New Avengers #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

 Avengers: Disassembled.

It was the darkest day for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The Scarlet Witch realized that her twin boys, Billy and Tommy, weren't real. It just wasn't humanly possible for a mutant and an android to produce biological children. Going into severe psychosis, Wanda destroys the Avengers Mansion, murders her husband, the Vision, and kills a couple other Avengers, including one of the Ant-Mans. Public and government sentiment of the Avengers reached an all-time low seeing Tony Stark and Steve Rogers disband the team in return.

Now it's 6 months later. There's one less super group to save Manhattan. Freshly outted as Daredevil, Matt Murdock travels to the Raft, an ultra-top security containment facility for most of Earth's most dangerous villains underneath Ryker's Island. With Luke Cage in tow as a bodyguard, and perhaps to keep up the appearance that he's not really the Man Without Fear, Murdock is conducting legal business on behalf of Mister Fantastic with one of the inmates. 

Meanwhile, a mysterious person has hired Electro to take out the prison's electrical grid and free as many of its occupants as possible. The motive behind this action is just as unknown as Electro's new benefactor, but the member of the Sinister Six is ready to prove the he's got what it takes to bring Manhattan and the World to its knees all by his lonesome. All those he frees have to do is one day owe Electro a favor.

Though issue #1 of New Avengers has quite a bit of action, don't expect the team to be back in action just yet. This issue is to primarily get most of the players onto the game board. Along with Murdock and Power Man, this episode adds Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and Captain America to the fray. There's also Reed Richard's mystery client. But I am pretty sure that there's still a couple more heroes to add to the roster who are unaccounted for.

Brian Michael Bendis penned this opener into a new chapter of the Avengers. I know he's got a lot of detractors out there. But I like him. He's a lot like Tom King in that he makes a lot of enemies by screwing around with fan's favorite characters by either killing them off, or making them gay or trans or making them into bad guys. But unlike with King, I am mostly okay with Bendis' changes because they're very well plotted and make sense. I think Tom King just has a singular plan to ruin my childhood...

David Finch is the artist for this issue. He did an amazing job. However, I think it must be said that it wouldn't have been so amazing if not for the masterful brush strokes of Danny Miki as the inker. It's got that George Perez/Frank Quitely quality to it of which I am such a fan!

The iconic, and oft recreated cover was crafted by colorist Frank D'Armata.

An amazing 2005 issue that kicks off one of my most favorite incarnations of the Avengers!

Completing this review completes Task #11 (An Avengers Comic from the 2000s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Avengers: Disassembled

The Original Avengers come to an end in this collection by Brian Michael Bendis. 

Bendis in my opinion is a fantastic writer and a thrilling plotter. He crafts situations that are so shocking and unexpected that I can understand why he's such a controversial character in his craft. But I like him. There's a really good interview with Bendis added to the director's commentary section. It gives some amazing insight into his thought process. Many fans feel like Bendis hates the characters he writes by putting them through the wringer like he does. However, in that interview, Bendis explains that if he made the lives of each character that he was fan of without their trials, it would get pretty boring, pretty quick.

Avengers: Disassembled recounts the worst day in Avengers history. The story is 20 years old and yet I do do not want to spoil it for readers who might not have read it yet. However, I can say that you don't have to read 5 'Disassembled' storylines that take place with Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Spider-Man and Captain America. Those books 'weave a complete tapestry' of the 'Disassembled' epic but you won't miss anything if you stick to the Avengers who are the main focus of this period in Marvel history.

I believe that I can also reveal without ruining anything by saying that if you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you wish to learn more about the comic book influences of WandaVision, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha All Along, then you will want this volume!

The artwork of the main story is by David Finch. I thought it was dynamic. In his sketchbook at the end of this book, he gets really in-depth into a particularly shocking segment. Finch is really hard on himself, pointing out all of the imperfections in his work. I totally relate. As a chef, I constantly find ways I could have made the dish better while all those who eat my creations think it's amazing. Finch as an artist sees how he could have improved while I am looking at every panel thinking it's sheer perfection. 

Also included in this volume is a one-shot finale where dozens of Avengers artists from the past 500 issues join together to recount some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes favorite moments as an Avenger while saying goodbye to the Avengers Mansion which is to be turned into a monument to the heroes who fell in the onslaught. 

A great addition to my Avengers collection of works.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DC Nation #0

The wedding of Batman and Catwoman.

Bendis’ take on the Man of Steel.

A world with No Justice League.

These three storylines promise to dominate the DC Universe this summer. As a triple threat prelude, DC Nation #0 gives fans a small glimpse of what’s to come in the next few weeks.

In ‘Your Big Day’, Tom King shows us the Clown Prince of Crime awaiting his invitation to the wedding of the century. Brian Michael Bendis reveals to us a Clark Kent very much off his game as the Daily Planet is reeling from the unexpected resignation of Lois Lane in ‘Office Space.’ Lastly, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson introduces reasders to the new teams that will protect the earth in the absence of a Justice League in the No Justice Prelude.

The Joker story was the best. Tom King’s dry wit shows in the fractured sense of humor of the Joker’s. I also really dug Clay Mann’s artistic rendering of Batman’s greatest foe.

I was a little confused with the Superman story. I keep hearing that Bendis is going to temporarily change Superman’s canon. I don’t think Lois’ departure from the Planet is the big change. But if it is, it’s definitely not what fans were expecting.

I absolutely love- LOVE, that DC was able to snag Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez back into doing the forthcoming The Man of Steel miniseries. The artist has basically been in convention circuit retirement. But to have the man who created almost every single iconic piece of DC merch that I grew up with is a well received blast from the past!

Finally there’s the No Justice Prelude. Boy, was that a hot mess. Three different writers author this adventure and a disconnect shows. The story involves the Justice League dissolving into 4 teams to save the earth. The teams, comprised of heroes and villains, are based on the concepts of mystery, entropy, wonder and wisdom. But I don’t think they are correct.

For instance, Harley Quinn in placed on team wisdom. Quinn is the epitome of entropy! Why wasn’t she put on that Batman led team? Plus you’ve got Zatanna and Dr. Fate on Team Wonder. But both of them seem more suited for Team Mystery. I can’t figure out if DC’s best and brightest really think these characters best reflect these principles. OR is this one of those JLA things where you switch opponents because there is too evenly a match-up between foes?

I’m really excited about all three stories. Even though I was not impressed with the No Justice story, I am hoping each individually written miniseries will be better than the joint collaboration. The biggest issue I am going to face with all of these titles however, is cost.

What appealed most to me with this issue was it’s price! You just can’t beat the cover fee of only 25 cents! It’s like 1980 rates again and I loved it. But all of the issues that spin out of this prelude comic are going to be at least $2.99 per issue or more. Estimating there’s probably going to be about 30 issues total coming out of all three storylines, there’s no way I will be able to afford this book until I find everything eventually in dollar bins or as trades.

For those of you who are into the variant covers,  you are going to have to pony up some big bucks. Those issues have cover prices of $60-90 a piece. That’s original suggested retail price- not LCS mark-up!

DC Nation #0 was a very good sampler of what’s in story for the DCU. Though not 100% happy with every story, I absolutely cannot complain about the cost.

DC Nation #0 debuted in stores and digital platforms May 2, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Ratings:
Joker Story- 10/10 stars
Bendis' Superman: 8/10 stars
No Justice:4/10 stars
Overall: 7 out of 10 stars.

This review was published concurrently at Outrightgeekery.com.

Action Comics #1000

Action Comics #1000

Writers: Paul Dini, Dan Jurgens, Brian Michael Bendis,   et al
Artists: Curt Swan, John Romita Jr., Joshua Middleton, et al

Published by DC Comics

Normally when i review a comic book for Outrightgeekery, I am required to post who the artists and writers for a book are. But if I was to list all of the talent in this book, it would take up the entire review!

The historic Action Comics #1000 was a star-studded event with so many big names it rivals most awards ceremonies. And that’s just the talent! This issue marks the 80th anniversary of the debut of Superman. As a result just about every major player to have ever graced the pages of Action Comics– Batman, Lois Lane, Luthor, and some super-duper guests just too good to mention without spoiling the surprise!

One of the biggest surprises I that it is perfectly okay to mention is that this issue brings about the debut of Brian Michael Bendis into the DC Universe. The final story titled ‘The Truth’ acts as an opening act for the 6-issue The Man of Steelminiseries set to change the Superman mythos later this summer!

Last month DC announced that all of the Superman Family titles including Super Sons and Supergirl were being cancelled to make room for the arrival of Bendis. I was quite concerned that Superman’s cousin was going to wiped from existence AGAIN! But the Maid of Might plays a vital role in the Bendis penned finale. Hopefully, this means Kara Danvers will be playing a big role in the plans Bendis has for Superman.

Action #1000 is an 80-page giant, retailing for $7.99. Most of the time, I hear nothing but complaints for the price with these type of specials. That hasn’t been the case here! I’ve heard nothing but good things in anticipation for this anniversary issue and I felt the same way reading this. Well, I did have one complaint- I didn’t want this amazing tribute to the Man of Steel to end!

Surely this issue is going to sell out. Of course, there will be a second and probably a third print! But if you want to take advantage of getting a first edition, you have better act fast- like faster than a speeding bullet fast! But once you read this amazing issue, you’ll be leaping over tall buildings in a single bound jump for joy!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10 stars.

Jessica Jones: Alias, volume 2

     Jessica Jones is hired to find a missing girl in upstate New York. For the most part, the town is glad she's there to help. But as the detective digs deeper into the disappearance, she discovers a secret shame that is haunting the town. It has a anti-mutant problem and the young girl Jessica is hired to find claimed she was a mutant. Was the missing child a target of a homo superior hate crime?

     Then Jessica goes on a blind date with Scott Lang. Just what do the two have in common? The answer might surprise you in this very charming story by Bendis.

     This entire volume was great. The Ant-Man story had a 'When Harry Met Sally' appeal to it. It was very fresh and very New York. 

      But the story about missing teen was awesome. There were hints of Twin Peaks. Yet, the small town feel behind the mystery actually was more representative of an even more obscure, short-lived series called Picket Fences. There were some powerful parallels between the hatred of mutants and the discrimination that minorities and homosexuals face. 

        Of course, Bendis does a fantastic job. But I can't overlook the amazing artwork by Bill Seinkiewicz, Mark Bagley, David Mack, and Michael Gaydos. Gaydos crafted an entire scrapbook as from the perspective of the runaway and it was amazing. It's published in it's entirety in the back of this volume. Amazing stuff!

       Worth Consuming!

       Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Heroic Age

    

    This massive collection features 3 Avengers stories written by living legend Brian Michael Bendis. Set at the beginning of the Heroic Age, right after the fall of Norman Osborne’s Dark Reign, the Avengers big three- Tony Stark, Thor, and Steve Rogers- are tasked to reform the Avengers and to bring back glory and honor to the privilege of being one of earth’s mightiest heroes. The stories collected in the massive tome are: Avengers (2010-2012) #1-6, New Avengers (2010-2013) #1-6, and the Avengers Prime miniseries. 

Overall ratings:
Avengers: 9 out of 10
Avengers Prime: 7 out of 10
New Avengers: 10 out of 10
Grand Total Rating of Book: 8.7

All-New X-Men, Volume 6: The Ultimate Adventure

    With their teachers summoned to Westchester to hear the reading of Professor X's will, the students of the New Xavier School are bored silly. Suddenly Cerebro goes wild having detected a new mutant just coming into her powers. But when some of the time displaced X-Men arrive, they spook the young mutant further and find themselves teleported away to various locations around the world. Separately, each member of the team are faced with strange happenings that lead them all to come to the same realization- this is not their earth!

  Just when I think All-New X-Men can’t  get any better, Brian Michael Bendis scoops a handful of the mutants up and puts them into his Ultimate Universe! BAM- or should I say Bamf? Either way, it’s an instant classic.

  The addition of the Miles Morales as a guide for the time and space displaced original X-Men was a brilliant idea. Spidey isn’t really known for being affiliated with the X-Men. But because Miles has crossed universes before, teaming with the Peter Parker Spider-Man of Earth-616 in the miniseries Spider-Men (2012), it makes perfect sense.

  If you like stories that involve time travel- then All-New X-Men is the series you’ve been looking for. But if you also like for your time travelers to hop from alternate earth to alternate earth, you should watch Doctor Who. But this volume is the next best thing!!!  Featuring some of your favorite Ultimate Universe characters (Plus X-23!), dynamic art by Mahmud Asrar (Siege: Battlefield), as well as the aforementioned Bendis this truly is the Ultimate Adventure!

Worth Consuming

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

X-Men: Battle of the Atom

 A few months ago, I noticed that both the collected volumes of Marvel NOW series All-new X- Men and Uncanny X-Men were missing a couple of issues. Battle of the Atom is the work that collects those missing issues. A couple of issues of Wolverine and the X-Men ( along with the 2-issue miniseries of Battle of the Atom) are contained within this volume as well. I assume that those issues are missing from the Wolverine trades, but my library doesn't carry that series, so I'm not sure if this is the case.

   I was really excited to finally get this book as I have waited forever for it. I had requested that my local library carry this book since before Thanksgiving and it took until late last month to finally arrive.  But it was worth the extra wait.

    Pressure mounts for the original X- Men to return to their own time. With no one to trust, Jean Grey and Scott Summers make a run for it. But on their tails are a group of X-Men claiming to be from the future. They to want to see the original Children of the Atom returned to their proper place on the timeline.  Only this group of X-Men  more vindictive and cunning in pursuit of their goal, leads Wolverine to smell a rat and do something he never thought he'd do in a million years- team up with the present's Cyclops band of mutant freedom fighters in order to save and protect the first X-Men from being wiped out of existence.

   Battle of the Atom was an epic adventure that pits multiple X-Men teams from across the decades. The only team missing it seems is the Giant-Sized X-Men team created by Chris Claremont in the mid-70s.Written by Brian Michael Bendis, with Jason Aaron and Brian Wood, this trio actually gives Claremont a run for his money on this. The artwork lead by Frank Cho and Stuart Immonen was really good too. However, the last two chapters seemed to have a different inker as the art didn't quite look as clean as the rest of the book.

    Essential reading and a must to complete your Marvel NOW X-titles run, especially if you are collecting only the trades.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

   

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Volume 22: Ultimatum

  

 The original Ultimate Spider-man run comes to a close with some of the most thrilling and deadly adventures ever faced by Peter Parker. At first, everything seems to be going the wallcrawler's way. The police love him, the media isn't opposed to his efforts (for once), and he's finally found love with Mary Jane Watson. But you know that nothing ever stays perfect for Parker. Enter: Magneto's Ultimatum!

   I've not read the Ultimatum miniseries yet. In fact, I don't think I own it. But I know that Magneto's beef with humanity finally reaches it's breaking point when the mutant madman unleashes an epic tsunami upon the Big Apple. Heroes will die, friendships tested, and only Spider-man can save the day!

   It took forever for my local library to pick up this volume. I was so tempted to buy the issues that made up this book but I never could find them for a good price and I never gave up hope that my library would complete this collection. The good thing about having taken so long to read this after the 'War of the Symbiotes' is that basically none of those prior events affect this storyline, so I didn't feel lost or having to catch up on past events. 

   That being said, I think the odds of my library ever carrying Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Volume 1 (2009-2011), the next series to star the Parker Spidey (before Miles Morales assumed the role) is probably slim to none. So, add that to my wish list.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Woman: Agent of SWORD (Hardcover Edition; includes motion comic DVD)

  In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion of the Skrulls, Jessica Drew, AKA Spider-Woman, is having trouble finding her place in the world. The Skrull Queen kidnapped the heroine, impersonating her, and nearly enslaving the human race. Restored to humanity and looking very much like the face of the Skrull invaders, Drew has lost friendships, relationships, and her self-esteem. 

   So when a woman with green hair comes around offering Spider-Woman a chance to get revenge on the Skrull race who did her wrong (and make a little money to boot) it's not very hard for her to ask 'Where do I sign?'  Spider-Woman might want to eat those words when her first assignment sends her to the seediest place on earth- Madripoor. 

    This mini-series from 2009 was originally released as a groundbreaking motion comic through iTunes. It was supposed to the be the first in a long line of comics that Marvel would publish in the new digital format for years to come.  But due to a score of delays, numerous burnt-out artists, and a general lack of interest, the Marvel motion comic project fizzled after just a couple of releases. 

   Thankfully, that was not the end of Jessica's story as Agent of SWORD was later released in single issue form a few months later. This volume collects all 6 issues and includes a copy of the comic in the digital form as intended by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev. 

   While Bendis doesn't disappoint with his deft storytelling, it's the art that is what makes this book worth owning. Maleev uses real models and then through the magic of digital paint, he renders the subject into an array of heroes, villains, and everything in-between. His painted covers are a sultry delight as well.

   The coloring of this story was quite dim and it doesn't translate very well online. Maybe the choice of colors was some sort of cameraman's trick to make the special effects pop,  but I just didn't like the motion comic version of this story. I also didn't like the voice actors used. Now, I think the big problem with that was not so much that they weren't talented but since I read the print version before watching the DVD, I had built up the voices in my head, so that what I heard just didn't fit my preconceived notions. 

   I bought this book on discount and I was very excited to own it. Now that I'm done, I feel like I got a really good read out of it and a disappointing cartoon version to boot. To be honest, I'm not going to keep this one. It's going to end up in my pile of books to sell. If you live in the central North Carolina area, keep an eye out as my copy might be popping up on a used bookstore shelf near you.

   Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Night Nurse (Reprints Night Nurse #1-4, 1972)

I rarely buy a book new, especially if it is a comic book. But a few years ago at a lecture on the History of Comic Books, an image of Night Nurse #1 popped up on the screen and my wife exclaimed that she would actually be willing to read that. For years, I searched for an affordable copy to no avail. But with the new Daredevil series coming to Netflix, fate finally intervened.   

 See Night Nurse is apparently a character on the show. (Rosario Dawson plays nurse Claire Temple- and was intended to be Night Nurse, but Marvel Studios won't allow her real name to be used as the company has plans to use the character in a Marvel Cinematic Universe project in the near future.) So in order to both inform new viewers to what the character was supposed to be and make some money off of the property, Marvel re-released the entire run of the groundbreaking publication from the early 1970s.

      Created by Jean Thomas in 1972, Night Nurse is actually Wonder Woman. I kid, but her real name is Linda Carter and she is a student nurse operating during the evening shift at Metro General in New York. The Night Nurse was originally a candy striper in Atlas Comics’ ‘Linda Carter-Student Nurse’ which was more of a romantic-comedy series along the lines of Archie or Millie the Model.  Along with fellow up-and-coming nurses, roommates Georgia and Christine, this Linda is more dramatic, saving lives, fighting injustice and falling in love ( usually with the wrong guy.). Whether the two Linda Carters are the same character is up for debate. But it's a common practice in the comics industry, still used today, to reuse character names in order to maintain the copyright.

     The original idea behind Night Nurse was to introduce girls to comic books. Marvel's Roy Thomas was behind the effort along with the release of ‘Shanna the She-Devil'’ and ‘Black Cat’. Thomas was ahead of his time as the experiment though fondly remembered, was a failure, with Night Nurse being cancelled after only 4 issues.

  

   But like I said, Night Nurse struck a chord with readers as fans, who grew up reading the title, would usher Linda, Christine, and the rest into the modern age of comics in the pages of Nightcrawler and Daredevil.

    

 That brings us to the final reprinted tale in this edition- the first modern appearance of the Night Nurse. It's of Daredevil #80 (2004) and has Linda running a private clinic for superheroes. In this story by some guy named Bendis, Daredevil had been shot and the Night Nurse must save him while a slew of nasties is kept at bay outside by Luke Cage and friends.

   This is a very good collection of rare comic gems. The books from the 70s show their age in terms of the dialogue. The black characters speak in ‘jive’ and everyone under the age of 75 says “right on” when trying to appeal to the younger generation. Also, with all of the unrequited love going around, I thought I was reading a copy of 'Young Romance' instead of a 'superhero' title. Still, this is a great time capsule of Marvel's earliest attempts at relevant comics and the amount of care and quality in them shows.  

Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Pulse #14

   In this, the final issue of the Pulse, Jessica Jones reflects on how she first met Luke Cage.

   The series that could ends with a very sweet story. While for the first time in about 5 issues, there's actually some action between superhero and supervillain. But sweet doesn't sell comics and that's part of why this book is highly underrated. But man, did Bendis sure try!

   At the end of this issue, one of the editors gives a small afterword explaining why the Pulse was to be no more. They claimed that because of upcoming storylines involving Cage and Jones in the pages of New Avengers, the publisher thought it was wasn't important to carry on this popular series. 

    Folks, that's code for this book isn't selling; no matter how popular the characters in this series might be. There's not a publisher on earth that's going to cancel a popular title. Well, unless they get the brilliant idea to reboot their entire line-up (I'm talking to you, DC) or don't want an upcoming film to be popular with audiences (Now I'm talking to you Disney/ Marvel.)

    The Pulse was a great little series. I've found many of these issues in the bargain bin and I highly recommend it. You could probably get the entire series for less than $30. You just have to dig these little gems out of the dollar boxes.

    Worth Consuming and worth the search.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Pulse #13

    The event of the year is happening just beyond the front doors of Doctor Strange's sanctum santorum: the birth of baby Cage-Jones! And you folks get to witness it all!!!  From the nervous pacings of a dad-to-be to the extremely salty language of the mother in labor; The entire superhero community is on hand to provide crowd control and safety from the crowds outside and to providing state-of-the-art scientific monitorings of the health of the mother and baby. 

   Bendis once again takes us out of the battlefield and into the living rooms/ bedrooms/ kitchens of the superpowered elite in another fascinating chapter of the Pulse. With 3 straight issues not dealing with heroes battling villains, it's no wonder that this series didn't last that long. But, I am not one of the haters. 

   Stan Lee made the Marvel Universe what it is because he took people with extraordinary powers and abilities and made them relatable. Over the years, Marvel kinda lost it's way and focused more on action and less on the real meat and potatoes of a true epic written in the Marvel-style. Bendis was one of those writers in the new millennium that worked to put Marvel back on track to how their comics should be crafted.

    I'll even give credit where it is due, as if it wasn't for editor Joe Quesada, Marvel would have continued to produce the poorly inked and even poorer plotted fluff it was churning out in the 90s. Thank you, Joe Q, for despite all your flaws (and I can name quite a few), you did return the word 'Idea' back into the House of Ideas.

    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

The Pulse #12

  

   When you are a superhero in action, you can get away with bending a few laws here and there. You might even be able to commandeer a taxi or two. But when it's your girlfriend in labor, superheroes like Luke Cage still have to keep their cool and wait it out in traffic like everyone else. 

    While the father is stuck in traffic, mother-to-be Jessica Jones sees what it's like to be a superhero at a normal hospital. Fear over the possibility that she is a mutant and if her baby will start blasting people with laser eyes the moment they emerge from the womb, puts the locale of the former hero's delivery in some serious doubt. The Pulse might just have an exclusive here folks: 'Superhero gives birth on sidewalk in front of Big Apple ER!'

   It's a good thing Cage and Jones have some connections in the superhero community and might be able to pull a few strings. This is if they can reach the prospective parents in time.

    Another fun story by Bendis that focuses on superheroes trying to live out normal lives. Lots of laughs are contained in this issue. But what really sold this chapter for me were the protocols used by a hospitial that operates in a metropolis filled with super-powered people. This is just one of those things that unless your at your LCS, you just don't really think about. 

   I may have to bring this up the next time I'm at the store raiding the bargain bins.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Pulse #11

 

   Being a superhero doesn't alleviate the fears of being a new mom for Jessica Jones. So fellow superhero Carol Danvers arranges a special lunch meeting with the matriarch of the Marvel Universe, Sue Storm.

   Another masterpiece by Bendis. Some of the best stories don't involve superheroes being heroic and BMB is the master of these types of stories. Sometimes, the better tales have the hero dealing with normal fears that their powers can't control. With her boyfriend having almost died in the events of Secret War and the who Osborne-fiasco, Jessica Jones' fears of becoming a new mom are grounded. 

    The cover is also a classic by series artist Mike Mayhew. However, it's a little bit of a fake-out. Unlike what the cover shows, baby Cage-Jones isn't born in this issue- yet...

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

 

The Pulse #10

 

 Welcome to the House of M. In this alternate timeline of the Marvel Universe, mutants are the dominant species over the human race. They are lead by Magneto and his two children, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. The House of M is due to the fractured psyche of the Scarlet Witch, who went insane upon discovering that the children she mourned over so passionately were figments of her imagination. Unable to cope with this revelation, the mutant viciously attacked her closest friends, the Avengers, killing several and subsequently this resulted in the team's ultimate disbandment.

  In this House of M crossover, one of the victim's of the Scarlet Witch's assault has returned from the dead- Hawkeye. Possessing knowledge that he shouldn't be alive, Clint Barton infiltrates the archives of the Daily Bugle is order to learn more about this new version of reality. His break-in attracts the attention of a Bugle reporter who assists him in his quest for knowledge. But with anti-human Sentinels closing in, will the reporter be able to continue with Hawkeye in his quest of returning the universe back to normal by killing the Scarlet Witch?  

    I had read the House of M many years ago and I loved that alternate reality mutant thriller. Like with just about any Marvel crossover event, there are dozens of tie-in issues and storylines contained in the pages of the publisher's monthly titles.        

   Maybe it's because I erroneously thought that Marvel only tied in the X-titles. (Silly Madman...) Since I've been trying to collect and eventually read this entire series, this is my first real glimpse at the House of M from a non-mutant point of view.

   The Pulse #10 was very interesting. By making humans second class citizens, the tables have been reversed with the mutants getting the accolades, positions or power, and chance to rule for once. I had always thought of House of M as a dynamic alternate history story. But at its heart, M is a top notch look at civil rights. The added twist is that the majority (humans) are in fact the minority because they do not have special powers.

    Bendis just keeps writing gems like this. I don't know how he does it and I am a little jealous. This story is self-contained enough that you do not have to read House of M to follow or enjoy this issue- but you really should! Also featured really excellent art by Michael Lark (Daredevil) and yet another wicked cover by series artist Mike Mayhew.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

All-New X-Men Volume 5:One Down (Marvel NOW!)

   Fresh from their adventure in outer-space, the original X-Men find themselves the target of a new kind of enemy with very familiar faces. These villains are the twin sons of Professor X-Men and Mystique, along with an alternate reality version of the Beast, Deadpool, and other mutants. Operating under the name of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, this team from the future seeks to do what Magneto could never do: destroy the X-Men.

    The X-Men seem to know these guys, but they are new to me. I had mentioned that the All-New (and yet at the same time original) X-Men had just returned from space. Those adventures have the team pairing with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Instead of comprising the fifth volume of this series of trades, the geniuses at Marvel decided to repackage that epic team-up as 'Guardians of the Galaxy/ All-New X-Men: The Trial of Jean Grey' and I have a sneaking suspicion that this is where the future incarnation of the Brotherhood make their first appearance.

    At this time, I've yet to get my hands on the Guardian/ X-Men team-up. I've been waiting for my local library to pick it up since they carry both Marvel Now! series on which the issues of the 'Trial of Jean Grey' were published. I'm starting to lose faith that my branch ever will pick it up. So, I'm going to have to add it to my wish list.

   Bendis continues to do a fantastic job with this team of mutants. The artwork by Immonen and Marquez is still just as awesome as before. But since so much seems to have happened in the 'Trial of Jean Grey' including Jean developing new powers and Kitty Pryde and Star Lord becoming an item, I feel like I missed out on something important. Thus, I just didn't connect so much with this book as other collections past.

  Sorry BMB...

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Pulse #4

 

  With evidence mounting, Ben Ulrich gets not only the blessing of the Daily Bugle to go after Terri Kidder's murderer- he's also got Spider-man watching his back too! 

   A great chapter is which one of the biggest baddies (and biggest jerks) in the Marvel Universe finally gets what's coming to him. 

   This story is over 10-years old, but it's got a major spoiler that if you haven't read this by now, you must be really new to comics. I'm not even going to reveal the cover to this issue as what happens here is something that truly devoted fans of Spidey and the Marvel Universe had waited for since the early 60s. 

   I really am enjoying this series. Bendis has done a fantastic job. I'm just a little confused about one thing. The first issue seemed to imply that Jessica Jones was going to be the star of this series. But she's been grossly underused since that premiere issue. In fact, this has been more of the Ben Ulrich show than just about anyone else. Well, the star of this series is really the Daily Bugle. It's got a great ensemble cast feel to it like the TV shows Cheers or ER.

   But why add Jessica Jones to the mix, along with boyfriend and baby-daddy Luke Cage, if their role is nothing more than background scenery? It just doesn't make sense. Maybe Bendis just didn't find a connection between those two characters. But it really isn't like him to just avoid certain characters especially since just about every superhero and villain ever created by Marvel is used by Bendis is some form in the Ultimate comics universe. Maybe the master has something up his sleeve for a later issue in this awesome series...

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

The Pulse #3

   The staff of the Daily Bugle reels at the death of one of their own.

    It's ironic that I review this book today. Just yesterday, a very troubled man killed two reporters live on Virginian television. Though journalist Terri Kidder wasn't killed on TV, her murder occurred while she was on the clock and it makes the other Daily Bugle reports feel vulnerable as if it happened to her, it could happen to them.

    Both the community at the Bugle and the reporting community in real life have a dual role that is very difficult to perform. They have to report the story and grieve at the same time. Ben Ulrich and the staff at the Bugle have the added task to memorialize the fallen journalist while getting to the bottom of who committed the crime. But in real life, the colleagues of the fallen in Roanoke, Va. don't have the added benefit of Spider-man to assist them in bringing down the villain responsible. 

   A powerful and moving story that hits that much more closer to home in light of current events. 

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Pulse #2

    Meet Terri Kidder... She's the newest beat reporter at the Daily Bugle and she's not having a good first week. None of her stories has been approved by the editors. She's in danger of losing her job. And her biggest scoop results in her body being dredged from the Hudson River. 

    This issue was a fantastic story that was brilliantly written by Brian Michael Bendis. It was engaging from the very first page up through the final tragic panel. Oh, and if you didn't know, the folks as the House of Ideas killed Lois Lane!

    Take a look at our intrepid reporter's name: Terri Kidder. Lois Lane was played in the movies by Margot Kidder and on TV in the 90s by Terri Hatcher. Then take into account that she mentions that she moved from a big metropolis to the even bigger Big Apple and that the pictures of her husband on her desk look an awful lot like a certain farm boy from Kansas with glasses and a curly cue. 

    A fantastic chapter in a series that hasn't disappointed me. Yes- this is only the second issue but I feel really good about what I've read so far and with Bendis at the helm, I don't think I'm going to be either. 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.