(Click title to go directly to the review)
Advance Review: THE TWILIGHT CHILDREN #1
The All New All Different Marvel #1’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1/INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1/DR. STRANGE #1
AXCEND #1
SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD: GHOST RACERS #4
THE SPIRIT #3
THE NEW DEAL Original Graphic Novel
Double Shot Review of SECRET WARS #6
Marvel’s SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD TRAVEL GUIDE Part XIX!
Marvel’s SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD TRAVEL GUIDE Part XX!
THE TWILIGHT CHILDREN #1
Writer: Gilbert HernandezArtist: Darwyn Cooke
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Publisher: DC Vertigo Comics
Reviewer: Johnny Destructo
There are few creators that have a perfect track record on the Destruct-OH-meter (that's my life-long rating system, which I just created just now). Darwyn Cooke is at the very top of that list. I have yet to be disappointed by a comic that involved Cooke, and that includes the book currently being discussed. On the other hand, I don't remember ever being blown away by Gilbert Hernandez. I know that Love and Rockets is beloved by the indie-comics scene, but I haven't had a chance to go back and read it from the beginning, and jumping into the series randomly hasn't piqued my interest. All of this is to say that before reading The Twilight Children, I was 100% excited for 50% of the creative team for this book. Given that terrible math, after reading the first issue, I'm now 200% into this series!
Skipping the beautiful, nude, white haired woman on the first page, we are introduced to the stoic and morose Anton and his, ahem, friend Tito. Their relationship is expertly conveyed in just a few panels before we move on to Bundo, the island drunk and three youths who will be very important to this series before very long. As it turns out, when a huge glowing white ball shows up, hovering just above the tropical waters near the beach, it's not as surprising to the characters as it was to me. These rascals have been popping up from time to time, with their comings and goings completely missed by anyone who encounters them. Bundo promises to sit up all night and watch the ball to see if he can discern where it goes when it leaves. A couple beers later and I think we all know how this goes for ole Bundo, and the story starts from there. I'm not going to delve any deeper into the story, so you can experience it for yourself, but every page is filled with emotion and is masterfully illustrated. Even as I closed the book and looked at the cover, the entire issue is broadcast right there under the title. Now THAT'S design done right.
Hernandez and Cooke and gotten together to craft an intriguing mystery brimming with flawed yet likable characters, naturalistic dialogue and stunning artwork. If you like things that are really good, you should probably read this.
JD can be found running his own comic shop in Manayunk, PA called Johnny Destructo's HERO COMPLEX, hosting the PopTards Podcast, discussing movies, comics and other flimflam over here, graphically designing/illustrating/inking, and Booking his Face off herehere. Follow his twitter @poptardsgo. His talkback name is JohnnyDestructo
The All New All Different Marvel #1’s:
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1/INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1/DR. STRANGE #1
Writers: Dan Slott/Brian Michael Bendis/Jason AaronArtists: Giuseppe Camuncoli/ David Marquez/Chris Bachalo
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
Welcome to the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe. I thought I'd jump into the A.N.A.D. Marvel with a few titles and review one of them. So imagine my surprise when I discover all three of these comics are pretty much the same thing! So much for “All-Different”.
First off, Peter Parker, Tony Stark and Stephen Strange are all pretty much the same person now, which is a misfit, cocky (snarky?), womanizing genius. Yes, they are masters of their domain, but people just don't understand them. Of course, talking down to normal people all the time because they aren't geniuses probably doesn't help. But don't them wrong, they each have a heart of gold, and all go out of their way to help those around them--a good guy is more than punching villains and saving the world. And women beware: they are all horn dogs--Peter still to a lesser degree, but more than he ever was in the past. Dan Slott even does a joke about Peter being a poor man's Tony Stark these days (Spider-Man is also an employee of Parker Industries now, acting as Peter's bodyguard). But considering I don't recall fans asking for Peter Parker to become the head of a global tech company, who (although doesn't pay himself much) lives a jet-set lifestyle, that joke points more to the writer's hang-ups than the characters.
So same character, what about the plot? Oddly enough, both Slott's AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 and Bendis' INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 have opening scenes in China. Even Aaron's DR. STRANGE #1 starts in a somewhat- foreign location. Parker and Stark both go out on dates with East Indian women, and again even Dr. Strange manages to get some action from a girl not from the United States. The main focus of each story is setting up each character's world as they are saving the world through their genius know-how (mystical genius know-how for Strange). Each character gets a glimpse of the villainy yet to come: Spider-Man deals with attacks on his company, from within and without, as Zodiac tries to steal stuff. Parker teams up with S.H.I.E.L.D., but tells them it's his way or the highway. Iron Man builds a new suit, since the old one has become outdated (side note: seems Bendis has taken a cue from the 90s IRON MAN cartoon, as the suit can now morph into different abilities instead of having to always put on a different suit); meanwhile, Madame Masque is stealing stuff. Dr. Strange deals with a 'home invasion' type thing rather than thefts. He then meets with a group of superhero sorcerers (Brother Voodoo, Scarlet Witch, etc.) to talk about the art of magic and if any of this means anything. Then in the final pages of each book, there is a big bad guy reveal--the promise/tease of what's to come in the next six or so issues. Each time it is slightly different: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1's reveal is only to the readers, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1's reveal promises he isn't the bad guy (sure), and DR. STRANGE #1's reveal is basically a new villain, so the details are different, but the plot and pacing are nearly identical.Well sure, but each comic is written in a different voice, right? Nope. They are all written in the first person as the characters try to explain their motivations to us, claiming they are not bad people despite their less-than-glowing press or reputations. Add to that that all three are the same type of person. Then add that they all talk the same way: call it Marvel Movie Dialogue Swagger. So these three comics have the same character, plot and tone, from three characters who traditionally couldn't be more different. Huh. Is this some kind of mandated, Marvel House 'The Public Likes X' Style, or just coincidence? Probably a little of both.
At least one thing different about each book is the artwork, as David Marquez's INVINCIBLE IRON MAN pages are the most refined and realistic, and Chris Bachalo's DR. STRANGE #1 pages are the most expressive and stylistic. Giuseppe Camuncoli's AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 pages fit somewhere in between those two styles. Overall, I'd say Camuncoli has the most effective pages, too. They are lively, interesting to look at, and have good storytelling.
Marquez's, although interesting to look at, are kinda flat and boring in the storytelling department, and to get technical, pages 14 and 15 are pretty much textbook bad storytelling. Panel 1 has the focus on the wrong thing. Panel 2 is great. Panels 3 and 4 have identical info in them, so 4 is a waste of space. Panel 5, I'm not sure if the guy was shot by Madame Masque, or by someone behind him (drawing says Masque, color and sound effects say from behind). Panel 6, this should have been panel 3, it's not telling us anything new at this point. And for pages 20 and 21, I still can't quite figure out what order to read the panels in. Sometimes they cross pages, sometimes they don't. Bendis' dialogue isn't helping much, either.As for Bachalo's, his pages are decent enough except for the opening fight scene. His staging is just awful—I’ve got no idea what is happening, except there was a fight. The best artwork of both issues was Kevin Nowlan's back-up pages in DR. STRANGE #1. They are crisp, excellently laid out, tell the story well and look damn good.
Ok, enough of the compare and contrast, were the books any good?!? Taking each book on its own merits, all three are good books. None of them gave me a strong desire to come back next month, but I won't be burning them in my backyard, either. As first issues go, they are as good as you can expect. Reading them together? Well, it's like hearing the same decent song on the radio (or whatever app you like) over and over again. You'd think the DJ or Marvel would know better.
AXCEND #1
Writer: Shane DavisArtist: Shane Davis
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewer: The Kid Marvel
My initial reaction to AXCEND was I thought this was going to be another superhero comic, with a Peter Parker-esque character trope as the protagonist. However, as I started to get deeper into the issue I was very wrong about my initial inclination. While the main character, Eric Morn, could be compared to the typical Parker-like character, as you get into the book you can quickly see Eric has a bit more depth, as well as some huge differences in his character. While he is also motivated by the death of a family member (his twin brother) and portrayed as a loner, the plot points behind this differ greatly from the iconic backstory of Spider-Man. It draws from the same well, but delivers different results and a character closer to the current social climate.
AXCEND #1 opens with Eric confronting a classmate who’s bullying another student. While Eric doesn’t come off as the typical weak nerd this scenario usually entails, through the dialogue it’s revealed not only is the bully a former friend of his deceased twin, but Eric is also the less liked of the two. Moving forward, Eric returns home to be met by his mother, who’s been trying to contact him all day about visiting his brother’s grave with her on his one year anniversary. Eric, while understanding her intentions are good, shrugs her off, simply wanting to be left alone to play video games. This is where the main theme of AXCEND is presented and expanded later in the book: through a virtual reality game Eric is playing, and eventually, through unknown consequences as of now, its crossing over into the real world.
What I liked most about AXCEND was Eric’s character, who seems dynamic with a variety of personal issues he’s going through. While he is your typical angsty teen loner, the reasoning behind this is heavy and steeped in a story I assume while be further explored further in future issues. The breakdown Eric has with his councilor alone creates a real focus on him having to deal with the loss of his brother, who he was deeply connected to in a variety of ways. The dialogue throughout is very well written and grounded. It actually feels like real conversations, rather than the forced ones that writers end up overwriting. This feels like a story that will be character driven, rather than plot, with the characters themselves being the force behind what makes this book relatable, which is always a big plus.
As far as the artwork, it’s solid as well from the team of Shane Davis, Michelle Delecki and Morry Hollowell. Davis’ pencil work is clean, detailed and lifelike, really bringing the story to life. You can also see the heavy influence of mainstream superhero artwork during the virtual reality sequences. It becomes an extremely noticeable DC style, which makes sense when you look at Davis’s background. AXCEND’s artwork is very sharp and perfect for the book--completely in sync with Davis’ writing.
Whether you’re an indie fan or not, AXCEND is definitely a book I’d recommend checking out from Image. It’s solid around the board in writing and artwork, as well as character and tone. The strengths are clearly in the characters themselves, which to me will always make a better reading experience long term than plot. Good characters create connections to the reader, creating lifelong fans who will support and follow the series. AXCEND has that quality and is worth the time to read.
GHOST RACERS #4
Writer: Felipe SmithArtist: Juan Gedeon
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Lionel Putz
As the leaves begin to change and the days shorten, there is still SECRET WARS. This once-promising, still-more-successful-than-not event series is now hitting the six month mark, with publishing delays ensuring that it will drag on well past the launch of the “All New, All Different Marvel” (starting today!). There’s a sense of fatigue that seems to have set in among readers with these tie-in titles, and I find it a bit troubling. I wish I could say I understand the growing impatience to return to continuity, but I’ve usually found that idea more irritating than rewarding, and at this point I am much happier reading a limited series than worrying about the tenuous concept of “status quo.”
Has GHOST RACERS been any good? Sure, it’s fine. I’ve read every issue—despite not being much of a fan of any incarnation of the character—because I was intrigued by the concept (“Ghost Riders in a demolition derby!”) and the cover art of the first issue was cool. That was enough to generate excitement for me, as it has been with a lot of these books. In this particular instance, writer Felipe Smith has crafted a mildly enjoyable but ultimately forgettable tale, with Juan Gideon providing some truly great visuals to accompany it. This story has followed Robbie Reyes, the most recent incarnation of the Spirit of Vengeance, as he’s conscripted into the Ghost Races along with former Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, and more. It comes to a fair conclusion with this issue, with all previous Ghost Riders uniting against the villainous Arcade and Zadkiel.
What I’d hoped for out of this series was a team-up of every Ghost Rider, so I guess I got what I wanted, albeit a little late. But I like that this book existed, and I love the experimentation that has gone into these titles, of which the common complaint seems to be “I don’t want to read ‘What Ifs…”. I just don’t understand. Marvel continuity brought me “the Clone Saga” and “One More Day”, whereas SECRET WARS brought me “Renew Your Vows”, “Howard the Human”, and a God-Doomed world of craziness. There’s a playfulness to the offerings—a Thor police force, a meandering Old Man Logan, a parent Peter Parker—that has breathed life into a lot of characters I normally would never have checked in on.
Sure, Marvel parted me from a fair amount of my money with this event, but good for them. I gave it up willingly because they got me involved when I otherwise wouldn’t have been. And with the “All New, All Different” initiative rolling out, I wish I could say that excitement continues, but it doesn’t. I won’t be picking up six or seven different books each week because I know that continuity is a heavy, boring burden, and it never offers any reward. As Stan Lee has often said, comic books function on “the illusion of change”…the stakes are ultimately never that high because there’s another issue coming. So while I can respect the stance that these books aren’t interesting because they’re temporary, I have to disagree. These books have weight because they have a freedom that the ongoing series never will. Since we might not ever see these particular iterations and configurations of characters, they—and their writers and artists—can do so much more. These are stories being told from start to finish without having to serve a masterplan. There’s closure with these books, which is such a pleasant change of pace from the ongoing Marvel Universe.
So, as SECRET WARS drags to a conclusion (I mean that with regards to the publishing delays, which are awful; I actually think the main title is still going strong and a good read), I encourage you to celebrate these books as they close out. This is a world of superpowers and spandex. Why shouldn’t we get to say “What if…?” with these characters every now and again?
Lionel Putz is a lawyer by day. He watched Matlock in a bar last night; the sound wasn't on, but he's pretty sure he got the gist of it. Email him at lionel.putz@gmail.com
THE SPIRIT #3
Writer: Matt WagnerArtist: Dan Schkade
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
Dynamite's first crack at Will Eisner's THE SPIRIT continues to roll along under the guidance of Matt Wagner. Wagner, of course, is the rather popular writer/artist who created GRENDEL, MAGE, and wrote DC's SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATER for many years. As with every series Wagner only writes, I lament not seeing his artwork, especially one tailor-made for his style, like The Spirit here. To make people like me feel better, Dan Schkade is doing his best to make his pages look like Wagner's, to which, I'm not sure how I feel, because, I'd prefer Schkade use his own artistic voice, and his 'fake' Wagner art is not nearly has strong as Wagner's work. But yes; overall, it's a fine-looking book.
As you may know, Wagner has decided to kick off THE SPIRIT in an odd way--by having The Spirit M.I.A. In fact, he's been missing for two years--which does make it a bit odd that just now his friends are starting to look for him! To help us not forget who the main character is, Wagner does gives us flashbacks of our hero, as Strunk and White interrogate another one of his famous adversaries. Meanwhile Central City moves on without The Spirit, as Police Commissioner Dolan is retiring and his daughter Ellen (The Spirit's gal) appears to be getting married. Thankfully, though, Wagner knows not to dangle this plot line too long as yup, our boy Denny Colt finally makes a real appearance, getting one of the shocks of his life (long time readers will say a well-deserved shock of his life) too.
Now, as cute as this storyline is, I do find it a bit cumbersome. Launching a new title without the title character is rather awkward. It will probably read much better in the one sitting trade paperback, as it just doesn't seem to have a strong enough hook in issues. What it is doing well is the world-building. Wagner is doing a fine job getting us into the world of The Spirit (though, again, it will probably read better in the trade). And as I mentioned before, this is probably Wagner's best writing for Dynamite (not counting GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW). For whatever reason, he appears more at easy with The Spirit, and now that The Spirit has finally appeared, things seem to be just getting better. Both reveals of The Spirit in this issue are quite good, with the second being the better. The next challenge ahead of Wagner is the why and how of the once M.I.A. Spirit. If he has something engaging and entertaining for this, this first story arc will be a hit, as it's been good so far.
As for the artwork, who doesn't love these cool covers by Eric (I created THE GOON) Powell? Very strong, well-crafted work. Schkade's pages are all well done as well, though I feel they could be stronger. If he could spend more time in the planning and under drawing of his panels, getting figures, backgrounds and layouts more solid and dynamic, they could be as strong as, say, Matt Wagner (himself) or even Darwyn Cooke. As they are now, they handily get the job done, but so far colorist Brennan Wagner is the one who is making these pages special.
Dynamite's THE SPIRIT is rather nice book, and it shouldn't take too much work to make it a must read, as their FLASH GORDON once was. The next three issues should be quite entertaining.
THE NEW DEAL Original Graphic Novel
Writer: Jonathan CaseArtist: Jonathan Case
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
I like to think of myself as a history guy, but honestly find that a horrible misnomer when I really dissect that self-applied moniker given that any time I do buff up historically, it’s almost always early 20th Century America material. I know my fair share of Civil War-era America or Roman Empire, sure, but just a casual perusal of my digital library reveals that my own private history lessons always involve periods like Prohibition, The Depression, and/or a Roosevelt or two. Those early, defining decades of the last century had a sweeping energy to them that I’ve always found intriguing, and even comforting in a way. The country was still very much finding its identity and getting a full bipolar swing of big, grandiose progressive developments, just to be smacked back down by a stock market crash or one of those pesky World Wars. That vibrant forward motion smacking into setback after setback also happens to be an apt metaphor for this original graphic novel by Jonathan Case, THE NEW DEAL.
Invoking another time period, THE NEW DEAL very much feels like a classic, antics-filled piece of 1950s cinema involving oddball capers, some awkward social circumstances, and a grift or two. In TND we’re in 1936 New York City watching the antics of a young miscreant named Frank, who bellhops at the grand Waldorf Astoria when he isn’t selling apples with his uncle or, as we find out rather quickly, losing cash at the poker table. Frank is kind of the classic scamp, always looking for the easy out, always checking out the gams, always one late shift arrival away from being out of a gig, and yet somehow has an energy and charm to him that gets him by enough--for the time being, anyway. His main conspirator, i.e. the voice of reason that tries to talk him out of his shenanigans yet can’t help but get dragged into them anyway, is Theresa--a black maid and aspiring actress who also works at the Waldorf. The two pair off like, well, night and day, given Frank’s reckless flippantness and how timid Theresa is to get involved with his shenanigans, as you would expect a black worker at such a prestigious hotel in the 1930s would be. Invariably, though, the trouble finds them despite her attempts to steer clear of their machinations.
Those shenanigans begin to manifest themselves upon two key arrivals to the Waldorf: a well-to-do, boisterous world traveler named Helmer that Frank happens to owe, oh, half a year’s salary to, and a lovely young dilettante named Nina who rolls her eyes in the face of the hoity-toity hotel residents like the help does behind their backs. It’s a very overly exaggerated, somewhat cartoonish interaction between this trifecta of characters – Theresa, Frank, and Nina – and the rest of the guests, and it’s all highly endearing, very kinetic material. The relationship between Frank and Theresa alone as confidants in each other with just a little bit of romantic chemistry between the two is, quite frankly, adorable. It draws you in like any classic 50s romp, though THE NEW DEAL doesn’t shy away from race relations issues when addressing the two or pitting Theresa as the obvious scapegoat when something goes awry, but the book never really devolves into any sort of soap boxing on the matter. It was just how the period was, and how Frank barely acknowledges the difference in social standing between the two unless put in a situation that directly states it – despite both just being line employees – kind of makes the little dumbass and sneak a more rootable character.
And that really is the brunt of the appeal of THE NEW DEAL: the relationships of the characters and the whimsicalness of their underdog lives in a pretty spastic setting dealing with spastic, entitled people. The caper at foot driving their interactions with the guests – that being a thief prowling about that almost gets Theresa fired because, well, she black – is also engaging enough, as far as being full of the hijinks and creating a bit of drama and a mystery for our starring duo. Unfortunately, though, and this is where I’ll level my one main complaint/concern at this otherwise highly entertaining graphic novel, it still leaves THE NEW DEAL somewhat light on plot and, more noticeably, page count. The book, much like its characters, is nice and snappy, but before you know it it’s over, and not in a “it’s so good it just goes by so fast!” manner. Though it is very good and it does fly by really fast, it just feels like the last act was kind of an afterthought and closes up shop early when business was just picking up.
Every thing else about THE NEW DEAL is pretty Jake, from the setting on through the characters and their interactions. The dialogue is snappy, the art is very expressive and has a liveliness going on in some very clean lines, and it’s a great setting both location and time wise, though the emphasis is not really on the “period” part of “period piece”, much as I love the era. But, man, I really wish there was another ten to twenty pages or so in that third act to really add some pizzazz and a bit of tension to where the book was going and how things would pan out for those involved, though I would not let it deter anyone from trying this book and engaging with its inherent charisma, regardless of whether or not the time period is a selling point to you like it is for me. If you have a hankering for some good old-fashioned tomfoolery with a smattering of social commentary and some rapid fire wordplay, then this is a good deal to partake upon.
Humphrey Lee has been an avid comic book reader going on fifteen years now and a contributor to Ain't It Cool comics for quite a few as well. In fact, reading comics is about all he does in his free time and where all the money from his day job wages goes to - funding his comic book habit so he can talk about them to you, our loyal readers (lucky you). He's a bit of a social networking whore, so you can find him all over the Interwebs on sites like Twitter, The MySpaces, Facebookand a blog where he also mostly talks about comics with his free time because he hasn't the slightest semblance of a life. Sad but true, and he gladly encourages you to add, read, and comment as you will.
Editor’s note: Sometimes a book just deserves more than one review…and sometimes the editor messes up and two reviews are done for the same book. In either of these cases, it’s called a Double Shot Review. Drink up!SECRET WARS #6
Writer: Jonathan HickmanArtist: Esad Ribic
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
We are coming to the tail end of Hickman's opus at Marvel. Character threats are being drawn together as we learn more about Lord Doom's Battleworld and what Incursion survivors plan to do about it.
In typical comic book God fashion, we are pretty much learning Doom is not God. Makes me think the reason men can't become God (looking at you, Thanos) is because they are not. The Amazing Spider-Men have discovered his power source and Thanos has discovered his lies (and Doom is unaware of any of this). Meanwhile Doom's 'daughter', Valeria, isn't sure what to do as she seems to be learning to doubt Doom's divinity. The Black Panther and Namor have discovered the late Dr. Strange's fail-safe, and the Reed geniuses are getting ready to school Doom, God or no God.
For the most part, this is another great issue. It's a slow burn for sure, but everything has impact, as information and conflagration are slowly being drawn together for the climax. Ribic's artwork, as I mentioned before, is a perfect match for this somewhat plodding and epic story. Ive Svorcina's colors are stunning as always on Ribic's pencils. The Alex Ross covers are awesome too, although it didn't reflect the story inside at all.
My one complaint is I seem to be missing part of the story--mainly how Thanos, Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight all got to where they are in this issue. Is this explained in a crossover issue? If so, why didn't Marvel tell us so we could go buy it? But still, this story has been moving too slowly for a skip ahead like this to be ok.
Yet even with the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe already on the shelves, SECRET WARS is still my favorite mainstream book right now.
SECRET WARS #6
Writer: Jonathan HickmanArtist: Esad Ribic
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Lionel Putz
SECRET WARS rolls on this week with issue #6 (of what was supposed to be 8 and is now inexplicably 9 installments), published nearly two months after its original solicit date of August 12, and on the same day that Marvel gives us ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT POINT ONE #1, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 and a host of other #1s in the first wave of the All New All Different Marvel rollout. In my review of GHOST RACERS #4, I advocated for the advantages of “What If…?” books that are untethered from continuity, and as if to help prove my point, Marvel this week decided to show us what a massive publishing delay can do for an ongoing narrative. But before I delve too deeply into that Charlie Foxtrot, let’s check in with Battleworld…
The most interesting stretch of this issue for me sees Sue Storm telling her son Franklin a bedtime story, one he’s heard many times before: how the Fantastic Four came to be, and how Sue, Valeria, and Franklin became the Battleworld royal family. In Sue’s telling of this tale—as she seems genuinely to remember it—the Fantastic Four’s origin is very much as it has always been, with the notable exception that Sue’s father, Franklin Storm, was the leader of the team, with nary a Reed Richards to be seen or spoken of. When the universe ended and the Four were scattered, God Doom saved them, and Sue watched as Doom remade the world, saving what bits he could from all of the multiverse in their own realms on the patchwork planet. In this telling, Johnny Storm even sacrificed himself to become the sun so that Battleworld could have a little more light. When Franklin asks what happened to Uncle Ben, Sue replies that it’s a story for another time (that time being the end of this book). And so we have a clearer picture of how the Richards family became the God Doom family, and what it is that Sue really “remembers” and believes to have happened.
Elsewhere, Spider-Peter and Spider-Miles visit Owen Reece, the Molecule Man, who continues to be famished from the effort of holding all of reality together. Miles offers him a cheeseburger that he’s had in his pocket for eight years and three weeks, though he contends that the eight years in suspended animation don’t count. Peter is unimpressed; Reece is undeterred. While this is going on, Namor and Black Panther make it to the Hidden Isle of Agamotto, where the deceased Doctor Strange bequeaths the Infinity Gauntlet to the pair. Some evil-type Barons plot and scheme. The issue closes with Thanos talking to a giant, immobile Ben Grimm head, telling him that things are not as they seem, and that he needs to do something about it. Persuaded by the Mad Titan, Ben begins to rise and we see that holy shit he’s the shield separating the Zombie/Ultron wasteland from the rest of Battleworld! It’s a good reveal, if not 100% logically sound (and I mean that under the loosest of standards).
So, in and of itself, this another good entry into what most readers seem to feel is a good event series. It seems like even those tired of the tie-in books have enjoyed this main title, which is what makes the continued delays with this book so frustrating. I picked up some of the All New All Different #1s this week, specifically the three I mentioned by name at the start of this review. I have not been able to read any of them, though, as there are massive clues and outright spoilers in the opening pages of each of them as to how this Secret Wars series will end, which is also with a previously unplanned ninth issue scheduled to be released on December 23, the same day as Amazing Spider-Man #5, Extraordinary X-Men #5, and a host of other books several issues into their new ongoing series. And again, these series are tied directly to and built upon the conclusion of Secret Wars. In publishing them this way, Marvel has really hamstrung me as a reader. I can pick up the new books and essentially give-up on finishing the highly-enjoyable Secret Wars book to hop on board the new continuity train (something I sort of loathe already), or I can wait months to check out the All New All Different books, which, c’mon. That sucks. I’m as curious as you guys to see how this new Marvelverse plays out, even if I ultimately don’t end up reading too many of these books long-term.
It’s just baffling to me that this could happen. The closest analogy I can think of is DC’s Flashpoint event a few years ago (we don’t need to speak of Convergence again, ever, right?), and while it had a few publication delays here and there, they managed to coordinate the end of Flashpoint and the launch of the New 52 flawlessly (in terms of release dates, if not quality of books or soundness of editorial decision-making). So this sort of publication-wide reboot can be launched well, which means it should be launched well, which means Marvel really screwed up their new initiative. I’m sure all the books individually are great, but if you’re going to reboot your universe in such a continuity-dependent manner, you really need to have some actual continuity in what you’re doing.
Welcome to the All New All Different Marvel, everybody. Good luck out there. I’ll let you know what I think of it come January or so, I guess.
SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD TRAVEL GUIDE PART XIX
orAnyone want to go tailgate a GHOST RACERS crossover with me?
Previously, on Secret Wars…PETER PARKER, PETER PARKER, DOES WHATEVER A NORMAL PETER PARKER CAN DO!
INFERNO #5 (Dennis Hopeless & Javier Garron)As the world of Inferno New York crumbles, it’s up to a desperate last group of mutant heroes to unite and save the day from an army of demon…oh…oh no. Oh shit. That’s not good. That’s not good at all! Now you just need to keep the pressure off of…oh, shit, he’s dead too? Oh, that’s literally the opposite of the good!
This world, while a terrible place to live, was a fun place to watch from afar. And with how this sector burst into flames all the time, it was pretty entertaining to see from afar. Especially pre-teen Cable, and also the Nightcrawler dragon.
M.O.D.O.K ASSASSIN #5 (Christopher Yost & Amilcar Pinna)With lord of Killville Baron Mordo going full-blown magic murderer in an attempt to usurp Dr. Strange, the only thing that can save the world is MODOK. Which. Um. Okay. But he actually does a pretty good job, even against an army of Mindless Ones. But that means MODOK doesn’t get to use his usual move, which is exploding people’s minds. literally. Because they’re Mindless Ones.
There’s a simple elegance to this book. It knows exactly what it is.
E IS FOR EXTINCTION #4 (Chris Burnham & Dennis Culver, Ramon Villalobos)Grant Morrison world has been weird this whole time, as a side effect of being Grant Morrison world. But with Cassandra Nova working her way through the X-Men and no one really knowing how to contend with the psychic parasite that is her, they don’t do exactly the best--but they still manage to reaffirm love in a world where someone blows his head off with his own eye lasers.
GHOST RACERS #4 (Felipe Smith & Juan Gedeon)I LOVE GHOST RACERS.
I also really like All-new Ghost Rider, and it’s good to see this world somehow exceed all my expectations.
Seriously, check out this sector.
HAIL HYDRA #3 (Rick Remender & Roland Boschi)With Zemo’s Avengers victorious over the Resistance, it’s down to the daughter of Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter (plus Nomad, somehow one of the people to escape the whole reality being destroyed thing), and their odds are not ideal. In the slightest. But at least Nomad is up to try, even if that includes fighting an entire army of Nazis.
This world has maybe not been the best, but Nazi people are really difficult to deal with. You can’t really blame Nomad for it. I mean, besides all the parts where he’s Nomad.
SECRET WARS BATTLE-WORLD TRAVEL TIP!
With many worlds finding a semblance of normalcy it’s nice to see that, for the most part, evil is getting the shit kicked out of it. Plus, Nightcrawler Dragon made it! Awesome.
SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD TRAVEL GUIDE PART XX
orSIEGE IS AMAZING YOU GUYS OH MY GOD!!!
SPIDER-ISLAND #5 (Christos Gage & Paco Diaz)Venom and Spider-Man fight a giant spider god in this world, which is pretty entertaining. The melodrama does hit full speed, but Flash as Venom actually gets a pretty good fight sceOH GOD, he got knocked the hell out. But good on him for a surprisingly strong strategy. Except for the part where he got kind of crushed.
Also, the world is introduced to the wonder and majesty that is…DINO-THOR.
Seriously, Dino-Thor shows up and calls himself Dino-Thor, which is amazing.
SIEGE #4 (Kieron Gillen & Filipe Andrade)THIS WAS AMAZING.
THAT PART WITH THANOS SHOWING UP, THEN KANG TRIES TO TIME TRAVEL, AND THE MS. AMERICA AND HAWKEYE TEAM UP AND THE WALL THAT’S ALSO THE THING GETS UP TO GO PUNCH GOD WITH HIS CITY BLOCK-SIZED FISTS.
OH MY GOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDD!!!
1602: WITCH HUNTER ANGELA #4 (Marguerite Bennett & Stephanie Hans, Kieron Gillen & Marguerite Bennett, Kody Chamberlain)A world that had so far been pretty… well, pretty, just jumped a few notches in the story telling department. The final part of Angela’s adventures is legitimately beautiful, a classical tragedy combined with a Spawn character stabbing monsters.
And that’s not even including the cool as hell part where Angela’s girlfriend (who’s sorta dead, long story) meets up with Marlowe and gets him to tell a story.
OLD MAN LOGAN #5 (Brian Michael Bendis & Andrea Sorrentino)Senile old man Logan is off being senile as hell, but then something even more confusing than the passage of time happens – Logan ends up in Ultimate/616 world. So many X-Men yelling at one another, and Wolverine is just old and confused as hell.
Then Old Man Logan runs into the post-Secret Wars Marvel universe. Which is interesting, though.
I am so fucking up for an Andrea Sorrentino OLD MAN LOGAN series.
Wait! Breaking news! This just in from the main series:
SECRET WARS #6 (Jonathan Hickman & Esad Ribic)OH MY GOD POOR REED STUFF HAPPENS AND THE TWO SPIDER-MEN ARE WORKING TOGETHER AND MILES FORGOT HE HAD A BURGER BUT THEN HE GAVE IT TO MOLECULE MAN AND OOOOOOH POOR PETER. THE LOOK ON HIS SPIDER-MASK-FACE WHEN HE REALIZES VALARIE DOESN’T REMEMBER REED THAT WAS YEARS IN THE MAKING OH GOD!
Battle-World Travel Tip!
This week was a pretty world, so be sure to check out some of the prettiest worlds in comics lately.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
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