Avengers Vs. X-Men #1

April 14, 2012

Story: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction
Script: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: John Romita Jr.
Inks: Scott Hanna
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Colors: Laura Martin
Cover Art: Jim Cheung & Justin Ponsor
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Phoenix Force is coming to Earth, and the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe are about to go to war over it. I’ve said before that I like the basic idea behind this event. There’s a natural conflict here. Captain America sees a force of globally-devastating power headed to Earth and wants to stop it. Cyclops sees a force that may well be able to reverse the devastation of the mutant race the Scarlet Witch caused on M Day. And in fact, they’re both right.

The execution, however, is very flawed. The scene with Cap and Cyclops, where all this is spelled out, is clunky and overwritten. Scott is spoiling for a fight at the outset, which I suppose isn’t totally out of character for him these days, but still feels off in the presentation.

Wolverine actually comes off best here. As a member of both teams, he’s got his own conflict to deal with… not to mention the personal relationship he had with Jean Grey and the fact that he’s seen firsthand just how destructive the Phoenix Force can be. If there’s anyone here who can legitimately seem divided, it’s him.

I’m not terribly pleased with John Romita Jr.‘s work on this issue either. I’ve always liked his work on street-level heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil, but when he goes for the big-scale cosmic stuff, it doesn’t really. Work there are two large panels here – Hope blasting Cyclops, Cyclops blasting Cap – that feel very similar, but that both look like they could have been accomplished better. Different lines, different colors, I don’t know exactly, but they failed to excite me the way they should have.

It’s not a terrible book, but it’s a weak opening to an event that should have kicked off with a bang.

Rating: 6/10

Avengers Vs. X-Men #0

April 7, 2012

Title: Prologue

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis & Jason Aaron
Art: Frank Cho
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Colors: Jason Keith
Cover Art: Frank Cho
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

With Marvel’s big event for the summer about to kick into high gear, we’re served up this prologue issue that spotlights the two women at the center of it all: Wanda Maximoff, alias the Scarlet Witch, and Hope Summers, daughter of Cable.

In Wanda’s story, she’s recently regained her senses after years (of real-time, anyway, I’m not sure how long it’s been in comic book time) of mental issues which has had her attack and destroy her teammates, her friends, and even her husband, the Vision. The Vision is restored now, though, and the confrontation between the two former lovers is anything but rosy.

Although the last panel is a bit on-the-nose (a callback to the most famous Vision story of all time), Brian Michael Bendis does a decent job here of tapping into the raw emotion of the situation. Considering everything that happened between Wanda and the Vision, this isn’t the sort of thing that can be swept under the rug or ignored. It’ll be interesting to see, as the conflict between the Avengers and X-Men heats up, what side the Vision will fall on.

In Hope’s story, written by Jason Aaron, we see the first mutant born since Wanda wiped out the mutant population in House of M forced to train. While she and Cyclops forces her to push herself, concerned about the portion of the Phoenix force she knows resides within her, Hope decides to take off and prove herself on her own.

This is a nice introduction to Hope if you, like me, don’t really know anything about the character. I haven’t read any of the X-Men stories in which she’s played a significant role, so this gives me the lowdown on her history, her powers, and why she’s important. It works on that level.

Both stories are elevated by the artwork of Frank Cho. As I’ve always said, he draws a few things very well – monkeys, dinosaurs, and women. (Not to say he’s bad at the rest of it, but those are the three categories in which he excels). This issue is very strongly focused on the ladies – besides the two cover girls, Cho gives us good interpretations of Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel, Emma Frost and a couple of snake-themed villainesses (and villains). There’s a nice balance between the action and the talking heads stuff, and Cho pulls it all off. It’s an impressive effort.

This zero issue is a good way to kick off the event.

Rating: 7/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #72

February 5, 2005

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Hobgoblin Part One

Harry Osborn is back… this can’t be good for Peter Parker

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the three two-issue stories that just wrapped up, but this issue of Ultimate Spider-Man felt really, really slow to me. Fresh from his horrifying encounter with Doctor Strange, a new horror enters Spider-Man’s life… the return of his former best friend, Harry Osborn, son of the Green Goblin.

The book starts by recapping the events from the very first issue of the title, where Peter Parker got his powers in the first place, then goes on to reveal some other events that went on that day that neither Pete nor the reader were aware of – events that are coming back to bite us now. Peter is still jittery, pushing away his girlfriend after having the fear of losing her instilled last issue, and having the son of his worst enemy, who also happens to know his secret identity, return to his life at just this moment makes for a devastating blow.

Brian Michael Bendis’s characterization and dialogue are as good as ever, and the added scenes don’t feel like a cop-out, wedged in to create tension now, like a lot of sudden reveal flashbacks do. It’s also nice to see that the quick stories that just wrapped up did not happen in a vacuum – although the Dr. Strange story isn’t specifically referenced, anyone who read the last two issues knows exactly where Pete’s sudden attitude shift comes from, and sympathizes even as you want to yell at his to wise up.

The problem, like I said, is the pacing. Quite often, the six-issue arcs of this title feel padded, and it’s a bad sign when I get that sensation from the first issue in the arc. This felt like half an issue, not a full one, and that disturbs me quite a bit.

Mark Bagley remains the king of Spider-Man artwork. Although there’s not a lot of action in this issue, the brief fight scene is handled well, and it’s interesting to note how much the characters have evolved visually since the beginning of the series, even if it’s just as simple as removing a pair of glasses and changing a character’s posture.

A good issue, as Ultimate Spider-Man always serves up. But one that felt like there should have been more here, a problem this title suffers from far too frequently.

Rating: 7/10

Somebody’s First Comic Book: What If? (1989 Series) #108

Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!

TITLE: The Greatest Sacrifice

CREDITS:

Writer: Tom DeFalco
Pencils: Sergio Cariello
Inks: Keith Champagne
Colors: Kevin Tinsley
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Frank Pittarese
Cover Art: Sergio Cariello
Publisher: Marvel Comics

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: The Avengers… they’ve got that movie coming out, right? And… I guess Spider-Man is one of them, too?

IMPRESSIONS: Maybe not… the story kind of starts in the middle, with the Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and three people I don’t know) throwing down against Spider-Man’s enemy Carnage, who somehow has taken possession of the Silver Surfer. (Wait – Silver Surfer… wasn’t he in the Fantastic Four movie?) Evidently, we learn later, Carnage is some sort of alien slime that has been bonded to a serial killer, but left the killer and possessed the Silver Surfer.

We also find out, somehow, that these guys aren’t technically Avengers, but that they’re about to pick a new team. I’m not sure exactly how this works, but I like to imagine it’s like gym class, with Captain America and Iron Man taking turns picking from a line and the last one (I’m guessing the dude called “Justice”) being stuck with whoever picked second. Anyway, “Cosmic Carnage” nearly destroys the Avenger called the Vision and whips up on the rest of them until Spider-Man decides to clue them in that the monster is usually vulnerable to loud noises and fire, and maybe this girl called Firestar could do something? In the end, though, all she does is weaken the alien enough for the Surfer to exert control, fly into space, and kill himself and, presumably, the alien too.

I’m… lost here. The story itself is kind of straightforward, but what on Earth are they talking about – they’re not “really” the Avengers, they went and killed the surfer, and… and the title of this book. “What If?” Is that supposed to tell us that this is a “fake” story? It didn’t really happen? And if that’s the case, why the hell am I reading it?

GRADE: C-

[Meta-Note: I’m going to drop the usual pretense of this feature for a moment here to explain my commentary. The old Marvel What If? series, for a long time, was hosted by the Watcher, who explained that what we were seeing was a story set in a world very similar to the “real” Marvel Universe, but where something happened differently and the whole world changed as a result. Kind of a superhero version of Ray Bradbury’s Butterfly Effect theory. At some point, they dropped the Watcher as the narrator and, not being a regular reader of that book at that time, I didn’t really think much of it. Looking back for the sake of “Somebody’s First Comic Book,” I realize the lack of explanation makes this confusing as hell.

On a more amusing note, the letters page for this issue features letters for issue #105, the first appearance of Spider-Girl. The letters absolutely gushed over the comic, although the editor answering the letters initially says “Every story is only meant to be a glimpse into that particular reality. So don’t count on any more trips to see Spider-Girl!” Ah, hindsight.]

Fear Itself #7

November 6, 2011

Title: Thor’s Day

Writer: Matt Fraction
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Cover Artist: Steve McNiven
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Asgardian siege of Earth is reaching its Climax. Captain America has led a contingent of ordinary Americans to take up arms against Sin, while Iron Man has managed to outfit the Avengers with the most incredible weapons any of them have ever had, and Thor stands ready to face his destiny. And in the end… eh, it’s okay. The problem isn’t so much that the issue is bad – there’s a lot of good stuff to it, really – but it feels somewhat anticlimactic. The ending of this issue was telegraphed at the beginning of the miniseries. A good writer can make that work, mind you, but it all comes down to the execution – if you’re going to tell me what happens, at least find an unexpected way to make it happen. But it doesn’t, really, it doesn’t surprise at all. There is the requisite major character death at the conclusion, but it’s hard to take it seriously here. The character in question died not very long ago, came back not very long ago, and has a pretty big media presence for Marvel Comics at this point. It’s hard to imagine he’s not going to be back before the Avengers movie comes out next summer, and that sucks some of the drama from it. The best stuff here, truly is Matt Fraction’s treatment of Captain America. He really does nail Steve Rogers, having him step up and act the hero he’s supposed to be, every inch a warrior, every inch an Avenger. I’d gladly read a Captain America series written by Fraction, even if the rest of the book is kind of so-so. Immonen and Von Grawbadger continue to deliver on the artwork – gorgeous pages, a couple of full-page and double-page spreads that I’d love to have as a poster. It just looks great. If it read as well as it looks, it’d be one of Marvel’s finest crossovers. As it is, it’s just better than the last few.

Rating: 7/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #71

January 21, 2005

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Strange Part Two

With Spider-Man trapped in his own nightmares, only Dr. Strange can save him.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Last issue, Peter took Mary Jane on their long-planned fancy date… or so he thought. It turned out that he was trapped in a nightmare state created by a demon luring in the young Dr. Strange. Now, trapped in his own worst fears, Spider-Man is out of the picture, and Strange has to save him, in order to save the world.

It was a good move of Bendis to take time out for three two-issue “guest star” arcs, and this is easily the strongest of the three. Peter himself doesn’t really do much in this issue, but the tour of his nightmares casts a lot of light on the character. Strange, meanwhile, is a revelation. We’re so used to seeing the mainstream Marvel Dr. Strange, the cool, experienced sorcerer ready for any situation. This is totally different – it’s that experienced sorcerer’s son, and he’s still learning the ropes. When’s the last time you had to watch Dr. Strange look up a spell?

Also, unlike those other two arcs, this is one that looks like it’s going to have a lasting impact on the title. Peter is hurt this issue, scarred deeply in his soul, and it’s not a wound that will quickly heal.

Bagley, Hanna and Smith really outdo themselves with the artwork on this issue. I’m not sure exactly how they do it, but at one point the artwork in the nightmare sequences does a total shift to a bizarre, dreamlike state unlike anything else we’ve ever seen this title. It sets the darkness apart, and it works perfectly.

The short arcs were a welcome respite from the long – sometimes overly-long – series that usually dominate this title, but now that we’re charged up, I think we can handle a longer story again. Next issue: the Hobgoblin.

This should be interesting.

Rating: 9/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #70

December 16, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Strange

Peter gets a night out with Mary Jane after a hard day on the job.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley
Publisher: Marvel

This issue starts out simply enough, with Peter Parker sitting down for a well-deserved dinner with Mary Jane, but the dinner quickly takes a back seat to his story of a long day in the webs. He helped out the Ultimates only to get nothing to show for it, then wound up stumbling into a confrontation with Dr. Strange that wound up being a lot weirder than it seemed.

This is the first appearance (to my knowledge) of Dr. Strange outside of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, and unlike some of the characters who appeared in that series, this issue seems to harken back to it, although not to such a degree that people who didn’t read it will be lost. In fact, the issue gives us a perfect recap of Strange’s origin, which fans of the main Marvel Universe will find familiar, but with a clever twist.

The ending of this book is a clever twist too. Just as we’re getting to the end of what seems like a relatively quiet done-in-one issue, we get blown out of the water by a last-second surprise. With these three guest-star story arcs, Bendis has finally gotten away from drawn-out, overly padded stories and is telling quick arcs with either a lot of action, a lot of character development, or both.

Bagley has gotten to branch out with this arc, doing as good a job with the Ultimates as he does regularly with Spidey, and pulling out some nice mystical visuals for the scenes with Dr. Strange. Some of the early pages are a little awkward, as the flashback begins with Bendis’s semi-regular trick of having wordless panels with a running commentary down the side of the page, then he switches to more conventional storytelling a few pages in, and the flow is disrupted.

Overall, a good issue. I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of months of Ultimate Spider-Man. I just hope the creators can keep up the momentum once the book goes back to longer story arcs.

Rating: 8/10

Uncanny X-Men #486

May 15, 2007

Quick Rating: Almost Good
Title: Endings and Beginning (Chapter Twelve of The Rise and Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire)
Rating: T+

Lots of spoilery-type stuff happens!

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Billy Tan
Inks: Danny Miki
Colors: Frank D’armata
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Nick Lowe
Cover Art: John Watson
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The year-long “Rise and Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire” finally comes to a conclusion in a story I can barely discuss, because the spoilers really begin on page one. Here’s the set-up: the X-Men and the Starjammers invade the coronation of Vulcan as the new Shi’Ar Emperor. Darwin makes a play to save Charles Xavier, and the status quo is significantly shaken up.

There’s actually quite a bit of good stuff in this issue. The changes to the two teams at the end feel quite logical, and the battle with Vulcan is fairly exciting. Brubaker does take the opportunity to hit the reset button for one character, but as it’s a button I’ve been expecting to get pushed for over a year now, I’m not tremendously surprised.

So why is it “almost” good? Because, simply put, this isn’t the end of the story. Now when dealing with a serialized comic book, you expect there to be plot threads left dangling. After all, something has to happen next issue, right? But when you invest a year in a 12-part storyline, you expect a real conclusion, not just a resting place before moving into the next stage of the same story, and that’s what this issue feels like.

If you’ve been enjoying this storyline, if you’re anxious to see more of it, this is a book you’ll enjoy. But if you’ve just been waiting for this to end, I think you’ll be sorely upset.

Rating: 7/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #69

November 19, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Meet Me

Spider-Man’s got a new mission – help the Human Torch.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith & Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The conclusion of Spider-Man’s first encounter with the Human Torch may stand to go down as one of the best issues of this title ever. Brian Michael Bendis pulls a very clever reversal on one of the earliest meetings between the characters in the regular Marvel universe. (Anyone else remember how the Torch helped an unwitting Peter Parker bounce back from getting his butt handed to him by Dr. Octopus? Remember that.)

Last issue, Johnny Storm tried his hand at being a normal high school student, even joining Pete and MJ on a double date with Liz Allen. But things fell apart when he accidentally caught a flame from their beach bonfire. This issue picks up a few seconds later. Liz is panicking, Peter is confused and Johnny is crestfallen.

The Spider-Man/Torch dynamic is one of the all-time great friendships in the Marvel universe, and this issue goes a long way towards establishing that here as well. The book is basically a very strong character study, mostly of the Torch, but also of Peter in that he finds a way to make a difference that doesn’t involve putting his life on the line for a change. Bendis, as always, succeeds with strong characters, snappy dialogue and funny moments that help to lighten up the more serious bits.

Mark Bagley, as always, is in great form with the artwork. He and the colorists, Smith and Sotomayor, give a really strong look to the Torch. The character has come a long way, visually, from the days where he would flame on into a form with no face, no detail and bizarre pinstripes that appeared out of nowhere. There’s a little action in this issue, but it’s mostly talking heads, and Bagley still manages to keep the book strong and keep the story flowing.

Next up, Pete meets Dr. Strange – hopefully, though, this friendship will come back around again, because it’s one that always has a lot of storytelling potential.

Rating: 9/10

Ultimate Origins #1

June 3, 2008

Quick Rating: Average
Title: Ultimate Origins Part One
Rating: T+

How is everything in the Ultimate Universe tied together?

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Butch Guice
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Cover Art: Gabriele Dell’otto & Dean White
Publisher: Marvel Comics

For a long time, we’ve been teased with the promise that “everything” in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is connected. In the many years since that universe launched, though, it’s felt less and less relevant, and now that most of the books in that line are stagnating, it doesn’t seem to matter at all. I mention this simply because now, as Ultimate Origins launches, the general malaise the Ultimate Universe is experiencing makes this book feel just as pointless.

Beginning in World War II, we see how several of the characters who would become cornerstones of the Ultimate Universe were tied together and, ultimately, how their experiences would birth the origins of the likes of Captain America, SHIELD, and even mutantkind. There’s not really anything wrong with it, but it’s simply not exciting. There’s nothing here that gets me interested or excited in the Ultimate line again.

Butch Guice’s artwork helps, at least. He does a great action scene, especially the war scenes that open up the issue. And Gabriele Dell’otto’s cover isn’t bad either.

This book feels like a victim of bad timing. If it had been released years ago, when the Ultimate comics still had the heat, it may have been something interesting. As it stands, it feels like an attempt to reignite the Ultimate Universe. The problem is, this isn’t a book that works to reignite things. The creators should have put the excitement back in the rest of the line, then hit us with this series. Then it may have felt like it meant something.

Rating: 5/10