This is quite the week for comics! Some new weirdness, some ongoing X-Men awesomeness, and the end of Rainbow Rowell’s She-Hulk. There were even more comics, but I settled on these couple.

Comic Book of the Week goes to X-Factor #1 for an excellent, if repetitive, start.

Meanwhile, it’s the last week to pledge for the new issue of The Cloak Room on Kickstarter, so it would be awesome if you readers would support that series. I had a short story featured in the first issue! Beyond that, I got caught up on The Boys, and it was a fun season. Beyond that, I’m kind of just waiting for Star Wars: Outlaws to drop before I have anything really exciting going on in my pop culture life.

Comic Reviews: Biker Mice From Mars #1, Sensational She-Hulk #10, X-Factor #1 and X-Men #2.

Biker Mice From Mars #1
Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: Francis Portela
Colorist: Leonardo Paciarotti
Letterer: Taylor Esposito

So as kind of a lark, I decided to read and review the first issue of Biker Mice From Mars. I like Melissa Flores on Power Rangers, and I think it’s a hoot and a half that all these cartoons are getting serious comic book adaptations.

And seriously, comic book industry, I will plot out and write a Street Sharks comic. I’ve got a pitch. I will make it happen for you! Just gotta manifest it.

On Mars, Throttle, Modo and Vinnie are three rebellious, motorcycle-loving mice, whose race is under attack by the fish-like Plutarkian alien invaders. The mice government goes to work against the invaders, while our three heroes serve as mostly independent couriers and guerilla fighters. But maybe it’s time to enlist.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

So this issue, and I assume this series, is torn between two tones. On the one hand, this is not what I expected. This is written almost like a gritty war story, where our heroes exist in the shadows of a planetary war that wants to be very serious. I have no real memory of the actual plot and stories of the original show, but it definitely took place on Earth, and post-war (and apparently there was a sequel cartoon too?!). So I definitely applaud the idea of telling this prequel story, of establishing these characters, their way of life and their conflict ahead of their journey to Earth. It’s a great idea and a great use of a comic book version of these characters. And to an extent, the issue pulls it off. We get a solid look at the lives and personalities of our main trio, and definitely the conflict they face.

The other tone is one of a colorful, Saturday morning cartoon, and I feel like that actually detracts from what this comic seems to want to be. We barely meet the characters before this war seems to come out of nowhere. Exposition is pretty leaden, especially quick asides to establish romantic interests. And the war itself, and their role on the outskirts, could be deeper. The writing is there and the premise is there, but then it feels like the issue as a whole is held back by the need to closely mimic the original cartoon. A lot of it is just surface level stuff, and like I said, they rushed into the conflict. I feel like this series could have taken a slower approach, to really dig into the grim and gritty realities of war and the characters’ place in it.

Even just take the time to hang out in the garage for a bit, bring the audience up close and personal to the mice and their bikes. Roll up the sleeves. Get some axel grease on our faces. A comic is a good place for that sort of depth.

Also, apparently this is part of something called the NacelleVerse alongside RoboForce and a bunch of other old properties? I don’t really know and I don’t want to know.

Also also, the lettering is awesome! Fits the cartoony style perfectly.

TL;DR: A solid first issue that does enough to kick off the series, though it seems torn between telling a serious story and maintaining the feel of a Saturday morning cartoon. Should have gone with a much grittier reboot to really make this comic stand out as something new.

Sensational She-Hulk #10
Writer: Rainbow Rowell
Artist: Andres Genolet
Colorist: Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Sadly, Rainbow Rowell’s quite excellent She-Hulk comic comes to an end with this issue. It’s a quaint read and ends in a nice place, though I obviously would have kept reading her work for years to come. Can’t wait to see where she goes next!

Jennifer is splitting her time between the Avengers and her normal life. Things with Jack of Hearts are swell, though he’s awkward around the Avengers. Jen is more appreciated at work. And she helps those two Deviants get their own apartment (though they didn’t need her help). Eventually she realizes that she needs to focus on her life and the Avengers will call her when they need her.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

This is a quaint little issue that serves as a nice ending for this run of She-Hulk, balancing her personal life with her work as a superhero, as it should be. This comic always soared when it focused on Jen’s personal life, and I like the approach Rowell takes by having Jen be rather casual about her time with the Avengers. No need to step on the toes of the Avengers comic, just have She-Hulk around for parties and interpersonal dynamics. So that was fun. And I liked how the issue with her Deviant houseguests was settled. Also fun. I wish we could have had more Punch Club or Book Club, but sales would have probably been even worse if this comic only focused on those subplots. But it’s what I wanted, darn it!

Also, in the end, I still don’t like the Jack of Hearts relationship, and it feels like Rowell had to rush through parts of it. His return to life is revealed to the Avengers off-panel, and then he attends their party with Jen and is a total wet blanket.

TL;DR: This phenomenal series ends in a nice, quaint little way, wrapping up some storylines while keeping the door open for plenty more.

X-Factor #1
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Bob Quinn
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Mark Russell is one of my current favorite comic book writers, so I’m excited to see him join the X-Franchise!

The new X-Factor is half military team half social media entertainment division…so basically, X-Statix. So much like X-Statix that most of the team are killed in their first mission, and a whole new team is brought in to replace them right away. Angel and Havok, the leaders of the two teams, aren’t too thrilled about the whole operation.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

I would have rated this issue higher, but it pretty much steals X-Statix’s whole thing. Of course, I 100% trust Mark Russell to write an awesome X-Statix pseudo-revival, so it ain’t all bad. This is right up the man’s wheelhouse and I’m excited to see it play out. But there’s no denying that we’ve got a media obsessed team that also does covert government missions, and then most of the main team is wiped out in the first issue, replaced by the ‘real’ team for the ongoing. That’s that first issue of X-Force almost to a T. Fortunately, it’s written well. Russell does a fine job setting up his characters, at least the ones who survive and will be continuing on. And he puts them on a pretty fun mission, with a great Darkstar cameo. I’ve always liked Darkstar.

The artwork is excellent. And I especially enjoy the sense of humor. I do so love Russell’s sense of humor, while also mixing in some heart. This isn’t a full-on dark comedy. There is real character growth and development here. So I’m excited to see where it all goes. I’m very disappointed that, the moment Krakoa is over, Marvel goes right back to killing random mutants. I’m so glad that Jason Loo has claimed Multiple Man and Strong Guy for his Dazzler comic, because I just know they would have otherwise been used as the cannon fodder here. But that’s just me. This is an otherwise solid, fun take on a new superhero team in From the Ashes, even if it’s just a repeat of a different comic from…2001?! More than 20 years ago?! Jeez Louise…

Also, if this is all on purpose and Russell brings X-Statix into this series at some point, it will all be worth it and my mind will be blown. If that happens, nobody spoil it for me!

TL;DR: A fun, well-drawn, unique new start to one of these From the Ashes X-Comics, even if it’s an almost beat-for-beat remix of the original X-Statix/X-Force.

X-Men #2
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Ryan Stegman
Inker: JP Mayer
Colorists: Marte Gracia and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Two issues in and I definitely get the tone of this comic. If it keeps to this style, it’ll carve out its own place in From The Ashes no problem.

The X-Men have detected a new mutant activation in the middle of an alien invasion in San Francisco. So while Cyclops leads a team to grab the mutant, Juggernaut and the others run damage control with the aliens. Only they learn that the mutant has created the entire invasion with his out-of-control powers!

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

So X-Men might be the balls-to-the-wall crazy action series, where our heroes just go nuts with the superheroing of it all. Everything is set up for a really big Juggernaut moment, and it definitely worked for me. Meanwhile, we’ve got Cyclops leading the plot part of the story, and that works too. It all comes together in a fun, crazy, fairly straight forward superhero comic that definitely works. Though because it’s story-based instead of character-based, it’s not entirely my cup of tea. But it’s still an entertaining read throughout.

I’m a little surprised at how devoid the issue is from the first one. We get some hints about the overall ongoing mystery, but not many. And the action, setting and team dynamics are completely divulged from the opening story. Which, again, makes me think this is the action/superhero comic of From The Ashes. We’re just gonna put the pedal to the metal and have superhero fun with these wild characters, while building a solid plot in the background. That definitely works for me and I’m definitely still on board after this second issue.

TL;DR: Fun and exciting second issue balances a crazy story, really great action and good character dialogue. The only thing missing is better character development, but that might not be this kind of series. We’ll see.

The comics I review in my Hench-Sized reviews are just the usual comics I grab from Comixology any given week, along with a few impulse buys I might try on a whim. So if there are any comics or series you’d like me to review each week, let me know in the comments.

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