AARON GLAZER:
2 Guys sometimes like to talk about comics
GREY SCHERL:
Oh yeah
AARON GLAZER:
X-Men Schism #2 is out this week and since we disagreed on the first issue, let’s see what we thought of the second issue.
GREY SCHERL:
I wouldn’t say we disagreed, we both said it was a good issue. I just feel Marvel should be progressive and not run back to the well that Stan Lee came up with in the 60’s, and you seemed to like the idea of change always going back to square one.
AARON GLAZER:
I liked it a lot more than a good issue, but fair. What happened and what did you think of #2?
GREY SCHERL:
Number two….well, I don’t even know where to start. I still absolutely detest that every nation in the world has Sentinels, even when half of them don’t work right.
GREY SCHERL:
And sending a group of women, headed up by a Jewish woman, to fight a bunch of…were those palestinians? That was quite literally only amusing to me because I’m Jewish.
AARON GLAZER:
I’m confused why they don’t work. I mean, if it’s been 20-years since the X-Men formed… well, machines still work after 20-years, no?
I was amused too. It was a good bit.
GREY SCHERL:
I guess when you bury them in the sand they turn crappy.
AARON GLAZER:
Ha, fair enough. Remind me to keep my TV away from the beach.
GREY SCHERL:
So much for taking my iPhone to Miami.
AARON GLAZER:
We also got the start of issues between Logan and Scott.
GREY SCHERL:
From there we’ve got more of the same issues I had with the last issue, in that I don’t buy this Quentin Quire issue.
I can’t fathom the entire world turning on the race due to the actions of one man.
AARON GLAZER:
I bought it fine. In Marvel it happens pretty regularly. Remember Magneto?
GREY SCHERL:
And Scott trying to hide him on Utopia rather than turn him over to Captain America or anybody just comes across as pure arrogance.
AARON GLAZER:
And embarassed world leaders work.
GREY SCHERL:
Magneto killed thousands, destroyed cities, and once created a world wide blackout.
AARON GLAZER:
Sure, but Scott has been arrogant in the past. It fits with his character. And every mutant is supposed to get asylum in Utopia.
GREY SCHERL:
Comparing Quire to Magneto is an insult to Magneto.
AARON GLAZER:
You really think leaders care more about that than embarassment? You have higher faith in those in charge than I do.
GREY SCHERL:
Magneto was the baddest of the bad, he was THE evil mutant. Quite is a punk kid.
AARON GLAZER:
Being embarassed costs votes. Killing stuff gains votes.
GREY SCHERL:
I honestly see Quire no differently than the hackers who brought down the PSN, or the guy who runs Wikileaks.
AARON GLAZER:
There’s a huge difference when leadership is involved. We constantly have people losing office because of this kind of scandal.
The leaders are protecting their power. It happens… a lot.
GREY SCHERL:
He’s not a villain, he’s an over powered schmuck that is being written as a schmuck, and there is no impact or oomph to his existence. Hell, the only reason I can expect anyone to care about him is if they were big fans of Morrison’s run. And even then, Morrison had a complex character, and this is just a schmuck.
He’s crap thrown at the wall to create the means to reach the end.
AARON GLAZER:
Villains matter a lot more to heroes than to the leadership.
Either way, do you buy Scott creating a haven for mutants? I mean it’s hard to give Magneto asylum but not Quire.
And Wolverine, far more tied into the Avengers, disagreeing, also makes perfect sense to me
GREY SCHERL:
That’s my issue with Schism, the end game is clear and that’s where they want, but the journey there is well characterized for some characters, but a strewn together story that works by trying to present itself as nostalgia friendly.
AARON GLAZER:
I disagree, obviously, but no need to re-hash the same discussion as last time.
GREY SCHERL:
Well, considering that prior to Schism #1 Quire was sitting in a jar in Utopia.
AARON GLAZER:
Did the characterization work is the key point.
GREY SCHERL:
Scott could have granted him asylum at any point but kept him in a JAR.
AARON GLAZER:
He was in a jar, supposedly, since that one appearance after Morrison’s run. They should absolutely stick him back into said jar.
GREY SCHERL:
Hell, I didn’t even get the impression Scott wanted to give him asylum, I got the impression he wanted to cover mutant kinds collective asses while figuring out how to put Quire back in the jar.
AARON GLAZER:
Ha right, it’s harder to put him into a jar now that he’s made a spectacle of himself for the world.
People might notice.
GREY SCHERL:
That’s why I hate the use of Quire as a villain here, by the end of Schism he’ll either be dead or in a jar and won’t be used again.
They’d notice? Nobody seems to notice that Quire only existed long enough to cause a mini riot and get put in a jar in the first place.
AARON GLAZER:
He could concievably end up more. Honestly, the X-Men don’t have a villain better suited for this kind of ploy right now.
AARON GLAZER:
As it’s called Schism, did you buy this being the start of a schism between Scott and Logan?
Not the end game, but a start?
GREY SCHERL:
Kinda, it’s like I’ve been saying so far today and in the last review, I understand the endgame they’re after, but the means they’re using to reach it is all characterization with a paper thin plot.
I love the characterization, I hate the non-plot.
AARON GLAZER:
I hate the kid Hellfire Club. I like the rest of the plot. That silliness is really taking away from the issue for me.
GREY SCHERL:
Have you noticed how I haven’t mentioned it yet? Or last issue?
AARON GLAZER:
I didn’t mind it last issue so much, but it was terrible here.
It’s an A issue for me, besides that.
The tone is all wrong
GREY SCHERL:
The little girl killing the aliens over a ‘kitty’ that was a Baddoon brain slug was one of the most random fucking things I’ve ever seen, and it damn near ruined the issue for me.
Why are the true arch enemies of mutantkind a bunch of kids under the age of 10?
AARON GLAZER:
I have no idea. We couldn’t find someone, anyone, else for this?
GREY SCHERL:
Between them and Quire, they’d have been better off giving Magneto a random temporary heel turn via mind control. At least then they’d get the mileage of Magneto actually regretting his anti-human actions for a change.
AARON GLAZER:
There are just so many better ways to do this. Shinobi Shaw exists, no? A new adult character, Kingpin… somebody!
GREY SCHERL:
You know who I miss?
Mr. Sinister.
He’s easily in my top three X villains ever.
AARON GLAZER:
I don’t. He’s always been a bit too absurd for me, but Dark Beast would have worked. They’re essentially the same character, but Beast has more depth.
GREY SCHERL:
Sinister would do it just to screw with Scott, Dark Beast would lack any real motivation.
AARON GLAZER:
Dark Beast’s hatred of humanity – showing how weak they are. Either way, he’s tied up in our next book. Let’s rate this one and move on.
GREY SCHERL:
Can we agree that the X-Men’s rogues gallery went from amazing to piss poor over the course of a decade?
AARON GLAZER:
Decimation really hit them hardest, yes.
What the hell happened to Holocaust/Nemesis?
GREY SCHERL:
It was painful, no more Brotherhood, nor more Genosha.
GREY SCHERL:
You really want to know?
Hyperion snorted him in Exiles.
It was AWESOME.
AARON GLAZER:
Eh, I always felt he should have been an A-List X-Villain. Rating?
GREY SCHERL:
No sarcasm either, Tony Bedard’s Exiles run. So cool.
I’m going with a 6.5, the Hellfire Club hurt this issue
AARON GLAZER:
Yes, 6 for me. It was solid, above average, but the Hellfire Kids were absolutely terrible.
AARON GLAZER:
Onto Uncanny X-Force #12!
GREY SCHERL:
For some reason homicidal children don’t mark me anymore.
Uncanny X-Force was awesome. I dreaded the return to the AoA, but Remender has found a way to not make it feel like a pointless cash in.
AARON GLAZER:
I loved the issue. This is the first AoA story since the original I’ve liked. I like Deadpool’s confusion, the big fight scene, Logan half-freaking about Jean… but I hope they fail. I want Apocalypse Archangel.
GREY SCHERL:
I loved the usage of Jean and Kirika.
AARON GLAZER:
I had one real issue- why the hell is Jean in charge with Rogue and Magneto there?
GREY SCHERL:
It’s so rare for someone to find a character who actually appeal to Logan on a human or emotional level.
Mags is crippled and Rogue is taking care of her husband?
AARON GLAZER:
Rogue of AoA was in no way the kind to let others take charge whether Magneto was hurt or not. She was AoA Cyclops for all intents and purposes. And I take it someone killed off Quicksilver?
GREY SCHERL:
Really though, it’s been years since someone went ahead and gave Wolverine a true emotional tether to someone, it was nice to see him completely in that mode for an issue. I missed that Wolverine.
AARON GLAZER:
Yes, well, the only real Wolverine we’ve gotten in a starring role was Way’s terrible Origins and Aaron’s B-movie stuff. Now we get this and Schism. The character is finally getting depth again.
GREY SCHERL:
You see it every so often in X-23, but it’s been almost entirely absent since Jean died.
AARON GLAZER:
I like it best when Kitty’s around.
GREY SCHERL:
I mean, it’s sad when X-23 has been the crux of good Wolverine characterization lately, this book did a nice job making up for it.
GREY SCHERL:
But seeing him play the father is a lot like seeing him with his heart in his throat because he’s looking at the one who got away….via death.
AARON GLAZER:
Right, I agree. It’s very good stuff. I hate the Psylocke – Fantomex subplot.
GREY SCHERL:
Wolverine is an insanely deep character that most writers like to write off as the killer.
I hate it too, but probably for different reasons than you do.
AARON GLAZER:
It’s as bad as the Logan stuff is good.
GREY SCHERL:
Let’s hear your reasons.
AARON GLAZER:
It’s just heavy handed. I really dislike when writers make it seem like every time two characters desire one another it’s irresistable. They’re supposed to be adults, Fantomex has been totally unlikable to Betsy, and Betsy’s love is, in his own way, dying. It’s like cheating on a spouse dying of cancer – totally unacceptable.
GREY SCHERL:
Exactly.
I’m going to throw in that I grew up with 90’s X-Men, which means Psylocke and Archangel.
I also remember her randomly dumping him for Thunderbird III
AARON GLAZER:
I did too, but I think Psylocke is absolutely a terrible character.
GREY SCHERL:
And then getting killed for no reason, brought back a few years later, and then dropped back with Warren like she never left him for another man, and never died.
GREY SCHERL:
And I hate that, I hate when stuff like that gets no sold. There is so much mileage in getting over the hurdle that they just….run around it?
AARON GLAZER:
I’m with you on it. I hope Archangel becomes Apocalypse and kills her.
GREY SCHERL:
I don’t buy Warren and Betsy, and that makes the love triangle that much harder for me to swallow.
Also, Fantomex works better as a prick with no emotions.
AARON GLAZER:
All around shite subplot. Meanwhile, we also get Deathpocalypse Wolverine. That makes a TON of sense, except I thought he died at the end of AoA… Jean too for that matter.
GREY SCHERL:
You were fortunate enough to skip the 10 year anniversary.
Jean died but Sinister brought her back, she’s Phoenix now.
Wolverine is Wolverine, he doesn’t die.
AARON GLAZER:
Fair enough. He was nuked, I thought. That should kill even him.
GREY SCHERL:
Nuke never hit.
That’s how the 10 year anniversary screwed up the first time, making it so nobody but Scott, Alex, and Apocalypse died.
AARON GLAZER:
Wow that’s atrocious. Let’s rate this and stop there. I like the symmetry of Archangel becoming Apocalypse in 616 while in AoA, it’s Wolverine.
Rating?
GREY SCHERL:
I’m giving it a 9 based on featuring the best Wolverine I’ve read in years.
AARON GLAZER:
I’ll go 8. Very good issue, lowered by the heavy-handed Betsy-Fantomex getting so much of the issue.
GREY SCHERL:
I managed to block most of that.
AARON GLAZER:
Time to jump from Marvel to DC for Detective Comics #880, the books penultimate issue!
GREY SCHERL:
Tec is weird to me, I really enjoy it, but I always feel like it needed a few more pages.
AARON GLAZER:
It would have benefited hugely from even 2-more pages, but I loved this Joker and Jim Gordon Jr has become a favorite character already. So creepy!
GREY SCHERL:
Joker was like….that was pretty awesome, and I think really just because it took him all of three seconds of dealing with Dick to be like “You’re Robin”.
AARON GLAZER:
Ha, well he dealt with Dick before, remember?
Batman and Robin.
GREY SCHERL:
Yes, but the full awareness is a nice touch.
AARON GLAZER:
True. I also like that he’s still utterly dismissive. It isn’t the real Batman so why bother?
GREY SCHERL:
I like when he beats him with a pipe.
AARON GLAZER:
James plans, however, were awfully dependent on Joker breaking out, though.
GREY SCHERL:
It’s funny, for as creepy as James has been, and as much as we all knew in our guts that he was the bad guy, Snyder still had readers thinking the Joker was involved all the way until he flat out says “I’m not”.
Though I keep getting this feeling like Gordon keeps getting smack-in-the-face clues that James Jr is fucked in the head and just keeps ignoring them.
AARON GLAZER:
It’s an awesome swerve. Snyder is a talented gentleman. I understood where it was going, that it was James all along, because Jim Sr. didn’t mention him early when he was monologuing, but it was still a great trick.
GREY SCHERL:
I knew it was him too after last issue, but Snyder still manages to create second thoughts for his readers.
AARON GLAZER:
Hats off to Jock, too.
What gorgeous art, with creative layouts. Capullo on Batman with Snyder is interesting, but no way he touches this Detective run.
AARON GLAZER:
Rating?
GREY SCHERL:
I give it an 8.5, and highly recommend anyone who likes Batman to buy anything Bat related with Snyder’s name.
Not to mention Project Superman, his Flashpoint mini, which is awesome as well.
AARON GLAZER:
9 for me. Easily the book of the week and my leader for book of the year.
GREY SCHERL:
Book of the year is pretty much locked up for me, has been for a while.
AARON GLAZER:
Batgirl, right. I prefer Tec. From here we go to Invincible #81.
AARON GLAZER:
What a good issue of Invincible. I love how Kirkman constantly has him deal with mistakes.
GREY SCHERL:
Invincible is weird for me, I still really enjoy it, I still count it among my favorite books, but I haven’t really loved it in a while. I’ve loved things about it, moments, fights, the art, but I haven’t been in love with the book since ….jeez, I think when he was still in the blue costume.
AARON GLAZER:
I’ve liked it plenty, but for whatever reason, it feels like it never comes out and has no forward momentum.
GREY SCHERL:
That would be it.
I think there have been a grand total of three issues of this book that I haven’t enjoyed. Three!
GREY SCHERL:
So like, when I say I don’t love this book, it’s still in my top 10, but it used to be in my top 3.
AARON GLAZER:
I recall around that many as well. I’m with you there. It’s not top of the list, but it’s still very good.
GREY SCHERL:
Alright, top 15, not my top 10. There’s a lot I love these days.
AARON GLAZER:
And little happens this issue. It’s just Invincible easily handling some threats.
GREY SCHERL:
That’s the worst kind of issue, because it’s stuff we know full well that Mark can do, and it’s stuff we’ve seen a million times, but now we’ve had it for an issue and need to wait anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks for the next issue.
AARON GLAZER:
THAT’S the issue. How long it takes to come out.
It makes a very good issue like this feel empty.
GREY SCHERL:
You know what this book best compares to?
It’s Ultimate Spider-Man if the story ever moved forward.
Because USM always seems to stall in one point of continuity, but the book is never bad, it’s just frustrating.
AARON GLAZER:
Fair enough. I always think of Invincible as Superman with Spider-Man’s personality, which is cool because Batman Beyond is Batman with Spider-Man’s personality.
GREY SCHERL:
The difference being that USM’s weakness is Bendis keeping the book in one place in time which stunts any real character growth, and with this book it’s nonexistent momentum brought on by a nonexistent shipping schedule.
AARON GLAZER:
Fair there. Rating?
GREY SCHERL:
7.5, because it ended on yet another “Is Mark going to quit?” cliffhangers that Kirkman uses ever 6-10 issues.
But I do think that everyone who loves superheroes owes it to themselves to read this book, even if it’s getting the trades or hardcovers of the early material, this is an amazing book overall, current momentum be damned.
AARON GLAZER:
6.0 – Solid, actually good, but the pacing works against a book that rarely ships.
AARON GLAZER:
And we finish up our week with the final issue of a great book – Secret Warriors #28.
GREY SCHERL:
I actually was a bit let down by the finale.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but I felt like I didn’t get it.
AARON GLAZER:
Last issue was the finale, this was the epilogue.
It worked well for what it was. I buy the finish.
GREY SCHERL:
I do too, it just….I was waiting for Nick Fury to lead SHIELD.
AARON GLAZER:
I am actually happier he isn’t. If other writers can be convinced to let him be for a bit, Daisy taking the big step would be awesome.
GREY SCHERL:
It just felt weird for this book to end without SHIELD, I always felt that was the point.
AARON GLAZER:
I think it would have been cool if it happened, but either way I’m fine. Daisy is well-developed as a character.
GREY SCHERL:
Odds that we’ll ever see her again?
AARON GLAZER:
I’d say pretty good entirely because Bendis is a big Hickman fan.
GREY SCHERL:
Bendis created her in the first place, but that’s the other thing, do we want Bendis writing her?
AARON GLAZER:
I’m okay with it as long as it’s a supporting role. He’s fine with Maria Hill and Victoria Hand (is that her name? What a terrible name).
GREY SCHERL:
Yeah, it’s Victoria Hand, but I wouldn’t say he’s fine with Maria Hill at all. She’s been awful in Avengers, like a tomboy backup character.
AARON GLAZER:
I dropped Avengers and just realized I was thinking of Matt Fraction writing her, anyway.
GREY SCHERL:
There you go.
AARON GLAZER:
Rating?
GREY SCHERL:
7.5, but I give the series a 9
AARON GLAZER:
7 and a 9 for the series as well!
And we’re done! See you next week!
