SPEED ROUND: Superior Foes of Spider-Man 12, Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man 2, Miracleman 7

Superior Foes of Spider-Man 12

Spencer (w) and Lieber (a) and Rosenberg (c) and Cowles (l)

Boomerang's team has found him and his feeble attempts to convince them that it was Chameleon who betrayed them doesn't go over as well with them as it did with Owl. However, Owl backs him up and hires the team to get the painting back. They agree and Owl gives them a few more hired hands to help with Chameleon's security. When Boomerang, Overdrive, and Beetle make it downstairs, Overdrive takes the painting (a forgery, according to Boomerang), he aims for another new prize. Meanwhile, Hydro-Man has revealed to Hammerhead that Shocker has the head of Silvermane.

With Spencer and Lieber back and the main plot picked back up, the book immediately resumes its old tone and humor. It continues to be a sharp book, one of the funnier books on the stands from Marvel, and still manages to have a plot that's certainly compelling enough, which is all this one needs to be. I mentioned in the comments of Coby's Comics blog recently that it's possible my aversion to the new SECRET AVENGERS comes from the characters chosen to act the way they're acting because I don't buy it from those specific characters. This book feels very much like what that book is going for, something fun and exciting, while looking at characters from whom I can absolutely buy this sort of behavior. Really strong book right now.

Total Score: 5/5

Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man 2

Bendis (w) and Marquez (a) and Ponsor (c) and Petit (l)

Peter Parker is in Miles' room asking for his web-shooters back. He doesn't talk about how he returned from the dead, just citing that this sort of thing happens in their world, and he refuses to tell May about it because he doesn't want to give her a heart attack. After asking politely multiple times and being shocked by Miles' venom blast (accidentally), he knock Miles out and takes the shooters. Miles immediately believes it to be a clone and isn't sure how to handle the situation. Meanwhile, Spider-Man-like villains are robbing warehouses and Miles prepares to tell Kate his secret.

The book moves relatively well though it is absolutely loaded with back-and-forth dialogue. I have a number of complaints about that style of writing (all extremely well-documented, pretty sure that if you searched the phrase "back-and-forth" on this blog you'd get pages of responses) but here it works far better. It's not an action scene where such dialogue breaks flow and it's in a scene where a character would believably keep interjecting and the two characters may talk rapidly with one another. It starts to drag a little as it carries on but it works far better here than most of the other places I tend to point it out. More strong art from David Marquez here and we at least have a clear plot to talk about. Starting to feel like the name change to the much longer new MILES MORALES: THE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN is in regards to the fact that Miles is set to join the 616 alongside, of course, the ALL-NEW X-MEN (WHY?)

Total Score: 4/5

Miracleman 7

Moore (w) and A. Davis and C. Austen (a) and Oliff (c) and Caramagna (l)

Dr. Gargunza explains to Liz about the situation in which they originally created Miracleman, Young Miracleman, and Kid Miracleman with alien-DNA and tech. They were meant to be the test subjects and Gargunza wanted to use it on himself, though he found that the process didn't work on people after a certain age that he had already passed. His new hope is to transfer his brain into the body of a baby already affected by the Miracleman process, AKA MM and Liz's baby. MM and Evelyn Cream turn up but Gargunza uses a trigger word he implanted to switch MM back to Michael Moran for an hour's time. He also sets an enhanced dog on the pair of them, which hunts and kills Cream before turning to Moran.

More excitement abound as Gargunza's inner-Doc-Ock comes out (YES, I'm well aware this all came out before the SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN switch but it's still a useful reference, OKAY, even if this one involves a baby and not a Spider-Man). Evelyn's demons finally catch up to him as the dog Pluto, changed by the trigger word Steppenwolf (pretty great), also catches up to him. Michael Moran's in something of a pinch as he faces Pluto with nothing but a revolver (which, you know, likely won't work) and the hope that maybe Miracleman will turn up again.

Total Score: 5/5

SUPER QUICK REVIEWS: Ultimate FF 2, Miracleman 6

Ultimate FF 2
Fialkov (w) and Guevara (p) and Vlasco, Hanna, Pennington, and Leisten (i) and Rosenberg (c) and Sabino (l)

The FF, complete with new member Victor Van Damme, are tasked with finding out what happened to group of disappeared rich people living in an underwater luxury destination built near the ruins of Lemuria. Falcon and Stark speculate that the abrupt disappearance has to do with dimensional shifts but they have to put their theories aside when suddenly Namor, the thought-dead emperor of Atlantis, appears, as does apparently the entire population of Atlantis, all of whom have super strength because everyone seems to be from a different dimension.

It's a little hard to follow some of the different dimension talk because the theories start to ask if just about everyone they stumble upon isn't from a different dimension but nothing is ever really confirmed. Some of the bickering between the team is fun (a good Doom is typically a welcome addition to any sort of team book or, you know, any book) but some of it feels a little out of place and forced. Still, the book has an energy and a sense of fun to it that's certainly welcome. I should mention that Tom Grummett is credited with layout work on the art in this book but I didn't want to double use the letter "L" above.

Total Score: 4/5


Miracleman 6
Moore (w) and A. Davis and Ridgway (a) and Oliff (c) and Caramagna (l)

Miracleman and Evelyn Cream head to Paraguay to find Gargunza, who Miracleman suspects has his wife. While Cream wrestles with his motivations for all of his actions, Miracleman stays decidedly quiet, seemingly scared. Gargunza, meanwhile, runs some tests on Liz thinking about how neat it's going to be to be immortal. We also get a flash to the past of Gargunza and MM as, back in the testing days of the '60s, Gargunza observed and experimented on Miracleman. One particular set of tests, though, started to see Miracleman's subconscious begin to try to rouse him from his sleep, to set him to the task of stopping Gargunza. Gargunza manages to set his mind at ease at the last moment but the fear he raised is palpable.

Another strong issue, though this one feels almost like a rest issue, giving us a chance to kind of catch up with the story and prep for the upcoming encounter between Miracleman and Gargunza. There are interesting things happening with Cream that we're only kind of privy to but dishing it out slowly is an effective way to keep us interested. Plenty of cool things still happening in this book and it continues to be a worthwhile read even for those not so interested in the re-release.

Total Score: 5/5

Super quick reviews: DEADPOOL VS. CARNAGE 3, MIRACLEMAN 5

Hey guys, got a little busy on Saturday and today is MOTHER'S DAY, so just going to go as quick as I can to make sure these lil guys just get some representation. Also serves as a challenge to me because we all know how much I like to talk. Let's do this.

Deadpool vs. Carnage 3

Bunn (w) and Espin (a) and Gandini (c) and Sabino (l)

Deadpool keeps on following Carnage. Fighting ensues and Carnage begins to embrace the chaotic code Deadpool's been using, leading him to a facility where symbiote hunters have been trying to track Carnage. He kills them then slices Deadpool up when he arrives. The symbiote hunters' symbiotes bond to Deadpool, reassembling and powering him up.

Still working on embracing the chaos code that unites Carnage and Deadpool. I get the idea and I think it's a funny idea but it's hard to connect those two in my head. It's really hard to connect anything to Carnage in my head. Still, if you've been enjoying it, you'll likely enjoy this one, which is particularly action-heavy.

Miracleman 5

Moore (w) and A. Davis and Ridgway (a) and Oliff (c) and Caramagna (l)

Miracleman takes sort of a day off in the wake of Kid Miracleman's defeat and the discovery of his origins to decompress a bit. It comes to a pretty abrupt halt, though, when his wife is kidnapped by Miracleman enemy/creator Emil Gargunza.

Even with the more relaxed tone to the first couple of small issues that comprise this full issue, there's plenty happening to keep readers interested. We get a look into KM's current state and the way Michael Moran is feeling about Miracleman and the way both are dealing with their recent discovery about their origin even before we get into this main plot, where Gargunza seems very interested in Liz's pregnancy. Still going pretty well all around.

HOW DID I DO, YOU GUYS?

Revolutionary War - Omega 1, Miracleman 4

Revolutionary War - Omega 1
Lanning and Cowsill (w) and Elson (a) and Rosenberg (c)

Killpower has emerged from Hell as Mephisto's servant and he's intent on bring Hell to Earth and making his former friends pay for leaving him behind and forgetting about him. Some of the plot, including how the demons were able to get through to Earth and some of the specifics of the plan, comes to light but that's for yesterday and today is for taking down Killpower and his demons. The heroes who were captured and linked up to the portal to power it are freed and immediately dive back into the fight, as do all the heroes we've seen so far. Even Liger manages to keep moving, trying to call the wounded heroes to action. Demons are attacking all over the world and it's up to the UK heroes to stop it. When all hope seems lost, Motormouth appears and stuns Killpower enough that he comes to his senses a bit. Not a boy any longer, he recognizes that he's done bad things and that he can't escape them and that Mephisto used the rage deep down inside to control him. He begs that they kill him before he loses control to it again and, while Captain Britain and Motormouth refuse, plenty of the mercenary characters hear his plea and accommodate him. With Killpower dead, Dark Angel is able to use his mind and the demonic power of all the demons around to force Hell back down and close the portal for good. There's some wrap-up as the heroes go their separate ways; Dark Angel continues to be bound to Mephisto, Liger and Keller (now free of his demon) enter the portal to try to save Kether Troop, Captain Britain and Pete Wisdom return to their roles, etc. Captain Britain sends us off, saying that there's a history of secrets, murder, and magic beneath London but that the streets and heroes belong to the future.

It's a fine send-off as everything wraps up rather nicely. Not everyone could be saved but it's a nice introduction to a lot of these characters who are primed to go off on their own adventures should anyone feel the urge to write them or to follow them. One of the downfalls of this series, simply through its design, is that it's really hard to get a sense of a lot of the characters. Many appeared only in one book prior to this finale, where everyone appeared but no one character had much screentime, and those books were all team books of a sort, barring perhaps Dark Angel and Motormouth. As a result, a couple of the characters (like Dark Angel and Motormouth) are characterized fairly well, at least as well as a single issue can cover, while others hardly feel explored at all. Hopefully a series like this does lead to more sorts of events or interactions with the Marvel Universe et al (Dark Angel has already made her way over to IRON MAN and characters like Captain Britain, Pete Wisdom, and Union Jack are no strangers to many of the more-known heroes) because there's clearly plenty to see here, even if this event wasn't a great place to see it all. At the end of the day though, isn't that the best outcome for which this series could have hoped? That people out there would read it all the way through and say "I'm not sure that was my cup of tea (British), but I'd be interested in seeing more of these characters?" Mission accomplished, I'd say.

Miracleman 4
A. Moore (w) and A. Davis and Leach (a) and Oliff (c)

HEY EVERYONE, before I start this review it's worth noting that I missed the last issue because I had other things going on and this was the easiest book to cut from my schedule. Now that it's back on there, I'll recap very briefly: Miracleman and Kid Miracleman, now not a kid and totally evil and super-duper powerful, fought some more and just when it looked like KM would win, he accidentally said "Miracleman" and changed back to little 13 year-old Johnny Bates. He was taken into care as he seemed like he wasn't responsible for the actions of the villain but we know that that villain is still in him, just biding his time. Meanwhile, the government sent out an old project they'd abandoned when they thought supers were gone, a failsafe plan, and they sent him, a man named Evelyn Cream, to kill Miracleman. Miracleman learns some more about his powers with his wife Liz and Liz reveals that she's pregnant and it's Miracleman's kid, if there's any difference between Michael and Miracle. Michael goes two months later to see if there's work for him at the newspaper and, on his way home, Cream shoots him in the gut, using a baby as a hostage so he can't transform into MM. Now on to this issue!

Evelyn Cream shot Mike Moran with tranquilizers and brought him back to a safehouse. In that safehouse, he explains that he's betrayed his employers but he's done it because he believes Miracleman can help him and that he can help Miracleman. He informs him that Miracleman was created by a branch of the government called the Spookshow for a project called Project Zarathustra and that the Spookshow is responsible for the A-bomb that nearly killed him and killed his friend Young Miracleman. He also tells Miracleman that there's a bunker for Project Zarathustra still out there, a bunker that the Spookshow's chief Sir Dennis Archer doesn't want found. He also warns MM that the trip could be dangerous and full of traps but MM has no problem with that and the two take off. He has no problem as soldiers come to kill him and land mines go off around him and even as a bomb erupts beneath his feet. The final defense, a failed and now crazed superhero borne from Project Zarathustra named Big Ben, also fails to even slow MM and soon he and Cream are in the bunker, examining video reports where MM learns that he and the other two young men were experimented on after being pulled from the system as simply the orphaned children of war veterans. What's more, they had done extensive testing on the would-be heroes in a sort of virtual reality environment that had kept them under for eight years and had instilled false memories in them. The tipping point for MM is finding out that the brains behind Project Zarathustra is none other than his one time perceived biggest villain Emil Gargunza. He trashes the bunker, causing thousands of pounds of damage, and the two depart, leaving Big Ben, who heard about his failed origin, nearly comatose behind them.

It continues to be a really interesting story (it's hard to keep saying that because it's a story that's thirty years old and it's impossible to be anything but absurdly late to this party) and one that pretty masterfully updates the old comics for this new world and new universe. I've given a lot of credit in recent days to books like IRON MAN, which took the original origin of a character and shifted it just enough so that there's a wealth of new stories and a huge twist for the character but still respected everything that came before. Likewise, Ed Brubaker did a fantastic job in CAPTAIN AMERICA of rewriting the Invaders and aging Bucky a bit to make it more believable while simultaneously showing him as doing more of the black ops kind of stuff the Invaders needed to have done, an origin for Bucky that makes far more sense but still carefully treads around the old comics. In the reverse, I talked just earlier THIS DAY about a terrible change to an origin when Marvel decided to ruin Falcon's first appearance by retconning it to all be a ploy to get at Captain America while also setting back his character a solid few decades. This one certainly lands in the category of the former examples as Moore wonderfully respected the early stories, leaving them intact, but made the story entirely his own and updated it to work in a world that was far more cynical and wanted something darker, like Moore and Frank Miller were able to provide. It's impressive stuff and good storytelling. The books tend to be a little wordy as the narration tends to really kick it up a notch in a way that modern comics rarely do but you hardly notice it while you're reading because it's usually worthwhile stuff. This one's a classic for a reason, keep checking in on it.

Guardians of the Galaxy 11, Miracleman 2, Thunderbolts 21

Guardians of the Galaxy 11
Bendis (w) and Pichelli (a) and Ponsor (c)

The Guardians of the Galaxy are still on the search for Thanos and still hunted by J-Son for defying his orders to stay clear of Earth. This doesn't stop Peter Quill from going to all of his favorite seedy places either hoping they won't look in some place so obvious or hoping to get into a fight, depending on who you ask. He, of course, ends up being drugged by a Skrull bounty hunter and carried away. The Skrull doesn't get far, though, as Gamora and Angela happen to be nearby and see the female Skrull coming out of the bar with Quill. The two stop her and Angela, to the chagrin of Gamora, beheads her. They all return to the ship to find that Rocket has bugged a Badoon frequency and they hear talk of a recent council meeting that ended with the Shi'ar vowing to take Jean Grey from Earth and put her on trial for her crimes as the Phoenix. The Guardians decide to stop it and, as we saw in the last ALL-NEW X-MEN, arrive just a few moments too late.

One of my problems with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (and, in truth, Bendis as a whole on occasion) is that it sometimes feels like it wants to wholly disregard the rest of the Marvel Universe, both from the past and in the present. There's a debate about whether a writer in comics should be bound by a character's often long and complicated chronology or if that writer should tell the story worth telling with the character, even if it conflicts with something in the history. I tend to believe more in the latter because I think times change and these characters are ridiculously old in some cases. However, I think some deference should be paid to the character itself. For example, I think Peter Quill did have that wry sense of humor back in his past but he was a bit more serious and a bit more of a true leader type, reluctant as he may be to accept it. This one seems like a full-on goof with an occasional Mal Reynolds-like flair for the dramatic. I think part of his change to flippancy is the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which has cast Chris Pratt, known best for his comedic turn as Andy in Parks and Recreation, in the role of Peter Quill. Still, it paints a different picture of Quill in the comics than what we'd seen before, seemingly changing his character to something it wasn't. In terms of the present-day incongruities, J-Son betrayed the council in INFINITY and, I guess I took it as assumed, the council knew of his betrayal. Captain Marvel and the Avengers knew for sure, I suppose it's possible that Captain America, learning the news, wouldn't have told anyone else in the council? It...seems unlikely. Yet here they are, their whole council reconvened and not mentioning it with J-Son flippant as his son for no real reason. Perhaps this, and other Bendis books, are meant to only be read as one series, telling the story he set out to tell with the characters with which he set out to tell it. Maybe they read perfectly fluidly by themselves. But when you're part of a bigger universe like this, you at least have to play by the rules of that universe a bit, not just when they're helpful to you (the Shi'ar must punish Jean Grey for her crimes as the Phoenix).

Miracleman 2
Moore (w) and Leach (a) and Oliff (c) and Anglo (w and a)

A couple more collected stories from WARRIOR as we see the first meeting between Mike Moran and Johnny Bates since Moran's memory of Marvelman returned. Johnny Bates, of course, was Kid Marvelman back in the early days but now, claiming to have lost his powers in the explosion that killed Young Marvelman, he's a normal human who owns an incredibly successful tech company. He invites Mike and Liz to his offices to talk but Mike quickly realizes things aren't as they seem. He asks Liz to leave and accuses Johnny of still having his powers and of lying for some nefarious purpose, which is certainly the case as Johnny reveals that he kept his powers after the explosion and now found himself the most powerful being on Earth at 16 and with no one to stop him. He, of course, is now a sociopath who wants only to rule and to destroy and his powers are stronger and he's more experienced than Marvelman. He annihilates Marvelman in combat and turns to face London as he wonders what to do next.

It's certainly an enticing story, one with an equal parts tragic and terrible villain for Marvelman's return to the modern era (safe and sound in good old 1982). It's a classic superhero story as the superhero gains his powers (or, in this case, regains) and finds himself pitted against an ultimate foe, someone seemingly better than him in every way and who has a personal connection to our hero. Most interestingly, this book reads like a modern comic more than most other books from the early '80s, without too much over explaining and with art that would fit into today's pantheon as well as any other era's. For someone who is solely a modern day reader, you may find the narration captions a bit overkill (though there are still some books that employ narrative captions today, they're far and few between. The biggest example I can think of from current Marvel is UNCANNY AVENGERS but even that one varies in how often it uses them, issue-to-issue) but that doesn't take anything away from the writing. Good book, certainly worth checking out and comparing to the books of then and now. Or just reading it because it's pretty good.

Thunderbolts 21
Soule (w) and Barberi (a) and Silva w/ Campbell and Mason (c)

The majority of the Thunderbolts are in Hell with Ghost Rider while Elektra and Punisher await their return with something resembling patience. In Hell, Ghost Rider tries to find a personal hell, a hell crafted specifically by a demon to ensure maximum punishment and pain to a single inhabitant, because those are easier to return to Earth from. However, their search for the perfect hell draws the notice and ire of Mephisto, who had since claimed Red Hulk as his own personal plaything. Unfortunately for Mephisto, he's no longer ruler of Hell and can't really enforce his ownership over the hell mark on Red Hulk's chest. This leads Leader to an idea: make an actual deal with the actual devil to get them out of Hell and put Mercy in it in exchange for dethroning the new ruler of Hell, who, of course, turns out to be Guido, formerly of X-Factor. Meanwhile, Elektra and Punisher go on an assassin journey as Elektra gets a job while the others are out of town. As Punisher begins to question how Elektra can know that she's assassinating people who deserve it, the entire house they're staking out is abruptly and violently destroyed. Mercy appears to Elektra, fresh off destroying the house, and demands to know where Red Hulk and Leader are.

Another good issue as the Thunderbolts are separated and have plenty to deal with on their plates. There's a nice moment for Leader as he gets to exercise his brain a bit constructing a legally binding contract with the devil. It's also an interesting juncture for the reader as we have to wonder whether he's putting things in there that will hurt Red Hulk or, say, Deadpool, who wants his own secret request added into the contract. Meanwhile, Ghost Rider chats with Venom about the purpose of the team and seems into the idea, leading to the probable induction of a new teammate. It's all made even more compelling as the Thunderbolts realize that Guido is the new ruler of Hell and they'll have to kill someone who's been a pretty good guy in the past in order to get what they want and fulfill their promise to Mephisto. As if that weren't enough to entertain, Elektra and Punisher, the two potentially least powerful members of the team (or, at least, most human, somehow), have to face down Mercy while the Thunderbolts in Hell get their business together. Should be a fun time because this book is constantly a fun time.

Comics this week

GUYS. ONLY 14 BOOKS OUT THIS WEEK. AND THAT INCLUDES SOME THAT I MAY NOT EVEN REVIEW! WHAT A WEEK! PRAISE BE TO THE END OF JANUARY.

Inhumanity 2
Little confused about this one going into the week so that should be good for us! INHUMANITY continues after a bit of a wait in INHUMANITY 2, previously known as INHUMANITY - MEDUSA. Why the change? Well smart money says its in the crossfire of the switch from Fraction to Soule as writer on INHUMANITY. Who's writing this issue? Who knows! But it should probably be a big one!

Superior Spider-Man 26
With GOBLIN NATION just getting under way and impacting the entire Spider-Man universe and with the knowledge that Peter Parker is still alive inside his own mind somewhere, things are set to start ramping up for this series before April's launch of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Now seems as good a time as any to get onboard if you've been curious.

Thunderbolts 21
Fun! Whimsy! Adventure! Most of the Thunderbolts in Hell and Elektra and Punisher likely facing off against Mercy! Just read this book and enjoy it, you guys.

Uncanny Avengers 16
Things are happening in this book and they've been happening for quite some time in this book. All of the mutants have been whisked away to the ark and put into stasis for the journey, seemingly ending any hope at rebellion against the Apocalypse twins. So what stands in their way? Well it seems probably not Earth since the Earth has been sentenced to death for the death of a Celestial. Geez guys, didn't you have enough problems already?

X-Men Legacy 23
This amazing title has reached its penultimate issue. Well, I mean, it's going to number 25, which will be number 300, but that won't really have to do with David and won't be by Si Spurrier. Well, Spurrier will have a story in it and it might focus on David, I don't know that. OKAY LOOK, this book has been incredible and the story we know is rushing towards its conclusion in the very next issue. Seems like maybe this is a bit of a weird time to jump on but seriously, give this book your money while you have the chance (also buy the trades and tell every single person you know about it, regardless of everything else you know about them).



Here's one of the super awesome things though: THESE FIVE BOOKS ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES WORTHY OF YOUR ATTENTION. There's also CATACLYSM - ULTIMATES' LAST STAND, which will likely feature the death of a hero whose image is STILL blocked out on certain sites despite the fact they didn't block it out in the back of last week's CATACLYSM - ULTIMATE X-MEN. There's UNCANNY X-FORCE, which will end the VENDETTA crossover and will effectively say goodbye to both CABLE AND X-FORCE and UNCANNY X-FORCE in one fell swoop. There's MIRACLEMAN 2, another fully colored reprint of Alan Moore's original series. There's THOR: GOD OF THUNDER, which will mark the start of another new arc for a series that so violently jumps back and forth between really good and tolerable and may ALSO mark the return of Esad Ribic art. REVOLUTIONARY WAR - KNIGHTS OF PENDRAGON is out this week and it stars...the KNIGHTS OF PENDRAGON, one of whom is UNION JACK. GUYS. I've only NOT named like, four books and frankly, even some of them will probably catch your eye. Look, what I'm saying is get to your comic book store this week and check out some of these neat books coming out this week.

Miracleman 1, Revolutionary War - Dark Angel 1

Miracleman 1
Anglo (w and a) and D. Lawrence (a) and Moore (w) and Leach (a) and Oliff (c)

It's a re-release for Marvelman/Miracleman as MIRACLEMAN 1 kicks off with a triple size issue. In the issue are stories from original Miracleman creator Mick Anglo, including one where the Miracleman Family, comprising of Miracleman, Young Miracleman, and Kid Miracleman, is roped into a tale of time travel and science fiction when invaders from 25 years in the future, the year 1981, come back to good, old 1956 to wreak havoc, solved when Miracleman and Young Miracleman travel to 1981 and stop their time-travel ships before they can get off the ground, creating something of a paradox but it was 1956 so WHO WOULD POSSIBLY CARE? (Doc Brown would, as a note) The issue moves from the Mick Anglo story to Alan Moore's reboot, WARRIOR, in 1982 (Moore's name is carefully removed from all parts of this book, per his own wishes). In the present (1982, keep up), Michael Moran has been living with his wife Liz for a decade and a half and has no memories of his history as Miracleman, save for some migraines and dreams of flying. Michael's freelance journalist job brings him, though, to what quickly turns into hostage situation. Unfortunately, he is one of those taken hostage but FORTUNATELY he sees the word "atomic" backwards which makes him remember his life as Miracleman. Shouting "Kimota!" he becomes Miracleman again for the first time in twenty years and ends the terrorist threat, returning home that night to talk to Liz about his powers and what he can remember. After a full synopsis of his history, he reveals that the last thing he remembers as Miracleman is a mission that pit him and Young and Kid up against arch-nemesis Gargunza, a mission that would result in Miracleman discovering that the Miracleman Family is not invulnerable to the A-bomb. The last thing he saw was Young Miracleman, who, with Kid, had dove straight into the action, pretty much exploding in front of him. Miracleman came crashing down to Earth in bad shape and didn't wake up for two months, forgetting everything he had been before that. As he explains everything to Liz, someone else who remembers Miracleman sees the news footage from the day and curses Miracleman. The issue ends with an interview between Joe Quesada and Mick Anglo, some concept drawings, and a couple more Anglo stories.

Solid execution here as Marvel brings a 1980s series based on a 1950s character into the 2010s. It's the Back to the Future trifecta (I almost wish I hadn't referenced Doc Brown above but I did and I never wanna stop so it's okay). Of course, this is only issue one so I don't want to heap too much praise on it (lest it turn a Back to the Future II on me) but presumably the art restoration will, if nothing else does, keep up the way it's going and the book looks great. The colors are well done (Moore's original book was black and white) and the art looks crisp as ever. I'll admit that I don't have a background with MIRACLEMAN so I'm one of those people who is just glad that it's getting reprinted since it's so hard to find anywhere. I don't know how much of these reviews will be about story (as these are stories that have already been published, up until they get to the new material from Gaiman) but that's okay with me, if my reviews end up a little shorter on these books on the whole (obviously not this issue, okay). I'll probably just talk about Back to the Future more, which is ALSO totally great with me.

Revolutionary War - Dark Angel 1
Gillen (w) and D. Smith (a) and R. Redmond (c)

Another peek into Marvel UK as current comic superstar Kieron Gillen gives us a one-shot for the hero Dark Angel (Shevaun Hadley) which grants her a somewhat self-contained story that plays into the scale of this event and goes a little deeper into the story while also giving us a pretty full rundown on the character. Dark Angel's father was a member of Mys-Tech who was, of course, killed by Mephisto after trying to break their deal in the modern day. Shevaun was granted powers as part of the deal, as Gillen puts it, and fought against Mys-Tech. Still, the debt her father and his cronies accrued needs to be paid off so Shevaun has to help Mephisto with things here and there, leaving very little time and power for her own exploits (kind of cool about Shevaun's power: there is a daily limit to them). The terms of the deal are particularly hard on her as Mys-Tech begins to rise again and she's forced to fight some of their hidden tech before she's chased by one of the biggest techs her father ever created, Psycho-Wraith Prime. With no will left to fight, she summons Mephisto and asks for a new deal, one that will take her powers away in the hopes that it will keep them from Mys-Tech. Mephisto has her sign a new contract but, you know, he's Mephisto so it all goes rather belly-up as she's sucked into the contract and Psycho-Wraith Prime gets his hands on her anyway, finding, as Mephisto says, one sixth of the power he needs. Life ends, your debts live on.

As this event is still pretty young, I'm very interested in how it's going to play out going forward. There's clearly a big story here but it's only got a set amount of time to explain itself as every book seems to be something of a one-shot that happens to tie in to the main plot. Because every book is focused on a different character or team or set of characters (not necessarily in team form) and most of these characters aren't well-known by US audiences, part of the issue has to be dedicated to explaining who a character is, what he or she is (roughly) about, and what his or her powers are. That means that issues like this one read a little bit slower and it puts the writer in a tricky spot of knowingly slowing their pace down to make sure the audience is mostly on the same page. Despite that, Gillen does a good job to get the gist of the character across and to give her a real chip on her shoulder, helping to fully realize Shevaun. At the end of it all, it's very much a story about the sins of the father (pretty explicitly) and the idea that, as Shevaun puts it, "we paid for their Heaven and now we live in their Hell." It's a good story, she's a good character, we get a little bit of the Mys-Tech story, and Dietrich Smith's art is perfect for the issue. Next up: the Knights of Pendragon, featuring UNION JACK! You guys, I love Union Jack.

Comics this week

Lotta big books out this week worth talking about so let's get right to it.

Daredevil 35
Just a bunch of fun, this book, so as we reach the penultimate issue of this run I'd say it's definitely one to keep an eye on. The last issue ended with yet ANOTHER cliffhanger that could call the fate of Foggy Nelson into question and that cliffhanger does NOT get any easier to read. Just as things are starting to look up for Daredevil with his strike right at the heart of the Serpents and his new re-girlfriend, will things take a turn for his best friend?

Miracleman 1
The 1980s massive title MIRACLEMAN is being reprinted for this digital age and I for one am excited to check out the reprint. Alan Moore kicked this one off as writer and if you don't know that name, you're probably not actually reading this blog (thanks for your support, though!). After Moore, Neil Gaiman took the reins of the book and Gaiman has agreed to finish the story when the time comes for it, so this is one to watch for. Beware though, Marvel is apparently dying to cash in on this book, with the regular cover issue (there are about a million variants that are no doubt more expensive) going for 5.99, two dollars more expensive than the typical higher price for an ongoing Marvel book (Annuals have lately been around the 4.99 mark).

Superior Spider-Man 25
In another money-grab move, the newest issue of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN will jump from 3.99 to 4.99 as we hit issue 25. The good news on this one, though, is twofold. One: this issue will be oversized so you may be paying more but at least you're also getting more. Two: this issue promises to contain a giant plot point that will be incredibly important to both the Spider-Man and Marvel Universe as a whole as the year continues. Thanks to the horrible necessary evil that are solicits, that news has been spoiled for a lot of readers (myself included, I add bitterly) but I'm not willing to spoil it here (until I review it probably on Thursday or, you know, whenever. Maybe Wednesday, if it's really that big).

Thunderbolts 20
Technically this is THUNDERBOLTS 20.NOW! but I don't really want to get into a rhythm of adding that to every book that has that designation (I sure didn't do it last week!). Anyway, should be a big issue for the extremely entertaining series as the new Ghost Rider joins the team. According to the solicits (I KNOW WHAT I SAID ABOUT SOLICITS, OKAY?), this Ghost Rider will be Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider, and not the one who is on the verge of the release of his own ongoing (the new one drives a car!). Should be fun!

X-Men Legacy 22
The me-proclaimed best series of 2013 launches into 2014 before it reaches its conclusion and David is up against a big ol' fight. I really love this series and, while I'm depressed it's going to be ending, I take solace in knowing that the ending will be huge. I don't know if it will make me happy or sad or angry or what (I assume not angry, actually, because angry implies I don't trust Spurrier and I absolutely do) but it will be an ending and it will be different. Spurrier himself promised that it's not anything you could expect and that he "positively refuse[s] to restore the bloody status quo." Love that attitude.