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
Sunday, July 29, 2018
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
Late to the Party: A Review of Captain America #1
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
drawn by Leinil Yu (pencils) and Gerry Alanguilan (inks)
colored by Sunny Gho
A new day begins for Captain America, but this one promises to be a pretty dark one. The story begins with a mysterious Russian woman held captive by HYDRA agents being violently liberated by the life-force sucking mutant Selene, formerly the Black Queen but now apparently dabbling in something a bit darker than behind-the-scenes power brokering and S & M 18th century cosplay.
Meanwhile, back in America, in no less than Washington D.C., Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America finds himself fighting reproductions of Nuke, a cybernetically-enhanced domestic terrorist he'd fought years earlier, in Hell's Kitchen of all places. With the help of Bucky Barnes a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, Sharon Carter and what remains of S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve is able to put them down, but the threat is far from over, especially when Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross taps both Carter and Barnes after the battle, hoping to track down the brains behind the deadly attack. Steve, quite conspicuously, is left out of the loop, which is basically direct blowback from the events of Secret Empire.
Okay, THIS is the kind of story I wanted to read when I'd heard that two of my favorite creators, Mark Waid, and Chris Samnee, along with colorist Matt Wilson, were taking on Captain America together. I may be writing this review EXTREMELY late but I really couldn't care less; this story absolutely hit the spot for me, whatever impossible-to-please/please-don't-put-your-politics-in-my-comic-books fanboys may think of Ta Nehisi Coates' "SJW" leanings.
For one thing, Waid's almost flippantly inconsequential six-issue run ultimately failed both as the heavy-handed political commentary it was conceived as, and as a part of Captain America's greater narrative. While I was kind to some of the individual issues, reading all of it now just really makes me sad that one of my favorite writer-artist teams ended their Marvel tenure on such a weak note.
Here, Coates dives headlong into the consequences of Captain America having been the face of HYDRA, and while that may be slightly problematic from a continuity aspect (i.e. why didn't people seem to mind back when Waid was writing the book) it does feel like a much more organic response to a really big status quo shakeup. I also really liked the not-so-subtle references to Cap's brief but pivotal appearance in the now-legendary "Born Again" Daredevil storyline by Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli in which the character of Nuke was actually introduced. Nuke was basically the avatar of America's Reagan-era foreign policy, deployed (at the time) in Latin American hotbeds like Nicaragua, which made Wilson Fisk's act of siccing him on Daredevil and ripping an entire civilian neighborhood to shreds in the process particularly horrific. He may have appeared in many comics since then, but this story clearly hearkens back to that first appearance, particularly with Steve's line that he remains "loyal to nothing but the dream" being a direct callback to Miller's dialogue from that classic story.
I get that Coates' storyline is explicitly political, as is his choice of adversary for Steve in this first issue, but then, so was Ed Brubaker's Winter Soldier storyline, so infusing politics into a storyline does not have to detract from it. I quite enjoyed how Coates explored the damage to Steve's psyche that has resulted from what happened, something that Waid swept aside in one issue, never to mention it again. Rogers has gone from being the poster boy for all that is good about America to one of the least-trusted men in America, and unlike his immediate predecessor on this title, Coates is keenly interested in exploring that concept. That alone is not quite enough to get me hooked, but the way Coates, now more sure-footed in his scripting than he was in his Black Panther issues from two years ago, tells the story hits all the notes for me.
Of course, it helps that this issue boasts extra helpings of some of the very best artwork I've seen from Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho in quite some time. Coates gives them quite a bit to do here, from the shadowy maneuvers of Selene and her mysterious partner in Russia to Cap and his team taking on the squad of Nuke facsimiles, and as much as I hate to wax cliche here, boy do they deliver the goods with some solid action sequences. There's nothing here as off-the-wall insane as the Hulk ripping Wolverine in half, but this is some properly strong work from this team. One of the pitfalls on Coates' Black Panther work was that his artists, whether it was the excellent Brian Stelfreeze or the highly competent Chris Sprouse, didn't really make his battle scenes, which were admittedly few and far between, really jump off the page. Yu, Alanguilan and Go are more than up to that task here.
All told, this book is off to a very, very good start. Coates started off strongly in his run with Black Panther two years ago, only for the later issues to severely taper off in quality, so I'm hoping he holds up here, and that his advocacy, while admirable, doesn't get in the way of effectively telling a story.
9/10
drawn by Leinil Yu (pencils) and Gerry Alanguilan (inks)
colored by Sunny Gho
A new day begins for Captain America, but this one promises to be a pretty dark one. The story begins with a mysterious Russian woman held captive by HYDRA agents being violently liberated by the life-force sucking mutant Selene, formerly the Black Queen but now apparently dabbling in something a bit darker than behind-the-scenes power brokering and S & M 18th century cosplay.
Meanwhile, back in America, in no less than Washington D.C., Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America finds himself fighting reproductions of Nuke, a cybernetically-enhanced domestic terrorist he'd fought years earlier, in Hell's Kitchen of all places. With the help of Bucky Barnes a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, Sharon Carter and what remains of S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve is able to put them down, but the threat is far from over, especially when Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross taps both Carter and Barnes after the battle, hoping to track down the brains behind the deadly attack. Steve, quite conspicuously, is left out of the loop, which is basically direct blowback from the events of Secret Empire.
Okay, THIS is the kind of story I wanted to read when I'd heard that two of my favorite creators, Mark Waid, and Chris Samnee, along with colorist Matt Wilson, were taking on Captain America together. I may be writing this review EXTREMELY late but I really couldn't care less; this story absolutely hit the spot for me, whatever impossible-to-please/please-don't-put-your-politics-in-my-comic-books fanboys may think of Ta Nehisi Coates' "SJW" leanings.
For one thing, Waid's almost flippantly inconsequential six-issue run ultimately failed both as the heavy-handed political commentary it was conceived as, and as a part of Captain America's greater narrative. While I was kind to some of the individual issues, reading all of it now just really makes me sad that one of my favorite writer-artist teams ended their Marvel tenure on such a weak note.
Here, Coates dives headlong into the consequences of Captain America having been the face of HYDRA, and while that may be slightly problematic from a continuity aspect (i.e. why didn't people seem to mind back when Waid was writing the book) it does feel like a much more organic response to a really big status quo shakeup. I also really liked the not-so-subtle references to Cap's brief but pivotal appearance in the now-legendary "Born Again" Daredevil storyline by Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli in which the character of Nuke was actually introduced. Nuke was basically the avatar of America's Reagan-era foreign policy, deployed (at the time) in Latin American hotbeds like Nicaragua, which made Wilson Fisk's act of siccing him on Daredevil and ripping an entire civilian neighborhood to shreds in the process particularly horrific. He may have appeared in many comics since then, but this story clearly hearkens back to that first appearance, particularly with Steve's line that he remains "loyal to nothing but the dream" being a direct callback to Miller's dialogue from that classic story.
I get that Coates' storyline is explicitly political, as is his choice of adversary for Steve in this first issue, but then, so was Ed Brubaker's Winter Soldier storyline, so infusing politics into a storyline does not have to detract from it. I quite enjoyed how Coates explored the damage to Steve's psyche that has resulted from what happened, something that Waid swept aside in one issue, never to mention it again. Rogers has gone from being the poster boy for all that is good about America to one of the least-trusted men in America, and unlike his immediate predecessor on this title, Coates is keenly interested in exploring that concept. That alone is not quite enough to get me hooked, but the way Coates, now more sure-footed in his scripting than he was in his Black Panther issues from two years ago, tells the story hits all the notes for me.
Of course, it helps that this issue boasts extra helpings of some of the very best artwork I've seen from Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho in quite some time. Coates gives them quite a bit to do here, from the shadowy maneuvers of Selene and her mysterious partner in Russia to Cap and his team taking on the squad of Nuke facsimiles, and as much as I hate to wax cliche here, boy do they deliver the goods with some solid action sequences. There's nothing here as off-the-wall insane as the Hulk ripping Wolverine in half, but this is some properly strong work from this team. One of the pitfalls on Coates' Black Panther work was that his artists, whether it was the excellent Brian Stelfreeze or the highly competent Chris Sprouse, didn't really make his battle scenes, which were admittedly few and far between, really jump off the page. Yu, Alanguilan and Go are more than up to that task here.
All told, this book is off to a very, very good start. Coates started off strongly in his run with Black Panther two years ago, only for the later issues to severely taper off in quality, so I'm hoping he holds up here, and that his advocacy, while admirable, doesn't get in the way of effectively telling a story.
9/10
Late Capsule Reviews: Daredevil #605
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Mike Henderson
colored by Matt Milla
Having been sidelined by the shingles for over a week, I've fallen a bit behind on my comics and therefore a bit behind on my reviews. I don't get paid for any of these but it is some genuine, cathartic fun to give my two cents on these things.
First off is Daredevil #605, which was out over a week ago but which I only just picked up. It concludes Charles Soule's and Mike Henderson's five-part story arc in which Matt Murdock finds himself acting mayor of New York City after a deadly assault on Wilson Fisk by the Hand itself, led by the Beast. It's a story that started off strong, and introduced an interesting new group of supporting players in the form of the Order of Dragons.
Following the cliffhanger of last issue, though, this issue ends on a fairly predictable note, without much by way of narrative flourish. Both Soule and Henderson tie the story up somewhat neatly, and even manage to address Wilson Fisk's avowed war on costumed vigilantes somewhat conclusively.
At a time when comics are floundering in the marketplace compared to their filmed adaptations, I was hoping for a finish that had a bit more pizzazz. Soule, in particular, knows how to deliver strong finales, as he did when Matt Murdock won his court case to have superheroes' testimony rendered admissible in courts of law, or even when he definitively explained how he was able to put Matt Murdock's secret identity genie back in the bottle. In short, while Soule's run may not have had quite the impact that Mark Waid's did, this guy has shown the ability to deliver some pretty strong finales to story lines, and yet, for some reason, this one just felt somewhat rote, as if Soule ran out of ideas and just decided to trot out whatever felt the most convenient.
Still, he definitely leaves room for more adventures starring the Order of the Dragon, who, to my mind, were the single biggest new element introduced in this story, and depending on who ends up writing and drawing that book, it may well be worth picking up someday.
7/10
drawn by Mike Henderson
colored by Matt Milla
Having been sidelined by the shingles for over a week, I've fallen a bit behind on my comics and therefore a bit behind on my reviews. I don't get paid for any of these but it is some genuine, cathartic fun to give my two cents on these things.
First off is Daredevil #605, which was out over a week ago but which I only just picked up. It concludes Charles Soule's and Mike Henderson's five-part story arc in which Matt Murdock finds himself acting mayor of New York City after a deadly assault on Wilson Fisk by the Hand itself, led by the Beast. It's a story that started off strong, and introduced an interesting new group of supporting players in the form of the Order of Dragons.
Following the cliffhanger of last issue, though, this issue ends on a fairly predictable note, without much by way of narrative flourish. Both Soule and Henderson tie the story up somewhat neatly, and even manage to address Wilson Fisk's avowed war on costumed vigilantes somewhat conclusively.
At a time when comics are floundering in the marketplace compared to their filmed adaptations, I was hoping for a finish that had a bit more pizzazz. Soule, in particular, knows how to deliver strong finales, as he did when Matt Murdock won his court case to have superheroes' testimony rendered admissible in courts of law, or even when he definitively explained how he was able to put Matt Murdock's secret identity genie back in the bottle. In short, while Soule's run may not have had quite the impact that Mark Waid's did, this guy has shown the ability to deliver some pretty strong finales to story lines, and yet, for some reason, this one just felt somewhat rote, as if Soule ran out of ideas and just decided to trot out whatever felt the most convenient.
Still, he definitely leaves room for more adventures starring the Order of the Dragon, who, to my mind, were the single biggest new element introduced in this story, and depending on who ends up writing and drawing that book, it may well be worth picking up someday.
7/10
Thursday, July 12, 2018
Earth's Mightiest Exposition: A Review of The Avengers #4
written by Jason Aaron
penciled by Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Morales,
colored by David Curiel
The Avengers go in search of a weapon that will help them stop the Dark Celestials, with Thor and She-Hulk traveling to Asgard to get Odin to spill secrets, and with Iron Man and Doctor Strange traveling to Olympia, the home of the Eternals, where a shocking sight awaits them. Meanwhile, Loki explains to the captive Captain America the unsettling truth behind the origins of humanity.
For a title that was supposed to "refresh" Marvel's most valuable intellectual property at the moment (as evidenced by the over $2 billion worldwide take of Avengers: Infinity War), this book sure is doing a poor job of it. Having squandered the first couple of issues on pointless action sequences involving Ghost Rider and a few gratuitous money shots, Jason Aaron plays catch up with his exposition here, and the pacing suffers for it. Oh, and I wasn't at all a fan of the off-panel deaths of a bunch of rather important characters who are actually being considered for their own feature film. I suppose it'll be undone fairly easily, but then, that just makes this story all the more disposable.
While Paco Medina, who takes the lead on art chores here, does a much better job than he did last issue, which he really seemed to rush out the door, I still found myself missing Ed McGuinness, who pops up on a select few pages.
Knowing Marvel, this first arc probably won't even really end the story it's telling, but let's wait and see what happens. If nothing else, I'll at least have David Marquez to get me through the next story arc (I hope).
5/10
penciled by Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Morales,
colored by David Curiel
The Avengers go in search of a weapon that will help them stop the Dark Celestials, with Thor and She-Hulk traveling to Asgard to get Odin to spill secrets, and with Iron Man and Doctor Strange traveling to Olympia, the home of the Eternals, where a shocking sight awaits them. Meanwhile, Loki explains to the captive Captain America the unsettling truth behind the origins of humanity.
For a title that was supposed to "refresh" Marvel's most valuable intellectual property at the moment (as evidenced by the over $2 billion worldwide take of Avengers: Infinity War), this book sure is doing a poor job of it. Having squandered the first couple of issues on pointless action sequences involving Ghost Rider and a few gratuitous money shots, Jason Aaron plays catch up with his exposition here, and the pacing suffers for it. Oh, and I wasn't at all a fan of the off-panel deaths of a bunch of rather important characters who are actually being considered for their own feature film. I suppose it'll be undone fairly easily, but then, that just makes this story all the more disposable.
While Paco Medina, who takes the lead on art chores here, does a much better job than he did last issue, which he really seemed to rush out the door, I still found myself missing Ed McGuinness, who pops up on a select few pages.
Knowing Marvel, this first arc probably won't even really end the story it's telling, but let's wait and see what happens. If nothing else, I'll at least have David Marquez to get me through the next story arc (I hope).
5/10
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