Captain America and the Falcon, Vol. 1: Two Americas

The Falcon has gone rogue!

Sam Wilson has infiltrated Guantanamo and broken out a prisoner. Now reports have it that the Avenger has taken the escapee to a known drug lord's Cuban compound. What's going on here? Has Wilson reverted back to his Red Skull evil origins?

Captain America has been granted 24-hours to locate the Falcon and get to the bottom of the rogue hero's actions. When his time is up, SHIELD will neutralize the Falcon without prejudice. Normally, such an assignment is easy peasy for the Sentinel of Liberty. But an incoming hurricane to the Caribbean is making it difficult for Steve Rogers to safely arrive on Cuban shores. 

Eventually, the Captain catches up with Sam Wilson and the escaped prisoner. It turns out that the fugitive is a reporter for the Daily Bugle who uncovered a biological weapon in one of the operations of the drug cartel. Post-9/11, the kingpin has been providing key information on terrorist cells to the American intelligence community in exchange for immunity. To wipe out such valuable Intel would severely hamper the new war on terror. 

Thus, the CIA or some other clandestine government agency has sought to silence the reporter who happens to be a close associate from Sam Wilson's past. With Captain America now on the scene, it appears Sam's friend will return to the Big Apple to reveal the scoop of the century. But when Captain America slaughters the drug lord's entire headquarters of bodyguards and lieutenants, it's revealed that something is seriously wrong. There's an impostor Cap assigned to terminate all parties related to the blotched biological weapon, including the real Steve Rogers!

This 2004 book was one of the worst Captain America and the Falcon volumes that I have ever read. Actually, the writing was pretty good. Christopher Priest, going just by his last name at the time pens an Ed Brubaker level story of espionage, betrayal and conspiracy. It was the art and the layouts that were a hot mess. So maybe this is one of the worst stories starring some of my favorite characters that I have ever looked at.

First is the artwork by Bart Sears. The heroes look ridiculous. Overly muscular. Proportions are all wrong. The eyes look googly, like they're all cross-eyed. And the body language is rather silly looking like our heroes have to pee really bad. It would be funny if this was a work of parody like MAD or Not Brand Echh.

Then there's those layouts. They're all over the place. Several pages are framed with unnecessary posed images of Cap and the Falcon. Then there's those 2-page splashes that are supposed to go from left to right and somehow end up those wandering paths taken by Billy in The Family Circus. If ever those black trail dashes were needed to guide the reader's eyes as to where to travel, it was here in the pages of this opening salvo. 

The first of 2 volumes, other than what was the truth behind the super bug bio-weapon that Falcon and his reporter friend discovered, I've no interest in knowing what happens next. That's how awful Sear's art was. Maybe if I found a copy for $3 or less. Otherwise, a quick search on Wikipedia should suffice. This one is definitely getting turned back in for trade credit.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Graphic Novel #18: The Sensational She-Hulk (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

John Byrne gives the Sensational She-Hulk the VIP treatment in the 18th edition of Marvel Graphic Novel. 

In 1979, when She-Hulk debuted in the pages of The Savage She-Hulk #1, aspiring lawyer Jennifer Walters would change into a rampaging green monster whenever someone made her mad. The transformation was like that of her cousin Bruce Banner, who was forced to give Walters a blood transfusion in order to save her life. Over time, Jen came to accept her She-Hulk form. When transformed, Walters is taller, stronger and much more attractive. Jen also becomes much more self confident and sensual as the She-Hulk, eventually earning membership as both an Avenger and part of the Fantastic Four.

The story opens with She-Hulk about to go out for a night on the town with her almost equally masculine beau, the Native American Wyatt Wingfoot. Unbeknownst to She-Hulk, she has been deemed a potential public menace due to a recent berserker rampage by the Incredible Hulk. The President of the United States has ordered SHIELD to bring in She-Hulk for a complete evaluation of the hero's prospective ability to become a threat to public safety. After a squadron of SHIELD agents in L-series anti-Hulk armor are unable to apprehend Jennifer, the law agency's acting director initiates emergency protocols and teleports She-Hulk and Wingfoot up onto the massive SHIELD helicarrier orbiting above the Manhattan skyline.

The action also beams aboard a number of civilians, including a homeless man that in the chaos allows him to slip away unseen. This failure to notice the man will go down as one of SHIELD's greatest blunders as the vagabond is something far more than human. Birthed from the same radioactive energy that courses through the veins of the Hulk and his cousin, the vagrant in reality is a living swarm of cockroaches! And this hive has plans to feast on the nuclear powered core of the SHIELD helicarrier!

After Jen Walter's tenure with the Fantastic Four, John Byrne would continue She-Hulk's solo adventures in the pages of The Sensational She-Hulk. This series would run from 1989-1994 for 60 issues. Byrne would write and illustrate a majority of the series over a course of 3 tenures. Marvel Graphic Novel #18 is a preview of what Byrne had in-store for the emerald enchantress. Sexy costumes, innuendo and partial nudity teases, which would be a staple of Bryne's She-Hulk run, are all a part of this 72-page story. In one scene, Jen is forced to be stripped searched. In observing the over exuberance of the SHIELD guards, She-Hulk asks if she should also jump rope while nude. This concept would go on to be the subject of one of many controversial Byrne covers which depict She-Hulk in a near state of undress.

(Byrne actually gives his rabid male a glimpse of uncensored She-Hulk as her entire nude backside is shown on a monitor in the background of one panel.)

Thanks to She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, a 2023 live action series starring Tatiana Maslany on Disney+, She-Hulk back issues have been in hot demand. This graphic novel doesn't appear to have been off many speculators' radar. Copies of this book can be found online with asking prices as high as $200 with $25 being about the average price requested by online sellers. A non-graded issue was featured recently on a Central North Carolina area comic shop's Facebook page for a similar price. 

John Byrne's artwork was inked by Kim DeMulder and vividly colored by Petra Scotese.

Completing this review completes Task #19 (Recommended by a Comic Book Store) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #16 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In the 15th issue of Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, the super spy was killed off by a gun-toting assassin named Bullseye. The death of Nick Fury marked the end of the spygame comic despite a 'To Be Continued' tagline. 

However, fans would soon learn that you can't keep a good spy dead for long as Fury would reappear in the pages of Avengers #72 a year later in 1970. Obviously, Bullseye didn't off Nick Fury. It was one of those handy-dandy Life Model Decoys that kicked the bucket. (A small aside. Has there ever been a storyline where a LMD thought it really was Nick Fury and once faced with the real McCoy the android went berserk and took over for the director of SHIELD? That would be an awesome story! If it has been done; where do I find this amazing tale?)

At about the same time Nick's death was being addressed with the Avengers, Marvel decided to bring back Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD. Instead of a new volume starting at issue #1, the House of Ideas decided to continue on with issue #16. However instead of rehashing what occurred in Avengers #72, Marvel inexplicably decided to reprint a trio of Fury's very first SHIELD story line with material that appeared in Strange Tales #135-138.  Featuring scripts by Stan Lee, plotting and layouts by Jack Kirby and final art by John Severin. Let's not forget lettering by 'Artful' Artie Simek! Issues 17 and 18 contained reprinted material from Strange Tales as well. The only new material were the covers. Marie Severin penciled this cover as well as #17. Big brother John assisted Herb Trimpe for the finale cover.

If these 3 issues were Marvel's ways of testing the waters for interest in a new SHIELD, it didn't work. After a decade that saw a glut of super spy and Cold War clock & dagger properties, the 1970s signaled an cooling off period for the genre. Nick Fury would pop up in other titles, especially the pages of Captain America. He'd also partake a few solo missions in some of Marvel's showcase series. 

With the Reagan 80s bringing the Cold War into the 21st century and beyond with futuristic programs like Star Wars, interest in the clandestine adventures of Col. Fury and SHIELD reignited. He took on SHIELD after discovering the agency had been corrupted by ROXXON in Nick Fury Vs SHIELD. Then in 1989, Fury starred in his first of 3 graphic novel team ups with the X-Man Wolverine while also starring in the third Volume of Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD ( volume 2 was another reprint series) which ran for 47 issues.

Classics. But when I bought this I was hoping for the rest of the story. Not reprints.

Completing this review completes Task #9 (With the Word 'Agent' in the Title) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Unstoppable Wasp #1

From 2016, the character of Nadia Pym (later Van Dyne), was created to reflect the character Evangeline Lilly played in 2015's Ant-Man film. Why they don't instead call her Hope in this comic is beyond me. If you're going to mirror the movie universe, go all out and do it right. Or don't do it at all. If I had anything to say about this book, I wouldn't advised Marvel to just scrap it.

First of all, readers are supposed to forget nearly 50 years of comic book history. Instead of being killed by Communists, Hank Pym's original wife survived long enough to have a child. The child, a daughter, was raised by the Red Room, the same clandestine Soviet training center that created Black Widow and all of her 'sisters'. Now free from Russian/Soviet influences, Nadia makes her way to NYC and seeks to become a superhero like her famous father.

Oh, geez. I'm having trouble with this review. I've been frustrated with my fellow fans today about being so negative and anti-woke. I really like to think I'm a little more open minded. I like issue writer Jeremy Whitley. I've interviewed him before. I am a big fan of his Princeless world of books. I just didn't like this book. 

In reaction to SHIELD's lack of respect for women scientists, by book's end, Nadia creates a think tank that specializes in women and STEM studies in order to save the world. My culinary field is considered a career and technical education subject of study. My department strives to empower minorities and females in an industry that is dominated by men. So I am all for STEM and STEAM, as Culinary arts are a form of art. I just didn't like this issue!

This story just felt too saccharine for me. Maybe it's because Nadia is a millennial or a member of Gen Z. Maybe Nadia is just too positive and cheerful; like Santa Claus, at Disneyland... getting laid! Something about this issue just rubbed me the wrong way. 

I looked at some other reviews of this book, and I think I've put my finger on what was getting on my nerves. A lot of readers seem to have the same complaint. It's how she and her teen friends talk. If you thought Cher in Clueless was bad, you will hate the dialogue in this book! Maybe it's because I am in my 40s. I am sure my parents and grandparents hated how I talked. It's that generation thing, surely. Though I don't recall any of my high school students from my past 5 years of teaching ever talking like this. It's almost like how DC writers in the late 60s and 70s would be criticized over how these 'old fogeys' didn't understand how modern teens of the time talked. I like Jeremy Whitley. I just don't think he was ever around teens in the mid-2010s. 

A good story that is just a bit out of touch with today's youth. Maybe if the dialogue was more realistic and not in YEET-speak. Thank God my students don't talk like this. I don't think I could continue working with them if they did.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: The Savage Land Saga!

Reprinting issues #13-15 of Sensational Spider-Man, Peter Parker is sent by the Daily Bugle to report on a joint ecological venture in the Savage Land between SHIELD and ROXXON. To prevent the rapidly melting ice of Antarctica from wiping over the prehistoric microcosm, ROXXON has installed giant freezer units to keep the ice frozen. Only the machines are doing the opposite as ROXXON has plans to flood the land and then secure its vast oil reserves. 

This is one of those stories where in 1997 when it was published it would be considered relevant comics. Today's venomous fan base work would consider this a 'woke comic'. Featuring a memorable cameo from the Incredible Hulk, and of course Ka-Zar in a guest-starring role The Savage Land Saga feels more relevant than ever. The waters off of Florida are hotter than bath water. Sea ice is at its lowest levels ever. And the scenes where SHIELD is trying to evacuate a prehistoric village from a flood of water elicits recent memories of flood rescues in Vermont and the Golden State. 

I consider Todd Dezago and Mike Wieringo's 3-issue saga to be a chance for Marvel to dip it's toes back into Toho Studios territory. The retreating ice awakens both an ancient foe that feels that reptiles were the true rulers of earth and the looming environmental crisis awakens a Godzilla-like protector from it's ageless slumber to save the Savage Land. Don't laugh, but this savior of Earth is a giant prehistoric chicken!

The artwork is absolutely amazing. Mike Wieringo was a genius and the comic book industry has lessened in quality as a whole with his untimely 2007 passing. They just don't draw comics like this anymore, folks.

As for the writing. The dialogue is good. The plot is not. It's too cliched. If it was meant to be silly, then I'd understand. However, there's too much of this story trying to be a story that convinces readers to change their ways of life or there'll never be anymore snow. But it's really hard to take environmentalism seriously when there's a giant chicken trying to save the planet.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #174

With the penultimate issue, a few loose ends are wrapped up before the epic finale.

For instance, Michael Badilino gets vengeance against Diabolique for the death of one of the members of his meta-human task force. 

Then the courses of Lunatik and the Silver Surfer finally converge on a no-holds barred battle. The stakes- the lives of a tribe of peaceful inhabitants of some random planet and the Surfer's surf board.

Nick Fury and his Agents of SHIELD are back in action for the third straight issue. This time around, A.I.M. has gotten its hands on a Shi'ar spacecraft. Should Advanced Idea Mechanics uncover the secrets of this ship, it could very well tilt the balance to A.I.M. against SHIELD in the battle for global freedom. So it's up to Fury to steal the ship or destroy the whole base. Or both! You know, a normal Sunday afternoon for the good Colonel. 

Lastly, it's a mixed up time caper with Excalibur, Moon Boy, Devil Dinosaur and those extra-dimensional bounty hunters from Technet! 

This issue was a lot of fun. The Lunatik story ended up being some sort of ersatz trilogy. It was good to finally see evil like Diabolique get what was coming to her. The Nick Fury story was 24 pages of action and adventure crammed into 8 little pages. And once again, the Excalibur crew play fast and loose with space-time!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #173

There are 4 one-shot stories in this, the third from last issue of MCP.

Lunatik is back for another run. This time around, he's been hired to assassinate an entire tribe of dimwitted natives as part of some big business scheme. But with the Silver Surfer involved and a heavy dose of hero worship, the bounty hunter just might have a change of heart.

In the Vengeance story, the demonic moppet Diabolique and her Plaything have returned. A major character dies! And I'm having nightmares again.

Nick Fury and SHIELD are back too! With Dum Dum Dugan helping out, the team is testing out yet another LMD with predictably disastrous effects.

Finally, the Avenger reservist Stingray is exploring the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire when he's attacked by Lava Men!

This was a great issue. Well, sorta. I mean, I didn't like that Diabolique killed off a pretty likable character. That's a death that is going to haunt Michael Badilino for years to come. 

I never complain when Nick Fury is around. I'll take a series of one-and-done stories if that's the only way to get more SHIELD into this book. The Stingray story had some amazing artwork by Mark McKenna (G.I. Joe: Order of Battle). And I thought the Lunatik story was funny. But I also feel like this was a Lobo story over at DC once before. 

Speaking of Lobo. Look at this cover by Simon Bisley, Jeff Moore and Tim Dzon. It's got Lunatik on the cover; but doesn't it look like something you'd see on a Lobo cover? That's because Simon Bisley did a whole bunch of covers for Lobo. With Keith Giffen at the helm!

I got a couple other things to say about this cover. One- Skreets is hot. There, I said it. It's not appropriate. But the artists really upped the image rating to a hard PG-13. Then, I must ask why does the previous issue have Silver Surfer on the cover when the character appears in this book? Shouldn't the covers or stories have been switched? Seems like somebody goofed...

A good issue that didn't turn out with 4 happy endings nor the right cover starring Lunatik it so appears.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #171

There are only 5 issues left of Marvel Comics Presents. But I don't really feel like the creators are pulling out all the stops just yet. But that doesn't mean that this wasn't a thrilling issue.

Michael Badilino is undergoing a therapy session with Doc Samson. This happens to take place at a top level facility for mentally ill patients with super powers. A blackout results in one very troubled patient getting free and going rogue. Enlisting the help of Vengeance, Doc Samson has to make one very important house call.

In a one-shot story, one of my all-time favorite characters returns. That's right! It's Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD. In this adventure, he's in Alaska where there are reports of a Hydra base that's doing their very best- and worst- to create their version of a super solider!

The second half of this issue is rather interesting. It's comprised of 2 single issue stories that tell of 1 event but from two points of view. The first POV is that of War Machine. The second is of the Force Works team. Both parties are in Hong Kong fighting the Mandarin and his minions. Rhodey is more directly involved with the villain while Force Works are in the air in their armored transport vehicle, the Hex-Ship Pegasus. The ship has been damaged and it's going down fast and in flames!

I liked the idea of having 1 battle told from 2 points of view. I would have rather liked to have seen the Mandarin's take on this battle instead of Force Works. Plus, I am irked because that segment ends with readers having to grab the next issue of Force Works in order to find out what happened to the Pegasus crew.

Having Badilino going to therapy and having Vengeance have to help Doc Samson was pretty cool. I had a feeling this was going to happen last issue. So, I wasn't quite surprised. But really, was anybody shocked when the Ghost Rider popped up to help save the day?

Lastly, I loved the Nick Fury story. But once again, he's squandered to just 8 pages. Why can SHIELD have a lengthy multi-parter in the pages of MCP? How can anybody hate Nick Fury? This sort of perceived slight is going to affect my rating...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #128

Neither of the 3 multi-part stories are coming close to being over. If it wasn't for the all-star cast of the Wolverine story, I would be completely bored with these continuing segments.

With Logan's story, this chapter was rather comical. You know how in a Scooby-Doo cartoon, when the monster steals some kind of priceless artifact and there's a musical montage? It's like how the Mystery Inc. gang and the baddie go back-and-forth stealing the object from each other. Frist, you'd see Shaggy running with the treasure. Then the monster trips Shaggy, making off with the bauble until Fred pulls the rug out from under them and now Fred's off and running. Well, the 8 pages devoted to Logan's attempt to protect Lynx from bounty hunters, evil scientists and SHIELD is just like those types of Scooby-Doo scenes. 

The Iron Fist segment seems to be doing everything opposite anybody with a lick of sense would do. It's rather infuriating. 

As with Ghost Rider and Typhoid Mary, I don't get the sense that writer Ann Nocenti really knows what direction she wants this story to go in. There's literally 4 different plots going on right now. We had 5, but Nocenti did manage to kill off the characters involved a chapter or two back. But right now, we've got Ghost Rider trying to kill Typhoid Mary. We've got Typhoid trying to kill anyone that wronged her. We've got a group of women from a battered women's home trying to take on the terrorists who invaded the mall. And we've got this strange family of a priest, his wife and their child just wandering around the place. I have no idea where the Longshot writer is trying to go with this story and I don't think Ann Nocenti does either.

As for our single issue 8-page story, it involves the Native American superhero American Eagle. Normally, American Eagle operates in the American West. But a favor to an old friend has the hero traveling to the Big Apple. It appears that the son of the friend has left the reservation and gone to New York City to make his name. Unfortunately, the young man has run along with the wrong crowd and with a NYPD officer dead, American Eagle must get to the lad before an angry and vengeful police force gets to him first!

The Wolverine segment was hilarious. The American Eagle story was powerful. Compare that to the ludicrous Iron Fist chapter and the labyrinthine plots of the Ghost Rider and Typhoid Mary tale and you at least have a halfway decent issue of MCP.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

SHIELD by Jim Steranko: The Complete Collection

Even though Nick Fury and SHIELD was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...

Even though dozens of talented writers and artists have put the World War II hero turned secret agent through thick and thin...

-You just cannot explore this cloak and dagger corner of the Marvel universe without mentioning Jim Steranko.

Steranko's time at Marvel might have been brief. But the time Steranko spent at the House of Ideas not only changed Marvel Comics but the entire medium as well. He loved to fuse psychedelic art with optical illusions. There was also a little bit of Dali's surrealism infused with the dynamic posing created by Jack Kirby and Will Eisner's love of playing with story titles within the artwork.

When it came to the writing style, Steranko's Nick Fury was like Ian Fleming's James Bond on acid and steroids. The gadgets were more far out. The women were more exotic. And the baddies were so much more deadlier. Plus, Steranko wasn't afraid to kill off characters. Nor was he afraid to literally destroy SHIELD headquarters in every issue (only to miraculously have the agency built back up the next issue.)

One thing Steranko did that I wasn't a fan of was that he broke up the team. Gabriel Jones and Dum Dum Dugan both disappear midway through this book. Thankfully, Dum Dum's absence wasn't very long. But Gabe stays MIA. He was always a favorite of mine in the pages of Howling Commandos. So to not have Gabe around was a disappointment. (BTW- Gabe was the star of one of the first Marvel features to involve a black main character; posing as a AIM agent. When will those historic issues ever get collected and published?)

I'm trying to read my way through the complete adventures of Nick Fury. I seem to be going more in a chronological order of publication rather than through Nick's timeline. But I don't mind. Fury is a favorite, always has been. I can't experience the true story of Nick Fury without this period of comics history. And if you are wanting the full course of Nick Fury stories, neither should you!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

SHIELD by Lee and Kirby: The Complete Collection

He's the world's last line of defense against secret organizations that seek to dominate all mankind. He is Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD! Relive Col. Fury's earliest exploits as the director of  Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage and Law-Enforcement Division or SHIELD. 

In the 1960s, spy flicks were all the rage. 007 himself, James Bond, was saving the world from the likes of Dr. No and Goldfinger. Napoleon Solo was defeating the criminal organization of THRUSH as the Man from UNCLE. There were countless others, such as Secret Agent Man, Our Man Flint and the comedic Maxwell Smart. But none were as ornery or fantastic as Nick Fury!

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby crafted a non-superhero corner of the Marvel Universe with this title. Fury, along with war buddies Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones and SHIELD graduate upstart, Jasper Sitwell, took on the likes of Hydra and A.I.M. (Advanced Ideal Mechanics.)

My favorite parts of Marvel Comics has always been about the espionage. I loved Captain America and his battle against fascism as a SHIELD operative. Nick Fury and his team have always entertained with their amazing gadgets, zany villain dictators and alluring femme fatales. Plus, it helps that I was a big fan of the other Nick Fury title, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos!

I love this collection of stories. It did not disappoint! Now I have to get the companion piece, SHIELD by Steranko: The Complete Collection. I have to read the rest of Fury's adventures in the pages of Strange Tales!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Captain Marvel (2019)

I finally saw Marvel's take on a superhero named Captain Marvel. Before you criticize that I deliberately didn't see the movie in some sort of protest to in order to hurt ticket sales, let me remind you that with just about every movie I go to see, I do so with my god son. So between both our work schedules, it just happened to work out that we could both go when we did.

I haven't gotten into the controversy surrounding this movie. When I was growing up, Marvel's Captain Marvel was a black woman named Monica Rambeau. Carol Danvers was either Ms. Marvel, a cosmic powered entity called Binary or for a while, without powers thanks to the X-Men Rogue. The House of Ideas has been trying to make the Carol Danvers Captain Marvel their flagship character for the past several years. And while I think Marvel would have hit a home run berthing Rambeau with the moniker again, I've been okay with the move.

What I haven't been okay with is the trolling. It's not just white males upset that a woman is getting her own movie. The stars and producers of this film have been trolling just as much too. The fighting on social media has turned politica,l in a sort of misogynist vs feminism kind of battle, much like what was going on the 70s with the thwarted attempt to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. And it's really tiring...

Oddly enough, people seemed more open in the 1980s to a black, female Captain Marvel than to a white female Captain Marvel today. Our world has become a toxic environment of a war of words in which the battleground is all platforms of social media. Besides, I am more concerned about Marvel and Disney's fudging of sales numbers than what version of superhero is on the screen. 

I've been investigating for the past year of so on this blog and sister website Outrightgeekery, both company's manipulation of sales numbers for both comic books and films. As of press time for this review, some allegations of Disney and Marvel lying about packed movie theaters and fake mass ticket purchases of Captain Marvel have come to light on other websites. It appears that some theaters were having entire showings purchased as a sell out but nobody actually showed when it was showtime. 

If this happened once or twice, I could see it as maybe somebody wrote the date and time wrong and an entire company outing was ruined. But this sort of thing is supposedly happening nationwide in multiple cities. I'm really hoping that Disney and Marvel didn't pull some sort of pyramid scheme in which to make Captain Marvel a success in some sort of play to make right-wing trolls look stupid. The comic book industry is too fragile right now for some sort of scandal such as this. You can be sure that I will be looking into this further when week 2's numbers drop next Sunday.

Now for the review of the film...

Captain Marvel stars Brie Larson (Kong: Skull Island) in the title role. Her character begins the film as a member of the Kree Special Forces. Larson's character is referred to as Vers, with no idea who she really is- just fractured memories. During a mission to infiltration a Skrull enclave, Vers is taken aboard their ship and interrogated. 

Findings from Vers' memory lead the Skrull to Earth. Vers manages to disable the ship but not before she is marooned on the third rock from the sun. Looking for a way to make contact with the Kree, Vers makes an unlikely ally in SHIELD agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Together, they must uncover the Skrulls hiding in plain site as they are a race of shape shifters, while finding a way to get Vers back home. Or is she already there?

That's all of a synopsis of Captain Marvel you are going to get. The movie is a prequel to every MCU movie (with exception of Captain America: The First Avenger). Over a decade of films have left a slew of dangling plot-lines and unanswered questions of which Captain Marvel does a decent job of answering most. 

Captain Marvel is one-part cosmic odyssey and one-part espionage caper. I've always been more of a fan of Marvel's cat-and-mouse spy stuff over their intergalactic fare. So for me, the best parts involved Nick Fury and Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson, both looking quite young to some CGI magic. 

The movie run just over 2 hours long of which I felt was about 15 minutes too long. Marvel Studios clearly has done some updating of their special effects, after some really poor showings in scenes of Black Panther and Ant Man And The Wasp. However, some fight scenes got repetitive, especially towards the end. That third act just seemed to go on forever and ever and ever.

Captain Marvel was blasted for having a anti-male SJW tone. And while this is a film with a strong female lead, it's not man-hating as some feared. In fact, I feel that some web sites are trying to find hidden messages to claim the film was more feminist that it really was. I refuse to believe that Vers' destruction of a poster for the 90s film True Lies was an attack on a 'racist and misogynist action flick' and more of an answer to director James Cameron's repeated hatred of comic book movies.

If Marvel hadn't decided to fight dirty back at the trolls by fighting dirty, this film wouldn't be so controversial. I also think Marvel/Disney got scared that the trolls would scare away viewers as signs of superhero movie fatigue made the last Ant-Man movie be the first 'bomb' from Marvel Studios.

I still believe that Disney and Marvel are doing something shady with their ticket numbers. The theater I went to confirmed that literally every showing from Friday-Monday were less than half full. Yesterday's 7pm showing had 12 people! Only the Thursday midnight premiere was a sell-out; though only 2/3 of ticket holders actually filled the seats. True, it was midnight on a workday. So, we'll see with the week 2 ticket sales if Captain Marvel was truly a hit or miss.

With Supergirl, Catwoman and Wonder Woman all having beat Captain Marvel as the first female superhero films, I don't think the cultural impact of this picture was as huge as that of Black Panther. While the debate is still unsettled as to whether superhero fatigue has truly set in at the box office, Captain Marvel proved one thing: it's time for a Nick Fury movie!

Yes, Brie Larson is the star of this movie and she does a great job Yet, I was more interested in SHIELD. Both Jackson and Gregg were fun to watch as SHIELD agents in their heyday. However, the actors who stole the movie went by only one name- Reggie, Archie, Rizzo and Gonzo: the four feline actors who played the role of Goose the cat!  What can I say? I'm a cat person. Plus, I kinda want to see a movie starting him and some of the other famous animals in Marvel Comics history!

Captain Marvel was good. Better than I expected and not a preachy as some claimed it would be. From now on if you want to see films about superheroes or comic books, do yourself a favor- stay away from social media. And if you can't do that, then unsubscribe to those media outlets that are liking to fan the flames of dissent and cause fanboys to go for the jugular. It will make your movie going experiences that much more enjoyable if you do!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Slapstick #2

  At a college football game, a menacing warrior named Bro-Man arrives on earth from the same dimension that gave Slapstick his cartoon powers.     The foe demands to battle earth's champion. After disposing of several vivisected security guards and the home team's mascot, it looks like Slapstick is the only person capable of opposing this foe. But the newfangled mercenary doesn't do assignments like this for free. That is unless the agents of SHIELD's new inter-dimensional task force has anything to say about it.

    This web comic-cum-paper series just keeps getting funnier and funnier. It's also pretty dark and there's ample amounts of gore and insanity. I love this series. It's perfect for me! 

     I'm very impressed with this series. There literally are no rules here and it's not predictable in the least. For a newly rebooted Marvel Universe fraught with quite a few missteps, this is a underappreciated example of something the House of Ideas actually got right.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
     
      

Deadpool by Posehn & Duggan, Volume 3

    Deadpool's search for the daughter he didn't know he had continues. But before Wade can enact some blood-soaked revenge on those who've manipulated his past the Merc with a Mouth, he's got a little trip to take- down the aisle to holy matrimony. Though, based on who Deadpool's mystery bride is, should I say it's unholy?
    Before the 'I Do's', Deadpool is thrown the most epic bachelor's party aboard the USS Essex. After the 'I Do's', Deadpool and bride go on a honeymoon to Japan. Needless to say, neither locale will ever be the same again and probably had to be condemned afterwards.
    Deadpool's extensive and often confusing origin are explored in length in this omnibus edition. During an Original Sin crossover event, Agent Preston is shown visions of Deadpool's missing daughter while her partner Agent Adsit is shown a harrowing account of the death of Wade's parents. Meanwhile Deadpool is sent back in time to the 1950s in order to save Nick Fury from being assassinated by a time-travelling Adolf Hitler!
    Folks, you can't make this stuff up- that is unless you're authors Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan. The duo has often been criticized for being too zany in their stories. But zany and bizarre- isn't that the essence of the anti-hero?
     An insane collection of Deadpool tales that shed about as much light on the troubled mutant as it does muddy the waters a little bit more. But that's okay as I don't think we're ever supposed to really know Wade Wilson. Deadpool has got to have some surprises least he's just not that entertaining to read.

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

   This omnibus edition collects the following: Deadpool #26-34 and Annual #1.

Steve Rogers: Captain America #1

 

 While DC's Rebirth was breaking all sorts of sales records last week, it was this issue that stole all of the press. Steve Rogers: Captain America #1 is perhaps the most controversial comic since that variant issue of Batgirl in which the Joker was holding the heroine hostage a la the Killing Joke. Now I normally stay away from spoilers but the big reveal of this issue has been so hyped, you'd have to have been living under a rock to miss the twist. So, you've been warned…

  On the very last page it's revealed that Steve Rogers is a secret member of the terrorist cell, HYDRA!!! Both series writer Nick Spencer and edited Tom Brevoort both claim that Steve has been a member since before becoming the Sentinel of Liberty in 1940. HYDRA Steve’s not a clone, not a Skrull, and not an imposter.

Well, with the stunning final page and the assurance that this is not a sales ploy, the internet did what is does best in these situations- it lost it’s collective sh*t! Nick Spencer received death threats. Fans vowed to disown Marvel and never acknowledge this version of Captain America. And everyone from Stan the Man to the man himself, Chris Evans weighed it on the twist ending.

  So what about me- the Madman who has been a Captain America fan ever since he can remember? Cap and Superman have vied for the title of my #1 superhero of all-time since I could read and I would go back and forth all the time. For the past decade, Cap has held that role firmly without fail and the reason why is simple- his very essence has been unwavering.

  Since September 11, Superman has been portrayed more as a god amongst men that as the living embodiment of the American immigrant- seeking truth, justice, and the American Way! But Steve Rogers no matter when he abandoned his role as Captain America to become Nomad: The Man Without a Country or was suddenly turned into a physically old man- he was an American patriot through and through.

So, what’s my take on the revelation that Steve Rogers is a traitor? Well, let’s review the plot momentarily.

   Recently having regained his youth, Steve Rogers shares the title of Captain America with the Falcon. A SHIELD prison facility had a massive break-out and Steve and his girlfriend, Sharon Carter, seek to bring the super-villain prisoners back into custody. Amongst the villains is the nefarious Baron Zemo, whose pretty pissed that the Red Skull has become the defacto leader of HYDRA during his imprisonment.

  Meanwhile, flashbacks to the 1920s show the level of abuse Steve and his mother endured at the hands of the alcoholic Mr. Rogers. If not for the help of a mysterious woman named Elisa, who knows how far Steve’s father may have went on this latest bender. She eventually takes the two out for dinner as it is evident that the mother and child haven’t eaten in days.

  While these events unfold in the past, Cap catches up with Zemo who is holding an important scientist hostage. Zemo escapes but not before the Captain America wannabe, Jack Flag stumbles in on Steve. Steve apologizes to Flag and then kills him (or least, we are made to think he did.) Just as Steve reveals that he is a HYDRA agent, in the past we see that Elisa is a member of HYDRA and invites Mrs. Rogers and Steve to the next community meeting.

 My theory is that this Elisa person is manipulating the timeline. I would bet money that Elisa is Madame Hydra and she went back in time to make Steve Rogers a minion of the terrorist cell. My reasoning: Elisa keeps mentioning that Steve will be someone important one day. So, it’ll play out for a while that Steve’s a baddie and then Sharon and Falcon and maybe Bucky will have to go back in time to save the day. Thus Steve both isn’t and is a HYDRA agent at the same time. But again, that’s just my theory.

  When I first learned of Steve’s betrayal, I must admit, I was shell shocked. I struggled with it long and hard and then I decided to stop listening to the masses and read the book. This was one of the best Cap stories since Ed Brubaker was in charge during the Winter Soldier storyline. I was impressed with it, but I was also a bit scared of the story.

  The Red Skull’s rhetoric reads just like posts linked to my Facebook feed from angry family members and friends- immigrants are taking our jobs, Europe’s overrun by refugees, the government doesn’t want to protect us. Basically, everything the Nazi villain stands for, the Republicans have been blamed of doing. I’m not going to choose sides or attack one political party over another. No, my point of being scared because of this issue is that Americans are angry- not just Republicans, but Democrats too. The whole nation seems ready to fall apart and when a great source of escapism like comics, is so blurred with reality, well to me, it means that things really are in dire straits.

   I’m looking forward to see where this series goes next. Cap is still my all-time fav for now. But time will tell if Steve Rogers remains a HYDRA agent or not. Sadly, there are too many so called ‘fans’ out there who forget that stories in comics aren’t solved in 32-pages anymore but over the course of several months. Be patient folks, the best of Steve Rogers may be yet to come!

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Indestructible Hulk, Volume 4: Humanity Bomb (Marvel NOW!)

 

    With the destruction of Attilan, the Inhumans' reserves of terrigen mist have been unleashed upon an unsuspecting populace. Anyone with even the slightest bit of Inhuman DNA is in danger of transforming into an unimaginable assortment of beasts, mutated humans, or even a super-powered hero like the Kamala Kahn Ms. Marvel. Leading the charge for a cure is Bruce Banner and his think tank of scientists at SHIELD. However, when it's revealed that Banner's cure is in the form of yet another bomb, the Avengers have visions of gamma disaster that created the Hulk. In other words, Iron Man, Beast, and Ant-Man typically act before they speak and massive carnage ensues.

   Unfortunately for one of Banner's team, the cure unlocks their latent Inhuman potential and is transformed into a ferocious monster that feeds on anger. How will the Hulk be able to stop the newest member of the Inhuman family when this new foe keeps siphoning away any trace of rage and continuously reverts the Hulk back into a human? For once, Bruce Banner will have to save the day!

   This volume marks the end of the Stan Lee/ Jack Kirby Hulk. Up next are the reality changing events of Secret Wars that reboots the original Marvel Universe in DC Comics Crisis fashion for the first time ever. Unfortunately, the ending left me really confused as the volume ends with a cliffhanger and the promise to be continued in Hulk #1!

   What Hulk #1 is it? Is it Totally Awesome Hulk which star wunderkind Amadeus Cho taking on the role of the Green Goliath? Or is the answers to the end of this series found in one of the many one-shots and miniseries that accompany the Secret Wars storyline? For the sake of spoilers, I've not been able to find out what happens next. (But, folks, if you know- please feel free to spill the beans. Because I have to know what happens next!)

   Another Marvel NOW! triumph by Mark Waid with a cool Bruce Banner/ Tony Stark team-up by Jeff Parker.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Indestructible Hulk, Volume 4: S.M.A.S.H. Time (Marvel NOW!)

 

    Disappearing Airports... Rampaging Dinosaurs... Invading armies comprised of Vikings, pirates, and P-47 Thunderbolts... Someone is messing with time and only the Hulk can save it! 

    Because his gamma radiation can withstand the destructive currents of the time vortex, the Big Green Machine will team up with some of your favorite Marvel heroes of yesteryear in order to save tomorrow. But since the Hulk isn't really known for keeping on task, he'll be aided by a drone that comprises the brain patterns of Bruce Banner. For the first time ever- it's mighty Hulk and puny Banner teamed together to save time itself. Yet there's a caveat- should the Hulk calm down at any point during his quest, he'll morph back into his human self, stuck in a vegetative state  somewhere past unable to reconnect with his Banner persona.

   This volume was a fun ride. I love stories about time travel and this chapter of the Indestructible Hulk doesn't disappoint. Guest-starring the Black Knight, Kid Colt, Betty and Thunderbolt Ross, and a slew of characters that exist in the Marvel Universe's past, I was so stoked. I only wish that Hulk traveled to more time periods and meet further characters (maybe a few real-life historic figures too!) 

   This volume was written by Mark Waid, who I've really become a fan of with his work on latest runs of Daredevil. He's known as the only man to have ever read everything ever published about Superman. Well, I must say I think he's done quite a bit of reading up on the Marvel Universe as Waid crafted a story that paid loving tribute to the Marvel Age of Comics created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and many more comics legends. 

   Aiding Mark Waid is the stunning Mateo Scalera (Black Science.) His ability to capture 1,000s and 1,000s of years of history in a seamless setting of time periods was awesome. Plus, I think he stole some designs from his work on Black Science as the suits worn by some of the time travelers looked very similar to that of the time displaced crew of that crafty Image series.

   It's a nearly flawless time traveling romp that pays homage to the Hulk family.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #10

 It seems that even a suave superspy can't enjoy a peaceful Christmas Eve at their bachelor pad. Col. Fury is called upon SHIELD to save the world from the Hate-Monger. The villain's plan is to drop a germ warfare bomb upon the Big Apple. Upon detonation, the missile would release a contagion eventually wiping out the 'inferior' races of planet earth. With time running out, Nick Fury will meet the enemy in earth's orbit. But if he's not able to stop the Hate-Monger before the clock strikes Midnight over Manhattan, this will be their last Christmas ever...

   When I last encountered the Hate-Monger it was in the pages of Fantastic Four (#s 21-22). Seemingly, the foe had died but this is comic books and well bad guys don't tend to stay deceased for long. But the Hate-Monger's return wasn't the only thing that perplexed me about this issue.

    I bought Nick Fury #10 for a song. Not in great shape, but to pay only $4 for an original 1969 reader's copy with the cover still intact is not a bad deal. Being complete like that, this book shouldn't be missing any pages. Yet my copy started on page 4. There was no splash page, no title, and no credits. Why the book even starts off with Fury beating the crap outta a group of punks for no apparent reason.  

   Now artist/ writer Jim Steranko was known to be very experimental with his books- especially Nick Fury. So, having the book start in the middle of the action with no warning might have been one of his tests. If so, it failed completely on me because I spent a lot of time trying to find the title page elsewhere in the comic.

   (And for those of you saying that this book was an error with pages missing from the print run or that they were torn out- there is no evidence of any ripped pages and the book has a definite ending and the ubiquitous letters page and Stan's Soapbox editorial are both included at the end of this issue. So, there... But if anyone could scan me those missing pages, that'd be sweet!)

    Regardless of the strange beginning, this was a fun read. The art was classy and very Steranko. The painted cover is so retro cool! The dialogue was a little cheesy but so were most spy films of the era. Plus, it's a Christmas themed issue, people! That's like printed gold.

    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Thor, Volume 2: Who Holds the Hammer? (Marvel NOW!)

 

  The saga of the female Thor continues in volume 2. The new hero has yet to give up her war against Roxxon and the Dark Elf, Malekith, who are divvying up the mineral rights to all of the nine realms. But Thor's most recent attack may have upset a clandestine SHIELD investigation by Agent Roz Solomon.

     Meanwhile, the Odinson is still seeking to discover the real identity of Lady Thor. With list in hand, the former God Of Thunder will revisit some old flames, ancient foes, and some painful memories.

    I am enjoying the new take on Thor. Essentially, the original Thor is still the same prideful powerhouse he once was, only he is without his ability to control the elements and his hammer, Mjolnir. But the title is called Thor and really the woman who now bears that title really shares the book almost equally with the Odinson.  I don't mind this. But I am surprised that more fans of the popular title haven't cried foul about it.
    
  One interesting thing about the change of Thor's is that it is hinted that Odinson might not even be the first God of Thunder. He certainly hasn't been the last what with Beta Ray Bill and Thunderstrike temporarily wielding Thor's hammer in the past. (By the way, if you have yet to learn who the new Thor is, you will get your answer by book's end.)

     Included in this volume is Thor Annual #1. It features a classic version Thor adventure, a first meeting between the Warriors Three and the new Thor, along with a tale of the Highfather Thor and his granddaughters. (Could this mean a return of Odinson to the mantle of Thor or does this take place in an alternate timeline?)

    Speaking of alternate time streams, this edition closes with a classic issue of one of my All-time favorite series from the late 70s. But I don't want to expound too much on just what is contained in the classic reprint least I give away the female Thor's true identity to those readers still not in the know.

    A good book that is in a sort of limbo for me as the Marvel reboot storyline Secret Wars takes place next. I really have no idea when I may return to this book since the Secret Wars series has yet to be completed due to numerous and lengthy delays.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Pulse #8

   Jessica Jones, in a bid to find Luke Cage after he was kidnapped from his hospital bed, returns to their apartment in hopes of uncovering clues as to his whereabouts. Assisting her is Ben Ulrich, whose been in constant contact with an informant at SHIELD which is in turmoil following the ousting of Nick Fury as its Director head. The superspy's absence has created a power vacuum of which fringe organizations such as Hydra and AIM are more than happy to fill. Will Jessica turn to one of these groups in order to find the answers she is looking for and more importantly, her boyfriend?

   A great issue that reads like a game of cat and mouse or cloak and dagger. Just about every major espionage organization in the Marvel U is represented here. With SHIELD literally impotent without Nick Fury, the representative at Hydra makes a compelling case for filling in the void. Unfortunately, that means that the world would be made free from democracy under the watchful eye of a fascist organization.

   It's scary stuff if you stop to think about it. Leave it to the great Brian Michael Bendis to make comics not just entertaining but thought provoking.


    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.