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.

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...

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

Not-Very-New Comics: The October 10 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #7:  This issue is great when it focuses on Fred and Peter trying to fight their way through the mob at the Bar with No Name.  It gets even better when we're privy to their conversation in the adjoining alley.  (The fact they're sitting on garbage cans as they talk is an excellent metaphor for their lives.)  Fred's confession that he bought LMDs of the Superior Foes from the Tinkerer for companionship is weirdly heart-warming (and -breaking).  It also fuels Peter's decision to give Fred the same second chance Aunt May and Mary Jane gave him.  But, the story goes off the rails later in the issue when an unidentified new villain forces the Kingpin to swear fealty to him.  We're told they have a long history together and the Kingpin apparently tried, and failed, to get him to resurrect Vanessa years ago.  But, Spencer overplays his hand (just like Fred!) by making this guy seem all-powerful.  He's like the Green Goblin crossed with Dr. Octopus and Mephisto.  It's just...odd, and Spencer needs to reveal some cards here before it gets boring as well, as stories involving omnipotent and omniscient characters often do.  (If it is Mephisto, I wonder if Spencer is building toward undoing "One More Day"...)

Avengers #9:  Aaron certainly makes it clear Namor is playing for keeps here as Namor murders Stingray after he declines to embrace the oceans "or die."  The issue's stakes started much lower:  Tiger Shark tries to rob a cruise ship, and it just so happened Stingray, his brother-in-law, was a passenger on it.  Stingray encourages Tiger Shark to get help, telling him his sister misses him.  Then, Namor appears, and it all goes downhill from there.  This entire sequence is gripping, though I'll admit I felt like I missed a few issues.  We learn Namor's rage was initially stoked when the crew on a Roxxon ship murdered some Atlanteans, which I vaguely remember, possibly from the new "Thor."  The Avengers begged him to release the crew after he threatened to execute them and Namor relented to Captain America who, as usual, was able to appeal to his better angels.  But, the Avengers offer little more than words when they discover the devastation the Final Host wrought on Atlantis.  When a group of starving Atlantean children "drown" on the surface after believing the Avengers would feed them, Namor snaps.  He creates his Defenders of the Deep and swears vengeance.  Despite the disorientation over how angry Namor suddenly is, I can't say I disliked the issue.  After all, Aaron has Stingray joke about "Atlantis Attacks" as a way to make clear it's a different ballgame this time.  If that event was inspired by Namor's arrogance, this war comes from a fight for Atlantis' very survival.  Namor isn't wrong here, and I'm intrigued to see how the Avengers handle that.

Captain America #4:  I'm very happy to give Coates a long glide path on this series, though I'm already pretty happy with the direction he's going.  Here, Cap storms an abandoned military base in Algeria after learning Thunderbolt Ross sold out Sharon Carter to the Power Elite.  As Alexander Lukin's widow prepares to experiment on Sharon, Steve makes his way through the Elite's guards.  Along the way, Cap ponders how far the world has fallen when you can't even rely on a fellow patriot like Ross.  It sounds like a punchline, but Coates doesn't make it so.  Instead, he gives us a meditation on loss as Steve admits he's still struggling to accept a world that now doesn't trust him.  Moreover, Lukin brilliantly summaries the American heartland as a proletariat eager to greet the Russians as liberators.  Coates is as insightful as he's ever been, though I'd say he should probably give it a rest next issue with the long sequences of Cap's thought bubbles.  It totally worked here, but at some point we're just going to need a good ol' fashioned slugfest.

Iceman #2:  This issue is just...weird.  It's unfortunate, because it starts from the interesting premise of Grace addressing why Emma didn't out Bobby when she occupied his body.  I thought the answer was going to be her unusual sensitivity came from having a beloved gay brother.  Instead, we learn she had a mentally unhinged gay brother with telepathic abilities who murdered his abusive father.  It's...a lot.  Emma initially enlists Bobby's help not only because he's gay but he's apparently immune to telepathy in his ice form.  This part is news to me, particularly given his years of communicating with Jean.  I guess he can allow someone to read his mind?  He clearly developed this ability after young Jean outted young Bobby.  Emma thinks it's her father who has powers, but really it was just her brother pretending to be her father.  I think?  To make matters worse, the way Grace is going, I half expected Bobby to have sex with the brother in the room where he kept his father's body.  He thankfully doesn't do that, but he does just allow Emma to "handle" her brother despite the fact he murdered his own father.  Would Bobby really be OK with that?  I guess in Grace's world he is so long as his Grindr profile is there to distract him?

Spider-geddon #1:  This issue is short and to the point:  the Spider-People quickly make their way to Otto's hideout to warn him that his cloning technology is opening the door to the Inheritors' return.  Otto doesn't believe them, insisting that the clones only have his DNA and that he's never wrong.  (You know where it's going after that.)  However, a heroic alternate-reality version of Otto shows him the Inheritors have put his readings on a loop.  Otto realizes his error as Morlun, Verna, and Jennix arrive, killing Spider-Man Noir and Spider-UK in short order.  Morlun leaves to get his revenge on Peter in "Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man" as a depleted Spider-People roster finds itself face-to-face with Verna and Jennix.  It's clobbering' time!

The Weatherman #5:  LeHeup does an amazing job in this issue juggling several different competing narratives.  

The Pearl is auctioning off Nathan's death because he wants to use the money to track down other members of the Sword of God, as he -- like everyone else -- lost people he loved in Earth's destruction.  We learn Jenner has a telepath on his team who ferrets out M.S.A. infiltrators.  Cross' unwilling partner Garren successfully finds Orin Wetzel, the assistant to Dr. Nyseth, the woman who mindwiped Nathan.  LeHeup leads us to believe the Marshal is working for the Pearl and is going to kill Garren as he secures Wetzel; instead, the Marshal kills the Pearl just as the auction concludes.  Meanwhile, the Marshal's partner, White Light, tries to stop Cross from rescuing Nathan but only manages to force her to crash-land her ship.

At this stage, the only thing I don't totally understand is what Nathan could possibly know, in his evil incarnation, that Jenner would need.  Obviously, it's something, but I don't get how it could be that essential to Jenner's plan to destroy, presumably, Mars.  I guess we'll see.

(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.")

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #12:  At the end of the day, I'm not really sure what we get here.  Constantine allows Diana a glimpse through the portal he opens.  Maybe she sees her gods, maybe she doesn't.  At any rate, the portal explodes, either because Constantine prevents her from ending the world or he loses control of the portal.  Cray gives into the Daemon inside him after Diana mortally wounds him, and he takes down Diana fairly quickly.  He brings Constantine to Trelane and resigns before saying good-bye to his father.  Hill certainly ends on a terrifying note, as I think we see his father's house in flames and Cray stares into the mirror at his Daemon chanting his own name.  To be honest, it's a more exciting issue than we've had in a while and a strong way to end a dragging series.  But, I still find myself confused about how it ties into the larger narrative before us in "The Wild Storm."  The only connection I can figure is that Cray is the only Daemon we've seen other than the one who approached Angie, and I'm not quite sure even he can take on Halo, IO, and Skywatch on his own.  Hill seemed oddly uncurious about the role this series played in the larger Wildstorm universe, and it dragged down this series throughout its run.  I'm eager to see Michael appear under Ellis' watch in the main title, because I think he can polish the edges of what Hill accomplished here in terms of developing Michael into a complicated hero.

X-Men:  Black - Mojo #1:  Who knew an issue about Mojo could be so charming?  Auckerman really brings out an unexpected side of Mojo as Blob Herman helps him ask out a girl he likes.  Seriously, it sounds crazy, but I was totally charmed by the whole enterprise.  I highly recommend.

Also Read:  Detective Comics #990; Infinity Wars #4; Ms. Marvel #35; Oblivion Song #8

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

Not-So-New Comics: The July 18 Everyone-but-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman #51:  After last issue, I'm loath to trust King again, but I have to admit this issue is clever.  He hints at the pain Bruce is feeling after the broken engagement by having Mr. Freeze tell a courtroom that he confessed to killing three women because Batman was different the night he found him:  Freeze legitimately thought Batman would kill him.  The twist is Bruce is on the jury, and he may agree with Freeze:  he is the sole juror to question Freeze's guilt when they enter sequestration.  In other words, Bruce's pain might not be directly addressed, but it's present throughout the issue, from Dick (acting as Batman) telling Gordon that Batman isn't doing OK to Bruce ripping a urinal off the wall of the court's restroom, a display of the rage he feels.  I'm grudgingly intrigued.

The Weatherman #2:  Holy fucking crap.  We learn a lot in this issue.  Nathan is allegedly Ian Black, a member of something called the ORCA program.  He and his team were sent to "win the war for Titan."  Afterward, he joined a "mercenary group on the Venusian frontier," but his former commander, Jazen Jenner, recruited him into the Sword of God.  He detonated the bomb that destroyed Earth.  Later, a "fringe neuroscientist named Dr. Mirian Nyseth" helped erase and replace his memories; Ian Black became Nathan Bright.  The problem is Jenner is looking to finish what he started, to destroy Venus and Mars so he can rid them of the same "evil" he felt was infecting Earth.  But the "springboard" protocol prevents Nathan from remembering his life as Ian; a telepath confirms he remembers nothing before the day of the incident.  However, Amanda, in her zeal, almost breaks Nathan's mind in pushing him to remember, so they can maybe learn something helpful in stopping Jenner.  (At one point, she dumps Sadie, Nathan's dead dog, on his shoulders.)  Her commander, Fitch, reminds her that the lives of everyone on Venus and Mars are at stake.  Shortly thereafter, the mercenaries seeking Nathan last issue attack the spaceship where they're located and Fitch's secretary detonates a bomb, destroying the ship.  But Amanda is able to spirit away Nathan just in time.  Wow.  Just wow.

The Wild Storm #15:  Everything starts to unravel here as Bendix, John, and Miles try to control the situation but ultimately can’t (though John is probably the only one to realize that).  Bendix sends a “Little Stick” of diamond crashing from orbit into IO’s Hightower station, destroying it.  (Interestingly, Pennington confirms IO wasn't behind the incursion, but Bendix doesn’t seem particularly interested in who it was.)  The Doctor cures the Mayor.  He then remembers Skywatch experimented on him so he could survive as a slave in a polluted environment, presumably after the Khera destroy Earth.  (It gets even more grim from here.)  Slayton continues his killing spree for the Carer (i.e., the Khera inside him), and John finds Andrew Kwok, another Thunderbook subject.  He’s abandoned the identity John created for him, getting plastic surgery and creating another one.  As John has still (somehow) managed to find him, Kwok tries to kill John for fear John's already lead “them” to him, and John is forced to kill him first.  Bendix seemingly confirms his plans during a rant to Miles, saying he has no problem using a Little Stick on IO’s building in New York because he just wants Earth to be a source for slaves for his breakaway civilization.  For a reason I don’t understand, Miles agrees to let Bendix have back his Ground Division (presumably the part conducting the aforementioned experiments to turn people like the Mayor into slaves), though he’s seen his C.A.T.’s footage and bans Lucy Blaze from New York.  (I’m not sure what the footage showed, but I’m assuming it has something to do with her assassinating Mitch, even though I don’t know how it would appear on C.A.T. footage.)  Jackie says that Skywatch’s countermeasures to the bot attack have revealed their location, and Miles is surprised when Jackie suggests nuking them in space.  But, it’s clear Jackie wants vengeance for Mitch, something she tells Miles she’s going to get.  Finally, Pennington tells Zealot she has to leave New York and implies it’s not a bad thing since New York might not be there much longer.  It goes to a larger point Pennington made a while ago, about how they’re all just edging closer and closer to open conflict and revealing themselves to the world.  With nine issues left, we definitely seem to be going there.

New-ish Comics: The June 13 Everyone-but-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman:  Prelude to the Wedding - Batgirl vs. the Riddler #1:  This issue is a miss, though it's hard to put my finger on why.  First, it feels very color-by-number, as Babs easily solves the Riddler's wedding-themed clues.  But, I think it's mostly because of the Riddler's creepy and unexpected expression of love for Babs.  I get where Seeley is going with it, as other installments of this series have supporting characters reflect on what the wedding means and how it's going to affect their lives.  (For her part, Babs calls Dick at the end.)  The Riddler wonders why he doesn't have a lid for his pot.  He admits he would have to fall for someone like Babs, who's smart enough to answer his riddles.  But, it feels forced.  Given their long histories, you'd think the Riddler would've previously come to this conclusion, whereas Damian and Dick's crises were much more directly tied to the feelings the wedding inspired in them.  At any rate, it's not a terrible issue, just an odd one.

Bloodshot Salvation #10:  Is Ray going to have to kill his son to save his daughter?  ‘Cause that would s-u-c-k.  It’s probably true, though, knowing Ray’s luck.

Oblivion Song #4:  Kirkman is making it pretty clear Nathan has stopped listening when it comes to the various people in his life warning him about his overly rosy view of his crusade.  Bridget confides to him that Duncan just isn’t getting better, after he almost beat her in his sleep the previous night during a nightmare.  Duncan has also refused to attend a survivors' group and gets mad at Bridget whenever she suggests it.  Nathan simply suggests she try harder, a sign of how blithely he seems to take the consequences of his actions.  In his mind, he’ll always be the hero, even if it’s more complicated than that.  Meanwhile, Ed’s team forces Keith to reveal the location where he encountered Nathan, so they’re ready for him when he eventually reappears.  When Nathan does reappear and mentions Ed might be his brother, the group's leader asks if he's Nathan, and he displays a shining grin.  But, Kirkman has hinted Ed might not be as happy to see Nathan as Nathan will be to see him, so we'll see where we go.  In other developments, someone is spying on Nathan as he works in the storage shed that serves as his lab.  Also, the group's leader insists Keith is a pariah for killing his family, refusing to believe his claim something called the “Faceless Ones” did.  In a world of monsters, I’m not sure why they’re so quick to dismiss the monsters Keith describes.  But, I guess we'll see.

The Weatherman #1:  Wow.  That issue was fucking intense and not just because they killed the dog.  RIP, Sadie.  :(

LeHeup does a great job of using media reporting to give us the background we need; it's particularly appropriate since our protagonist Nathan, as the title suggests, is a weatherman on the local news for Redd Bay, Mars.  The year is 2770; seven years earlier, a group called the Sword of God killed everyone on Earth, all eight billion people.  (It’s unclear if all Earth was destroyed or just the people on it.)  We also learn about how telepaths are persecuted on Mars like Marvel’s mutants and “nemo” addiction rates are increasing.  

In the present, a group of space pirates, for lack of a better term, are en route to Mars; someone named the Pearl has hired them to take a prisoner.  One of the pirates, Kade, is worried another of the other pirates, the Marshal, is going to kill the prisoner first over a "debt."  Meanwhile, on Mars, after his hilarious news broadcast, Nathan manages to convince a bartender named Amanda to go on a second date with him.  They stop by the Earth memorial we saw Amanda visiting at the start of the issue with an older woman, and Amanda is rattled when Nathan approaches it so cavalierly.  He apologizes later, and Amanda wonders if they’ll ever get over their collective grief.  He says it would help if they caught the perpetrator, and Amanda asks who he lost in the attack.  He says he lost everyone, but he tries not to think about it; in fact, he hopes his antics help people forget about their own grief, too.  At that moment, someone shoots his beloved dog Sadie in the head, and Amanda is suddenly fighting off the space pirates as she calls for backup.  A hysterical Nathan eventually kills Kade before he can kill Amanda and then clutches Sadie’s body in his grief.  Then, Amanda and her team arrest him for the murder of eight billion people.

In other words:  whoa.  I admit I’m all shaky after reading this issue, since the murder of the dog is pretty graphic and, yes, I care more about the dog than the people.  (People suck.)  But, LeHeup and the creative team somehow completely immerse you in this story from the first moment, and I honestly cannot believe I have to wait a month to see what happens next.

(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:  Detective Comics #982; The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #8