Author: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Colors: Paul Mounts
I haven’t reviewed an Ultimate X-men book in over a year. There is a reason for this. As much as I can’t stand Mark Millar’s Civil War or Wolverine run, his Ultimate X-men run was great. Sure it was a dumb-downed version of old stories, but he kept it fresh and the art by Adam Kubert was phenomenal. Lately both the writing and the art have gone to shit. I can’t believe how easy it is to fuck up a comic that hasn’t been around for even 100 issues, but Kirkman showed me how. This however is Kirkman’s last run on the book and the past two issues have been readable. The art by Larroca helped to ease the eyes too.
Charles Xavier is dead!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Seriously, did anybody reading that atrocious Cable story think he was really dead? Sorry, anyway yes Xavier died and Cyclops disbanded the X-men and just make the mansion just a school for mutants. Meanwhile Bishop formed the new X-men. However Xavier wasn’t dead….he was just taken to the future to be trained by Cable to fight Apocalypse. Turns out that Bishop was working with Cable to resurrect Apocalypse. The Fantastic Four decide to try and help SHIELD. So Cable is really Strife and Onslaught is really Xavier and Cable is really Wolverine and Wolverine lost an arm and I have lost my fucking mind for keeping up with this book. The issue just served as a placeholder between the cliffhanger from last issue and the finale next month. Professor X might be dead again and Phoenix is back!
Just because I said they were readable doesn’t mean they were good. Nothing of relevance happens in this issue and to be honest about 50% of Kirkman’s run felt that way. Cable and Bishop’s motives are just fucking ridiculous. Why lie at all? It doesn’t make any sense; it seems really over-the-top to be taken seriously. Larroca’s art did help some, but I still don’t know why this book just isn’t cancelled? I’m not sure if anybody can save the book. Over the years it certainly has lost its cool and fresh factor and it just seems to be here because it’s an x-book. C-
Author: Peter David
Penciler: Val Semeiks
Inker: Dave Meikis
Colors: Rob Ro
Despite of what that Mike Deadato cover tells you, there is no wall smashing in this issue. To be honest these last few issues of She-hulk haven’t been action packed. But hell, She-hulk hasn’t been the most super-hero ass stomping book since the days of John Byrne and later Dan Slott. Both concentrated on humor and remained in continuity amongst the Marvel Universe. What Peter David is doing here took a while to get used to, but I’m sure glad that I stayed on the book.
Even though this issue is a wrap up to his six issue story arc, but it really feels like a standalone issue. It seems that Larry Ryan is being blamed for the death of his wife Tanya. Of course we all know that it was Cazon who killed Tanya and Larry had to watch his wife die, not once, but twice. After Jazinda murdered Cazon, Jen and Jaz left in pursuit of Bran. They didn’t expect the authorities to arrest Larry and hold him responsible. After a misunderstanding with a jail cell door, Jen is thrown in with Larry and is forced to call in a favor from an old friend. Mallory Book shows up to defend Larry and with the help of Iron Man is able to get the case dismissed.
I loved this issue; with the return of some old characters that haven’t been seen since Slott left the book, the apology from Iron Man, the whole Al-Len-Town joke from 42nd Street, and the whole courtroom trial, what was not to love about this issue? Jazinda finally decides to share her secret with Jen and the whole conversation that Jen and Mallory share, it was all priceless. But what really sealed the deal was Jen’s feelings towards Iron Man’s apology. Semeik’s art has really improved over the years. The last I saw of his work was an issue of Wolverine in the mid 90’s when Wolverine was turned into an ogre….we won’t go there. His art is expressive and very clean. Each panel is easy to follow. I can’t wait to see where David takes this series, specially the Secret Invasion parts. A
Writer: Daniel Way
Art: Steve Dillon
Colors: Matt Milla
Cover: Simone Bianchi
This is going to be short and not sweet. It's really a shame that Bianchi's talents have to be wasted on the cover of such a horrible book. All I really had to do to review this craptacular book was copy and paste my review for the last issue. Because that’s all that happens in this issue for the third time. 3 issues in and Wolverine and Deadpool are still fighting. Deadpool steals the spotlight (poor Deadpool) from Wolverine in this cat and mouse game. 90% of the story is both Wolverine and Deadpool fighting and we still don’t know why. While Deadpool’s schemes are a complete rip off of Looney Tunes; in a way they are amusing, but out of character. If Way’s unique style to the character is to make him crazy rather than arrogant, quirky, and sarcastic then count me out of the ongoing Deadpool series. This story arc could be wrapped up in one issue. Dillon, who is an accomplished artist on Preacher, Punisher, and Hellblazer still, has a problem drawing the character of Wolverine. For some reason Wolverine always looks like he’s got to take a crap or just looks surprised in every panel. Somebody give this guy another project and someone find Way a Will E Coyote comic to write. Even the Mexican smuggling bicycles joke couldn’t save this book. F
Author: Brian K. Vaughn
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Colorist: Dean White
When I heard the name Brian K. Vaughn being mentioned I immediately jumped on this series. My favorite character + a fantastic writer = money well spent. At least that was my formula when I bought the issue. I mean it’s got to make sense right? Nobody has done anything with the character’s past since he got his memories back. Now it’s the perfect time for BKV to show us what he is made of. I’ve always said a writer’s true test is if he can write a good X-men story.
For the first four pages Logan shows up at an old temple in Japan talking about how he has to take down this old adversary from the past. It hasn’t been revealed who yet, but the rest of the issue is a flashback to 1941 and WW2. Logan and a guy named Warren are POWs that were captured by some Japanese troops. At this time Logan was a member of some Canadian Special Forces Unit and was sent to Burma to blow up a bridge and that’s all he can remember. They end up escaping and run into a beautiful Japanese woman named Atsuko on a bridge (maybe this is why Logan had such a fascination with Mariko). Warren wants to put her down, but Logan stops him and tells him to take a hike. She takes him back to her place, they play a little Marvin Gay, and get it on. Alright everything is true, but the Marvin Gay part. It is revealed though that he is in Hiroshima and thinks can’t look good by the end of the third issue.
While the beginning of the issue felt stereotypical of introducing a new baddie to the Wolverine mythos, you don’t really appreciate it till the ending. There really wasn’t any tension or plot build up and there, but the revelation of his location made me go back and reread the book and it just kept getting better and better each time I read it. Sure, there are some silly things like finding some random easy chick in Japan and knocking boots within minutes, but BKV’s dialogue is so good he makes it seem like it really could happen. He nails the attitude and dialogue for the character, both in terms of the modern narration and his WWII era dialogue.
I have been a fan of Risso since his Hundred Bullet days and his art in this series is fantastic. It has a nice mix of his own contemporary style thrown in with a little Mike Mignola, and Frank Miller. It really works well for a story like this and it reminded me of the classic Claremont and Miller mini. I just felt like there really to be a little more meat in the first issue and I’m sure Atsuko would agree with me. It’s a shame that the book has $3.99 price tag, which seems expensive because of the small plot. But you know if you are a fan of Wolverine or BKV you are still going to pay for it. I really cannot wait to see what happens next and hopefully we’ll get lots more out of issue two. B+
Author: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Mike Choi
Colors: Sonia Oback
Letterer: Joe Carmagna
Warning: Review contains spoilers
Uncanny X-men has been getting better and better over the last year. I believe that Bru has finally found the character’s voices and is getting comfortable with the cast. Sure Nightcrawler doesn’t pull out the classic mein freud or Colossus uses the tovarish line every five seconds, but they are still in character.
Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Wolverine are still in Mother Russia visiting the graves of Peter’s parents. They then go into a bar and make a crack at Juggernaut walking in, take down some Russian thugs, and are set to leave Russia. Meanwhile Cyclops and Emma are leaving the Savage Land to see what has happened to Angel and apparently Hepzibah, who seem to be caught in an acid flashback. The mysterious party responsible is a goddess who has managed to block Emma from finding her friends.
My biggest problem with the issue has nothing to do with Bru, but more with the editors. If you don’t want to know the ending of Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-men, you might want to skip this issue. But yeah, it seems that Kitty Pryde doesn’t make it out alive or at least not back home with the rest of the X-men. Of course it doesn’t go into detail, but it still irritates me when they do things like this.
Sure, the book has been late and it’s not Bru’s fault his book comes out on time, but man they really drop the bomb in this issue. Also, since when does Cyclops need to be told what a Celestial is? Doesn’t he remember almost getting squashed by a Celestial’s foot during the Judgment War storyline in X-factor?
While the issue remains a fun issue to read, I really can’t believe they are following up Messiah Complex with a hippie villain. Also, I’m assuming that Hepzibah is now a “cat lady” and has lost all her skunk attributes. I think Mike Choi’s artwork is completely gorgeous, but of course Oback has lots to do with that. However, even though his art is very clean and pretty, I don’t think he is really suited for a team book like this. I think he draws everyone too young and he has the same faces on most the guys. But, his Emma Frost is nice to look at. So, overall it’s still a fun issue and I hope the revelation of the mystery goddess is not someone lame like Lorelei or Beautiful Dreamer. B-
Author: Duane Swierzynski
Artist: Ariel Olivetti
Letterer: Joe Caramgna
Lone Wolf and Cub…err I mean Cable # 1 hit the stands this week and much like the solicitations showed it is the adventures of Cable and baby in time!!!! Following in the footsteps of Messiah Complex Cable for some reason thinks he is solely responsible for the life of this child and of course he is not alone because someone is following in his footsteps.
I really can’t say too much about this book other than it was written like a blog or a diary and its set in the not so distant future. Seriously, not much happens in this issue. Cable is attacked by four punks and he ends up killing them, has a nice flashback, and encounters Bishop (that has figured out a way to travel through time, not that it’s that hard in the Marvel Universe). The book feels like Lone Wolf and Cub, Fist of the Northstar, Mad Max, and Kindergarten Cop (alright, I’m really pushing it here) wrapped into one. I have no idea why Cable is so surprised that the flooding of 2012 did so much damage, since he is from the year 3000 and something. And why bring the baby to such a defunct future? What a prick! Why not take the baby to a time of peace and tranquility, you know like the Renaissance.
My problem with Olivetti’s art has always been his 3D model backgrounds; they just don’t blend well with his characters. It really doesn’t flatter his characters because they always look like they have been photoshoped in. Swirzynski’s Cable sounds like Cable, but then again how hard is it to write an old warrior that can time travel? It’s a rather lightweight read that takes about 2 minutes to read, so that’s $1.50 a minute….man you can spend that kind of money calling an adult single line and get more satisfaction for your buck. Since it’s the first issue it is hard to judge, but I really see more blog entries reminding us how much of a warrior Cable is. C
Authors: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Artist: Clayton Crain
Letterer: Cory Petit
It seems that the new trend for X-books this week is to put the inkers and some colorist out of jobs. These artists must be getting a heck of a paycheck if they are doing all the work. Anyway X-force # 1 left us with a pretty decent cliffhanger, where Rahne was about to get her brains blown out by Mathew Risman, a Purifier and in this issue we are left with another big cliffhanger, well at least to us New Mutant fans.
It seems that Risman wasn’t aiming at Rahne’s head, but rather her kneecap, I guess I must have missed that panel. Wolverine is finding a difficult time being a leader and keeping X-23 on a leash. The Purifiers end up kidnapping Rahne again, because X-23 wired the house and forgot to mention it to everyone. For some reason Cyclops really didn’t mind at all, because his whole mission was to kill Mathew Risman, not rescue Rahne. There is also the revelation that Reverend Craig was Rahne’s father the whole time and she apparently knew. Bastion wants these mutants dead and not torture and his sole plan right now is to resurrect Magus from the bottom of the ocean.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I really don’t get the premise of the book. I mean it’s a covert ops team that has one of the most recognizable characters in the Marvel U on it? I mean how are they going to be secretive? Maybe Wolverine should get a new costume. Those red eyes aren’t fooling anyone. I know Cyclops is a prick, but when did he stop caring about the lives of his team members and friends. This is what they pulled Rahne from X-factor for? For her to be getting kidnapped and tortured? Judging by the cover of next issue I’m assuming all that is going to change and the character might too forever.
The art was delightful to look at, but like I’ve always said from the start, I don’t think that Crain is the right choice for this book. His art thrives off of intense action scenes, while the slower moments aren't as impressive. I have lots of faith in Yost and Kyle, but really this book would work better as a miniseries or if Cyclops stuck to his “there is no more X-men” statement. Can’t wait for that fight with Magus. B- I would like to mention how stupid those bloody variant covers are by the way. Do people really want to pay additional money to have a little red on their cover?
