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

Leftovers 7/9/14

100th Anniversary Special: Amazing Spider-Man 1
S. Ryan (w) and I. Lee (a and c) and Cowles (l)

Another glimpse into the future as we see where Peter Parker might be in another few decades, battling Kingpin over a techno-symbiote, a Venom that grants him access to the world's electrical data. In a city where even the cars are connected to a giant grid, it gives him unparalleled control and the ability to hunt Peter at any turn. Peter manages to escape into the technology-less Central Park and make himself a torch, which he wields as Venom approaches. He dives at Kingpin with it and manages to burn off the suit, taking Kingpin down. He returns home and we learn that he's recently lost Aunt May (hard to feel too bad, she lived to maybe 700 years old, given the way she looks in early SPIDER-MAN) but he's ready to keep fighting. It's not a bad in medias res book (though it claims to be 8 of 8 and it's the first time Kingpin is revealed as the villain, so it's indicative of a pacing problem in the arc) and Sean Ryan's writing doesn't over-explain too much (as would be the temptation as you jump into a whole new world and the end of an arc) while In-Hyuk Lee's art is very impressive. Strong stuff, certainly entertaining enough to read, though it seems a little heavy-handed about the role of electronics and the pace of technology and so forth. 4/5

All-New Invaders 7
J. Robinson (w) and Laming (a) and Guru eFX (c) and Petit (l)

Torch continues to explain to SHIELD agent Malloy what happened with Radiance, which leads to a story within a story within a story and ALL OF THEM ARE BORING. The original Invaders were set to cause a tsunami in Japan that would likely end the war but Golden Girl, Radiance's grandmother, could not abide the loss of innocent lives the tsunami would cause. She and the Kid Commandoes fight against the Invaders and eventually cause them to see the innocent people and they all refuse to go through with the plan, prompting the army to drop the bombs. Radiance backs off, ashamed that she took such steps to nearly really hurt some people, and Torch takes the fall for her and he explains it to Malloy and Malloy is apparently an alien AI and I DO NOT CARE. This book has SO MUCH over-exposition, kicking off with Malloy literally saying "let me list what you've said" at one point and it's just stuff like that that make this one of the most poorly written and therefore boring books I've seen. 1/5

Amazing Spider-Man 1.3
Slott (w) and R. Pérez (a) and Herring (c) and Caramagna (l)

As the science fair approaches, Peter decides to enter a magnetic device he used against the Vulture. It fails to impress but it works well when Clayton Cole shows up at the fair in his Clash get-up and Peter assumes the worst, changing to Spider-Man and attacking before Clash can hurt anyone. Of course, it makes matters worse and Clash is more powerful than he was before. Spider-Man forces him to flee with the magnetic device but has earned the ire of everyone around and his turned Clash even more against Spider-Man. This is a fairly slow issue with equal time given to the new storyline as to the old ones (like the Vulture fight) so you already know a lot of the stuff that's happening. More than that, though, it reverts Spidey to his original personality maybe a little too well, making him far less likable and more reactionary. He is rather the cause of all of these troubles (with a generous helping of Clayton Cole's insanity). 2/5

Avengers Undercover 7
Hopeless (w) and Walker (p) and Gorder (i) and Beaulieu (c) and Caramagna (l)

Chase is in neurosurgery even after Nico uses her power to heal his chest and it rather sends her off the deep end. She's been training with Alex, her evil, one-time, thought dead boyfriend, who has determined that her power is legendary but her willingness to use it is holding her back. When Chase returns near death, she flips and decides to give up, letting in to her more wrong desires and kissing Alex. Meanwhile, Maria Hill, Hank Pym, and Steve Rogers lament the loss of AIM's prisoner, a SHIELD agent named Crenshaw who pretty much built their entire communications security and who is now in Zemo's grasp and Cammi, kept quietly in a cell, creates a peephole to see where she's being kept only to find out that it's right above Zemo's living room. She sees them celebrating, Zemo's hand around the waist of a woman with her back to the cell, and can't figure out what the celebration is for, leading her cellmate, the still alive Arcade, to offer some theories. Really interesting book as these kids only get more interesting and as their situation seems to get more dire. Lot of fun with a couple of good twists and turns and the promise of the next issue zooming us three months into the future. 5/5

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu 3
M. Benson (w) and Huat (p) and Yeung (i) and Aburtov (c) and Sabino (l)

Shang-Chi, with the help of the Daughters of the Dragon and MI6, follows after White Dragon and a mysterious friend, learning that they've taken hold of a book of powerful dark magic. Shang is joined by sometimes adversary Skull Crusher, also believing White Dragon is up to something too sinister to continue. They sneak into the White Dragon's lair and come upon him, managing to subdue him but ultimately succumbing to the magic in the room. Then Dragon's friend appears, revealing himself to be Midnight Sun, brother to Shang-Chi, who is set on taking his father's place and running the crime world of England. They've already killed most of the Triads' leaders, using their heads for their enchantments, and White Dragon offers up his own to Midnight Sun, who takes it and then proceeds to take Skull Crusher's. Things look as bad as they have for Shang-Chi, who is facing quite an adversary in his own brother. The book moves well and doesn't over-explain, though still gives enough of a sense of things for unfamiliar readers to get a foothold in the story. I'm also particularly partial to Huat's art after X-MEN LEGACY so this book is doing pretty well in my book, though it does get a little too deep into Shang-Chi's story for the casual reader. 4/5


Deadpool 31
Posehn and Duggan (w) and J. Lucas (a) and Staples (c) and Sabino (l)

While Deadpool and Dazzler keep pulling apart the vampire nests, Preston meets with Butler's brother in Chicago. She meets Ellie, who has something of a fondness for violence and gore, but she's asked to leave by Utler before anything really happens. However, a separate task force appears to capture Ellie and Preston manages to all but fight them off. When she's shot and taken out in the process, though, she manages to spend a text to Deadpool to tell him what's happening, which sends him looking for any help to get him to Chicago quickly. After exhausting all his likely allies, he happens upon Thor at Avenger's Mansion, who allows him to hang on to Mjolnir while he throws it for Chicago. The book moves pretty well and advances the plot nicely, though the vampire hunt seems to be taking something of a backseat to the Ellie situation, which feels a little strange. The art is maybe a little more disconcerting than I'd like but otherwise, pretty strong showing. 4/5

Fantastic Four 7
J. Robinson (w) and Kirk and Haspiel (p) and Haspiel and Kesel w/Magyar (i) and Aburtov and Woodard (c)

Johnny ruined Reed's chance to help Ben in the past and now Thing remembers it all and demands Johnny not speak to him again. He leaves Johnny's apartment and heads to the bar, where he gets a call from Alicia saying she's been kidnapped by her step-father, the Puppet Master. He rushes to her, calling Reed to come help on the way. When Reed arrives, he finds Thing standing over the body of Puppet Master, swearing that he didn't do it. Much of the first half of the issue is dedicated to the ORIGINAL SIN flashback, which is rather unnecessary as we pretty much got the gist of it last time. There's still plenty going on with Puppet Master and it feels like this is the sort of crime/trial/mystery that could go on for a while and maybe have an easy wrap-up. Still, the book reads alright, though a little over expository, and the differing art styles (Haspiel for the OS flashback and Kirk for the rest) work for their parts. 3/5

Nightcrawler 4
Claremont (w) and Nauck (a) and Rosenberg (c) and Sabino (l)

The Trimegas attack the school and Wolverine and Nightcrawler find that Margali has escaped after dismantling Storm and Beast to just their memories. Amanda sets to work repairing them but finds that they have memories missing, specifically the ones about Kurt's return. Her plan seems to be to go to Heaven and conquer that world with her Trimegas and her magic but Kurt and Amanda find and stop her out on the lawn, though not before she opens a portal between the two. Amanda dives into it to help close it from that side but Kurt is barred access, already having chosen to leave Heaven. She refuses to let him try, fearing he'll erase himself from eternity of he tries (??) but promises she'll be waiting for him and the portal closes. The adventure is a fairly strong one and it intends in classic Claremont fashion but the issue is bogged down a little by unnecessary dialogue and explanation, such as Nightcrawler's inner monologue that runs through his list of everyone fighting, something that has come up in just about every issue so far and which wasn't even necessary the first time. There are things here that are interesting but they'll have to get past the bogged down presentation to really unleash them. 3/5

Original Sins 3
Inhuman: Soule (w) and Browne (a) and Delgado (c) and Cowles (l)
Young Avengers: North (w) and Villalobos (a) and Gibson (c) and Cowles (l)
J. Jonah Jameson: Slott (w) and Bagley (p) and Rubinstein (i) and Mounts (c) and Cowles (l)

An Inhuman named Lineage learns that Black Bolt started a war with the Kree, the Young Avengers are convinced to make a mini-Cerebro for the Hood to learn everything they can from the drug addicts who took too many secrets, and J. Jonah Jameson fires a young reporter who digs a little too deep into Spider-Man's past only to learn that Jameson had once reviewed Spidey's one-man show positively. The INHUMAN story, written by INHUMAN writer Charles Soule, seems to indicate more coming, the YOUNG AVENGERS story continues to be well-written with a lot of fun moments but ultimately a little slow, and the Jameson story is a fast enough read that it's just a cute little one-off. Can't complain too much on this one. 4/5

Spider-Man 2099 1
David (w) and Sliney (a) and Fabela (c) and Caramagna (l)

Miguel O'Hara, posing as Mike O'Mara in the present, is the Spider-Man of 2099 but he's trapped in 2014 and trying to make ends meet. He works for Alchemax, the company that will go on to ruin the world by his time and he rents a pretty crappy apartment in the city. He's chased by something of a timecop, sent back to destroy him before he changes anything, but he manages to outmaneuver it, causing it to blow its own head off instead of his or Alchemax owner Liz Allan. As Spidey 2099 leaves her office, Liz has her assistant verify that no windows have been broken, believing that this Spider-Man is on her payroll somewhere. There are interesting things happening as this series kicks off, particularly with the added twist of an intelligent Liz Allan immediately taking steps that seemingly no one else has ever taken for Spider-Man, but the issue starts to get a little too cute as banter slows things down and makes the timecop (from future agency TOTEM) almost comical at times while being threatening and cold at others. Still, strong first entry and only a couple times with Miguel saying future-swear "shock." 4/5

Superior Foes of Spider-Man 13
Spencer (w) and Lieber (a) and Rosenberg (c) and Cowles (l)

Chameleon managed to get away from the crime scene as the cops and Mach VII showed up, but most of the other guys were taken away. Boomerang and his team, though, successfully snuck out with the portrait, planning to head to a safehouse. Meanwhile, Shocker and the head of Silvermane make it out of their predicament when Shocker realizes he can use his gauntlets to fly away from Hammerhead and his goons. He lands at the safehouse before Boomerang, setting Shocker and his old team for a reunion. The book drags a little bit when it focuses on Shocker and Silvermane but overall it's an incredibly fun book with a lot of truly funny moments. Many books that go for funny fall a little flat because they seem to come out of left field or the situation doesn't really call for funny or something like that but this book reliably manages to hit just the right tone and to keep the book fun. Strong showing for this one. 4/5


Wolverine 10
Cornell (w) and P. Woods (a) and Curiel (c) and Petit (l)

Sabretooth has access to the weapon now and is ready to transform New York entirely, making it truly Darwinian world, one where his strengths should set him up to be the ruler of all (which seems to work in counterpoint to his new CEO Sabretooth appearance). Meanwhile, Wolverine tracks him with help from the X-Men, to whom he apologizes, and prepares to attack with the help of his Guerica Bar pals, to whom he apologizes, Thor, to whom he apologizes, and SHIELD, to whom he apologizes. Wolverine has decided to accept help finally and now it'll be a matter of timing about whether Wolverine's forces can stop Sabretooth before he unleashes his weapon. Things are shaping up here for a big final showdown but it's still slowed by the stupid Guernica Bar stuff, the maudlin Wolverine, some weird art, and CEO Sabretooth. 3/5

SPEED ROUND: All-New Invaders 6, All-New Ultimates 3, Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu 2, She-Hulk 5

Sorry everyone, these should have come out last week (not helped by the fact that I only have busy weeks from here on out) but they didn't so here these reviews are, in all their glory. Except, in this case, "in all their glory" means "literally as short as I can make them."

All-New Invaders 6
J. Robinson (w) and Laming (a) and Guru eFX (c) and Petit (l)

Japanese-American superhero Radiance was in Manhattan for the ORIGINAL SIN truth bomb and learned that the Invaders had the power to stop the atom bomb in WWII but that they didn't. She demands a meeting with an Invader and gets Human Torch after taking some SHIELD agents hostage. He reveals it had to do with the second Golden Girl, Gwenny Lou Sabuki, grandmother to Radiance.

This book continues to move extraordinarily slowly as Robinson dispenses seemingly unending back-story, exposition, and clunky dialogue. I one hundred percent recommend this book if you're trying to find a comic that stumbles its way through 70 years of Human Torch history. But that's just about the only way that I would recommend this comic. I know, it breaks my heart too.

Total Score: 1/5


All-New Ultimates 3
Fiffe (w) and Pinna (a) and Woodard (c) and Cowles (l)

Jess is saved from her poisoning by her naturally produced antitoxins and some careful monitoring from doctors. Bombshell double-agents her way back into her drug dealer boyfriend's life to allow Spider-Man a chance to break up a powerful drug ring. Scourge appears on the scene and manages to evade all capture from the pursuing Spider-Woman, Kitty Pryde, Cloak, and Dagger.

If that summary made this book seem exciting or maybe even like it's on the right path after a shaky start, well, I'm sorry for misleading you. For all of the action of this issue that eventually comes, it's a crawl to get to just about anything meaningful. Meaningful's still kind of a stretch: there's a lot of cliche teenage emotion and hints that there's a bigger story that what our heroes have seen but there's not much more to it than that. And did i mention this story moves really slow for something that's trying so hard?

Total Score: 1/5


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

Shang-Chi has been asking around about the White Dragon, hoping to discover more about the death of his friend Leiko Wu but he's met at every turn by resistance. His digging brings out old enemy Skull Crusher, with whom he speaks about Leiko Wu and the changes in her over the years. He points Shang to a brothel owned by White Dragon where Shang subsequently is pointed to a nearby memorial where White Dragon sometimes hangs out where Shang meets up with Daughters of the Dragon Misty Knight and Colleen Wing, staking out the White Dragon themselves, before FINALLY being pointed to a nightclub White Dragon runs, where Shang comes face-to-face with White Dragon at last.

This story bounces from locale to locale as Shang-Chi traverses some seedy parts of London to try to find a lead on Leiko Wu, though it never feels particularly overloaded with new locations. There's more to the story of Leiko Wu than Shang wants to admit but still he proves an affable protagonist as he politely asks his questions and tries to remain above violence, though easily turns it on when he needs to. The addition of the Daughters of the Dragon is not unwelcome and I was glad to see Misty looking like regular Misty and not like she does on the cover, as I worried her two most recent appearances (here and in her inexplicable arc in DAREDEVIL: DARK NIGHTS) would both feature her in some sort of strange and underdressed love interest way. Nope, all good here and it's still good to see Huat and Yeung on art in this book. Nothing here that will blow readers away but still easily a readable book.

Total Score: 3/5


She-Hulk 5
Soule (w) and Wimberly (a) and Renzi (c) and Cowles (l)

She-Hulk and her team have set about researching the blue file, sending Hellcat to find Tigra, Angie Huang to a North Dakota courthouse, and She-Hulk to Shocker's apartment. After some understood fear out of Shocker, She-Hulk has a decent conversation with him and learns he doesn't know about the file, doesn't remember much of anything  because, apparently, his prolonged exposure to the vibrations make him super susceptible to concussions. She gets what she can out of him and heads home. Hellcat, though, ended up somehow triggering a response in Tigra, causing her to attack Hellcat when she brought up the file and to nearly kill herself. Meanwhile, Angie finds the files she needs in the ND courthouse but also finds herself at gunpoint from the office clerk. Hellcat tries to warn She-Hulk that the blue file seems to have a trigger word problem that makes those involved ready to kill themselves but Shulk doesn't get the message as she's busy telling a rock climbing Wyatt Wingfoot about his involvement.

Plenty happening in this book as it's an interesting story on three different fronts. Even the least action-filled section, She-Hulk's talk with Shocker, leads to some fun moments and some good characterization out of both characters. It's another strong entry into this series from Soule, though the art style of Ron Wimberly is decidedly different than, say, series regular Javier Pulido's. It's more than a little distracting at times and, while it does the job, I'm not sure it's totally for me. Still, solid book, solid series, interesting story.

Total Score: 4/5

SUPER QUICK REVIEWS: Fantastic Four 4, Deadly Hands of Kung Fu 1

Fantastic Four 4
J. Robinson (w) and Kirk (p) and Kesel and Leisten (i) and Aburtov (c) and Cowles (l)

The new Frightful Four (Wizard and the Wrecking Crew) have been powered up by some genius, apparently, who wants the city at least partially destroyed. It takes the combined might of the Fantastic Four (even Johnny as a powerless distraction) and She-Hulk, Ant-Man, and Darla Deering showing up at the right moment to take them down. They hand them off to SHIELD then return to the Baxter Building to find Maria Hill and some more SHIELD and NYPD officers denying them access to the building and giving Reed summons to appear in court.

It's hard not to feel like there's just a little too much exposition throughout this one. It feels like an older comic with new comic art, which is a bit strange. Robinson wants to make sure everyone knows what's happening at every moment, including name dropping everyone who appears and giving a little bit of history for a number of them, plus some clunky dialogue to make sure we're all caught up with what's happened already in the series and what's happening at current. I think there's a story here that's probably worth telling but sometimes it can be hard to get to it beneath the writing.

Total Score: 3/5

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu 1
M. Benson (w) and Huat (p) and Yeung (i) and Aburtov (c) and Sabino (l)

Leiko Wu, an agent of MI6 and a former love of Shang-Chi, has been hunted and killed in London's Chinatown. Shang requests time off from the Avengers (after successfully bringing in a fleeing Crossbones) and goes to her funeral. Though he claims he does not want revenge, he can't help visiting the place where she was killed, where he is quickly attacked by a few random agents claiming to work for White Dragon. MI6, led by Black Jack Tarr, swoops in on the scene and Tarr, an old friend of Shang's from his days with MI6, warns him not to pursue Leiko's killer but knowing that's bound to send him to it even faster.

DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU, a four issue limited series, kicks off with the unenviable position of needing to cover a lot of ground. People unfamiliar with Shang-Chi will likely find themselves unsure who many of these people are and what their connection is. However, it's certainly manageable and Shang-Chi on the trail of someone who killed his first love will likely lead to an intriguing story. As a huge X-MEN LEGACY fan, it's also pretty neat to see Huat and Yeung back on the case.

Total Score: 4/5