The Week in Revue (Apr 17-23, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Age of Ultron #6 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Brandon Peterson and Carlos Pacheco
THE TIDES TURN AS THE SURVIVING HEROES BEGIN THE MARCH TO TAKE DOWN ULTRON!

------- DC Reviews

DC Universe Presents #19

(w) Tony Bedard     (a) Javier Pina

FINAL ISSUE! WHO HAS BROUGHT DEATH AND DESTRUCTION TO THE JUSTICE LEAGUE? IF YOU READ PREVIEWS, YOU ALREADY KNOW.

Justice League #19

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

NOT A FINAL ISSUE! WHO HAS BROUGHT KRYPTONITE TO A FIGHT AGAINST THE JUSTICE LEAGUE? IF YOU READ PREVIEWS, YOU ALREADY KNOW.

---------- mini reviews

Green Lantern: New Guardians #19

(w) Tony Bedard     (a) Andres Guinaldo and Raul Fernandez

NOW THERE'S TWO WHITE LANTERNS? WASSUP WITH THIS CRAZY?

Wonder Woman #19

(w) Brian Azzarello     (a) Tony Akins and Dan Green

WONDER WOMAN vs. ORION! PLUS SOMETHING ELSE ON THE SECRET GATEFOLD!

------- Marvel Reviews
Captain America #6

(w) Rick Remender     (a) John Romita Jr.

I JUST LOVE THIS SERIES. IT'S CRAZY GOOD.

Nova #3

(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness

NOVA'S ORIGIN CONTINUES! 

Nova #2 (mini review)

(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness

**Spoilers Ahead...kinda**

I really want to like Nova because Jeph and Ed have done some phenomenal stuff together in the past. What sucks is that Nova isn't shaping up to be very good. Maybe it will be, and I'll totally eat my own words if that's the case, but for now, I'm not impressed.

Rocket Raccoon and Gamora appeared at the end of last issue to a bewildered Sam Alexander. Starting exactly where it left of, Sam calls Rocket a "talking raccoon", which proceeds to send the talking raccoon into a murderous rage over being called a talking raccoon. It's important to understand one's place in life, and maybe not be so completely sensitive about a pretty obvious similarity to the raccoons of Earth. Seriously, Rocket needs to get over it.

As far as Sam goes, he's nothing special. I was hoping for some real emotional nuance with this series, but all Sam has going for him is generic teenage angst and a contrived situation that doesn't make much sense. His dad's only been missing for a matter of days and now he's supposedly dead? Wait, what? Where did that come from? Loeb isn't doing himself any favors by keeping readers in the dark; we've been waiting to learn who the new Nova is since Marvel Point One over a year ago. It's about damn time we got the story, and now Jeph Loeb wants to spend six issues outlining the character's origin. Bluuuuuhhhhh. 

GRADE

6/10

The Week In Revue (Mar 20-26, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Constantine #1
(w) Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes     (a) Renato Guedes
JOHN CONSTANTINE GETS HIS OWN SERIES IN THE 'NEW 52'!

------- DC Reviews

Justice League #18

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
THE METAL MEN MAKE THEIR 'NEW 52' DEBUT!

Justice League of America #2

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) David Finch
WILL THE NEW JLA COME TOGETHER TO STOP THIS SECRET NEW THREAT?

---------- mini reviews
Green Lantern: New Guardians #18
(w) Tony Bedard     (a) Aaron Kuder
"WRATH OF THE FIRST LANTERN" CONTINUES!

Wonder Woman #18
(w) Brian Azzarello     (a) Tony Akins
WHAT DOES THE GOD OF WAR HAVE PLANNED FOR DIANA'S FUTURE?

------- Marvel Reviews
All-New X-Men #9
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Stuart Immonen
THE ORIGINAL FIVE X-MEN GET NEW COSTUMES!

Avengers #8
(w) Jonathan Hickman     (a) Dustin Weaver
THE AVENGERS FACE THE WORLD BREAKER! LOOK FOR CONNECTIONS TO NEW AVENGERS!

---------- mini Reviews

Captain America #5
(w) Rick Remender     (a) John Romita Jr.
THE ODD WAR OF DIMENSION Z BEGINS HERE!

Nova #2
(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness
THE ORIGIN OF SAM ALEXANDER CONTINUES!

Nova #1

(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness

As a comic book reader who never took the plunge into Marvel's cosmic line in the past, the character Nova is still relatively new to me. I have a basic understanding of the mythos: there's a Nova Corps not dissimilar from DC's Green Lantern Corps, there are multiple character's who have gone by the title Nova, and Richard Rider is by and far the most popular of those characters. Other than that, it's all Greek to me, as they say.

From this starting point, Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness' Nova #1 is a blast. Loeb's balance of space action and rural American life is stark as it is believable in a world where a giant green man can demolish mountains and gods live in Oklahoma. And McGuinness' classic art style shines throughout these pages, juxtaposing Sam Alexander's mundane existence in Carefree, Arizona against his father's stories of weird space adventures with the Black Novas that may or may not be true.

The negativity I've seen toward this series seems rooted mainly in one thing: fandom. Richard Rider is considered the best Nova in Marvel's history, and he's been shelved for a new take on a classic franchise and that irks people. Another point of contention has been Jeph Loeb's explanation that this new, teenaged Nova is based on his own late son; part homage and part inspiration for the stubbornly loyal yet loving Sam Alexander. The complaint is that Loeb should process his grief elsewhere and let Richard Rider be Nova once again. The simple response to that is: us readers don't get to decide how writers are influenced or inspired. 

Instead of pining for the old, why not try and embrace the new? Loeb has introduced a whole new, secret branch of the Nova Corps! That should be an exciting prospect for anyone interested in Marvel's cosmic line because it means new stories and new ideas.

GRADE

8/10

The Week (Feb 20-26, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Justice League of America #1
(w) Geoff Johns     (a) David Finch

------- DC Reviews

Green Lantern #17

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Doug Mahnke

Justice League #17

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

---------- mini DC reviews
Green Lantern Corps #17

(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Fernando Pasarin

Green Lantern: New Guardians #17

(w) Tony Bedard     (a) Aaron Kuder

Wonder Woman #17

(w) Brian Azzarello     (a) Tony Akins

------- Marvel Reviews
Captain America #4

(w) Rick Remender     (a) John Romita Jr.

Nova #1

(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness

Thor: God of Thunder #5
(w) Jason Aaron     (a) Esad Ribic

---------- mini Marvel reviews

Avengers #6

(w) Jonathan Hickman     (a) Adam Kubert

Indestructible Hulk #4

(w) Mark Waid     (a) Leinil Yu

The Superior Spider-Man #4

(w) Dan Slott     (a) Ryan Stegman

FEATURED REVIEW: MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE

(w) Nick Spencer, Brian Bendis, Jeph Loeb, Kieron Gillen, Matt Fraction, and Dennis Hopeless
(p) Luke Ross, Steve McNiven, Ed McGuinness, Jamie McElvie with Mike Norton, Mike Allred, Gabriel Hernandez Walta

Last year's Marvel Point One was a fun introduction to coming year's storylines, though it retroactively suffered from unfulfilled promises. Why did Scarlet Spider get a solo series but not Nova? Where is the X-Terminated team? Of course, that was the first issue in a series, it seems, so it makes sense that MPO was more of a work in progress than anything else. And at the end of the day, it's still a really fun one shot full of interesting stories. Marve NOW! Point One is the more polished version of the concept - each story included in this issue is evolving into an ongoing series. This anthology format is fun because it's not necessary to know decades of continuity to still enjoy what's going on. In fact, that's the whole idea behind 'Marvel NOW!'

Marvel NOW! Point One is framed by the story following S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and Director Maria Hill. They've come across a gentleman who monetarily wiped out the New York Stock Exchange within a matter of hours and claims to be from the future. Being from the future obviously has it's advantages when cavorting in the past, and the man basically just wants to give S.H.I.E.L.D. a heads-up about what's coming. It's a strained plot, one that feels forced and underdeveloped. Nick Spencer is obviously trying for some mystery in the man's identity, but it just comes across as unfinished or poorly edited. It made sense for the Watcher in Marvel Point One to have visions of the future surrounding it's supernatural existence, so this scenario feels a bit silly. Then again, these are the kind of things Fury and Coulson will be dealing with in the pages of Secret Avengers, set to debut in February.

Brian (Michael) Bendis and Steve McNiven kick things off with the origin of Star-Lord, leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel is making a big push for their cosmic characters, and putting Bendis front and center for a team getting a cinematic movie next year is a stellar choice. And while Bendis' long-form writing style means "Guardians of the Galaxy" feels incomplete, Steve McNiven's amazing artwork pretty much makes up for it.

Next up is Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness bringing us "Diamondhead" featuring the new Nova - Sam Alexander - the team introduced in Marvel Point One. While Sam's last adventure was all about the return of the Phoenix, this tale gives readers a bit more insight as to Sam's situation without giving much away in terms of concrete details. The eponymous villain is one of Richard Rider Nova's old enemies, so he confronts the new Nova. A few choice sentences of dialogue reveal that the Nova Corps is gone, and that Sam is apparently the last one...maybe. Dropping hints that answer questions by bringing up more questions is one of Jeph Loeb's strong suits, so it works well here. Ed McGuinness is one of those artists who draws comics like they're perceived by the non-comic book reading population - big, expressive, and colorful. I'm already a fan of Sam Alexander - especially his re-designed Nova uniform - so Nova is one of the series I'm most excited about.

Oh, Young Avengers. If you read this blog on any sort of regular basis, you're probably aware that I absolutely LOVE the Young Avengers. I collected the entire 12-issue original run (dubbed "Season One" in recent years), I've read every YA tie-in issue for Marvel's major events, and I even stuck it out and bought every issue of Avengers: The Children's Crusade. So when Marvel announced they were bringing back the Young Avengers under the watch of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McElvie, I was ecstatic. "The New World" features "Miss" America Chavez, first introduced in 2011's Vengeance mini-series as part of the new Teen Brigade. Kid Loki has decided to put a new Young Avengers team together, and first goes after America (that's her real name, hence the pun) who's taking refuge on Earth-212. Because this is a comic book and heroes tend to fight each other before getting along, a brawl ensues. Even though Miss America basically just beats Loki down then flies away, the whole sequence is meant to develop America and give readers a preview of her social skills, something that will obviously come into play once she joins the team. Breaking the fourth wall is always fun in my book, so Loki's 'wanted' ad was a pleasant surprise and an awesome way to close this chapter.

Matt Fraction and Mike Allred's "It's Art!" is next, featuring Scott Lang as Ant-Man in a prologue to the creative team's upcoming FF. Mike Allred is such a fantastic and wonky artist that it fits Matt Fraction's whimsically poignant writing almost perfectly. Scott Lang is also a great character for Fraction, who specializes in taking somewhat formless characters and giving them direction and focus (Clint Barton, anyone?). "It's Art!" features what I hope will be the norm for FF, which is a stylized narrative structure, consisting of a fantastic balance of inner monologue and dialogue, as well as inventive and innovative panel flow. Seeing Scott's whereabouts through special enlarged panels with arrows is genius, and Fraction's breaking of the fourth wall is so subtle, it smacks you in the face before you even realize.

The final story - before the conclusion of Spencer's S.H.I.E.L.D. bookend - is about Forge. Specifically, a mentally disturbed, manic Forge who stumbles upon a lab he built with a huge machine he didn't build. For a mutant whose ability consists of creating and fixing nearly any machine he can work on, it's a perfect set up. Unlike his counterparts who might give too little, Dennis Hopeless tries for a bit too much with "Crazy Enough". The psychological implications surrounding a techno-manipulator are many, apparently, and Hopeless just digs the hole a bit too big, then doesn't have time to have anything make sense before it ends with a cameo from Cable, foreshadowing Cable and X-Force coming in December.

It's difficult to review a prologue anthology simply by it's definition. These stories and their format are unique. Unlike back-up stories of similar length, these aren't multi-part or even one-shot tales. Each of these small stories is like a "Zero Issue" of sorts. While DC made a whole month of it in September, Marvel NOW! Point One could be considered 'ground zero' for all six featured series. It's a fun issue - simple as that. Knowing that all six series are starting soon gives more weight to these six prologues, and that's part of the charm. If this were just another short story anthology, it would be a bit lacking. But it's not. And we know it. Get ready, because if the level of quality seen in NOW! Point One continues through the next five months of new launches and into the future, Marvel might just have the upper hand on DC.

GRADE

8.5/10

MARVEL NOW: A RUNDOWN

'Marvel NOW!' is here! Last week, Uncanny Avengers and Red She-Hulk kicked things off for a five-month period of all-new series from Marvel that tie into the post-AvX world. I've already reviewed UA, and this coming week, Marvel NOW! Point One is the only new release, but November through February promise a ton of new stuff for you (and me) to read!

OCTOBER

Marvel NOW! Point One
(Various Creative Teams)
Last year's Marvel Point One was a cool first attempt at bringing readers an anthology format with which to preview the upcoming years storylines and series. With prelude stories to FF, Young Avengers, and Nova to name a few, Marvel NOW! Point One promises to be a roller coaster ride as we rocket into 'Marvel NOW!' 

A+X

(Various Creative Teams)

With the success of AvX: VS, Marvel saw great potential in that series' format of ten-page stories featuring one Avenger and one X-Man. This time around, they'll be teaming up instead of kicking the pants off each other.

NOVEMBER

All-New X-Men
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(p) Stuart Immonen
After eight years at the helm of the Avengers, BMB is moving over to the X-Men world with All-New X-Men featuring the time-displaced original five X-Men transported to the present day. I can't imagine how Marvel and Bendis plan on making this an ongoing, but I have faith, and the concept is cool enough to read whatever the outcome.

Deadpool

(w) Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan

(p) Tony Moore

It's about time Marvel put an honest-to-god comedian on one of their most comedic characters, Deadpool. Brian Posehn is one of the funniest comics in the stand-up industry, and he's likely bringing his distinct sense of humor to the Merc with a Mouth. The first arc is about Deadpool assassinating the reanimated corpses of America's past Presidents.

Iron Man
(w) Kieron Gillen
(p) Greg Land
I've never been a fan of Iron Man - I'll read tie-ins and the such, but on a regular basis, Tony Stark's solo adventures don't interest me that much. That being said, this is 'Marvel NOW!', the perfect time to dive into a character never explored much, and the fact that Kieron Gillen is writing is enough to make me interested.

Avengers Assemble #9

(w) Kelly Sue DeConnick

(p) Stefano Caselli

Though it's not renumbering, Avengers Assemble is getting an all-new creative team and narrative focus. Going forward, Kelly Sue DeConnick will be penning "shot glass Avengers" stories only two to three issues in length focusing on character growth. It's a fantastic move on Marvel's part, seeing as DeConnick has been cleaning up with Captain Marvel.

Fantastic Four

(w) Matt Fraction
(p) Mark Bagley
Again, I never got into the Fantastic Four, and my experience with Ultimate Fantastic Four was less than impressive. Though, Matt Fraction's recent take on Hawkeye has been impeccable, so I'm willing to see what he's got planned for Marvel's First Family. The first arc apparently takes them away from Earth for a full year of their lives, but which only amounts to four minutes in Earth time. Interesting? Wait until you see how it ties into FF.

Journey Into Mystery #646

(w) Kathryn Immonen

(p) Valerio Schiti

Just like Avengers Assemble, Journey Into Mystery isn't getting renumbered, but instead brings in Kathryn Immonen and Valerio Schiti to change the narrative direction and focus on the Lady Sif instead of Kid Loki. This promises to be an epic arc, as Sif is set to return to Asgard and raise all sorts of hell.

Thor: God of Thunder
(w) Jason Aaron
(p) Esad Ribic
Jason Aaron is going in an interesting direction with Thor: God of Thunder, taking readers through three distinct eras of Thor's life - his younger years, the current day, and his elder years as King of Asgard. Knowing Aaron, this structural decision will make for some amazing building grounds for future stories.

X-Men Legacy

(w) Si Spurrier

(p) Tan Eng Huat

It's a series about Legion. Oh, Legion - son of Xavier with no real personality because you've been used as a plot pawn for so, so many years. It's about time David Haller was treated right and given a series to help him work out his inner demons. In the aftermath of Avengers vs. X-Men, Legion seems like he's going to be meeting a lot of new mutants who need help understanding what's happened to them.

Captain America
(w) Rick Remender
(p) John Romita Jr.
Uncanny Avengers is amazing, and I'm now certain that Rick Remender is going to turn Captain America from the country's boy scout into something darker and more relatable. Being transported to and stuck in Dimension Z with Arnim Zola's son is a good start to making Cap a more well-rounded character.

Indestructible Hulk

(w) Mark Waid

(p) Lenil Yu

Mark Waid did Daredevil a huge favor by yanking Matt Murdock out of the proverbial alley and into the sunlight. Bruce Banner has been tossed around for years, and it's time that someone like Waid gives the green giant a fresh coat of paint for a new age. In recent interviews, Waid said that his interpretation of Hulk/Banner resembles Mark Ruffalo's movie Hulk, though the similarities were completely unintentional.

FF
(w) Matt Fraction
(p) Mike Allred
While the Fantastic Four are off in another dimension, Reed Richards recruits a new FF team to protect the world in their absence...of four minutes. It's a wonky concept, but one I'm positive Matt Fraction can pull off. The new FF team includes Ant-Man, Medusa, She-Hulk, and Ms. Thing (a new character). Mike Allred is an amazing artist and I cannot wait to see how his pulpy style will affect the stories.


DECEMBER

Avengers
(w) Jonathan Hickman
(p) Jeremy Opena
Jonathan Hickman is stepping off his long-term runs on Fantastic Four and FF to turn his sights on Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In interviews, Hickman has stated that Avengers will be big-ticket stories about a large cast of characters, leaving more character-driven stuff for the sister series he's also writing, New Avengers.

Thunderbolts

(w) Daniel Way

(p) Steve Dillon

This one just looks plain cool. It's General "Thunderbolt" Ross, a.k.a. Red Hulk, leading a team of killers including Elektra, Venom, Deadpool, and the Punisher. Some fans are already upset that Frank Castle is going to be on a team, but I have high hopes for this series that's bringing together some of the best anti-heroes Marvel has to offer.

Cable and X-Force
(w) Dennis Hopeless
(p) Salvador Larroca
Now that Avengers vs. X-Men has made criminals out of a number of X-Men, they have to go on the run. Cable leads new X-Force team (that includes Colossus, btw) on the run from the Uncanny Avengers!

New Avengers

(w) Jonathan Hickman

(p) Steve Epting

While Avengers tackles the big picture stuff, New Avengers will see Jonathan Hickman bringing readers the exploits of the Illuminati, the group of intellects that have shaped the Marvel U over the past seven years or so. This title will be more character-driven, with a lot of Avengers crossovers.

Avengers Arena
(w) Dennis Hopeless
(p) Kev Walker
While this series is a total ripoff of Battle Royale (and by extension, The Hunger Games), Avengers Arena is probably going to be very cool. It's throwing a bunch of teenaged characters together, from Avengers Academy to the perennially ignored Runaways. 

JANUARY

Uncanny X-Force
(w) Sam Humphries
(p) Ron Garney
Even though there's already going to be Cable and X-Force, Marvel liked Rick Remender's run on Uncanny X-Force to give the series a relaunch of it's own. This time around, Storm is leading the team (sporting a blatantly retro mohawk) that includes Psylocke amongst other, low-tier mutants.

Savage Wolverine

(w/p) Frank Cho

They finally gave Frank Cho a Wolverine series. Cho has promised that this iteration of Logan's tale will be, obviously, a lot more savage and violent. The first arc takes Wolvy to the jungle, so there's going to be a lot of survivalism, I'm sure.

Young Avengers
(w) Kieron Gillen
(p) Jamie McElvie
This is the series I've been waiting six years to happen. I absolutely loved the original run of Young Avengers and continued to keep up with the characters even as they got tossed around creative teams like an unwanted sandwich. Now, Marvel is giving the title to Kieron Gillen and Jamie McElvie, the creative team behind the magnificent Phonogram series. This new team features old favorites Wiccan, Hulkling, and Hawkeye II, while introducing to the team Kid Loki, Miss America Chavez, and Marvel Boy (from Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways).

The Superior Spider-Man

(w) Dan Slott

(p) Ryan Stegman

This is the series I'm least excited about. There's no creative team change here, just a renumbering and an apparent new man under the Spider-Man mask. Oh, and the Spidey suit now has black where there was blue. I thought the whole point of 'Marvel NOW!' was to shake up creative teams, and in this case, Marvel just dropped the ball.

FEBRUARY

Secret Avengers
(w) Nick Spencer
(p) Luke Ross
I always thought the premise of Secret Avengers was too loose. Sure, it's an Avengers team that's secret, but how cliche is that? This new premise from Nick Spencer tells that S.H.I.E.L.D. wants an Avengers team of their own, but the current big names are too unpredictable and uncontrollable, so they activate embedded codes within select operatives around the world, task them to go on missions, then wipe their memory when the mission is complete. This smorgasbord of operatives include Black Widow, Mockingbird, Hawkeye, Hulk, and a new Iron Patriot. The team works with (the new) Nick Fury and Agent Phil Coulson.

Guardians of the Galaxy

(w) Brian Michael Bendis

(p) Steve McNiven

As part of Marvel's ongoing effort to expand it's cosmic branch of characters, Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven will be reviving Guardians of the Galaxy with a new directive in mind: keep Earth alien-free. Apparently, Earth has been meddled with too much, and it's time to let the humans evolve on their own. Expect big things from this title which is set to include Iron Man.

Nova
(w) Jeph Loeb
(p) Ed McGuinness
Last year, Marvel Point One teased a the new Nova, Sam Alexander, as he fought off Terrax and escaped to warn Earth's heroes about the coming of the Phoenix. It felt like a bit of a letdown when no new Nova series came about, but now, we've got one starting in February! Loeb has promised that this series will explain how Sam became the newest member of the Nova Corps, and what his purpose is going forward.