First, I have to make note that ANOTHER one of my Spider-books is getting the ax. That's right, it has been announced that Scarlet Spider will be ending with issue #25. I have also learned that there will be a Superior Venom comic that will quickly replace the Flash Thompson iteration for the black and original symbiote. I am happy to see that Venom is going to stay a thing in some way shape or form, but I am sad to see a book that has had some incredible moments get canned. Scarlet Spider was a surprising and dark look at another version of Spidey. I am not saying that the book was perfection, it definitely had weak points, but it was a fun read. It is always sad to see Marvel pull the plug on things that are a little different.
Another thing...the first event I decide to skip purchasing due to it having tie-ins to pretty much every book I don't read, Infinity, is supposedly amazing. Go figure, right? First event I decide to stand my ground and people are swooning over it. I have had the chance to read the first two issues and I do see why people love it. Hell, I almost purchased issue #3 just because of the hype (my comic guy even put it in my pulls to tease me), but I resisted. I have to stand my ground. I can't give Marvel another $100 a month, that is just ridiculous. So, I will find my way around it to read the books somehow...somehow.
Alright, moving on to my pulls for the week. Did I mention that I ended up leaving JC Comics and Cards with seven books this week? Yeah, seven freggin books. Good thing I am reading all things that I am actually enjoying AND I only got two books last week:
Cable and X-Force #14
Six-Gun Gorilla #4
Superior Carnage #3
The Superior Spider-Man #18
Uncanny X-Men #12
Venom #41
X-Men Legacy #17
There are definitely some heavy hitters in there. Second to last issue of Venom, second part of the fight between David Haller and Scott Summers, Battle of the Atom chapter 4 and the continuation of Simon Spurrier's badass mini-series with a sad man and a Gorilla. I should have some pretty decent reviews to follow. Till then, happy reading comic fans.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
X-Men #5
Writer: Brian Wood
Penciler: David Lopez
Inker: David Lopez
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 11th, 2013
As of right now it really seems that Battle of the Atom is an event in which mutants are arguing over if they should send the original X-Men back to their own time. I feel like there has to be more than that coming but that is the overall synopsis of the event thus far.
This issue shows that not everyone on the current X-Men feels that they should return to the past, at least to not be forced to go back. Jean and Scott are still on the run and the current X-Men and future X-Men hunt them down. It gives the whole thing an almost Sentinel feeling to it. All of the telepaths are struggling to search for Jean in the one moment that she lowers her defenses.
If anything, this issue showed a growth in the relationship between Scott and Jean. It shows that even with Jean knowing her future and the fact that Scott sort of loses his mind, that she still has an intrinsic animal attraction to him that is hard for her to ignore. On top of that, it shows that they are willing to do anything to be able to make up their own minds as to where they should be in time. At the end of the book we find Jean and Scott on the old, beaten down Utopia meeting with adult Scott's team. They are so desperate that they will reach out to the group that they are not so sure about.
On a different note, shouldn't the current X-Men that have their past selves in this timeline be aging at double speed? I don't know...random time traveling thought.
Regardless, I am interested in this event still but am not sure what the overall purpose is. I understand that these kids need to go back in time before something terrible happens...but does that have to be an event? Also, are these "future X-Men" really who they say they are and what the hell is up with future Jean Grey? So many questions, so few answers. At least we get another chapter next week.
Penciler: David Lopez
Inker: David Lopez
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 11th, 2013
"Battle of the Atom: Chapter 3"
As of right now it really seems that Battle of the Atom is an event in which mutants are arguing over if they should send the original X-Men back to their own time. I feel like there has to be more than that coming but that is the overall synopsis of the event thus far.
This issue shows that not everyone on the current X-Men feels that they should return to the past, at least to not be forced to go back. Jean and Scott are still on the run and the current X-Men and future X-Men hunt them down. It gives the whole thing an almost Sentinel feeling to it. All of the telepaths are struggling to search for Jean in the one moment that she lowers her defenses.
If anything, this issue showed a growth in the relationship between Scott and Jean. It shows that even with Jean knowing her future and the fact that Scott sort of loses his mind, that she still has an intrinsic animal attraction to him that is hard for her to ignore. On top of that, it shows that they are willing to do anything to be able to make up their own minds as to where they should be in time. At the end of the book we find Jean and Scott on the old, beaten down Utopia meeting with adult Scott's team. They are so desperate that they will reach out to the group that they are not so sure about.
On a different note, shouldn't the current X-Men that have their past selves in this timeline be aging at double speed? I don't know...random time traveling thought.
Regardless, I am interested in this event still but am not sure what the overall purpose is. I understand that these kids need to go back in time before something terrible happens...but does that have to be an event? Also, are these "future X-Men" really who they say they are and what the hell is up with future Jean Grey? So many questions, so few answers. At least we get another chapter next week.
Uncanny X-Force #11
Writer: Sam Humphries
Artist: Ramon Perez
Color Artists: Rachelle Rosenberg and Jay David Ramos
Letterer: Cory Petit
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 11th, 2013
So, if you read this blog you know that my feelings about this title have been pretty everywhere. I really don't know how I feel about it overall and am never certain what to expect. All I was sure about was that at the end of the last issue we saw the Revenants of Storm, Psylocke and Puck show their faces while our heroes are captured. The question was, how are they going to get out of this? This has to be a difficult struggle right? Well...
There were the normal struggles of the characters figuring out what makes them strong and why their Revenants were much weaker than them. It was no surprise to see them overpower their other selves and for Bishop's back story to get flushed out a little more. Regardless of how it felt pretty predictable, the book itself had me smiling a bit by the end. I really like the cast of characters, I just want to feel a level of consistency in their writing and for it to actually feel more like a team rather than just a cluster of random mutants that happen to be heading for the same goal.
In the final pages of the book we see that Spiral is going to be returning to the book because she knows who the Owl Queen actually is and could be the key to stopping the Revenants from taking over the world in this timeline. I am still really back and forth on this book and I feel that if I am to drop a book anytime soon it will be this or Cable and X-Force. Maybe I am just not a fan of Humphries' writing overall but I really want to like these two books. I'll give them another month or two I guess...
Artist: Ramon Perez
Color Artists: Rachelle Rosenberg and Jay David Ramos
Letterer: Cory Petit
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 11th, 2013
So, if you read this blog you know that my feelings about this title have been pretty everywhere. I really don't know how I feel about it overall and am never certain what to expect. All I was sure about was that at the end of the last issue we saw the Revenants of Storm, Psylocke and Puck show their faces while our heroes are captured. The question was, how are they going to get out of this? This has to be a difficult struggle right? Well...
There were the normal struggles of the characters figuring out what makes them strong and why their Revenants were much weaker than them. It was no surprise to see them overpower their other selves and for Bishop's back story to get flushed out a little more. Regardless of how it felt pretty predictable, the book itself had me smiling a bit by the end. I really like the cast of characters, I just want to feel a level of consistency in their writing and for it to actually feel more like a team rather than just a cluster of random mutants that happen to be heading for the same goal.
In the final pages of the book we see that Spiral is going to be returning to the book because she knows who the Owl Queen actually is and could be the key to stopping the Revenants from taking over the world in this timeline. I am still really back and forth on this book and I feel that if I am to drop a book anytime soon it will be this or Cable and X-Force. Maybe I am just not a fan of Humphries' writing overall but I really want to like these two books. I'll give them another month or two I guess...
Weekly pulls for 09/11/13
Well I was in for quite the shock this week when I grabbed my pulls. When my comic guy handed my my stack it felt mighty light and I quickly learned that I only had two books come out this week. This was the first time in ages that I have seen less than five books pull and I wasn't sure what to do. My eyes instinctively started to dart toward the new release wall, figuring that something had been missed. Surprisingly, this was not the case. The wall was, however, riddled with 3D covers from the DC world for their Villain Month which was tempting. I actually grabbed Court of Owls #1 and then set it back down. I can't commit to another series and I know if I read that I would want to start reading Batman.
After looking through the pretty badass cover art for the DC books I started looking through all of the different Infinity books scattered throughout the new releases and releases from the last couple weeks. I am happy I didn't decide to invest in the event due to the magnitude of books that are related to it and my pocketbook couldn't handle all of those Avengers titles again. I must admit that the artwork sandwiched between the covers was beautiful and I have to get my hands on copies of the trades in the future.
So, I decided that was that. Two books this week. I suppose that isn't a bad thing. It left room in my budget to pick up another long box with some bags and boards for the coming months. I also pre-ordered my AvX OP kit for the coming Heroclix event. I was going to do X-Men and Avengers but decided that I am already over investing in the game as is.
The two books I grabbed this week were X-Men related and one of which is another chapter to Battle of the Atom which is starting to pick up:
Uncanny X-Force # 11
X-Men #5
One last note. One of my friends mentioned that perhaps I should start sprinkling more spoilers into my reviews. I try my best to not do that because I don't really want to ruin these stories for people but after some thinking, if you are reading a review, you are expecting some level of spoiler. SO, I have decided to start revealing more about the books' stories. So there shall be spoilers ahead! Until then, happy reading comic book fans.
After looking through the pretty badass cover art for the DC books I started looking through all of the different Infinity books scattered throughout the new releases and releases from the last couple weeks. I am happy I didn't decide to invest in the event due to the magnitude of books that are related to it and my pocketbook couldn't handle all of those Avengers titles again. I must admit that the artwork sandwiched between the covers was beautiful and I have to get my hands on copies of the trades in the future.
So, I decided that was that. Two books this week. I suppose that isn't a bad thing. It left room in my budget to pick up another long box with some bags and boards for the coming months. I also pre-ordered my AvX OP kit for the coming Heroclix event. I was going to do X-Men and Avengers but decided that I am already over investing in the game as is.
The two books I grabbed this week were X-Men related and one of which is another chapter to Battle of the Atom which is starting to pick up:
Uncanny X-Force # 11
X-Men #5
One last note. One of my friends mentioned that perhaps I should start sprinkling more spoilers into my reviews. I try my best to not do that because I don't really want to ruin these stories for people but after some thinking, if you are reading a review, you are expecting some level of spoiler. SO, I have decided to start revealing more about the books' stories. So there shall be spoilers ahead! Until then, happy reading comic book fans.
Friday, September 6, 2013
X-Men Legacy #16
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Paul Davidson
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Cory Petit
Price: $2.99
Release Date: September 04th, 2013
I am not completely certain what David's game is, but it seems that he wants to get a little revenge for his father's death. This issue has him (and Ruth) confront Scott's X-Team head-on. The beginning of the issue (only a handful of pages) shows him searching the world for Scott and when he finally finds him, he attacks.
There is not a ton to say about this issue other than it was a little out of character for this book thus far due to the high level of fighting that happened. Spurrier doesn't tend to spend a lot of time in action scenes but rather spend them with conversation, emotional battles and really solid comedic moments. I walked away from this issue remembering a fight which is not something I normally say about this title. I am not saying that it was a bad thing, it wasn't. The fight was done incredibly well and the way that David handled everything fit with his personality that I was hooked.
The reason I am not sure what David's overall plan is reflects his choice at the end of the book. Instead of just ripping Scott apart (which he is more than capable of doing), he decides to fight him in hand to hand combat. The reality is, Scott is a much better scrapper than David and he is bound to lose. So why is he choosing to do it that way? What is his angle? Why isn't Ruth stopping him? The fact that I am so brimming with questions and wanting to know the answers (which I have to wait a freggin month), proves to me that Spurrier is able to keep me on my feet with this book again and again. There is no question why this has been my pick of the month quite a few times and why I am always excited to see where it is going. I can't wait to see the rest of this fight and I can't wait to see what David's plan really is.
Artist: Paul Davidson
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Cory Petit
Price: $2.99
Release Date: September 04th, 2013
"Wear the Grudge Like a Crow"
I am not completely certain what David's game is, but it seems that he wants to get a little revenge for his father's death. This issue has him (and Ruth) confront Scott's X-Team head-on. The beginning of the issue (only a handful of pages) shows him searching the world for Scott and when he finally finds him, he attacks.
There is not a ton to say about this issue other than it was a little out of character for this book thus far due to the high level of fighting that happened. Spurrier doesn't tend to spend a lot of time in action scenes but rather spend them with conversation, emotional battles and really solid comedic moments. I walked away from this issue remembering a fight which is not something I normally say about this title. I am not saying that it was a bad thing, it wasn't. The fight was done incredibly well and the way that David handled everything fit with his personality that I was hooked.
The reason I am not sure what David's overall plan is reflects his choice at the end of the book. Instead of just ripping Scott apart (which he is more than capable of doing), he decides to fight him in hand to hand combat. The reality is, Scott is a much better scrapper than David and he is bound to lose. So why is he choosing to do it that way? What is his angle? Why isn't Ruth stopping him? The fact that I am so brimming with questions and wanting to know the answers (which I have to wait a freggin month), proves to me that Spurrier is able to keep me on my feet with this book again and again. There is no question why this has been my pick of the month quite a few times and why I am always excited to see where it is going. I can't wait to see the rest of this fight and I can't wait to see what David's plan really is.
All-New X-Men #16
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Stuart Immonen
Inkers: Wade von Grawbadger
Colorists: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Cory Petit
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 04th, 2013
Well, we are in part 2 of Battle of the Atom already and it is starting off a bit interesting. These X-Men from the future are a little questionable and all of the time paradoxes are driving me mad but it is being done well. The reveal on the last page of who Xorn actually is was interesting, but not overly surprising.
I think the thing that hooked me the most is how quickly Jean defends her place in this time frame and how quickly she tries to run away when forced to go into the past. It is true that she is very aware of her fate and I understand why she wouldn't want to return to her timeline to be forced to forget what her future holds. I do find it odd that she ends up running off with Scott considering how she has been feeling about him as of late.
As of right now, I am not certain where this story is going. I was sitting, full of excitement, for Nightcrawler to appear but I suppose I will have to wait another chapter or two. Oh well, I have all the faith in the world in Bendis. I really hope this story isn't a letdown.
Penciler: Stuart Immonen
Inkers: Wade von Grawbadger
Colorists: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Cory Petit
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 04th, 2013
"The Battle of the Atom, Chapter 2"
Well, we are in part 2 of Battle of the Atom already and it is starting off a bit interesting. These X-Men from the future are a little questionable and all of the time paradoxes are driving me mad but it is being done well. The reveal on the last page of who Xorn actually is was interesting, but not overly surprising.
I think the thing that hooked me the most is how quickly Jean defends her place in this time frame and how quickly she tries to run away when forced to go into the past. It is true that she is very aware of her fate and I understand why she wouldn't want to return to her timeline to be forced to forget what her future holds. I do find it odd that she ends up running off with Scott considering how she has been feeling about him as of late.
As of right now, I am not certain where this story is going. I was sitting, full of excitement, for Nightcrawler to appear but I suppose I will have to wait another chapter or two. Oh well, I have all the faith in the world in Bendis. I really hope this story isn't a letdown.
X-Men: Battle of the Atom #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencilers: Frank Cho and Stuart Immonen
Inkers: Frank Cho and Wade Von Grawbadger
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 04th, 2013
There is so much time travel going on in the Marvel Universe that it makes my head hurt. Seriously. I didn't really know what the story of Battle of the Atom was supposed to be because I was trying my hardest to hide from the solicits. I am getting tired of having everything ruined for me before I even start reading. The only thing I glimpsed from this is that Nightcrawler is supposed to somehow return.
Anyhow, that is not what the first issue was about. We are shown a glimpse of what would happen if one of the past X-Men died. Shocker, the current day member will just vanish. I am not saying that is a terrible idea, it is just very cliched. I understand why Bendis showed it but I don't even think that was the main purpose of that moment in the book. I think the main purpose was to show that Triage can potentially revive the dead. Anyhow, that bit was intriguing
With the plot point in place of if a past X-Man dies the world changes, it is easy to decide to send the kids back to their time. This is when things get a little off. A group of future X-Men blast through the portal first to tell them to do exactly what they were about to do. So now we have three versions of X-Men teams which makes at least multiple versions of various heroes that make things confusing and really hard to write about. I don't know exactly where this is going but I am not discouraged. We have quite a few issues left in this event and at least there aren't a ton of extra books for me to buy this time around. I just hope Bendis doesn't let me down like he did with Age of Ultron. Here's hoping!
Pencilers: Frank Cho and Stuart Immonen
Inkers: Frank Cho and Wade Von Grawbadger
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 04th, 2013
"Battle of the Atom, Chapter 1"
There is so much time travel going on in the Marvel Universe that it makes my head hurt. Seriously. I didn't really know what the story of Battle of the Atom was supposed to be because I was trying my hardest to hide from the solicits. I am getting tired of having everything ruined for me before I even start reading. The only thing I glimpsed from this is that Nightcrawler is supposed to somehow return.
Anyhow, that is not what the first issue was about. We are shown a glimpse of what would happen if one of the past X-Men died. Shocker, the current day member will just vanish. I am not saying that is a terrible idea, it is just very cliched. I understand why Bendis showed it but I don't even think that was the main purpose of that moment in the book. I think the main purpose was to show that Triage can potentially revive the dead. Anyhow, that bit was intriguing
With the plot point in place of if a past X-Man dies the world changes, it is easy to decide to send the kids back to their time. This is when things get a little off. A group of future X-Men blast through the portal first to tell them to do exactly what they were about to do. So now we have three versions of X-Men teams which makes at least multiple versions of various heroes that make things confusing and really hard to write about. I don't know exactly where this is going but I am not discouraged. We have quite a few issues left in this event and at least there aren't a ton of extra books for me to buy this time around. I just hope Bendis doesn't let me down like he did with Age of Ultron. Here's hoping!
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