Marvel Comics Presents #135

The one-shot story stars the Black Widow. Widow's Soviet secret agent past comes back to haunt her when a former KGB operative who did a lot of very things behind the Iron Curtain comes to the States. This butcher is afraid that the relatives of his former victims are out for revenge. So he plans on killing them first! When he starts killing friends of Natasha Romanoff, things get deadly personal. 

As for our 3 multi-parter team-ups, not really much is happening.

The uneasy alliance between Wolverine and Cyber is still in effect as they attempt to flee an island full of blood cultists. 

Ghost Rider and Luke Cage are still atop the World Trade Center battling an ancient evil. This chapter does delve a little in the origin of the former follower of Mephisto now known as Darklove. But in current time, there's very little happening except for posturing. 

As for Iron Fist and the Daughters of the Dragon vs. Sabretooth and the Yakuza. I'm starting to get bored. For 2 chapters now, it seems like the good guys have been putting together a plan of attack. Do something already! 

A ho-hum issue that felt like a waste of 15-20 minutes of my life.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #125

If there's anything I have learned from watching movies involving bounty hunters or other types of soldiers of fortune, you should trust no one! And that's what Wolverine is figuring out here in this amazing story about a young feral girl named Lynx. She carries inside her basically the cure of all cures. And that makes her worth a lot of money. And naturally, the mercenaries who assist Logan are betraying each other in the name of the highest bidder. 

It's an almost comical affair that for some reason reminds me of the Three Stooges. And now Black Widow has entered the picture representing Col. Nick Fury and his agency of SHIELD!

The She-Hulk story continues to amuse me as well. It's very campy and funny. It's almost as good as the Sensational She-Hulk series from this time period. Only, it's missing the god-like narrative of John Byrne who often put himself into the stories for a broken fourth wall effect. Still, I rather like this story with the Batman knock-off Nosferata and the She-Hulk imposter Adrenazon.

The Ghost Rider/Typhoid Mary story is also rather good. A bunch of terrorists have held up the shopping mall in which both Dan Ketch and Mary happen to be at. There's an interesting twist to this story. With Mary's past of abuse, she's taken in with a Women's shelter. Helping volunteer for a community outreach is why she was at the mall that day. Well, the women of the shelter are sick and tired of being pushed around and they've rallied around Typhoid Mary to take on these terrorists. Unfortunately, the women have mistaken Ghost Rider as being a part of the all-male group of subversives that have captured the shopping center.

The fourth story is a change of pace for MCP. Instead of being a one-shot story, the final segment begins a multi-parter starring Iron Fist. I keep forgetting that Danny Rand is wealthy. I always seem to think of him as just some poor wandering monk in designer clothes and not a Bruce Wayne arch-type. 

Anyways, one of Rand's companies is doing research into a mysterious artifact known only as 'the anomaly.' It's so mysterious that Hydra is willing to steal for it by hiring a meta human that can break into any security system. Named Skeleton Ki, the baddie has an appropriate name. But he's no match for Iron Fist who quickly steals the anomaly back before readers are slapped with the inevitable 'To Be Continued' ending.

All 4 segments were entertaining. I'm okay with there not being a single issue story. This kind of variety is what MCP needs to stay fresh as opposed to other tried and true methods that have gotten old over the course of 125 issues.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #70

 Oh my God- this awful Wolverine/Ghost Rider story just will not end. I'm getting so tired of it.

The one-and-done story stars Black Widow as she battles with an old Soviet era friend over the soul of another Russian colleague. I thought maybe that one of these extra characters might be from Natasha's family in the Black Widow movie, but they're not. Would've been cool if it was!

The Daredevil story continues to be really good. Except that the 1991-92 idea of what an NYC lock down would look like is nowhere near what the real thing in 2019-21 was. 

I am also torn as to the Shanna the She-Devil story. It's really good with amazing artwork by Marvel Adventures' Paul Gulacy and I love the character of Dubose Wilson. But they keep maiming these magnificent looking beasts. At least it was not a cute little puppy or pussy cat. But I hate it when they hurt animals. Yes- even when they are just drawings and not the real thing.

An okay issue. But not one of my top favs.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #53

I've really not been a fan of the Billy Mumy/Miguel Ferrer Comet Man story. Maybe the domestic violence storyline that runs through the plot hits too close to home. Maybe it's just not that good. Well, I can't dog on the finale. There's a satisfying but eerie twist that was thrilling, unforgettable and unsettling. 

The B-lister aqua-hero Stingray debuts in this book with the opening chapter of a 4-parter. I did not know that the character had ties to the Sub-Mariner arch-villain, Tiger Shark. They're brother-in-laws! It's definitely got promise!

There's also a one-and-done starring Black Widow and Silver Sable. The two femme fatales battle it out on the Eiffel Tower in order to lay claim to a former Nazi war criminal. Widow's working for SHIELD. Sable is working in the employ for some other international law enforcement agent. A flip of the could decide who claims the prize.

Plus, Wolverine attempt to reform his fallen protege Wild Child comes to an end. The ending is far from unexpected. But I did not expect to be such a fan of it. 

4 superb segments in an anthology series that has had more misses than hits.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Black Widow

I made my return to the theaters this week. My god son really wanted to see Black Widow before it left the big screen. And since we were both vaxxed, I thought it would be okay within reason. Since there was a total of only 3 viewers and we were all distanced, I took the risk. 

Gee- I hope I don't get COVID for watching this dreck...

Black Widow takes place just after the events of Captain America: Civil War; a film that came out in 2016. I barely remember everything that happened in last year's Wonder Woman 1984. So, to have to understand things that occurred 5 years ago and hope to truly enjoy this Marvel movie is a stretch. If ever a movie needed some flashbacks, this would be the film!

We do get to see Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett Johansson) origin as a childhood member of the fallen Soviet Union's Red Room. But we also needed a refresher as to what transpired during that laughable MCU version of a Civil War.

The film pius Black Widow on the run due to siding with the losers of the Civil War. While at the famed safe house in Budapest, Romanoff runs into another Red Room occupant who tells the Avenger that the Black Widow program is still in operation. Now that a method to deprogram the assassins has been found, the Natasha and her 'sister' must reunite with other former operatives from her past. This includes the imprisoned Alexei Shostakov, who was Russia's first super hero, The Red Guardian and exiled pig farmer Melina Vostokoff, the original Black Widow whom Natasha recruits to take down the Red Room and it's leader, the dastardly Dreykov!

Standing in the way of this makeshift 'family' is a computer programmer assassin called Taskmaster. With the ability to adapt to any fighting style, when Romanoff takes on this baddie, it's like fighting herself. Natasha also has to escape from General Thaddeus Ross, who has sworn to bring the fugitive Avengers to justice. Thankfully, Natasha has the services of former SHIELD agent Rick Mason to help provide tech and other supplies. 

I liked getting to finally see Rick Mason appear in the MCU. He's a subtle mix of romantic chemistry and comedic relief. But he's also quite underused. But knowing Kevin Feige and how Disney+ has been striking gold with it's streaming services, I wouldn't be surprised to see more of the character, played by O.T. Fagbenie, in some future web series.

So I've just written about this movie for a half hour now and I'm exhausted from it. Great movies are easy to write about as you get to relive the thrills and chills. Black Widow wasn't the worst Marvel Cinematic Universe film ever made. Thor: The Dark World still has that honor in the bag. But, geez- this one was at times hard to watch.

From almost the very beginning, things were bad. The opening credits, to which a very dispassionate version of Smells Like Teen Spirit played while very disturbing images of child abuse and war flash across the screen in microsecond bursts, set me up to say that this wasn't going to be your average Marvel film. In other words: not great. But not terrible either.

Super hero movies seem to be falling into this trap of over-the-top third acts. That's the same here. The first act was slow as it establishes Natasha's back story. The second act was full of humor and an unnecessary avalanche scene. That last act just seemed like a replay of the ending of Winter Solider- which was a replay of the first Avengers film. Seems like for a franchise hailed for it's creativity; things are getting repetitive at Marvel Studios.

Okay. So I finally saw Black Widow. And yes, I went to the theater to do it. At least I got to spend time with my god son. That's what really mattered. At least with a film about family, I got to spend some time with mine.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Avengers: Endgame

Endgame is in my opinion, the second most anticipated film of 2019. With nearly 40 years of wait for the ninth Star Wars film, I think 'Rise of Skywalker' beats the Avengers if only for the length of wait time. All that being said, with the number of people wanting to see this film and how 10 years and 21 Marvel movies comes to a close; I'm going to have to do my review a lot differently. 

ABSOLUTELY NO SPOILERS!

If you have been following the speculation behind Endgame, some fans hit the plot right on the head. While this is the story of how the Avengers fight back against Thanos and seek a way to reverse the universal-wide mass murder; above all Endgame is a 3-hour thank you to the millions of fans. 

There are literal tons of Easter eggs in this movie. While not every character that ever appeared in a Marvel film is in this movie, there's quite a few cameos. I'm not going to list who's who. Instead, let's focus on the Jar Jar Binks of the Marvel Universe: Carol Danvers.

Brie Larson's portrayal of Captain Marvel and the very silly way usually gruff Nick Fury comes across was a big put off for some fans. Well, if you are not wanting to see Endgame because you think it's going to be a giant love fest to the modern feminist icon, you can sleep well at night. Danvers is barely in this movie. She's so underused here that it's a bit of a head-scratcher as to why invite her to the party at all.

If you are a fan of the original 6- Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow and the Hulk, then this is the film you've been waiting for. They all play a major role here. Plus you've got the added elements of Ant-Man, Rocket, Nebula and War Monger and this makes for the ultimate superhero flick!

Endgame is 3 hours long. And yet not a single minute was wasted. The first 2/3 of the film is filled with exciting twists and turns. And then you've got that third and final act. Wow. Just, wow. And the finale for one of my all-time favorite characters- it was perfect!

This feels like a vague review. But with almost a billion dollars in ticket sales and more to follow, I don't want to risk any sort of plot slip. This was the perfect Marvel film. So perfect that I am going to give Endgame a rating that I hardly ever give-

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 11 out of 10 stars!

Avengers Assemble, Volume 2: Science Bros (Marvel NOW!)

A friendly wager between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner takes the heroes on a global race against time to locate and rescue a missing scientist with Captains Marvel and America playing the role of referees. But this competition is no longer fun and games when the Avengers come face to face with a bio- terrorist whose kinda a big deal. Well, at least in HIS mind…

  Then the Black Widow's past comes back to haunt her when she is summoned by the widow of one of her hits requests that she find her missing daughter. Widow's search joined by Hawkeye and Spider-Woman will lead them to a mysterious sewer lair where the laws of nature have been horribly perverted.

  Quests seem to be the theme of this volume as the final story involves a newly reconstructed Vision who is struggling with his role in a world that passed him by after being disassembled by his ex-wife, the Scarlet Witch. His latest mission is to locate a corporate hero who has recently learned that he's outlived his usefulness to the execs at Roxxon. As the Vision sees how discarded this fellow hero is, it causes the Avenger to reevaluate his own position on a team that he no longer recognizes.

   Avengers Assemble starts off with the humor and fun banter that won me over as an Avengers fan. After some pretty heavy plots involving the end of the universe and numerous betrayals, it’s great to finally get some laughs. It just seemed weird to up and forget these horrors that had yet to come to a definite conclusion. It was also a little confusing but I got over it and enjoyed the stories regardless. I figured they'll get back to those crises eventually.

Well…

  See this book is actually a series I haven't gotten into yet. Since Marvel has this unfortunate habit of canceling titles and renumbering them all under the Marvel NOW! Imprint, I accidentally skipped volume 1. Plus, now Marvel has started to carry over different series into the trades instead of issuing them as separate works making for even more confusion. (For example, All-New Hawkeye #1-6 were collected as Hawkeye Volume 5 instead of ANH Volume 1.) So just what exactly did I read?

Avengers Assemble is a series from 2012 meant to reflect the cinematic version of the team. To be a starting point for new readers is all well and good, but Spider- Woman, Captain Marvel, and the Vision don't even appear in the first Avengers movie. But these characters do play heavily into the plots of the 2014 Avengers series that I thought this book was a continuation of. Geez… no wonder I was confused.

  Still, this wasn't a bad read and I'm more than willing to give volume 1 a go. But come on Marvel- get with it. You're giving my wish list fits with your convoluted numbering!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

 It's getting to be a Free Comic Book Day Tradition for Marvel to issue a new live-action feature film during that same weekend. It started with the first Thor movie in 2011 and has continued ever since. The media was making a big deal that this week was the biggest week in sports history what with the Red Sox and Yankees playing, NBA and NHL playoffs, the NFL draft, a NASCAR race, and the Mayweather fight. But I argue that with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, along with FCBD, this is the biggest weekend in geekdom!

    Age of Ultron was fantastic. It's the Empire Strikes Back of Marvel sequels as it was 10 times better than the first Avengers movie. Why it's even set to break all of the records the first film did in 2012. So if you have yet to see it, you are in for a treat, just be sure to get to it early as even on a Sunday afternoon, it was pretty crowded. 

    Age of Ultron starts off with the team attacking a Hydra base in Central Europe in hopes of retrieving Loki's staff, stolen during Winter Soldier. When the Avengers finally take the base, Tony Stark is ambushed by the Hydra influenced Maximoff Twins, Pietro and Wanda, who show Stark a vision of the future in which Iron Man's failures resulted in the end of life on earth. 

    Determined to not let this happen, Tony and Bruce Banner work to design an Artificial Intelligence that would cover the earth in a defensive shell and hopefully put the super hero in retirement. But when the programming takes a life of its own in the form of Ultron, the Avengers find themselves on the run of their lives. 

    This film has everything- action, adventure, a budding romance between two Avengers, great banter and running jokes galore. It also has a ton of superhero cameos, along with the occasional villain. But with the numerous interweaving plots and threads in this film, it's getting to the point where if you aren't watching all of the films, you're going to get lost quickly and that includes the supposedly unconnected Guardians of the Galaxy. When it comes to comic books, I hate it when you have to read a different title for the story to continue but since Marvel films come out at a rate of about once every few months, I actually like the interlocking storylines of the movies.

   The film as I mentioned before was heavy on action. While the opening attack on Hydra had some sequences that looked a little fake, the majority of the special effects were stunning. Speaking of stunning, the Iron Monger suit that's been popping up in the films as an easter egg since the end of the Edward Norton Hulk film finally gets some use. Thanks to some nasty tricks of the Scarlett Witch, the Hulk goes on a rampage that only Tony Stark's mighty armor can stop and holy cow! (And established fans, be ready to be overwhelmed by a scene at the end of the film in which all of the Avengers battle a legion of Ultrons. It was like that moment was taken from the dreams of George Perez, as there's so much happening in such a confined space.)

   I must warn you that some of the action in that scene is too intense for a very young child. I know this from personal experience as no less than 3 kids under the age of 5 went into simultaneous fits because if the violence during the showing I went too.

    As for whether this is a film for the whole family, I'm going to say no. The are some violent scenes that might be too much for those under the age of 10. There's also a little bit of language though that's not too much of an issue as there aren't any biggies. But this is a PG-13 movie for goodness sakes and the character of Ultron did seem to scare some kids in the theater.

    Speaking of Ultron, he was voiced by the always amazing James Spader. He gave the terrifying robot a very scary vibe balanced with some great one-liners that help prevent the character from being a total 'monster.' As for monsters, Mark Ruffalo's troubled Bruce Banner and his quest to balance the beast within was very well done and he should be nominated for a Golden Globe for his dual role of man and monster/ Hulk.

   The film had a ton of easter eggs. Most of them hint as the next chapter in the series; Infinity Gauntlet, parts one and two. But the seeds of descension planted by the mind games of the Scarlett Witch, played by a very goth Elizabeth Olsen, I think will play heavily into the next Captain America film based on the epic Civil War storyline. The line for that 2016 film starts right here, behind me!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #13

Fantastic George Perez art abounds in this the final chapter of the Black Widow storyline. Widow must stop her duplicate from piloting the heli-carrier into a trap. The play is a little confusing on how this double is slated to do this, but the action is good and the art, like I said before, continues to amaze.

Then, there is this Warriors Three tale which starts off pretty good, with the Asgardians searching for a missing bard in time for an important performance before Odin. But, the plot is completely predictable from the moment we meet the song writer and he claims to not have any ideas what to sing about. I’ll give you 3 guesses as to what he chooses for his ballad. It’s a little lame for such a great group of heroes.

That along with the floppy plot in the first tale makes for this to be a read filled with plot holes. It’s okay, but not Eisner material.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #12

Having just escaped one situation, the Black Widow is captured- AGAIN! This time by another player in her search for her former mentor. The plot is really getting tedious, but the art and inking are perfectly matched, along with another great George Perez cover.

What I do not like was this bizarre Editor-gal story, about Fanfare editors being on vacation and the assistant’s take over. It’s the Marvel Bullpen at it’s worst. Since Atlas agent Jimmy Woo appears in the Widow tale, why couldn’t that have done a bonus feature of him and his colleagues instead?

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #11

After a lot of naggings, Nick Fury has broken down and approved for the Black Widow to return to the Soviet to rescue her mentor. In order to catch his trail, she poses as a defecting scientist. But in this bizarre undercover sting gone wrong, The Widow finds herself exposed by the man she wasn’t supposed to fall in love with, and some guns pointed at her too!

The Jungle Book tales back-up feature end, with Mowgli kidnapped by monkeys and it’s up to Baloo and Mala to team up with the dangerous snake Kaa in order to save him.

Both tales are wonderfully drawn. The story for Mowgli was excellent. The Widow tale is a bit of a mess.

Still, the book as a whole is Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #10

 

The legendary George Perez pencils a really good 3-part Black Widow tale. (It was later stretched into 4 chapters.) When her former mentor and chauffeur is kidnapped, almost everybody in SHIELD thinks that the red-headed assassin is perfect for the job, ‘cept Nick Fury. Essentially part one is a retelling of her original and meant to bring the reader up to date on Widow as well as convince Fury to give her the assignment. The only bad part about this story is that Perez doesn’t ink every page and so some of his work isn’t as striking as the rest.

Then in the continuing Jungle Book Wolf Boy series, Mowgli is told a fable as to why tigers have stripes and why they are natural predators of humans and yet afraid of them as well. It’s an okay tale, but doesn’t have the syntax quality of the previous Mowgli stories.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.