X-Men: Worlds Apart

Ororo and T'Challa. A match made in Heaven, destined to be separated by their bloodlines and responsibilities. For Ororo is the mutant X-Man Storm and T'Challa is the king of Wakanda and sometimes Avenger Black Panther. 

X-Men: Worlds Apart was a 4- issue miniseries released 16 years ago in 2008. So, I think I'm not going to spoil much by saying that this story marks the start of the crumbling foundation in Ororo and T'Challa's marriage. When a Wakandan mutant is accused of murdering a high ranking official, it's up to Queen Ororo to head a royal inquiry in T'Challa's absence. 

Tensions in Wakanda are already at an all-time high. Many of the Wakandan people are distrustful of outsiders. They're even more suspicious and afraid of the mutant master of the weather. How dare an X-Man marry into the royal family! Storm discovers that a powerful psychic from her past has returned and was actually behind the murder. Unfortunately, her subjects refuse to let the lad who was manipulated into the death escape mandatory Wakandan execution. So Ororo will cross loyalties from the Queen of Wakanda to X-Men leader to ensure justice prevails. But when the Black Panther suddenly returns, possessed by the Storm's ancient foe, Ororo will have to cross some lines that will forever mar her place in the Wakandan palace and in her bonds of Holy Matrimony with T'Challa.

The main story was tedious to read. Not because of the main plotline taking place in Wakanda. It was the secondary plot involving Cyclops and the those mutated CHUDS, the Morlocks. They've got to be my least favorite part of the X-Men universe. I've never liked the Morlocks. I've always found them to be unnecessary. I thought this was going to be a tale about Storm and T'Challa. Instead, about a third of the main feature involves those annoying sewer dwellers! And it takes place during the X-Men's exile in San Francisco; perhaps the weakest of any of the Marvel mutant eras!

There was a brightspot. This book also includes a team-up of the two lovers from the pages of Marvel Team-up #100 and a late 90s issue of Black Panther. The earlier story was classic 80s Marvel with writing, plotting and art by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Back when Storm was illustrated with those mysterious cat-like eyes. That too brief short story details the origins of the two lovers first meeting as children.

The more modern tale was kinda powerful with its allegory of racism and bigotry. Yet it's also rather absurd with the narration being provided by State Department liaison to Wakanda, Everett K. Ross. True, Ross has always been a sort nervous sort of fellow. But the story was supposed to reflect a report Ross was sending to his supervisors. It was anything but professional with a bunch of jokes that fall flat.

A must for die hard X-Men fans who think the Morlocks are great. However, that's not me in the very least. That's still to not say I wouldn't be open to more stories about Storm and T'Challa. Maybe it's happened prior and I just don't know it, but I would really dig a What If... detailing what would have happened if as youngsters, T'Challa forsook the throne of Wakanda and instead went off to live with Ororo in the Kilimanjaro valley of Kenya. Would Ororo have become Storm at the request of Professor X? Would Klaw or the Man-Ape have claimed the title of Black Panther after the death of King T'Chaka? That's a story I want to read. 

Hey, Marvel... call me! I'm willing to help punch out a script!

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

X-Men: Rarities

I'm not really sure what this X-Men collection is titled Rarities, considering that I've read 2 of these 5 included stories before. 

The opening story, taken from an issue of Bizarre Adventures marks Bobby Drake, Iceman's first silo adventure which occurred about 3 full years before his 4-issue miniseries by J.M. DeMatteisx. The middle story, penned by Chris Claremont, originally appeared in the pages of Al Milgrom's Marvel Fanfare. It depicts a tense truce between Storm and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutant's Mystique over the soul of Rogue who at the time of the story has ironically gone rogue. 

Those were the two stories that I had previously read. The new-to-me stories include a peek at what happened after the Giant-Size X-Men rescued the Uncanny X-Men from the menace of Krakoa. An untold tale presented in Classic X-Men, it's a story that covers a period of mutant history that I had never really thought about and yet it's such a brilliant idea! When the introduction of the new X-Men concludes, there's like a dozen people now on the team. What happened that fateful first night together that caused Havoc, Angel and several others to decide to forgo membership as part of Professor X's team? Chris Claremont answers those questions with some stunning artwork by John Bolton.

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko are highlighted with a story developed for the pages of Amazing Adults Fantasy #14. 'The Man in the Sky' is a pre-X-Men story, considered by many to be the concept that gave birth to the Children of the Atom. It's a very short story that ends with a typical Ditko finale that is anything but. It makes me wonder if the character of Tad Carter, being Marvel's first official mutant, ever made an appearance in the X-Men universe of comics. (Turns out he has in the pages of X-Men: The Hidden Years.)

The last story, starring Generation X, is in my opinion the only real rarity in the book. An introduction for the all-new team of mutants led by Sean Cassidy, was a Comicon exclusive in 1994. Since this promo comic was only offered to the lucky few who tried to San Diego, I feel like this is a title that can officially be declared a rare find. If you ask me, X-MEN: Rarities should have been comprised of promo stories featuring the legion of mutants that house the Marvel Universe. That would have been more appropriate than putting in several stories that just happened to be published in more lesser known publications.

Finally, I want to comment on the story that starred Mystique. Originally published in 1988, the story offers a revealing glimpse at the character's gender fluidity, since Raven Darkholme is a shape shifter. But even more groundbreaking is what happens after Storm departs the underground club in which Mystique summoned her foe. Right in the middle of the club is Irene Hadler- Destiny! The woman who just recently wed Mystique in the pages of some X-Men book and caused countless fanboys to lose their minds! 'Woke Comics!', they cried. And yet, here's Raven and Destiny as lovers 36 years prior! Seems that these so-called Marvel comics experts know nothing about the history of one of the X-Men's most popular foes!

A fairly decent grab bag of X-Men stories. I think my idea of a collection of promo comics has merit and is more entitled to the title of 'Rarities.' But this is still a good read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Star-Lord: Guardian of the Galaxy

For those of you wanting an omnibus type collection of the earliest stories of Marvel's Star- Lord, this is the book you've been asking for. If you loved Marvel's edgier magazine publications of the 1970s, you'll delight in the first half dozen or so stories. For someone like myself who prefers their heroes to be a little more pure of heart, you will probably hate the first half of this collection. This isn't the Chris Pratt Star-Lord that fans fell in love with at the cinema in the past decade.

Early 1970s Star-Lord is a massive jerk. The chip Peter Quill bears on his shoulder to avenge the death of his mother at the hands of reptilian aliens is understandable. Thinking everyone is beneath him when he grows up to join NASA is unprofessional. The way Quill becomes Star-Lord is just unforgivable for a hero.

NASA high ups pass Quill over for the chance to become Star-Lord. Unable to accept their judgement, Quill hijacks the project, seemingly killing guards and the Star-Lord candidate. He then disappears, only to come face-to-face with the mysterious being who bestows the Star- Lord powers. It is here that Quill is given a chance to enact his revenge on the aliens that killed his mother. Whether this really happened or was a fantasy granted to Quill in order to heal emotionally is a source of great debate. But where are the repercussions for Quill's assault on the NASA base? How come the authorities never seek to punish Quill for how he came about to become this elusive hero? With many knowing that Peter Quill is Star-Lord, that lack of consequences is implausible to me.

Once Star-Lord's adventures begin to appear in traditional floppies, the tales get better. Chris Claremont and John Byrne help to restructure Star-Lord as to being more of a real hero instead of an interstellar Frank Castle devoid of any humanity. Though I swear that the Carmine Infantino penciled stories uses artwork that I have seen used in issues of Star Wars! But if you ask me, Star Lord doesn't get darn near perfect until the mid-1990s.

This collection includes a 3-issue miniseries by Timothy Zahn that reboots Star-Lord with the new character of Sinjin Quarrel. From 1996, this story sees Peter Quill as having faded into the stuff of legend, having last appeared publicly a dozen years ago. Sinjin is a type of pre-cognitive judge assigned a post on a backwater planet ruled by a greedy landowner. Quarrel's psychic abilities bring him into contact with Star Lord's famed 'Ship', which has been in suspended animation since Quill's disappearance. 

Sinjin Quarrel agrees to temporarily become the new Star Lord until Peter Quill can be located. However, Sinjin Quarrel lacks the special abilities that the original Star-Lord had. So he'll have to rely on subterfuge brought about in cooperation with Ship to become the hero he was always meant to be.

Other than that 3-issue mini, Sinjin Quarrel has never made a return to print. Yet, he's the better Star Lord. His partnership with Ship was the stuff of buddy-cop legend. It reminds me of The Greatest American Hero where an average Joe is given a super-powered suit, only to lose the instruction manual. Why didn't this version take off? The artwork by Dan Lawlis was amazing. The writing was fantastic. I can't hold my breath on this version of Starlord (the updated version lost the hyphen in their name). It's been nearly 30 years since Sinjin Quarrel's first appearance and when the Marvel Wiki database lists that story as probably not even being canon, it looks like the Peter Quill version is here to stay.

If it wasn't for the inclusion of several Marvel Premiere and Marvel Spotlight issues that I need for my collection but don't want to pay the insane asking prices for as individual issues, I would be taking this book to a used book store for trade. With their inclusion however, it looks like this collection of Star-Lord stories are also here to stay

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

X-Men: Asgardian Wars

Recent posts of some of the artwork done in this collection from Arthur Adams is what persuaded me after all this time to dig it out and finally read it. This trade paperback collects X-Men and Alpha Flight #1-2, New Mutants Special Edition and X-Men Annual #9. The Norse god of mischief, Loki is the villain behind all of these stories. 

In X-Men and Alpha Flight, Loki offers both teams of mutants the chance of a lifetime- to finally be human. Of course, both teams don't realize that it's Loki who's working behind the curtains. So at first, most of the heroes are eager at the chance at being normal; especially characters like Cyclops, Puck and Nightcrawler, whose mutant abilities and appearances make any chance at a normal life impossible. Obviously, Wolverine smells a rat and some of the Alpha Flight team don't want to lose what makes them individuals. Thus, when things don't go perfectly, Loki reveals himself and has a massive hissy fit!

New Mutants Special Edition starts off with the newest generation of gifted mutants enjoying a day at the beach. At this point in time, Storm of the X-Men, has lost her powers. Yet, she valiantly leads the New Mutants with bravery and bravado. This very much intrigues Loki who kidnaps Ororo. While under her spell, Loki offers her all the powers of a god, as long as she'll become his betrothed. 

The New Mutants are dispersed all through Asgard and placed in ideal situations in hopes that the youth will enjoy their new surroundings and forget the whole thing about their teacher getting taken. It seems to work at first. But as memories of their past on earth start breaking through, the teens manage to find themselves. But the collective whole of the New Mutants just isn't enough to take on Loki and his newly juiced up bride-to-be Storm!

The New Mutants story continues in the X-Men annual. Somehow the X-Men have been alerted to Loki's plot and still angry over the Norse deity's actions with Alpha Flight, the mutants are looking for payback.

Chris Claremont penned all 3 stories. They're reflections of his skill as a writer as well as his annoying tendency to turn mutant tales into soap opera fodder. Paul Smith and Bob Wiacek were the artists on the X-Men and Alpha Flight. Adams penciled the New Mutants story and the annual. While Smith and Wiacek's art was good, Art Adams work was light years ahead. Let's face it, Adams is a master and if he only had a body of work that equalled Kirby or Ditko, he'd be a serious contender for Mount Rushmore of Artists contention. 

A good collection of stories. Some of your favorite Asgardians guest stars in these pages. But no appearance from everyone's favorite. That's right; Beta Ray Bill is nowhere in sight. Neither is this golden haired impostor named Thor.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel and DC Present The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans #1

This is a book that I've seen numerous times online, having been purchased by others. Yet, I never once found it in the wild. Man, would such posts make me jealous! So you can be sure when I finally did get a chance to buy a copy, I promptly declared it was mine and added it to my pull pile.

This X-Men/New Teen Titans crossover continues the Phoenix Saga. But the main baddie chosen for this story is one that just seems unlikely. Darkseid, in yet another attempt to bring his Anti-Life Equation to fruition, has traded some powerful tech with the morally ambiguous Metron. Yet, up until 1982, when this book was published, the New Gods of Apokolips were never considered to be major foes of the Teen Titans. Yes, Deathstroke, the Terminator is involved in this plot. But he's a hired hand of Darkseid's and not the mastermind behind everything. I guess writer Chris Claremont (X-Men Vs. Dracula) really needed a powerful villain in order to bring Jean Grey back from the dead. 

That resurrection isn't a spoiler. You can see that Dark Phoenix has returned on the cover! The real mystery that I won't spoil, is whether or not the entity that has returned is Jean Grey or not. 

The most interesting thing about this story was how both the X-Men and Teen Titans exist in the same universe. I was expecting some sort of inter-dimensional tear in the fabric of reality bringing the two biggest sellers of DC and Marvel together. But I had forgotten that Superman and Spider-Man were a part of the same shared universe in their crossovers in the 1970s. 

It would be a dozen years before DC and Marvel would produce another crossover. The 90s were full of them because Marvel was close to folding and needed the sales boost such epic meetings brought with them. Nowadays, the Marvel and DC universes seem as far apart as the East is from the West. But I know in my heart that the boundary between both worlds is separated by the mere width of a single page. 

Featuring art by Walt Simonson (Fantastic Four) with inks by Terry Austin and a roster of over a dozen A-list characters, this epic was a true all-star event. Considering how beloved this book was and the fact that a reprint was issued in the mid-90s, I can't believe that it took me over 40 years to find my copy! Was it worth the wait? Visually- yes! But the story gets a little busy and Claremont really tries too tug too tight on the heart strings with Scott Summers in terms of the return of the Dark Phoenix. That overtly soap opera feel of the Uncanny X-Men is what put me off that series after a while and the book's ending sure does get soapy... I mean sappy.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Essential Marvel Two-In-One, Volume 3

The team-up adventures of the Fantastic Four's Blue-Eyed Benjamin Grimm continue in the pages of Essential Marvel Two-In-One, Volume 3. 

This book begins with a massive story about The Thing becoming a security adviser at Project Pegasus. The Marvel equivalent of Project Cadmus, The Thing teams with a number of superheroes such as Quasar and Goliath as an odd assortment of villains try to break in and out of the research center.

After his tenure at Pegasus is complete, Grimm teams with an assortment of characters from the Marvel Universe including the Avengers, the Howling Commandos, and the original Guardians of the Galaxy. That last crossover will result in a strain in the relationship of the Thing and his gal pal Alicia Masters. Thus, the last third of the book gets a little sappy. 

Featuring Tom DeFalco, Chris Claremont, John Byrne, George Perez, and many more from the Marvel Bullpen, this was an great collection of issues from the late 70s rolling into the early 80s despite the corny lost love angle. Fans should really study the Claremont and Byrne issues as they highlight the gelling partnership between the duo that would most redefine the X-Men to become the most popular superhero group for a generation. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 4

Another collection of Spider-man team-ups with some of the best, brightest, and most unusual characters in the Marvel Universe. (The Adam Warlock/ Strangers tale might be one of the best cosmic stories that I've ever read!) It may not seem like much, this volume. But, this is perhaps one of the most important collections of Marvel Team-Ups ever put together. 

Volume 3 includes the some of the first ever appearances of Iron Fist, the Giant-Sized X-Men, the villain Arcade, and the first American appearance of Captain Britain. A number of these issues are the first ever pairing of writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, right before their lengthy partnership on X-Men. If anything else, this book also opened me up to a slew of issues and reprints that I didn't know I wanted until now, including the ultra-rare Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 4.

There's a wealth of great Spider-man stories in this volume. But there's one noticeable omission, Marvel Team-Up #74 in which Spidey teams up with the Cast of Saturday Night Life. Due to licensing agreements, that issue could not be reprinted. But that's okay, as a very long time ago I bit the bullet and bought that classic issue for about $15- and it was worth every penny!

Along with Claremont and Bryne, there's a ton of great talent in this book including Bill Mantlo (Rom: Spaceknight), Sal Buscema, and Ralph Macchio. 

A collection that should not be overlooked just because it's in black and white.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Uncanny X-Men: First Class, Volume 2: Knights of Hykon

   The First Class adventures of the Uncanny X-Men come to a close in this digest volume. The mystery of the people on the surface of the sun is solved when the self-proclaimed Knights of Hykon arrive on the planet earth seeking to make it their personal war games arena. The X-Men are caught in the middle of two warring factions that have a tendency of destroying the venues they play in. Once the Knights are finally disposed of, secrets about Jean Grey's new Phoenix powers will be revealed and the team will be left in tatters.

    The following story is a sequel to a two-part story first published in two issues of Uncanny X-Men from 1978 (and it's reprinted in this volume as well.) In the new tale, Banshee returns to his native Ireland and his ancestral castle after a dear friend is found dead in the family library. The deceased, which happens to be a leprechaun, is believed to have committed suicide. But former Interpol agent Banshee thinks foul play is involved. Along with Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus, the Irish X-Man will conduct an investigation that will explore the vast annals of Irish folklore and magic.

  UXM: First Class finished quite strongly in my mind. But like I mentioned in my review of volume 1, I think the series focus on Banshee, Nightcrawler, and Colossus, as opposed to more popular characters such as Storm and Wolverine, was the nail in this comic's coffin. The stories were extremely well written and the art was fantastic. The Chris Claremont/ Dave Cockrum classic tale was also excellently well done. And why wouldn't it?! Those guys are masters of their craft. I just hate that that story ended with a darn cliffhanger.

    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

X-Men Vs. Dracula #1

 The cover says issue #1. The cover looks new (for 1993.) But open up the book and what do I get, but a bloody reprint (Uncanny X-Men Annual #6) Yes, it features masterful storytelling by the ultimate writer of X-titles, Chris Claremont. No, we don't get the masterful pen and pencil of John Bryne. But it's close with Bill Seinkiewicz providing the art.

   But it's a blasted reprint! I've already read this before...

  It's a good story. However, the plot relies on the reader being very familiar with the 1970s Tomb of Dracula series of which I am not. Plus it's more of a Dracula tale than an X-Men title and I feel like Marvel used this annual as an opportunity to wrap up some loose ends from Tomb.
 
   Sadly, publishers hijack popular titles as a way to finish out unpopular plotlines. It makes it hard for loyal readers of the less popular titles to get closure since it's hidden in another title. On the flipside, it's just as difficult for readers of the popular publication being hijacked, who must endure characters and plots that just aren't up to snuff.

   I also hate it when a publisher reprints a title under a completely different title (like this one) and don't warn the reader on the cover. Now I know I could just look inside and see if it's a reprint or has a crossover cliffhanger. But when you are at a comic book store and the book is taped and boarded, more often than not unless your good buddies with the owner, they frown upon you breaking up bags least you damage the book and lower the value. So, you can see why I didn't know that this wasn't an original title or story.

    Thankfully I didn't pay more than $1 for this or I would have been furious.

  Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

(BTW- there were 3 other titles in this Vs. Dracula series. They include Dr. Strange, the Silver Surfer, and Spider-man. I have not read those titles previously and since I know they are reprints, I do have those books on my wish list.)

All-New X-Men, Volume 4: All-Different (Marvel NOW!)

Let's start with the cons, as we can cover that fast. In previous reviews of books in this series as well as Uncanny X-Men, I've been eagerly anticipating the team-up between the original X-Men and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Already, I've read Uncanny X-Men volume 3 where the team has been whisked away to the furthest reaches of the universe and then volume 4 where the team has returned. So, I thought this volume of All-New X-Men would tell me that missing story.

(HEAD SLAP) I forgot, I hadn't got to the point when the original X-Men joined up with old Cyclops' team.  Issues 16 and 17 are reprinted in the Battle of the Atom trades, so, the conflict that leads the original X-Men to leave the Jean Grey school isn't covered in these books.

No worries, the Guardians are coming.

Now let's get to the good stuff.

2013 was the 50th Anniversary of Uncanny X-Men #1, so this volume is jammed pack with anniversary special events. First, the time stranded mutants face an enemy heir of their eventual replacements- The Giant-sized X-Men. When the clone of Wolverine, X-23 is rescued by a group religious zealots with hi-tech armor by the original team, they all come face to face with the son of William Stryker and learn who is the mysterious benefactors of his legacy of hate.

God Loves, Man Kills was a ground-breaking graphic novel published in the 1980s. It introduced William Stryker to the Marvel Universe and changed the scope of mutant persecution from people who were different from to branded them spawns of Satan. It's a philosophy that's carried over in such X-Men storylines such as Age of Apocalypse, Onslaught, and more.

Then, it's a reprint of X-Men: Gold. Many of the writers, artists, and inkers from the 50-year history of the X-Men join forces to pay homage to some of the most popular incarnations of the team. The main story is written by the man who literally brought the team back from the dead, Chris Claremont, in a story that pits the 80s X-Men up against a Sentinel android factory. X-Men co-creator, and comics legend Stan Lee (along with the late Jack Kirby) crafts a lighthearted tale starring the original team. The Simonson's craft a prequel to Giant-Sized X-Men #1 starring Banshee and Starfire on the streets of Memphis.

All of these stories were really well crafted. But it was the final story that bummed me out a little bit. In the short story closer by Fabian Nicieza, Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr are about to celebrate a new day in mutant- human relations when Magneto begins to claim he's having trouble remembering little details.  We soon find out that this utopia is actually a psychically induced rouse by Professor X to neutralize his longtime foe. I didn't like this story because 1) I'm not sure if it's canon or an imaginary tale and 2) it just seems out of character for Prof. X.

Aside from this lousy tale, volume 4 was excellent. I loved the story. The addition of X-23 was clever and throws a nice twist into the Cyclops- Jean Grey- Beast love triangle. And the art was fantastic with an uncanny cover gallery that included some 50th anniversary cover variants.

So, I didn't get my X-Men Guardians team-up. But what I did receive was another great volume by Brian Michael Bendis full of 50 years of the mutant legacy  not of a professor but of a Man and a King.

Worth Consuming.

The Wolverine (2013)

The Japan Saga is supposed to be the quintessential Wolverine solo story. Written by Chris Claremont with assists and pencils by Frank Miller, the story is Wolverine at his best both as a mutant hero and as an honorable rogue. So, when it was announced that the next Wolverine film will be set in Japan, I was immediately thrilled to the possibilities.

The opening sequence in which Logan is a POW outside of Nagasaki at the end of WWII was awesome. I thought to myself that I am in for a treat. Instead, I feel like I was sorely tricked. The film, while made years after X-Men 3, takes place just a few months after the events in which Wolverine kills Jean Grey. Haunted by her ghost, he’s a shell of his former self and unwillingly goes to Japan to honor an old debt.

Right off the bat, things just don’t seem right- Logan loses his mutant healing factor and can be killed. Hmmm…. This sounds oddly familiar to the Death of Wolverine story arc getting set up for a September climax in which the clawed one supposedly dies. My theory is that by having Wolverine die, it reboots his healing factor and he emerges bigger and badder than before. That’s what happens at some point in this film and I would not be surprised if that happens next month.

Along with some anemic fight scenes and a convoluted family battle over a pharmaceutical company, I wasn’t very happy with The Wolverine. The only real saving grace is the addition of Wolverine’s true love Mariko. Played by first time actress Tao Okamoto, Mariko’s character as well as her childhood friend Yukio, steals every scene that they are in.

Usually, a love story is box office poison to a superhero film (See Superman II.) But since Wolverine’s Japan saga is a love story underneath the layers of honor, Yakuza, and gore, it makes sense that those scenes are the best scenes in the entire film.

There’s a very confusing character named Viper. She’s a mutant geneticist, who has the ability to produce toxins that can damage even Wolverine. But she’s supposedly based on Madame Hydra in the comics. With the whole “Hail Hydra” storyline in both Winter Solider and Agents of SHIELD, I’m not sure if this Viper person has anything to do with that or not. Since Fox owns the rights to X-Men, I doubt it, but it makes for some confusing settlement of tangled plotlines and in-house box office politics.

Speaking of Fox, the secret scene at the end of the film is awesome. I won’t spoil what happens but it sets up this year’s X-Men Days of Future Past feature. Despite my dislike of this film, the extra scene had me pumped ready to see the next film as soon as I can find a copy of it for rent or cheap!

Not Worth Consuming.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #2

In the second issue of this 1980s Marvel anthology series, X-Men scribe Chris Claremont continues his Savage Land story having the Peter Parker expedition run afoul of evil mutants that were once loyal to Magneto. Armed with the madman’s genetic accelerator’s, the Angel, Spider-man, and the former love of the man who would be Sauron, find themselves the instrument’s next target.

Then in the back-up issue, a very frazzled Mr. Fantastic forgets Sue’s anniversary again after tiredly opening the Negative Zone portal. With Annihilus waiting on the other side, the scientist may never see home or his dutiful wife ever again.

Both stories were very good. Though, I feel Claremont’s tale is dragging out a little too much and I know I've read the Mr. Fantastic story before when Lee and Kirby were doing the book. The art is very good, but it’s the inking in both stories that powerfully stand out.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Excalibur : Mojo Mayhem

WORTH CONSUMING!

Claremont is a genius, as usual. 5 out of 5 stars. It’s way fun. Excalibur is in a caliber unto itself. One of the best of the series. Check it out.