(Click title to go directly to the review)
THE SPIRIT #6
LUCIFER #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE #46
J. SCOTT CAMPBELL: TIME CAPSULE 1994-2004
R.R.H. #3
Marvel’s SECRET WARS BATTLE WORLD Travel Guide Wrap-up!
THE SPIRIT #6
Writer: Matt WagnerArtist: Dan Schkade
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
The Spirit's new home over at Dynamite continues to roll on with some great covers by Eric Powell, though one thing that strikes me about this issue, which is also something that typifies the whole industry, is that the story arcs are way too frick'n long. Think about this: if you buy a year’s worth of any comic, 12 issues, at best you've read two stories. In a typical season of DOCTOR WHO you get one more episode, and at least five times as many stories--and if you wait a year, you can get the DVD set for about the same price: $50. Economics aside, think about the glacial speed of plot and character development of whole runs these days. If a writer stays on a book for three years, they have probably only written 6 to 8 stories. Batman icons Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers barely had a year on DETECTIVE COMICS and managed six stories. In that time they created one of the all time classic Joker stories (Jokerfish), revamped Deadshot (as he still looks today), introduced the classic love interest Silver Saint Cloud and more--in less than a year! Just think of how much filler we are reading today with these six issue story arcs. And heaven forbid you don't like a storyline, because you are now locked out from buying that comic for half a year or more. On top of everything else that's wrong with the comic book industry, is it any wonder it's dying?
Ok, back to THE SPIRIT and why I went off on such a tangent. This is issue #6, and it's still on the first story. So as I said, if you weren't digging what Wagner and Schkade were bringing six months ago, well, there's no reason to check back. That's really sad. Even if you like this story, like me, you're probably starting to look at your watch and wonder “so when is this wrapping up?” It's starting to look like this might be some kind of 12 issue limited series, which is fine--I just think the publishers should tell you that from the start (I get the same feeling with DC's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA).
Now let's go over the plot (can you say spoilers?): so our hero has been missing for two years and we finally get the skinny on what he's been up to. Turns out he was a prisoner in the South Seas of freshly minted villain Mikado Vaas. The Spirit tells his buddies Ebony and Sammy what it was like and how he finally escaped. Wagner also flips the narrative to give us one of The Spirit's jailers’ point of view (who I'm guessing will factor in at the climax of the tale). Meanwhile, Ellen is confronted by her current beau, about where he stands now that The Spirit is back. Her father, retiring Police Commissioner Dolan, is also having trouble with The Spirit's return, as City Hall never approved of his relationship with the vigilante. So now that The Spirit is back, it still looks like there is a bumpy ride ahead before things get back to normal.
As with the previous issues, Wagner and Schkade are turning in a solid comic book. The subplots of Ellen and Dolan certainly keep the story well-rounded. I'm hoping Ebony and Sammy don't get too forgotten now that The Spirit is back. The teasing of the new villain Mikado Vaas has been handled well by Wagner, and I do look forward to their first face-to-face meeting, not to mention final confrontation. The artwork is nice enough, even though Schkade is still aping Wagner’s style, to a lesser degree.
I suppose we should just all settle in for this being a 12 issue limited series, because the pros show no sign of stopping anytime soon.
LUCIFER #1
Writer: Holly BlackArtist: Lee Garbett
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
Just two weeks ago in a review of the new DAREDEVIL series I was talking about expectations, unfair or not, when it comes to a new creative run on an established property/series. In the case of that character it was more a commentary on how that book has been home to so many home run creative runs so far this century like Bendis/Maleev, Brubaker/Lark, and Waid/Rivera/Samnee that if you’re not bringing your A-game then you will stand out like a sore thumb, which obviously creates a bit of pressure on those involved, one would assume. Bringing back something like a, oh let’s say LUCIFER, on the other hand, comes with a different air of responsibility, I guess you could say. Regardless of quality, a book like DAREDEVIL is going to continue to go on unless there’s a universe-spanning or editorial reason to take him out of the rotation, and in that aspect bad runs are going to happen--it’s inevitable. LUCIFER, though, you bring back for a reason, a pitch and a purpose beyond “it has a TV show coming soon so we need to capitalize”, which is what one could be led to assume by the timing of this new series with the impending FOX network show debut. Hell, the thought had even entered my mind, and I like to think I give most new comic book projects a fair chance, even if the peripherals around the launch would lead you to believe otherwise, and that is why we are here right now.
Trepidation would follow any new book involving this rendition of the Morningstar, one would think, simply because the run before it by Mike Carey and Peter Gross is, quite frankly, one of the greatest creative runs we’ve seen in the history of the medium. It was an unlikely epic that damn well holds a place alongside the other instant classic comic book epic that spawned it, Neil Gaiman’s THE SANDMAN. So you take all that weight, all those accolades, and place them besides some dubious timing, and you can feel skepticism falling into place before this book even hit the stands. Holly Black and Lee Garbett apparently give no shits about all of this. If they were feeling any pressure due to any of the circumstances above, they shrugged them off like the Devil himself does any little or large thing. It’s not about playing to what people, angels, deities and so on think the Devil should be; it’s about the Devil playing to his own tune, as he has done since damn near the beginning of it all.
LUCIFER starts off ominously and oozing style, just like you would want from the book and character. The Devil has come back to Earth, fallen hard (literally) after his return from another universe and yet is as charismatic and charming as ever. That right there is in and of itself a calming figment of the book when it comes to relieving some apprehension to the Lucifer character’s return to the comic rack. There is such a fine line of smarmy meets regal, but with the serious edge that the writing of the character commands, I can only imagine how difficult maintaining the balance can be, but it is nailed here. Lucifer needs to both sound like he’s potentially your best new drinking buddy and yet will also turn you to a pile of ash in the same sentence no matter what he’s talking about, and that nimble tongue is definitely on display plenty. With that in place an appropriate universal-scale event is needed to set the backdrop, and the Black/Garbett tandem set that stage quite right as well with an oldie but a goodie in the plotting department.
God is dead! Long live…no, wait, God is just dead and no one is quoting Nietzche. No one is vying for his spot yet either, but in traditional Vertigo flair, the maker of all creation raised the ire of some being able to do the deed of killing him and it would appear they have succeeded. Naturally, this throws suspicion right at the newly returned former Lord of Hell, and the Host sic their fallen brother Gabriel on the Devil. It’s not the deepest of plots overall when you jot down the crib notes, but it is fitting for the precedents set for this title in its past form, and it leaves the book with an appropriate sense of mystery. There was always some primordial politicking going on in the pages of the previous LUCIFER run: what ancient being would be interested in this all powerful artifact, which demon/angel/extra-dimensional being would be able to pull off this feint or power consolidation, etc. Well, here we have the granddaddy of all mysteries: who killed God, is he really dead, and who would have the power to pull off either a homicide of this level or a disappearance of the same? That is a storyline basis worthy of the LUCIFER banner, and here it is on display with the appropriate amount of pomp and attitude.
And speaking of earning that header, Lee Garbett brings the Devil to life with exceptional flair via his pencil work. Nice, smooth lines with just that bit of edge to them to have a kind of primal undertone; it’s a style that fits the type of story playing out here. The predominantly angelic cast of characters we see here (both of the active and fallen angel varieties) all have a regal and majestic aura to them, but they also seem like they have millennia of weariness weighing them down. The art is a great compliment to the wordplay and atmosphere the script is laying down, making for an experience that plays out silky smooth but feels like it can turn on a dime and tear at your throat. That is the kind of book the Morningstar deserves upon his triumphant return, fleeting as it may end up being (his triumph and his return, that is--hopefully not the book). Smirking and suave in the face of the most serious of circumstances, all hell is about to break loose and Lucifer couldn’t be any more in his element. Apparently, neither could his new handlers, Black and Garbett. Now I’m looking forward to seeing how well they defy expectations like this version of the Devil himself.
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.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #46
Writer: Geoff JohnsArtist: Francis Manapul
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
“The Darkseid War” rages on after taking time out last month to have spotlight issues on all the new Justice League gods. Yup, more than half of the Justice Leaguers are now gods: Batman, Superman, The Flash, (how does he say his name) Shazam, Green Lantern and (yeah, he's still a member of the Justice League) Lex Luthor. This issue gets back to the non-gods Power Ring, Cyborg, and (well, I guess she's a god too) Wonder Woman as they deal with the pissed off New Gods of Apokolips.
Not counting the one shots from last month, “The Darkseid War” has been raging for more than half a year now. Well, the actual fight was only one issue, which ended with Darkseid's death, but still it rages. So let go over what happened in this issue (spoilers ahead): First off, Wonder Woman waxes about her teammates becoming gods, which is a bit odd since she shouldn't be aware of all of them. Next Darkseid's warriors attack our heroes, as they want revenge on the Anti-Monitor for killing Darkseid. How no one but Grail can see he's been turned into a giant egg floating in the sky is beyond me. Coming to the heroes’ rescue is Big Barda (her first New 52 appearance, I believe). She proves she fights hard, one-handedly whipping everyone, and makes out hard, slamming her husband Mr. Miracle up against the wall to do just that (yes, the wall cracks—oh, the beds they must have broken). Still not being able to see the Anti-Monitor egg in the sky, Darkseid's warriors leave to look elsewhere. Wonder Woman decides she can't wait for Batman to report back with intel about the Anti-Monitor, so she sends everyone to talk to Ultraman and Super Woman, hoping they might know something. Then she and Steve Trevor set out to find the Justice Leaguers turned gods, but not before they have the “why did we break up” talk. Just in time, insane God of Strength Superman shows up to tell Trevor, hands off his woman. Meanwhile, Grail reveals she joined the Anti-Monitor to help him kill Darkseid because once he had he would return to his original self, Mobius (of the Mobius Chair fame), and give her what she had been searching for her whole life: the Anti-Life Equation!
Like most of this story arc, the pieces are stronger than the whole. Watching Big Barda kick butt is the highlight of this issue, but the logic of it all still escapes me, and not because the story is too out there like one by Morrison or Hickman, but because Johns has a nasty habit of never explaining anything. Like, what's happening to the Anti-Monitor and how did Grail know it would happen? And just who and what is the Anti-Monitor, and why did he want to kill Darkseid? I'm pretty hazy on why Grail wanted to kill her dad (Darkseid), too.
This lack of info really robs the story of emotional impact. Grail talks about wanting this her whole life, sacrificing for it her whole life, but Johns never shows us any of her life, so we can't appreciate her struggle or triumph. Likewise with the scene between Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman. We have never seen these two as a couple to any degree, so hearing them talk about what they had and why they can't have it falls on deaf ears. As readers, why should we care when in the New 52 these characters have no past (that we've seen) and no present? Having the same scene with Diana and, say, Jimmy Olsen would have the same emotional impact.
As for Manapul's artwork, I think it's a bit too sketchy at times--some of the worst Cyborg drawings I've ever seen in a DC book--but overall it's a nice-looking book. He totally sells expressions and tone over form and articulation, though part of me feels a more traditional superhero approach would look better, like a George Perez, who started the New Gods/Justice League crossovers in the 80s with Gerry Conway.
Lastly, let's look at this in the greater DC history. As I've mentioned before, Johns seems to rely on Pre-52 history to give this story impact and context, so I find it interesting that he also misses no opportunity to rewrite that history. Like, check it out, it's the Anti-Monitor! But he's not 'the' Anti-Monitor. Check it out, it's Metron, but he's not 'the' Metron. Then he says a mere mortal can house and control the Omega Effect, a primal cosmic force of the universe. And now he takes aim at the Anti-Life Equation. Now to be fair, there have been a ton of writers who never bothered to learn what the Anti-Life Equation is before writing a story about it (Jim Starlin's COSMIC ODYSSEY comes to mind). But it's really not that hard to understand: it's mind control, the ultimate form of it. When someone stops living for themselves, they are living anti-life (we'll skip talking about self-sacrifice). The Anti-Life Equation allows its user to force anyone (in varying numbers) to give up living for themselves and live for the user. Being a base equation of life and the universe, there's no defense against it. But for whatever reason Johns, being the first person to use the Anti-Life Equation in the New 52, is rewriting that too. It's not clear what it is now, but somehow it turned Mobius into the Anti-Monitor.
“The Darkseid War” is cut from the same cloth as “The Trinity War”, in which characters and events take place for unexplained reasons. Most it will be explained in the final issue, but by then most readers won't care anymore.
J. SCOTT CAMPBELL: TIME CAPSULE. 1994 - 2004. An art and career retrospective
By Richard Starkings and JG Roshell with J. Scott Campbell Publisher: Image ComicsReviewer: Russ Sheath
This year, during the monolithic San Diego Comic-Con, I heard a particularly high profile artist state, and I'm paraphrasing here, that "the rest of us are all just sideshows to Campbell's booth". That artist had a point as the queue of J. Scott Campbell fans, young and old, snaked around the island of booths--testimony that the WildStorm alumnus’ appeal has barely dwindled over his 20+ year career in comics.
In TIME CAPSULE the creator of ELEPHANTMEN, legendary comic book letterer Richard Starkings, conducts the interviews that form the entirety of the book’s written content and ably captures Campbell's insights into the first ten years of his career. Indeed, Starkings' strength as an interviewer (see also the excellent TIM SALE: BLACK & WHITE) is that he isn't afraid to venture into territory with his subjects that might otherwise be considered taboo or wouldn't be touched upon in other interviews. In this regard Starkings really doesn't pull any punches, compelling Campbell to dip into stories, both professional and personal, in a quest to find the secret origins behind the artist, from Campbell's upbringing in Colorado to his experiences in the early days of Homage Studios, where Starkings succeeds in lifting the lid on life under the wing of industry legend Jim Lee, as it happened over 20 years ago. Graduating from his first comic book offering, the teen adventure/comedy GEN 13, Campbell crafted his most noted success, DANGER GIRL--a light-hearted, creator-owned 'sexy spy' comic book which wore its influences on its sleeve as Campbell channeled his passion for the works of Steven Spielberg, Bond movies and the Saturday morning cartoons of his childhood.
Here, Campbell and Starkings lift the lid on the challenges of producing a creator-owned comic at a time when the Image Comics boom was on the decline, and as Jim Lee sold his WildStorm company to DC. For readers interested in the history of this era of comics, Starkings’ interview offers essential reading as TIME CAPSULE proves a worthy companion to George Khoury's IMAGE COMICS: THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE, where Campbell is also featured. On the art side of things, TIME CAPSULE is lavishly peppered with art both seen and never before released, highlighting Campbell's evolution as a draftsman during the 10 years of his career covered in the book. It's surprising, for an artist with such a signature look, how much Campbell's style has changed and adapted over the years, proving that Campbell is much more versatile an artist than he is often given credit for.
DANGER GIRL proved a learning curve for Campbell, and the artist is open about the trappings of success and the side projects and distractions that made his name synonymous with another aspect of the early era of Image: delayed books, a label from which Campbell never truly escaped and which arguably affected the success of later, creator-owned projects. DANGER GIRL's legacy continues to this day, albeit without Campbell's direct contribution, being ably handled by frequent Campbell collaborator and Danger Girl co-creator Andy Hartnell and where notable highlights include a team up book in DANGER GIRL/G.I. JOE as well as occasional cover contributions from Campbell himself. Having completed the interviews for the book in 2004, Campbell and Starkings fall short of fully discussing the outcomes of two never fully realized projects: the long-abandoned WILDSIDERZ and SPIDER-MAN, with writer Jeph Loeb, where Campbell bears the distinction of being a noted Spider-Man artist without having ever had a published page of story featuring the web-slinger.
With WILDSIDERZ in development back in 2004, just as the interviews for TIME CAPSULE were being conducted, Campbell's enthusiasm and investment for his new project is clear, and while it only saw two full issues (of an intended 5 issue series) published a year later, now might have been the time to discuss the demise of the project. Waiting for the discussion of WILDSIDERZ’ fate to be included in any future volume of TIME CAPSULE (whenever that may be) forces it further into the catacombs of readers’ memories. Similarly, discussion of the abandoned SPIDER-MAN project that saw Campbell returning to interiors, where a chosen few who have seen those pages still speak of career-defining work from the artist, might have been well placed in this volume.
TIME CAPSULE concludes prior to Campbell's departure from sequential comics work, and as such it might have been good to at least expand upon that initial raft of interviews and close the book at the end of the storytelling period of Campbell's career, detailing what contributed to the decision to move away from sequentials and bookending that chapter of his career. With TIME CAPSULE proving over 10 years in the making, I can't help but think that it will be that time again before author and collaborator sit down once again to discuss Campbell's career from 2004 onwards.TIME CAPSULE is the first chapter in the story of an illustrator coming to terms with the business of working in comics, experiences which have led him to move away from where the book clearly identifies that his true talent lies, creating exciting new concepts. At times, Campbell comes across as weary and frustrated at the comics industry and elsewhere he has described the'grind of drawing interiors. As such, it is understandable and fortunate that Campbell's talents have allowed him to forge a career away from interiors and to escape the trappings of his legacy, joining the likes of Adam Hughes as a cover artist and developing his brand and business at conventions as much as his published work. Arguably, however, Hughes’ talent lent more towards covers and pin-ups from the outset, where Campbell's talent was always in the storytelling. As they read TIME CAPSULE, fans will no doubt be excited at Campbell's mention of future intended projects and equally saddened that his career has taken him away from realizing those creations and his talent for the sequential page, with trademarks of unique camera angles and mind-blowing detail, factors which are rarely realized in Campbell's cover work of later years.
Without a doubt, Campbell has a new generation of fans who were attracted to his work via a range of outlets other than comics, and who may have never read a page of his sequential work. For those fans, TIME CAPSULE will prove an enlightening insight into the early years of Campbell's career; however, what J. Scott Campbell's ultimate legacy will be remains to be seen. An incredibly talented and popular artist who broke free of the shackles of his early work and who has found an audience and success by coming to terms with the industry recognizing his place in the business of comics by diversifying his career as a top draw at conventions and on the covers of comics’ biggest titles.
Until such a time as a second volume delves into those as yet-undisclosed aspects of his career, TIME CAPSULE offers a definitive look at the life and work of an artist who has weathered the storm, and however you encountered Campbell's work, whether as a long-time Campbell follower or aspiring artist in the making, fans and future pros will find this volume of great value. J. SCOTT CAMPBELL: TIME CAPSULE. 1994 – 2004, AN ART AND CAREER RETROSPECTIVE is available from all good comics and book stores.
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R.R.H. #3
Writer: Orlando HardingArtist: Andres Esparza
Publisher: Devil’s Due Publishing/ 1 First Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
Monsters and pretty girls go back a long way. For most of that time the girl has always been the victim, but within the past 30 years or so the girls have become the hero--most famously with BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER--and it's clear writer Orlando Harding was taking notes. His first female monster hunter was (with a borrowed title) NIGHT STALKER. Now in the newly merged Devil's Due/1First Comics comic, R.R.H., he has twisted the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood (get what the R.R.H. stands for now) into a modern classic monster tale, much like the UNDERWORLD or even TWILIGHT. Unlike Buffy, though, 'Red' fights werewolves.
While not wholly original, Harding has managed to put a decent spin on this monster movie version of Little Red Riding Hood. Our heroine is Sydney Woodsman, and in traditional fashion, on her birthday (now 17), she becomes indoctrinated in the R.R.H. Society. Which is, the world is plagued by werewolves and women, liker her mother, fight back--helped by men like her father, Mr. Woodsman (get it?). This third issue continues the tale of Sydney getting pulled into this world as she becomes a brutalized, kidnapped victim of a werewolf. Spoiler: she gets away ok, but make no mistake, this comic likes to go in for the gore (nothing like CROSSED, mind you). Back at home, her parents try to use this event as a learning exercise, as it will surely not be the last time a werewolf tries to kill her.
The one thing I liked about the main character, Sydney, is Harding keeps her right in the middle of “I don't want this in my life” and “I just accept it all”. I'm really tired of the teenage heroes who just whine about wanting their normal life back. Likewise, I find it unbelievable when the teenage heroes jump in wholeheartedly with this new dangerous lifestyle. Here Sydney doesn't like this werewolf killer lifestyle, but realizes it's not going away, so she has to figure it out.
Like a lot of modern comics, Harding writes R.R.H. like a movie. Scenes are long, with just over two scenes per issue. The action is good, and Harding tries to keep it all level with a good sense of humor. And while the focus of the series is on werewolves, which are of the modern variety, turning themselves into wolves at will, he clearly has a larger monster world in mind as well, with an ogre running around.
Artist Andres Esparza does a really nice job of drawing everything in a typical comicbook style. He's a first timer here, but is quite superior to many other first timers (or 50th timers) I've seen. His storytelling could get a little stronger, as I don't think he's always focusing in on the right thing in each panel, but his monsters, girls and acting are all solid.
The good and the bad is, this is all straight up monster action (with no tongue in cheek). Harding and Esparza seem more committed to just making a solid book than anything else.
SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD TRAVEL GUIDE Wrap-Up
By Henry Higgins is My HomeboyHey folks, it's your Tour Guide here. I got kinda swept up in the whole "retcon but with this stuff too now"--took a minute to get rebooted myself. But it's weird--even though all the Battleworld sectors are gone (mostly), I still remember them. I guess that makes me Psycho Pirate. Fuck. I don't want to be Psycho Pirate; no one wants to be Psycho Pirate. Psycho Pirate doesn't want to be Psycho Pirate. Anyway, it felt like I should honour the fallen of the apparent Secret Wars, and also talk shit about the bad ones.
1872 – Gerry Duggan & Nik Virella - World with "Wild Wild West" Iron Man aka Maybe the Best World!This world is so goddamn fun. Come on. Also Wonder Man dies, and I love it when Wonder Man dies.
AGENTS OF ATLAS – Tom Taylor & Steve Pugh - World with the Most Niche Audience!Either you know what AGENTS OF ATLAS is and would definitely like this sector, or you immediately don't care. One of these is wrong: we should all know what AGENTS OF ATLAS is. IT HAS A SECRET AGENT WHO IS ALSO A GORILLA.
GIANT SIZE LITTLE MARVEL AVX – Skottie Young - World that Made Me the Happiest!I have, no joke, sang the theme song from this world. Also, this world has a theme song, like a kindergarten show, but it also praises GodKingDoom. This world is delightful.
HANK JOHNSON/HAIL HYDRA – David Mandel & Michael Walsh/Rick Remender & Roland Boschi - World that was Much More Confusing than I thought it Would be!Seriously, this place made no sense, even beyond Nomad running around. Even suburbia looks weird here. And then Venom shows up, and so does all the Rick Remender other secret weapon programs, and then an evil Captain America clone shows up and uggggh.
HOWARD THE HUMAN – Skottie Young - Sector that Would Make the Best Shane Black Movie!You know you would watch it.
MODOK: ASSASSIN – Chris Yost & Amilcar Pinna - Sector with the Greatest Version of a Shitty Character Ever!Why can't MODOK just be this entertaining all the time? I don't think that's too much to ask. He’s constantly trying to blow up peoples’ brains, but keeps getting confused by this strange abstract concept that is “feelings”. But he also has a chainsaw attachment. That’s a perfect character right there.
MASTER OF KUNG-FU – Haden Blackman & Dalibor Talajic - Best Elseworld!This thing was incredible and everyone should read it there's a straight up a superpowered martial arts tournament in this and Lockheed the dragon is a Chinese dragon and that's amazing and then we learn about the secret and ancient Atlantean kung fu technique and WHY ISN’T THIS A MONTHLY BOOK.
PLANET HULK – Sam Humphries & Marc Laming - The World with the Most Hulks Fighting Dinosaurs!That was exactly what I wanted from Battleworld.
SQUADRON SINISTER – Marc Guggenheim & Carlos Pacheco - The Most Insignigicant Sector!But it was still a really interesting world, with a fun version of “the Justice League but EVVVVVVVVVVVVVIL" and a Wizard who goes down exactly as fast you expect him to.
WEIRDWORLD – Jason Aaron & Mike del Mundo - THE BEST WORLD OH MY GOD!WEIRDWORLD IS AMAZING IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST COMICS EVER OH MY GOD!
X-MEN ‘92 – Chris Sims & Chad Bowers, Scott Koblish - Best Villain Reveal!I actually squealed when Cassandra Nova showed up, poised to fight 90s cartoon Gambit. That…that was straight up a stroke of genius.
OLD MAN LOGAN – Brian Michael Bendis & Andrea Sorrentino - Sector that felt Weirdly Tied to the Main Story but was at least Pretty!Seriously, it is next level pretty. Old Man Logan (who I swear to God is suffering from Alzheimers during this story) just fighting four guys is amazing looking. And then we spend about four pages talking to Emma about the good old days, and all I want is Old Man Logan fighting zombies. And then that happens, and it’s awesome.
1602: WITCH HUNTER ANGELA – Kieron Gillen & Marguerite Bennett/Stephanie Hans - Straight Up Prettiest World, Even Prettier than Old Man Logan!The art in this sector is amazing, and everything either works with a comical pratfall or just amazing visuals. And also? Angela is AWESOME. And she finds out that King James is a Wolverine, and she stabs/drowns him. This world was great.
2099 – Peter David & Will Sliney - World that tried Super Hard, so that's Something!I mean, they really did try, and there are some nice touches here and there (Peter Dinklage as Iron Man, secret Captain America personality, Herc being a SHITTY alcholic), but come on. This world is never not muddled and boring.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS – Dan Slott & Adam Kubert - Biggest Nostalgia Bomb!Seriously, this thing was meant completely for people like me, who grew up with Spider-Girl and love the idea of Peter and MJ being happily married with a kid. SHOCKER shows up. Dan Slott aimed this right at my nostalgia center.
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 – Al Ewing & Alan Davis - Best Person who Should be in More Books!Seriously, we need this Captain Britain guys--she's awesome. SHE’S A MUSLIM NURSE WHO WIELDS EXCALIBUR AND IS THE BIGGEST BADASS IN THE WORLD BUT WOULD NEVER THROW IT AROUND BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE UN-BRITISH. Why isn’t she in everything?
CIVIL WAR – Charles Soule & Leinil Yu - Series that Made Me Say "wait what" the Most Times!Civil War was confusing as hell, seriously. Spider-Man having a Falcon suit, Maria Sharpe being the force for peace…it’s just somewhat disappointing when it pitches amazing ideas like The Punishers as a Mad Max style of police force.
E IS FOR EXTINCTION – Chris Burnham & Ramon Villalobos - The Cutest Sector!This world wants to be Grant Morrison so hard. It’s adorable. It’s not just building off of a Grant Morrison run, it’s trying for that unqiue Morrison touch. I gotta admit, though, this was the funniest instance of Cyclops getting atomized in all of Secret Wars. And that happened just as often as I thought it would (aka a lot).
HOUSE OF M – Dennis Hopeless & Marco Failla – Sector that Doesn’t Count Now I Think!Right? I think this world just doesn’t matter anymore. Also, am I the one who got really heavy gay subtext between this version of Namor and Quicksilver? Not that there’s anything wrong with that.,.it’s actually really fun to finally see a gay version of Quicksilver and Namor, because come on.
INFERNO – Dennis Hopeless & Javier Garron - THE MOST METAL SERIES EVER!THIS WORLD IS SO INTENSE, WICCAN HAS A BEARD. THIS WORLD IS SO INTENSE, CABLE IS ELEVEN YEARS OLD AND BETTER THAN HE’S EVER BEEN. THIS WORLD IS SO INTENSE, NIGHTCRAWLER TURNS INTO A FUCKING DEMON DRAGON! Inferno was actually pretty fun and might now be my favourite Hopeless Marvel work.
SPIDER-ISLAND – Tom DeFalco & Christos Gage, Paco Diaz – Sector with the Funniest Fate of Tony Stark!Trust me guys, seeing Tony Stark go crazy because of Goblin Serum is way funnier than you expect it to be. Plus, this world features my favourite random member of the Thor Corps, who is just a lizard person Thor.
X-TINCTION AGENDA – Marc Guggenheim & Carmine Di Giandomenico - Most Obscure World, and it Shows!I mean, this world expects us to care when Rictor gets killed by Cameron Hodge. If you know what those words even mean, then you understand how little that matters in the long run of the fate of Battleworld.
YEARS OF FUTURE PAST – Marguerite Bennett & Mike Norton – Sector that Didn’t Need a Skywalker Twist!Seriously! This world was managing to be fairly good, and then the super confusing/distracting plot twist hit, and the fairly interesting view of how mutants respond to everything falling apart gets superceded by all that nonsense. Ugh. I liked everything else!
ARMOR WARS – James Robinson, Marcio Takara & Mark Bagley – Sector that Fell Right on its Face!Good premise, cool world, AWESOME Thor, and then the book just turns and the “surprise” villian gets real evil, real quick, for no real reason. It just doesn’t land as well as it should have.
CAPTAIN MARVEL AND THE CAROL CORPS – Kelly Sue DeConnick & Kelly Thompson, David Lopez – Nicest Sector for Meta Reasons!For the finale of the seminal CAPTAIN MARVEL run, it’s pretty nice to see a straight-faced “rah rah” badass fighter squad. This was the book Captain Marvel deserved.
GHOST RACERS – Felipe Smith & Juan Gedeon - Favourite Sector, Don't Even Care What Else I've Said!GUYS THIS WORLD IS SET IN THE KILLISEUM AND IT’S ABOUT MOTHERFUCKING ARCADE RUNNING THE GHOST RIDER DRAG RACES AND THERE’S COWBOY GHOST RIDER BUT NOW HE’S ALSO A CENTAUR AND ROBBIE REYES IS IN IT AND GHOST RIDER 2099 IS UP IN THIS OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! I liked it.
GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE – Brian Michael Bendis & Mike Deodato – World that Tried to Matter So Hard!I mean, really. Bendis is trying so hard here, you guys. He even has real Star-Lord show up, and do jack shit. The villain is introduced as the destroyer of destroyers, and then Drax the Destroyer wrecks him. It’d be adorable if it wasn’t so boring.
INHUMANS: ATTILAN RISING – Charles Soule & John Timms - Sector that Takes 5 Issues to be REALLY Good!For four issues straight, it was mediocre, not bad, not good, just sort of there. Centering around a resistance that didn’t ending up mattering in the slightest.
And then we find out the twist, that SPOILLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEERS!
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So, it turns out, Black Bolt is exposed to Terrigen Mists, and he immediately accidentally kills Medusa, and he goes NUTS and attacks GodKingDoom, and dies for it. And GodKingDoom restarts the experiment that he’s always running, to see if their love is really true and endless. And it’s been A LOT of test runs, and every time, Black Bolt and Medusa find one another. That is great on lots of levels. That final issue was better than the entirety of other sectors (including the rest of this one)
KORVAC SAGA – Dan Abett & Otto Schmidt - World that Made me Care about Korvac, Something I Didn’t Know I Could Do!Seriously. Korvac. KORVAC is relatable and cool. His origin story is interesting in theory, and this series also completes the impossible goal of making me care about the Guardians 3000 AND the West Coast Avengers. WONDER MAN comes off good in this story. I was not expecting this sector to be this good.
MRS. DEADPOOL AND THE HOWLING COMMANDOS – Gerry Duggan – Series that Was as Fun as I Thought it Would Be!This was the Space Mountain of comics. You knew what you were getting, and it was just as great as I thought it would be. Invisible Man tries to sneak up on Dracula, causing him to just grab at thin air. It’s really fun.
RUNAWAYS – Noelle Stevenson & Sanford Greene - Stupid Funnest Series!This was so much fun! Fucking Jubilee was in it, and great! Amadeus Cho and his Medusa girlfriend showed up! VALERIA RICHARDS LEARNED THE TRUE COST OF LOVE IN AN ORWELLIAN WORLD, WHILE COMMANDING AN ARMY OF DOOMBOTS! MOLLY HAYES IS IN IT AND BECOMES BEST BASH BUDDIES WITH SKARR THE SON OF HULK!
SPIDER-VERSE – Mike Costa & Andre Aruajo - Best Use of Limited Resources!Noir Spidey ends up being SUPES racist because of course he is, Gwen is really curious/weirded out about her death, it has the best use of GodKingDoom in conversation ever, everything about SPIDER-PIG… this world had potential, and it used all of it REALLY well. GodKingDoom bless America!
STAR-LORD & KITTY PRYDE – Sam Humphires & Alti Firmansyah - Creepiest Gambit!This Gambit was as creepy as he would really be. He’s always trying to get laid, and then gets WAY into Age of Apocalypse Kitty Pryde, who isn’t cool with it. Plus, Drax has an Elvis hairdo and Star-Lord is really just Chris Pratt now, isn’t he? I’m cool with it, just double checking.
THORS – Jason Aaron & Chris Sprouse – Most Boring Sector that Was Supposed to be Awesome!It was supposed to be Law and Order but with Thors! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LAW AND ORDER BUT WITH BETA RAY BILL AS ICE-T! But it took all the boring parts of the basic cop procedural (that whole ten page interrogation scene oh my gooooooooooood), and kept cutting down on the “multiple Thors going on superpowered drug busts” parts.
A-FORCE – G. Willow Wilson & Marguerite Bennett, Jorge Molina – Sector with the Most Obvious Twist!LadyLoki turning out to be the bad guy in a world with nothing but heroes? No shit. But we did get Nico and Miss America being best friends, which is amazing and should be a thing always.
AGE OF ULTRON VS MARVEL ZOMBIES – James Robinson & Steve Pugh – Sector Trying so Hard to Make Me Not Care!Wonder Man + Jim Hammond + The Vision + Hank Pym + Hank Pym doing Hank Pym things – Hank Pym and Wasp are cowboys and that’s pretty cool + Vision and Agatha Harkness are in a relationship = UUUUUUUUUUUUUGH I DON’T CARE! Still, this sector ended up not being…bad, I suppose is the best way to put it. If you care about any of those characters (poor you), then you’ll love it.
INFINITY GAUNTLET – Gerry Duggan & Dustin Weaver – Series with the Best Pet!THERE’S A NOVA DOG! THERE’S A DOG WHO GAINS THE POWERS AND ABILITIES OF THE NOVA FORCE! HE USES IT TO HELP FIGHT ANNIHLATION WAVE ALIENS AND THANOS THE MAD TITAN AND THE LIMITLESS POWER OF THE INFINITY GAUNTLET. IT’S AMAZING!
MARVEL ZOMBIES – Si Spurrier & Kev Walker – The Sector that Makes Me Love Elsa Bloodstone Even More!Elsa Bloodstone is perfect. And this book just reminds/proves how amazing/heartbreaking Elsa is. She’s a fantastic character, and deserves her own series all of the time.
RED SKULL – Joshua Williamson & Luca Pizzari – Best Sudden Deaths!I was getting ready for the Suicide Squad of Battleworld, a weird squad of killers on a one-way mission into the Deadlands, and that first issue hits that tone perfectly, and then the book literally kills all but one of the team and then Red Skull shows up. It was so much funnier than I expected to see Bucky be a badass, and then immediately get eaten by zombie Electro. Also, I think Bucky might have had the highest death count in all of Battleworld. I can’t think of a single version of him that survived Secret Wars. The world is against you, Barnes, but I still like you. That 12 issue series where you went into space and hooked up with an alien princess was fucking sick.
SIEGE – Kieron Gillen & Filipe Andrade - THE BEST BOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT THIS SECTOR THAT WASN’T THE BEST EVER WHEN I READ IT. THE CORPSE OF NICK FURY HAS BEEN TURNED INTO THE FURY. ONLY MARVEL NERDS WILL UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS STRAIGHT UP HILARIOUS.
AGE OF APOCALYPSE – Fabian Nicieza & Gerardo Sandoval – World that at Least had Dr. Nemesis!The world would be a better place if it had more Dr. Nemesis in it. He’s just so good in everything he ever appears in, even this confusing mess. And I love the sheer over the top nonsense that is Age of Apocalypse! How do you make Age of Apocalypse confusing?!? It’s the dumbest/best kind of “bad timeline” story, where everyone is nuts. Oh, you make it about the Legacy Virus and Doug fucking Ramsey. At least it had Dr. Nemesis in it.
FUTURE IMPERFECT – Peter David & Greg Land – Sector I’m Most Torn About!Okay. On the one hand, it has Thunderbolt Ross in it in an action role, which is pretty not great. It committed the cardinal sin of not making sense once you factor in the main series. It’s world is never fleshed out beyond being a bad Blade Runner world. And even though I love Layla Miller, you have to do more than just have her show up for me to be happy, Peter David.
On the other hand, Maestro is just as great as I remember him being. That Thunderbolt Ross as The Thing fight with Maestro was fantastic and needed no context. It made me actually like Rick Jones. And Ruby Summers showed up, and she did some stuff, and Ruby Summers is fucking great. Know what’s got me the most confused, though? This world has surprisingly great Greg Land art. I’m not joking. It’s not only bearable, it’s even impressive in spots. I’m shocked too.
ULTIMATE END – Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley - Worst Sector!Bendis, I feel like I’m beating you up a lot with this list, but let’s face it. This was not your best work, and this one was easily the dullest, most confusing, randomest sector in all of Battleworld. Everything bad about Battleworld as a concept was on display here. A Hawkeye died, I’m not sure which, I don’t care, I know the other characters didn’t care. I love Bagley but everyone looked the same, and…
Guys, I have a lot of affection for Ultimate Comics. And this…this was not how I wanted to see it go out, with all of the worst qualities of the imprint too: random and grisly deaths, pointless pages wasted on conversation that goes nowhere, nonsensical plot that amounts to “I guess we should do something…” It wasn’t good. The part where Punisher goes out fighting an army of Thors, though? That scene was rad as fucking hell.
With Battleworld gone and the Marvel universe mostly restored I guess I’ll go on, observing the lives of the heroes and villains with morbid curiosity, endless mirth, and occasionally genuine excitement. But I’m not wearing that dumbass Psycho Pirate mask. It’s been fun. I wasn’t going to do this initially, but after reading the first wave of tie-ins, I knew I wanted an excuse to read everything. And overall? I do honestly think this was the best Marvel crossover of all time. The magnitude of creativity on display, the nostalgia bombs that went off in my Marvel fanboy heart, the twists and turns on established concepts, and the sheer balls to the wall attitude that the storyline as a whole possessed? It stands out to me. It’s a love letter to Marvel, in the form of some of the best comic creators today crafting their dream Marvel stories.
I loved every minute of it, and I loved every minute of writing this feature. Thanks to Ambush Bug for indulging me, thanks to my fellow @$$holes for not yelling at me too hard about it, thanks to creators who made this the funnest massive storyline I may have ever read in superhero comics, thanks to Jason Aaron and Mike del Mundo for making Weirdworld, and thank you, people who are reading this right now, because without you guys, I never would have gotten to share with the world my new favourite word – KILLISEUM. GodKingDoom bless us all.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
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