Tag Archives: Marvel Now!

Thanos Rising #1 Review

Marvel Comics, , ,

thanos1

Super villain.  Titan gone mad.  The destroyer.  Fascinated with death.  Thanos Rising, a Marvel NOW! title, is a mini-series about the origin of Thanos.

Written by Jason Aaron, the debut issue chronicles the life of Thanos from childbirth to school-age.  Thanos’ mother, the beautiful Sui-San, sensed danger as soon as she saw his eyes.  The story goes on to show a young Thanos being taunted at school.  But he always maintained a positive attitude, explaining his genetic mutation.  Thanos was very smart and friendly.   A group of kids even befriended him.  But things begin to change for the worse by the end of the story.

I am liking the story so far.  I just wish the “good Thanos” would have lasted at least until the next issue.  Let his anger and frustration build a little more.  But I won’t complain too much, because until now, I had no idea how Thanos became a villain.  I didn’t know if he was born evil, or if a life changing event caused him to turn bad.  I began to feel sorry for Thanos after reading this story.  An academically gifted child with a positive attitude, who didn’t let his mutation bring him down.

The artwork is great.  I have no complaints in that area.  Simone Bianchi, artist.  Simone Peruzzi, colorist.

Thanos Rising is a 5 issue mini-series.  By the end of the series, I want to know if Thanos was actually destined for evil.  I want to know if his mother was right.

I definitely plan to read the entire mini-series.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I recommend this Marvel NOW! title Especially to readers who is familiar with Thanos and/or love super villains.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 Review

Marvel Comics, , , ,

guardgalaxy1

If there is anyone worthy of being on the cover of Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s the team that’s already pictured on it.  It can’t get any better than this.  The Guardians include:

  • Starlord of Spartax
  • Drax the Destroyer
  • Groot – Did you know he can regenerate from a twig? 
  • Gamora – The most dangerous female in the universe.
  • Rocket Raccoon – Please make sure you don’t call him a raccoon, because it will definitely be your last.

Starlord receives an unexpected visit from his dad, the King of Spartax.  He tells Starlord that Earth is off-limits to all extraterrestrials.  He also wants Starlord to drop his “broken” friends and take his rightful place as the firstborn of Spartax.

Can Starlord trust his dad?  Is the King of Spartax really looking out for the best interest of his son?  Exactly why did the Galactic Council ban ALL extraterrestrial interactions on Earth?

We learned the events leading up to how Peter Quill became Starlord in the debut issue.  Guardians of the Galaxy #1 is a powerful story featuring a kick ass team.  Especially with Rocket Raccoon and Gamora on board.

This action packed series with sharp dialogue and compelling, yet complex characters is written by Brian Michael Bendis.

I am really liking this Marvel NOW! series so far.  The Guardians is an awesome team that values friendship and loyalty.  They can be funny and serious at the same time.  Bendis is doing a superb job with this story. 

The art team includes  Steve McNiven (pencils), John Dell (inker), and Justin Ponsor (colors).  These guys are excellent at visual storytelling. 

The only complaint I have with the art is Gamora’s costume.  She is completely covered and you can barely see her face.  She’s one of the main reasons I’m reading Guardians of the Galaxy, but her costume has taken a lot of that excitement away.  There’s one panel where I couldn’t even tell that she’s green.  I was expecting her to look as she did in Nova.  Instead she looks like an ordinary girl.

Being a female myself, I want female characters in comics to look feminine.  Bare a little flesh.  Let the hair down.  I am not drawn to a story by its’ script alone.  The artwork pulls me in as well.  Believe me when I say I can sit and stare at Starlord and Tony Stark for hours.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

There is no doubt that I highly recommend Guardians of the Galaxy.

Superior Spider-Man #6AU Review

Marvel Comics, , ,

ssm6au

Ultron has destroyed the world.  Unless the handful of surviving superheroes can come up with a plan to destroy Ultron and his drones, all hope will be lost.

Superior Spider-Man 6AU, a Marvel NOW! title, is a tie-in to Age of Ultron.  Spider-Man blames himself for the destruction of humankind.  When Tony Stark (Iron Man) tells him of a plan that could send Ultron to another dimension, Spidey agrees to help.  Especially since the plan involves him going to Horizon Labs.  Once inside the lab, Spider-Man begins to devise his own plan for Ultron.

Doc Ock  (we all should know by now that Otto Octavius is now Spider-Man) boasted of his accomplishments.  Successes that Peter Parker failed to achieve.  He even shows off his skills of controlling machines mentally when the drones arrived.

This comic is a one-shot and I’m taking extra precaution as to not spoil anything.  But I will say that I liked the story, especially when Superior Spider-Man fought the drones.

Christos Gage is the writer.  Well written dialogue.  Excellent timing.

Great artwork by Dexter Soy.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I recommend this Marvel NOW! title if you’re a reader of Age of Ultron and Superior Spider-Man.

Nova #2 Review

Marvel Comics, , ,

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In the debut issue of this Marvel NOW! title, we were introduced to Sam Alexander.  In my review of Nova #1, I mentioned that not only is Sam a typical teenager with a bad attitude, he is also the kid in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon.  This issue picks up where that issue ended; Sam waking up in a hospital room with Gamora and Rocket Raccoon standing in front of him.

Without spoiling the story, I’ll tell you that Sam discovers he is now a Nova, and that all the stories his dad told him and his sister are true.

I’m liking this story so far and I plan to read more issues to see where it’s going.  In addition to his attitude problem, Sam is also impulsive.  So I’m looking forward to reading how Sam will take to his newfound powers.  Will he mature overnight?  How will he learn or who will teach him about his powers and its’ limitations?  What will his mother say (I can tell by her expression that she knows)?  Will Gamora and Rocket Raccoon return?  I hope so because I really like them.  Especially Rocket Raccoon.  He is definitely not one to mess with.  I learned that within the first couple of pages.

Jeph Loeb is the writer.  Dialogue is well written.  It’s reader friendly for all ages.  Great pacing.

I love the artwork.  The art team consists of Ed McGuinness (penciler), Dexter Vines (inker) and Marte Gracia (colorist).  I’m liking Nova’s costume (I wish I had a helmet with powers).  I find some of the panels to be life-like, emotion sparking.  Like that scary Rocket Raccoon.  Or the hologram of Jesse, Sam’s dad.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I recommend Nova.  Reader friendly at the perfect pace for all ages.

Deadpool #6 Review

Marvel Comics, , , ,

deadpool6

Dead presidents. All of them. And I’m not talking about American currency. A necromancer raised ALL of the dead presidents from their graves, in hopes of them restoring order to the country. All of them returned evil, and with an intent to destroy the country and create a new America. Agent Preston, of S.H.I.E.L.D., has requested Deadpool to re-kill all the dead presidents.

Every dead president is in this story arc. Washington, Garfield, Nixon, Lincoln, Reagan, Truman. The story is a good history lesson because there were presidents I forgot all about. Actually there are names I don’t even remember at all. Thank goodness Agent Preston knows them all.

Deadpool #6 is the final issue of this arc. And Deadpool is himself as always. But remember, he’s the Merc With a Mouth. Witty, talkative, sociopath, violent. But he always gets the job done. I always laugh while reading Deadpool, but there’s one panel that brought tears to my eyes. The panel where he told Washington, “No more jokes.” I won’t spoil it. You’ll just have to read it. I’ll just say that it touched me because it shows the sensitive side of Deadpool.

PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN BEWARE: Wherever Deadpool goes, violence follows. This is one series young children should not be reading. There’s constant slicing and dicing. Blood and guts everywhere.

So far I am really liking this Marvel NOW! title. Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan are the writers. Dialogue is well-written and full of jokes. It’s Deadpool, so that’s a given. The presidents are both scary and funny. I laughed from the beginning to the end.

Tony Moore is the penciler, and Val Staples is the colorist. These two are great visual storytellers. Staples did an excellent job on the colors, especially with the presidents and all the explosions.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I recommend this Marvel NOW! series. But only for the mature audience.

Thor God of Thunder Review

Marvel Comics, , , , , ,

thor

A fierce creature, known only as Gorr the God Butcher, has vowed to kill every God.  And Thor plans to put an end to this savage beast and his servants.  Although Thor God of Thunder is currently on issue #6, the first story arc of this Marvel NOW! title spans the first 5 issues.

Jason Aaron is the writer.  The art team consists of Esad Ribic, Dean White, and Ive Svorcina.

In case you don’t already know, the series consists of a younger Thor, present Thor, and the future King Thor.  That’s right, 3!  And no, the story is not hard to follow in this format.

This story is dark.  Very dark.  Extremely dark.  The God Butcher has been traveling for centuries, murdering Gods across the realms, for unknown reasons.  He subjects the Gods to torture, bathing in glory at their slow and agonizing deaths.  From infants to warriors, Gorr’s mission is to destroy them all.  Thor fights with Gorr the God Butcher several times over centuries, however Gorr feels he is indebted to Thor and claims he will spare Thor’s life until after he’s killed the rest of the Gods.

I have been a fan of mythology since childhood, so I was more than happy to jump on this series.  Compelling characters.  The younger Thor is funny.  He loves boasting of his travels, ale, and women.  Present Thor has greatly matured.  Future King Thor is elderly, but ready to fight to his death.

The dialogue is well written, and moves at a fast pace.  It takes a talented writer to write a script like Thor God of Thunder.  And Aaron is that talented writer.

I didn’t care much for the art at the beginning of the series.  I looked at the cover of  the first issue, flipped through the pages, and said, “Ugh.”  However I was crying within the first few pages!  It takes dialogue AND art for that to happen.  I haven’t complained about the artwork since!

thor6

If you’re not reading Thor God of Thunder, by Marvel Comics, now is the time to start.  Read the first story arc (first 5 issues) then grab issue 6.  Jason Aaron is the writer.  The art team consists of Butch Guice, Tom Palmer, and Ive Svorcina.  This issue is the origin of Gorr the God Butcher.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

If you’re a fan of mythology, then this Marvel NOW! title is definitely one you will want to jump on.  I highly recommend this series.