Coffee and Capes

Just another fun morning in the Lane/Kent household.

Source: Superman #678 (DC Comics)
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Marvel Capsule Reviews Week 30 2008

A celebration of Mutant Kitsch in Uncanny X-Men #500, the new Sinister, Swierczynski's Mortal Iron Fist, a second chance for the New Warriors, Christos Gage's Thunderbolts, Wolverine leading Alpha Flight, the usual Secret Invasion fillers, Ultimate X-Junkies, Hulk dog-sitting Cerberus...

You bet we have a lot to cover!


ANGEL: REVELATIONS #3

(Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa / Adam Pollina)

Warren finally reveals his wings, and it's a true spectacle to see their beauty and grandeur through Adam Pollina's dynamic designs and storytelling. I don't really mind how the plot has suddenly crawled to a halt as we prepare for the final confrontations between pedophile priests, school rivals, disgruntled old girlfriends and mutant-hunters - I would love another 48 pages of Angel simply hovering in a room and flying over frozen lakes...

8/10




AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #15 (SI)

(Dan Slott & Christos N. Gage / Harvey Tolibao)

The cast of the Initiative join the pitched NY battle from Secret Invasion #1 (hey, it's not that tough to coordinate a crossover when it only really has two battles running concurrently throughout its duration), while the writers focus on the team's 'good' secret Skrull member (all cool super-teen teams need one): the Crusader.

The writers have brought an amazing dynamic to the character's situation. He's a renegade Skrull who's turned his back to his alien race to become a real hero for Earth. The twist? when he discovers a nefarious Skrull infiltrator Yellowjacket on the superhero training grounds, he can't expose him without revealing his true nature as well, so he uses his (way cool) power ring to alter reality in his close proximity and reverse the polarity of 3D-Man's Skrull-revealing goggles - now the 3D-Man thinks everyone BUT Crusader and Yellowjacket are Skrulls and he races to warn the others - as the rest of the team head to NY.

Slott and Gage retell Crusader's origins from Marvel Team-Up, and embellish with more details of his time on the Skrull HomeWorld, and his first days on Earth. The emotional core of the story deals with this man coming face to face with the world he betrayed and standing by his choice even in the face of the racist attitude of the men he respects towards his race - handled very subtly and almost lost in the heat of the battle.
8.5/10







IMMORTAL IRON FIST #17

(Duane Swierczynski / Travel Foreman & Russ Heath)

'The Mortal Iron Fist' part 1. Happy 33rd Birthday Danny Rand! Oh, say, did you ever notice when you were reading all those legends of the 65 Iron Fists before you... how they all seem to die slightly shy of their 34th candle? Funny, huh...

Swierczynski picks up right where Fraction & Brubaker left off -- or did they adjust their stories to allow for his creative direction? Danny has survived the war on K'un Lun, he's trying to figure out his relationship with his 'girlfriend', he's bent on fuelling his billion-dollar empire into charity work, and he's mainly desperate to know if he has more than a year left to accomplish all of the above. Swierczynski impressed me with this first offering, mainly because of my abysmally low expectations coming from his rather poor work on the Cable relaunch. Here, he has an excellent command on plot pacing, he uses flashbacks (and a surprising flash-forward) weaved into the main narrative to emphasize the level of threat (could we really be looking at a new man under theyellow hood after this storyline?), and he captures Danny's new voice from the beginning of his run.

Travel Foreman is a departure from the more quiet and classic illustrators of the previous run, but brings a definite sense of power and dynamic to the character; the first time Danny uses his Iron Fist in the issue - and the glorious Dragonball-inspired energy effect he uses-- I guarantee you'll be left with your jaw hanging! The editors continue to wisely use different artists for the flashback and modern sequences to make them more distinct and also alleviate the workload and schedule of the main book artist. Russ Heath handles the flashback to the 'cowboy'-era Iron Fist's adventures.

Here's to a long and healthy run!

8/10





MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #38

(Chris Eliopoulos / Graham Nolan)

Don't let this cover fool you. Unlike MA: Avengers - which does feature a ridiculous fun cosmic baseball game with Galactus- there is no cosmic football to be enjoyed on the surface of the moon within these pages. Instead, we get the Thing narrating a didactic tale of Reed's continuing guilt over the space cosmic rays accident, and his fight against a generic space conqueror, in the form of a letter to his hot Aunt Petunia.

It's a decent filler story, with great Graham Nolan art, but without any of the funny and the zanity I've come to expect from this title.

6/10




MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #1

(Paul Tobin / Alvin Lee / Terry Pallot)

Hercules dupes the three amigos Iron-Man, Spidey and the Hulk (oyboy) to dog-sit the mythical (and giant) Greek puppies Cerberus and Orthus, while he goes out scoring chicks. You know what to expect here... Iron Man ends up a a giant metal chew toy, Spidey trains the multi-headed dogs, dumb Hulk almost has some funny moments and the action (of course) explodes in the inevitable canine beauty pageant. Lots of fun ideas flying around, but still nothing laugh-out-loud to keep.

5.5/10







NEW AVENGERS #43 (SI)

(Brian Bendis / Billy Tan / Danny Mikki)

Now, this is just an utter waste of an issue. Bendis has a strong emotional core for this story, the shattering tragedy of the Skrull warrior who absolutely believes himself to be the human Captain America coming to terms with his reality. Unfortunately, his story is lost within the tedious retelling of yet another Skrull replacement ceremony, the queen's pointing out the flaws in the plot structure (i.e. the Skrulls not having access to Cap's DNA or memories) without offering a pleasing explanation, half-assed page-wasting battles and Billy Tan's utter inability to express emotion in his characters.

Bendis keeps gliding along with the false belief that readers are actually questioning if characters like Cap, or Phoenix, Beast or that Emma are actually Skrulls on the ship, and his splash-page revelations are actually shocking and surprising... Apart from Mockingbird and the eventual (actual) revelation that leather jacket Luke is the real deal, I don't even have doubts for any of the passengers of the 80s ship that crash-landed in the Savage Land...

4.5/10





NEW WARRIORS #14 (SI)

(Kevin Grevioux / Koi Turnbull / Sam Regla)

'Invaded' part 1. As much as I firmly believe this is the single worst super-hero book of this decade, I do feel a bit for writer Kevin Grevioux. He showed with Young Avengers Presents that he does actually know how to write an interesting teen super-team, he's gone on record in conventions saying that the concept and cast of c-rate ex-mutants playing dress-up was basically forced on him, and I hear from middle parties that Marvel simply won't let him do the stuff he really wants to with this title. Is it the simply the editor's fault then? Judging from some of the recent fill-in artist choices, I wouldn't be surprised... Still, it would take a lot of editorial interference to turn even a half-decent script into the pile of poo that is the standard for this title.

(oh, yeah, I LOVE reviewing this title almost as much as I hate reading it)

This issue kicks off the necessary Secret Invasion tie-in. I figured this would be a good jumping-on point to give the title a second chance... Oh boy, was I wrong!


The story opens up with the team hanging out in their civvies in a cafeteria. Now seriously, the book has such a huge cast, they don't even fit on the same table: 11 teens not even counting their leader. Surprisingly, there's not a single caption, or even a dialogue cue to identify any of them apart from the main three (Jubilee, Jono and Sofia) - heck some of them don't even get lines this issue! What is the point of drowning the book down with all these E-list nobodies if you don't even acknowledge their presence. I'm vaguely familiar with them from the first arc, but I still couldn't remember all their names, let alone connect them to their generic super-hero identities and their powers.

When the new Night Thrasher (the original's brother) sees footage of the Skrull invasion in New York his first response is to assemble the team and help save lives to assume that his dead brother and teammates were really Skrulls and set out to visit one of his old hideouts to see if he's there (yes, let's play 'leap of logic' altogether now). At the location he gets ambushed by Justice's New Warriors leftovers (from the pages of Avengers: Initiative) who also have nothing better to do (hint: deal with an alien invasion?) than punch an old teammate around.

As one last insult to the 22 pages of injury, I've attached the most nonsensical sequence in the issue, where an entire panel is repeated and shrank on two continuous pages in a very crude attempt to create -- ok, you got me there, I have no idea, and it really is glaring in its amateurishness...

Cancel! Cancel! Cancel!

2/10

SKRULLS! ONE-SHOT (SI)

A scarily comprehensive Handbook-style listing of all Skrulls to ever appear in any Marvel book, including a lot of favourites, and a multitude of second- and third- stringers. I simply cannot fathom the amount of research that has gone into this book. Great work!


THUNDERBOLTS #122 (SI)

(Christos N. Gage / Fernando Blanco)

'Running the Asylum' part 1. Christos Gage finally flies solo on an actual in-series storyline after Ellis' closing arc. He's heavily referential of both Ellis' closing storyline (which pitted the members of the team against each other), the team's previous incarnations (cleverly picking up on Songbird's relationship with Captain Marvel's straight son Genis - whom he's utterly unaware of), and his own one-shots through last year -- unfortunately so, since I'm unsure how many people actually bothered reading as they felt as simple filler material at the time, but are now all brought in as actual plot fuel.

Gage doesn't waste any time in this issue; he re-introduces the cast for the new readers who might be picking up the title because of the Secret Invasion tie-in (hear that, New Warriors editorial?) through a pitched battle with a seriously amped-up Swarm (minus the fun lissssp); he covers the story-up-to-now seamlessly through the dialogue; he even has time to prove to the unbelievers (guilty as charged) that he does belong on this title, by picking up an errant incest thread from Ellis and resolving it in an innovative way (think of it as a 180-degree Loeb maneuver): Andreas Strucker's twin sister returns mysteriously (gee, in a Secret Invasion tie-in issue? I wonder...), and we take a closer look at their relationship dynamic, Andreas' subordinance (leading to a horrifying self-mutilation surprise) and what really happens in their bedroom.
7.5/10





ULTIMATE X-MEN #96

(Aron E. Coleite / Clay Mann & Brandon Peterson / Carlos Cuevas & Brandon Peterson)

'Ultimate Power' part 3. You know, I think I actually preferred when it was just Robert Kirkman sucking on this title. It was a comfortable level of suckage that you could learn to accept -- compared to this new unfathomable level of suckage that only a 'Heroes' TV show writer could introduce us too.

Some (undefined) time has passed from last issue's shocking ending, Northstar is dead, and Colossus' X-Men team are full-fledged drug addicts living on the run and hitting Acolytes teams for their dose of Banshee (the power-enhancing drug). Yeah, exactly: 'WHAT?!?'

It's one thing to actually show some character development, a didactic plot, the subtle downward spiral of a person becoming addicted to a drug. Coleite chooses to fast-track straight to the end of the road, skipping any sensible characterisation and explanation. Didn't he reveal Colossus has actually secretly been on this drug since before his first appearance - spending years without going stark-raving addict? I could understand Northstar's shamelessly wasteful death pushing the Russian over the edge, but what's the others' excuse for keeling over in a matter of days/weeks? It all reads like a rushed plot device to get the X-Men to fight between themselves while sacrificing any potential for nuanced characterisations in favour of a blunt 'drugs are bad' message.

The one interesting aspect I'll admit is addressing Kirkman's leaving gift: Phoenix' scary new power levels (resurrecting fallen teammates with a wave of her hand), although failing to actually give the perspective and feelings of the actual resurrected parties.


The art is handled by yet another last minute replacement artist, working with the excellent Brandon Peterson. I do remember the days not that long ago when Ultimate X-Men was the shining beacon of editorial excellence, amazing writing and kick-ass art. When editors would plan ahead and assign each story arc to a specific artist, to keep a consistent look and feel to the story for the collections. Why has this book gone to the shitter, and why won't someone please pull the plug?

4/10



UNCANNY X-MEN #500

(Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction / Greg Land & Terry Dodson / Jay Leisten & Rachel Dodson)

'SFX' part 1.

Hurray for Fraction!

Matt Fraction joins his frequent collaborator to breathe fresh air into the most stagnated of the current X-Men titles (well, ok, not counting any Claremont books). As brilliant Brubaker really is in crime noir, and urban super-hero and spy comics, he really is a fish out of water when it comes to the more sci-fi and traditionally super-hero elements of the spandex set. His run has been a continuous oddly paced and uninteresting mess. Even in this issue, it's fairly easy to pick out the Fraction bits from the rest of the issue.

The issue ushers in the new era of X-history: the X-Men have moved into their new home in San Fransisco which is now declared a safe heaven for all mutants and a sort of embassy to the surviving mutant nation/race. It's a bold new direction, and I'm excited about it, just because it's something new and untried.


What I liked:

• the promise of a brighter X-Future and teases of upcoming storylines (linking to Whedon's tease of an 'Evolutionary War' in recent Runaways issues),
• Cyclops officially taking full reign with the hairs-on-edge 'To Me My X-Men' moment,
• the celebration of Mutant Kitsch,
• Angel back in the forefront of the team and being a formidable asset,
• the Lobdell approach to refreshing old concepts, with the Hellfire Cult and Sisterhood of Evil Mutants as early indicatives,
• certain elements of Magneto's power and authority,
  
• the beautiful Alex Ross cover,

What made me go 'meh':

• the poor overall treatment of Magneto, being a parody of himself, taking him back to the retconned Morrison appearances, and contradicting the recent excellent appearance in X-Men Legacy,
• Cyclops actually saying :

• Greg Land still getting work with his soulless characters and blatantly swiped fashion magazine faces (only working briefly here when it was supposed to be celebrities and unknowns dressed like X-Men),
• the famously swiped Greg Land cover,
• Terry Dodson not getting enough recognition and playing second fiddle,
• the way the new Astonishing Bianchi costume designs are forced on all the artists of the X-Men line, when noone else could possibly make them work on the page -- Angel as a glaring example,
• the unsatisfied non-event feeling after finishing the issue -- Marvel hasn't produced a proper worthwhile anniversary issue in years

7.5/10





WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #5

(Fred Van Lente / Clayton Henry)

A flashback story featuring Wolverine leading a select early Alpha Flight team on a mission. I'll admit I was excited at the prospect of seeing the Scott Lobdell retconned First Flight members (Stitch, Saint Elmo etc) after they were shown on the cast screen, but unfortunately Wolvie went for the popular choices of Snowbird, Aurora and Shaman. Still, any Alpha Flight is a good treat (well, apart from the new Weapon Omega). Van Lente creates a fun infiltration mission for them, utilising all their talents, though going a bit overboard on the characterisation. Clayton Henry is actually doing a more remarkable job on the team here, than when he was handling the art on vol. 3 of the series. Could we hope for a return of Alpha Flight classic?

6/10






X-MEN: LEGACY #214

(Mike Carey / Scot Eaton & Ken Lashley / Andrew Hennessy & Paul Neary)

Mister Sinister is reborn inside the body of Xavier, and it's up to Gambit, Sebastian Shaw and the deadly senile Ms Mueller to put things right.

Carey is writing a tribute run to the glory of the X-90s. Remember, it wasn't all 'the Twelve' and 'Cerebro gone wild', we still ha our AoA, and our silly years-spanning storylines and fun new concepts running around. Carey here creates a loving bookend to the dangling Black Womb storyline from Nicieza's X-Men, Gambit and X-Men Forever runs - making sense of the haze and condusion, keeping it unbelievably new reader-friendly and reimagining Sinister in an... -ahem- interesting new fashion. It keeps to a disturbingly predictable recent Marvel trend, but just by the virtue of the new name it was really begging to happen a loooong time ago!

8/10



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100 + 1 Uses for a Cancelled DC Hero

...the truly sad part is, this is the most useful he's actually been since they shoehorned Firestorm into the Justice League.

Source: Superman/Batman #50 (DC Comics)
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DC Capsule Reviews Week 29 2008

Jason Aaron rules this week with the two best Vertigo books in a long long while. Batgirl and Flash are faring better outside their solo books, and the Bat-villains go solo: Two-Face, Poison Ivy and the Tangent Joker!

Plus, because you requested it: Simon Dark!



BATGIRL #1

(Adam Beechen / J. Calafiore / Mark McKenna & Jonathan Glapion)

'Redemption Road' part 1. Second time's the charm, right?

The 'leather' Batgirl Cassandra Cain gets her ongoing running again following her successful appearances in 'Teen Titans', 'Robin', and 'Batman & the Outsiders'. Apart from some disjointed instances, I have never been too familiar with the character, and I was always confused about her history, her fluctuating loyalties and her seemingly unending line of sisters.

This first issue is mostly devoid of plot and focused on reintroducing Cassandra to new readers. This info dump starts off nice and nuanced, but things get blunter and thicker than a rushed Wikipedia entry by the end of the issue, as Batman, Robin and Nightwing simply start reciting her biography to each other (in her presence); If you're going to waste a whole issue on this, don't just randomly summarise and push under the carpet -- Show us who this girl is, her history, and why we should care enough to buy the next issue; If we don't need to know every excruciating bit of her continuity to enjoy her first new story, don't swamp us in every painful detail about every Batgirl appearance since her last cancellation...
I was completely lost because of the sheer amount of information, the writers' desperate attempts to chalk up every badly characterised moment to drugs and mental manipulation, and the fact that it's all force-fed to the reader in the space of two pages, with no visual cues whatsoever...

6/10

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #9

(Chuck Dixon / Julian Lopez / Bit)

Another excellent issue from Chuck Dixon, doing some of his finest work on this book, and Julian Lopez who simply jumps a league from 'excellent' to 'breath-taking' this month with his Looker art piece and the subtle details in his storytelling (a trail of wind-swept leaves leading the reader's eye through the page):

Yes, Looker, another of the original series Outsiders making a triumphant return, in her new vampiric state. Could my fave sweetheart 'Halo' be also due for a return from beyond?

The issue is filled with enjoyable moments, from Metamorpho escaping his pursuers by flushing himself down the toilet, to the increasingly enjoyable Remac ventriloquist act, and the players feeling more and more like a close-knit team/family.

8/10




BIRDS OF PREY #120

(Tony Bedard / Michael O'Hare / John Floyo)

Oh, dear, will someone please send mr Bedard a copy of the Manhunter trades so he can see how Kate actually thinks and operates? It's a pain to see her so cocky and abrasive here - picking a fight with Black Canary, being cocky about her abilities (to the leader of the JLA? Really?), bragging about her fights with Wonder Woman and Cheshire... Maybe he read the issues, but didn't really get the point?

So, yeah, Black Canary is back in the pages, and it looks like she's here to stay as a semi-regular. We're also introduced to new member Infinity, a cypher of a character so far, with an interesting visual and some funky ghost abilities. Bedard seems to have a solid hold on Barbara and her shady antiques, and a solid eye for action. With the big J showing up after a long time, it will be a major 'make or break' move for his run on the title; especially with the big gun artist Nicola Scott trailing off after Gail on Secret Six, he's left alone to take all the weight.

7.5/10

DC/WILDSTORM: DREAMWAR #4

(Keith Giffen / Lee Garbett & Trevor Scott)

Things finally make sense as Giffen gives a wowzer of a meta-physical (and very Authorit-arian) explanation behind the DC heroes crossing over to Wildstorm. I'm very impressed with the concept, even if it takes a few minutes to wrap my head around it.

I can't say the same about the battles themselves. They still have no real meat to them, as there's little focus on the person-to-person dynamics and interactions and more generic blasts and punches - that's why the Wonder Woman / Wetworks stand-off stands out from the issue, with the Vampires standing in awe in front of the Amazon Princess because of her sheer presence.

7/10

FINAL CRISIS: ROGUES' REVENGE #1

(Geoff Johns / Scott Kolins)

Geoff Johns is so sneaky.

Here he swoops in, famous Flash collaborator Scott Kolins in hand, taking the entire mess that is the Flash franchise since his departure (oh you know: Kid Flash Bart Allen getting further artificially aged into taking over as the Flash after Wally's 'death', Bilson/DeMeo/Lashley totally f***ing up the relaunch, leading to a very early cancellation, Bart accidentally murdered by the Rogues due to his future clone Inertia's machinations, Wally coming back with his Flash Family...), and making it seem like a really well-oiled and thought out plan spanning 5 years of publishing. I'm even actually inclined to believe him, apart from the part involving that horrid Flash series - why would DC deliberately relaunch a franchise under an incapable team with the express purpose of it floundering and getting canceled?

Oh, anyway...

After Bart's death, the Rogues (Captain Cold, Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, Mirror Master) have been public enemy number one. As they explain to their newest recruit here, there are unwritten rules in the hero-villain game - namely, you can hit them all you want, but it's really dumb to kill one of them and get their combined ire on your back (mirroring the treatment of cop-killers in police drama).

Johns reintroduces his cast (whom he himself developed into interesting three-dimensional characters during his run by devoting separate origin issues to each one), plays around in their heads, recaps the entire sordid Bart Allen mess, re-introduces Piep Piper in the mix after his 'Countdown' nightmare, catches up with events in Final Crisis #1-2, checks up on Inertia (the teenage brat mastermind behind Bart's death, now immobilized by the Flash as a living statue in the Flash museum), hints at Barry Allen's return, and provides a heck of a teaser for the future of the Flash legend in the whopper of a cliffhanger. Hot Damn!

9/10

THE FLASH #242

(Tom Peyer / Freddie Williams III)

'Spin' part . The tragedy of the Flash's situation, watching his daughter age rapidly into oblivion because of the speed force connection she inherited from his, was really getting to me emotionally this issue - until the so-obvious 'reset' switch appeared, and I kind of groaned and went back to square one, moping about Freddie Williams still having a regular art gig...

I mean, seriously, what other artist has difficulty differentiating a 15-year old from a 30, 40 and 50-year old character design?

6.5/10







HELLBLAZER #246

(Jason Aaron / Sean Murphy / Lee Loughridge)

'Newcastle Calling' part 2 of 2. A group of young journalists doing a documentary on John Constantine and his old punk band 'Mucous Membrane' stumble open a badly buried nightmare, which traps them and the whole city of Newcastle into a quietly paranoid homicidal state. Constantine is drawn to the city to set things right, but it may be too late to do anything but bear silent witness to the dying moments of the innocents caught in the wake of one more of his messes.

Aaron relies on the dialogue nuances and the graphic sequences to convey to the reader what a solitary character like Constantine fails to communicate voluntarily. There is immense desperation and sadness in the voice that tries to remain apathetic and compassionate. I can't really recount any instance where I genuinely felt a horrific chill and such emotive pain from reading a comic book story, as he pushes the envelope both in the raw emotion, and the horror and gore he narrates with suggestive images and spine-chilling prose detail.

Definitely the best Constantine story you will read this year.

9.5/10

THE JOKER'S ASYLUM: POISON IVY #1

(JT Krull / Guillem March)

A passable on-the-surface examining of Poison Ivy's methods and madness, keeping close to the treaded grass, trying to mirror her famously creepy 'toxic kiss' (but failing to the effect) and desperately resorting to an over-the-top axe-murderer finale.

Let's just keep the beautiful panel grid designs and chilling storytelling innovation in the hatchet scene from Guillem March -- and track down the John Francis Moore Batman: Poison Ivy one-shot from a decade back for a real diverse take on ms Isley.

6/10

SCALPED #19

(Jason Aaron / Davide Furno)

'The Boudoir Stomp' part 1. You'd think after the sheer amount of praise I have for Jason Aaron every week, I'd have run out of words by now...

Scalped has been described by Vertigo as 'Sopranos set in an indian reservation', which may actually be even doing this title a disservice. Dash Bad Horse is the black sheep coming back to the reservation to work as 'tribe policeman' for the Tribe Chief/Mob boss/Casino runner. Things aren't that easy though. The boss has a romantic history and criminal history with Dash's activist mother; Dash himself is fucking the boss' whore of a daughter; he's also secretly working for the Feds - who want to put the boss behind bars, and also find evidence linking his mother to an unsolved murder some decades ago... Hooked yet?

This issue focuses on Dash's 'relationship' with Carol, the intimacy two solitary people like them share in bed, the feelings they communicate without talking, and the worries they don't dare voice, relating to their families, their insecurities and their weaknesses. Aaron again sets the atmosphere of the scene with minimal dialogue, and simple silent sequences (rewarded for the trust he allows each of his artists). I'm always amazed how easily each key sequence functions completely independently from the context of the issue or the title in conveying the emotional core of the characters.

Vertigo editors were too late to realise the future of Vertigo was right here in their hands before they let Marvel whisk him away with an exclusive contract...

9/10

SIMON DARK #10

(Steve Niles / Scott Hampton)

Uh-what?

I've been holding off reading/reviewing this title because I'd been unable to track down #2-3 anywhere online (yeah, that means Uncle Demonoid and DCP) or in comics stores. After a reader request, I gave the current week's issue a try, hoping I wasn't too lost - let's call this the 'new reader friendliness test'...

...which this issue failed with flying colours! I have no idea who the title character is, I don't know what his powers are, I have no idea who his brother is, or his nasty adversary, or why he's targetting that other family whose welfare is linked somehow to their sick child that only Simon can save.

But still, I dug the issue. It has stunning painted art by Scott Hampton, an insanely fun action sequence (using a mind-controlled floating stone to impale a roomful of satanists? bring it on!), some mad killer moves and most importantly: a quirky mysterious protagonist that keeps my interest just by virtue of his insane 'serial killer' mismatch appearance (part Freddie Krueger, part Leatherface - still adorable) and this odd vibe that reminded me of very early Madman (the eyeball-chewing days, if you're familiar), if he was designed as a tribute towards horror instead of pop super-heroics.

Oh, and hey, I just found a torrent of #1-7... Stay tuned!

7/10



TANGENT: SUPERMAN'S REIGN #5

(Dan Jurgens & Ron Marz / Jamal Igle & Fernando Pasarin / Robin Riggs & Matt Banning)

Earth-Tangent Power Girl mops the floor with the remaining Secret Six and New Earth's Justice League, while Tangent Joker gets the special spotlight origin in the back of the issue with trully gorgeous pin-up illustrations from JSA's Fernando Pasarin.

In case you missed the joke on your first read through, check out the Tangent Earth's 'Kissing Cousins': Power Girl and Superman:


8/10






TINY TITANS #6

(Art Baltazar & Franco)

Supergirl and Blue Beetle join the Titans - only to discover they have to put up with the replacement dorky Titans East while the popular kids are out on a camping trip. Also starring little goth girl Raven, and a meeting of the Tiny Legion of Super-Pets!


It's a treat to witness Baltazar's cute take on Titans continuity (even when he's referencing something as bloody as the Titans East oneshot) each month, and an even bigger joy when you get something like the big pin-up poster of all the Titans from the first 6 issues in one big spread.

7/10





TRINITY #7

(Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza / Mark Bagley & Tom Derenick / Art Thibert & Wayne Faucher)

Superman (channeling Busiek's ongoing thesis) muses more on the nature of their Trinity (Brain/Heart/Will, Magic/Science/Humanity, Tomorrow/Yesterday/Present, Guardian/Warrior/Avenger), Hawkman and Gangbuster arrive to the Watchtower to connect the dots on this whole plot (I'm impressed it all came together as fast as it did), Morganna and Enigma finally recruit Despero, and Firestorm gets the live wiki story on Krona (don't you just love it when Busiek includes JLA/Avengers as canon, but obviously can't refer to the Marvel characters so he just calls them '...and others')

A very enjoyable issue, even if it was only taking heads and no action.

8/10




TWO-FACE YEAR ONE #1

(Mark Sable / Jesus Saiz & Jeremy Haun / Jimmy Palmiotti)

A very well-produced new examination on the origin of Two-Face (most famously explored in Batman: Long Halloween), this time from the POV of Harvey Dent and the GCPD, focusing more on his characterisation, the roots of the bipolar personality before the scarification , and his war against the Gotham mafia families -- treating the holiday killer as a mere backdrop element. Readers already familiar with the story will find a lot of rich new elements added to the story, while new readers will be treated to a completely self-contained story.

I'll admit I enjoyed this telling of the origin more than any previous story, being reminiscent of a much-missed DC gem: Gotham Central.

9/10


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Leaked Wolverine Movie Trailer

Thanks to the boys from Comic-Con for spreading the love!



This could actually turn into a decent movie, as I see they decided to stay away from spandex OR leather uniforms. The trailer features:

SPOILERS:

Deadpool
Blob
Gambit
and...

Emma Frost?
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Panel of the Week Voting Weeks 27-29 2008

Our Greek Lover ruled the voting with 48% last week, so we're doing a special-length piece on Herc's expoits with a video-clip further down in the column!

This week, an array of fun panels, some more ludicrous than others:

Panel A

Literally, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Marvel Adventures Avengers #26)

Panel B

...There isn't. (Manhunter #32)

Panel C

Ba-da-bing (Batman & The Outsiders #9)

Panel D

Some classics never go out of style (Ghost Rider #22)

Panel E

...that about sums it up (Marvel Adventures: Hulk #13)

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Buffy The Animated Series Pilot-Teaser

Found today (thanks again to Tom Huxley): short pilot/teaser for the aborted Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series
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Marvel Capsule Reviews Week 29 2008

Spidey sings the DD theme song, Ghost Rider takes to the Good Book, Archangel is feeling blue, Longshot gets lucky, Hercules as well, Sue with Namor even more so, Captain America becomes a Queen... and the Avengers challenge Galactus to a Texas Hold'Em tournament!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #566

(Mark Guggenheim / Phil Jiminez / Mark Pennington)

'Kraven's First Hunt' part 2. I don't care what you nay-sayers are hung-up on, this is fun stuff. The new Eva Longoria Kraven has tracked down Spidey to his appartment, and abducted him - well, kinda. See, she kinda has the math wrong, figuring that hottie latino cop flatmate Vince Gonzales is Spidey; in turn, this leaves our boy Pete without threads (what with Kraven stealing his only pair), thinking his roomie has found out his secret, and heading to DD for a spandex loan so he can investigate without resorting to the good ol' Amazing Bag-Man disguise.

The fine mess of misunderstandings the storyline is based on is rackety at best, and doesn't hold up to close examination. Spidey has only one costume? He keeps it under his bed? His first instinct was to visit Murdock (who of course doesn't, know his identity now - even though the implicit mutual trust between these two was always the basis of their unique dynamic and relationship)? Spidey needed to dress up as another outlaw super-hero to get to the police station?

Still, it's worth squinting at all that for the joy of seeing Spidey make the most out of his 'Dress as another super-hero' day, see my old favourite Vermin (and hey, no boobs on him, a Marvel First) and have genuine excitement and suspense for the resolution of this...

8/10






FOOLKILLER: WHITE ANGELS #1

(Gregg Hurwicz / Paul Azaceta)

A second mini-series featuring the new vigilante Foolkiller, with the trademark gimmick of leaving a Tarot 'Fool' card on his criminal victims; without having read the original series, his setup and M.O. seemed altogether too similar to Frank Castle, Punisher - hopefully with Frank guest-starring next issue, the creators are aware of these similarities and they will be addressed and resolved.

The first issue barely features Foolkiller, instead focusing on a young black kid who's just finished serving time and is looking to start fresh with a new job - which unwittingly makes him a target for the White Angels - an organised racist group with a similar gimmick to Foolkiller himself.

The concept and insecurity don't go anywhere further than your typical crime story - although the potential for going for some real impactful drama was there.

6.5/10

GHOST RIDER #25

(Jason Aaron / Tan Eng Huat / Jose Villarubia)

'God don't Live On Cell Block D' conclusion. When Jason Aaron decides to do action, you just know it's going to be so deliciously over-the-top, in-your-face symbolic and just downright fun and nasty... Inside prison, Ghost Rider faces off against a steroid-pumped, hillbilly, religious-crazed Hulk of a man - one who's specially equipped to take him down and impervious to his powers (a real shocker, following from the recent arc's utterly invincible portrayal of Blaze).


The fight gets ugly fast, but Blaze gets the upper hand by literally hitting the bible-thumper with the good book. It's this sort of Tarantino-esque approach that really (finally!) makes this book work. Spread the good word!

9/10

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #119 (SI)

(Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente / Rafael Sandoval / Roger Bonet)

'Sacred Invasion' part 3. It's hilarious that the one Skrull reveal that was the most surprising after Spider-Woman would be... Kirby - the pet dog of Amadeus Cho, Hercules' sidekick!

I think I'll let Nate Cosby's brilliant-as-usual recap page speak for itself:

The 'God Squad' reels from the sabotage, fight a boat-load of dead pantheon gods, and finally meet who all the Skrulls are referring to in the enigmatic 'He Loves You'.

(Plus, the ever-delightful 'morning after a God fling' scene with Hercules and Snowbird, because the writers are geek enough to understand the reader's hidden guilty needs!)

7.5/10

IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #31

(Stuart Moore / Carlo Pagulayan & Steve Kurth / Jeffrey Huet & Andrew Hennessy)

'With Iron Hands' part 3. The confusing plot mess continues to unravel, but little touches shine through nonetheless: the smart, intimate portrayal of Stark's new relationship with his armour through the Extremis (finally purchasing that Warren Ellis trade made all the difference in the world), and -dum dum- Tim Dugan's Flying Commandos!

5.5/10

MARVEL 1985 #3

(Mark Millar / Tommy Lee Edwards)

What happens when 'our' real mundane world becomes invaded by super-villains from a fictional comics universe, and the only one who seems to notice is a young kid?

Well, up until now, that is. The villains start attacking the city in waves, and Millar reminds us just how terrifying and downright 'horror movie' creepy even the lamest-looking of the Marvel Villains can be, when juxtaposed to an everyday ordinary setting. Case in point, my favourite back-chilling sequence from the book as n indication:


9/10

MARVEL ADVENTURES THE AVENGERS #26

(Jeff Parker / Ig Guara / Sandro Ribeiro)

Jeff Parker's return to this book has launched it out of the 'amusing, funny, light-hearted kids' book' niche, and into an exciting, no holds barred irreverent and often ridiculously hilarious direction; the only books I could really compare this to are Ellis' Nextwave and the original Giffen JLI/JLE.

[Check here for a special length plot summary with the best panels of the issue]

Absolutely the most enjoyable, value-for-your-buck, kitsch, quotable book of the week/month/year, which doesn't take itself too seriously and unapologetically takes advantage of every last bit of absurdity the super-hero medium affords it!

Too fun to be legal! Tell your friends!

9/10






MIGHTY AVENGERS #16 (SI)

(Brian Bendis / Khoi Pham / Danny Miki)

My excitement's waning here, as we get another typical 'How they got replaced by Skrulls' story, featuring Elektra.

It's an unneeded waste of a story in a way, as it reveals details that every reader had probably filled in their minds unaided. Elektra fights the Skrull attackers, putting up an impressive resistance before they ultimate cheat and gang-ile on her. Skrullektra then challenges the Hand's leader, kills him and takes over.

Khoi Pham swings between extremes in the art chores this issue: going from beautifully sexy sequences (how can the sight of a Skrull Elektra with a flaming skull and Thing arms be so strangely arousing - for a gay guy even!) and choreographed action, to ugly stale sequences (like the caricature meeting between Skrullektra and the terribly miscoloured Skrull Jessica Drew, whom I easily confused with Jessica Jones thanks to the utter absence of dialogue cues).

It's a definite miss, unless you're a very desperate Secret Invasion groupie...

6/10





MOON KNIGHT #20

(Mike Benson / Mike Deodato Jr.)

A self-contained flashback adventure guest-starring Werewolf By Night, who's found himself captured and exploited by an ambitious dog fight running circuit, and in desperate need of saving by a certain white-cowled vigilante.

The story is a pretty standard smash-and-grab (and smash some more), but it serves as a stylish (Deodato Jr keeps getting better by the day) introduction to new readers. The issue also reprints Moon Knight's first appearances in Werewolf By Night's ongoing title.

6.5/10



ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #56

(Mike Carey / Eric Basaldua / Top Cow Productions)

This is a special public announcement: it's cool to read UFF again, they're back on the groove.

Well, ok, to be fair, it turns out Mike Carey had never really lost it after all -- he was just being too sneaky for his own good; his villains 'the Seven' did look deceivingly average and run-of-the-mill, his ultra-foxy Agatha Harkness didn't look like more of an unconnected distraction to the main plot, and let me assure you, the horrid Top Cow art wasn't helping a bit.

Boy, was I wrong! Everything is connected, the Seven and Agatha turn out to be a brilliant, very Carey take on a mythical villain, all the threads are miraculously connected into a cohesive story, and we even get a stunning look at Ultimate Atlantis as Namor and Sue spend some quality time in the deep.

The art is thankfully passed over to another Top Cow studio artist, Eric Basaldua, who arrives to pretty much save the day; his style reminded me of a more mainstream Steve Pugh, edgy, sexy and filled with surprising details (like seeing little droplets of water on Namor's skin when he steps into Sue's force field cocoon underwater).

7.5/10







X-FACTOR #33 (SI)

(Peter David / Larry Stroman / Jon Sibal)

'He Loves You' part 1. X-Factor Investigations settle in their new Jersey headquarters and streamlined direction. Their first mission: track down Uncanny X-Men's Darwin on behalf of his estranged father. The complications? Darwin's been a bad boy, developing an actual personality (mirrored by that rather loud new fashion sense), and hanging out with poster X-boy of the 80s Longshot (yes, still sporting a mullet) - who may or may not be a Skrull impostor and hunted by a certain green-skinned gamma-irradiated ex-lawyer also written by PAD...

Veteran (and cult-favourite) X-Factor artist Larry Stroman takes over regular art duties, reuniting with his original collaborator in launching the fun-fun X-Factor direction in '91. His spectacular character designs have remained as sharp as ever, although the transition to the new inker and colourists has taken away a bit of his art's crispiness and edge imho, having been used to his bolder, more defined lines. It's an absolute joy to see him back in comics full-time, he's one of those artists who have an absolute inimitable personal style that transforms and enriches any character he tackles. Think Jim Lee, Joe Madureira, Chris Bachalo, Sam Kieth...

8.5/10





X-FORCE #5 (DWS)

(Craig Kyle & Chris Yost / Clayton Crain)

'Angels & Demons' part 5. Kyle & Yost are giving a Vaughan a run for his money in cliffhanger-fu with this book! Let's recap:

#1: The religious anti-mutant fanatics Purifiers discover the carcass of the techno-organic Technarch Magus in the deep.

#2: They use the Nimrod's remains to bring the anti-mutant zealot Bastion back.

#3: Under Bastion's orders, and using the Magus' techno-organic virus they resurrect a Who's Who of anti-mutant activists: Bolivar Trask, Stephen Lang, William Stryker, Graydon Greed...

#4: A brainwashed berserk Wolfsbahne bites Angel's wings off. The Purifiers use the wings' DNA to reverse-engineer an angelic militant choir, while Warren turns back into his deadly, nihilistic, blue-tinted, metal-winged form as Archangel!

This issue? The Purifiers' human leader grows weary of Bastion's methods and a civil war erupts in the ranks, while Archangel comes to terms with his new station. For all of you worrying about how this fits with the Uncanny X-Men's current status for Angel, don't worry; I know how this plays out and it's all going to make sense very soon!

Out of all the relaunched/refreshed X-books, it's no wonder this one has made the biggest impression with the fans - combining amazing quality embellished graphic violence, a frenetic plot movement, borderline characters, depth of characterisation, but mostly: a loud defiance for the unwritten X-book laws and a compulsion to really push the envelope and produce each issue like it was the year's loudest mega-event.

It's taking everything that compelled readers to make X-force a great hit when it first launched, and finally doing right by the concept.

8.5/10


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