Deadpool vol.3 #2

I'm going to start off by saying that I love this cover. The second issue of the new creative team delivers on this issue as well. Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn write another fun issue of Deadpool vs Zombie presidents.

This issue pits Deadpool against Teddy Roosevelt during his hunting trip. At the zoo. It was full of good jokes and timing but the issue feels a little light on plot. Hopefully the story will start picking up its pace. Deadpool being funny is great as long as there is a good story behind it. I will be disappointed if this is the whole of their first arc

Tony Moore is as brilliant as ever. It's kind of fun seeing him draw zombies again.

Iron Man vol.5 #2

I thought Kieron Gillen did a nice nod to the Arthurian stories done in the past by David Michelinie and Bob Layton. Iron Man is set against a group of warriors along the Latverian border who model themselves from the Knights of legend using Extremis in there armor.

Tony tracks the Extremis to this group and if offered a challenge to regain the Extremis the group had obtained. He must win in single battle against each of the Knights. I was a little disappointed with Tony's deception and the use of the same old story of a scientist who Tony showed up wanting revenge. I think that was the plot of half the Iron Man comics published so far. 

All in all it was not a stellar issue but it was passable. I expect more from Gillen based on his other writings.

Love his art or hate it, Greg Land is Greg Land. Heavily photo-referenced which can make it highly distracting at time, but his actual Iron Man looks great.

Uncanny Avengers #2

Not a great sign for Marvel. Uncanny Avengers was supposed to be Marvels new flagship series yet the second issue was delayed by two weeks and the third is announced as delayed also. That doesn't help build confidence in Marvel's new initiative

On to the story. Rick Remender picks up from last issue, showing the after effects of Avalanche's attack ant the anti-mutant sentiment that it has brought. Wolverine questions Cap's decision and motivation for recruiting Havok as an Avenger considering Cyclops is Alex's brother. We also get a nice moment of realization from Thor that mutants need to be defended.

Rogue and the Scarlet Witch are held prisoner in the Red Skull's base, with Rogue being chained up while the Red Skull uses his new mental powers to brainwash Wanda. Rogue shows an inventive use of her powers to escape, which leads to a confrontation with the Skull influenced Wanda. This brief battle causes the floor to collapse beneath them. They land in the lab with Xaviers body, which snaps Wanda back to herself and causes Rogue to remember her beloved teacher defending her acceptance into the X-Men.

John Cassaday does an amazing job portraying the horrified look on Rogue and the Scarlet Witch's faces when they find Xavier. It is one of those moments that you can actually feel. I hope Cassaday can "right" his schedule. I love his art, but I want a consistent book more

All New X-Men #2

Another great issue. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this series initially, but that has already begun to change. Brian Bendis gives us a very solid second issue, with the O5 making their way to the present through Beasts time machine.

The shock of the O5 coming to the present is felt through all the characters throughout the issue. Wolverines reaction was expected, Iceman's was funny, Jeans was a little heartbreaking, though I expect more to come. Even with the knowledge of what becomes of some of the O5, they seem to be in good spirits.

O5 Beast realizes that his older self is dying from a further mutation, and has arranged the time travel event as a final act. A few issues were raised in this story that require further explanation, but I'm holding out hope that they will be touched upon later. The Revolutionary team wasn't featured in this issue The issue ends with the O5 running away from the JGS to seek out new mutants before Scott's older self.

Stuart Immonen continued to impress me with this issue. I'm not a huge fan of his current Iceman, with the ice spikes all over, but the rest of the characters looked wonderful.

Thor: God of Thunder #2

Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic deliver another great issue with the second issue of Thor: God of Thunder. Jason Aaron handles the dialogue very well without slipping into the Shakespearean speak and has begun to craft a story that truly feels epic in scope.

 The majority of this issue focuses on "young" Thor as he travel to what will someday be Russia with a group of Vikings.While crossing the sea, we see a figure in the fog who comments that he can smell Thor's "godflesh" and begins to follow the viking ship in the hopes of Thor leading him to other gods. 

Once they shipped has docked, the river people begin boasting over their gods and the protection from the vikings that they will bring. A flying steed covered in blood soars down and the river people identify it as Peruns horse. Thor mounts the horse and flies off to find what has happened to these gods but as he reaches the clouds he sees another decapitated god. The God Butcher reveals himself and the battle begins.

Esad makes the God Butcher look terrifying, the flying steeds gorgeous, and Thor like a warrior born. What more could you ask for?

A + X #2

I enjoyed A+X #2 a lot more than the previous issue. Chris Bachalo handles both the art and writing on the first story and Peter David and Mike Delmundo deliver the second. I was happy to see nods to current continuity with the Kilgore Mark X Sentinel and references to the recent pregnancy/infestation issues of Wolverine and the X-Men.

Bachalo shows a day off gone bad for the Black Widow as her relaxation time gets interupted by a battle between Rogue and a Sentinel. Natasha of course can't sit by and joins in to put a stop to the Sentinels plans. There is a good amount of humor throughout this story but again not a much occurs. I personally love Bachalo's art and he draws this in his normal, chaotic style. But that's what makes it so fun to look at.

The second story is written by Peter David and drawn by Mike Delmundo. It features Kitty Pryde being summoned to Resilient (formerly Stark Resilient) so that Tony can try to sway Kitty into taking a job there. 

David gets some great lines of dialogue in and delivers a cute story. Mike Delmundo's art compliments the tone of story well, and was a good choice to be alongside Bachalo in this issue. 

Locke & Key: Omega #1

This is the beginning of the end for Locke & Key and I'm already starting to miss it. Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez have created a rich world throughout this series and made characters that you can't help but feel for.

The evil spirit/demon/whatever the hell it is has finally found the Omega key along with any others that it might find useful. Relationships are repaired and explored between the Locke children and their friends. All while being unaware that the darkness has found what it has been looking for. 

Gabriel Rodriguez has a great style all his own. Its an almost perfect mix of detail and cartoon while always feeling a little dark like something is looming. Its hard to describe but amazing to look at

Amazing Spider-Man #698

If you read comics and have been on the Internet in the past few weeks, you probably know the shock ending of this issue. If not, stop reading and go purchase this issue

Dan Slott loves Spider-Man and it comes through on every story he writes. This issue is no different. The issue begins as a fairly typical day in the life of Peter/Spidey as we follow him around and visit the majority of his supporting cast. 

When Pete makes his way to Mary Jane longtime readers get a sliver of hope that their relationship will return. And that is when the issue became clear to me. After Pete telling MJ that he wants them to get back together, she turns to get her jacket and Pete begins flirting with two other women. I knew then this wasn't Peter.

While "Peter" is visiting Aunt May and Jay in the hospital, he receives a priority call from the Avengers directing him to the raft. It seems that Doc Ock is on his deathbed and is repeating the same name over and over: Peter Parker. I won't go into any more detail but I will say that whatever Slott has up his sleeve I can't wait to see it.

Richard Elson provides the art for this issue and it is nicely done. His figures are crisp and clean and he has a good handle on the emotional aspects. I don't know that I have seen much of his work in the past but after this I would like to see more work from him in the future

Avengers vol.4 #34

Brian Michael Bendis and/or Marvel really dropped the ball with this issue. Through editorial edict or personnel choice, the final issue reverses many of the impactful stories Bendis has written over the past several years.

Lord Gouzar as the villain for the final arc makes little sense. Especially given the fact that he is taking on several of the most powerful Avengers, yet readers are given very little info to go on about him. He seems randomly thrown in and we are told he is a threat, but never shown as one.

As for the reversals, Wasp is back (turns out she never died) and Wonderman gives up his crusade to end the Avengers and attempts to redeem himself. The Wonderman story comes out of nowhere. It feels so rushed and out of place.

The best part of this storyline is that the original Avengers (add Cap and minus Hulk) are the focus of the story as the four remaining heroes rescue the fifth member. It was nice to see that nod in Bendis' final Avengers story as so much of the series focused on the big three and the new recruits Bendis added.

Its fun to multiple artists on a "jam" issue like this but it can also make the issue very jarring. I like most of the artists that contributed but there are to many to go through here. 

FF vol.2 #1

FF #1 is more along the lines of what I would expect from Matt Fraction. It was a fun set up issue, and the premise of a team needing to fill in for the Fantastic Four for four minutes sounds like a great hook. This issue introduces the children of the Future Foundation in an enjoyable way and manages to give all of them a few panels to shine.

The story was a basic recruitment one, but it was well handled. Reed asks Scott Lang/Ant-Man to fill in for him, Thing asks She-Hulk, Sue asks Medusa, and in normal Johnny fashion he forgets to ask anyone. Hopefully next issue will kick the story of strong.

Mike Allred has done something amazing in this issue. He gave She-Hulk a beautiful face, not just an over sexualized body. Allreds art is something to truly sit back and appreciate

New Avengers vol.2 #34

New Avengers #34 is the final issue of Brian Michael Bendis Avengers tenure. And it honestly left me feeling cheated.

For whatever reason, either Marvel or Bendis, decided to revert almost every major development to the way it was before Bendis took over. Dr. Strange is once again sorcerer supreme. Cage and Jessica Jones left the Avengers after selling the mansion back to Iron Man. The only possibly lasting difference is the death of Victoria Hand, who wasn't created by Bendis, but was "made" by him. This issue just was not very satisfying. I expected better.

Mike Deodato along with a list of collaborators do a great job of making the book look pretty, but thats about all there is to this book.

Gambit vol.3 #6

I wanted to like this issue more than I actually did. James Asmus wrote a fun story, but it feels like something is missing. I can't put my finger on it though.

Maybe its the fact that it's another story where the hero is forced to work for the mobster until he can find a way to free himself. There are so many stories like that, that even though this was fun and well written, it also felt kind of standard. At least we got to see Pete Wisdom again and that's never a bad thing. I wish Marvel would do more with that character.

Diogenes Neves handles the art this issue and does a pretty good job. If Clay Mann decides to leave Diogenes would make a fair replacement

Captain America and Black Widow #639

The storyline running through this series has run out its welcome long ago. Cullen Bunn may be a good writer but I find I'm just waiting for this to end. I've put to much time and energy in to stop now. 

I think one of my biggest problems with this story arc is that I find the villain to be bland and uninteresting. The multiversal versions of characters is getting too overplayed and that is the whole hook behind Venema Kashmir. Having multiple Black Widows running around along with multiple Kashmirs just adds that much more of an "ugh" factor.

Normally I am a big fan of Francesco Francavilla, but this is not the type of story for him. The art looks way too muddy and honestly uninspired. Francavilla is perfect for street level books, but not so much for alternate realities and Sci-Fi.

Fatale #10

At the end of the second arc of Fatale, and I'm starting to lose interest a little. The story seems a little rinse and repeat, with only circumstances changing.

Maybe after reading Ed Brubakers other work I expected a little more from this series. It is by no means badly written, just not a whole lot to excite me in this second arc. Ed Brubaker is a master at noir, but there is something about this issue that falls flat. Hopefully the next few issues will pull me back in.

Sean Phillips is the only artist I could imagine doing this series. He has the perfect tone and his collaborations with Ed Brubaker are always an artistic treat. His women are sexy and dangerous and his "heroes" are dirty and worn 

American Vampire #33

Not surprisingly Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque deliver another great issue. This issue is the final chapter of the "Blacklist" arc and it hits pretty hard. Hattie goes after Henry with Calvin and Pearl in pursuit. Skinner has a moment of hesitation that leads to him being attacked by Hattie's "children". And then there is death and violence. 

There is only one issue left until AV goes on hiatus for an undisclosed amount of time and this begins to wrap things up nicely. Synder seems poised to leave the story off in a good direction while he takes some time to work on other projects. I'd be upset if his other projects didn't sound so damn interesting.

Rafael's art is well suited for this book. Dark and gritty, yet beautiful at times. His vampires are something to be feared

Chew #30

Chew #30 is the halfway point in the series and thing really begin to heat up. John Layman tells a story that is painful to read, as we lose a character to soon. 

Layman has created a fun world here, and you tend to get lulled into a false sense of security. This issue rips that away. Tony Chu is still hospitalized and his twin sister Toni is getting ready for her wedding. It all starts off in a dream of Toni's perfect wedding day, and then reality crashes in. Layman is a bit of a bastard for this one. There isn't a lot to say without spoiling anything so I will leave the story off here. If you are a fan, buy it. If not, become one.

Rob Guillory does an amazing job as always, his cartoonish characters always stand out, and he even makes the horrible look beautiful. Bastards

X-Men: Legacy #1

This book blew me away. I had always hoped Marvel would someday try something as different as this book, but I never thought it would end up this good. 

David Haller, the son of the recently deceased Charles Xavier, has always been a character that I thought great things could be done with. An omega level mutant with Multiple Personality Disorder, whose other personalities each had there own power? Sounded like a brilliant idea to me. The problem was, nobody ever seemed to want to use Legion other than as a plot device. Someone to come in and destroy reality for a while every so often.

That is until Simon Spurrier. In one issue, Spurrier has made me desperate to read more. He made Legion a human, instead of an aloof god that can't control himself. Xavier had recently been attempting to help David gain control of his personalities and set up a prison in Davids mind to confine them. Spurrier explored the prison inside Legions mind and gave us a glimpse of the madness and lack of control inside him, as his other personalities schemed to get out of their prison. And Then Legion feels the passing of Xavier....

The art by Tan Eng Huat is decent but not really my style of choice. It does fit the story pretty well so far, so we will see if it grows on me.

I normally won't be reviewing covers but this and the upcoming solicited covers are some of the greatest I have ever seen. Check them out if you have the chance

Indestructible Hulk #1

Indestructible Hulk #1 was pretty good for what it was. What it was, was a setup issue. Mark Waid has done an amazing job on Daredevil, and I have faith that he will do an equally great job with the Hulk. We just aren't there yet. DD was an easier character to "about face" because he could just let go of his problems and try to be happy. Hulk has the misfortune of being the problem for everyone. Especially himself.

That being said, Waid begins to alter the Hulks normal status quo of being on the run and constantly hunted, by having Bruce Banner seek out SHIELD to "tryout" for a job. He wants SHIELD to use his brains along with Hulks brawn. The story is littered with little moments of things that could irritate Bruce into becoming the Hulk, but for once Banner seems more in charge. Hulk works with SHIELD to save some agents and thats where the issue ends.

Lenil Yu draws a very imposing Hulk. He is a very detail oriented artist and he seems to be having fun with this book. Hulk is drawn as a massive figure while Banner is smaller but just as powerful as the Hulk 

Captain America vol.7 #1

Captain America #1 surprised me. Not that I didn't think I would enjoy it, but how much I actually did. As noted before, I am a fan of Rick Remender. The fact that he went in the complete opposite direction from Ed Brubaker's run, and did so in such a great fashion, really impressed me.

Though I thought Brubaker had an incredible run, I was ready for a change and Remender delivered. No longer is this a full on serious spy book, but a fun sci-fi book with some comedic moments peppered in. Steve Rogers attempting sexual innuendo? What's not to like? Arnim Zola actually comes of as somewhat of a threat as well, which, considering he is a face on a TV built into an androids stomach, makes that all the more impressive.

John Romita's art has never looked better. I have always considered him to be one of the best "classic" artists, and the best artist for energetic action shots, but coupled with Dean White's coloring, and he hits an all new high

A+X #1

Unfortunately this book is exactly what I thought it would be.

First up, we have Dan Slott and Ron Garney's Captain America and Cable story. While it was a fun little story, it seemed to be no more than a back up for an untold tales of the Marvel universe.  Slott makes an admirable attempt, but at ten pages, there isn't a whole lot that can go into a story. There is no attempt at an explanation of why the villain was time traveling in the first place. No motivation I guess. Seeing Cable and Cap team up was fun but ultimately pointless. It did have some great art by Ron Garney though.

The second story, by Jeph Loeb and Dale Keown, begins with Hulk and Wolverine fighting. Over a piece of cake. No that is not autocorrect or a misspelling. They fight over cake. Then future version of the two show up and fight their younger selves. And that's it. If any more needs to be written about that then I don't know what to tell you. It was nice seeing Keown draw Hulk again I guess.

At $3.99 this book failed. Big time

Deadpool vol.3 #1

Deadpool was probably the book I was most hesitant about. When Deadpool is written well he is one of my favorite characters, but when he is written like Wile E. Coyote he becomes a lot less enjoyable for me.

This issue was a great start on the character, written by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn. The comedy was there but not overwhelmingly stupid. I loved that none of the other heroes or agencies want to be associated with Deapool, but at the same time recognize his usefulness.

Deapool fighting zombie versions of the Presidents sounded like it could end up being a pretty forgettable story but so far it has been nothing but fun. I had never read anything written by Duggan before but he and Posehn seem to know Deadpool pretty well and their comedic timing within the series has been top notch.

Tony Moore was the right pick for the artist on this book. He draws the comical and disgusting without going to far over the top. The smile on the face of an unmasked Deadpool makes you cringe and smile at the same time. Not too many other artists can pull that off, and I don't know if any could have pulled it of as well. 

Based on the first issue I hope this creative team sticks around for the long haul

Uncanny Avengers #1

Rick Remender has become one of my favorite writers over the past few years, so when I heard about this book, I could barely contain my excitement.

Remenders writing style may not be for everyone, but I don't know if there is a more skilled writer in my opinion. Reading this issue I made sure to pay attention to every word written, as Remender is known for writing long form stories and seeding things throughout his run. 

Havok has always been one of my favorites and I'm glad to see him getting a bit more of the spotlight. The conversation with both Cyclops and Captain America rang true to the character and the animosity Rogue felt towards the Scarlet Witch was perfectly written. The Red Skull actually comes off as scary to me for the first time. Though the credit for the last page goes mostly to John Cassaday, I can't help but feel like it was all Remender and his twisted mind.

John Cassady came out of semi retirement for this book and I couldn't be happier. He is an iconic artist and his pencils in this issue should remind everyone why

Iron Man vol.5 #1

Kieron Gillen has started off writing an enjoyable Iron Man series. Not that I had any doubts. Gillen brings back Extremis as a weapon being sold to the highest bidder to create super soldiers of their own. Gillen writes Tony Stark with a great sense of humor, without being overbearingly snarky. 

As stated in interviews, he has begun to explore Tony's beliefs and expose Tony to some ideas that he might find uncomfortable. I'm not sure where this book is headed yet, but I am sure I will be along for the ride.

Iron Man may be the perfect book for Greg Land. I don't have a ton of respect for Land's "work" but with Iron Man, at least the characters should look a little posed, and have that porn star look Land is known for. Luckily Iron Man has no facial features when in the armor, so hopefully we will see him in armor most of the time, instead of a phototraced celebrity.

Fantastic Four vol.4 #1

For me, Fantastic Four #1 is probably the least enjoyable of the Marvel Now books that have launched so far. Its not to say it wasn't good, but it did feel a little to "paint by numbers" for me.

Matt Fraction has proven himself to be a very capable writer in the past, and he does a serviceable job on this issue. The FF leaving earth behind is not an original concept though, nor is a sudden medical problem. I have hopes that this issue was strictly a set up issue and that from here on out Mr. Fraction will begin to give us a spectacular adventure for Marvel's First Family. He has large shoes to fill after Jonathan Hickman, and I believe he is able, but so far nothing is standing out

Mark Bagely is an artist who has been around for quite awhile, and if you like his stuff, you should know what to expect. He is one of the most reliable artists in the business, and has worked with some of the most well regarded writers. And for good reason. Though slightly cartoonish, his characters look like they are supposed to. I've always enjoyed the books he is on and this one is no different.

Thor: God of Thunder #1

 

Thor: God of Thunder #1 was one of, if not the best issue of Thor that I have read since Walt Simonson ended his run.

Jason Aaron is a very hit or miss writer for me. The stuff I've read of his I have either thought was great or a huge misstep. This issue fortunately falls into the first category.

Aaron begins his run telling a tale that spans Thor's life, from when he was a "young" warrior god during the times of the vikings, to the present, and into a future where Thor is the last Asgardian alive. The God Butcher, the villain for the opening arc is not introduced in this issue, but the scope of danger he represents comes off extremely well. Past Thor finds pieces of a dead god washing ashore. Present Thor is summoned to a planet that no longer has any gods, and after saving the people of this planet, attempts to find the deities who abandoned their people. What he finds deeply disturbs him. And future Thor readies to fight an army of shadow creatures. The narrative of the different timelines is a lot of fun.

Esad Ribic is very familiar as a cover artist, but I have not seen him do a lot of interiors. That being said, though I love his covers, I wasn't to sure how well his pencils would hold up on interiors. All of my concerns have been laid to rest. It was a very beautifully done issue. And with Dean White on colors, I couldn't imagine it looking any better.

All New X-Men #1

This issue actually surprised me. After having Bendis on the Avengers for so long, I wasn't to thrilled with him being the writer for the flagship X-Men book. I'm not a Bendis hater, but I thought he was only ever a "good" writer. Nothing from his time with Avengers filled me with confidence that he would handle the X-Men well.

To say I was pleasantly shocked at how great this issue was is an understatement. I tried not to spoil this issue by reading too much about it ahead of its release but it was everywhere. The premise of Beast travelling to the past to bring the original X-Men to the present sounded interesting, but I didn't think it would make for anything more than a throwaway story. Especially given that Bendis has a reputation for ignoring continuity. The current Cyclops trying to recruit for his mutant revolution was a lot of fun too. It's been to long since the Marvel Universe has introduced some new mutant blood into the X-Men and I am eager to find out more about these characters.

Staurt Immonen handles the art for this issue and I honestly think its the best of his career. As with Bendis, Immonen art has always been good but he was never an artist that I was wowed by. This issue is beginning to change that for me as well.

 One issue in and I can't wait for more.