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 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.