Marvel Comics Presents #110

It took 2 chapters. But Logan finally meets Mary Walker. This story really feels like the noir films Body Heat or Double Indemnity. Mary tells Logan that she's got memory gaps but knows that she's been abused. Logan is falling for her and thinks that her past is somehow tied in with the serial killer from chapter 1. 

I haven't been much of a fan of the Wolverine stories as they all feel like really bad action movies. But this one has got a sexual tension and a mystery angle to it that is really making me a fan.

I forgot to mention this last issue, but Marvel has finally decided that it's time to stop having Sam Keith do both of the covers to this flip book anthology. Last issue introduced Marvel Swimsuit Special artist Steve Lightle to the mix. Lightle has been tasked with the Wolverine covers based on his pencils in the Wolverine/Bloody Mary story. Lightle's covers are a breath of fresh air, though I must say that I think Keith's cover is the better offering of this issue. 

Oh, and Nightcrawler returns. He's only been gone 2 issues. But I don't mind his return in this 8-page single issue story. It's a murder mystery based on the legend of Jack the Ripper. I loved the ending. Maybe it's because I figured out who the killer was. Maybe it's because Nightcrawler is one of my favorite superheroes of all-time. Maybe it's both. It's a real good story.

The Werewolf by Night/Ghost Rider story and the Thanos epic are both continuing to impress me as well. Both segments don't really have a lot of action to them. But they are interesting and unique enough to keep my attention.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #108

The curtain finals closes on the Wolverine/Nightcrawler tale. Part 1 started off really well. Then things just went in circles. It was like a Scooby-Doo mystery without any clues. This final part was actually exciting. There are humans attacking mutants and mutants attacking humans. The real question is 'Who's the real monster here?' 

Really loved the poignant ending. But why does Nightcrawler have to be the Charlie Brown of the X-Men? I love Nightcrawler. I know I say this kind of thing a lot. But he really is in my 10 top list of favorite comic book characters. Yet nothing seems to go right for Kurt Wagner. And when something good actually happens to the character, it just feels so out of place. 

The Ghost Rider/Werewolf by Night story is awesome. It's so unusual and I love unusual.

Thanos stars in a new multi-parter. It's a tie-in to one of the Infinity Gauntlet sequels. I think. Heck, it might just be an extension of the Infinity Gauntlet itself. I wasn't really sure. Sorry, but I haven't read all those books yet and to be honest, I'm not really big on Jim Starlin.

Only 1 chapter left in the Young Gods story. It too, finally is starting to get really good. And I am not just talking about the artwork from Tom Sutton that I have been a fan of since the beginning.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #107

A new multi-parter begins in this issue. Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night teams with Ghost Rider, Danny Ketch, in a tale that has a lot of promise. The Braineaters, a biker gang of carnivorous werewolves return. We last saw the Braineaters in issues #55-59 of MCP. In that story, Jack Russell was by himself against this gang of maniacs as well as having to also take on a demented Catholic priest who thought it was his God ordained duty to kill all creatures of the night. Here, the Werewolf by Night has the Spirit of Vengeance on his side and it looks like only the Braineaters are involved in this story. 

The one-shot story stars the Native American superhero Red Wolf. This story involves the corrupt oil and tech company Roxxon and the drilling on indigenous lands. At first you think this story is going to be nothing but a social relevance story about the evils of big oil and the rights of Native people. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this. I was just surprised how by page 2 or 3 of this 8-pager, the story turned into a whodunit? Okay, more like a Who's-gonna-do-it? 

Threats have been made to both members of the Roxxon board of directors and some of the Native American activists. It's up to Red Wolf, who is working security at an Roxxon gala, to figure out who the gunman or gunmen are! This was a great mystery story in which superpowers were an afterthought. I loved this Batman level detective story!

Crap, Crap, Crap. Both the Wolverine/Nightcrawler and Young Gods story keep on chugging along. When will either mercifully end? 

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #106

One of the stories mercifully comes to a close in this issue. The curtains close on the demon-filled Ghost Rider/Doctor Strange story. I would have liked the Wolverine/Nightcrawler tale and the Gerry Conway Young Gods epic to have ended this issue. But I understand why you can't have all 3 of your multi-parters end in the same volume. That kinda defeats the purpose of a rotating anthology title.

I was very intrigued by the one-shot story. It's about a one-eyed priest called Gabriel, the Devil-Hunter. If you were to call this guy a D-lister, I'd say you were being generous. A quick Marvel Wiki search reveals that Gabriel has only made 22 appearances in comics. 13 of those appearances were in the 1990s Damien Hellstrom horror series. His very first appearances were in a long-forgotten Marvel horror magazine, NOT COMIC, called Haunt of Horror.

Anyways, this story isn't memorable to me as I became an instant fan or anything like that. This issue was full of 1990s Marvel Comics cliches- gritty, grim and poorly drawn. But I swear I can see a character from Vertigo Comics swirling around in this. If Garth Ennis' Preacher- AKA Jesse Custer- wasn't birthed from this Devil-Hunter character, I'll eat my hat. Both characters are preachers with questionable faith, they both wear clerical collars and they both will at one point or another lose an eye! 

Yeah, I don't think I'll be dining on a fedora any time soon...

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #105

I'm getting kinda bored with MCP right now. The Wolverine/Nightcrawler and Doctor Strange/Ghost Rider stories don't seem to be going anywhere. The Young Gods adventure is kinda hokey. Only the great artwork from Tom Sutton (Not Brand Echh) is what keeps me reading that story. 

Our only winner this issue is the one-shot story. It seems the 8-pagers are the only thing worth reading in this anthology series lately. I hope that changes soon.

As for this one-and-done tale, it stars the ever loving blue eye'd Thing. Sent to the Negative Zone by Reed Richards, The Thing is tasked with obtaining a rare, but powerful gem. But first, Ben Grimm has got to get by the gem's keeper. 

I loved its twist ending. I just wish I was as ecstatic about the other 3 offerings...

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #104

I haven't really talked about the 3 continuing segments in a while. There's still a Wolverine/Nightcrawler team up, a Ghost Rider/Doctor Strange team-up and a story starring the Young Gods, a kind of second rate Eternals. 

The Wolverine/Nightcrawler story is pretty good. It's been setup as a whodunit with Nightcrawler being asked by his old German circus trope to solve a murder and Wolverine being called in for help. 

Not so much of a fan of the Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange story. I like both characters very much. It just suffers from too much darkness as many stories starring Ghost Rider do. Doctor Strange stories have their share of demons and such. But their more like monsters from another dimension and not denizens of Hell like as in this story. Thus why I am not a fan.

 I'm on the fence about the Young Gods story. Right now, the team of super-powered humans is divided into teams around the globe, trying to stop an ancient evil from spawning. The story is okay. The dialogue is awful. Like from a bad detective novel. But the art is amazing. Tom Sutton is an artist that I am pretty familiar with. I've seen his work in What If... (first series) and Amazing Adventures. But I didn't remember his female characters being so alluring looking. It must have something to do with the inks of X-Force's Jon Holredge. Sometimes, the right inker can turn a good artist's work into something great and that very well could be the case here.

The one-shot story is pretty good. It stars the knockoff Captain America, U.S. Agent. But the thing that sold me on this 8-pager was the villain. It's the Peace Monger. First and only seen in the pages of MCP #27, it was pretty cool reading a follow-up to that tale. It never felt like it was the last we'd seen of the Peace Monger with that story that starred the Native American superhero, American Eagle. But, this appearance will be the last we ever see of the villain unless somebody decides to use him in the future. But after nearly 30 years of obsolesce, I doubt we ever will.

An enjoyable issue with one segment that is just not my cup of tea.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #102

One of the stories in this issue involves a character from the Old West. He wears all white and rides a devilish white pony named Banshee. When I was young, he was called Ghost Rider. But in this issue, he's referred to as the Phantom Rider. When the heck did that happen?

It does turn out that this version of the hero is from the 1990s. But even according to the story by Howard Mackie (Gambit), all previous ancestors of the modern horseman were called Phantom Riders as well. Again, when did this transitional name change happen? 

That story is the only single issue tale. In the chapter tales, Wolverine and Nightcrawler investigate a town that may be harboring anti-mutant radicals, the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange protect the sanctum sanctorum from an ancient evil, and a diverse group of Celestial sponsored heroes travel the globe to prevent a series of events from unleashing an ancient horror upon the world. 

A very supernatural heavy issue. It felt very 1970s Marvel. I liked it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #101

After an epic centennial issue, a quartet of new stories and segments appear in between the Sam Kieth illustrated flip covers.

The X-Man Nightcrawler is summoned back to the circus he called home in Old World Germany. Seems that some strange things have been happening. As a back-up, Kurt Wagner calls upon Wolverine to assist in the investigation. 

Ghost Rider begins a team-up with the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, to take on a demon called Gorn. And we're not talking about the reptilian alien race from Star Trek!

In the lone single issue segment, The Punisher takes on a gang of gun runners. This story had a very powerful message that involves a youth torn between following the straight and narrow or the luxurious life of a thug. Fantastic Ron Marz (DC Vs. Marvel Comics) scripted tale!

Then we've got a multi-parter starring characters called the Young Gods. This diverse team of heroes is kinda like a third rate version of the Eternals. Since the Celestials are involved, I think I'm kinda right about my summation. Maybe they're second rate. Dunno.  

Otherwise, an ancient evil has awakened on Earth and the Young Gods have asked the Celestials for the chance to save their former home planet. The ancient ones allow them to intervene. But should they fail, they will die and die really brutally. 

I normally am a fan of Gerry Conway (Superman). But I felt like the story was a little contrived. Really riding on the coat tails of the great Jack Kirby here. But the artwork of Tom Sutton (Amazing Adventures) was fantastic. The men each looked like an Adonis. The women are drawn like super models. Definite early 90s eye candy.

An uneven mix of stories. A pair are really good. One, pretty forgettable. And another only superior in terms of art appeal.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #35

The Coldblood story by Doug Moench concludes in this issue. It was a charming little sci-fi story that had a lot of twists to it. Too bad this character never got his own series. Maybe Marvel felt that it had too many similarities to Deathlok.

With just 2 chapters left, Black Panther finally makes it to the compound holding his mother. But before he can find her, he's got to penetrate the fortress-like defenses first. 

In the Excalibur story, my favorite member is highlighted- Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler. The Loonies and their mysterious boss have put Kurt into a circus setting. This is normally Nightcrawler's forte. But as with his teammates simulated prisons, this circus is designed to play on the mutant's insecurities and fears. Usually those fears are about Nightcrawler looking like a demon with blue skin, fangs and a tail. But how will Kurt react when he discovers that at this circus, he's human and the performers are all monsters?

The one-shot story stars Her. Her is the whom the scientists if the Enclave create after Him revolted and fused into Adam Warlock. Her has taken on the monikers of Paragon, Ayesha and Kismet over the course of her 40 year plus history. Why Fabian Nicieza decided to call the character Her could be because the heroine was still known as Her in 1989. Or, the Deadpool co-creator decided to write a story during her early days. Such past stories aren't unfamiliar territory in Marvel Comics Presents. It's just not made clear whether this is a earlier set tale or not. And I don't know enough about Her's history to know further.

4 decent stories. Not perfect. But I enjoyed it.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 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.

X-Men Apocalypse

In the latest offering from the X-Men film series, an ancient Egyptian mutant is released from his centuries-old slumber. This being, known as En Sabah Nur, is so powerful that along with his four disciples of doom, he can literally change the world. One of Nur's disciples is Magneto, who seeming went straight after the events of Days of Future Past, but is now wishing to unleash his vengeance on the world after the death of his wife and child. 

   Seeking to stop Magneto is his former ally, Mystique. Since she parted ways with Magento at the end of the last film, the shape-shifting mutant has been on a personal mission, secretly savings mutants from humans seeking to exploit them. Mystique's actions in saving Nixon in 1973 has made her a hero in both the human and mutant communities of 1983. So when Nur's Four Horsemen kidnap Professor Xavier, it's up to Mystique to lead a group of untested but equally star-struck mutants to stop En Sabah Nur's plan to unleash the destruction of the apocalypse onto the world.

    X-Men: Apocalypse is my favorite of the new trilogy. It narrowly beats outs First Class and it leaves Days of Future Past lying in its wake. Now whether this film is better than X2: X-Men United is up for debate. 

   Personally, I don't think it outpaces X2, but it's close. To me, the reason why Apocalypse doesn't assume the throne as the greatest X-Men movie ever is because of the character of William Stryker. I thought Stryker died at the end of Days of Future Past what with Mystique impersonating him at the film's end in order to rescue Wolverine from the Potomac. But the evil army officer rears his ugly head once again with no explanation as to his return and possible resurrection. (But if I know director Bryan Singer, this will all be covered in the film's DVD director's cut due out sometime in the next couple of years...)

   Speaking of Bryan Singer, I think he does yet another bang up job at the helm of the X-Men franchise. I heard earlier this week that he's taking a break from directing X-Men movies for a while and some fans cheered. I think they're more upset at the amazing job he has done and how each success keeps Marvel from adding most of the mutant population to its cinematic universe.

     Apocalypse was a fun ride of almost 2 and a half hours of action, adventure, humor, and surprises galore! Seeing the younger versions of Jean Grey, Scott Summers, and Nightcrawler was pretty cool and just wait until you see them in uniform at movie's end. While some feel that the character of Jubilee was underused, I think the real victim was Olivia Munn's Psylocke. She mostly poses for the camera for about 9/10 of her scenes and when she actually does something it's wasn't that impressive.

  With some mild violence, a few swears, with a biggie or two thrown it, it's a good movie for the 12 and up crowd. (My God Son loved it!) And unlike Civil War, I wasn't bored one bit. There I said it, X-Men Apocalypse beats Captain America: Civil War. But it's Deadpool that is still leading as the best Marvel movie of 2016. 
   
  Worth Consuming

     Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Uncanny Origins #8

   The most thrilling mutant of all stars in this issue of Uncanny Origins- the Swashbuckling Nightcrawler! As I've mentioned in earlier posts, Nightcrawler is one of my favorite X-Men. But the series that made me such a fan wasn't Claremont's epic run on the All-New X-Men but his Anglocentric series, Excalibur in which Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde form a group across the pond when they think that their American teammates have died.

   But this origin story takes place decades for either team has formed with the mutant Mystique on the run from angry villagers who think her blue appearance and yellow eyes are signs that she is a demon. To save her skin, she dumps her baby boy into the river and takes the appearance of a preacher, claiming that he has killed the devil! Wow- mom of the year!

   The child turns out to be Nightcrawler, who in a page from Exodus, is found safely by a gypsy woman who adopts him as her son. Named Kurt, the young mutant grows up living every kid's dream as a member of the circus. This is actually a great thing for Nightcrawler as audiences think that his blue furred appearance is a costume and that his ability to teleport is the result of smoke and mirrors. 

   I really enjoyed this issue. It revealed a lot about the hero that I didn't know. It also boasts a very good story. For once, this series crafts an all-encompassing story that spans the years. But instead of just being a whirlwind barrage of facts. This was an actual epic that had a great plot and didn't skimp on the specifics or the small stuff. The guest creative team of Bill Rosemann and Marc Campos did a masterful job, though, in reality, I miss the art of Dave Hoover.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

   
   

Uncanny X-Men: First Class, Volume 1: Hated and Feared

 In 2006, Marvel crafted a series of untold tales about the original X-Men titled 'First Class.' The series only lasted 8-issues but it was such a hit, it spawned at least two further sequels as well as a few one-shots. Marvel naturally saw dollar signs and continued to produce more X-titles under the 'First Class' moniker. Wolverine starred in two solo titles that produced over 20 issues. After those successes, Marvel decided to explore its historically most successful line-up of mutants- the original Uncanny X-Men.

   This title stars Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Banshee, and Storm. It reveals some of that team's never-before-revealed adventures that take place after X-Men #101 when Jean Grey becomes the Phoenix. Here, the team is having trouble jelling. Cyclops longs for the day to lead his original teammates again. Professor X and Moira McTaggart are attempting to gauge Jean's new physic potential. And the other members of the team are trying to adjust to their lives as superheroes that face more scorn than admiration.

     During these episodes of growing pains, the team will travel to the Inhuman refuge of Attilan to defend Nightcrawler, whose being tried for blasphemy, a charge that if found guilty brings a penalty of death. Then Banshee's past comes back to haunt him when he spies what may be the ghost of his late wife. Lastly, Storm and Jean Grey have a ladies night out that results in the girls being held hostage AND forced to break into Nick Fury's helicarrier! Along with a mysterious trio spied dancing on the surface of the sun and a Giant-Sized special that explores the individual origins of the Uncanny X-Men, this volume was pure fun and excitement.
 
   Why this series didn't take off like the other 'First Class' titles is beyond me! The art was eclectic but each artist's style was classic. The writing was just as good and with scores of cameos of several key secondary players of the X-Men series during the late 70s was the icing on the cake. The only reason this series lasted just 8-issues is that it seems to focus more on Banshee, Colossus, and Nightcrawler instead of proven fan favorites Wolverine and Storm.

   But if I had to choose my top 10 favorite mutants that trio would all rank on that list. In other words, I liked it. Maybe the only thing this series needed was the masterful pen of Chris Claremont, who without him, the X-Men might have been a footnote in comic book history.

Like the Vulcans say "only Nixon can go to China."

   Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.