Thor: God of Thunder 25, Original Sin 5.5 - Thor and Loki

Thor: God of Thunder 25

Thor's granddaughters, by order of King Thor, must spend time daily in the library honing their minds just as they hone their bodies. One day in their required library time, they read the origin story of Malekith, watching him grow from a shy and scared young elf to the hateful and powerful magician he is today. They next read a story about young Thor, along with an army of humans, stopping Frost Giants from resurrecting Laufey, though they came awfully close and the king's head is still out there ready to be pushed the extra step. Finally, a hidden and chained book falls on to their table, which they eagerly dive into, learning of a dark time in Thor's history when he was deemed unworthy and an all-new Thor took up Mjolnir. King Thor bursts in and closes the book, sending his granddaughters out and closing the book again.

Jason Aaron ends this volume of THOR: GOD OF THUNDER in the sort of classic series ending way, where he tells a few single-shot stories with the ability to be extended later, and teases the next volume, but he does it well enough to keep the reader interested and invested and artists like Esad Ribic, Simon Bisley, and RM Guera provide an extraordinarily good looking book to go along with the stories. It's a nice ending for the series that brought us the epic Gorr storyline and created a couple of new and powerful supervillains like Gorr and Roxxon CEO Dario Agger AKA The Minotaur and it certainly builds a bit of hype (if there wasn't enough out there for you already) for the new THOR and the new Thor. Pretty good series, this one.

Total Score: 4/5


Original Sin 5.5 - Thor and Loki

Thor is free and wreaking havoc on Heven as Loki, having betrayed his new sisterhood in record time, leads Odin back into the tenth realm to end this fight once and for all. As Thor and Angela prepare to kill one another, Odin arrives and demands his son stop, revealing that Angela is very clearly his daughter Aldrif, alive after so much time thought dead. The news is pretty quickly met as true but isn't received well otherwise, as Angela is banished from Heven and swears she'll kill Odin the next time she sees him, leaving her out in the galaxy somewhere, trying to find a place she's welcome and wants to be.

As I said from the get-go, maybe some of the drama was ripped from this one given that the very first images of this book, that asked who Thor's sister was as it's main question, were images of Angela standing between Thor and Loki, as if shocked by some recent revelation. Kind of a give away and it takes a bit of the tension out for the reader, though it was likely a measured choice, with Marvel likely deciding that fans would figure it out early into the series even without the reveal and hoping that fans would still be interested in learning about how this could be possible and in learning more about Angela, Asgard, and Heven. It pays off well enough; though it's not something that particularly blows the reader away, it serves its purpose and establishes something of a new status quo in the Thor universe (which, coincidentally, is going to have all manner of status quo changes to contend with in no time at all). Solid Simone Bianchi art, teamed with Lee Garbett, Szymon Kudranski, and Marco Checchetto, carries this issue.

Total Score: 4/5

Marvel announces major change to THOR

A new THOR series will debut in October with a pretty major change for the series as Jason Aaron (THOR: GOD OF THUNDER, ORIGINAL SIN) and Russell Dauterman (CYCLOPS) give fans an all-new female Thor for the first time ever. The news was first announced, for whatever reason, on The View, where inexplicably Jenny McCarthy explained that the new Thor was at some points saved by her predecessor but has remade herself and now is the true Thor. More details have surfaced with writer Aaron quick to point out that "This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it's unlike any Thor we've ever seen before."

This strikes me as a really compelling move. As Marvel has clearly gone above and beyond in answering criticism about their lack of female-driven books by delivering a slew of really fantastic ones over the course of the past couple years, a female Thor no longer feels simply like an attention grabber. It is a huge shift, and not just because now Thor is a woman (while the original Thor remains in the universe, as seen below with an axe and a prosthetic arm). This rather changes Asgard in a lot of ways that I'm sure will be seen as the series launches. Just like with the recent announcement that there will soon be a new Captain America (did we talk about that? I feel like we didn't because I think I was at work when I found out. Well, guys, there's gonna be a new Cap) with Steve depowered and running things from the sidelines, the once-Thor and the new-Thor in the universe at the same time makes for a compelling shift. We'll see how it all pans out.

Ms. Marvel 1, Loki: Agent of Asgard 1

Ms. Marvel 1
G. W. Wilson (w) and Alphona (a) and Herring (c)

Kamala Khan is a Muslim-American Pakistani from Jersey City who can't help but feel a little tied down by her family and her religion and culture. While she adheres to her culture and loves her family, she feels it's keeping her from her would-be normal life. In the spirit of rebellion and frustration, she sneaks out of her room to go to a party on the waterfront with a bunch of other high schoolers (led by blonde, attractive popular girl and purportedly fake-nice "concern troll" Zoe Zimmer). She's handed a cup of orange juice (not realizing it's spiked with vodka) and takes a sip, immediately spitting it back out but quickly realizing she's not really in the right place for her. As she leaves the party, irritated by Zimmer and others like her as well as by her friend Bruno's attempts to protect her, the Terrigen Mists sweep through the city and she's suddenly wrapped up in a cocoon. While inside, Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel come to her and begin speaking Urdu to her. They talk with her about her problems and she reveals that, if she had her ultimate wish, she'd be "beautiful and awesome and butt-kicking and less complicated," like Captain Marvel but preferring the old Ms. Marvel costume. Captain Marvel reveals to her that she's about to get her wish but that it's not going to work the way she thinks it will. She awakens to find herself trapped in the cocoon and punches her way out, shocked to find herself garbed as Ms. Marvel with long, blonde hair.

Very interesting introduction to Kamala Khan, the most talked about new superhero in quite some time (even as I write this "Ms. Marvel" is the top trend on Twitter). The book faces something of an uphill battle as writer G. Willow Wilson has to not only introduce the readers to Kamala, but to establish a lot about Kamala's culture and family. With plenty of other new characters, it's enough to throw them into their origin story and show us a couple of one-liners or fights or something else because we can basically assume they grew up in a certain environment. Here, Kamala's upbringing is core to who she is and, while that's true for everyone, it's an upbringing with which plenty of readers aren't familiar. In that way, the first handful of pages move a tiny bit slowly as there's a lot of set-up and a lot of dialogue but it all serves a really important point and it doesn't drag in the way you'd almost expect it to, which is to the book's credit. We come away from the first five or six pages with a pretty good idea of who Kamala is and what her status is as a teenager in school. The characters are all, in fact, pretty well-defined pretty quickly and it clears the way to focus on the story for the rest of the issue. It's rare to have a book that defines its brand new character so quickly but this one is certainly hitting that mark. The art, too, is a great fit for the book and the art style and colors give it a somewhat softer feel than most books of today. There's a lot to really like about this first issue and I'd trust it only goes up from here. Looking forward to what this book has in store and, for all the hype around this issue, I think it's living up to its billing.

Loki: Agent of Asgard 1
Ewing (w) and Garbett (a) and Woodard (c)

Loki, in his new body, is under the employ (if you can call it that) of the All-Mother to act as an agent of Asgard (hence the name of his new series). His newest mission? To break into Avengers tower and purge Thor of some sort of spirit inhabiting him that is making him base and bullying, turning him into...well, his younger self. Loki gets into Avengers Tower and has soon drawn the attention of every Avenger in the place (the movie team). His silver tongue and his misdirection, though, get him out of a jam long enough to go to the Avengers database and erase his file from its memory, vowing that he is not the same Loki who has attacked the Avengers so often in the past. The Avengers find him there and Thor attacks but Loki manages to stab him through the back with Sigurd's sword, a sword infused with magic that will make you suffer the truths you've ignored. In this case, it means that Thor has to look inward and realize there is, in fact, something in there with him, and it is expelled, Loki catching it in a cup of his own design. He and Thor talk it out a little while later (before Loki breaks out of holding) and Loki returns to Asgard to deliver the news and the cup to the All-Mother. As Loki leaves, the All-Mother opens the cup to find the old Loki, the original Marvel Universe Loki, inside, wishing to discuss the future.

I will say that I was a bit hesitant about this book. I didn't know Al Ewing before he came to Marvel but I liked his couple of issues on AVENGERS ASSEMBLE and then haven't quite liked his run so far on MIGHTY AVENGERS, leaving me more recently with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, a taste that thought maybe he was trying a bit too hard. Here, though, he's created a really interesting first issue that includes a lot of things that I'm eager to see more of. On the one hand, he seems to have restored a modicum of Loki's Gillen-reimagined character. I loved JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY and YOUNG AVENGERS but JIM ended with the old Loki in Kid Loki's body with Kid Loki's newfound innocence in the world. YOUNG AVENGERS was a little tough to get a read on Loki, who fought himself throughout and left the reader a little unsure what Loki would be coming into this book. This one deals a lot with stories and roles. Loki, in his very first appearance in the Marvel Universe, took on the role of god of evil, warping it enough from god of mischief to a burning evil. For Asgardians, the role they take is as important as any other decision they might make and Loki, then, was locked into this evil role until his death. And so he died and now here he is with a chance to set things right. He's still Loki, he's still the god of mischief, but he has the choice to not fall into the god of evil role. Of course, that will likely be made more difficult with the OG Loki lurking around but it's a great start to this book. As anyone who read my DEADPOOL KILLUSTRATED reviews or who has picked up on the fact that I quite like Neil Gaiman will probably realize, I'm a fan of the idea that the power of stories is great (also that I review comics for FUN - or profit, if anyone wants to hire me to do this). So I like the turn this series is taking to make Loki and Asgard mythical in the storied sense, especially on the heels of a book like JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY which focused very much on that idea. I hope this book continues in that manner, it should be a good run.

Tiny "Thor: The Dark World" review

I don't want to review too much just yet because technically the movie isn't out yet and I don't want to let any spoilers out of the bag (that said, SORRY IF THIS SPOILS ANYTHING FOR YOU) so I plan to go super-basic with just first impressions and give a more full review on maybe Monday.

Really fun movie, definitely another win in Marvel's book. There were certainly bits that felt a little coincidental and really existed to bring our plot and characters together but they're easy enough to overlook. I'd say the movie's biggest flaw, by about tenfold, was Kat Denning's character Darcy, who appears far too much in this movie, a complaint I had with the first Thor although she was in that one less. A couple of forced laugh bits here and there but some truly wonderful humor at points and really solid characterization and acting pretty much all around. Like I said, I plan to go more into this and more spoiler heavy when more of the world has gotten a chance to see it (okay, Monday, not that much more of a chance but you're lucky I'm waiting now) but for now, the takeaway is that I really liked it and I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

OH, also, if they make a SANDMAN movie at any point (preferably soon for this plan), they REALLY need to cast Tom Hiddleston. He'd be amazing.

Daredevil 31, Thor: God of Thunder 13

Daredevil 31
Waid (w) and Samnee (a) and Rodriguez (c)

Current events mix with the Marvel Universe as a case very similar to 2012's Trayvon Martin case (the trial was this year, I know you guys, I keep up with current events too) has cropped up in New York City. The details are extremely similar and, like in that case, the defendant walked free. However, that's where things change in the 616. In the 616, prosecutor James Priest, who has been hailed as a civil rights leader, leaves the courthouse, upset with the verdict, and produces a page with names, addresses, and pictures of everyone on the jury, should people want to exact revenge for their blowing the trial. The city is instantly whipped into a frenzy and only Daredevil knows that someone interrupted the live feed with an excellent impression of Priest and flashed those names. It's confirmed when everyone physically near Priest as he made his speech shows confusion at what they've been told happened on the television broadcast. That doesn't matter to Daredevil, though, as he needs to concern himself with protecting the jurors and finding out who did this. The Serpent Society is clearly behind it, considering their recent infiltration of the legal system and the case being one with such connections to race, but it's the Jester who actually did the impression of Priest and interrupted the feeds. Daredevil discovers that Jester left a trail; his name and address are on the lineup of the jurors though he wasn't one of them. Matt goes to Jester's house to find someone in a Daredevil t-shirt, distributed by Foggy at the hospital, hanging in the house.

You guys, it might be Foggy. I'm not sure I can objectively analyze this issue if that's Foggy so I'm going to pretend, for the moment, that it's not or that it's a ruse or something. Maybe even that he's not dead but even if he's not dead, the dude is still a cancer patient and he was brought there by Jester as part of this whole game and WHAT IS HAPPENING TO FOGGY LATELY? Crap, AND Matt and Foggy's last conversation ended with Matt angry because he found out it was Foggy who hired Kirsten in his place. You guys, that better not be Foggy Nelson. Everything about this issue is really intense and pretty good. There's another DD-Hank Pym team-up as DD gets Pym to use his ants to create rain throughout the city, pretty good at dispersing the riots that have started. Really interesting story rooted in a sad sort of realism with great art and solid writing. It's not Foggy though, right?

Thor: God of Thunder 13
Aaron (w) and Garney (a) and Svorcina (c)

A very small troop of Dark Elves (from the realm of Svartalfheim) have journeyed to Niffleheim to free their imprisoned king Malekith the Accursed. It's not an easy trek and most of the group die, leaving only one alive when Malekith is freed. Together, the elf Scumtongue and Malekith leave Niffleheim for Svartalfheim, where Malekith assumes he will be welcomed back to the throne. Meanwhile, in Asgardia, our Asgardian heroes are enjoying a feast to celebrate Volstagg's election to the congress of worlds. One of the Dark Elves living in Asgardia suddenly feels Svartalfheim's pain and alerts Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three to the issue. They journey immediately to Svartalfheim and find Malekith standing over the bodies of a village of slaughtered Dark Elves. He tells them of the civil war brewing (Svartalfheim, it turns out, was not exactly eager for Malekith to take over the throne again) and disappears before Thor and company can stop him. Malekith, for his part, swears to kill every single Dark Elf who goes against him, no matter where they hide.

This may be the most spell-check has ever disagreed with my posts. And I write a comic book blog. Anyway, solid issue and story, happy to give readers a look at Malekith before he stars as the main villain in Thor: The Dark World. Or cash in on that connection, LOOK, IT DOESN'T MATTER. It's still a good story and it seems it will be a nice reintroduction to the nine realms as this arc continues. With Dark Elves spread out across the nine realms, it seems we'll spend a bit of time in each and maybe give people a chance to, with relative ease, learn a little bit more about Thor's history. There's even a nifty map of the nine realms (drawn by Haemi Jang) at the back of this issue, which will certainly be good for spelling reference in the future for anyone who may have a comic blog. Always a little wary of books that aren't quite movie tie-ins but are clearly movie tie-ins, but this one seems like a story worth telling so far. This five-issue arc will be in full swing by the time Thor: The Dark World premieres, giving movie fans a quick book to jump into (they need only pick up the two to three issues prior to the newest one by the time they wander into a comic shop) and will give comic fans a nice introduction or re-introduction to Malekith before his big screen debut. Nice little mix. Well-respected comic veteran Ron Garney hops onboard for this arc as the new artist and his art is pretty stellar.

Captain America 10, Captain Marvel 15, Thor: God of Thunder 12

Captain America 10
Remender (w) and Romita Jr. w/ Janson, Palmer, and Hanna (a) and White and Rosenberg (c)

Cap, Jet, and Sharon all need to try to escape Zolandia while chased by mutates with the ticking time bomb (both figuratively and literally, since Sharon strapped explosives to it) that is Zola's battle station set to attack Earth. Adding to that is that Zola played on Jet's mind as he sacrificed himself for her, leaving her conflicted and realizing that she's now left with no father, no brother, and no home. Steve and Sharon work to convince her that she's doing the right thing but it's a little harried since they have to escape the attacking mutates and Zolandia before the battle station blows. As they close in on the finish, Zola reveals himself not to be dead (surprise) and to be, instead, a giant blue monster thing (actual surprise). The three don't have enough time to escape with Zola fighting them so Sharon says her goodbyes to Steve and slips out of his hand with the detonator and her gun. She fights Zola for a bit, giving enough time for Steve and Jet to push through (with Steve demanding they go back) and then detonates the explosives, saving the world from Zola. Steve and Jet make it back through the portal and Steve instantly tries to step back in only to find, thanks to the accelerated time in Dimension Z, that the entirety of the battle station area has been destroyed and is now overgrown, as if years have passed. It leaves Steve lost, which is something he's going to have to get used to because he's now the man further out of time. He spent more time in Dimension Z than he has in the present day (ten years or so) and, though nothing has really changed since he left, he's obviously a different man. Also, now Jet's there and Sharon's not. We do get a little epilogue for Dimension Z that shows the mutates still attacking the Phrox and tells us that rumors persist that Zola may have survived somehow (surprise) but it also tells of the Phrox's new defender, a shadow of a legend fighting for the Phrox but never really confirmed (and wearing the clothes and wielding the shield of one of the Captain America mutates), a true nomad (actual surprise).

There's definitely a lot that went on here (hence the long summary paragraph) and it's largely worth talking about. The Jet stuff is very interesting; even if she sees through Zola's attempts to make her doubt her new convictions, she still has lost everything she ever had and now she's partnered in this strange new world with a man she was raised to hate. Steve gets a little bit of closure from his memories as he defeats another of his own mutates while the two argue about the memories of Steve's mother. And of course Sharon. This isn't fridging or something like that. Sharon has been a character since the '60s (and also isn't dead) so this is a meaningful loss for Steve. It would be anyway, really, even if they just told us it was, but it certainly is here. Still, the adoption of the Nomad name is a neat little twist and I'll be excited if they manage to drag Ian (spoilers: the Nomad is Ian) back to Earth with that. Guys, never trust not seeing a body.

Captain Marvel 15
DeConnick and Van Meter (w) and Olliffe and Geraci (a) and Troy (c)

So what exactly happened to Carol at the end of Enemy Within? We've gotten a bit of it through Jess' re-telling in Avengers Assemble but let's hear it from her. She apparently lost some of her brain tissue in the battle against Yon-Rogg. Mechanically, she's fine now; her Kree side took care of that well enough to heal her. However, it couldn't heal memories so now she's got all of the skill and only traces of the history. She doesn't feel connected to her Avengers family in any way any more, which is pretty sad and is doubly sad when you realize SHE'S NOT GOING TO REMEMBER KIT EITHER. Look at that little girl.

She worships Captain Marvel, she's going to be DEVASTATED. Ug. Okay, anyway. We see the Battle of the Corridor (the battle that took place in Avengers 18 and also Avengers Assemble 18) but from the perspective of Carol and her ship this time. And things are heating up. We already pretty much know the story by now (though it's certainly worth reading this issue to see her side of it) but we don't know the aftermath. Here we get a bit of that (it'll likely be expanded upon with other Infinity books too) as Carol gets her ship's crew into their escape pods to be launched at a nearby Kree vessel. Carol will blow the ship right as everyone launches to give a little extra push (they're fighting against a black hole, they could use some push) and she will try to get to them herself through space. Everything goes seemingly according to plan when, as she leaves the ship, she goes Binary.

For people unsure of that, it's probably worth checking Wikipedia for Captain Marvel's history (actually, obnoxiously, you have to go to Ms. Marvel's page. You can get there through the Carol Danvers blurb on the Captain Marvel page but, I mean, come on guys). Suffice it to say, Binary is an incredibly powerful and somewhat unstable part of Carol's past. Still, incredibly powerful can't hurt right now. Probably. I mean, incredibly powerful is good against the Builders and in these battles but it would be better for a Carol who remembers her team and, you know, isn't going to break Kit's heart. Still, there's plenty going on in this book and it's a pretty great read (as is typical for this book) that gives us a great feel for what's happening with Carol right now. Always the soldier, she's taking it all in stride and just doing her best to step up to the current situation. Great characterization abounds in this book, as it so often does, and again it's a great series.

Thor: God of Thunder 12
Aaron (w) and Klein (a and c)

Thor is done with this crazy God Butcher business and is back to his business as a god among mortals. We see a little bit from each Thor, including young Thor's return to Earth that sets up the rest of the book in a way. Thor is an immensely powerful character with little or nothing in common with mankind yet he always spends his time on Earth, helping the people and fraternizing with the people. It's great for people (and for us as an audience because it would get boring if it was just all Asgard all the time) but there's reason it could strike you as a little odd. It's a little like Doctor Who in that way; he's disconnected from the people and infinitely more powerful (in different ways) but he never really places himself above them and always wants to help them. And it comes down to the same reason, essentially: the two love humans and Earth. That's enough to carry them. And it's particularly well done here as I think that's something that can be a little lost from Thor. Instead, he's very clear that he's on Earth because he loves its people. It's not just all fighting aliens and protecting the people. In this issue, Thor does numerous good deeds simply because he can. Nothing like hitting Doctor Doom or anything, just bringing fruit to people or accompanying a convict he's grown close to on his way to his execution and talking and drinking with veterans and more. It's a really lovely piece. He goes on to accompany a graduating SHIELD agent to a celebration party thing (it looks a little like a prom, honestly) because she requested it on a video on the internet (Tony relayed the message to Thor, who doesn't use the internet). His age and his need to help peek through a little as he visits a sick Jane Foster, post-chemo, and insists that he find some way to help cure her, which she refuses. She prefers to stick with human science for all of this, but she does accept a trip to the moon with Thor to watch the sun go down behind the Earth. They talk for a while and she tells him to meet someone new so he goes back out with new SHIELD agent Roz Solomon. Meanwhile, in the future, King Thor returns to Earth because Thor always returns to Earth, even though this Earth is decrepit and broken.

Really great issue. Obviously not every issue can be this one, a break from the action wherein we see Thor doing just really nice things and we get an understanding of what it is to be a god to men and how fulfilling Thor finds it. However, getting an issue like this one once in a while is great both for his character and for our understanding of his place in the world. He's a god; surely there are bigger things out there to be worrying about than a planet with a multitude of heroes already to its name? But no, that's not really the case for Thor. He's a god of Midgard and he loves its people unquestioningly. So Thor always returns to Midgard. It's a really nice look into a character whose scale, by its very nature, has to exceed anything we actually know in real life. It's a little like Cap except that Cap is human; he's stuck with us even if he's better than us in every way. Thor could abandon the humans at any time but he chooses not to out of sheer love for the species. It's a really touching idea and it certainly still comes at a cost. He's seen scores of people he's cared about die and he's seen plenty more he doesn't care about do terrible things. Still he's here, though, because Thor always returns to Midgard. It's a great idea and it's extremely well-executed. Good comeback from the drama and intensity of the God Butcher. And Nic Klein's art really steps up here, no easy feat to follow Esad Ribic but a solid showing nonetheless.

Fearless Defenders 7, What If...AvX 4

Fearless Defenders 7
Bunn (w) and Hans (a and c)

Annabelle Riggs is in Valhalla after dying a hero's death and she doesn't quite fit in. Instead of partaking in the paradise, she stows away in her room and sulks a bit, like you'd presumably do if you died unexpectedly. Valkyrie isn't happy with the way things ended and seeks a means to set things right. The only person she can think of who owes her a favor and might have the sort of power necessary to bring Annabelle back is Clea, the Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension and former love interest and longtime ally of Doctor Strange.

I talked last issue about fridging and the death of a character who hadn't been around six issues ago and where it left this book and now it's all moot because Annabelle Riggs is on her way back. I think the points are mostly still valid but now we're adding the question of death in comics and I don't want to have that talk again, you guys. It's also still, I would say, too soon to tell whether or not Annabelle is worth the trouble we're going to in order to get her back. Is it interesting for Valkyrie's character to make these choices and to risk so much to bring Annabelle back? Yeah, sure, though it does mean you have to kind of alter your understanding of Valkyrie who, as she herself acknowledges here, has spent her whole life watching warriors die. It was kind of her job description. She's more responsible for this warrior's death, sure, but it's still a strange question. I guess we'll have to see whether or not this pays off in making Annabelle an interesting character or if the old school Captain Marvel sort of twist pans out. Otherwise, though, Stephanie Hans art continues to be impressive and among the most worthy Asgardian art out there. Marvel is smart to have her and Esad Ribic drawing Asgard stories now and again as their scale and regality fits so nicely in.

What If...AvX 4
Palmiotti (w) and Molina, Sandoval, N. Lee, and Cuevas (a) and Rosenberg (c)

Magneto has warped Hope to his will and, as such, humans are now nearing extinction, almost immediately. The remaining Avengers and X-Men are dedicated to teaming up against the two of them when Hope begins to realize what she's done. Magneto kills her and gets the power of the Phoenix himself (which, as far as I know, isn't an attribute of the Phoenix). He promptly goes on to kill a bunch more Avengers before Charles shuts his mind down just long enough for Hulk to throw Wolverine at Magneto, killing him but unleashing the Phoenix on the world which leads to, inexplicably, Wolverine and Jean being reunited and needing to restart Earth on a barren but well vegetated planet.

I've been against this series from the start, pretty openly. I don't take What Ifs seriously because they're not meant to be serious. However, that doesn't mean that they can't be good. A What If book is at its best if it uses an opportunity in a situation to show a character in a new light or to show an interesting facet of causality. This does nothing like that. As I've said previously, characters are entirely one-dimensional, sometimes ignoring any dimensions they may have had previously (Hope is not so soft-willed, for example, that Magneto could instantly change her mind to genocide, even with the Phoenix begging for destruction), therefore the characters aren't shown in any new and well-thought out light. The change in the event isn't so much a "what if some interesting part of this story was changed in a way that makes us think about the outcome differently?" as it was "what if the absolute worst possibility could have happened?" which I will amend further to "what if the absolute worst possibility could have happened with little to no provocation and little to no care for the characters involved?" Sometimes I'll start reading a book and get three pages in or something and go "my god, this book is going to be perfect," which isn't the best response to have as a reviewer because it may well taint the rest of the book, so it's important to try to ground myself after that. However, what it does mean, regardless if I'm right about it being perfect going forward, is that an idea was presented or a character was tweaked or a writer or an artist put something in that was so remarkable you could see the book edging neatly into a great place. If the book goes downhill from there or things change to revert it away from that excitement, ah well, it still gave something to think about. This was different. A few pages in I was audibly saying (to no one but myself) "this is garbage." Again, it could have tainted the way I felt about it as the book wore on but it signifies the same thing as a great idea early in a book. Something has gone so horribly wrong with this issue that there can be no coming back from it. I'm sorry to say I wasn't wrong on that one.

Gambit 15, Journey into Mystery 654

Gambit 15
Asmus (w) and C. Mann and S. Mann (a) and Rosenberg (c)

After weeks of impressive thievery, Gambit finds himself at a bit of a crossroads. Is the thievery fulfilling enough to return to full time? Should he go teach at the Jean Grey School again? Would he make an awful Avenger if he took up Rogue's offer of joining the Unity Avengers? Could he and Pete Wisdom get along together if he went to work for him, taking up an offer that I'm not sure was ever extended? To add to it, he's brought more than a little attention to himself in the thieving community with his recent exploits and now someone is trying to get to him by stealing the NYSE bell, which signifies the start of the day for the stock market and which was always a goal of Gambit's, and leaving clues that he's sure to respond to. He and Fence investigate but it's likely Gambit won't like where the investigation leads.

This probably final arc of Gambit (not sure how long the arc is planning to go but the book isn't far from its final issue) will see Gambit pitted against his past, among probably other things and it's off to an interesting start as Remy has to start piecing things together here to try to get a jump on someone who clearly has a significant jump on him. This isn't like Joelle or Cich, who he had to get involved with before they knew who he was; this is someone who is targeting Gambit for one reason or another who Gambit has to work backwards to match. The writing of this book, as it has for a while, alternates between fluidity and somewhat clunky dialogue with Gambit throwing in a few somewhat forced jokes to keep up his "wisecracking Cajun" persona. There are a couple of vague references to distaste with the 1% and wealth and everything but none of it really adds to his character as none of it is said with any sort of passion beyond "ah well, I'd like ta steal from more people and they have a lotta money and Robin Hood, ya know?" (Perfect Gambit, nailed it) That's been kind of an issue with this series throughout; for everything we've seen from Gambit I'm not sure we've actually learned anything new about the character or anything even particularly compelling. Sure he had a love interest in Joelle mixed against his love for Rogue but the things we knew about Gambit prior to this, the things that were set in stone for his character, were essentially "thief," "Cajun," "womanizer," and "wisecracking." I don't know that anything in this series has characterized him beyond that in any way, leaving the series still readable and enjoyable, but somewhat forgettable. Can every issue bring some revelatory truth about a character? I don't know, probably not. But some should. I can't honestly say that any have, to this point, in this series.

Journey into Mystery 654
K. Immonen (w) and Schiti (a) and Bellaire (c)

Sif and Bill are dealing with their problems in their various manners, with Sif trying to track Gaea and Bill agonizing over the loss of Skuttlebutt. Sif manages to find Gaea in the garden Bill had been rejected from and discovers that the garden has worked wonders on the All-Mother, leaving her rejuvenated and fresh. Sif doesn't feel comfortable with how quickly it's happened and wants to return Gaea to Asgardia but Gaea is wary of that, as she feels her sickness was brought on by all of the Stark Technology used to build Asgardia leaving her with little real plant life to keep her happy. Meanwhile, Bill has been found by Skuttlebutt, now inhabiting the thought-dead body of Ti Asha Ra, pulled out of the ship by the entity that's driving this whole story and put into the new body. Something sinister is afoot and Sif needs to get to the bottom of it before it corrupts everything.

Unlike Gambit, there's less that's been explored in Sif's character over the years so there's more for Immonen to really introduce for her. That said, I don't think it's been an easy task for Immonen to take a great warrior of Asgard(ia) and cast her in this new light, one that really gives her a full-fledged personality and one that, at times, has the ability to be something silly and fun. Frankly, this book has been astoundingly good each issue and it's almost entirely on the back of Sif, who does exactly what's needed of her for the plot but does it with a character that's wholly entertaining. This story is certainly an interesting one with some sinister machinations behind it and a solid mystery for Bill and Sif to get to the bottom of but the driving force is certainly the writing and the characters themselves. Like I said with Gambit, there are times where certain writers know that the dialogue should be fun but don't seem to have anything particularly fun to say, so they strong arm some predictable joke in to take advantage of the timing. Here, as with just about every issue of Immonen's JiM, the writing flows pretty naturally and the quick and fun writing catches you off-guard. Sometimes the humor comes from the situation, sometimes it comes from the snappy dialogue, sometimes it comes from the tried-and-true Asgardians talk funny method but it almost all always works. Schiti's art perfectly compliments it, giving exactly the right feel to every situation and Bellaire's colors continue to be among the best in the industry. Letterer Clayton Cowles gets in on the fun too, setting up word bubbles nicely to give a sense of flow to the conversation, directing your eyes to read the dialogue the way its meant to be read (I don't highlight letterers enough but they do some pretty astounding work. The general rule of thumb is that if you're pointing out a letterer, it's never because they've done something well, just because they've screwed something up. They're kind of the referees of comics). Solid book throughout and another particularly good issue. Here's a panel from this issue because I found it especially funny (not sure it is out of context but whatever, my blog my rules) and I don't think I'm going to highlight it at any other time this week.

Fearless Defenders 5, Thunderbolts 10, Ultimates 25

Fearless Defenders 5
Bunn (w) and Sliney (a) and Gandini (c)

Valkyrie, Hippoylta, and Dani Moonstar have made their way to Brazil, to Asgardian holy ground made holy by missionaries of Asgard long ago, to face off against Caroline Le Fey and the Doom Maidens. Valkyrie frets, in her internal monologue, about whether or not she's actually betrayed her friends by bringing them here. The Doom Maidens descend upon them and outnumber them greatly before Misty shows up with her group of hired heroes, twelve women superheroes in addition to Misty and Annabelle. They quickly jump into the fray and there's much quipping and strangely timed small-talk between the heroes, who range from Storm, Captain Marvel, and Black Widow to Hellcat, Thundra, and Tarantula. While they help to fight off the Doom Maidens, Valkyrie uses the opportunity to transform herself into Brunhilde, the Doom Maiden she once was, knowing that all the heroes in the world couldn't stop the Doom Maidens and only her rage could. She-Hulk, knowing "a thing or two about rage," worries that Valkyrie won't be able to come out of it so easily.

My biggest issue with this comic is still that I'm having trouble nailing down the tone of the series. It alternates between seeming cute and cheeky and seeming dire and tense. It's not like a subtle shift, either, where the characters happen to be cute or cheeky naturally and put into dire and tense situations. Instead, someone will have a cute and/or cheeky line (or, always weirder, the narration will) and then a super dire and/or tense line the next time. It's hard to get a feel for the book that isn't sure what feel it wants to have. Still, the story is compelling and next issue will likely be interesting as Valkyrie gives in to her Doom Maiden past and could need to be shut down. Oh, and despite what I said about the tone not knowing where it wants to be, it's nice to see Misty and Colleen Wing chat again. Haven't seen that in a few years, I feel like.

Thunderbolts 10
Way (w) and Noto (a) and Guru eFX (c)

The T-bolts have traced the call that activated the bomb to Orestez Natchios, Elektra's brother. We haven't seen much of their relationship but, after a couple pages of her silent memories, we get the sense it isn't the best relationship. Meanwhile, people still don't trust Ross and don't like being left in the dark on parts of his plans. The Leader, particularly, is getting sick of it. Though he's not the same intelligence and, seemingly, the same personality he has been in the past, he's getting annoyed that he hasn't earned any trust and that he isn't being told any part of any plan. He causes a little bit of a scene as Ross, Punisher, and Elektra walk with him to go meet a contact of Ross' to try to get more information. They had decided to send Elektra in to meet with her brother, deciding that she could gain information if it wasn't a trap and Red Hulk could come in for backup if it was. They've linked to Natchios and Vanko together but Deadpool and Venom discover that Vanko has died suspiciously. The news is reporting it as a suicide but the reader already saw Natchios kill Vanko and Deadpool and Venom both know it's a little too convenient. No one seems to be happy with Natchios as the group who has been using the Dynamo soldiers to propel their holy war are shocked to find they've been betrayed by him but are happy that Vanko assumed he might and gave them control over the armor. They send some armors after Natchios as Ross and crew are surrounded by cellphones ringing. Red Hulk answers one tentatively and hands it to the Leader, telling him that it's him on the other line.

I'll admit, I'm getting a little lost in this plot. There are a lot of moving parts that make me feel like I missed an issue or two somewhere along the line, but I'm pretty sure I didn't. I'm happy to assume this is my fault but it is a potential hazard for this book as I know it's not the first time I've felt this way. There are definitely high points to this book and I think there's probably a compelling story here that I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around. I continue to really enjoy seeing Way write Deadpool again and I'm finding the way he's handling every other character interesting. Maybe part of my issue with not understanding this is that I'm depressed I can't just watch these characters interact non-stop. I really like the way Flash is being presented (as a soldier but one who doesn't trust his CO) and I think there's something beautiful happening with Elektra just under the surface, which is where everything with her should happen, given how tightly guarded she is. There's a lot to like, I'm just not sure how the story fits with the rest.

Ultimates 25
Fialkov (w) and Di Giandomenico and Ruggiero (a) and Charalampidis (c)

I tend to push the Ultimate Universe a little bit back in my mind, preferring to focus on the 616 and all of the information that comes with that. There are a lot of things to like about the Ultimate Universe and I know I've highlighted some of it on this blog but my efforts tend to focus more on the main Marvel Universe. As such, I've missed big gaps in the Ultimate Universe. I do like the way that this universe fits together and how well-developed this world is for being so small. Sometimes in the main universe you can get caught up in how crazily big it is and how weird Marvel time is. However, when major events hit, it can leave me wondering how this world pieces together all the time and makes me wonder just how much I missed. This is definitely one of those cases. I've read the first few tens of issues of the Ultimates and then I think I fell off that wagon for a bit, only coming back over the last year or so (I'd kept up on Ultimate Spider-Man but that keeps to itself mostly, outside of events). In my head, there's not much I missed but I'm so very clearly wrong about that. Let's get into it. Sue and Thor have brought the Infinity Gauntlets and the gems they have to the attention of the Ultimates and they begin to discuss what's happening as a mysterious figure goes below them, to the basement, to free Bruce Banner from the chemicals he's hooked up to that will kill him if he hulks out. Hulk bursts out through the ground, destroying the Triskelion and taking the Gauntlets. Also freed by the mysterious figure, this time from the Cube, is the horribly deformed and evil Reed Richards, who takes control of the Gauntlets when he appears. The last member of their motley crew Quicksilver shows up with another of the gems, giving them nearly all of the gems. Cap demands Thor teleport the rest of the Ultimates away to regroup, leaving him behind to distract Hulk and Richards. Thor, under protest, does this, and Cap is quickly knocked out by Hulk. Now, with the gems and Captain America, these Dark Ultimates (as they're kind of billed) seem to hold all the cards, along with their benefactor, now revealed to be Kang the Conqueror.

I think this is an interesting start to this issue and billing this event as "Disassembled" is a very intriguing way to start this, given what that means in the main universe. I will say this is one of the times where I've found myself feeling at a disadvantage for not having read more Ultimates. Also for having a pretty bad memory. I know I've been reading Ultimates since Reed Richards' latest exploits as one of the Children of Tomorrow but I still don't feel like I'm prepared for this arc with the background information I need. I also feel like I missed something along the line with Hulk and I'm not sure if this is Kang's first appearance or what. Maybe I'll look into this stuff and get back to you. Either way, the stakes are high and Cap, who is no longer President Cap, assuming everything he requested went through after last issue, is the captive of these new Dark Ultimates and, on top of being powerful just based on who they are, they control the majority of the Infinity Gems. So there's stuff to see soon.

Journey into Mystery 652, Iron Man 258.3

Journey into Mystery 652
K. Immonen (w) and Schiti (a) and Bellaire (c)

For whatever reason, I tend not to clump this book among my favorites. Part of that I would have to attribute to the fact that I have so many books I'm a bit in love with right now. The other part might be that it hasn't really blown me away in any issue so far. It could still have something to do with the fact that my mind tends to seize up a little around Asgard stuff; there's a lot of history there and I don't know huge swaths of it, even considering how much I do know and that frustrates me. However, when we get right down to it, I love this book because of the way Immonen treats Sif. Immonen clearly has a perfect picture of the way she wants her main character to be presented and the way that Sif deserves to be presented. She's still undeniably Asgardian but she is her own Asgardian. She still has all the same warrior tendencies and the same bafflement at Earth qualities but she has such a clearly defined voice aside from all of those rather defined traits. If you're looking for a book with an interesting character and a good place to read character, you could do far worse than this one. As that is something I'm usually looking for, I tend to enjoy this book throughout then forget about it when I'm choosing favorites. So it goes.

Gaea, one of the Asgardia all-mothers, has taken ill and no one knows what to do about it. She's, as you might assume, the all-mother tied to nature so the Asgardians are particularly nervous about what this could mean. They also have no idea how to heal her. Sif goes to Broxton to talk to Jane Foster and see if humans have any sort of thoughts on this and Jane recommends quarantining and observing Gaea and her garden. Tony Stark offers an asteroid that he has marked as a place where they could quarantine her. Sif volunteers to take care of it and watch her out there but, when they get there, they get a call from Beta Ray Bill asking them to quickly evacuate the base because he and his ship Skuttlebutt are in pursuit of a ship that's set to crash on the asteroid, a ship that is being driven by Bill's ex-girlfriend. There's a lot of fun dialogue throughout the issue and Sif and Bill's relationship is already looking like a fun one, so it'll be good to see their interplay throughout the arc. Just a really fun book with a very strong central character.

Iron Man 258.3
Michelinie (w) and Ross and Layton (a) and Sotomayor (c)

Entity is planning to kill both Iron Man and Justin Hammer, as Tony figured out last issue, so Iron Man goes to warn and protect Hammer of the impending attack. He gets there and is attacked by Hammer's defenses before being able to relay the message. As Hammer disengages his own attack, Entity sends in a squad of SHIELD Mandroids that he's hacked and a squad of Dreadnoughts to kill the pair. Iron Man is able to hold them all off long enough for Hammer to use his emergency escape ship to launch off to his space satellite. With Hammer clear of his island, Tony blows the whole place up to disable the Mandroids and Dreadnoughts. As they regroup, Tony heads for the satellite. His suit, though, isn't particularly made for space travel and he finds himself running low on oxygen as he reaches Hammer, who decides not to open the door for him, preferring to rid the world of Iron Man while he has the chance. Meanwhile, Rhodey has been trapped in Stark's underground computer base by the Entity and looks for a way out. He finds a new suit that looks like the War Machine suit (I don't know where exactly this series falls in continuity as it pertains to Rhodey and War Machine) which he determines isn't connected to the computer system, so it's free of Entity's influence. However, the last time Rhodey was in a suit was a pretty traumatic experience so he has to will himself into the suit, which he does to escape and try to help Tony.

Big ol' fight scenes permeate through this issue but not a ton else. There's not a giant focus on advancing the plot behind the fact that now Hammer seems to know Entity is after him and Rhodey is in a suit and on his way to help Tony. By and large, though, the issue spends its time with explosions and Tony narrating how he's going to defeat his various foes. Makes it a little tricky to delve into the plot and the characters when there isn't much to say. Oh well. Next issue is prime for some plot to happen, I suppose.

Uncanny X-Men 4, Fearless Defenders 3

Uncanny X-Men 4
Bendis (w) and Bachalo, Townsend, Mendoza, Vey, and Olazaba (a) and Bachalo (c)

In my last All-New X-Men review, I speculated that the original X-Man who was going to go with Scott's crew was Jean. It made sense to me, even if it was a little formulaic, because she had heard the Jean Grey School faculty talking about how useful it would be to have a mole in the school and she's the most capable and the most gung-ho about this "staying in the future" business. Instead, it was Angel. I'm going to decide that this is a machination of Jean's and not Angel going of his own free will, which is better than what I had decided during that issue anyway. If Angel is there of his own free will, I'm having some troubles. Yes, Jean psychically made him change his mind about leaving just before all this happened (again leaning into the theory that Jean sent Angel there) but Angel is skeptical of this whole future and why they're here anyway. So how would he be the one to willingly go off with a team that featured Magneto? And, as was true last All-New X-Men issue, the Stepford Cuckoos also go with Scott's new X-Men team.
If it seems like I'm retreading a lot of ANXM ground with this issue's recap, it's because this issue was the last issue of ANXM, by and large. There are some things happening between the Cuckoos and Emma, as they talk to her psychically while Scott's at the school and discover that she's without powers but by and large, a third of this book or so is literally the same meeting from ANXM. You have to assume, of course, that not everyone who reads Uncanny X-Men will be reading All-New X-Men and you have to give some sort of recap to explain how the Cuckoos and Angel ended up with Scott and his team, but I'm not sure you have to take up a third of the issue copying down the majority of a different issue. I think the Emma and the Cuckoos stuff is worthwhile and fits in this book but the book is so insistent with showing us what's happening between Scott and everyone else and I'd say that's not necessary here. Again, though, this comes from someone who read both books. Maybe someone who's just reading Uncanny X-Men really profits from getting that whole talk. I'm not sure I profited from it when it was only in All-New X-Men so I'm particularly against it now. It's the same general problem I tend to have with Bendis' books, all boiled down; I feel like we have a lot of wasted space in this issue. But again, that's coming from someone who knows the full story going in. Meanwhile, the other new recruits continue to be somewhat uninteresting and make me sigh when I see blocks of text coming out of them and something is happening with Magik's powers. I need to give more time for the new recruits, obviously, who have no training and are just learning about what it is to be mutant, but it's that back-and-forth dialogue every time they show up that makes me cringe a bit. Magik will likely be explored next issue.

Fearless Defenders 3
Bunn (w) and Sliney (a) and Gandini (c)

Alright, now the book's starting to jump into it a little bit. We're starting to understand a little bit more of the threat that's been presented to us. The Doom Maidens are a dangerous and formidable bunch who are being raised by Caroline Le Fey and her assistant Mr. Raven. We still don't know what their goals are, aside from "end of the world" kind of talk, but we've at least seen, from Hela's description, how brutal they can be. Hela has then raised Hippolyta by calling in many favors and promising many more to different death lords and has chosen her to fight for Asgardia. She doesn't want Valkyrie in on this because she fears that Valkyrie could be turned against them. When asked what her motivation is in trying to stop the Doom Maidens from wiping out the gods and humans and what not, who, Valkyrie points out, would only strengthen Hela's army, Hela responds that the Doom Maidens would then tear from the lands of the living to her lands and have already captured Dani Moonstar, shieldmaiden to Hel, to open up a path. So the pieces are mostly in place here, which helps open some things up for the audience. The All-Mothers accept Hippolyta but also overrule Hela, saying that the three who just came to Asgardia (Valkyrie, Misty, and Annabelle Riggs) will go with Hippolyta to fight the Doom Maidens. Honestly, not that I'm trying to badmouth these three, this seems a little ill-prepared from the All-Mothers. They know Valkyrie is good for this kind of fight and it's her fault that it's happening (though they should consider Hela's warning about turning Valkyrie against them), but they don't know much about Misty Knight and Annabelle Riggs is a non-powered archaeologist. Yes, yes, teamwork and overcoming odds and all, but it REALLY seems like if this threat is so big they're willing to work alongside Hela, who was willing to raise the ruler of the Amazons for the task, they should maybe vet their candidates a little better.
So the new team heads to Harrowpoint Island in Washington, where Hela tracked the resonances of the Doom Maidens, and sets off on their search. Valkyrie is drawn to a spot in the little abandoned town under a church, where they find some groggy Doom Maidens and the rock-encased Dani Moonstar. Hippolyta quickly begins to fight and finds herself doing pretty well, though the other three are a little more taken aback. Riggs rescues Dani, though Le Fey, from her monitoring station, says that the ritual was near complete anyway so losing Moonstar isn't a huge problem. She also says that the Doom Maidens have just woken up after sleeping for a few thousand years, so they probably just have to shake off the cobwebs. Once they do, the maiden of seduction slows Hippolyta and Valkyrie, still fighting, realizes that something seems to be awakening in her. The Doom Maidens stop fighting her and call her their sister as the issue ends. So this book seems to be going places after a couple set-up issues that seem necessary, especially in retrospect. There's still only a little bit connecting these heroes, so it'll be important to see those connections and ties grow as the book continues, meaning that we'll have to get some more character focus in coming issues. Still, I'm more optimistic about this book after this issue than I had been after a somewhat slow, if necessary, start.

Indestructible Hulk 6, Red She-Hulk 64

Indestructible Hulk 6
Waid (w) and Simonson (a) and Mossa (c)

The seeds that were planted a couple issues ago are starting to blossom as we get an issue dedicated to Banner's work in his SHIELD funded lab with his somewhat sketchy lab crew, all hand-picked by Banner because they had something hiding inside of them (LIKE HULK, GET IT?). We can't dive too deep into the various psyches of the team, though, because there's plot to be had. Banner has a sliver of Uru metal, donated to SHIELD from Thor, and he suspects that, with the right science-ing, he can use it to open a portal to a different realm. He is correct and it sends them straight to Jotunheim, home of the frost giants. Three members of his team suit up in SHIELD provided armor (leaving one member of the team behind to keep the portal ready) and Banner gets into his new Hulk armor as they make the trip through the portal. Meanwhile, Mjolnir has detected the portal and wakes Thor up to go find out what's happening. Banner explains to his team that they're in Jotunheim to try to find a legendary liquid called Eiderdurm, which Banner speculates could jump them ten years in eliminating fossil fuels. They find a whole mountain of the stuff as Thor shows up, warning them that they should go home before the frost giants arrive. However, it looks like the portal might not have just sent the team through space but also through time as Thor is wearing an old costume and has no knowledge of Banner or SHIELD. Thor is still kind enough to the team and defends them as best he can when the frost giants do inevitably show up. The team runs for the portal and Banner is frozen in solid ice. Eventually Hulk breaks out of the ice and begins taking the giants down. Finally, he sees Thor's hammer resting on the ground. He jumps for it and, after a bit of effort, lifts it, shouting that he is worthy.
So that's a new development. One of the great things about Thor's hammer Mjolnir, for those who don't know, is that it is enchanted by a spell (more or less) that says only those who are worthy may lift the hammer, but whosever can lift it will be blessed with the power of Thor. There are very, very few people in the Marvel Universe who have ever lifted Thor's hammer. Captain America can do it and I believe Beta Ray Bill can do it. This is the first time that Hulk has been able to do it and it might actually make him more formidable than he already is. So that right there is something to look forward to. Add to that the fact that Thor saw Banner, a stranger, frozen in ice and didn't see his transformation into Hulk. I think we're going to have a misunderstanding fight on our hands next issue, and it's one of the always top-billed Thor and Hulk fights. This is one of those ones that people in comic book stores argue over the outcome. And now Hulk has Mjolnir? Weird.

Red She-Hulk 64
Parker (w) and Pagulayan and Alves (a) and Staples (c)

Red She-Hulk continues to be one of my all-around favorite surprise books of the last few months. The plot is equal parts sci-fi and action thriller complete with a corrupt military complex that threatens to devastate the world in the wrong hands. The characters, as they've grown more comfortable with one another, have blossomed into compelling and delightful protagonists, with a steady back and forth that stays fresh without the need to constantly talk over one another. It's banter done right and it's absolutely a joy to read. It's also happened pretty naturally, especially X-51's transition from colder/more task-oriented to softer and funnier companion for Red She-Hulk. It didn't feel like he just became something that he wasn't to fit the plot, it felt like he began to trust Red She-Hulk more and understand her motives better so he let his guard down a bit. I had little to no knowledge of X-51 before this series but he has really developed into a character I want to hear more about. My girlfriend, who is not reading this series, read a review I wrote about this story and remembered X-51 from an older Ms. Marvel comic and remembered him as being pretty funny. I'm glad to hear that the humor that's so evident in his character in this series is within his normal character parameters.
Anyway, Red She-Hulk and X-51 have been forced literally underground by the pressure from SHIELD and General Fortean. After going deeper and deeper in search of another old SHIELD base, they run into the Mole Monster, a horrible hybrid son of Mole Man and some other underground dweller. Mole Monster rules a bunch of monsters in his underground lair (as well as the typical moloids) and eventually welcomes Red She-Hulk and X-51 as being different from humans as well. They tell him what they're looking for and he directs them to another SHIELD pyramid. When they get inside, they find that, despite its pyramid shape outside, it houses a sphere on the inside, with all the continents displayed like a globe, as if they were looking at them from the inside out. Tesla shows up again and recognizes the two heroes and tells them that Eleanor is safe but she had to be moved because Red She-Hulk's plan (which had been to bring the general to Eleanor to see what his machinations would cause) would have been extremely dangerous. No military, he says, should ever know the future nor have access to someone like Eleanor. He attempts to kick them out of the pyramid but X-51 toys with a few controls in the sphere and alters where they land at random. As the issue ends, they find themselves in front of a version of Mt. Rushmore that features the heads of Dr. Doom, Loki, Red Skull, and Ultron. Though it seems like we might be in for a bit of a delay on the plot we've been working on, this is certainly a good place to leave us and I have pretty good faith in Parker's ability to write weird and horrible alternate dimensions, given his current run on Dark Avengers. Another solid entry into the series and this book just keeps doing things right by my standards.

Hawkeye 8, Journey into Mystery 649, Gambit 9

Hawkeye 8
Fraction (w) and Aja and Wu (a) and Hollingsworth (c)

Another really solid entry in this Hawkeye series. This one is a little tougher to follow than the standard Hawkeye (which may be tougher to follow than the standard Marvel production anyway) as it bounces around the story a bit and, this is largely where the confusion comes in, it focuses on Hawkeye's "bad penny," called Penny and Cherry at different times, as we don't know her real name. That is exactly why she makes it a little harder to follow; Penny/Cherry is the best example of an unreliable narrator. We don't know when she's telling the truth, we don't know IF she's told the truth and we don't know why we should believe her. Hawkeye certainly isn't sure at any point except that he's a hero and she's pretty attractive so probably he should help her.

The story is framed around a series of comics Cherry has been discreetly sending Clint. The comics, illustrated wonderfully by Annie Wu, feature a protagonist who looks shockingly like Cherry and drives a car that looks shockingly like the one she sold Clint back in her first appearance. Clint can't help wondering if it is actually her that these comics are depicting but, given Cherry's level or reliability, we never get any sort of clear answer. Regardless, they certainly inform our opinions about her nonetheless. Each comic cover (there are four in total) looks exactly the way they're supposed to, like an older woman-centric kind of magazine (they even have the correct titles, like "Love Fugitive" and "A Girl Like You" which both play into what's happening in Hawkeye and look and sound exactly like the comics they're meant to represent). It's really a great framing device and I can't say enough how wonderful these comic covers look. The clear and detailed style reminds me of McKelvie's work and definitely make me want to look into Annie Wu, who I'm not sure I've seen before. They also represent a clear break from Aja's work while simultaneously fitting perfectly alongside it. It's a really gorgeous issue, maybe more than a regular Hawkeye issue. The story revolving around Cherry is similarly entertaining and has that extra layer of ambiguity given the subject matter.

As the issue winds down, we learn that things are heating up for Hawkeye, as the tracksuit Draculas are offering their services to the major crime players of New York and offering up Hawkeye's life. The crime lords seem pretty split on whether to take the Draculas on their deal but, led by Kingpin, they eventually consent, deciding that in the best case, Hawkeye dies, and in the worst case, the Draculas fail and all get arrested, leaving their new territory a little more open. Thrilling times ahead.

Journey into Mystery
Immonen (w) and Schiti (a) and Bellaire (c)

Uhhhhhhhh, so I think that (SPOILERS) Sif just decapitated Heimdall? So that's a thing that happened.  Huh.

Right, so, when we last saw them, Sif and her newfound trio of Asgardian berserkers slipped through a portal to Earth that happened to bring along various monsters. Sif's battle with a legion of near-spiders (they're only six-armed) ends in some spider-slaughter (assisted by Superior Spider-Man) and leaves us watching around the world (and the atmosphere) as various other heroes (including Monica Rambeau, Hellcat, and Namor) dispatch the remaining monsters with ease. The berserkers in New York bicker about where to go next for a minute before Sif puts her boot down and says that they're going to return to Asgardia to protect the realm. After some more discussion on logistics, Sif manages to place a call to Broxton that sets the wheels in motion for Heimdall to open the Bifrost for our heroes, who promptly pass it and slice off Heimdall's head. Nope, still sounds weird.

I do like the way this comic is executed. It doesn't feel the need to stick with Sif throughout its entirety and it doesn't feel like it has to trap Sif in a threat that doesn't fit with the Marvel Universe. Yes the monsters were real threats but, when this sort of thing happens in other books, that usually leads to the titular character trying to track down each one him or herself. In this case, Immonen rightly points out that, though the monsters are menacing, the other heroes of Earth are capable of taking care of themselves. It's a clever device that also frees Sif up to leave Midgard without spending too much time there and without leaving readers asking why she didn't clean up her own mess. She would have but others got to it first. It's also a nice way to showcase some heroes who have slid off the radar a bit, like Hellcat and Monica (which is not her hero name). Then we get the cliffhanger at the end and boy do we need to get to the next issue to clear up what is happening.

Gambit 9
Asmus (w) and C. Mann and S. Mann w/ Martinez (a) and Rosenberg (c)

I think the best thing that Asmus has done with this book so far (which has been a pretty good book overall) is simply in his feel for the character. Gambit's a tough character to get right and a really easy one to get wrong. You throw in a couple Cajun sounding things and make him pun a lot and boom, classic Gambit. Marvel recently, though, hasn't opted to take the easy way out at any turn. Gambit, like almost all other characters in their own single title or even in their team titles, is being portrayed as somewhat more complex, but not so complex that he gets away from the roots of his character, which is complex enough in its conceit. Okay, that was convoluted. The point is that Gambit, a lifelong thief and regular X-Man, is a complex character just in that description, but his personality seems pretty straightforward. It's not an easy line to walk and Asmus has it lined up pretty well.

This story takes Gambit back to Joelle, the femme fatale that got him into trouble in the first arc of this series. Now she's consorting with super-villains in New York's infamous "Bar With No Name" (the Marvel bar where all the villains hang out and occasionally where Punisher and Daredevil go to let off steam or follow leads) and trying to make deals with some of the bigger members, specifically Tombstone. It's a great little bar atmosphere which features a lot of risque dancers and what not, which would normally have me crying foul but it fits with the establishment. You don't expect the villain's bar to be full of dart boards and sadness. Anyway, it's a nice set-up because it also shows us how Gambit fits into this world. He's greeted courteously by some villains, who consider him a fine member of their ranks (including by Batroc the "oh man you guys I totally love Batroc" Leaper), and treated with suspicion by plenty of others. It just serves to again show the complexity of the character, though he keeps his normal personality throughout his time there. After trying to persuade Joelle to leave with no success, he plants incriminating evidence on her to turn the establishment against her, then gets her out of the bar. Tombstone swears revenge. Later, Gambit and Joelle have a talk wherein she reveals that she has a dying daughter, which is driving all of her actions. It's like the Hawkeye issue in that we're still not sure of her true motives or whether or not she's lying.

This has been a solid run so far. I'm looking forward to where this plays out but I also won't be too upset to eventually lose the Joelle story (if we do). I don't know why, I just haven't connected to the character well. I think she just sprang a little too much out of nowhere and it's left me a little surprised at how quickly Gambit fell head over heels in love with her. Maybe this arc will develop her more (or, quite probably, maybe it's my fault because I didn't pay enough attention to the first few issues) and this will go away, but for now I'm a little hesitant.