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Chaos War Issue 3 of 5

This really is getting hard to look at; the first panel of the comic features what’s supposed to be Balder, and it’s a total mess. At least the cover looks good this time. It’s also getting a bit hard to read. The first panel of the fight shows why Hercules is the worst leader ever. He basically just tells everyone to use their specific powers, “Thor! Lightning! Sersi! Transmutation! Hellstrom! Fire! Surfer! Power Cosmic!” No shit, Herc. Goofy art and goofier dialog aside, there’s still a solid story going on here. The fallen gods of Hades, Valhalla and the other afterlives are now under the control of the Chaos King; as if the God Squad wasn’t screwed enough. The battle between the living and dead gods is entertaining. Thor, a God of Thunder himself, gets completely owned by Zeus and his lightning; the Skyfather even knocks Galactus around. In this particular sequence, with Hercules, Zeus, Ares and the other Athenians interacting, the simple, almost clichéd, dialog actually seems to work. It makes sense that these beings who have been around for thousands of years would talk like this. Once Herc finally cuts loose and takes down his father, Zeus gives him some advice. In order to take down the Chaos King, Hercules needs more than the God Squad; he needs the power of the heads of all the pantheons. Unfortunately, they have sealed themselves away, protecting their realms from the Chaos King. Hercules uses his newfound power to open the way, falling right into the Chaos King’s trap. The universe is screwed. I’ve criticized the art, I’ve criticized the dialog, and yet I’m still reading. Chaos War has become the equivalent of a summer blockbuster for me; it’s not GOOD, but it’s still entertaining. Pak and Van Lente have backed our heroes so far into a corner, now I have to know how they’re going to get out of it. Chaos War Issue 3 of 5 Marvel Comics Story: Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente Art: Khoi Pham, Tom Palmer...

Chaos War Issue 1 of 5

This one is going to require a bit of backstory. During the “Secret Invasion” event, where the alien Skrulls attempted to conquer Earth, a battle was waged on a higher plane of existence. For the Skrulls, it literally was a holy war, their mission blessed by their deity. In order to combat that higher power, the pantheons of Earth sent a group of representatives to combat the Skrull gods and prevent them from intervening with the battle on Earth. This “God Squad” consisted of Hercules, representing the Greeks; Snowbird, representing the Norse; Amatsu-Mikaboshi, representing the Japanese and several others. This “Sacred Invasion” took place in the pages of Incredible Hercules and saw Earth’s heroes defeating the Skrull gods, as well as the enslaved gods of the Skrull’s conquered enemies. All good, right? Well… one small problem; Amatsu-Mikaboshi is bad news. In the Ares miniseries, he destroyed Olympus and killed Zeus. After the “Sacred Invasion”, he was thought dead and left behind with the remaining enslaved gods. Fast forward a bit, and Hercules is lost in another dimension. In the Prince of Power miniseries, his young friend, the supergenius Amadeus Cho, gained god-like powers of his own through a ritual and brought Herc back. Realizing no mortal can wield such power, Cho bequeathed it to Hercules. With his newfound omniscience, Hercules saw the coming of the Chaos King. It took a crap-ton of continuity to get us here, but that’s the basis of Chaos War. Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the Chaos King, existed in the nothingness before the universe was born; he WAS the nothingness, and now he wants to destroy reality to go back to that time. Backed by all the gods enslaved by the Skrulls, the Chaos King is a force to be reckoned with. We begin “Chaos War” with Hercules wrecking everything he comes in contact with. Never the most composed of heroes, he lacks the self-control to contain his new level of power. He tries his best to warn everyone of the Chaos King, but with him causing more harm than good, even lashing out at the heads of Earth’s pantheons, the warning is ignored. Van Lente and Pak do a nice job giving us a look at the other heroes’ opinions of Hercules; he’s a great hero, but lacks any leadership qualities. So, if none of his fellow heroes will volunteer, Herc will just draft them. He summons all of Earth’s heroes, gives a rousing motivational speech, endows them with a fraction of his own power and leads them into battle. The whole issue moves at a breakneck pace, which is both one of its best and worst qualities. For someone like me, who’s read all the stories leading up to Chaos War, it’s nice to just get to the action. However, someone who hasn’t been reading second-tier titles like Incredible Hercules (as awesome as it was), may be lost if they just want to read Marvel’s latest event title. Pacing aside, it’s good fun. Chaos War features the same larger-than-life characterizations and quick humor as its predecessors, not to mention the hilariously over-the-top sound effects. I think it will be a nice change of pace for this potentially monumental story to be told with a bit of silliness; many event comics take themselves too seriously. I look forward to seeing the story play out. What I don’t particularly look forward to is the art. It’s not bad, the characters are wonderfully detailed. Hercules definitely looks heroic, and there’s a great sense of scale to the characters; you definitely feel the strength Hercules and Thor possess. While there are occasional inconsistencies, Khoi Pham’s basic artwork is overall impressive. My issue lies in the coloring of the comic. I’ve never been a fan of the washed-out watercolor style. As I mentioned in my review of the first issue of Scarlet, in a comic, it just looks like the art was run through one too many PhotoShop filters. I may be in the minority on this, as the art in both titles has been highly praised, but it just isn’t my preference. Unlike Scarlet, I’ll continue to look forward to Chaos War. It’s a huge, fun story featuring two of my favorite characters, Thor and Hercules. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s goofy and it’s fun. That’s enough entertainment to keep me on board. Though, again, the story is deeply dependant on previous storylines, so comic noobs beware. Chaos War Issue 1 of 5 Marvel Comics Story: Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente Art: Khoi Pham, Tom Palmer...

Uncanny X-Force Issue 1: “The Apocalypse Solution, Chapter 1”

X-Force is back with a new team and a new adjective. Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force picks up where Crag Kyle and Chris Yost’s recent X-Force run left off. In the previous version, X-Force was a black-ops team, proactively taking out enemies before they could become true threats to the dwindling mutant population. Due to the extreme nature of X-Force’s tactics, the team was kept secret, known only to Cyclops. Consisting of Wolverine, X-23, Archangel, Domino and several other members, X-Force took down nutjobs, racists, psychic vampires and even traveled to the future to help Cable. Following the “Second Coming” event, Cyclops decided there was no longer a need for X-Force and disbanded the team. Ever the realist, Wolverine decided to keep X-Force alive, this time a secret even from Cyclops. He turned to Archangel as co-leader and recruited a new team; psychic ninja Psylocke, world-class mercenary Deadpool and infiltration specialist Fantomex. It’s an interesting team, full of fan-favorite characters that also fit the theme of the comic. Wolverine is, of course, the best there is at what he does. However, he also tends to go a bit overboard at times, so he’s sharing leadership of the team with Archangel. Warren, though, has his own issues, attempting to sort out the two personalities warring for control of his body. Psylocke fills an obvious role on the team as the lone psychic, but Betsy needs Warren’s support as much as he needs hers. Deadpool… well, he’s Deadpool. The goofball of the Marvel universe, I truly feel Remender will be reining in some of his more outlandish traits, and bringing the character back to his roots as someone who will do whatever is necessary to get the job done, but also have fun doing it. At least in this first issue, none of the bizarre (and honestly, stupid) effects recent writers have been using to turn the character into nothing more than a clown are present. There really is more to the character than we’ve seen since his resurgence a couple years ago. The one character poised to be the breakout star of this series is definitely Fantomex. One of the many intriguing ideas Grant Morrison came up with, but never quite followed through on during his run on New X-Men, I’m glad to see Fantomex get another chance. The character is a product of the Weapon Plus program, itself an offshoot of Weapon X, the same agency responsible for “creating” Wolverine and Deadpool. Essentially, just like Deadpool, he was an attempt to create the next Wolverine; the three characters are tied together. While not a mutant, Fantomex still has powers, most notably his unique nervous system. Technically, Fantomex has more than one brain, giving him slight psychic abilities, as well as several more interesting powers. I thought it was a good call by Remender to have Fantomex narrate the bulk of this issue; it allows newer readers unfamiliar with the character a chance to connect with him. Fantomex is definitely one Marvel character to keep your eyes on next year. As for the issue itself, it’s a solid setup for what’s to come. We start with Deadpool investigating an enemy base, then move on to the rest of the team assembling for a rescue mission. Each character has a moment in the spotlight, and we see how the members of the team are going to interact with each other. There’s some camaraderie, and there’s some tension; all the elements of a good team book are present here. Yes, there’s also some fighting and explosions, giving the book a solid balance of story and action. Everything a fan could want is in this first issue, elevating Uncanny X-Force above other recent first issues. (Wolverine, I’m looking at you.) At this point, it’s not much of a spoiler to say Apocalypse is the first villain X-Force will be facing, though the reveal at the end of the issue is still a great twist. On the art side of things, Opena does a solid job. Wolverine and Archangel are as badass as they should be, but his Deadpool seems a tiny bit off in some aspects, mostly the mask. His interpretation of Psylocke is a bit more “athletic” than traditional portrayals, but the feelings associated with that will vary from reader to reader. There seems to be an overuse of certain color schemes, mostly blue and gray, but I’ll need to see more to decide if it’s a trend or just the way this particular issue worked out. Still, it’s an improvement over the “All BLACK, all the time!” style of the last X-Force. Uncanny X-Force is just a solid comic. It gives fans enough of a taste to feel good about where the title is heading, as well as enough cool stuff to bring some new readers to the franchise. I highly recommend this one to fans of the X-Men, Wolverine, Deadpool or anyone just looking for something new and different. Uncanny X-Force Issue 1: “The Apocalypse Solution, Chapter 1” Marvel Comics Story: Rick Remender Art: Jerome Opena, Dean White...

Fantastic Four Issue 583: “Three, Part 1: In Latveria, the Flowers Bloom in Winter”

It’s been impossible to read a Marvel comic over the past couple months and not know about this storyline. The ads have been everywhere and definitely sparked my interest. You tell me a long-standing fixture of the Marvel Universe is going to die, and I’m there. I’ve heard good things about Jonathan Hickman’s work on Fantastic Four going back to Issue 570, so I figured there was no better time than now to check it out. The issue does a decent job recapping recent events, from the FF’s interactions with the High Evolutionary and an assembly of inter-dimensional Mr. Fantastics, to Doctor Doom’s loss of intellect during the “World War Hulks” event. Part of the issue focuses on the FF battling against the forces of the High Evolutionary, but it’s largely unimportant to the central plot of the issue. The real star here isn’t even a member of the Fantastic Four, but rather Valeria Richards; Reed and Sue’s daughter. Valeria is as smart as her father, but as brash as her Uncle Johnny. She happens across a device in Reed’s lab that lets her in on what her father is up to. She realizes he’s overextending himself and putting everyone at risk. She turns to the most unlikely of allies for help and pays Doctor Doom a visit. The scenes between Valeria and Doom are easily the highlight of the issue. This issue marks the first with Steve Epting as artist. Epting brings an interesting style to Fantastic Four; the visuals look like nothing I’ve seen from the series previously. Much like his work on Captain America, Epting uses heavy shadows for detail and emphasis, and while I personally love the style, long time FF fans may be put off by it. All in all, the issue was fun, but not as spectacular as I was expecting. Then I read the epilogue. Those last two pages, told from the perspective of none other than the Silver Surfer, went a long way to setting up the future of this storyline. Those two pages alone have me eagerly anticipating the next issue of Fantastic Four. Fantastic Four Issue 583: “Three, Part 1: In Latveria, the Flowers Bloom in Winter” Marvel Comics Story: Jonathan Hickman Art: Steve Epting, Paul Mounts...

Thor Issue 615

Thor has long been one of my favorite heroes. His sheer power backed by his sense of honor and duty have told some very entertaining stories over the years. The juxtaposition of ancient myth with the modern world gives the writers a tremendous amount of possibilities. When Thor was relaunched in 2007, J. Michael Straczynski chose to focus mostly on the myth, establishing Thor as the new Lord of Asgard in Odin’s absence. Now, Matt Fraction (current writer of Uncanny X-Men and Invincible Iron Man) has taken over the title, promising a return to Thor’s height of popularity in the 1980s. Back then, Walt Simonson took Thor and all his godly might and added in a sci-fi element, pitting Thor against galactic threats instead of just giants and demons. It was good, larger-than-life fun; everything you would want a comic to be. Fraction’s first issue goes a long way to delivering much of the same. In Straczynski’s run, Thor moved Asgard to Earth, and now some new threat is trying to take Asgard’s place in the order of things. All the specifics are explained by a scientist trying to gain an audience with Asgard’s leaders. It’s possible the scenes involving the scientist went on a little too long, but I thought it was entertaining, giving the reader a sense of the frustration the scientist was feeling trying to explain the concept to the dense Volstagg. In addition to Earth, the issue takes us to Alfheim, the realm of the Elves in Norse mythology. It introduces us to some random elf characters, and gets the reader to care about them just enough to be shocked when they’re all brutally murdered. This also serves as the introduction to an unnamed alien race looking to escape their collapsing realm, and they’re willing to conquer Alfheim, Asgard and any other realms necessary to do so. Each of the realms shown in the comic has a unique visual style; Earth is vibrant and full of life, Asgard’s tones are muted, Alfheim has a blue tint and the unknown dimension is obviously something beyond mortal comprehension. Ferry’s character artwork also conveys great emotion, especially the anguish Thor and Balder are experiencing with the recent losses in their lives. Also, maybe it’s just me, but I swear Thor is starting to look more like Chris Hemsworth. All the various elements come together for an overall enjoyable, if occasionally uneven issue. Fans of the character, like myself, will be excited with this new direction for Thor. Unfortunately, it may not be a good jumping-on point for newer readers, as it assumes an understanding of the characters and events. Thor Issue 615 Marvel Comics Story: Matt Fraction Art: Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth...

X-Men Issue 3: “Curse of the Mutants, Part 3”

Issue 2 of the new X-Men took the story to an interesting place. Jubilee finally gave in to the vampire corruption spreading through her body and left Utopia. Additionally, Cyclops came up with the most insane plan ever; to resurrect Dracula and use him as a weapon against the other vampires. Normally, I don’t like tie-in comics, but this is one of the few occasions where it works. The search and recovery of Dracula’s remains was handled in two completely separate issues; the head in Namor: The First Mutant #1 and the body in the Curse of the Mutants: Storm & Gambit one-shot. The two issues told stories relevant to the central plot, but not vital, so a fan could read them if they want, but not miss out on anything too important if they don’t. Obviously, Dracula is none too happy with his current situation. His son has taken over as Lord of the Vampires and he wants his revenge, but he doesn’t want to help Scott-freaking-Summers to get it. Recently, we’ve seen Scott stand up to Professor Xavier, Magneto and even Norman Osborn like they were nobody. It’s nice that Gischler has finally presented him with someone he can try to stand up to, but is more than happy to put him in his place. I like Badass Cyclops as much as anyone, but if the character’s going to develop any further, he needs to deal with someone he can’t steamroll in a conversation. The rest of the issue features Jubilee diving into her role as a vampire and Wolverine’s efforts to save her. By the conclusion of the issue, they come together and the ending is definitely an unexpected twist. It’s solid writing and pacing, continuing to intertwine the separate plots into one cohesive story. Between that and Medina’s continually fantastic art, X-Men has become one of my most anticipated titles every month. X-Men Issue 3: “Curse of the Mutants, Part 3” Marvel Comics Story: Victor Gischler Art: Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, Marte Gracia...

Amazing Spider-Man Issue 641 “One Moment in Time, Part 4”

I’m actually getting tired of talking about this storyline. It started off quite well in Issue 638, but has been experiencing a steady decline in quality. It’s now absolutely clear that Quesada had no solid plan for how to execute this story. Well, maybe he had a plan and it just sucked. Over the past decade, Quesada has been an integral part of Marvel as Editor-in-Chief. He’s been a good decision maker and has taken the company from the brink of disaster to the top of the mountain. He’s even a good artist, though his style is very mid-90s. One thing he isn’t is a writer. Sure, he’s had some solid ideas for storylines, but he’s always had actual writers to steer the ship. As much criticism as “One More Day” has received over the years, it at least made sense. Sure, J Michael Straczynski didn’t want to write it and phoned in a lot of the dialog, but the story itself worked. At this point, “One Moment in Time” just doesn’t make sense. The story continues with Doctor Strange meeting with Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic on the astral plane. The plan is to use a massive spell to make everyone forget Spider-Man’s true identity. Apparently, it’s something they’ve done before with the Sentry, and the operation requires all three of them. The problem with this scene is the characterization. Strange manages to talk Stark and Richards into agreeing with him, which is something they, Stark specifically, simply would not do. Peter’s decision to abandon Tony and the Pro-Registration side during the Civil War was simply unforgivable to Stark. He had so much hatred for Peter at the time of this story, he simply would not have agreed to this plan. If previous issues of “One Moment in Time” have established that the timeline has not changed, why would Stark continue to hunt down Peter and the other renegade heroes, even after deciding to give Peter his secret identity back? It just doesn’t make sense. Then, Peter decides he doesn’t want everyone to forget; he needs Mary Jane to share his secret. Once everything is over, MJ completely freaks out. Apparently, she doesn’t want to be the only one to know Peter’s secret. Wait a minute, prior to Peter publicly revealing his identity, MJ was the only one to share his secret. Sure, they decided not to get married, but still lived happily together for years. Now, she can’t handle it anymore? There’s some sort of explanation that somehow MJ knowing Peter’s identity would put her family at risk, but in the end, it just doesn’t make sense. Why, after all this time would MJ decide that she can’t be with Peter, that somehow things would be better if he were to somehow go on being Spider-Man without her knowing? Even worse than the character shift with Tony Stark, this goes against everything that’s been established for Mary Jane, both in the original continuity and within “One Moment in Time” itself. At the end of “One More Day,” despite the tremendous upheaval it created, readers were left with hope. MJ swore to Peter that they were meant to be, and that eventually they would be together again. “One Moment in Time” was supposed to reinforce the story of “One More Day.” Instead, all it did was tear it down, pissing off many of the fans they had left. Amazing Spider-Man Issue 641 “One Moment in Time, Part 4” Marvel Comics Story: Joe Quesada Art: Joe Quesada, Paolo Rivera, Danny Miki, Richard Isanove...

Batman Beyond Issue 1 of 6

As part of an effort to add Batman Beyond into the mainstream DC Universe, Terry McGinnis’ Batman has been making more appearances in comics, including a lead spot in the Superman/Batman Annual #4 (2010), which was actually quite good (expect a review soon). We’re also being treated to a six-part limited series which has Batman battling an old nemesis of Buce’s; Hush. This series takes place in 2039, and in terms of continuity, it’s after McGinnis defeats the “reborn Joker” in the movie Batman Beyond – Return of the Joker (check out the Original Uncut Version). Issue 1 starts with the mysterious break out of a subject at the Cadmus facility. Not much information is given here, and it’s basically just a setup for later. The action begins a few pages later with Batman fighting Spellbinder. The fight lasts 5 pages, and it’s very well choreographed, however it goes on far too long considering Spellbinder never gets off a hypnotism spell. This just doesn’t fit. Spellbinder was a high school counsellor, and yet he’s holding his own against Batman for 5 pages, doing backflips and aerial kicks. As if that were not confusing enough, Batman gets visited by Micron asking if Batman would reconsider their offer to join the Justice League. I’m hoping there will be a reason for this later in the series and that it wasn’t just put there for the few interesting panels between Terry and Bruce as they discuss Bruce’s involvement in the Justice League many years earlier. There is real friction between Bruce and Terry in this issue, and having read the next couple, I can safely say it gets worse. As Terry investigates who is killing old foes of the original Batman, he’s also having to deal with Bruce in his cowl. With the exception of the Spellbinder fight at the start, I was very impressed with this first issue. Had they chosen another foe, perhaps Inque, whom he mentions at the start of the issue, I’d have been a lot happier with it as a whole. Still, the art is absolutely fantastic, and the writing is solid. Dialogue between all of the characters is engaging, especially between Bruce and Terry. And, of course, the action doesn’t slow down for very long, which is something we’re used to with the Batman Beyond IP. Batman Beyond Issue 1 of 6 DC Comics Story: Adam Beechen Art: Ryan Benjamin, John Stanisci, David Baron...

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade Issue 2 of 9

This issue turns out to be even more fun than the first. It picks up right where Issue 1 leaves off, with Magneto finding his “grandsons.” He tries to take off with Wiccan and Speed, and chaos ensues. The other Young Avengers aren’t about to let a known terrorist take off with their friends, and the actual Avengers aren’t letting the kids go anywhere, with or without Magneto. After some fighting and pulling the kids back and forth, Wiccan magics the kids and Magento to Wundagore, the Scarlet witch’s birthplace. Walking through the countryside, Heinberg takes the opportunity for some character development. We see some nice moments between Patriot and Hawkeye, as well as Stature and Vision. Of course, the big focus is between the twins and Magneto, but it’s nice to see them not dominating the story. All of the Young Avengers are well-developed characters, and they each get a little bit of love. While we do get more romantic developments, none of the problems I had with the first issue in that regard are present here; it’s just good, solid character development. Of course, if the Scarlet Witch is a feature of the story, it’s not long before Magento’s other offspring shows up. Quicksilver makes a dramatic entrance, completing the family reunion. There are some great scenes with him and Speed until his attention turns to his father. Considering Magneto tried to kill him the last time they met, the two do not get along. Everything builds to a stunning resolution, nicely setting up the next issue. Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #2 features great writing, great character development, a solid plot and truly phenomenal art. That being said, there are too many negative aspects of this comic that I can’t overlook. Due to contractual obligations to DC, Heinberg’s work on Young Avengers has been sporadic over the years. As I mentioned in my review of the first issue, some of the anachronisms are very noticeable. Reading this now, it’s clear to me this story was intended to occur before the Civil War. That’s four years ago. The result is a story conceptualized in 2006 being shoehorned into the continuity of 2010. Some things just don’t match up. I can overlook some of the inconsistencies with the Avengers, since they’re a minor part of the story. However, the characterizations of Magneto and Quicksilver are just off, completely contrasting recent developments in comics like Uncanny X-Men and Mighty Avengers. As good as it is, I just have trouble connecting with this comic. Additionally, I made a mistake in my first review; I said this title would be publishing every two weeks. Instead, it’s publishing every two MONTHS. At nine issues, it will take a year and a half for this miniseries to finish. That is more of a time investment than I’m willing to give a “miniseries.” As such, I will likely not be reading any future issues. Avengers: The Children’s Crusade Issue 2 of 9 Marvel Comics Story: Allan Heinberg Art: Jim Cheung, Mark Morales, Justin Ponsor...

Shadowland Issue 3 of 5

I can’t believe I ever doubted this miniseries. Diggle, Tann and the rest of the creative team just seem to get better with each issue. Shadowland 3 brings about some interesting developments. On the bright side, we no longer have to worry about Matt Murdock’s soul. Apparently, it’s his damn mind that he’s lost, going so far as to order his ninja to kill his former friends. The ensuing battle rapidly gets out of hand, with Daredevil even outmatching Iron Fist and Shang-Chi in hand-to-hand combat. Only the stunning arrival of one more ally gets them out of Shadowland alive. As if the fight at the top of the tower isn’t enough, complete chaos has erupted in the dungeons. Ghost Rider doesn’t like being controlled and the last thing anyone wants to do is piss off the Spirit of Vengeance. Amidst the flames, chains and ninja, Moon Knight is also unleashing his badass best. I just have one question, though I may not like the answer; where was he keeping that costume? Outside, all hell is breaking loose in Hell’s Kitchen. The foul presence corrupting Daredevil and those around him is starting to effect the civilians, as well. Battered, beaten and clueless our heroes regroup and attempt to come up with a plan. We finally get a glimpse as to what the Hand’s endgame is in all this, with Cage & Co seemingly screwed as Daredevil continues to increase his ranks. Altogether, this was a very successful issue. It did a great job closing out the first half of the story, both sides having engaged each other and fallen back to regroup. The outside factors of Moon Knight, Ghost Rider and even Kingpin are put in place and the overall plot is starting to mesh together. Right now, I’d put Shadowland on par with Civil War in quality, just on a slightly smaller scale. Shadowland Issue 3 of 5 Marvel Comics Story: Andy Diggle Art: Billy Tann, Victor Olazaba, Christina Strain...