New Comix! - Week of 10/17/12

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #16
Quick Recap: Disaster has shaken the US to it's core.  States are trying to secede. Militias have taken over some large cities.  Washington DC has been destroyed.  Wanting to help out, young Miles Morales uses his new web-shooters to piggy-back a helicopter over to the Avengers base, The Triskellion, to join the team.  He's met with less than enthusiasm.

Surrounded by SHIELD troops in the pouring rain on top of the Triskellion while being yelled at by Captain America, Miles starts to wonder if he made the wrong choice.  Cap berates him for being clueless and reckless and not ready for action.  Though he can barely get a word in, Miles stands his ground and tries to state his case.  Suddenly, a helicarrier drops out of the sky and crashes into the Triskellion, heralding the arrival of HYDRA.  Cap gets blown off the top of the building, but he's saved by Miles' new webs (Thanks Aunt May!).  A big Hydra goon called, Gorgon, is suddenly standing over them and tries to shoot them.  Miles uses his fancy new spider chameleon power to go invisible and Cap crashes through the window to safety.  With Cap safe, Spidey goes to work leaping from bad guy to bad guy, tearing through the Hydra ranks like a pro.  Just when a terrorist manages to land a blow on his head with a rifle butt, Cap shows up with reinforcements.  Together they are able to clean up the Hydra forces and Miles show surprising skill in the fight.  After it's over, Cap aplogizes and asks Spidey to join the Ultimates.  Afterwards, Miles is talking with his mom on the phone (and lying about his whereabouts) when Tony Stark taps him on the shoulder.  The Ultimates then gather behind Captain America as he gives  a press conference and accepts the request of the citizens of America to become their next President.

This was another good issue in a consistently solid book.  I love reading about Miles and it should be a blast seeing him interact with the "big guns" on the Ultimate Avengers.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #3
Prince Adam's journey to remember who he is continues.

Last issue he found, and was rescued by Teela.  She doesn't know why she knows him, but feels like they've been drawn together.  As they talk, they realize that the falcon that drew Adam out of the forest and in her direction is some kind of a magical construct being controlled by some unseen force.  Next we see Skeletor back in Castle Grayskull.  He rules Eternia uncontested, but has yet to tap the awesome powers of Grayskull.  He has the Sorceress imprisoned and he treats her roughly, but she remains practically catatonic and will not speak to him.  Meanwhile, Adam and Teela have taken passage on a ship.  It's not long before Merman shows up with an army of sea monsters.  They wreck the ship and Merman easily defeats Adam in combat.  Before he can deliver the killing blow, Teela stabs him from behind and delays him long enough for them to jump into the ocean in an attempt to swim away....from Merman...yeah, not a good plan.  Merman can control the sea itself and sends tidal waves after them.  Thinking them surely dead, he leaves to inform Skeletor.

I really like this original He-Man storyline.  It's something that hasn't been done before and that is most welcome.  I like that we're getting re-introduced to the characters one-by-one also.  The artwork isn't the greatest I've seen, but it fits the story.  Seeing these characters somewhat reimagined visually is also fun, though it's hard not to be picky when something from your childhood gets altered.  All-in-all a very fun book.  I'm hooked.

- Pick of the Week!

Wonder Woman #13
This issue starts in the arctic where a shadowy science expedition observes a bloody, naked giant sitting on a glacier.  This is apparently what the leader of the group has been waiting for so he goes to greet the giant.  The giant responds by biting the top of the man's head off and walking away.

Meanwhile, the gods of Olympus are gathering with their new king, Apollo, to discuss a coming war that has been prophesied.  They worry about what part Diana will play in that war.  Speaking off, Wonder Woman is down on Earth regrouping after the first storyline's ending, with her step-brother Lennox, her friend Zola, and the now mortal Hera.  At the end of the last story, Hermes betrayed them by stealing Zola's baby, who is the last son of Zeus, so Zola isn't in the best of moods.  Wonder Woman heads to Lybia, looking for another of Zeus's bastard children to help find the baby.  After defeating some lame Lybian fighters, she follows a young girl into an underground temple.  She is attacked by hundreds of flying knives, but manages to block all of them, except for one, which buries itself in the girl.  As Diana apologizes for failing to protect her, the girl dissolves into sand, then reforms with her hands at WW's throat.  The girl was the sibling she came to find.

I keep thinking I'll drop this book, but every month it keeps being too good!  I like the artwork.  I like the weird story and weirder mythological character's who populate it.  This is NOT a Wonder Woman like anyone has written before.  It's WAY more of a mythology book than a superhero book, and that's why it's so good.

- DC, this is that only book you continue to sell to me.  Don't screw it up.

Cyberforce #1
Now for the wild card of the bunch.  Thanks to retailer support and a successful kickstarter campaign, Image is re-launching Cyberforce and is GIVING AWAY the first FIVE ISSUES for FREE!  I bought the first 25 or so issues from the original run at a comic store sidewalk sale, so I have some appreciation for the characters, but I would not have picked up this book if it weren't for the promotion.  I'm glad I did.

This book took me 2 tries to get through it, but when i actually put the time to concentrate on the story, it's actually pretty good.  Here's a summary...

At the beginning we see the girl classic fans know as Velocity running form SHOC troops.  She's almost captured but manages to escape to the sewers where she meets Robert Bearclaw, a.c.a. Ripclaw.  He takes her to rest of his group, who mostly want to kill her.  You see, this world setting is one where the American society has been rebuilt by corporations and many people have been rebuilt as cyborgs to survive a coming extinction event.  The government/corporation has total control over the populace and Velocity is the President's daughter.  The Cyberforce group that she has just met are rebel SHOC troops who are just trying to stay alive.  The President sends her best soldiers to find her daughter, including well-known Image characters, Ballistic and Aphrodite IV.  Due to the time-skipping method of story telling, we dont' know exactly what happens next, but it appears that 3 of the Cyberforce members are killed in this first issue and Velocity is captured by the government.

It took a while to understand the new dynamics of this book, but once i got it, it was really cool.  The artwork is a little hard to follow, but at the same time, it fits the book well.  I don't know if I will buy this book after issue #5, but I'm willing to read these first several issues for free to give it a chance to win me over.

New Comix! - Week of 9/19/12

Read a trio of good comics tonight with each one better than the last.  I'll review them in the order I read them.

Wonder Woman #0

With the New 52 relaunch's year anniversary, DC Comics is producing #0 comics for each series with the idea being for them to be an easy jumping-on point for new readers.  This one features a backstory on the New 52 version of WonderWoman.  

In this flashback story we follow a 12-year-old Diana as she goes through the rituals of a young Amazon warrior.  At one point she is approached by her (unknown to her) Uncle Eres, the God of War.  He offers to teach her to be a great warrior and secretly hopes she will take his place as the God of War.  Over several months she advances quickly with her skill.  Finally, Eres sends her into a labyrinth for a real test and she comes face to face with a minotaur.  She eventually defeats the beast, but when she won't kill it where it lays Eres becomes enraged and turns his back on his pupil.

This was a good comic, but nothing outstanding.  I really enjoy Cliff Chiang's artwork on this character and he is probably the only reason I've hung on with this series as long as I have.  I will probably give the next storyline a chance and decide whether to stick around for a while based on the direction it goes.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #15

This comic is intertwining with the overall Ultimate Universe storyline, United We Stand.  The US has been attacked and is falling apart from within.  States are seceding, sentinels have taken over parts of the country, and Washington DC has been obliterated.  

Miles is back at school telling his best friend, Ganke, about meeting Captain America and Aunt May giving him Peter's web-shooters when the announcement is made that school is going on a hiatus until city officials feel they can guarantee the student's safety (Miles goes to a dorm-type school for smarty smart kids) and they are all sent home.  Miles heads home and find homocide detectives there who question him about his uncle's death.  They explain that their people have deduced that the new Spider-Man did not kill him, but that his own equipment malfunctioned and they are still looking into the case.  Miles is relieved that the cops no longer think he's (Spidey) a murderer (they obviously don't know he's Spidey).  With his parents working long hours and school on break, Miles takes Ganke's advice and heads to the Triskellion to try to join the Ultimates and help the country.  He's still getting the hang of his web shooters, so when he snags a helicopter to hitch a ride to the floating base, it doesn't go very smoothly.  First he hits the window of the Triskellion and is dragged along it and up to the roof.  There, SHIELD troopers open fire on him (he's not authorized to be there...yet).  He webs them up then promptly slips on the wet rooftop and falls on his butt.  He looks up to find Cap starring down at him and asking what he's doing there.  Spidey says he's there to join the team and the last scene is Cap starring at him.

This book is consistently good.  I like the new Spider-Man.  I like Bendis writing Spider-Man. David Marquez has done a good job filling in for Sarah Pichelli while she drew the Spider-Men mini-series (see below), but I'm ready for her to come back.  He's good, but she's just better.  

Spider-Men #5

And the best mini-series I've read in years comes to a close.

Mysterio has trapped Peter Parker in the Ultimate Universe with no way to come back.  He's won and he knows it, but it's not enough for him.  He wants to see Peter suffer.  Against his better judgement, he activates one of his avatar robot bodies and opens the portal to the Ultimate Universe so he can send it through and check on his foe.  Before he can do anything though, webbing shoots through the portal and pulls him in face-first.  He looks around shocked to see 2 Spider-Men, a squad of SHIELD operatives, and the Ultimates glaring at him.  Peter and Miles team up to berate him verbally and Peter prepares to return home when Mysterio breaks free and uses his illusion powers to trap the heroes in imaginary nightmares.  As he runs towards the portal he's tackled by Miles who tumbles through the portal to the regular Marvel U.  The two fight it out in his laboratory for a bit before Miles tackles him back through the portal back to the Ultimate U.  This time it's all over for Mysterio.    Nick Fury offers to lock him up there, so Peter's secret identity can stay a secret in his world.  Before he leaves, Peter gives Miles his blessing to carry on the torch as well as a LONG list of advice including dating one girl at a time, never loaning money to Wolverine, & not letting his Aunt May marry Doc Ock (that almost happened in the regular continuity), ect but the portal closes and he's cut off mid-sentence.  The story ends with Peter back at home.  He showers then goes to his computer to look up his world's version of Miles Morales on Google, asking aloud, "I wonder if we have a Miles Morales?"  With a look of complete shock on his face, Peter says, "Oh my god."  End scene!

Man, what a great ending!  I wonder if they'll work the regular universe Miles Morales into the ongoing Spider-Man comic?  This story has been top-tier work, writing and art.  As a Spidey fan, I have thoroughly enjoyed every single issue.  Bendis worked some real magic here.  I'm sorry to see it end, but all good things...

- Pick of the Week!

New Comix! - Week of 9/5/12

Just one book this week...

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #14
In the last issue, Miles' secret meeting with Gwen Stacy and Aunt May was interrupted by Captain America who was only there to tell Miles that he couldn't be Spider-Man.  Through the conversation it becomes apparent that he is acting out of fear that what happened to Peter will happen to Miles and Cap blames himself for Peter's death.  Despite arguments against him, Captain America tells Miles that he will stop being Spider-Man or he will arrest him and call his parents.  He then leaves, having gotten an urgent call from elsewhere in the city.  After he's gone, Aunt May advises Miles to do what he thinks is right and gives him Peter's web shooters.  Miles decides to go prove Cap wrong.  It takes Miles some time to get the web swinging thing down (and it's pretty funny) but he eventually does and heads towards the sound of battle.  When he arrives, Cap is getting his butt handed to him by the Rhino.  Miles has some fun with the web-shooters, but then zeroes in on the control panel on the back of Rhino's suit.  He sticks his fingers in the small slot he finds there and unleashes one of his "venom blasts" which causes the suit to overload and ends the fight very quickly.  As they stare at the smoking remains of the Rhino suit (did he just kill the Rhino?!?) Cap says, "Okay.  But you need training." to which Miles replies, "Oh, I know."

This book is consistently good-great as Brian Bendis is at his best writing Spidey.  David Marquez is doing an admirable job filling in for Sarah Pichelli while she handles the art duties on the Spider-Men miniseries.  The ONLY thing I don't like about his art is his take on the Cap costume.  I mentioned this in the last issue's review.  It looks like he has shoeboxes for shoulder pads!!!  Other than that, the art is very good.  This is one of the best books I read every month.

Obviously the Pick of the Week.

New Comix! - Week of 8/29/12

This was a good week of comics and a surprising one, in that Wolverine and Axe Cop lose my Pick of the Week to...a kiss!  

Justice League #12

When DC Comics relaunched all of their titles last year, Justice League was one of the new series that I tried out.  It was fun in that I was able to see the characters teaming up for the first time, but the new quickly wore off and I ended up not caring enough about the team or the story to make it past the first 6-issue storyline.  What brought me back this month was this cover.  With the DCU being relaunched, it freed up the creative team to trade out Lois Lane for the lady who many fans felt was a better match for Kal-el, Wonder Woman.  Here's what happened...

The story starts off with the League fighting an emotional battle, with each member having to confront ghosts of loved ones they have lost or let down.  The possessed villain in charge of the demons could have captured or killed them all were it not for the timely intervention of WW's old boyfriend, Steve Trevor, who wakes up the League who quickly destroy the villain (who, BTW looks like he came from Snake Mountain or something).  That skirmish is a small part of the book and we soon see the team back at their base in Earth's orbit watching the media feed.  The people of Earth are doubting the League and wondering how much faith they should have in them.  This is largely do to that lame villains plans that I only caught the tail end of.  It's only important because Green Lantern resigns from the team, asking them to blame him for whatever their failure was, to try to regain the trust of the people.  He then flies off into space, where most of his work is anyway.  The really standout moment happens next.  Superman find WonderWoman alone with her thoughts sitting on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.  They have a talk about what it's like being stuck somewhere between humans and gods and as they share their loneliness, soon find themselves mugging down on a National Monument.  That's pretty much the end of the issue.

The overall book wasn't great, but the moment with Clark & Diana made it great.  I like Superman and WW being a couple.  It makes sense.  I also like that they made the moment feel natural to the characters in the story without it feeling like a comic-selling publicity stunt.  I don't think I'll keep buying this series, but I DID like this issue.  Nice work, DC.

Pick of the Week!

AvX Versus #5

Let's get this one over with.

In another set of bouts between the Avengers and the X-Men, Black Panther faces off with his wife, Storm, and Hawkeye takes on Archangel.  This book is not meant to be a great read, but simply a fun "who would win" exercise that fits in with the larger AvX story.  That being said, I barely cared enough to finish the book.  I don't know or care enough to be moved by the husband/wife fight that ends in divorce in the first half and the writer's complete lack of knowledge about the characters screwed up the second half.  Matt Fraction didn't know that Angel had lost his memory which is a HUGE plot point when his recently-ex-girlfriend Psylock is involved in the story.  In the end, Hawkeye wins by shooting Angel in the gut at point-blank range, and apparently no one wins when superheroes divorce.

Thank goodness Lenil Yu drew the Hawkeye section, or this one would be going straight to Goodwill.  

Wolverine & the X-Men #15

As AvX comes to it's climax, Wolverine and his team meet back at the mansion in Westchester to regroup before the final battle.

It's hard to write a detailed review of this book.  The entire issue is made up of small character moments between various team members.  Friendships are renewed.  New romantic relationships are started.  There's too much going on for me to write about each one.  In the end, Wolverine readies his strike team, consisting of the X-Men on the cover and they head off to end the Phoenix threat one way or another.

This issue could have been a real bore, but with Jason Aaron continuing his phenominal run on this title, it was pure fun.  Great, small moments that add up to a heartwarming calm before the storm.

Axe Cop: President of the World #2

In the last zany issue, a massive army of bad guys from space were launching an attack on the Earth and only Axe Cop, Goo Cop, and Junior Cobb the giant gorilla with gun fists stand in their way.  

This issue starts with a back story of two evil robot brothers who destroy their own planet, then set out to become the baddest bad guys ever.  The scene then shifts back to Seattle where Axe Cop is trying to save the Earth from a bad guy invasion.  Luckily most of the bad guys end up killing each other, leaving only the giant Chee-Rex, who gets punched to death by Junior Cobb.  Suddenly the evil robot brothers appear and blast Junior Cobb.  Then, they climb the Space Needle, break off the top part and throw it at Heaven in an attempt to kill God.  Axe Cop deflects the needle with his axe and it ricochets down to Hell where it stabs Satan through the back.  The robots try to convince the Earth that Axe Cop is evil, but no one believes them, so they go on a rampage, beating up a zoo, leveling all the cities, destroying Axe Cop's vehicles, and blowing up the good guy universe.  They leave Earth and conquer Mercury and some other made-up planets before coming back to earth and killing Satan by tricking him into eating a cake made of water.  With Satan dead, the robots take over Hell and command an army of zombies and demons in an attack to destroy Earth.  In the meantime, Axe Cop's buddy, Goo Cop, is killed by the evil aliens who turned him into Goo Cop, and Axe Cop vows to avenge him.  The issue ends with 2 evil plans forming.  The evil space scientist who orchestrated the original space bad guy invasion plans to create an "everyman" by combining the DNA of every creature in the universe who can best Axe Cop and will take over the Earth for him.  At the same time, the aliens who killed Goo Cop vow to disguise themselves at the President (I think they mean Axe Cop, who is President of the World) and will then order all earthlings to kill themselves.

It's hard to explain the glory of Axe Cop without writing all the crazy details.  This book is written by an 8-year-old and drawn by his 31 year old brother, so you can see where the crazy imagination comes from.  They've been creating Axe Cop together for 3 years now.  I know it makes no sense, but that's why I like it so much.  It's random, hilarious, and pure fun. I wanted to give this one Pick of the Week, but it's hard to beat a really good take on Superman.  Sorry Axe Cop, you're a close 2nd this week.

Weekly Comix! - Week of 8/15/12

I picked up four comics this week and they were ALL good!  What are the odds?!?

Daredevil #17
Yeah, I don't follow Daredevil, but when Mike Allred shows up to draw a Marvel comic, I've gotta buy it!

Apparently, in the last issue of DD, Matt Murdock's pal and business partner, Foggy Nelson, found a box in Matt's office full of Matt's father's remains.  He was so put out by this grim discovery that he tells Matt that he can't trust him anymore and is dissolving their law firm.  I don't know the story behind the box of bones and dust, so don't ask.  I'm just here for the art.

This issue is mostly a flashback of a time when lame-o villain Stilt Man attacked their offices and tried to kill Foggy.  Daredevil stops him using a cool aspect of Matt's sensory powers and saves Foggy's life.  It ends with DD vowing to find out who is trying to turn Foggy against him and keep his life on it's newly optimistic track.

This story was very average, but the artwork was classic Allred.  You might now his style from X-Statix or Madman.  His work for Image Comics is a little too weird for me to read on a regular basis, but I love it when he works for Marvel.  If he drew Daredevil weekly, it would be on my pull list, but this was just a random one-issue stint.  Thanks, Mike!

Avengers Vs X-Men (AvX) #10
The Phoenix Force has divided itself into 2 host bodies, Cyclops & Emma Frost.  Cyclops is facing down the Avengers while Emma subjugates the mutants on the island of Utopia to her will like an angry Goddess.

The Avengers try to slow down Phoenix Cyclops while preparing Hope for some attack they've been devising.  No one, not Iron Man, Thing, Thor, or Hawkeye can even slow him down.  Suddenly he's hit with a wave of green fire and it actually hurts him.  Hope and one of Iron Fist's kung-fu buddies are in the air riding a red dragon that spits green fire.  The caption boxes name the dragon "Shao Lao, the undying source of the power of K'un Lun, carrier of the Iron Fist energy, endlessly reborn, and who legend says once defeated the Phoenix."  It hurt Cyke once, but he shoots an optic blast back and knocks the dragon from the sky.  Now the caption boxes say, "This one is young...too young...not strong enough yet..."  Cyclops goes in for the kill, when Hope screams "STAY BACK!" at him and shoots green dragon fire from her mouth and runs away surprised to have absorbed the dragon's power.  Scarlet Witch steps forward and unleashes her hex bolts, which have slowed the Phoenix before, but Scott is too powerful now and he laughs at her.  Hope screams "STOP THIS!" and Cyclops falls powerless momentarily to the ground.  She follows that up by kung-fu punching him in the neck and yelling "GO AWAY!"  Scott wakes up on the moon and we're told it takes him an hour before he can stand up again.  He thinks to himself that he needs more power...Emma's power...then flies back to earth in a fiery rage to battle his lover.  The issue ends with Magneto sending his thoughts to Professor X, asking him to come back because Scott and Emma are out of control.

Things are heating up!  I'm enjoying this series.  Not as much as Civil War or Secret Invasion from a few years back, but fun nonetheless.

Saga #6
One of my favorite titles continues as new parents, Marko & Alana, arrive with their infant daughter and poltergeist babysitter at the Rocketship Forest.  They were hoping their ride off the planet would be there, but it's been clearcut to nothing.  They start to despair when their ghost friend reveals some hidden planetary secrets and one remaining rocket tree appears from hiding.  It's literally a tree that can shoot through space like a rocket.  The tree requires a sacrifice for travel and Marko breaks his family sword over his knee, hoping to keep his oath of non-violence after last issue's battle.  The tree accepts and they escape from the planet.

The scene switches to where Prince Robot IV has shot and killed the bounty hunter known as The Stalk, thinking her to be a threat.  She had been talking to her lover and fellow bounty hunter, The Will, on her phone when she was killed and the prince picks up her phone, thinking it to be her agent.  When The Will realizes what happens he says this:

I would not want to be in Robot's fancy pants!  The Will has been shown to have a good heart despite his bounty hunting profession, but he has also been spoken of as a very deadly assassin.  Anywho, Prince Robot confers with his commanders and gets an idea of where the couple might be heading.

Back on the Tree Rocket, our heroes are surprised when 2 horned warriors teleport into their ship.  They use magic to take out the ghost babysitter then engage in battle.  Before anyone gets gravely injured, Marko stops the attack by yelling at the newcomers.  They stop and take of their helmets as the comic's narrarrator (the baby who is now grown up) explains that the baby's grandparents have come to live with them.  They're Marko's parents drawn to their location by the broken family sword!

This series continues to entertain.  I love how off-the-wall it is!  In last issue's review I mentioned that i hoped that The Stalk's death would cause The Will to side with Marko & Alana.  That may or may not happen, but he's certainly going to be a problem for Prince Robot, who's mission it is to capture or kill the couple.

AGAIN...THIS IS A MATURE COMIC BOOK.  There is bad language and occasional boobage.  If you can't handle that, pass on this amazing comic book until you're older.

Wonder Woman #12
In this storyline's finale, Wonder Woman and Hermes are all that stands between Apollo and Zeus's throne.  Hera just wants to kill WW's friend, Zola, who is about to birth Zeus's love child, but Apollo and Artemis move to join Wonder Woman and Hermes in battle.  As they engage each other, Hera throws Zola off the edge of Olympus where she will fall for eternity. Diana (WW) breaks away from Artemis and dives off the cliff after her as Hermes throws a feather at her legs, giving her the ability to fly.  She saves Zola, but Apollo takes the opportunity to sit on the throne, becoming the new King of the Gods.  Apollo banishes Hera and sets his sights on killing Zola and her baby who may someday challenge him.  Diana sends Zola away with Hermes and takes off her famous bracelets.  Artemis says, "Really? You strip yourself of your best defense against a GOD?"  Diana responds with, "MY defense? My cuffs were YOURS."  as she glows with power that had been kept in check by arm bands.

The next page is nothing but Wonder Woman kicking Artemis's &%@!  She then make a bargain with Apollo.  He will not pursue Zola's baby if, in the event that the baby does grow to fullfill the prophecy of killing a god and taking the throne, that Diana will be the one to stop it.  It is implied that she agrees as she appears in Zola's hometown hospital to check on her and the baby.  Zola suddenly screams that Hermes took her baby while she was unconscious.  Wonder Woman vows to find the traitor.  We then see Hermes in the home of Demeter, who is keeping the baby for now.  He says some vague stuff about what's coming and we get a glimpse of a figure (looks like Orion from Apokolips) emerging from the snow somewhere and using a boom tube.

Looks like the next story arch will tie in the Greek Gods to the New Gods of Apokolips.  I'm up for this.  I like this mythology take on WW, but it will be cool to see her interact with other DC superhero characters after seeing this side of her.  I was on the fence with this series and was on the verge of canceling it from my pull list, but I think they've hooked me into staying on for a while yet.

New Comix! - Week of 8/8/12

This week I read possibly THE most touching comic book of my life.  I literally blinked back tears.  Seriously amazing storytelling!

Spider-Men #4 (of 5)
This super-fun crossover continues after Peter and Miles teamed up to defeat Mysterio's Ultimate Universe avatar (that he controlled virtually from his hideout in the regular Marvel U).  By the time Fury and SHIELD showed up, Peter had disappeared, heading to Queens to see his family and try to make sense of his situation.

This issue starts with Peter standing on Aunt May's lawn with his mask off staring at May and Gwen.  Thinking he's a classless prankster, both of the women physically attack Peter, knocking him down.  Miles shows up then and tells them that it's really Peter, causing Aunt May to faint.  When she wakes up on her couch she quietly moves up the stairs and stops, listening in on Peter, Miles and Gwen's conversation.  They trade questions and each wants to know about their counterpart's in the other world.  Gwen keeps asking about her regular Marvel U self and Peter deftly evades the question, not wanting to tell her about her death.  May comes in then sits by Peter and asks him how he's here, if he's going back and if Uncle Ben is alive in his world.  Peter explains that, like his Ultimate Universe self, Ben's death inspired him to become Spider-Man because with Great Power comes Great Responsibility. May has stayed composed this whole time, but when he says that her eyes get big and she says, "Oh my God, it IS you.  Look at you."  Then she hugs him with all she's got, tears flowing from her eyes, just holding him close.    She continues, "We lost you.  We lost you and we didn't get to say good-bye.  And now you're all grown up.  You're here.  You're okay."     About that time, Miles notices the SHIELD car outside and says it's time to go.  Everyone hugs and says goodbye and heads outside.  Peter sees Ultimate Mary Jane in the crowd that has gathered across the street and reaches forward to call to her, but she runs away.  They get in the car and fly away (it IS a SHIELD car).  Back at the Triskellion, Peter meets Ultimate Tony Stark and they locate Mysterio's hideout.  Fury calls in the team and the last page is a great shot of a SHIELD strike team, Thor, Iron Man, and both Spideys swinging into action.  I would NOT want to be Mysterio in issue 5!

I wish I could show you that scene with Peter and Aunt May but my printer is being stupid.  The way it went down and the art and the pacing of the story...it was perfect.  When I turned the page and May was hugging Peter, I had to look away and blink my eyes.  I know that's not cool to admit, but dang it, it was touching!  Imagine anyone who's lost a loved one too young and what they would give to see how that loved one could have turned out and to hug them one more time.  This was so good.  I want to give this book of the year, but I'll reserve that call until I see what they've got cooking up for a finale!

This issue blew me away.  If you haven't been buying this series, I HIGHLY recommend picking up the Trade Paperback when it comes out.

Conan the Barbarian - Border Fury #1
I had an epiphany lately.  Just because I like a character doesn't mean I have to religiously follow their book.  With that in mind I cancelled The Mighty Thor from my pull list and added Conan instead for something new.  Thor is great and his comics have been somewhat fun, but they haven't been great for a while now and I try to only keep up with comics that I can see myself wanting to read again later.  I read good things about the current Conan direction, and being a longtime fan of that character, decided to jump in on this storyline at #1.

This story find Conan returning to his homeland, Cimmeria, in the frigid North lands with his lover, Belit, the infamous Queen of the Black Coast.  They receive a welcome from Conan's mother that's colder than the landscape.  She implies that Belit is a slave woman and tells them to find a place to sleep elsewhere.  The next day Conan meets with the clan elders and discusses the matter that brought him home.  A man is moving through Cimmeria killing and destroying everything around him, claiming to be Conan.  Conan swears to stop him and the elders suggest he leave his woman behind.  Belit is a pirate captain and a fearsome presence in her home region, so being dismissed by everyone has her in a deadly mood.  Conan stops her from killing some peasant women who laughed at her and tells her that she will indeed be coming with him.  The issue ends with a scene of devastation as the false Conan raises another town to the ground in his name.

This is an interesting story and I'm glad to be reading a new Conan adventure, but what really grabbed me about this book was the art by Becky Cloonan.  Female artists are rare in the industry, and choosing one for a "macho" book like Conan is a very bold choice.  I love seeing women draw mainstream comics because their artistic approach seems so different.  It's hard to explain the difference.  Everything seems...softer?  Conan still looks powerful, but he's more stylized and less bulky with muscle.  It's a strange choice for this genre of visual storytelling and for that I love it.  I'm looking forward to issue #2.

New Comix! - Week of 8/1/12

This was Spider-Man's week to shine, for both Peter & Miles!

Avengers Vs X-men (AvX) #9

In the last issue, the Avengers teamed up on the attacking Namor, and with Scarlet Witch's help managed to depower him.  His portion of the Phoenix Force then split into 4 and was absorbed by the remaining Phoenix-Powered X-men.  The Avengers, in the meantime, fellback to their last hideout, the mysterious kung-fu (I know, I can't believe they're resorting to mystic kung-fu either) city, K'un Lun.

The X-men have been capturing Avengers and are holding them prisoner in a Phoenix-made volcano in Siberia that houses the denizens of Magik's Limbo realm.  It's basically a volcano full of what most people think hell looks like, including the demons monsters.  Cap orders a strike on the prison in an attempt to free their friends.  Unfortunately, the prison is currently guarded by half of the "Phoenix Four", siblings Colossus and Magik.  The entire strike force would have been defeated and captured as well, but Spider-Manused his webs to pull everyone (including most of the prisoners) out of the volcano's enterance and sealed it behind them.  He then attempted to slow down half of the Phoenix Force on his own to buy them time to escape.  Believe it or not, it worked!  Pete got beaten to mush, but he managed to used his sarcastic whit to turn the increasingly paranoid and power-hungery mutants against each other.  They battled, attempted to gain the other's portion of the Phoenix power and defeated each other.  Their power then left them and went to the only Phoenix hosts left, Cyclops & Emma Frost.  The issue ends with Cyclops appearing above the city demanding Hope come with him to fullfill her Phoenix destiny.

The story moves along and focus's on my favorite character, Spider-Man.  What's not to love?

Pick of the Week!

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #13

In the last issue, Miles' uncle (the super villain) attacked him and in the ensuing fight, one of his gadgets misfired and exploded, burning the Prowler to a crisp and killing him.  Since then, (apparently) the Ultimate Marvel U has fallen apart and I didn't know about it because I'm only keeping up with this comic in that universe these days.  America has partially collapsed, with militias popping up around the country in revolt, Texas seceding from the union, and who knows what else. 

This issue opens up with Iron Man and Cap discussing the new Spidey with Cap saying he's too young.  Miles is informed by his father that his uncle has been murdered and that the news is saying that Spider-Man is the killer.  Miles spends a few days dealing with what happened and coping with the idea that the media thinks he's a killer.  Then while at school, he gets a text asking for him to meet up with someone.  He says "after school" and heads that way after his classes let out.  On the way he stumbles across Batroc the Leaper (a lame French villain) and foils his burglary attempt.  After evading the cops, Miles enters a warehouse and meets Aunt May and Gwen Stacy.  They discuss who he is and why he's doing it.  Just when Aunt May is about to give him something of Peter's, Cap steps out of the darkness and says, "Hold on, Ms. Parker.  I don't think he's going to be Spider-Man any longer."

This issue wasn't as exciting or enthralling as most, but I've enjoyed every issue of this series so far and this was no exception there.  Bendis knows how to write Spider-Man and Miles is just fun to read about.  Sarah Pichelli's art is missed, with her spending time on the awesome crossover SPIDER-MEN, but the fill in guy does a good job, except for Captain America's silly shoebox-shaped shoulder pads.

Weekly Comix! - Week of 7/18/12

I'm juggling a lot of graphic design/illustration projects at the moment, so I've fallen about a week behind on my comic reviews, but I'm committed to keep them coming.

Avengers vs X-Men #8
The Phoenix 5 are starting to show signs of breaking as Namor sets off on his own to destroy the Avengers in Wakanda.  The Avengers lure him in and then go "Avengers Assemble" on his butt.  Namor gets ambushed by Spidey, Thing, Thor, Red Hulk, Dr. Strange, Vision & Valkyrie.  They beat him down pretty hard at first, but then he catches his breath and breaks Red Hulks arm to the point of bones sticking out of red skin!  As the tide turns in Namor's favor, Scarlet Witch steps in and matches Namor's power with her Magic.  Vision catches Wanda as both fighters collapse and the rest of the X-men show up.  At their arrival, the Phoenix Force leaves Namor and divides that power between the remaining 4, to their surprise.  The Avengers on the other hand, retreat to the mystical kung-fu city that is home to Iron Fist.  As they stand there, catching their breath, Hope asks, "So...what's the plan?  Is there a plan?"  and no one has an answer.

I feel like the plot is getting a bit stale again, but at least there was one heck of a fight to keep readers entertained.  Adam Kubert stepped in on art duties and did a good job, though I prefer Olivier Coipel's art personally.  Overall a good issue, but it didn't really move the story along very much.  I'm interested to see how the Phoenix 4 respond to the revelation that when one of them falls, the others become more powerful.  I wouldn't be surprised if they start turning on each other.

Saga #5
The weirdest, most entertaining series of the year continues with this opening scene.

Why, yes, that IS a robot prince sitting on a toilet!

Issue 5 starts off with the pooping robot (one of the generals of the war) being informed by his robot wife that she's expecting a baby, but that his father won't let him come home until he catches the two runaway soldiers and their baby, even if he misses the birth of his own child.  The robot pooper vows to be home in the first trimester.

His prey happens to be the star-crossed lovers that are the heroes of our little story.  As the focus shifts from the bathroom to the happy couple, they are being confronted by 6 soldiers from Alana's military (the "wings").  Marko tries to warn them away, but they get the orders to "pacify" and start firing.  Alana takes a slug in the shoulder and Marko quickly forgets all about his vow of pacifism.  He rushes forward with his blue, glowing sword and takes out all 6 soldiers.  He's about to kill them, when Alana stops him.  The rage leaves his face and he thanks her.   They tie up the soldiers, steal their ship and make their getaway.

In another part of the galaxy, the bounty hunter known as "The Will" is trying leave the sex planet, Sextillion, with the 6 year old prostitute he just saved.  He is confronted by her "owner" and realizes that the only way he can save the girl is to buy her contract, which is way more than he can afford.  He quickly calls fellow bounty hunter, The Stalk, to reconsider her offer of teaming up to catch Alana & Marko and split the profits.  On the other end of the phone call, The Stalk is standing by the captured soldiers shortly after the couple has escaped.  She tells him she's not interested in teaming up anymore and he says he only turned her down the first time because he's in love with her and was angry about the way they ended things.  Just then the Robot Prince rides up on a horse, hoping to capture the couple, sees The Stalk, thinks she's reaching for a weapon and he blows a hole in her chest.

This story is SO good!  It's amazing that they have managed to fit this much story into only 5 issues!  I'm hoping that the death of The Stalk will put The Will on the side of our heroes and he'll help them out instead of hunting them down.  He has been shown to be a pretty good guy deep down, despite being a tough bounty hunter, and I'd like to see him become the Han Solo to Marko's Luke Skywalker.

Before naming this book Pic of the Week I need to remind potential readers that this is a MATURE TITLE.  There are boobs and bad language in every issue so far.  If you're old enough to handle that kind of thing, then pick this story up.  If not, get a little older then buy the trade paperback.

- Pick of the Week!!!

Wonder Woman #11
The only DC title I'm currently following is the weak link in this week's comic stack, but that's not saying it was bad.  Just not quite as good.

In this issue, Wonder Woman's friend, and soon to be aunt...sort of, is at her small-town doctor's office for a pregnancy check-up.  While she's in the office, Apollo and Artemis show up intent on capturing the mother of Zeus's unborn child.  WW, Hermes, and Lennox try to stand against them, but they don't stand a chance and Lennox ends up getting punched in the stomach hard enough to crack his rock-hard form almost to the point of crumbling entirely.  Zola comes out of the office and sees the battle.  She hops in her truck and drives it into Apollo's back, only to have him survive the attack and grab her up under his arm.  Artemis and Apollo then leave with Zola leaving the heroes beaten in the mud.

The next scene is in Olympus where Apollo presents the pregnant lady to the vengeful Queen of the Gods, Hera, who then gives Apollo his reward, the recently vacated throne of Zeus.  The King of the Gods has disappeared and the other gods have been fighting to see who would take his place, and it looks like Apollo has won the spot except...Wonder Woman and Hermes are standing on it ready for round 2!

This book got of track for a few issues, but it's picking back up now.  I'm still a big fan of playing up Diana's mythological background instead of making her a female Superman.  This approach is WAY more interesting and fun.  I'm glad I stuck through the slow issues.  I'm starting to get excited again.