All-New Wolverine #12 - A Review

The Inhuman Ulysses foresaw Old Man Logan killing his young clone, Gabby Linney. Somehow, he did not foresee it going badly when SHIELD and Captain America went to take Logan into custody regarding something he hadn't done yet. Now, with Gabby seemingly dead and a berserk Old Man Logan rampaging through New York City, it falls to The All-New Wolverine, Laura Kinney, to clean-up SHIELD's mess.

Alas, not even Tom Taylor's brilliant writing can make the stupidity of Civil War II entertaining. Captain America is horribly out of character here - apparently a major complaint about the crossover. (I, wisely it seems, have been avoiding the special apart from the tie-in issues in the Marvel books I regularly read.) Still, Taylor's script makes the most of a bad situation and Laura's speeches to both Cap and Old Man Logan are pretty damn awesome.

The artwork issues from the past few months continue to be a problem. Ig Guara draws a good fight scene, but his takes on Laura and Gabby appear to be the same age! However, the inking by Walden Wong is consistent and colorist Michael Garland manages a few neat touches, such as using single colors to punctuate key close-ups.

Captain America: Civil War - A Spoiler-Free Review

I know I'm going to upset a lot of people with these comments, so let's get it over with.

On the whole, I'd place Civil War on-par with Batman V. Superman.

Now, I see you Marvel Zombies are readying your pitchforks and torches, so let me explain why.

Basically, Civil War has the exact same over-riding problems Batman V. Superman did.

It's primarily concerned with offering fan-service and making references to the comics at the expense of a cohesive story. It requires some characters to act in a blatantly illogical fashion in order for the plot to work. The villain's evil plan is entirely dependent upon coincidences that should be entirely beyond their control that are never adequately explained. And - much like Age of Ultron before it - Civil War seemed like it was more concerned with setting up upcoming movies than it was in telling its own stories. As Batman V. Superman left us more excited about Wonder Woman, so too does Civil War leave us more excited about Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Now with that being said, did I like the movie?

Yes!


Technically, the film is far from perfect.. The first hour drags a bit. There's some incredibly cheap CGI. And a lot of the fight scenes are filmed WAY too close and the jump-cuts went by so fast I thought for a moment the projector was running at a too-fast frame-rate.

But THE fight scene - you know the one I mean - THAT fight scene is perfect.

The acting is great across the board. Tom Holland in particular is impressive and not just because he is easily the most comics-accurate Spider-Man we've ever seen in a live-action work.

Overall, I'd give it a 6 out of 10. Good. Not great. Better than Age of Ultron. Not as good as Winter Soldier.

Oh, and one more thing - stick around through ALL the credits. There's two sequences to look out for.

Sam Wilson: Captain America #6 - Review

With Misty Knight occupied and poison coursing through his veins, things are looking bleak for Sam Wilson. His only back-up is a new Falcon, who is greener than Kermit The Frog. Will the new Captain America - who is still a wolf-man at the moment - meet his end at the hands of the newly formed Serpent Solutions and their dark corporate masters?


Joe Bennett and Belardino Brabo are the third art team to tackle Sam Wilson: Captain America since it started. Personally, I find their work here to be the best of the series to date. This is not to say that the other artists were bad - far from it! But there is a smooth precision to the pencils and inks this time that just feels right. And the colors by Romulo Fajardo continue to be excellent.

Some have complained that the politics of Nick Spencer's scripts are not subtle. That seems an odd complaint given that the very first issue of Captain America had him punching Adolf Hitler on the cover, at a time when there was serious debate over whether or not the United States might enter the war on the sides of the Axis Powers. Captain America has never been anything but direct.. In in a time when failed businessmen turned reality TV shows can be serious contenders for The Presidency and state governments get away with acts that, had they been committed by ISIL, would have resulted in large portions of the Middle East being turned into glass, Sam Wilson: Captain America is a comic we need. And this Captain America is the hero we need.

Captain America: Sam Wilson #5 - A Review

Sam Wilson's in the clutches of Serpent Solutions!  Misty Knight is on the case but even she's hard pressed to save Captain America in the nick of time now! Thankfully, help is coming form on high, in the form of a victim turned hero, who has unwittingly formed a special bond with Sam Wilson. Could a new Falcon be taking wing?  Perhaps... if he can survive the night.


I've praised Nick Spencer as a writer of comedy and political commentary before. This issue includes plenty of both (I particularly love Viper's speech about how a background in advertising is a natural fit for organized villainy) but it also showcases Spencer's talent for economy of storytelling.

There's several subplots going on in the background, ranging from Joaquin Torres's spirited retelling his life's story (which just so happens to give us a recap of the series so far) to the mostly silent flashback depicting Diamondback's downfall and return to supervillainy. Both are gripping tales for different reasons and the whole issue is a wonderful read.


The artwork by Paul Renaud and Romulo Fajardo perfectly matches the script, beat for beat. The action flows smoothly from panel to panel, even as it switches between multiple scenes. The action is well choreographed and the colors are well chosen.

Sam Wilson, Captain America #4 - A Review

Sam Wilson has big problems. And not just getting turned into a wolf-man, though that is annoying and Misty Knight's jokes aren't helping. No, the new Captain America's biggest problem is that The Serpent Society is going legit, offering their services to big Wall Street firms as Serpent Solutions. Because money can make anything respectful. Even human trafficking and illegal medical experimentation.

This month sees a new art team which proves to be the equal of the previous one. Paul Renaud proves more than capable of matching Daniel Acuna in terms of quality. And the palettes utilized by Romulo Fajardo are well-chosen and look great!

One would never accuse Nick Spenser of being subtle in his politics or his storytelling. Indeed, it's hard to imagine how less subtle a comic could be, featuring a werewolf Captain America and Viper of the Serpent Society playing golf with a bunch of CEOs - his mask still on under his jaunty golfing cap! No, this book is not subtle. But it makes its points well and is a laugh riot to boot. Yet we also get some good action sequences as well. In short, its everything you could hope for in a Captain America comic.

Astonishing Ant-Man #3 - A Review

The good news is that Captain America wants Scott Lang's help with a mission. The bad news (or at least, the bad news Scott is aware of) is that said mission is less about superheroics and more about stealing something and annoying SHIELD - both things Scott REALLY cannot afford right now. And unbeknownst to Scott (but knownst to us), his life is about to become even more annoying and dangerous, as his sworn enemies at Cross Technological have launched their own henchman-recruiting app.


Nick Spencer continues to deliver the funny, as he skewers both modern technology and the Marvel Universe. I found myself laughing out loud more than once as I read this issue. This was due to both the interplay between Sam Wilson and Scott Lang and the mock commercial for Lackey.


The artwork proves equally excellent. Ramon Rosanas is a perfect comedic partner for Nick Spencer and his work here reminds me of Kevin Maguire's work on Justice League. And the colors by Jordan Boyd are well chosen, with the tints used to simulate a phone screen being particularly noteworthy.

Sam Wilson: Captain America #3 - A Review

Captain America is on the trail of Dr. Malus - one of many mad scientists using captured refugees fleeing to America as test subjects for their twisted experiments! But Malus is cannier than most and had a trap set for any heroes who came after him. Now Sam Wilson has become another of the bad doctor's experiments... and The Cap-Wolf has returned!

After two mostly serious issues dealing with current events, Nick Spencer delivers a story more in line with his usual comedic flair. Spencer revels in the lunacy of the Marvel Universe like few other writers and the humor takes center-stage this time around. After all, if you can't laugh at a flying werewolf Captain America, what can you laugh at?

Daniel Acuna does his usual fantastic job on the artwork, with an assist from Mike Choi this time around. Acuna's style is well suited to the stories Spencer crafts, being gritty and rough in design yet brightly colored.  Symbolically, it's as if the hope and idealism of America is shining through into the dark world that Sam Wilson inhabits.

Sam Wilson: Captain America #2 - A Review

Sam Wilson's never been one to turn away from a fight but he may be taking on more than he can handle as the new Captain America. From publicly opposing SHIELD's reported plan to use Cosmic Cube fragments to secretly alter reality to protecting illegal immigrants from human traffickers, Sam's been stirring up controversy in the press with his every action. But when he backs the work of a secretive whistle-blower known as The Whisperer, Sam will find himself fighting the man he respects most in the world - Steve Rogers!


You can say this for Nick Spencer - he is not one to shy away from controversy. Though his script is filled with metaphorically equivalencies, his real-world targets are clear. To Spencer's credit, he does not stand upon a soapbox but does allow for some reasoned discussion of differing viewpoints. Of particular note is the discussion between Sam and Steve Rogers, where Sam argues that sometimes you have to work outside the system to do the right thing while Steve argues that one still has to be held accountable to the laws regarding exposing corruption within a system.


Whatever your opinions on the story itself or the politics involved, it cannot be denied that the artwork is top-notch. Daniel Acuna draws some powerful figures. And his colors, mostly a variety of reds, white and blues, subtly reinforce the visual theme of the series.

Sam Wilson: Captain America #1 - A Review

Confession time, kids. I've never been a big Captain America fan.

I don't dislike Captain America. I just never really connected with Steve Rogers the same way I did Peter Parker or Dick Grayson. I preferred heroes I could relate to rather than ideals to live up to.

As such, the new Sam Wilson: Captain America title didn't hold much interest for me. Most of the Marvel Now! campaign has left me cold and the idea of Sam Wilson taking up Steve Rogers' shield just seemed like a cheap publicity stunt. It was the sort of event that would be quickly ended as soon as the next Captain America movie hit the big-screen.

Then the controversy started. And various media outlets began waxing wroth about this book. And it wasn't because of a black man bearing Captain America's shield.

No, it was because this Captain America marched in a gay pride parade. And sympathized with the Black Lives Matter movement. And dared to stand against a white-supremacist group that was killing people they suspected of being illegal immigrants along the United States' southern border.


This is hilarious to me on multiple levels. Any reputable scholar of American comic book history can tell you that Captain America's origins are steeped in New Deal liberalism. Steve Rogers was the original social justice warrior, punching Nazis not because they were enemies of America but because they were enemies of everything America stood for - Freedom, Equality and Justice.

Here's a fun fact - the famous cover of Captain America #1 where Steve Rogers is punching Hitler? That came out a year before the USA joined World War II. Joe Simon and Jack Kirby got death threats from conservative groups such as The German-American Bund because of it. In fact, the Timely Comics offices received so many bomb threats that New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia saw fit to give Captain America's creators round-the-clock police protection.

So if anyone tells you that Captain America has always been a proponent of conservative values - at least what we define today as conservative values - they're ignorant at best and disingenuous at worse. Yes, Captain America always tried to uphold the Law of the Land. But when the law conflicted with the ideals America stood for, Captain America always backed the ideal. And it's hard to believe that anyone could defend the actions of The Sons Of The Serpent in this issue - threatening unarmed civilians with torture and death - as being in line with any system of morality worthy of consideration.

Politics aside, this is a damn good comic.  Nick Spencer's script quickly establishes the new status quo for Captain America, who is now free of SHIELD and free of direct government influence over his actions. Daniel Acuna is a fantastic visual storyteller and the action of the story flows naturally from panel to panel.

I'm not sure if I'll keep picking this book up. I'm still not that big of a Captain America fan. But this issue did make me think and lead me to a greater appreciation of what the character and The American Dream means. And that's something I can't say about a lot of modern comics.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - A Spoiler-Free Review

When the first Avengers movie came out three years ago, I was in the midst of a boycott of all things Marvel following Spider-Man: One More Day. I relented only because of my love of Joss Whedon's writing.  Afterward, I agreed to limit my boycott to Spider-Man related materials, since it wasn't fair for me to punish myself by avoiding the works of creators I liked in the name of proving a point against a single publisher.

I mention this because the thing that astonished me most about The Avengers was how accessible it was. Despite my not having seen Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger or anything after the first Iron Man movie, I was still able to follow the plot without any issues.  Whedon took care to introduce all the players and relate all the information we needed quickly and subtly.



Age of Ultron doesn't manage the same feat. How can it?! At this point, The Marvel Cinematic Universe is fast becoming as complex as the comic books that inspired it and to miss one movie is to lose a piece of the puzzle. In this respect, it is a weaker film than its predecessor because it cannot stand on its own merits.

That being said, it does have a lot of merits and the good far outweighs the bad.  In fact, I'd say it does improve upon the first film in one respect by giving Hawkeye and Black Widow some much needed definition. Ironically, the newer heroes don't get that much development in comparison but that may be rectified by the longer director's-cut that has already been promised for the Blu-Ray release.

This is a Joss Whedon movie, so you should all know what to expect: witty dialogue and lots of humor amidst the action. Unfortunately, a lot of the best moments have already been spoiled by the trailers but there are some good moments that aren't. One of these involves the greatest Stan Lee cameo yet and I shan't say a word beyond that.

Well, I will say one thing.  There is a mid-credits scene to wait around for.  There isn't anything at the end of the credits, apart from a note that The Avengers Will Return.

In the end, the best thing I can say about Age of Ultron is this. I had a royally bad day before I went into the movie theater.  Two hours later, I had forgotten my troubles. And once I remembered them on the drive home they didn't seem quite so worrisome.

This movie lightened my heart at a time when I needed a pick me up. And when you get right down to it, isn't that the mark of all good escapist fiction? I think it is.  And Age of Ultron is very good escapist fiction.

All New Invaders #15 - A Reflection

Keen-eyed readers may have noticed this article is dubbed "A Reflection" rather than "A Review". In truth, there is little point in my reviewing this book, as it is the last issue of All New Invaders. There is little I can say about the book itself at this point. Steve Pugh's artwork is, as always, excellent. And James Robinson offers some great insight into these characters in this final chapter, though the actual script reads like a transcription of an Oscar acceptance speech delivered by someone who was two seconds away from being played off by the band for over a minute.


I don't fault Robinson for this. It is clear in both the text of the issue and his comments at the end that he had so many plans for this book that never came to fruition. The plot involving The Kree and a weapon that could control Celestials?  Bucky Barnes working with the British Invaders on a secret mission involving Martian invaders from an alternate reality and the revival of Killraven?  Even the promise of a romance between the original Human Torch and the new heroine Radiance seems to have been rushed into life as a footnote in this issue, so great is Robinson's haste to show What Might Have Been and (hopefully) What Will Be.


Unfortunately, I can't say I'm as optimistic as Robinson.  Given the whole of time and space to play with, he created a great number of wonders in a very short time.  Alas, that doesn't seem to have been enough to satisfy The Powers That Be at The House Of Ideas. Books which portray Namor as the complicated character that he is seem to be out of vogue at the moment.  Then again, true anti-heroes tend to languish when all heroes are forced into an anti-hero's place, as seems to be the prevailing attitude in many of Marvel's titles heading into Secret Wars.

Still, we will see what we will see. And I will hope that Robinson is given the chance to tell the tales he wishes to tell. In another reality, if not this one.

All New Invaders #14 - A Review

It is a time of adjustment. The original Human Torch Jim Hammond, still a newbie SHIELD agent, is catching up with his estranged sidekick, Toro, who has just been revealed to be an Inhuman rather than a Mutant. But they will have little time to reminisce when their new friend Iron Cross requires help dealing with an army of Neo-Nazi cyborgs!


This is the penultimate issue of All New Invaders yet I already find myself missing it as if it were gone. Perhaps that is because of the feeling that James Robinson had so much more to say with this book and so much more to do with the new characters he created for it. And I'm dearly sorry we won't get to see what happens to Speedball's cat and can only hope the poor creature slinks off into Comics Limbo without some completest deciding it had to be dissected for the shock of it.


While the story may have a hint of ennui, the artwork is as exciting as ever. If I were to sum up Steve Pugh's artwork in one word, I could only say that it is epic. And the colors by Guru-FX make every panel vibrant and beautiful.

All-New Captain America #1 - A Review

When it was announced that there would be a new Captain America, there was a goodly amount of public outcry.  Even when it was revealed was that this "new" Captain America would be Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon, there was still some trepidation among fans of the series.  It was not that anyone doubted Sam's ability to take up Steve Rogers' shield but more that the entire move seemed little more than a cheap publicity stunt on the part of Marvel Comics.


Unfortunately, the first issue of All-New Captain America does little to refute this idea.  After an opening in which we learn a little of Sam's background and how he came to believe in The American Dream, the rest of the issue is strictly business as usual.  All the talk about things never being the same proved to be just that - talk.  Doubtlessly this will be a relief to those who were enjoying Rick Remender's work on the recent Marvel Now! Captain America series but those hoping for an exciting new direction will be sorely disappointed.


The artwork is similarly competent but unremarkable.  Stuart Immonen's characters look artificially posed but at least the action sequences are well blocked and easy to follow.  The inks by Wade Von Grawbadger are erratic, being limited on some pages to simple black outlines around the characters and so heavy as to obscure the artwork completely on others!  All in all, there is little to recommend this series to those who aren't already reading Captain America.

All New Invaders #11 - A Review

Some time has passed since The Invaders last united.  Thanks to recent events, Steve Rogers now looks his age and Namor - never the most popular of heroes or world leaders - is more hated than ever.  Despite this, Namor is still determined to find and save an apparently mad Jim Hammond - the first man to be called The Human Torch and one of the few Namor considers a true friend.


I've spoken before of James Robinson's gift for fitting exposition into his dialogue.  In most of his stories - such as the Times Past chapters of Robinson's Starman - this was due to flashbacks depicting old adventures relevant to the current adventure.  In this case, Robinson's gift is needed to explain away the current events of the Captain America title as well as the latest Marvel inter-company crossover.  Still, the information is delivered quickly and the proceedings are rounded out with some of Robinson's usual humor without things becoming too chatty.


Unlike last month's issue, All New Invaders #11 allows Steven Pugh ample opportunity to dazzle the audience with an epic splash page or two.  Pugh is even capable of fitting a poster-worthy piece of action-packed artwork into a half-page.  Such ability to depict this level of detail in a confined panel is a rare gift and we are all fortunate to see such talent on display here.

All New Invaders #10 - A Review

When we last left The Invaders, our heroes were in dire straits. On a mission to rescue The Human Torch's sidekick, Toro, the group found themselves surrounded by the minions of a German terrorist and an army of Deathloks. Thankfully, The Invaders have a secret weapon of their own - the daughter of an old enemy, who has just discovered her heritage as an Inhuman!


There is a lot of material to cover in this issue of Invaders but James Robinson tackles the exposition with his usual aplomb.  More, he continues to offer a unique insight into each character and handles them in unexpected ways.  The highlights of the issue include a flashback where Namor testifies at the Nuremberg Trials and Captain America addressing the Deathloks, not as zombies, but as soldiers.  We're also given an interesting new character concept in the form of the new Iron Cross.


Steve Pugh does his usual stellar job on the artwork.  The story flows naturally from panel to panel during the conversational scenes but we're still treated to a number of spacious, poster-worthy panels.  No big splash pages, alas, but every page of this book looks amazing in spite of the smaller spaces that Pugh works within.

All New Invaders #9 - A Review

If Invaders #9 has a weak point, it's that there is very little that actually happens in this issue.  Oh, there are battles aplenty in the background but these are not the focus of the story.  The main purpose of this book is to bring Captain America into the fight and to allow our villain to explain just what the heck a Deathlok is and how he has acquired a collection made up of "all of them".


That being said, this issue accomplishes both of those goals with style.  In a time and place when most authors are content to let blurbs on the credits page tell readers the story so far, James Robinson still follows the old Stan Lee edict that every comic should be written as if it were someone's first.  Robinson seamlessly fits this exposition into the narrative through The Winter Soldier giving Captain America a SitRep on what is going on and the villain of the piece - who loves hearing himself talk - explaining how he assembled his army of extra-dimensional cyborgs.


Steve Pugh matches Robinson's quality script with his amazing artwork.  While the combat sequences of this issue are somewhat limited in scope, Pugh still manages to depict them with amazing detail given the relatively minute focus in each panel.  Action fans may be disappointed but fans of great artwork won't be, even if this issue features a slightly higher amount of talking head scenes than usual.

Invaders #7 - A Review

There are two things James Robinson does better than any writer I can think of.  The first is provide seamless exposition, which is fast becoming a lost art.  This is particularly true at Marvel Comics, where more writers seem to be emulating the Brian Michael Bendis style of decompressed storytelling while ignoring the Stan Lee dictum that every story should be written as if it were somebody's first issue.  Miraculously, despite being the second part of a story and a tie-in to the Original Sin crossover event, you can pick up Invaders #7 and read the story without the need of any other supporting material!


The other thing James Robinson does better than anyone is utilize the obscure superheroes of yesteryear.  The centerpiece of this issue is a flashback in which we see The Kid Commandos (created by Roy Thomas for his own 1970s' Invaders book) take on their mentors in a battle over the morality of The Invaders plan to stop the fighting in The Pacific by creating a tidal wave that will hurt innocent civilians as well as the Japanese navy!


I may dote on Robinson's writing, but the artwork of Mark Laming proves the equal of Robinson's script.  Lanning's style emulates the Marvel Comics of old, with figures aiming their attacks at the reader in the grand Jack Kirby tradition.  The final product is an impressive fusion of great writing and amazing artwork.

Invaders #5 - A Review

Invaders #5 has all the hallmarks of a James Robinson story.  What this means is that the action of the book is pushed into the background so we can focus upon the dialogue.  This might sound counterproductive considering the aims of the average superhero comic but Robinson possesses a unique ability to create language that seems unlike anything we usually hear the characters involved saying yet still seems perfectly natural in spite of that.

Consider the hilarious scene where Captain America trolls The Supreme Intelligence.  Sarcasm usually comes as naturally to Steve Rogers as singing showtunes does to Batman.  And yet, in this context, it works!


Despite much of this book being taken up by talking-heads, artist Steve Pugh still gets a few good splash-pages here and there.  Pugh is at his best when he has ample space to work with and doesn't have to worry about multiple word balloons.  Yet even in the panels where the dialogue gets thick, Pugh's artwork still shines through.

In the end, I think Namor sums up my feelings about Invaders in the book's closing pages...

Dallas Comic Con 2014 - ALL THE PICTURES! - Part Three

Hush and Poison Ivy


The Tenth Doctor & Rose Tyler


Poison Ivy and her dream/nightmare come-true - Two Harleys!


X-23


Ghost Rider


Nightwing


Huntress and Black Canary


Hawkgirl


Jawas!


The Powerpuff Girls


Captain America and Elsa from Frozen


Gwen Stacy

Invaders #4 - A Review

Invaders #4 is best summarized by two words - complex simplicity.  This may seem like a paradoxical concept and yet it perfectly describes the artwork of Steve Pugh.  Like a crafted gem, Pugh's work is multi-faceted and full of hidden details while still possessing a smooth, polished look.


The script by James Robinson is similarly detailed while still seeming to be a straight forward tale of alien invaders (in this case, the Kree army) and the advanced technology that allows them to control gods.  But there are several layers to the action and a few skillful misdirections.  Indeed, I think Robinson may have even taken a subtle dig at his own propensity for long monologues and scenes of characters talking to one another about philosophy with Bucky's complaints about getting bored with the discussion of the sins of mankind.


Bottom Line: Invaders may not be the most daring title of the Marvel NOW! line up but it doesn't have to be.  It remains what it is - a solid action series that also offers a look back at Marvel's long-neglected past.