Over Year-Old Comics: The Superhero October 7, 14, 21, and 28 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #49 (October 7):  OMFG, I just can't.  For the big 850th issue, I thought that Spencer would reveal who Kindred was.  Instead we just take a fucked-up trip down fucked-up memory lane with fucked-up Norman.  

One of my main complaints about this issue is that Spencer amps up Peter's sense of responsibility so high that it's hard to believe, even for Peter.  For example, Norman tells Peter that he blames Peter for his nervous breakdown and subsequent amnesia.  Norman feels like Peter should've supported him (an adult) when he revealed his identity to him (a child).  To be fair, Peter points out the fact that he was, indeed, a teenager at the time.  That said, he fails to mention that Norman had, you know, stalked and drugged him to set up the aforementioned little tête-à-tête.  Of course, Norman blames his behavior on the drugs' side effects.  In Norman's mind, I guess that Peter should've been able to look past the fact that Norman was holding him hostage.

You'd think that Peter would dismiss this entire argument.  But, no.  Instead, he winds up telling Sin-Eater that his conversation with Norman made him realize that Stan's death is his fault, too, because Stan tried to connect with him and Spidey refused the overture.  I mean, seriously.  I get that Peter has an overdeveloped sense of responsibility, but Spencer is laying it on really thick here,  Are we supposed to believe that Peter is so megalomaniacal that he feels that he, and he alone, is responsible for the decisions that both Green Goblin and Sin-Eater made?

To make matters worse, Pete goes through all this trouble to protect Norman from Sin-Eater only to realize what everyone else already knew:  the only way to stop Norman without killing him is to have Sin-Eater cleanse him.  This epiphany comes after Norman realizes that Ghost-Spider is Gwen Stacy and refers to the God forsaken events of "Sins Past" as he leers at her.  OK, I get it.  It's upsetting.  But, you would've thought that Peter would've realized that Norman was beyond saving when Norman tried to kill him after they successfully subdued Sin-Eater.  But, no, it has to be saving someone else where Peter draws the line.

(As I sidebar here, I don't understand why the Order of the Web just sat there waiting to see what Peter would do.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Web of Life and Destiny told Madame Web that it wasn't the right moment to intervene, but, ugh, I hate that.)

I wish I could say that the back-up stories helped, but they were all but incomprehensible.  This issue is a waste of time from start to finish.  The only good thing about it is that I'm reading it so late that it was free on Comixology.

Marauders #13 (October 7):  This issue makes it clear that the swords named at the end of "X of Swords - Creation" #1 are the swords that each champion - ten on each side - need to bring to fight for the future of Krakoa and thus Earth.  For Storm, it is Skybreaker, the Wakandan king's vibranium sword.  Unfortunately, only the Wakandan king can wield said sword, and it can never leave Wakanda.  Despite Storm's urgent pleas, T'Challa fails to reply, forcing her to fight Shuri to steal Skybreaker.  T'Challa arrives as Storm is leaving and allows her to leave with it, and she joins Magik and Wolverine on Krakoa, ready for battle.  The best part of this issue is Storm's exasperation with the Wakandans, who believe that she should wait for T'Challa's return.  She steals the sword because, as she tells Shuri, Wakanda doesn't get to dictate every situation.  It's yet another reminder that everyone still doesn't accept that the world has changed.

Amazing Spider-Man #50 (October 14):  OMFG, thank God.  Honestly, I just couldn't take it anymore.  It's been pretty clear for a while that Kindred was probably Harry Osborn, and I'm glad that we finally establish that here.  It makes me much more excited about where we go from here.  After all, I feel like we're in a good place now.  

Spencer reveals that Kindred was just using Sin-Eater to get to Norman.  I'm not sure how he chose Overdrive, the Lethal Legion, and Juggernaut as the villains whose powers he stole, but it certainly worked to his advantage to get to Norman where he was hiding deep inside Ravencroft.  

Kindred takes all the sins that Sin-Eater has collected and...dismisses Sin-Eater?  I'm not sure if it's the right word, because it seems like he actually goes to Heaven instead of Hell after Kindred made him admit to himself that he killed his partner all those years ago.  More importantly, though, Kindred then takes the sins that he took from Sin-Eater and infects the Order of the Web with them.

At this point, Madame Web reveals why, at the end of last issue, she said that Peter's decision to sacrifice Norman came too late.  When Peter goes to Dr. Strange for help, Dr. Strange berates him for making a deal with a demonic figure.  We all kind of glossed over that part, didn't we?  We were all, "La la la, Norman will be cured!  What's the downside?"  Oh, right, demonic figure.  While the Order of the Web seems like it's coming after Peter, Norman is now panicked as he knows that Kindred is Harry and wants to save his son.  Probably a little too late, buddy.

New Mutants #13 (October 14):  Brisson starts the issue informing us that Cable and his Light of Galador is one of the X-Men's swords.  Of concern to everyone, though, Doug is also one of the combatants, with Warlock as his sword.  Krakoa does everything in his power to convince him not to go, and Magik tries to train him despite knowing that he's no match for an Arakkii combatants.  But, it's Doug who insists that he go, committed to fulfilling the obligation that he feels to his fellow mutants.  Brisson does a good job here not only giving us insight into Doug's thoughts but also providing updates on other plots, such as Sinister's attempt to steal the Arakkii combatants' swords and the Five's temporary inability to resurrect anyone.  I'll admit that I'm not sure that we really needed this story, but I'm still enjoying it nonetheless.

Amazing Spider-Man #50.LR (October 21):  This issue isn't essential to the main plot, but it certainly fleshes it out a bit as Peter confronts the demonic Order of the Web before he makes his way to Dr. Strange's in issue #50.  We also see Dr. Kafka skeptically deal with Norman Osborn as he tries to convince her that he's reformed.  She suggests that Norman can't simply reconcile with Harry; in case of such family trauma, it helps to have a trusted intermediary.  Enter Mary Jane Watson!

Guardians of the Galaxy #7 (October 21):  This issue is fun.  I particularly enjoyed the screwball moments, like Noh-Var somehow looking guilty of murder on not one, but two, occasions.  It's basically intergalactic "Clue."  I'm also glad that Ewing has Rich mention his therapist, since it's clear that it's working as we get a more stable Rich now.  In previous "Guardians of the Galaxy" series, just as Rich's story started to get interesting, he'd disappear to stop yet another galactic invasion.   That said, Ewing's delivery and packing does still seem a bit odd; I constantly feel like I missed an issue.  I'm hoping that Ewing intentionally implanted this awkwardness (like the bizarre post-credits page) because he's building to something.  Otherwise, it's just strange.

X-Men #13 (October 21):  As Healer and Hope heal him, a dying Apocalypse recalls the moments after the Arakkii mutants realized that they were going to lose.  After the White Sword and his One Hundred Champions left Krakoa to cross into Amenth, Apocalypse recalls that the mutants remaining on Krakoa were initially stronger.  They beat back the hordes that cleaved Okkara into two parts, and Genesis' conversation with the Golden Helm of Amenth and its god Annihilation left her stronger.  But, once Genesis' sister, Isca the Unbeatable, defected to the other side (since she can't lose), Genesis' fire dimmed as they all now that they faced no clear victory.   Leading the mutants into Arakko, Genesis left Apocayplse on Krakoa to ensure only the fittest survive.  I have to say, it is a brilliant rewriting of Apocalypse's origin, giving his obsession with exactly that goal - only the fittest surviving - the type of urgency that I always felt was missing.  Although we now have a better understanding of how the mutants survived the initial fight with the Twilight Blade's hordes, I'm eager to learn how eventually they come close to falling in battle, I think, with the White Sword.  In the meantime, Apocalypse reassembles his sword, Scarab, and prepares to join the champions.

X of Swords:  Stasis (October 28):  This issue is more Hickmanesque than I'd like.  But, if you focus on the events that unfold and put aside the misdirection, it's a pretty straight-forward issue.  

Betsey Braddock, Captain Avalon, and Gorgon join Apocalypse, Cable, Doug Ramsey, Magik, Storm, and Wolverine as Krakoa's sword bearers.  (Notably, they are only nine, not ten.)  On Arakko, a resurrected Genesis, wearing the Golden Helm of Amenth, orders Summoner and the Four Horsemen to seek out the other sword bearers:  Redroot, the Forest (Doug's counterpart as Arakko's voice); Pogg Ur-Pogg (a mercenary who joins Arakko's forces on the promise of getting to plunder a new world - i.e., Earth); Bei the Blood Moon (who really just wants to kill people); the White Sword of the Ivory Spire (who agrees to join Arakkii's force because they agree to grant him whatever he wants if they win, and he clearly has something in mind); and Isca the Unbeaten.  From the chart, it looks like Death, Genesis (as Annihilation), and War are sword bearers along with someone named Solem, though I don't think that we've encountered her/him yet

The X-Men travel to Otherworld and are surprised that they're not immediately faced with combat,  Apocalypse notes that the swords may just be the key to entry, which means that we might not exactly see a sword-based brawl.  Saturnyne arrives and refuses to clarify, sending the X-Men to their quarters before a banquet that night.  In their rooms, they each discover a tarot card linked presumably to the role that they'll play in the contest.  Apocalypse is furious that he got the Lovers and confronts Saturnyne, only to discover why he got it, as he faces Genesis and realizes that she is now Annihilation, his greatest enemy.

Also Read:  Captain America #24 (October 14); Falcon & Winter Solider #4 (October 21); Amazing Spider-Man #51 (October 28)

Over Year-Old Comics: The Superhero September 16 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man:  The Sins of Norman Osborn #1 (September 16):  I'm surprised that Marvel made this issue a one-shot because pretty much everything is revealed here.  It turns out the Order of the Web members, and not MJ, were the ones having the dreams about Peter dying, all in different places but in all cases at Norman Osborn's hand.  The hooded figure from "Amazing Spider-Man" #47 was Martin Li.  Sin-Eater cleanses him, and his power allows Sin-Eater to make a resurrected Dr. Kafka free Norman's secret prisoner:  Juggernaut.  Norman shares with Peter that he's also had Kindred-visited dreams.  Spencer ends the issue with the biggest pay-off yet for this storyline:  Green Goblin and Spider-Man will have to partner together to stop Kindred and Sin-Eater.  I'm sure it'll turn out well...

Captain America #23 (September 16):  It seemed pretty clear from the start of the Blood-Marine storyline that Coates intended to restore Sharon fully.  It follows the trend of other lines, from Spencer essentially wiping away the post-"One More Day" era in "Amazing Spider-Man" to Hickman ushering in the X-Men's Krakoan Age.  Although I also await Ian Roger's return, I'm thrilled to have back the old Sharon (pardon the pun).  Moreover, Coates doesn't have it happen in an instant.  Sharon has to fight Selene for it, and, along the way, we're treated to her rumination on aging.  As Sharon said, Zola stole her youth, and its restoration is well deserved when it comes.

Falcon & Winter Solider #3 (September 16):  This issue is so fucking good.  In fact, it's banterific.  Bucky complaining that Sam's trick shot through Bucky's legs was too close to the "gentlemen?"  The HYDRA goon commenting that "Sally McKenzie" is a strange battle cry after Sam yells her name?  Sam conceding that Bucky won't go easy on anyone who knows where Sally is?  I could continue, but I won't.  You get the picture.  Speaking of picture, Bucky looks, um, good here.  Like, really good.  Like...really good.

Giant-Size X-Men:  Storm #1 (September 16):  Ever since Cypher was my first superhero death, I've been attached to him.  He was bookish and vaguely queer (and blond), and I fell hard.  Since his return, he's been treated like, well, a cypher, a neutered boy lost in his own world.  Hickman gives him a personality here, and Dauterman makes him beautiful.  I mean, he isn't Dauterman's Thor beautiful; it would be wrong if he were.  But, he's a drunken-Wiccan-making-a-pass-at-him beautiful, exactly how I want him to be.  This issue may have been about saving Storm (which the team does), but, for me, it's all about Doug and his beautiful blond eyebrows.  (Following on "Giant-Size X-Men:  Fantomex #1," Fantomex decides to stay in the World after his most current version says that he isn't leaving.  I still don't understand this plot at all, but I guess that it doesn't really matter.)

X-Men #12 (September 16):  Hickman returns to threads that he's seeded since this series' start, with Summoner telling Apocalypse Arakko's history.  It's surprisingly straight-forward, to be honest.

Summoner tells Apocalypse what he himself already knows:  in a time "ancient before that word existed," "the Twilight Sword of the enemy" tore Okkara into two separate islands:  Krakoa and Arakko.  The enemy then poured into the world, and Apocalypse sent the remaining Arakkii (and Arakko itself) through a portal into Otherworld.   Summoner informs Apocalypse that the Arakkit tell three stories about that day:  1) that Apocalypse stayed on Earth to seal the breach so that the enemy couldn't follow Arakko into Otherworld; 2) that Apocalypse - "the first mutant of the second generation of mutantdom on Earth" - abandoned his family to save himself; and 3) people other than Apocalypse (and, here, we see four figures, possibly the Horsemen) dictated his fate.

Moving through the portal, Arakko arrived on a world called Amenth.  It was apparently a world bereft of people because of "the black acts of the White Sword and his One Hundred Champions."  The Arakkii took advantage of the quiet and built a city that ten towers protected.  At some point - and this point is unclear - the demon hordes that the White Sword and his One Hundred Champions destroyed reconstituted and began throwing themselves against the Arakkii's walls.  After generations of war, Apocalypse's wife, Genesis, took the war to the White Sword.  We learn that the White Sword is such a successful warlord because he's able to resurrect his One Hundred Champion.  Genesis decides to try to eliminate him, though I'm not sure why he's no longer seen as fighting for Arakko.  She fails.  She and her few remaining soliders return to the Arakkii.

Eventually, Annihilation - the Amenth god and, presumably, demon-horde leader - invites Genesis to trial by combat.  Again, she fails.  The remaining Arakkii leadership send Summoner to Earth to try to enlist Apocalypse while other squads are sent to search out "a different kind of salvation."  Later, Apocalypse brings Summoner to the External Gate that he has constructed to enter Amenth.  He sends through Summoner with Banshee and Unus the Untouchable.  Summoner is hopeful that the X-Men can save the Arakkii, but Apocalypse is clearly playing some sort of game here.  

For all my prior complaints about Hickman on other titles, his imagination is really this issues tour de force.  He leaves a lot on the table that we just have to have faith that he'll eventually address.  That said, I cannot wait for "X of Swords!"

Over Year-Old Comics: The Superhero September 2 and 9 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Hawkeye:  Freefall #6 (September 2):  Holy fucking shit.  I did not see this issue coming.

When Bryce survived Bullseye's attack last issue, I assumed that he'd survive period.  Like, of course he would.  Rosenberg wouldn't kill the breakdancing Skrull and hipster hacker.  But, he does.  Of course, Bryce doesn't just die; he dies after Clint agrees not to take him to a hospital (because cops) and instead take him to Linda's.  Linda berates him for this decision, and you have to agree with her.  It's one of those moments where Clint just can't be the adult.  He can't say to a teenage boy, "Dude, it doesn't matter if you have warrants against you, you're going to die if I don't get you to a hospital."  

It's an excellent example of his fucked-up optimism that he can fix everything when all his experience shows that he cannot.  It's like when the Clown kills Grills in "Hawkeye" #9.  Clint just pulls people into his vortex without understanding the responsibility that he has to them.  He's like the anti-Peter Parker.  You can't have your teenage assistant hang in your barely secured basement while you're fighting an increasingly personal war against a demon-powered supervillain and expect that he'll be safe.

Of course, instead of asking for help, Clint doubles down.  He almost kills Bullseye, he robs Parker's legitimate bank of the money that Parker has stashed in safety deposit boxes, he has Count Nefaria summon a demon to steal Parker's hood, and he maybe kills Parker.  As Fancy Dan says to Ox at the issue's end, Clint's become one of them even if he doesn't realize it.  At some point, Parker wonders if Clint isn't suicidal, and it's hard to argue with him.  I mean, he always seems too willing just to set his life on fire, but he goes totally over the edge here.

In other words, Rosenberg and Schmidt have really delivered one of the best Hawkeye stories that I've ever read, which is a high fucking bar.  I can't recommend this series enough.

Empyre #6 (September 2):  Calling this issue a dumpster fire feels unfair to dumpster fires.  After ignoring the tie-in mini-series for the first five issues, the main title's resolution turns entirely on events that apparently happened in said tie-in issues.  Cap learned the value of friends, Thor learned a lesson about family, and Tony reaffirmed a truth about...I don't know, something.  In the end, the heroes win because the heroes win.  I can't really explain it better than that.  The event ends where we began, with Hulkling as Emperor of the Kree-Skrull Alliance.  I think we're supposed to believe that his defeat of R'Kill (whose survival of Throneworld's destruction I'm pretty sure Ewing never explained) means that the Kree and Skrulls will rally to his leadership now that they've been reminded of how futile war is by...some device that the two kids the Fantastic Four rescued used...despite it actually holding them hostage?  Anyway, we're done here.

Guardians of the Galaxy #6 (September 2):  I'll be honest that I wanted this issue to end with a sobbing Richard admitting that it wasn't his fault like "Good Will Hunting."  But, we don't get that here.  Instead, we get a Richard maybe starting to get comfortable with the idea that he needs help, which is admittedly truer to his character.

The most telling part isn't his discussion with his therapist, but the flashback with Gamora.  I've often wondered why we've glossed over the fact that Gamora and Richard were a couple, and Ewing at least does a great job here explaining why they aren't any longer.  Richard runs into her at Gosnell's Bar, which offers Annihilation War veterans half-priced beer.  Gamora confesses that she loved Richard after Peter told her what he said to Peter in the Cancerverse, about how he hoped that he could convince her just to be happy.  But, Gamora tells Richard that she ultimately chose Peter over him because Peter isn't like Richard:  he came home from the war.  To Gamora, Richard is more like her:  they didn't, and Richard never will.  It's sad because it's true.  Gamora leaves, telling Richard that they'll never see each other again.  Before she goes, Richard tells her that he loved Peter, too.  When the therapist asks why, he tells her that it's because he was the only loyal friend that he had, and, as Richard says, it's what got him killed.

Ewing ends this issue on two hopeful notes.  First, Richard agrees to return to therapy next week.  Second, he learns about the Kree-Skrull Alliance and contemplates a lesson violent galaxy.  I mean, it clearly won't be, but at least he gets some hope that it'll be for a minute.

New Mutants #12 (September 2):  This issue is spectacular.  This series has been middling for a while, but Brisson really summarizes the need for Krakoa in this issue.

Magik has Trinary track Dox activity, and she confirms that its "reporting" has led to numerou attacks on mutants.  (In one of the interstitial pages, we learn that Dox has been publishing gate-related activity.)  Magik decides to take the fight to Dox.  With Glob and Mirage, she goes to Dox's headquarters.  Dani tells the employees the story of three mutants who Dox's reporting injured.  But, the editor interrupts, saying that mutantkind "escalated the war" when it started using human lives as bargaining chips.  He uses the standard cable TV line that they can't blame the actions of a few lunatics on them.  But, Magik goes one step further:  Dani informs them that Trinary has developed an algorithm that publishes the author's full name and address when they dox a mutant.  When the editor starts screaming at them as they leave, Glob attacks him.  (As Magik said, she never thought Glob would be the one to lose his shit.)  He tells the editor that he'll kill him if another mutant dies.  Dox subsequently is, um, "down for temporary maintenance."

But, it's Magik's conversation with Glob on Krakoa that takes the cake.  With his chickens feeding at his feet, Glob tells Magik about how his father was an anti-mutant nutjob.  It took over his entire life.  He'd drag Glob to protests with him.  When Glob mutated, he beat him for any trespass.  It only ended when his mother snuck him to Westchester in the middle of the night.  In a heartbreaking sentence, Glob says, "She gave me a kiss on the forehead and told me not to call home."  Glob says that he's really felt happy on Krakoa, and the editor reminded him of his father and the people who want to take that from him.  He tells Magik that he needs to be better, but Magik hugs him and tells him that a little anger is good for the soul so long as it doesn't consume you.

Glob's story is why I've realized that Krakoa really is necessary.  As Charles and Erik tell Reed in "X-Men/Fantastic Four" #4, it really is about survival.  It's also about fighting on the same level as the humans fight, as Magik does here.  It's hard not to worry that it'll end in tears, but for now I'm glad that people like Glob get to have their anger in a safe space.  As Magik said, it's good for the soul.

Amazing Spider-Man #48 (September 9):  Ugh.  As a long-time Spider-Man fan, I have to say that I've read so many version of this issue - of a navel-gazing Peter wondering what he's going to do about Norman Osborn - that I just can't.  First, I find the idea that Norman somehow managed to get himself appointed the head of Ravencroft to be a hard sell, even with Kingpin as Mayor.  But, even if I accept that, it's hard to get excited about a Norman Osborn story.  He's like Spider-Man's Joker; he's going to make him feel all the hurts and then he's going to inspire him to rise above it because he's a hero.  The only interesting twist here is this idea that Peter is still working off the premise that Sin-Easter cleansing him of sin is a bad thing.  The rest of Team Spider isn't convinced, and they've pledged to stop Peter from saving Norman.  It's definitely as interesting as a twist as I could imagine for a Norman story, but it doesn't mean I care all that much.

Also Read:  Empyre:  Aftermath - Avengers #1 (September 9); Marauders #12 (September 9)

Almost Two-Year-Old Comics: The Superhero August 5, 12, and 26 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Giant-Size X-Men:  Fantomex #1 (August 5):  This issue picks up the thread from "Giant-Size X-Men:  Jean Grey and Emma Frost" #1, which revealed that the Children of the Vault have done something to Storm that will kill her in one month's time.  Apparently, Krakoa's brain trust has determined that the best way to heal her is in the World, thus Fantomex.  But, before we get there, we're treated to Fantomex returning to the World every decade with a new team of bait - the Howling Commandos, the Hellfire Club Inner Circle - to distract the World while he visits later generations of himself.  In typical Hickman fashion, it makes no sense.  I was hoping for an answer to the question of how Fantomex exists in the same world as Professor X, given that he donated his body to Professor X so he could return to life in "Astonishing X-Men" #6.  At the time, Soule was implying that "X," as he was then known, was something more than Xavier, and I don't think that we've ever resolved that issue.  This issue doesn't address it at all, so I feel like it's just going to be one of those loose ends that we're supposed to forget, like Ian Roger's existence in "Captain America."

Guardians of the Galaxy #5 (August 5):  I'll be honest:  I feel like this arc wrapped up too easily.  I thought that Ewing was hinting that we had some multiverse shenanigans happening with all the team members or, at least, Drax, Moondragon, Peter, and Rocket.  But in the end it appears that just Moondragon was engaged with said shenanigans, and Ewings resolves them as the Moondragons merge.  The two teams also merge after Groot tips off Rocket that Gnawbarque wants him dead.  Herc and Marvel Boy manage to manipulate the other Guardians into destroying Gnawbarque's Galactus-inspired, planet-draining engine.  I think if I re-read the arc, it would make sense given what I now know.  Instead, I just feel kind of confused.  At any rate, I'm really here for next issue, as Nova confronts the demons that he's facing.

Amazing Spider-Man #46 (August 12):  Spencer levels up Sin-Eater in an extremely interesting way here, as he reveals that Sin-Eater's bullets steals the victim's powers and renders them onto him.  Or, at least, sometimes?  It happened with Count Nefaria (who asks Norah to beg his victims' families for forgiveness for him), the Grey Gargoyle, and Whirlwind.  But, it did nothing to Spidey, and Overdrive is comatose in the hospital after his resurrection.  Spencer also complicates matters for Spidey when the audience on hand for the demonstration that the Lethal Legion crashed applauded after Sin-Eater took out the Legion.  Notably, the audience thought they were dead, and they still applauded.  When the world finds out Sin-Eater purged them of their powers and rendered them guilty, well, as someone says, they see him as a more effective Punisher.  Spidey has a tough road ahead.

Hawkeye:  Freefall #5 (August 12):  After he discovers a nearly dead Bryce at the Fortress of Solid Dudes, Clint plays the recording that Bullseye left for him, which walks through the crimes Clint has committed:  robbing S.H.I.E.L.D., stabbing people, paying off cops, threatening elected officials, and laundering stolen drug money through a charity.  It's quite a list.  Although Linda gives an impassioned speech about how Cap and Spidey should trust Clint, she later acknowledges that it was a lie:  they shouldn't trust Clint.  Rosenberg is doing a great job showing how Clint's ego and righteousness lead to disasters:  Hood is blowing up warehouses and killing rival criminals, Bullseye killed the Skrull from last issue and brutalizes Bryce, Linda ends their relationship.  Clint is being Clint, and Rosenberg reminds us how sad that is. 

Marauders #11 (August 12):  I had hoped that we didn't drag out Kate's death for too many issues, and I'm thrilled that Duggan didn't do so.  The Red Queen is back, and Sebastian Shaw should be concerned.

Duggan wisely decided to focus on Emma as he's done in previous issues.  Caseli draws out the moment when we realize that she's dressed in black for Kate's funeral, and it's as impactful as you'd think it would be.  Also impactful?  An exhausted Lockheed appearing in Emma's room.  Emma reads Lockheed's thought and realizes that Shaw killed Kate.  She's ready to storm Blackstone but decides against it.  After all, Emma above all other people knows that revenge is a dish best served cold.  

But, Lockheed's arrivals feels like an omen, and Charles agrees to Emma and Kurt's request to have the Five try again.  With Lockheed perched on Emma's shoulder, they do.  Emma observes that they've been waiting her to break through the egg but realizes that Kate doesn't break through boundaries - she ignores them.  Emma calls to Kate, and she simply phases through the egg.  Ha!  Kate ecstatically greets a still tired-looking Lockheed, and then she and Emma make it clear that they're going to go to work on Shaw.

Interestingly, one of my favorite parts of this issue is when Storm meets the X-Desk analyst!  As someone who once lived near the Foggy Bottom Metro station, this moment was exciting for me.  I loved Dolores telling Storm that she recognized her because she looked like a model and DC doesn't have many models.  Ha!  Storm is there to thank Dolores for tipping off Krakoa that Verendi poisoned the medicine.  Dolores asks for an update, and Storm confirms that they swapped out the tainted medicine for the clean ones, meaning that Verendi gave away perfectly good medicine and sold the poisoned medicine on the black market.  Dolores is delighted.  She thanks Storm for the miracle of her mother's return, and, based on a comment in her report, I'm hoping that Emma invites Dolores to the Hellfire Ball!

Amazing Spider-Man #47 (August 26):  I used to hate comics that portrayed characters' motivations as "evil."  As a comic-reading public, I felt like we had moved past the point where the world is divided into good- and evil-doers.  Sure, you had some exceptions.  For example, I have no problem with authors portraying Joker as evil:  he has no problem embracing evil means to promote his goals and his goals themselves were evil.  But, Magneto is a good example of someone who embraced evil means means to promote his goals, which were grounded in a more morally acceptable premise than Joker's goals.  However, the last few years have shown me that I'm wrong.  Some people have no problem doing evil things to get evil outcomes.  

I mention all that here because Carlie asks Peter to consider the fact that the people who respond to Sin-Eater's appeal to join him aren't just brainwashed:  they're excited someone's offering them the power to take out their hate and hurt on the world.  Period.  End of story.  It's Spencer at his "Captain America" best, taking the political moment where we find ourselves and using it to imbue this arc with real-world meaning.  I have no problem believes this moment could happen in the "real" world.  Spencer underlines this point when he reveals that Sin-Eater's bullet didn't kill Overdrive:  just like the Lethal Legion, he woke up powerless and begging to confess his sins.  But, when Carlie called in the detectives, they almost beat him to death.

Spidey later prevents Sin-Eater from cleansing someone who appears at his gathering of followers and asks for Sin-Eater to cleanse him/er.  By this point, it's hard to understand why Spidey does so.  After all, the man - whose face is hidden so I'm sure it's significant - asked Sin-Easter to do it.  Spidey suspects that there's more to Sin-Easter's powers than just helping people, and he's probably right.  But, what if he isn't?  What if he is denying these people a chance at penance just because he can't get past his own hang-ups?  Spencer makes it clear that we might be going in that direction and, man, I'd be excited to read that story.

Also Read:  Captain America #21 (August 5) and #22 (August 19)

Almost Two-Year-Old Comics: The Superhero July 15, 22, and 29 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #44 (July 15):  Man, this issue is fucking intense.  Kindred uses his ability to control Peter's dreams to show Sin-Eater tracking down Overdrive and the Inner Demons.  It's a lot, like, "I want to hug my kids" a lot.  Sin-Eater appears as a demon chasing Overdrive wherever he tries to run, and it seems pretty clear that he kills him in the end.  But, Peter "awakens" to a new dream where he calls MJ and tells her that he feels like Spider-Man is swallowing him whole.  He acknowledges that Jonah had a point in issue #39 that Peter pushes away everyone.  Peter plays with the engagement ring that he bought MJ as he finishes telling her that he wants to ask her something when she returns.  But, it isn't hopeful.  Spencer does an amazing job showing how he does really seems broken and completely isolated from everyone he loves.  It feels like he's asking MJ to marry him more because he needs someone to love him.  But, maybe it's just Kindred's spin:  at the end of the issue, Kindred makes it sound like MJ was having this dream, not Peter.  Peter wanting to marry MJ solely to feel grounded is certainly her nightmare.

Incoming! #1 (December 26, 2019):  Oof.  This issue is rough.  It entails authors handing off their character-specific vignettes to one another to solve a locked-room murder.  Instead of focusing on laying the groundwork for the Empyre cross-over, though, Marvel tries to update us on virtually every character's current status quo.  The only real development is Hulkling becoming the Kree-Skrull emperor and taking on a Cotati threat that a Kree agent and his Skrull partner discovered on Earth.

Empyre #1 (July 15):  This issue is as solid as a first issue of a cross-over event can be.  Tony Stark is confident that his side - the Celestial Messiah known as Quoi and his Cotati followers - is right and the other side - the Kree/Skrull Alliance - is wrong.  He's condescending to Hulkling and doesn't even bother trying to listen to him.  When Hulkling orders a non-lethal attack on the Avengers, Tony has Thor use Mjolnir to deliver a virus into the Alliance's ships, disabling them.  With the Alliance incapacitated, Quoi then reveals his hand:  he and the Cotati transform into more war-like versions of themselves, take out the Avengers, and set their sights on Earth.  Well played as always, Tony.

Empyre #2 (July 22):  It's hard to believe that Marvel thought this plot could sustain as sprawling of a cross-over event as they originally planned.  It's just hard to take the Cotati seriously.  Can't Iceman just freeze them?  At any rate, this issue moves along the narrative at a brisk enough pace.  While the Avengers (particularly Tony) are left reeling at Quoi's betrayal, Carol uses her powers to amplify Hulkling's sword's ability to disrupt the Cotati, saving the remains of the Kree/Skrull Alliance's armada.  (Her argument to Captain Glory and the Super-Skrull that they've made mistakes, too, so the Avengers' mistake is fine is so very Avengers logic that they should probably make her Chairwoman.)  Now, we're heading to Earth where I wonder if the good guys are going to win...

New Mutants #11 (July 22):  Due to Magik's last-minute save, the New Mutants are able to escape Carnelia before its prime minister can have its forces fire on them.  As Boomer notes in her journal, it's yet another situation that could've gone better.  The team seems focused on getting to the bottom of whoever is running the Dox website, which seems like a solid use of their time.  But, it's probably time to winnow down the roster if they plan on not constantly bumping into each other.

X-Men/Fantastic Four #4 (July 22):  Oof.  I was going to write how heart-warming this issue is.  After Franklin ends the experiment to prevent Doom's Latviathans from killing everyone, both the Fantastic Four and X-Men promptly tell Doom to go fuck himself.  

Like an adult, Sue then apologizes to Charles for treating him as a threat, noting that he's dedicated his life to teaching young mutants like her son how to use their powers.  Also like an adult (I know, shocker), Charles apologizes to Sue for seeming to ignore her concerns about Krakoa isolating itself from humanity, stressing that they also share them.  

Later, Valeria tells Doom that she knows that he tried to siphon off some power and sending a microprobe through the conduit that he opened to repower Franklin.  Doom acknowledges that he's trying to find a way to get humanity to evolve its intelligence in response to mutantkind.  Valeria tells Doom that he needs to move to the acceptance phase of his grief over humanity's end.  On Krakoa, Beast is unable to pinpoint why Franklin's powers are failing but notes that Franklin's powers are less drained when he uses them on Krakoa.  Then Franklin goes home for dinner.  All's well that end's well, right?

Wrong.  Charles and Erik accompany Franklin to Yancy St. to speak with Reed.  It turns out his device to cloak the mutant gene can also turn off the gene.  Bam, smack to the face.  On one hand, it raises the question whether he really is behind fucking with Franklin's powers.  On the other hand, it's also a man essentially willing to commit genocide.  Charles erases Reed's ability to reconstruct it and notes that, in the past, he'd erase Reed's memory of him doing so.  Instead, Charles tells Reed that he wants Reed to remember.  To quote Charles, "This is not a game.  This is our right to survive."  Erik then destroys the device and tells Reed that he can't do whatever he wants anymore.

As I said, oof.  Needless to say, Reed doesn't come off well here.  He's surprised when Charles and Erik confront him, because he's so used to keeping secrets and he's so clearly rarely called on it.  The entire sequence definitely leaves me firmly in Team X-Men here, even if I think Charles and Erik fucked up the entire situation.

Amazing Spider-Man #45 (July 29):  Holy shit.  This issue is intense.  After so many issues of Spencer hinting at plots to come, he finally throws himself into one here.

After Mary Jane canceled her trip home at the last minute, Peter mopily goes through the motions of the date where he'd planned to propose.  Along the way, he stumbles upon a manic Overdrive and realizes that his dream - where Overdrive has driven for three straight days to run from Sin-Eater - was true.  The confrontation goes how you expect, as conflicting feelings overwhelm Peter as he tries to save Overdrive.  Sin-Eater appears on the scene and opens fire on Overdrive, but Spidey jumps in front of the bullet.  It goes through Spidey without wounding him but kills Overdrive instead.  

At last, it seemed like it did.  When Carlie Cooper examines the body later, she realizes that the wound has disappeared, and Overdrive suddenly awakens!  

Going forward, the big challenge for Peter is that he seems unable to shake off the presumably Kindred-induced fog and realize that someone (i.e., Kindred) is behind his recent troubles.  Sin-Eater even tells him that someone returned him to Earth to cause Peter pain, and Peter can't put two and two together.  It doesn't bode well.

X-Men #10 (July 29):  Hickman uses this "Empyre" cross-over issue to give us a little more background on Vulcan.  That said, he doesn't totally answer all my questions.  

At some point after Black Bolt and Vulcan went boom in "War of Kings," a triad of nefarious entities examined Vulcan.  They decided that he had a flaw - an inherent goodness - that complicated their plans for him.  For reasons that don't necessarily make sense to me if a "good" Vulcan was the problem, they decide to resurrect him with a "false" good persona on the outside and his "real" broken self on the inside.  Shouldn't that be the other way?  Shouldn't his good persona be "real" and his broken persona be "false?"

This revelation comes when Vulcan takes a walk on the Moon and encounters the Cotati.  For reasons that are also unclear, the Cotati don't immediately kill him.  They use a seed to bring his secrets to the fore, which results in him exploding, presumably as they peeled off his false outer shell.  Afterwards, Petra and Sway come to collect him, and he tells them that he doesn't want to be this way anymore.   

In other words, it's a very Hickman issue, where we get more questions than answers and even some of the questions don't make sense.

Also Read:  New Mutants #10 (June 10); Free Comic Book Day:  X-Men (2020) #1 (July 15); Giant-Size X-Men:  Magneto #1 (July 15); Guardians of the Galaxy #4 (July 15); Amazing Spider-Man:  Sins Rising - Prelude #1 (July 22); Empyre #3 (July 29)