Wow. Wow. That was a big week. With Siege #4 coming out this week, Marvel's Dark Reign is over, the Heroic Age is starting up, and several Avengers titles are ending with a bang. But it wasn't all violence and heroics; some other very nice titles made it into my bag. So, without further adieu, let's review.
HERO OF THE WEEK: Siege #4 had many heroes. Iron Man shut down Norman Osborn. Thor gave the Sentry a proper funeral. Hell, even Loki tried to be good for five seconds before getting disintegrated. But in the end, I have to give it to the big guy, Steve Rogers. In the aftermath of the Siege, the former Captain America was summoned by the President and formally asked to take over Osborn's spot as head of national security. Steve accepted, on the grounds that his demands were met, starting with repealing the registration act.
Making Rogers that top cop is actually a brilliant move by Marvel. For one thing, if you're going to have something called "The Heroic Age", the guy in charge better be the poster boy for heroism. For another, people have been asking why Bucky has remained as Captain America now that Steve's back and why Steve didn't pick up the shield and keep fighting the good fight. Now we know why. Finally, it just makes sense. Steve Rogers has tactical military knowledge, a strong sense of virtue, knowledge of what it means to be a superhero, and good relations with pretty much every good guy on Earth. Nice job, Marvel. Way to be.
VILLAIN OF THE WEEK: If the hero of Siege gets HotW, then the villain of Siege gets VotW. No, not the Void. Even as an omnipotent crazy motherkcufer, he still doesn't do anything (except kill Loki and look menacing). The real villain of Siege, of the whole Dark Reign, is the one, the only, Norman Osborn. Dark Avengers #16, the closer to Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato's awesome series, sees the DA captured by the heroes and taken in for their unlawful attack on Asgard. Moonstone and Bullseye attempt escape, but are captured. Daken attemps escape, and succeeds (unfortunately). Victoria Hand is offered a position as Steve Rogers's new right-hand girl. And Norman is put in the Raft, Ryker's Island double-maximum security istallation, in a sub-basement level where he will be the only prisoner. While there, he has a conversation with an unknown person, outlining that everything he did over the past year was to save the world a protect it in a way that the superheroes could not, and it could have worked, if only the other person in the room didn't get in his way. The reveal is that Norman is talking to his own psychosis and inner demon, the Green Goblin, and he then realizes that he will likely spend the rest of his days alone with this monster. It almost makes us feel pity for Norman, and is a relly nice sendoff to a character who has become one of Marvel's best villains. Excellent.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK: Believe it or not, it's not a Siege tie-in (although most will be mentioned). No, it's The Flash #2. Picking up where last issue left off, Barry is hunted by the Renegades, time cops based on the modern-day Rogues, so that he can be arrested for a murder he hasn't commited yet. A brief fight ensues, which ends with the Renegades retreating due to a malfunction of their time-travel devices. However, this also leads to a nearby apartment building collapsing. Flash, of course saves everyone, but the accident leaves them homeless. So what does the Flash do? In one of the most amusing displays of superpowers ever, the Flash speed-reads entire books on architecture, gathers materials, and builds a new apartment, all in the span of a few minutes. It's actually pretty darn funny. Afterwards, the Central City crime lab finds traces of Barry Allen's blood on the corpse of Mirror Monarch, making for an awkward situation. Also, we see that Captain Boomerang is going to break himself out of Iron Heights prison (somehow) and rejoin the Rogues afterwards.
Geoff Johns loves the Flash and like last issue, he shows it here. Barry as a good sense of humor to him and a fun chemistry with his wife, Iris. The Rogues, particularly Captain Cold, remain badass and brutal villains. And Frances Manapul's art is still kcufing gorgeous. You guys should really be following this series.
OTHER THINGS OF NOTE: New Avengers Finale. The title pretty much says it all. Since the Disassembled storyline, New Avengers has pretty much been Marvel's A-list team. They've seen mutants decimated, Civil Wars fought, Skrulls invade, and been fugitives in the Dark Reign. This is a great closer to it, giving us both an end to the current story and the series as a whole. The story picks up after Siege, as the New Avengers hunt down the Hood and Madame Masque. It's a fun little romp, but the meat of the issue is the ending, where Luke Cage goes over what being a New Avenger has meant to him, what his experiences have been, and how happy he is that they are no longer fugitives ion the world. Had I read more of the series, this would have been really touching. As it stands, I get why it's supposed to be really touching and I think it does a good job of conveying it's message.
Avengers: The Initiative #35 is another closer. It starts with Taskmaster escaping Asgard with Constrictor, including a very tragic moment where Frank leaves Diamondback behind. After that, the Counter-Initiative beats back the Hood's syndicate and the first class at the Initiative reunites, including Komodo getting her powers back. The next day, Tigra confronts the newly captured Hood and, instead of killing him, leaves him to face his wife and daughter. We also meet Tigra's son, who was apparently born when we weren't looking thanks to her cat-physiology or some such nonsense. Then, the New Warriors decide that in the Heroic Age, the idea of the Avengers Initiative would flourish. Finally, we see a few snippets of what happened to other characters in the series. It's a great closer, with nice emotional beats and a clear love of these characters. I'm really looking forward to seeing Christos Gage's next project, Avengers Academy.
Alright, enough Siege. Ultimate Spider-Man #10 is next. It's honestly not the best issue, but it's still nice. When we last left our heroes, Kitty Pryde was in a classroom with federal agents pointing guns at her and demanding she come with them. While Johnny Storm and Bobby Drake want to do something about it, Peter Parker warns them about making the whole thing an incident. And guess who does something about it? KONG! That's right, Kitty's ex, the big bully turned big softie Kenny Macfarlane punches one of the agents. Kitty decides that enough is enough and she escapes with Kong into the sewers. The rest is...it's just drama. It's Kitty, as the Shroud, fighting the Spider-friends and saying that Magneto was right. It's well written, it's just wholly unoriginal and not really that interesting. It's something of a misstep, but establishing what it's like for mutants in a post-Ultimatum world was necessary, and Bendis pulled it off as well as he could.
Birds of Prey #1 puts us back on the DC train. Gail Simone's group of female superheroes reunites in this Brightest Day crossover with something unexepcted: a dude! The recently resurrected Hawk, of the duo Hawk and Dove, will be joining the team, which should make for tons of awkward but probably funny situations. The storyline is basically reintroduction to the principle characters: Black Canary, Huntress, and Oracle. We also get some stuff with Lady Blackhawk, but she's sort of relegated to being a source of out-of-date dialogue. It's pretty by-the-books, but Simone's dialogue and Ed Benes's artwork keeps it interesting. I'll keep on this series to see what happens.
And now it's time for the QUOTE OF THE WEEK! This weeks quote comes from Avengers: The Initiative #36:
"You think I changed my mind because I saw you? No. It's what I saw in the hall. I'm letting you live because you'll never get to hold your baby again. And because I want to spend a lifetime holding mine."
Whew. That was exhausting. Thanks for sticking it out, guys. I'll see you next time!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
5/5/10
First off, forgive the lateness of my post. Tightness in my schedule led me to not read everything I wanted to as soon as I wanted to. But, now, at last, here's this weeks stack, and it's some good stuff. Here we go.
HERO OF THE WEEK: It's a first-time winner this week. Everyone's favorite chosen one, Buffy Summers, shines in Buffy: Season 8 #35. The conclusion of the craziest story arc of the series, part four of Twilight stars Buffy and her on-again, off-again, good-again, bad-again boyfriend, Angel. Because the TV series finale changed the status quo of the world so drastically, the universe had to correct itself, which meant selecting two people (Buffy and Angel) to go to the paradise dimension Twilight while the Earth was fixed (i.e. destroyed). Buffy has always been one to defy coonventions, and here she shows it off by choosing to save the world and her friends rather than live in heaven. It's exactly what we'd expect her to do, and yet it's satisfying to see her do it. Plus, the issue ends with Spike showing up! Spike! The series has one arc left before the finally and i'm really looking forward to what Joss Whedon does in it.
VILLAIN OF THE WEEK: Catman, hands down. Secret Six has made a point of tunring all of the irrevelent, D-List bad guys into badasses, and #21 is no different. Thomas Blake, still on the trail of the men who kidnapped his son, recounts his own childhood with his cruel and somewhat demented father. What happens in the flashback shows where Blake's fondness for felines came from and how he got so messed up. The present shows the effects, with Catman uttlerly tearing apart one of the mercenaries. It's twisted, it's badass, it's just what we'd expect from the series. Bravo, Simone and Calafiore. Bravo.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK: Brightest Day #0 introduced characters. Brightest Day #1 introduced plots. The characters all have their goals, and a few of them are established here. The united Lantern Corps (which from this point forward will be referred to as ULC) want to know who will be the first White Lantern (signs point to Deadman, which means it won't be him). Aquaman, for some reason, is still summoning dead sea creatures, and will have to fight the resurfaced Black Manta. Firestorm can't divide. Martian Manhunter has confusing memories about his past. And the Hawks are looking for the remains of their past lives. It's a lot of things going on, but it's good that the characters have direction beyond "We're back and we'll deal with it". And the artwork is gorgeous. Pencils are traded around by Ivan Reis, Pat Gleason, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark, and Joe Prado, and it's all great, whether it's tense, bloody, dynamic, or just still and pretty. This looks to be a great series.
OTHER THINGS OF NOTE: Batman and Robin #12 was the closer to the "Batman vs. Robin" arc and one of the things I had to wait to read. It was worth it. It's not confusing or hard to follow as the last few issues and has two of the best villains ever. The first was Talia al Ghul, whose controlling behavior leads her son to be mind controlled (Just in time for Mother's Day!). The other is something of a twist. The identity of Detective Oberon Sexton has been a mystery for a little while, and here it's revealed to be none other than *** *****. No, i'm not telling. Go read it. It's awesome. Grant Morrison kicks ass.
New Ultimates #2 proves that this series is one to be avoided, because that sort of thing really needed confirming. Whereas issue one was just insulting in it's stupidity and treatment of the characters, issue two is downright boring. The women of the Ultimates are being turned evil by Amora the Enchantress who's working for Loki and Thor's coming back and some dumb tish is happening and I don't care about any of it because it's so stupid. It's not even entertaining stupid, it's just stupid stupid. kcuF this series.
Amazing Spider-Man #630. I know i've missed this stuff for a little bit, but i've dived back in and i'm glad. Curt Connors is back as the Lizard (with his animal instincts acting as a sort of DID) and Peter's personal life is complicated and funny. I don't like the new design for the Lizard, but who knows, maybe it's grow on me. We'll see.
And now it's time for the QUOTE OF THE WEEK! This week's quote comes from Batman and Robin #12:
Talia: I'll always love you in my own way. And I will permit you to leave with your circus boy in tow. But from now on, Damian, you are no longer welcome here. You may consider yourself an enemy of the House of al Ghul.
Damian: Very well. I hope I can be a worthy one, mother.
And that's my stuff for this week. Thanks for reading. I'll see you next time.
HERO OF THE WEEK: It's a first-time winner this week. Everyone's favorite chosen one, Buffy Summers, shines in Buffy: Season 8 #35. The conclusion of the craziest story arc of the series, part four of Twilight stars Buffy and her on-again, off-again, good-again, bad-again boyfriend, Angel. Because the TV series finale changed the status quo of the world so drastically, the universe had to correct itself, which meant selecting two people (Buffy and Angel) to go to the paradise dimension Twilight while the Earth was fixed (i.e. destroyed). Buffy has always been one to defy coonventions, and here she shows it off by choosing to save the world and her friends rather than live in heaven. It's exactly what we'd expect her to do, and yet it's satisfying to see her do it. Plus, the issue ends with Spike showing up! Spike! The series has one arc left before the finally and i'm really looking forward to what Joss Whedon does in it.
VILLAIN OF THE WEEK: Catman, hands down. Secret Six has made a point of tunring all of the irrevelent, D-List bad guys into badasses, and #21 is no different. Thomas Blake, still on the trail of the men who kidnapped his son, recounts his own childhood with his cruel and somewhat demented father. What happens in the flashback shows where Blake's fondness for felines came from and how he got so messed up. The present shows the effects, with Catman uttlerly tearing apart one of the mercenaries. It's twisted, it's badass, it's just what we'd expect from the series. Bravo, Simone and Calafiore. Bravo.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK: Brightest Day #0 introduced characters. Brightest Day #1 introduced plots. The characters all have their goals, and a few of them are established here. The united Lantern Corps (which from this point forward will be referred to as ULC) want to know who will be the first White Lantern (signs point to Deadman, which means it won't be him). Aquaman, for some reason, is still summoning dead sea creatures, and will have to fight the resurfaced Black Manta. Firestorm can't divide. Martian Manhunter has confusing memories about his past. And the Hawks are looking for the remains of their past lives. It's a lot of things going on, but it's good that the characters have direction beyond "We're back and we'll deal with it". And the artwork is gorgeous. Pencils are traded around by Ivan Reis, Pat Gleason, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark, and Joe Prado, and it's all great, whether it's tense, bloody, dynamic, or just still and pretty. This looks to be a great series.
OTHER THINGS OF NOTE: Batman and Robin #12 was the closer to the "Batman vs. Robin" arc and one of the things I had to wait to read. It was worth it. It's not confusing or hard to follow as the last few issues and has two of the best villains ever. The first was Talia al Ghul, whose controlling behavior leads her son to be mind controlled (Just in time for Mother's Day!). The other is something of a twist. The identity of Detective Oberon Sexton has been a mystery for a little while, and here it's revealed to be none other than *** *****. No, i'm not telling. Go read it. It's awesome. Grant Morrison kicks ass.
New Ultimates #2 proves that this series is one to be avoided, because that sort of thing really needed confirming. Whereas issue one was just insulting in it's stupidity and treatment of the characters, issue two is downright boring. The women of the Ultimates are being turned evil by Amora the Enchantress who's working for Loki and Thor's coming back and some dumb tish is happening and I don't care about any of it because it's so stupid. It's not even entertaining stupid, it's just stupid stupid. kcuF this series.
Amazing Spider-Man #630. I know i've missed this stuff for a little bit, but i've dived back in and i'm glad. Curt Connors is back as the Lizard (with his animal instincts acting as a sort of DID) and Peter's personal life is complicated and funny. I don't like the new design for the Lizard, but who knows, maybe it's grow on me. We'll see.
And now it's time for the QUOTE OF THE WEEK! This week's quote comes from Batman and Robin #12:
Talia: I'll always love you in my own way. And I will permit you to leave with your circus boy in tow. But from now on, Damian, you are no longer welcome here. You may consider yourself an enemy of the House of al Ghul.
Damian: Very well. I hope I can be a worthy one, mother.
And that's my stuff for this week. Thanks for reading. I'll see you next time.
Monday, May 3, 2010
You Should Be Reading: Scott Pilgrim
Welcome to the first edition of "You Should Be Reading", a semi-regular article about a series that I feel more people should follow. The first, of course, is Scott Pilgrim. Now, I had heard some about the series, but after seeing this, I knew I had to read it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9nS9iDsaj8
Holy tish that's awesome.
The brainchild of writer/artist Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim tells the story of our titular character. Scott is an average-enough 23-year-old living in Toronto. He is between jobs, he plays bass (adequately) in the band Sex Bob-Omb, and is dating a high-school girl just to have some stability in his life. Everything changes when Scott meets the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers, an American delivery girl working for Amazon.ca. After some awkward moments, the two begin dating. That's when Scott learns about Ramona's baggage: Seven evil ex-boyfriends who will do anything to keep her from dating. Scott must defeat them in order to keep his love life (and actual life) in tact.
While the series starts off as the average life of a comedic character soon becomes action packed madness. Scott's interactions with the League of Ramona's Evil Exes are video-game inspired fight scenes, with unreal physics and powers and over-the-top energy. What's more, the characters take no issue with this happening. Everyone in this world knows how to fight and, fortunately for the reader, most disputes inevitably lead to violence. It's crazy, it's energetic, and it's a whole mess of fun.
The series is full of likeable and funny characters. Besides Scott and Ramona, there's Wallace Wells (Scott's very sarcastic and very gay roommate), Stephen Stills (Sex Bob-Omb's obsessive lead guitarist), Kim Pine (Sex Bob-Omb's bitter and apathetic drummer), Young Neil Nordegraf (Sex Bob-Omb's biggest fan), and Knives Chau (Scott's high-school girlfriend turned stalker). They all have a unique voice and all have their own comedic potential.
Ramona's Evil Exes are as varied and interesting as the main cast, each one with their own powers and abilities. From an Indian who can summon demon hipster chicks, to a skateboarder turned actor, to a rival bassist with vegan psychic powers. Each has their own backstory and each feeds into the plot somehow. And they are all great villains the fit the tone of the story perfectly.
Scott Pilgrim's first five volumes are on shelves now, with the sixth and final volume coming in July. If you're looking for a fun, crazy and thoroughly enjoyable series, I highly recommend these books.
Thanks for reading. I'll see you next time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9nS9iDsaj8
Holy tish that's awesome.
The brainchild of writer/artist Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim tells the story of our titular character. Scott is an average-enough 23-year-old living in Toronto. He is between jobs, he plays bass (adequately) in the band Sex Bob-Omb, and is dating a high-school girl just to have some stability in his life. Everything changes when Scott meets the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers, an American delivery girl working for Amazon.ca. After some awkward moments, the two begin dating. That's when Scott learns about Ramona's baggage: Seven evil ex-boyfriends who will do anything to keep her from dating. Scott must defeat them in order to keep his love life (and actual life) in tact.
While the series starts off as the average life of a comedic character soon becomes action packed madness. Scott's interactions with the League of Ramona's Evil Exes are video-game inspired fight scenes, with unreal physics and powers and over-the-top energy. What's more, the characters take no issue with this happening. Everyone in this world knows how to fight and, fortunately for the reader, most disputes inevitably lead to violence. It's crazy, it's energetic, and it's a whole mess of fun.
The series is full of likeable and funny characters. Besides Scott and Ramona, there's Wallace Wells (Scott's very sarcastic and very gay roommate), Stephen Stills (Sex Bob-Omb's obsessive lead guitarist), Kim Pine (Sex Bob-Omb's bitter and apathetic drummer), Young Neil Nordegraf (Sex Bob-Omb's biggest fan), and Knives Chau (Scott's high-school girlfriend turned stalker). They all have a unique voice and all have their own comedic potential.
Ramona's Evil Exes are as varied and interesting as the main cast, each one with their own powers and abilities. From an Indian who can summon demon hipster chicks, to a skateboarder turned actor, to a rival bassist with vegan psychic powers. Each has their own backstory and each feeds into the plot somehow. And they are all great villains the fit the tone of the story perfectly.
Scott Pilgrim's first five volumes are on shelves now, with the sixth and final volume coming in July. If you're looking for a fun, crazy and thoroughly enjoyable series, I highly recommend these books.
Thanks for reading. I'll see you next time!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
4/28/2010
Hello and welcome to Panel-by-Panel: A Weekly Comics Review. This is the first of what I hope to be many entries in this blog, and what better week to start than week 4? See, the fourth week of a month is ususally the heaviest, and April of 2010 is a prime example. Notably, it's a big week for Marvel, which is why nearly all of my sections hilight Marvel titles and characters. So, without further adieu, let's review.
HERO OF THE WEEK: Since Ares's being-torn-in-half in Siege, the question (well, a question) on people's mind is "What's his son going to do about it"? Siege: Secret Warriors answers that question in a story starring Phobos. We open with young Alex Aaron watching the God of War get killed by the Sentry. He recalls a talk they had earlier, where Ares says that if he dies than he will simply come back, but that in the meantime it's Phobos's job to adress his death. This takes Phobos to the White House (He's friends with Nick Fury, he can find a way into the White House), where he demands to see the President. The Secret Service, obviously, doesn't let him, as President Obama is trying to tend to the Asgard situation. Naturally, Phobos's only option is to KILL THE KCUF OUT OF THE SECRET SERVICE until he gets to the President. Seriously, this kid goes psycho on these guys while the President escapes. It ends with Phobos leaving a note to Presdent Obama saying that Ares's death will be answered for.
As a reader of Secret Warriors and Dark Avengers, I've looked forward to seeing what Phobos would do about Ares's death, and this issue did not disappoint. SW writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Alessandro Vitti deliver a crazy, badass, and gritty story that looks beautiful and reads cool. Well done.
VILLAIN OF THE WEEK: The Hood has been noticably absent from Marvel lately, which is weird since, as a member of Norman's Cabal, he has a large stake in what's going on in Siege. In New Avengers #64, he gets a starring role. A flashback shows Parker Robbins's return since getting new powers from Loki and the Norn Stones. It's established in his conversation with Norman Osborn that they are both men of their word, which is why Parker remains loyal to Norman. We cut to the present, where Asgard has come crashing down and the Void towers over the heroes. With Asgard crashing, the Hood has lost the source of his new powers and quickly escapes with his squeeze, Madame Masque, in town. The two arrive at a hotel, where Masque tells Parker that while the Avengers will be hunting him, he needs to do something to prepare.
This is something that hasn't been on my mind, but is still a welcome surprise. As usual, Brian Michael Bendis writes clever dialogue and Stuart Immonen has sharp, dynamic artwork. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the Hood.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK: This was a tough one. Seriously, there were a lot of good picks here. After weighing my choices, I had to give it to Secret Warrios #15, just because of the emotion of it. We open with the Secret Warriors (pre-Phobos goes ape-tish) playing poker. Daisy decides that Nick Fury was wrong in firing Druid from the team and decides to demand Fury to rehire her. Meanwhile, Nick himself meets his old flame, Contessa Velentina Allegra de Fontaine, for dinner. We know that the Contessa is an agent of Leviathan and that this is a trap. When Nick arrives, he reveals he knows of her betrayal, and they both reveal they have soldiers pointing guns at each other. Then, Nick delivers a brilliant speech:
"You know, there was a time, when I was younger, that I would have simply looked at a situation like this and made a decision that guaranteed the best possible outcome. I'm sorry, dear...the truth is that I would have had you killed. But, as i've gotten older, I find there are certain things -- about certain people -- that I need to understand...you see, I wonder how much of this is my fault? I have questions like: Were you always a liar...or did I teach you to lie, and now it's just what you do? Contessa...I need answers. 'Cause you've been keepin' secrets, dalin'...and that's somethin' I cannot abide."
The Contessa explains that while she does care for Nick, her ideology and loyalty to Leviathan supercede that. They leave each other, with Nick clearly heartbroken. As he returns to base, Daisy confronts him about Druid, and he shuts her down instantly. And this is the emotion we really see. Nick's been a grizzled old man for the whole series and we love him for it, but it's here that his heartbreak is clear to see and it's so sad.
Again, Jonathan Hickman nails it. All the character moments and voices are spot on. The only part that dipped was the portion with HYDRA, if only because Viper as one of the Hive looks stupid, but that's more the artist's fault. Speaking of which, Stephano Caselli draws amazing stuff here. The emotion is easy to see and even Viper's transformation is cool it's own "Lady with an octopus on her head" kinda way. Great, great stuff.
OTHER THINGS OF NOTE: Ultimate Avengers 2 #1 almost makes up for UA #6 from last week, but not quite. It opens with classic Mark Millar, with the Punisher shooting up gangsters like crazy. This is the same kind of writing we saw in Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Nemesis, just crazy over-the-top violence. Millar also works in making the Ultimates Punisher different from his 616 counterpart: Whereas the old Frank Castle has a code and mercy for some people, this one will kill anybody involved with mobsters, and even take a few to a place dubbed "Baby Guantanamo". The action is really spot-on and artwork from Lenil Francis Yu supports it. I have high hopes for this series.
Green Lantern Corps. #47 shows Oa recovering from the Blackest Night. I'd recap it, but a lot of stuff goes on. Standout character moments involve Vath Sarn, Mogo, Kilowog, Arisia, Salaak, and of course, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner. Pat Gleason's artwork kinda falls off here, with facial expressions that just look goofy. Still, it's great fun and I recommend it to anyone who wants a good lanten story.
Cowboy Ninja Viking #5 was the end of the first arc in CNV. It's pretty clear that AJ Lieberman and Riley Rossmo expected this to be a 4-issue story, as this seems very rushed at times. It's got the comedy and charm you'd expect, but moves faster than expected. It ends on a cool note, though, as we meet the new SPP team: Duncan (Cowboy/Ninja/Viking), Ammo (Pirate/Gladiator/Oceanographer), Grear (Sniper/Chef/Samurai), Steed (Hitman/Navy Seal/Roadie), Dr. Sebastian Ghislain (Scientist/Cripple/Baldy), and Sara Nix (Secret Agent/Hot/In over her head). Rossmo's art is still sketchy and a treat to look at and the interplay between the various Triplets is great. Volume 1 is coming out soon and I highly recommend it.
Detective Comics #864 had a strong contendor for VotW. Jeremiah Arkham, former head psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, was revealed to be the new top gangster in Gotham City, Black Mask, and was thus sent to his own Asylum. He quickly becomes top dog, having something over all of the inmates, and even manipulates Batman when he comes knocking. If the last part of the story made any sense at all, Jerry would have taken it. As it stands, he's just too crazy to be taken seriously.
Mighty Avengers #36 should not be read if you plan on reading Siege #4, because an important plot element is spoiled here. And it's stupid at a lot of parts. C'mon, writer Dan Slott! You're better than this!
And now it's time for QUOTE OF THE WEEK! This week's quote comes from Cowboy Ninja Viking #4:
"So no one in their right mind would look at us and think it was a good idea to have us try to save the world, though if you were looking for a band of ridiculously disturbed but highly effective assassins, who better to start with than a cowboy, ninja, and viking...or a pirate...or gladiator...or oceanographer...a sniper...a chef...hitman...Navy seal...roadie..."
But wait, there's more! As an added bonus, i'm introducing two new segments! As it's the end of the month, i'm going to say who my favorite creatives were of the past four weeks in our first ever writer and artist of the month.
WRITER OF THE MONTH: This one is a tough choice. Folks like Mark Waid, Mark Millar, Jonathan Hickman, Brian Bendis, and Gail Simone were all in the running. In the end, I had to give it to DC's biggest of the big dogs, Geoff Johns. Green Lantern and Brightest Day have proved his talents for writing books with large casts of characters, while Superman: Secret Origin snuck in and hilighted a specific character. However, what really put him over was the Flash, his long-awaited return to writing the Scarlet Speedster, and boy did he deliver, with strong character moments and organic, believable dialogue. He's one of the best out there today, and he shows it off with everything he writes.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH: This one was even tougher than WotM, with big names like Stephano Caselli, Mark Bagley, David Lafuente, Ig Guara, Georges Jeanty, and Scott Kolins all in the mix. In the end, the most memorable was Frances Manapul. Yeah, it's another DC guy, but Manapul's artwork really is breathtaking. It's sketchy, but warm and inviting, and really helps fall in love with the characters. The Flash showed off another side of his work: dynamic actions scenes, which show off the main character's speed and is very kinetic storytelling. He also contributed portraits for The Flash: Secret Origins and Files, which, of course, looked awesome. It's absolutely gorgeous and i'm looking forward to his work on the Flash.
Whew.
And that was my stuff for this week! Next week, i'll be back with another review. Until then, spread the word about the blog. Tell your friends, your enemies, your frenemies, your casual aquaintences, your family, your pets, and anyone else you know. Thanks for reading and i'll see you next week.
HERO OF THE WEEK: Since Ares's being-torn-in-half in Siege, the question (well, a question) on people's mind is "What's his son going to do about it"? Siege: Secret Warriors answers that question in a story starring Phobos. We open with young Alex Aaron watching the God of War get killed by the Sentry. He recalls a talk they had earlier, where Ares says that if he dies than he will simply come back, but that in the meantime it's Phobos's job to adress his death. This takes Phobos to the White House (He's friends with Nick Fury, he can find a way into the White House), where he demands to see the President. The Secret Service, obviously, doesn't let him, as President Obama is trying to tend to the Asgard situation. Naturally, Phobos's only option is to KILL THE KCUF OUT OF THE SECRET SERVICE until he gets to the President. Seriously, this kid goes psycho on these guys while the President escapes. It ends with Phobos leaving a note to Presdent Obama saying that Ares's death will be answered for.
As a reader of Secret Warriors and Dark Avengers, I've looked forward to seeing what Phobos would do about Ares's death, and this issue did not disappoint. SW writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Alessandro Vitti deliver a crazy, badass, and gritty story that looks beautiful and reads cool. Well done.
VILLAIN OF THE WEEK: The Hood has been noticably absent from Marvel lately, which is weird since, as a member of Norman's Cabal, he has a large stake in what's going on in Siege. In New Avengers #64, he gets a starring role. A flashback shows Parker Robbins's return since getting new powers from Loki and the Norn Stones. It's established in his conversation with Norman Osborn that they are both men of their word, which is why Parker remains loyal to Norman. We cut to the present, where Asgard has come crashing down and the Void towers over the heroes. With Asgard crashing, the Hood has lost the source of his new powers and quickly escapes with his squeeze, Madame Masque, in town. The two arrive at a hotel, where Masque tells Parker that while the Avengers will be hunting him, he needs to do something to prepare.
This is something that hasn't been on my mind, but is still a welcome surprise. As usual, Brian Michael Bendis writes clever dialogue and Stuart Immonen has sharp, dynamic artwork. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the Hood.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK: This was a tough one. Seriously, there were a lot of good picks here. After weighing my choices, I had to give it to Secret Warrios #15, just because of the emotion of it. We open with the Secret Warriors (pre-Phobos goes ape-tish) playing poker. Daisy decides that Nick Fury was wrong in firing Druid from the team and decides to demand Fury to rehire her. Meanwhile, Nick himself meets his old flame, Contessa Velentina Allegra de Fontaine, for dinner. We know that the Contessa is an agent of Leviathan and that this is a trap. When Nick arrives, he reveals he knows of her betrayal, and they both reveal they have soldiers pointing guns at each other. Then, Nick delivers a brilliant speech:
"You know, there was a time, when I was younger, that I would have simply looked at a situation like this and made a decision that guaranteed the best possible outcome. I'm sorry, dear...the truth is that I would have had you killed. But, as i've gotten older, I find there are certain things -- about certain people -- that I need to understand...you see, I wonder how much of this is my fault? I have questions like: Were you always a liar...or did I teach you to lie, and now it's just what you do? Contessa...I need answers. 'Cause you've been keepin' secrets, dalin'...and that's somethin' I cannot abide."
The Contessa explains that while she does care for Nick, her ideology and loyalty to Leviathan supercede that. They leave each other, with Nick clearly heartbroken. As he returns to base, Daisy confronts him about Druid, and he shuts her down instantly. And this is the emotion we really see. Nick's been a grizzled old man for the whole series and we love him for it, but it's here that his heartbreak is clear to see and it's so sad.
Again, Jonathan Hickman nails it. All the character moments and voices are spot on. The only part that dipped was the portion with HYDRA, if only because Viper as one of the Hive looks stupid, but that's more the artist's fault. Speaking of which, Stephano Caselli draws amazing stuff here. The emotion is easy to see and even Viper's transformation is cool it's own "Lady with an octopus on her head" kinda way. Great, great stuff.
OTHER THINGS OF NOTE: Ultimate Avengers 2 #1 almost makes up for UA #6 from last week, but not quite. It opens with classic Mark Millar, with the Punisher shooting up gangsters like crazy. This is the same kind of writing we saw in Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Nemesis, just crazy over-the-top violence. Millar also works in making the Ultimates Punisher different from his 616 counterpart: Whereas the old Frank Castle has a code and mercy for some people, this one will kill anybody involved with mobsters, and even take a few to a place dubbed "Baby Guantanamo". The action is really spot-on and artwork from Lenil Francis Yu supports it. I have high hopes for this series.
Green Lantern Corps. #47 shows Oa recovering from the Blackest Night. I'd recap it, but a lot of stuff goes on. Standout character moments involve Vath Sarn, Mogo, Kilowog, Arisia, Salaak, and of course, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner. Pat Gleason's artwork kinda falls off here, with facial expressions that just look goofy. Still, it's great fun and I recommend it to anyone who wants a good lanten story.
Cowboy Ninja Viking #5 was the end of the first arc in CNV. It's pretty clear that AJ Lieberman and Riley Rossmo expected this to be a 4-issue story, as this seems very rushed at times. It's got the comedy and charm you'd expect, but moves faster than expected. It ends on a cool note, though, as we meet the new SPP team: Duncan (Cowboy/Ninja/Viking), Ammo (Pirate/Gladiator/Oceanographer), Grear (Sniper/Chef/Samurai), Steed (Hitman/Navy Seal/Roadie), Dr. Sebastian Ghislain (Scientist/Cripple/Baldy), and Sara Nix (Secret Agent/Hot/In over her head). Rossmo's art is still sketchy and a treat to look at and the interplay between the various Triplets is great. Volume 1 is coming out soon and I highly recommend it.
Detective Comics #864 had a strong contendor for VotW. Jeremiah Arkham, former head psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, was revealed to be the new top gangster in Gotham City, Black Mask, and was thus sent to his own Asylum. He quickly becomes top dog, having something over all of the inmates, and even manipulates Batman when he comes knocking. If the last part of the story made any sense at all, Jerry would have taken it. As it stands, he's just too crazy to be taken seriously.
Mighty Avengers #36 should not be read if you plan on reading Siege #4, because an important plot element is spoiled here. And it's stupid at a lot of parts. C'mon, writer Dan Slott! You're better than this!
And now it's time for QUOTE OF THE WEEK! This week's quote comes from Cowboy Ninja Viking #4:
"So no one in their right mind would look at us and think it was a good idea to have us try to save the world, though if you were looking for a band of ridiculously disturbed but highly effective assassins, who better to start with than a cowboy, ninja, and viking...or a pirate...or gladiator...or oceanographer...a sniper...a chef...hitman...Navy seal...roadie..."
But wait, there's more! As an added bonus, i'm introducing two new segments! As it's the end of the month, i'm going to say who my favorite creatives were of the past four weeks in our first ever writer and artist of the month.
WRITER OF THE MONTH: This one is a tough choice. Folks like Mark Waid, Mark Millar, Jonathan Hickman, Brian Bendis, and Gail Simone were all in the running. In the end, I had to give it to DC's biggest of the big dogs, Geoff Johns. Green Lantern and Brightest Day have proved his talents for writing books with large casts of characters, while Superman: Secret Origin snuck in and hilighted a specific character. However, what really put him over was the Flash, his long-awaited return to writing the Scarlet Speedster, and boy did he deliver, with strong character moments and organic, believable dialogue. He's one of the best out there today, and he shows it off with everything he writes.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH: This one was even tougher than WotM, with big names like Stephano Caselli, Mark Bagley, David Lafuente, Ig Guara, Georges Jeanty, and Scott Kolins all in the mix. In the end, the most memorable was Frances Manapul. Yeah, it's another DC guy, but Manapul's artwork really is breathtaking. It's sketchy, but warm and inviting, and really helps fall in love with the characters. The Flash showed off another side of his work: dynamic actions scenes, which show off the main character's speed and is very kinetic storytelling. He also contributed portraits for The Flash: Secret Origins and Files, which, of course, looked awesome. It's absolutely gorgeous and i'm looking forward to his work on the Flash.
Whew.
And that was my stuff for this week! Next week, i'll be back with another review. Until then, spread the word about the blog. Tell your friends, your enemies, your frenemies, your casual aquaintences, your family, your pets, and anyone else you know. Thanks for reading and i'll see you next week.
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