IRON MAN THE INEVITABLE #5 Review

Review by: The Dude

Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Frazer Irving

Geeze where do I begin. This issue has been like the last four of Inevitable, fan-freakin-tastic. Maggie Dillon seving as psychologist of sorts for the Living Laser, after an explosion, ends up dying in Starks' arms. The relationship between Stark and Dillon had been set up early on in this run and with this issue you find out why. With this death and Tony feeling responsible, his need for revenge seems to further mark his somewhat recent descent into darkness. In the end, this issue ultimately leads to a confrontation with Spymaster and of course, a cliffhanger. The appearance of Doc Samson in this issue was nice but was brief and seemed a tad unneeded. The issue of Extremis, and Stark creating multiple robot Iron Men to control has been something that has been hinted around all throughout this and other issues and likely will become something even bigger in the monthly run of IM, only time will tell. Having not read Iron Man until recently I gotta give props to the people doing Iron Man: The Inevitable. Joe Casey's writing of this series has been great and thus far has not yet faultered. Irving's art for the whole series run compliments the story well, sometimes the facial experssions seem lacking at points but the overall mood, fitting. In general my only grip about this comic is that it is not a monthly book and is ending in the next issue. Overall I give this issue what I would give every other in Iron Man:Inevitable A.

Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special

Author: Gail Simone
Penciler: Dale Eaglesham
Inker: Art Thibert
Cover: Karl Kerschl

Gail Simone delivers another great story with the characters ripped from the Villains United mini series last year. This is probably my favorite Infinite Crises Special from the four series last year. Eaglesham delivers another fantastic artistic interpretation of Simone's story and we have the fantastic Art Thibert cleaning up those pictures. Thibert's inking is only bested by Terry Austin and Scott Williams in my book.

So let's play a bit of catch-up in case you missed out on last years limited series. The Society was founded by Alexander Luthor, Jr.(from Earth 3) posing as Lex Luthor. It was emerged because of the rumors of the JLA mind wiping of Dr. Light. Along with Black Adam, Talia al Ghul, Doctor Psycho, The Calculator, Deathstroke the Terminator, Alexander formed the council of six. Luthor's intent was to gather together a crew of super villains to retrieve several key superheroes such as Pariah and Lady Quark. These key superheroes were to power a device that the Society believed to be a machine to mind wipe all the heroes of Earth. However, its true purpose was to warp reality and recreate the multiple Earths wiped out during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Practically the Society got played!

This issue takes place after Infinite Crises #6 (RIP Superboy or until we getcha back in TT). Alex took some time to make a hologram of Luthor to keep the Society active. They have orchestrated one of the biggest acts of terror the world has ever seen a simultaneous global prison break. At this time all of Earth's mightiest heroes are missing in action, who will be there to stop the tide of evil that threatens to engulf the entire planet? Well according to this issue not even Oracle and J'onn could come up with a counter attack! The shit seriously hits the fan in this tie-in. There was a great fight between Captain Nazi and Black Adam (whom I'm guessing got knocked into Earth S by Superboy Prime and returned to Earth 1 just in time for this issue). Not exactly what I thought it was going to be. Much like Omac Special leading into Checkmate 1; I really thought this issue was paving the way for the Secret Six comic. As a matter of fact there was no Secret Six in this book at all. So two more cats to add to the deceased members of the Society...RIP Professor Amos Fortune and Deuce Canyard (Jack)!

A fantastic read with some great artwork. Again Simone impresses me with her talent to deliver an action pack story with plenty of dialogue and plot! I am so glad Thibert decided to stick with inking instead of drawing. His inks clean up the already fantastic Eaglesham's pencils. A great tie-in and I can't wait to see how this all gets resolved in Infinite Crises 7 and 52! A-

Comic Book Classic Vault: Daredevil Born Again

Author: Frank Miller
Artist: David Mazzuchelli
Colors: Christie Scheele and Richmond Lewis

I’m so glad that this is the first Daredevil trade or comic that I’ve ever read. This is the book that made me extend free reading time in my classroom; I just had to know what happened next. I even took it down with me to lunch in the teacher’s lounge because I wanted to keep reading. Matt’s old love, Karen Page, sells out his secret identity for some drugs, and the Kingpin ends up getting his mammoth hands on it. Does he want to flat out kill him? Of course not; that would take the fun out of evil! So he strives to take away everything from Matt Murdock’s life. How does he go crazy? With awesome scenes that made me gasp out loud, such as when he calls Foggy on a payphone, but the conversation ends with the phone hanging by the cord and a voice saying, “At the tone the time will be ten thrity-two...” We also find out about Matt’s past, and how a woman with a gold cross necklace inspired him to become a hero to begin with.

I love Frank Miller’s constant juxtaposition of what Matt, his ex-girlfriends, Ben Urich, and his arch nemesis, the Kingpin are thinking and going through. The reader is constantly shifted to not just both sides of the story, but the five other facets as well. First of all, Matt confronts the Kingpin in a fight near the beginning of the story, allowing the suspense to build up in terms of questioning Murdock’s sanity, not necessarily how he will physically fight back. There are so many examples of how Miller builds up the tension, so I’ll only delve into one. An excellent example is when Urich, in the newsroom, is talking on the phone to a cop bought out by the Kingpin, he struggles with his own need for safety and whether he should listen to him or not. Meanwhile, people are trying to get his attention because he hasn’t been doing his job lately, and the cop is trying to tell him the truth before the silhouette of a huge-ass murdering nurse enters the door to his hospital room. I was so nervous for Urich because I felt like I was there with him; it felt so real!

Things get creepy when Ben Urich’s life is threatened by the Kingpin’s men and Nuke is sent after Daredevil, and David Mazzucchelli’s artwork takes it a step further. There are chilling shots of people getting pimp smacked, women hanging from nooses, people stuck in a car under the bay… and the more tame panels still tingle with action. I also love his use of colors: Urich’s face is bathed in bright red when he realizes the cop has died. Mazzucchelli relies heavily on primary and basic colors to accent the inking and lines, and there is hardly any shading. Again, this makes every panel jump out at you, instead of being noir like X-Factor, for example, and adds to the suspense of the story.

Even though the artwork isn’t dark, the story definitely is. I’ve come to respect Daredevil’s fighting spirit, and look forward to reading more Daredevil books. And Miller is wonderful storyteller who times his character development perfectly in this story. My favorite quote from the story is from the Kingpin when he realizes his mistake of not flat out killing Murdock: “And I – I have shown him… that a man without hope is a man without fear.” A

Trigun Maximum Volume 8 Review

Author and Artist: Yashiro Nightow
Publisher: Dark Horse

This is my quick gripe about publishers that don’t translate the sound effects in the manga, such as Dark Horse. Sometimes I can overlook it, but at other times, such as in Trigun, translations could really come in handy. The more the series progresses, the more the story relies on the artwork because it’s so actiony. I still love the series and will continue to read, but it’s becoming harder to understand the basic plot. Vash is fighting Knives, who is absorbing plants to annihilate the human race, and Wolfwood is fighting people from his past and almost dies…, but the little details as to how all this comes about is lost due to sound effects remaining untranslated! The only words that can be found for pages at a time are the sound effects, and I need every little hint I can get as to what’s happening in the story. On the positive side, the artwork is still excellent and very bloody. Great shots of Vash’s and Wolfwood’s faces stricken with fear. It’s a little hard sometimes to figure out who is talking at times, so if you’re just getting into manga, I suggest starting with something else. C

A Character Review: The Sentry, created by Paul Jenkins

The Sentry is forever a hero that must first and foremost fight with himself. He suffers from the constant inner demon properly named the Void. The reason is simple he’s Schizophrenic. The solution is far more complex however, simply because there is no cure for Schizophrenia if you know anything about the disease then you know that it can only be kept in check through medication. Therefore, in classic Marvel character development, the Sentry will remain always as an average person fighting an inner battle as well as a superhero fighting for the sake of the world.

I really love the Sentry; I find the character very unique and refreshing. Sure, I’m with the rest of you, he reminds me a lot of Thor and Superman, but he’s not a god and he’s not an alien, he’s just a kid with a disorder who got mixed up ten ways to Sunday and he’s been trying to patch himself back together ever since. That’s what the three installments regarding the Sentry are about. I call them installments in the Sentry Saga: The Original Mini-Series by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee, The Four-Parter by Brian Michael Bendis with creative consultant Paul Jenkins and art by Steve McNiven, and this last Eight-Part Mini-Series by Paul Jenkins and John Romita Jr. (I hope that one day they are all compressed into a big Hardcover or something).

Overall I liked all of these. The first series was by far the best. Jae Lee’s moody artwork with Jenkin’s creativity and quirks are two halves that make an excellent whole. The story was great and ended great with a solid A+. First of all I love to be tricked as a reader, I never want to be comfortable and I always love being submerged into the world that the writer has created and for the most part Jenkin’s is great at that, and he does it well with this series. It wrapped up nicely too, with no questions. So, when the character pops back up on the cover of New Avengers I was thinking, “wtf.” But I needed to see what was going on. There were key moments that I enjoyed, I liked the heroes helping the Sentry, Paul Jenkin’s guest appearance was hilariously twisted, and the inner workings of Robert Reynolds’ mind with Emma Frost were odd and compelling science fiction. The character I love didn’t really need a reawakening, but man I love badass stuff like ripping Carnage a new one in the first New Avenger’s story arc. My problem is that as badass as that was, to start of a character in a no nonsense kind of way, the character sure went through some nonsense to get to a good conclusion. I liked the Four-part enough to give it a B+.

Now for the big boy, Jenkin’s had no easy task taking up a character that was wrapped up so well and unraveling it so that he could somewhat pick up the pieces enough to create a team member class character. I think he succeeded in his goal in the Sentry Eight-Part Mini but man it was one hell of a roller coaster. The first issue was a great start, we see the Sentry in all his Exploding Sun-powered Glory, but at the end of the second issue I was ready for some answers. We got the answers but it came at around issue 6-8. A lot of the filler, I’m talking about the Sentry and Hulk’s team-up into the Negative zone to search for the General, and his wife’s possible romantic fling with the fitness instructor. Though hilarious, compelling, and well done, these might have served better as plot devises in a monthly on going or something of a side story in New Avengers. I loved issues 6-8. The twist with the Psychiatrist, and what happens to the fitness instructor fling, and pretty much all of what happened in issue 7, I felt like a towel being rung out there were so many twists going on. But remember what I said, I like to be uncomfortable and on the edge when I’m reading. The last issue, which I just finished, was very well done, Jenkin’s did another great job at wrapping up the character but leaving it open enough for a future rather then a return to how things used to be. The shocker, or the final twist, or the truth-to-be-revealed, however you want to put it was not all that surprising. But that is not necessarily a bad thing, it wasn’t far-fetched, or out of left field, Jenkin’s was building to a moment and it was there all along, just as the Sentry put it, and it finally came through for the reader to see. Like I said at the beginning, you can’t cure schizophrenia, so you know what that means, but at least we wont have to see the Void for a while. I encourage you to pick this issue up and the first mini, especially for you New Avengers fans wondering why the Sentry has returned as such as the badass in New Avengers and in the New Avengers Annual that also came out this week.

A quick note of the artwork, because you know we can’t forget about that. I’m not a fan of Romita Jr.’s artwork on anything other then Spider-man. I think he belongs on Spider-Man and he is one of the best artists for Spider-Man. My problem is with his time, either from page to page or even panel to panel. Which is to say, he can go from one great page or panel to one that totally blows. These last issues of the Sentry have been his best. The first couple left a lot to be desired, he does a great rendition of the void and I think detail can only improve his artwork. Sometimes it seems like there hasn’t been much of an adjustment from thumbnail to final pencils. Mark Morales, Dean White and Richard Isanove, the inker and two colorists deserve a hand because they really help me to enjoy Romita’s work; the more time they put into the rendering process the better. Working on my own comic book I know how time consuming the thing can be or turn into, so I try to be as understanding as possible and nothing kept me from reading this book. So as an overall rating I give it an A-. Issue 1: A, 2-3: B, 4-5: C, 6-8: A. So there you go folks, now you be the judge, check it out!

Wolverine #41 Review There is still hope!

Author: Stuart Moore
Artist: C.P. Smith

One thing before we start this review: Make sure you look at the cover price because it is a double sized issue. For some reason it feels like a normal sized book, but when I went to check out it rang up $3.99 and sure enough it is double sized, so take note. You have been warned.

In this story called "The Package" writer Stuart Moore and artist C.P. Smith give us a visual driven story of survival in a realistic way. This story reminded me of something out of Marvel Comics Presents or Peter David's story Babe' at Sea from Wolverine (Vol.1) 44. This is the same team that handled the Wolverine story in X-men Unlimited a few months back, but this story is different. Wolverine has to safely deliver an infant across the heart of war-torn Africa for the sake of a nation. But this isn't just a fill in issue to me, this story accomplished more of a tangible plot and characterization than this comic has seen in years.

Black Panther calls in the New Avengers for help to rescue President Mayamba's baby from the hands of his opposition. As king of a neighboring nation T'Challa can do nothing but ask for help. Wolverine decides to take the mission Wolvie style: Solo! So, with a baby strapped to his chest and claws popped out (this makes for some really awesome pictures) he attempts to escape from an army of savage killers. By the end of the book he is confronted by children with guns that are working for the brutal general that wants to rule this land. They want the baby and he has to make a choice.

Does he make it alive with the baby at the end? Does he give the baby to the kids and the evil general? Well I'm not going to tell you, because right now that shitty Wolverine Origins is getting all the hype and this book that I am holding in my hands really outshines it. So in order for more stories like this one to be written you have to stop buying both covers of a completely retarded story that makes your IQ drop when you read it and start buying a good story.

To sum up my review this is one of the best Wolverine stories I have read in years! Moore captures Wolverine perfectly, he gives him that mix of viciousness and compassion that makes the character so great. This would have made for a great flashback story, because it did remind me of Wolverine's ronin days when Claremont and Miller worked on the miniseries. Moore even throws a Lone Wolf and Cub element into the mix, which is one of my favorite Mangas of all time. The scene with the arrows reminded me of the last scene from Ying xiong AKA Hero .

C.P. Smith does an amazing job with his pencils, inks, and beautiful colors. It would be like classic Frank Miller having a kid with Bill Sienkiewicz and Mike Mignola. Okay, wait that's gross, but you get the point. His art style is very quasi-surreal, one barely gets to see Wolverine's face, only his eyes and mask given him a stylish kind of noir art that works really well with this particular setting. He is able to capture the atmosphere of this massive forest in the middle of Africa in small panels. This feels more like a movie because of Smith's widescreen storytelling panels. I only found myself saying what the heck is going on in one panel, but after closer observation I realized I'm a fucking moron and it was completely my fault.

Thank you very much Mr. Moore and Mr. Smith for making believe that great Wolverine stories are out there waiting to be told still. After so much bastardization the character has received over the past years I was beginning to doubt there could be any good stories for our ol' canucklehead. Marvel take note, this is how you tell a successful Wolverine story that give audiences what we want! A

Batman Beyond Season One DVD Review

From 1999 to 2001 KidsWB wanting to sell more toys to appeal to younger viewers aired a great treasure properly named Batman Beyond. The Batman legacy continues as Terry McGinnis is the new owner of the mantle of the bat. Yes, it is a new take on Batman, but it adds to the continuity of the storyline instead of destroying it like most shows based on toys.

It has been at least 40 years after the "current" adventures of Batman and 20 years after Bruce Wayne hung up the costume. His secret is discovered by troubled teen Terry McGinnis. After Terry's father is murdered by the man who took over the Wayne Corporation, Terry dons a high-tech Bat suit that Wayne used towards the end of his missions, creating a new hero for a future Gotham. There is a great relationship between Bruce and Terry, one not like his relationships with Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. Bruce is not only a mentor and friend to Terry, but more of a father figure (we all know that now as of JLU season 3). New villains are introduced in this future to wreck havoc on Gotham. Instead of recycling past villains and calling them Catwoman Beyond or Scarecrow Beyond, new villains such as Shriek, The Joker Gang, Curare, and Blight are introduced. Well there is a Mr. Freeze and Bane appearance, but not so menacing.

All 13 episodes from season one are included in this set. There are also commentaries, interviews, music tracks, and all in a Full Frame (1:33:1) video. It features English Dolby Digital Stereo audio. English, Spanish, and French Subtitles. There is also a great roundtable discussion featuring the creators of the series. All in a two disc DVD set that fits snugly in a slipcase.

Here are the Episodes included in this set:
Disc 1:
Rebirth Part 1
Rebirth Part 2
Black Out
Golem
Meltdown
Heroes
Shriek
Dead Man's Hand

Disc 2:
The Winning Edge
Spellbound
Disappearing Inque
A Touch of Curare
Ascension

When this show first aired, I was completely against it and thought it was downplaying and kiddiefing the original dark Batman series. I was so wrong and I am really glad I gave it a shot. Combining a complex plot, fantastic animation (in the style of the original BTAS), fantastic soundtrack, intelligent yet quirky dialogue, and the incredible cast of voice actors this formula makes the show work. Stockard Channing, Michael Gross, James Sikking, and the legendary Kevin Conroy do a fantastic job and take us to a new level of performance. If you haven't seen this series, you owe it to yourself and if you have, well this is a perfect collection and a good time to purchase it. A

Absolute Crisis On Infinite Earths Review

I'm not going to review Crisis, because if you heard episode 12 of our podcast, you know I gave the book an A. This is more of a review of its Absolute treatment. I mean this book is $100 is it really that much better than the trade or the single issues?

The books dimensions 12.5 × 8.8 × 2.2 inches and weighs 6.5 pounds, of course that is including the compendium and the slipcase box. The slipcase has the Alex Ross and Perez cover that was on the trade paperback and hardcover in 1998. T Perez even did a two new covers for the two books inside the slipcase. Nothing out of the ordinary on the Crises book, just a bunch of characters Perez style on the cover. On the Compendium however is a nice silhouette of the Monitor and Harbinger gazing at the multiple Earths.

Other than a new cover, the Crises book is completely identical to the 1998 release. Same introductions by Wolfman and the same afterwards, oh yeah but the pages are bigger. This is a damn big book and let me tell you it does bring George Perez's artwork to a whole new level. You notice every single detail he puts in every panel with this books enhanced pages and actual paper they use. Although its not the glossy paper, its more like a thicker typical comic book paper. It has something to do with the colors looking better on it.

The 96 page Compendium is what really shines in this set. It is an incredible resource that reprints the Crises Index and the Crisis Crossovers, which were published as individual guides in the 80's. Along with some interesting articles and essays, there is a synopsis of every tie-in issue along with its corresponding cover and information on the creative team. You get a behind the scenes look at the creation of the series such as: penciled pages, sketches, memos, notes and letters to the editors. I found the "Can we kill Supergirl check yes or no" question rather amusing. There is a Crisis 20 Years Later which mentions the toys, Zero Hour, Crises in Heaven, and the novel.

There are some cons in this collection though. Particularly the missing content that would have made it an amazing collection. Such as the issue of Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis. Yes there is a huge synopsis, but this issue was more of an issue 4.5 than a tie-in. History of the DC universe is also absent, come on that was Wolfman and Perez retelling the history of DC since its creation in a post Crisis Earth. In Wizard Magazine there was a rundown of who was on the cover of the Perez and Ross version, that would also have been a nice addition. The content is amazing, but the design of the Compendium is a bit disappointing. The page layout on the synopsis is not the most desirable, because it doesn't use the book's format and size well. Again I would like to point out that there is no additional material in the actual Crisis book.

I'm not going to lie to you and say this is a must, but if you don’t already own it or you are a huge Crisis fanboy then yes buy the damn thing, its worth it. The collection is gorgeous and Perez artwork should always be seen in oversized paper. It's not a cheap buy, but is it absolutely necessary? Hellz yeah!

The Book Shelf: JLA/JSA: Virtue & Vice Review

Review written by: Knightwingbk

Writers: David Goyer & Geoff Johns
Artists: Calos Pacheco w/ Jesus Merino & Guy Major

This is an orgininal Graphic novel by David Goyer and Geoff Johns teaming the JLA with the JSA. Each team has their core characters, JSA has the characters in Goyer & Johns' JSA, while the JLA has the characters from Grant Morrison's and Mark Waid's run on JLA.

The JLA and JSA get together at the JLA watchtower for an inter-hero thanksgiving dinner. But we never get to really see that dinner, because as soon as all the heroes arrive, something happens on Earth that requires both team's attention. Rather than go back to thanksgiving dinner, the heroes try to figure out what is going on, and we're off from there. Batman, Plastic Man, Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific, Shazam, Dr. Fate, and Power Girl start exhibiting some strange behavior, and attack thier teamates. Turns out, they have been taken over by the Seven Deadly Sins, freed from their imprisonment in the Rock of Eternity. Our Heroes get split up, and have to work together and free thier other teamates in order to defeat the two villains that have teamed up here.

The story is good, but I thought it was really lacking on character interactions. The gatherings of the heroes when they are simply enjoying each other's company and bonding is limited to 10 pages out of 94. A little more of this would have made the book much better, because going into it, that is what I expected from these two writers, a lot of good character interaction and development. Instead we get a little interaction and a lot of action. The action is solid, and they use Sentinel in some interesting ways, but when the heroes get possessed they really only show the effects of their posession for 5 pages and then move on from there. If the heores get possessed I want to see them affected by the demons, and you don't get that here.

I'm new to the JSA, I've never read any of their comics, so I picked this up hoping that it would be a good introduction to them. Not so here. You get a little but not a lot. So, as of this writing, this book has not compelled me to pick up the JSA trades I always see at the shops. The same goes for the JLA, if you're new to them (really, this shouldn't be ANY comic reader) this book does not serve as a good introduction to the characters.

The art by Carlos Pacheco is solid and enjoyable. This was probably the DC work that landed him the Superman/Batman run awhile back. He has a style that really captures the stature and attitudes of the characters, so he was a good choice for this book.

The book really requires a reading in one sitting, as there are no chapter stops in the book. I do not understand why this warrented a TPB printing or hardcover (When it first came out) with a $17.95 price tag. A 100 page special would have been fine for this story, but then it would not be present in the Barnes & Nobles and other bookstore chains. If you're a big fan of both teams, go ahead and pick this up. Otherwise, if you see it in a bookstore and have some time to kill, take it off the shelf, sit somewhere, read it, and put it back. A solid C.

The Book Shelf: SPAWN: Collected Edition Volume 1

Review written by: Knightwingbk

This trade paper back collects SPAWN #1-8, 11-12. Issues 9-10 are missing I think because of copyright issues, they cross over into some other Image comics, and cannot be reprinted...

This was my first time reading Spawn comics. I had seen the movie, and have all 3 animated movies, so I'm a little familiar but this was really me jumping in, and well, lets just say I will be getting Volume 2 when it comes out in May.

If you're familiar with Spawn's film and animated adventures, the animated adventures follows the comics more closely. The movie gets some things from the comics, but it may draw more from the next volume as Jason Wynn only makes a brief appearence near the end of the trade. Since we all know Spawn's origins, the mystery surrounding it is not as powerfull as it may have been when the book first came out, but very little is presented to us in the first 8 issues. Also, don't expect to get Cogliostro in this trade to appear at all and say "These are your powers, here's how to use them, and this is what the war is about." We only find out about the war in the later issues, and Spawn discovers his powers one by one on instinct. This is a good tool for us as readers, as we relate more to Spawn as he ponders his powers and how to use them. In these ten issues, Spawn in a genuine human being. He was just raised from the dead, so he is bound to be very emotional. This is good because it allows us to form an attachment to the character.

These first 8 issues are a good introduction, and even the side characters, Sam & Twitch, and Wanda are reletively well-written. Of course this could be my bias by having seen the animated series, and hearing their animated voices in my head as I read the book. Each issue is reletively self contained, each has a plot, with beginning, middle and end. Only the Violater and Overtkill arcs have cliff-hangers, each being two issues a piece. It may be this self-contained setup that makes you feel that you get more of a story here. Rather than just one adventure, you get a couple, making this books $20.00 price tag well worth it. 10 issues hey, the Batman Hush trades will put you back 28 bucks for 12 issues!

My favorite stories were the one issue ones. The Billy Kincaid issue was enjoyable, as well as the issue where we see him in hell, becoming a hellspawn. I was shocked that I liked this issue because in the animated shows, they drew this storyline out for abour an hour and a half (or at least it felt that long) and if you've seen the episodes, they can get a little slow. When I read the story, it was nice because it accomplished everything that took an hour and a half in the show in 20 pages. I wish that Spawn episode could have been 20 minutes! Also issue #10 where Spawn visits his Grandmother is touching. Granny is blind but recognizes Spawn (or Al) by his voice, and knows he's a ghost. And even though Spawn has been to hell, Granny tells him that she thought he was a good soul and believes he is in heaven, and has been sent back for an important reason. This is a nice closure to the trade where Spawn has been mourning and lamenting for the past 9 issues, its nice to see our protagonist get a little pick-me-up before his next big conflict.

The art is good, if you like the Image style and even if you dont like it. I liked it, as an artist myself, as long as its detailed. I think that McFarlane's twisted and spindly style works for his character, and he illustrates all 10 issues collected here. Each artist needs to match the story they are telling, Detailed, Ivan Reis or Jiminez; collassal story and cast, George Perez; action adventure, Jim Lee; hard crime and mysteries, Micheal Lark; wierd charicatures and concepts, Todd McFarlane. Spawn, Hell, the Devil, Malbogia, Sam & Twitch, are all basically charicatures when you boil them down to it, so the art style does not conflict with the story and adds a little flair to it.

My two major complaints, Spawn should keep his mask on, and where are the two missing issues? Spawn's mask is part of the costume, so if he's wearing the costume, he should wear the mask, its synomymous. Spiderman, you think of the mask. Batman, you think of the mask. Spawn should be the same. I understand the point of taking off the mask to show he's burned, but him adventuring for a whole issue without it? A little wierd for me. The two missing issues are talked about in thought captions in issue 11, so they could've at least provided a little synopsis of them. If the Angela issue deals with the war between Heaven & Hell, then shouldn't it be summarized in some fashion?

Overall, as an introduction into the Spawn universe, a B- because it left a lot of mysteries, but the characters and the overall arc of the story was good enough to keep you wanting to check out Volume 2 (which comes out in May).

The Book Shelf: Wolverine: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (AKA Enemy of the State Vol. 2)

Review written by: Knightwingbk

I picked up this trade this weekend and thouroughly enjoyed it. It collects the last half of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr's Run on Wolverine (#26-32). Where Volume 1 saw Wolverine be killed by Gorgon, raised from the dead by the Hand, and brainwashed by Hydra, and take on the Marvel U, this issue sees Wolverine take back his sanity and get his revenge. Ok, so Wolverine didnt really take on the Marvel U, he fought the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the X-Men (killing one of his X-teamates).

This is different for anything out by Mark Millar currently. Its not full of political allegory and parallels to our World like Ultimates and his upcoming Civil War (so they are saying anyway). This is Mark Millar in his Ultimate X-men mode. Story & Action. And when I say Action, I mean ACTION! This is wolverine doing what he does best, but what Wolverine trade doesn't claim that?

The first issue gives us the origin of Gorgon (our villain) and tells what happened in the last 6 issues of Wolverine in a way that doesn't seem repetitive if you've just read the first trade. Millar uses the point of view of a low-rent supervillain, and the X-men at the morgue viewing the body of their fallen friend to establish the status quo. In between this we see the Hand kidnapping more super-powered people and further along thier scheme. Issue two shows a devastating loss for S.H.I.E.L.D. and Wolverine get back in action. The next four issues are balls to the wall Wolverine slicing and dicing, guts' a 'flying, and Wolverine sustaining more injuries than I've ever seen him do. Millar does not stop giving Wolverine bodies to kill as he takes on the "zombie" heroes and villains, the Hand's "zombie-ninjas", and finally Gorgon. And the way Millar makes Wolverine kill Gorgon is great, and John Romita Jr's drawing of that panel will shock and suprise you, I laughed when I got to that page.

That brings me to Romita JR. I love his art. Some may not think him the ideal artist for Wolverine (I love his Spiderman work) but he really works here. His square and quick style helps the book. Wolverine has a square jaw and square shoulders (who doesnt in JRJR?) but that makes you believe that Wolverine is tough-as-nails. Also, JRJR's lines are fill the page, whether its Wolvie's whiskers, the folds in the clothes, or the lines of action, but when Wolvie moves, you really believe he's moving. In my opinon, JRJR is one of the greatest artists out there. Let him stay at marvel, I think they suit his style more. DC's characters are more still, and full of stature, marvels quicker to act (suiting JRJR).

The only thing I missed in the book was Nick Fury. In volume one he's a main character, here he's incapacitated. Also, where is Captain America? He makes an appearence at the end of Volume I, but is totally gone here. If anyone should've been involved with the S.H.I.E.L.D. part of the story, it should be cap. What I did not miss was the HYDRA politics that were present and confusing in Volume I. They're barely present here, helping the story, whereas in Volume I it really slowed it down. In the end I give it a solild B+. It was enjoyable but no Dark Knight Returns.

Captain America #17 Review

Author: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Mike Perkins
Colors: Frank D'Amata
Cover: Steve Epting

Picking up where the last issue left off, Brubaker delivers another action filled episode in the saga of everyone's favorite American or Captain, or American that just happens to be a Captain. One great Brubaker book came out this week and this one actually felt like a filler that is just there to set up the next arc, although it is still a solid read.

Crossbones and Red Skull's daughter Sin are out for blood. Slowly tracking the mysterious assassin that killed the Red Skull. We get action galore when Crossbones and sin get to slaughter Aim agents and even Sin fucking up and having a MODOC unit come after her instead of its initial targets. In the meanwhile Cap and his new girlfriend/old flame Sharon are on their tail and at the same time following the Winter Soldier/Bucky, who's been busy killing wives and babies according to Daniel Way (sorry couldn't help myself). Turns out that this issue ties into the 65th Anniversary Special, by revealing that the woman in the picture that showed up last issue is none other than the German resistance fighter. Cap and Sharon also get to find out the mystery of the town and there could be a return of Nick Fury (depending on what you are reading, because he never left in some titles).

About 15 years ago if you had asked me how I felt about Captain America and Steve Epting, I would have given you the same answer: I could care less about either of them. Fast forward fifteen years later and Captain America is back on one of my favorite book list and Steve Epting is an amazing artist. I actually missed Epting in this issue, don't get me wrong Perkings remains very much in the style of Epting, but he is a bit darker. The action sequences remain clear enough, but his faces are a bit obscure at times. The coloring by D'Amata also adds to the richness of the dark trend so the look of the book keeps consistent. B

Ultimate Spider-man #93 Review

“Deadpool” part 3
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark Bagley and Danny Miki
Cover: Mark Bagley and Richard Isanove

This issue was a blast! The story is told live via a television satellite. The readers get to be the viewers as Deadpool and his Reavers battle Spider-Man and the X-Men on Krakoa! Our heroes face off against some very fierce opponets, and Kitty and Spidey try to keep it together during all this mess. Kitty begs Peter not to break up with him, and he tells her it isn’t her fault that these idiots kidnapped them. The two get a moment to hug before getting attacked again. During the battle, Spidey keeps proclaiming he isn’t even a mutant, which starts to get on Kitty’s nerves. (Note to self Pete, this isn’t scoring you any girlfriend points!) Deadpool and his crew don’t care and proceed to continue attacking our hero.

After things get worse, Spidey decides to put an end to all this nonsense and confronts Deadpool. Our hero puts up a great effort against this threat, and finally decides it is time to find out who is behind the mask. To his and the X-Men’s surprise, and shock, Deadpool is revealed to be none other than Professor Charles Xaiver! “Xaiver” begs for the X-Men to run and flee before it is too late!

Thoughts/Comments:
SWEET! Sensational last page! I loved how this issues point of view was from a live television feed. Very clever and really puts the reader right into the thick of the battle. Bendis nails the dialogue between Spidey and the X-Men, and we even get a sweet Peter and Kitty scene, if only for a minute. Bagley is the man! He drew incredible actions scenes, and really helps bring Bendis’ scripts to life. The last page was definitely a “holy shit” moment! My theory? Last issue our heroes realized there must be a shape shifter on Deadpool’s crew. So I say that “Xaiver” on the last page is the shape shifter and Deadpool is preparing to attack again when the X-Men and Spidey are confused and shocked by the imposter. All in all, a fantastic issue. I give this a strong, solid A+! Recommended once again for any Spidey or X-Men fan!

Marvel Zombies #1-5 Review

4-21-06
Marvel Zombies #1-5
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Sean Phillips
Covers: Arthur Suydam

Looking to embark on a surreal adventure? Tired of the clichéd “hero vs. villain” comic book brawls? Have a craving for something decayed? Well, if you answered yes to the above look no further than “Marvel Zombies!” This five part mini series spins out of the Ultimate Fantastic Four “Crossover” story arc. In the “Crossover” story, Ultimate Reed discovered a parallel world full of Marvel Zombies. He barely escaped with the help of Magneto, who destroyed the machine and was left facing a world full of monsters. Where does the story go from here? Well, Robert Kirkman knew. Kirkman is famous for his “Walking Dead” series, and has an amazing talent for writing super heroes. He was the right man for this job.

Our story begins with Magneto face to face with a plethora of undead super heroes, all hungry for the master of magnetism. Magneto puts up a good fight, he even throws Colonel America’s shield back at him, cutting off the top of his head. But, he is one against many, and the Marvel Zombies proceed to eat him. Then, the undead heroes talk about who is next on their list to consume. Zombie Spidey decides to keep his mask on since he can’t get over the fact that he actually ate his wife! (Insert eat my wife joke here!) Unbeknownst to the heroes, a threat from deep space is headed their way!

Meanwhile, zombie Giant Man reveals that he is secretly keeping the Black Panther prisoner in his lab. He keeps him sedated and asleep with drugs, and cuts off pieces of his leg and arm to eat a little at a time. Zombie Jan finds out he has been holding out, and the two fight. Zombie Pym actually bites Jan’s head off, and telling readers that Zombies taste terrible. Later on, T’Challa comes to and realizes he is in bad shape. He is horrified that Jan, his old friend, is an undead head, still hungry for flesh. He decides to carry her head and try and find help.

The Silver Surfer arrives on Earth, much to the delight of our undead heroes. Surfer is shocked to see the wicked zombies and the devastation they have brought to their world. He claims he has never seen such savagery in all his travels, and the undead attack! Surfer puts up a good fight, but in the end the zombies eat him. They also discover they now contain a part of the power cosmic! It’s a good thing to, since Galactus arrives on the scene. He asks where the Surfer is, and is shocked when the zombies proclaim they ate him, and they still hunger! This is one of my favorite parts of the story.

Galactus: Where is my herald? Where is the Silver Surfer?
Zombies: That shiny guy on the board? We ate him!
Galactus: What???
Zombie: And guess what? We’re still hungry!

Man, I love that scene! Anyways, the zombies attack the cosmic being and use the power cosmic they now possess from the Silver Surfer. The zombies put up a good fight, but must retreat and try to think of a way to slow Galactus down. Meanwhile, T’Challa and Jan’s head (insert joke here) are walking around, when the Acolytes arrive from Asteroid M. They seek Magneto, but the Panther tells them there is no one left. Cortez realizes the Panther needs help, and invites him to Asteroid M after a brief fight breaks out. They also wish to study Jan’s head, hoping to find the cause of the zombie disease and how to cure it. On the Asteroid, Forge tells the Panther he can help him by creating prosthetics to replace his missing arm and leg.

Zombie Giant Man and Spidey create an energy cannon to attack Galactus with. The weapon works, knocking the cosmic God back. Just as the zombie heroes begin to feast, the zombie villains arrive on the scene. The zombie heroes tell them to back off since they didn’t help in defeating Galactus. A huge fight ensues between hero and villain. Wolverine stabs Zombie Juggernaut in the sockets of his helmet, defeating him. Zombie Red Skull eats Cap’s brains, and Zombie Spidey and Venom face off. The Zombie heroes win, and proceed by actually eating Galactus!

Five years later, the Acolytes and T’Challa return to Earth. Scanners indicate that there is no trace left of any life on Earth, and plant life has returned. The heroes realize the Zombies must be gone or dead, but they remain suspicious. Later, on an alien world the beings realize that Galactus has arrived. The people prepare for the worst, and suddenly the Zombie heroes descend on the planet, all wearing Galactus armor. They prepare to feast on both the aliens, and their planet.

Thoughts/Comments:
To quote the Kool-Aid man, “Oh Yeah!” What a fun, insane series! Kirkman really created a crazy, quirky tale about our favorite heroes and villains, only this time they crave flesh! I loved how fun and disturbing this story was. Like I said, my favorite part was when the zombie heroes told Galactus they ate the surfer and wanted to eat him as well! Sean Phillips created the perfect blend of moody and gory artwork, really helping the story proceed. Plus, how about those covers? I love the parody zombie takes on classic marvel stories. Great stuff! I’m even buying second and third printings just for those amazing covers. My favorite so far are issue #5 and issue #4, second printing. I hope we get a follow up mini series in the future. Great stuff, B+!!

Comic Book Classic Vault: Uncanny X-men: From the Ashes TPB Review

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artists: Paul Smith, Bob Wiacek, Walt Simonson, John Romita Jr.
Cover: Arthur Adams
Issues: Uncanny X-Men #168-176

Looking for an incredible X-Men TPB? Look no further than this beautiful gem! This superb collection collects some of my favorite X-Men stories ever. We start off with the incredible “Professor Xaiver is a Jerk!” issue, featuring Kitty doing everything in her power to convince Professor Xaiver to keep her on the X-Men. The first encounter between the X-Men and the Morlocks is collected her, including Storm’s amazing knife fight with Callisto. Wolverine decides to get married to Markio and invites the X-Men to Japan to attend his wedding. Unfortunately, Viper and Silver Samurai poison the X-Men and it’s up to Logan and Rogue (who just joined the team) to stop them. For those thinking that Wolverine’s wedding goes well, think again. Don’t forget your Kleenex when you get to the end of that tale! Madelyn Pryor is introduced, and Cyclops believes she is Jean Grey reborn. Thanks to Mastermind, the X-Men are led to believe that the Dark Phoenix is back! Finally, Scott and Madelyn get married, but a giant squid has other plans for the happy couple’s honeymoon!

So if you are looking for classic Claremont and tales of the Children of the Atom at their best, I highly recommend hunting down this trade. I picked it up the other day to read just one or two stories and couldn’t put it down. I had to read the entire thing in one setting. The artists involved are at the top of their game, and the stories inside will keep you flipping the pages from front to back cover. I highly, highly recommend getting this trade or these issues of the Uncanny X-Men! A+

Birds of Prey #93 Review

Author: Gail Simone
Penciler: Paulo Siqueira
Inker: Robin Riggs
Cover: Terry and Rachel Dodson

For a book that is full of women, this book delivers so much ass kicking action! I am dead serious there is so much girl power in this issue....you know what fuck that! There is so much testosterone in this issue it puts the last 4 years of Wolverine comics to shame. This book had so much action it should be renamed to Birds of Kick Yo' Ass! Gail Simone can write such a fantastic action packed comic and she doesn't hold back in this issue. The changes are starting to grow on me, not that they were drastic to begin with.

We find Dinah (Tag) back in the little Asian village where she beats the shit out of some Asian guys. And she proves that Black Canary takes Shit from No One! Shiva, Gypsy, and Zinda get into a fight with some HIVE troops while attempting to pick up the Crime Doctor's daughter. Unfortunately for the Huntress she gets her ass handed to her by the Society.

Great dialogue with some nice action scenes. Her story telling flows well and feels real and natural (except for those two issues of Teen Titans with Rob Liefeld she did, but that was really Chuck Austen under the Pen name Gail Simone). The only complaint I have was with the art team. There are some panels that just were not thought out too well. Could be lack of thumbnails or a speedy deadline, but if Siqueira would take his time he could do a better job. Other than the layouts, its very clean and the colors give it a cinematic feel to it. This book has so much going for it now, if you were waiting to buy this book and are asking yourself: Is this a great jumping on point? Hell yes it is!!! A-

Picture of the Week or Avengers Power Pack Assembled Review #1?

Author: Marc Sumerak
Artist: Gurihiru
Cover: Gurihiru

This isn't the picture of the week that Cover does indeed say Avengers and Power Pack ASS! It's supposed to be Assembled, but leave it to the real pervs on the internet to fantasize about that. I bet you never thought you would see me review a Power Pack book huh? Well in the mid 80's actually Uncanny X-men 195 to be exact, I was introduced to a group of young kids with powers a mini version of the Fantastic Four, because the Powers were all siblings. It was thanks to that issue and Louise Simonson that the Power Pack became one of my monthly titles until its too soon ending. Since then the characters have appeared in X-men, New Warriors, Fantastic Four, and lately in the Runaways.

Marc Sumerak follows his Power Pack miniseries with this issue. Again all the previous continuity is being ignored (yes I know how anal I am about these things but its the Power Pack!). The whole family is back: Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie Power. This time they team up with Captain America to stop the Taskmaster and to teach us good morals. That's right morals! It's mainly intended for younger kids, you have to keep that in mind, but sometimes the morals are really smacking us in the face. Even the younger audience can see it coming a mile away.

It was a fun issue and GuriHiru's art is perfect for this type of story. It's bright, colorful and anime style really helps shine on the action sequences. There are some really funny moments even for adults in the book, such as Taskmaster stealing Cap's shield and TM getting his ass stomped by War veterans. Again my issues come with the morals, nothing wrong with it, but it could have been done more subtle delivery. It seems that Jack is acting like a jerk in this issue too, I thought he learned his lesson when the team saved him in the last miniseries. I have learned a few things about the Power Pack from Mr. Sumerak:

1) There will always be a generation of kids that will discover the Power Pack and become attached to the characters.

2) These issues work better in the digest size collections, rather than single issues.

3) These kids will never grow up, because much like Franklin Richards, Marvel needs their kids for readers to relate to. Unless you are reading Runaways.

4) I never thought there would be a day where I enjoy a book like Power Pack more than Wolverine!!!!!!
Entertaining enough! B

Invincible Iron Man #7

Invincible Iron Man #7
Execute Program, part 1 of 6
Daniel & Charles Knauf
Patrick Zircher
Scott Hanna
Cover Date: June 2006 (back on schedule!)

I certainly can't let Omar review his pet bitching book without reviewing mine; however, I have almost nothing but good things to say about Iron Man this time around.

Since the Extremis arc is finally finished, someone can finally write a decent Iron Man story. This first issue deals with the fallout of Extremis: Tony, while pretty smart before, is now full-on superhuman. Not only can he think his way into electronic systems, but there is a wonderful example of him taking part in three different business activities at once (through intermediaries and holograms) while fighting the Crimson Dynamo.

Knauf goes out of his way to show just how little threat ole CD is to our hero - what seems to be CD's secret weapon is shrugged off nearly before it's been deployed, and Tony only lets him finish is mini-diatribe out of professional courtesy.

Oh, and then he kills him. And then brings him back to life. So he technically didn't kill him, even though he did. Captain America's not happy; for that matter, nor is Nick Fury, who is still head of SHIELD here, which shows just how long ago this storyline was planned.

There are other plotlines going on here, involving a contract killer of some kind with a cool USB medallion, but I'm not going into them. I'm just happy to see Iron Man back in action, doing Iron Man stuff, with Iron Man's buddies and Iron Man's supporting cast. Well, his supporting cast hasn't really shown back up yet, but I'm confident they will.

Wolverine Origins #1 Review

Author: Daniel Way
Artist: Steve Dillon
Colors: Dan Kemp
Covers: Joe Quesada & Michael Turner

If you have read my past Wolverine reviews, then you know I am not a fan of Way's run on Wolverine. So needless to say, I was not excited about this comic one bit. Way just doesn't seem to know where he is going with any of this and I thought anybody could write a decent Wolvie story. He has his memories back and he is looking for answers! Well, its nice to see that Chaos magic can make Wolverine think that he remembers everything, but in reality he can't remember it all too well. On a side note, the Michael Turner variant cover is one of the best pictures of Wolverine that I have seen in a long time.

We start off with Wolverine on top of a mountain, because you know there is always a mountain in a good Wolverine story. And who says Way doesn't do his research? So yes, he is on top of a mountain swinging his Murasame sacred sword around, because: THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!! Sorry couldn't help myself. Wolverine regained his memories and he is looking for answers in the most evil of places. Yes the White House has replaced Asteroid M, Apocalypse Moon base, and hell even MumRa's lair as the evil domain. And its good to see that Way has replaced Wolverine's most deadliest foes such as Sabretooth, Omega Red, and Lady Deathstrike with a monster that eats puppies and children while they sleep. Yes Wolverine's arch nemesis in this issue is none other than Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice! THE FUCK YOU SAY?

Luckily she doesn't stay around very long, because Shiva just fries her to a crisp. That's right folks Shiva is back! Not that big of a spoiler, actually I don't really think there are any spoilers in this issue, because nothing gets fucking answered. Much like the last arc, we have more questions than answers. Shiva was the menacing robot that went around and tried to kill the remaining Weapon X members who may be deemed uncontrollable. I don't think Shiva was successful any of those times, but it never gave up. It was programmed to learn from its past mistakes and trigger memory implants in Weapon X members. So this was a pretty menacing foe at one time and should know Wolverine's tactics by now. It's a good thing for Wolverine that Shiva has never fucked with the Murasame, because that's exactly what he gets!

Ohh yeah, the mutant with the healing factor indestructible skeleton, six adamantium claws and all around bad-ass, now uses a fucking sword! I can buy that its a quasi-mystical sword, but does he really need the damn thing? Most of his Samurai past happened before he was entered into the Weapon X project and he has always respected that part of his life. He has never actually used the sword in battle, with a few exceptions. Mainly because writers were able to figure out that having a guy with six claws and spandex carrying a sword around is just stupid.

After Shiva gets cut in half Wolverine states and I quote "This ain't like the old days. This is a new day an' I'm packin' a whole new heat." That's right Wolvie your packing Daniel Way and a sword, badass motherfucker! By the end of the issue we get another ending that no one saw coming, unless you've checked out the solicitations. And really no one got it, because just like the Bucky Bullshit from Origins and Endings, this came out of nowhere. I never bought the whole bullshit that Nuke was part of the Weapon Plus Program during Grant Morrison's Weapon Crap story in New X-men. He was a crazy bastard in Daredevil's Born Again story and could make for a fun fight with Wolverine. The only other connection I can see, is the flashback story from Wolverine 18, so this might work.

I'm not sure how long Way is going to stretch out Logan's past getting more convoluted. His stories have been bland and boring so far. I have to admit that this is better than the shit he wrote in Endings and Origins. Its really a shame that the most important story in Wolverine's history was given to someone who doesn't even understand the character. Dillon's art as always is clean and crisp and can tell a sequential visual story. But his linework doesn't really work on this book and all his faces still look the same. To sum it up, between Condy Rice and the Whitehouse this just left a bad taste in my mouth. Not a good start at all, for a new ongoing title that is supposed to be revealing the past one of Marvel's most important characters. C-

Young Avengers #11 Review

Author: Allan Heinberg
Penciler: Jimmy Cheung
Inks: Robert Stull
Colors: Justin Ponsor

The second Kree/Skrull continues (well in a smaller scale) and our young heroes are caught in the middle of the mess. One more issue until this great series goes on hiatus until 2007! That's right and when it comes back out it will be bi-monthly. For some reason this idea bothers me more than when Marvel pulled the same thing with Runaways and Astonishing. For the first time in a looooong time, new characters caught my attention and I actually started liking them.

Spoiler Free Review
Heindberg again delivers a powerful story with plenty of revelations and a great cliffhanger! Again the Super Skrull (and Annihilation: SS) is being shown as a deep character and actually the Skrulls are being seen as more than just conquerors in this issue. We get the origins of Billy, Tommy and the Hulking and the review with spoiler will go into details with that as well as the cliffhanger. Not only do the Young Avengers pit themselves against the Kree and Skrull, but against the New Avengers as well (Wait I didn't think Civil War had started yet?)

The art is simply amazing, I have been following Cheung since he was drawing Iron Man (pre- Heroes Reborn) and he never lets me down. This is one rare case where Marvel actually puts an artist that style suits the book. Cheung draws very young looking characters and what’s the title of this book? Wish they would find a suitable place for Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachalo. Not everything is perfect though...some of the revelations left me confused or actually saying: Nah ah that shit can't happen. I am seriously going to miss this series, although not as strong as the first six issues, it’s still some good writing and great characters. One of the best superhero book Marvel is putting out now! A-
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Thunderbots #101 Review

Author: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Dave Ross
Inker: Cam Smith
Cover: Tom Grummet

What started out as one of Marvel's gutsiest (is that a word? ahh fuck it!) moves has now become a solid team book. When the book was created, it was Marvel's way to replace the heroes that went on to the Heroes Reborn world. However, with one of the biggest twist endings in comics, you knew from the beginning that Kurt Buziek and Mark Bagley were treating us for a ride! Since then the book has had many incarnations under the script of Fabian Nicieza. This issue introduces a new status quo: Baron Zemo, Smuggler, Songbird, Dr. Chen Lu, Joystick, Atlas, Fixer, Swordsman, Blizzard, and Mach IV.

Spolier Free Reviews
The aftermath of Photon's death shows the team trying to come together one by one, which I thought made for nice chapter dividers in the book. So by the cover you can tell that yes, Baron Zemo is back with the Thunderbolts and he is also in possession of powerful moonstones. But now Helmut is looking to gain the trust of his former team by providing a new headquarters and purpose for them. Now each T-Bolt must ask themselves whether they can really ever trust a Zemo. Songbird, who has been one of my favorites for years has grown as a leader. Although her little relationship with Baron Zemo (now this is the second Baron Zemo not the Nazi, well because she is Jewish, just a little side note) is a little weird at times.

Not a bad issue and certainly would make a great jumping point for new readers, only a couple of gripes. One will be in the review with spoilers the other is the art. Although I haven't seen Ross' pencils since his days on the original Alpha Flight, his art style hasn't really evolved. Yes, he draw nice curvy women and very muscular men in tights, but his faces are still off at times. Nicieza again delivers a good solid story with some great characters and keeps us wanting more. B
Click here to read the review with spoilers.

Annihilation: Super Skrull #1 Review

Author: Javier Grillo-Marxauch
Artist: Gregory Titus
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Cover: Gabrielle Dell'Otto

After reading the prologue and Silver Surfer #1, I wasn't that excited about picking up any more Annihilation minis, but I'm really glad I decided to give this one a shot. First off that cover is probably the best picture I have seen of the Super Skrull, of course thanks to the dark gritty paints of Dell'Otto. In the past my encounters with the SS have been reading issues of Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer, but I never pictured him as anything other than a cosmic villian with no personalitly who was always getting owned by the good guys. Marxauch is actually able to portray the SS as a protagonist of this story with plenty of personality.

The SS sets out to attack those behind the wave, pretty much he fights some Annihilation goons. He even attacks his own people and a Skrull Baroness. He gets arrested and is freed by a young Skrull fan! Richards sends him to the Negative Zone to launch a counter attack. During the battle, he has inner dialogue which makes him such an interesting character, rather than just another FF foe. Now, some of the dialogue is a bit off, didn't seem like a Skrull talking at all, but most of it worked.

Of course there’s a weakness here, and that weakness comes from the artist. Titus has a cartoonish style, very much like Humberto Ramos, which is at its best in the action sequences, but often not as strong in the character interaction moments. I don't think that the art suits the book, it gets the job done, but I would have preffered someone with a darker more realistic tone. The colors by Sotomayor do boost up the art though, so its not a total loss. Not at all what I would expect from a Super Skrull comic and I actually want to read more. B

One Year Later: Battle for Bludhaven

Authors: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Art: Dan Jurgens and Jimmy Palmiotti
Cover: Daniel Acuna

I'm going to be honest and say that the only reason I picked up this book was because of the title. I had this picture in my head of the Chemo-evolved zombies being manipulated by some villain we haven't seen in years destroying what is left of the city. Of course Nightwing and Robin would come in to save the day!!! But, man I was wayyyy off. No Nightwing, no Robin...what we get instead is a real world reaction to a group of rogue meta-humans dropping a bomb on a major American city...I guess its serving as an analogue to the New Orleans disaster. But does that really work?

Call me a fan boy, but I was not expecting a world reaction, I want my Bludhaven heroes. Not the once Force of July now going by the group name Freedom's Ring against the Nuclear Legion! Were these characters ever in Bludhaven? Not to my recollection. Shit, they even have the audacity to kick the Teen Titans out, because the US government is now in charge of Bludhaven. Who the hell turns down some fucking help? One of the refugees calling himself Firebrand (whose powers came from Chemo's explosion) has rallied people to stand against the troops. There is also a new Human bomb, who also as a result of the blast..oohhh fuck it. I don't get it, I was done with this book when I saw the characters and the pointless story. Thank God the Nuclear Legion kills off everyone in Freedom's Ring (that is such a gay name, by the way) but Major Victory.

I have a feeling that this book also is serving as a tie-in to Palmiotti's and Grey's Freedom Fighters miniseries. The new characters are a little over the top and unbelievable for what is supposed to be a realistic reaction to a crises. Now I don't know who the new Atomic Knights are, but surely DC doesn't plan to bring back the originals . This book seems to be written for old school readers, because of the characters, but I'm just not buying it (literally). The only thing saving this book is the artwork; there are some great action sequences within this book, pointless but nice to look at. I'm not feeling it and I may or may not read the rest for review. Not at all what I was expecting, there was a battle, but it didn't feel like Bludhaven! D+

Cable and Deadpool #27 Review

Author: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Lan Medina
Inker: Ed Tadeo
Cover: Patrick Zircher

The Blood of Apocalypse prelude reaches its conclusion after only how many issues? Not six...not five, but two. That's right only two issues! In a time when writers at Marvel are told to make issue arcs trade paperback friendly, Nicieza pretty much just says fuck that formula. He could have drawn out these issues like most writers, but there really is no need. In just two issues more is explained on the return of Apocalypse compared to the X-men title that hasn't explained jack shit...except that Gambit is a douchebag! But, that's another rant.

We get a flashback of Cable's past (not in the future, but in our past...stay with me) as he once again encounters En Sabah Nur. Led by Ozymandias, he encounters a Celestial ship and eventually sends Apocalypse off into space in his own Celestial ship. That's right SHIP; you know the sentient being that was introduced in X-factor back in the 80's during the Fall of the Mutants. The same ship that was created by the Celestials. The same ship that was destroyed in End Game. The same ship that went on to become a part of Cable in the future. The same ship that turned into Prosh and is now floating up in space with his fellow Celestials.

Turns out that the reason Apocalypse always comes back is because of Cable's blood. However, the twist is that Cable has finally come to the realization (like most readers) that Apocalypse will never die. Hell, even by the end of the book Cable is under the believe that the world after M day needs Apocalypse or something dramatic and urgent to bring it together. It's amazing how Nathan Christopher Dayspring Askani's Son Soldier X Summers (sorry too much influence by Deadpool) has changed since Louise Simonson and Rob Liefield created him years ago in New Mutants 87. A military leader turned messiah martyr and savior of mankind.

I have always been a fan of Nicieza since he was scripting New Mutants and writing New Warriors, but his style has not changed with time. He still delivers good solid stories and is one of the most under rated writers in comics. Nicieza doesn't just write good stories; you know what the man actually does? He fucking reads! He reads back issues and researches every little detail of his characters and guest stars before he writes a story. Who the fuck else does that these days? Hardly anybody respects history, hell some people even pride themselves in not reading a single previous issue of a title they are about to take over cough cough Morrison cough! This is how you write a good story, with a nice blend of humor and angst thrown together. Two extreme opposites that share a book, not everyone could write stories like this and make it work. If ever this title gets cancelled, I hope the editors at Marvel will be smart enough to put Nicieza on a core X-title.

Medina is getting better and better with each issue. I think he has to change his style a bit to fit this book; he has cut back on details and focusing more on his action sequences. However, some of his art feels a bit rushed at times and it shows. Gotham's colors as always are vibrant and a come alive at some points. Another great story well delivered with just the one small complaint about the art. If you are having doubts about picking up this book, just read the recap page and you know you've always wanted to see Deadpool take on Apocy-lips! A-

Ultimate X-men # 69! Review

“Phoenix?” Part 1
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ben Oliver and Jonathan Glapion
Cover: Ben Oliver

We start off with a psychic chat between Angel and Professor Xaiver. Warren is still concerned about Dazzler’s condition, and he is excited that Colossus is coming visit for the Homecoming Dance. They end the discussion and Jean is ready to help Professor Xaiver check on their newest recruit, Elliot. They enter Elliot’s mind and explain that they will stop drugging him and let him wake up if he keeps his powers in check. Elliot comes to accept that he killed his parents and didn’t mean to, and decides to accept the X-Men’s offer to help him. Professor Xaiver tells Scott to show Elliot around gives him some clothes since this is his new home.

The conversation then serious and the Professor tells Jean about Lilandra and the Church of Shi’ar Enlightenment. As the two talk, Logan wants to check on Rogue. She tells him that she is doing much better, but doesn’t want to talk about her relationship with Bobby just yet. She also gives him a message that an old friend named Nathan Fitzgerald wants to see him. She is unaware that this is really a message from Nick Fury. Logan accepts to meet with him.

Jean is furious at first about being checked over by Lilandra and her people. The professor explains that she will not be harmed, and this may provide clues to her mysterious Phoenix powers and finally provide some answers. Jean accepts and they contact Lilandra and her people. Meanwhile, Rogue, Storm, and Bobby all practice in the danger room. Rogue is showing off the powers that she absorbed from Gambit and even carries cards to charge and throw. Elliot explains to Scott that he can’t wait to become a member of the X-Men and get his own uniform, but Scott explains that will be awhile. You first have to understand and control your powers and have lots of training before rushing off to a mission.

Lilandra and her people arrive at the mansion and present the X-Men with a new X-Wing. After being introduced to Jean, Lilandra and her people decide to start the tests and try to determine if Jean really is the host for the Phoenix force. Back at Emma Frost’s school, Peter arrives with his date, Jean-Paul. Alex and Lorna are glad to see Peter, and things seem nice and quiet for the gang. Then, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants arrives and destroys the wall, proclaiming they want to party. Colossus armors up and a fight breaks out. When things get nasty, Colossus makes a call to Cyclops. Cyclops tells Elliot he is about to get his wish and the two go off on a mission to help the others.

Thoughts/Comments:
Robert Kirkman does it again. I loved his “Date Night” story, and can’t wait to see where this story goes. Hopefully we will finally get some answers to the entire Phoenix mystery. Is Jean truly hosting the Phoenix power? If so, what will happen between her and the Shi’ar Church? Eliot seems like a cool character, he really wants to become a part of the X-Men and help out. Plus, the guy doesn’t have anywhere else to go to. I’m really interested to see how this all plays out. The only thing I didn’t like was Ben Oliver’s art. It’s not as bad as Stuart Immonen’s, but I really didn’t care for it much. For those out there who enjoy his art, that’s cool. It’s just not my thing. A lot of characters seemed sketchy or rushed. I love Tom Raney’s artwork and wish that he could do the book every month. So, I loved the story but didn’t care for the art. I give this one a B, but that is only due to the artwork not doing it for me.

Ultimate Spider-Man # 92 Review

Ultimate Spider-Man #92
“Deadpool” Part 2
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Mark Bagley and John Dell
Cover: Mark Bagley and Richard Isanove

We start off as Spider-Man wakes up to find himself and the other X-Men shackled in a helicopter flying over an island. Spidey is confused as to who the mysterious beings are that has attacked him, and Deadpool orders the Reavers to shock him again. After getting zapped, he is thrown out of the helicopter and plummets towards the island. Using his web shooters, he lands safely until a Reaver appears in front of him. Our hero also realizes that he has lost his boot in the free fall, and he continues to try and break free from his arm shackles. Suddenly, he runs into Colossus. Colossus apologizes for throwing that Reaver at him, and breaks Spidey’s shackles.

The two see an optic blast firing in the sky and rush into the jungle to assist Cyclops. Cyclops is also fighting the Reavers, and the two help him dispose of the threat. All this time, Spidey is still trying to figure out what is going on. The heroes are given an assist by Storm, and the X-Men realize they are on the island of Krakoa. They inform Spidey that Krakoa is an island in the South Pacific that is used as a hunting ground for mutants. The hunt is filmed and broadcast to eager television viewers. Spidey tells the X-Men that Kitty attacked him, but they scoff at this and tell him that Kitty would never do such a thing. The heroes realize they must be dealing with a shape shifter.

Kitty arrives and Spidey doesn’t know if it is really her or not. She mutters something to him to confirm she is the real deal. (I think she is telling him to stop staring at her top. Only Bendis knows for sure!) The two hug each other and then the Angel arrives, carrying an unconscious Jean in his arms. Just as Jean comes to and the heroes try to figure out what exactly is happening, Deadpool arrives on the scene. He has a massive Reaver armada behind him, all ready to kill out heroes. Deadpool explains that the heroes are to be hunted and destroyed since they are nasty mutant scums. The battle is about to begin and things look bad for our heroes!

Thoughts/Comments:
Now this is what a Spider-Man/X-Men team-up should be like! I love it when Spider-Man is taken out of his natural element (NYC) and his reaction to being so far away from home is classic! Deadpool and the Reavers really haven’t done a whole lot yet (except for the Reavers battling Spidey, Colossus, and Cyclops this issue) but that looks like it’s going to change come next issue. Lots of great dialogue between the X-Men and Spider-Man. In fact, this issue almost feels like an Ultimate Marvel Team-Up issue instead of an Ultimate Spidey book. Bendis is devoting equal time towards both Spidey and the X-Men, so I have no complaints. Mark Bagley rules, as always. I highly recommend this issue to any long time spider-fans, or to new readers wanting to see what Ultimate Spider-Man is all about. Another A+ performance!

Omac Project: Infinite Crises Special Review

Author: Greg Rucka
Artist: Jesus Saiz
Colors: Hifi Design
Cover: Ladronn

We share most of our reviews on the podcast; actually I think we have done every Infinite Crises and direct spin off reviews via podcast. Or at least I thought so, because I'm not sure how we skipped out on this. This issue deals directly with the events in Infinite Crises #6, well the destruction of Brother Eye anyway and it also serves as a Prologue to the Checkmate ongoing series. So think of it as Checkmate issue 0, if you will. Some of the same characters appear in this from the Omac project but it’s a completely different story than the one told last summer.

To kick things off: When the Brother Eye crash lands in the middle east it sets to rebuild itself by transforming two soldiers. While dealing with the events in the actual Crises book, Batman has tasked the cybernetic Checkmate agent BlackKnight One named Sasha Bordeaux (a former lover which must be a little odd for Bats) with ensuring Brother Eye is destroyed once and for all. However, various nations dispatch their own soldiers to retrieve the satellite and the information and power contained within. It’s really good to see Sasha fighting Brother Eye's growing control of her.

As all of this is going on, the new Black King of Checkmate (Amanda Waller) believes Sasha's on her way to restore Brother Eye, but she sends Agent Midnight and Fire to stop her from destroying B.E. Actually that was one thing I didn't like about this book is Rucka's treatment of Fire. Did I miss something? What kind of dirt could Waller have on Fire that would let her treat Beatriz like a dog? I guess my only other problem was with Red Rocket fighting locals and military groups who really have nothing to add to the story. By the end of the issue we get to find out who really transformed Sasha and the bad guys are put down!

Rucka does a good job writing for the characters, there were a few scenes that let me down like Sasha loosing her metal skin and again the whole Fire/Waller thing. But seeing Fire cut loose, like before her JLA days, made up for most of those scenes. Rucka brings a good balance to the book, not making it a huge cosmic event that the rest of the Crises tie-ins have been. Saiz brings a realistic grim look to the book, but for some reason I have a problem with some of his facial features. This book was enough to get me interested in Checkmate when it comes out, at least give it a shot for a couple of issues. B-

Civil War: Illuminati Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Cover: Gabrielle Dell Otto

First introduced in New Avengers #7, the Illuminati consists of some of the brightest thinkers in the Marvel Universe. The group meets secretly from time to time to discuss major events and how to deal with these threats. Consisting of Dr. Reed Richards, Dr. Stephen Strange, Tony Stark, Namor, Black Bolt, and Charles Xaiver the Illuminati meet entirely in secret. Their teammates and family members are not even aware of these proceedings. Things went well for them for awhile, until now. Now, on the eve of a Civil War, the group’s story is finally revealed.

The group first met in Wakanda, all guests of Prince T’challa, the Black Panther. The Kree-Skrull war has just ended, and these powerful men have arrived to discuss what exactly happened and how to prevent it from happening again. Tony tells the group about his idea of how they would basically be the rightful protectors of the planet Earth. T’challa is disgusted with this idea and tells them to end it now. He walks away in anger, but the others decide there is some wisdom in Tony’s idea. The group agrees to meet from time to time, and are sworn to keep all meetings a major secret. Before leaving, Professor Xaiver brings up the topic of Krakoa.

We now cut to present day. The Hulk has gone on another rampage, killing more innocent people and even a dog. Tony is drilled by Daisy Johnson, Nick Fury’s replacement about why the heroes never do anything about the Hulk. She also tells Tony that Congress has been looking for something to pin on the heroes lately, and she vows that SHIELD is about to take care of the Hulk if the heroes don’t. Tony relays this message to the other members of the Illuminati, with the exception of Professor Xaiver. (Who is still MIA from the House of M) The group decides to trick Banner into going to investigate a satellite gone awry up in space, and then blast him off into the depths of space. Everyone agrees that since Banner can’t be cured, this is the best way to neutralize the threat of the Hulk without killing him. The group all agrees on this, except for Namor. Namor and Tony get in a heated argument, leading up to a battle between the two. I love this part of the story!

Tony: We are all warriors Namor.
Namor: No, you are a warrior, I’m a king!
Tony: Not up here, you aren’t!

Great stuff, really shows off what a dick Namor is. Anyway, the two fight and it ends up in the water. Namor pulls off Tony’s mask (My buddies tell me this isn’t possible. See, you can learn things from continuity!) and Dr. Strange casts a spell breaking them apart. Namor leaves in disgust over what the group has done to Banner, exiling him into space.

Once again, we cut to the future. Iron Man sits in a deserted place, waiting for the rest of the Illuminati to appear. The group shows up, even Namor. They agreed they weren’t going to meet anymore, but Tony tells them his information is of the utmost importance. He shows them the superhero registration act. He breaks it down by saying very soon, some young and inexperienced hero is going to do something stupid. Whether or not it is intentional, this hero will screw up and people will get killed or hurt. Congress has devised a law stating that super heroes will reveal their identities to the authorities and work as a registered government official super hero. Those who oppose the act will be hunted down like criminals. Tony tells his friends that they should agree and keep good relations between the government and heroes. Namor tells them they are all fools and he will never do this. He’s still mad about what they did to Banner, and now he can’t wait for them to tear the surface world apart. Tony tells him that they will attack Atlantis as well, but Namor doesn’t care. He wants them to finish each other off and then he will return and rebuild the surface land. Dr. Strange hates the bill and states it is wrong. Reed agrees with Tony, and Dr. Strange tells them never to summon them again. Black Bolt also walks out, and Reed tells Tony he has to go home and argue with his wife about this bill. Tony sits alone, thinking the Illuminati was fun while it lasted.

Thoughts/Comments:
Hell yeah!! What a great prelude to an amazing upcoming story! I know the whole hero vs. hero thing is kind of a cliché, but this sounds really interesting. I loved how we saw the Illuminati come together and break apart. I wasn’t aware of what was going on in Planet Hulk, but this issue explained it to me without having to buy the Hulk issues. I loved Namor’s foreshadowing though, “He will find his way back and kill you all.” (Possible summer 2007 crossover? Maybe Hulk: The Return?) Watching Namor and Tony fight was great, and the gloom in the air as Tony tells them about the bill was chilling. The artwork was beautiful, capturing the feel of uneasiness and regret the heroes are faced with regarding the bill. Bendis delivers once again, I can’t wait for Civil War!

I also know that a lot of my buddies know Marvel Comics history. Like, really know stuff about what character did what. I was told that you can’t take Iron Man’s mask off like that, and I also learned Tony has killed before. Plus, Krakoa happening around when the Illuminati got formed is kind of confusing, but not really thinking of these events I enjoyed the issue and didn’t have any gripes. I give this book a strong, solid A!

New Avengers 17 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mike Deodato Jr. and Joe Pimentel
Cover: Steve McNiven

Picking up after the events of “House of M” and last issues prelude, the Collective has arrived! The issue starts off with Luke Cage and his teammates standing around a rough neighborhood to scare away drug dealers and such. Luke states that when he agreed to become an avenger he wanted some changes be made, and this is one of those changes. As the Avengers stand around acting all cool, an alarm goes off in the Quinjet. The Avengers receive the signal from Daisy Johnson at Shield, and she informs our heroes of the new threat and what it did to Alpha flight. Cap calls Bob and Linda answers the phone. Cap states that the team needs the Sentry, but Bob is having a “bad day” and going on about how the Void will get him and such. Cap also puts in a call to Carol Danvers for additional assistance.

So it’s up to the others to deal with this new threat. Cap and Tony divide the heroes up, and Tony tells Spider-Man to sit this one out and help the scientists at Shield. (Glad to see Bendis remembering that Peter is smart and can make just as good of a contribution using his scientific mind.)Tony fli