A Week In Which the X-Books Dominate
Why I Love Comics rundown for books coming out December 17th, 2008
Welcome to this week's Why I Love Comics which as it should be painfully obvious was very delayed. It's actually Christmas Eve as I'm writing this and it probably wont hit till the end of the week, but we'll all be pretty busy the next few weeks. The big thing to notice about this week was that the X-Books really dominated the stands. I know I personally bought five (if you include Deadpool). Of course, the Avengers weren't far behind with at least three books and a few stories tying into Dark Reign. For the week before Christmas, this week definitely saw some great action. From the end of Marc Spector to Songbird's last stand to Terra and Power Girl going shopping.
Let's jump right into the week as we start with Marvel. For Moon Knight, #25, it was Marc Spector's final stand against Norman Osborn and the Thunderbolts. What a bang this comic was! It was almost as if this was the last issue of the series as everything was laid right out on the table. Swordsman and everyone else in the Thunderbolts ties to take out Moon Knight. That didn't happen as he planned this whole exchange and actually takes out the whole team. That's the moment this really takes off. They pull out Bullseye for a one-on-one that is probably one of the strongest fights I've read in a comic book in a long time.
Oh, those last few panels? That's the kind of writing I look up to. You not only catch the reader off guard, but the villain and the supporting cast shine. Marc's last move was brilliant. It obviously didn't work to it's full effect but that was truly a blast to read. Also, the last page... not being one who is clued into the Knight's past, it's good to see a way around death in comics right now.
Verdict: I really, really wish more people would read this book. Frank Castle's guesting next issue so I recommend trying it and picking up the trade of this arc. It's definitely a great book all around that has really grown on me.
Spider-Man Noir #1 did what Brave and the Bold started to do... it made me a David Hine fan. Might I just say, this is exactly what the Noir books need to be as this story mixes in a full cast of characters in some really interesting new ways. From Ben Urich being an actual over-all threat to the goblins forces to Peter himself being a little bit of a punk kid who just wants revenge for what happened to his uncle... The book has an overall dark tone with artwork reminiscint to Spider-Man Reign.
I really can't say enough positive things about the book and the rogues gallery is handled so creatively that mentioning anything about what the Vulture does would spoil all the fun. Hine has truly hit this mini out of the park with it's first issue and I really think it finds the overall tone these noir Marvel books need take.
Verdict: This is a straight up buy. If your a fan of Elseworlds or stories that take place in a time when the mobsters ruled or just a fan of a character who seems to never have chances taken with him.... This is definitely for you.
Dark Reign: New Nation is a four dollar book with five stories in it previewing both upcoming mini-series and new ongoings. Now, let me be the first to say that there have been moments where I haven't been a fan of this idea as, to a certain extent, these kind of preview books have been horrible filler. Here, at least for three of of these stories, we're getting content that you can only get here.
For the Agents of Atlas story, I really need to apoligize to Jeff Parker. This is honestly only my second story with these characters. The first was attached to the skrull invasion, but just wow! These are characters that need more attention. I'm glad to see that they will be getting an ongoing connected to Dark Reign. Jimmy Woo pissing off Osborn makes a great story point and I for one will love seeing how this ties into the larger story. Just how much they'll be going against Osborn and his Dark Avengers is going to be something to see..
The preview for Secret Warriors was interesting as Jonathan Hickman really pulled me in. Nick having a moment at the Captain America monument was really touching and it's going to be great seeing him work with these kids. Hopefully we'll be getting some brilliant spy super type hero action here.
The Skrull Kill Crew story was probably the second best part of the book as it had Ryder running into some skrull cows on a solo mission while having to deal with the farmers. I can't wait for their mini series to come out as this was a really fun read.
I have an issue with Greg Pak's War Machine story though. I'm definitely picking up the book, but just what the heck is going on here? If issue one doesn't have a recap page at all, I'm going to be very angry. Not everyone reads Iron Man which apparently we were forced to buy for the rest of the story that started in Avengers: The Initiative. Honestly if they were going to do that, they should have just launched the book during Secret Invasion. End of story.
Our final story here proves that Clint and Bobbi's reunion is very much in the right hands. Yes, I interviewed him a week or two back ladies and gentleman but I can assure you, Jim McCann knows his stuff. The couple continue to try to get used to the reunion as they haven't seen each other in almost 15 years. Also, Bobbi appears to be having a communication with someone from her spy days... We'll see exactly who that is in the series, but for now it's a fun little tease.
Verdict: This is a great little anthology with some short stories and a few teases that, if you like where marvel is heading, you should definitely pick up.
X-Men Legacy #219 features a confrontation between Charles Xavier and his half brother Cain Marko aka the Juggernaut. To be honest, after taking in the issue I am really not sure exactly what I read. The issue was strong overall but the ending kind of confused me. Honestly, I loved Cain being in a morally grey area where you never knew if he'd be good or bad and I thought the whole redemption thing was a proper angle to go with for him. This doesn't necassarily make Cain evil again and I'm really hoping he isn't. With so much growth over the last few years, it would be horrible to see him devolve into a villain again.
Verdict: X-Men Legacy has been a great book all along but the last issue or two has really missed it's beats with me. Sadly, this is one of them. I'm going to have to give it a skip. Not sure I understand where the writer was going with this one.
X-Men: Kingbreaker #1 is the lead in story to War of Kings and boy... what a lead in it was. Havok and the Starjammers are captured, Rachel and Lilandra attempt to find them and our boy Vulcan continues to gain more power in the universe. Yost is a great addition to the cosmic marvel writers and really builds up the action taking it to new levels. It will be curious to see if Havok and his crew even make it out of this mini as Vulcan really has them down and out.
Last time we saw Alex, he was doing his best to make sure he would never give in to his brother. Oh and that last panel? That's the Alex Summers I know and love. Here's hoping things are about to heat up. I see the last issue of this one probably being a cliffhanger leading into War of Kings so I don't hold out hope for immediate resolution.
Verdict: It's part of War of Kings which will be Lanning and Abnett so I'd wouldn't skip this if I were you. Especially if your a fan of Lorna and Alex.
Invincible Iron Man #8 is my favorite issue of the series yet. Tony has to give the controls of SHIELD to Norman Osborn who's still playing it fake when people are around. The whole "calling Tony a traitor" thing made me shake my head. Tony was perfectly in character here, from staring at Norman's assistant while she walked away to talking about his date with the triplets (around Pepper... moron). Matt Fraction's Tony Stark is a brillaint character that you can't help but to love. I really like the direction the book is going and having Maria Hill fully in on Tony's plans is a great move as I think the two play perfectly on each other. Of course, the information that Tony has implanted in his own head is a very dangerous idea. The erasing of it is pretty ominous as well. It will be interesting to see just how things go from here with Tony being hunted down by Osborn.
Verdict: This is the best the book has been and serves as a great jumping on point. Seriously, this is the best Iron Man could get and I'm loving every second of it.
Thunderbolts #127 was a swan song for a charater who met his fate in last week's Dark Reign one shot. It also showed that Songbird will never give up which is great. She's grown on me a lot and I was honestly worrying about her the entire issue. She takes on both Venom and Bullseye and survives to tell the tale (with an assist from Swordsman which I didn't see coming at all). It's just one more reason why I'm sad to see the guy go.
Most of this issue seemed to set up the Dark Avengers kickoff (which isn't really a complaint). It was great to see Swordsman really step up here and plot against Osborn. Sadly, we saw exactly how that turned out but, hey, I've got to give the man some credit. Next issue, we apparently won't be seeing any of these character but in my honest guessm I'd suggest looking for them in Dark Avengers #1.
Verdict: Have you seen the new team yet? Eric O'Grady ladies and gentlemen... I think that's really all I need to say here. Definitely a buy.
Mighty Avengers #20 had Carol filling in Hank on exactly what's hapened since he was replaced. Bendis really wrote the hell out of this issue. I'd say it's one of his best Avengers stories since he started playing in the Avengers universe. You really feel for Hank, especially seeing his different reactions to all the horrible things that have happened. He wasn't even close to being ready to go to the funeral yet and this really shined through as he finally got up to the podium and confronted Tony on everything that happened. Thor, of course, was right there to comfort him in another touching scene. If anything this showed just how much Bendis loves the Avengers... from Carol to Hank to Thorand even Clint, we get the full spectrum of the classics. The Clint Barton and Norman Osborn moment at the very end of the book was amazing and really sold Dark Reign. It will be interesting to see exactly where things head from here.
Verdict: This is a buy and it's the best one shot avengers story Bendis has done in a long time. It's touching, heartbreaking and truly just a great read. Here's hoping things continue to stay like this.
We end our tour through Marvel this week with Avengers: The Initiative #19 which has been building up to this issue for a while now. The skrull kill crew teams split up to get through all the skrulls on the different teams. 3-D Man finds out exactly how his powers work and Crusader gets the moment he's been waiting for for a long time. Have I mentioned how this is one of my favorite books every month?
Anyway, I'd say the thing they really pulled off well here was juggling so much content. For those who felt like skrullojacket didn't get his in that last fight in SI, you get to see him get exactly what's coming to him here in one great moment. Triathlon's evolution has been great to read and I can't wait to see where they take him as a character. It's sad to see what happened to Crusader though.
Verdict: Beautiful arc as the book really continues to be one of the best at Marvel. Definitely worth reading the trade as it will be interesting to see exactly where things will go next.
We move on to DC this week starting with Terra #4. Here, the man who has lost his mind over grief continues to attack the underground city and Terra has to protect her world before everything crashes down. The ending felt a tiny bit rushed to me and the resolution was a bit forced but other then that, I really loved this miniseries. I'm really hoping she joins the Teen Titans. The shopping with Power Girl was adorable and the fight at the end really sealed up a great mini series.
Verdict: This will be a beautiful trade that any comic fan would love to have featuring a new character. I look forward to seeing who she joins and what's in store for her here at the DCU. Oh and hopefully the Power Girl series comes out soon.
Supergirl #36 really hit home for me and came close to getting book of the week. This is the Kara I've wanted to read for a long time. I love Sterling's interpretation of Kara as an over all innocent teenager just trying to make sense of her life. It's horrible to see her lose her father here and her mother just descends on down a darker path. I really don't like her mother which is horrible to say but the character should not be in charge of these Kryptonians. The mystery of Flamebird and Nightwing continues to deepen and we meet Superwoman who seems to know exactly who Kara is. New Krypton has been great to read and surprisingly in depth. I really hope that it doesn't flicker out towards the end and keeps up with the quality.
Verdict: Honestly this is the best Supergirl could get and it's great to see the book evolve. It's absolutely staying on the pull list after New krypton.
Our Book of the Week actually comes from BKV and Tony Harris in the form of Ex Machina #40 in which our creators appear in the book itself. Usually this doesn't work out and feels tacky in the long run. Here though, Brian adds a very human element to the book which is a joy to read. He shares what I'm assuming is a very real story from his personal life and keeps both his and Tony's personalities together.
Brian's meeting with Mitchell is very touching and I assume (for the Wildstorm version of Brian) life altering as the mayor gives him some very big advice on what to do with his life. The interraction between Tony and the mayor's aide is pretty funny as they look through his artwork and get to know each other a little. I'm really impressed with what the guys did here and will be quite bummed in 10 issues when the book is no longer around.
Verdict: Wait till you see who Mitchell chooses as the creators to work on his memoirs. It should increase the sales for those two issues. Honestly, this was a blast to read and all comics should look at this as a template for how to tell a story. This is one of those books that shows the genre isn't just about capes.
Finally, we end on Mike Allred's Madman which has hit issue 12. I spent a little time with the omnibus this week and I realized just how much I love the character, his supporting cast and the book in general. It's a constant joy to read. This issue unveils the return of two characters who have been together for a while now plus the return of the villain who's been around since the Madman comics started. All handled pretty well.
I'm really hoping the last few pages are just teasing us and what has been hinted doesn't turn out true. 'd be depressed losing a few of the characters. I'm worried about how exactly Frank is going to get out of this situation.
Verdict: Find the Madman Gargantuan and then find this whole series. It's what fun comics should be.
Well that's it guys, join us next week as we read the finale of the Rann/Thanagarian Holy War, the Flash and a Robert Kirkman crossover. See you then!
Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching dvd's, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice. Eric shops at TJ's Collectibles. Visit them on the web at www.tjcollect.com!
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