Category Archives: Marvel Comics

Fearless Defenders #10 Review

Marvel Comics, ,

feardefend10

Yeah boy!  Annabelle is clockin’.  But don’t let the cover fool you.  These women are FAR from hip-hop, although I’m sure Misty Knight can bust a rhyme just as well as she bust a move on the villains in this series.

Each and every kind of hell has broken loose in New York City and people are turning into cocoons.  Thanos army is out to destroy the cocoons, while Caroline Le Fay, that villainess I love to hate, has her own agenda.  And she’s not even afraid of Thanos’ goons.  That’s probably because she has her newly assembled team of female badasses at her command.  I love how Caroline motioned for Thanos’ army to look upward, only for them to get pounced on by the powerful and dangerous, Scorpia, Titania, Shriek and Mindblast.  What’s even better is the villainess’ face-off against Valkyrie, Misty Knight and Hippolyta.

This issue introduces Ren Kimura, a character created by Cullen Bunn, the writer of this phenomenal series.  Ren is a 21 year-old female dancer that was raised in a strict home environment.  Her wants and needs in life has always been disregarded, as her parents sought to shape her as they saw fit.  Well all that may not matter anymore, because Ren broke out of her cocoon with a superhuman ability, razor-sharp fingers.  Of course Caroline Lefay has her evil eyes set on Ren and the rest of the cocoons.

The Fearless Defenders is a series that is full of surprises.  You never know what Bunn is up to, whether it’s a new defender or a new costume.  By the way, I like Misty Knight’s new ‘do.  Dialogue is always full of energy and laughter, fun and easy to follow.  Characterizations are at its’ finest, and I especially like Hippolyta, the strong and powerful, but arrogant Queen of the Amazon (well late queen, remember she was raised from the dead).  Annabelle is always funny.  She got on my nerves in the first issue, but I’ve grown fond of her over the past few months.  This is how you know that a story is good.  If emotions are triggered, then it’s a good story.

Will Sliney and Veronica Gandini never cease to amaze me with their awesome art and colors.  And you seriously need therapy if Mark Brooks’ covers don’t reel you in.

The Fearless Defenders is definitely one title I am hoping will stick around for a very long time.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I highly recommend this title.

Mighty Avengers #1 Review

Marvel Comics, , , , ,

mightavenge1

The Avengers are somewhere in outer space on an unknown mission, so Thanos decides to use their absence as an opportunity to overthrow New York City. But he and his crew will soon learn that another team of Avengers has stepped up to the plate.

The story begins with Luke Cage leading Power Man and White Tiger on a “Heroes for Hire” job at Horizon Labs. As they are fighting Plunder and his henchmen, Superior Spider-Man drops in and captures Plunder. He calls out the Heroes for Hire as being mercenaries, thugs. White Tiger agrees with Spider-Man and call it quits.

Meanwhile Blue Streak is on the run from the police, racing all over the city like a maniac holding a large sack and wielding a gun. But Monica Rambeau, aka Spectrum, quickly put a stop to that madness. Spectrum was actually testing out her new costume when she ran into Blue Streak. When she returned to the costume shop, she was informed that a man stopped by to see her. The man was still in the shop but his name and identity remained hidden. He tells Monica that he can’t be seen in-country so she dons him in a knock-off Spider-Man costume!

Proxima Midnight and her minions arrives in New York and immediately began their plan of destruction. As Cage, Spider-Man and Spectrum fight the gang of marauders, Spectrum mentions that a guy may be on the way to help. Just as Spider-Man begins to brag that he can have back-up in a matter of seconds, Spectrum’s friend with the knock-off Spider-Man costume shows up with a pair of nunchucks.

I enjoyed this debut issue and I definitely plan to read the next one to see where the story is headed. The predominately black superhero team is not the sole reason that I bought this title. I also bought it because some of my favorite Marvel characters are in this comic, such as Monica Rambeau, She-Hulk and Superior Spider-Man.

Written by Al Ewing, the story is full of fun and easy-to-follow dialogue. I like the distinctive personality of each character. Cage is re-evaluating his life and trying to figure out what’s best for him and his family. Monica is re-branding herself which includes a new attitude, hairstyle and costume. Her new alias, Spectrum, didn’t grab me at first but then I realized the name is just a reflection of her powers. I like Power Man’s attitude and how he likes to challenge authority. I am a huge fan of Superior Spider-Man and I’m hoping that Ewing keeps him “Superior” in this series…arrogant, attitude and always demanding respect.

The art team consists of Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks) and Frank D’Armata (colors). I have no complaints at all in this area, probably because most of my focus was on Luke Cage (sorry Tony Stark and Starlord). Land drew Cage as handsome as handsome can get, especially those muscles. I like Monica’s new look, especially her new hairstyle. If I’m reading a good story, then I expect the same with the art and this team has delivered just that.

MARVEL HAS SET THIS TITLE UP FOR FAILURE.

Mighty Avengers is a predominately black superhero team, includes Superior Spider-Man and is drawn by Greg Land. It’s a conspiracy to make sure the sales go nowhere but down. I don’t see this title lasting more than a year, if that long.

A superhero team dominated by blacks and led by a black man. That alone is enough for low sales. Was this title put together to appeal to the “there’s not enough blacks…” hype?

Marvel added Superior Spider-Man to the team’s lineup knowing damn well that he constantly gets hated on. I follow Dan Slott on Twitter and his hate tweets had gotten so bad and in abundance that he had to start blocking those followers. There is a lot of hate about Superior Spider-Man circulating on the internet. So of course this should tell you that Spidey haters most likely won’t even glance at this title.

A lot, if not most, people look at the creative team of a comic to help them decide if they want to give it a try or not. So when I learned that Greg Land, porn face as some call him on the internet, would be the artist, I mentally prepared myself for the negativity on blogs, forums, Twitter, Facebook and wherever else people go to complain on the internet. I heard and read about Land before Mighty Avengers was announced. I also read a few articles and comments about him a few days before this title was released and they were ALL NEGATIVE. There were people already saying they wasn’t going to buy the book because his name is attached. I don’t read reviews of comics that I plan to blog about until after I have published mine. This is that one exception, because I knew what to expect. The reviews, blogs and comments all had negatives that greatly outnumbered the positives.

A lot of the comments were from people who didn’t even buy the book. They’re stuck on the artist, saying things like if only it wasn’t Greg Land or if only it had a different artist. I also read several comments from people who claim they don’t like the new Monica. These are not only post review comments, but from previews as well, so the comic was judged before it was read in its’ entirety.

There is never-ending hate for Land so let me talk about Monica Rambeau. Monica is a beautiful African-American woman who is getting hated on for her new costume and hairstyle. I am well aware of the trench coat, afro and braids. People change, even in comics. So what that Land has given Monica a new look. She’s re-branding herself, a fresh start. There’s nothing wrong with that. And there’s not a damn thing wrong with her hair. I got most of my hair cut off a few months ago. I have always worn my hair medium-long length. Why cut it so short? Because I am also rebranding myself. My hairstyle is similar to Monica’s and it appears that we are both sporting a hair color from the cinnamon family. Black women change hairstyles all the time. I have worn my hair long, short and I even wore braids at one time. We’re not trying to make a statement, we are just trying something DIFFERENT.

I read a few positives on Twitter and A LOT of negatives. People claiming they would read it if there was a different artist, or if Monica still wore the trench coat and braids. Or there’s already too many Avengers titles. Really? Have you complained about all those X-Men titles? Retailers tweeting the low sales, but none of them said anything about if they read the comic or not. They’re claiming low sales due to people hating the art. Blaming low sales due to the artist and Monica’s new look is nothing but pure bullsh-t.

Retailers ordered extremely low amounts of this comic because they knew a black-dominated story wouldn’t sell well. But….sales wouldn’t be that bad if they helped promote the title, or better yet, read it and then Tweet, Facebook, blog or whatever it takes to help this comic sell. But that’s far from reality. Too much like doing the right thing. Don’t want to be seen or heard pushing a team led by a black man.

If the creative team consisted of the big guns, then all hell would’ve broken loose. Imagine If Bendis, David, Fraction, Yost, Ramos and Stegman were on the this title, and there was a rare variant by Quesada.

  • Comic Book Resources and Bleeding Cool would have neverending threads of people giving praises.
  • eBay would be loaded with hundreds, if not thousands, of not only the book but those rare variants. And don’t forget about Young’s baby variants.
  • Comixolgy would have crashed on the release date like it did for Marvel 700+ free digital issues.
  • The lines of Yost and Stegman would wrap around the building at Detroit Fanfare next month. Stegman would have to turn fans away because of his overwhelming sketch load, and they wouldn’t even complain about the $150 that he charges for commission sketches (I’m not one of those complainers. I proudly gave him my $150 for my Superior Spider-Man sketch a few months ago).
  • CGC would get a shipload of Mighty Avengers #1, some of the owners of these comics would have already created a listing on eBay, having already guessed its’ grade. CGC would be totally exhausted from witnessing and processing Signature Series at conventions.
  • The crowd and lines at comic shops would be record-breaking. I’m sure that belligerent guy at the comic shop last week that I blogged about (I now call him Flint the Flipper) would have put on a much longer show.

I have read comics with either crappy stories, so-so art or both. Some of them I didn’t read past the first issue. But when I read the reviews, nothing but praise was given. That’s because popular names were attached.

What if Marvel had put a black creative team on this comic? Retailers would have sliced their numbers in half, and many of them wouldn’t have ordered at all.

My employer started a mandatory sensitivity training for all employees. There’s a lot of people out in this world that needs this training as well.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I highly recommend this title.

Thor: God of Thunder #11 Review

Marvel Comics, , ,

thor11

The long and fierce battle has finally come to an end. At the end of the last issue Gorr triggered the Godbomb. Using both his and future Thor’s Mjolnirs, present Thor faced the Godbomb head-on, but he was unable to stop it from exploding.

Gorr the God butcher dedicated his life to purposely kill off divinity. This wretched creature built a bomb that was capable of exploding and killing all Gods throughout time and space. Although the Godbomb was Gorr’s creation, he didn’t build it. The Gods that Gorr enslaved over the years built the bomb. Three of those Gods were the granddaughters of future King Thor (remember this story travels through time and space so the other two weren’t aware of their existence at first).

The explosion traveled at a rapid speed and immediately began to kill Gods across time, without warning. The sad part is, most of the Gods didn’t even know what was happening. Then for a moment all the Gods shared a vision of present Thor fighting the Godbomb with two hammers, and they all prayed to him. Thor heard and answered their prayers.

Jason Aaron is the writer. Great dialogue and Aaron does a superb job at scripting all three Thors. Their distinctive maturity levels is obvious. Past Thor is young, carefree and arrogant. He has not earned the hammer at this time. Present Thor has a touch of arrogance, but he’s more mature and has earned his hammer. He’s also an Avenger. Future King Thor is old and wise.

The art team consists of Esad Ribic (artist) and Ive Svorcina (colors). I have nothing but the highest of compliments for these visual storytellers. Emotion sparking scenes. I especially like the panel where King Odin prays to Thor, his son. And I LOVE the double spread of Thor the Avenger striking Gorr. The bright flashes of lightning coming from the hammers, the darkness of Thor engulfed by All-Black the necrosword and the loud, ground shaking roar of thunder, (thanks to VC’s Joe Sabino for the letters) is breathtaking.

The Asgardian God of Thunder has been one of my favorite superheroes for a long time, and I have been a loyal reader of this title since the Marvel NOW! launch. I definitely plan to continue reading this title. The next issue should serve as a good jump-on point, if you don’t want to read the back issues.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I highly recommend this title.

Kick-Ass: Volume 1 Review

Icon Comics, Marvel Comics, , , , ,

kickass

Dave Lizewski is an average teenager and comic geek.  Becoming more and more obsessed with his comics, he decides to become a real-life superhero.  He buys a wetsuit off eBay, spends most of his lunchtime at the gym and eats a high protein diet to build muscle.  He also practices walking on rooftops.

Dave’s first run-in with crime didn’t go well at all.  He was brutally stabbed and beaten by street thugs, but that didn’t stop him.  He donned that wetsuit the moment he was free of his crutches.  Trying to save a man from a gang of thugs he suffers another beating.  But this time the attack is recorded and the video goes viral.  Thus we have Kick-Ass.

Kick-Ass attracts the attention of Hit-Girl and Big Daddy, and they blackmail him into joining them to take down Johnny G, a crime boss.

This 8 issue mini-series is SICKER THAN SICK.  I am appalled that a story about young children running around cursing and committing murder is on store shelves.

I also cannot believe the torture received by Kick-Ass and Hit Girl.  Kick-Ass was beaten and stabbed to the brink of death.  He underwent four operations and had a metal plate put into his head.  He was also electrocuted by having cables connected to his testicles.  Hit-Girl was beaten and received several gunshot wounds to her back before falling out of a window.

The language used by Kick-Ass and Hit Girl is beyond the washing the mouth out with soap method.  Kick-Ass is the typical teenager, so I’ll cut him some leniency.  But Hit Girl is 10 years old and under no circumstances should she be calling anyone a cunt or dickhead.

Icon Comics, an imprint of Marvel, is the publisher.

Mark Millar is the writer of this sick and twisted story.  There is so much foul language and violence in this series.  Children are running around cursing and killing like it’s a good thing, and the adults are tormenting them.

John Romita, Jr. is the artist.  The graphics are just as sickening as the dialogue.  Total Bloodbath.  Hit Girl, a 10 year-old that should be playing with Bratz dolls, jumping rope and learning the cup song, slices and dices body parts instead.  In one panel, she split a man’s head in half with a meat cleaver.  She also snorts Condition Red, “a super-secret chemical compound designed by scientists,” she says.  Yeah right.

To write, illustrate and publish material of this nature is beyond sick.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

Due to the graphic nature of this story I CANNOT AND WILL NOT RECOMMEND THIS TITLE TO ANYONE.

Superior Carnage #2 Review

Marvel Comics, , ,

supercarnage2

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this issue of Carnage, but this time I read it in broad daylight so that I wouldn’t get scared out of my seat like I did with the first issue.  I wanted that adrenaline rush again, just not at 1 a.m. while the rest of the household was asleep.

Cletus Kasady, the deranged serial killer with a venom symbiote in his bloodstream, has been captured by the Wizard.  His plan was to control Kasady’s mind and make Carnage a member of the Frightful Four.  Learning the hard way that Kasady has been lobotomized, the Wizard devised a new plan; control the symbiote’s brain instead of Kasady’s.

Dr. Malus and Klaw, two recruits for the Frightful Four, watches as the Wizard, who appears to be mentally unstable, endures several brutal attacks by Carnage.  When Dr. Malus tells Wizard that Carnage can be controlled if the venom symbiote is transferred into someone with a working brain, the physically disabled physician involuntarily becomes the candidate, I mean victim.

Meanwhile, Superior Spider-Man was made aware of Carnage’s break from prison by the Wizard and will soon pay them a visit.

WARNING TO PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN:  Carnage is definitely not for young readers.  Please use caution when reading this comic around young children.

Kevin Shinick is the writer of this gruesome comic.  Well written script.  Dark and scary characters, yet compelling.  The characterization of Carnage is deep, but the Wizard is even more complex.  Interesting dialogue, especially Wizard.  You actually witness his mind deteriorating, or getting crazier and crazier as some may say.

Once again I blame Stephen Segovia (artist), Jay David Ramos (colorist) and Clayton Crain (cover) for the chilling visuals.  Although I knew what to expect after reading the last issue, I still found myself shivering at all the panels with Carnage.  The lettering really stands out, especially the fight scenes, thanks to VC’s Joe Caramagna.  I can still hear Carnage hissing at the Wizard.  I felt so much better when I saw Superior Spider-Man!  (I’m a loyal reader of that title).

There is no doubt that I plan to continue reading this Marvel title.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I highly recommend this title for mature readers.

Deadpool Kills Deadpool #2 Review

Marvel Comics, , ,

deadpoolkill2

Can you imagine a Deadpool more psychotic than our own?  I couldn’t either until I started reading this mini series.  There are many universes with alternate versions of Deadpool.  I know this may be hard to imagine, but not all of them are manic and homicidal as the Deadpool we know, the Marvel Now! title I read every month.

WARNING TO PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN:  Deadpool is extremely violent and caution should be taken while reading this comic around young children.

There is one insane Deadpool counterpart that believes he is nothing more than a fictional character, and he is on a Deadpool killing spree across the multiverse.  Whether it’s Earth-616 Deadpool or an alternate reality version, Deadpool is Deadpool.  That should tell you that there will be plenty of violence and bloodshed.

This issue is filled with lots of alternate reality Deadpools, some I know of, others I don’t.  The Deadpool Corps play a major part in the story, and there is Wolverinepool and a badass Pandapool.  The last page of this comic is unbelievable.  GALACTUSPOOL!

This funny, but violent story is written by Cullen Bunn.  Excellent dialogue and hilarious character interactions.  I especially like the Watcher.  He’s a fanboy and I like when he turns and talks to the reader.

Salva Espin is the artist, and Veronica Gandini is the colorist.  I like how the Watcher is sporting his Deadpool fanboy gear throughout the story.  I could do nothing but laugh before I even read the dialogue.  I also like the spread with Deadpool Corps battling their evil counterparts.  And of course I love that last page.  GALACTUSPOOL!  Gandini brings this comic to life, especially with the bright explosions.  But I’m no stranger to her work.  She is the colorist for one of my favorite Marvel NOW! titles, Fearless Defenders.

I definitely plan to continue reading this title.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I recommend this title for mature readers only.