Week in Review 8/29/12: Part 1

Uncanny X-Force #30
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Dave Williams & Dean White
Company: Marvel Comics

The dissection and discombobulation of the team known as X-Force continues. This time out, we get the back story of what this new version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is doing to our young clone of Apocalypse, Evan, and just what they can possibly do to make him become evil. Remender tosses the poor boy into a psychological wood-chipper, and turns in a fairly effective story. The buddy-buddy-ness of Daken and Sabretooth is a little strange, but they get a lot of good lines. This issue however was devoid of an X-Force team, but you know, sometimes that's okay. The art

Hawkeye #1

Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: David Aja
Company: Marvel Comics

I think it's safe to say that Hawkeye saw a dramatic influx in fans after the Avengers movie. He was cool. No doubt about it. Hell, I want one of those choose your own arrowhead quiver and bow combos, as it's just plain neat and would no doubt look great on my wall, right next to Gandalf's sword and Captain America's shield. So yes, a Hawkeye ongoing seemed like a logical thing to have happen. But who do you have write him? Who can capture that essence and perform some magic to have it bleed through on the page? Who has the chops to draw exciting archery? The team given this task is Matt Fraction and David Aja. They've teamed up together before working on Immortal Iron Fist, and separately, they've wracked up

Marvel Now! - What Is It and Should You Care?

Relaunch, reboot, re-imagining...It seems that a lot of these newfangled R words are getting thrown around in regards to this thing, but what exactly is Marvel Now? Well, if Marvel Editorial is to be believed:

 "It is a coordinated creative refresh across our entire publishing line." 

That's according to Editor in Chief of Marvel, Axel Alonso. It's the best definition that I've heard so far. It isn't a relaunch or a reboot, as they are going to be continuing on with the same world that they've been dealing with. Obviously something will change at the end of Avengers vs X-Men, as that would account for some of the costumes being changed in the promotional

Daredevil #14

Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Chris Samnee
Company: Marvel Comics

A lot has said about Paolo Rivera bowing graciously out of being the lead artist on Daredevil. It's true, it sucks. Really sucks. The piece of information that seems to be overlooked however is that Chris Samnee, the artist tackling this issue, is taking over. This is a great thing. Samnee, who's been around for quite some time and proved his unbelievable skill on books like Thor: Mighty Avenger and Agents of Atlas, is a perfect fit for what Daredevil has become. Much has also been said, by me and the rest of the internet, as to the brilliance of this run. I feel like I've said it countless times, but Waid and Co. are like magicians and continue to come up with new ways of pushing the boundaries of the term: Brilliant Comic.

Avengers vs X-Men #6

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Olivier Coipel
Company: Marvel Comics

With issue five of this twelve issue series being more of the lighter fare than previous outings, it was nice to be able to sit down with a comic, an event comic no less, that felt BIG in both scope and size. Hickman, who's recently been rumored to be one of the guys taking over one of the Avengers titles when Bendis leaves, is definitely a big idea guy. More importantly though, he has the chops to deliver said idea, an ability easily seen in the confines of this issue.

Blast from the Past: Infinity Gauntlet

Writer: Jim Starlin
Artists: George Perez & Ron Lim
Company: Marvel Comics

I'll be honest, my desire to re-visit this particular story was entirely prompted by The Avengers movie. If you've seen it, then you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, well, you should. It's probably the best superhero movie that we've gotten so far from Hollywood. I remember reading it when it first came out in the early nineties, but the singles have long since ended up in either that mythical graveyard all mothers seem to dismiss comics to or I gave them to a friend when I was done. I imagine that it was the former, but it's really anyone's guess as to where this legendary Cosmic Crossover written by one of the best Cosmic writers ended up in my own personal collection.

AvX: VS #1 of 6

Writers: Jason Aaron & Kathryn Immonen
Artists: Adam Kubert & Stuart Immonen
Company: Marvel Comics

While I think the title of this mini is a little on the confusing side and a mouthful to boot, what appears beneath this flashy and hero emblazoned cover is something that I think many people will want to get their hands on. AvX: VS is a book that is completely devoted to the smashing and bashing fisticuffs of this summer crossover/blockbuster event. On the very first page of this thing, in a Previously On page that resembles the letter colums from Nextwave, it states quite plainly that if you want story, you've come to the wrong place. Listen to the truthful narrator, whoever he is. It/He/She isn't lying to you.

Avengers vs X-Men #2 of 12

Writers: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, & Matt Fraction
Artist: John Romita Jr.
Company: Marvel Comics

Where the first issue set the story up, this battle for the safety of humanity that hinges on one mutant girl, this second issue get down and dirty with the smackdowns between our fellow heroes. And it's exactly what fans want to see. That's not to say that this issue is devoid of heart or story and is instead just a testosterone fueled explosion of muscles and Repulsor blasts and shaved metallic heads, because it isn't. Writer Jason Aaron, the man who's name falls into the Script By seat this time out does a great job of juggling it all. With Wolverine and the X-Men, he's shown that he can handle large casts in ways that some writers can't, and he definitely puts that skill on full display with this issue.

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 of 12

Writers: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, & Matt Fraction
Artist: John Romita Jr.
Company: Marvel Comics

Okay, let's get this thing out of the way. Let's be honest. Avengers vs. X-Men #0 was a letdown. It felt meandering and if memory serves correctly, you don't want to start your Summer extravaganza with whimper, you want to start it off with a bang. Something the encompasses the blockbuster of movies, something that captures audiences' attentions and is fun. Avengers vs. X-Men #1 is that kind of book. It's the first Marvel crossover that has occurred in the past few years that right out of the gate has my attention. So yes, if you found #0 to be a tedious page turning snore, wipe that from your memory banks and step up to this bright and shiny number one.

Avengers Versus X-Men #0

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis & Jason Aaron
Artist: Frank Cho
Company: Marvel Comics

Cross-over. Hero versus hero. A battle to save the Universe. A battle to save a Species. That's how this event has been spun. Well, the whole Hero vs. Hero bit has been pushed a bit more than the whole saving the Universe bit, but that's just how these things work. Still, what does this zero issue have to offer? Does it lead into the main event? Does it fall on its side and beg to be forgotten or does it exceed all expectations and have that feeling that we have hoped every Marvel Event would have? I guess the best question is this: Does it deliver?

Age of Apocalypse #1

Writer: David Lapham
Artist: Roberto De La Torre
Company: Marvel Comics

To those that never expected to see the Age of Apocalypse again...Well come on, this is comics. We all expected it. Rick Remender rocketed us back to that world of dark depression, a place where Xavier died and Magneto took up the charge of unifying Humans and Mutants. Not that it went well or anything, what with the nuclear explosions and most everyone killing each other. Still, Remender's continuation hit pretty hard on the throttle of fun, mainly because he continued to allow the world to evolve. That and he made Wolverine the new Apocalypse. It's the little things like that, people, that get the old heart pumping with adrenaline fueled anticipation. That said, writer David Lapham's career isn't filled with success after success.

Blast from the Past: Daredevil #220

Writer: Denny O'Neil
Artist: David Mazzucchelli
Company: Marvel Comics

It's late at night, a storm is rolling in, and you're craving something to read. That's the situation that I found myself in the other evening. To remedy said problem I went to the bookshelves and happened upon a collection of Daredevil entitled Loves Labor Lost. I couldn't remember buying it, but I must have, considering it's sitting on my shelf with all of the other Daredevil collections. Being a Daredevil fan to the extreme, I quickly settled in and devoured it. The stories inside were all notable. A few of them I even remember stealing from my brother's collection to read. This one however, this issue eerily titled The Fog, was the stand out.

Winter Solider #1

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Butch Guice
Company: Marvel Comics

When it was announced some time ago that Bucky was coming back in the pages of Captain America, people were skeptical. It was strange and the notion of turning him into what is essentially a trained assassin wasn't a very popular idea. That said, writer Ed (Sleeper/Catwoman) Brubaker, being a fairly talented writer, did the impossible. He injected a healthy dose of espionage into the pages and made a believer out of a lot of people. He made Bucky a character to root for, a man who was more than up to the challenge of taking on Captain America's mantle. Then came Fear Itself and the supposed demise of our new favorite hero. The shock death felt forced and wasn't a very satisfying conclusion to our hero's story.

Wolverine & the X-Men #4

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Nick Bradshaw
Company: Marvel Comics

I fear that Wolverine & the X-Men may be one of those books that I go back and forth on. One moment I like it, the next there are beats and moments that make me want to shoot laser beams out of my eyes and destroy the Earth...Or maybe just Krakoa. That may be overstating the hatred a bit much, but it properly captures the mood swings that this book injects. This fourth issue however was just what the doctor ordered.

Amazing Spider-Man #677

Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Emma Rios
Company: Marvel Comics

As strange as it sounds, before getting too much into the review of this issue, I want to first take a few moments to define a certain word. In the world of comics, FUN is, it seems, a bit of a dirty word. It has the connotation of being easily dismissed or not really important, a watch-word that somehow instantly flips a switch in a person's brain that designates the comic as old school and therefore not worth their hard earned money or time. That is not my definition. My definition of the word FUN is a book that exceeds expectations, one that exudes cleverness, brandishes exciting action, and allows a reader to join in on the exploits of their favorite hero or heroine. Mark Waid understands that and meets every bit of that criteria for this issue of

Villains for Hire #1

Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist: Renato Arlem
Company: Marvel Comics

While it was a little sad to see Heroes for Hire slip into the ether, it's nice that the core of the title and many of the main threads essentially get to live on in another incarnation in this four issue mini-series. The focus has shifted a bit, skewing to the villains this time, but not much has changed in the actual craft of the story. DnA still approach it the same way, putting forth a collection of off the wall characters and allowing them to be cool in ways and deeds that they normally don't get the chance to be. It's almost as if these writers sorted through a toy chest filled to the brim with D and Z list action figures and then, after careful consideration, went to war with them.

Fantastic Four #600

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artists: Steve Epting, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ming Doyle, Leinil Francis Yu, & Farel Dalrymple
Company: Marvel Comics

To be completely honest, I had lost interest in the story that Jonathan Hickman was forming in the pages of FF over the past few months. When the focus of the book strayed from the main players to a few background characters, namely the Supreme Intelligence and the Inhumans, my interest dropped off the face of the map and spiraled into Don't Caresville. Those characters are tough sells to begin with and the story was boring and felt like a huge deviation from what had been building into a tense and memorable tale. After reading this 600th issue, I feel the need to go back to those issues and catch up. Why? Because taken as a hole, though those issues may have been

Avenging Spider-Man #1

Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Joe Madureira
Company: Marvel Comics

A very middle of the road affair, all told. Sometimes you hate to say certain things about comics, especially when you know that they are issues that people are looking forward to, but it's true, Avenging Spider-Man is the perfect example of what a "Middle of the Road" comic looks like. That said, it's big news that Joe Madureira has returned to the land of comics (even though it shall more than likely be a brief visit). Like Jim Lee, he's one of those beloved creators that had an intense artistic impact on a huge group of people years ago and created a huge fan-base that constantly crave something new from him. His X-Men and Battle Chasers are of course still held in high regard, so yes, him on a Spider-Man title is a big deal.

Wolverine & the X-Men #1

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Chris Bachalo
Company: Marvel Comics

Well, whether or not you cared for the idea of Cyclops and Wolverine calling off their friend engagement and splitting into two different factions or not, there's really no stopping it now. It's happened and even though it was forced and felt off in seventeen different ways, we now have another X-Book to keep an eye on. That said, this is a weird book. Or more to the point, a weird X-Men book. Why? Because it bashes you over the head with humor instead of mutant, death-freeze-omni-whatever blasts that we are used to, which is a little atypical of the traditional X-Men formula. If you can get behind that and the very Whedon-y style to the characters speech patterns and banter, then there is a pleasant surprise for you with this book. If you

Incredible Hulk #1

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Marc Silvestri
Company: Marvel Comics

Compared to the books that have encompassed the Hulk property over the last few years, Jason Aaron's new foray into the grand misadventures of a Banner-less Hulk leaves a distinct and quite unsatisfying taste in your mouth. Yes, the prerequisite material that any Hulk book should have is there. Hulk does smash stuff bare handed and grumble a bit about persecution and being hunted, but to me it's missing the heart that Greg Pak was able to package and get across in his book.

One of the biggest selling points is probably the Marc Silvestri artwork. It's been a long time since we've seen him do a monthly book, as for the past few years