird, she disappears, causing the Blackbird to crash and leaving the "kids" on their own to face the MLF. Way to lead, Kitty. Way to lead.
Meanwhile, we shift to some sort of public debate happening on the steps of City Hall between a new Robert Kelly-esque Senator and Kitty. However, as previously noted, Kitty isn't there as she's, natch, disappeared. But, I don't even remotely get how she thought she would be there. They were just going to dispatch a MLF-less Forearm and she'd pop into the rally, looking well rested and ready for the cameras? Has she developed the power to bend space and time? At any rate, Jean is nervous to take Kitty's place, even though she repeatedly advocated the mutant cause to the entire world in “X-Men Red.” Also, what sort of debate happens this way? Who decided it was a good idea to have a mutantphobic politician and the X-Men’s leader debate on the steps of City Hall in front of a crowd with no obvious security other than the Senator's bodyguards? Seriously, I'm not crazy here, right? I also have to note the art in this section is SO BAD, you guys. Angel, Betsy, and Jean look like they’ve been forcibly de-aged to childhood, and I didn’t recognize Sam or Northstar at all. Worst of all, Kitty looks almost exactly like Victoria Beckham, which...no. It’s just awful. At any rate, it ends in chaos — shocker, I know — when Jamie Madrox — who Jean saw in a vision to start off the issue — appears on stage and has his dupes inexplicably attack the crowd. Also someone...hypnotizes Angel? Honestly, I just have no idea.
At this point, we just sort of abandon the main story and move into three back-up stories that tell one overarching story. Since I’m reading this issue many months late, I’m assuming the mysterious figure trying to take back Dark Beast and the Sugar Man is Nate Grey. But, I have no idea how that story is connected with the initial story, in terms of substance or timing. To make matters worse (see), the “Director’s Cut” then includes 226 pages of filler — covers, scripts, etc. Honestly, couldn’t they have maybe focused a little more on the actual stories in the issue? Like, I don't need to read this issue again in script form. One time was more than enough.
Seriously, I don’t understand how the relaunch of this series after such a long hiatus could be so rushed. The frustrating part is the overarching plot is more or less fine. All the editors had to do was to make a few tweaks here and there to take some of the less fleshed out parts of the book (like Kitty's ability to bend space and time) and it would've be fine. Maybe not stellar, but fine. Instead, we get a garbled mess that makes me worry Marvel is once again going to screw up an X-Men relaunch. I guess the more things change...
First, the plot makes little sense from moment to moment. The tension of this initial arc is that someone — we don’t know who, at this point — has created a “vaccine” that can “cure” mutantdom. OK, I get that part. That's pretty standard fare and not a terrible way to up the stakes so high that every mutant is called off the benches. But, the actions we see here related to that central tension make no sense. First, for some reason, Kitty takes a group of trainees to stop Forearm from destroying a pharmacy. The first problem is the “trainees” are Anole, Armor, Glob Herman, Idie, Pixie, and Rockslide. Really? Are we pretending they’re still trainees? (One of the back-up stories implies Anole and Armor are annoyed about this treatment, but pet peeve #3 says an author can’t just have a character note how idiotic a situation is and get credit for it.) To make matters worse (an expression I'll use a lot in this review), the authors portray X-23 as a hardened X-Man, even though she was part of Kyle and Yost’s New X-Men team with Anole, Armor, Pixie, and Rockslide. But, whatever. It's the least of our worries at this point. More problematically, Kitty doesn’t put two and two together to realize where Forearm is, the Mutant Liberation Front may not be far behind. This lapse in judgment is particularly notable because they’re going to save the pharmaceutical factory creating the “cure,” something Kitty doesn’t tell the kids and they only learn after she mysteriously disappears. Professor X much, Kitty? Also, you didn't think the MLF would hit a target like a pharmacy producing a "cure" for mutantdom? Also, note I mentioned Kitty "disappears." She does exactly that: as she's trying to find a place to land the Blackbird, she disappears, causing the Blackbird to crash and leaving the "kids" on their own to face the MLF. Way to lead, Kitty. Way to lead.
Meanwhile, we shift to some sort of public debate happening on the steps of City Hall between a new Robert Kelly-esque Senator and Kitty. However, as previously noted, Kitty isn't there as she's, natch, disappeared. But, I don't even remotely get how she thought she would be there. They were just going to dispatch a MLF-less Forearm and she'd pop into the rally, looking well rested and ready for the cameras? Has she developed the power to bend space and time? At any rate, Jean is nervous to take Kitty's place, even though she repeatedly advocated the mutant cause to the entire world in “X-Men Red.” Also, what sort of debate happens this way? Who decided it was a good idea to have a mutantphobic politician and the X-Men’s leader debate on the steps of City Hall in front of a crowd with no obvious security other than the Senator's bodyguards? Seriously, I'm not crazy here, right? I also have to note the art in this section is SO BAD, you guys. Angel, Betsy, and Jean look like they’ve been forcibly de-aged to childhood, and I didn’t recognize Sam or Northstar at all. Worst of all, Kitty looks almost exactly like Victoria Beckham, which...no. It’s just awful. At any rate, it ends in chaos — shocker, I know — when Jamie Madrox — who Jean saw in a vision to start off the issue — appears on stage and has his dupes inexplicably attack the crowd. Also someone...hypnotizes Angel? Honestly, I just have no idea.
At this point, we just sort of abandon the main story and move into three back-up stories that tell one overarching story. Since I’m reading this issue many months late, I’m assuming the mysterious figure trying to take back Dark Beast and the Sugar Man is Nate Grey. But, I have no idea how that story is connected with the initial story, in terms of substance or timing. To make matters worse (see), the “Director’s Cut” then includes 226 pages of filler — covers, scripts, etc. Honestly, couldn’t they have maybe focused a little more on the actual stories in the issue? Like, I don't need to read this issue again in script form. One time was more than enough.
Seriously, I don’t understand how the relaunch of this series after such a long hiatus could be so rushed. The frustrating part is the overarching plot is more or less fine. All the editors had to do was to make a few tweaks here and there to take some of the less fleshed out parts of the book (like Kitty's ability to bend space and time) and it would've be fine. Maybe not stellar, but fine. Instead, we get a garbled mess that makes me worry Marvel is once again going to screw up an X-Men relaunch. I guess the more things change...
The Weatherman #6: LeHeup really nails the landing here as he wraps up this first arc.
We learn the Marshal didn't kill the Pearl to save Nathan: he killed the Pearl so he could kill Nathan. But Cross successfully fights off the Marshal's partner, White Light — who Garren later hilariously calls Pinker-Bell — and stops the Marshal before he does the deed. Cross recruits the Marshal to their cause by explaining to him that Nathan is the link to the Sword of God and stresses how she let Pinker-Bell live as a sign of good faith.
She then uses the memory drug we've previously seen to rescue Nathan from his thought loop, though we finally get to see a glimpse of who he was. It's clear that Ian wasn't a raving lunatic as he tries to convince Jenner to stop his men from killing Shimani rebels seeking to secede from Arcadia. The memory jolts Nathan awake.
Later, Cross gets Orin Wetzel to tell her Dr. Nyseth's location, and Garren insists on joining Cross in her quest so he can watch her back, as he doesn't trust the Marshal or Pinker-Bell. (Garren seems to be the only person in this series with common sense.) They're all surprised to discover their destination (and presumably Nyseth's location): a satellite-surrounded Earth. Previously, I thought Earth had been destroyed, but it now seems more likely the Sword of God released some sort of biological weapon? All I know is I can't wait for the second act!
(I edited the texts of my "The Weatherman" reviews in November 2024 as I occasionally called Cross "Amy" instead of Amanda and the Marshal as "Cowboy" or just "Marshal.")
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #9; Darth Vader #23; Detective Comics #992; Dragon Age: Deception #2; Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #26; Thor #7; Vault of Spiders #2
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Not-Very-New Comics: The October 17 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Astonishing X-Men #16: I'll be honest: I got lost here and didn't try all too hard to find my way home. At some point Bastion apparently implanted some sort of code in Alex's brain. Alex agrees to give it to the Reavers so they can find his X-Men and, for them, Donald Pierce. But, it turns out they lied to him that they needed it to find the X-Men: they always had the ability to communicate with Pierce. But, with Alex's code, they can now control Sentinels somehow? It would all be easier to process this confusion if I also didn't have to look at Greg Land's porn poses all issue. I mean, if you're going to give me a porn pose, Greg, at least give me a porny Alex. Maybe then I could get over the meh-ness of this entire enterprise.
Batman #57: Every time Tom King manages to get himself in my good graces he does something to fall from them again. Bruce wordlessly fights KGBeast here in a battle we're supposed to feel is climatic but doesn't look any more serious than Bruce's average back-alley encounter in Gotham. But, it all goes downhill from there. King dubiously asserts that both Bruce and KGBeast insisted their fathers read the same fable to them as children, about a hare, squirrel, wolf, pig, and fox who travel to a church but fall into a pit along the way. King spends a lot of time on the fable, dedicating several pages to Daniel's recreation of the storybook. In the story, the fox tricks the pig and wolf into eating the hare and squirrel with him, then the pig into eating the wolf with him, and then the pig into eating himself. But, the fox is still left in the hole. To me, the fable seems to teach the value of teamwork, as the animals never even try to escape the hole. But, King seems to view it as justifying Bruce using his grappling hook to break KGBeast's neck and leaving him to die in Siberia, his vengeance sated. Really? No editor was like, "Um, that doesn't seem very Batman-y of him?" I think King wants us to see how Bruce and KGBeast are still stuck down the proverbial hole, but I'm not honestly sure. It's just a fucking mess. Percy did great stuff with the aftermath of Dick getting shot in issue #55, but King just totally drops the ball here.
Nightwing #51: Putting aside the jarring change in artists, this issue is decent. It's not great, but it's not terrible. Detective Sapienza finds the burnt-out remains of Nightwing's HQ and eventually decides to put on the uniform to tackle the huge spike in crime that came with Dick's disappearance over the last four months. "Ric" is still driving his taxi, and he encounters Alfred at his bar. This sequence reminds me of "General Hospital," where amnesiac Jason Morgan only trusted one former member of his family; Alfred doesn't rub Ric the wrong way, the way Babs does. They have a civil enough conversation before Ric starts his shift. When he's carjacked, he's stunned to find his reflexes leave the would-be thief battered and broken on the ground. As much as I like this new direction, I loathe Scott Lobdell and worry he's now going to ruin Dick Grayson just like he ruined Jason Todd. [Sigh.]
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #311: This issue is great. Zdarsky's absence is less noticeable because Ryan does a great job showing us how disruptive Morlun's sudden attack on Peter is: we're all disoriented. Peter's been web-slinging all night, so he's really off his game when Morlun attacks. It's a nice touch, because it's a reminder superheroes don't always get to pick when their most powerful nemesis attacks them. Morlun's attack happens essentially in real time: from the moment he attacks to the end of the issue is probably only ten minutes or so. Frigeri does a great job of showing the frantic nature of this fight: his fight scenes are propulsive. He trades off some detail for energy, and it suits this story perfectly. So far, so good, "Spider-geddon."
Thor #6: I haven't said a lot about the last few issues mostly because they've been pretty solid. Among many unexpected developments, the revelation that the glowing green worm driving Ego the Necroworld insane was Loki was awesome. I laughed when he stood revealed on the last page, impressed Aaron had pulled off something so obvious and yet at the same time unexpected. Based on the young girl's comments at the end of this issue, Loki now stands poised to destroy all existence, with Doom, Logan, and Thor all dead. But, Aaron is also telling a larger story, as generations of Earthlings live with a cracking and shaking world, adjusting to the battle between Doom and Thor at their core. If that's not a metaphor for our times, I don't know what is.
Also Read: Darth Vader #22; Dragon Age: Deception #1; Mr. and Mrs X #4; The New World #4; X-Men: Black - Mystique #1
Batman #57: Every time Tom King manages to get himself in my good graces he does something to fall from them again. Bruce wordlessly fights KGBeast here in a battle we're supposed to feel is climatic but doesn't look any more serious than Bruce's average back-alley encounter in Gotham. But, it all goes downhill from there. King dubiously asserts that both Bruce and KGBeast insisted their fathers read the same fable to them as children, about a hare, squirrel, wolf, pig, and fox who travel to a church but fall into a pit along the way. King spends a lot of time on the fable, dedicating several pages to Daniel's recreation of the storybook. In the story, the fox tricks the pig and wolf into eating the hare and squirrel with him, then the pig into eating the wolf with him, and then the pig into eating himself. But, the fox is still left in the hole. To me, the fable seems to teach the value of teamwork, as the animals never even try to escape the hole. But, King seems to view it as justifying Bruce using his grappling hook to break KGBeast's neck and leaving him to die in Siberia, his vengeance sated. Really? No editor was like, "Um, that doesn't seem very Batman-y of him?" I think King wants us to see how Bruce and KGBeast are still stuck down the proverbial hole, but I'm not honestly sure. It's just a fucking mess. Percy did great stuff with the aftermath of Dick getting shot in issue #55, but King just totally drops the ball here.
Nightwing #51: Putting aside the jarring change in artists, this issue is decent. It's not great, but it's not terrible. Detective Sapienza finds the burnt-out remains of Nightwing's HQ and eventually decides to put on the uniform to tackle the huge spike in crime that came with Dick's disappearance over the last four months. "Ric" is still driving his taxi, and he encounters Alfred at his bar. This sequence reminds me of "General Hospital," where amnesiac Jason Morgan only trusted one former member of his family; Alfred doesn't rub Ric the wrong way, the way Babs does. They have a civil enough conversation before Ric starts his shift. When he's carjacked, he's stunned to find his reflexes leave the would-be thief battered and broken on the ground. As much as I like this new direction, I loathe Scott Lobdell and worry he's now going to ruin Dick Grayson just like he ruined Jason Todd. [Sigh.]
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #311: This issue is great. Zdarsky's absence is less noticeable because Ryan does a great job showing us how disruptive Morlun's sudden attack on Peter is: we're all disoriented. Peter's been web-slinging all night, so he's really off his game when Morlun attacks. It's a nice touch, because it's a reminder superheroes don't always get to pick when their most powerful nemesis attacks them. Morlun's attack happens essentially in real time: from the moment he attacks to the end of the issue is probably only ten minutes or so. Frigeri does a great job of showing the frantic nature of this fight: his fight scenes are propulsive. He trades off some detail for energy, and it suits this story perfectly. So far, so good, "Spider-geddon."
Thor #6: I haven't said a lot about the last few issues mostly because they've been pretty solid. Among many unexpected developments, the revelation that the glowing green worm driving Ego the Necroworld insane was Loki was awesome. I laughed when he stood revealed on the last page, impressed Aaron had pulled off something so obvious and yet at the same time unexpected. Based on the young girl's comments at the end of this issue, Loki now stands poised to destroy all existence, with Doom, Logan, and Thor all dead. But, Aaron is also telling a larger story, as generations of Earthlings live with a cracking and shaking world, adjusting to the battle between Doom and Thor at their core. If that's not a metaphor for our times, I don't know what is.
Also Read: Darth Vader #22; Dragon Age: Deception #1; Mr. and Mrs X #4; The New World #4; X-Men: Black - Mystique #1
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Not-Very-New Comics: The September 26 Spider-Affinity Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
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
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
Friday, November 2, 2018
Not-Very-New Comics: The September Marvel 12 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Fantastic Four #2: This issue is solid. Slott makes the right call in aging Franklin and Valeria into teenagers, as they're much more interesting now than they were as children. Valeria's attraction to a Namor-like prince and Franklin's snarky self-confidence make them both more human than they've ever been: she's less arrogant, and he's less bland. They're at the heart of this issue as the Griever at the End of All Things attempts to undo all Franklin's work as he finally hits the end of his ability to create new Universes. She destroys the Molecule Man, and the team begins to flee to the Universe the most anchored to reality, where Reed feels they can save the next 1,000 Universes. But, Valeria isn't buying it, as it would mean sacrificing her prince's Universe. As such, she crash-lands them there to make a stand, where the Griever easily defeats them. However, Reed has an ace up his sleeve. As she crows about defeating the Fantastic Four, Reed reminds her she really just defeated the Future Foundation. He tricks her into allowing him to call for the Fantastic Four, and she's surprised to confront everyone who's ever worn a Fantastic Four uniform. When Slott's been at his best, it's been in these sorts of grand tales, and I'm excited to see where he goes from here.
Iceman #1: As happy as I am for "Iceman" to be on the stands again, I feel like Grace still is struggling to find his voice. In the previous iteration of this title, he had down Bobby's personality but the plots left something to be desired. Here, the plotting is much better. Bobby and Bishop manage to prevent the second Mutant Massacre when they foil Sinister's plan to purge mutantkind of mutants who don't look like Bobby. In fact, Grace really explores both pretty and white privilege here as the anti-Morlock mutants exalt Bobby as the ideal mutant. Who better than a handsome white guy to convince humans that mutants aren't all that bad? Of course, after seeing what he's seen over the course of his lifetime, Bobby isn't buying it, and it sets him on a collision course with Sinister that promises to test his Omega-level powers. But, it's hard not to find this Bobby obnoxious. It's one thing to portray Bobby as a jokester, it's another thing to portray him as a man trying to be a teenager. It plays into the stereotype of gay men as stuck in a perpetual adolescence, something Bobby is too experienced to be. As much as I want to like this series, I also don't want to be party to Bobby becoming a caricature of gay men.
Infinity Wars #3: This issue isn't bad per se, but Gamora's decision to fold the Universe in half seems motivated solely to generate tie-in issues. She's allegedly doing it to distract the heroes so she has time to go the God Quarry and discover why she can't see beyond the Quarry. But, it seems a somewhat extreme remedy to that problem. After all, if she's omnipotent and omniscient, couldn't she find an easier way to distract them? Moreover, I don't get what Duggan is trying to say about the Soul Gem. Loki mentions the Soul Gem is merely a door, so I guess that means "our" Universe is behind it. But, if "our" Universe is essentially in the Soul Gem, what exists outside it? It sounds like Devondra's hunger will eventually be sated, at which point the Soul Gem will be healed (for reasons that aren't clear to me) and a new reality will emerge (for reasons that aren't clear to me). Moreover, it's hard to understand Gamora's motivation here. Last issue, her soul was made whole, but for some reason she now wants to rebalance the Soul Gem. Couldn't she just call it a day? Or is she trying to prevent Devondra from successfully eating our Universe? Duggan implies it's because she's gone insane with power, but he never actually makes that clear. It's why this event feels so hollow, like you can see behind the set at a musical. At the very least, I didn't get sucked into all the tie-in issues for this one.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #309: This issue concludes one of the best two-and-done arcs I've ever read. Zdarsky seemed to be gearing for a significant arc, with all the mysterious time-travel allusions last issue. But, he wraps up everything neatly here. We learn a Sandman from an alternate Universe took advantage of Spidey opening up that multiversal door while fighting the Vedomi to travel to "our" reality. He seizes control of "our" Sandman to avoid the end of his Universe. (In the process, we learn our Sandman's consciousness resides in one grain of sand.) Our Sandman discovers that he can somehow transfer his powers to another person, so he empowers Spidey to fight the other Sandman. (I'll admit this part makes the least sense, even if it's cool.) This fight is tailor made for Chris Bachalo; it's one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen. Spidey calls on Ben and Johnny for help, and Johnny arrives with the Multisect just in time to save him from the alternate Sandman. When the dust (heh) settles, Sandman thanks Spidey for the save. He's understandably disturbed to learn that he's not really human anymore and that he may very well live forever. Is there a Zdarsky-penned "Sandman" title in our future? Because I'd buy it. Otherwise, I just continue to love this series and everything Zdarsky and now Bachalo are doing with it. It reminds me of the best parts of "Brand New Day."
X-Men: Blue #35: Bunn does a great job here articulating what I've been feeling over the last few issues. I'll admit it feels weirdly anti-climatic that he presents the kids as having decided to return to the past, as I can't really put my finger on the moment when they made that decision. Bunn seems to argue they accepted the inevitability of their return and it's as good of a time as any, but we never really see them get to that epiphany. Maybe it was Magneto's defection to the Dark Side (again) that made them realize they're tired of fighting a fight that isn't their fight. At any rate, Bunn does a great job of showing how Bobby and Scott will suffer the most from returning home. Bobby, Sr. tells Bobby, Jr. at least he'll get to come out of the closet on his own terms, as opposed to Jean outing him. But, that's not really true, given Bobby, Jr. essentially outed Bobby, Sr. But, Bobby, Jr. hits the nose on the head when he says he feels awesome now; he's not comforted by the idea he'll eventually be awesome. Plus, Scott has to accept the fact that it really is suicide for him; it feels that way for everyone else, but they at least have an adult counterpart. He will die. But, Bunn doesn't dwell on that too much. In fact, he has Hank specifically say it's Bobby who suffers the worse fate, because they really are destroying the people they've become and he's gone the farthest (even if it came form Jean's intervention). If anything, I'm disappointed it's Brisson and not Bunn who'll wrap up the kids' story, but it is what it is, I guess.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #5; Darth Vader #21; Detective Comics #988; The Weatherman #4; Ms. Marvel #34
Iceman #1: As happy as I am for "Iceman" to be on the stands again, I feel like Grace still is struggling to find his voice. In the previous iteration of this title, he had down Bobby's personality but the plots left something to be desired. Here, the plotting is much better. Bobby and Bishop manage to prevent the second Mutant Massacre when they foil Sinister's plan to purge mutantkind of mutants who don't look like Bobby. In fact, Grace really explores both pretty and white privilege here as the anti-Morlock mutants exalt Bobby as the ideal mutant. Who better than a handsome white guy to convince humans that mutants aren't all that bad? Of course, after seeing what he's seen over the course of his lifetime, Bobby isn't buying it, and it sets him on a collision course with Sinister that promises to test his Omega-level powers. But, it's hard not to find this Bobby obnoxious. It's one thing to portray Bobby as a jokester, it's another thing to portray him as a man trying to be a teenager. It plays into the stereotype of gay men as stuck in a perpetual adolescence, something Bobby is too experienced to be. As much as I want to like this series, I also don't want to be party to Bobby becoming a caricature of gay men.
Infinity Wars #3: This issue isn't bad per se, but Gamora's decision to fold the Universe in half seems motivated solely to generate tie-in issues. She's allegedly doing it to distract the heroes so she has time to go the God Quarry and discover why she can't see beyond the Quarry. But, it seems a somewhat extreme remedy to that problem. After all, if she's omnipotent and omniscient, couldn't she find an easier way to distract them? Moreover, I don't get what Duggan is trying to say about the Soul Gem. Loki mentions the Soul Gem is merely a door, so I guess that means "our" Universe is behind it. But, if "our" Universe is essentially in the Soul Gem, what exists outside it? It sounds like Devondra's hunger will eventually be sated, at which point the Soul Gem will be healed (for reasons that aren't clear to me) and a new reality will emerge (for reasons that aren't clear to me). Moreover, it's hard to understand Gamora's motivation here. Last issue, her soul was made whole, but for some reason she now wants to rebalance the Soul Gem. Couldn't she just call it a day? Or is she trying to prevent Devondra from successfully eating our Universe? Duggan implies it's because she's gone insane with power, but he never actually makes that clear. It's why this event feels so hollow, like you can see behind the set at a musical. At the very least, I didn't get sucked into all the tie-in issues for this one.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #309: This issue concludes one of the best two-and-done arcs I've ever read. Zdarsky seemed to be gearing for a significant arc, with all the mysterious time-travel allusions last issue. But, he wraps up everything neatly here. We learn a Sandman from an alternate Universe took advantage of Spidey opening up that multiversal door while fighting the Vedomi to travel to "our" reality. He seizes control of "our" Sandman to avoid the end of his Universe. (In the process, we learn our Sandman's consciousness resides in one grain of sand.) Our Sandman discovers that he can somehow transfer his powers to another person, so he empowers Spidey to fight the other Sandman. (I'll admit this part makes the least sense, even if it's cool.) This fight is tailor made for Chris Bachalo; it's one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen. Spidey calls on Ben and Johnny for help, and Johnny arrives with the Multisect just in time to save him from the alternate Sandman. When the dust (heh) settles, Sandman thanks Spidey for the save. He's understandably disturbed to learn that he's not really human anymore and that he may very well live forever. Is there a Zdarsky-penned "Sandman" title in our future? Because I'd buy it. Otherwise, I just continue to love this series and everything Zdarsky and now Bachalo are doing with it. It reminds me of the best parts of "Brand New Day."
X-Men: Blue #35: Bunn does a great job here articulating what I've been feeling over the last few issues. I'll admit it feels weirdly anti-climatic that he presents the kids as having decided to return to the past, as I can't really put my finger on the moment when they made that decision. Bunn seems to argue they accepted the inevitability of their return and it's as good of a time as any, but we never really see them get to that epiphany. Maybe it was Magneto's defection to the Dark Side (again) that made them realize they're tired of fighting a fight that isn't their fight. At any rate, Bunn does a great job of showing how Bobby and Scott will suffer the most from returning home. Bobby, Sr. tells Bobby, Jr. at least he'll get to come out of the closet on his own terms, as opposed to Jean outing him. But, that's not really true, given Bobby, Jr. essentially outed Bobby, Sr. But, Bobby, Jr. hits the nose on the head when he says he feels awesome now; he's not comforted by the idea he'll eventually be awesome. Plus, Scott has to accept the fact that it really is suicide for him; it feels that way for everyone else, but they at least have an adult counterpart. He will die. But, Bunn doesn't dwell on that too much. In fact, he has Hank specifically say it's Bobby who suffers the worse fate, because they really are destroying the people they've become and he's gone the farthest (even if it came form Jean's intervention). If anything, I'm disappointed it's Brisson and not Bunn who'll wrap up the kids' story, but it is what it is, I guess.
Also Read: Amazing Spider-Man #5; Darth Vader #21; Detective Comics #988; The Weatherman #4; Ms. Marvel #34
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Not-Very-New Comics: The August 15 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Astonishing X-Men Annual #1: This issue is creepy as hell, but it does something most X-Men stories don’t (but should): it presents Charles Xavier as an unapologetic asshole. Jean holds a reunion of the original X-Men (leaving a seat for Scott) and they ponder how far their lives are from the lives they wanted as adolescents. (Hilariously, they agree Bobby is actually doing pretty well.) However, "X" (as we're now calling him) arrives and whisks them to Lago, New York. It's the location of an anti-mutant hate crime that happened when they were students at the School. X reveals Lucifer — the alien who stole his ability to walk — has taken over the town. Underlining how different he is from Xavier, their conflict ends when X manipulates Angel into becoming Archangel to kill Lucifer. (The severed link also kills the townspeople, which X doesn't really seem to mind.) X uses the fight to tell the X-Men to shove their pity party, as the only choice they ever had was to save the world or die in it. Jean asks if he cared if they were happy. As he wipes away their memories of these events and departs, he says he had hoped they found happiness in doing good. The group replays their dinner the next night in a much happier mindset. It’s hard to know if X changed their perspectives forcefully or they're in a better place through the faded memory of the experience, but it is what it is. I still can’t say I’m buying “X,” but this issue does make me feel like Marvel should probably be doing more to get the band back together again. I'm fine with Scott staying dead for a while so we can finally see Jean without him, as we were able to see him without her. But, it doesn't mean we can't get the four remaining "originals" together to heal some of the wounds they identified before X mindwiped them. I'd read that series quite happily.
Extermination #1: I appreciate what Brisson tries to do here, but I don't know if it really works. "X-Men Blue" has been such a chaotic series lately that Bunn barely had time to imbue Bloodstorm with much personality, making it hard to feel as devastated by her death as Brisson wants us to feel here. Sure, I feel bad for Scott, but it's also hard to believe he was so attached, seeing how he recently spent a significant amount of time in space. Also, does anyone even remotely believe Cable isn't going to magically return from the dead? Brisson tells a more interesting story when it comes to the idea the X-Men are facing two seemingly unconnected threats. We don't know why Ahab decides to make a play for Cyclops here, but his presence in the present explains why Rachel's hound persona has been emerging lately. Meanwhile, young Nathan accuses older Nathan of neglecting his duty in not forcing the original X-Men to return to their time. According to young Nathan, this decision leads to a slaughter at the Mansion 20 years in the future. Older Nathan claims he's wrong; in a grammatically challenging sentence, he says "they needed them to see...what they became" so they could return to the past and be better. I'm assuming older Nathan means he allowed the kids to stay in the present in the hope they'd return to their time with some lessons learned. But I don't get that, because it assumes they'd remember their time in the present, which we seem already to know doesn't happen. Separately, it's possible Ahab and younger Nathan are working together, but the X-Men know that it wasn't Ahab who "killed" older Nathan. As we go forward, I hope Brisson keeps the focus on the kids and doesn't get lost in the sprawling time-travel narrative. If this story ends with the kids accepting a fate where they don't remember their time in the present, it means Bobby accepting returning to the closet, Jean and Scott accepting the deaths and heartbreaks in their future, Warren accepting the horror his life becomes, and Hank accepting the sadness that weighs on him today. Walking us through that heroism is the story, as I see it, and hopefully Brisson keeps that in mind.
Multiple Man #3: Emperor Jamie's shock troops make pretty quick work of the team, though Forge manages to create the time bracelets that send the dupes into the future to become the superhero versions of Jamie. (Super-Jamies?) Emperor Jamie has this Jamie brought before him, and we learn Emperor Jamie became unstable around the time the Beast gave him a serum to turn him into the Prime Jamie. (I don't get this part. Prime Jamie was the original Jamie. You can't just turn a dupe into Prime Jamie. What exactly did the serum do?) But, this Jamie says it's not why he became unstable; they were in that bunker in the first place because they were the "evil, megalomaniacal" version of Prime Jamie, plotting to displace him. Emperor Jamie doesn't necessarily buy that argument, but it doesn't matter, because he kills this Jamie. Yeah, I'm not sure I care anymore either.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #308: The thing about Chip Zdarsky is that he’s probably the best in the business right now of telling multilayered stories. He reminds me of Peter David during the “X-Factor” heyday. Here, we could just be getting a story of Sandman’s death, as his body can no longer stay cohesive. If it were just that, it would still be great. The scene where Spidey takes him to the beach at Coney Island is spectacular (heh). Zdarsky infuses it with incredible emotion, from Flint telling us how his mother would get plastered while he built sandcastles there to him telling Peter not to take off his mask because he doesn’t want to learn he’s Chris Evans handsome. (Flint tells us he always pictured Spidey as having an ugly mug.) It’s funny and wistful and meaningful. It has that certain je ne sais quoi that “Extermination” #1 lacked, that ability to convey emotions through dialogue and lines. I have to single out Chris Bachalo here as well, as he captures the scenery perfectly; I could hear the seagulls calling, the beach scenes were so evocative. But, Zdarsky goes one further. Using Sandman's dreams, he hints that one version of Sandman is living in our future and made of glass and another version of him faces a grimdark iteration of Spider-Man. These hints are what makes this issue so propulsive, elevating it from a simpler story. Even with Nick Spencer’s debut on “Amazing Spider-Man,” this title is the main Spidey title to me.
The Weatherman #3: Well, I certainly didn't see Nathan (allegedly) killing Cross (a.k.a Amanda) coming.
Nathan realizes that Cross doesn't care about him. From the start of the issue, though, LeHeup hints Cross has some ability to differentiate Ian from Nathan and thus some sympathy for his plight. But she also has her mission. It turns out Dr. Nyseth kept records of the minds she wiped, but she was gone when Fitch's agents got to her lab. Cross is now trying to find Nyseth's former assistant, Orin Wetzel, with the goal of getting back Ian's memories. However, Nathan realizes she intends to implant the memories into his brain, turning him into Ian so she can discover details about Jenner's plan. LeHeup and Fox do a great job of showing Nathan on edge at this point.
He and Cross spent most of this issue fleeing people in hot pursuit of them, after the two bounty hunters alert the news media to their presence in Tharsis. But, throughout this chase, he's actually in a good mood: he has a blast piloting the car while Cross opens fire on the pursuers, a sign of his inability to take anything too seriously. But the grim look on his face as he (allegedly) murders Cross makes it clear Ian might not totally be gone.
Meanwhile, other intrigue builds in this issue. The Martian president realizes Fitch had gone rogue when her team informs her Cross escaped the Nebula before it was destroyed. It's an interesting angle, as I had figured Fitch was running a sanctioned operation in tracking down Nathan. LeHeup also subtly implies we shouldn't rule out the Sword of God's motivations being more complicated than simply looking to do evil. Sure, it's hard to imagine how they would justify blowing up Earth was for the greater good. But an answer may be out there.
Meanwhile, LeHeup and Fox continue to drive home the horror of that loss, as Cross and Nathan encounter a dead junkie addicted to a drug that allows you to re-live your memories. The woman has a stuffed bunny on her lap, and Cross explains that "tethers" help users stay attached to their positive memories while using the drug. It's hard stuff. Meanwhile, we're introduced to a crime lord who tortures to death a former employee who stole from him, though it's still unclear how that part of the story connects to Nathan's. I'm guessing it's not a happy connection.
The Wild Storm #16: At this point, as much as I'm enjoying this series, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, with so few issues left. John continues his tour of Thunderbook subjects, this time meeting with a woman with pretty incredible powers over matter. Angie discovers she can directly access the internet, bringing her to Jenny's attention. Jenny decides Angie's a cool chick and invites her to work with her and the Doctor if she ever gets tired of Halo. After this interaction, Angie decides she's tired of hiding and asks Cole to teach her how to shoot a gun. It's all interesting stuff, but we only have eight issues left. If everyone goes to war, it's hard to see how it's going to happen in such a short time. Ellis had previously mentioned two series would follow this one, and it's hard to know which way he'll go. Will it be StormWatch and Wild C.A.T.s? I guess we'll see.
Also Read: Batman #53; Edge of Spider-geddon #1; Infinity Wars #2; Thor #4
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Not-So-New Comics: The July 18 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Avengers #5: OK, this issue is (finally) pretty great. The story Aaron has been (slowly) building finally hits full steam here.
Loki exposits the secret history of the Marvel Universe to Cap, revealing the Horde managed to infect the Progenitor while s/he traveled space; life on Earth began from his/her excrement and vomit. (Nice touch, Jason.) The divine and radioactive nature of said excrement and vomit is why we have so many superheroes. The Progenitor’s lover, Zgreb the Aspirant, came to find the Progenitor, but instead the Horde infected him, too. Odin and his prehistoric Avengers defeated Zgreb, and the First Host came to find him and the Progenitor. But, they left without them, possibly for fear of the Horde infecting them, too. The Horde innovated this time, turning Zgreb into a Dark Celestial (Zgreb the Sorrower) instead of killing him. Somehow the Horde then got its many hands on other Celestials, creating the Final Host, which killed all the other Celestials.
With the history lesson complete, the team swings into action. Black Panther manages to charge Carol and his suit with the same energy as the Horde emits, allowing them (apparently) to destroy its composite members. Ghost Rider rescues Cap from Loki’s clutches in the Arctic Ocean, and Cap inspires him to go big, using his powers to take control of one of the dead Celestials. She-Hulk and Thor ingest Ymir’s blood, growing to the same size as the Celestials, and Tony calls on his Godkiller MKII armor from Mars. Now, these four "Giant-Sized" Avengers (again, clever, Jason) take on the Final Host.
It’s all pretty great. I'll say I’m having some trouble buying Cap’s more jocular tone here, but otherwise Aaron has everyone’s voices down so well it’s like watching a Marvel movie, which I assume this arc will eventually be.
Old Man Hawkeye #7: The problem with this issue is that it's hard to engage emotionally with it when you know it isn't "real." In fact, it almost leaves you wishing you'd pick up an issue of an event that unfolded this way. It would be truly shocking to see Magneto murder Wanda. (Paging "Age of Ultron" #1.) Instead, Sacks just hits his marks of shocking death after shocking death without really explaining how the villains got the upper hand. I mean, sure, Magneto unexpectedly kills Wanda, which helps set the stage for the Thunderbolts' successful betrayal; Wanda would've definitely helped mitigate their impact on the battlefield. But, we're never told why the Thunderbolts betray the Avengers in the first place. In fact, Abe wants us to believe Melissa is devastated by her decision, though Sacks never explaining why she made it in the first place. (I assume she made it under duress and we'll learn that once Hawkeye finds her at the convent where she's been hiding.) However, Atlas gleefully murders the Black Knight and Quicksilver here, despite Hawkeye initially swearing he trusted Eric. What changed? Also, Creel's murder of Thor happens essentially off-panel; we're supposed to believe he managed to absorb Wanda's magic (after she died) and Thor's lightning and somehow became a god. But, would Thor really be hurt by a lightning- and magic-powered Creel? Isn't he lightning- and magic-powered? I mean, it's not a terrible issue, but it's not as amazing as the editors wanted us to believe it was going to be.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #307: Man, Chip Zdarsky has to stop making me cry. Between Peter and Tinkerer sharing each other's pain to Teresa's decision to turn herself into the authorities before she meets Aunt May, this issue is an emotional fucking roller coaster. The next issue is a preview of Peter going against the Sandman, and I just hope it's a nice, normal slugathon. My emotions need a rest.
Spider-Gwen #34: As I've mentioned before, I wasn't previously a fan of Jason Latour. I could go into details, but I won't: let's just leave it at that. Then, "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2 happened. Now? I'm hard pressed to think of a more consistently coherent and emotional story than the one he, Robbi Rodriguez, and Rico Renzi have told over the course of this series. At no point did a loose end slip or a ridiculous arc drag. Every moment was packed with emotion and honesty and it drove the next moment packed with emotion and honesty. From Gwen's original sin of "killing" Peter to her tearful conversation with Harry in Madripoor to her resolved argument with her dad in this issue, this series has always been about her relationships. Do I really, really hope "Ghost-Spider" involves Gwen traveling town to town with the Mary Janes, solving crimes and righting wrongs in a way that would make Bill Bixby proud? Yes, yes, I do. But, it doesn't have to happen. Latour, Rodriguez, and Renzi have already told the story of a young woman coming to terms with the mistakes that she's made and overcoming the shame those mistakes inspired in her to become the hero she always was. Origin stories can often glide over the emotional side of this phase, focusing instead on the hero simply learning (usually with an emphasis on comedy) how to use his/her new powers. Unlike possibly anyone who came before him, Latour put the emotional and relationship mistakes front and center of Gwen's story. She couldn't simply learn from her mistakes; she had to take responsibility for them. That's who Gwen Stacy is. It even took her a while to get there, making you wonder at some points if she would get there. Now? She's Spider-Gwen, damn it. I can't wait to see what she does next.
Star Wars #51: This issue reads like a goddamn movie and I feel downright privileged to have read it. The rebels realize the Shu-Torun program only blocks the flight-bay doors from the inside; if someone can fly a ship broadcasting the Rebel frequency near the doors, they should open. One of the generals tries to fly one of the shuttles (that I assume was attached outside the cruiser via airlocks), but the Empire easily destroys it. However, Han unexpectedly arrives and, in a bid to impress Leia, takes on the task himself. I can't tell you the joy I felt reading this issue, from Han putting Threepio on the shields and telling him "life-and-death stakes are a great motivator" to Threepio later yelling, "We're doomed" when Vader manages to hit them. Did I mention that Vader appears from nowhere just as they're ready to activate the doors? The first few issues of this series really captured the sense of watching a sequel to "Star Wars" and Gillen recreates that magic again, as everyone acts and sounds the way you expect them act and sound. I couldn't be happier with this issue.
Thor #3: It’s hard to believe this issue is only a standard size, given how much happens in it. After the various children and grandchildren of Odin fight and squabble in hilarious fashion, Loki proposes Balder and Hel get married so they can unite the fractured armies of Hel behind them and take on Sindr before she destroys Niffleheim. However, Thor reminds Loki the souls in these armies weren’t warriors in real life; they need the Einherjar from Valhalla. However, you can’t get to Valhalla unless you’re dead, so Loki murders Thor at his request, just as Thor is telling him he still believes in him and loves him. (It’s hilariously poignant.) But, it all comes to a head as an unexpected figure stops the wedding: Thanos. Honestly, I totally didn’t see that coming, but I can’t get over how brilliant it is. As ridiculous as this entire issue is (and seeing Thori as a flower girl is as absurd and awesome as it possibly could be), it all works because Aaron has everyone’s characterization and voices down so well. As Sindr learns from Gar-Toom the Blooddrinker how to murder souls, we come to appreciate the threat Odin’s family faces and why this wedding maybe isn’t as ridiculous as it seems. It all happens against the backdrop of some of the best art and colors I’ve ever seen. Aaron and the creative team are quite simply on fire. (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)
Also Read: Daredevil #605; Darth Vader Annual #2; X-Men: Gold #32; X-Men: Red #6
Loki exposits the secret history of the Marvel Universe to Cap, revealing the Horde managed to infect the Progenitor while s/he traveled space; life on Earth began from his/her excrement and vomit. (Nice touch, Jason.) The divine and radioactive nature of said excrement and vomit is why we have so many superheroes. The Progenitor’s lover, Zgreb the Aspirant, came to find the Progenitor, but instead the Horde infected him, too. Odin and his prehistoric Avengers defeated Zgreb, and the First Host came to find him and the Progenitor. But, they left without them, possibly for fear of the Horde infecting them, too. The Horde innovated this time, turning Zgreb into a Dark Celestial (Zgreb the Sorrower) instead of killing him. Somehow the Horde then got its many hands on other Celestials, creating the Final Host, which killed all the other Celestials.
With the history lesson complete, the team swings into action. Black Panther manages to charge Carol and his suit with the same energy as the Horde emits, allowing them (apparently) to destroy its composite members. Ghost Rider rescues Cap from Loki’s clutches in the Arctic Ocean, and Cap inspires him to go big, using his powers to take control of one of the dead Celestials. She-Hulk and Thor ingest Ymir’s blood, growing to the same size as the Celestials, and Tony calls on his Godkiller MKII armor from Mars. Now, these four "Giant-Sized" Avengers (again, clever, Jason) take on the Final Host.
It’s all pretty great. I'll say I’m having some trouble buying Cap’s more jocular tone here, but otherwise Aaron has everyone’s voices down so well it’s like watching a Marvel movie, which I assume this arc will eventually be.
Old Man Hawkeye #7: The problem with this issue is that it's hard to engage emotionally with it when you know it isn't "real." In fact, it almost leaves you wishing you'd pick up an issue of an event that unfolded this way. It would be truly shocking to see Magneto murder Wanda. (Paging "Age of Ultron" #1.) Instead, Sacks just hits his marks of shocking death after shocking death without really explaining how the villains got the upper hand. I mean, sure, Magneto unexpectedly kills Wanda, which helps set the stage for the Thunderbolts' successful betrayal; Wanda would've definitely helped mitigate their impact on the battlefield. But, we're never told why the Thunderbolts betray the Avengers in the first place. In fact, Abe wants us to believe Melissa is devastated by her decision, though Sacks never explaining why she made it in the first place. (I assume she made it under duress and we'll learn that once Hawkeye finds her at the convent where she's been hiding.) However, Atlas gleefully murders the Black Knight and Quicksilver here, despite Hawkeye initially swearing he trusted Eric. What changed? Also, Creel's murder of Thor happens essentially off-panel; we're supposed to believe he managed to absorb Wanda's magic (after she died) and Thor's lightning and somehow became a god. But, would Thor really be hurt by a lightning- and magic-powered Creel? Isn't he lightning- and magic-powered? I mean, it's not a terrible issue, but it's not as amazing as the editors wanted us to believe it was going to be.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #307: Man, Chip Zdarsky has to stop making me cry. Between Peter and Tinkerer sharing each other's pain to Teresa's decision to turn herself into the authorities before she meets Aunt May, this issue is an emotional fucking roller coaster. The next issue is a preview of Peter going against the Sandman, and I just hope it's a nice, normal slugathon. My emotions need a rest.
Spider-Gwen #34: As I've mentioned before, I wasn't previously a fan of Jason Latour. I could go into details, but I won't: let's just leave it at that. Then, "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2 happened. Now? I'm hard pressed to think of a more consistently coherent and emotional story than the one he, Robbi Rodriguez, and Rico Renzi have told over the course of this series. At no point did a loose end slip or a ridiculous arc drag. Every moment was packed with emotion and honesty and it drove the next moment packed with emotion and honesty. From Gwen's original sin of "killing" Peter to her tearful conversation with Harry in Madripoor to her resolved argument with her dad in this issue, this series has always been about her relationships. Do I really, really hope "Ghost-Spider" involves Gwen traveling town to town with the Mary Janes, solving crimes and righting wrongs in a way that would make Bill Bixby proud? Yes, yes, I do. But, it doesn't have to happen. Latour, Rodriguez, and Renzi have already told the story of a young woman coming to terms with the mistakes that she's made and overcoming the shame those mistakes inspired in her to become the hero she always was. Origin stories can often glide over the emotional side of this phase, focusing instead on the hero simply learning (usually with an emphasis on comedy) how to use his/her new powers. Unlike possibly anyone who came before him, Latour put the emotional and relationship mistakes front and center of Gwen's story. She couldn't simply learn from her mistakes; she had to take responsibility for them. That's who Gwen Stacy is. It even took her a while to get there, making you wonder at some points if she would get there. Now? She's Spider-Gwen, damn it. I can't wait to see what she does next.
Star Wars #51: This issue reads like a goddamn movie and I feel downright privileged to have read it. The rebels realize the Shu-Torun program only blocks the flight-bay doors from the inside; if someone can fly a ship broadcasting the Rebel frequency near the doors, they should open. One of the generals tries to fly one of the shuttles (that I assume was attached outside the cruiser via airlocks), but the Empire easily destroys it. However, Han unexpectedly arrives and, in a bid to impress Leia, takes on the task himself. I can't tell you the joy I felt reading this issue, from Han putting Threepio on the shields and telling him "life-and-death stakes are a great motivator" to Threepio later yelling, "We're doomed" when Vader manages to hit them. Did I mention that Vader appears from nowhere just as they're ready to activate the doors? The first few issues of this series really captured the sense of watching a sequel to "Star Wars" and Gillen recreates that magic again, as everyone acts and sounds the way you expect them act and sound. I couldn't be happier with this issue.
Thor #3: It’s hard to believe this issue is only a standard size, given how much happens in it. After the various children and grandchildren of Odin fight and squabble in hilarious fashion, Loki proposes Balder and Hel get married so they can unite the fractured armies of Hel behind them and take on Sindr before she destroys Niffleheim. However, Thor reminds Loki the souls in these armies weren’t warriors in real life; they need the Einherjar from Valhalla. However, you can’t get to Valhalla unless you’re dead, so Loki murders Thor at his request, just as Thor is telling him he still believes in him and loves him. (It’s hilariously poignant.) But, it all comes to a head as an unexpected figure stops the wedding: Thanos. Honestly, I totally didn’t see that coming, but I can’t get over how brilliant it is. As ridiculous as this entire issue is (and seeing Thori as a flower girl is as absurd and awesome as it possibly could be), it all works because Aaron has everyone’s characterization and voices down so well. As Sindr learns from Gar-Toom the Blooddrinker how to murder souls, we come to appreciate the threat Odin’s family faces and why this wedding maybe isn’t as ridiculous as it seems. It all happens against the backdrop of some of the best art and colors I’ve ever seen. Aaron and the creative team are quite simply on fire. (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)
Also Read: Daredevil #605; Darth Vader Annual #2; X-Men: Gold #32; X-Men: Red #6
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
New-ish Comics: The June 27 Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Infinity Countdown: Darkhawk #3: Seriously how many times can Marvel ret-con Darkhawk’s origin? We learn here the Gardener, one of the Elders of the Universe, created the Tree of Shadows. He was obsessed with seeing where he could grow life, and he saw the Darkforce Dimension as a challenge. He apparently forgot about the Tree after planting it. However, millennia later, the Shi’ar and Skrulls somehow discovered it and fought over it. A Shi’ar soldier gets to the Tree first and steals a seed, and it somehow transforms him into a set of “living armor.” (I'm definitely not sure how that happened. Did his armor take over his body? If so, how and why did the Tree make that happen?) Moreover, the soldier observes the Skrulls changing shape, which somehow allows him to change shape? I don’t know. At any rate, he seems to be the first Raptor. Chris gets this information from Razor, who was supposedly dead but whose essence is apparently still rattling around wherever Chris’ consciousness/soul is. Along those lines, I think the amulet is Chris' soul now? He mentions how his soul is powering Starhawk; since Robbie became Starhawk when he got his hands on the amulet, the transitive property means Chris' soul is the amulet. At any rate, Razor’s pep talk here means Chris can suddenly alter his armor again. This time, he sheds his former armor like a skin and becomes a new set of armor that can turn into a ship. I don't know. This whole story just feels like a mess.
Multiple Man #1: "Dammit, Jamie! Stuff like this is why everyone finds you so annoying!" Truer words, Beast, truer words. The new New Mutants find one of Jamie's dupes in a sealed-off lab, though we're never told why they're looking for the lab in the first place. It turns out this dupe had all of Jamie's science abilities and was trying to create a serum that would stabilize dupes and let them live independently from Jamie, in cases just like this one, where Jamie Prime is dead. However, he's not as smart as Beast, so the serum only works temporarily. As Beast works to stabilize the serum, Jamie swipes Bishop's time-travel device and heads to the future. He returns almost immediately to stop something (we're not sure what yet) from happening, and he unexpectedly brings back versions of himself who are also Cable, Deadpool, Dr. Strange, and Hulk. Yeah, it's confusing. At this stage, Rosenberg hasn't hinted Jamie Prime survived the Terrigen Mists, so we're left to assume Jamie Prime is really dead. But, that said, if Jamie could travel to the future, why not travel to the past, grab Jamie Prime, travel back to the present (skipping the Terrigen Mists), and have him reabsorb Jamie? Anyone?
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #306: I've said it before and I'll say it again: this title is the Spider-Man title. From his fresh take on JJJ, Jr. to his introduction of new characters (like Teresa), Zdarsky is telling a modern Spider-Man tale, not entangled in all the usual clichés and tropes Spider-Man carries with him after 55 years. But, it's still a Spider-Man story at its heart. In the present, Daredevil leads Peter and the gang to the Resistance's secret base in the Baxter Building. There, T'Challa analyzes the device the Vedomi scout gave Peter and reveals it's a capsule that connects a biological consciousness with the Vedomi's hivemind. The connected person would then be able to override the Vedomi's directive, making them see Earth as an empty planet. Before anyone can react, Peter opens the capsule and absorbs the programming. It allows him full access to his memories, including his parents. He's overwhelmed, but Teresa encourages him to embrace it, a reminder that he needs to save the people who love him. (He sees MJ at one point, and I wonder if the editors would let Zdarsky have Peter remember the deal with Mephisto...) At any rate, these sequences are what makes this story a Spider-Man story, grounded as they are in Peter Parker and his experiences. He tells Teresa he's not going to survive this adventure, since his body is overheating due to the presence of the programming. He makes his way onto the ship, but, before he can merge with the core, the Tinkerer appears. (Earlier he had hacked into Ironheart's armor and used her as a ride to the ship.) Dun-dun-DUN! Zdarsky even manages to upgrade the Tinkerer here into a threat in and of himself. I'll admit I rolled my eyes at the claim that Peter is going to die, but, otherwise, Zdarsky is telling a great story here. Whereas I'm bored of the similarly long "Daredevil" arc about Wilson Fisk as Mayor of New York, Zdarsky has managed to keep this tale fresh as we enter the last act.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #21: Spurrier is clearly writing for the trade, because I had to re-read last issue and this one just to get a basic sense of the plot. But, it's not just because there are twists and turns, because twists and turns are good. It's because it's all lost in a variety of technical mumbo-jumbo that I find hard to understand but is unfortunately key to understanding the plot. Moreover, the technical mumbo-jumbo consists of a string of overly convenient developments that even Aphra seems unlikely to be able to arrange. This title keeps creeping down my list, to be honest.
X-Men: Blue #30: These two issues have just been uncharacteristically terrible. I barely care about Jimmy let alone Jimmy as the central figure in a storyline that continues from a cross-over event I didn't read. It's like a particularly bad hangover. Like last issue, this issue focuses on Jimmy as a Poison, something we're supposed to believe means he's functionally dead. Yet, Bunn has already shown Jean was able to resurrect herself, so it's clear Jimmy will be able to do so, too. As such, I'm not sure why Bunn made the decision to extend this story, when he has much more interesting ones to tell. Whatever. This series ends in six issues anyway.
Also Read: Marvel 2-in-One #7; Ms. Marvel #31; Old Man Hawkeye #6; Star Wars: Lando - Double or Nothing #2; Thor #2
Multiple Man #1: "Dammit, Jamie! Stuff like this is why everyone finds you so annoying!" Truer words, Beast, truer words. The new New Mutants find one of Jamie's dupes in a sealed-off lab, though we're never told why they're looking for the lab in the first place. It turns out this dupe had all of Jamie's science abilities and was trying to create a serum that would stabilize dupes and let them live independently from Jamie, in cases just like this one, where Jamie Prime is dead. However, he's not as smart as Beast, so the serum only works temporarily. As Beast works to stabilize the serum, Jamie swipes Bishop's time-travel device and heads to the future. He returns almost immediately to stop something (we're not sure what yet) from happening, and he unexpectedly brings back versions of himself who are also Cable, Deadpool, Dr. Strange, and Hulk. Yeah, it's confusing. At this stage, Rosenberg hasn't hinted Jamie Prime survived the Terrigen Mists, so we're left to assume Jamie Prime is really dead. But, that said, if Jamie could travel to the future, why not travel to the past, grab Jamie Prime, travel back to the present (skipping the Terrigen Mists), and have him reabsorb Jamie? Anyone?
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #306: I've said it before and I'll say it again: this title is the Spider-Man title. From his fresh take on JJJ, Jr. to his introduction of new characters (like Teresa), Zdarsky is telling a modern Spider-Man tale, not entangled in all the usual clichés and tropes Spider-Man carries with him after 55 years. But, it's still a Spider-Man story at its heart. In the present, Daredevil leads Peter and the gang to the Resistance's secret base in the Baxter Building. There, T'Challa analyzes the device the Vedomi scout gave Peter and reveals it's a capsule that connects a biological consciousness with the Vedomi's hivemind. The connected person would then be able to override the Vedomi's directive, making them see Earth as an empty planet. Before anyone can react, Peter opens the capsule and absorbs the programming. It allows him full access to his memories, including his parents. He's overwhelmed, but Teresa encourages him to embrace it, a reminder that he needs to save the people who love him. (He sees MJ at one point, and I wonder if the editors would let Zdarsky have Peter remember the deal with Mephisto...) At any rate, these sequences are what makes this story a Spider-Man story, grounded as they are in Peter Parker and his experiences. He tells Teresa he's not going to survive this adventure, since his body is overheating due to the presence of the programming. He makes his way onto the ship, but, before he can merge with the core, the Tinkerer appears. (Earlier he had hacked into Ironheart's armor and used her as a ride to the ship.) Dun-dun-DUN! Zdarsky even manages to upgrade the Tinkerer here into a threat in and of himself. I'll admit I rolled my eyes at the claim that Peter is going to die, but, otherwise, Zdarsky is telling a great story here. Whereas I'm bored of the similarly long "Daredevil" arc about Wilson Fisk as Mayor of New York, Zdarsky has managed to keep this tale fresh as we enter the last act.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #21: Spurrier is clearly writing for the trade, because I had to re-read last issue and this one just to get a basic sense of the plot. But, it's not just because there are twists and turns, because twists and turns are good. It's because it's all lost in a variety of technical mumbo-jumbo that I find hard to understand but is unfortunately key to understanding the plot. Moreover, the technical mumbo-jumbo consists of a string of overly convenient developments that even Aphra seems unlikely to be able to arrange. This title keeps creeping down my list, to be honest.
X-Men: Blue #30: These two issues have just been uncharacteristically terrible. I barely care about Jimmy let alone Jimmy as the central figure in a storyline that continues from a cross-over event I didn't read. It's like a particularly bad hangover. Like last issue, this issue focuses on Jimmy as a Poison, something we're supposed to believe means he's functionally dead. Yet, Bunn has already shown Jean was able to resurrect herself, so it's clear Jimmy will be able to do so, too. As such, I'm not sure why Bunn made the decision to extend this story, when he has much more interesting ones to tell. Whatever. This series ends in six issues anyway.
Also Read: Marvel 2-in-One #7; Ms. Marvel #31; Old Man Hawkeye #6; Star Wars: Lando - Double or Nothing #2; Thor #2
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
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
New-ish Comics: The June 13 Marvel "N-Z" Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
The New Mutants: Dead Souls #4: This issue is great. I was pretty sure Rictor wasn’t dead, but the revelation that Illyana's dream sequence was Tran manipulating her into revealing Xi’an’s plans was brilliant. At this stage, we still don’t really know what those plans are, and it’s pretty clear Illyana is also getting impatient for them. But, Rosenberg is drawing back the curtain a bit for us, as Prodigy asks Xi’an if she wants to activate the second team as they look for the missing plane. Xi’an also seems to suspect Illyana might not totally be on her side anymore, making for an interesting conversation next issue. As Illyana points out here in her dream sequence, the places Tran has appeared seem random, so it’ll be interesting to see what the connection (presumably) is in the end. At any rate, as someone who just read the first few issues of the original “New Mutants” series, it’s hard to believe it’s taken this long for Tran to assert himself against Xi’an. I’m totally game for this ride.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #305: I love this series. It lost its way a little there, but it rebounds here, as younger Peter realizes it’s time he stops hiding. As Doom activates the time platform to send back JJJ, Jr., our Peter, and Tessa, younger Peter joins Gwen in trying to hold back the Sinister Six. When our Peter realizes what’s happening outside the building, he joins the fray, and the Avengers and Tessa later follow suit. Cap is killed during the fray, another moment that underscores for younger Peter that he can’t hide any longer. Our Peter is reluctant to leave with Osborn still out there, but he finally realizes everything can't be about his guilt. Happy to see younger Peter take up his role as Spider-Man again (and kiss Gwen), our Peter leaves with JJJ, Jr. and Tessa. It’s hard not to draw parallels to the Trump administration here, as Zdarsky shows Osborn as the lunatic he’s always been. But, our Peter tells Osborn he defeats him in every world in every way, and it inspires younger Peter to have the faith he can do the same. It's a helluva lesson for us all.
Thor #1: I honestly don't have a lot to say here, despite this expanded issue relaunching Odinson as Thor. Aaron is great as he always is, and del Mundo is an excellent successor (though not replacement) for Dauterman. He imbues the story with a cinematic sensibility; you can hear the seagulls calling as Thor returns to his boat. Thori and Toothgrinder make for excellent comic relief as always, and Loki’s presence adds the expected level of intrigue, as he offers to serve as Thor’s own Bifrost bridge...for an as-yet-unrevealed price. Thor wisely pulls Loki with him as Loki opens a portal to the heart of the war, and they find Balder greeting them in Hel/Niflheim. Aaron has been carrying on the War of the Realms for a long time at this point, and it definitely feels like it’s time for Thor to handle it directly. But, hopefully it won't be over too quickly.
X-Men: Blue #29: You’d be forgiven for thinking you missed a dozen or so issues picking up this one. Only a brief footnote lets us know that, in “Venomized” #5, all the Poisons were destroyed except the one inhabiting Jimmy. (I thought they were indestructible, which is why Scott had all the sads for Jean?) You’d also be forgiven for not caring. This storyline was maybe interesting for two or three issues, but it’s always been a forced cross-over event driven by the fact Bunn happened to write both series. Neither Venom nor the Poisons bring out anything particularly interesting in the team. It’s time to put this one to bed.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #305: I love this series. It lost its way a little there, but it rebounds here, as younger Peter realizes it’s time he stops hiding. As Doom activates the time platform to send back JJJ, Jr., our Peter, and Tessa, younger Peter joins Gwen in trying to hold back the Sinister Six. When our Peter realizes what’s happening outside the building, he joins the fray, and the Avengers and Tessa later follow suit. Cap is killed during the fray, another moment that underscores for younger Peter that he can’t hide any longer. Our Peter is reluctant to leave with Osborn still out there, but he finally realizes everything can't be about his guilt. Happy to see younger Peter take up his role as Spider-Man again (and kiss Gwen), our Peter leaves with JJJ, Jr. and Tessa. It’s hard not to draw parallels to the Trump administration here, as Zdarsky shows Osborn as the lunatic he’s always been. But, our Peter tells Osborn he defeats him in every world in every way, and it inspires younger Peter to have the faith he can do the same. It's a helluva lesson for us all.
Thor #1: I honestly don't have a lot to say here, despite this expanded issue relaunching Odinson as Thor. Aaron is great as he always is, and del Mundo is an excellent successor (though not replacement) for Dauterman. He imbues the story with a cinematic sensibility; you can hear the seagulls calling as Thor returns to his boat. Thori and Toothgrinder make for excellent comic relief as always, and Loki’s presence adds the expected level of intrigue, as he offers to serve as Thor’s own Bifrost bridge...for an as-yet-unrevealed price. Thor wisely pulls Loki with him as Loki opens a portal to the heart of the war, and they find Balder greeting them in Hel/Niflheim. Aaron has been carrying on the War of the Realms for a long time at this point, and it definitely feels like it’s time for Thor to handle it directly. But, hopefully it won't be over too quickly.
X-Men: Blue #29: You’d be forgiven for thinking you missed a dozen or so issues picking up this one. Only a brief footnote lets us know that, in “Venomized” #5, all the Poisons were destroyed except the one inhabiting Jimmy. (I thought they were indestructible, which is why Scott had all the sads for Jean?) You’d also be forgiven for not caring. This storyline was maybe interesting for two or three issues, but it’s always been a forced cross-over event driven by the fact Bunn happened to write both series. Neither Venom nor the Poisons bring out anything particularly interesting in the team. It’s time to put this one to bed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)