written by Charles Soule
drawn by Mike Henderson
colored by Matt Milla
The Hand's siege of New York continues as Matt Murdock, aka, Daredevil recruits an old frenemy to fight the demon ninjas, after which, Matt Murdock, aka the acting Mayor of New York City following the Hand's deadly attack on Mayor Wilson Fisk, cuts an unusual but arguably necessary deal with four of the crime lords Fisk had only just put behind bars: Hammerhead, Diamondhead, the Owl and the Black Cat. Meanwhile the Beast takes his plan to a new level, flooding the city with poisonous fumes. Amid the chaos, a new, mysterious figure with a surprising connection to Matt shows up.
While this story is starting to feel like it's being stretched a little thin, I am still enjoying how it's playing out, though I can't quite imagine Soule being able to sustain two more issues of this barring some really shocking revelations between now and the solicited conclusion in issue #605. It's still a fun read, but not really a meaty one. Of this particular storyline, issue #601 still remains the standout.
Fortunately, Mike Henderson's brought some pretty good game to this issue; his DD looks a bit less stumpy and a bit more agile than he did in his first couple of outings, and we get to see the aforementioned "frenemy" rendered in an interesting way. There was something amusing about the crime bosses being decked out in the traditional "jailbird" attire in the scene where Matt cuts a deal with them. Finally, the introduction of the surprise character at the end is something that has me genuinely looking forward to the next issue.
7.5/10
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Painting the Town Red: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #800 (Mild spoilers)
written by Dan Slott
penciled by Stuart Immonen, Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Nick Bradshaw, Marcos Martin and Mike Hawthorne
inked by Wade von Grawbadger, Victor Olazaba, Cam Smith, Nick Bradshaw, Marcos Martin and JP Mayer
colored by Marte Gracia, Edgar Delgado, Java Tartaglia, Muntsa Vicente and Jordie Bellaire
Peter Parker's long-brewing showdown with Norman Osborn finally comes, with the symbiote-enhanced Red Goblin pulling out all the stops, ready to kill everyone who matters in Peter's life, and more than a few people who used to matter to Osborn, too. Peter's at the end of his rope and way out of his depth, but he gets unexpected help from not just one, not just two but even three former nemeses in dealing with the Goblin. At the end of it all, nothing will be the same.
If that sounds like a marketing blurb, it's simply because to go into great detail would lead to spoilers, which I would be loath to do, even if, I must say at the outset, my single most desired outcome from this story did not come to pass. Anyone who has followed this blog knows how desperately I want Marvel to undo the "Sins Past" debacle from over a decade ago in which it was retroactively established that Norman Osborn fathered Gwen Stacy's children. Slott, unfortunately, passed up the chance to do millions of Spider-Man fans a huge favor by undoing that wretched piece of storytelling, which was frustrating because in these pages, Norman made specific reference to Gwen, though only because he had killed her. Oh, and I also wanted Osborn dead, but I won't go into that.
Surprisingly, though, even though Slott essentially left "Sins Past" as canon, however, awkwardly shoved aside it may be, I found myself genuinely satisfied by how this issue played out. There is a bit of a status-quo shakeup that I won't mention, but even without this major change the issue wrapped up all dangling plot threads quite nicely.
I couldn't help but marvel (hehehe) at how tightly this issue was scripted, especially after so many issues in which Slott basically seemed to be treading water. There are 80 pages of story here and every single one of them is filled with either dialogue or action that absolutely propels the story forward. It's like Slott's rediscovered his mojo, or has, perhaps, been saving the very best for last. This was the kind of storytelling that made Superior Spider-Man a must-read comic book for almost the entire duration of its run. This may not be Slott's absolute final issue, but it's definitely one he'll be remembered for fondly.
It also helps immensely that, while the art duties are handled by five different artists, with varying art styles, the art chores are divided among them so strategically that the shift in art style almost never feels jarring and the action flows quite smoothly. Of course, series mainstay Stuart Immonen does the heavy lifting, illustrating more of the 80 pages of story than anyone else, while Slott's regular Spidey collaborators Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli each turn in a substantial chunk of work as well. I've often expressed how I feel about Camuncoli's work, but the pacing is so good I scarcely even notice which pages are his unless I really stop to take a look. Still, I'm glad Immonen handles the most pivotal scenes in the story, as he should. I'm only sorry Jim Cheung, originally slated to contribute some pages to this mammoth issue couldn't join the party, but I take some consolation knowing that Nick Bradshaw was able to turn in some decent pencils that are a vast improvement over the awful work he did on a Guardians of the Galaxy issue I bought some years ago. Marcos Martin beautifully closes out the issue, and while Mike Hawthorne offers a two-page epilogue of sorts, it's Martin's final two-page spread that really matters.
Slott's run has had its ups and downs, and he's still got one issue left to go, but this is one of his strongest efforts over the ten years he's worked on this book, eight of them as its sole writer, and captures so much of what makes Peter Parker Spider-Man. This is a fitting way to end what's been, for the most part, a heck of a ride.
9/10
penciled by Stuart Immonen, Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Nick Bradshaw, Marcos Martin and Mike Hawthorne
inked by Wade von Grawbadger, Victor Olazaba, Cam Smith, Nick Bradshaw, Marcos Martin and JP Mayer
colored by Marte Gracia, Edgar Delgado, Java Tartaglia, Muntsa Vicente and Jordie Bellaire
Peter Parker's long-brewing showdown with Norman Osborn finally comes, with the symbiote-enhanced Red Goblin pulling out all the stops, ready to kill everyone who matters in Peter's life, and more than a few people who used to matter to Osborn, too. Peter's at the end of his rope and way out of his depth, but he gets unexpected help from not just one, not just two but even three former nemeses in dealing with the Goblin. At the end of it all, nothing will be the same.
If that sounds like a marketing blurb, it's simply because to go into great detail would lead to spoilers, which I would be loath to do, even if, I must say at the outset, my single most desired outcome from this story did not come to pass. Anyone who has followed this blog knows how desperately I want Marvel to undo the "Sins Past" debacle from over a decade ago in which it was retroactively established that Norman Osborn fathered Gwen Stacy's children. Slott, unfortunately, passed up the chance to do millions of Spider-Man fans a huge favor by undoing that wretched piece of storytelling, which was frustrating because in these pages, Norman made specific reference to Gwen, though only because he had killed her. Oh, and I also wanted Osborn dead, but I won't go into that.
Surprisingly, though, even though Slott essentially left "Sins Past" as canon, however, awkwardly shoved aside it may be, I found myself genuinely satisfied by how this issue played out. There is a bit of a status-quo shakeup that I won't mention, but even without this major change the issue wrapped up all dangling plot threads quite nicely.
I couldn't help but marvel (hehehe) at how tightly this issue was scripted, especially after so many issues in which Slott basically seemed to be treading water. There are 80 pages of story here and every single one of them is filled with either dialogue or action that absolutely propels the story forward. It's like Slott's rediscovered his mojo, or has, perhaps, been saving the very best for last. This was the kind of storytelling that made Superior Spider-Man a must-read comic book for almost the entire duration of its run. This may not be Slott's absolute final issue, but it's definitely one he'll be remembered for fondly.
It also helps immensely that, while the art duties are handled by five different artists, with varying art styles, the art chores are divided among them so strategically that the shift in art style almost never feels jarring and the action flows quite smoothly. Of course, series mainstay Stuart Immonen does the heavy lifting, illustrating more of the 80 pages of story than anyone else, while Slott's regular Spidey collaborators Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli each turn in a substantial chunk of work as well. I've often expressed how I feel about Camuncoli's work, but the pacing is so good I scarcely even notice which pages are his unless I really stop to take a look. Still, I'm glad Immonen handles the most pivotal scenes in the story, as he should. I'm only sorry Jim Cheung, originally slated to contribute some pages to this mammoth issue couldn't join the party, but I take some consolation knowing that Nick Bradshaw was able to turn in some decent pencils that are a vast improvement over the awful work he did on a Guardians of the Galaxy issue I bought some years ago. Marcos Martin beautifully closes out the issue, and while Mike Hawthorne offers a two-page epilogue of sorts, it's Martin's final two-page spread that really matters.
Slott's run has had its ups and downs, and he's still got one issue left to go, but this is one of his strongest efforts over the ten years he's worked on this book, eight of them as its sole writer, and captures so much of what makes Peter Parker Spider-Man. This is a fitting way to end what's been, for the most part, a heck of a ride.
9/10
Friday, May 25, 2018
Biting the Bendis Apple One Last Time: A Review of Iron Man #600
written by Brian Michael Bendis
drawn by A Whole Lot of People including Stefano Caselli, David Marquez, Leinil Yu, Jim Cheung and Mark Bagley to name a few
colored by A Whole Lot of People including Marte Gracia among many others
I don't quite feel qualified to review this issue given that I have not followed Bendis' Iron Man book since I finished his first five-issue arc on it with David Marquez many years ago. That said, Chris Sprouse's cover reached out and grabbed me (and in fact, I briefly mistook it for another Ed McGuinness masterpiece) and I thought it would be a fun read, as I had some time to kill.
In brief, this book ties up Bendis' tenure on the title quite neatly, bringing Tony Stark back from the coma he was in after the events of Civil War II, bringing Rhodey back from the dead, where he had been since just before Civil War II, and stages a grand climax in which the newly-returned Tony and Rhodey, with the help of Victor Von Doom, face off against Parker Robbins, a.k.a. the Hood, who was just on the verge of taking control of Stark Industries. In the background, Tony's biological father, who apparently wasn't Howard Stark but a HYDRA agent named Jude, confronts Tony's biological mother, who apparently wasn't Maria Stark but a SHIELD agent named Amanda and things get ugly. It all wraps up neatly--perhaps a bit too neatly--in the end. Tony's protege Riri Williams, who was actually the lead character of this series for a while, will now head off to another book and Tony will resume his heroics as Iron Man.
Like I said, I have virtually no context for how this issue plays out as part of a larger tapestry, but as a single issue, I have to say quite honestly that it reads like a total clusterf**k and a deplorable example of the "jam" issues that Bendis was so fond of during his now-ended Marvel tenure. Having read a far superior pair of "jam" issues from Mark Waid and a gaggle of extremely talented artists which were structured much more sensibly, I really have a sense of how Bendis' "jam" issues are really nothing more than Bendis showing off how much clout he has with top-level artists, i.e. he can ask them to come on over and squirt ink all over his books.
In truth, the last time I truly enjoyed Bendis was when he created Miles Morales in 2011, but really, as far as I'm concerned he lost his "mojo" not too long after that. His dialogue is tiresome, and the visual presentation and structure of this issue are just plain sloppy, and not the sort of thing you'd expect from all of these top-tier creators. His nearly two-decade Marvel run, during which he has written just about all of the major characters and more than a few minor ones, has definitely had its fair share of highlights for me, but it's really long past time he's moved on and I'll be more than happy to see other creators stomping around the Marvel Printed Universe now.
I'm just sorry he had to go out on such a weak note.
6/10
drawn by A Whole Lot of People including Stefano Caselli, David Marquez, Leinil Yu, Jim Cheung and Mark Bagley to name a few
colored by A Whole Lot of People including Marte Gracia among many others
I don't quite feel qualified to review this issue given that I have not followed Bendis' Iron Man book since I finished his first five-issue arc on it with David Marquez many years ago. That said, Chris Sprouse's cover reached out and grabbed me (and in fact, I briefly mistook it for another Ed McGuinness masterpiece) and I thought it would be a fun read, as I had some time to kill.
In brief, this book ties up Bendis' tenure on the title quite neatly, bringing Tony Stark back from the coma he was in after the events of Civil War II, bringing Rhodey back from the dead, where he had been since just before Civil War II, and stages a grand climax in which the newly-returned Tony and Rhodey, with the help of Victor Von Doom, face off against Parker Robbins, a.k.a. the Hood, who was just on the verge of taking control of Stark Industries. In the background, Tony's biological father, who apparently wasn't Howard Stark but a HYDRA agent named Jude, confronts Tony's biological mother, who apparently wasn't Maria Stark but a SHIELD agent named Amanda and things get ugly. It all wraps up neatly--perhaps a bit too neatly--in the end. Tony's protege Riri Williams, who was actually the lead character of this series for a while, will now head off to another book and Tony will resume his heroics as Iron Man.
Like I said, I have virtually no context for how this issue plays out as part of a larger tapestry, but as a single issue, I have to say quite honestly that it reads like a total clusterf**k and a deplorable example of the "jam" issues that Bendis was so fond of during his now-ended Marvel tenure. Having read a far superior pair of "jam" issues from Mark Waid and a gaggle of extremely talented artists which were structured much more sensibly, I really have a sense of how Bendis' "jam" issues are really nothing more than Bendis showing off how much clout he has with top-level artists, i.e. he can ask them to come on over and squirt ink all over his books.
In truth, the last time I truly enjoyed Bendis was when he created Miles Morales in 2011, but really, as far as I'm concerned he lost his "mojo" not too long after that. His dialogue is tiresome, and the visual presentation and structure of this issue are just plain sloppy, and not the sort of thing you'd expect from all of these top-tier creators. His nearly two-decade Marvel run, during which he has written just about all of the major characters and more than a few minor ones, has definitely had its fair share of highlights for me, but it's really long past time he's moved on and I'll be more than happy to see other creators stomping around the Marvel Printed Universe now.
I'm just sorry he had to go out on such a weak note.
6/10
Saturday, May 19, 2018
In the Big Chair or On the Ground? A Review of Daredevil #602
written by Charles Soule
art by Mike Henderson
colors by Matt Milla
Matt Murdock's tenure as mayor of New York City amid an invasion by the demon ninja clan the Hand takes a turn for the interesting as he brings on board Foggy Nelson as his chief of staff, and as his protege/sidekick Blindspot finally shows up and admits that the current invasion of he Hand is basically his fault. The Hand are targeting anyone in uniform and only the superhero community seem capable of putting up a fight right now. While Foggy briefly manages to impress on Matt the importance of doing his job as mayor rather that pulling on his tights and being Daredevil right now, Matt still heads out with Blindspot in response to a distress call from policemen being surrounded by the Hand. What they find shows just how great the threat they face is.
This issue keeps the action moving, but isn't quite as involving as last issue's turnaround from the disastrous turn of events in issue #600. I did like how Soule presented the moral quandary to Matt of how important it was for him to sit still and be mayor, although I didn't like how casually Matt cast his duties aside to save a couple of cops in peril. I mean, it was a dilemma that was at least worth debating for more than a couple of pages. I hope Soule picks up on this later in the story; it would be interesting to see the repercussions of Matt's impulsiveness.
Henderson's art manages to look more dynamic this issue than it did last time, even as it retains its quirky, cartoonish, Skottie Young-inspired character (which, incidentally, I mean as a compliment). I don't particularly miss Ron Garney right now.
I realize that Charles Soule didn't actually create "the Beast" or the rather silly-looking demon who leads the Hand and is basically causing the current wave of misery in this story, but I can't help but comment on how on-the-nose the character is, especially since the book ends with what appears to be a reference to him going to Hell. He also feels a tad redundant in a universe that also has a Hell-dwelling lord of the underworld in Mephisto. I'm kind of surprised that 80s-Daredevil-era Frank Miller came up with this character; it's more like something he'd come up with today.
Anyway, given how strong the last issue was I still remain confident that good things can come out of this particular story.
7/10
art by Mike Henderson
colors by Matt Milla
Matt Murdock's tenure as mayor of New York City amid an invasion by the demon ninja clan the Hand takes a turn for the interesting as he brings on board Foggy Nelson as his chief of staff, and as his protege/sidekick Blindspot finally shows up and admits that the current invasion of he Hand is basically his fault. The Hand are targeting anyone in uniform and only the superhero community seem capable of putting up a fight right now. While Foggy briefly manages to impress on Matt the importance of doing his job as mayor rather that pulling on his tights and being Daredevil right now, Matt still heads out with Blindspot in response to a distress call from policemen being surrounded by the Hand. What they find shows just how great the threat they face is.
This issue keeps the action moving, but isn't quite as involving as last issue's turnaround from the disastrous turn of events in issue #600. I did like how Soule presented the moral quandary to Matt of how important it was for him to sit still and be mayor, although I didn't like how casually Matt cast his duties aside to save a couple of cops in peril. I mean, it was a dilemma that was at least worth debating for more than a couple of pages. I hope Soule picks up on this later in the story; it would be interesting to see the repercussions of Matt's impulsiveness.
Henderson's art manages to look more dynamic this issue than it did last time, even as it retains its quirky, cartoonish, Skottie Young-inspired character (which, incidentally, I mean as a compliment). I don't particularly miss Ron Garney right now.
I realize that Charles Soule didn't actually create "the Beast" or the rather silly-looking demon who leads the Hand and is basically causing the current wave of misery in this story, but I can't help but comment on how on-the-nose the character is, especially since the book ends with what appears to be a reference to him going to Hell. He also feels a tad redundant in a universe that also has a Hell-dwelling lord of the underworld in Mephisto. I'm kind of surprised that 80s-Daredevil-era Frank Miller came up with this character; it's more like something he'd come up with today.
Anyway, given how strong the last issue was I still remain confident that good things can come out of this particular story.
7/10
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Hell Raining Down from the Heavens: A Review of Avengers #2
written by Jason Aaron
drawn by Ed McGuiness (p) Mark Morales and Jay Leisten (i)
colored by David Curiel
Marvel's current Avengers relaunch continues, with the architect behind the great globe-menacing menace, the Final Host of Dark Celestials, finally revealing himself, though his identity would have been known to anyone who had read the Free Comic Book Day prelude to this story. The team starts to come together as circumstances bring together She-Hulk and Ghost Rider, and Captain America, Iron Man and Thor meet up with Captain Marvel as she tries to ease the plummeting Celestials' descent. Doctor Strange and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most popular character Black Panther get a grand total of one panel of face time.
I get that when Marvel introduce a splashy new title/relaunch/reboot, they want to start off with a grandiose story arc with all-star creators, but an unfortunate side effect of that is that sometimes, the story feels a bit too bloated for its own good, and that's usually down to the individual issues, which are often just filler. This issue is a prime example of that; too much time is spent on things of little consequence, and far too little happens to move the overall story forward. From the first page to the last, with its grand revelation, it feels like almost nothing has really happened. It's basically just another excuse for Ed McGuiness to deliver stunning art (on which front, fortunately, he delivers).
I'm not the biggest Jason Aaron fan, but I have read his work, and I know he's quite a capable writer, one who is also quite capable of crafting both tightly-paced done-in-one stories, as he did during his tenure on "Wolverine" nearly ten years ago and sprawling, multi-issue tales like the quirky, genuinely entertaining "Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine," so to be honest I'm scratching my head a little bit over this one. I'm also bewildered as to why Doctor Strange and Black Panther, arguably two "it" characters right now due to their prominent roles in the world-beating Avengers: Infinity War now dominating cinemas, have been sidelined in favor of Ghost Rider fighting worms. I'm guessing they'll get the spotlight next issue or at some point in this arc, but the pacing still feels questionable.
Sometimes it's hard to review multiple-issue arcs because they read better as a whole than as individual issues but even story decompression doesn't have to mean that each issue doesn't feel like a complete experience in and of itself. I mean, the latest Captain America issue is testament to how effective a single issue in a multi-issue arc can still be. I hope they pick up the pace again next issue.
6/10
drawn by Ed McGuiness (p) Mark Morales and Jay Leisten (i)
colored by David Curiel
Marvel's current Avengers relaunch continues, with the architect behind the great globe-menacing menace, the Final Host of Dark Celestials, finally revealing himself, though his identity would have been known to anyone who had read the Free Comic Book Day prelude to this story. The team starts to come together as circumstances bring together She-Hulk and Ghost Rider, and Captain America, Iron Man and Thor meet up with Captain Marvel as she tries to ease the plummeting Celestials' descent. Doctor Strange and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most popular character Black Panther get a grand total of one panel of face time.
I get that when Marvel introduce a splashy new title/relaunch/reboot, they want to start off with a grandiose story arc with all-star creators, but an unfortunate side effect of that is that sometimes, the story feels a bit too bloated for its own good, and that's usually down to the individual issues, which are often just filler. This issue is a prime example of that; too much time is spent on things of little consequence, and far too little happens to move the overall story forward. From the first page to the last, with its grand revelation, it feels like almost nothing has really happened. It's basically just another excuse for Ed McGuiness to deliver stunning art (on which front, fortunately, he delivers).
I'm not the biggest Jason Aaron fan, but I have read his work, and I know he's quite a capable writer, one who is also quite capable of crafting both tightly-paced done-in-one stories, as he did during his tenure on "Wolverine" nearly ten years ago and sprawling, multi-issue tales like the quirky, genuinely entertaining "Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine," so to be honest I'm scratching my head a little bit over this one. I'm also bewildered as to why Doctor Strange and Black Panther, arguably two "it" characters right now due to their prominent roles in the world-beating Avengers: Infinity War now dominating cinemas, have been sidelined in favor of Ghost Rider fighting worms. I'm guessing they'll get the spotlight next issue or at some point in this arc, but the pacing still feels questionable.
Sometimes it's hard to review multiple-issue arcs because they read better as a whole than as individual issues but even story decompression doesn't have to mean that each issue doesn't feel like a complete experience in and of itself. I mean, the latest Captain America issue is testament to how effective a single issue in a multi-issue arc can still be. I hope they pick up the pace again next issue.
6/10
Re-Discovering History: A Review of Captain America #702
written by Mark Waid
drawn by Leonardo Romero, Rod Reis and Howard Chaykin
colored by Jordie Bellaire, Rod Reis
Mark Waid's swansong on Captain America continues as Jack Rogers, Captain America's distant descendant, finds himself on the run, having uncovered a sinister Kree plot that lay under the seeming paradise that America had become. He flees to a safehouse run by a secret guild of historians, where he learns that he must find Captain America if he is to have any hope of saving his son, and America from the clutches of the Kree. Time, however, is not on his side.
Having given readers a rather run-of-the-mill dystopia tale leading up to the series' landmark 700th issue, Mark Waid continues to play with the notion of what the future may hold, and while this story isn't what I'd call groundbreaking, the narrative is still wonderfully taut. As he did last issue, Waid intersperses flashbacks involving Cap (drawn brilliantly by Rod Reis and Howard Chaykin) with the present day, and the effect is so much better than it is in other "jam" issues (such as the ones Brian Michael Bendis used to be so fond of) where the shift in artist usually feels somewhat jarring. Here, there's a well-established context for it. Also, Leonardo Romero's Samnee-eqsque art is even better here than it was last issue, with his rendering of the historian's guild's safe house being a particular highlight. I hope to see this guy around a lot more after this story is done.
What I really enjoyed about this narrative was how there wasn't a single page wasted; everything that happens feels like it serves the overall story, which was something sorely lacking form some of the earlier issues of Waid's return to this book, even the well-received first issue. So much happens in so few pages that it's hard to believe that this issue only has as many pages as Avengers #2 (which I'll review shortly), which is a marked contrast in pacing.
This issue ends on a doozy of a cliffhanger, so I'm now waiting on bated breath for the next installment!
8.5/10
drawn by Leonardo Romero, Rod Reis and Howard Chaykin
colored by Jordie Bellaire, Rod Reis
Mark Waid's swansong on Captain America continues as Jack Rogers, Captain America's distant descendant, finds himself on the run, having uncovered a sinister Kree plot that lay under the seeming paradise that America had become. He flees to a safehouse run by a secret guild of historians, where he learns that he must find Captain America if he is to have any hope of saving his son, and America from the clutches of the Kree. Time, however, is not on his side.
Having given readers a rather run-of-the-mill dystopia tale leading up to the series' landmark 700th issue, Mark Waid continues to play with the notion of what the future may hold, and while this story isn't what I'd call groundbreaking, the narrative is still wonderfully taut. As he did last issue, Waid intersperses flashbacks involving Cap (drawn brilliantly by Rod Reis and Howard Chaykin) with the present day, and the effect is so much better than it is in other "jam" issues (such as the ones Brian Michael Bendis used to be so fond of) where the shift in artist usually feels somewhat jarring. Here, there's a well-established context for it. Also, Leonardo Romero's Samnee-eqsque art is even better here than it was last issue, with his rendering of the historian's guild's safe house being a particular highlight. I hope to see this guy around a lot more after this story is done.
What I really enjoyed about this narrative was how there wasn't a single page wasted; everything that happens feels like it serves the overall story, which was something sorely lacking form some of the earlier issues of Waid's return to this book, even the well-received first issue. So much happens in so few pages that it's hard to believe that this issue only has as many pages as Avengers #2 (which I'll review shortly), which is a marked contrast in pacing.
This issue ends on a doozy of a cliffhanger, so I'm now waiting on bated breath for the next installment!
8.5/10
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
My Awesome Comics Haul Part II: Avengers #1
written by Jason Aaron
drawn by Ed McGuinness (p), Mark Morales (i)
colored by David Curiel
Marvel's premier super team gets a makeover and a brand new issue #1 just in time for their record-breaking new movie. Marvel's dead serious about selling this one; they've put superstar creators Jason Aaron (Thor) and Ed McGuinness (Spider-Man/Deadpool) on it.
The super-sized story begins with a flashback to a million years ago, in which the Avengers consisting of Odin and pre-historic versions of the Hulk, Phoenix, Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider and Iron Fist come face-to-face with the "First Host" of the star-spanning god-like giants known as the Celestials. A million years later, Avengers mainstays Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man and Thor Odinson gather around drinks as they contemplate bringing the Avengers back together, while elsewhere, T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther and Doctor Stephen Strange investigate mysterious energy signatures two miles underneath South Africa, Jennifer Walters tries to keep from turning into She-Hulk, Robbie Reyes a.k.a. Ghost Rider finds himself facing a pretty alarming threat, and Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel stumbles upon something very big falling from a portal in space. As the original three Avengers join in the effort to rein in the chaos, they come face-to-face with what could very well be the greatest threat to humanity that they've ever seen.
If Marvel's intention was to face their cash cow heroes with a truly big threat to the world, they could not possibly have gotten any bigger than the Celestials, and so the stakes appear to be suitably high. I was kind of annoyed though, that Thor had to explain who the Celestials were (though I imagine it was for the readers' benefit) to Iron Man and Cap considering that they've been around since the seventies at the very latest, and Iron Man himself had a prominent starring role in Neil Gaiman's and John Romita Jr.'s Eternals miniseries, which featured a two-mile high Celestial emerging in San Francisco, to which Tony himself was personally witness. Well, maybe Cap's never seen them before, so I'll forgive Aaron that bit of exposition. Apart from that, Aaron does a pretty good job of setting the stage for a pretty involving story, with a prologue and various story threads involving different characters that will inevitably come together in the next two or three issues. While I've never been a fan of "decompression" in storytelling, I think Aaron's pacing justifies this approach here, if only just, and it's also nice to have any excuse for multiple issues of Ed McGuiness art.
Speaking of McGuinness, he is, as he was on his last regular gig, Spider-Man/Deadpool, the star of the show, and his take on old favorites like Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther and Captain Marvel really hit the spot. I also liked his distinctly Kirby-esque rendering of the Celestials, and I will be happy to have my McGuinness fix for at least the next six issues. I would have preferred his usual colorist Jason Keith, but that's really a minor point.
All told, this was a good, solid start for yet another relaunch of Marvel's flagship book.
8.5/10
drawn by Ed McGuinness (p), Mark Morales (i)
colored by David Curiel
Marvel's premier super team gets a makeover and a brand new issue #1 just in time for their record-breaking new movie. Marvel's dead serious about selling this one; they've put superstar creators Jason Aaron (Thor) and Ed McGuinness (Spider-Man/Deadpool) on it.
The super-sized story begins with a flashback to a million years ago, in which the Avengers consisting of Odin and pre-historic versions of the Hulk, Phoenix, Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider and Iron Fist come face-to-face with the "First Host" of the star-spanning god-like giants known as the Celestials. A million years later, Avengers mainstays Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man and Thor Odinson gather around drinks as they contemplate bringing the Avengers back together, while elsewhere, T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther and Doctor Stephen Strange investigate mysterious energy signatures two miles underneath South Africa, Jennifer Walters tries to keep from turning into She-Hulk, Robbie Reyes a.k.a. Ghost Rider finds himself facing a pretty alarming threat, and Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel stumbles upon something very big falling from a portal in space. As the original three Avengers join in the effort to rein in the chaos, they come face-to-face with what could very well be the greatest threat to humanity that they've ever seen.
If Marvel's intention was to face their cash cow heroes with a truly big threat to the world, they could not possibly have gotten any bigger than the Celestials, and so the stakes appear to be suitably high. I was kind of annoyed though, that Thor had to explain who the Celestials were (though I imagine it was for the readers' benefit) to Iron Man and Cap considering that they've been around since the seventies at the very latest, and Iron Man himself had a prominent starring role in Neil Gaiman's and John Romita Jr.'s Eternals miniseries, which featured a two-mile high Celestial emerging in San Francisco, to which Tony himself was personally witness. Well, maybe Cap's never seen them before, so I'll forgive Aaron that bit of exposition. Apart from that, Aaron does a pretty good job of setting the stage for a pretty involving story, with a prologue and various story threads involving different characters that will inevitably come together in the next two or three issues. While I've never been a fan of "decompression" in storytelling, I think Aaron's pacing justifies this approach here, if only just, and it's also nice to have any excuse for multiple issues of Ed McGuiness art.
Speaking of McGuinness, he is, as he was on his last regular gig, Spider-Man/Deadpool, the star of the show, and his take on old favorites like Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther and Captain Marvel really hit the spot. I also liked his distinctly Kirby-esque rendering of the Celestials, and I will be happy to have my McGuinness fix for at least the next six issues. I would have preferred his usual colorist Jason Keith, but that's really a minor point.
All told, this was a good, solid start for yet another relaunch of Marvel's flagship book.
8.5/10
My Awesome Comics Haul, Part II: Daredevil #601
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Mike Henderson
colored by Matt Milla
After the infuriating non-ending of the landmark 600th issue of this title, Soule follows the story up with an issue that proves to be surprisingly satisfying, even as it also ends on a cliffhanger.
At the end of last issue, as a result of the Hand's deadly attack on former-crime-boss-turned-Mayor-of-New-York Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin found himself in the hospital fighting for his life, and due to an interesting legal loophole that nearly no one thought of, his Deputy Mayor, Matt Murdock became the mayor. The only problem was that, at the time this happened, Murdock was in the back of a police van, having been sucker-punched and then beaten by Fisk into unconsciousness. The Hand attack, however, provides Murdock the opportunity he needs to escape detention, and he reports to his new station, where he immediately takes action to save New York from the army of ninjas that currently threaten to overrun it.
Given how distinctly anticlimactic and unsatisfying the landmark 600th issue of this series was, I have to commend Soule on this pretty effective save, which sets up an exciting showdown even as it removes the bad taste in the mouth left by the developments of the last issue, specifically way that Wilson Fisk managed to get the better of Matt Murdock. Without giving away too much Soule appears intent to bring his story involving the adversary he re-introduced, "The Beast" full circle, tying up the loose ends he opened when he relaunched this title back in 2015. There was something especially satisfying about the newly-minted Mayor Murdock firing Wesley Welch, Fisk's right-hand man who was intent on challenging every single one of Murdock's moves. Of course, one can only imagine that Fisk will survive the multiple arrows in his body and will factor into these developments before all is said and done, but it was nice to see Murdock come out on top after the downer of last issue.
New artist Mike Henderson is a welcome addition to this title, even though his comic-strip style rendering, which is vaguely reminiscent of Skottie Young, seems an odd fit for this character. I'm pretty confident it can grow on me, though I wasn't happy that he brought back DD's ridiculous red trunks.
Marvel's keeping pretty mum on their plans for this book, i.e. whether or not they'll relaunch it with a new creative team, but if Soule can continue to keep the story interesting as he has done here, I wouldn't mind if he sticks around a bit longer.
8.7/10
drawn by Mike Henderson
colored by Matt Milla
After the infuriating non-ending of the landmark 600th issue of this title, Soule follows the story up with an issue that proves to be surprisingly satisfying, even as it also ends on a cliffhanger.
At the end of last issue, as a result of the Hand's deadly attack on former-crime-boss-turned-Mayor-of-New-York Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin found himself in the hospital fighting for his life, and due to an interesting legal loophole that nearly no one thought of, his Deputy Mayor, Matt Murdock became the mayor. The only problem was that, at the time this happened, Murdock was in the back of a police van, having been sucker-punched and then beaten by Fisk into unconsciousness. The Hand attack, however, provides Murdock the opportunity he needs to escape detention, and he reports to his new station, where he immediately takes action to save New York from the army of ninjas that currently threaten to overrun it.
Given how distinctly anticlimactic and unsatisfying the landmark 600th issue of this series was, I have to commend Soule on this pretty effective save, which sets up an exciting showdown even as it removes the bad taste in the mouth left by the developments of the last issue, specifically way that Wilson Fisk managed to get the better of Matt Murdock. Without giving away too much Soule appears intent to bring his story involving the adversary he re-introduced, "The Beast" full circle, tying up the loose ends he opened when he relaunched this title back in 2015. There was something especially satisfying about the newly-minted Mayor Murdock firing Wesley Welch, Fisk's right-hand man who was intent on challenging every single one of Murdock's moves. Of course, one can only imagine that Fisk will survive the multiple arrows in his body and will factor into these developments before all is said and done, but it was nice to see Murdock come out on top after the downer of last issue.
New artist Mike Henderson is a welcome addition to this title, even though his comic-strip style rendering, which is vaguely reminiscent of Skottie Young, seems an odd fit for this character. I'm pretty confident it can grow on me, though I wasn't happy that he brought back DD's ridiculous red trunks.
Marvel's keeping pretty mum on their plans for this book, i.e. whether or not they'll relaunch it with a new creative team, but if Soule can continue to keep the story interesting as he has done here, I wouldn't mind if he sticks around a bit longer.
8.7/10
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
My Awesome Comics Haul, Part I: Captain America #701
written by Mark Waid
drawn by Leonardo Romero, with Adam Hughes and J.G. Jones
colored by Matt Wilson, Hughes, and Paul Mounts
Various circumstances prevented me from picking up my regular comics for the last couple of weeks, and a result the only reviews I've been able to write are various spoiler-ridden posts about Avengers: Infinity War. Fortunately, I was finally able to pick up my backlog today, and I was utterly delighted with every single issue that I read out of today's pile, starting with Captain America #701.
It is the distant future, one in which the ideals that Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, fought for have become a defining reality for all of humankind. In short, the world is now a utopia of sorts thanks not only to the ideals that Cap fought for but for the secrets that his super-soldier-serum-infused blood yielded upon his death that helped medical science advance in leaps and bounds. In this milieu, however, we find Steve Rogers distant descendant, historian Jack Rogers, fighting to save the life of his terminally-ill son Steve, whose survival, the beleaguered Jack believes, may lie with the very formula that gave his ancestor super strength. Jack begs the President to allow the secrets of the super soldier serum to be declassified so that young Steve's doctors may look at it more closely to help them figure out a cure, but the Chief of Staff is particularly restrictive about the secrets of the age-old serum. Jack uses his access as a historian to secretly find out what he can behind closed doors about the serum, and what he learns shocks him and subverts everything he thinks he knows about the serum.
Truth be told, this is the kind of story I was hoping to read when I'd heard that Mark Waid would be taking over this title. It's fresh, engaging and action-packed all at once, and, as an added bonus, is lavishly illustrated, featuring not only work by the capable Leonardo Romero, whose work quite strongly evokes that of Chris Samnee, whose wonderful linework adorned the last six issues, but also eight pages by industry legends Adam Hughes and J.G. Jones, who contribute two four-page flashback sequences each. The book starts off quite strong with Hughes' four-page flashback, which features Cap and Bucky fighting during World War II. While not exactly scaling the heights of Waid's work with Samnee on Daredevil, this is the most engaging Waid's current run on this character has ever been, and it's gratifying to know that this will be a full, four-issue arc. I'll be around for every single issue.
8.8/10
drawn by Leonardo Romero, with Adam Hughes and J.G. Jones
colored by Matt Wilson, Hughes, and Paul Mounts
Various circumstances prevented me from picking up my regular comics for the last couple of weeks, and a result the only reviews I've been able to write are various spoiler-ridden posts about Avengers: Infinity War. Fortunately, I was finally able to pick up my backlog today, and I was utterly delighted with every single issue that I read out of today's pile, starting with Captain America #701.
It is the distant future, one in which the ideals that Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, fought for have become a defining reality for all of humankind. In short, the world is now a utopia of sorts thanks not only to the ideals that Cap fought for but for the secrets that his super-soldier-serum-infused blood yielded upon his death that helped medical science advance in leaps and bounds. In this milieu, however, we find Steve Rogers distant descendant, historian Jack Rogers, fighting to save the life of his terminally-ill son Steve, whose survival, the beleaguered Jack believes, may lie with the very formula that gave his ancestor super strength. Jack begs the President to allow the secrets of the super soldier serum to be declassified so that young Steve's doctors may look at it more closely to help them figure out a cure, but the Chief of Staff is particularly restrictive about the secrets of the age-old serum. Jack uses his access as a historian to secretly find out what he can behind closed doors about the serum, and what he learns shocks him and subverts everything he thinks he knows about the serum.
Truth be told, this is the kind of story I was hoping to read when I'd heard that Mark Waid would be taking over this title. It's fresh, engaging and action-packed all at once, and, as an added bonus, is lavishly illustrated, featuring not only work by the capable Leonardo Romero, whose work quite strongly evokes that of Chris Samnee, whose wonderful linework adorned the last six issues, but also eight pages by industry legends Adam Hughes and J.G. Jones, who contribute two four-page flashback sequences each. The book starts off quite strong with Hughes' four-page flashback, which features Cap and Bucky fighting during World War II. While not exactly scaling the heights of Waid's work with Samnee on Daredevil, this is the most engaging Waid's current run on this character has ever been, and it's gratifying to know that this will be a full, four-issue arc. I'll be around for every single issue.
8.8/10
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