ALL OF LAST WEEK 11-12-14

Ugggh. Alright guys, I gave you a heads-up on this. Did I definitely know I wouldn't get any reviews done? No, I had some amount of optimism. Did I suspect I wouldn't get any reviews done? No comment.
So this blog is getting a little bit lax lately. I built up this thing on reliability and long and rambling reviews. Unfortunately, lately I've both been unreliable and I've tried to cut off the rambling. One of those changes, I believe, has been a good thing. The other? Wellllllllllllll, maybe less so. There's a good chance this blog starts taking a different format soon or at least stops proudly toting that it reviews every single major Marvel comic every single week. But, as we are still that (at least in my head), here's as quick a review as I can do for every comic this week.


All-New Captain America 1

Sam Wilson is officially the new Captain America and he's certainly capable of walking the walk, talking the talk, and wielding the shield. In a bit of a challenge, his new pseudo-partner is the new Nomad, Steve's son Ian. Together they storm an enemy base but find themselves at odds when Nomad throws Batroc the Leaper to his death (WHAT) and the pair suddenly find themselves faced with a number of classic Cap villains led by Baron Zemo. Remender's wasting no time getting Sam acquainted to the role and to the Cap villains he already knows. There are some great uses of Redwing in this issue and, while it's a pretty good issue and certainly a monumental achievement, it's hard for me to give this a 5 out of 5 when it's possible Batroc is dead. Total Score: 4/5







All-New Ultimates 10
Taskmaster is hunting Ultimates and just about finishes his collection with little resistance, though now he has to contend with an angry Bombshell. Still don't like this book but at least some plot and action happened. Total Score: 3/5


Avengers and X-Men: Axis 5

All the Avengers who were on Genosha are still inverted (though, and I wanted to talk about this above but I forgot and there's no possible way to go back, ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA mentioned off-handedly in its opening salvo that a bunch of heroes got inverted but came back around, so great work schedule?) and they capture the other Avengers after calling a meeting, leaving only Spider-Man, Nova, and a few others free. And the X-Men attack them. And everyone's mad. And this is still such a stupid and reverse-engineered premise. I don't really care if you can milk stories from it for months, it doesn't make it a worthwhile event. Total Score: 2/5








Axis: Hobgoblin 2
Phil Urich, the new Goblin King, attacks original Hobgoblin Roderick Kingsley only to discover that Roderick, profiting on his newfound success as a hero, has an amnesiac Lily Hollister in his sway. There are some fun and interesting things happening here but it all relies on characters I personally practically refuse to care about. Total Score: 3/5


Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier 2
Bucky was shot in the back just after learning that Loki was the middleman for the drug running operation underseas. The bullet he was shot with turns out to be filled with the drug they're chasing, a dosage of hallucinogenic Illum which wreaks a bit of havoc with Bucky as he tracks down and confronts Loki. Loki plays some games with him and makes him see all manner of strange, identity-plaguing thing. Still, by the time Bucky gets through it all, he's learned the location of the planet he needs to visit next. QUESTION: is this really the threat-level Nick Fury had to contend with as man on the wall? I'm still not at all sold on Ales Kot but he's working a bit better already with Marco Rudy, whose art is well worth the price of admission. Really gorgeous but the story and the dialogue leave a lot to be desired. Total Score: 3/5






Captain America and the Mighty Avengers 2
The Inversion is still happening over here and the Mighty Avengers are starting to think maybe they can run the world with an iron fist (though Iron Fist himself is not affected by the inversion) and finally bring peace. However, that doesn't mean inverted Luke Cage is going to forgive Spider-Man for that whole superior thing. Again, I didn't enjoy this book but I think it comes as a result of a weak premise that I cannot get behind. I mean, I don't regret buying it at all because Skottie Young cover, so duh. Total Score: 2/5


Captain Marvel 9

Captain Marvel and Tic find themselves summoned by mutant intergalactic pop-star Lila Cheney to help her get out of an arranged marriage with a prince of a different planet that she certainly never arranged. The planet the space-adventurers find themselves on is one where everyone speaks in rhyme and it gets a little bit old throughout the issue but props to DeConnick for almost entirely making it work. Anyway, Captain Marvel finds a solution, helped by her beating up a vile, power-hungry woman who would marry the prince herself to gain power, and Tic marries the prince instead, though is promised that it's a marriage in name only and that she's able to go wherever and do whatever she likes anyway. Ambitious issue that falls a little flat for me because I still don't like the Captain Marvel supporting cast and the change of scenery. I loved Carol when she was relatable and tough on Earth. Pulling her into places where explaining the plot (or rhyming) has to take most of the dialogue instead of character building hurts this book. Total Score: 3/5


Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy 4
Lady Deathstrike has a lot to think about with Logan dead. She does her thinking while thwarting a slave trade and deciding to run Logan's old underground. Certainly not a bad issue and it mostly moves fast. The art style of Juan Doe works really well with Lady Deathstrike. Total Score: 4/5


Guardians 3000 2

The Guardians continually face their own death but finally break out of their cycle with the advance knowledge provided by Geena Drake. They manage to flee from an overwhelming amount of Badoon with the assistance and probable sacrifice of Gladiator and others, hoping to end this war once and for all, though they're being followed by what is purportedly a big ol' Badoon weapon. Still finding it a little hard to get invested in these characters or this future. Total Score: 2/5











Hawkeye vs. Deadpool 2
Hawkeye and Deadpool are trying to figure out how the pieces of this puzzle fit together but continue to come upon dead ends. When Deadpool and Kate finally start getting somewhere with a hidden flashdrive, though, Hawkeye reveals himself to be apparently some sort of double agent, stabbing Deadpool and knocking Kate out while he takes the flashdrive for himself with much the same gusto as the fake heroes Black Cat had in her employ. Still some fun here but the issue drags a good deal. Total Score: 3/5


Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man 7

Osborn reveals to Miles that he, the Spiders, and Miles' dad are all connected in some way but refuses to give any more evidence than that, eventually leading to Miles and Peter knocking him senseless and potentially re-killing him. Peter gives Miles his blessing and his web-shooters and leaves with MJ to try to figure some things in his life out. Soon, Miles is faced with seeing his father again. Oh, and Kate Bishop's parents are Hydra so she's Hydra and she knows who Miles is. The issue moves pretty well and there's only a little bit of forced banter thrown into a long fight scene. It's very similar to the last issue in a number of ways but it still moves well and adds a bit of texture to the story, so little to complain about. Total Score: 4/5







Nightcrawler 8
Nightcrawler and the X-Men are returning to normal life after the passing of Wolverine when Nightcrawler is pulled back into the lives of the Crimson Pirates thanks to a distress call from Pirate Bloody Bess, who asks for Nightcrawler's help in defeating her teammates, possessed by the villain the Shadow King. He agrees to help her but they quickly find themselves on the run hoping for more backup from the X-Men, who similarly get possessed, and possibly Scorpion Boy and Ziggy Karst. Claremont's love of story again wins out here, though he's quietly doing a good job with Nightcrawler's character. Still, pacing and excessive dialogue really drag this book back down. Total Score: 3/5


Nova 23

After discovering that Kluh is attacking Arizona, Nova rushes away from Spider-Man and Steve Rogers to take on an even stronger and more vicious Hulk. He manages to do some damage but ultimate finds himself launched unconscious to France by Kluh, where he wakes in a hospital room with his broken helmet beside him. Still don't like Kluh but it's a pretty strong Nova-issue. Seriously though, every tie-in to AXIS is marred by how bad AXIS is. Total Score: 3/5











Savage Hulk 6
Dr. Strange and his SHIELD escort learn (god, FINALLY) that this race of strange intergalactic crustaceans ages at an insanely fast rate and that Hulk started off feeding on their non-sentient ancestors but has laid off of the sentient lineage, only to be cast as a villain by certain members of the society who would ruin themselves waging an unwinnable war on the monster. Strange defeats the most vocal of the anti-Hulk shrimp and deposits the Hulk back at the Crossroads while saving the society. Solid art props up this issue, which otherwise falls a little flat for me. Total Score: 3/5


She-Hulk 10

Steve tells his side of the story, revealing that his pal's brother, the one who blames Steve for getting his brother killed, was working under Nazis and Steve took a stand against them in a situation where the Nazis were very clearly going to kill all three of them. Steve is found innocent and chats with his lawyer pals for a bit before She-Hulk heads back for NYC, hoping to relax a little but finding Titania, whose name is also in the blue file, waiting for her. Another strong issue. Soule writes a really fun She-Hulk and a strong Steve Rogers on top of being just a strong writer all around. Pulido's art is absolutely perfect for the series. Total Score: 5/5









Silver Surfer 7
Dawn Greenwood and Silver Surfer have been traveling for a while now and run into their fair share of adventures and excitement, but Surfer finds himself as excited as ever to end up at the end of the universe, where even the light from the stars doesn't reach. As he and Dawn sail further and further into the depths, they find some sort of way station lighthouse and approach, only for it to grab Dawn and pull her into the nothingness. Though Norrin had sworn recently that he'd never silver down again after a particularly bad experience while he and Dawn let their guard down, he looses the power cosmic and the depths take him too, only for him to silver up again and rescue Dawn. He gave her a ring that's part of himself so he can always find her and she asks if it means they're dating. Slott's joy for writing the series, as with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, shines through here, though the tone is still a little hard to always nail down. The art of Michael and Laura Allred is, as ever, pretty astonishing and remains exactly what the book needs. Total Score: 4/5


Spider-Verse 1

Cute little introduction to a handful of alternate dimension Spiders like Spider-Man of the Spider-Clan of Earth-2301, the steampunk Lady Spider from Earth-803, the cartoonish 11-year-old Penelope Parker, Spider-Girl, of Earth-11, and a couple of other Peters who die or are ignored by Morlun. They're nice vignettes from talented writers and artists, which makes the book worth reading as long as you know what you're getting into. Total Score: 4/5












Superior Iron Man 1
Tony Stark has started drinking again, as well as mass producing Extremis and giving it to everyone in San Francisco with a smart phone. Of course, he's a despicable human being now, though he still helps out on the hero front in New York with remote Iron Men. As Pepper begins to worry about what he's doing, he shows how profitable it'll become by removing the Extremis from all of his test subjects in SF and offers it to them once more for a hundred dollars a day. What a jerk. Surprise, I still don't like AXIS. Total Score: 2/5


Thor 2

The new Thor (who is sounding more and more like SHIELD agent Roz Solomon, to my chagrin) has traveled down to Midgard with Mjolnir and finds herself beating up Frost Giants and helping the Minotaur, Dario Agger, by rescuing him from other Frost Giants attempting to find the head of King Laufey. There are some interesting bits here and there, particularly as Thor continues to speak like the old Thor but her thoughts come out sounding (and looking, thanks to the regular typesetting of her inner monologue, as opposed to the typical Thor word bubbles of her dialogue) human. Other interesting tidbits include the idea that Mjolnir is sentient and responding to Thor. Still, I'm going to be really bummed if this does just end up being Roz Solomon, who is both predictable (still a big deal that Thor's a woman but I would have liked, for story purposes, a more surprising pick) and a SHIELD agent, which practically guarantees she's not really worthy. SHIELD is terrible. All around. Total Score: 3/5