Secret Wars Too, #1

This comedic one-shot tie-in to Marvel's 2015-16 Secret Wars event was a bit of a disappointment. Over the year's Marvel had developed a number of 'Not Brand Echh' style parodies of their annual massive event story lines. Many of them have been quite funny. But not this time around.

The main story is a metaphysical story in which Secret Wars scribe, Jonathan Hickman has just finished pitching the idea to Marvel's think tank to great success. However, Hickman realizes that he doesn't have a clue how it's going to end. Enter Doctor Victor Von Doom for a funny pep talk that goes off an a great tangent about hot dogs. 

Unfortunately, this story is peppered with jokes about how the issues in the miniseries will not ship on time as well as groaners about too many tie-in comics. My question is: If Marvel knows that this is a problem, why do they repeat themselves time and time again?

The other stories in this book were pretty forgettable. There's a yarn about how not killing off Uncle Ben would actually be one of the worst follies to ever befall the Marvel multiverse. Aside from the clever puns of alternate Peter Parker heroic personas, it was a stupid story. A tale involving the tragic character of D-Man was naturally quite sad. We also had a couple of episodes involving a universe of Bear Marvel heroes and the computer hacking adventures of Spidey, Jessica Jones and Daredevil that started out great but got ridiculous pretty quick. 

Only the dimension shifting adventures of Kate Bishop and America in their quest for something called 'pizza' and a Eric Powell parody on a reality series starring Doctor Doom were back-ups in this one-shot that were any good. 

An excellent question is posed thanks to the last story: why hasn't Marvel signed The Goon creator, Powell, to any sort of contract. I bet something by him and Donny Cates would kick serious booty!

Thankfully, I only paid a buck for this book. Quite a disappointment really. But it's from the Axel Alonso era. So could you expect anything less?

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

The Manhattan Projects, Volume 2: They Rule

    The scientists of Los Alamos have declared their independence from the United States. Now teaming with the scientists of Star City, the Soviet equivalent of the Manhattan Projects, the world's most brilliant minds seek to become the masters of not only the world but the universe as well. But it will not be easy as President Truman has unleashed the Illuminati, a mad assortment of super-powered humans upon the base with only one mission- take the base- leave no prisoners- kill everyone!!!

    I'm still a fan of the groundbreaking series by Jonathan Hickman, but I didn't enjoy this volume as much as the previous one. For one thing, last volume seemed to follow the timeline of 1940-1945-ish pretty well. Yes, this is a fictional account of the Manhattan Project but the plotting was so well done that I was able to appreciate my knowledge of World War II history in regards to the events that transpired in the comics.

    But in this volume we jump from President Truman to newly appointed Commander-In-Chief John Kennedy. Where did Eisenhower go? If in this timeline Kennedy became the 34th president instead of the famed General, then it was Hickman's responsibility to inform the readers that Kennedy's presidency begins in 1952. That's just one of several diversions from our timeline that the author neglects to alert us to. Instead of captions stating 'now' and 'then,' I really could have used some dates.

    Another problem I have with this volume is the level of violence. If this edition was Spinal Tap's amp, the violence would be set at 11. Volume 1 wasn't for the faint of heart, but compared to this collection, the last book was an anthology of nursery rhymes. I also felt like the shock factor added to the mix detracted from the story itself.

    Thankfully, the last chapter opens the Manhattan Projects up to a new dimension of possibilities. For some time, the deranged mind of Robert Oppenheimer has been like a vault that isn't water tight and every once in a while the safe's contents leak out, allowing the reader to catch a glimpse of his fractured psyche. But the last chapter titled 'Finite Oppenheimers' we see just how many multiple personalities the demented physicist has absorbed throughout the multiverse. Let's just say it's a lot and they're not all happy to have become a part of Oppenheimer's think tank collective.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Manhattan Projects, Volume 1: Science. Bad.

Everything you know about the Manhattan Project is a lie. First of all- the quest to create a nuclear bomb was just a cover for a slew of experiments involving time drive, alternate dimensions, and other types of fringe science. Besides, we had the bomb years before we even used it...

   Well, that's according to the new series I started reading: The Manhattan Projects. The brainchild of Jonathan Hickman, I first learned of this series when I was getting his autograph at a convention a few years back. The guy in front of me had just about every issue getting signed so, I took some time to examine them (from afar, of course.) 

   The covers look almost identical to the cover to this premiere volume. They have a large black circle in the middle with the MP logo, art and writer credits, issues number, and price. Unlike Einstein being on this book's cover, the individual issues might have a subtle pop art-style difference like a color wheel or the Soviet Hammer and Sickle. 

    When my local library finally decided to pick up this series, it took me even longer to get into to it as volume 1 was checked out for several months. When I finally got my hands on it last week, I both slapped my forehead for taking so long to get into this dynamic series and did a small victory dance for finally getting this book into my possession.

    All of your favorite physicists from the Second World War are in this book. Oppenheimer, Fermi, Feynman, Daghlian, and the previously mentioned Albert Einstein. But by volume's end, the way you look at any of these pioneering scientists may just change how you look at American History and physics itself. 

     Hickman's brave new world is exciting and the art by Nick Pitarra. His style is very similar to that of Frank Quietly. The inking is pencil thin and with muted color tones and some gritty detailing, it's the perfect visual pairing with Hickman's unique look at 1940s science.

    If you like alternate timelines, historical fiction, time travel, or just science in general- you must read this book. I'm going to bet that Manhattan Projects is the series most of you, my dear readers, aren't reading! Run, do not walk, to your local comics shop or demand that your librarian carry this series.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.