Uncanny X-Men 27, Wolverine and the X-Men 10

Uncanny X-Men 27

Matthew Malloy is still out there, wreaking some serious havoc and baffling the X-Men and SHIELD, nearby in a helicarrier. In an attempt to quell him, Rachel Grey creates a big psychic image in front of him, showing the X-Men and Avengers ready to fight him with Xavier leading the pack, asking if Malloy will allow him to rebuild the barriers in his mind for the good of the world. Malloy waffles between trusting him and hating him but ultimately begins to wonder if maybe he shouldn't be using this power to do much more. He sees through Rachel's trick and lays waste to the helicarrier, transporting most of the X-Men back to their homes (though some remain unaccounted for). Everyone is caught off-guard by this strange tactic but Scott Summers recovers quickly enough for Magik to teleport him back to Malloy, where Cyclops convinces him that he believes what Charles did was wrong and that he wants to help mutant kind, maybe the way Malloy wants to express his new powers. Cyclops asks Malloy if maybe he wants to talk a bit and Malloy consents.

The big plot development here, obviously, is that this sudden omega-level or beyond mutant is potentially ending in Cyclops' smaller camp of militant mutants, tipping the scales of the battle. I have my usual issues with Bendis books (namely some mood-breaking back-and-forth dialogue and quips) but my hesitation about naming this a good arc stems from something bigger here, I think. I don't like SCHISM and I don't like what's spawned from it. Do I think the X-Men probably needed some sort of a shakeup? Yeah, I guess so. Was SCHISM intriguing? Sure. I liked the idea of an increasingly more militant Cyclops and an increasingly more caring and protective Wolverine. On the flipside, I don't think it's carried well and it's clearly weighing on the writers at this point too. Obviously the added wrinkle of "Scott Summers killed Professor X" has extended the life of the split but I even think that's weak. Doing no research on the subject, I'm not sure there's a single character involved in these fights that hasn't been brainwashed or possessed or controlled or what-not. So has Cyclops been skewing another way for a little bit now? Well sure, I suppose people are starting to get more cynical of him. But should they erase their long history with him and his new people because he, very clearly under control of the Phoenix Force he couldn't contain and that they all knew he couldn't contain, was partly responsible for the death of his mentor? Look, I think not. What I'm getting at is that I don't think this whole antipathy between the two sides is warranted and that's entirely what this story is going to boil down to. I also have some amount of problems with omega-level+ mutants just appearing. ANYWAY. Doesn't mean this won't be an interesting story, just means I'm having some trouble buying into it. I also have been wanting to write a tiny bit about the ramifications of SCHISM for a little while now and the WATXM review should be pretty short so WHY NOT PUT IT HERE? Like that cover though.

Total Score: 3/5


Wolverine and the X-Men 10

Wolverine's ex-girlfriend Melita Garner visits the Jean Grey School to collect interviews for her upcoming book on Wolverine, a book that wolverine didn't want her writing but that Beast believes she should write, if just to serve as required reading for the students of the school. She talks with a number of Wolverine's friends and colleagues who all very clearly miss hero. She saves a couple of the big ones for next time, though, between Storm and Quentin Quire.

It's essentially a book of remembrance, showing how everyone is taking the loss and how everyone loved Wolverine. Plenty of books, I'm sure, will be doing this sort of thing over the coming months so I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to talk about these retrospectives, but you could certainly do worse than to read this one, which is sweet, moves pretty well, and highlights a number of different artists. Sometimes the switch between artists is understandably jarring but each section settles into its rhythm nicely.

Total Score: 4/5

Death of Wolverine 4, Death of Wolverine - Logan's Legacy 1

Death of Wolverine 4

Wolverine arrives at Dr. Cornelius' laboratory to find the doctor majorly behind the Weapon X program and responsible for his adamantium skeleton has been trying to perfect his technique on what would be a fully controllable, adamantium, healing army, claiming that he wants to better the world in a way he couldn't with Wolverine. He derides Wolverine as simply a killer, even named after the only animal (aside from man) that kills for pleasure, and explains that he doesn't want his legacy to be making a killer better at killing. His problem so far, and why he's wanted Wolverine and others, is that he can't seem to perfect the healing factor the would-be soldiers need to survive the adamantium. Of course, that doesn't go so hot since Wolverine no longer has his healing factor and, after he puts down Cornelius' protection, forcing Cornelius to flee, he destroys the machines, causing the last of the adamantium Cornelius has secured and re-used for hundred of experiments to pour out over him. He grabs the last syringe of passable healing factor Cornelius has been using and follows Cornelius to the roof, where his getaway chopper pilot bails before the wounded Cornelius can follow him. Cornelius bleeds out on the roof asking what Wolverine has ever done besides kill. As the adamantium hardens on our hero, he decides he did enough, looking into the sun as he solidifies.

Wolverine has always been defined by a number of things, particularly his animal nature and the Weapon X program. Soule and McNiven crafted Wolverine's death story with that in mind and, as such, gave us a final Wolverine story befitting the well-loved dark and mysterious hero. It's a story that allows Wolverine to go out unquestionably as the hero, destroying a mad scientist's attempts at making an unstoppable army and ensuring no one else goes through what he's gone through, while doing it quietly, succeeding in a way that, as Wolverine himself says it, is enough. Most hero deaths, when they happen, happen in front of witnesses, ranging from the many to the few but always with shocked onlookers. Instead, Wolverine, despite the impact he's had (which we're going to see in great length all across the Marvel Universe in the coming weeks), dies silently, away from everyone he knows and loves. And it works really, really well. Great work by Soule and McNiven and though all the makings are there for his inevitable rebirth, it's the kind of death story that has meaning and works thematically with the character so well that you can understand why Marvel was willing to do it.

Total Score: 5/5


Death of Wolverine - Logan's Legacy 1

Someone has captured Daken, X-23, Sabretooth, Mystique, and Lady Deathstrike and, supposedly, implanted them with a number of trigger words that should effectively control them. Together with their mysterious benefactor, they're meant to get to the bottom of a few secrets behind Wolverine's death.

Okay, this one wasn't nearly so great. It's just...the thing is, this one is so weird. I don't know if it's hindered by the slowed release schedule or if it was just planned to have a weird first issue, but it's unlike anything I've ever seen. The issue teases moments and character changes still to happen in this series. I legitimately wasn't sure of this and thought that maybe we were being shown clips from some infinite comic I hadn't read or something but no, it seems like it's just previewing issues to come. I...I don't get it. I mean, I get it to a point, but I don't think it's a good storytelling technique and it feels like it really doesn't benefit this series in any way. I'm hoping the next few issues will be better as they'll likely be in a more standard format. This one's just so strange though.

Total Score: 1/5

Comics this week

Tons of books out this week. How much is there to love? I mean, not as much of a ton. But certainly some! Let's talk about it.

Daredevil 9
As anyone who's read this blog knows, I'm pretty into this DAREDEVIL run by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. The last issue set up the newest arc for this team (now joined by colorist extraordinaire Matt Wilson), an arc that will pit Daredevil against the evil children of the recently hit-by-a-bus Purple Man. Creepy, creepy stuff almost definitely coming.

Death of Wolverine 4
As I've intimated the last couple reviews that have connected to DEATH OF WOLVERINE, this series has suffered a couple of delays that have made the tie-ins a little less effective. The upside is that this series has been a fairly strong (and, perhaps more excitingly, quick) little event. It's clearly a big shift for the Marvel Universe as key character since his inception Wolverine will, if the title is to be believed, die. So goodnight, sweet prince. Hopefully your death will at least settle out some of these tie-ins.

Ms. Marvel 9
Just a fantastic book. I really can't stop raving about it in my every day life. I wish someone would help me because it's starting to really impact my relationships negatively. But I don't want this book to be less good, so I suppose it's a push.

New Avengers 25
We're eight months in the future and Black Panther is having a tough time. It's never easy to watch Black Panther having a tough time. We're lucky because he so rarely is. That dude knows what's up, like, all the time. But now eight months have passed and NONE of us really know what's up. All we know is that the Cabal is BAD NEWS BEARS and it's going to be quite the fight to stop them. That fight isn't made easier by the fact that the regular type Avengers are none too pleased with the Illuminati. So much happening in this series that has been so reliably good since it started.

Superior Foes of Spider-Man 16
It came down, at the end, to voting for SUPERIOR FOES or voting for AXIS as the final book to recommend this week and AXIS left a bad taste in my mouth last week whereas SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN has not disappointed me yet. Or at least since the start of the series. That was like, a year ago, I can't be expected to remember that far back. Anyway, check out this series before it leaves us.

Uncanny Avengers 25, Death of Wolverine 3

Uncanny Avengers 25

Magneto manages to attack Red Skull, freeing Scarlet Witch, Rogue, and Havok from his mind. They all fight with Skull's S-Men for a bit while Magneto, helmet on, attacks Skull. Magneto forces Skull to the ground, beating him with all of his might, using his fists instead of his powers. After restraining Wanda so she couldn't stop him, he picks up a slab of concrete and slams it on Skull's head, horrifying the Unity Squad and bringing the fighting to halt. As Magneto explains his actions and shows no remorse for them, Skull emerges as the Red Onslaught.

There's obviously a lot happening here, between Remender exploring Magneto's youth and his understandable hatred for Skull, who is a Nazi, a mutant-hater, and who stole the brain of his dead best friend, and showing us the mutant contingent of the team he's spent the last 25 issues building. The way to connect the stories, of course, is through Wanda, so she's our narrator here, explaining the best she can the complicated relationship with her birth father. She also lets us in on the secret that she has to really restrain herself to not act like him, to not revel in his rage and allow him to do what he's doing, particularly against the Skull, for whom such rage is warranted. As a result, there are a lot of interesting things happening but it happens on a backdrop that is so chaotic and so necessary that it's easy to get lost in the jumble of things. We're still trying to get acquainted with the S-Men (especially since we haven't seen them in twenty or so issues now) and there are many moving parts here and yet they're not meant to be our focus. Remender, understandably, wants to get a lot done here in the preparation for next week's AXIS launch. However, the rush sets this one back a little bit.

Total Score: 4/5


Death of Wolverine 3

Kitty Pryde saves Wolverine from Lady Deathstrike, forcing Deathstrike to flee as Kitty injects a fading Wolverine with a quick regen serum, something that will heal him temporarily but certainly won't substitute for or replace his healing factor. She insists he allows her to come with him to help him fight off the assassins after him and get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, Wolverine quickly discovers that her mind has been taken over by ninja master Ogun, who has a long history with these two and who is ready to deliver Wolverine to the one asking for him. Wolverine fights him and Kitty, who is somewhat used to having Ogun take over her mind at this point, fights back against him as well, forcing him out into a nearby innocent's mind. Wolverine follows him while Kitty comes back to her senses, though she reveals that the one orchestrating everything is a guy named Abraham Cornelius. Wolverine catches up to Ogun, who shows him the body of the killer Cyber, another one on Cornelius' list, which seems to at least have some tie-in to adamantium-enhanced individuals. Ogun just wants Logan to leave Japan and tells him so, saying that he'll spare the innocent man he's inhabiting of Logan just leaves. Logan agrees to, but tells him to warn Cornelius that he's coming.

I was legitimately surprised when I got to the end of this issue and found that there was only one issue left in DEATH OF WOLVERINE. It's really refreshing to see a major event like this start and finish in four issues (though I'll believe it when I see it, and when I'm satisfied with the aftermath stuff that's already been announced, THE LOGAN LEGACY, maybe it's called?). It's the first time in a long while that something with this magnitude has wrapped up so quickly and I'm one hundred percent onboard with it. I'm also really enjoying this book. There is a bit of a complicated note to make here too; I was reading this issue and had quickly decided this was the best Kitty Pryde I'd seen in literally years, someone who was strong and self-assured and loyal and smart and not some weird caricature of herself. Of course, then Ogun happened to be in her mind. Was it really Kitty steering the ship up until Ogun revealed himself or was Ogun the one who I thought was the best Kitty I'd seen in a while? I prefer to think it's the former, that Ogun just piggybacked on Kitty until it was time to make his move, because that way I can still credit Soule with the best recent Kitty. ANYWAY, it's been a really interesting series so far and it's moved extremely well, aided now by the revelation (that isn't so much a revelation as it is a known and expected fact) that the next issue is the last.

Total Score: 5/5

Leftovers 9-24-14

Okay. I apologize both for my busy week this week and for the upcoming post. Got a lot of apologies to make. ANYWAY, let's get right into and out of it.

All-New Ghost Rider 7

Robbie is still having trouble making his personal life and Eli come to some sort of understanding and he ends up killing a guy to take the money he was owed before another Ghost Rider shows up to complicate things further. Still strong stuff with Smith spending just the right amount of time characterizing Robbie and the neighborhood, though I'm still wary of Hyde's role in all of this. Total Score: 4/5












All-New Invaders 10
Mars attacks? I don't know, man, this book is pretty terrible. They're helped by the daughter of the original Iron Cross who is an Inhuman now and then Torch goes crazy and she promises to help while Mars attacks London and Roger Aubrey, the Mighty Destroyer, literally has a line of dialogue that goes "I'm an incredibly dashing, older gay gentleman, by virtue of which means I'm incredibly vain" directly after he says to Union Jack and Spitfire "A speedster, a young man with a pistol and a vintage motor bike, and a "flamboyant" octogenarian." DOES ANYONE THINK ANYTHING IN THIS BOOK THEY DON'T SAY? Perhaps James Robinson would like to sit beside us as we read his books and explain bit-by-bit what's happening in case we don't understand? Total Score: 1/5

Amazing Spider-Man 1.5

Spider-Man finally beats Clash and we're all relieved because Clash is not interesting nor likable and looking back to this point in Spidey history means Spidey also isn't terribly interesting and isn't really likable so now we can all move on with our lives. Total Score: 2/5














Amazing X-Men 11
Wendigos! They're everywhere! Wolverine is one! The X-Men travel to the realm of monsters where monster Tanaraq is getting supercharged by the Wendigo presence on Earth and where he plans his attack on Earth, even expanding the Wendigo curse to mean Wendigos can exist outside of Canada! Where goes the Wendigo? EVERYWHERE. Pretty good stuff, drags a little bit despite all of the action, but still a compelling story and Yost brings to this book his uncanny ability to nail the voice of everyone he touches. Total Score: 4/5

Cyclops 5
Cyclops and Corsair have fixed the tracking beacon bounty hunters placed on their ship and therefore successfully lure a group to them, managing to outwit them and steal their ships, though Cyclops overrides his dad's plans a few times to show compassion for the bounty hunters. Good characterization of a young and optimistic Scott and now we can continue our journeys with the interesting father-son duo. Total Score: 4/5











Deadpool 35
MAYBE, just MAYBE, there will some day be a week where nary a single DEADPOOL book will be released. But that's not this week so, onwards. Deadpool spends some quality time with Ellie and has to fight a Spider-Slayer Dracula has put his consciousness into, which he defeats handily. He also brings the refugees from Butler's camps to the Jean Grey School and has Beast run medical tests on them, which could complicate things as Hank quickly calls Deadpool back, needing his liver for a vital operation. Bit of a break from the action here as even the Dracula fight has very little stakes (HA) and mostly plays for laughs, which are certainly there if not enough to carry the issue. Total Score: 3/5

Edge of Spider-Verse 3

Dustin Weaver introduces us to Aaron Aikman, the only Spider-Man who has sought out the Spider, injecting himself with a serum that gave him his powers and using advanced machinery to vigilânt around the city. There's a full story here about his laboratory and the woman he loved risking everything to save her daughter but the real story is the twist ending when Morlun shows up and kills Aikman, meaning that just because we're seeing these dudes on the EDGE of SPIDER-VERSE, they won't necessarily make it to the main showing. Pretty good stuff, drags like any of these have when they've had to really give a lot of backstory for one issue, but it holds together somewhat nicely. Total Score: 3/5






Guardians of the Galaxy 19
Quill continues to tell his story to Gamora and explains that they couldn't die in the Cancerverse so their sacrifice had kind of been for nothing, now they had to play eternal keep-away from Thanos with the Cosmic Cube, made more troublesome by the appearance of the Cancerverse Avengers who are all evil and who want the Cube themselves and, sadly, eventually get it. The issue is all from the memory of Quill so it's basically a big ol' flashback where we don't know the full ending but we kind of know maybe half of it (Drax, Quill, and Thanos, in the very least, survive to return to the 616) so kind of low stakes here for a story that's going to last at LEAST three issues. Total Score: 2/5

Inhuman 6

Dante and his new friends Jason (rock-based powers) and Naja (weird-based powers) find their way back to Attilan, now run by The Unspoken, and manage to, with the help of Vinatos, the medical regent of New Attilan, infiltrate The Unspoken's throne room. He still has the Terrigen crystals he found so he's still insanely powerful but Dante attacks him all the same, getting horribly wounded in the fight for his troubles. While Naja continues the distraction, Jason uses his rock powers to destroy the crystals, effectively ending The Unspoken's new reign and restoring Medusa to the throne. Good issue for the NuHumans as everything is set right once again, though Lineage seems ready to strike a deal with the imprisoned Unspoken. Total Score: 4/5






Loki: Agent of Asgard 6
Thanks to some time-and-space trickery, Doctor Doom finds himself face to face at the end of the universe with the original Loki, who derides and denounces him, causing Doom to go back to his own time and search out the young Loki, pulling him into battle at his castle. He ends up trapping Loki, who doesn't want any part of this fight, and announcing that he's captured a god, effectively weakening him by destroying his story. Though things seem lost for young Loki, he secretly brought Verity Willis (eye roll!) with him and now she's prepared to help her friend. I literally have no idea what's going on and what the point of any of this is. Total Score: 2/5

Magneto 10
Magneto has been captured by the Red Skull and is being tortured by Xavier's brain in the hopes that Skull can break him. Magneto tries to hide in all his worst memories, giving us a full tour of many of them, but finds eventually that he cannot keep Skull at bay. Before he breaks, he's rescued by the similarly captured Havok, Rogue, and Scarlet Witch. Pretty sad issue for Magneto, you guys, as we see the worst of the worst, but it follows the theme Bunn has set up for this series, which often goes back to why Magneto fights. Total Score: 4/5

New Warriors 10
The Celestials are coming! The New Warriors strike again at the High Evolutionary and his Evolutionaries. Speedball makes a great Ghostbusters reference! The Eternals show up! Action, hijinks, comedy, drama, and more! Check out NEW WARRIORS 10! Total Score: 5/5














Savage Wolverine 23
A story from Wolverine's past where someone drugs him, slowing his healing factor and tries to hunt him through the woods of his animal-times. He's protected by the runt of a wolf pack but eventually the wolf sacrifices himself to save Wolverine, drawing Wolverine out to murder everyone in sight. Typical Wolverine-in-the-woods story done with maybe a little less flare and heart and with even more hand-holding than some of the others I've seen. Total Score: 2/5

Storm 3
Storm is called to Kenya by a mysterious benefactor saying that he needs her help to bring rain and water to the people there. Though she's wary it's a trap, it's a cause that matters enough to her to send her there anyway. It's not entirely a trap, but it was Forge, with whom she has a rocky relationship, who sent the letter. He swears he can do it and she chooses to trust him, though one of the Kenyans doesn't and his interference sort of sabotages everything, though Storm does her part to sabotage the machinery, demanding that Forge first spend a year in Kenya working on the tech and working with the people so that they can all have a mutual trust and to ensure that the tech will work and not just be an experiment. It's another good issue to characterize Storm, who wants to trust Forge but knows things aren't that black and white. Instead, she comes up with an interesting plan that roots itself in trust and hope. That's what we want to see out of Storm. Total Score: 4/5

Thunderbolts 31
It's Punisher vs. Red Hulk in the final battle of the T-Bolts. It's a huge fight and the momentum swings back and forth until Hawkeye and the Avengers (though the lesser known ones, like Cannonball, Sunspot, and Shang-Chi) show up to break up the fighting. Red Hulk doesn't believe they're the Avengers but Punisher stands down, unwilling to harm the good guys. Elektra turns up to calm Red Hulk, dropping the Leader's body in between them and showing them that he was an LMD and that, in fact, it was the Leader behind all of this the whole time. Ross announces the Thunderbolts are done, leaving the Red Leader victorious for next time. Plenty of fun in this issue as the fight gets more and more elevated. Also fun to see Hawkeye lead his team of lesser known Avengers into battle and to see the Punisher and Red Hulk struggle to understand that they are, in fact, Avengers. Total Score: 4/5

All-New X-Men 32, Uncanny X-Men 26, Wolverine and the X-Men 9

All-New X-Men 32

The time-displaced X-Men have been sent to the Ultimate Universe by the uncanny powers of a new mutant they overwhelmed because they are just terrible at this and why does anyone leave these dumb kids alone for more than even a minute? Anyway, Beast ends up in Ultimate Latveria, Iceman ends up with Ultimate Mole Man, X-23 ends up in an Ultimate football game and on the run from Ultimate cops, Angel ends up in Ultimate Savage Land with Ultimate Wolverine, and Jean Grey ends up with Ultimate Spider-Man, whose mind she reads to learn where she is and who escorts her to Amadeus Cho, who has been working with the portal to the 616 universe. Of course, it's disappeared by now and the original X-Men, already stuck out of time, are stuck out of their dimension.

On the plus side, now that the X-Men have been stuck out of time and space, there are very few places they can get stuck that would be new to them. Also on the plus side, the issue moves relatively well as the X-Men are separated and largely not back-and-forthing with one another but having somewhat terse conversations with the people around them. The issue also bounces around between the X-Men, who are inexplicably separated after they run into plot-device girl, so the pacing mostly keeps up. On the downside, though, this book continues to feature very few likable characters and very few likable plots. Doesn't really leave them in a particularly good spot.

Total Score: 2/5


Uncanny X-Men 26

Xavier's will has further split his X-Men, with Scott angry that Xavier was a hypocrite for not giving the extraordinarily powerful Matthew Malloy a chance to control his powers and everyone else angry at Scott for being a hypocrite and also for being Scott. Even though Scott doesn't want to, they go to find Malloy, running into SHIELD on the way. SHIELD saw the disaster Malloy just caused (perfect timing, Xavier's will!) and is on their way to try and take him down. Meanwhile, Scott's new X-team runs simulations fighting the Avengers in their Danger Room until healer Christopher muses (that's a pretty dope joke, you guys) that perhaps they're not the good guys if they're training to fight against the good guys, which leads to an equally dumb fight about the mutant revolution.

There are ideas here but they tend to be brought up and argued so clumsily (mostly just that every point is argued so immediately and so clearly ignoring other facts or ignoring reason for their own purposes) that it's easy to roll your eyes at them. I know that from personal experience. Obviously Christopher has the right idea (and whichever Stepford Cuckoo that says he should have picked up on it soon is right too) but it's a complicated issue when thinking about Scott's resentment that the Avengers haven't helped them enough and that SHIELD isn't really on their side and SHIELD tends to work with the Avengers so they may be guilty by association. However, it's brought up by a bunch of teenagers (and the thirty-year-old David) so it has all the tact and grace of a bunch of dumb teenagers arguing then all feeling like they maybe won the argument. That would then almost be excusable if that's not how the grown X-Men fight too.

Total Score: 3/5


Wolverine and the X-Men 9

Quentin Quire has seen his future and isn't thrilled by it so instead ends up sitting on a pile of money from the Phoenix Corporation and an insane amount of telepathic ability. Where go with all of that, plus a substantial resentment of Wolverine and the X-Men (the man and the team, not the series), but the Hellfire Club? He's now the White King of the Hellfire Club and throws himself a lavish birthday part that Wolverine tries to sneak into to have one last talk with Quire. He's found out and beaten pretty mercilessly until Quire hears him out. However, that doesn't go particularly well either as Quentin starts to command the partygoers, dressed as various X-Men, to attack Wolverine while Quentin responds to Wolverine's attempts, laying much of the blame for Quentin's future at his feet (and perhaps rightfully so, perhaps not, it's complicated). Finally Quire lets Wolverine go after forcing him to look inward for the source of the problem and revealing that Quire himself doesn't believe he won, just that Wolverine lost.

It's a tough blow to Wolverine, who has invested so much time on Quire and the other kids (which hasn't gone unnoticed and doesn't go unmentioned by Quire here) only to find that maybe they don't love him for it and maybe, if the future Quire saw is accurate, he didn't necessarily help things. It's a pretty good issue and like a lot of this series it's more complicated than it has to be, for better or worse. It's better because being a little more complicated allows Latour to go deeper and really get into some of the complexities of the characters, but it's also a little worse because it continues at times to be a little hard to keep straight (even writing the summary, which tends to settle out any issues I've had digesting the plot, didn't clear everything up nicely for me, but then maybe it's not meant to). Still, it's been as deep a character study on Quentin Quire as we've seen since his creation and it's not unimpressive for it. Also pretty strong art from Jorge Fornes throughout, and he's asked to draw quite a lot.

Total Score: 4/5

Avengers 35, Uncanny Avengers 24, Avengers World 13

Avengers 35

We're eight months into the future and the entire world is completely different. Cannonball lives off world with Izzy and their newborn baby, though Sunspot, the new leader of AIM after he managed to hostile-takeover their business (one of the drawbacks, he says, of running your evil scientist group like a corporation), needs them to come back to Earth for what's coming. Hyperion has been working with his children in the Savage Land to build a device for...reasons, which he and Thor, now Mjolnir-less, will use to cross over somewhere. Likely it has to do with incursions. SPEAKING OF INCURSIONS, the Illuminati, comprised of the original members plus a bunch of other super scientist types like Amadeus Cho, Brian Braddock, and Hank Pym, is on the run from SHIELD and the now-SHIELD sanctioned Avengers. These Avengers catch up with Cho as he breaks into the old Avengers Tower trying to salvage some of on-the-run Tony Stark's data but the Avengers, led by Sue Storm, capture him, though he has no information for them.

Okay, so there's rather a lot that's changed, hm? This isn't an alternate dimension, this isn't a WHAT IF... story, this is the main Marvel Universe just eight short months from now. It's a bit reminiscent of CIVIL WAR but with a very different schism at the center and with a very specific sort of hero going up against SHIELD and the Avengers. The story, of course, is very interesting and compelling to get into because, as you'd expect with a story like this and particularly with Hickman, we just into a fully formed world just the way it is, no real explanation given yet besides what you can surmise from the natural dialogue and your own assumptions about the situation based on what's been happening. It's a strong start to the ambitious TIME RUNS OUT storyline and it looks like Hickman, as ever, has this well in hand. Have I mentioned that I adore Hickman's EAST OF WEST? That it's one of the best comics I've ever read? Good.

Total Score: 5/5


Uncanny Avengers 24

As the Unity Squad gets back to Avengering, the greater mutant part of the team (Havok, Scarlet Witch, and Rogue) finds itself abducted by Red Skull's S-Men and brought to his new concentration camps on Genosha. While unconscious, Rogue sees Charles Xavier (seen here with Banshee) in her mind. Charles says that he's just the last psychic residue in his old brain, now in the Skull's head, and tells Rogue that she has to keep Scarlet Witch away from Skull, that he has some horrible plans for her. He also reveals that she's the secret weapon because Skull knows all their powers but doesn't know yet that she has Wonder Man in her head. She wakes up and tells the others, chained up next to her, and together they break out, running into and rescuing Magneto on their way. Magneto wants to save all of the mutants and is furious and derogatory when he learns that they want to go and get more help first. The fight is interrupted, though, when Skull and his S-Men confront them.

AXIS seems ready to burst forth (I know it's now called AXIS: AVENGERS AND X-MEN but that's a dumb name and AXIS is a solid name) as Skull's fight with the Unity Squad continues, now more hateful than ever. There's some good character work here as Remender catches new readers up on all that's happened by having Havok talk about his disfigured and burned face and having Wolverine meet with Scarlet Witch and Rogue to talk about his part and his guilt in the whole last arc and to say how proud he is that the two of them are working together and have put the past behind them. It's perhaps a little too eager to chew some scenery, but it gets the point across and doesn't feel nearly as expository as it could. Running into Magneto helps the issue too as more characters are developed and as the plot advances nicely. Strong stuff, looking forward to AXIS. It's nice to have events every so often that seem like they stem from current events in the books (not like certain other events, particularly ORIGINAL SIN, AGE OF ULTRON, FEAR ITSELF, and BATTLE OF THE ATOM, which all spawned from nothingness and meant fairly little).

Total Score: 4/5


Avengers World 13

As the Hand, Gorgon, and the ancient dragon on whose back Madripoor sits fight against the newly revealed SPEAR, we get an introduction to the Ascendant, the superteam SPEAR has put together or, more appropriately, the superteam Weather Witch (formerly of The Dynasty) put together and leads with the go-ahead and support of SPEAR and the Chinese government. Included on the team are Saber, another former Dynasty member, Devastator, a Skrull loyal to the Chinese government and wearing the former Russian Devastator armor, Vector, a rebellious protestor with Darkforce powers similar to Cloak's, and Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. They hold their own in battle but it won't be enough to fully stop the dragon and SPEAR's Director Zheng calls up Maria Hill in the hopes for some aid, specifically in the hopes of technological aid, SPECIFICALLY in the hopes of getting some Pym particles, which Hill gives but only under the condition it be given to one of her team. Enter Shang-Chi, giant master of Kung Fu.

Spencer, interestingly, has gone back-to-back AVENGERS WORLD issues introducing a new team from another part of the world. It's a real WORLD style move, showing perhaps the inspiration of a team like the Avengers on the other parts of the world and allowing us to see how the world has reacted to the presence of superheroes all over. It's a pretty strong issue and gives us a sense of this Ascendant team and of SPEAR, which separates itself from SHIELD in a number of ways in this book. Also not going to act like I'm not excited about the idea of a giant Shang-Chi fighting a dragon. That feels like maybe it was the pitch of this entire book. "Giant Shang-Chi fights a dragon," said Spencer, and the rest was history.

Total Score: 5/5

Death of Wolverine 2, Edge of Spider-Verse 1

Death of Wolverine 2

Armed with the knowledge that Viper has put the contract out on him and with a fairly new Iron Man helmet with which to barter, Wolverine travels in a fairly lax disguise to Madripoor and meets with one of Viper's underlings to set up a meeting with her, showing off the Iron Man helmet and offering to make a deal. When the underling brings him, she immediately knows who it is (he's really not hiding it) and she sics her real henchmen on him. He easily beats them and moves on to questioning his ex-wife. She admits that she's just subcontracting another job she got for an extraordinarily wealthy client, one whose name she refuses to divulge. She promises more answers if he can defeat Sabretooth in battle, which he does but only by the skin of his teeth and the intervention of Lady Deathstrike, who reveals her name has also popped up on the hit-list Viper put out to the world's mercenaries. Viper herself has disappeared and Lady Deathstrike suggests the pair of healers team up before learning Wolverine's not healing any more and rescinds her offer, instead hoping she can defeat him and trade his freedom for hers. However, she's surprised to find Kitty Pryde reaching through her chest before she can act.

Charles Soule just signed an exclusive contract with Marvel (his DC titles will continue through next March though, giving him time to wrap things up if you're reading those) and it continues to seem like an ace move by Marvel, who has proven in the last couple years that it's dedicated to keeping good talent around as best it can with the use of exclusive contracts (Kieron Gillen jumps to mind) and new titles (I'd look to someone like Dennis Hopeless for that, or Sam Humphries, though I haven't liked as many of his titles). So far, DEATH OF WOLVERINE is proving another in a long line of really compelling and exciting stories from Soule, who I lauded for revitalizing THUNDERBOLTS and for kicking SHE-HULK off to a very fun start (jury's still out a little bit on INHUMANS but I'm mostly liking it so far, just confused by its timing). This is the Wolverine I've been missing from his solo title the last couple years, one who faces danger head-on but doesn't always go in half-cocked. He's quiet, he's threatening, he's quick-witted, he's tough, he's maybe a little bit menacing, and...he's going to die? Geez, now I'm sad again. Really solid second issue with a number of twists and turns that generally work for me and some great art from McNiven.

Total Score: 5/5


Edge of Spider-Verse 1

In 1939, the magician Mysterio wants to take real control in the city and he aims to do it by taking the blood of the vigilante Spider-Man (Noir). Though he's working under the control of the Kingpin right now, he hopes to infuse Spider-Man's blood, which he believes is truly from the spider god Anansi, with his own and gain his mystical powers. Teamed with his own magic and illusions, he believes he could run New York City. He lures Spider-Man out with a threat on Spider-Man's old lover Felicia Hardy. Though Mysterio manages to trap Spider-Man, the vigilante breaks out and defeats the magician, though it doesn't stop the pounding of his danger-predicting sixth sense. Suddenly, a masked figure approaches, threatening to eat the Spider-Man, when another Spider-Man (Superior) appears, distracts the figure, and transports Spider-Man (Noir) out to meet in 2099 with a handful of other Spider-Mans (assorted).

EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE, the new Spider-Man event, has its official debut on the heels of a prologue in the suddenly continued SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN and the Spider-Man offices at Marvel make a good call by kicking things off with Spider-Man Noir, one of the more interesting ideas and visually compelling (particularly with Isanove's skill and affection for noir) Spider-Men we've seen. It's a strong first entry as writer David Hine manages to give us some good backstory and character development despite having to start in the middle of a story that isn't actually the story he's tasked with telling, which he gets to. LOOK, it's late and I'm tired and I KNOW my sentences are breaking down by the second but these books are both event books and AVENGERS 34.1 didn't really justify being in the first day so here we are. Anyway, good book, still an interesting premise even if we didn't really learn anything we didn't already really know from SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN 32.

Total Score: 4/5

Death of Wolverine 1, Rocket Raccoon 3

Death of Wolverine 1

Wolverine, on the recommendation of Reed Richards, has removed himself a bit from the heroing life while Richards tries to work on a way to reboot his healing factor. Unfortunately, the world doesn't stop moving just because Logan tries to step away from it. He finds himself on the wrong end of a bounty and suddenly has a number of interested mercenaries trying to cash in. One such merc is failed super soldier Nuke, who tracks Wolverine to the woods of British Columbia. Wolverine, who has already faced down a number of these mercs successfully, despite the toll it's taken on him, manages just barely to survive a fight with Nuke and learns that the bounty requires he be brought in alive and that the price on his head decreases the longer the bounty is out, making it a race for everyone interested. He also learns that it was placed by Viper, who also has Sabretooth in chains.

Strong first entry to the DEATH OF WOLVERINE event that seems primed to stand in the tradition of OLD MAN LOGAN sorts of stories (even going so far as to have McNiven still at the art helm). The problem with a shared universe, of course, is that Nuke has so recently had a big appearance in CAPTAIN AMERICA so I'm reading the whole thing trying to ignore that my brain is like "wait, Nuke's dead unless this is before the events of CAPTAIN AMERICA which would kind of make sense except that Steve's old now and I bet old Steve and Wolverine have appeared together since but maybe they haven't which would mean that this could all happen before that and that could be a link between...you know what, never mind." I don't like that my brain does that and I don't think it's fair that a single book be tied to the rest of the universe in a way it can't really help (though nothing specifically "Nuke" happens so it feels like they could have put any merc in his role and avoided all the confusion). Still, pretty good start as Charles Soule sets out to kill one of the most beloved Marvel heroes.

Total Score: 4/5


Rocket Raccoon 3

Rocket, Groot, and Macho attempt to fight off Rocket's ex-girlfriends, still unsure who they're fighting and why, when Macho uses one of his fish-themed escape plans to get them safely out of harm's way and on to Funtzel's home planet, which, coincidentally, puts them back in harm's way. However, the harm isn't too worrisome as Rocket quickly destroys Funtzel's guards and makes it to his compound to ask him a few questions. He knows that the guard who was shot by the impostor raccoon was one of Funtzel's men and figures Funtzel has done some sort of investigating to find the perpetrator, which is accurate. Funtzel says that he's barely gotten any answers back, just references of some tower and the book of Half-World, which astonishes Rocket though Funtzel calls it a fairytale. Before Rocket can tear into him for a perceived slight, the lights in the compound go off and Rocket investigates, finding the impostor raccoon on sight with Groot tied up behind him.

I've said it already but this one hundred percent feels like the book Skottie Young wants to be writing. It's often very rare that you see such a chemistry between a writer/artist and an idea but this book is so very clearly straight out of Young's imagination and Marvel should be lauded for letting him do his thing. A quick scroll through Young's website and his other work shows such a depth of ideas and creativity that would almost be wasted by just having him illustrating a book. Of course, he's a phenomenal illustrator so it's never a waste to "just have him illustrate," as if that's a minor achievement, but you see books like this or his sketchbooks or his warm-up sketches and you can kind of see how many stories he has wanting to get out. Here he's set Rocket out on his own, far away from the rest of the Marvel Universe, so it's very nearly acting like an indie book, which is very rare for a comic to do. Really strong stuff and extremely fun. It's not the kind of book I'll mention in the same breath as the heady and introspective HAWKEYE or X-MEN LEGACY or something like that because it's not going for that sort of feel, but it's certainly one that I'll recommend to anyone anywhere and would be astonished if they don't like it.

Total Score: 5/5

Comics this week

Happy September, friends! Lots of big comics out this week so let's dive right into it with the top 5 most anticipated/most exciting picks of the pre-week.

Black Widow 10
Excited by the tease of Hawkeye in this phenomenal BLACK WIDOW series just a few short issues ago? Well wait no longer for the team-up that introduced these two to the Marvel Universe and to villaining/eventual heroing as Natasha teams with Clint in a somewhat rarely seen team-up between just the two of them (they're always together but I feel like, without looking into it WHATSOEVER, they don't really hang out by themselves too often because, you know, Natasha would probably kill him).

Captain America 24
Interested by the reveal that Sam Wilson is set to become the new Captain America? Wondering what will become of Steve Rogers in this new world? Surprised to find that both Cap's son Ian and fiancee Sharon have both been alive since Steve left Dimension Z? Looking to see the origins of the upcoming AXIS event? Well this book has all that and PROBABLY more! Though I can't confirm as I've not read the book yet. I honestly can't confirm it has everything I said, just feels like PROBABLY they'll touch on most if not all of it.

Death of Wolverine 1
Say what you will about the death and resurrection of superheroes, a well-written death story can still shake the universe to its core. Charles Soule has impressed me with his runs on THUNDERBOLTS, SHE-HULK, and INHUMAN so far (and I've heard his work at DC has been stellar as well) so let's see just how he plans to kill the world's most popular X-Man, assuming this isn't a big ol' fake-out.

Original Sin 8
FINE, I'm not that excited about this one. Maybe it will surprise me but I've not found myself totally enthralled by this series at any point, be it with the main series or the tie-ins. Of course, this pre-game primer tends to mix the books I personally am excited to see (BLACK WIDOW, CAP) with books that are maybe a little more important to the Universe as a whole (DEATH OF WOLVERINE, ORIGINAL SIN) so here is ORIGINAL SIN, highlighted for you so you don't forget it will exist this week, closing out the 2014 summer event. You know OS, it's books like you that make it so I can't highlight SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN, which is on to its last legs and really a fun book, or PUNISHER, which I'm sure will be really good this week, or MOON KNIGHT, which gets a new creative team after a stellar first six issues. Too bad there's no way to get the word out about those books.

Rocket Raccoon 3
Hard not to recommend this one. It always ends up in tough competition weeks, needing to scrap it out with really good books or really intriguing books or simply books that never let me down. Then it pulls ahead because this book is already so much fun and Skottie Young's art on the interiors of a major Marvel ongoing is just a delightful thing. Check this one out if you haven't already. If it's not your thing, it's not your thing - but I can't imagine how it's not your thing. I guess if the only comic writer you've ever liked is Frank Miller or something you're probably not going to come back around to the medium from this book?

ALL OF THEM

Okay.



Okay.



Okay, so we're back. Apologies for the little break (I may some day take a bigger break but one that's scheduled and doesn't revolve around my axle breaking and my car needing more assistance than my blog). For some dumb reason, I still feel determined to review every book but we're all busy people, we don't need big reviews, particularly the Sunday after the comics have come out. Most of you may already know what books you want! So let's blast through this, super super super condensed version. I may not even mention creators...hold on, I'm getting a thought - start of the week, maybe I'll post all the creators on the side like how I post the new release comics. I gotta update the look of this site anyway. Any suggestions/comments/criticisms? Okay, we're wildly off-topic now. TO THE COMICS, wherein I shall strive to give the SHORTEST REVIEWS I CAN POSSIBLY GIVE.


All-New Invaders 9

The Invaders have been caught off-guard by a bunch of Deathloks and their master, thanks to some sort of AI controlling device, is revealed to be a Martian. The book continues to be horribly slow, to over-explain everything, and to, presumably as an effect of the previous two clauses, seeming have no tension to it. Total Score: 2/5


All-New Ultimates 7
The Ultimates follow Crossbones into the sewers where they run across deformed fellow experiments of Roxxon who have been left there along with a pile of bodies. Geez, now they have to deal with Roxxon and a protracted and uninteresting gang war? This continues to be protracted and uninteresting, though at least something happened this time. Total Score: 2/5


All-New X-Men 31
While the adult X-Men are out of town to figure out Xavier's will, the ANXM find a new mutant named Carmen who can open portals to other dimensions and, in their attempt to help her understand, she sends them off to different universes, namely, it seems, the Ultimate Universe. Wasn't AGE OF ULTRON supposed to knock off this cross-universe business? Didn't BENDIS write that? How many loopholes can we create WITHIN TWO YEARS? What is HAPPENING? Total Score: 2/5


Amazing Spider-Man 1.4
Clash has made something of a name for himself but he's only doing so in comparison to Spider-Man, which enrages him. Finally Spidey invents something that should negate Clash a bit and uses it when Clash attacks the Daily Bugle (they all come there eventually) but Clash breaks it, leading Jonah to call him a real threat and Spider-Man the knock-off, to Clash's delight. Getting a little sick of all of Spider-Man's villains being crazy and wanting attention, is anyone else feeling that way? Total Score: 2/5


Avengers 34

How are we still not out of the As yet? Okay. Captain America gets brought by Iron Lad to the end of time where Iron Lad, Immortus, and Kang tell Cap he has to remain there so he doesn't interfere with events on current Earth that could lead to the end of days. Cap, of course, doesn't take that well and gets the time gem once more, going back to the present and preparing the Avengers for an assault on the Illuminati. Really interesting point to have reached and there's a great classic Cap speech in the middle of all this. Total Score: 4/5


Avengers Undercover 9
The Avengers and other gathered heroes descend on The Pit to attack Zemo and free the former students only to be trapped in The Pit while Zemo and his army attacks the rest of Earth, starting with SHIELD. The bait-and-switch worked pretty well, but it didn't account for Cammi, who broke out of her prison and has the drop on Zemo and his lieutenants. More strong stuff from this series which has reached its sadly penultimate issue. Total Score: 4/5


Cyclops 4
Cyclops and Corsair are running short on Corsair's life-saving medicine, a fate to which Corsair is resigned but about which Cyclops is angry. Corsair has set about trying to teach Cyclops to fight and to live off the land while awaiting rescue but Cyclops has already started to give up hope. Corsair tells him that hope is the difference between the Scott he knew and the Scott on Earth now, that the current Cyclops lost all hope. Not wanting to be that guy, young Cyclops sets about trying to fix the tracking unit the bounty hunters attached to Corsair's ship, which will provide rescue but in the form of bounty hunters. Some solid character work here from Rucka and a nice quiet issue before guns presumably start blazing again. Cyclops and Corsair's relationship is the driving force of this young book and it's well done here. Total Score: 4/5


Fantastic Four 9
Reed has started work with John Eden (ugh) while Johnny is depressed in the Manhattan upper class, Sue frets about the kids, and Thing finds out that She-Thing runs the prison and has an axe to grind with him. I don't know much about Fantastic Four history because I largely don't care about the F4 but She-Thing? Is that what we've chosen to dig up as Thing's greatest foe? There's finally hint of a greater scheme at work behind everything happening but I still refuse to buy plenty of what's happened so I'm unimpressed by a clear hand steering things. Total Score: 2/5


Guardians of the Galaxy 18
Gamora kidnaps Peter Quill and brings him to an interrogation chamber unbeknownst to the rest of the team, where she asks him about what happened in the Cancerverse that allowed he, Thanos, and a living Drax to return. Part one of the story involves Star-Lord and Nova attempting to nobly sacrifice themselves to see Thanos forever trapped but Thanos making a solid argument to Star-Lord about why he should hand over the cosmic cube he's holding. Not much substance, as yet, to this story that should explain some things. McGuinness' art is strong, though, so it's certainly readable. It would be more readable if there wasn't so much quipping in the CANCERVERSE. Total Score: 3/5


Inhuman 4

Medusa has set up New Attilan on the ground near New York and opened it to the public. Thor comes to hang out with her as she explains her reasons for doing so, which are mostly to build relationships and alliances while showing the Inhumans are nothing to fear. However, assassins try to kill her, wounding her handmaiden Elejea in the process. Thor delivers the assassins to Medusa, who learns they are Nuhumans (the convenient term for new Inhumans) angry that they're now different. She offers them a place in her kingdom or the opportunity to leave unharmed and without resistance, showing the people how peaceful and reasonable she can be. Meanwhile, a new and mysterious character named The Reader saves a Nuhuman in China. Plenty happening in this book and Soule is doing a solid job to really make this start feeling like its own culture and own big world, which is very important. Stegman also does really impressive work on these pages. Total Score: 5/5


Original Sin 5.4 - Thor and Loki
As Loki leads the Angels to attack Asgard, Thor summons the storm to him and annihilates his prison, breaking out and immediately wreaking havoc on Heven. Loki does indeed bring the Angels to Asgard but neglects to mention that all the Asgardians live now in Asgardia and that only Odin and The Serpent are in Asgard, finally rousing Odin back to action. Not a terrible little issue though it does drag a little at parts and sometimes the often flowery Asgardian English confuses where it should just push forward. Mostly strong work. Total Score: 4/5


Savage Hulk 3
Jean has the power of the Hulk and seemingly Hulk-strength telepathy now but...wait, it's just a dream of Xavier's as his mind has been manipulated by...wait, it's all happening in Banner's head and the Leader is there with bombs strapped to everyone suddenly and he's ready to detonate Xavier's if he even tries to get into his own mind and...look, I'm not sure what's happening here but I am sure that I'm almost entirely disinterested in it and it still moves slowly, even with a plot that's clearly ramping up. Total Score: 2/5


Silver Surfer 5
It turns out that the barrier around Earth isn't actually real, it's in Surfer's head courtesy of a nearby slumbering Lord of Nightmares. Everyone on Earth has fallen asleep except for Dawn Greenwood, who is drifting off, and it's given the Lord of Nightmares the power, thanks to a rare alignment of the planets, to essentially keep everyone asleep and in nightmares forever if Dawn, Surfer, Hulk, and Dr. Strange don't stop him, which they eventually manage. There's a lot of interesting art and ideas but this one feels a little bogged down by how much Slott wants to do and by this strange mythology. Dawn eventually, I should mention, realizes that she wants to see more of the universe and goes with Surfer. Total Score: 3/5


Thunderbolts 30
Punisher and Elektra fight while the two reminisce, both in their heads and out loud, about their times together. Elektra is a far better fighter than Punisher and doesn't really let him get a moment to rest, but even when he finally does get her pinned, he can't bring himself to kill her and the two separate less than amicably but also with neither dead. As Hawkeye relates everything he's figured out to Iron Man, particularly about the terribleness of the new Thunderbolts team, Punisher calls Red Hulk and tells him that he's next. A pretty good fight scene carries this rather nice break-up issue as the weird relationship that was Elektra and Punisher comes to an end. Total Score: 3/5


Uncanny Avengers 23
The Unity Squad needed a bit of time to recover from everything that's happened, so Janet and Scarlet Witch return finally to everyday life from Janet's family's secluded vacation home to try to put their lives back in order again. Anyone that needed healing or examination was placed in a healing chamber for Hank McCoy to study or heal, though Sunfire remains imbued with tremendous power, Havok's face will never heal again, and Rogue still has Wonder Man in her brain (no one really came out of this alright). Rogue goes a little crazy as the voices and memories she thought she expelled from her brain take over again and she runs rampant through New York until Scarlet Witch catches up to her and swears she'll help her. Meanwhile, Red Skull prepares his next major strike along with Kang's recent right-hand man Ahab. Lots of set-up for the upcoming AXIS and some good closer from the last very long arc make this one a worthwhile read, but not one that feels totally necessary to continue the story. Total Score: 4/5


Wolverine 12

It's another fight in a mall and Wolverine decries Sabretooth's hypocrisy while Sabretooth decries Wolverine's use of armor and they fight and eventually Wolverine powers through his crappy dialogue and narration to defeat Sabretooth and they get the orb back and Death is like "hey Wolvy, see ya soon, like in September's DEATH OF WOLVERINE mini-series!" and I'm just glad another heavy-handed but ultimately ineffective WOLVERINE volume has come to a close and I'm looking forward to Charles Soule's spin. Total Score: 2/5


Wolverine and the X-Men 8
Wolverine and Storm have a date in The World, where time moves differently. They end up staying there a while longer, spending a great deal of time building a life, overthrowing a warlord born of the old Weapon Plus program, and stabilizing the region. They leave after a year with Storm leaving as the queen and Logan as the inspiration for a school and so forth, their love for each other deepened but still unable to overcome their responsibilities with the X-Men. It's not a bad issue and the time jumps make it move quickly enough and stay interesting. It's also the first time in the few years that they've had this on-and-off relationship between Wolverine and Storm where I've felt like maybe it wasn't just something the writers wanted to make work, maybe it is something that can happen in this world. Nicely done, Latour. Total Score: 4/5


GUYS, I DID IT. Why isn't everyone praising me ALREADY?

Comics this week

Okay, we're going to switch it up because I'm not super-duper thrilled about the books out this week. I don't love going negative buuuuuuuuuuut, after some ridiculous amount of these posts, I'm going to mention the five books I'm least excited about because I think I can reach five without stretching, which I'm not sure I could do going the normal way. Sorry pals who don't like when I get negative. Just know, as is the nature of comics, any one of these could be great this week. I'm just not thrilled with them ahead.

All-New Invaders 9
Have I mentioned that I really love the Invaders and I'm really sad by how much I don't like this book? Because that certainly is the case. We'll see as they enter their third arc if things have changed any for this book.

All-New Ultimates 7
I had to read one of these last week! Why is there another one so soon? Maybe releasing them back to back means they won't have to spend most of the issue recapping who all these meaningless and uninteresting characters are.

All-New X-Men 31
Geez, we're three-fifths of the way into this post and we're STILL stuck in the ALL-NEW section. I've been against this book from its very premise so maybe some people have already written off my opinion (teamed also with my typical dislike for series writer Brian Michael Bendis) but if that's true, why do you keep coming back? Look, now I'm not just negative, I'm openly confrontational and argumentative. Feh. What did I hope to accomplish with this post?

Savage Hulk 3
Are we still in the first arc or did we get past that? I honestly can't remember. I certainly have not enjoyed this series as it's started, though I think there's still hope for a book like this one. I've just been real bored to this point, am I right?

Wolverine 12
Perhaps a controversial pick as Paul Cornell's second WOLVERINE series comes to a close and we prepare to move forward to the DEATH OF WOLVERINE mini-series but that doesn't mean I'm willing to forgive this last issue. Maybe my point for this post was just to include books that will likely never make it on to a typical pre-game post. Hey all you books, you can all try to be a DEADPOOL and turn around enough to at least be in consideration.

Leftovers 8-20-14

Okay, let's try this again, hm? Fortunately it was a more laid-back week for comics than we've had in a while so I have fewer to deal with here! And they're mostly pretty alright! Let's get it started.

All-New Ghost Rider 6
F. Smith (w) and D. Scott (p) and Campanella (i) and Staples and Sobreiro (c) and Caramagna (l)

Zabo's defeat has improved the community already and the locals are talking about the community's protector, though they know very little about the new Ghost Rider. Meanwhile, Robbie has stopped listening to Eli for the time being about vengeance and punishment and so on, to the chagrin of the spirit, and has instead focused on improving life for him and brother Gabe. It's working wonderfully as Robbie has been making good money winning street races and has been able to spend more time with Gabe, which has led to great strides in his education, but may be short-lived as Zabo prepares Guero for the next step. Bit of a rest issue here, which makes the change in art less jarring than it might be otherwise (strange that I'm calling something "less jarring" than Tradd Moore's kinetic and exciting style. It's another good issue and sets us up for a few big upcoming arcs, including things to do with Eli, a mysterious visitor, and Guero/Zabo. Plenty going on as this series continues. Total Score: 4/5


All-New Ultimates 6
Fiffe (w) and Pinna (a) and Woodard (c) and Cowles (l)

The war between the new Ultimates and the Skulls continue and they fight and fight and fight and fight and fight and fight and then the police show up but it's too late for the church and everyone gets away. It's probably a sign that your book isn't so entertaining that you have to CONSTANTLY spend the first ten pages just identifying all the players. Maybe clear some things up? Or put in a recap page with the character names and pictures? So pretty much just a fight with stakes I'm not sure about and characters I certainly don't have any connection to. Total Score: 1/5


All-New X-Factor 12
David (w) and Di Giandomenico (a) and Loughridge (c) and Petit (l)

Quicksilver reports in to Havok, who decides that Lorna is doing just fine and Quicksilver can return to the Avengers again, an invitation which Quicksilver declines. Later, X-Factor is part of a press conference as Serval reveals the team and announces their intentions. Quicksilver again causes a bit of a stir when he's accused from the crowd of being a criminal. He admits to the charges and asks forgiveness for his many problems, saying that he'll await the decision of the rest of the world as to his fate. The only visitor he receives, though, is his estranged daughter Luna, who forgives him for his past and embraces him again, proud of his admission. It's a nice issue and it gives us a chance to see what the whole of the team is up to as we get a little bit of intrigue from each member. It's an issue that reminds us how good David can be at constructing a team and showing us how that team ticks. Total Score: 4/5



Deadly Hands of Kung Fu 4
M. Benson (w) and Huat (p) and Yeung (i) and Aburtov (c) and Sabino (l)

Midnight Sun's ritual ends up resurrecting Leiko as he screws things up pretty bad, overconfident about his power. Leiko, now emboldened with mystical powers, manages to beat up Midnight Sun, Razor Fist, and Black Ghost. And by beat up, I mostly mean "tries to kill all of them, though only succeeds at killing Black Ghost because Shang Chi stops her from killing the others." With Midnight Sun defeated, Shang Chi pays his final respects to Leiko and prepares to go home, though it seems possible he's not done with Leiko just yet. This is another one of those "tough to review" sorts of issues because it's certainly not unreadable but it's also not necessarily a story I'm super into. I like Huat's art, just as I came to love it in X-MEN LEGACY, so that helps this one. I can't really get too into this one though as it becomes difficult to understand the stakes of this whole arc. Total Score: 3/5


Deadpool vs. X-Force 3
Swierczyinski (w) and Larraz (a) and Woodard (c) and Sabino (l)

The inhibitor Deadpool placed on Cable controls his physical actions but Cable's telekinesis is still going strong, allowing him to at least stay a step ahead of Deadpool. He pretends to be under Deadpool's control a little longer as he learns what's really happening. Talbot didn't hire Deadpool to save his grandson, he hired him to change history so he can make America the greatest nation on Earth by annihilating at the start of each war and conquering nation after nation. Cable blasts Deadpool to pieces and sets about trying to restore the timeline, though Deadpool isn't done yet. Not a bad issue and there are some interesting ideas here, but ultimately the tone feels a little off balance, particularly as Deadpool's fourth-wall breaking clashes with Cable's seriousness. Total Score: 3/5


Magneto 8
Bunn (w) and J. Fernandez (a) and D. Brown (c) and Petit (l)

Magneto finds the lab producing the MGH he discovered last issue. The SHIELD team on his trail manages to find him there, gunning down the MGH-enhanced guards, though Magneto gets away with the MGH cook, to whom he offers a job. The issue works pretty well to keep the story moving forward and to give us more of a sense of where Magneto's at these days. It moves well and it reinforces Magneto's purpose. It gets a little preachy but preachiness is rather at the core of Magneto so, I suppose, great character work? In other news, Apu might get deported! How many more books are there to review? Total Score: 4/5








Original Sins 5
Dum Dum Dugan: Ewing (w) and Guice (p) and Hanna (i) and M. Wilson (c) and Cowles (l)
Young Avengers: North (w) and Villalobos (a) and Gibson (c) and Cowles (l)
The Rest: Zdarsky

Story one finds Dum Dum Dugan learning that he's been dead since the war and that Fury created the most lifelike LMD to replace him, even getting him to believe he's a real boy. Dum Dum shoots himself in the head and asks Fury not to rebuild him, which seems unlikely. The Young Avengers finish out their story as they turn the tables on Hood, though he does manage to escape so, kind of a loss. On the plus side, Prodigy reveals that the code he set up is a one-time pad code on the information, which makes it nearly impossible to access again. Except, as it happens, for Prodigy, a fact which he conceals from his team. Finally, Chip Zdarsky brings us a great two-page interrogation of the Marvel Universe wherein tons of characters reveal their darkest secrets to Nick Fury, who is actually an impostor, as discovered by the real Nick Fury by the end. Pretty good stuff all around, particularly in the ending to the Young Avengers story and the Zdarsky story. Total Score: 4/5


Savage Wolverine 22
Arcudi (w) and Quinones (a and c) and Petit (l)

Wolverine stops the German from radioing for artillery, though his shock at the appearance of the man from his dreams makes him paranoid and he lashes out at Link before channelling that rage into attacking the remaining Germans, who eventually surrender, managing to shake Wolverine out of his animal rage. He realizes that maybe the German he already attacked isn't quite dead and he rushes off to make sure no artillery is called in. He succeeds in stopping the German, but they manage to see each other as humans and not animals or enemies, sharing one peaceful moment before the German dies. It's a pretty strong conclusion to the little arc as it hits on one of the biggest Wolverine themes, the idea of his separate animal and human natures. It's strong work and the very talented Joe Quinones does some really impressive things in this issue (he's also a very nice guy that I met at Boston Comic-Con and from whom my girlfriend and I bought really great prints). Total Score: 4/5


Storm 2
Pak (w) and Ibanez (a) and Redmond (c) and Petit (l)

Storm, dedicated to helping make the world a better place whatever way she can, sees a lost-child poster and decides to find her. With Beast's help, she manages to find the girl through a burner cellphone she'd picked up along the way and it leads her to the subway, where she runs afoul of Callisto, formerly of the Morlocks. Storm attacks her old nemesis, though she eventually busts into Callisto's hideout, a simple but pleasant room in the tunnels where a number of runaways have gathered and seem to be having a good time, each and every one from homes worse than this one. Callisto swears she's not raising an army, that those days are behind her, and that she's just helping these kids have a place to go. Storm apologizes and sets Callisto up with a little more tech, swearing to stay out of her way but has Beast continue to keep an eye on her. So, okay, admittedly, Storm didn't really do much except attack someone apparently doing the right thing and eventually provide a water filtration system to same. Still, the writing is pretty strong (though I still don't really like Wolverine and Storm as a relationship) and the book moves well as Storm learns a valuable lesson. I hope. Total Score: 3/5


Wolverine Annual 1
Kalan (w) and Marks (a) and Villarrubia (c) and Petit (l)

Wolverine, Jubilee, and Shogo go camping, both to spend some time together and so Wolverine will feel better about Jubilee being without him if something should happen to him. It's constantly proved to him throughout the day as she gets along with the wolves that visit family member Wolverine and as she takes charge to recover Shogo from a camping army couple who misinterpret the situation badly and try to do the right thing. Wolverine is even more impressed when Jubilee manages to rein herself in enough not to kill the couple as things start to head that way. It's a pretty strong issue by Elliot Kalan with solid art and some well-developed characters, though, as with many annual issues, it ends up being thirty pages and feels like it's stretching a bit to reach the count. Still not bad. Except Kalan to do more with Marvel as things move forward. Total Score: 4/5

Ms. Marvel 7, Nova 20

Ms. Marvel 7
G.W. Wilson (w) and Wyatt (a) and Herring (c) and Caramagna (l)

Ms. Marvel and Wolverine continue their team-up, which involves beating up on a genetically modified alligator and a number of other physical challenges and finally culminates in a walls-closing-in room (official name). They find the power source in the room and Kamala shrinks down to follow the wire to the actual power source. To her horror, it's being powered by a young girl who ends up being the student Wolverine was looking for. With the power disconnected, the pair of heroes make their way out of The Inventor's lair, bonding all the way. When they go their separate ways, Wolverine calls Captain America to let him know about the young Inhuman hero, leading Cap to visit Medusa and let her know about the very special new member of her people. Medusa readies Kamala's next teacher, Lockjaw.

It's another fantastic issue for MS. MARVEL as her chemistry with Wolverine really shines and carries the issue. Like in Kelly Sue DeConnick's final AVENGERS ASSEMBLE arc, it's a young hero under the wing of a mentor, specifically Wolverine. Like in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, it works really well but hinges on the relationship between the two heroes. Fortunately, it works extremely well, even better here than there. Wolverine is pitch perfect, toeing the line between supportive and brutally honest, exactly what you'd want to see out of the surliest of heroes. Really charming, really entertaining, really looking forward to a team-up with Lockjaw.

Total Score: 5/5


Nova 20
Duggan (w) and Baldeon (p) and Pallot (i) and Curiel (c) and Deschesne (l)

Nova heads out to find the helmet for Adomox while Rocket tries to find a cure for their poisoning. Nova's quest leads him to a secret Nova bunker, which has old weaponry and files on the Nova Corps. Sam uses the files to learn about his father's past, learning that he did indeed look guilty of the attack Sam saw but it was far more complicated than that; in fact, he was trying to trick Adomox at the time into believing his corruption. Reinvigorated by the news, Nova heads back to Adomox with a booby-trapped helmet and he and Rocket manage to get the drop on Adomox. With the help of Cosmo the psychic dog, they get the antidote and Rocket gets his money out of Adomox while Sam vows to find his innocent father, who fights on a gladiatorial planet these days.

Not a bad issue. Like with so many of the ORIGINAL SIN tie-in books so far, we've gotten the old bait-and-switch as we see someone do something horrible only to reveal in the final issue of the arc that, in fact, nothing horrible happened and the accused is actually something of a hero. You know what, that's kind of a terrible cop-out when we talk about it happening upwards of three times in a month (HULK VS. IRON MAN, DAREDEVIL, and NOVA...maybe some others too I'm not thinking of). The problem is that I can't blame NOVA simply for being the last released in the group. It's still got the fun narrative and dialogue that Duggan has brought to the series as a whole, it's just not the most exciting twist in the circumstances.

Total Score: 4/5