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

She-Hulk (2004 Series) #11

January 14, 2005

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Imbalance of Power

Titania’s on a rampage – and even an enhanced She-Hulk may not be strong enough to save the day.

Writer: Dan Slott
Pencils: Paul Pelletier
Inks: Rick Magyar
Colors: Dave Kemp
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Mike Mayhew
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Dan Slott deserves a ton of credit for how he pulled this issue out. He’s taken Titania, a character who has always been an emotional arch-foe for She-Hulk but has never been able to match her in combat, and made her a real threat. Even better, he found a way to reconcile all of the various storylines involving Shulkie from the last few years of other Marvel Comics and made them all fit perfectly within the context of this title.

Titania, now armed by the Power Infinity Gem, is ready to take on the woman she hates more than any other, and the way to draw her out is to tear up the city. Meanwhile, She-Hulk is having a chat with her old buddy Doc Samson. This sequence is where this issue really shines. Slott reaches back to She-Hulk’s days with the Fantastic Four to pick up a thread, which he laces into the “Red Zone” arc of Avengers, back into his own title and then through Avengers Disassembled, explaining perfectly how everything fits together in Jen Walters’ life. He even finds a way to explain the abominable Juggernaut incident from Uncanny X-Men, for which he shall have my eternal gratitude.

For all the character development, though, this issue is ultimately a lot of set-up to lead to a great cliffhanger, which promises a real slam-bang next issue.

Paul Pelletier’s artwork is as good as ever. He draws a lot of characters in a lot of environments, showing She-Hulk and Titania both in various levels of musculature, and recreates scenes from other titles (the brutal death of the Vision, for instance), with grace.

Most amazing of all, though, is the fact that this book never loses its sense of humor. Never. It’s not as laugh-out-loud funny as some earlier issues have been, but even in the midst of a few really heavy scenes, Slott eases in a joke to keep it from going to far.

This book is getting a much-needed profile boost in the coming months, and the critical buzz couldn’t be better. This is one of the best comics Marvel puts out every month, and if you’re not reading it, you should be.

Rating: 9/10

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.]

Somebody’s First Comic Book: Marvel Team-Up (1972 Series) Annual #5

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

TITLE: Serpent Rising

CREDITS:
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Breakdowns: Mark Gruenwald
Embellishment: Jim Mooney
Letters: Diana Albers
Colors: Bob Sharen
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Cover: Ed Hannigan & Al Milgrom
Publisher: Marvel Comics

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: I know Spider-Man, of course, and I remember the Thing from that Fantastic Four movie. Don’t know the other two heroes or the guy riding the giant snake.

IMPRESSIONS: Ah, apparently the snake guy is actually a good guy, Quasar, who also happens to be the head of security at an “energy project,” Project Pegasus. Evidently, the whole project is being invaded by a magic snake-god from ancient times. Quasar gets out a distress signal to the Thing, who comes to the rescue, and Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch (both of whom evidently have had encounters with the thing before) get some sort of psychic wave alerting them to the danger. Spider-Man recruits Dr. Strange for help, but the Scarlet Witch dumps off her red-skinned husband and tells him to call the Avengers if she doesn’t come back. Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to call the Avengers now and have him come with her? Eh, anyway.

This book was kind of hard to figure out, at first, but about a third of the way through Dr. Strange conveniently provided us with a complete history of the Serpent Crown and all the different characters that have encountered it over the years. (Including, apparently, Conan the Barbarian.) That, plus the character beats we get throughout the story, make it possible to get into the story eventually. Ya gotta feel bad for Quasar, though – he gets billing with the rest of the heroes, but he really comes off looking like a chump in this issue.

All things considered, in the end, this book wasn’t bad. I pieced it together and the story made sense.

GRADE: B

Avengers/Thunderbolts #5

July 24, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Truth and Consequences

Moonstone has gone mad – can the Avengers and Thunderbolts put aside their differences to save the world?

Writers: Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Tom Grummett
Inks: Gary Erskine
Colors: Brian Reber
Letters: Richard Starkings
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Barry Kitson
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The second-to-last issue of this slam-bang miniseries gives me more hope than ever that this will lead into a new beginning for the Thunderbolts, which was hands-down the best concept to come out of Marvel Comics in the second half of the 90s, after clones, onslaughts and rebirths nearly ruined the entire line. This issue, with Baron Zemo’s energy-collecting scheme thwarted, Moonstone has internalized the power and is going berserk. The Avengers, the Thunderbolts and her ex-lover, Hawkeye, have to find a way to bring her back to reality before she destroys the world… and it will take another former Thunderbolt to do it.

Busiek and Nicieza do a great job pulling all of the elements of the story together, showing the two teams grudgingly form a sort of truce (as we all knew would happen). They go a step further, however, and bring in more elements from the old Thunderbolts series, showcasing a couple of former members and showing what they’re capable of. This bit may be a tad daunting for new readers, since there’s not much buildup or explanation, but this is a book playing mainly to fans of the original series, so there shouldn’t be too much of a learning curve there.

The most surprising, and best-done, aspect of this miniseries for me has been the characterization of Baron Zemo. Once a despotic mastermind and sworn enemy of Captain America, towards the end of the old series we saw him begin to move into a gray area, not becoming an outright hero, but shifting his motivation to more altruistic, if still misguided, ends. He does something in this issue that I never in a million years would have expected to see him do, but the action stems perfectly from the slow development he’s had, and it sets up an interesting new status quo for the character.

Tom Grummett… well, I’m an unabashed fan of Tom Grummett, and since Barry Kitson seemed to bow out of this miniseries just two issues in, he’s a fine replacement. He’s one of the most underrated artists out there, with clean, straightforward storytelling, dynamic poses and good facial expressions. If Marvel is in the market for a penciler for the new series, since Mark Bagley and Patrick Zircher are busy these days, you’ve got your man right here.

With just one issue left, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea how this miniseries is going to end… that’s not a complaint though. It’s clearly going to be setup for the return of one of my favorite comics, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Rating: 8/10

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #4

February 20, 2011

Writer: Allan Heinberg
Pencils: Jim Cheung
Inks: Mark Morales & Jim Cheung
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: Cory Petit
Cover: Jim Cheung
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Young Avengers, tied up with Quicksilver and Magneto, have continued their hunt for the Scarlet Witch. Nobody expected it to take them to Latveria, though, only to find Wanda Maximoff without her memories, engaged to marry Dr. Doom! As has always been the case, Allan Heinberg proves that he’s the perfect person to shepherd these characters. True, he created most of them, but nobody else who has used them has been nearly as effective. Wiccan’s quest to find his mother has propelled this story from the beginning, delving into not only the Young Avengers characters themselves, but the entire extended (and twisted) Magneto/Scarlet Witch/Vision/Wonder Man family tree, which (let’s face it) has got to be at least as messed up as that of the Summers family at this point. The core Avengers are used sparingly this issue, not showing up until the end, and still acting very much as the antagonists of this book. The things they do, while clearly well-intentioned, are really acting against the best interests of our heroes. And the surprise return on the last page is only going to make things more complicated. Wonderful, powerful story, fantastic artwork. This miniseries is an excellent read. I just wish it wasn’t taking so long between issues.

Rating: 9/10

Somebody’s First Comic Book: Avengers (1963 Series) #189

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

TITLE: Wings and Arrows

CREDITS:
Writer: Steven Grant (Plot by Grant, Mark Gruenwald & Roger Stern)
Penciller: John Byrne
Inks: Dan Green
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Roger Stern
Publisher: Marvel Comics

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: I recognize Captain America, of course… saw that Thor trailer during the Superbowl. I thought Hawkeye was from MASH, though.

IMPRESSIONS: As this issue starts, the Avengers (seems to be your basic superhero team) is finishing up a mission and an old member, the Falcon, is coming back to re-join the group. But evidently, there’s some government rule that the team can only have seven members, so Hawkeye is getting kicked out.

Most of the book follows the now-unemployed Hawkeye as he attempts to find new employment as head of security for a big corporation, which just happens to be attacked by a supervillain called Deathbird. The fight scene between the two of them is pretty good, actually – a guy with a bow and arrow trying to take down a girl who can fly works out surprisingly well, and the writer gives us a very good feel for just who Hawkeye is.

In fact, even though we don’t see the rest of the team for more than a few pages each, we get to know them all pretty well. Especially Yellowjacket, the Vision, and the Scarlet Witch, all of whom are totally new characters to me. And hey, Iron Man and the Beast are in this too! I thought Beast was one of the X-Men though… anyway, we get a feel for what’s going on in all of their lives, and there are even several footnotes that seem to refer to other stories featuring these characters. Neat feature – the script gives you everything you need to know, but if you want to know more, it tells you where to look. I like that.

This was a pretty cool story. Lots of characters, although there’s really a spotlight on just one. Clearly there’s a lot of history here, but it’s nothing that’s particularly intimidating. I’d definitely read more of these characters.

GRADE: B+

Avengers/JLA #4

April 4, 2004

Review by: Blake M. Petit & Mike D’Alfonso
Quick Rating: Excellent/Excellent
Title: The Brave and the Bold

With Krona amassing enough power to destroy two worlds, the Avengers and the Justice League face off with a legion of villains to save all creation.

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Art: George Perez
Colors: Tom Smith
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Tom Brevoort, Dan Raspler & Mike Carlin
Cover Art: George Perez
Publisher: Marvel Comics & DC Comics

The Avengers and the Justice League have one chance to take down the mad Guardian Krona. Through sifting timestreams and an army of foes, the heroes never yield. Reviewers Blake Petit and Mike D’Alfonso give you their impressions of the final chapter of this crossover event.

MIKE: Well ladies and gents, we have the grand finale of the DC/Marvel intercompany crossover, starring the premiere teams of both universes respectively and I think that after a few months delay, it was well worth the wait.

BLAKE: More than worth it, I’d say. Busiek and Perez have woven an incredible story that really lives up to the 20 years it took to get on the page.

MIKE: I have to hand it to Kurt Busiek, he certainly did his homework when it came to researching the history of the principal cast in this story. When I read issue number three a few months back, he touched base on the pivotal moments of all the main characters. I was almost afraid that Busiek would never be able to top it. It would seem my fears have disappeared, when the book further delves into the heart of the conflict both between the two teams and the crisis that is presented before them.

BLAKE: In fact, if there’s any strike against this issue, it’s that it may be TOO continuity heavy. With timeline shifts hitting the heroes, changing out players and turning heroes into different incarnations of themselves, people without an in-depth knowledge of the teams may be at a loss Still, since these crossovers are done mainly for the die-hard fans, that shouldn’t be too big an obstacle.

MIKE: I would have to agree with you on that, but I think that it is somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of things. For example: Captain America and Superman are seen as revered iconic figures in both their universes respectively. The only difference is that Captain America has years of experience both as a hero and a soldier. He has guided men of humanistic and godlike qualities alike, without very much hesitation.

BLAKE: Oh, of course. In fact, I thought one of the best things about this issue is how Busiek didn’t shy away from crowning certain heroes the best in certain things. Superman immediately defers to Captain America as the leader, Cap recognizes Superman as being the most powerful. A lot of crossovers dance around that sort of thing for fear of alienating some fans, but Busiek took it head on and settled the debates.

MIKE: I really don’t know if anybody has noticed this but, the current title holders of the Green Lantern and Flash legacies did not appear for most of this crossover. I really think that the inclusion of Barry Allen (Flash II) and Hal Jordan (Green Lantern II) was only because they were supposed to be in the original crossover that was supposed to be released over 20 years ago.

BLAKE: Well, no, Kyle Rayner and Wally West were featured in the first two issues. I think the reason Busiek brought in Hal and Barry once the timelines started to fall apart was because — regardless of your opinions of the current GL and Flashes, Hal and Barry in their primes were easily the most heroic.

MIKE: Well that’s true. I have to admit that I did like the shared moments between all the heroes before the final battle actually begun. This was around the time they realized that separate tragedies have befallen each of them in their personal lives. Out of all the people who had not taken to the sudden impact, Vision seemed to emote a lot of turmoil. Considering that he is an android, it is very ironic that anything that could be viewed as a cold calculating machine would seem more human than his contemporaries (Well he does have the brain engrams of Wonder Man).

BLAKE: Not to mention the impact on Hal and Barry, both of whom knew full well that in saving the universe they were condeming themselves to death and, in Hal’s case, madness. I thought Busiek handled the scenes with those two especially well.

MIKE: In the respect of Barry Allen, there were some scenes in this book that is very reminicent of his final fate in the Crisis maxi series.

BLAKE: Which, of course, George Perez also got to draw, giving the book some poetic symmetry.

MIKE: I really think that George Perez is the undisputed king when it comes to cramming as many characters in a single book as possible. If I’m not mistaken, just about every person that has been affiliated with both teams make an appearance in this book.

BLAKE: Well, he did get literally every character in the team’s histories onto the cover of issue #3 — no one else could do that. I think that may have been one of the reasons they went with the shifting timelines as well — to make sure they could represent as many characters as possible. And Perez did them all beautifully, even the dreaded Electric Blue Superman.

MIKE: Perez could have also taken the easy way out by presenting just the prominant members of each team and leave the obscure characters out of it all together. Fans of Perez know that he would go 120% to please the masses. With any character both popular and obscure, Perez has captured the visual aspect of each character from various timepoints, with very sharp accuracy. I really thought it was a kick to see the Great Lakes Avengers and Animal Man.

BLAKE: And here I thought I was the only one who remembered the Great Lakes Avengers.

One can’t discount the contributions of Tom Smith on colors either. Perez’s artwork is beautiful, but without great colors to pull the images off the page, it wouldn’t have mattered. A lesser colorist would have muddied this book up. Smith stepped up and made it beautiful.

MIKE: These fine collaborators, as well as the technology to enhance the richness of the art clearly defines the magnitude of what is to be expected of a mini series of this caliber. Anything less would have been a sheer blow to both companies if it went south. I had the utmost confidence that all would go well and I think it did.

BLAKE: This is a book that has suffered from 20 years of hype. I know there are people who were disappointed in it — I honestly believe that in most of those cases it was because they had built it up in their minds to be something it could never possibly have lived up to. People who wanted a fun story featuring lots of heroes, lots of action and great characterization and artwork couldn’t be disappointed.

MIKE: I think that you could use movies as an analogy in this instance. If the advertising over-emphasizes the product that a movie studio is trying to sell, it could be a hit or miss no matter what. I think that if it was announced in another fashion rather than plastering it throughout both publishers and comic guides alike, we would here a different tune.

BLAKE: I think that’s a problem with comics in general these days, actually, but that’s another topic entirely.

MIKE: Well all in all, I think that people want a general consensus of how I felt about this issue as well as the overall mini. I would honestly say that it has filled my expectations as both a fan, and an avid reader of various forms of sequential literature. I admit that there were times where I thought that Busiek and Perez would muck up the characterization and visuals of the numerous characters that appeared. However I think that these two individuals pulled together a story that is valid and not a throw away story just to rake in some extra dollars.

BLAKE: I couldn’t agree more. For a book so long in the making, this miniseries delivered for me, and I’ll put it on my shelf right next to the Crisis itself.

Blake’s Rating: 10/10

Mike’s Rating: 10/10

The Thanos Imperative #3

August 28, 2010

Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art: Miguel Sepulveda
Colorist: Jay David Ramos
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover: Aleksi Briclot
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Cancerverse is continuing its war on our universe, and an ever-dwindling army of cosmic heroes is doing its best to toe the line. But there’s hope from the other side – the Cancerverse’s counterparts to robotic heroes like the Vision and Machine Man have resisted the influence of Mar-Vell, and may provide the key to victory… if only Drax can put aside his hatred of Thanos long enough to win the war.

Abnett and Lanning have been telling war stories with these characters for some time now, going back to Annihilation, but they’ve never gotten stale in their telling. The Cancerverse concept itself is wonderfully warped and twisted, making for some dreadful villains for our heroes. We’re seeing Nova really have a chance to step up and demonstrate the depths of his own heroism, and the Guardians of the Galaxy have their own opportunity to shine.

There’s been some speculation about a “Cosmic Avengers” title spinning out of this event, and while that idea may have a little merit, the “line-up” we’re presented with this issue wouldn’t really sustain an ongoing. Quasar, Nova, and even Beta Rey Bill would work well together, but the Silver Surfer doesn’t really come across as a team player, and Ronan and the Gladiator are both kind of bland characters – powerhouses, to be sure, but not necessarily the sort of characters that make for interesting protagonists on an ongoing basis. (Both of them, honestly, are more interesting as antagonists, even if they’re fighting on the right side.) Hopefully if that does turn out to be the case, we’ll see a slightly different team.

Miguel Sepulveda’s artwork has a different kind of flavor to it, a clever mix of high-flying science fiction and superhero adventure, blended with the Cthulhu-style horrors of the Cancerverse. They mix well under his pencils, and give us a good-looking book.

This issue ends on a dandy little cliffhanger that actually calls the title of this event into question. It will be fun to see where the writers take us next.

Rating: 7/10