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Spider-Man versus Wolverine Issue 1

Unless you were in diapers at the time, you remember how much of an impact the Cold War had on culture in the 80’s; it was in movies, on television, in books… hell, Sting even sang about it. It was also in comic books. In 1987, Marvel published the one-shot, “Spider-man versus Wolverine”. This issue was important for several reasons. As intriguing as the Cold War setting was at the time, the issue’s true strength came from its characters and their development. First, it gave us a glimpse into Wolverine’s past. Now you have to remember that we’d not yet been bombarded with the character’s origins, and so every morsel was appreciated… and devoured. Secondly, it introduced us to one of the best duos of all time; Peter Parker and Logan. Many people are reading the current “Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine” series, wondering where all of the animosity between the characters stems from. Well, look no further. “Spider-Man versus Wolverine” opens with Wolverine and a wounded friend named Charlie, in East Berlin surrounded by fifty Soviet operatives. Though writer James C. Owsley and penciler Mark Bright try not to give too much away, the foreshadowing is fairly evident from that very first frame. Regardless of the fact that Charlie’s girls are obviously strapped down, you can still tell that he’s a she… which leads us to wonder why Logan would go through all this trouble unless she’s a love interest. And that’s how a good writer/artist team can hook you in with a single panel. From there, you find out that Charlie’d taken a job for the KGB and that they’d decided to end her contract… permanently. (Insert groan here.) While Wolverine goes into a berzerker rage, slaughtering all of the Soviet agents, Charlie disappears and doesn’t resurface until years later. Without spoiling too much, Charlie’s out for revenge. You may be wondering how Spider-Man factors into all of this. Well, Ned Leeds from the Daily Bugle has uncovered some leads regarding Charlie, whose become a hot news item. He convinces Johah to send him and a photographer to Germany to investigate some recent murders of former KGB agents. As it would happen, Wolverine’s also been tracking Charlie. He wants to help her, in so much as he can, knowing that her time is very limited. Seems damn near every agency in the world wants her dead since she’s gone rogue. While walking the streets of West Berlin, Logan passes Peter Parker on the street, and recognizes him by his scent. Before you know it, the two are wreaking havoc in west and east Berlin. Tensions continue to rise throughout the entire issue, first with the death of Ned Leeds, right through till the thrilling conclusion with Charlie. The fight scenes in the issue, whether Spider-Man and Wolverine are working together, or against one another, are spectacular. And the dialogue between the two is equally engaging. Owsley also manages to insert a lot of quirky humor, without taking away from the seriousness of the actual story. The scenes of Peter trying to rent a costume are certain to make you chuckle… and they provide some insight into the similar costume joke in the new “Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine”. The art is solid, and very indicative of the time in which it was created. An interesting thing to note about the art however, is that by this time, they’d not yet settled on Wolverine’s claws; whether they sprung out through exit points on his hands, or whether they just sliced through his skin. I’ve attached a screenshot which shows the metal exit points on his bare hands. This is a classic issue that deserves a spot on any collector’s Wolverine shelf. I remember purchasing this issue when it was first released, and was saddened to sell it when I’d stopped reading comic books. One day, I’ll get my hands on a copy and be able to move on with my life. For those who read and enjoy this issue, I would strongly recommend you check out the “Spider-Man versus Wolverine What If?” one-shot that was released in March of 2008. I won’t go into too much details regarding that issue in this review, but to say that it is very, very good. It offers writers Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin a fantastic opportunity to have a lot of fun with these two characters. Expect a review for that issue soon. Spider-Man versus Wolverine Issue 1 Marvel Comics Story: James C. Owsley Art: Mark Bright, Al Williamson, Petra Scotese...

Episode 017: Batman Special Issue

This episode, Vince invites a special co-host to the show; none other than Joe from our Games and Lore podcasts. (What can I say, Vince has got a small circle of friends.) As it would happen, Joe’s an expert on all things bat related, most notably, Batman. So sit back and enjoy this Special Batman Issue of Bow Down To Us: The Comics Edition. iTunes | RSS feed If you enjoy the show, please make certain to stop by iTunes and leave us a review! [Editor’s Note: This podcast was recorded and released under our prior name; Bow Down To Us.]...

Fantastic Four Issue 584: “Three, Part 2: Congratulations, Mister Grimm. You’re handsome again!”

I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot of the backstory here; I’m just sort of going with the flow. Prior to Issue 583, I hadn’t ever read Fantastic Four regularly. So, everything I know leading up to this issue is from the recap page at the front. Apparently, The Thing has some sort of potion that can make him human again for a week; Sue Storm is joining Namor for a diplomatic meeting; and the corpse of Galactus that showed up at the end of the previous issue is from an alternate future. Okay, then. The focus of this issue is the newly-human Ben Grimm. He has a week to live as a normal person again, and Johnny Storm is helping him make the most of it. I absolutely loved this entire sequence; there are some fantastic character moments and Epting captures the mood perfectly. The best panel in this comic has to be their dinner with “old friends,” none other than Stan Lee and Jack Kirby making cameo appearances in the comic they created. It all ends with a very touching scene with his long-time love interest Alicia Masters. It looks like the Human Torch is a pretty nice guy, setting all this up for his best friend. The issue ends on an awesome, though confusing note. The version of Galactus that Silver Surfer discovered was from the future, yet died in the present. I may have to look into some back issues to figure this whole thing out, though maybe Reed Richards will be offering up an explanation in the next issue. All in all, I absolutely loved this issue in every way, though I’m a little unsure how far it advances the overall plot. Hickman’s writing on this and other titles has been near-universally praised, and there’s nothing here that makes me think he doesn’t have a plan, so I’m sure it will all come together soon. Also, the heavy character development of The Thing may lead many to believe he’s the character being killed off, but don’t be surprised if it’s a red herring. Fantastic Four Issue 584: “Three, Part 2: Congratulations, Mister Grimm. You’re handsome again!” Marvel Comics Story: Jonathan Hickman Art: Steve Epting, Paul Mounts...

X-Men Issue 4: “Curse of the Mutants, Part 4”

Things just keep getting worse for the X-Men; Wolverine is now a vampire and the bloodsuckers are running rampant over San Francisco. Historically, the X-Men work best when their backs are against the wall, so the second half of this first story arc for the new title should be entertaining. The comic starts out with the X-Men finally going on the offensive, with the focus being on the team of Blade and Angel. At first, it seems like an awkward pairing and, functionally, it is. However, the banter between the two and the way their personalities go together make for a fun read. Blade gets to kick some vampire ass, so it’s all good in the end. Paco Medina’s artwork is always solid, but really shines when the action starts. A solid amount of time is spent with the vampires this issue. Xarus’s plans are starting to come together, though some of his subordinates are growing impatient. We start to believe that he truly does want as many mutants left alive as possible in the coming battle, though not for any humanitarian reasons; he wants them to grow his ranks. I’ve enjoyed these scenes so far, though the vampire rhetoric from Jubilee and Wolverine is getting a bit tiring. The highlight of this issue is the conversation between Xarus and Cyclops. Xarus tries to sway Cyclops over to his side; again, it’s a fairly convincing argument and I really like the parallel between the mutants and vampires. Whether Xarus is sincere in his statements remains to be seen, but I like the concept. On the other hand, Scott Summers is in full alpha male mode and I love it every time. When Cyclops speaks, you damn well better listen. He never loses his poker face, even when Wolverine is revealed to the X-Men; I think it’s the visor. Anyway, we get some great dialog between Wolverine and Cyclops, bringing back a lot of the old animosity between the two over the years. Just like the previous three, Issue 4 of X-Men is more build-up for the inevitable clash between the mutants and the vampires. There’s been a lot of dialog and story development with only small tastes of action up to this point. I’m all for story development, especially when it’s as interesting as X-Men has been, but eventually you need to get to some action. I think Gischler understands this, which is why we’ve gotten the small bits of action mixed in to hold us over. If the next two issues deliver the big, fun action the X-Men franchise is known for, it will be worth all the build-up. If they don’t, X-Men could go from “promising” to “disappointing” real quick. Personally, I can’t wait to see Medina unleashed on a huge brawl and I’ll be heartbroken if I don’t get it. X-Men Issue 4: “Curse of the Mutants, Part 4” Marvel Comics Story: Victor Gischler Art: Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, Marte Gracia...

Thor Issue 616

What is where Asgard should be? Well, we’re no closer to answering that question now than we were last issue, but things are slowly moving in the right direction. This issue is divided up into three separate stories. First is a small interlude back to Broxton, Oklahoma, where the local women are trying to cheer the goddess Kelda up after the death of her mortal love, Bill. Unlike some, I don’t mind these scenes with the townspeople. Thor has always had a strong human element, with the focus of so many stories being the bridge between the mortal world and Asgard; the human element keeps the sometimes outrageous stories grounded and relevant to the rest of the Marvel U. That said, I’m sick of this subplot. Bill died over a dozen issues ago and, while that may only be a couple of weeks in comic time, that’s entirely too long in real world time. Kelda is no closer to getting over it now than before; in fact, she seems to be falling further into depression. I understand this is something that got lost in the writing shuffle from Straczynski to Gillen to Fraction, but wrap it up already. Next we have Thor and Balder cleaning up their father Odin’s belongings as part of the rebuilding of Asgard. Volstagg and the scientist interrupt the brothers with the warning about dimensional imbalances that was explained at length last issue. In my review of Issue 615, I defended the lengthy scenes with the scientist; I felt it got a great deal of necessary exposition out of the way in a humorous manner. I would stand by that statement if Fraction hadn’t felt the need to repeat the entire explanation to Thor. The readers really don’t need to go through this again, especially when we’d rather see more interaction between Thor and Balder, because that’s where the most interesting story is. Finally, there’s the “world eaters,” as the recap page names them. If their leader, Thoth, is powerful enough to keep his universe from imploding through sheer force of will, then it’s going to be a damn spectacle when he inevitably clashes with Thor. Over two issues, Fraction has given us small tastes of these new enemies, giving just enough information to keep readers interested, but not so much that the allure is gone. In my last review, I praised Pasqual Ferry’s art, and that remains true for this issue. One thing I didn’t give enough credit to is Matt Hollingsworth’s color work. I think I’m noticing it more now after reading Chaos War. Both titles use watercolor paint-style coloring, but in Chaos War, the colors are marred by the finishing effect used to show lighting. In Thor, the colors are left intact, with a more subtle and realistic flow from light to dark. While I don’t usually enjoy the watercolor style in superhero comics, I find it actually fits Thor, giving the art an almost ethereal quality that works for a story featuring characters from other realms of existence. Every page in this comic is beautiful to look at. I have to admit, Thor is starting to worry me. Character development and story setup is important, but eventually the story has to go somewhere, and I don’t feel this issue did much of anything to move it forward. I’m not saying it’s a lost cause, but judging by Fraction’s other current work, Thor is trending closer to Uncanny X-Men than it is to Invincible Iron Man. Fraction’s a good storyteller, he just has trouble fitting those stories into 22 pages, sometimes. Thor Issue 616 Marvel Comics Story: Matt Fraction Art: Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth...

Superior Issue 1

Mark Millar makes a great point. At the end of this issue, he describes a discussion he had with Stan Lee, where Lee asked, “why I was always playing with his characters when I had a chance to do what he did and create my own?” It’s a great point; many of today’s big writers don’t create anything new. Mark Millar’s done some great work with core Marvel characters in the past, such as the Civil War miniseries and the “Old Man Logan” arc in Wolverine, even creating a new spin on established characters in The Ultimates. In recent years, Millar has been focusing on his own creations like Wanted and Kick-Ass and now Superior. Immediately we’re introduced to the character Superior, in a way. In this world, Superior is a character in a series of movies. Parallels are made between Superior and Superman, portraying him as a relic of a bygone era, a hero too good-natured to succeed in today’s modern world. At the theater, we meet the true main character of the comic, teenager Simon Pooni, a former basketball standout now living with Multiple Sclerosis. His life is a constant struggle, but he makes the most out of it; other kids mock and tease him, but he has a loving mother and the best friend he could ask for. In a couple pages, I feel Millar did a great job relating life with MS to the reader; it’s the little thing that really changed Simon’s life. Then a monkey appears. Yep, a monkey. One night, Simon is visited by… something… in the form of a monkey, saying he has been selected as the most appropriate person on Earth to receive the Magic Wish. It’s an incredibly goofy premise, and we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out. The wish itself, however, is pulled off pretty spectacularly. One minute, Simon’s standing there with his crutches, the next he’s Superior. He’s told he has one week to show the monkey what he’s capable of and sent home. It’s the way Simon reacts to the whole ordeal that makes Superior so interesting. He doesn’t fly around and test his strength out, marveling over how amazing this is. No, he freaks the hell out. When he gets home, he finds out he’s been gone for a whole day and his mom called the police. What does a normal kid do in a situation like this? He bails. This is what makes Millar’s writing so fresh; even in crazy circumstances, his characters act the way we expect them to. Lenil Yu’s art is almost a little too sketchy for my tastes. It’s most noticeable in his faces and that poor cop looks like Clayface from Batman. The opening “movie” scene show that Yu is much more accustomed to drawing superheroes and action than normal people standing around talking, so my appreciation of the art will weigh heavily on the direction the story takes. While this first issue may be nothing more than setup, I think Millar may have done it again. Superior walks the fine line between whimsical and realistic, and the end result is something relatable, yet still full of potential for a good superhero story. Superior Issue 1 ICON Comics (Marvel) Story: Mark Millar Art: Lenil Yu...

Episode 016: Wolverine and his Brats

This week, Joe was supposed to guest co-host, however his cold has pretty much taken him out of commission. Which leaves little ol’ me to co-host with Vince as per usual....

Shadowland Issue 4 of 5

Hell’s Kitchen is coming apart and the gloves are off. Luke Cage and his allies have realized Matt Murdock is likely beyond their help and the only thing remaining is to take down the Daredevil. At the end of the last issue, it was revealed that Murdock is possessed by the Beast of the Hand, a powerful demon. The Punisher joined the heroes’ side, while Elektra showed up to help her former love resurrect Bullseye, further increasing Daredevil’s ranks. Issue 4 brings Shadowland to its breaking point. Elektra’s true intentions are revealed and Wolverine even shows up. While it’s not uncommon for Wolverine to show up EVERYWHERE, he fits this story nicely; he has a long-running history with the Hand and has worked with Cage many times as a member of the New Avengers. Additionally, he serves as a solid indication that the heroes are serious about taking Daredevil down by any means necessary. Once the fireworks start, it’s quite the spectacle. Cage and crew go in with a battle plan, and it’s a treat watching it play out. Of course, in comics, nothing ever goes according to plan and everything quickly breaks down into an all-out melee. These fight scenes are where Shadowland really shines; the art is a amazing and, more importantly, detailed. The environment, the debris, the fights going on in the background; there’s very little filler to be seen in the fight scenes. The details are where Tann and the rest of the art team really step up. I absolutely love the panels from Daredevil’s perspective, drawn and colored the way he “sees” things. The bottom half of page 6 really caught my eye; it’s a scene with Luke Cage, Master Izo and Iron Fist talking to Wolverine. It’s laid out as a single panel of art, broken up into three separate panels, one for each character and their dialog, with Wolverine in the foreground, overlapping the other panels. It’s a very minor detail, but things like that are what take a good comic and make it a great one. I’ve read other comics with Tann’s art, such as New Avengers and Uncanny X-Men, but his work here will definitely have me looking for his name in the future. Traditionally, the next-to-last issue of an event comic is the weakest, plot-wise. It’s purpose is just to set everything up for the climax, and that holds true for Shadowland. That being said, the “weakest” issue of this miniseries is still better than most anything else I’m reading. For an event that I was initially hardly interested in, I’m eagerly anticipating the finale. Shadowland Issue 4 of 5 Marvel Comics Story: Andy Diggle Art: Billy Tann, Victor Olazaba, Guru eFx...

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...