Category Archives: Comics
Review: X-Factor #242
The deck clearing continues in X-Factor #242, as writer Peter David removes a few characters, settles several dangling plotlines and offers at least one little hint about future strangeness. It’s an entertaining issue, with more than a couple funny lines, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more by-the-numbers issue. I don’t mean that to be cruel, but look no further than the fact that this issue stars Darwin of all characters to see just how unimportant and workmanlike this is in the grand scheme of things.
X-Factor #242
Darwin is the red-headed step child of the X-Men franchise. And being rechristened as a demon-hunter is either the most brilliant or the stupidest choice possible for the character.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
Like I said, it’s a good issue. The story is solid, the characters are themselves and it’s funny in places. The art by Leonard Kirk is also great, as usual. It’s just the fact that PAD is taking care of business is evident on every page. He’s got some plans for the new Marvel NOW! relaunch, which involves a smaller cast for X-Factor and new stories. So this issue, and this Breaking Points storyline, are all about removing characters as safely and calmly as possible. He’s also tying up dangling plot threads that I don’t think anybody particularly cares about anymore, and he’s doing it as quickly and as cleanly as he can.
For longtime X-Factor fans like me, it’s a fine enough issue. No major complaints. Other than that, it’s not much of anything. Unless you’re a huge Darwin fan. Or are excited to see Wolfsbane as a mom.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Good News and Sad News for The Boys
Starting with the sad news, comic book maestro Garth Ennis’ final issue of The Boys will be released in November. The comic isn’t being cancelled, it’s just coming to its natural conclusion. Issue #72 will bring an end to Ennis’ epic, exciting, disgusting, violent story about a gang of ruffians whose job it is to keep arrogant, perverse superheroes in line. The Boys is a wickedly twisted comic, combining gross-out humor with gritty, hard-hitting truths about the nature of power and accountability. I couldn’t recommend it more – if you’ve got the stomach for it.
This seems symbolic of something…
The Boys has a wonderful history behind it. Originally commissioned as a Justice League story at DC Comics, the series was eventually rewritten with new characters and handed over to their Wildstorm publishing arm, which dealt with comics that were a bit grittier than the family friendly DC Universe. But then the top brass at DC was so disgusted with the content of The Boys that they cancelled it after six issues – only for Ennis to shop around and get picked up by Dynamite Entertainment, a rival publisher. Six years later, The Boys is one of Dynamite’s top-selling books, allowing Ennis the chance to conclude the story on his own terms.
I love The Boys. I don’t read it regularly though. I like to wait a few months/years until several issues and storylines have built up, then I grab some collected editions and read a lot at once. Seeing as how it’s one long story with a beginning, middle and end, I think it works well in larger readings instead of issue-by-issue. I haven’t caught up with The Boys in years, so I’m kind of excited to reach the end, then I can read the entire saga!
It’s exactly as badass as this
A little synopsis: The Boys is all about a man named Wee Hughie, a Scotsman living in a world of superheroes. Only instead of noble boy scouts like Superman and Spider-Man, the superheroes of The Boys are arrogant, conceited, misogynistic jerkasses. They’re still heroes, they still fight crime and defeat villains, but they are loathsome human beings who think the world revolves around them. Hence The Boys, a government-sponsored group of badasses who use their own super-powers to punish superheroes who go too far. Wee Hughie is recruited into The Boys and suddenly his life gets a lot more complicated, filled with all manner of insane, perverted, and sometimes lovely people.
There are two major ongoing stories. One is about the Homelander, the Superman-esque lead hero who begins to realize that, with his unstoppable power, he can do anything he damn well wants and nobody can stop him. The Boys have something to say about that. The other is about Wee Hughie falling in love with a pretty girl – who is secretly one of the superheroes he’s joined The Boys to stop!
The face of a man in love
Like I said, I cannot recommend this series enough. Garth Ennis’ writing is almost as good here as it is with his Punisher MAX stuff. The characters are fascinating and complex, the action is awesome and the humor is funny too – if you can stomach it. Seriously, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything more disgusting than The Boys. Copious amounts of bodily fluids, rape, misogyny, gerbils stuffed into asses; this stuff is insane. But it’s good. Damn good.
Speaking of good, the good news about The Boys is that it looks like the movie might be back on track. That is if you can believe a single Tweet from would-be director Adam McKay. A movie adaptation by Universal Studios had been in the works, but they eventually dropped the project. McKay now says that Paramount has picked up The Boys and they’re in development!
The face of a man born to play Wee Hughie
That may or may not be news worth celebrating. Everybody’s heard of ‘Development Hell’ in Hollywood, which The Boys has been stuck in for some time. There’s a chance that this movie will never get made. But just the possibility of seeing Simon Pegg suit up as Wee Hughie is worth mentioning. Keep your fingers crossed, everybody!
Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #10
In order to enjoy the rest of Avengers vs. X-Men, I’m just going to have to accept that Cyclops is evil now. Despite everything he has ever done or said in this comic, despite all the good he has done around the world with the Phoenix powers, despite never having done a single evil thing at all in this series, I’m just going to have to bow down to Avengers’ peer pressure and accept that Cyclops is the bad guy. Heck, they come right out and just tell me that he’s evil several times in this comic. So why not believe the Avengers? It’s not like they brought this on themselves or anything.
Avengers vs. X-Men #10
If you’re willing to accept that Cyclops is evil, this is a good comic with some kickass moments as the Avengers fight for their lives against a god-like force. If, like me, you’re not willing to accept that Cyclops is evil, this is yet another issue where characters just say that he’s the bad guy while trying to kill him, as if they can convince him of his new badness.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
Despite my continued frustrations with Cyclops’ heroism, this is still a good issue, and Avengers vs. X-Men is still a good series. And if I read the comic how I want to read it, with Cyclops as the hero, it’s also a good issue. The battle in this issue is pretty awesome, with some truly great comic moments as the Avengers and Hope take on Phoenix Cyclops in the mystical city of kung fu. Meanwhile, Emma Frost really has become evil due to the Phoenix, and she’s off in the wings becoming what will probably be the ‘final boss’ of Avengers vs. X-Men. And after this issue, I’m legitimately excited to see what side Cyclops will pick in the final battle.
Will he live up to my continued endorsement of his heroism? Or will the Avengers be right when they compare Cyclops to a certain World War 2 villain? Either way, he’s pretty dangerous in this issue, that’s for sure. I wish Avengers vs. X-Men would have spent some time in Cyclops’ head, showing us his motivations and reasons for doing what he’s doing. Instead, we don’t get any of that here. No characters take center stage to help us understand the events. It’s mostly all action. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just the issues with a focal character have usually been stronger.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
An Inspirational Robin Moment
I just wanted to share with you guys that delightful picture of all the Robins, drawn by Patrick Gleason in the recent Batman and Robin #12. That’s Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin and then current Robin, Damian Wayne. They all teamed up to help Batman fight the villain Terminus and his goons. Here they standby while Batman launches himself into the sky to stop Terminus’ missile.
The story was only OK though. Writer Peter Tomasi had this great idea where Damian challenged all of the previous Robins to prove he was the best, so he faced off against them in some pretty great scenes…but then Tomasi weighed down the story with this stupid, forgettable Terminus battle. One of the only in-cannon times that all of the Robins are together in one place, and Tomasi wastes it with some boring super-villain.
Still, fun Robin story, and that’s what’s important.
Avengers vs. X-Men vs. Fantastic Four?
Anyone who’s been reading my Avengers vs. X-Men reviews knows that I have a few problems with the story. Mostly it’s the fact that the PhoeniX-Men were immediately painted as the villains, even though the comic itself told us that they were doing good in the world. They were feeding the hungry, bringing water to thirsty nations and ending war. But the comic seemed to take the Avengers’ standpoint in that they were automatically evil just because. It was frustrating.
But fortunately, it seems that someone at Marvel had the exact same thoughts as me – and he just so happens to be the smartest man in the Marvel Universe!
The recent tie-in issue, New Avengers #29, shows us what Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four, thinks of the whole Avengers vs. X-Men thing.
Thank you, Reed! Leave it to a super-intelligent person to point out the major problem with Avengers vs. X-Men. Why did this have to happen in one of the tie-ins? Why did this even have to be a thing at all? This scene happened prior to Namor attacking Wakanda and the PhoeniX-Men coming off as evil. But why didn’t Marvel just make them evil right away? Why make them world saviors and turn Captain America and Iron Man into bitter losers who can’t admit that they were wrong?
The entire conflict of Avengers vs. X-Men continued because, as Reed said, the Avengers just kept poking the PhoeniX-Men with a stick. If the PhoeniX-Men were evil from the get-go, then the Avengers would actually be heroic to continue fighting them.
Instead, they’re just a bunch of whiners.
Henchman-4-Hire 