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Picked up Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing. Because I like Man-Thing. The story was decent, except for the inclusion of that idiotic Hordeculture from the X-books. Probably one of the stupidest ideas to come out of comics in recent years, and that's saying something.
Beta Ray Bill was pretty cool. I haven't seen the resolution to the Thor story arc yet, but apparently Bill gets his super form back. The story was interesting, and I think this has lots of potential. There was a neat little interview with Walt Simonson included.
Avengers finally resolved the Phoenix story, and now I know why the folks at the comic book store were pricing out some first-appearance of Echo issues of Daredevil yesterday. I don't know much about the character, but I can usually find some respect for a character that's been around for 20-ish years (the exception, being Damian Wayne, who I doubt I'll ever have the slightest bit of respect for). I was happy to see Namor get his ass kicked, since he's been acting like a complete douche. It was nice to see Red Widow get roasted as well. She was kind of an a%&~*$$.
Conan's continued adventures in Khitai are cool.
Immortal Hulk is still really weird at times, but I was surprised at Joe Fixit becoming a Red Hulk, then seeming to re-emerge into the real world as a green mixed with a bit of red. I'm also a bit dismayed, because it just seems like they're adding to Hulk's already considerable power levels. Either way, though, it continues to be a fun ride. I look forward to the U-Foes getting their asses handed to them next month.
X-Men was a cool, well-written story, but I really don't like these Children of the Vault. They're essentially just a different kind of mutant. Just that none of them have any redeeming qualities at all.
Marauders - these little rich punks are really annoying. They all remind me of Damian Wayne, so I'd love nothing more than to see them all killed.I loved seeing Masque and some of the other Morlocks get some "screen time" so to speak. I think they need to spotlight more of the former mutant villains. I like seeing some of them be the "good guys".
Honestly I LOVE Hordeculture because they're not your typical villains. I'm also glad they're giving some love to Man-Thing. So there's that.
Bill's new story arc should be interesting but I feel like Odin owes Bill a good bit for all the crap that he just went through with The Black Winter/Herald of Thunder and now the Donald Blake mess.
Yeah I was expecting Echo based on the silhouette they showed for the solicits for this issue. I was a little surprised she got knocked out early but I'm glad she'll have a chance to shine with the rest of the Avengers.
Immortal Hulk has always been a weird book but that's part of its charm. It's not a Super hero book so much as a body horror with some Super hero stuff in it. I hope they can sort out Rick from his body meld. Also glad Walter is back, even he's in Doc Samson's body.
The Children, to me, aren't the worst villains, but to me, this issue could and would have benefited more from having stronger interactions with someone outside the normal X-men world.
Homines Verendi are decent villains because I understood them when they were originally the Hellfire people. Now that they are their own thing, I'm fine with them. Mostly because having Victor Frankenstein's descendent as a member makes them more than just bored rich kids. But I agree, I would like to see more of Marrow if nothing else.
The sideburns gave him away.
What sideburns?
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Fantastic Four - I never thought I'd come to dislike Invisible Woman, but she's been acting like a real jerk lately. I still think the relationship between Johnny Storm and Sky is lame, and a little too forced. Otherwise, this was another throw away issue, thanks to the King in Black crap. Thankfully, that's done. Let's hope the writer can do something decent going forward.
I picked up Batman: The Detective on a whim. Mostly because I like the Kubert art. Also because it's only a 6-part series. The story was decent, even if it feels like it's been done before. The new version of Gentleman Ghost was kind of stupid. The Bat costume reminded me of Gotham by Gaslight.
Maestro: War and Pax - by now, I'm just in it for the inevitable Doom vs Hulk fight.
Daredevil - Still loving Elektra as DD. And with that ending, maybe it'll be for a bit longer......NAAH, there's no way Marvel has the stones to kill of Matt and make her the permanent DD.
Wolverine versus vampires - still. They really need to drag this story out less. And Dracula looks idiotic. Like he should be sparkling.
Thor was a cool end to what's been an interesting story. The splash page of Destroyer Thor punching Blake was f$!$ing awesome. I loved the punishment Loki came up with. Classic.
I will never understand the intense dislike you have for what I feel was a seminal moment/crossover in Marvel History. Admittedly some of the cross over books weren't great, but honestly overall, I enjoyed King in Black (minus the kind of Deus Ex thing with Mjolnir and Silver Surfer's board) With regards to this cross over, I was pretty okay with it. We'll see how it goes and how this builds towards Doom marrying his Herald, Victorious.
The whole detective thing I didn't enjoy even if I like Knight and Squire. This entire thing was terrible. And yes, the new version of Gentleman Ghost was not good.
Well I mean it was bound to happen. I still am wondering just where the Maestro personality falls on the Bruce Banner scale.
I think they might...but only so they can bring Matt back so he can fight crime as DD with no one suspecting he's the same DD as before. I mean except for Foggy and probably Elektra. What I found interesting was the side plot with Fisk's kid and Mike.
I think they just need to have Dracula start doing more magic again. Maybe. I dunno.
It was interesting twist but I feel bad for Blake since I never TRULY believed this was actually Donald Blake. But who the heck knows, especially now that apparently Thor's true mom is the Phoenix...or at least the first host.
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Black Knight - of course it's Mordred. That's one of the problems of doing anything Arthurian Myth - you're kind of limited on the villains. Still, the revelation of other Ebony mystical objects has...potential. One that confused me, though - what ever happened to Ulysses Bloodstone, and why did they put this annoying chick in his place?
The second issue of Alien has opened up the story a little more. Someone other than Ripley, or Hicks, or whoever, has experience with the Xenomorphs. The terrorists from the previous issue got what they deserved, now I'd like to see the Corporation get it.
Avengers - I missed a lot over the years Marvel sucked balls. Not sure how I like headquarters being in some Celestial's armor/body/whatever. That's just a little weird. Interesting though. And now Dracula is showing up here (where he looks better than he did in Wolverine). The vamps are becoming a major force in the Marvel Comics Universe. Good. Sheriff Blade - priceless.
SWORD - it was good to see that little douchenozzle Cortez humiliated. The F+##nuckle deserves it. Mutants putting together a hit team to avert and interstellar war. Nice. Although it would have made more sense to have Wolverine and his "mutant CIA" involved. Nice to see Amelia again.
Way of X I picked up just for s%#~s and giggles, but I'm glad I did. It was...pretty cool. They raised some good questions. And I always like to see more of Crucible. Still, I don't know if this will be good as an ongoing series. It'd work better as a miniseries. I'm glad to see they're finally doing something with Legion.
I think in regards to Black Knight, you could have OTHER magic people. Plus Mordred is the only Mordred in Marvel. AS for Ulysses, I'm pretty sure he's dead dead. The Bloodstone only extended his life so much. Hence Else (and later on her brother, Cullen) are the only remaining members of the Bloodstone line. [note, I checked. Ulysses has been dead and staying that way since he died in Rampaging Hulk #8 in 1978]
Uhm not that much. I mean the fact is they've been inside the dead shell of the Progenitor Celestial which kick started this new iteration of the Avengers. Then all the other stuff in between, War of the Realms , Challenge of the Ghost Rider, Rise of the Vampire Nation, the new Squadron Supreme of America, etc. But yes, it's clear that Dracula has strong ambitions to be much like mutant kind, ie ascendant.
Yeah I was totally thrilled by this issue by how Magneto put Cortez in his place while at the same time addressing some concerns about how "Kill No man" might wor out.
Way is weird, but at the same time, it feels like it's asking some of the right questions...just not worded well. That and Legion's return (plus maybe a hint that Blindfold MIGHT come back?!?) is interesting.
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Black Knight - of course it's Mordred. That's one of the problems of doing anything Arthurian Myth - you're kind of limited on the villains. Still, the revelation of other Ebony mystical objects has...potential. One that confused me, though - what ever happened to Ulysses Bloodstone, and why did they put this annoying chick in his place?
Ulysses died like twenty years ago (Edit: According to Thomas Seitz, it was 40+ years ago!), his story culminated in destroying the Hellfire Helix, which was the evil relic that kind of maintained his immortality (and was super-evil), and he aged to death as he struck the final blow. It was a kind of neat resolution to his story.
And then, much later, he was discovered to have had a daughter, Elsa, who had her own Buffy-esque mini, which, IMO, kinda blew, and then she appeared in Nextwave: Agents of HATE, which was all sorts of hilarious and un-canon and over-the-top, and she was super fun. Fortunately that characterization seems to have carried over into her later appearances (complete with a totally different look. She was literally a blonde waifish Buffy clone in her mini, and is now a tall redhead.). That said, she is certainly not for everyone, and the Nextwave series is doubleplus extra 'not for everyone.'
Since then, a second child, Cullen Bloodstone, has also been retconned in, but I know nothing about him.
As for Mordred, it annoys me since Marvel already has a Modred (1 'r') the Mystic, a servant of Chthon who usually ends up trying to grab the Scarlet Witch for another plot to free his master.
Couldn't they use Morgana, or her descendant (who is more or less possessed by her wrathful ancestor's ghost, IIRC), Caroline le Fay?
Or some other vaguely Arthurian threat, like one of the dragons bound under Camelot or the demon that sired Merlin out to destroy the last of his wayward boy's namby-pamby do-gooder legacy that stains his wicked name or some totally made-up shaboodle like that?
Or the High Evolutionary, who is actually reknowned for getting pissy at people cloning things all willy-nilly and has gone on mad clone-killing pograms in the past. He might have a bone to pick with Dane for that horse and his butler, among other things.
Or just about any magical villain that wants to use the Ebony Blade to power a big spell, like Margali of the Winding Road, or Baron Mordo, or Nicholas Scratch or (barf) the Hood.
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Ulysses died like twenty years ago, his story culminated in destroying the Hellfire Helix, which was the evil relic that kind of maintained his immortality (and was super-evil), and he aged to death as he struck the final blow. It was a kind of neat resolution to his story.
See, I think I remember something like this from either The Avengers or Captain America title back in the day. There was this thing where they were looking for fragments of the stone, and it ended up possessing the corpse of the WWII Zemo. Or something like that. It was probably close to 30 years ago, and I'd have to search through a lot of my comics to find the issues.
Or the High Evolutionary, who is actually reknowned for getting pissy at people cloning things all willy-nilly and has gone on mad clone-killing pograms in the past. He might have a bone to pick with Dane for that horse and his butler, among other things.
I seriously wish they'd do more with High Evolutionary. I always liked him. I was collecting a lot of Marvel when the did the Evolutionary War back in the late 80s, so he's been a long-time favorite of mine.
Set,
Yep. I double checked. It was 40. With regards to Cullen, most his backstory/history is about him being infected by some monster and so the bloodstone inhibits that ability. Otherwise he and his sis are kind of similar.
With regards to the Hood, he's kind of still working out his way to be the next Kingpin while dealing with the fallout from his feud with Hawkeye. As for him going for the Ebony stuff...he might just rather not deal with that since he's already had enough problems now.
As for the High Evolutionary...I mean he did appear and semi-help Jessica/Spider-woman recently. So there's that.
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As for the High Evolutionary... I mean he did appear and semi-help Jessica/Spider-woman recently. So there's that.
He's versatile (translation: nuts). He can be used as a villain, as an ally, or just as a plot device (such as when he created Counter-Earth, or the White Tiger who turned out to be an actual New Man anthropomorphic white tiger under the mask!). :)
Set,
This is true! He's not quite like say, Thanos or the Red Skull. And yes, A-zombie, he's got a very stylish outfit.
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Fantastic Four was....meh. I actually think the best part was the bit with the Skrull kid telling Alicia about their shared past. Otherwise, the stuff with Franklin is annoying. And the whole "terrible future where Thing kills Reed" is getting old real quick.
Savage Avengers was kind of fun. The format seems to have developed into "Conan teams up with...". Which is cool, since otherwise it'd be Kulan Gath all the time.
Beta Ray Bill has a quest. Skurge is fun. And now Bill's ship AI has a body. That might not go over too well.
Issue two of BRZRKR was cool. An interesting origin story. I'm still loving the art.
New Mutants was cool. Otherworld has a s$~# ton of potential for storylines. I'm really liking the revised versions of Roma and Merlyn. I'm also starting to find myself kind of really hoping Shadow King is sincerely trying to turn over a new leaf and help people. That has....possibilities.
Honest the best part for me was the reveal/re-introduction to Trauma/Terrance Ward. He was a favorite and I'm glad he's helping out.
I think the team up thing is just until Marvel staff figures out the best way to send Conan back...and you know kill Kulan Gath. I did like Spidey swearing vengeance for his backside.
I'm a little more concerned that maybe Bill MIGHT re-ignite Surtur...but we'll see.
I do admit, this issue of New Mutants was more interesting than previous ones. I do wonder how Merlyn feels about what's going on in Excalibur.
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New Mutants was cool. Otherworld has a s+&# ton of potential for storylines. I'm really liking the revised versions of Roma and Merlyn. I'm also starting to find myself kind of really hoping Shadow King is sincerely trying to turn over a new leaf and help people. That has....possibilities.
Yeah, he's being telegraphed so hard as the obvious sinister bad-guy steering the children awry that I really want to have a swerve and find out that he's just really bad at trying to not look like a creepy perv, after decades of being used like a sock-puppet by the Shadow Kind. (It's been established that the Shadow King is a malignant psychic parasite and that Amal Farouk is a telepath that it possessed. It has NOT been established whether or not Amal Farouk is also a nasty person, either by nature, or after decades of psychic abuse by the Shadow King, so it could go either way...)
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Batman Black & White
First story would have been great, but for the presence of Damian. Otherwise, it was pretty solid, with Bruce doing a daytime visit to a locale in which a deal would go down that night. He then proceeds to "prep' the scene, to maximize his efforts for later that night. Then, of course, the little snot rag ruins it all. Good art, though.
The second story was a Gordon one, hinting at some of the trouble from his past dealing with corrupt cops. Solid art. And the focus on a major support cast member cool. Lee Weeks did a good job with this story.
The third story was another non-Batman story, this time focusing on Gilda Dent. I don't recall many other stories about her being a killer, other than The Long Halloween, so I'm guessing this was a follow-up to that effort. Solid story, with some potential for future Bat title shenanigans. Solid art, as well.
The Riddler and Croc story was....odd, but fun. It was set-up like one of those old Choose You Own Adventure books, which made it...interesting to read. Art was decent.
The last story was Nightwing centric. It was solid, but nothing special. Decent art. Hopefully, they'll do more stories with that character (whom I'm still pissed they made not-Batman again).
Set,
I'm with you on the hope it's not a swerve, but at the same time...I don't expect much from the old adage "Leopards never change their spots." But who knows.
Yeah it's sad. But much like the rest of us, we all die at some point. I'm unhappy he's gone, but hopefully his work will continue to inspire others.
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X-Men: Curse of the Man-Thing was a fun book to read. It might have been better if I hadn't skipped the middle part of the story this issue finished, but oh well. Hopefully, it's a new status quo for Man-Thing going forward.
Immortal Hulk was cool. I almost feel sorry for the U-Foes. This new Hulk cleaned their clocks. Hulk and Harpy vs the Avengers for next issue seems like it could be a really interesting fight.
Marauders - so it looks like Storm is moving on to another book. I liked all the little stories they told about her. That was really cool. The Hate Monger thing seemed kind of out of left field. I wonder if he was still the Hitler clone. Loved the knife collection - a woman after my own heart. And, holy s*$@! Did that Lourdes Chantel thing go way f+*!ing back, or what? I'm mean, s&!%, I was just a wee high school lad at the time.
So the first two parts of this series were very interesting and yes the ending was great.
I do wonder why the Avengers can't seem to not fall into the trap of trying to fight Hulk all the time. But at the same time, history shows it doesn't always work.
The Hate Monger there is a) definitely NOT the Hitler clone because b) Homines Verendi recruited the last guy to be active as Hate Monger and he was just some random dude that once had the spirit of Hitler infect him. I was a little shocked by the mention of Lourdes Chantel, but we'll see where that leads in the Hellfire Gala. (Also I don't think Storm is going to another book...)
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Hulk just wanted a drink.
I mean sure...but at the same time, you'd think he'd try a place like "The Bar with No Name" or some other joint.
After no doubt getting hit by Punisher or Scourge 4 yet again, one would think they would just drnk at home.
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After no doubt getting hit by Punisher or Scourge 4 yet again, one would think they would just drnk at home.
They thought naming it 'The Bar with No Customers' seemed a bit on the nose, and also a self-fulfilling prophecy for financial ruin.
Gosh, and how 'bout that Scourge? Arrived with a splash, and sank like a stone. About as relevant these days as that mob of jobbers he ganked in his debut...
After no doubt getting hit by Punisher or Scourge 4 yet again, one would think they would just drnk at home.They thought naming it 'The Bar with No Customers' seemed a bit on the nose, and also a self-fulfilling prophecy for financial ruin.
Gosh, and how 'bout that Scourge? Arrived with a splash, and sank like a stone. About as relevant these days as that mob of jobbers he ganked in his debut...
I believe he was there to clean out the mass of D-listers that were cluttering up the place and was effective, but that was his only real card to play. Plus he was useless against any sort of bullet-proof types so he was taking out 'Humans in funny masks' for the most part instead of
anyone who could give him a real fight.Too bad he didn't square off against bigger name street level crooks like Kingpin,Hammerhead,Tombstone and the like. A three way battle between say Daredevil,Scourge and Kingpin would be interesting.
Eh. I think Scourge is still a scrub when you're talking about Wilson "I have plans and now I'm the mayor of NY" Fisk and Daredevil "I can hear bullets coming from 4 miles away".
But Set is correct, I doubt they wanted to go with Bar with No Customers if only because financial ruin.
Though to be fair to Scourge, he DID pop his head out again some time back in Coates run of Captain America...
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I actually picked up three DC titles this week, something that was sadly growing increasingly rare over the past few years. Who knows? Perhaps this is a sign their storytelling is improving....
I was a big fan of Legends of the Dark Knight (having all but 3 of the 200+ issues of volume 1), so when I saw they were coming out with a new series, I was...intrigued. That they've got Darick Robertson (of Transmetropolitan and The Boys fame) to work the first arc was a big factor in me picking this up. The story is decent enough, pretty basic so far. The art, as expected, is great. I look forward to future issues, but hope they don't ruin it by bringing in characters like Damian Wayne, or letting jackasses like Tom King anywhere near the book.
I also picked up issues 2 & 3 of Superman Red and Blue. I had missed issue 2 when it first came out, but luckily, the store still had some copies.
Thoughts on issue 2 - I'm unfamiliar with the Earth 2 Superman, but I loved the art by Denys Cowan. There was a story called Patience, written and illustrated by someone named Dan Panosian. His Lex Luthor looked kind of like Telly Savalas, which is cool, since I think Savalas would have made an awesome on-screen Lex Luthor. There was a story about a little girl, which was drawn by someone named Marley Zarcone. Based on that art, I'd say Marley hadn't fully learned how to draw yet.
Thoughts on issue 3 - Most of the stories were adequate. I liked seeing KIlg%re again. Can't remember when that character last appeared. The only story I didn't really care for was the one written by that little asshat Nick Spencer, where he tried to rewrite comic history by making Jor-El an idiot whose calculations were off and had to be corrected. I wasn't surprised Spencer wrote it that way, however. It's one of the reasons I typically avoid anything he writes.
Finally, I got issue 2 of Batman: The Detective. I'll admit, the only reason I initially started to get this miniseries was because of Andy Kubert's art. The story has really grown on me, however, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
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Fantastic Four
The Good: Artwork, Huzzah! for an appearance by Ultimatum, the chess/fencing match between Doom and Reed, Ben Grimm as a dad.
The Bad: Victorious is as arrogant as Doom, but without actually earning the arrogance. Which makes her simply annoying, like a female Damian Wayne. And now they seem to be taking Alicia down the same villainous path as her father. Oh joy. That makes about as much sense as if Susan would start spying on her brother to control his life....oh wait. Johnny falling into bed with any living female. So much for having the character maybe finally start growing as a person. I guess they needed a different reason for Doom to try and destroy them all, for once.
Black Knight - I guess Marvel thought they needed two female Damian Waynes, but let's make one of them British. The fight between young Thor and the first Black Knight was pretty cool. It makes sense that a sword which feeds on negative thoughts and emotions might eventually corrupt the wielder. Of course, I'm sure Dane will prove stronger than that.
Conan the Barbarian is, as always entertaining. This continued adventure in Khitai, though, is full of more plot twists that a pretzel factory. I wish they'd keep these story arcs shorter.
I'm still loving Elektra as Daredevil, especially the part where she doesn't care about hiding her secret identity because neither one has anything to fear. Not sure why some Hand monster was getting his Jason Vorhees on, but it was still a good fight. And it looks like maybe the next issue will be Bullseye versus the Daredevil he once killed. Interesting. Otherwise, I wish Matt would either die (letting Elektra be Daredevil permanently), or get over his weepy, whiny, "I must pay" crap and get back to being the hero.
The Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters was...weird. I'm starting to not like this whole weird, supernatural mythoology they've been building up. It just seems....wrong for the Hulk. Not sure why. The back up piece, with Marvel Scarecrow, was okay. I liked Nowlan's art.
Wolverine was....okay. I'm not keen on the art. And there seems to be a disconnect between what's going on with the vampires here, and what's going on over in Avengers. I'm guessing Louise is the new Hannibal King. And I get they're trying to come up with new ways to fit genetic tinkering and splicing into the X-books, but I thought the whole "photonic cells" in the blood was a bit much.
Way of X - Damn, I love Legion. He's a fun character, even after all these years. He and Kurt are an odd couple, but I kind of like the thought of them working together. Not sure I'm as happy about Kurt seemingly casting one of his main character traits (his religion) aside, but at least they're doing it in a way that makes sense. Doctor Nemesis' head really creeps me out. I'm liking the direction they're going in with this Orchis plot. That's an organization which is proving to have a lot of potential. And the Patchwork Man is apparently Onslaught. Interesting.
I didn't read any of these DC titles so no comment there.
I like the fact that Alicia is doing the same thing as her dad. Mostly because it's not for HER benefit so much as the family. (Plus honestly I feel like Lyja is being kind of a jerk) As for Johnny's move...I mean it WAS predicted via a pretty reliable source IE Crystal's daughter. As for Victorious...eh. I mean a LITTLE Damien...but not as much as actual Damien. (Plus she did drain off the Power Cosmic from Galactus...sort of.)
I take exception that Elsa is ANYTHING like Damien. Mostly because she's got some PROVEN fights and has a better personality than Damien. (Unless you mean Jacks...because I dunno) I was a little miffed about the fight between young Thor and Sir Percy. Mostly because I didn't think the Ebon Blade should be MORE powerful than freaking Mjolnir. But whatever.
I think right now Conan's journey is almost at an end. We'll see if the next arc is better or not.
I agree that Elektra as Daredevil has been fun, but for me what's VERY cool is the rise of Butch after the return of Richard Fisk. NOW THAT will be interesting. But I do agree that Matt needs to get his crap together soon. As for the Hand monster/Jason Vorhees I think it's subtle nod to the fact Elektra's goal is the destruction of the Hand permanently. Thus the Hand isn't taking this lying down.
Honestly I LIKED how the writers mixed Mesopotamian mythology with current Hulk crazy. So this was good. Not great, but good. The backup was slightly better since it had ACTUAL Hulk instead of another semi-knock off.
I think the disconnect is more about the individual writers approach to the rise of the Vampire Nation moreso than what's going on each story line. That being said, I was fine with them genetically making a brain dead clone of Wolverine with special cells to keep the vampires in check. I doubt it will stop Dracula, but the appearance of Death, the first of Apocalypse's Horsemen, might.
Way of X is improving after the first issue. Especially because I feel like David and Kurt are going about this the RIGHT way IE looking at the whole of Krakoa and it's nascent rise and it's societal hierarchies. So yeah. I wasn't thrilled by Kurt's use of murder...but what REALLY shocked me was the fact Orchis is willing to try to use freaking ONSLAUGHT. ONSLAUGHT, the one that killed the Avengers. (Kind of). I mean I get Orchis is desperate...but come on man. This is just bad planning even if it/he is being used in a way to undermine Krakoa...
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The most recent Maestro series finally came to an end. It was....meh. I think I'll skip the next one.
The Alien series started out intriguing. Three issues in, however, and the best I can say is Larroca's art is the best thing about this. The writing is....meh. There's no one to root for...except the aliens themselves. On one side you've got The Company, in all its stereotypical "evil corporation" glory. On the other side, you've got a bunch of anti-corporate douchnozzeles who are too stupid to realize the horrors they're unleashing. Seriously, I just want the xenomorph to win. I doubt I'll keep on with this one.
Batman Black and White. For once, I don't have any real criticisms of any of the stories. Solid plots. Art ranging from decent to pretty cool. All in all, not bad. Sadly, I think this might be the last issue. If only because the inside back cover didn't have a list of writers/artists for next issue.
New Mutants - the story with Shadow King is stagnant and boring. They need to end it. The stuff with Karma was pretty cool, though.
X-Men - Of course Mystique failed to stop Nimrod from coming online. Spectacularly so. Seems if Professor X and Magneto had been serious about this, they'd have thrown that whole f#~$ing station into the sun. Anyway, the mutants might as well just throw in the towel now, because they've never been able to stop Nimrod.
The Last Ronin #3 finally came out. As with the other issues, this has been a pretty cool little elseworlds style story for the Turtles. Not a big fan of Casey and April's daughter, though. Probably because I'm not as overly fond of smarmy little s$~+s as I used to be (which was never). Still, it's a cool story.
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I missed out on issue 3 of Beta Ray Bill, but they're getting me a copy from another store. So I'll pick that up next week.
I thought about getting a copy of the new Mister Miracle. I like Shilo, and the whole letting someone else take on the mantle is what I preach all the time. The store didn't have any more copies though, and it wasn't really a priority for me.
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X-Men - Of course Mystique failed to stop Nimrod from coming online. Spectacularly so. Seems if Professor X and Magneto had been serious about this, they'd have thrown that whole f+$!ing station into the sun. Anyway, the mutants might as well just throw in the towel now, because they've never been able to stop Nimrod.
I know, right? We've got an island full of mutants, some of them able to look up into the sky and shoot Orchis to death. Let's send someone with the mutant power to look like other people to do it by herself!
Xavier. "Okay, she's gone. Ha. I can't believe she fell for it."
Magneto. "I know, right? We need her? Scoff. Let's get to it."
Xavier. "Right." (Hand to forehead.) "Everyone on the base is now asleep."
Magneto. (imperious hand wave) "And the giant metal base is now accelerating towards the sun. It should take five minutes or so." (thoughtful look) "Are we going to tell Raven to get out of there?"
Xavier. "Hell no. Closing the gate now. We can put someone on the Quiet Council in her place who *isn't* loudly thinking about how she's going to burn our island to the ground every five minutes..."
I think I will read the next series for completeness sake, but I do agree, not much to garner my attention.
Still not reading Alien. Mostly because I don't see the point.
Didn't read any black and white so...
While I agree that Shadow King has been a little stagnant, I think for me seeing how some of the New Mutants (especially Xian now and before that Rahne), are changing because of Kraoka. So yeah. I will say I am curious if they did bring back her brother or just let him pass on.
While I can grant you that they COULD have sent any of the more powerful members to deal with Orchis and the Forge, let's not forget the COST the last time they tried to stop something like from coming online. Sure resurrection is cheaper, but I'm not convinced they could do that in good conscience after the last debacle. As for having Magneto move what is technically a celestial object...I just don't think he's strong enough and certainly not within reach. I mean hello, anyone forget how much trouble he had when parallel earths were colliding into each other?
Last Ronin, didn't read it.
Issue #3 of Bill's journey towards the Twilight Sword was interesting, if only to see Scuttlebutt and him have a talk. That and the journey continues to prove even more treacherous than even Odin described it.
The new issue/series with Norman Shilo is interesting...but not sure it's the best take on the character. That being said, there is a call back to King's run on Scott Free's Mister Miracle. So there's that.
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X-Men - Of course Mystique failed to stop Nimrod from coming online. Spectacularly so. Seems if Professor X and Magneto had been serious about this, they'd have thrown that whole f+$!ing station into the sun. Anyway, the mutants might as well just throw in the towel now, because they've never been able to stop Nimrod.I know, right? We've got an island full of mutants, some of them able to look up into the sky and shoot Orchis to death. Let's send someone with the mutant power to look like other people to do it by herself!
Xavier. "Okay, she's gone. Ha. I can't believe she fell for it."
Magneto. "I know, right? We need her? Scoff. Let's get to it."
Xavier. "Right." (Hand to forehead.) "Everyone on the base is now asleep."
Magneto. (imperious hand wave) "And the giant metal base is now accelerating towards the sun. It should take five minutes or so." (thoughtful look) "Are we going to tell Raven to get out of there?"
Xavier. "Hell no. Closing the gate now. We can put someone on the Quiet Council in her place who *isn't* loudly thinking about how she's going to burn our island to the ground every five minutes..."
I still can’t understand why they would even work with her. They’ve probably got 50 other mutants who could work as (more effective) agents, yet they go with the one who wants something they’ve vowed never to give her. It’s f$&@ing stupid.
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Going back to Nimrod - I’ve always had a kind of love/hate relationship with the character. He looks cool. And some of the past battles against him have been really interesting exercises in writing, as they find new ways to beat him. He’s even fought crime on occasion.
Ultimately, however, he’s unstoppable. His existence, logically, can only lead to the utter annihilation of mutants, along with most of the planet probably. And now, from this issue, it looks like he can make more of himself just by saying “Duplicate”. That’s f$*!ed up.
A-zombie,
I think the Council (or at least Charles and Erik) went to her because infiltration was necessary. Now admittedly, considering his power set, I'd pick Manifold/Eden because clearly he can move around much better. But even so...
I dunno if Nimrod is unstoppable. I think a solid hit from the Silver Surfer and/or the Phoenix Force MIGHT be enough to take him out, replication ability not withstanding. But I do think he is, in some ways, inevitable in the sense technology evolving as it does.
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Legion is a neat character. I loved his snark.
"I have no control over my hair."
Legion has been a wild card from day one. It's just now he's a more interesting one than before.
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Savage Avengers was cool enough. I liked seeing Ghost Rider, but I really have a hard time seeing Conan get the better of him in any way. I hope they're going to finish up the Kulan Gath stuff soon. The arc is ridiculously long.
Beta Ray Bill - so now Skuttlebutt has a body (and more emotions). I also have a feeling she's got feelings for Bill. That could prove...problematic. For someone, anyway. Loved the Surtur cultists. And Skurge is proving fun. I look forward to seeing whatever multi-legged monstrosity they must face next.
Immortal Hulk and Harpy vs The Avengers. That was interesting. I really liked it when Hulk trapped Thor's head inside his regenerating arm. It was disgustingly awesome. Danvers got taken out of the fight pretty quickly, which was fun to watch. Poor Rick Jones. And that last page....maybe they should get a room.
Marauders - the opening story for the Hellfire Gala. It was both disappointing and cool. I'm really curious to find out what Reed said to Charles, but I imagine it wasn't pleasant. Perhaps Reed's still carrying a grudge from when Xavier wiped knowledge from his mind about that machine that could hurt mutants. I think it might be more than that, however. The telepathic concert was pointless, and a waste of pages. The bit with Cap, Doom, Emma, and the Shi'ar Ambassador was funny. I wonder what the Shi'ar brought Emma, and why doesn't she remember asking? What ruined the whole thing, however, was the time skip and skipping whatever big announcement they made. That was annoying, and completely disrupted the flow of the story. Poor writing. I assume it was in hopes of getting people to buy all the other tie-in issues, thinking more info is forthcoming. Guess I'll have to miss some stuff, since I'm only buying certain books. I liked the back-up reprint of Lourdes death. That was cool.
I think the reason the arc is so long is because once Kulan Gath is dead, what reason do we REALLY need to keep a barbarian from the Hyborian Age in the Marvel Age? Seriously.
The journey towards the Twilight Sword is pretty interesting but I keep wonder if the cost (which I assume will be considerable) is something that Bill can and/or will pay. Or if some or all of the others might. We'll see. I was happy to see Skuttle in a different role.
It was an interesting fight, but for me seeing Cap's reaction to Rick Jones was pretty telling (Damn you Nick Spencer for that kill!) The other thing I wonder is why did Jen try to help diffuse the situation more. Unless she feels that the Avengers just aren't up for dealing with The Leader in his new role. We'll see. I do agree with the room thing.
I think if you read the connective tissues of the others in this series, you'll get a clearer idea (even if the Fast forward does ruin things a tad) But mostly I imagine a) Reed probably told Charles off AND promised him something about it. That scene though with Emma, Doom and Cap and the Shi'ar Ambassador was priceless (Also read X-force #20 to see what they are talking about) I honestly think if you read the X-force book, you'll appreciate some stuff that appears in Marauders more. But we'll see.
Also want to take the time so say YOU SHOULD REALLY BE READING HEROES REBORN. It's like the best take on DC's classic Justice League lineup without continuity problems. That and you get a better way of seeing how Marvel MIGHT do better with DC than DC is doing now. But that's me.
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In Praise of Neal Adams, the Reigning King of Comic Books
Not the kind of article you expect to find on the National Review website. I’m glad he seems to have recovered from Sepsis.
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The new Legends of the Dark Knight put out issue #2. The first part, with Batman and Joker stuck on a garbage barge (I think), was really well done. The second part, with what was looking to be the Riddler, was....disappointing.
A cheap knock-off of what is, let's face it, a D-list villain (and that might be generous), just without the dangly bits? Meh.
Superman Red and Blue was not too shabby. The first story, with Mxyzptlk, was decent. The art work sucked ass, though. I don't know why they keep getting people who look like they're still learning to draw. All the other stories were well-written, with decent art. The last one, with the stupid social media challenge, was probably spot on in how a lot of idiots would react to Superman.
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The newest issue of Alien opened things up a bit more, and has me intrigued a bit. It sounds like the main character, Gabe Cruz, was once infected by a xenomorph, and the company somehow got it out of him. That's....an interesting route to take. And the Alpha they've been talking about finally showed up. It seems to be a kind of uber-warrior. I'll see how it goes with maybe a few more issues, before I decide whether to keep getting it.
Fantastic Four - what a clusterf&&*. Now I'm just cheering for Doom to kill everyone except the Thing and T'Challa, because they're the only cool ones left.
BRZRKR continues to be fun. The concept is cool. The art is, as expected, awesome. It'll make a cool movie one day, but I'd rather see John Wick Chapter 4 first.
Conan the Barbarian - Someone else is trying to manipulate Conan for their own purposes. Yeah, because that always works out well for them. I really liked the part with the silent assassin. That was kind of cool.
New Mutants was, as with many of these Gala issues, weird. Shadow King seems to genuinely want to help Krakoa, but he's got a weird way of showing it. I enjoyed the group chat part. Poor Warlock. Now that Doug's got himself a steady piece, he just seems kind of lost. Still, I hope this means we'll see more of him.
X-Men - Damn, they really seem determined to make Namor irrevocably a villain (not to mention a giant-sized, arrogant douchebag). I like they way they did the mutants voting on new X-men. That was cool. And it looks like a really cool new team. The only one I'm not familiar with is non-dangly bits Wolverine. They're all powerhouses, though. Sinister secrets, schminister secrets. I just wish someone would gut that diamon foreheaded a&$~@!+. I'm pretty sure I saw Kevin Feige in there. That was cool. And then there were the fireworks.....
Planet-Size X-Men - what an appropriate name. I'm not sure how iffy (or not) the science was, but...eh...mutants. And it solves the Arrakko problem (for now, at least). The thing with Jaimie, and them getting him to "give birth" to a space station, was funny. The nod to 2010 (the movie) was cool. I also really like the NASA memo at the end. All in all, the whole thing was not what I was expecting. It was really cool, though.
I agree that Doom's wedding was a clusterf&*%, but it's not unexpected in terms of how I expected this to go down. I DID like the exchange between Namor and T'Challa along with Ben trying to keep everyone cool.
What I like is seeing how an primal near Wolverine/demi-god lives in a time before iron.
I'm mostly ready for Conan to move on from Khitai. We'll see if he stays a wanted man or not.
I think honestly what upset me is seeing Gabby dead and she might not be coming back. I really don't much care for how they use the resurrection protocols some times. Warlock will figure stuff out. What I'm more upset about is the dishonesty by Rahne. It's her fault that Amahl Farouk killed Gabby. I just hope Laura and Akirhiro avenge her.
Non-dangly bits is Laura who was portrayed pretty well on screen by Dafne Keen. (I'd love for her to reprise that role) As for Namor, he's been pretty villainous thanks to him taking Jim Hammond's head off and starting wars. So...yeah. I don't see why he would want to join Kraoka when he's clearly got more ambitions. As for Sinister, I'm not sure I'm ready to see him get killed, but if he does I'm putting money down on Kwannon.
Planet size X-men was and is a truly seismic shift for everything in the comics. Not only is now Mars no longer uninhabited, it's basically now THE mutant planet in the Solar system. Not to mention, according to Krakoa, the new capital of Sol. (I doubt that will sit well with some.) Couple that with the Arrako mutants making it their home...it's clear that pre-reveal in Marauders unsold this by quite a bit. We'll see what the wider universe and indeed the groups/governments of Earth will have to say about this.
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Wonder Woman Black and Gold is the newest anthology series from DC, following in the veins of Batman Black and White & Superman Red and Blue. This first issue was really well done. All the stories were at least decent, if not really cool (especially the last one, with the "origin" of the lasso). The art was also decent to really cool. Hopefully, the future issues will be as good, but I have my doubts. Eventually, DC will allow someone who just shouldn't be a writer or artist to do a story. Still, nice opening effort.
Gamma Flight I picked up pretty much because I saw it would be a miniseries. It was decent. I'm really liking the Titania and Absorbing Man as main characters. I'm not sure where that dangly bits to non-dangly bits stuff with the Doc McGowan came from. I don't recall seeing it over in Immortal Hulk, but maybe I missed it. Seemed pointless.
I was a little lost on the story in Wolverine, since I don't collect X-Force and it seemed like most of the plot comes from that book. They should have kept it there. I'm kind of liking the new Beast, though. He's a bit more dark than he used to be, but still seems to have a somewhat noble goal in mind.
SWORD was...interesting. The stuff between Cap and Doom was cool. The Galactic Council stuff was cool. Storm as regent of Mars and Voice of Sol is just kick ass. The stuff between Magneto and Wanda at the end was....interesting. I'm still not a fan of them retconning the twins as much as they have.
Way of X is....fun. Grappling with the dynamics of a burgeoning mutant culture has lots of potential for some really cool stories. This one, with the whole "make more mutants" as underlying theme, was one of them. That whole sharing of minds thing between the two chicks reminded me of something from Babylon 5. I'm looking forward to where they go with Onslaught. Dazzler just seems to hang out singing to everyone. This Lost chick is taking care of babies. Little things like that, bits of life, are cool to see.
WW Black and Gold was fine but honestly I'm a little tired of hero anthologies at this point.
Issue #33 of Immortal Hulk basically TOLD us McGowen was trans because that's why she went to work for Kingpin doing MGH work. So I don't know WHY you missed it, but I guess you did. I honestly think it's kind of cool and important given who one the writers IS on this mini-series.
If I recall correctly, the whole thing with X-force issue #10 with Terra Verde's experience with that whole "near sentient plants that act like a computer network" which is where we get Beast basically controlling, then trying to use them as spies before that went to crap in a hand bag. I'm honestly not fond of how they've made Beast darker. But I'm chalking part of it up to Onslaught.
Eh. They'll probably retcon it back some time down the road. But I do agree, SWORD and by extension, GotG issues this month were very good. (Dormammu!!) (I'm still with Rich that I think Mutants going in a way that will piss off more Earth people than help them.)
Way of X is getting better, but I dunno if I'll have any energy left by the end of it. I am glad that Stacy X came back. She was fun on New Warriors, and now as a full mutant again, even more intriguing. I DID feel bad that Legion basically used Loa and Mercury as bait while at the same time basically ruining them from ever doing something as a couple. But eh.
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Black Knight - by now, the only reason I'm still collecting it is for completeness sake. The story is kind of meh. The art is adequate.
Daredevil starts a new, multi-part story with this issue. Which is really just a part of the same story they've been telling endlessly for a few years now. At least it's a good story, with great art.
Beta Ray Bill - still interesting, but only just. It says next issue ends this story, so now I'm wondering if this is just supposed to be a miniseries.
And last, the Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-page one-shot. Although I've never been a fan of Ollie as raging lefty, I still enjoy the character overall. This anniversary was chock full of some great stories (with the exception of one written by someone called Ram V), and art that ranged from decent to f$$*ing awesome. All in all, it was a great way to honor 80 years of the Emerald Archer.