written by Dan Slott
drawn by Stuart Immonen (p) Wade von Grawbadger (i)
colored by Rain Beredo
This issue marks the conclusion of the first story arc since Marvel restored the original numbering of the series. It's the third part of an arc that contained three self-contained stories, and while it's not exactly the status-quo-shattering saga it was hyped up to be, it's still a good read.
As hinted last issue, Joe Robertson offers Peter Parker, who has just run his own company into the ground, a job at the Daily Bugle as the paper's science section editor. It's a decision that clearly rankles some of the Bugle staff, but Peter is grateful for the opportunity, and hits the ground running, thanks to an exclusive provided to him by his current girlfriend Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird, who works at a tech startup that manufactures personalized robots. As Peter and his reporters visit the company, he notices something amiss with the robots, something that Spider-Man will have to investigate.
Even though Slott telegraphed the conclusion to the arc from the word "go," it's still nice to see Peter settle into arguably the most suitable status quo he's had since he taught at his old high school. While Peter's first adventure in his new status quo comes across as a tad contrived, and nowhere near as emotionally affecting as J. Michael Straczynski's school shooter story, which marked the beginning of his career as a teacher, Slott tells a straightforward, reasonably entertaining tale that offers Peter a moment of success following months of disgrace, and lays before him the challenges that will face him in his new career. Slott surrounds Pete with a nice new supporting cast of characters, the most prominent of whom being ace tech reporter Rubylyn Bato, a woman who, judging by her name and the way she's drawn is, I suspect, of Filipino descent. Slott's actually created some fairly eclectic and memorable supporting characters in his nearly decade-long tenure, and I hope Bato turns out to be one of them.
Of course, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention Stuart Immonen and Wade von Grawbadger, who continue their winning streak with this issue. The pair of them came back strong after taking an issue off, but this time they aren't joined by their frequent collaborator colorist Marte Gracia, but rather by Rain Beredo. The difference isn't too glaring, but I confess I miss Gracia's brighter palette a bit. In any case, Immonen and von Grawbadger still turn in another keeper of an issue, for which I'm particularly glad given that the whole team will be taking a sabbatical as the title switches to a crossover to be drawn by the ever-capable Ryan Stegman, followed by an arc with a different artist. I'm sure they'll be back in time for the landmark 800th issue. I'll certainly miss them all until then.
8.5/10
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Tired of Running? A Review of Runaways #3
written by Rainbow Rowell
drawn by Kris Anka
colored by Matthew Wilson
Former Runaways Nico Minoru and Chase Stein, together with their formerly deceased teammate Gert Yorkes, whom they rescued from death through a combination of time travel and sorcery continue their mission to get the group back together again. Their next stop is Karolina Dean, who is currently enrolled in college, and is, in a word, happy. This could spell trouble for their reunion plans, which Chase is taking so seriously that he's been carrying around former teammate Victor Mancha's severed robotic head since last issue, convinced, perhaps not without reason, that he can be "rebooted." It's also bad news for Gert, who, having been snatched out of the time stream, remains a child even as the majority of the group have made the awkward transition into adulthood.
The new team of Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka and Matt Wilson finally appears to have hit its creative stride, having gotten all of the messy exposition out of the way, by posing the team's first real dilemma: What's the point of even getting back together? What exactly is left to run away from? It's an entirely valid question, especially considering the circumstances under which the group got together in the first place. It's interesting that this problem is viewed from two distinct viewpoints, that of Gert, for whom the past was basically just yesterday, and that of Nico who, despite all the years and adventures that have gone by, basically hasn't found anything better to do. While Gert was basically ripped out of her original timeline, it's Nico to whom readers who have grown up with this title may better relate. Her childhood has come and gone, with a couple of harrowing experiences to show for it, but adulthood hasn't quite been what she'd hoped for, and so reliving her childhood with a time-displaced Gert may not seem like such a bad idea. Chase, whose misadventures catalyzed this series, has apparently never left his childhood in the first place.
Kris Anka really brings his artwork to life in this issue in a way he didn't quite manage in the first couple of outings. The highlight, for me, is Gert's conversation with Chase while he tinkers with Victor's apparently inert head. She is just wonderfully expressive here, especially when the reality of her situation hits her square in the gut and she basically breaks down. The emotions feel palpable here, and Anka's art perfectly captures the moment that Rowell is going for with her script.
Of course, the fact that we're already halfway through the first arc and still just discussing whether or not the group should even get back together is points against the book overall, but since this series relaunched two months ago, I feel this is the first real sign of life it's shown so far.
8.5/10
drawn by Kris Anka
colored by Matthew Wilson
Former Runaways Nico Minoru and Chase Stein, together with their formerly deceased teammate Gert Yorkes, whom they rescued from death through a combination of time travel and sorcery continue their mission to get the group back together again. Their next stop is Karolina Dean, who is currently enrolled in college, and is, in a word, happy. This could spell trouble for their reunion plans, which Chase is taking so seriously that he's been carrying around former teammate Victor Mancha's severed robotic head since last issue, convinced, perhaps not without reason, that he can be "rebooted." It's also bad news for Gert, who, having been snatched out of the time stream, remains a child even as the majority of the group have made the awkward transition into adulthood.
The new team of Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka and Matt Wilson finally appears to have hit its creative stride, having gotten all of the messy exposition out of the way, by posing the team's first real dilemma: What's the point of even getting back together? What exactly is left to run away from? It's an entirely valid question, especially considering the circumstances under which the group got together in the first place. It's interesting that this problem is viewed from two distinct viewpoints, that of Gert, for whom the past was basically just yesterday, and that of Nico who, despite all the years and adventures that have gone by, basically hasn't found anything better to do. While Gert was basically ripped out of her original timeline, it's Nico to whom readers who have grown up with this title may better relate. Her childhood has come and gone, with a couple of harrowing experiences to show for it, but adulthood hasn't quite been what she'd hoped for, and so reliving her childhood with a time-displaced Gert may not seem like such a bad idea. Chase, whose misadventures catalyzed this series, has apparently never left his childhood in the first place.
Kris Anka really brings his artwork to life in this issue in a way he didn't quite manage in the first couple of outings. The highlight, for me, is Gert's conversation with Chase while he tinkers with Victor's apparently inert head. She is just wonderfully expressive here, especially when the reality of her situation hits her square in the gut and she basically breaks down. The emotions feel palpable here, and Anka's art perfectly captures the moment that Rowell is going for with her script.
Of course, the fact that we're already halfway through the first arc and still just discussing whether or not the group should even get back together is points against the book overall, but since this series relaunched two months ago, I feel this is the first real sign of life it's shown so far.
8.5/10
Mayor Tru...err...Fisk is Now Running the Show: A Review of Daredevil #595
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Stefano Landini
colored by Matt Milla
Daredevil comes back from his adventure in China that spanned three issues and an indeterminate period of time, only to find that his arch-nemesis, Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin has been elected mayor of New York City. It's not a trick or a magic spell; it appears that Fisk, despite his past as a notorious crime lord, has tapped something primal in the public consciousness and has run on a single platform: to bring order and accountability to New York City. Still incredulous, Murdock, fresh off his victory for superheroes in the Supreme Court, is now looking at the prospect of his hard-won victory coming undone. As ever, though, Murdock is not about to take this revolting new development sitting down, but this may be a fight too big, even for Daredevil.
It is with cautious optimism that I approach this new story line, which has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Its reference to the global rise of populism is so blatant that it couldn't possibly be more on the nose if the villain had been named Donald Trump or Rodrigo Duterte. And I have to say, if that story arc ended with Daredevil punching the lights out of either of those people I certainly wouldn't mind. I have no issue with the politics of this issue.
What I do have some concerns about is that this is not the first time a major comic book publisher, or even Marvel Comics, has had an outright villain occupy a legitimate position of power. Lex Luthor was "elected" president of the DC comics universe in the year 2000, around the same time George W. Bush, the man previously known as the worst America president in history, was elected to the first of two terms, coincidentally or not. Just under a decade ago, Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, was appointed head of H.A.M.M.E.R., an organization created to replace S.H.I.E.L.D. in the wake of the events of Secret Invasion. In comparison, Wilson Fisk taking over a city, apart from being nothing new, is small potatoes, and I'm sure Soule, who I'm pretty sure is part of Marvel's brain trust with Brian Bendis flying the coop to DC, knows this all too well. I'm sure Soule also knows that both of those extended story lines ended with the super villains in question basically getting a punch in the kisser (more or less) and the balance of power shifting back to the good guys with Pete Ross taking over from Luthor and Captain America taking over from Osborn.
That kind of resolution to this story won't work anymore; the rise of today's populists today is so much more nuanced than a case of "the bad guys taking over." It's definitely unpleasant and difficult to stomach, but it's a conversation that cannot, and should not, be reduced to a case of discrediting and then punching out the villains of the story yet again. In deciding to take this issue on, Soule owes us readers better than that.
The thing is, after delivering his thoroughly readable "Supreme" arc, I feel reasonably confident that Soule has something much more interesting up his sleeve than another prosaic "good guy takes down the bad guy in power" shtick. Soule has rarely disappointed on this title since he took over two years ago.
I also take encouragement from the fact that, even though series regular Ron Garney has taken this arc off, his replacement for the moment, Stefano Landini, is not only both a capable artist and a good fit for this story line, but based on future solicitations, will apparently be sticking around for the duration of this story. "Supreme" was hamstrung by having more than one artist, and not particularly good ones either. Landini still isn't quite the A-lister this title deserves, but he is at least on par with Garney.
The good news is that this arc is off to a reasonably strong start even as it feels all too familiar. The real question is whether or not Soule can give us readers a truly exceptional ending.
8/10
drawn by Stefano Landini
colored by Matt Milla
Daredevil comes back from his adventure in China that spanned three issues and an indeterminate period of time, only to find that his arch-nemesis, Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin has been elected mayor of New York City. It's not a trick or a magic spell; it appears that Fisk, despite his past as a notorious crime lord, has tapped something primal in the public consciousness and has run on a single platform: to bring order and accountability to New York City. Still incredulous, Murdock, fresh off his victory for superheroes in the Supreme Court, is now looking at the prospect of his hard-won victory coming undone. As ever, though, Murdock is not about to take this revolting new development sitting down, but this may be a fight too big, even for Daredevil.
It is with cautious optimism that I approach this new story line, which has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Its reference to the global rise of populism is so blatant that it couldn't possibly be more on the nose if the villain had been named Donald Trump or Rodrigo Duterte. And I have to say, if that story arc ended with Daredevil punching the lights out of either of those people I certainly wouldn't mind. I have no issue with the politics of this issue.
What I do have some concerns about is that this is not the first time a major comic book publisher, or even Marvel Comics, has had an outright villain occupy a legitimate position of power. Lex Luthor was "elected" president of the DC comics universe in the year 2000, around the same time George W. Bush, the man previously known as the worst America president in history, was elected to the first of two terms, coincidentally or not. Just under a decade ago, Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, was appointed head of H.A.M.M.E.R., an organization created to replace S.H.I.E.L.D. in the wake of the events of Secret Invasion. In comparison, Wilson Fisk taking over a city, apart from being nothing new, is small potatoes, and I'm sure Soule, who I'm pretty sure is part of Marvel's brain trust with Brian Bendis flying the coop to DC, knows this all too well. I'm sure Soule also knows that both of those extended story lines ended with the super villains in question basically getting a punch in the kisser (more or less) and the balance of power shifting back to the good guys with Pete Ross taking over from Luthor and Captain America taking over from Osborn.
That kind of resolution to this story won't work anymore; the rise of today's populists today is so much more nuanced than a case of "the bad guys taking over." It's definitely unpleasant and difficult to stomach, but it's a conversation that cannot, and should not, be reduced to a case of discrediting and then punching out the villains of the story yet again. In deciding to take this issue on, Soule owes us readers better than that.
The thing is, after delivering his thoroughly readable "Supreme" arc, I feel reasonably confident that Soule has something much more interesting up his sleeve than another prosaic "good guy takes down the bad guy in power" shtick. Soule has rarely disappointed on this title since he took over two years ago.
I also take encouragement from the fact that, even though series regular Ron Garney has taken this arc off, his replacement for the moment, Stefano Landini, is not only both a capable artist and a good fit for this story line, but based on future solicitations, will apparently be sticking around for the duration of this story. "Supreme" was hamstrung by having more than one artist, and not particularly good ones either. Landini still isn't quite the A-lister this title deserves, but he is at least on par with Garney.
The good news is that this arc is off to a reasonably strong start even as it feels all too familiar. The real question is whether or not Soule can give us readers a truly exceptional ending.
8/10
Sunday, November 5, 2017
Still a Gimmick: A Review of Astonishing X-Men #5
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ramon Rosanas
colored by Nolan Woodard
Charles Soule's Astonishing X-Men epic continues, with yet another artist taking up the reins, and with Charles Xavier's plans kicking into high gear.
Professor X explains to the three X-Men whose consciousnesses he has rounded up, Rogue, Mystique and Fantomex how he came to be in the astral plane, and what he plans to do to defeat his jailer, Amahl Farouk, aka the Shadow King. Meanwhile, the Shadow King has taken possession of both Logan and Gambit, who are now wreaking havoc on London even as Psylocke, Bishop and Angel try their best to stop them. It's starting to look increasingly like Angel will have to take off the kid gloves fairly soon, though.
It would be incorrect for me to say this narrative approach is getting a little old for me. The truth is that it's BEEN old, for quite a while, and there are no signs of improving on the horizon.
The thing I really dislike about what's been going on is that, to be honest, I like the work of every single artist that's been featured so far, some more than others. I would read a six-part story featuring the work of any one of these artists, even Mike Deodato, Jr., of whom I am not the biggest fan. I like Rosanas, too, and have picked up three series featuring his art: Spider-Man 1602, Night of the Living Deadpool, and even Ant-Man, so clearly I have no issues with his art.
This story, however, is just borderline unreadable. All of these visual shifts just continuously take me out of the story, which is otherwise actually quite decent. It's not unlike watching five episodes of a television story and seeing the cast change every single episode. This is utterly ridiculous.
Like I said in an earlier review, this would work if each issue contained both a complete story and the reference to a larger arc, but what's happening here is just a straight-up serialized approach. This issue, like the one before it, is a conspicuously incomplete part of a whole that never feels complete because of each of its parts feels do glaringly different.
In truth, I'm done with this series the moment I get the last issue of this story line. I've seen a lot of gimmicks used to drive up sales in over three decades of collecting comic books, and I have to say, this is one of the worst.
5/10
drawn by Ramon Rosanas
colored by Nolan Woodard
Charles Soule's Astonishing X-Men epic continues, with yet another artist taking up the reins, and with Charles Xavier's plans kicking into high gear.
Professor X explains to the three X-Men whose consciousnesses he has rounded up, Rogue, Mystique and Fantomex how he came to be in the astral plane, and what he plans to do to defeat his jailer, Amahl Farouk, aka the Shadow King. Meanwhile, the Shadow King has taken possession of both Logan and Gambit, who are now wreaking havoc on London even as Psylocke, Bishop and Angel try their best to stop them. It's starting to look increasingly like Angel will have to take off the kid gloves fairly soon, though.
It would be incorrect for me to say this narrative approach is getting a little old for me. The truth is that it's BEEN old, for quite a while, and there are no signs of improving on the horizon.
The thing I really dislike about what's been going on is that, to be honest, I like the work of every single artist that's been featured so far, some more than others. I would read a six-part story featuring the work of any one of these artists, even Mike Deodato, Jr., of whom I am not the biggest fan. I like Rosanas, too, and have picked up three series featuring his art: Spider-Man 1602, Night of the Living Deadpool, and even Ant-Man, so clearly I have no issues with his art.
This story, however, is just borderline unreadable. All of these visual shifts just continuously take me out of the story, which is otherwise actually quite decent. It's not unlike watching five episodes of a television story and seeing the cast change every single episode. This is utterly ridiculous.
Like I said in an earlier review, this would work if each issue contained both a complete story and the reference to a larger arc, but what's happening here is just a straight-up serialized approach. This issue, like the one before it, is a conspicuously incomplete part of a whole that never feels complete because of each of its parts feels do glaringly different.
In truth, I'm done with this series the moment I get the last issue of this story line. I've seen a lot of gimmicks used to drive up sales in over three decades of collecting comic books, and I have to say, this is one of the worst.
5/10
Saturday, November 4, 2017
My Most Anticipated Comic Book of 2017: A Review of Captain America #695
written by Mark Waid
drawn by Chris Samnee
colored by Matthew Wilson
In my review of one of the final issues of the Mark Waid/Chris Samnee run on Black Widow, I wondered aloud what the pair's next collaboration would be. I was honestly afraid that they'd be split up, considering that Waid works on something like four or five different books for Marvel and even Archie Comics, and that Samnee would be shunted off to some Avengers or X-Men book with one of Marvel's writers du jour.
It was to my utmost shock and delight, then, when Marvel announced that not only were they not breaking this wonderful creative team up, but that they would be putting them on a book that was an absolute perfect fit for their combined talent: Captain America. Waid has written Cap many times before, dating back to the 1990s, and Samnee drew five issues of "Captain America and Bucky" for writers Ed Brubaker and Marc Andreyko, in which Cap basically took a backseat to Bucky Barnes, his one-time sidekick and now the Winter Soldier. This issue marks the first time these two superstar creators have worked on this character together.
The book opens with a one-page recap of Captain America's origin, followed by a brief six-page action sequence in which Cap saves a small town in Nebraska from a gaggle of white supremacists. Ten years later, and following the highly turbulent events of "Secret Empire" in which an evil version of Cap basically tried to take over the world, Cap returns to that same town, where he makes a few surprising discoveries, and runs into several familiar faces.
As first issues go, I have to say, this was a bit more subdued than what I was expecting. It's not that Waid and Samnee scrimp on the action (as there is plenty of it), but as far as establishing an interesting new status quo for the lead character goes, it seems decidedly timid. The fact that the events of "Secret Empire" have established Cap as a widely-hated man is utterly disposed of in this issue with a single line of dialogue. It's clearly a conversation Waid and Samnee want to save for another day. Given that this run was hyped up as exploring Cap's new situation, and given the caliber of this creative team, this issue disappoints ever so slightly, even though the issue was a pleasant enough done-in-one affair.
When Waid and Samnee relaunched "Daredevil" back in 2014, with Matt Murdock's first adventure in San Francisco, they hit the ground running, with a fast-paced adventure that saw Matt embracing his brand new status quo as he took on a threat with his skills and quick thinking. When they relaunched "Black Widow" last year they delivered a brilliantly staged 20-page chase sequence. That series may have tapered off pretty quickly in terms of quality, but Waid and Samnee made one hell of a first impression with that one issue. In contrast, Waid and Samnee don't make quite as strong an impact with this first issue. It's not that this issue is bad by any means; it's just that I know that these guys are capable of so much more. This is a far cry from their best work.
That's not to say they don't deliver at all; although the first six-issue action sequence is a little minimalist for Samnee, he quickly picks up steam and manages to deliver a solid visual experience. Also, even though Waid delivers a somewhat muted script given Cap's current status quo, he still manages some memorable dialogue, such as Steve's conversation with a hotdog vendor who is convinced that Captain America being pulled out of ice by the Avengers was nothing more than a PR stunt and that it's really a "modern" person in the suit. I could be reading too much into it, but the scene vaguely feels like a subtle jab at the era of "fake news" in which people make up, and live by, their own truth.
In any event, this issue, while not quite up to the usual Waid/Samnee standard, nonetheless delivers in ways that count, and if nothing else definitely has me looking forward with bated breath to the next one.
7.7/10
drawn by Chris Samnee
colored by Matthew Wilson
In my review of one of the final issues of the Mark Waid/Chris Samnee run on Black Widow, I wondered aloud what the pair's next collaboration would be. I was honestly afraid that they'd be split up, considering that Waid works on something like four or five different books for Marvel and even Archie Comics, and that Samnee would be shunted off to some Avengers or X-Men book with one of Marvel's writers du jour.
It was to my utmost shock and delight, then, when Marvel announced that not only were they not breaking this wonderful creative team up, but that they would be putting them on a book that was an absolute perfect fit for their combined talent: Captain America. Waid has written Cap many times before, dating back to the 1990s, and Samnee drew five issues of "Captain America and Bucky" for writers Ed Brubaker and Marc Andreyko, in which Cap basically took a backseat to Bucky Barnes, his one-time sidekick and now the Winter Soldier. This issue marks the first time these two superstar creators have worked on this character together.
The book opens with a one-page recap of Captain America's origin, followed by a brief six-page action sequence in which Cap saves a small town in Nebraska from a gaggle of white supremacists. Ten years later, and following the highly turbulent events of "Secret Empire" in which an evil version of Cap basically tried to take over the world, Cap returns to that same town, where he makes a few surprising discoveries, and runs into several familiar faces.
As first issues go, I have to say, this was a bit more subdued than what I was expecting. It's not that Waid and Samnee scrimp on the action (as there is plenty of it), but as far as establishing an interesting new status quo for the lead character goes, it seems decidedly timid. The fact that the events of "Secret Empire" have established Cap as a widely-hated man is utterly disposed of in this issue with a single line of dialogue. It's clearly a conversation Waid and Samnee want to save for another day. Given that this run was hyped up as exploring Cap's new situation, and given the caliber of this creative team, this issue disappoints ever so slightly, even though the issue was a pleasant enough done-in-one affair.
When Waid and Samnee relaunched "Daredevil" back in 2014, with Matt Murdock's first adventure in San Francisco, they hit the ground running, with a fast-paced adventure that saw Matt embracing his brand new status quo as he took on a threat with his skills and quick thinking. When they relaunched "Black Widow" last year they delivered a brilliantly staged 20-page chase sequence. That series may have tapered off pretty quickly in terms of quality, but Waid and Samnee made one hell of a first impression with that one issue. In contrast, Waid and Samnee don't make quite as strong an impact with this first issue. It's not that this issue is bad by any means; it's just that I know that these guys are capable of so much more. This is a far cry from their best work.
That's not to say they don't deliver at all; although the first six-issue action sequence is a little minimalist for Samnee, he quickly picks up steam and manages to deliver a solid visual experience. Also, even though Waid delivers a somewhat muted script given Cap's current status quo, he still manages some memorable dialogue, such as Steve's conversation with a hotdog vendor who is convinced that Captain America being pulled out of ice by the Avengers was nothing more than a PR stunt and that it's really a "modern" person in the suit. I could be reading too much into it, but the scene vaguely feels like a subtle jab at the era of "fake news" in which people make up, and live by, their own truth.
In any event, this issue, while not quite up to the usual Waid/Samnee standard, nonetheless delivers in ways that count, and if nothing else definitely has me looking forward with bated breath to the next one.
7.7/10
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