Welcome to my second review set here on the new capsulation style at Comics Nexus. Like I said last week – I would fight for a later spot – and here I am on Tuesday, with reviews reviews reviews! Let’s see what this week’s trough of delectibility brought us… shall we?
THE 198 #3
Writer: David Hine
Penciler: Jim Muniz
Inker: Kevin Conard
Colorist: Matt Milla
Publisher: Marvel
Why am I so torn about this title?
Is it because there are too many plotlines?
Is it because I can’t seem to get a grip on exactly what the point of the book is?
Is it because even though it is written by David Hine, I feel that there is something severely lacking in it, and he can’t seem to get a grip on his loss of District X?
I don’t know really. There are a lot of interesting things going forward in this book. This one moreso than the two before it, but each time, I feel that this book is about something that the rest of the Marvel Universe doesn’t even notice. The ‘Internment Camp’ atmosphere of where the ‘198’ are is seemingly nonexistant in almost every single other X-Title, let alone the rest of the Marvel titles.
So whereas this story was the best of the three so far, unless at the end of this miniseries, the mutants are let go (or some other Civil Warish idea occurs) then I’m going to be left scratching my head about the existance of it in the first place.
RATING: C
AMERICAN VIRGIN
WRITER: Steven T. Seagle
ARTIST: Becky Cloonan
COLORIST: Brian Miller
PUBLISHER: Vertigo
I haven’t seen Seagle in a long time. He’s been over on the DC side of things for a long time now, but I remember Alpha Flight vol 2. The book that was written ENTIRELY in the second person. The fact is that I looked forward for a new book from him, and when it was a Veritgo book, and when it was about virgins, I was all over it three times as hard.
So is it good? It’s… different. It’s not your standard comic book fare, which is great occasionally. You have a main character in Adam, the consumate virgin. Awaiting patiently as his girlfriend/fiancee Cassie is coming from the Peace Corp. What could go wrong? He’s a spokesman for abstinance, so what is the problem… (aside from the obvious aforementioned abstinance)
An overpossessive mother. Cousins trying to devirginize him for giggles. Oh, and a last page that makes the already fractured resolve of Adam and is going to put his entire belief system into question – as well as lead us now down what is the probable temptation of damnation for our good Adam. It’s fantastic. Not to mention Becky Cloonan as always with a primetime good showing.
RATING: B
CABLE & DEADPOOL
WRITER: Fabian Nicieza
PENCILER: Lan Medina
INKER: Ed Tadeo
COLORIST: Gotham
Publisher: Marvel
(Note: Not actual cover)
Hey Hatton…
Sup Wade. How come you haven’t come hung out with me in Marvel News & Views lately?
Oh that would be because I’m currently trying to figure out what the frag is going on with Cable and Apocalypse…
Oh? Why, what’s the problem?
Oh I get it Hatton… you are going to have me talk about how we were all flashbacking in the last issue so you saw 30% less me and 30% more of ol’ techno arm… and you got into the whole reason the dark riders are here and all that crap. Oh, and I make a hot McFarlane joke. You catch that?
I did. Good times.
Right, so anyway, as always I’m drawn like the adonis that I truly am. Oh, and the end! Can you believe that Cable jus–
Look, ‘Pool… don’t ruin it. Would you say it was a good issue?
Oh no worse than any other.. could use more me, but sure, why not. Fine. It’s good. Not great. But good. Like Estelle Getty good.
MmmmHmm..
Rating: B
Thanks for your help Wad.
Ixnay on the eal-ray ame-nay.
NEW X-MEN #24
Writer: Craig Kyle & Chris Yost
Pencils: Paco Medina
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Colors: Brian Reber
Publisher: Marvel
(Note: Not actual cover)
The beginning of the William Stryker story begins. What’s interesting is that it feels that the William Stryker story has been going on for the last two storyarcs. Since House of M. It makes sense to bring him back to the forefront as a villain as the ‘decimation’ of mutants makes prime sense to bring forth the religiously based hater of them – but, I can’t seem to get a grip as to what’s going on in this entire book anymore.
What Yost and Kyle really need to do is sit and focus hard. The last storyarc was interesting, but with the amount of characters they have running around, it ends up feeling a jumble of various characters stories with a few overwhelming plots.
Already the issue of whether X-23 should or should not be involved in the book has seemingly disappeared. The entire plotting of the funeral left me confused, as there were characters that I weren’t sure whether I should know or not being taken out and outright murdered. Fifteen to be precise. I feel no sympathy for characters I can’t remember.
So no, this isn’t the greatest book being put out for Team X right now, but I will go out and say it has the most potential given the characters each have distinctive voices, but there are just too bloody many of them, and it’s hard to fit the lives and plots of fifteen or so characters into a 23 page book, especially when all of it is fitting into the scope of an entire universe of characters who are much more well established.
RATING: D
POWERS #17
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Michael Avon Oeming
Publisher: Marvel/Icon
Powers takes the entire world of superheroes and puts it in new perspectives. It is kind of it’s power, actually. Where a book like Squadron Supreme takes the standards and beliefs and makes them more politically minded – Powers goes out of it’s way to get not just into the heads of the characters, but into their realistic interpersonal relationships, and how the world views them.
Now I know you can say that about ANY superhero book, but the standard character books are so muddled in continuity and company politics you sometimes lose a good story because status quo needs to be kept. This book has no such qualms, which is why we are now going into outer space. Yes, outer space, as Walker is seemingly an intergalactic earthen protector. On the otherside, Pilgram seems to be becoming a.. murderer?
The entire book is shifting on it’s ear, and where this issue isn’t fantastic, it is obviously a key issue in a much larger entity. So whereas I can’t give this issue a fantastic rating, please understand that the storyarc is going to be ‘A’ material through and through.
RATING: C
THE PULSE #14
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Publisher: Marvel
Pulse, honestly, hasn’t been the book I’ve wanted it to be. It always felt like it was a second hand title for Bendis after Alias ended. It got shafted during the whole Secret War debacle, and the Green Goblin story, where recieving my first ever ’10’ – was muddled if you were a fan of MK Spidey – and it lost all sense and form with it’s bi-monthly schedule, when the story was supposed to be happening moment to moment.
So, what about this issue? It’s fantastic. It really is. It ties together the question of how Jessica is referred to as two superhero names. (Jewel and Knightress) It gives an answer to her future with Luke Cage. It gives you a team-up from the 80s. It really is everything that Bendis put into Jessica put and packed into one last story.
In the end he promises that this isn’t the end of Jessica’s story, but as far as I can see it – this is her last hurrah. It is a great way to put her away for a bit.
RATING: A
SON OF M #4
Writer: David Hine
Artist: Roy Allan Martinez
Color Artist: Pete Pantazis
Publisher: Marvel
Where last issue was dealing with the problems of finding yourself hanging with your double, and trying to pull a con on a higher species of beings in the Inhumans. This issue now Quicksilver has to deal with the Inhumans that are after him.
That is actually not entirely true, as they are stalking him throughout the issue. He specifically goes and reveals what he wants to do with the Terrigen Mists that he’s absconded with, and that is make amends for what he invariably did (the whole causing the House of M thing.)
With a great scene involving Callisto (which is strange, given she is also appearing in David Hine’s other book The 198) as she feels her powers come back, and then has to deal with the repercussions of their short term existance. This book is slowly coming to a close as the Inhuman’s are on the trail of Quicksilver, but next issue he gets to talk to someone he might not have considered has a lot to say.
He calls him Dad. We call him Magneto.
RATING: B
All in all I’m having a hard time with the new Rating System… I might instill one more letter… ‘S’ or something for a book that is so superior and perfect, it is the old 10.0 that I rarely gave out. Otherwse, it was a fun fun fun week for comics…
