Category Archives: Comics
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #10
For an issue that’s almost entirely talking heads, writer Brian Michael Bendis knocks it out of the park. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Bendis is a master of dialogue, and of crafting characters and conflicts through that dialogue. He does more for Ultimate Prowler in this one issue than he’s done in the entire series so far. And star Miles Morales has some fantastic moments as well, making decisions that will define him as a superhero and provide fascinating stories for us readers.
Ultimate Spider-Man #10
Bendis is basically writing a Masters Course on superhero comics with this series.
Comic rating: 5/5: Great.
Seriously, this issue is almost entirely talking. It’s a chat between Miles and his Uncle Aaron, only now they are both dressed in their respective superhero/villain costumes, and standing on a rooftop. The oddness of such an exchange is not lost on the characters either. But rather than let the 13-year-old Miles get bowled over by his adult uncle, Miles holds his own in the exchange, revealing true growth for the kid. He’s finally no longer beating up losers like Omega Red or the Ringer. It’s time for Miles to get a dose of the real world, courtesy of someone he thought he respected and idolized.
Uncle Aaron, meanwhile, reveals several new layers to his character during this rooftop chat. He’s not just some scumbag super-villain. He’s a thief, and he’s a smart thief. And he also, to some extent, has an eye out for his nephew. So even though he wants Miles’ help with nefarious things, and even threatens to blackmail the kid, Aaron still wants the best for the boy.
That’s some fascinating character work in what is another great issue of the Miles Morales saga.
Review: X-Factor #235
Now this is the kind of character-based drama I love to see in my comics, especially X-Factor! Peter David finally gives us some real tension between series star Jamie Madrox and his beleaguered usurper Alex Summers, otherwise known as Multiple Man and Havok. I’ve been waiting for this tension to hit for several issues now, and it feels good to finally have something meaty to sink our teeth into at X-Factor Investigations. That coupled with a new and possible entertaining case leads to a damn good issue of X-Factor.
X-Factor #235
This is exactly the kind of comic I want X-Factor to be – minus the blue-skinned, big gun-wielding space maniac.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
For the first time in a long while, X-Factor is finally dealing with something on their level again. No interdimensional journeys, no time-traveling duplicates and no evil Reed Richardses. Yes, I realize the Isolationist and his hot demon girlfriend are behind it all, but they thankfully don’t appear in this issue. I also realize that this is an entirely biased sentiment, that I shouldn’t judge a comic book based on what I want it to be, as opposed to what it actually is. And I’m not. The ‘good’ rating isn’t based on my being pleased with the plot. It’s based on the quality of the comic. Trust me.
We have here some Grade A character-based drama, some great scenes with the team, and a fairly unique and compelling mystery to solve. Not to mention the promise of uncovering a mystery that has been around in the X-franchise for decades: just who or what are Shatterstar and Longshot?
And solving those kinds of mysteries involving B and C-list comic book characters is exactly what X-Factor is for!
Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #3
Now that the big brawl is over, it seems like the real fun is going to begin. I really enjoyed this issue of Avengers vs. X-Men, as the story moves from the rather sudden, impromptu fight of last issue to some downtime that raises the pacing of the series even higher. I’m glad that this series isn’t just going to be a big brawl to end it all, because that would have become real boring real fast. Instead it seems there’s going to be more to Avengers vs. X-Men than just fight scenes. This issue contains strong dialogue, some excellent character moments and what I consider to be a real exciting shift forward.
AvX #3
And with Captain America’s actions this issue, I’m confident that siding with the X-Men is the right call. Cap kind of crosses a few lines here. He almost seems out of character.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
This issue starts with some great dialogue between Captain America and Iron Man as they try to assess the consequences of their actions. I really liked how it felt, especially coming from Iron Man. Then the X-Men pull a fantastic twist, and the story jumps into a whole new gear. This series is 12 issues long and now I have no idea what to expect. Avengers vs. X-Men is definitely keeping my attention, though the issue doesn’t end as strongly as it started. Still, I like what I’m seeing. The story is told very clearly, the events are ramping up and getting more exciting and I don’t feel lost when it comes to the central conflict. This event feels as important as it should feel.
Even though some of the individual players are a little off, it still makes sense for these two heroic teams to come to blows. And best yet: I don’t have any complaints about the art this issue! So we’re looking at another solid chapter of Avengers vs. X-Men. Nothing to blow me out of the water with excitement yet, but maybe we’re getting there.
Good News: Mimic to be Punched in Face!
By the Falcon, I believe. The important thing is that Mimic will not only continue to appear in X-Men: Legacy, but he’ll also take part in their Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in issues! That’s pretty exciting news.
The only Avengers vs. X-Men fight that matters
You may recall my epic coverage of the last two issues of X-Men: Legacy, both of which featured a guest appearance by Mimic. Seeing as how the Mimic is one of my all-time favorite comic book characters, I was tickled pink when the guest appearance ended with Mimic actually joining the cast of the series! But pessimist that I am, I was worried that he’d just be shuffled off into background status. X-Men: Legacy isn’t exactly one of the marquee X-books, and he’s joining a very crowded population of characters at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
I was afraid he’d get lost in the shuffle.
But apparently that’s not the case! Based on this interview with writer Christos Gage, Mimic is going to be a main cast member and is going to join the fight against the Avengers! That is some pretty cool news for us few, proud Mimic fans.
If only the main AvX series was this much fun
Jason Aaron Answers My Toad Question on Twitter!
Score one for my brother!
If you saw my post earlier today about Toad, you may have also seen my brother’s suggestion to just use Twitter and ask the creators who changed Toad why they did it. I hadn’t taken that step on my own because I considered the issue to be just my rant on my blog, plus I haven’t totally embraced the Twitter machine when it comes to interacting with celebrity types.
But I guess it’s totally a thing. I may have to start doing more of it.
At any rate, I asked Wolverine and the X-Men writer Jason Aaron why he changed Toad back into his uglier form. This was the reply:
So that was pretty cool. It was definitely the reason I thought for the change. Plus he said we’ll see even more Toad later this year. Fantastic! More Toad is a good thing. Aaron has been doing a fantastic job with Toad as a supporting character in his comic.
Henchman-4-Hire 