written by Mark Waid
illustrated by Mahmud Asrar
colored by Dave McCaig
After a full-blown six-issue arc featuring two artists and the return of a major Avengers villain, as well as a brief dalliance into crossover territory, Mark Waid treats readers of this title to a simpler, three-issue arc featuring another major villain (Annihilus) and some sterling art by Mahmud Asrar.
On a mission to find Jesse Alexander, the missing father of the current Nova, Sam Alexander, the Avengers find themselves trapped on a planet along with several other space travelers, and in trying to escape they realize that the person holding them prisoner is none other than Annihilus, who is using some sort of space cannon to ensure no one can escape. While the Avengers have dealt with Annihilus in the past, this will certainly be a baptism of fire for its newer members like Thor (Jane Foster), Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan).
While the story was a pleasant enough read, knowing that the book, and the Marvel Universe as a whole, is headed for even more status-quo-shattering upheaval puts a bit of a damper on the enjoyment. In a few short months, Miles, Kamala and Sam will be splitting from the Avengers and forming their own book, which makes all of this "team-gelling" seem somewhat pointless at this stage, though I will credit Waid and Asrar for a well-crafted, short but sweet story, even though the cleanness of Asrar's art sort of tapered off towards the last issue of the arc. Also, the time spent on Nadia Pym, the late Hank Pym's daughter and the new Wasp is clearly meant to set her up for big things, but, to me anyway, felt like wasted pages. The next story arc will likely focus on her.
It's also evident at this stage that none of the new Avengers like Thor, Spider-Man or Ms. Marvel really gets the attention each of the individual characters deserves. While Thor got a bit of interesting solo time during the first arc, in which she made out with Falcon and had her nasty little secret revealed (also to Falcon, coincidentally enough), but there's no such development here, arguably for lack of time. I was also a little bewildered at how the Avengers like Spider-Man suddenly know Ms. Marvel's secret identity, which she kept a closely guarded secret. Clearly, something significant happened in another book, which is another thing that kind of peeved me.
Anyway, there doesn't seem to be much of a point in "investing" in these characters as a team considering where they're headed, but for the time being I am enjoying these stories well enough, if with a little sadness at knowing what's to come.
7.5/10 for issues 10 and 11
6.9/10 for issue 12
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Friday, August 26, 2016
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Spider-Man/Deadpool #8
written by Joe Kelly
penciled by Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Morales
colored by Jason Keith
Spidey and Deadpool track down the mysterious Patient Zero, who has stolen secrets from Peter's company, including genetic manipulation. They find a formidable foe and, in Patient Zero's army of mutated homeless people, a heck of a fight. Worst of all things may yet take a turn for the worse next issue. Meanwhile, Peter's memories from his deal with Mephisto to undo his marriage seem to be slowly creeping back.
This issue marks the return of the creative team that launched the book following a couple of throwaway filler issues, and more importantly, a return to form after a couple of issues I was not entirely happy with. Kelly now declares what I had suspected, that it was because of the enchantment of the succubus that Peter was unable to evade Deadpool's fatal bullet back at the end of issue #4. Quite rightfully, Peter is seriously pissed at Deadpool, who gets his comeuppance somewhat for his misdeeds with several shards of glass being shoved into his backside.
I confess I'm quite interested to see where this Patient Zero business will go, and by finally bringing him out of the shadows Kelly and McGuinness have started to fast-track the book in that direction.
While Peter Parker only gets half the book's page-time considering he shares it with Deadpool, I like the way Kelly handles Peter and his new status quo. I really am not a fan of Giuseppe Camuncoli's artwork, which is why I dropped the main Spider-Man book upon its relaunch last year, but Kelly has more or less kept me up to speed on where Peter is, and I have to say, though the "One More Day" reference vaguely annoyed me last issue, I'm slightly intrigued to see where he will take this, and how far editorial will let him take it.
McGuinness not only treats us to his usual sterling artwork; he treats readers to his own take on a "stealth" costume for Spidey, departing from the "classic" alien-based suit and the more recently "Tron" inspired suit. This one's got red eyepieces and a red Spider-logo, and seem to affirm that, with his multi-million dollar company and formidable tech, Peter really is the new Tony Stark (especially since Tony Stark, as I understand it, is, per events going on in other books, somehow out of the picture). I'm also a fan of his design for his monsters; it seems McGuinness is a fan of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, judging by some of these designs, and by the way he drew the old Spider-man bad guys Styx and Stone a few issues back. I never tire of looking at this guy's artwork, and hope he sticks around this book for at least another year.
Next issue promises a major throw-down, and I hope Joe and Ed can keep things interesting!
8/10
penciled by Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Morales
colored by Jason Keith
Spidey and Deadpool track down the mysterious Patient Zero, who has stolen secrets from Peter's company, including genetic manipulation. They find a formidable foe and, in Patient Zero's army of mutated homeless people, a heck of a fight. Worst of all things may yet take a turn for the worse next issue. Meanwhile, Peter's memories from his deal with Mephisto to undo his marriage seem to be slowly creeping back.
This issue marks the return of the creative team that launched the book following a couple of throwaway filler issues, and more importantly, a return to form after a couple of issues I was not entirely happy with. Kelly now declares what I had suspected, that it was because of the enchantment of the succubus that Peter was unable to evade Deadpool's fatal bullet back at the end of issue #4. Quite rightfully, Peter is seriously pissed at Deadpool, who gets his comeuppance somewhat for his misdeeds with several shards of glass being shoved into his backside.
I confess I'm quite interested to see where this Patient Zero business will go, and by finally bringing him out of the shadows Kelly and McGuinness have started to fast-track the book in that direction.
While Peter Parker only gets half the book's page-time considering he shares it with Deadpool, I like the way Kelly handles Peter and his new status quo. I really am not a fan of Giuseppe Camuncoli's artwork, which is why I dropped the main Spider-Man book upon its relaunch last year, but Kelly has more or less kept me up to speed on where Peter is, and I have to say, though the "One More Day" reference vaguely annoyed me last issue, I'm slightly intrigued to see where he will take this, and how far editorial will let him take it.
McGuinness not only treats us to his usual sterling artwork; he treats readers to his own take on a "stealth" costume for Spidey, departing from the "classic" alien-based suit and the more recently "Tron" inspired suit. This one's got red eyepieces and a red Spider-logo, and seem to affirm that, with his multi-million dollar company and formidable tech, Peter really is the new Tony Stark (especially since Tony Stark, as I understand it, is, per events going on in other books, somehow out of the picture). I'm also a fan of his design for his monsters; it seems McGuinness is a fan of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, judging by some of these designs, and by the way he drew the old Spider-man bad guys Styx and Stone a few issues back. I never tire of looking at this guy's artwork, and hope he sticks around this book for at least another year.
Next issue promises a major throw-down, and I hope Joe and Ed can keep things interesting!
8/10
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Spider-Man #5
written by Brian Bendis
drawn by Sara Pichelli
colored by Justin Ponsor
The inaugural arc of Miles Morales' first book as the member of the "mainstream" Marvel Universe comes to an end as Miles, a prisoner of Black Cat, breaks free using his powers, with the Black Cat getting away, but not before threatening him.
Yes, this issue is every bit as unsatisfying as it sounds.
Since Dan Slott made the decision to have Peter Parker's one-time flame and perpetual anti-heroine Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat, go full on bad guy back when Otto Octavius was Spider-Man, I haven't been a huge fan of the stories that have come out of that decision. I liked Gerry Conway's take on the character a couple of years back in a "mob" storyline in which Spider-Man took on his one-time ally the Wraith, but other than that I have had little interest in the way Felicia has been written.
Bendis doesn't really do anything to change that, though at the very least he did give Pichelli more to draw this issue than a bunch of talking heads (though really, there's still plenty of that). The Spider-Man/Hammerhead slugfest was, while not exactly outstanding, enjoyable just the same.
I've been following Miles Morales' adventures quite faithfully since the character was introduced in 2011, but lately Bendis seems to have lost the stride he exhibited when writing those early adventures. Maybe he should consider handing the character over to a new writer.
6/10
drawn by Sara Pichelli
colored by Justin Ponsor
The inaugural arc of Miles Morales' first book as the member of the "mainstream" Marvel Universe comes to an end as Miles, a prisoner of Black Cat, breaks free using his powers, with the Black Cat getting away, but not before threatening him.
Yes, this issue is every bit as unsatisfying as it sounds.
Since Dan Slott made the decision to have Peter Parker's one-time flame and perpetual anti-heroine Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat, go full on bad guy back when Otto Octavius was Spider-Man, I haven't been a huge fan of the stories that have come out of that decision. I liked Gerry Conway's take on the character a couple of years back in a "mob" storyline in which Spider-Man took on his one-time ally the Wraith, but other than that I have had little interest in the way Felicia has been written.
Bendis doesn't really do anything to change that, though at the very least he did give Pichelli more to draw this issue than a bunch of talking heads (though really, there's still plenty of that). The Spider-Man/Hammerhead slugfest was, while not exactly outstanding, enjoyable just the same.
I've been following Miles Morales' adventures quite faithfully since the character was introduced in 2011, but lately Bendis seems to have lost the stride he exhibited when writing those early adventures. Maybe he should consider handing the character over to a new writer.
6/10
Catch-up Reading: Black Widow #4, 5 and 6
written by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid
drawn by Chris Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
The problem with working all the time is having the comics I collect basically just pile up, as a result of which the next few reviews I will write will be completely out-of-date; anyone who would want to read these issues will have to raid the back-issue stacks.
Anyway, Chris Samnee and Mark Waid have finally wrapped up their first story arc on their new Black Widow series, and man, was it a good read. It had its flaws, but it was, overall, extremely entertaining, especially for a relatively fledgling writer.
In issue #4, Black Widow recovers from injuries suffered in the previous issue, then confronts the headmistress of the Red Room and a former rival of hers who has now become the top assassin. She obtains the intelligence she was sent to get by the mysterious Weeping Lion, but with the knowledge that the new Red Room and its deadly new recruits, headed by her old rival, are very much a threat.
In issue #5, Black Widow meets with Agent Elder of S.H.I.E.L.D., under the watchful eye of the Weeping Lion's minions, who attack when they realize that Widow, still in possession of the intelligence the Weeping Lion sent her to retrieve, is about to betray them. The consequences for the Widow are significant.
In issue #6, with one of her darkest secrets revealed, the Black Widow must now strike back at the Weeping Lion with every ounce of skill and cunning she can muster, and this is no mean task, as the revelation of the last issue now has set Iron Man on her trail.
In my last review, I wondered out loud just how shocking Black Widow's secrets were that the Weeping Lion was threatening to reveal, and speculated that a retcon would be involved. As it turned out, I was partially right, though to be fair to Samnee and Waid, it is a bit of a "behind the scenes" retcon or something that could plausibly be slotted into the original story, much like Ed Brubaker's "untold" stories of Bucky's World War II adventures. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the retcon, but I thought Samnee and Waid handled it well enough to forgive the little cliche.
Samnee's art remains the star here; he's really reaching new heights as a visual storyteller, and the fact that he's only a few steps away from writing and drawing on his own makes him a truly formidable creator in the mold of John Byrne, Walter Simonson and Dave Sim to name but a few. I know that writers who are also artists aren't exactly rare, but few of them can tell stories with this much visual pop. Still, Samnee has yet to take the final step and do the scripting on his own. I suspect we'll be seeing that soon enough.
I really enjoyed the pacing of this six-issue arc, which wrapped up quite neatly with plenty of material for future stories, especially those involving the revitalized Red Room.
8/10 for issue #4
8/10 for issue #5
8.5/10 for issue #6
drawn by Chris Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
The problem with working all the time is having the comics I collect basically just pile up, as a result of which the next few reviews I will write will be completely out-of-date; anyone who would want to read these issues will have to raid the back-issue stacks.
Anyway, Chris Samnee and Mark Waid have finally wrapped up their first story arc on their new Black Widow series, and man, was it a good read. It had its flaws, but it was, overall, extremely entertaining, especially for a relatively fledgling writer.
In issue #4, Black Widow recovers from injuries suffered in the previous issue, then confronts the headmistress of the Red Room and a former rival of hers who has now become the top assassin. She obtains the intelligence she was sent to get by the mysterious Weeping Lion, but with the knowledge that the new Red Room and its deadly new recruits, headed by her old rival, are very much a threat.
In issue #5, Black Widow meets with Agent Elder of S.H.I.E.L.D., under the watchful eye of the Weeping Lion's minions, who attack when they realize that Widow, still in possession of the intelligence the Weeping Lion sent her to retrieve, is about to betray them. The consequences for the Widow are significant.
In issue #6, with one of her darkest secrets revealed, the Black Widow must now strike back at the Weeping Lion with every ounce of skill and cunning she can muster, and this is no mean task, as the revelation of the last issue now has set Iron Man on her trail.
In my last review, I wondered out loud just how shocking Black Widow's secrets were that the Weeping Lion was threatening to reveal, and speculated that a retcon would be involved. As it turned out, I was partially right, though to be fair to Samnee and Waid, it is a bit of a "behind the scenes" retcon or something that could plausibly be slotted into the original story, much like Ed Brubaker's "untold" stories of Bucky's World War II adventures. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the retcon, but I thought Samnee and Waid handled it well enough to forgive the little cliche.
Samnee's art remains the star here; he's really reaching new heights as a visual storyteller, and the fact that he's only a few steps away from writing and drawing on his own makes him a truly formidable creator in the mold of John Byrne, Walter Simonson and Dave Sim to name but a few. I know that writers who are also artists aren't exactly rare, but few of them can tell stories with this much visual pop. Still, Samnee has yet to take the final step and do the scripting on his own. I suspect we'll be seeing that soon enough.
I really enjoyed the pacing of this six-issue arc, which wrapped up quite neatly with plenty of material for future stories, especially those involving the revitalized Red Room.
8/10 for issue #4
8/10 for issue #5
8.5/10 for issue #6
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