written by Margaret Stohl
penciled by Carlos Pacheco
inked by Rafael Fonteriz
colored by Marcio Menyz and Federico Blee
flashback sequences illustrated by Marguerite Sauvage
Following the release of the Captain Marvel trailer a couple of months ago, I was unable to get a copy of The Life of Captain Marvel #4, and so, irritatingly, I missed a significant chunk of the story, which may or may not have affected how I appreciated this final issue of what has been billed to be Carol Danvers' definitive, if retrofitted, origin story.
Issue #3 ended with the bombshell that Carol's mother Marie Danvers, previously believed to be an ordinary earth woman, was a Kree warrior, and issue #5 begins with a flashback to the time Carol worked with the late Mar-Vell, her predecessor in the mantle of Captain Marvel, and then segues to a drawn-out fight between Carol and her newly-revealed warrior mother on the one hand, and the Kree warrior known only as the Kleaner on the other, with the fate of Joe Danvers Jr., Carol's brother, and the whole town, basically hanging in the balance. Mayhem ensues, and as the fight ends, Carol's life is forever changed for the new knowledge she has gained.
As retconned origins go, this wasn't bad, though really, it pales next to some of the best examples of this somewhat dubious form of storytelling, with my favorite still being how they retconned Bucky from being a Robin knock-off to one of the most interesting characters in the Marvel printed universe. I regret having missed issue #4 of this series as it contains the meat and potatoes, the secret origin of Marie Danvers, aka Kree Captain Mari-Ell, but this issue should be judged on its own merits, and if I'm honest, it's a somewhat disappointing ending to a series that showed genuine promise at one point. Sure, it's got a fair share of action, but not only does it end on a sour note, it ends on a distinctly anti-climactic note with Carol going into "Binary" mode and never even getting the opportunity to really cut loose on her enemy.
As has often been the case with this miniseries, the saving grace is the art, with Carlos Pacheco and his collaborators Rafael Fonteriz, Marcio Menyz and Federico Blee as well as Marguerite Sauvage delivering when Stohl's script doesn't.
Based on what I've read about the last issue, I really missed out, but really, overall, this series has had more downs than ups, and that's kind of sad considering that this miniseries is most likely the means by which a lot of new readers are going to get acquainted with Carol Danvers. Maybe they could have gotten G. Willow Wilson, whose done a bang-up job scripting Ms. Marvel for the last five years, to do the writing instead.
6.5/10
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
And Finally, The Plot is Revealed: A Review of Captain America #6 (SPOILERS)
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
Following the revelation of the identity and motivations of the previously mysterious Alexandra Lukin last issue, Ta Nehisi Coates unveils her sinister plans for Captain America, which involve a lot more than just generic murder and mayhem. Her husband may be back from the dead, courtesy of some black magic, but what she has in store for Cap and his friends involves a lot more than just magic tricks or the usual punch-ups, and with the last few pages of the issue, it becomes clear just how serious her plans are as a major character is found murdered, and a certain star-spangled Avenger is the main suspect.
As I said in my review of the last issue, it was fairly clear that Coates was not going to neatly wrap up his story arc as we were just getting to know his main antagonist but rather was setting up his next big, status quo shattering arc, and he makes his play here. This isn't a bad thing, but Coates suddenly goes heavy on the exposition, as Alexandra meets up with her mentor, who turns out to be no less than a fictionalized version of the infamous Grigori Rasputin and seeks his help in carrying out her plan to destroy America. Coates goes a bit heavy-handed on the allegory, but given how he sets up with one shocking death the trajectory of the next story arc, I can almost forgive him this indulgence. Almost.
What works against Coates here is the fact that readers have only just been through a storyline which has left Cap's reputation in tatters, and in fact Cap is still reeling from the HYDRA takeover of America that he himself, or a shadow of him, spearheaded. The onus is now on Coates to show how his plan to ruin Cap's life is going to be even more hard-hitting than Nick Spencer's, WITHOUT feeling redundant.
Unfortunately, Coates will no longer be joined by his ace collaborators Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho, who, per Marvel's solicitations, are ending their tenure on this title with this issue, which is a shame because they've really been consistently good all throughout. Even in this issue, which is basically a bunch of talking heads, they've managed to produce topnotch art. It's just too bad Coates couldn't have his run with them end on a more action-packed note, especially considering the somewhat anticlimactic showdown of last issue, but I get what Coates is going for, even though I don't necessarily agree with it.
It should be interesting to see where the story goes from here, and I hope that Coates can sustain what has, for the most part, been a fairly decent standard of storytelling over these last four issues.
6.5/10
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
Following the revelation of the identity and motivations of the previously mysterious Alexandra Lukin last issue, Ta Nehisi Coates unveils her sinister plans for Captain America, which involve a lot more than just generic murder and mayhem. Her husband may be back from the dead, courtesy of some black magic, but what she has in store for Cap and his friends involves a lot more than just magic tricks or the usual punch-ups, and with the last few pages of the issue, it becomes clear just how serious her plans are as a major character is found murdered, and a certain star-spangled Avenger is the main suspect.
As I said in my review of the last issue, it was fairly clear that Coates was not going to neatly wrap up his story arc as we were just getting to know his main antagonist but rather was setting up his next big, status quo shattering arc, and he makes his play here. This isn't a bad thing, but Coates suddenly goes heavy on the exposition, as Alexandra meets up with her mentor, who turns out to be no less than a fictionalized version of the infamous Grigori Rasputin and seeks his help in carrying out her plan to destroy America. Coates goes a bit heavy-handed on the allegory, but given how he sets up with one shocking death the trajectory of the next story arc, I can almost forgive him this indulgence. Almost.
What works against Coates here is the fact that readers have only just been through a storyline which has left Cap's reputation in tatters, and in fact Cap is still reeling from the HYDRA takeover of America that he himself, or a shadow of him, spearheaded. The onus is now on Coates to show how his plan to ruin Cap's life is going to be even more hard-hitting than Nick Spencer's, WITHOUT feeling redundant.
Unfortunately, Coates will no longer be joined by his ace collaborators Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho, who, per Marvel's solicitations, are ending their tenure on this title with this issue, which is a shame because they've really been consistently good all throughout. Even in this issue, which is basically a bunch of talking heads, they've managed to produce topnotch art. It's just too bad Coates couldn't have his run with them end on a more action-packed note, especially considering the somewhat anticlimactic showdown of last issue, but I get what Coates is going for, even though I don't necessarily agree with it.
It should be interesting to see where the story goes from here, and I hope that Coates can sustain what has, for the most part, been a fairly decent standard of storytelling over these last four issues.
6.5/10
Monday, December 3, 2018
So This is How Daredevil Dies: A Review of Daredevil #612
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Phil Noto
This is the issue that's been hyped considerably for the last several months. Daredevil kicks his war against the Kingpin, the mayor of New York, into high gear, and into the court, where Matt is king.
At the end of the day, though, the entire story arc is called "the Death of Daredevil" and in that respect, this issue delivers, though I dare not go into how.
Suffice it to say, though, that ordinarily, I would utterly despise the story device that Soule employs in this issue and yet, for some reason, thanks to the wild ride that he and Phil Noto have taken me on for the last several issues, it proves surprisingly easy to forgive him his self-indulgence. One of the reasons it goes down surprisingly easily is the fact that looking back, there were several clues in the storytelling that suggested that this was what was going on; sort of like how a moviegoer looks back at scenes from The Sixth Sense, and realizes that the twist in the end was hinted at several times throughout the movie.
Yeah, Soule's stunt feels a little cheap (and no, I still won't spoil what happens) but in honesty, I kind of found it fun, and that a different conclusion would have been a bit too, well, obvious. As much as I enjoyed Mark Waid's run, the manner in which he concluded it felt a little too neat for me, just as Bendis' run ended on a note that was way too dark for me to really appreciate. Soule, in ending his three-year run, leans a little more towards Bendis than he does towards Waid, but there's such a sense of mischief in what he does that, even though there's a part of me that's sincerely annoyed, another part of me genuinely had fun with this little twist. And Noto's picturesque art really makes everything easier to look at.
I'll end this review before I spoil things, but suffice it to say that, while this could have ended better, I was honestly expecting something a lot worse based on the marketing of this issue, and so I actually managed to enjoy myself, all things considered.
7.5/10
drawn by Phil Noto
This is the issue that's been hyped considerably for the last several months. Daredevil kicks his war against the Kingpin, the mayor of New York, into high gear, and into the court, where Matt is king.
At the end of the day, though, the entire story arc is called "the Death of Daredevil" and in that respect, this issue delivers, though I dare not go into how.
Suffice it to say, though, that ordinarily, I would utterly despise the story device that Soule employs in this issue and yet, for some reason, thanks to the wild ride that he and Phil Noto have taken me on for the last several issues, it proves surprisingly easy to forgive him his self-indulgence. One of the reasons it goes down surprisingly easily is the fact that looking back, there were several clues in the storytelling that suggested that this was what was going on; sort of like how a moviegoer looks back at scenes from The Sixth Sense, and realizes that the twist in the end was hinted at several times throughout the movie.
Yeah, Soule's stunt feels a little cheap (and no, I still won't spoil what happens) but in honesty, I kind of found it fun, and that a different conclusion would have been a bit too, well, obvious. As much as I enjoyed Mark Waid's run, the manner in which he concluded it felt a little too neat for me, just as Bendis' run ended on a note that was way too dark for me to really appreciate. Soule, in ending his three-year run, leans a little more towards Bendis than he does towards Waid, but there's such a sense of mischief in what he does that, even though there's a part of me that's sincerely annoyed, another part of me genuinely had fun with this little twist. And Noto's picturesque art really makes everything easier to look at.
I'll end this review before I spoil things, but suffice it to say that, while this could have ended better, I was honestly expecting something a lot worse based on the marketing of this issue, and so I actually managed to enjoy myself, all things considered.
7.5/10
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Capsule Review: The Amazing Spider-Man #9 and #10
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Humberto Ramos (with Michele Bandini)
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado (with Erick Arciniega)
After shrouding his "Thieves' Guild" in a whole lot of mystery in issue #8, Nick Spencer makes an obligatory, multi-page exposition dump in issue #9, without explaining just how the guild managed to literally teleport the gear of all the major heroes and keep it hidden from them, and then wraps things up in issue #10 with a solution which, I suppose, is intended to be funny but which comes across as just a little bit lazy. It's really kind of a pity that these last three issues were as lackadaisical as they were because I really enjoyed the two Boomerang-centric issues that preceded them. Spencer hasn't exactly squandered the goodwill he's earned with me with his first story arc and even his two-issue mini-arc, but this is definitely the weakest story he's turned in so far in the six months since he's taken over this book.
Issues #9 and #10, however, do have one saving grace, and it's the surprisingly moving subplot featuring Mary Jane, who is now very much Peter's squeeze again, Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis, and a support group whom Jarvis has organized for the significant others of superheroes. It's a simple but brilliant concept, and plays out quite well. Michele Bandini illustrates this story and does a pretty good job of it, though to be fair Ramos recovers from a wobbly first issue of the story (issue #8) and delivers decent art in both issues #9 and #10. Of the stories being told here, though, I easily gravitated more towards MJ's.
Finally, as the issue ends, one of the running story threads resumes on the very last panel, and I gotta say, even though Spencer may have stumbled a bit with this arc, he's still got me hooked for what comes next.
7/10 (both issues)
'
penciled by Humberto Ramos (with Michele Bandini)
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado (with Erick Arciniega)
After shrouding his "Thieves' Guild" in a whole lot of mystery in issue #8, Nick Spencer makes an obligatory, multi-page exposition dump in issue #9, without explaining just how the guild managed to literally teleport the gear of all the major heroes and keep it hidden from them, and then wraps things up in issue #10 with a solution which, I suppose, is intended to be funny but which comes across as just a little bit lazy. It's really kind of a pity that these last three issues were as lackadaisical as they were because I really enjoyed the two Boomerang-centric issues that preceded them. Spencer hasn't exactly squandered the goodwill he's earned with me with his first story arc and even his two-issue mini-arc, but this is definitely the weakest story he's turned in so far in the six months since he's taken over this book.
Issues #9 and #10, however, do have one saving grace, and it's the surprisingly moving subplot featuring Mary Jane, who is now very much Peter's squeeze again, Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis, and a support group whom Jarvis has organized for the significant others of superheroes. It's a simple but brilliant concept, and plays out quite well. Michele Bandini illustrates this story and does a pretty good job of it, though to be fair Ramos recovers from a wobbly first issue of the story (issue #8) and delivers decent art in both issues #9 and #10. Of the stories being told here, though, I easily gravitated more towards MJ's.
Finally, as the issue ends, one of the running story threads resumes on the very last panel, and I gotta say, even though Spencer may have stumbled a bit with this arc, he's still got me hooked for what comes next.
7/10 (both issues)
'
Friday, November 30, 2018
This Review is Two Weeks Late...But Still Worth Writing! (A Review of The Avengers #10/#700)
written by Jason Aaron
drawn by David Marquez, Ed McGuinness, Frazer Irving, Adam Kubert and Andrea Sorrentino
colored by Justin Ponsor, Erick Arciniega, Frazer Irving, Matthew Wilson, Giada Marchisio
With few exceptions, I usually enjoy anniversary issues. They may cost extra, but usually the additional content is worth the premium. Sometimes I'm not at all happy with them thanks to lots of filler, but other times, Marvel really hits it out of the park as they did a few months back with The Amazing Spider-Man #800. This issue, Avengers #700, is not quite in that league, but it is a genuinely satisfying read just the same.
Following Namor's declaration of war on the surface world and his skirmish with his former teammates in issue #9, he continues his warpath on surface dwellers occupying the ocean when he and his team of mostly ex-supervillains attacks Hydropolis, a community of scientists living in an artificial underwater community. The Avengers, again, come to the rescue, but this time, another team alerted to Namor's attacks has come to take him down as well: the team of former Soviet operatives known as the Winter Guard, who were sent by Russia after Namor's crew attacked a Russian submarine in the Black Sea. The whole gang is there: Red Guardian, Crimson Dynamo, Ursa Major, Perun, Darkstar, Chernobog, Vostok and a mysterious new product of the Red Room, Red Widow. Will this strange team-up of sorts work against the threat of Namor and his crew, or will things turn out even worse for the Avengers? Meanwhile, Thunderbolt Ross, now wary of the Avengers since they've decided to station themselves outside of the United States and put Black Panther, the sovereign ruler of Wakanda, in charge of the team, takes decisive action to fill in the void they've left.
This is a pretty impressively-sized issue, with about forty-eight pages of story, but for me this would have gone for naught if the main story was not its strongest. Fortunately, Jason Aaron, David Marquez and Ed McGuinness really deliver the goods here, especially McGuinness, who delivers the strongest single issue he's worked on since he came onto this book. It helps that his colorist is Justin Ponsor, whose palette is a lot more pleasing to the eye than the previous colorist David Curiel. This was real steak-and-potatoes storytelling, with crackling dialogue, gorgeous art, some hard-hitting, if sometimes predictable story beats, and a conclusion that has me hankering for me.
The three shorter stories that follow, only two of which are really substantial, are not quite as entertaining as the main tale, but they don't need to be, and they tie in nicely to the ongoing narrative. The short story featuring Ghost Rider and Odin is entertaining and beautifully illustrated by Frazer Irving, while the story that looks up Loki for the first time since the defeat of the Dark Sentinels several issues back is fun if only for showing us what happened to him, even as it teases an all-new story to be told another time, and possibly in another book. And then, there's the two page tease for an all-new member of the Avengers.
Yes, this issue's been out for a couple of weeks now and really doesn't need the hype, but I've been wanting to share much I enjoyed it ever since I read it and so here I go.
8.5/10
drawn by David Marquez, Ed McGuinness, Frazer Irving, Adam Kubert and Andrea Sorrentino
colored by Justin Ponsor, Erick Arciniega, Frazer Irving, Matthew Wilson, Giada Marchisio
With few exceptions, I usually enjoy anniversary issues. They may cost extra, but usually the additional content is worth the premium. Sometimes I'm not at all happy with them thanks to lots of filler, but other times, Marvel really hits it out of the park as they did a few months back with The Amazing Spider-Man #800. This issue, Avengers #700, is not quite in that league, but it is a genuinely satisfying read just the same.
Following Namor's declaration of war on the surface world and his skirmish with his former teammates in issue #9, he continues his warpath on surface dwellers occupying the ocean when he and his team of mostly ex-supervillains attacks Hydropolis, a community of scientists living in an artificial underwater community. The Avengers, again, come to the rescue, but this time, another team alerted to Namor's attacks has come to take him down as well: the team of former Soviet operatives known as the Winter Guard, who were sent by Russia after Namor's crew attacked a Russian submarine in the Black Sea. The whole gang is there: Red Guardian, Crimson Dynamo, Ursa Major, Perun, Darkstar, Chernobog, Vostok and a mysterious new product of the Red Room, Red Widow. Will this strange team-up of sorts work against the threat of Namor and his crew, or will things turn out even worse for the Avengers? Meanwhile, Thunderbolt Ross, now wary of the Avengers since they've decided to station themselves outside of the United States and put Black Panther, the sovereign ruler of Wakanda, in charge of the team, takes decisive action to fill in the void they've left.
This is a pretty impressively-sized issue, with about forty-eight pages of story, but for me this would have gone for naught if the main story was not its strongest. Fortunately, Jason Aaron, David Marquez and Ed McGuinness really deliver the goods here, especially McGuinness, who delivers the strongest single issue he's worked on since he came onto this book. It helps that his colorist is Justin Ponsor, whose palette is a lot more pleasing to the eye than the previous colorist David Curiel. This was real steak-and-potatoes storytelling, with crackling dialogue, gorgeous art, some hard-hitting, if sometimes predictable story beats, and a conclusion that has me hankering for me.
The three shorter stories that follow, only two of which are really substantial, are not quite as entertaining as the main tale, but they don't need to be, and they tie in nicely to the ongoing narrative. The short story featuring Ghost Rider and Odin is entertaining and beautifully illustrated by Frazer Irving, while the story that looks up Loki for the first time since the defeat of the Dark Sentinels several issues back is fun if only for showing us what happened to him, even as it teases an all-new story to be told another time, and possibly in another book. And then, there's the two page tease for an all-new member of the Avengers.
Yes, this issue's been out for a couple of weeks now and really doesn't need the hype, but I've been wanting to share much I enjoyed it ever since I read it and so here I go.
8.5/10
Saturday, November 24, 2018
The Enemy is Revealed...but not Quite the Plot: A (Late) Review of Captain America #5
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
penciled by Leinil Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
After the solicitations and the cover for this issue promised a climactic showdown between Captain America and Selene, this issue sort of delivers on the promise as Cap predictably defeats Taskmaster and comes face-to-face with Selene, who is about to consume Sharon Carter. Fireworks ensue.
I'll be honest; I was expecting a bit more from the promised Cap/Selene showdown, judging from the grim cover and the fact that it's the penultimate issue of the story, so I've got to be honest, as semi-climaxes go, this one kind of failed to live up to the hype. Heck, even Cap's fight with Taskmaster lasted longer than this did, and Taskmaster never even made the cover.
Another thing that disappoints is that, rather than set-up a satisfying conclusion to what's been a fairly engaging arc, it seems, based on the future solicitations at least, that Coates is setting up one of those finales that really messes up the status quo for the hero and lays out a whole new arc (or several) in which he strives to claw his way back to some semblance of normalcy, sort of how Bendis outed Daredevil waaay back in 2001 and spent the next three years having Matt deal with the fallout. Coates' goes easy on his political subtext, limiting his Russia-is-running-America comments to just a few lines of dialogue, and makes it a point to make a bigger splash with his old-school villain reveal at the end of the issue. It's not a bad issue, and certainly doesn't descend into the meandering exposition that Coates' early Black Panther run did, but after two much stronger issues it definitely disappoints.
One thing about the issue that does not disappoint, however, is the art, as Yu, Alanguilan and Gho hit it out of the park yet again, making me wonder what they could have done with a more drawn-out battle between Cap and a powerhouse like Selene. Unfortunately, from future Marvel solicitations it doesn't look like they'll be sticking around for much longer, either, which is a real shame. Anyway, I'm glad to have had them for as long as I have.
7/10
penciled by Leinil Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
After the solicitations and the cover for this issue promised a climactic showdown between Captain America and Selene, this issue sort of delivers on the promise as Cap predictably defeats Taskmaster and comes face-to-face with Selene, who is about to consume Sharon Carter. Fireworks ensue.
I'll be honest; I was expecting a bit more from the promised Cap/Selene showdown, judging from the grim cover and the fact that it's the penultimate issue of the story, so I've got to be honest, as semi-climaxes go, this one kind of failed to live up to the hype. Heck, even Cap's fight with Taskmaster lasted longer than this did, and Taskmaster never even made the cover.
Another thing that disappoints is that, rather than set-up a satisfying conclusion to what's been a fairly engaging arc, it seems, based on the future solicitations at least, that Coates is setting up one of those finales that really messes up the status quo for the hero and lays out a whole new arc (or several) in which he strives to claw his way back to some semblance of normalcy, sort of how Bendis outed Daredevil waaay back in 2001 and spent the next three years having Matt deal with the fallout. Coates' goes easy on his political subtext, limiting his Russia-is-running-America comments to just a few lines of dialogue, and makes it a point to make a bigger splash with his old-school villain reveal at the end of the issue. It's not a bad issue, and certainly doesn't descend into the meandering exposition that Coates' early Black Panther run did, but after two much stronger issues it definitely disappoints.
One thing about the issue that does not disappoint, however, is the art, as Yu, Alanguilan and Gho hit it out of the park yet again, making me wonder what they could have done with a more drawn-out battle between Cap and a powerhouse like Selene. Unfortunately, from future Marvel solicitations it doesn't look like they'll be sticking around for much longer, either, which is a real shame. Anyway, I'm glad to have had them for as long as I have.
7/10
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Capsule Review: Daredevil #611
written by Charles Soule
illustrated by Phil Noto
After Matt Murdock's plan to find out the truth behind Wilson Fisk's election as Mayor by kidnapping James Wesley, Fisk's right hand man, goes horribly wrong, thing proceed to get absolutely batshit crazy for the man without fear as he finds himself confronting a whole slew of assassins, ranging from upgraded versions of previously laughable villains like Stilt-Man to more serious threats like Typhoid Mary, Electro, Ikari, and the deadliest of them all, Bullseye. Having just been hit by a truck a few issues back hasn't done Matt any favors, either, but fortunately, he's about to get a helping hand from whom he least expects it.
It's fairly obvious that Marvel isn't going to kill Matt Murdock, with any lasting effect, and quite possibly not even in the literal sense, but the thing about a lot of these "death of..." stories these days is that it's interesting to see how it plays out, and so it is with this story. It was fun seeing Matt take on so many of his nemeses at the same time, even though it was played a bit for laughs, and played out a bit too quickly. As epic last stands go, the Matt-versus-his-rogues-gallery would have made a pretty splashy battle but clearly Soule has something else in mind as Matt gets past this particular obstacle with relative ease.
Interestingly, though, Wilson Fisk has been quiet for the last several issues; Matt assumes, probably correctly, that it was Fisk who sicced on him all the villains dogpiling him, but what if it wasn't?
In any event, Soule and his new regular artist Phil Noto throw a last-minute curveball as they end the penultimate chapter of Soule's run, and however this saga may eventually end, I feel somewhat assured that things are only going to get more interesting from here.
8/10
illustrated by Phil Noto
After Matt Murdock's plan to find out the truth behind Wilson Fisk's election as Mayor by kidnapping James Wesley, Fisk's right hand man, goes horribly wrong, thing proceed to get absolutely batshit crazy for the man without fear as he finds himself confronting a whole slew of assassins, ranging from upgraded versions of previously laughable villains like Stilt-Man to more serious threats like Typhoid Mary, Electro, Ikari, and the deadliest of them all, Bullseye. Having just been hit by a truck a few issues back hasn't done Matt any favors, either, but fortunately, he's about to get a helping hand from whom he least expects it.
It's fairly obvious that Marvel isn't going to kill Matt Murdock, with any lasting effect, and quite possibly not even in the literal sense, but the thing about a lot of these "death of..." stories these days is that it's interesting to see how it plays out, and so it is with this story. It was fun seeing Matt take on so many of his nemeses at the same time, even though it was played a bit for laughs, and played out a bit too quickly. As epic last stands go, the Matt-versus-his-rogues-gallery would have made a pretty splashy battle but clearly Soule has something else in mind as Matt gets past this particular obstacle with relative ease.
Interestingly, though, Wilson Fisk has been quiet for the last several issues; Matt assumes, probably correctly, that it was Fisk who sicced on him all the villains dogpiling him, but what if it wasn't?
In any event, Soule and his new regular artist Phil Noto throw a last-minute curveball as they end the penultimate chapter of Soule's run, and however this saga may eventually end, I feel somewhat assured that things are only going to get more interesting from here.
8/10
Monday, November 19, 2018
(Late Review) Killing Daredevil: A Capsule Review of Daredevil #609-610
written by Charles Soule
illustrated by Phil Noto
After Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil and his cadre of allies consisting of Inhumans Frank McGee and Reader (and his dog Forey), and former New Mutant Cypher encounter a bit of a curve ball in the form of Mike Murdock, Matt's fictional twin brother whom Reader's unique powers have magically brought to life, they get back to the business of trying to take down Wilson Fisk, the elected Mayor of New York City who, Matt learned sometime recently, has cheated his way into office. Matt determines that they can't approach their crusade like a simple investigation, but rather like an actual war, which means a radical shift in tactics. Matt's first big salvo is as radical an idea as they get: he proposes to kidnap Fisk's right-hand man, James Wesley and recruits no less than his former flame and fierce foe, Elektra Natchios, to do it. Things almost look like they're going to work out until a mysterious new hitman, one going by the name of Vigil, wielding bone knives and dressed up like a modern-day crusader, shows up.
As Charles Soule's last big hurrah on this title, the Death of Matt Murdock is off to a pretty intriguing start, with Matt just barely escaping with his life after having been hit by a truck in a non-Daredevil-related incident in which he saved someone's life, an odd bit of deja vu considering that was how he started life as Daredevil that way. It's his realization of how little time he has left on this earth that prompts him to put everything on the line in his war against Fisk, and judging by the title of the story he may end up making one wager too many.
If I'm honest, while Soule's pacing is decent I can't escape the feeling that this story could have been just as effectively told in one issue, even though two works, especially for the inevitable collected editon. I am genuinely intrigued by this new character, who continues Soule's apparent fascination with Catholic-themed characters in DD's corner of the Marvel Universe.
Phil Noto, who's been a regular artist on the book for several issues now, is still far cry from my favorite DD artist, but his work has grown on me a bit, and I find his consistency remarkable. I'll review the next DD issue immediately after this, and I have to say, I'm intrigued to see where this goes.
8/10
illustrated by Phil Noto
After Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil and his cadre of allies consisting of Inhumans Frank McGee and Reader (and his dog Forey), and former New Mutant Cypher encounter a bit of a curve ball in the form of Mike Murdock, Matt's fictional twin brother whom Reader's unique powers have magically brought to life, they get back to the business of trying to take down Wilson Fisk, the elected Mayor of New York City who, Matt learned sometime recently, has cheated his way into office. Matt determines that they can't approach their crusade like a simple investigation, but rather like an actual war, which means a radical shift in tactics. Matt's first big salvo is as radical an idea as they get: he proposes to kidnap Fisk's right-hand man, James Wesley and recruits no less than his former flame and fierce foe, Elektra Natchios, to do it. Things almost look like they're going to work out until a mysterious new hitman, one going by the name of Vigil, wielding bone knives and dressed up like a modern-day crusader, shows up.
As Charles Soule's last big hurrah on this title, the Death of Matt Murdock is off to a pretty intriguing start, with Matt just barely escaping with his life after having been hit by a truck in a non-Daredevil-related incident in which he saved someone's life, an odd bit of deja vu considering that was how he started life as Daredevil that way. It's his realization of how little time he has left on this earth that prompts him to put everything on the line in his war against Fisk, and judging by the title of the story he may end up making one wager too many.
If I'm honest, while Soule's pacing is decent I can't escape the feeling that this story could have been just as effectively told in one issue, even though two works, especially for the inevitable collected editon. I am genuinely intrigued by this new character, who continues Soule's apparent fascination with Catholic-themed characters in DD's corner of the Marvel Universe.
Phil Noto, who's been a regular artist on the book for several issues now, is still far cry from my favorite DD artist, but his work has grown on me a bit, and I find his consistency remarkable. I'll review the next DD issue immediately after this, and I have to say, I'm intrigued to see where this goes.
8/10
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Thank You, Stan
It's hard to write about someone as beloved as Stan Lee was, especially over a week after his dead without restating something thousands, if not millions of other people have already said.
But given how much time I have spent consuming and enjoying comic books either featuring characters he created, or written by Stan himself, it would feel wrong to not even acknowledge the passing of someone who was not only a certified industry titan, but someone who had a profound impact on my life as well.
I'll spare anyone reading this the details of the impact Stan had on my life, because I really don't want to make this about me, but I do want to share a lot of the things that I observed about Stan that really enabled me to connect to him somehow.
Prior to Stan, superheroes could only be square-jawed, adult white guys, while gangly, awkward kids could only be sidekicks, and black people could only be peripheral characters, if they were there at call. Everyone knows how Stan changed the game by introducing the world to characters like Spider-Man, the X-men, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk and the Black Panther to name a few, but what not everyone talks about is how, by making so many, if not most of his heroes outsiders of one kind or another, he connected with millions of outsiders all over the world. That's what I connected to, and that's what I'll always remember him for.
Excelsior!
But given how much time I have spent consuming and enjoying comic books either featuring characters he created, or written by Stan himself, it would feel wrong to not even acknowledge the passing of someone who was not only a certified industry titan, but someone who had a profound impact on my life as well.
I'll spare anyone reading this the details of the impact Stan had on my life, because I really don't want to make this about me, but I do want to share a lot of the things that I observed about Stan that really enabled me to connect to him somehow.
Prior to Stan, superheroes could only be square-jawed, adult white guys, while gangly, awkward kids could only be sidekicks, and black people could only be peripheral characters, if they were there at call. Everyone knows how Stan changed the game by introducing the world to characters like Spider-Man, the X-men, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk and the Black Panther to name a few, but what not everyone talks about is how, by making so many, if not most of his heroes outsiders of one kind or another, he connected with millions of outsiders all over the world. That's what I connected to, and that's what I'll always remember him for.
Excelsior!
Thursday, November 15, 2018
(Late Review) The "Heist" Begins: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #8
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Humberto Ramos
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado
After an entertaining, off-beat story revisiting one of his Superior Foes of Spider-Man protagonists, Nick Spencer begins a new, more "traditional" Spidey story in which a new menace, the Thieves' Guild, emerges, and plans the Mother of All Heists. Throughout the issue, this heist apparently starts taking place as superheroes all over the place start losing their gear: Captain America loses his shield, Iron Man loses his armor, and Spider-Man loses his webshooters, all of which literally vanish into thin air. How this is even possible is something that will soon be revealed. Also, Peter's mysterious antagonist gets even closer.
I confess I was a little disappointed that Spencer didn't continue the little subplot involving friction between Boomerang and the Kingpin that he'd started in the last two issues; I thought that was the prequel to something bigger, though I imagine he'll revisit it later. I don't quite know how I feel about this storyline yet, as everything's shrouded in mystery and we're basically only given the barest or vaguest of details as to what's to come. It's somewhat unlike Spencer's last two story arcs, in which each issue was pretty generous with that individual issue's story apart from contributing to a bigger story arc. I get the need for mystery here, though I don't much care for it. Still, it's a pretty good setup, and my interest has been piqued.
Another thing I didn't much care for was Humberto Ramos' art. The cover wasn't actually that bad (and consistent with what happened inside the comic book...what a concept!) but the interior art was a step down, even taking into account Ramos' highly-stylized figures, from the last couple of issues. I've made no secret how I feel about Ramos' artwork, but I do acknowledge he can tell a decent story when he's up to it, as the last couple of issues showed. This issue feels a little phoned-in by comparison.
It's a shame to have read a relatively weak issue of this title just days from the death of Spidey's co-creator, the inimitable Stan "the Man" Lee, but given that Spencer's done pretty well on this book so far, it's easy to forgive him this little misstep for now. Lee's death should bring into sharper focus the legacy Spencer is carrying on with this book, so I hope he goes back to the standard of quality that's made his run worth following so far.
7/10
penciled by Humberto Ramos
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado
After an entertaining, off-beat story revisiting one of his Superior Foes of Spider-Man protagonists, Nick Spencer begins a new, more "traditional" Spidey story in which a new menace, the Thieves' Guild, emerges, and plans the Mother of All Heists. Throughout the issue, this heist apparently starts taking place as superheroes all over the place start losing their gear: Captain America loses his shield, Iron Man loses his armor, and Spider-Man loses his webshooters, all of which literally vanish into thin air. How this is even possible is something that will soon be revealed. Also, Peter's mysterious antagonist gets even closer.
I confess I was a little disappointed that Spencer didn't continue the little subplot involving friction between Boomerang and the Kingpin that he'd started in the last two issues; I thought that was the prequel to something bigger, though I imagine he'll revisit it later. I don't quite know how I feel about this storyline yet, as everything's shrouded in mystery and we're basically only given the barest or vaguest of details as to what's to come. It's somewhat unlike Spencer's last two story arcs, in which each issue was pretty generous with that individual issue's story apart from contributing to a bigger story arc. I get the need for mystery here, though I don't much care for it. Still, it's a pretty good setup, and my interest has been piqued.
Another thing I didn't much care for was Humberto Ramos' art. The cover wasn't actually that bad (and consistent with what happened inside the comic book...what a concept!) but the interior art was a step down, even taking into account Ramos' highly-stylized figures, from the last couple of issues. I've made no secret how I feel about Ramos' artwork, but I do acknowledge he can tell a decent story when he's up to it, as the last couple of issues showed. This issue feels a little phoned-in by comparison.
It's a shame to have read a relatively weak issue of this title just days from the death of Spidey's co-creator, the inimitable Stan "the Man" Lee, but given that Spencer's done pretty well on this book so far, it's easy to forgive him this little misstep for now. Lee's death should bring into sharper focus the legacy Spencer is carrying on with this book, so I hope he goes back to the standard of quality that's made his run worth following so far.
7/10
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Monarch on the Rampage: A Review of The Avengers #9
written by Jason Aaron
drawn by David Marquez
colored by Justin Ponsor
Following the events of last issue, in which employees of Roxxon brutally murdered Atlanteans and put their corpses on display, a drastic change has come over Namor, King of Atlantis. Although he willingly negotiates with the Avengers for the release of the murderers, his fury leads him to take decisive, if startlingly deadly action against those he now views to be his sworn enemies, i.e. everyone on the surface world. The consequences could be dire, not only for the Avengers, but for the world considering that 3/4s of it is covered in water.
This issue, for me, is remarkable for two things: David Marquez's sensational art, and the fact that, even though Namor is now being pitched as antagonistic to the Avengers, it is extremely hard to disagree with him. Even if the Avengers are technically still in the "right" because they want to prevent Namor from starting a war by killing the Roxxon employees, they basically offer Namor little by way of recompense for the lives that they brutally took, and the depredation that Roxxon and others have long inflicted and will continue to inflict on the oceans. In short, Namor's rage, even if it leads to an act of murder in the first few pages, is nonetheless completely understandable and what makes this story interesting is that is poses the very legitimate question of how do you root for the good guys in a scenario like this? It's not unlike the debates that Black Panther sparked a few months back, with a large segment of the audience finding themselves agreeing more with the antagonist, Erik Killmonger than the film's title character (and hero). Following Aaron's first story arc on this series, which I didn't exactly love, I have to say I'm grateful that
It helps, of course, that Namor is vividly realized by David Marquez, who's gone from strength to strength since I first started following him back in 2011. To my mind, this guy's one of the most talented artists Marvel has on their roster right now. That said, I'm not a fan of his redesign of Namor's costume, which, while certainly an upgrade from scaly green swim trunks, isn't as good as his black suit, and with the apparently see-through sides of his pants it's weirdly evocative of an adult film. Assuming this new look sticks I hope they at least they change those weird fishnets. Apart from this, though, Marquez shines, as he usually does.
Next month's issue is being hyped as a big one, being the 700th issue of the series, constant re-numbering aside, ever published, and I have to say, even though Aaron's first arc felt like a bit of a dud, this one looks like it's got real potential.
8.5/10
drawn by David Marquez
colored by Justin Ponsor
Following the events of last issue, in which employees of Roxxon brutally murdered Atlanteans and put their corpses on display, a drastic change has come over Namor, King of Atlantis. Although he willingly negotiates with the Avengers for the release of the murderers, his fury leads him to take decisive, if startlingly deadly action against those he now views to be his sworn enemies, i.e. everyone on the surface world. The consequences could be dire, not only for the Avengers, but for the world considering that 3/4s of it is covered in water.
This issue, for me, is remarkable for two things: David Marquez's sensational art, and the fact that, even though Namor is now being pitched as antagonistic to the Avengers, it is extremely hard to disagree with him. Even if the Avengers are technically still in the "right" because they want to prevent Namor from starting a war by killing the Roxxon employees, they basically offer Namor little by way of recompense for the lives that they brutally took, and the depredation that Roxxon and others have long inflicted and will continue to inflict on the oceans. In short, Namor's rage, even if it leads to an act of murder in the first few pages, is nonetheless completely understandable and what makes this story interesting is that is poses the very legitimate question of how do you root for the good guys in a scenario like this? It's not unlike the debates that Black Panther sparked a few months back, with a large segment of the audience finding themselves agreeing more with the antagonist, Erik Killmonger than the film's title character (and hero). Following Aaron's first story arc on this series, which I didn't exactly love, I have to say I'm grateful that
It helps, of course, that Namor is vividly realized by David Marquez, who's gone from strength to strength since I first started following him back in 2011. To my mind, this guy's one of the most talented artists Marvel has on their roster right now. That said, I'm not a fan of his redesign of Namor's costume, which, while certainly an upgrade from scaly green swim trunks, isn't as good as his black suit, and with the apparently see-through sides of his pants it's weirdly evocative of an adult film. Assuming this new look sticks I hope they at least they change those weird fishnets. Apart from this, though, Marquez shines, as he usually does.
Next month's issue is being hyped as a big one, being the 700th issue of the series, constant re-numbering aside, ever published, and I have to say, even though Aaron's first arc felt like a bit of a dud, this one looks like it's got real potential.
8.5/10
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Betrayal: A Review of Captain America #4
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
Having learned of the truth behind the army of "Nuke" clones that has been attacking American cities over the last few months, Captain America rushes over to the (fictional) former Soviet Republic of Alberia to confront the sinister minds behind Power Enterprises. After dispatching with ease several foot soldiers, Cap finds himself facing a notably more formidable adversary in the Taskmaster who gets the jump on him. Meanwhile, the captive Sharon Carter comes face to face with the mysterious Aleksa, whose true identity and agenda are finally revealed.
Having kicked the story into high gear last issue, Coates keeps up the momentum this issue with another fast-paced action sequence, followed by a bombshell of a story revelation that portends even more ill for Cap, who's still recovering from the beating his reputation took from the events of "Secret Empire." I doubt this story can truly wrap up in two more issues, and it seems, especially from Marvel's marketing, that there are quite a few dark things on the horizon for the star-spangled Avenger who will soon come face-to-face with a foe from his past, and a new one he's never faced before: the murderous energy vampire Selene.
After explaining why T'Challa and Okoye can't join Steve with a single line of dialogue, Coates jumps into things straightaway, with a lot of that inner monologue that's elevated his take on Cap past a simple action story. Following last issue's shocking revelations, Steve realizes what's going on and it's eating him up inside, but that's the least of his problems.
I really, really enjoyed how Coates pulled a bit of a bait-and-switch with his storytelling. What initially looks like a comicsgater-triggering diatribe about Russia controlling Trump's America almost instantly turns out to also be a good old-fashioned revenge story with a callback to a much-beloved epoch in Cap's recent history. In short, whatever the subtext of his story may be, Coates has remembered to give his readers something to sink their teeth into first, like a fight with a classic bad guy Taskmaster as well as a villain who means some serious business, and for whom it's all personal. This is something Coates gets right that Tini Howard didn't when she wrote the recent Captain America annual. There's really nothing wrong with standing on soapboxes, especially in this medium, but it really helps to have a a good solid story as the foundation. Coates' advocacy got the better of him when he wrote his first Black Panther volume a couple of years back, but this time he's going quite refreshingly old-school.
Speaking of old school, I quite like the way Coates approaches Taskmaster, who deserves much more than the B-list treatment he often gets in other books, even as recently as in the Amazing Spider-Man issues I've been enjoying. This is, after all, a bad guy who can basically mimic the fighting style of just about every skilled fighter in the Marvel Universe, and he deserves his due, which he seems like he'll be getting in these pages at least. Yu amps up the menace by drawing his mask pretty much like a skull, which makes it easier to take the threat he poses that much more seriously. He, Alanguilan and Gho continue to shine on this book, and the fact that Coates' story is now on par with their consistently stellar artwork means that we should be in for a treat for the next few issues at the very least.
8.5/10
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
Having learned of the truth behind the army of "Nuke" clones that has been attacking American cities over the last few months, Captain America rushes over to the (fictional) former Soviet Republic of Alberia to confront the sinister minds behind Power Enterprises. After dispatching with ease several foot soldiers, Cap finds himself facing a notably more formidable adversary in the Taskmaster who gets the jump on him. Meanwhile, the captive Sharon Carter comes face to face with the mysterious Aleksa, whose true identity and agenda are finally revealed.
Having kicked the story into high gear last issue, Coates keeps up the momentum this issue with another fast-paced action sequence, followed by a bombshell of a story revelation that portends even more ill for Cap, who's still recovering from the beating his reputation took from the events of "Secret Empire." I doubt this story can truly wrap up in two more issues, and it seems, especially from Marvel's marketing, that there are quite a few dark things on the horizon for the star-spangled Avenger who will soon come face-to-face with a foe from his past, and a new one he's never faced before: the murderous energy vampire Selene.
After explaining why T'Challa and Okoye can't join Steve with a single line of dialogue, Coates jumps into things straightaway, with a lot of that inner monologue that's elevated his take on Cap past a simple action story. Following last issue's shocking revelations, Steve realizes what's going on and it's eating him up inside, but that's the least of his problems.
I really, really enjoyed how Coates pulled a bit of a bait-and-switch with his storytelling. What initially looks like a comicsgater-triggering diatribe about Russia controlling Trump's America almost instantly turns out to also be a good old-fashioned revenge story with a callback to a much-beloved epoch in Cap's recent history. In short, whatever the subtext of his story may be, Coates has remembered to give his readers something to sink their teeth into first, like a fight with a classic bad guy Taskmaster as well as a villain who means some serious business, and for whom it's all personal. This is something Coates gets right that Tini Howard didn't when she wrote the recent Captain America annual. There's really nothing wrong with standing on soapboxes, especially in this medium, but it really helps to have a a good solid story as the foundation. Coates' advocacy got the better of him when he wrote his first Black Panther volume a couple of years back, but this time he's going quite refreshingly old-school.
Speaking of old school, I quite like the way Coates approaches Taskmaster, who deserves much more than the B-list treatment he often gets in other books, even as recently as in the Amazing Spider-Man issues I've been enjoying. This is, after all, a bad guy who can basically mimic the fighting style of just about every skilled fighter in the Marvel Universe, and he deserves his due, which he seems like he'll be getting in these pages at least. Yu amps up the menace by drawing his mask pretty much like a skull, which makes it easier to take the threat he poses that much more seriously. He, Alanguilan and Gho continue to shine on this book, and the fact that Coates' story is now on par with their consistently stellar artwork means that we should be in for a treat for the next few issues at the very least.
8.5/10
A Coda to Superior Foes of Spider-Man: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #7
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Humberto Ramos
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado
Superior Foes of Spider-Man sequence drawn by Steve Lieber and colored by Rachelle Rosenberg
Things turn ugly for Peter Parker following his triumph at Spider-Man trivia night at the Bar with No Name, as, for reasons not at all attributable to him (for once), every single supervillain in the bar turns on him and the man who brought him there, Fred Myers, aka Boomerang, as a result of Fred having seriously pissed off Wilson Fisk, the Mayor of New York City, and ever and always the Kingpin of Crime. Backed into a corner and unwilling to use his superpowers, lest he expose his secret, Peter is in for a really nasty fight alongside Fred against an entire bar full of supervillains, and it's not clear how they'll get out of this jam. Meanwhile, the mysterious foe who has been stalking Spider-Man since the very first issue of this series makes his move yet again, and while his motives (and identity) remain unclear, his quarry is not, and it seems he knows exactly who is under the mask.
I never had the fortune of following Nick Spencer's acclaimed, short-lived series Superior Foes of Spider-Man. It pretty much just flew under my radar, but it seems clear that it was his work on this title in particular that helped him nab the job of writing the main Spidey book. Following the events of the Secret Empire crossover it seems that the "Superior Foes" are no more, and Spencer gives readers a poignant, if slightly mischievous coda to that particular team's saga. This story also gives Peter, who never dons the red and blue tights in this issue, a chance to reflect on his own life, and to be the bigger man who a supervillain who may or may not be genuinely reformed, but who, he realizes, deserves a second chance anyway.
This story looks like it'll stretch out for a few issues more as Fisk has it in for Myers, whom he feels has double-crossed him, but this particular issue wrapped up quite neatly, with a pretty lively action sequence, some crisp, if slightly maudlin dialogue and the entertaining sight of Peter using something other than his superpowers to get himself out of a tight spot. Again, Spencer is joined by Humberto Ramos, with his Foes co-creator Steve Lieber contributing the cheeky three-page "Superior Foes" sequence, and again the art is quite decent. I especially like how Ramos illustrates Spidey's mysterious, giant-centipede-wielding foe, who may or may not be Mephisto or someone similar, given that he knows Pete's identity and has a thing for Faustian bargains. Whether or not this is Mephisto, he is a genuinely creepy character, and I have to say I'm interested to see how this particular saga will pay off, a lot more so than the eventual confrontation with Kraven the Hunter that Spencer is also trying to set up.
Things may or may not be looking up for Boomerang, whose "Superior Spider Foe" days appear to be behind him (for now), and I have to say, I hope Spencer has him stick around a bit longer as he's starting to grow on me a little.
8/10
penciled by Humberto Ramos
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado
Superior Foes of Spider-Man sequence drawn by Steve Lieber and colored by Rachelle Rosenberg
Things turn ugly for Peter Parker following his triumph at Spider-Man trivia night at the Bar with No Name, as, for reasons not at all attributable to him (for once), every single supervillain in the bar turns on him and the man who brought him there, Fred Myers, aka Boomerang, as a result of Fred having seriously pissed off Wilson Fisk, the Mayor of New York City, and ever and always the Kingpin of Crime. Backed into a corner and unwilling to use his superpowers, lest he expose his secret, Peter is in for a really nasty fight alongside Fred against an entire bar full of supervillains, and it's not clear how they'll get out of this jam. Meanwhile, the mysterious foe who has been stalking Spider-Man since the very first issue of this series makes his move yet again, and while his motives (and identity) remain unclear, his quarry is not, and it seems he knows exactly who is under the mask.
I never had the fortune of following Nick Spencer's acclaimed, short-lived series Superior Foes of Spider-Man. It pretty much just flew under my radar, but it seems clear that it was his work on this title in particular that helped him nab the job of writing the main Spidey book. Following the events of the Secret Empire crossover it seems that the "Superior Foes" are no more, and Spencer gives readers a poignant, if slightly mischievous coda to that particular team's saga. This story also gives Peter, who never dons the red and blue tights in this issue, a chance to reflect on his own life, and to be the bigger man who a supervillain who may or may not be genuinely reformed, but who, he realizes, deserves a second chance anyway.
This story looks like it'll stretch out for a few issues more as Fisk has it in for Myers, whom he feels has double-crossed him, but this particular issue wrapped up quite neatly, with a pretty lively action sequence, some crisp, if slightly maudlin dialogue and the entertaining sight of Peter using something other than his superpowers to get himself out of a tight spot. Again, Spencer is joined by Humberto Ramos, with his Foes co-creator Steve Lieber contributing the cheeky three-page "Superior Foes" sequence, and again the art is quite decent. I especially like how Ramos illustrates Spidey's mysterious, giant-centipede-wielding foe, who may or may not be Mephisto or someone similar, given that he knows Pete's identity and has a thing for Faustian bargains. Whether or not this is Mephisto, he is a genuinely creepy character, and I have to say I'm interested to see how this particular saga will pay off, a lot more so than the eventual confrontation with Kraven the Hunter that Spencer is also trying to set up.
Things may or may not be looking up for Boomerang, whose "Superior Spider Foe" days appear to be behind him (for now), and I have to say, I hope Spencer has him stick around a bit longer as he's starting to grow on me a little.
8/10
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Trivia Night: A Late Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #6
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Humberto Ramos
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado
"Superior Spider Foes" sequence drawn by Steve Lieber and Rachelle Rosenberg
Following his just-concluded body-splitting episode, Peter Parker aka Spider-Man settles back into his daily life, which has its good parts, like getting to make out with his hot girlfriend Mary Jane, and its bad parts, such as living with Fred Myers, aka the C-list supervillain Boomerang. Fred's presence grates on Peter because he knows that, thanks to the events of Secret Empire in which the villain actually fought H.Y.D.R.A., he's basically earned himself a clean slate despite his life of crime, which basically means Peter can't touch him. Even when Peter dons the Spidey tights and stalks Boomerang, all he finds is him playing card games with his old gang, who aren't doing anything illegal and hence can't be busted. When Fred tries to regale Pete's other roommate, Randy Robertson, with yet another spurious "how I beat Spidey" story, it proves too much for Peter's ego, prompting a correction from his part, whereupon Randy mentions Peter's credentials as Spidey's one-time "personal photographer" and walking encyclopedia on all things Spider-Man. Upon learning this, Fred seizes the opportunity to make some easy money...just not in the way that Peter may have imagined, and soon Peter and Fred find themselves on a "date night" at The Bar with No Name, of all places.
Following a generally excellent five-issue run with Ryan Ottley, Nick Spencer turns to longtime Spidey artist Humberto Ramos (with a little help from his Superior Spider-Foes collaborator Steve Lieber) for a sort of prologue to his next big arc. I had some misgivings about bringing Ramos back to the book as I felt that it had really benefited from the fresh approach that Ottley brought to the title, but so far, however Ramos does a decent job. While the story feels a little far-fetched even in spite of Spencer's efforts to basically justify his premise of Peter going, sans his Spidey outfit, to a Spider-Man-themed trivia night at a bar chock full of supervillains, it still works because it's genuinely funny. The vanity which spurs Peter to correct Boomerang's bogus Spidey-conquest stories is, in part, what propels him to take on (and predictably conquer) the villains' trivia contest, even as more serious concerns start brewing without his knowing it. I kind of found Peter's "supervillain name" of "The Liar" a bit on the nose, but like I said, I was able to forgive little niggles like this because the trivia sequence really made me laugh. It's kind of like how I was able to forgive Venom its many shortcomings because of its humor, and in this case Spencer's writing is conspicuously better than the script that three people cobbled together for that movie.
While it irks me that Ramos is sticking around for the next several issues, I take some consolation from knowing that, if nothing else, at least they aren't bringing back my least favorite Spidey artist of recent years, Giuseppe Camuncoli.
7/10
penciled by Humberto Ramos
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado
"Superior Spider Foes" sequence drawn by Steve Lieber and Rachelle Rosenberg
Following his just-concluded body-splitting episode, Peter Parker aka Spider-Man settles back into his daily life, which has its good parts, like getting to make out with his hot girlfriend Mary Jane, and its bad parts, such as living with Fred Myers, aka the C-list supervillain Boomerang. Fred's presence grates on Peter because he knows that, thanks to the events of Secret Empire in which the villain actually fought H.Y.D.R.A., he's basically earned himself a clean slate despite his life of crime, which basically means Peter can't touch him. Even when Peter dons the Spidey tights and stalks Boomerang, all he finds is him playing card games with his old gang, who aren't doing anything illegal and hence can't be busted. When Fred tries to regale Pete's other roommate, Randy Robertson, with yet another spurious "how I beat Spidey" story, it proves too much for Peter's ego, prompting a correction from his part, whereupon Randy mentions Peter's credentials as Spidey's one-time "personal photographer" and walking encyclopedia on all things Spider-Man. Upon learning this, Fred seizes the opportunity to make some easy money...just not in the way that Peter may have imagined, and soon Peter and Fred find themselves on a "date night" at The Bar with No Name, of all places.
Following a generally excellent five-issue run with Ryan Ottley, Nick Spencer turns to longtime Spidey artist Humberto Ramos (with a little help from his Superior Spider-Foes collaborator Steve Lieber) for a sort of prologue to his next big arc. I had some misgivings about bringing Ramos back to the book as I felt that it had really benefited from the fresh approach that Ottley brought to the title, but so far, however Ramos does a decent job. While the story feels a little far-fetched even in spite of Spencer's efforts to basically justify his premise of Peter going, sans his Spidey outfit, to a Spider-Man-themed trivia night at a bar chock full of supervillains, it still works because it's genuinely funny. The vanity which spurs Peter to correct Boomerang's bogus Spidey-conquest stories is, in part, what propels him to take on (and predictably conquer) the villains' trivia contest, even as more serious concerns start brewing without his knowing it. I kind of found Peter's "supervillain name" of "The Liar" a bit on the nose, but like I said, I was able to forgive little niggles like this because the trivia sequence really made me laugh. It's kind of like how I was able to forgive Venom its many shortcomings because of its humor, and in this case Spencer's writing is conspicuously better than the script that three people cobbled together for that movie.
While it irks me that Ramos is sticking around for the next several issues, I take some consolation from knowing that, if nothing else, at least they aren't bringing back my least favorite Spidey artist of recent years, Giuseppe Camuncoli.
7/10
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Well, I Didn't See THAT Coming: A Review of The Life of Captain Marvel #3
written by Margaret Stohl
penciled by Carlos Pacheco
inked by Rafael Monteriz
colored by Marcio Menyz
flashback sequences illustrated and colored by Marguerite Sauvage
With Joe Danvers Jr. having woken from his coma and getting steadily better, Carol starts thinking about heading back to the Avengers, even as she struggles with how nonchalant her mother seems to be about the fact that her husband, Carols' father had an affair years ago. To Carol's shock, apparently even Joe Jr. knew about the affair. Unfortunately, Carol doesn't have the chance to really talk things out with her mother as the Kree warrior who's been tracking her down since the first issue finally shows up. Things get violent, and then...surprising.
This issue's made a few waves in comic book news circles for the revelation made here, which I won't spoil, but perhaps the real good news is that this is the first time that this miniseries has shown any real signs of life, and I don't just say that because things start blowing up in this issue. No, things get interesting because Carol's mom finally starts getting animated in her conversations with Carol about her dad's secret past, Joe Jr. shares his own recollections about Joe Sr.'s secret love, who may have been something other than human, and everything comes to a head when the Kree warrior hits town with heavy ordnance. In short, this is the kind of pacing that could have benefited the book two issues ago, but hey, better late than never.
Carlos Pacheco, for the first time since this miniseries started, really comes alive in these pages, as do his inker Rafeal Monteriz and his colorist Marcio Menyz. Maybe they're just responding to the fact that this is the first script that's really given them something to sink their teeth into, from the more mundane panels like Carol's mom openly losing her temper with her to the action-packed skirmish between Carol and the Kree drones, to the shocking final splash page. Ironically, it's Marguerite Sauvage, whose work I've regularly been praising, who kind of let me down this issue, which makes it a good thing that Pacheco and crew are doing all the heavy lifting.
There are two issues to go in this miniseries, and that's plenty of time to unravel the mystery that's surrounded Joe Danvers Sr.'s apparent affair AND give readers some Kree-punching goodness. I'm glad Stohl's scripting has finally picked up the pace and I hope she carries the momentum over the next couple of issues.
8/10
penciled by Carlos Pacheco
inked by Rafael Monteriz
colored by Marcio Menyz
flashback sequences illustrated and colored by Marguerite Sauvage
With Joe Danvers Jr. having woken from his coma and getting steadily better, Carol starts thinking about heading back to the Avengers, even as she struggles with how nonchalant her mother seems to be about the fact that her husband, Carols' father had an affair years ago. To Carol's shock, apparently even Joe Jr. knew about the affair. Unfortunately, Carol doesn't have the chance to really talk things out with her mother as the Kree warrior who's been tracking her down since the first issue finally shows up. Things get violent, and then...surprising.
This issue's made a few waves in comic book news circles for the revelation made here, which I won't spoil, but perhaps the real good news is that this is the first time that this miniseries has shown any real signs of life, and I don't just say that because things start blowing up in this issue. No, things get interesting because Carol's mom finally starts getting animated in her conversations with Carol about her dad's secret past, Joe Jr. shares his own recollections about Joe Sr.'s secret love, who may have been something other than human, and everything comes to a head when the Kree warrior hits town with heavy ordnance. In short, this is the kind of pacing that could have benefited the book two issues ago, but hey, better late than never.
Carlos Pacheco, for the first time since this miniseries started, really comes alive in these pages, as do his inker Rafeal Monteriz and his colorist Marcio Menyz. Maybe they're just responding to the fact that this is the first script that's really given them something to sink their teeth into, from the more mundane panels like Carol's mom openly losing her temper with her to the action-packed skirmish between Carol and the Kree drones, to the shocking final splash page. Ironically, it's Marguerite Sauvage, whose work I've regularly been praising, who kind of let me down this issue, which makes it a good thing that Pacheco and crew are doing all the heavy lifting.
There are two issues to go in this miniseries, and that's plenty of time to unravel the mystery that's surrounded Joe Danvers Sr.'s apparent affair AND give readers some Kree-punching goodness. I'm glad Stohl's scripting has finally picked up the pace and I hope she carries the momentum over the next couple of issues.
8/10
Assembling in the Arctic: A Review of The Avengers #8
written by Jason Aaron
drawn by David Marquez
colored by Justin Ponsor
After finally wrapping up his somewhat disappointing "Dark Celestials" epic a couple of months back, Jason Aaron delivered a one-shot origin story for the Ghost Rider of 1,000,000 B.C. which I honestly found so weak that, after enduring months of disappointment with this title, I didn't even bother to review it, even for Sara Pichelli's artwork, which, incidentally, was below her usual standard in that issue.
Fortunately, Aaron manages to bounce back a bit with this issue, in which the new team finally has a chance to officially assemble, and the next big storyline, one involving the infamous Roxxon corporation and Namor, the Submariner, is set up. Interestingly, upon their defeat of the Dark Celestials, the "light Celestials" make a gift to the Avengers of the gigantic carcass of the Progenitor, the Celestial who, according to the last story, gave birth to humanity, which is effectively the new Avengers' Tower. Defeated yet again, Loki delivers a brief soliloquy on how the Avengers owe their very existence as a team to him before he is whisked away by the Celestials to pay for his crimes. Doctor Strange takes his leave, opting to serve as a reserve member, but for everyone else, namely Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel and new recruit Ghost Rider, this is now their new headquarters.
This is a relatively quiet issue, considering that Aaron wasn't much for talking-heads type narratives for the first story arc, but it's effective storytelling in that it quickly takes stock of what happened in the last arc, finally settles in the new team, and immediately sets the stage for the next big adventure. It was actually an effective epilogue to the last story arc, with the new headquarters being introduced and with Loki finally being dealt with (though of course, we know he'll be back).
Also, after the extremely uneven art that resulted from having Ed McGuinness and Paco Medina alternate on this title, I'm hoping for some consistency with A-list artist David Marquez on board, even though he's had Carol Danvers sprout a hilariously long mane of hair after she spent the first story arc with a crew cut. I'm glad Marquez came along, to be honest, because I'd already resolved to drop the book after McGuinness left considering how disappointed I was by the first few issues. I'm glad my patience with Aaron has paid off as well, because I've known this guy to be a talented writer, albeit one who just lost his stride during the first arc.
8/10
drawn by David Marquez
colored by Justin Ponsor
After finally wrapping up his somewhat disappointing "Dark Celestials" epic a couple of months back, Jason Aaron delivered a one-shot origin story for the Ghost Rider of 1,000,000 B.C. which I honestly found so weak that, after enduring months of disappointment with this title, I didn't even bother to review it, even for Sara Pichelli's artwork, which, incidentally, was below her usual standard in that issue.
Fortunately, Aaron manages to bounce back a bit with this issue, in which the new team finally has a chance to officially assemble, and the next big storyline, one involving the infamous Roxxon corporation and Namor, the Submariner, is set up. Interestingly, upon their defeat of the Dark Celestials, the "light Celestials" make a gift to the Avengers of the gigantic carcass of the Progenitor, the Celestial who, according to the last story, gave birth to humanity, which is effectively the new Avengers' Tower. Defeated yet again, Loki delivers a brief soliloquy on how the Avengers owe their very existence as a team to him before he is whisked away by the Celestials to pay for his crimes. Doctor Strange takes his leave, opting to serve as a reserve member, but for everyone else, namely Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel and new recruit Ghost Rider, this is now their new headquarters.
This is a relatively quiet issue, considering that Aaron wasn't much for talking-heads type narratives for the first story arc, but it's effective storytelling in that it quickly takes stock of what happened in the last arc, finally settles in the new team, and immediately sets the stage for the next big adventure. It was actually an effective epilogue to the last story arc, with the new headquarters being introduced and with Loki finally being dealt with (though of course, we know he'll be back).
Also, after the extremely uneven art that resulted from having Ed McGuinness and Paco Medina alternate on this title, I'm hoping for some consistency with A-list artist David Marquez on board, even though he's had Carol Danvers sprout a hilariously long mane of hair after she spent the first story arc with a crew cut. I'm glad Marquez came along, to be honest, because I'd already resolved to drop the book after McGuinness left considering how disappointed I was by the first few issues. I'm glad my patience with Aaron has paid off as well, because I've known this guy to be a talented writer, albeit one who just lost his stride during the first arc.
8/10
The Rescuers: A Review of Captain America Annual 2018
written by Tini Howard
penciled by Chris Sprouse and Ron Lim
inked by Karl Story, Walden Wong and Scott Hanna
colored by Jesus Aburtov, Erick Arciniega and Israel Silva
The year is 1944. The Second World War is almost over, and Captain America and Bucky are on a reconnaissance mission, deep in enemy territory, when they stumble upon an emaciated woman wandering through the forest. They follow her, only to find that she is one of three people who have escaped from a concentration camp and are hiding in a goat farm. They are Marta, the woman Cap and Bucky followed, and a Roma, Iskra, a Jewish woman, and Volya, the son of Russian immigrants with a dark (but somewhat predictable) secret that impels him to escape Germany at all costs. Cap and Bucky have their work cut out for them as they must now help these three escape to safety, even though they're basically surrounded by Germans.
Marvel's been pretty fond of these "back in the 40s" stories featuring Cap and Bucky, and in truth they've been made even more interesting following Bucky's resurrection and simultaneous retcon into a juvenile killing machine. I was a huge fan of the Captain America and Bucky miniseries that Ed Brubaker, Marc Andreyko and Chris Samnee produced seven years ago, around the time of the first Captain America movie. That was nostalgia done right, and even though that series revisited an old, frequently used story setting, each issue really did feel, like an "untold story."
I cannot, unfortunately, say the same for this story, which seems to be less about Captain America and Bucky and more about the three escaped prisoners they meet. Here, we meet characters who break the usual narrative trope of Jews fleeing the Holocaust, as only one out the three of them is actually Jewish. Howard, descended (like most Americans) from immigrants, presents Marta, a Romani, and Volya, a Russian who was in the camp for a very distinct reason. Notably, both of them have considerably more exposure than Iskra. Unfortunately, because of limited pages and Howard's desire to reveal Volya's thinly-veiled secret late in the issue, we really don't learn a whole lot about any of these characters, and as a result they, Cap, Bucky, and the story all lose out.
In short, unlike The Amazing Spider-man Annual I just reviewed, which revisited a beloved period from a well-known character's past and found a surprisingly fresh story to tell, this story, seems content to swap out an actual story with a heavy-handed attempt at pushing an advocacy, yet again using Nazi Germany as an analogue for Trump's America. While that parallel is certainly not undeserved, it seems to have been given premium over the storytelling itself, which is a shame, because Howard has shown a knack for some pretty snappy dialogue as shown by the exchanges between Cap, Bucky and the prisoners, and some interesting characterization. Again, though, because of so little time to develop these characters, they barely get to leave an impression.
I suppose I'd have been a lot kinder to this story had I not been so blown away by Saladin Ahmed's work over in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual, but one thing this book does have over that one is Chris Sprouse's crisp art, which gets a teeny-tiny boost from the ever-reliable Ron Lim, who works on a few pages here as well. Sprouse, whose work I knew about over when he was working at DC and on Alan Moore's Tom Strong books, is a great choice for this period setting, and he does not disappoint at all. He's not quite Chris Samnee, but hey, I'm okay with that.
6.5/10
penciled by Chris Sprouse and Ron Lim
inked by Karl Story, Walden Wong and Scott Hanna
colored by Jesus Aburtov, Erick Arciniega and Israel Silva
The year is 1944. The Second World War is almost over, and Captain America and Bucky are on a reconnaissance mission, deep in enemy territory, when they stumble upon an emaciated woman wandering through the forest. They follow her, only to find that she is one of three people who have escaped from a concentration camp and are hiding in a goat farm. They are Marta, the woman Cap and Bucky followed, and a Roma, Iskra, a Jewish woman, and Volya, the son of Russian immigrants with a dark (but somewhat predictable) secret that impels him to escape Germany at all costs. Cap and Bucky have their work cut out for them as they must now help these three escape to safety, even though they're basically surrounded by Germans.
Marvel's been pretty fond of these "back in the 40s" stories featuring Cap and Bucky, and in truth they've been made even more interesting following Bucky's resurrection and simultaneous retcon into a juvenile killing machine. I was a huge fan of the Captain America and Bucky miniseries that Ed Brubaker, Marc Andreyko and Chris Samnee produced seven years ago, around the time of the first Captain America movie. That was nostalgia done right, and even though that series revisited an old, frequently used story setting, each issue really did feel, like an "untold story."
I cannot, unfortunately, say the same for this story, which seems to be less about Captain America and Bucky and more about the three escaped prisoners they meet. Here, we meet characters who break the usual narrative trope of Jews fleeing the Holocaust, as only one out the three of them is actually Jewish. Howard, descended (like most Americans) from immigrants, presents Marta, a Romani, and Volya, a Russian who was in the camp for a very distinct reason. Notably, both of them have considerably more exposure than Iskra. Unfortunately, because of limited pages and Howard's desire to reveal Volya's thinly-veiled secret late in the issue, we really don't learn a whole lot about any of these characters, and as a result they, Cap, Bucky, and the story all lose out.
In short, unlike The Amazing Spider-man Annual I just reviewed, which revisited a beloved period from a well-known character's past and found a surprisingly fresh story to tell, this story, seems content to swap out an actual story with a heavy-handed attempt at pushing an advocacy, yet again using Nazi Germany as an analogue for Trump's America. While that parallel is certainly not undeserved, it seems to have been given premium over the storytelling itself, which is a shame, because Howard has shown a knack for some pretty snappy dialogue as shown by the exchanges between Cap, Bucky and the prisoners, and some interesting characterization. Again, though, because of so little time to develop these characters, they barely get to leave an impression.
I suppose I'd have been a lot kinder to this story had I not been so blown away by Saladin Ahmed's work over in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual, but one thing this book does have over that one is Chris Sprouse's crisp art, which gets a teeny-tiny boost from the ever-reliable Ron Lim, who works on a few pages here as well. Sprouse, whose work I knew about over when he was working at DC and on Alan Moore's Tom Strong books, is a great choice for this period setting, and he does not disappoint at all. He's not quite Chris Samnee, but hey, I'm okay with that.
6.5/10
Friday, September 21, 2018
Sleep-Crimefighting: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #43 (2018)
written by Saladin Ahmed
drawn by Garry Brown
colored by Lee Loughridge
I'm happy that in the last few years, Marvel Comics has revived the tradition of "Annuals" or extended one-shots that showcase talents that don't work on the regular books. I've bought two of them this week, and I'll review the one I liked better first.
Back in the 1980s, during the "Secret Wars" storyline that was actually created to promote a line of toys by Mattel, Spider-Man, along with several other heroes, fought on a distant planet called Battleworld, and picked up a little souvenir in the form of an alien symbiote, which went on to become his costume, until he finally learned what it was and rejected it. That story, which was told quite exhaustively and effectively back in the 80s, remains a pretty significant point in Spidey's career.
Interestingly, however, writer Saladin Ahmed managed to find a story that happens between the lines of that seminal symbiote saga that Tom DeFalco, Rick Leonardi and Ron Frenz told back in the day. There's a brief portion of that saga, barely even half a page, that shows Spidey leaping through the concrete canyons of New York, with the storytellers revealing that, throughout all this, Peter is sound asleep and that it's the symbiote that's actually doing all the bounding. Ahmed's story is premised on the simple question: what if, aside from just jumping around while Peter was asleep inside, the symbiote fought crime too? He's able to pull this off by telling the story from the symbiote's point of view. It really is an entertaining yarn, which not only features classic characters like the Black Cat (a staple of that era) and Hammerhead, but even includes a logical, plausible reason why the characters involved have never before discussed the events that unfolded in this "untold story."
Ahmed's writing is, for the most part, rock solid here, and while I'd previously had no interest in checking out his work on Black Bolt (not an Inhumans fan), I have enjoyed this story enough to consider checking out his upcoming run on the Miles Morales relaunch title in a few months' time. Even though the story is told mainly from the point of view of the alien symbiote, something that hadn't been done in its pre-Venom days, Ahmed shows he's got a good handle on what makes Peter Parker tick. I also liked how substantial he managed to make this story feel. This is a huge improvement over the last two Spider-Man Annuals I've read, neither of which I actually reviewed here, precisely because of how inconsequential they felt from a writing perspective.
As much as I'd love to wax lyrical about how perfect this standalone story is, there are two things that keep me from doing so, one pretty minor, but the other one somewhat major.
The minor thing that bothered me was how, at the ending of the book, when Peter actually goes to see Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four about the symbiote, something he did in the original story as well, his mask is off and his face exposed to Reed. This is glaringly out-of-character for a pre-Civil War Spider-Man. In fact, one of the most memorable images from that story was Spider-Man swinging around in a spare Fantastic Four costume with a paper bag over his head in order to protect his secret identity. Sure, Reed clearly doesn't know who Spider-Man is here, as he refers to him by his hero name, but it would have just sealed the deal if this story, which up until that point had been pretty airtight from a continuity perspective, had also given a nod of respect to that crucial aspect of Peter's character.
Now, the major thing that bothered me about this book was how downright ugly the art was. When Marvel's marketing for this issue consisted solely of the cover by ACO and Marcelo Maiolo I kind of worried a little bit that they weren't showing us interiors and now, having read the issue, I see that I was a bit right to be concerned. Garry Brown isn't the worst artist I've ever come across, but he is a distinct step down from Ryan Ottley, whose work adorns the monthly title. I get that Brown has a specific style, but it's a terrible fit for this kind of story. Loughridge's murky coloring doesn't do the book any favors either. Was neither Ron Frenz nor Rick Leonardi available for this? Either one of them would have knocked it out of the park, and would probably have been able to remind editorial that back then, Spider-Man wouldn't have shown his face to anyone, not even a fellow superhero.
It's a shame this book stumbled in something as important as the art, because that little goof involving Peter's secret identity notwithstanding, I still think this was an outstanding story that cements Ahmed's credentials as a Spidey writer, which is a very good thing considering his upcoming gig, even if it is a different Spidey he'll be writing.
Anyway, for anyone who enjoyed the symbiote saga back in the 80s, I still recommend this comic book.
7.9/10
drawn by Garry Brown
colored by Lee Loughridge
I'm happy that in the last few years, Marvel Comics has revived the tradition of "Annuals" or extended one-shots that showcase talents that don't work on the regular books. I've bought two of them this week, and I'll review the one I liked better first.
Back in the 1980s, during the "Secret Wars" storyline that was actually created to promote a line of toys by Mattel, Spider-Man, along with several other heroes, fought on a distant planet called Battleworld, and picked up a little souvenir in the form of an alien symbiote, which went on to become his costume, until he finally learned what it was and rejected it. That story, which was told quite exhaustively and effectively back in the 80s, remains a pretty significant point in Spidey's career.
Interestingly, however, writer Saladin Ahmed managed to find a story that happens between the lines of that seminal symbiote saga that Tom DeFalco, Rick Leonardi and Ron Frenz told back in the day. There's a brief portion of that saga, barely even half a page, that shows Spidey leaping through the concrete canyons of New York, with the storytellers revealing that, throughout all this, Peter is sound asleep and that it's the symbiote that's actually doing all the bounding. Ahmed's story is premised on the simple question: what if, aside from just jumping around while Peter was asleep inside, the symbiote fought crime too? He's able to pull this off by telling the story from the symbiote's point of view. It really is an entertaining yarn, which not only features classic characters like the Black Cat (a staple of that era) and Hammerhead, but even includes a logical, plausible reason why the characters involved have never before discussed the events that unfolded in this "untold story."
Ahmed's writing is, for the most part, rock solid here, and while I'd previously had no interest in checking out his work on Black Bolt (not an Inhumans fan), I have enjoyed this story enough to consider checking out his upcoming run on the Miles Morales relaunch title in a few months' time. Even though the story is told mainly from the point of view of the alien symbiote, something that hadn't been done in its pre-Venom days, Ahmed shows he's got a good handle on what makes Peter Parker tick. I also liked how substantial he managed to make this story feel. This is a huge improvement over the last two Spider-Man Annuals I've read, neither of which I actually reviewed here, precisely because of how inconsequential they felt from a writing perspective.
As much as I'd love to wax lyrical about how perfect this standalone story is, there are two things that keep me from doing so, one pretty minor, but the other one somewhat major.
The minor thing that bothered me was how, at the ending of the book, when Peter actually goes to see Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four about the symbiote, something he did in the original story as well, his mask is off and his face exposed to Reed. This is glaringly out-of-character for a pre-Civil War Spider-Man. In fact, one of the most memorable images from that story was Spider-Man swinging around in a spare Fantastic Four costume with a paper bag over his head in order to protect his secret identity. Sure, Reed clearly doesn't know who Spider-Man is here, as he refers to him by his hero name, but it would have just sealed the deal if this story, which up until that point had been pretty airtight from a continuity perspective, had also given a nod of respect to that crucial aspect of Peter's character.
Now, the major thing that bothered me about this book was how downright ugly the art was. When Marvel's marketing for this issue consisted solely of the cover by ACO and Marcelo Maiolo I kind of worried a little bit that they weren't showing us interiors and now, having read the issue, I see that I was a bit right to be concerned. Garry Brown isn't the worst artist I've ever come across, but he is a distinct step down from Ryan Ottley, whose work adorns the monthly title. I get that Brown has a specific style, but it's a terrible fit for this kind of story. Loughridge's murky coloring doesn't do the book any favors either. Was neither Ron Frenz nor Rick Leonardi available for this? Either one of them would have knocked it out of the park, and would probably have been able to remind editorial that back then, Spider-Man wouldn't have shown his face to anyone, not even a fellow superhero.
It's a shame this book stumbled in something as important as the art, because that little goof involving Peter's secret identity notwithstanding, I still think this was an outstanding story that cements Ahmed's credentials as a Spidey writer, which is a very good thing considering his upcoming gig, even if it is a different Spidey he'll be writing.
Anyway, for anyone who enjoyed the symbiote saga back in the 80s, I still recommend this comic book.
7.9/10
Monday, September 17, 2018
Marvel Addresses "Gamergate"...Sort of....A Review of Marvel Rising: Alpha, Marvel Rising: Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel and Marvel Rising: Omega
written by Devin Grayson, Ryan North and G. Willow Wilson
drawn by Georges Duarte, Ramon Bachs, Irene Strychalski and Roberto diSalvo
If I understand this correctly the "Marvel Rising" miniseries is essentially a promotion for an upcoming animated series featuring Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Doreen Green, aka Squirrel Girl in leading roles. That would explain the overtly cartoony illustrations and the relatively kid-friendly storytelling approach.
In this story, Doreen works part-time teaching a class on game programming to help high school kids get into STEM, at the very same school where Kamala studies. Also studying at this school is Ember Quade, a gaming prodigy whose life in the real world is somewhat less than ideal, as she is always being moved from one state, and consequently one school to another. As a result, she is often bullied, especially by boys who can't take losing to a girl and only has one friend, whom she's only ever met online. She also has a secret: having been exposed to the Terrigen Mists that were released all over the world a while back, she also has super powers. When the bullying becomes too much for Ember to bear, she summons, albeit unwittingly, video game monsters that Kamala and Doreen have to fight, and when her mysterious online friend invites her for a meetup, things really start to get out of control, and Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl end up needing a bit of help, and fortunately, they get it from America Chavez and Inferno, aka Dante Pertuz. When Ember's mystery friend, however, turns out to be a deadly, longtime bad guy with a penchant for death traps, even the four of them might not be enough to save Ember.
I'm normally not a fan of these TV tie-in/promotional comics because Marvel usually enlists D-list talent to work on them, but it pleases me to note that this miniseries is an exception, at least far as the art is concerned. With an art team like Duarte, Bachs, Strychalski and diSalvo, this book is all win in the art department, though Duarte does the heavy lifting. It's all entirely consistent with the tone that writer Devin Grayson, who gets a helping hand from Unbeatable Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North and Ms. Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson, has set.
Speaking of the story, though, I have a few issues. For one thing, as much as I liked the back-and-forth between Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl and the other characters, I'm pretty sure this story could have been told just as effectively in a 40-page one-shot, or, if one wanted to stretch it a bit, a two-part series with 30 pages each. Either way, 100 pages (and I'm not even counting the Free Comic Book Day prequel) were way too much for a story that was not only inconsequential in the grand scheme but fairly standard, without any significant twists or turns. As cash grabs go, this was a pretty shameless one. One could practically just take out "Marvel Rising: Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl" and the story would still manage to make sense. That's how much filler there was here.
For me, the bigger sin here was the wasted opportunity to address what is arguably the scourge of pop culture of the last few years, namely gamergate, which is easily one of the most hateful things to happen to a fan community. Grayson touches on it briefly as she shows Ember being bullied by boys after she's beaten them in an online game, which sets her on her journey to super villainy, but never mentions it again, choosing instead to have Ember spout of some hackneyed "I don't need your help" dialogue. I get that this is basically aimed at kids (though it is rated "T" for teens) and that there were probably marching orders to avoid topics that were too controversial, but given that gamergate is a controversy that involves the abuse of women, I would have hoped that Grayson, one of the few prominent female writers at Marvel, would have given this topic more than just passing mention. If anything, the fact that she mentioned it at all, only to fill up the rest of the story with fluff, did the people who have genuinely been affected by this phenomenon a disservice.
So all told, this series has got very good artwork, a so-so, overextended story, and a sadly squandered opportunity to address a very topical issue. I don't really see myself coming back for a regular series, assuming one is in the pipeline, but this was at least worth checking out, if only for the art.
6/10
drawn by Georges Duarte, Ramon Bachs, Irene Strychalski and Roberto diSalvo
If I understand this correctly the "Marvel Rising" miniseries is essentially a promotion for an upcoming animated series featuring Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Doreen Green, aka Squirrel Girl in leading roles. That would explain the overtly cartoony illustrations and the relatively kid-friendly storytelling approach.
In this story, Doreen works part-time teaching a class on game programming to help high school kids get into STEM, at the very same school where Kamala studies. Also studying at this school is Ember Quade, a gaming prodigy whose life in the real world is somewhat less than ideal, as she is always being moved from one state, and consequently one school to another. As a result, she is often bullied, especially by boys who can't take losing to a girl and only has one friend, whom she's only ever met online. She also has a secret: having been exposed to the Terrigen Mists that were released all over the world a while back, she also has super powers. When the bullying becomes too much for Ember to bear, she summons, albeit unwittingly, video game monsters that Kamala and Doreen have to fight, and when her mysterious online friend invites her for a meetup, things really start to get out of control, and Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl end up needing a bit of help, and fortunately, they get it from America Chavez and Inferno, aka Dante Pertuz. When Ember's mystery friend, however, turns out to be a deadly, longtime bad guy with a penchant for death traps, even the four of them might not be enough to save Ember.
I'm normally not a fan of these TV tie-in/promotional comics because Marvel usually enlists D-list talent to work on them, but it pleases me to note that this miniseries is an exception, at least far as the art is concerned. With an art team like Duarte, Bachs, Strychalski and diSalvo, this book is all win in the art department, though Duarte does the heavy lifting. It's all entirely consistent with the tone that writer Devin Grayson, who gets a helping hand from Unbeatable Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North and Ms. Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson, has set.
Speaking of the story, though, I have a few issues. For one thing, as much as I liked the back-and-forth between Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl and the other characters, I'm pretty sure this story could have been told just as effectively in a 40-page one-shot, or, if one wanted to stretch it a bit, a two-part series with 30 pages each. Either way, 100 pages (and I'm not even counting the Free Comic Book Day prequel) were way too much for a story that was not only inconsequential in the grand scheme but fairly standard, without any significant twists or turns. As cash grabs go, this was a pretty shameless one. One could practically just take out "Marvel Rising: Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl" and the story would still manage to make sense. That's how much filler there was here.
For me, the bigger sin here was the wasted opportunity to address what is arguably the scourge of pop culture of the last few years, namely gamergate, which is easily one of the most hateful things to happen to a fan community. Grayson touches on it briefly as she shows Ember being bullied by boys after she's beaten them in an online game, which sets her on her journey to super villainy, but never mentions it again, choosing instead to have Ember spout of some hackneyed "I don't need your help" dialogue. I get that this is basically aimed at kids (though it is rated "T" for teens) and that there were probably marching orders to avoid topics that were too controversial, but given that gamergate is a controversy that involves the abuse of women, I would have hoped that Grayson, one of the few prominent female writers at Marvel, would have given this topic more than just passing mention. If anything, the fact that she mentioned it at all, only to fill up the rest of the story with fluff, did the people who have genuinely been affected by this phenomenon a disservice.
So all told, this series has got very good artwork, a so-so, overextended story, and a sadly squandered opportunity to address a very topical issue. I don't really see myself coming back for a regular series, assuming one is in the pipeline, but this was at least worth checking out, if only for the art.
6/10
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Family Ties: A Review of Daredevil #608
written by Charles Soule
drawn and colored by Phil Noto
Matt Murdock aka Daredevil finds himself facing an unusual problem, even for him: having allied himself with Frank McGee in his quest to take down Wilson Fisk, who, he has learned, apparently cheated during the elections that made him Mayor of New York City, he now finds himself chasing down a realized version of a one-time figment of his imagination, Mike Murdock, a fake "twin brother" identity he had created years ago, who has been given life by the powers of one of McGee's associates, an Inhuman named Reader who can actually create things simply by reading them. That same erstwhile figment holds Matt's very real one-time law partner Foggy Nelson hostage, and leaves Matt with the uncomfortable decision of how to deal with a man who truly believes himself to be "real." It is within Reader's power to erase was has been created, but can Matt bring himself to wipe this strange creature out of existence? The answer could prove pivotal to Matt's mission.
As I've long suspected, this story arc is leading up to something very big for this character, quite possibly a relaunch to coincide (more or less) with the 20th anniversary of the Marvel Knights line of comic books which revitalized a flagging Marvel Comics back in 1998 and which, quite arguably, helped lay the creative groundwork for what eventually became the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil was the crown jewel of that line, back in the day, and so it is fitting that after months of just letting Soule do his own thing on this book, for better or worse, Marvel are finally building up the hype train for this latest story, and Soule is definitely delivering the goods here, especially with this chapter that may not be heavy on action, but which promises to have a pretty big impact on things to come.
While Soule brought DD back to his noir setting with Ron Garney, it's really interesting to see him working with a decidedly more colorful artist in Phil Noto, whose work on the last three issues has been consistently good, and who, apparently, is going to see this all the way through. I have to say, I much prefer Noto's renderings nowadays to his work back on the ill-fated Black Widow title he worked on with disgraced writer Nathan Edmonson. I'm glad Soule's brought him on board, because artistic consistency has been one of the recurring problems of this book over Soule's three-year run.
Having Daredevil face off against Kingpin is so old-hat for this character by now that it can be a real challenge to introduce new elements to keep such stories fresh, and to his credit, Soule has done exactly that. He already upped the ante considerably by planting Fisk in City Hall, but now he's added even more spice to the mix, and it should be very, very interesting to see how this all plays out in four issues' time. If this is Soule's swansong on the book, I have to say he's really pulling out all the stops for this one. This final story may be the one to get people to mention him alongside the likes of Frank Miller, Brian Bendis and Mark Waid.
8/10
drawn and colored by Phil Noto
Matt Murdock aka Daredevil finds himself facing an unusual problem, even for him: having allied himself with Frank McGee in his quest to take down Wilson Fisk, who, he has learned, apparently cheated during the elections that made him Mayor of New York City, he now finds himself chasing down a realized version of a one-time figment of his imagination, Mike Murdock, a fake "twin brother" identity he had created years ago, who has been given life by the powers of one of McGee's associates, an Inhuman named Reader who can actually create things simply by reading them. That same erstwhile figment holds Matt's very real one-time law partner Foggy Nelson hostage, and leaves Matt with the uncomfortable decision of how to deal with a man who truly believes himself to be "real." It is within Reader's power to erase was has been created, but can Matt bring himself to wipe this strange creature out of existence? The answer could prove pivotal to Matt's mission.
As I've long suspected, this story arc is leading up to something very big for this character, quite possibly a relaunch to coincide (more or less) with the 20th anniversary of the Marvel Knights line of comic books which revitalized a flagging Marvel Comics back in 1998 and which, quite arguably, helped lay the creative groundwork for what eventually became the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil was the crown jewel of that line, back in the day, and so it is fitting that after months of just letting Soule do his own thing on this book, for better or worse, Marvel are finally building up the hype train for this latest story, and Soule is definitely delivering the goods here, especially with this chapter that may not be heavy on action, but which promises to have a pretty big impact on things to come.
While Soule brought DD back to his noir setting with Ron Garney, it's really interesting to see him working with a decidedly more colorful artist in Phil Noto, whose work on the last three issues has been consistently good, and who, apparently, is going to see this all the way through. I have to say, I much prefer Noto's renderings nowadays to his work back on the ill-fated Black Widow title he worked on with disgraced writer Nathan Edmonson. I'm glad Soule's brought him on board, because artistic consistency has been one of the recurring problems of this book over Soule's three-year run.
Having Daredevil face off against Kingpin is so old-hat for this character by now that it can be a real challenge to introduce new elements to keep such stories fresh, and to his credit, Soule has done exactly that. He already upped the ante considerably by planting Fisk in City Hall, but now he's added even more spice to the mix, and it should be very, very interesting to see how this all plays out in four issues' time. If this is Soule's swansong on the book, I have to say he's really pulling out all the stops for this one. This final story may be the one to get people to mention him alongside the likes of Frank Miller, Brian Bendis and Mark Waid.
8/10
Sticking the Landing, but Only Just: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #5 (mild spoilers)
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn and Ottley
colored by Laura Martin
The one comic book I have enjoyed more than any other of the last several months finally concludes its first story arc, as Peter Parker finally confronts his now separate Spider-Man persona with a vaguely-conceived plan to reunite the two of them, a plan which may prove somewhat difficult to implement. Meanwhile, shadowy forces moving against Spider-Man continue to push their own sinister agendas forward.
While this story may not necessarily have been the profound treatise on the human condition that a story about power without responsibility may have initially promised, the book does deliver what I think Spencer and Ottley set out to do, which is to give readers some old school Spidey fun with a bit of heart and a few hints at what's to come. I do have to say that, given the build-up, the manner in which Spencer wrapped up this little dilemma was a bit too neat, but I understand that the story basically had to end where and how it did. I also feel that the subplot running through the series, in which the somewhat predictable mystery villain finally stands revealed, didn't really have the intended impact, at least, not for anyone familiar with the character. I suppose it might have made a deeper impression on newer readers.
So, as tempting as it is to grade this new team on their entire run, which I have consistently enjoyed from the get-go, I have to say that the Spencer/Ottley team slightly disappoints with this issue, though not too much. I really like the lighthearted tone that Spencer employs, which he manages to maintain even when Peter is lying in a bloody mess after a bomb explosion. I confess, though, that this scene kind of had me worry that Spencer may spend too many issues in the future either exploiting Ottley's talent for drawing bloodied characters or pandering to his apparent penchant for doing so (I have no idea which it would be). With a few exceptions over the years, Spider-Man isn't really a character whose stories are best told through extreme violence, and certainly not the stomach-churning gorefests that Ottley got used to drawing over on Invincible. If they want to depict Spidey in a bloody mess like he was in Coming Home, I hope they are at least judicious about it. Ottley's work, as these last five issues have shown, is about so much more than ultra-violent punch-ups, and I really look forward to more from him in these pages.
That little concern aside, though, it's clear that these guys picked a tone and stuck to it, and while they didn't exactly reinvent the wheel with their storytelling, they've definitely established themselves as a team that can take this book to new heights. I'm definitely sold on Spencer's writing and could see myself picking up his acclaimed work on Superior Foes of Spider-Man sometime in the future.
7.5/10
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn and Ottley
colored by Laura Martin
The one comic book I have enjoyed more than any other of the last several months finally concludes its first story arc, as Peter Parker finally confronts his now separate Spider-Man persona with a vaguely-conceived plan to reunite the two of them, a plan which may prove somewhat difficult to implement. Meanwhile, shadowy forces moving against Spider-Man continue to push their own sinister agendas forward.
While this story may not necessarily have been the profound treatise on the human condition that a story about power without responsibility may have initially promised, the book does deliver what I think Spencer and Ottley set out to do, which is to give readers some old school Spidey fun with a bit of heart and a few hints at what's to come. I do have to say that, given the build-up, the manner in which Spencer wrapped up this little dilemma was a bit too neat, but I understand that the story basically had to end where and how it did. I also feel that the subplot running through the series, in which the somewhat predictable mystery villain finally stands revealed, didn't really have the intended impact, at least, not for anyone familiar with the character. I suppose it might have made a deeper impression on newer readers.
So, as tempting as it is to grade this new team on their entire run, which I have consistently enjoyed from the get-go, I have to say that the Spencer/Ottley team slightly disappoints with this issue, though not too much. I really like the lighthearted tone that Spencer employs, which he manages to maintain even when Peter is lying in a bloody mess after a bomb explosion. I confess, though, that this scene kind of had me worry that Spencer may spend too many issues in the future either exploiting Ottley's talent for drawing bloodied characters or pandering to his apparent penchant for doing so (I have no idea which it would be). With a few exceptions over the years, Spider-Man isn't really a character whose stories are best told through extreme violence, and certainly not the stomach-churning gorefests that Ottley got used to drawing over on Invincible. If they want to depict Spidey in a bloody mess like he was in Coming Home, I hope they are at least judicious about it. Ottley's work, as these last five issues have shown, is about so much more than ultra-violent punch-ups, and I really look forward to more from him in these pages.
That little concern aside, though, it's clear that these guys picked a tone and stuck to it, and while they didn't exactly reinvent the wheel with their storytelling, they've definitely established themselves as a team that can take this book to new heights. I'm definitely sold on Spencer's writing and could see myself picking up his acclaimed work on Superior Foes of Spider-Man sometime in the future.
7.5/10
Another Late Review: The Life of Captain Marvel #2
written by Margaret Stohl
penciled by Carlos Pacheco and Marguerite Sauvage
inked by Rafael Fonteriz and Sauvage
colored by Marcio Menyz and Sauvage
Still reeling from the revelation that apart from being an abusive parent, her father Joe was also an unfaithful husband, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel struggles with the quandary of whether or not to reveal to her mother the love letter she has discovered showing the illicit affair even as the two of them spend their days caring for Carol's comatose brother Joe. In the meantime, a deadly visitor from outer space lands and starts making its way to Carol's hometown in Maine.
This series is truly one of Marvel's infamous slow burn stories, with scant plot movement being stretched out over multiple issues. The plot moves along much more briskly this time, with the immediacy of Carol's dilemma regarding her late father's apparent infidelity and the impending arrival of the character who will presumably be her foe providing tension that was regrettably absent from the last issue, whose extra pages made its meandering nature all the more apparent, but it still feels too thin for a five-issue miniseries.
I get that this is more about the demons in Carol's head than any external threat, and Stohl's pacing is definitely much improved here, but honestly, I'm really no fan of issues where precious little happens, whoever the main character may be, and this book is really no exception.
Carlos Pacheco, who already delivered decent work last issue, actually steps up his work here, but isn't really given a whole lot to draw.
One definite highlight of this book for me, though is Marguerite Sauvage, whose work is really gorgeous to behold. I'd be more willing to forgive the shortcomings in the storytelling if her work adorned most of the issue rather than Pacheco's. I have no idea how long this woman has been illustrating comics but I'd definitely like to see more of her stuff. There's far too little of her work here, though to really affect the overall grade I'm giving this issue.
Having started this miniseries I intend to see it through, but I don't really see myself following Carol Danvers' adventures on a regular basis the way I follow those of Kamala Khan or Earth 65's Gwen Stacy.
6.5/10
penciled by Carlos Pacheco and Marguerite Sauvage
inked by Rafael Fonteriz and Sauvage
colored by Marcio Menyz and Sauvage
Still reeling from the revelation that apart from being an abusive parent, her father Joe was also an unfaithful husband, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel struggles with the quandary of whether or not to reveal to her mother the love letter she has discovered showing the illicit affair even as the two of them spend their days caring for Carol's comatose brother Joe. In the meantime, a deadly visitor from outer space lands and starts making its way to Carol's hometown in Maine.
This series is truly one of Marvel's infamous slow burn stories, with scant plot movement being stretched out over multiple issues. The plot moves along much more briskly this time, with the immediacy of Carol's dilemma regarding her late father's apparent infidelity and the impending arrival of the character who will presumably be her foe providing tension that was regrettably absent from the last issue, whose extra pages made its meandering nature all the more apparent, but it still feels too thin for a five-issue miniseries.
I get that this is more about the demons in Carol's head than any external threat, and Stohl's pacing is definitely much improved here, but honestly, I'm really no fan of issues where precious little happens, whoever the main character may be, and this book is really no exception.
Carlos Pacheco, who already delivered decent work last issue, actually steps up his work here, but isn't really given a whole lot to draw.
One definite highlight of this book for me, though is Marguerite Sauvage, whose work is really gorgeous to behold. I'd be more willing to forgive the shortcomings in the storytelling if her work adorned most of the issue rather than Pacheco's. I have no idea how long this woman has been illustrating comics but I'd definitely like to see more of her stuff. There's far too little of her work here, though to really affect the overall grade I'm giving this issue.
Having started this miniseries I intend to see it through, but I don't really see myself following Carol Danvers' adventures on a regular basis the way I follow those of Kamala Khan or Earth 65's Gwen Stacy.
6.5/10
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Some Helping Hands: A Review of Captain America #3
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
After a disappointingly redundant issue #2, Ta Nehisi Coates bounces back somewhat with an issue that kicks his story arc into high gear.
On the trail of Power Enterprises, the unseen cabal responsible for the deadly super-soldier attacks upon American civilians, Cap gets help from T'Challa, the Black Panther and his trusty General Okoye, both of whom are after Ezekiel Stane, who very recently took part in an attempt to overthrow T'Challa and who is said to be among the chief architects of this shadowy new operation. T'Challa has a plan to take down the "Nukes" or the super-soldiers modeled after Frank Simpson, who long ago menaced Daredevil in Hell's Kitchen. Meanwhile, Sharon tracks down the lead that Thunderbolt Ross has given her, which may lead her right to the main bad guy herself, Selene. While preparing for his big attack on Power Enterprises, Steve learns something quite surprising about the time that HYDRA ran America: their methods may have been despicable, but they actually did quite a bit of good, like fixing schools, providing healthcare and even jobs, and from the look of it, Power is intent on keeping up the good work, even if all this almost certainly comes at a price.
I've said a few unflattering things about Coates' past work, as recently as issue #2 of this series, but one bad thing I can't say about him this time around is that he scrimps on action, because three issues into his run, every single issue has featured some pretty intense action sequences. This one, fortunately, feels a bit more consequential than Steve's throwaway punch up with the Nukes last issue.
More interestingly, though, Coates presents a somewhat different take on the HYDRA takeover of America, i.e. the revelation that they actually got things done. Coming from an avowed progressive like Coates, the devil's advocate argument as to the potential virtues of an authoritarian setup similar to what HYDRA had in place, albeit briefly is intriguing to look at, especially when one considers this has actually happened in real life. For example, the infamous Muammar Gaddafi, for all of his crimes against his people, had actually done some pretty good things with respect to social services like education and healthcare before his was deposed and eventually killed by rebels. This is genuinely engaging stuff; we're not even talking about people being fooled by fake news like they have been in the United States (and here) about the manufactured virtues of certain politicians.
Rather, Coates poses the question of how to get people to turn their backs on a system that actually works for them, and while he sets the issue aside for a while to get back to the action, the fact that he brought it up in the first place sets the stage for something potentially a lot more interesting than just another punch up with the big bad guys.
Helping carry Coates through all of this are the legendary art team of Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho, who have yet to stumble in this run. This really is a winning creative team here, and while I don't imagine it'll stay together for very long, things being the way they are, I'm fairly certain I'll be able to enjoy the remainder of their work together as long as they keep up this overall standard of quality.
8/10
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
After a disappointingly redundant issue #2, Ta Nehisi Coates bounces back somewhat with an issue that kicks his story arc into high gear.
On the trail of Power Enterprises, the unseen cabal responsible for the deadly super-soldier attacks upon American civilians, Cap gets help from T'Challa, the Black Panther and his trusty General Okoye, both of whom are after Ezekiel Stane, who very recently took part in an attempt to overthrow T'Challa and who is said to be among the chief architects of this shadowy new operation. T'Challa has a plan to take down the "Nukes" or the super-soldiers modeled after Frank Simpson, who long ago menaced Daredevil in Hell's Kitchen. Meanwhile, Sharon tracks down the lead that Thunderbolt Ross has given her, which may lead her right to the main bad guy herself, Selene. While preparing for his big attack on Power Enterprises, Steve learns something quite surprising about the time that HYDRA ran America: their methods may have been despicable, but they actually did quite a bit of good, like fixing schools, providing healthcare and even jobs, and from the look of it, Power is intent on keeping up the good work, even if all this almost certainly comes at a price.
I've said a few unflattering things about Coates' past work, as recently as issue #2 of this series, but one bad thing I can't say about him this time around is that he scrimps on action, because three issues into his run, every single issue has featured some pretty intense action sequences. This one, fortunately, feels a bit more consequential than Steve's throwaway punch up with the Nukes last issue.
More interestingly, though, Coates presents a somewhat different take on the HYDRA takeover of America, i.e. the revelation that they actually got things done. Coming from an avowed progressive like Coates, the devil's advocate argument as to the potential virtues of an authoritarian setup similar to what HYDRA had in place, albeit briefly is intriguing to look at, especially when one considers this has actually happened in real life. For example, the infamous Muammar Gaddafi, for all of his crimes against his people, had actually done some pretty good things with respect to social services like education and healthcare before his was deposed and eventually killed by rebels. This is genuinely engaging stuff; we're not even talking about people being fooled by fake news like they have been in the United States (and here) about the manufactured virtues of certain politicians.
Rather, Coates poses the question of how to get people to turn their backs on a system that actually works for them, and while he sets the issue aside for a while to get back to the action, the fact that he brought it up in the first place sets the stage for something potentially a lot more interesting than just another punch up with the big bad guys.
Helping carry Coates through all of this are the legendary art team of Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho, who have yet to stumble in this run. This really is a winning creative team here, and while I don't imagine it'll stay together for very long, things being the way they are, I'm fairly certain I'll be able to enjoy the remainder of their work together as long as they keep up this overall standard of quality.
8/10
Friday, September 14, 2018
Early Days: A Review of Daredevil Annual 2018
written by Erica Schulz
illustrated by Marcio Takara
colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Crime writer Erica Schulz and Incredibles artist Marcio Takara bring us a tale from Daredevil's past, to a time before his longtime ally Misty Knight started working with him and other superheroes.
Both DD and Misty Knight find themselves on the trail of a mobster who's been hiring chemistry geniuses in his desperate search for someone who can synthesize a cure for his cancer, based on a formula purloined from S.H.I.E.L.D. Misty doesn't trust DD, or superheroes in general, but comes to realize that DD (who in his secret identity as attorney Matt Murdock, knows the law just as well as she does) can be handy to have around in the fight against crime.
It's a simple enough story, one that, if I'm honest, seems a little thin to stretch over an extra-sized issue. Even the Amazing Spider-man annual from last year (which I didn't review), managed to justify stretching its story out over all the extra pages, and there was even a bit of a payoff as a little detail from that story featured in Dan Slott's final story arc. Also, I'm generally not a huge fan of stories in which the lead character is basically a guest star in his own book, but Misty Knight is a compelling enough character to sustain interest throughout.
The real highlight here, though is Takara, whose detailed work hearkens back to the stunning renderings of 80s icon Mike Golden. Everything about his art, from the basic figures to the rendering to the action, is a real treat. This guy's got some old school flair, especially considering how he's actually relatively young. It's really gratifying that most of the current generation of superstar comics illustrators have well and truly broken away from the worst excesses of the 90s like cross-hatchings everywhere and an overabundance of pouches.
I am enjoying Charles Soule's current story, but this flashback is also a pleasant enough distraction.
7/10
illustrated by Marcio Takara
colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Crime writer Erica Schulz and Incredibles artist Marcio Takara bring us a tale from Daredevil's past, to a time before his longtime ally Misty Knight started working with him and other superheroes.
Both DD and Misty Knight find themselves on the trail of a mobster who's been hiring chemistry geniuses in his desperate search for someone who can synthesize a cure for his cancer, based on a formula purloined from S.H.I.E.L.D. Misty doesn't trust DD, or superheroes in general, but comes to realize that DD (who in his secret identity as attorney Matt Murdock, knows the law just as well as she does) can be handy to have around in the fight against crime.
It's a simple enough story, one that, if I'm honest, seems a little thin to stretch over an extra-sized issue. Even the Amazing Spider-man annual from last year (which I didn't review), managed to justify stretching its story out over all the extra pages, and there was even a bit of a payoff as a little detail from that story featured in Dan Slott's final story arc. Also, I'm generally not a huge fan of stories in which the lead character is basically a guest star in his own book, but Misty Knight is a compelling enough character to sustain interest throughout.
The real highlight here, though is Takara, whose detailed work hearkens back to the stunning renderings of 80s icon Mike Golden. Everything about his art, from the basic figures to the rendering to the action, is a real treat. This guy's got some old school flair, especially considering how he's actually relatively young. It's really gratifying that most of the current generation of superstar comics illustrators have well and truly broken away from the worst excesses of the 90s like cross-hatchings everywhere and an overabundance of pouches.
I am enjoying Charles Soule's current story, but this flashback is also a pleasant enough distraction.
7/10
Two-in-One: A Late Review of Daredevil #606 and 607
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Phil Noto
Yet again I've fallen behind in reviewing this series, in part because of work but also because I found myself a bit nonplussed by the competent but unremarkable conclusion of the last story arc.
I should not have been quite so hasty, as it seems that Charles Soule, in what I am sure is the final story arc of this series before a major relaunch, judging by Marvel's marketing moves lately, has come up with something pretty entertaining.
Issue #606
At the end of the last arc, Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, having resigned as Wilson Fisk's Deputy Mayor of New York, happened to hear, with his heightened hearing, Fisk's Lieutenant Wesley mutter "good thing he doesn't know you cheated in the election" or something like that, to Fisk, which has set the current story in motion. Murdock is now on a mission to expose Fisk's duplicity and take him down, and for this he approached Frank McGee, the one time investigator for the Inhumans who would not only be more than happy to help, but who also brings a couple of pretty valuable players to the team: Doug Ramsey, aka Cypher, a mutant who can translate any language, and Reader, an Inhuman who can actually bring things into existence just by reading about them. However, Matt's crusade may hit a bit of a snag when he has a run-in with Hammerhead and his goons robbing a bank, but even moreso when a completely unexpected figure from his past breezes into town.
I quite like Soule's non-linear approach here; it makes the issue feel that much more packed, which isn't an easy thing to do in an era of 20 to 21-page stories. The overall pacing is good, and Soule does a canny job of setting up Matt's mission.
While it's been fun watching Soule introducing new characters in this series, ranging from Blindspot to the Inhumans and even the Ordo Draconum, it's equally refreshing to finally see him bring back a couple of classics. Kingpin's return was almost a foregone conclusion, but having a much more humorous character show up at this point in Matt's life brought back some much-needed fun that's been missing since Mark Waid left the book. I also like the fact that Soule has brought back Cypher, one of Chris Claremont's most underrated characters who, after being a regular mainstay of the New Mutants back in the 80s, never seems to stay in one place for very long. I still maintain he'd be great in an espionage-type story, maybe alongside the Winter Soldier.
Soule is joined here by his Poe Dameron collaborator Phil Noto, and while I can't really say I'm a big fan, he definitely does solid work, sort of like a more talented Alex Maleev.
Issue #607
After running into his "twin brother" Mike Murdock who is actually an alias Matt Murdock assumed many, many years ago to throw people who suspected his secret identity of his scent, Matt sets out to find out exactly who, or what, he is. After trouncing some c-list thugs in the Bar with No Name, which was where Mike showed up in the first place stirring up trouble, Matt takes Mike to an Inhuman "expert" to figure out what he is, and solves the mystery of his existence. When the time comes to solve this little problem, though, things go awry.
This issue wasn't quite as well put together as the last one, but if nothing else Phil Noto's art improves noticeably, and some of the humor lands pretty well. Soule does his best to keep the exposition on who Mike Murdock is short, and Noto helps with some lively illustrations that really pop thanks in no small part to Mike's gaudy wardrobe, but it still feels ever-so-slightly clunky. Unfortunately, Matt's whole "get Kingpin" mission is completely sidetracked here, but fortunately, this little subplot is genuinely interesting, even if it does feel a little thin to be stretched out till next issue (or more).
This weekend, I'll pick up #608 and get all caught up.
Issue #606: 8/10
Issue #607: 7.5/10
drawn by Phil Noto
Yet again I've fallen behind in reviewing this series, in part because of work but also because I found myself a bit nonplussed by the competent but unremarkable conclusion of the last story arc.
I should not have been quite so hasty, as it seems that Charles Soule, in what I am sure is the final story arc of this series before a major relaunch, judging by Marvel's marketing moves lately, has come up with something pretty entertaining.
Issue #606
At the end of the last arc, Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, having resigned as Wilson Fisk's Deputy Mayor of New York, happened to hear, with his heightened hearing, Fisk's Lieutenant Wesley mutter "good thing he doesn't know you cheated in the election" or something like that, to Fisk, which has set the current story in motion. Murdock is now on a mission to expose Fisk's duplicity and take him down, and for this he approached Frank McGee, the one time investigator for the Inhumans who would not only be more than happy to help, but who also brings a couple of pretty valuable players to the team: Doug Ramsey, aka Cypher, a mutant who can translate any language, and Reader, an Inhuman who can actually bring things into existence just by reading about them. However, Matt's crusade may hit a bit of a snag when he has a run-in with Hammerhead and his goons robbing a bank, but even moreso when a completely unexpected figure from his past breezes into town.
I quite like Soule's non-linear approach here; it makes the issue feel that much more packed, which isn't an easy thing to do in an era of 20 to 21-page stories. The overall pacing is good, and Soule does a canny job of setting up Matt's mission.
While it's been fun watching Soule introducing new characters in this series, ranging from Blindspot to the Inhumans and even the Ordo Draconum, it's equally refreshing to finally see him bring back a couple of classics. Kingpin's return was almost a foregone conclusion, but having a much more humorous character show up at this point in Matt's life brought back some much-needed fun that's been missing since Mark Waid left the book. I also like the fact that Soule has brought back Cypher, one of Chris Claremont's most underrated characters who, after being a regular mainstay of the New Mutants back in the 80s, never seems to stay in one place for very long. I still maintain he'd be great in an espionage-type story, maybe alongside the Winter Soldier.
Soule is joined here by his Poe Dameron collaborator Phil Noto, and while I can't really say I'm a big fan, he definitely does solid work, sort of like a more talented Alex Maleev.
Issue #607
After running into his "twin brother" Mike Murdock who is actually an alias Matt Murdock assumed many, many years ago to throw people who suspected his secret identity of his scent, Matt sets out to find out exactly who, or what, he is. After trouncing some c-list thugs in the Bar with No Name, which was where Mike showed up in the first place stirring up trouble, Matt takes Mike to an Inhuman "expert" to figure out what he is, and solves the mystery of his existence. When the time comes to solve this little problem, though, things go awry.
This issue wasn't quite as well put together as the last one, but if nothing else Phil Noto's art improves noticeably, and some of the humor lands pretty well. Soule does his best to keep the exposition on who Mike Murdock is short, and Noto helps with some lively illustrations that really pop thanks in no small part to Mike's gaudy wardrobe, but it still feels ever-so-slightly clunky. Unfortunately, Matt's whole "get Kingpin" mission is completely sidetracked here, but fortunately, this little subplot is genuinely interesting, even if it does feel a little thin to be stretched out till next issue (or more).
This weekend, I'll pick up #608 and get all caught up.
Issue #606: 8/10
Issue #607: 7.5/10
A Tale of Boys and Their Stiff, Pointy Things: A Review of Fence Vol. I
written by C.S. Pacat
drawn by Johanna the Mad
colored by Joana LaFuente
This title was not on my radar at all. What happened was that while I was at my preferred local comics shop picking up my regular titles, my daughter saw one of the single issues on the shelves and, smitten with the art, asked me to pick it up. I suggested we just wait for the trade paperback instead, as I didn't know how long the series would run, and my daughter has a shelf for her collected editions anyway.
It took some waiting, but a little over a week ago she finally got her hands on the first volume of Fence, which collects issues #1 to #4.
Fence is the story of Nicholas Cox, the illegitimate son of Olympic fencing legend Robert Coste, who yearns to follow in his father's footsteps and is willing to go to great lengths to do it, including enrolling under a scholarship in the elite boys school Kings Row where he may get his only shot at fencing glory. Unfortunately, despite his raw talent, he didn't start of with the best of trainers, which means he faces a tough time against the school's talented fencers, who include Harvard, Eugene, and the fencing prodigy Seiji Katayama, whose only loss came at the hands of Cox's half-brother, and Coste's legitimate son Jesse. But Cox isn't about to let these obstacles get in his way.
I've never been a manga fan, much less a sports manga fan, and while I enjoyed "imitation" anime like Avatar: The Last Airbender, I'm not so sure I can say the same about this "imitation" manga, though for the most part I quite like Johanna the Mad's crisp artwork. I like how Pacat really dives into the world of fencing (having apparently dabbled in it quite a bit herself in her student days); her explanations of the sport, which could easily feel a bit too expository, are woven quite well into the narrative. I also like how easily Pacat establishes why Cox goes through life with a massive chip on his shoulder; it's not too forced.
I chuckled a bit at all the homoeroticism taking place in an all boys' school, with one of the prominent supporting characters, Bobby, basically being a transgender girl (though he's consistently referred to as "he" so I find myself a bit confused at how the terminology works) and another supporting character, Aiden, screwing a fair share of students, even rival fencers, in more ways than one. I suppose it's the sort of thing that can happen in a boarding school for boys, though I honestly don't know if such a school would allow a boy to go around wearing skirts. Wonderfully tolerant of them, I suppose.
What I didn't appreciate at all is that this collected edition doesn't end the story. I was irritated enough that Marvel has been doing this with quite a few of their more recent story lines, and figured that an independent comic book wouldn't be as rude, but the story ends on absolute cliffhanger, without even a vaguely satisfactory ending. That's quite a shame, because it's an otherwise interesting read, especially for someone who's lived on a diet of superhero comics for years.
I have to say, though, that this would probably make a comicsgater apoplectic...which is why it would be a great Christmas present for any comicsgater you know! :)
6.5/10
drawn by Johanna the Mad
colored by Joana LaFuente
This title was not on my radar at all. What happened was that while I was at my preferred local comics shop picking up my regular titles, my daughter saw one of the single issues on the shelves and, smitten with the art, asked me to pick it up. I suggested we just wait for the trade paperback instead, as I didn't know how long the series would run, and my daughter has a shelf for her collected editions anyway.
It took some waiting, but a little over a week ago she finally got her hands on the first volume of Fence, which collects issues #1 to #4.
Fence is the story of Nicholas Cox, the illegitimate son of Olympic fencing legend Robert Coste, who yearns to follow in his father's footsteps and is willing to go to great lengths to do it, including enrolling under a scholarship in the elite boys school Kings Row where he may get his only shot at fencing glory. Unfortunately, despite his raw talent, he didn't start of with the best of trainers, which means he faces a tough time against the school's talented fencers, who include Harvard, Eugene, and the fencing prodigy Seiji Katayama, whose only loss came at the hands of Cox's half-brother, and Coste's legitimate son Jesse. But Cox isn't about to let these obstacles get in his way.
I've never been a manga fan, much less a sports manga fan, and while I enjoyed "imitation" anime like Avatar: The Last Airbender, I'm not so sure I can say the same about this "imitation" manga, though for the most part I quite like Johanna the Mad's crisp artwork. I like how Pacat really dives into the world of fencing (having apparently dabbled in it quite a bit herself in her student days); her explanations of the sport, which could easily feel a bit too expository, are woven quite well into the narrative. I also like how easily Pacat establishes why Cox goes through life with a massive chip on his shoulder; it's not too forced.
I chuckled a bit at all the homoeroticism taking place in an all boys' school, with one of the prominent supporting characters, Bobby, basically being a transgender girl (though he's consistently referred to as "he" so I find myself a bit confused at how the terminology works) and another supporting character, Aiden, screwing a fair share of students, even rival fencers, in more ways than one. I suppose it's the sort of thing that can happen in a boarding school for boys, though I honestly don't know if such a school would allow a boy to go around wearing skirts. Wonderfully tolerant of them, I suppose.
What I didn't appreciate at all is that this collected edition doesn't end the story. I was irritated enough that Marvel has been doing this with quite a few of their more recent story lines, and figured that an independent comic book wouldn't be as rude, but the story ends on absolute cliffhanger, without even a vaguely satisfactory ending. That's quite a shame, because it's an otherwise interesting read, especially for someone who's lived on a diet of superhero comics for years.
I have to say, though, that this would probably make a comicsgater apoplectic...which is why it would be a great Christmas present for any comicsgater you know! :)
6.5/10
Monday, August 27, 2018
Separation Anxiety: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #4
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Laura Martin
As grimly established last issue, the freak experiment that has split Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man into two people has resulted in a Peter without power and a Spidey without responsibility, both of which are frightening prospects, but things take a turn for the worse this issue when not only does Spider-Man's irresponsible lifestyle level significant chunks of New York real estate, but apparently, as Peter learns, he and his red-and-blue clad alter-ego may not survive for much longer without each other. In the background, an old, vengeful Spidey bad guy prepares to strike.
It's genuinely amusing how far Nick Spencer has gotten with a story that asks a simple question: what would Peter be like without power, and Spidey be like without responsibility? It's a somewhat silly premise that doesn't hold up terribly well to scrutiny, but apart from that the story makes its point in quite effective and humorous fashion. Nick Spencer, whose HYDRA-Cap story proved to be one of the most polarizing sagas of recent memory and whose personal politics have put him in the crosshairs of more conservative fan groups, tells an interesting, if relatively light-hearted story about conscience and morality through a more "traditional" lens than he's used in the past, and I have to say, it works. Again, I find myself hard-pressed to remember a story quite like it, though the possibility has been there since the very beginning. The "Clone Saga" which is less about duality and more about identity, isn't quite the same thing. As his first arc as a Spider-Man writer nears its conclusion, Spencer really shows why he was the right guy to replace Dan Slott.
Ryan Ottley continues to turn in consistently good, if not particularly splashy work this time around. While I've been satisfied with his run so far, I have to say it mystifies me that he has to take a whole five issues off to recharge his batteries (at least) to make way for Humberto Ramos. I mean, we're not exactly talking about Art Adams' rendering or something like that. Now, unlike a lot of other fans I don't actually mind Ramos' work that much, but I do think this book has needed a fresh approach for awhile and Ottley has definitely brought that to the table, something which continues here, and I would preferred for Ottley to have an equally fresh artist as his reliever.
I look forward to the conclusion of this arc and to what else Spencer has in store.
8/10
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Laura Martin
As grimly established last issue, the freak experiment that has split Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man into two people has resulted in a Peter without power and a Spidey without responsibility, both of which are frightening prospects, but things take a turn for the worse this issue when not only does Spider-Man's irresponsible lifestyle level significant chunks of New York real estate, but apparently, as Peter learns, he and his red-and-blue clad alter-ego may not survive for much longer without each other. In the background, an old, vengeful Spidey bad guy prepares to strike.
It's genuinely amusing how far Nick Spencer has gotten with a story that asks a simple question: what would Peter be like without power, and Spidey be like without responsibility? It's a somewhat silly premise that doesn't hold up terribly well to scrutiny, but apart from that the story makes its point in quite effective and humorous fashion. Nick Spencer, whose HYDRA-Cap story proved to be one of the most polarizing sagas of recent memory and whose personal politics have put him in the crosshairs of more conservative fan groups, tells an interesting, if relatively light-hearted story about conscience and morality through a more "traditional" lens than he's used in the past, and I have to say, it works. Again, I find myself hard-pressed to remember a story quite like it, though the possibility has been there since the very beginning. The "Clone Saga" which is less about duality and more about identity, isn't quite the same thing. As his first arc as a Spider-Man writer nears its conclusion, Spencer really shows why he was the right guy to replace Dan Slott.
Ryan Ottley continues to turn in consistently good, if not particularly splashy work this time around. While I've been satisfied with his run so far, I have to say it mystifies me that he has to take a whole five issues off to recharge his batteries (at least) to make way for Humberto Ramos. I mean, we're not exactly talking about Art Adams' rendering or something like that. Now, unlike a lot of other fans I don't actually mind Ramos' work that much, but I do think this book has needed a fresh approach for awhile and Ottley has definitely brought that to the table, something which continues here, and I would preferred for Ottley to have an equally fresh artist as his reliever.
I look forward to the conclusion of this arc and to what else Spencer has in store.
8/10
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Super-sized: A Review of The Avengers #6 (Spoilers)
written by Jason Aaron
penciled by Ed McGuinness and Paco Medina
inked by Mark Morales and Juan Vlasco
colored by David Curiel
After stumbling awkwardly through what was supposed to be the triumphant return of "the big three" to the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Jason Aaron and his tag-team of artists finishes his first six-issue story arc by swapping out the strange but somewhat entertaining Deus Ex Machina he whipped out last issue out for a somewhat more generic one here.
I've made no secret of how I feel about this series in my reviews of the last several issues; what was supposed to be the superstar-creator-driven comic book meant to benefit from the huge boost in awareness generated by the blockbuster Infinity War film feels a lot more like the comic-book version of the decidedly less-than-stellar Justice League film in terms of storytelling quality. Yes, that's how weak I find this story to be.
Aaron, McGuinness and Medina give us some fun moments with the giant-sized Avengers consisting of a magically-embiggened Thor and She-Hulk, a Celestial-wearing Ghost Rider, and a tall-as-a-skyscraper-armor-wearing Iron Man going into battle against the Dark Celestials, but when the battle doesn't quite go the way they hope, they need yet another miracle to beat this potentially world-ending threat, and while Aaron planted the seed for this miracle in the penultimate issue, it feels distinctly forced and somewhat out-of-character. Specifically, it's a super power unique to the Eternals, who have apparently been killed in this series (a bunch of deaths I seriously doubt will stick). Ikaris has apparently bestowed the power of the "uni-mind" on Tony Stark, and using it, he unites the Avengers to ultimately defeat the Dark Celestials. Sure, there's this bit about Black Panther, whom Aaron has almost completely neglected up until this point, figuring something out about the murderous swarm of insects known as the Horde and the human race being some sort of anti-pathogen, but really, it's all about the Uni-Mind. Whoopee.
Here's the thing; over in The Amazing Spider-Man, which I will review next, brand new series writer Nick Spencer is crafting turning in stellar work, giving some of the most entertaining single-issue Spidey stories I've seen in a while. I've also been following, with some diligence, the ongoing series of Ms. Marvel and Spider-Gwen, albeit in collected edition form. I review Daredevil regularly on this site. All of the creators working on those titles, on the whole, produce consistently good stories, stories that effectively plumb the depths of their characters and drop them into interesting situations in which they must use their courage and wits as much as their super powers to win the day. In short, even at a time when Marvel's publishing arm is having a hard time selling books, they still have quite a few gems.
The Avengers, so far, is not one of those gems, and it's extremely disappointing to point this out. I dearly hope things improve with the next story arc. I am grateful, however, that this arc ended quite conclusively, and that I didn't have to endure yet another non-ending. Thank heaven for small mercies.
6/10
penciled by Ed McGuinness and Paco Medina
inked by Mark Morales and Juan Vlasco
colored by David Curiel
After stumbling awkwardly through what was supposed to be the triumphant return of "the big three" to the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Jason Aaron and his tag-team of artists finishes his first six-issue story arc by swapping out the strange but somewhat entertaining Deus Ex Machina he whipped out last issue out for a somewhat more generic one here.
I've made no secret of how I feel about this series in my reviews of the last several issues; what was supposed to be the superstar-creator-driven comic book meant to benefit from the huge boost in awareness generated by the blockbuster Infinity War film feels a lot more like the comic-book version of the decidedly less-than-stellar Justice League film in terms of storytelling quality. Yes, that's how weak I find this story to be.
Aaron, McGuinness and Medina give us some fun moments with the giant-sized Avengers consisting of a magically-embiggened Thor and She-Hulk, a Celestial-wearing Ghost Rider, and a tall-as-a-skyscraper-armor-wearing Iron Man going into battle against the Dark Celestials, but when the battle doesn't quite go the way they hope, they need yet another miracle to beat this potentially world-ending threat, and while Aaron planted the seed for this miracle in the penultimate issue, it feels distinctly forced and somewhat out-of-character. Specifically, it's a super power unique to the Eternals, who have apparently been killed in this series (a bunch of deaths I seriously doubt will stick). Ikaris has apparently bestowed the power of the "uni-mind" on Tony Stark, and using it, he unites the Avengers to ultimately defeat the Dark Celestials. Sure, there's this bit about Black Panther, whom Aaron has almost completely neglected up until this point, figuring something out about the murderous swarm of insects known as the Horde and the human race being some sort of anti-pathogen, but really, it's all about the Uni-Mind. Whoopee.
Here's the thing; over in The Amazing Spider-Man, which I will review next, brand new series writer Nick Spencer is crafting turning in stellar work, giving some of the most entertaining single-issue Spidey stories I've seen in a while. I've also been following, with some diligence, the ongoing series of Ms. Marvel and Spider-Gwen, albeit in collected edition form. I review Daredevil regularly on this site. All of the creators working on those titles, on the whole, produce consistently good stories, stories that effectively plumb the depths of their characters and drop them into interesting situations in which they must use their courage and wits as much as their super powers to win the day. In short, even at a time when Marvel's publishing arm is having a hard time selling books, they still have quite a few gems.
The Avengers, so far, is not one of those gems, and it's extremely disappointing to point this out. I dearly hope things improve with the next story arc. I am grateful, however, that this arc ended quite conclusively, and that I didn't have to endure yet another non-ending. Thank heaven for small mercies.
6/10
Thursday, August 9, 2018
My Kind of Spidey: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #3
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Laura Martin
The twist from the end of last issue (which features on the cover of this issue) has been explained. The very machine that irradiated the spider that bit Peter Parker and gave him his powers has actually split Peter Parker and Spider-Man into two different people! Now, not only does Peter have the chance to live without superheroing, and the havoc it wrought on his personal life, but he's actually forced to do so as the process has left him without superpowers. It seems, at first, like the perfect way out of his life as Spider-Man, with his now separate alter ego seemingly relishing the split as well, taking on the newly-returned threat, the Tri-Sentinel with unbridled enthusiasm. Even as Peter contemplates the many possibilities that this new development offers, like an uninterrupted life with Mary Jane, a job from which he'll never again have to absent himself, and even the chance to legitimately complete his doctorate, he cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong, and as Doctor Curt Connors shows Peter how the machine is being tested on a mouse the way it was accidentally tested on him, Peter understands exactly what the problem is.
Nick Spencer continues to knock this book out of the park; I'd only ever heard about this guy before this book, especially what he did to Cap, but now that I've finally started reading his work I'm so very glad this book is on my pull list. Having read this particular title for over thirty years, I find it somewhat surprising that no one's ever thought of this particular twist before considering we've already seen clones and alternate universe versions, and even though the "science" behind the surprise development is just as goofy as one could expect, the strength of Spencer's story lies in how he explores the implications of the split, with generous helpings of humor at first, and then ending the issue with the somewhat more serious consequences. This guy continues to deliver solidly entertaining stuff, and three issues in, not a single page of story has been wasted on meandering. Ta Nehisi Coates should read this book, if he isn't already doing so.
Three issues in, and Ryan Ottley's art continues to grow on me. He'll never be as good as Stuart Immonen in my opinion, but he's definitely well clear of the likes of Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli. I'd even go as far as to say he's approaching the level of consistent quality that Spidey luminary John Romita, Jr. regularly turned in back when he was working on this book with J. Michael Straczynski in the book's pre-"One More Day" glory days. It also helps that superstar colorist Laura Martin is basically at the top of her game; the images seriously pop. Such quality, though does apparently come at a cost, as Ottley will be taking a break after this story, and Ramos will be taking over for a few issues. Clearly, therefore, Ottley isn't quite in JR, Jr.'s league, either, given that the latter drew some 30-odd consecutive issues of the book without any reliever whatsoever (but then, the guy is an industry legend, albeit one whose best days, in my opinion, are behind him).
I have the complete JMS/Romita Jr. run of Spider-Man issues, but following the "One More Day" fiasco, my collecting habits have been much more sporadic, even factoring in Marvel's propensity for relaunches. I just haven't felt the need to follow this title as religiously as I did with, say, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's run on Daredevil. Following Dan Slott's final few issues with Stuart Immonen was easy as I knew there was an end in sight, but with this book, Spencer's just getting started, and yet, I can see myself sticking around for as long as Spencer does, for as long as he and Ottley can maintain this level of quality. This is the first time in a long time that I have actually been excited to see what happens next in a Spider-Man book every single month.
9/10
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Laura Martin
The twist from the end of last issue (which features on the cover of this issue) has been explained. The very machine that irradiated the spider that bit Peter Parker and gave him his powers has actually split Peter Parker and Spider-Man into two different people! Now, not only does Peter have the chance to live without superheroing, and the havoc it wrought on his personal life, but he's actually forced to do so as the process has left him without superpowers. It seems, at first, like the perfect way out of his life as Spider-Man, with his now separate alter ego seemingly relishing the split as well, taking on the newly-returned threat, the Tri-Sentinel with unbridled enthusiasm. Even as Peter contemplates the many possibilities that this new development offers, like an uninterrupted life with Mary Jane, a job from which he'll never again have to absent himself, and even the chance to legitimately complete his doctorate, he cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong, and as Doctor Curt Connors shows Peter how the machine is being tested on a mouse the way it was accidentally tested on him, Peter understands exactly what the problem is.
Nick Spencer continues to knock this book out of the park; I'd only ever heard about this guy before this book, especially what he did to Cap, but now that I've finally started reading his work I'm so very glad this book is on my pull list. Having read this particular title for over thirty years, I find it somewhat surprising that no one's ever thought of this particular twist before considering we've already seen clones and alternate universe versions, and even though the "science" behind the surprise development is just as goofy as one could expect, the strength of Spencer's story lies in how he explores the implications of the split, with generous helpings of humor at first, and then ending the issue with the somewhat more serious consequences. This guy continues to deliver solidly entertaining stuff, and three issues in, not a single page of story has been wasted on meandering. Ta Nehisi Coates should read this book, if he isn't already doing so.
Three issues in, and Ryan Ottley's art continues to grow on me. He'll never be as good as Stuart Immonen in my opinion, but he's definitely well clear of the likes of Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli. I'd even go as far as to say he's approaching the level of consistent quality that Spidey luminary John Romita, Jr. regularly turned in back when he was working on this book with J. Michael Straczynski in the book's pre-"One More Day" glory days. It also helps that superstar colorist Laura Martin is basically at the top of her game; the images seriously pop. Such quality, though does apparently come at a cost, as Ottley will be taking a break after this story, and Ramos will be taking over for a few issues. Clearly, therefore, Ottley isn't quite in JR, Jr.'s league, either, given that the latter drew some 30-odd consecutive issues of the book without any reliever whatsoever (but then, the guy is an industry legend, albeit one whose best days, in my opinion, are behind him).
I have the complete JMS/Romita Jr. run of Spider-Man issues, but following the "One More Day" fiasco, my collecting habits have been much more sporadic, even factoring in Marvel's propensity for relaunches. I just haven't felt the need to follow this title as religiously as I did with, say, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's run on Daredevil. Following Dan Slott's final few issues with Stuart Immonen was easy as I knew there was an end in sight, but with this book, Spencer's just getting started, and yet, I can see myself sticking around for as long as Spencer does, for as long as he and Ottley can maintain this level of quality. This is the first time in a long time that I have actually been excited to see what happens next in a Spider-Man book every single month.
9/10
Well That Didn't Take Very Long: A (Late) Review of Captain America #2
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Yu and Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sonny Gho
The mysterious force unleashing clones of the deadly cyborg Nuke on the United States continues its rampage, and as Cap fights a seemingly never-ending army of them, all out to commit murder and mayhem, the weight of his having been the face of HYDRA continues to weigh heavily on him, especially considering that he may not have been quite as innocent as even those closest to him may believe. Thunderbolt Ross tells Steve to stand down, but Cap's never been one for following orders he doesn't believe in. Meanwhile, Sharon Carter is about to go deep underground for a mission.
To be honest, while I enjoyed a lot about the first issue of this new relaunch, one of the highlights was definitely the fight between Cap and the Nuke clones. Clearly, writer Ta Nehisi Coates thought so, too, because he basically reproduced it in the first several pages of the book. I literally thought at one point that I was looking at some sort of flashback, especially since Coates opened with yet another "skinny Steve" montage, the last of which we readers saw in these pages as recently as Mark Waid's Captain America #695 less than a year ago.
Coates did a solid, if not quite spectacular job at setting up his larger narrative last issue, and would have done the story a power of good by pushing things along even further, but in this issue neither Selene nor her mysterious Russian benefactor is anywhere to be found. Having Steve struggle with his conscience, and introducing the element of him having asked for his youth, vitality and strength back at a time when he had become the old man that he is does not quite break the distinctly repetitive feeling that bogs down this issue.
Fortunately, though, Yu, Alanguilan and Gho continue to deliver on the art front, which is basically this issue's saving grace. Still, as much as I enjoy the art, I can't imagine myself enjoying four or five issues of Yu et al drawing Cap fighting a Nuke army. Coates has got to push the story along a little more briskly than this or at the very, very least, avoid repeating himself as he has so clearly done here.
6/10
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Yu and Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sonny Gho
The mysterious force unleashing clones of the deadly cyborg Nuke on the United States continues its rampage, and as Cap fights a seemingly never-ending army of them, all out to commit murder and mayhem, the weight of his having been the face of HYDRA continues to weigh heavily on him, especially considering that he may not have been quite as innocent as even those closest to him may believe. Thunderbolt Ross tells Steve to stand down, but Cap's never been one for following orders he doesn't believe in. Meanwhile, Sharon Carter is about to go deep underground for a mission.
To be honest, while I enjoyed a lot about the first issue of this new relaunch, one of the highlights was definitely the fight between Cap and the Nuke clones. Clearly, writer Ta Nehisi Coates thought so, too, because he basically reproduced it in the first several pages of the book. I literally thought at one point that I was looking at some sort of flashback, especially since Coates opened with yet another "skinny Steve" montage, the last of which we readers saw in these pages as recently as Mark Waid's Captain America #695 less than a year ago.
Coates did a solid, if not quite spectacular job at setting up his larger narrative last issue, and would have done the story a power of good by pushing things along even further, but in this issue neither Selene nor her mysterious Russian benefactor is anywhere to be found. Having Steve struggle with his conscience, and introducing the element of him having asked for his youth, vitality and strength back at a time when he had become the old man that he is does not quite break the distinctly repetitive feeling that bogs down this issue.
Fortunately, though, Yu, Alanguilan and Gho continue to deliver on the art front, which is basically this issue's saving grace. Still, as much as I enjoy the art, I can't imagine myself enjoying four or five issues of Yu et al drawing Cap fighting a Nuke army. Coates has got to push the story along a little more briskly than this or at the very, very least, avoid repeating himself as he has so clearly done here.
6/10
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Carol Danvers' Demons: A (Late) Review of The Life of Captain Marvel #1
written by Margaret Stohl
penciled by Carlos Pacheco
inked by Rafael Fonteriz
colored by Marcio Menyz
flashback sequences illustrated and colored by Marguerite Sauvage
Marvel's big push to catapult Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel, into the spotlight ahead of her feature film debut next March begins in earnest with The Life of Captain Marvel, a miniseries that takes a look at the challenges that Carol not only faced as a child, but all throughout her journey to becoming Captain Marvel.
This issue begins with a flashback to what seems to be an idyllic childhood for Carol, growing up in Boston with her two brothers Joe Danvers, Jr., and Steve. It all seems quite pleasant, until the uglier aspect of the memory sets in, with Carol also remembering her father's acts of physical abuse. Flash forward to the present day, specifically Father's Day, with Carol remembering her dad's darker nature, while the Avengers are locked in battle with a crew of bad guys. The memory of her dad's acts of violence cuts deep, and the resulting anger causes Carol to hit bad guys Tanalth and Moonstone a bit harder than usual, something which doesn't escape the attention of her teammates, especially Iron Man, who knows a thing or two about daddy issues. On Iron Man's recommendation, Carol takes some much needed downtime and goes home to Boston, where she receives a frosty welcome from Joe, Jr. Carol's anger with her father remains, and she's almost inclined to head back to New York, with her anger in tow, when tragedy strikes and she's forced to spend more time in her hometwon, where she not only learns something rather shocking about her father but sets off a chain of events that may come back to bite her later.
As heavily-hyped, big-event books go, I have to say that this one was distinctly underwhelming. It starts off fairly strongly, with Carol's flashbacks, particularly thanks to Margeruite Sauvage's crisp artwork, but after Carol comes home the story almost immediately gets bogged down in some run-of-the-mill family melodrama. I mean, we're talking about nearly twenty pages of Carol shooting hoops with her brother, arguing with her brother and mother, moping around the cemetery, and cleaning up around the house following the aforementioned tragedy. That's hardly the way one would want to use the talents of a topnotch artist like Carlos Pacheco, and an even less effective way to use extra pages in an "event" book. The story is billed as her "definitive origin" and yet, with the exception of the pages illustrated by Sauvage, Carol spends most of the time sulking in the present.
I will not begrudge Marvel their latest attempt to sell books featuring one of their most important female characters, but as a reader I have to say there are better ways to do it. Books like Spider-Gwen and Ms. Marvel (of which I have bought several collected editions) are excellent examples of solo female-led books that have consistently told engaging, exciting four-color superhero stories that also effectively plumb the depths of their respective lead characters. G. Willow Wilson, in particular, has really achieved something special with Ms. Marvel, a Pakistani-American superhero with a unique voice.
The book's saving grace lies with Sauvage's brief but striking images, and Pacheco's vibrant linework, which helps keep Stohl's story livelier than it has any business being.
I hope for better from this team, and considering I haven't read anything from this author before, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for now.
6/10
penciled by Carlos Pacheco
inked by Rafael Fonteriz
colored by Marcio Menyz
flashback sequences illustrated and colored by Marguerite Sauvage
Marvel's big push to catapult Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel, into the spotlight ahead of her feature film debut next March begins in earnest with The Life of Captain Marvel, a miniseries that takes a look at the challenges that Carol not only faced as a child, but all throughout her journey to becoming Captain Marvel.
This issue begins with a flashback to what seems to be an idyllic childhood for Carol, growing up in Boston with her two brothers Joe Danvers, Jr., and Steve. It all seems quite pleasant, until the uglier aspect of the memory sets in, with Carol also remembering her father's acts of physical abuse. Flash forward to the present day, specifically Father's Day, with Carol remembering her dad's darker nature, while the Avengers are locked in battle with a crew of bad guys. The memory of her dad's acts of violence cuts deep, and the resulting anger causes Carol to hit bad guys Tanalth and Moonstone a bit harder than usual, something which doesn't escape the attention of her teammates, especially Iron Man, who knows a thing or two about daddy issues. On Iron Man's recommendation, Carol takes some much needed downtime and goes home to Boston, where she receives a frosty welcome from Joe, Jr. Carol's anger with her father remains, and she's almost inclined to head back to New York, with her anger in tow, when tragedy strikes and she's forced to spend more time in her hometwon, where she not only learns something rather shocking about her father but sets off a chain of events that may come back to bite her later.
As heavily-hyped, big-event books go, I have to say that this one was distinctly underwhelming. It starts off fairly strongly, with Carol's flashbacks, particularly thanks to Margeruite Sauvage's crisp artwork, but after Carol comes home the story almost immediately gets bogged down in some run-of-the-mill family melodrama. I mean, we're talking about nearly twenty pages of Carol shooting hoops with her brother, arguing with her brother and mother, moping around the cemetery, and cleaning up around the house following the aforementioned tragedy. That's hardly the way one would want to use the talents of a topnotch artist like Carlos Pacheco, and an even less effective way to use extra pages in an "event" book. The story is billed as her "definitive origin" and yet, with the exception of the pages illustrated by Sauvage, Carol spends most of the time sulking in the present.
I will not begrudge Marvel their latest attempt to sell books featuring one of their most important female characters, but as a reader I have to say there are better ways to do it. Books like Spider-Gwen and Ms. Marvel (of which I have bought several collected editions) are excellent examples of solo female-led books that have consistently told engaging, exciting four-color superhero stories that also effectively plumb the depths of their respective lead characters. G. Willow Wilson, in particular, has really achieved something special with Ms. Marvel, a Pakistani-American superhero with a unique voice.
The book's saving grace lies with Sauvage's brief but striking images, and Pacheco's vibrant linework, which helps keep Stohl's story livelier than it has any business being.
I hope for better from this team, and considering I haven't read anything from this author before, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for now.
6/10
Not Too Sorry to Be Late: A Review of The Avengers #5
written by Jason Aaron
penciled by Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness
inked by Juan Vlasco, Mark Morales, Karl Story
colored by David Curiel
The adventures of the "non-Avenger" team continues as Loki continues to explain to a captive, but defiant Captain America how a dying celestial accidentally gave birth to humanity, a fighting mad Ghost Rider finally catches up with the Dark Celestials (and Loki and Cap), and the lot of them converge with the rest of the "non-Avengers" that is, Iron Man, Thor, She Hulk, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and Black Panther, who are still battling with the giant bugs that seem to have sprung up at exactly the same time that the dead Celestials started coming down. As Loki explains, the two phenomena are very much related, and things would seem grim, if not for the fact that Iron Man, Thor, She Hulk and Ghost Rider, finally have a plan to deal with the Dark Celestials. A BIG plan.
Anyone who's been following this blog knows that I've had issues (no, not the printed kind) with this series relaunch for some time now; while I genuinely enjoyed issue #1 it's pretty much been all downhill from there, from Aaron spinning his wheels with issues #2 and #3 to the big old exposition dump that took up most of issue #4 and even carries on into this issue. There are some pretty interesting ideas contained in the story, but for some reason Aaron just drops the ball in making his big revelations. The grand story has just been really poorly paced all throughout, and the one thing I'm grateful for about this issue is how Aaron sets up the story for a somewhat definitive finale next issue.
The upside to this particular chapter is the art, with both Paco Medina, who draws majority of the issue, and Ed McGuinness delivering their strongest work since the second issue, after which quality really kind of tailed off. I'm hoping this portends a well-done finale, because I have to say, this particular story really didn't do it for me.
6.5/10
penciled by Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness
inked by Juan Vlasco, Mark Morales, Karl Story
colored by David Curiel
The adventures of the "non-Avenger" team continues as Loki continues to explain to a captive, but defiant Captain America how a dying celestial accidentally gave birth to humanity, a fighting mad Ghost Rider finally catches up with the Dark Celestials (and Loki and Cap), and the lot of them converge with the rest of the "non-Avengers" that is, Iron Man, Thor, She Hulk, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and Black Panther, who are still battling with the giant bugs that seem to have sprung up at exactly the same time that the dead Celestials started coming down. As Loki explains, the two phenomena are very much related, and things would seem grim, if not for the fact that Iron Man, Thor, She Hulk and Ghost Rider, finally have a plan to deal with the Dark Celestials. A BIG plan.
Anyone who's been following this blog knows that I've had issues (no, not the printed kind) with this series relaunch for some time now; while I genuinely enjoyed issue #1 it's pretty much been all downhill from there, from Aaron spinning his wheels with issues #2 and #3 to the big old exposition dump that took up most of issue #4 and even carries on into this issue. There are some pretty interesting ideas contained in the story, but for some reason Aaron just drops the ball in making his big revelations. The grand story has just been really poorly paced all throughout, and the one thing I'm grateful for about this issue is how Aaron sets up the story for a somewhat definitive finale next issue.
The upside to this particular chapter is the art, with both Paco Medina, who draws majority of the issue, and Ed McGuinness delivering their strongest work since the second issue, after which quality really kind of tailed off. I'm hoping this portends a well-done finale, because I have to say, this particular story really didn't do it for me.
6.5/10
Saturday, July 28, 2018
The Kind of Comic Book That Makes Me Love Reading Comics: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #2
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Laura Martin
Having just gotten back together with Mary Jane Watson at the end of last issue, Peter Parker a.k.a. is riding cloud nine. He's riding so high, in fact, that nothing can dampen his spirits, not the loss of his job last issue when his doctoral dissertation was revealed to have been copied from Doctor Octopus' work, not an encounter with second-string super-villains like the Ring and Man Mountain Marko, and not even the knowledge that he has to take his PhD all over again (or that at least, his body does, given that it was Doctor Octopus who was occupying his body when he obtained that PhD) can ruin his mood...at least until he discovers that his professor is none other than Curt Connors aka The Lizard. That's not even this story's biggest bombshell, which drops right on the last page.
I've a confession to make: for the last few months, I've been collecting both single issues of comics and collected editions, and with prices being the way they are, I confess, I was starting to gravitate more and more towards the latter. I was starting to wonder what the point was of forking over a king's ransom to read twenty pages of content a month, and then have to wait another few weeks to get my next fix? The answer came in the form of this issue, which delivered an experience that only serialized entertainment like this can offer.
It helps, of course, that Nick Spencer delivers yet another rock-solid issue in only his second outing on the title, delivering a neat done-in-one that sets up the next issue with one stunning splash page. While Peter's turnaround from the unfortunate events of the last issue may feel a tad abrupt, a brief conversation between Peter and Curt Connors explains how events can conspire to give Peter a second chance, even after what he's been through. To summarize, Peter's life of selflessness can be rewarding from time to time, in unexpected ways. I have to say, as a longtime reader of this book, that I really, really like how Spencer just seems to get Peter so well, and without having to bludgeon us with countless references to past issues the way Dan Slott did. There's something so effortless about Spencer's writing here, and to be honest I'm now glad this book was put on my pull list inadvertently. I'd have made a huge mistake had I passed it up.
Artist Ryan Ottley appears to be settling in well, though while I find myself warming up to his art, I still can't help but compare him to his predecessor Stuart Immonen. In any event, Ottley, inker Cliff Rathburn and colorist Laura Martin turn in fine work here, and I noted that the tiniest shades of Ottley's past work on Invicinble popped up as Ottley drew blood in the first few pages of the book (see what I did there?). Also, there was something oddly entertaining about Ottley drawing an adventure in which Spidey faced off against Black Ant, also known as Eric O'Grady, a character created by Ottley's longtime collaborator Robert Kirkman.
If Marvel keeps on churning out quality single issues like this, then I can definitely see myself continuing to buy their monthlies.
9.5/10
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Laura Martin
Having just gotten back together with Mary Jane Watson at the end of last issue, Peter Parker a.k.a. is riding cloud nine. He's riding so high, in fact, that nothing can dampen his spirits, not the loss of his job last issue when his doctoral dissertation was revealed to have been copied from Doctor Octopus' work, not an encounter with second-string super-villains like the Ring and Man Mountain Marko, and not even the knowledge that he has to take his PhD all over again (or that at least, his body does, given that it was Doctor Octopus who was occupying his body when he obtained that PhD) can ruin his mood...at least until he discovers that his professor is none other than Curt Connors aka The Lizard. That's not even this story's biggest bombshell, which drops right on the last page.
I've a confession to make: for the last few months, I've been collecting both single issues of comics and collected editions, and with prices being the way they are, I confess, I was starting to gravitate more and more towards the latter. I was starting to wonder what the point was of forking over a king's ransom to read twenty pages of content a month, and then have to wait another few weeks to get my next fix? The answer came in the form of this issue, which delivered an experience that only serialized entertainment like this can offer.
It helps, of course, that Nick Spencer delivers yet another rock-solid issue in only his second outing on the title, delivering a neat done-in-one that sets up the next issue with one stunning splash page. While Peter's turnaround from the unfortunate events of the last issue may feel a tad abrupt, a brief conversation between Peter and Curt Connors explains how events can conspire to give Peter a second chance, even after what he's been through. To summarize, Peter's life of selflessness can be rewarding from time to time, in unexpected ways. I have to say, as a longtime reader of this book, that I really, really like how Spencer just seems to get Peter so well, and without having to bludgeon us with countless references to past issues the way Dan Slott did. There's something so effortless about Spencer's writing here, and to be honest I'm now glad this book was put on my pull list inadvertently. I'd have made a huge mistake had I passed it up.
Artist Ryan Ottley appears to be settling in well, though while I find myself warming up to his art, I still can't help but compare him to his predecessor Stuart Immonen. In any event, Ottley, inker Cliff Rathburn and colorist Laura Martin turn in fine work here, and I noted that the tiniest shades of Ottley's past work on Invicinble popped up as Ottley drew blood in the first few pages of the book (see what I did there?). Also, there was something oddly entertaining about Ottley drawing an adventure in which Spidey faced off against Black Ant, also known as Eric O'Grady, a character created by Ottley's longtime collaborator Robert Kirkman.
If Marvel keeps on churning out quality single issues like this, then I can definitely see myself continuing to buy their monthlies.
9.5/10
Sunday, July 22, 2018
New Beginnings: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #1
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Ryan Ottley (with Humberto Ramos)
inked by Cliff Rathburn (with Victor Olazaba)
colored by Laura Martin (with Edgar Delgado)
With Dan Slott having wrapped all of his pending stories up quite nicely in The Amazing Spider-Man #801, his successor on the title, Nick Spencer, was free to take the book in an all new direction, and to the man's credit, right out of the gate, he's made some pretty big changes, even as he's brought back some old favorites.
The Parker luck is in full display in this issue, as Peter, who's already lost an entire company, manages to lose the doctorate that Otto Octavius earned while hijacking his body several years ago, when a new software developed by one of the alumna of Empire State University, Peter's alma mater, finds out that his doctoral dissertation was actually a recycled version of one of Otto's old papers. He was only just getting back on his feet, following the debacle of Parker Industries, sharing a room with Randy Robertson and, of all things, a supervillain, and finally getting settled into his new job as science editor, when the news hits, and the reverberations are far reaching. All of this happens as an alien invasion descends on New York, one which even the Avengers can't seem to stop, and which leaves Spidey reeling. With his life potentially back on the skids, how will Peter find his way back?
Infamous for having turned Captain America into a bad guy, Nick Spencer starts his tenure on Spider-Man by turning up the screws on Peter Parker something fierce. I find it both interesting and somewhat gratifying that the monkey wrench Spencer throws into Peter's life was actually something Dan Slott's run had made possible, and yet which Slott himself had never quite exploited. When Peter got his life back from Doc Ock back in 2014 I was eagerly awaiting the fallout from the hero community following Ock's antics as the Superior Spider-Man, but in all honesty, with the exception of an angry Black Cat, it never really came. Still, I'm glad someone went for it, though I think Spencer kind of gets his titles wrong. Pete lost a doctorate that Otto had earned, but already had a graduate degree, i.e. a master's before that. I'm kind of annoyed that editorial didn't catch this, as these are two somewhat different distinctions. Anyway, I'm sure some industrious fan there is already working hard to earn his no-prize for this, but I do wish they'd been a little more consistent.
That issue aside, I have to say I quite enjoyed Spencer's first outing as a Spidey writer, in which he delivers a rock-solid done-in-one story, with plenty of potential for a full-blown arc, and shows pretty easily that he definitely gets Peter Parker. I confess I really didn't know what to make of Spencer coming on board and, in fact, wasn't even 100% sold on picking up his new run, but with this issue my fears have been assuaged.
I was not quite as taken with Ryan Ottley's inaugural work on this title, but then, Ottley had a much tougher act to follow than Spencer did, as his immediate predecessor on this title, insofar as regular artists goes, anyway, was the legendary Stuart Immonen, who turned in some of his best ever work drawing the adventures of the web-slinger. Incidentally, this may interest trivia buffs: Ottley isn't the first artist of Robert Kirkman's Invincible to try his hand at the wall-crawler; Invincible co-creator Cory Walker actually drew Spidey AND Invincible in a somewhat unheralded team-up waaaay back in 2005's Marvel Team-Up #14 written by Kirkman himself (of course). That little tidbit aside, Ottley, working with inker Cliff Rathburn and A-list colorist Laura Martin, turns in work that is several notches above the work of former Spidey artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Humberto Ramos, but falls nonetheless short of the virtually immaculate work of Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger and Marte Gracia. It was very good...but not quite great, given what's come before it. Also, it could also be a result of jumping universes but his work here is not quite as assured or vivid as his later contributions to the hyper-violent Invincible that made him a fan favorite. I'm not a fan of Invincible, but a quick Google-search of Ottley's work on that series turned up some pretty striking, if somewhat disturbing images. In short, we Spidey fans are not quite getting this guy's best work just yet. Spencer's writing soars, but Ottley's work is just...well, really okay, and the fact that he's capable of significantly better work than what he's put on these pages is just the tiniest bit frustrating. I am eager to see what he can bring to the book once he's settled in, though. I do appreciate the extra pages, though.
Incidentally, Ramos, his inker Victor Olazaba, and colorist Edgar Delgado, contribute art for a ten-page epilogue of sorts to the main story featuring the story's villain, in which Spencer tips his hand a bit by showing his plans for the book, just before he unveils another, briefer epilogue, this one drawn by Ottley, that ends the book on a heck of a cliffhanger.
Like Captain America #1 by Ta Nehisi Coates, Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho, this issue makes a pretty darned strong argument for the whole "Fresh Start" initiative, because this genuinely feels like one.
8.5/10
penciled by Ryan Ottley (with Humberto Ramos)
inked by Cliff Rathburn (with Victor Olazaba)
colored by Laura Martin (with Edgar Delgado)
With Dan Slott having wrapped all of his pending stories up quite nicely in The Amazing Spider-Man #801, his successor on the title, Nick Spencer, was free to take the book in an all new direction, and to the man's credit, right out of the gate, he's made some pretty big changes, even as he's brought back some old favorites.
The Parker luck is in full display in this issue, as Peter, who's already lost an entire company, manages to lose the doctorate that Otto Octavius earned while hijacking his body several years ago, when a new software developed by one of the alumna of Empire State University, Peter's alma mater, finds out that his doctoral dissertation was actually a recycled version of one of Otto's old papers. He was only just getting back on his feet, following the debacle of Parker Industries, sharing a room with Randy Robertson and, of all things, a supervillain, and finally getting settled into his new job as science editor, when the news hits, and the reverberations are far reaching. All of this happens as an alien invasion descends on New York, one which even the Avengers can't seem to stop, and which leaves Spidey reeling. With his life potentially back on the skids, how will Peter find his way back?
Infamous for having turned Captain America into a bad guy, Nick Spencer starts his tenure on Spider-Man by turning up the screws on Peter Parker something fierce. I find it both interesting and somewhat gratifying that the monkey wrench Spencer throws into Peter's life was actually something Dan Slott's run had made possible, and yet which Slott himself had never quite exploited. When Peter got his life back from Doc Ock back in 2014 I was eagerly awaiting the fallout from the hero community following Ock's antics as the Superior Spider-Man, but in all honesty, with the exception of an angry Black Cat, it never really came. Still, I'm glad someone went for it, though I think Spencer kind of gets his titles wrong. Pete lost a doctorate that Otto had earned, but already had a graduate degree, i.e. a master's before that. I'm kind of annoyed that editorial didn't catch this, as these are two somewhat different distinctions. Anyway, I'm sure some industrious fan there is already working hard to earn his no-prize for this, but I do wish they'd been a little more consistent.
That issue aside, I have to say I quite enjoyed Spencer's first outing as a Spidey writer, in which he delivers a rock-solid done-in-one story, with plenty of potential for a full-blown arc, and shows pretty easily that he definitely gets Peter Parker. I confess I really didn't know what to make of Spencer coming on board and, in fact, wasn't even 100% sold on picking up his new run, but with this issue my fears have been assuaged.
I was not quite as taken with Ryan Ottley's inaugural work on this title, but then, Ottley had a much tougher act to follow than Spencer did, as his immediate predecessor on this title, insofar as regular artists goes, anyway, was the legendary Stuart Immonen, who turned in some of his best ever work drawing the adventures of the web-slinger. Incidentally, this may interest trivia buffs: Ottley isn't the first artist of Robert Kirkman's Invincible to try his hand at the wall-crawler; Invincible co-creator Cory Walker actually drew Spidey AND Invincible in a somewhat unheralded team-up waaaay back in 2005's Marvel Team-Up #14 written by Kirkman himself (of course). That little tidbit aside, Ottley, working with inker Cliff Rathburn and A-list colorist Laura Martin, turns in work that is several notches above the work of former Spidey artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Humberto Ramos, but falls nonetheless short of the virtually immaculate work of Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger and Marte Gracia. It was very good...but not quite great, given what's come before it. Also, it could also be a result of jumping universes but his work here is not quite as assured or vivid as his later contributions to the hyper-violent Invincible that made him a fan favorite. I'm not a fan of Invincible, but a quick Google-search of Ottley's work on that series turned up some pretty striking, if somewhat disturbing images. In short, we Spidey fans are not quite getting this guy's best work just yet. Spencer's writing soars, but Ottley's work is just...well, really okay, and the fact that he's capable of significantly better work than what he's put on these pages is just the tiniest bit frustrating. I am eager to see what he can bring to the book once he's settled in, though. I do appreciate the extra pages, though.
Incidentally, Ramos, his inker Victor Olazaba, and colorist Edgar Delgado, contribute art for a ten-page epilogue of sorts to the main story featuring the story's villain, in which Spencer tips his hand a bit by showing his plans for the book, just before he unveils another, briefer epilogue, this one drawn by Ottley, that ends the book on a heck of a cliffhanger.
Like Captain America #1 by Ta Nehisi Coates, Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho, this issue makes a pretty darned strong argument for the whole "Fresh Start" initiative, because this genuinely feels like one.
8.5/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)