Black Hammer Visions, Vol. 1

Jeff Lemire recruits a number of talented writers and artists to put their spin on

the Black Hammer Universe. 

Black Hammer Visions was an 8-issue anthology that told stories not

necessarily in the continuity of the residents of Black Hammer Farm. But these

tales are definitely in the thick of this growing self-contained universe of

superheroes, mages and monsters. 

Volume 1 reprints the first four issues of the series. Stories include an

examination of the hardships Golden Gail faces as an elderly woman trapped

in the body of a 10-year old child. Abraham Slam must restore his good name

when an usurper sponsored by the US military crosses the line into vigilantism. 

Things get meta when Madame Dragonfly hosts her horror anthology within the

pages of this very anthology as she recruits a young orphan to become the

next caretaker of the Cabin of Horrors.                                                              

        

The last story, which was the worst of this bunch, sees the residents of the farm

starring in a Downton Abbey type television series. Of course, Col. Randall Weird

is behind all of this. So the story is jumbled and uneven. Some readers really liked

this element of Col. Weird. Not me!

Patton Oswalt, Chip Zdarsky, Scott Collins and Johnnie Christmas are among some

of the talent behind the production of this volume. The Goldbergs' Patton Oswalt

brilliantly ties in Daniel Clowes' Ghost World, having main characters Enid and

Rebecca ponders why young Gail Gibbons never seems to age. Chip Zdarsky

(Spider-Man: Life Story) adds his quirky look on things with the Abraham Slam story.

I think the winner of this volume was Geoff Johns (Flashpoint) who crafted the eerie

Madame Dragonfly story.

Even though I wasn't a big fan of that last story involving Col. Weird, I very much

enjoyed this book. The Cabin of Horror concept is one that I really would like to see

become a monthly series, though I really think creator Jeff Lemire has other ideas to

close the books on Black Hammer. But before that happens, hopefully we'll see more

of the untold history of Abraham Slam.

Oh! and there's volume 2 to look forward to! I wonder if my library has that book

currently...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: Life Story

This was a revolutionary miniseries. In 1962, Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider. Upon the tragic death of his Uncle Ben, Parker is consumed by guilt and becomes the superhero, Spider-Man. 

Life Story follows Parker through 6 decades of Marvel History- but with a twist. This narrative is told in linear fashion. Yes, Peter Parker and friends and foes age through the troubled 1960s, past a nuclear holocaust threatened to a 9/11 ravaged 00s and beyond!

This was in ways a sort of 'What If...' Since the characters actually age, the history of the Marvel universe changes in some intriguing ways. What if Captain America fought in Nam? What if after the Secret Wars, the Symbiote bound itself to a different Spidey villain? And you've never seen the controversial Clone Sage quite like this!

Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals) knocked it out of the part with this brilliant look at the life and times of Peter Parker. I feel spoiled. I really want to see more of these type of stories. In fact, with DC and Marvel itching like crazy to have rebooted heroes take over for the iconic ones, I have an idea! 

Set the classic characters in the past with linear remakes of classic story lines while setting up the next generation in the modern era. That way, we can still have our childhood heroes while staying fresh to the readers of generation Y and Z! It can happen and it can work! Zdarsky and Marvel proved it could be a success with this miniseries! 

Thus, in the words of Jean-Luc Picard, 'Make It So!' 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Merry X-Men Holiday Special #1

I really don't recognize the X-Men anymore. I'm not talking about the Manga-styled variant cover for this 2018 Christmas special. I actually like thise festive and playful work from Rian Gonzales. No, the things I don't comprehend are all inside the book.

The Merry X-Men Holiday Special is set up like an Advent calendar. There are 25 one-page stories; one for each day of December, leading up to Christmas Day. Actually there are 19 stories, as the Jubliee story is told in multiple parts. She and her son are kidnapped and imprisoned in the most strange shopping mall every conceived. Jubliee's story is spread out over several days throughout the book. I my opinion, it was the best story of the book. Really, it should have been the only story in the book. Instead we get a series of confounding capers.

For instance, there's Magneto in Poland, where apparently Warsaw has become a war zone. Or he's gone back in time to World War II Poland. I really don't know which.

Other oddities include Wolverine with fire claws?! Captain Britain and Meghan have a toddler who can speak better than most 30 year olds. Speedball is no longer wearing his torturous costume as penance from the events that lead to Civil War. Then there's Nightcrawler wearing a beard and surrounded by elves? And what's with the girl with antlers on her head and I'm not talking about faux ones either!

I realize that I haven't read an X-Men book since right around when Ice Man came out as gay. I didn't stop reading because of some protest. I just haven't been to my local library in a while to catch up on the adventures of the Marvel mutants. I've had plenty of chances to buy new X-Men books. But I feel why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? Right?

Anyways, a lot of changes have happened to the X-Men in the year or so since I last caught up with the team. I can't say that I am very happy with all the changes.

I like the Advent idea however. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I am all about the Advent. But I think that the entire Marvel universe would have been better suited for this special instead of just the X-Men. There's so many mutants and so many story lines to follow. Some of these short stories build on that drama and if you don't know everything going on with Xavier's gift students, you will miss something. That omission makes for uneven and disappointing reading. 

Featuring art and stories from a number of artists including Chris Sims, Al Ewing, and Chip Zdarsky, this should have been a home run. But the holiday special barely limps into second base. 

It was bound to happen at some point. This is my first not so great read of the 2018 holiday season. The Advent idea of the book is sound and it should be reused next year. But spread the love to all areas of the Marvel Universe. Or maybe just the villains. Next time, just don't focus on one large and yet very self-contained chunk of Marvel's output.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.