Moon Knight 4, Iron Fist: The Immortal Weapon 3, Magneto 5

Moon Knight 4
Ellis (w) and Shalvey (a) and Bellaire (c) and Eliopoulos (l)

Moon Knight has been contacted by a Doctor Skelton, a sleep scientist who had worked with one-time ally to Marc Spector Peter Alraune. Skelton is having troubles with his sleep studies as all of his patients, hooked up to machines and drips in his small office provided by the university, have been going slowly insane after having the same dream. Moon Knight, sworn to protect travelers in the night (which also includes protecting people in dreams), returns to the office with Skelton and goes to sleep on the floor of one of an open, damp and smelly room. He enters an incredibly colorful and psychedelic hellscape where seemingly every piece of the landscape has the face of a man pleading for death. Moon Knight explores the area for a bit and then abruptly wakes up and crashes into Skelton's office, dragging him out by the hair and throwing him into the damp and smelly room, where he rips up the floorboards to find a corpse wrapped in a bag rotting underneath. Skelton explains that it was a random guy from Craigslist who'd first participated in the study and who had undisclosed medical problems that reacted badly to the drugs Skelton used and that Skelton had been forced to hide the body or else he would be shut down. Moon Knight explains that he's been rotting there with his own fungus and with whatever else Skelton put into him, that they've "been breathing in his dreams."

Another amazing outing for this MOON KNIGHT book which finds Ellis doing one of his favorite things, weird and creepy science, and finds Shalvey getting to really play with a new environment and play with the constructs of dreams, while Bellaire gets to colors some extraordinary new settings. Just a really phenomenal book, one that really flies by but that you'll have no trouble going back to when it's over, one that you'll really want to flip through a couple of times just to see everything that Shalvey and Bellaire are doing, let alone the interesting story and the ever tight-lipped Moon Knight (which comes somewhat at odds with the Moon Knight in ORIGINAL SIN who was rather a chatterbox this week's issue). I said in my pre-game this week that this is a series that will, even just three issues in, undoubtedly be a phenomenal book for as long as Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey want to stay on it and, oh hey, what's this news now? Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood are taking over the series starting in issue seven in September? CURSE YOU, IRONIC LINK.

Total Score: 5/5


Iron Fist: The Immortal Weapon 3
K. Andrews (w, a, c) and Caramagna (l)

As Danny returns to K'un Lun to find it in ruins with the Thunderer, his old master and current Yu Ti of the mystical city, decapitated, something inside him rather snaps. Between the present and a slew of flashbacks, we see Danny trying to keep his rage down and his rage turning into fear as he worries about who he is and what he'll become, that his fear is based on unleashing death. Thunderer was an instrumental part of learning that about himself and now he's dead and Danny wasn't there to stop it. Fellow immortal weapon Prince of Orphans is onsite to help K'un Lun recover and asks Danny to step up and eat the fruit of immortality that he declined when he was first given the choice. Then, he'd rejected it because he sought vengeance on the man who he believed killed his parents, Harold Meachum only to be denied that vengeance because Meachum was old and frail, already practically dead. Now he's offered the fruit in the hopes that he'll stay and be a new and stable Yu Ti, a guiding hand as K'un Lun rebuilds. He declines it and kicks down the tree, demanding vengeance and attacking the Prince of Orphans. he's thrown out from K'un Lun and into the snowy Himalayas where he runs across some sort of beast that appears to be his father. Meanwhile, Brenda, the girl he slept with in issue one, is trying to watch over the little messenger girl but things are complicated when Davos (it's always Davos) comes to kill her.

On top of a very clear love of Iron Fist and the mythology surrounding Danny Rand and K'un Lun, it seems as if Kaare Andrews sat down and thought out every single thing about Danny Rand. He compiled his origin and his past and his present and tried to map out who the character was. Though Danny has recently been something of a stable voice, guiding perhaps angrier characters like Luke Cage or Daredevil, and giving his time and powers freely (well, since Heroes for Hire, anyway), you can absolutely see where Andrews is coming from. Spider-Man every single day is reminded and pushed by his origin, by the fact that he let Uncle Ben die with his own inaction. Yet here's Danny Rand, a guy who, as a child, saw his crazed father fall to his death and his mother torn apart by wolves as he pressed forward to a city where he would be relentlessly trained to be a weapon, and he opens up a nice dojo in town for kids to come train with him. I'm not saying that's impossible or crazy or anything like that, no. Absolutely people come back from horrifying childhoods. But still, Andrews obviously looked at Danny and said "well there's clearly more to it than that." And that's the story we're seeing. It's a story set in the present but with very strong and obvious ties to his past. And it's just an astounding book to look at. Also, I like that cover and the next cover looks AMAZING.

Total Score: 5/5


Magneto 5
Bunn (w) and Walta (a) and Bellaire (c) and Petit (l)

Magneto is recovering between missions. Removed to small-town America, he plots his next steps and restocks his supply of staples and other small magnetic things. He meets with a man to learn a new target he can attack but, before he can set out, he's found by a woman wishing to help him. Briar Raleigh is a woman with a metal leg and a dossier on the entire SHIELD team set to hunt Magneto. He decides to hear her out as she promises to lead him to much bigger scores, including the Marauders, than any little random informant could give, though he's not without his suspicions. It's possible those suspicions are well-founded as we're privy to a flashback wherein we see that she lost her leg in a Magneto attack on Seattle some time prior.

Briar Raleigh, though a name I'm not sure I can get behind (though I'm not eye rolling at it like certain Verity Willises), seems an interesting addition to this book. Someone with questionable motives giving apparently useful information to Magneto and being the person who can lead him in a direction. Whenever you have a character who can point a protagonist in a direction you have the potential for an interesting character. One like this one, who has questionable motives and no known history, seems particularly useful, especially given how many enemies Magneto's made. It's a little like Isaiah in BLACK WIDOW but it's hard not to believe (though this could be just what Edmondson wants us to believe) that Isaiah is a pretty good dude, at least good for Natasha. In this case, Briar Raleigh (does not flow off the tongue, nor does it flow off the keyboard) may well be giving Magneto information now only to lead him to traps later. Fun stuff. Can't complain on this one.

Total Score: 5/5

SUPER QUICK REVIEWS: Nova 17, Magneto 4

Nova 17
Duggan (w) and Medina (p) and Vlasco (i) and Curiel (c) and Deschesne (l)

Sam wants to help his mother out of their financial woes but, as so many have learned before him, there's not a lot of money in superheroing. Meanwhile, his comings and goings have attracted the attention of plenty of UFO-seekers and his mom requests he keep a lower profile. They talk about the possible eviction and about his dad, who Sam tells his mother is alive, according to the news he received from the Watcher. Sam decides he'll talk to the Watcher more to try to get help (but he won't, because ORIGINAL SIN).

It's a little bit of a rest issue here after the long space-based arc with Beta Ray Bill but it does its work to ground Sam a little more. One of the challenges of such a book is to make sure that it still feels human, even with all of the space travel and such. It's helped by the fact that Sam is just a child so he's limited in how long he can go without returning to Earth. As such, it's a nice break issue and it helps to keep this series feeling pretty human, even if it means we're not seeing a huge advancement in the plot. The writing is still pretty strong and the characters get a chance to really shine through in this one. Medina and Vlasco do some solid work here as well, I don't usually have anything to complain about with them.

Total Score: 5/5


Magneto 4
Bunn (w) and J. Fernandez (a) and Bellaire (c) and Petit (l)

Magneto has found a base of Purifiers who have been taking unsuspecting mutants (particularly those with more evident physical mutations) to "a farm where they can be free" which, of course, means to their death so they can be studied. Magneto wrecks through the compound and adds the names collected by the Purifiers to his giant list of lost mutant names.

With the first arc over, we get a standalone issue here, a sort of standard "this is my mission" issue which finds Magneto going after standard hate-based enemies the Purifiers. It's not a bad issue, per se, and it's a good standalone of "this is what Magneto does," but it does feel a little perfunctory, as if it knows it's just filling space. Javier Fernandez does a pretty good job stepping in for Gabriel Walta but the art star here is Jordie Bellaire, whose colors take us all over the world to all sorts of environments and still she manages to keep the book feeling like the series has so far and make the art leap off the page. Full marks, as ever, to Bellaire.

Total Score: 4/5

Moon Knight 3, Magneto 3

Moon Knight 3
Ellis (w) and Shalvey (a) and Bellaire (c) and Eliopoulos (l)

Moon Knight finds himself up against a gang of punk rock ghosts who he quickly learns he cannot touch though they can touch him. His first encounter with them goes badly and he returns to his mansion to consult with Khonshu, who advises him to use some of the various tricks and tools he's picked up from Egypt in his travels. The next night, wearing all new armor that looks more Egyptian (including a Khonshu-like mask) and is capable of touching ghosts, Moon Knight sets out again and absolutely destroys the punks, eventually tracking down the source, a music box left behind bye a deceased member of the gang underground where they all once died.

Story
The story of this one takes a back seat to introducing more of what we can expect from this series as a whole. The story, of course, is apparent through the issue as Moon Knight sets out to defeat ghosts but the key in this one is seeing how he interacts with Khonshu and how he's set himself up in this new world. We've seen his wealth in action in all sorts of ways already, from his car to his tools to his flying glider (which gets a little more screen time in this one), and now we're seeing the fruits of his travels, a plethora of ancient Egyptian artifacts that, in some cases, he admits he doesn't remember buying. There's a lot happening here but Ellis is keeping it pretty firmly below the surface for now. 4/5

Character
Moon Knight keeps doing what he's been doing to kick this series off. He's assisting the police, he's keeping his dialogue to a minimum, only interjecting a few words here and there, and he seems to be mostly enjoying himself. Ellis' vision for this book was putting Moon Knight in a situation where his craziness helped him, made him stand out. He travels around at night wearing all white. His glider swoops in and out of the city with ease. He finds criminals. He's not trying to be stealthy, he's not Batmanning it out there, he's attacking criminals head on and it's working. With that attitude and with the new Khonshu information, it feels rather like we're learning quite a lot about Moon Knight without the need for a lot of dialogue or any narration. 5/5

Writing
Ellis has kept the writing pretty limited, as I said above. The quick bits of dialogue and the times when it's used most (Khonshu has the largest chunk of dialogue when he's telling Spector that he needs to be prepared for any adversary he may come across but it's used in the quiet moments, with Spector sitting at home with his various identities) give the book the exact sort of pacing it needs. It's fast, it's action-packed, and it's creating our character and his world well. 5/5

Art
Declan Shalvey continues to absolutely kill it with his designs, including the new fight-the-dead suit, and his action sequences. Jordie Bellaire is on fire with her amazing colors (it's always going to stand out, this white on night, which is very much what this book is counting on and what it will rely on and Bellaire is proving that it will sustain). It's all extremely cool while sticking to the somewhat creepy that this book needs. More outstanding work. 5/5

Miscellaneous
The book reads about as fast as any book out there right now, given the limited dialogue and the great action. You want to just keep reading it but you also want to stay on each page and examine each panel.

Total score: 5/5


Magneto 3
Bunn (w) and Walta (a) and Bellaire (c) and Petit (l)

Magneto finds the lab responsible for creating the new breed of Omega Sentinels and begins to make his way through the ducts, eventually finding project leader Dr. Elizabeth Alain. He deactivates a few incomplete Sentinels and sends a paper clip into Alain's arm to make her talk about what's happening in the lab. She tells him he has it all wrong, that they don't want to hurt mutants, they simply want to create a refuge for people who don't want to be subject to the whims of mutants. She believes that the place they're creating will be a sanctuary for people afraid that mutants will destroy the world and it calls back memories of Genosha for Magneto. Sentinels destroyed his mutant utopia and killed millions so he's not particularly sympathetic to an idea for human sanctuary patrolled by Sentinels. He finally kills Alain and sets the area to self-destruct, taking the giant Sentinel within with it.

Story
Though he's wiped his first real objective off the map (though it took more time than it once would have, as he points out), there's still plenty to come for Magneto as he realizes too late he should have pressed Alain for more information about who guided her to the Master Mold to create her Sentinels. Still, all in all it's a pretty successful first outing for Magneto as he manages to bring down an Omega Sentinel factory, regardless of its true purpose, and has also managed to stay a step ahead of SHIELD and whoever else may be chasing him, though a destroyed lab with a giant Sentinel sticking out may paint a picture of where he's been. 5/5

Character
There's been a lot to get into with Magneto so far as we've now covered his tragic Holocaust past and the horrors of Genosha, two of the biggest influences in his life. There's a lot of regret in his Genosha attempts and Bunn makes sure it comes to the forefront here, creating a parallel in the story to Genosha, but for humans, and showing us effectively why Magneto has such a specific bone to pick with Sentinels and Sentinel creation. Magneto's doing some horrible things but Bunn is making sure to cast it in such a light that we understand his motives for doing them, even if we're Professor X sympathizers. 5/5

Writing
The tone of this book continues to be incredibly dark, shifting back and forth from tragedy to impending tragedy. The strongest thing that Bunn has done has been to infuse this book with an overall sadness. There are plenty of dark and gritty books out there, probably plenty that are better than this one, but making sure that the tone is always tinged with sadness and regret gives it a much more palpable feeling. It humanizes Magneto in a way that just showing him as angry can never do. I think it's Bunn's strongest Marvel work since VENOM and it may prove to be stronger than that. 5/5

Art
Walta's art shines and really focuses on the humanity of these characters (I hate writing about "humanity" for mutant-based books but it seems a particular affront to Magneto), giving some real emotion to everyone involved. Bellaire again comes through with some great color work, giving everything exactly the right tone and fluctuating between past and present with lots of red in the past and a mix of blues, blacks, and grays for the present. Real tone building work with this art and these colors. 5/5

Miscellaneous
This book continues to be really impressive, going above and beyond what I expected of it. It's not hitting on the same sorts of awe-inspiring notes (for me) as something like BLACK WIDOW or X-MEN LEGACY or HAWKEYE, to name a few, but it's really very technically good.

Total score: 5/5

Moon Knight 2, Magneto 2

Moon Knight 2
Ellis (w) and Shalvey (a) and Bellaire (c)

A sniper is targeting individuals connected by their mutual past. Though each of them, with the exception of this sniper, works for banks and other large financial companies now, they were all formerly part of a special ops group. The sniper was abandoned at the end of an op and, in his mind, left to die while they all went on to make lots of money in other fields. His life apparently over, he's made his way back to kill each of them. He's reached eight by the time Moon Knight tracks him and the two battle on a rooftop and even into the office building of the ninth person. Moon Knight holds his own in the fight, dodging bullets and using his tech to keep up. He knocks the sniper down and the pair of them are surprised by the ninth member of the team appearing and shooting the sniper in the head before explaining to Moon Knight that they had all gone their separate ways and that he was just the tool. Where the gun had once had power, they'd all but him realized in the end that it was the banks that truly have power.

This is what a MOON KNIGHT story should be. It's dark to the point of graphic and it's unsettling to the point of chilling. The story is presented in neat eight panel grids to start, four rows of two panels as these seemingly random people go about their daily lives. Each page, including the first one, someone is shot. The next page is then laid out the same way but with an emptiness where the victim's panel was. Meanwhile, the sniper's story is told in some of those empty spaces, a clean black font on a pure white background. It's calm, it's collected, and, eerily enough, it's meant to sounds like it's Moon Knight's origin. He was a mercenary, he was left to die on an operation that went south in a foreign country, now he's taking revenge on the others who wronged him. It's all told in the third person and the sniper isn't shown until the first eight targets are dead and the story has been told. In fact, Moon Knight, who appears after all of that as well, appears first. It's a scarily well-written and well-presented story as Ellis and Shalvey force the audience to wonder if Moon Knight's snapped or, even when we learn that he hasn't (any more than usual), if he's capable of this sort of retribution. Really great story, magnificently presented in a way that seems so obvious now but that I couldn't have pictured before I read it. If you're not too disturbed by assassinated people and maybe a little bloodshed, it's worth flipping through this one. Really fast read, kind of stunning when you're at the end suddenly.

Magneto 2
Bunn (w) and Walta (a) and Bellaire (c)

Magneto pays a visit to the shantytown that the Omega Sentinel he destroyed pointed him towards while a SHIELD team pays a visit to the place where Magneto destroyed the Omega Sentinel. They learn nothing there but Magneto quickly realizes there's something wrong with Down Acres and interrogates one of the men there. He learns that people come regularly and take someone away; they used to offer "work" but none of the workers ever returned so people started to get suspicious. Now they're taken away while every other person tries to keep his or her head down. Magneto waits until night when the vans come and attacks the men, brutally killing them. He gets information from one of them before also killing him.

Another pretty brutal outing for Magneto as Bunn begins to characterize Magneto more as the Holocaust survivor with a purpose. We see a memory of Magneto's where he and a pair of friends went to steal bread for their families in the camps but one of his friends is captured and promised freedom and food for his family if he gave up the names of his conspirators. His friend gives up the name of his other friend but doesn't mention Max. Leaving Max out of it led Magneto to learn that brutality works and that he was meant for something bigger in life. It's a bit of a strange message for Magneto to have learned but the point is made and it seems particularly relevant here. There's nothing like humanizing one of Marvel's most human (well, mutant. You know, very specifically not human in his case) "villains." The SHIELD team following Magneto serves as a ticking clock sort of plot point, like the special SHIELD team out to find Punisher over in PUNISHER. You know that it'll come to a head at some point, it's all a matter of when. Not a bad story for Magneto and one that I think has the potential to grow.

Moon Knight 1, Magneto 1

Moon Knight 1
W. Ellis (w) and Shalvey (a) and Bellaire (c)

Moon Knight, Marc Spector (or whatever name he may go by at any given time), is back in New York after a recent spell in LA that saw his personality, long thought to be Dissociative Identity Disorder, fractured into three separate entities on top of the Moon Knight one. These identities were, unlike the identities he'd taken on in the past, in the form of Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine. He's started fresh in New York with a new style and new methods; he dresses in an all white suit and goes out at night helping the police solve crimes and going after the perpetrators himself. One such perpetrator is a murderer who has killed strong people all over the city and taken parts of them. Spector tracks him to the tunnels below Manhattan and quickly finds him. He hears him out, hears his story about being an old SHIELD agent wrecked by an IED and trying to put himself back together after being booted from SHIELD. The people he killed didn't matter to him because, in his opinion, they were wasting their strength. Before the killer can attack, Moon Knight reveals that he'd thrown one of his crescent knives into one of the machines keeping the man alive, avenging the travelers he'd killed. Smash cut to just before returning to New York, Spector learning from a doctor that he doesn't have DID, he has "brain damage." His brain was "colonized" by Khonshu, the Egyptian god that brought him back from the dead, and Khonshu has applied his own four aspects, Pathfinder, Embracer, Defender, and Watcher of overnight travelers (and, occasionally, Khonshu's violent aspect of "The One Who Lives On Hearts"), to Spector's brain. Spector's brain then tries to assign personalities to each aspect to make sense of the split. The issue ends as Spector, fresh off taking down the rogue SHIELD agent, returns home to his giant, empty house to see his other two personalities, Steven Grant and Jake Lockley, and Khonshu himself welcoming him home as his son.

Very interesting first issue. This is a tough character to really get into as a comic book writer, one who
differs from so many of the other Marvel heroes. Obviously you can break him down just like any other Marvel character and put him in a camp like "anti-hero" or "vigilante" or "violent mercenary" or "crazy" but that doesn't really get to the root of it. We don't read DAREDEVIL because we like "vigilante" books, we read DAREDEVIL because we like Daredevil and who he is and what he stands for. To that end, Moon Knight is one of those characters that's harder to ascribe a history to. He has a very clearly stated origin but even that is one that gets muddied up by everything that's come after it. Warren Ellis' first take on Moon Knight, then, is to fix that origin in place. He died. Khonshu brought him back. Khonshu's four aspects (five if we include the violent one that kind of pervades the rest when it comes out) have taken up space in Marc's mind. Moon Knight is born as a protector of travelers because that's what Khonshu's about. Period. I don't think it's the flashiest first issue or the most profound first issue I've ever read but I DO think it's possible that this is exactly what this series needs to start with. The last MOON KNIGHT series was Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev and had some really good bits to it but they definitely went for the flashier start, revealing that Moon Knight was talking to Cap, Wolverine, and Spidey but actually just talking to himself because he's CRAZY. Flashy but not too too far removed from who Moon Knight is. Now Ellis is here to say "this book is different than that one but HERE'S WHY that one fits in with this new definition." Very cool start. Good Shalvey art and great Bellaire colors. Should be a lot of fun going forward and now that our ground rules are kind of set, we should have a lot with which to press forward. Only sad I couldn't track down a Skottie Young variant cover (at right) today at my LCS.

Magneto 1
Bunn (w) and Walta (a) and Bellaire (c)

Magneto's left the X-Men and he's on a vengeance tour, tracking down and killing those who have hurt mutants. His first victim, as far as this book goes, is a Doctor Hatcher in Missouri, a man who donates regularly to groups like the Purifiers. He hunts down people like that or ones who kill mutants and he kills them to keep them from doing more harm and to make them answer for their crimes. So far he's kept quiet enough that SHIELD and any other faction that might be after him hasn't pinned him down yet but he knows they're on the lookout. He travels to a town in California that has seen three mutants killed in recent weeks and he manages to find the man responsible, though he's surprised to find that he's handed himself in prior to Magneto's arrival. Magneto isn't satisfied with this, though, sure that the man will slip through the cracks of the legal system and be back on the street in no time. He barges into the police station (where the man is being held) and attacks the police officers before coming upon the man himself. The man warns him to stay back but Magneto advances on him, causing the man to reveal that he's a somewhat crudely put-together Omega Sentinel, a Sentinel in the body of a person, and he attacks Magneto involuntarily. Magneto is able to rip the machinery from the man, though it deals fatal damage to the victim, who reveals that these things were put in him somewhere near Down Acres.

Neat little entrance to the world of Magneto here. As I mentioned in my pre-game this week, Magneto solo books tend not to last very long if they're launched at all. I think part of the problem with a villain-led book is that the villain has to be big enough to care about (which usually means they're pretty evil like Red Skull or Ultron), complex enough that we care about what happens to them (good luck finding too many of those beyond individual arcs), and they have to be trying to do something that isn't taking over the world (no one wants to read a full series where Ultron tries repeatedly to eliminate all human life, especially if the book's conceit is forcing us to route for Ultron in that situation). Magneto's tricky because he certainly fulfills the first two qualifications but he's rarely not trying to exterminate humans or take over the world so it's hard to be on his side. This issue is setting up a book where he's on a one-man war against other people, not mutants vs. humans on the large scale but mutants vs. humans on the small scale. More than that, even, it's mutants vs. genocidal and bigoted humans, humans who would kill or support killing mutants. Although it's an anti-hero book at its core, it makes Magneto pretty unequivocally understandable and it means that, even if you're not so into killing, you can see where he's coming from enough to care what happens to him. Pretty neat stuff. We'll have to see how this one goes in the long-term.

Venom 42, Ultimate Spider-Man 28

Venom 42
Bunn (w) and Coelho (a) and Loughridge (c)

The final issue of Venom ends as Venom and Mania summon Mephisto to discuss the Devil's Mark that has apparently passed from Venom to Mania. Mephisto reveals that the symbiote appears to have cloned itself and pushed the Mark out with the clone, the crafty guy. Mephisto still will not remove the Mark, meaning that Mania is now the possible successor to Mephisto, as the Mark was attached to the symbiote, not to Flash. Flash, feeling fatherly, attacks Mephisto on behalf of Andi, though it has no effect on the devil. Mephisto waves if off, allowing Flash to live and act as a guardian for his possible successor, keeping her safe until her number is called. They, along with a little help from Mephisto, fight back Crossbones and his team, and end the current threat. Mephisto withdraws and Flash promises Andi he'll find a way to get the Mark off of her, to save her.

It's a nice final issue for Flash and it highlights a lot of the themes he's gone up against throughout the run on this book. Obviously his father was a really big theme and it kind of comes full circle here as he takes on a father's role for Andi (who just lost her father in the midst of all of this) and dedicates himself to her protection. It's also an introspective and retrospective time for Flash, who remembers all of his dreams throughout his life, becoming an all-star, a hero, a soldier, and realizing that, through all the hardships and all of the setbacks, he's really been able to do it all. Whether it's all he wanted it to be or not is still up for debate but there's no denying that his life has had some aura of greater purpose to it. It's a nice last issue with more impressive art by Coelho and really nice colors by Lee Loughridge (one of the times it stuck out to me was just flipping through the issue to get to the last page to remember exactly what had been said there and kind of zoned out as I flipped, just watching the colors go by, very stark, very different, very defined, great colors). Sad to see this book go, definitely one of the good, longer-running books. Surprised it lasted this long and certainly happy it was able to.

Ultimate Spider-Man 28
Bendis (w) and Marquez (a) and Ponsor (c)

Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Bombshell, Cloak, and Dagger make their strike against Roxxon with fairly sound success. Mr. Roxxon himself is every bit the jerk you'd expect him to be and the kids act accordingly. He's not dumb, though, and he has his science team (all of whom, of course, have some level of power to themselves) come to his aid. He's also figured out Miles' true identity and flaunts the information over Miles as Miles, for several pages, keeps him dangling from the side of the building. There's a lot of info there, about the creation of this Spider-Man and Roxxon's place in the world and about Miles' family but it's not really stuff Miles is terribly interested in at the moment. The kids beat the science team and Jessica calls in SHIELD to clean up, though it's a little complicated because SHIELD has had contracts with Roxxon. As Monica Chang grills Jessica Drew, Jess reveals that she'd like to start up some sort of ongoing team with this group (hint number one that maybe Cataclysm won't, as advertised, destroy the Ultimate Universe).

Not a bad issue, which is certainly good considering where I tend to stand on certain Brian Michael Bendis books these days. There's still perhaps a little more back-and-forth jokey-joke dialogue for the feel the book wants. Actually, maybe that's part of the problem. It's hard to place what feel the book wants if you have these intense fight scenes as a result of this outrageous moral behavior but have people quipping and bickering playfully throughout. It's not always off-center as you have a bunch of teenagers working this case but it certainly doesn't help the flow of the book. Regardless, the story is pretty good and the art is phenomenal. Making the decision to have Roxxon dangle off the side of the building, webbed up by his feet, with Spider-Man sitting above him for a few pages works pretty well. We get a fair amount of information in a way that, while feeling kind of over-exposition-laden, makes sense because we see Roxxon panicking and freaking out a bit, no matter if it's out of fear or rage or parts of each. Keeping Miles silent through it all, only to end by saying "you're under arrest" after Roxxon explodes for a few pages, is another solid call, giving us a nice side of Miles and letting us watch Roxxon deteriorate. As I said, fine art helps carry the issue as well, making the fight scenes more entertaining and the exposition more interesting. Pretty good issue.

This week's picks

Twelve books this week and not a whole ton of standouts among them. Some good books, some fun books, some really irritating books, but very light in books that really blew me away. I guess not every book can do that every time. Sigh.

Iron Man 15

This one seems like it might be able to though. Just a great series with another great issue. 451 has been a suspicious character ever since he, you know, allowed the Voldi to be destroyed. Truthfully, he was suspicious before that, with his Tony obsession and everything else. Still though, he alternated between good and bad, usually doing bad things but claiming them to be for good reasons. There was little indication that this was all true and that he wouldn't just get Tony in the Godkiller then point him at whatever planet he felt needed destroying that week. Until now. Now we're talking about a being who had sacrificed everything good about himself to save Earth only to find he couldn't, not in the way he intended, so everything horrible he did now has no purpose; they're just horrible acts. If we do believe everything he said is true now, 451 went from being a watcher (not a Watcher, just similar) who never interfered to finally choosing to interfere and, in his first real opportunity to change things, killing billions of lifeforms for nothing. The weight bears down on him here and it's amazing and devastating all at once. Great issue, continues to be a great series.

Venom 40

This was a tough pick for the week. I had Iron Man in the list all along and the next book, particularly in what was kind of a weak week, earned a pick as an "in memoriam" pick so that left this spot for a couple of similar books. It was really between this, Infinity 2, and X-Men Legacy 16. In the end, though, the pacing of this one really won out as it seemed like a well-packed issue without being too overdone or too hard to follow. Legacy had some cooler moments, with David facing down some of the most respected mutants in the world and picking them apart one-by-one, but that one's conclusion might have more weight to it than the set-up had. This has some good character weight between Flash and Andi dealing with their symbiotes and what exactly they want and mean as well as a solid plot that will serve as a jumping off point for the next story. Sad this book is coming to an end; the stories keep flowing out of it and providing genuinely interesting issues.

X-Factor 262

The final issue of Peter David's long run on X-Factor which, if my math is right, led to over one hundred issues for the long-time comic scribe. It was a reliably solid book with one of the best true "teams" in the Marvel Universe. Not a super powerful team or a particularly influential team, just a team that has banded together and grown closer, despite their differences, to do what little they can. Pretty consistent sense of fun and some really great characters who probably wouldn't have a home if not for this series. The final issue wasn't anything super special but it deserves to be here as a summation of the series. The conclusion of 262 finds the team spread out, disbanded after Hell on Earth, and team leader Jamie Madrox choosing to settle down with new wife Layla and coming child on their family farm. A nice sendoff for the man who started it all (Peter David was given the book after a Madrox mini-series). Sad to see it go but it seems like maybe it was time.

Daredevil Dark Nights 4, Deadpool Kills Deadpool 3

Daredevil Dark Nights 4
D. Lapham (w + a) and Loughridge (c)

Our first of two creative team changes in Daredevil Dark Nights as David Lapham takes over writer and artist duties for the next two issues. This issue is more the feel of current Daredevil than Weeks' arc was, which still felt like Daredevil but not Waid's. Where Weeks' was more gritty and tense, Lapham's is, first and foremost, set around the time of Waid's run with Matt advising people in their own legal defenses. It's perhaps set a little earlier than we're set with Waid's run currently as Matt is also dating Kirsten McDuffie in this issue. Anyway, that's enough set-up. Currently, Matt is providing the defense for small-time mob member Michael Rochelle. Using his lie detector hearing senses, he's already determined that Rochelle is innocent of killing the councilwoman he's accused of killing but it's not really helping Rochelle's case, which is predicated on a gun probably used to kill the councilwoman with Rochelle's prints on it. Daredevil thinks it could actually exonerate Rochelle but it's stolen away by a tiny man (ten inches tall) named Buggit who seems to secrete oil from his pores, making him extra slippery in addition to extra small. Daredevil chases Buggit throughout the city, never really managing to get more than a slight grasp of him. Finally he manages to get his hands on some flour (thanks to a  woman who finds herself rather interested in the superhero climbing her building) and coats Buggit in it, allowing him to get a hand on the man. It turns out Buggit is Rochelle's cousin and wants to save him from jail time, not knowing Matt could possibly save Buggit. Also, the gun being lost means that whoever Rochelle was the patsy for now thinks they're being double-crossed. Daredevil finds himself up against Shocker (easy) and a giant monster (harder), which manages to distract him from Buggit long enough for Buggit to make it to Rochelle's apartment, where he finds him, shot to death.

There's more of a sense of fun to this issue than the last three issues, which is what I was, in an extremely roundabout way, getting to up above. Even with the dramatic ending, the idea of Buggit by itself is a more fun one than a girl who needs a new heart in the middle of a devastating snowstorm. On top of that, Daredevil runs into several women who he flirts with, harkening back to simpler days for Matt, who was always something of a womanizer. It's a nice little touch for the character and it fits well with Waid's approach to the character, which has been so successful. The fun of the issue is definitely well received as it does serve as a nice break from the tension of the last arc. Weeks' arc was solid and the art particularly was gorgeous but it did kind of break from the newest characterization of the character. Still, obviously a very heroic act in that arc and a nice follow-up here from Lapham. The match-up against the somewhat ridiculous Buggit was nice, as well as the match-up between Daredevil and Shocker, among other things. Good issue.

Deadpool Kills Deadpool 3
Bunn (w) and Espin (a) and Gandini (c)

The good Deadpools still have to deal with the bad Deadpools but now they have Galactuspool to deal with on top of everything else. The good 'pools manage to pretty handily defeat the bad 'pools and Lady Deadpool leads the others to an extensive armory hidden underneath what had been their base not too long ago. She tells Deadpool that he'll need these weapons in the times to come. She then promptly drives the Bea Arthur into face of Galactus, which proves to be just enough to knock the head off though it comes at what seems to be the cost of her life. The Watcher, now firmly on the side of the good 'pools, tells them they need to head to the nexus of reality in this dimension to root out the bad 'pools at their source. The nexus in this world is located in the Savage Land, where the remaining good 'pools run afoul of some more bad 'pools, this time in the form of Deadpool the Duck, Deadpool Dinosaur and the murderous Moon Boy, and DEADPOOL (a MODOK 'pool).

Again, the ideas of this series don't hold the series up as much as the ideas behind the Deadpool Killustrated series. Still, it's fairly fun to see all the various Deadpools from different realities. There is something of an emotional core as our Deadpool has to struggle with the weight of killing Deadpools across reality and what the fight makes him. However, this emotional core comes even as he obliterates his enemies so it's a little hard to make out how much it's truly impacting him. If you're not looking for a serious series or a hugely characterization or plot heavy book, you could do worse than this one. If you're not in the mood for fun or jokey books or if you hate Deadpool (who features in this book rather a lot, keen-eyed readers might note), this one's worth a miss. Could be worse, maybe could be better (hard to argue that definitively; maybe this is the best of all possible Deadpool Kills Deadpool series).

Venom cancelled with issue 42

WHAT IS THIS. I spent Venom's whole review this week talking about how much I liked it and how impressive it was that it's lasted this long and how it's nice to see a book that doesn't deserve to be cancelled not being cancelled ONLY TO FIND OUT TODAY that Venom has been cancelled (apparently it was announced over the last week and a half but I'm a little late to the game). That's right, Marvel cancels Venom with issue 42, a short THREE ISSUES from now! Well. That's a bummer. I'd talk more about it but, you know, I already did, this week, with my review of Venom. Sad times you guys.

FF 10, Venom 38

FF 10
Fraction (w) and M. Allred (a) and L. Allred (c)

Plenty going on here, but first and foremost, let's talk about things that are meta. Meta, as comic readers probably know, refers to a situation wherein a work refers to itself, usually pretty directly. Hey guys, this book is pretty meta. There's a storyline in this issue where, in an attempt to counter bad publicity, Darla brings her publicist to talk to the team about creating a comic book based on the FF. The people the publicist brings over from Marvel Comics are editor Tom Brevoort, the writer Matt (as in Fraction), and the artist Mike (as in Allred). They then all go on a fantastic journey together, shrinking down to see the wonders of science at a microscopic level. Meanwhile, old Johnny Storm suspects that Alex Power has been dealing with Doom and Doom tells Alex to kill Storm, lest something horrible happen to Power's parents. A handful of the FF kids, led by Ahura and Alex, then go to see Maximus the Mad in response to Alex's question of whether or not they knew anyone who'd ever killed somebody.

I tend not to like serious works that are so self-referential to the point of taking the audience out of it. I don't think this book is so serious, for starters, but it's serious in that it comes out with a new plot every month and the characters are serious characters within this context, in that they are characters who exist in this world. However, I don't mind it here as, for starters, Fraction is fairly self-deprecating in this issue and pokes fun at his job a fair amount. More than that, of course there are also comics in this world. One of the interesting ideas behind Alan Moore's Watchmen series is that there's a big story-within-a-story where a kid reads a pirate-based comic book and the thought is that, with so many real superheroes in the world, kids read comics about pirates, preferring not to read stories about the people they hear about daily in the news. I don't really buy it but it's an interesting idea. I think, more like this story posits (and other comics have posited before), that these people are heroes in this world and, though more commonplace, still the stuff of legend, meaning that kids would still be gobbling them up, maybe more so. Maybe fewer kids would be allowed to read comics but whatever, now we're getting too deep into it. I'd be interesting to know if someone less familiar with Fraction as a person (I'm not connected to Fraction in any way, obviously, but being as invested in comics has led me to most of his work and to all of his online stuff, which create a personality that I kind of love) would find this issue as charming. The most important part, though, is that dropping real humans from our universe into the Marvel Universe means, logically, that we are all in the Marvel Universe. Sure we're not the superheroes but GUYS, I'm in the Marvel Universe.

Venom 38
Bunn (w) and Jacinto (a) and Loughridge (c)

Venom needs help in his war against Lord Ogre, who has some impressive resources at his disposal, including a seemingly endless number of hit men to attack Venom. Flash has decided to get some resources of his own and he's fortunate enough to have all of Katy Kiernan's contacts at his side. Venom, he feels, can no longer work solo out in Philadelphia. He needs help in any form he can get it. That becomes doubly apparent when Jack O'Lantern reveals himself again, showing up in Flash's apartment while Venom is out in the city. Unfortunately, he shows up at the same time Flash's neighbor (and student) Andi tries to go talk to him about what she saw in gym class (when he accidentally revealed to her that he's Venom). Jack promptly attacks her, following her back to her own apartment where Venom crashes in to enter the fray. Big surprise ending here that I won't spoil for you but that's worth reading.

I think this is far and away the best book Bunn has done for Marvel so far. I don't think he's a particularly weak writer in any respect but I don't tend to love his work elsewhere. He had a short run on Captain America before one of its rebrandings and he's worked the Deadpool Kills series and Fearless Defenders. Deadpool Kills, at least in its last iteration and maybe in this one (we're only one issue in) has been interesting enough for a throwaway book but i haven't really warmed up to Fearless Defenders yet (including the newest one, spoilers for Saturday's reviews). However, Venom through and through has been a pretty solid book. I think there have been a few waste issues that weren't the best but overall it's been a solid series and it's really encapsulated everything that made the book interesting under Remender while pushing forward in its own unique way (also, it showed a town in Massachusetts this one time that's right next to my hometown and, considering what we learned in FF this week, was therefore officially the closest I've ever come to getting into a Marvel comic book). This issue is no different as we get an interesting side of Flash, realizing that he needs help out here and that the problems of Philadelphia are bigger than his own personal demons so looking for help isn't any sort of negative on him. The twist at the end was very interesting and sets up next issue pretty well, giving us something (hopefully) to look forward to. It could, as nearly any story, go horribly wrong, of course, but there's reason to be optimistic.

Superior Spider-Man 8, Venom 34

Superior Spider-Man 8
Slott (w) and Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado (c)

The Avengers run their tests on Spider-Man after successfully restraining him. Unfortunately for Peter, the tests don't show anything major that would prove Spider-Man as being anyone besides Peter Parker. However, there is an anomaly in the brain patterns that only Doc Ock notices (lucky that Iron Man and Giant Man aren't around for these tests) and he determines that he needs a more conclusive test. That means tracking down the neurolitic scanner Cardiac took from impound last issue. Spider-Man crashes the underground emergency room and begins to fight Cardiac again before the shocking revelation that the little girl who needs the scanner became sick as a result of Ock's attempt to take over the world last summer. Doc stops fighting Cardiac and instead offers to assist with the scanner and the surgery the girl requires. He does so successfully and he and Cardiac part as allies. Cardiac allows him to use the scanner, which proves to Doc what he was beginning to suspect: Peter's memories have taken a life of their own and are fighting their way back. The issue ends as Doc sets to work removing Peter.
Another interesting development which seemed like it was going to be more extended. I feel that the norm would be to bring Peter back this way, with Doc realizing too late that Peter's attempting to return. Instead, Doc has found Peter out sooner than expected and next issue will see him trying to remove Peter. That could leave this book in all sorts of different places. Also snuck into this issue is a scene with Carlie Cooper talking to a mysterious character on a phone about a theory she has that sounds ludicrous but that she needs to prove. Carlie throughout this series has been suspicious of Spidey and it looked all along like she might be the one to piece things together in the end. Exactly how she'll determine it and how much good it will do still remains to be seen and putting us on this new path of Doc removing Peter (or trying to) leaves Slott with plenty of directions to go. Meanwhile, Doc Ock saving the little girl in this issue rewarded him with new feelings of accomplishment, positive ones instead of the ones that often come with his nefarious successes. Could that make him pull back a bit on his quickly growing aggression? Will it enhance that aggression, citing all the people he needs to protect? Will it have no bearing on his aggression but affect his overall demeanor? No one can say just yet, but these are all things to consider as Doc Ock grows into the role of Spider-Man.

Venom 34
Bunn (w) and Shalvey (a) and Loughridge (c)

The fight that's been coming for a few issues now is at the forefront of this issue. Toxin is stronger and faster than Venom and it shows as Flash takes a severe beating from the ever-gloating Toxin. He tries to catch Brock off-guard a few times, pointing out to him that his bond with Toxin goes against everything he's been doing for the last few years, his hatred of symbiotes and his attempt to destroy them (particularly as Anti-Venom). Brock says that he still hates symbiotes and he hates Toxin, but Toxin hates Venom too so they're going to have to work together for now and choose to kill each other later. Flash has some trouble believing that, feeling that Brock is already too far gone and too attached to the symbiote. It seems to have little bearing at the moment, though, as Venom is still getting killed by the team-up. Flash uses a last ditch plan and brings out a syringe with the serum that dulls the symbiote. He injects Brock with it and it pushes the symbiote out for a bit. Flash is too weak to attack the now helpless Brock, who escapes, but he survived the fight. He crawls his way back to his apartment, stopping only to yell at a student of his who tries to help him. Flash can't let anyone close to him because Toxin will tear through them. Meanwhile, the cliffhanger sets up the idea of "symbiote slayers" who look a little like the Figure done correctly and perhaps not as cannibals.
The cover for the next issue (the covers right now are pretty amazing, by the way. They're the handiwork of Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire) and the term "symbiote slayers" seems to point to the idea that Venom and Toxin will have to put their differences aside for the moment and team up against the new foes. It seems that Flash can't catch a break, having left New York to protect the ones he loves and to get away from things for a while and get his head clear, he lands in Philadelphia only to find that he can't get close to anyone lest he bring them into danger and that he has dragged a villain along with him. Things are happening for Flash and Venom but we're these things are going to leave us is anyone's guess. We haven't heard about the demon vs. the symbiote in a while and it's worth considering whether that will effect the next couple issues and the fights he's going to have to have. Flash acknowledges that he's not as strong nor as fast as Toxin but the demon-possessed Venom would have a few tricks uniquely of its own up its sleeve, so we'll see where we go from here. Get ready for lots more action in this book.