Avengers Spotlight #29

The 'Acts of Vengeance' have come to a close. In the aftermath, Hawkeye is tasked to rescue the madcap anti-hero Madcap from a group of thugs seeking payback with Daredevil. Meanwhile, back at the Vault, as the prisoners start piling in, Iron Man completes the training of the security force with some new Stark powered armor and tech.

It's interesting seeing Madcap before he became a thorn in the side of Deadpool. Compared to how the character is now, this 30 year old plus version is way less powerful and nowhere near as nutty.

I loved how the story about the Vault takes the Acts of Vengeance full circle. Dwayne McDuffie started that huge story line in the humble pages of this Avengers spin-off. And the first issue was almost 100% contained within the walls of this super villain prison. And I loved how the story closed. True, the ending was very similar to stories of police violence that we're seeing way too much these days. But I think only McDuffie could pull it off. 

Dwayne McDuffie was a black man and so his views on how the police operate is a completely different view from mine. The ending to this story is one that we the reader roots for as it's a good guy getting revenge on a baddie. But, when you think more about this, you realize that a prison guard getting their own personal form of justice and blaming the injury of the prisoner of being clumsy, is still an action of injustice. No matter how much the villain might deserve what he's got coming to him. 

A great issue with a poignant layer hidden deep under the superheroing and zany antics.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars. 

Avengers Spotlight #27

Hawkeye is treated for an infection after being bitten by a villain in a previous story that occurred before the Acts of Vengeance. After just one dose of antibiotics, the Avenging Archer is ready to take on yet another baddie. Like that! Really?

I tell you what, Clint Barton must be made of tougher stuff than I. If I'm so ill that I need antibiotics, it will be 24-48 hours before you can expect my butt back at work. So forgive me if out of 45 years of being an avid reader of comics, this is the plot point that I am just unable to suspend my disbelief! 

Meanwhile, Stingray, Moondragon, Black Widow and several other Avengers reservists are clearing the rubble of the recently destroyed Avengers headquarters when they are attacked by the Awesome Android.

Howard Mackie joins Dwayne McDuffie on writing duties here. If this was a contest, McDuffie would be the winning section writer by a mile. Mackie's story isn't terrible. I just disagree with how able Hawkeye is to take on a super villain and rescue countless others from a burning building after being diagnosed with a bladder infection. Which, I must ask, just where did Hawkeye get bit on his body to end up with a bladder infection? 

Oh well, they can't all be Dwayne McDuffie, I guess. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Avengers Spotlight #26 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Acts of Vengeance; Marvel's massive crossover that occurred in books dated December 1989-February 1990 begins here! 

These first two chapters (this issue is broken into 2 parts) of the beginning of Acts of Vengeance were crafted by the great Dwayne McDuffie (DC's Milestone imprint, Marvel's Damage Control). Acts of Vengeance itself was a company-wide crossover that focused on the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. The previous 3 summer crossovers were mutant heavy and Marvel's editors felt it was time for a shift in focus in order to not get stale. 

Along with this issue, the following 3 editions of Avengers Spotlight highlighted the Acts of Vengeance story line. Each issue was broken into 2 parts with Howard Mackie (Ghost Rider) spinning his tales around featured character Hawkeye and his lady fair, Mockingbird. McDuffie would feature other Avengers members, usually ones who didn't have their own series or would be considered B or C list material.

In the super-villain maximum security prison, The Vault, new procedures and protocols have been enacted as the result of Tony Stark's 'Armor Wars'. No longer equipped with Stark Tech, the guards at The Vault are armed with far less superior Stane machinery. As a result, new inmate The Wizard is able to overload the armor of the chief of security and initiate a full inmate escape! (Though to be honest, the mysterious guy in a trench coat might have also helped with the outbreak...)

Avengers Spotlight wasn't the only entry Dwayne McDuffie made to the Acts of Vengeance story line. Because of the widespread destruction that occurs in the Big Apple, McDuffie utilized the resources of the superpower disaster repair company Damage Control. Created by McDuffie in 1988, Damage Control was a tongue-in-cheek miniseries that continues to operate in the Marvel Universe to this day. The Acts of Vengeance 4-issue mini was the second volume of Damage Control.

Dwayne McDuffie is considered a pioneer to other black writers and creators in the comics field today. Though others came before him, McDuffie opened a ton of doors due to his amazing career. Shortly after Acts of Vengeance, McDuffie along with several other comic creators of color established Milestone Media to create a line of books that features a more honest representation of minorities in the comic book industry. 

During this time, Mcduffie created fan favorite Static, a black teen who gains electric based powers after being accidentally doused in chemicals during a gang war battle the youth was caught in the crossfire of.  After Milestone folded, McDuffie brought the character back with his own Cartoon Network series Static Shock! Static would even have crossovers with members of the Justice League in both the Static Shock series and Justice League Unlimited. Though not the first cartoon to star an African American, the show, which ran for 4 seasons, has been cited as an influence for other minority focused animated series like Boondocks and The Proud Family.

The legacy of Static and others lives on as in the past couple of years, DC has revitalized the Milestone universe with several new series, albeit slightly rebooted for a 2020's audience. Sadly, Dwayne McDuffie did not get to experience this new found revival of his Milestone. McDuffie passed away due to complications from emergency heart surgery in February, 2011. He was 49 years old.

Completing this review completes Task #9 (From an African American author/artist) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Marvel Comics Presents #19

If I had to put my money on a book that is currently pretty inexpensive but will shoot up in value soon, it's this one.

Marvel Comics Presents #19 marks the first appearance of Damage Control, a company that operates in the heart of the Big Apple. When titans such as Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus clash, there's sure to be some collateral damage. A broken water line here. A destroyed cafe there. It's up to Damage Control to keep the City That Never Sleeps from lapsing into coma through continuous reconstruction.

As there are rumors that Damage Control is going to get it's own Disney+ series, I have a feeling collectors and speculators are going to go gaga over this book. Written by the later Dwayne McDuffie with art by Ernie Colon, this one short 8-pager doesn't quite have the polish of the 3 Damage Control mini series that popped up shortly after this debut. But you can definitely capture some glimpses of brilliance!

This one's gonna be hot!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Fox Kids Funhouse #2: The Tick: Raw, Uncooked Justice! And Other Stories

Featuring three hilarious comics based on Fox Kids cartoons from 1997. 

The first two stories are based on the shows Bobby's World and Life with Louie.

Bobby's World was based on the stand-up comedy of Howie Mandel. Life with Louie was based on the stand-up comedy of Louie Anderson. Both cartoons were really funny but if I had to choose between the two, I'm picking Bobby's World every time. The Howie Mandel cartoon was more imaginative as Bobby often got lost in his day dreams. Life with Louie was a tiny bit more sophisticated being based more on Anderson's life experiences. But Louie was also kinda of a jerk. 

But the reason I bought this very much beat up digest was for the cover story featuring my favorite lunatic, The Tick. It's a sequel to the classic Neil the Dinosaur episode.

It seems that Arthur's brother-in-law is growing in size once again. When the Tick and Arthur get eaten by Neil, the duo discover a community has formed in Neil's digestive tract of the people and buildings the fiend has been snacking on.

Featuring an all-star line-up of Dwayne McDuffie, Brandon Kruse, Mike DeCarlo and Michael Duggan! The Tick story was very, very funny and makes me wish that Boomerang or some other cable channel would show reruns of that amazing Tick cartoon show again! 

I loved this digest. But I feel bad for the kid in 1997 who bought this book. There's a page telling kids to subscribe to the Fox Kids Funhouse inside. But upon some extensive research, I've learned that this series was cancelled after only 2 issues. Some of that has to do with the comic book bubble bust. But some has to do with the publisher itself, Acclaim. 

Yes, who knew that the video game manufacturer made comic books? Well, it wasn't a very long experiment because Acclaim shuttered it's publishing house shortly as 1997 was right when the company started having major money issues before going defunct altogether in 2004. Regardless, based on how much trouble Acclaim had in paying it's debts, I wonder how many kids who subscribed to this broken promise never got a refund...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Avengers: First to Last

     An interesting mix of never before told behind-the-scenes stories of the original line-up of Earth's Mightiest Heroes and as well as the team's swan song.

     The first group of stories appeared in the back pages of Avengers Classic. Featuring such greats as Dwayne McDuffie (Damage Control) and the Man himself, Stan Lee, these shorts reveal what happened between the issues, like how Marvel obtained the licensing rights to the Avengers and the first ever meeting between Captain America and Spider-Man.

      It's always been my pet peeve with the Marvel Classic books that they never contain any original material. But with Avengers Classic, that wasn't case. Of note, if you already have issues 1-12 of the Avengers in some sort of collected form and you have this volume, you'll have all the original material and covers contained in Avengers Classic. You will not need to scour the bargain bins for the individual issues of Avengers classic.

      The second feature was a completely new story. The Last Avengers Story reveals what could happen in a final stand off between Hank Pym and Ultron. Written by Marvel mage Peter David, this book was dark, bloody, and a wild read. It was also a little naughty. That's all thanks to the painted pages of Aliens Vs. Predator's Ariel Olivetti.

       If you are trying to collect Avengers stories, you'll need this collection. It's the perfect combination of funny, serious, and adventure. But due to the level of blood and gore in The Last Avengers Story, this is not a book for all readers- especially kids- as some images can be quite unsettling.

     Worth Consuming

     Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

World War Hulk: Aftersmash - Damage Control #3 (of 3)

 

The final (so far) chapter of Damage Control sees the end of the recovery efforts and another classic John Porter solution to Manhattan constant super hero induced problems in regards to the newly sentient Chrysler Building.

I was happy with every aspect of this book except one: it ended way too soon. I am sure Damage Control will pop up in other series from time to time. I just hope DC gets it’s day in the sun and finally gets a regular series to call its own.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

 

 

World War Hulk: Aftersmash - Damage Control #2 (of 3)

In the last issue, the recovery and relief efforts of Damage Control was hindered by the Thunderbolts, demanding that all unregistered superhero volunteers be arrested for violating the superhero Registration Act. Thankfully, one of the Thunderbolts has a personal history with Damage Control and a temporary truce is rendered for the benefit of saving what New Yorkers who couldn’t flee during the World War Hulk rampage. (If you’ve been keeping up with my previous reviews of the older Damage Control minis, you can figure out who I’m referring to as the peacemaker.)

Now the race is on as Damage Control and the volunteers only have 2 days to save those trapped in the Big City. Complicating matters is the Chrysler Building. No, it’s not going to tumble if repairs can’t be made immediately. It’s just become sentient and it wants to go on a tour of Asia, that’s all!

This issue goes from a really good story that goes into depth of the tragedy in Connecticut that started the whole mess with Civil War. Then it gets really bizarre. The great thing about the writing of this series is that co-creator and scribe Dwayne McDuffie can make this story interesting no matter what. Why Damage Control has never been given a full-time regular series status is beyond me! This is the House of Ideas at its best and I want more!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

World War Hulk: Aftersmash - Damage Control #1 (of 3)

After the events of Civil War, there was World War Hulk in which a very pissed off Hulk takes his frustrations out on the Avengers and Illuminati who collectively worked to maroon him in space. As a result of his return to earth, Hulk went wild and the Big Apple was laid waste.

Now with the city cordoned off and declared a disaster area, Damage Control is hoping to win the bid to repair the city from Tony Stark, newly appointed Director of SHIELD. In order to do that, the gang’s going to have to get back together. John Porter is on a sabbatical of sorts, Robin’s been fired, and the construction crew is on the outskirts of town chomping at the bit to get the green light.

Over 15 years has passed from Damage Control volume 3 to this new mini-series and lots has been missed. Other than a couple of appearances on Marvel Universe cartoons, I’ve not come across Damage Control in other books. But apparently, they’ve been popping up in issues of Iron Man, Wolverine, and The Avengers. I missed another hostile takeover of the company, Robin being fired, and surely other events too.

So, this issue meant a little catching up was in order. It also meant that I was going “Huh?” a lot! But that’s okay! Dwayne McDuffie is just as clever and funny as ever. The characters are engrossing and I cannot wait to see what happens next! Especially since the Thunderbolts have just showed up and are threatening to arrest all of the unregistered super hero volunteers that have agreed to join the cleanup!

Awesome stuff!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Damage Control (Series 3) #2 of 4

  I know that a couple of reviews ago, I said that Ernie Colon’s artwork in DC Series 2 #4 looked rushed and sloppy. Well, after the previous issues debacle with a new artist, I must say that the sketchy and rough art style of Ernie Colon was welcomed by to me with open arms.

In this issue, the crew of Damage Control is sent to Yankee Stadium with a report that a super villain has run amok and destroyed the place. Looking to prove that they are not drumming up business by wreaking havoc on the people of New York, John and Robin bring a detective with them. There, they happen to run into the Hulk! Only, Hulk isn’t there to tear up the place but he is hoping to making a killing if the Yankees can pull on off over the Red Sox! Huh?

This is a really bizarre issue that can only get weirder DC’s new intern, Robbie Baldwin (Speedball) calls up his buds The New Warriors to bring down the criminal syndicate known as Damage Control!

A fun filled issue that turns everything you know about the Hulk on its ear. A very funny issue that I think should be considered a classic. The imagination of Dwayne McDuffie is just full of surprises and he’s a master at crafting the adventures of Damage Control.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.