New Thunderbolts #6

March 12, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: City of Heroes?

The new Thunderbolts are New York’s only hope to be saved from Hydra!

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Co-Plotter: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Tom Grummett
Inks: Gary Erskine
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Tom Grummett
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Hydra’s plans become clear as the terrorist army overruns a New York without Avengers to protect it. Although may of the second-string heroes come out of the woodwork, only the Thunderbolts have the inside knowledge to save the day – because Baron Strucker has been bankrolling them from the beginning.

Considering the nature of this title, I’m really rather surprised at how many of the ongoing subplots are resolved this issue. Granted, most of then are resolved in a fashion that leaves more questions, but a lot of them are resolutions that leave more questions. Nicieza manages to pack an incredible amount of story into what’s basically an all-action issue, but he doesn’t make it seem crammed or bloated. Throughout the battle, stories and ideas are ticked off one at a time, adding up to the final package. We get the truth about Speed Demon, about Joystick, and about Captain Marvel, and despite some of the complaints I really don’t have any problem with his new status quo, although I must admit I don’t quite grasp the reasoning behind it. (There’s something bizarrely Freudian going on there, and I really hope Nicieza is planning to give us more of an explanation later on.)

Some of the stuff, such as Songbird’s actions in this issue, aren’t that surprising, but at the same time they work for her and show how far the character has come. The same goes for Mach-IV, still stuck in his old Beetle armor, but still displaying the true hero he’s become.

Tom Grummet again does a solidly entertaining job with this issue. He’s got some of the most action to draw that I’ve ever seen in a single issue, not just a fight scene but a city-wide fight scene involving hundreds of enemy agents and cameos from a lot of heroes outside of the main cast. This is the sort of thing that you usually have to see in a big summer crossover. He also gets points for a knockout cover – imagine, a cover that actually invokes the events of the issue. I’m amazed that Marvel let this get to the printer.

This book wraps up a lot of things, but there’s still plenty out there to keep us occupied. I can’t wait to see where it’ll go next.

Rating: 8/10

The 99 #4

January 11, 2008

The 99 #4 (Teshkeel Comics)
By Naif Al-Mutawa, Fabian Nicieza, John McCrea, Jason Dennis & Ron Wagner

This issue, Nawaf gets a taste for heroism — saving some construction workers from disaster and leaping into battle — while a new villain called Blackwolf begins to hunt the 99. Al-Mutawa and Nicieza continue to deliver just what I want from this book, namely old-school superhero action. The book is a little light on character development, however. Nawaf’s continuing transformation into Jabbar isn’t exactly subtle, but then, a guy with a build like the Hulk isn’t a subtle character to begin with. And when you get right down to it, there wasn’t a lot of subtletly to those Silver and Bronza Age comics. That, I think, sums up what I like about this title. It has the feel of a Silver Age book without feeling like it’s just a pastiche (like Big Bang Comics, for example). It has a classic feeling, but the flavor is modern and unique. It’s a fun book.
Rating: 7/10

Trinity #2

June 12, 2008

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: A Personal Best at Robot Smashing & It’s Gonna Throw the Car

The members of the Trinity face a bizarre attack – and so does one of their teammates.

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert
Colors: Pete Pantazis
Writers (Second Story): Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza
Artists (Second Story): Tom Derenick & Wayne Faucher
Colors (Second Story): Allen Passalaqua
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Carlos Pacheco
Publisher: DC Comics

As the three members of the Trinity return to their respective homes, each of them is faced with an unexpected challenge. A miniature solar system (including a familiar-looking sun) is threatening Superman’s Metropolis, Batman’s Gotham City has been plunged into another century entirely, and Wonder Woman has to stop a group of giant fighting robots from destroying Washington, DC. But what does any of this have to do with Morgaine Le Fay’s “anti-Trinity” and the mysterious dreams that afflict them?

While the first issue of the new weekly focused on bringing the three heroes together, issue two shows each of them dealing with a threat in their own style. What makes this work is that Busiek gets a chance to show us the real difference between our three heroes and how they handle a threat. There’s a nice little scene between Wonder Woman and Superman as well, which is also needed. As the least-popular member of the trinity (let’s be honest here), it really helps to remind us not only how capable she is, but how much respect she commands from her friends.

Mark Bagley’s artwork, of course, is as cool and polished as ever, although I do think his Superman looks a little too young. It’s a small complaint, however, and once I can easily live with.

In just two issues, the function of the second story in each issue has become clear: it’s not merely a space-filler, but a chance to show scenes that are relevant to the main plot, but that don’t feature our three heroes. This issue, we see Green Lantern John Stewart facing the bizarre double-threat of Konvikt and Graak. In terms of plot development, the most interesting thing here is that apparently they are of a species that John’s ring doesn’t recognize. Mostly, though, it’s just an action scene, but a good one. Tom Derenick’s artwork makes this second story look leaps and bounds above the artwork last week, which also helps quite a bit.

I also need to take just a second to point out how cool the naming convention of this series is – apparently each story will take its title from an amusing or pertinent snippet of dialogue. I dunno, I just think that’s neat.

Two issues down and fifty to go, but so far, this has been a really strong story. Busiek and Bagley have made legendary comics together in the past, and it looks like they’re on the right path to do it again.

Rating: 8/10

Cable and Deadpool #45

September 24, 2007

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Band of (Oh) Brothers
Rating: T+

Deadpool and Bob – meet Captain America and Bucky!

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Reilly Brown
Inks: Jeremy Freeman
Colors: Gotham
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Nicole Boose
Cover Art: Skottie Young
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Having saved the world from Hydra, the Penetraitor’s damaged armor caused a hiccup in time last issue, grabbing Deadpool and Bob Hydra, hurling them back in time to World War II, just in time to team up with Captain America and Bucky on the trail of the mad scientist Arnim Zola. Deadpool is jazzed to be working with the living legend, while Bob finds himself torn between his HYDRA training focusing his hatred on Cap and the fact that Captain America is just darn cool.

As usually is the case, this is a fun issue, with Cap and Bucky’s very distinct reactions to Deadpool opening up to some nicely-played comedy. The fight scenes are a lot of fun, the artwork is great – I’ve finally realized what it was the problem was that kept me from enjoying this series wholly: Cable. I just don’t care about him. But Deadpool, solo, is turning out to be a highly entertaining read.

Really, Marvel? You’re going to cancel this book – one of the few legitimately enjoyable comics in a bloated, depressing X-line, to replace it with a Cable ongoing? At least keep this book alive and drop his name from the title – make it a Deadpool solo book again. It’s too good to lose that way.

Rating: 8/10

New Thunderbolts #5

February 11, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Call to Battle?

The Fathom Five is attacking – are there any Thunderbolts left to take them down?

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Co-Plotter: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Tom Grummett
Inks: Gary Erskine
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Tom Grummett
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Fathom Five are back, attacking Manhattan. The Avengers are gone. Only the Thunderbolts are left to save the day… but how many can be trusted? Atlas is acting erratic, Songbird is in the hospital, and the last time their leader saw Speed Demon, Blizzard and Joystick they were headed to a strip club. Oh – and Abe Jenkins is cut off from his Mach-IV armor.

This is a bad day.

This is also the issue where you see what this book has been leading up to. We see hints of characterization in Speed Demon that may start to betray his real motivation. We see Abe acting like the true hero he has become. We even get a promise to a final resolution of the Captain Marvel mystery, and all of this in book that’s chock-full of action from beginning to end. We even get a quick cameo from one of the villains of Nicieza’s most popular 90s work.

Nicieza and Busiek have created a pace that just won’t stop, and while some things still aren’t quite touched on this issue – the Swordsman subplot, for instance, you realize that they were subtly setting things up for a big sixth issue, perfect for the trade paperback. The thing is, with most comics these days, you see that coming from the first issue. Not here.

Grummett continues to impress with the artwork on this issue. There are a ton of characters bandied about in here – heroes and villains alike – and a lot of action, but he’s got great fight choreography and a good handle on everyone.

This book has been building momentum slowly. This issue you get the feeling that it’s finally hit the crest and it’s time to race to the finish. At least, the finish of the first story. If there’s anything that’s been consistent about the Thunderbolts from day one, it’s that every ending brings with it a dozen new beginnings.

Rating: 8/10

Cable and Deadpool #44

August 20, 2007

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Head Games
Rating: T+

Cable dead? Deadpool beheaded? Wolverine versus the Penetrator!

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Ron Lim
Inks: Jeremy Freeman & John Dell
Colors: Gotham & Sotocolor
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Nicole Boose
Cover Art: Skottie Young
Publisher: Marvel Comics

You know, considering that Cable was apparently killed over in X-Men and Wolverine chopped off Deadpool’s head last issue, you would think it would be difficult to find something to write about this month. And for a lesser writer than Fabian Nicieza it probably would be, but I gotta tell ya, he’s got this all sewn up.

With Deadpol out of commission, Wolverine turns his attention to Penetrator, even as the hordes of Hydra begin to swarm upon them. Not only is this book action-packed, but it’s also one of the flat-out funniest issues of this comic to come down the pike in a long time. Nicieza makes liberal use of the joke potential in a character called “The Penetrator” (at least as much as he can without turning this into a MAX book), and a totally out-of-the blue Hugh Jackman joke left me laughing out loud. Nicieza sets up things nicely to begin the next story, and I put the book down feeling genuinely satisfied with what I’d read.

Having Ron Lim on the art doesn’t hurt of course. He’s one of those artists I always love seeing but who doesn’t get nearly as much work as he deserves. He blends the major fight scenes with some great physical comedy sequences here, and he blends them flawlessly.

Yeah, you’d think that having both of our leads seemingly dead would be a detriment to this issue, but it’s a fantastic read anyway.

Rating: 8/10

Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular #1

July 10, 2007

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Drunk With Power and other stories
Rating: T+

Deadpool and the Great Lakes Initiative team up for some summer fun!

Writers: Fabian Nicieza & Dan Slott
Art: Kieron Dwyer, Nelson, Paul Pelletier, Dave Melkis & Clio Chiang
Colors: Pete Pantazis, Giulia Brusco & Wil Quintana
Letters: Dave Lanphear
Editor: Nicole Boose
Cover Art: Paul Pelletier
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Fabian Nicieza and Dan Slott team up for this super-sized special. Considering the unique sense of dark humor that Deadpool and the Great Lakes Ave… X-Me… oh, right, they’re the Great Lakes Initiative now – anyway, considering the similar sense of humor the two properties share, this special is a natural, and it works really well.

When the god Dionysus falls to Earth, AIM uses him to place all superheroes in a state of permanent intoxication. Only Deadpool and the GLI are unaffected (for valid and hysterical reasons), so it’s up to them to team up and stop AIM. That’s not all, though – there are several other tales in this issue, including Deadpool’s date with Big Bertha, his struggle against Flatman, and Squirrel Girl’s quest to reunite herself with her one true love… Speedball.

This book is universally funny. The two writers blend so well it’s impossible to tell who wrote what. Both Nicieza and Slott are wonderful about using Marvel continuity as their base, and that keeps up here as well. Squirrel Girl’s origin is referenced, as is one of the best Marvel Team-Up stories of Robert Kirkman’s run. Perhaps the best scene, though, is Squirrel Girl’s confrontation with her ex, where she comments (brilliantly) on exactly how absurd the character has become.

While the writing is great throughout, the art quality goes back and forth. Dwyer and Pelletier’s sections are wonderful, but the art in the Deadpool/Flatman story is a little… well… flat. No pun intended.

Put it all together, you’ve got a great special that any fan of either property will enjoy.

Rating: 8/10

New Thunderbolts #4

January 14, 2005

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Sword and Claw (Enemy of the State Tie-In)

While the Thunderbolts lick their wounds, the Swordsman faces a crazed Wolverine.

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Co-Plotter: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Tom Grummet
Inks: Gary Erkine
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Tom Grummet
Publisher: Marvel Comics

While I do applaud any effort to keep a tighter continuity in Marvel Comics these days, I have to admit that any enjoyment I may have had of this issue was somewhat tempered by the fact that I’m not reading Wolverine these days and all I know of that storyline is what I’m reading in reviews, which frankly, does not impress me. Evidently, he has been brainwashed and made a pawn in a Civil War among different factions of Hydra, and this issue he’s targeting the Thunderbolts’s benefactor, Baron Von Strucker. A unique little twist about Stucker, though, winds up putting the mysterious new Swordsman in the unique position of trying to save him.

Back at camp, the ‘Bolts are still recovering from their battle with Fathom Five. The newer members, Speed Demon, Joystick and Blizzard, want to take it easy, but Mach-IV isn’t keen on their plans to hit the town, since at least two of them are still wanted criminals. Meanwhile, Atlas finds himself answering some uncomfortable questions about the missing Captain Marvel.

As continuity-heavy as this series usually is, it’s even thicker this issue, between the ties to Wolverine’s solo title and the storylines harkening back to literally dozens of earlier Marvel titles. We do get a nice surprise regarding the Swordsman, and I find myself with a suspicion as to his true identity (which I’m hesitant to divulge because I’m really not sure where that particular character was when last we saw him).

Tom Grummet and Gary Erkine’s artwork is top-notch as usual. Although our heroes really take a backseat this issue to some of the various side plots, there’s an awful lot of action – first Swordsman versus Strucker, then a three-way battle once Wolverine is thrown in. The book gets a little bloodier than I expected, but with two blade-wielding combatants, that’s really to be expected.

While I wasn’t too pleased that this issue took a side track to patch in to the “Enemy of the State” fiasco, that didn’t limit my understanding much, just my enjoyment of it. The progress that the real plot of the title is good, and as always, I’m anxious to see where it will go next.

Rating: 7/10

Red Robin #25

August 13, 2011

Title: 7 Days of Death Part Three: The Bigger Picture

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Marcus To
Inks: Ray McCarthy
Colorist: Guy Major
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Cover Artist: Marcus To
Editor: Rachel Gluckstern
Publisher: DC Comics

Red Robin has been captured by the Daughters of Acheron, and the half-sister of Ra’s al Ghul himself wants to appropriate him for her own purposes. Fortunately, Tim has an ace in the hole – Cassandra Cain, alias the Black Bat. Assuming, of course, that she doesn’t kill him first.

Staring down the barrel of the DC relaunch, Fabian Nicieza seems to be using this issue to set the stage for next issue’s finale. The long-running subplot concerning Tim’s relationship with Tamara Fox reaches a conclusion, and Tim takes a few major steps towards establishing himself as his own hero. Ironically, this is just the sort of thing that you would expect to see if the book was continuing on – the establishment of his own headquarters, vehicles, and arsenal to allow him to operate more independently of Batman, Inc. It’s really rather curious, and it’ll be interesting to see if the final issue gives closure to that sort of thing, or if it’s one of the (sadly, many) threads of plot throughout the DC Universe that will remain frayed when the universe shifts on August 31.

Tim and Cassandra’s relationship is the centerpiece of this issue, and it actually works very well. There’s a real feel of connectivity to them, but not the sort of forced romance some people would expect. The relationship has a sibling quality to it, like Tim and Cass are both the middle children who have been kind of cut loose to fend for themselves as the eldest are already established and the youngest need most of the nurturing at this point.

Marcus To continues to show himself to be a workhorse superstar, delivering solid artwork dependably month after month after month.

It’s good that Tim will still have a showcase after the relaunch, with Teen Titans, but I’ll miss seeing him in his own series, and I’ll miss Nicieza’s version of the character. It’s worked well.

Rating: 8/10

New Thunderbolts #3

December 24, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Heavy Burdens

Even with some all-star help, can the new Thunderbolts save the U.N.?

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Heavy Thinking: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Tom Grummett
Inks: Gary Erskine
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Tom Grummett & Chris Sotomayor
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Last issue, a battle against The Game at the United Nations sent the building crumbling with the Thunderbolts, Mr. Fantastic and Namor inside. This time, heroes and villains alike work inside and out to save the lives of everybody trapped in the building.

The character dynamic in this issue is really, really good. It’s intriguing to see how quick Mr. Fantastic is to trust these new Thunderbolts, like he’s willing to give someone a second chance. On the outside, there’s a sharp contrast as Spider-Man has to forge an uneasy alliance with his former enemy, Mach-IV, who once plagued him as the Beetle. Mach-IV has to pull strings with his unlikely benefactor, Baron Strucker, to bring in the one man who can save the lives of everyone in the building. Finally, the book ends with a major, major twist (which is actually two twists in one – one of revelation and one of action) that turns the entire series on its ear only three issues in. Twists and turns were the hallmark of the old series, and it’s great to know that Nicieza and Busiek (who I have to assume is credited here for co-plotting) are keeping that tradition going.

Grummet, Erskine and Sotomayor continue to do a fantastic job with this book. They’ve got a lot to play with visually this issue, starting out with a four-page underwater sequence followed up with a major fire at the U.N. Songbird’s powers get a real workout this issue as well, which means they have a lot to play with as far as her powers are concerned.

Questions keep racking up with this book. What’s up with Atlas’s powers? How and why did Mach-IV hook up with Strucker? And what happened to Captain Marvel? I’d be lying if I said you got any answers this issue, but man, it’s fun getting to the questions.

Rating: 8/10