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Even though I'm limiting myself on DC titles, I did pick up one of their preview issues today. I was surprised to find future offering of Batman vs. Bigby: A Wolf in Gotham. This will have Bigby Wolf, one of my favorite characters from the Fables series (probably one of the best comic series of the past 30 years or so).
Normally I might pass on a gimmick like this. However, seeing as it's being written by the immensely fantastic Bill Willingham (creator of the aforementioned Fables), I may have to give it a try. It's going to be under the Black Label, so it might contain some more mature stuff.
I think though Black Knight will be much like Beta Ray Bill, in that this is the next last issue. So we'll see. Some part of me thinks that maybe Dane might joining/taking over Sir Percy's role. We'll see.
I for one enjoyed some of it more than others, (especially the confrontation between Lizzy and Elektra), but I do think we need more movement soon.
My thing right now is will this mean a return of Surtur or not? I still am unclear how the Twilight Blade will 'restore' Bill. I guess we'll see.
(Also you should REALLY read the last issue related to the Hellfire Gala. It's kind of important...)
I was okay with honoring of GA. But honestly I'm enjoy Cap's 80th more so.
thejeff,
Possibly. Right now most of my interest in DC is the fact Psycho Pirate is now the right hand guy to Darkseid. So that's something.
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Even though I'm limiting myself on DC titles, I did pick up one of their preview issues today. I was surprised to find future offering of Batman vs. Bigby: A Wolf in Gotham. This will have Bigby Wolf, one of my favorite characters from the Fables series (probably one of the best comic series of the past 30 years or so).
Normally I might pass on a gimmick like this. However, seeing as it's being written by the immensely fantastic Bill Willingham (creator of the aforementioned Fables), I may have to give it a try. It's going to be under the Black Label, so it might contain some more mature stuff.
That actually sounds really cool - as an alternate world crossover story.
There's a hint in one of the blurbs I saw that they might be trying to milk it for more. Some kind of larger Fables return.
I think they are keeping it as Bigby from an alternate earth, which is best. As for a larger Fables return - that might be cool, if Willingham is doing the writing.
Honestly if we're talking crossovers, I like the one Image is doing.
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Finally, I new issue of Avengers. I hadn't realized it, but apparently they put the series on a mini-hiatus while they ran that Heroes Reborn crap the comic book store kept sticking in my box (without me ever having asked for it). It was a long time since I'd seen some of the Winter Guard, especially Ursa Major. Not sure why they were trying to kidnap She-Hulk, except that it seems they just wanted someone else to brainwash. What a bunch of a$%*#~&s. Especially that Red Widow(?). As an aside, does this mean maybe we'll get a Magenta Widow, or a Mauve Widow. Maybe a Puke Green Widow? I think I liked it better when their was just one of them.
Immortal Hulk was...quiet. Some nice stuff between Betty/Harpy and Hulk. Then I got to the letter column and saw that the series will end with issue #50. Sad, but oh well.
And....X-Men #1. Again. Didn't we just do this a year or so back? They bookended the issue with two new threats to mutantdom. Looks like the first one is another uber-genius, but one with a brat complex because the mutants did something before he could. The other....I'm not sure, but I thought I should recognize the Oblivion Institute or Dr. Stasis. Oh, look yet another megalomaniac who thinks he's going to save humanity by wiping out mutants. I though Orchis had all these guys signed up already. The rest of the issue was coo. Love the new headquarters. Loved the bit with Ben Urich. The fight with the alien tech was fun, though I wish it would have lasted longer. I want to see more of these X-Men in action. I'm stoked they're bringing High Evolutionary into the mix. I always liked that character. The art was fantastic.
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Incidentally, one of the things I've been enjoying about all the X-books (at least the ones I regularly collect), are all those pages of pure written content - the X-Desk memos, diaries, Ben Urich's editorial, etc. They add a little more of the "book" back into comic book, and that's something I greatly appreciate.
As much as I love some of the art, they tend to rely on it a bit too much. Give me more dialogue, thought balloons, and narration boxes any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.
Heroes Reborn wasn't crap. It was decent. Crap was/is all those black and white anthologies some months back. But yeah it appears (based on solicits) that the Russian Federation wants their own Hulk and this was their solution. What I found most upsetting was Hale's betrayal even though it was clear that was going to come down the road eventually. Red Widow though, I just wonder who the hell she is.
Ewing said a year ago that Immortal Hulk was only going to run 50 issues. So honestly I think you need to pay attention more. But I did enjoy the whole interplay from Betty (who I think is still suffering from Gamma sickness of sorts) and Hulk/Joe. What I also liked was Jen just sitting there waiting out the old married couple.
What I found interesting was the fact Scott and the rest WANTED a Treehouse. That and the fact they did so while also honoring not just mutants, but the displaced Black people that used to call part of Central Park home. Very cool. And yes, Ben Ulrich being there and offering written commentary was good. Interestingly enough I did a search, Cordyceps Jones is from Rocket Mini-series that Ewing did a while back. I'm more interested to see how much impact the new building has on this part of Marvel NYC than say, the other buildings Ben mentioned.
Also of note, the end of Coates run was a little more mixed than his run on BP, but at the same time, I still feel we got something out of it. Though I am wondering what it was that both Wilson Fisk and the Foreigner were getting at before hand. Also Sin is now just Superior. (Because THAT always goes well for Superior Spider Man, Iron Man and Superior Six..)
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Aliens: Aftermath seems to be a one shot. It followed another group attacking Weyland-Yutani (including the nephew of Vasquez from Aliens), as they search for clues about Hadley's Hope. They end up at the destroyed colony and encounter...things. Including, if film cannon is still cannon, the first person from the colony to be infected by the aliens. it was an interesting little story, but nothing mind-shattering.
Batman: The Detective continues to be interesting. The art, as expected from a Kubert, is top notch. And it was nice to see Oracle again, assuming it's still Barbara (as it should be).
Conan the Barbarian finally saw an end to the Khitai story arc. Thank the gods. The story final issue was simple, straightforward, and still left us with a bit of mystery.
Thor, as with Avengers, is finally back. With a new story arc that will, I hop, finally resolve all this crap going on with Mjolnir. I loved the way Thor helped the Avengers. His talk with Captain America was cool.
Way of X continues to be kind of weird, but fun and cool. The story at the beginning through me off, but I'm really starting to like this Lost character they introduced. She has some potential, I think. The little bit about some of the unexpected after effects of terraforming Mars was cool. Fabian Cortez is a complete dickhead. If nothing else, I hope part of the new mutant culture/religion Nightcrawler is putting together has something in it about not resurrecting pony-tailed douchebags. The bit between David and Professor X was really neat. Especially the part where David and his buddies killed eveyrone.
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On a sadder note...
The comic book store employee I like best is a dude just a year or two younger than me. We have a lot of the same tastes and thoughts when it comes to comics, so I always enjoy talking to him when I go in.
Unfortunately, he told me today that his last day at the store will be on August 1st. Sucks, but I understand. He's going for a different job that would let him spend more time with his wife and kid.
Although, to be honest, I have my own suspicions that his departure is about more than just what he told me.
A-zombie,
Not that I think you'll head my opinion but you can try it. I DO know one of the characters in that Defenders series will be Galan/Galactus' mom from the previous universe. So...take that as you will.
I'm 100% sure Oracle still Barbara if only because right now she's taking a hiatus from Batgirl-ing because of fear her spinal implant might be failing.
I too am glad about that and that hopefully the tooth of the Nightstar will show up again.
I fear resolution with what's going on with Mjolnir (and indeed with some of the ancient magics and futures of Thor) are dire straits indeed. But at least Thor and Steve had a good talk. (Even if I disagree with him about why Mjolnir is acting funny.)
Way is cool, but mostly I hope the rest of the mutancy figures out quickly what do to with Onslaught before he goes fully at everyone. Because you know that won't end well.
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The Thor Annual was clichéd and boring. I had hoped for better.
The Alien story is still...adequate. It did take an interesting turn at the end, making me wonder if the anti-corporate terrorist chick actually wants to end humanity by unleashing the xenomorph on Earth. That would kind of be a rip off from one of the old Dark Horse comics.
Legends of the Dark Knight, I'm happy to say, ended it's first story arc with issue number 3. My God! There are still writer's out there who can tell a story in something less than 12 issues. I see my concern that Quiz might be the new Harley Quinn was possibly correct. Unless they either (a) actually have Riddler go straight (which wouldn't bother me), or (b) completely ignore her from this point forward (also something I'd be fine with). Either way, I look forward to seeing what they'll do next with this revitalized title.
Superman Red and Blue - all pretty solid stories, with art ranging from awesome to adequate.
Savage Avengers - the Kulan Gath story is really getting old, but this diversion with Nightmare was cool. Giant Spider riding Ghost Rider was...interesting. I always liked Shuma Gorath, so I'm glad to see they might be doing more with him next issue.
Gamma Flight was...interesting. I'm not really all that familiar with Skaar, but the fight between him and the others was cool. I love how they have Absorbing Man doing cool shit with his powers. And now we've got good, old Emil back in the mix. Should be fun.
I think writing-wise, New Mutants is the weakest of the X-books I currently collect. The best part about this most recent issue was where they went to do rescue efforts for that seismic event caused by the awakened mutant. All the stuff with Shadow King and the kids is getting tedious.
Marauders was eye opening. So Lourdes has been alive all these years. And now Sebastian knows it. And apparently he was an abusive douchebag back then - well there's a surprise. I still don't like any of these little Verendi brats, but I have to say I'm intrigued by this little side plot with the Cuckoos and the girl. I'm not too familiar with the five of them, but I find them interesting characters.
And, finally, Moon Knight. Back in his own series at last. As he should be. The art is fantastic. The writing in this first issue was simple and straightforward. I love they didn't focus as much on his mental issues, and hope they keep that going. Loved the part with the vampires, and that he's kind of hired one of them. And it seems we have another Fist of Khonshu, in Doctor Badr. I loved seeing Vermin again (all of him).
My only Moon Knight criticism would be that MacKay suffers from what many "writers" suffer from in modern comics. He doesn't really do as much writing, rather letting the art tell as much or more of the story as possible. It's not his fault, though. That trend started a long time ago.
Honestly I'm not surprised this Thor story wasn't great given that it was kind of a what if with a dash of Hawkeye. But the second story with Nighthawk and Nick Fury Jr is growing on me.
I think the fact we're probably getting closer to the end of this series is a good thing. If only because I feel we got enough Avengers. But yes, Nightmare's cameo was good.
What I enjoy about Gamma flight right now is Charlene. She's kind of the unsung hero of this. I was a little surprised to see Blonsky back and in charge. Less so at seeing Doctor Alba. (If you wanted to know more about Skaar, I'd definitely recommend his own mini-series as some insight)
I will agree that New Mutants haven't been great, but I am feeling VERY badly for a character I didn't like before, IE Daken. For how No-Girl in Gabby's body, basically eviscerates him, figurative. I will agree the way they handed the emergent mutant was good.
What surprised me in some ways was the fact Emma was basically indebted to Wilson Fisk. I mean wow. That was...not quite a shocker but still a major swerve. Regardless of Lourdes not dying or whatever. We'll see what happens with Wilhelmina and the Cuckoos.
I also agree that this was a STRONG outing for Moon Knight. I hope it continues. I also enjoyed some of the historical references to Jack Monroe and others. Vermin showing up was a nice touch. I think though we MIGHT be getting the return of Kilgrave/Purple Man. But don't hold me to that.
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Fantastic Four was...adequate. That Victorious chick is one brainwashed zealot psycho. I've known some other chicks like that in my time. I liked the creative ways the FF and friends used Dooms hypnotic control to their advantage. Namor hitting on Sue shows the writers aren't done with turning him into a complete douche with no redeeming qualities. I actually liked Doom's revenge on Johnny. It had style. And it should make for a far more interesting Human Torch story than the bird lady. The only down side to it is I can likely predict where they'll go with it, and it'll involve an annoying young kid being smarter than everyone else. The art, if I haven't already said so, has been magnificent.
Black Knight - even though I'm not crazy about two Black Knights sharing the curse going forward, I still kind of like the way they did this. Having the girl be Dane's daughter, and Mordred over looking her in his slaughter of Arthur's descendants because he's from a theoretically more misogynistic time was logical, if a bit cliché. Overall, the series was decently entertaining. If I'd know how it was going to be, however, I'd have never wasted money on it.
Beta Ray Bill, for all that it was also entertaining, is another series I probably wouldn't have invested in if I'd known how it was going to turn out. The art was fun, the overall story was simple and entertaining, but I thought the ending was weak.
Amazing Fantasy was....Amazing. I read that the dude behind it was the sole artist, which is impressive. That dude has mastered several different styles of art. The story was a bit weird at first, but I can see it's the kind of thing that might not get going until a second issue. I look forward to more. I'll admit, though, I was kind of hoping each issue would be a self-contained story focusing on a single hero.
Wonder Woman Black and Gold - the second issue was far below the first in storytelling and art. At least one of the stories had good art, some had adequate art, at least two had art that looked like it might have been done by junior high students. The writing was decent to nonsense.
Dardevil is really getting annoying with this tandem storyline. I wish they'd just focus on one of them. The multiple Bullseyes threw me for a loop.
BRZRKR is still fun, but I'm glad it looks like they're moving on from his origin story. The art continues to be kick ass.
SWORD was meh. I loved the stuff between Doom and Storm. He's always more entertaining when he treats people with the respect they deserve. I didn't really care much for the stuff on Hala, and overall with the Mindless Ones. I think one of my problems with it is I never liked them retconning Wanda's twins as still existing. I'm not overly fond of Abigail Brand. Not sure why.
Wolverine was decent. At least this issue wasn't about vampires or mystery psychics who are all-powerful but we've never heard of before. Arakkii pirates sound like fun. Loved the Blackmore dude. He was pretty spry for a fly guy. At first, when I saw the melted deck plate, I was worried they were brining xenomoprhs into the equation. I wasn't impressed with that Solem dude in the X of Sword crossover. I'm a bit bummed to see him back.
I'm convinced they're not going to redeem Namor until after his MCU debut. But we'll see. As for Johnny's new problem, I'm sure Reed will figure it out. But it has to be after the return of Kang and his other selves.
I'm not sure how I feel about TWO Black Knights, but a) I'm glad Dane isn't dead, and b) Mordred might be a douche, but he's been the right kind of douche from the get go. I did like the hints we got from the Ebony Throne though.
My major gripe is now Bill needs a way to transform again. But otherwise I was pretty happy with the fact that Skurge got a huge assist in. I hope Pip pulls through though.
I'm still not sold this world that has various time displaced Avengers (or Avenger adjacent) is the afterlife. Maybe some kind of alternate dimension. We'll see.
I'm honestly okay with the tandem since it feels like both stories have connective tissue. IE Multiple Bullseyes and the prisoner testing.
BRZRKR is interesting. We'll see how it goes in what I think is the last issue coming up.
I was a little surprised but not THAT surprised that Brand DID hack the communications thing. But at the same time I felt like this should be something the Avengers should be more involved in. We'll see. I am glad we're getting more stuff about how Dormammu is kind of owning this Annihilation thing for the moment.
I'm honestly glad we'll get to know more about Solem. He's been a wild card to me. That and the other Arakkii mutants too.
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It seems we're finally closing in on the endgame for Savage Avengers. Which is fine by me. I love Shuma Gorath, though.
I picked up the first issue of Defenders, since I knew it was a limited series. First issue was not to bad. It's got an interesting cast of characters. The art is adequate.
Daredevil - As if one Bullseye wasn't enough. I think it says something about how awesome Elektra is that she was able to survive a fight with three of them. I look forward to seeing what kind of "upgrade" Stark gives her. I'm not sure what Matt is up to, but whatever it is hopefully ends with him out of prison and back to fighting crime.
If the communists wanted someone dead, I'm not sure why they felt the need to brainwash She-Hulk into doing it for them. Seems like a lot of wasted effort, especially considering how they were able to get her in the first place, with just the right amount of advanced planning. Loved the "air strike" on Dark Star. The only disappointment was Red Widow only losing an arm.
This issue of Immortal Hulk had a lot of book in the comic. I like that. I loved the overhead shot of them walking through the lobby of the FF building. I thought the look was very Kirby-esque. As much as I hate to see this series come to an end, I'm really looking forward to the next issue.
A good second issue for the new X-Men. My only big complaint about Cordyceps Jones is the way they make him speak - "dat", "ya", "fer", "youse", and such just don't seem to fit with an intergalactic fungi. The bit with Synch and Marvel Girl practicing was cool. And I like the way the team handled the threat - quickly and efficiently. Having Cyclops shoot a thrown log to create shrapnel was pretty cool. I loved the bit with Sunfire at the end. There's a character I hope to see a lot more of. And it seems we now have confirmation that Doctor Stasis is just another a#@$*$+ member of Orchis.
I think with regards to the endgame, it's still a few more issues off, but certainly we're in the final lap. I felt bad for Shuma though. Mostly because he keep getting shafted by inferior opponents. (Not the Mighty Avengers, but more so Kulan Gath.)
I am finding this a good issue, even if I wish they had a SLIGHTLY different roster. That and we get to see a different/alternate Galactus and Galactus' mom.
I was also impressed but not surprised by how well Elektra has upped her game in this what appears to be Bullesye clone saga. No idea what's going with Matt, and I'm kind of afraid they might have put some of Bullseye's personality into him thanks to the experiments...
I honestly was glad that Red Widow just lost an arm. Mostly because I didn't expect her to survive. But it just proves how tenacious a Widow she is. As for why Russia wants She-Hulk, I think it might have to do with the solicits about her fighting Namor again. Maybe.
While I too am sad to see this series end, I am glad the penultimate chapter has some good call backs to previous eras in Marvel lore. That and having the FF be more heroic than the Avengers...I was not expecting.
Honestly I liked this issue, but I felt like the fact they are over-using the Annihilation Wave (which I mean wiped out nearly half the universe...) makes me wonder if they aren't either overhyping Sunfire...or Nova wasn't that strong. Either way, it's still a good issue.
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The new issue of Superman Red and Blue only had two stories that were worth a damn. The first was by Matt Wagner. What made it awesome was they pulled the threats Superman was fighting throughout the story from the old Fleischer cartoons. The second story surprised me even more, because it was by Tom King. It was a very human story, well written.
Gamma Flight was...okay. Three issues in and I'm realizing it's not up to Al Ewing's usual level of writing. Not sure what's gone wrong this time. Still, it's only a miniseries.
Legends of the Dark Knight surprised me once again. Issue four was....a single-issue, stand alone story. Holy shitballs! I didn't think they had it in them. And it was a solid story, with some solid art. This writer, Stephanie Phillips, I'm really hoping they give her more work.
Way of X was mind-blowingly cool. Onslaught feeding off the lost bits of memory from every mutant who dies and is resurrected. That's going to be really interesting. And the way Nightcrawler saved Mars was f*$!ing cool.
Marauders was cool. I liked seeing Banshee back in action. I'm still not too familiar with Emma's four-armed fashionista, but I like him a little better after this issue. The last page, with the excerpt from Pyro's romance novel, was hilarious.
Trial of Magneto was weird. Which fits, I guess, when you're dealing with the Scarlet Witch. Magneto's still a douche. Kate should totally have removed his brain stem. They should have let Quicksilver beat on him for a few more fractions of a second. It took me forever to realize Blob is the barman.
Moon Knight #2 was another cool issue. I'm liking the vampire helper. That's got some potential. The idea of his DID-afflicted brain being permanently changed and further warped by contact with Khonshu is...interesting. I'm wondering who the mystery person is. I think it's someone other than the other servant of Khonshu (I think he's being called Hunter's Moon). Maybe it's a reconstituted Committee?
What I found interesting was it's possible that Emil came back via Fortean's body. Which would make sense. We'll see how it goes.
Yeah I was impressed and disturbed by how Onslaught is basically sticking around. I guess we'll see the resolution of this in the one issue coming up. I felt bad for dick head Cortez, but at the same time, it's understandable. Kurt though is clearly the man.
I honestly didn't realize that who the author was until you mentioned it A-zombie. But thanks. Jumbo has been interesting, but I don't think he's going to take Storm's spot. That's probably going to Tempo. Maybe.
I liked the trial but while it's clear Magneto is being a douche, I doubt he's the one that killed Wanda. Plus she might be coming back via Krakoa itself. So we'll see. I was impressed and very emotional about the meetup and drink to Wanda with the original Brotherhood.
I don't think it's the Committee. I do think it's someone else, and you're right I don't think it's Harvest Moon/Doctor Badr. I am also now wondering if some other psychic that tries that might end up on the bad end. I mean seriously... that's some messed up crap right there.
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Issue #3 of Wonder Woman Black and Gold was a mixed bag. The first two stories were solid, both art and writing. The next two stories were preachy crap, but at least one of them had decent art. The last story had good art, but the story was just okay.
The Avengers annual was...not complete shit.
Issue #6 of Alien saw the end of the first story arc, which surprised me. The overall story was meh. The "punchline" at the end was stupid. I don't think I'll be collecting any future issues.
Conan the Barbarian was decent enough. His Khitai adventures are done (for now), and it looks like we get a Belit story up next, which is cool.
The new issue of Thor was both interesting and fund, but disappointing in the end. The Thanos stuff was interesting. The Jane/Wrecking Crew stuff was fun. The disappointing part was having the "sister" show up at the end. I know they've taken plenty of license with the Norse Mythology over the years, but adding a non-existent sister never sat well with me.
Amazing Fantasy continues to be a fun read. And the different art styles are really great.
One of the worst things to come out of the X of Swords storyline (besides the plethora of new, uber-powerful mutant a%~#*%@s) was the character of Solem. He's like the bastard love-child of Gambit and Cyber. Only way more annoying. The only character even worse is Isca the Unbeaten, who has the most idiotic mutant power ever put into comics. I'm really liking Sevyr Blackmore, though. Not sure why.
Honestly the Annual was great if only to see that the Soul Stone itself has a plan. So there's that. Plus I like the name Multitude.
I think the setup for Belit is nice, but I keep wondering if it will tie itself into Savage Avengers.
Honestly Angela is fine with me. Sure she's not MYTHOLOGICALLY correct, but this is comics. What I am liking most is Frigga's new look. I am still believing something is affecting Mjolnir in such a way as to make EVIL/unworthy able to use it.
Still confused by some of this, but the second issue does have more going for it.
Honestly, I liked having a deeper dive/origin story about Solem. (Though I think of the X-men series, the new Cable series is cooler.)
Also of note, (but unsurprising) is there's a mole inside the Summers home.
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The Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-page book was….adequate. Could have been better. Could have been a lot worse. The delved into history with AquaBeast.
Avengers - I find it intriguing that Marvel will still go the Russians as evil route. This Red Widow is annoying. Winter Hulk is interesting. Not sure why they don’t just pull in Bruce to stop her, but maybe they think keg wouldn’t. Personally, I kind of hope she succeeds in killing Namor. The dude’s a real a@@$#%% these days.
I think the main weaknesses of New Mutants are (a) as with many other comics, they let story arcs drag on too long, and (b) they’re trying to focus on too many characters. That character focus, however, is part of a larger problem with the X-books as a whole.
There's a good reason why they wouldn't get Bruce to stop her. It was around Avengers Disassembled this happened. Bruce was there, he was talking her down, then things escalated (blame Hawkeye) and the Hulk and She-Hulk went at it. They flattened the town in no time. Jen was giving as good as she got too.
Actually, Lathirra, I think's more the Avengers don't trust Bruce right now. Not that he's given them a good road map of trust of late.
I was mildly interested in this anniversary issue. But honestly, A-zombie's right, nothing to write home about.
I don't think the Russian PEOPLE are evil, A-zombie, just the people in charge. Red Widow is annoying but hopefully the new Winter Guard mini-series will give us more insight into her. Not sure I'm fond of Winter Hulk, but breathing Gamma gas is pretty baller. Honestly think Namor will survive.
The story arcs aren't the problem so much as the second one in my view. But I am glad the Five decided to say "Screw you Xavier!" and ress Gabby. I like Gabby. Hopefully this will mean more for other clones.
You're right. Mine was the common sense answer born of experience. Silly me, thinking that with minds like T'Challa's around they'd have common sense ;)
Well to be fair, T'Challa DID try to reason with Bruce while he was half destroying a town...before Tony nuked it from orbit...
Touche, good sir :)
Hey I just want to give T'Challa his due. He's not only the smartest member of the current Avengers roster, he's their chairman.
I've enjoyed the bits I've seen of his run as chairman. Pleasant to see new ways of doing things.
Indeed. He's probably one of the best choices after Janet.
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Daredevil - so now we have two classic characters as Lady Daredevils, both of whom are about to (hopefully) open a can of industrial sized whoop ass on all the Bullseyes. And regular Daredevil is dosed with a drug that makes him an a~$#%~&.
Savage Avengers - well, that went really dark, really quick. And now we'll see the team up possibly no one was expecting - Kang and Conan. That'll be interesting.
Conan the Barbarian had a nice "issue #300" send off. Some good stories and good art. Seems when next we see him, it'll be it'll be in King Conan #1.
I picked up Ka-Zar #1 on a whim (and because it's just a miniseries). I didn't collect the comic where he died, but they did a good enough job of filing in the gap. He seems kind of like Animal Man (with maybe a bit of Swamp Thing earth-plant-mind-melding thrown in) now, only specific to the Savage Land. Interesting. And some techno-organic thing seems to be the big bad.
Defenders #2 was cool. It seems kind of idiotic, though, to have this Sixth Cosmos Devourer assembling some kind of big machine, when its supposed origin was magic-based. And we've got baby Galactus. And a Cthulhu-esque Sorcerer Supreme.
A-zombie,
To be fair, that drug apparently amps up a lot of pent up aggression. But yeah, it was a little weird. I hope though both Lady DDs kick some ass.
Kang made sense once you realize that Time travel was something Kulan Gath took into account. Even though he should have. What really annoyed me is apparently he can kill Hulks now... But otherwise good team.
300th issue had some good moments and yes King Conan should be interesting.
I wasn't that enamored with this issue. Even though I am a fan of Kazar, it felt mostly more like Matt's issue(s) than his some times.
I think the reason for the assembling of a machine is to help channel the stuff/magic. As for the Cthulhu-esque Sorcerer, that's Moridun, who made his first appearance in New Avengers Volume 4, issue 2. He's kind of a big deal...in some ways. For a guy from two/three iterations of the multiverse ago.
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I actually liked the 60th anniversary issue of Fantastic Four, although I can’t help but wonder if the decision to use Kang (and his other incarnations) was also part of an effort to drum up more attention for the character’s future MCU appearances. Nevertheless, it was a good story. The other stories are were decent as well. The only major downside, I thought, was that Franklin was barely mentioned. It continues to sadden me that such an integral part of the FF’s history is being treated so badly.
Marauders was….interesting. I like the peek into the burgeoning society on Planet Arakko, but I can’t help feel the entire story was just so they can re-introduce Lourdes in the flesh.
Trial of Magneto continues to be a little weird. I would have liked to see Northstar just open up and kick the living shit out of Magneto. That dude just needs a good ass whuppin. And now it appears Wanda is back alive, but that she’s been resurrected using a previous backup, where she still had a relationship with Vision. It’s a good way to reset the character, so they can do whatever it is they think they need to do with her.
Honestly I was hoping for a 4th variant of Kang, but eh. It was a nice story. As for Franklin not being a major part...I think that's probably because they're saving him up for future issues. (Also enjoyed how none of Kang or his variants like Scarlet Centurion.)
What interested me about this was the introduction of Emma being space long enough to have some kind of relationship with a kind of dick-ish Lando.
Not sure that's what happened, (IE backup) but MAYBE...I dunno. It's still unclear where Wanda actually is (IE her soul and stuff) Just have to wait and see with the next issue.
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The new issue of Alien came out. I was happy to see that, with #7, they were starting a new story arc (even though the previous arc still could have been 3 or 4 fewer issues). That said, I'm predicting this storyline will see The Company purposefully sending an alien to wipe out this colony so they won't have to turn the planet over to the settlers.
Fantastic Four - looks like they're getting rid of Sky, which is fine by me. That "relationship" was kind of forced, and I didn't see it as working well. One of many screw-ups by the current creative team. Speaking of which, I see they continue to treat Franklin horribly. Otherwise, I love what they're doing with Human Torch. This punishment by Doom is...fitting, in a way. It's good to see them writing Doom as smart enough to not just come up with a plan to kill his enemies.
Gamma Flight is okay. I think the Del/Rick character is my favorite.
Batman The Detective continues to be an interesting story. I like these parallels they're developing between Batman and Equilibrium. Except, of course, for the fact she's a murderous psychopath.
I'm hoping the Death of Doctor Strange will actually give us the permanent, forever death of Stephen Strange. I won't hold my breath, however. Still, the writing was decent in this first issue. And the art wasn't half bad.
X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation seems to tie up the loose ends from Way of X. It was a little weird, but I like the idea of Orchis weaponizing Onslaught and sending him in like a kind of Trojan Horse. As far as philosophical/spiritual revelations go, however, the Spark didn't really seem all that...impressive.
It's always nice to see the High Evolutionary. I feel he's an underused character. The fight between the X-men and the Evolutionary Guard was interesting. As always, I'm enjoying the excellent art. And I kind of like the idea of Gameworld being a successor to Mojoworld. If Orchis wants to take on the Arrako mutants, more power to them. It'd be interesting to see the pretzel twists the writers have to go through when you have an undefeatable machine (Nimrod) versus an undefeatable mutant (Isca the Unbeaten). That was a stupid character to introduce, and I hope it comes back to bite them on the ass.
I really like the new Hunter's Moon character. It makes total sense that Khonshu would have two fists. Not completely a fan of his costume, though. I like the full moon emblem, but wasn't a fan of the gold-colored parts. The baseball bat beat down was pretty wicked. I'll be interested to see who the enemy is, hoping it's not Bushman.
Last Ronin #4 finally came out. I'm really loving this story. The idea of Mikey as a badass ninja master and sensei is both amusing and terrifying. The different art styles showing different time periods is cool. The richly-deserved death of Baxter Stockman at the "hands" of Fugitoid was cool.
I feel bad for Sky, even if she was kind of tacked on for some. Mostly because she seemed like a good person. I will agree that Doom's 'gift' was in line with his character. Franklin's role I think will get more defined as they gear up toward Reckoning War.
I think for me, having the return of Blonsky along with Alba has been good even if they aren't necessarily the highest tier of bad guys. That said, I feel like Skaar will eventually figure things out. I do like Dionne. She's got a good vibe to her.
Yeah Equilibrium is pretty tiresome but clearly as skilled as Bruce/Batman.
I'm honestly more curious about the Mothers and their "son". I keep expecting that to be something like Shummy or some one else. We'll see how things go with past Strange helping out.
Honestly while I'm a little annoyed they killed him off... I'm also glad they got rid of him for now. Onslaught isn't something you just mess around with, even just a sliver. That's why I feel Orchis' plan was one that would have bitten them in butt if he had succeeded. Fortunately thanks to Nighcrawler and Legion, it didn't. I do like the new lineup coming down the pike for a X-men type team.
Isca is a little weird, but even I don't think she's THAT unbeatable. I mean she literally changed sides when she knew she couldn't win. How does THAT make you unbeatable? With regards to Herbert and his appearance, I'm a little ambivalent in the sense he's presented as more threatening than usual. That being said, I enjoyed the Rogue banter with Polaris as they fought Luminous. (I am glad to see that even Herbert/High Evolutionary realized having an off switch for her is smart...) As for Gameworld being the new Mojoworld..eh. We'll see. It's not like Cordyceps Jones is anywhere near Mojo's level in my view.
While I too wasn't impressed by Hunter's Moon's outfit, it's clear he's got a completely different skill set compared to Marc. That being said, doesn't mean jack against Marc. As for the enemy...I'm going slightly unconventional and think the Purple Man/Zebediah Killgrave. I know it not on brand...but at the same time, I just got this feeling.
One further note, that I think needs to be added (which A-zombie didn't address) was/is the fact that Orchis basically has gotten Ben Ulrich in a compromising position where they present evidence of the Ress protocols for Krakoa. Now they don't spell it out, but certainly suggest to Ben that "Yeah Cyclops died a while back...and now he's fine again. You should check that out." I feel bad for Ben...but at the same time, it was bound to happen.
I mean since the fact they're using cloning tech and saying any story that's suggesting a mutant died is 'false' or "misleading"...it might!
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I think the best thing I can say about Wonder Woman Black and Gold #4 is that the cover (at least, the one I bought) is exquisite. Otherwise, some of the stories were good, some were crap. Some of the art was good, some crap.
BRZRKR continues to be interesting. It'll make an entertaining movie, I think.
Wolverine was....okay. I still don't like the Solem character all that much, so I was glad to see him brought to heel by Frost. I'd like to see more attention away from Krakoa, though.
The new issue of SWORD was a Storm spotlight. I love Storm spotlights. Especially when she gets to kick ass. Most of the Arakko mutants seem to be complete asswipes, in desperate need of an ass-whooping.
Inferno was...interesting. As far as I can tell, the only real reason Moira doesn't want Destiny brought back is because she's still pissy that Destiny had her burned alive in a previous life. Either that, or whatever Destiny wanted her to do is far removed from what she's actually doing. It's sad to see SHIELD as part of an evil organization - one of the few things I truly dislike about this latest direction for mutants. I still think Hordeculture is one of the most idiotic enemies they've ever given the X-men. I loved the Lovecraftian architecture on Island M. Cypher being married is still kind of weird. I just wish they'd do more with Warlock. And now I'm curious: Is that really Destiny? If so, how in the holy f@$& did Mystique manage to bring her back?
Thor was...meh. I never liked Marvel foliding that Angela character into the mythos. It might not be so bad, if they didn't write her has being so obnoxious. I look forward to seeing what happened to Mjolnir.
I think Legends of the Dark Knight #5 was actually another one-shot! First they impressed me by actually having a story arc that was only 3 issues long. Then they do a one-shot. Now another!!! It's a f!~+ing miracle. They keep this up, and I just might start thinking more DC books could be worth my money. Otherwise, the story was really cool, and the art was pretty decent. I love team ups with Batman and Martian Manhunter. Two of my favorites.
Amazing Fantasy continues to be impressive, at least from an art perspective. The story is growing on me as well. It's certainly interesting.
Finally, Batman vs Bigby! FAWESOME!!! I love Bill Willingham's work, and especially his work with Bigby. As soon as I saw the add for this story, I got excited. First issue was pretty cool. I look forward to more. The art was adequate.
I am intrigued by BRZRKR and I am kind of looking forward to seeing how this goes when they do it as a movie.
I was more impressed by Emma than I was Solem, I admit. But the fact that Solem basically charmed monster-ed part of Krakoa makes him kind of weirdly dangerous.
I too enjoyed the Storm arc for this. Even if it didn't truly advance much of the SWORD team's plots. As for the Arakko mutants...I mean if you're under constant attack by demons...grim dark is a way to go.
I think Moira's reason was both personal and because it's possible Destiny will some how screw things up. Orchis isn't SHIELD. While they may have operatives working from both side, Orchis is clearly its own thing. I like and continue to enjoy Hordeculture. They are less dumb than say, HYDRA is now. As for how Destiny returns, the smirk on Sinister's face kind of gives the game away. I am wondering how with his new promotion, if maybe Bishop's leadership might be more tested than it has been.
My major gripe is Revelations FAILED to reveal much. Sure Angela is a jerk and annoyance, but she's fine in terms of doing her job. I just wanted to know WHY all the magic is failing and why Mjolnir is acting the way it is. I was kind of thrilled by Frigga's giant cat with mini-guns mounted on the sides. That and she and Thor had a nice moment together. It's also clear SHE might know something.
Honestly the thing about Amazing Fantasy for me was seeing Cap go ape-shizzle after the parlay broke down. That and it's clear that's not really Uncle Ben. (I mean just go read the ending oF ASM #73 to see what I mean.)
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Picked up the Are You Afraid of Darkseid Halloweeen one-shot from DC. The best part of the book was the story with Phantom Stranger. The rest ranged from merely adequate to utter crap.
Also picked up the Wonder Woman 100 page 80th Anniversary. The first story was well written and had great art. There was also a really good story with Cheetah. The rest were decent to idiotic.
Defenders continues to be a cool mini-series. This most recent episode had more of a focus on Harpy, whom I'm beginning to think deserves her own book. I look forward to seeing how they end this. I'm also curious to see if they'll show who's wearing the Eternity Mask.
Savage Avengers - all I can really say is "Thank the gods this seems to be nearing and end. There's only so much mileage you can get out of Conan in the future and Kulan Gath being unstoppable.
On another whim, I picked up the first issue of the Arkham City miniseries. I don't bother with all the regular Bat books anymore, so I can only guess if the whole "Joker poisoned the whole asylum: story actually happened in them. Either way, it doesn't matter. This series started off with a strong, well-written issue. The art was really cool as well. I look forward to more.
New Mutants is one of the few X-books I've been getting that's something of disappointment. Especially this far too drawn out story with the Shadow King. I'm glad it appears to be nearing the end. Most of these younger, new "New Mutants" seem kind of silly.
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Inferno was...interesting. [snip] And now I'm curious: Is that really Destiny? If so, how in the holy f&%* did Mystique manage to bring her back?
There's a lot of speculation online that it's a fakeout and the real Destiny is still dead, just to flush out *why* Mystique is being given the run-around, but there have been a dozen or more mutant resurrections *before* the resurrection protocols, so it shouldn't be all that difficult for Mystique to have found an alternate means.
Just off the top of my head; time travelers (Timeslip, Tempus, Tempo, Lacuna, Kiden Nixon, Sway) go back and fetch her from before death, or from an alternate timeline, dimension-porters (Pathway, Magik) do the same, healers who have raised the dead all by themselves do it again (Triage, Elixir), reality warpers who have raised the dead do it again (James Braddock), cloning tech (Shiar, Sinister *and* Apocalypse all have different sorts of 'clone people back from the dead' tech).
I am sure there are more options I'm not even thinking of, including unlimited 'mutant synergy' buttpulls invented for this situation and never mentioned again, like some low-key telepath and time manipulator copying her psyche from the past (assuming Mystique is using lower decks time manipulators than Tempus, who can't just boop back and snatch her out of the past physically) and downloading it into a new body created by having Masque just totally alter one of Madrox's brain-wiped dupes or something funky. That sort of thing could be done even with the non-Omega kinds of people Mystique could get working for her behind the scenes (since a few of my above ideas require Omegas like James Braddock, Elixir or Tempus to get a hand in).
I kind of hope it really is Destiny, just because I like internet speculation to be wrong. It amuses me. :)
Honestly while I enjoyed some, the staircase one wasn't actually something I enjoyed. Now the Bloody Mary one, that was good.
I do agree that Betty (in her Harpy form) should get a new book. But we'll see. I am intrigued that some how, Moridun some how became Omnimax. That and the Green door showing up.
I'm with you on wanting this series to end...but I am curious how Kang will be a factor given that apparently Kulan Gath is all seeing now..
The attack on Arkham happened in DC proper. It was actually the Scarecrow who is setting up his Fear State, but otherwise, I'm 99% sure this story takes place in the current continuity.
I actually like the Lost as a group, if only because Anole and Gabby are my favorites. But yeah, we need to get rid of Shadow King in the worst way. Hopefully that will happen soon.
(Still wondering WHY you haven't tried out some more Kieran Gillian's Eternal series. It's kind of neat...)
Set,
It might be...but only because I think Sinister enjoys screwing with the status quo.
Honestly she's not my favorite character, but she does bring interesting stuff to the table.
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Honestly she's not my favorite character, but she does bring interesting stuff to the table.
Ditto, I was never too fond of Mystique, but whatever goodwill I had to her kind of faded with the movies heavy use of her. But she is darn effective at churning the plot and keeping stuff moving, so she's got narrative purpose, and doesn't seem to be running the risk of being robbed of her usefulness as a villain / story-advancer by going the Catwoman/Harley Quinn route of being a bad-girl-might-as-well-be-superhero. :)
I do kind of wish that the times had enlightened a little bit faster, when Claremont first came up with the notion that Mystique would be Nightcrawlers *father* (shapeshifting to a dude to knock up Destiny, who would have been his mother). The times were not right for that sort of thing, and he settled for Mystique being his mom, and then some later writer saddled us with that Azazel-as-father nonsense...
"Quick, I need teleporting kids to weaken the dimensional barriers to allow me to escape hell! Let me teleport to earth to knock up a bunch of women... Wait. Why don't I just not teleport back to hell after the cuddle?"
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....he settled for Mystique being his mom, and then some later writer saddled us with that Azazel-as-father nonsense...
"Quick, I need teleporting kids to weaken the dimensional barriers to allow me to escape hell! Let me teleport to earth to knock up a bunch of women... Wait. Why don't I just not teleport back to hell after the cuddle?"
Makes me glad I had stopped buying X-books for awhile.