Vision and the Scarlet Witch #10

The holiday theme is scrapped for some high tension drama on the moon with Quicksilver and the Inhumans.

Pietro's wife Crystal has been carrying on an affair with Norman Webster, the realtor who sold Vision and the Scarlet Witch their home. As pollution has made the air on Earth deadly to Inhumans, Crystal has been taking a powerful medicine in order to make her carnal dalliances. But something during this liaison went wrong and Crystal fell into a coma.

Angered by his wife's betrayal, Quicksilver gathers his militia men to enact his revenge against Norman who happens to be in the Inhumans' lunar compound. He was with Crystal when she collapsed and called emergency services. Things go from bad to extremely worse with King Blackbolt banishing Pietro from his kingdom and the mutant speedster running amok on the moon in a huge tantrum!

A child of divorce, I'm on Quicksilver's side. I hate infidelity. I understand Pietro getting pissed. Though I do think it's extreme to use the entire might of the Inhuman military force to kill the guy who is boinking your wife. Those sorts of crimes of passion should be a mano a mano sort of affair. 

I understand that there's not really a March holiday that covers family issues. Being part Irish, maybe it's safe to say that the whole Crystal and Pietro drama is suited for St. Patty's Day. It's definitely a stereotype that I wouldn't make if I wasn't a partial descendant of the Emerald Isle or if it just wasn't true. Lord knows my family, both the European and Native American sides were pieces of work on par with the domestic squabbles in this book.

I know that I'm making light of things. But the subject matter really hit home. I hope Pietro and Crystal can work things out. But further research on the Marvel Wiki reveals that won't be the case. And there's a child involved. Fiction comic book or not, divorce is not an easy subject for me.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #7

So I take a little over a month off from reading the second Vision and the Scarlet Witch miniseries, to read a bunch of Christmas themed comic books to come back and read a Christmas themed issue!

I shouldn't have been surprised. Just about every issue is set during a holiday. The last issue was Thanksgiving. The month before that was Halloween. 

In this issue, we learn that the Inhuman Crystal has been spending a lot of time on Earth. It's been under the guise of helping Wanda get ready for the birth of her miracle baby. Only, Crystal has been going off on her own, conducting an affair with a human behind the back of her husband, the mutant Quicksilver.

Meanwhile, Vision has been following up on the robotic attack by the Toad's version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from the last issue. Vision catches up with the evil mutant lackey who has recently become powerful thanks to a raid on the armory of the Stranger. Toad has long pined after the Scarlet Witch when she and her brother were unwilling members of Magneto's band of villains. Now that he's got some fire power, Toad wishes to finally make Wanda Maximoff his bride. But first, Toad has to kill Wanda's husband and the Vision is not about to go quietly!

A good chapter that has some decent fight scenes while the Scarlet Witch enjoys Christmas, aloof of the battle between her husband and Toad. I could have done without the soap opera theatrics of Crystal cheating on Pietro. It's been a long time coming as Quicksilver has been more devoted to training the Inhumans' militia than being a doting husband and father. Still it's an element of this book I could have done without.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4

The first miniseries to star Vision and the Scarlet Witch comes to a close on the lunar sanctuary of the Inhumans. Vision's mind has been restored after the events that took place in issue #2, thanks to fellow hero, Wonder Man. Now the former Avenger needs to have his arm replaced and Attilan has the advanced technology to do it.

The biggest impact this issue has to the Marvel universe doesn't even involve Vision. In this issue, Wanda and her brother Pietro learn the identity of their real father. That's right issue #4 is the one that confirms Magneto is the biological father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch!

A key issue for fans of the Maximoffs or Magneto. Maybe also for fans of the Inhumans as Magneto meets his grandchild, the son of Quicksilver and Crystal. But if you are hoping for a lot of the Vision in this book, he's a secondary player in his own miniseries closure at best.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10. 

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2

Former World War II superhero, Robert Frank, the Whizzer, arrives on the doorstep of Vision and the Scarlet Witch. The 'father' of Wanda Maximoff and her brother Pietro the mutant racer Quicksilver, Frank seeks to regain custody of his son, Robert Jr., who is also the radioactive mutant, Nuklo.

Nuklo has the mind of a child due to his autism. As a result, Nuklo isn't able to control his powers which if allowed to get out of control could destroy the entire world. For some time now, Nuklo has been in a self-contained environment, under 24/7 care by specialists seeking to cure his nuclear powers. The Whizzer wants to take Nuklo to Attilan, where Quicksilver lives with his wife Crystal, in hopes of that the Inhumans with their state of the art technology might be able to save Nuklo once and for all. The aging hero believes that with the blessing of some Avengers and Inhumans, he'll be able to reclaim rights to his son and save him.

Well, Robert Frank does win rights to take his son to the Inhumans' base on the moon. Only, before he's able to remove Nuklo from the medical facility, an enemy from the Whizzer's past makes themselves known! Now it's up to Scarlet Witch and Vision to stop this foe from not only killing Nuklo but from also destroying planet earth as the enemy's attack on the autistic mutant threatens to send him into meltdown!

It's not really a spoiler to mention that the real father of Wanda and Pietro is Magneto. That's been established for quite a while. I've also known that it was believed that the Whizzer was the real father to those super-powered siblings. But I never really knew the story behind that. Nor did I know when Wanda and her brother learned that Robert Frank wasn't their real father. While both Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch have known the truth for a while, Whizzer doesn't learn the truth until this issue. We also get the back story as to why Robert Frank thinks he's their real father. 

As for Wanda and Pietro learning their true parentage, that revelation looms for another day...

Another good issue. I was hoping this issue would be Veterans Day themed, since the previous issue took place during Halloween. While the Whizzer did fight along side the Invaders during World War II as part of the Liberty Legion, thus making him a veteran, there's nothing about November 11th that fits into this being a holiday tale. 

Okay, so I was a little disappointed about that. But the story by Bill Mantlo was excellent. Lots of action and adventure. And what happens to Vision shocked the heck out of me!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #168

The Revengers: a cult-like gang that dresses as the spirit of vengeance, Vengeance. They've spread throughout the Big Apple like a virus, issuing their own warped sense of justice not just on criminals but their victims as well.

These guys kinda remind me of those vigilante followers of Batman in 2008's The Dark Knight. I wonder if this Vengeance story was in some way an inspiration for those guys to director Christopher Nolan. Regardless if that was the case or not, I'm liking the Revengers inclusion in this Vengeance heavy story that also stars War Machine!

The Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman story comes to a close in this issue and I'm very glad. The plot of a deranged paramour threatening to shoot up the school in which Julia's daughter attends should Spider-Woman reject him is just something that hits way too close to home. Just to clarify, the part about a school shooting is what triggers me. Not the part about having a stalker.

There are 2 one-shot stories that complete this issue's line-up. The Inhuman Blackbolt must choose between the safety of his people or whether to take the life of a group of humans that threaten to disrupt the relative anonymity of the Great Refuge. 

The other 8-pager stars the Asgardian Valkyrie, Brunnhilde. For some reason, Valkyrie has gone the Dr. Bruce Banner route and is wandering around the world. Well it's a good thing she is as the Asgardian warrior stumbles upon a Chinese village being held captive by a despot wielding a set of mystic gems that control the very elements of the earth!

I really didn't feel much of a connection to the 2 short stories. The Inhumans tale was wonderfully illustrated by Jeff Moore (Avengers). But it seemed like a plot that could have been solved much more differently and with much less stress. I honestly don't remember anything about Valkyrie's story. I had to look it up just to do this review. 

The Vengeance story is great. I feel like War Machine's presence is really uncalled for. But the love triangle and terse working environment between Badilino, Sam Buchanan and Rebecca Taylor is worth the price I paid for this issue. 

And yes, I am thankful that the Spider-Woman story came to an end. However, I feel like Marvel should have framed this more as a Force Works story than a Spider-Woman story. It's like the opposite of the New Warriors story that only starred one member of the team. What the heck was going on with the editing team during this stage of MCP's run?

Rating: 6 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.

Ms. Marvel, Volume 3: Crushed (Marvel NOW!)

   Ms. Marvel continues her training as an Inhuman. But that doesn't mean life is all peaches and cream for young Kamala Khan. She still has to balance her home life and school work.

    When the son of a family friend moves into the neighborhood, it appears that Kamala has been bitten by the love bug. That affection seems to be destiny when the young man is revealed to also be an Inhuman. Sadly, Ms. Marvel will have to learn the hard way that just as there are good Inhumans, there are some rotten apples in the bunch too.

   Speaking of things not being as they seem, Loki- looking younger, hipper, and apparently on the side of good and not evil, arrives in Jersey City. (OK- When did this happen?) The former god of mischief's task, appointed by his mother Frigga, is to discover if there are any more threats from Ms. Marvel's arch-enemy, the Inventor. But in classic Marvel fashion, a battle between Ms. Marvel and the reformed Asgardian trickster breaks out before the two are able to realize that they are both fighting the same side for once.

    On paper, Ms. Marvel/ Kamala may seem to be the least Marvel-like superhero title currently out. The title's star is Muslim, she's Afghani, and she's a she. But this is probably the one modern Marvel title that is written consistently in that classic Marvel House of Ideas style. Let's compare Kamala with the character that defined the classic style of Marvel, the one, the only Peter Parker!

     Both began their careers as teens. Both are outsiders mostly for being geeks. But they are both brilliant nerds and rely on those smarts to save the day. Both teens come from working-class families and that makes things like costume repair a pressing concern when money is tight. Plus, with the two being in high school, a large number of their adventures take place in public education both as students and superheroes. And of course, there's the fair share of unrequited love and teen angst.

    Are you sure Stan Lee isn't writing this series?

    Lastly, for you fans of Agents of SHIELD, this volume contains a Ms. Marvel team-up with Phil Coulson and Agents Simmons. One of the students at Kamala's school is selling stolen super-villain tech. With SHIELD on his tail, the seller is quickly apprehended. But one of his stolen wares got mixed in with some of the food in the high school cafeteria. Thus, the ever popular pizza day is going to be one that Ms. Marvel's teammates will remember for years to come.

    I'm already a fan of this series and thanks to the bonus SHIELD issue, I'm a big fan of that series too. (I've been wanting to read it but on the fence as to whether it's worth $4 to find out. It is!) The quality of the new Ms. Marvel keeps getting better and better. This series deserves some Eisner Awards and a Hugo or two. For those of you feeling that it's unpatriotic to enjoy a book like Ms. Marvel, I say it's Un-American not too. 

   The Khan's are a typical immigrant family in that they keep their old world traditions alive while being proud to become Americans. Yes- Kamala's mom and dad are afraid that their daughter will be Americanized by their new homeland, but they are just as fearful that their son will fall in with the wrong Islamic crowd (in other words militant.) Plus, I don't know of any decent parent that doesn't want to lose their child to a growing ever so dangerous world of sex, drugs, crime, or death. 

   And no- this book is not some secret ISIS training manual or propaganda for luring kids into becoming followers of Islam. If you are that concerned, maybe you should read this book with your child. It will show an interest in things they like, such as reading comics. Plus, you can then be ready to answer or further research any questions about Islam or the war on terror that might pop up afterward.

   A quality series that keeps getting better with one of the single best issues of 2015 (SHIELD #2) inside.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Ms. Marvel, Volume 2: Generation Why (Marvel NOW!)

   The adventures of the new Ms. Marvel continue. Last volume she went up against an all-new villain called The Inventor. Well, he's still on the loose and he's more determined than ever to put Jersey City's new guardian on ice! With an assortment of dangerous drones and crazy robots, Kamala Kahn and her friends find themselves targets everywhere they go. Things are going to get even more deadly when Kahn's powers start going wonky.

    In the meantime, Kamala gets some sage advice from one of her mosque leaders to find a mentor. This leads the young heroine to team-up with the least kid-friendly mutant of them all- WOLVERINE! Plus, Ms. Marvel learns of her Inhuman origins in when she becomes the proud owner of Lockjaw?!

    The combined team of writer G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jacob Wyatt continues to do a superior job in this exciting new series. The dialogue is hip and fresh and funny. The plots are original and exciting. But the art, while exciting and at times dynamic, is all over the place. Ms. Marvel has the ability to change shape so when she has giant hands or an oversized foot, I overlook it. But there are times where Kamala looks more like a muppet than a superhero.

   Like I said,  I'd excuse that type of styling if it was during a battle or something heroic. But, Kamila usually appears to look like a long lost cousin of Bert & Ernie when she drawn from a distance, doing nothing more than standing in line or drinking a soda. Are we to just assume her genetic structure is in a constant state of morphic flux or do the artists just 'phone it in' during these scenes hoping viewers like me won't notice? 

    Consider this observation that only thing keeping this volume from achieving perfection.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

What If...Annihilation (...Reached Earth?)

   Maybe this should have been part of my Annihilation Week event, but, to be honest, I didn't even remember I had this until a couple of days ago. In this alternate earth tale, Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave reach our planet because Drax failed in freeing Galactus and the Silver Surfer from his clutches.

    The invasion fleet arrives during the events of Civil War right when it appears that Captain America is about to kill Tony Stark. So when a giant bug crashes into the Empire State Building, the two opposing forces must put aside their past differences and fight together with Nova to save the planet and the rest of the universe from total destruction.

    Featuring a cast of hundreds (many of which die a gruesome death being swarmed by massively huge bugs), the real stars of this 'What If...' one-shot are the Inhumans and the Watcher, two players that don't even factor into either Annihilation or Civil War.

    The art was amazing and stunning. The story itself was just as good if not in some ways a little better than the last couple of issues of the actual Annihilation miniseries. About the only part of this book I didn't enjoy was the last couple of pages which seems to leave the story tragically open-ended. However, knowing Marvel's history of turning stories from 'What If...' into Universe-616 canon, I would be pleasantly surprised if someone one day turned XXXXXXXXXX into the next Nova. It would make for an exciting new story or even series.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out 10 stars

Uncanny X-Men, Volume 3: The Good, the Bad, the Inhuman (Marvel NOW!)

A few days ago, I had reviewed the original graphic novel X-Men: No More humans. In that review, I wondered when and in what book do the Original X-Men leave the Jean Grey School and join with Cyclops’ New Xavier School. Well, I got my answer, kinda.

While the team do start up with Cyclops and his band of mutant ‘outlaws’ the reason for why Kitty Pryde and the original, time stranded X-Men isn’t revealed here. However, I now know that for whatever reasons, the events that lead to the split occur in the cross-over event: the War of the Atom. While some of that series occurred in the pages of All-New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, and others, the 10-part story was collected in a book entitled X-Men: Battle of The Atom. So, it’s good to know that I haven’t skipped a volume or something. I just have yet to come across this one.

Once again my library hooked me up with these continuing adventures of the Uncanny X-Men. In this volume, the students have butterflies waiting for the original X-Men to show. Then the girls of the New Xavier School have a night out of the town and discover that a series of Terrigen mist bombs have been detonated and are turning people with latent Inhuman DNA into bizarre creatures. (I’m sorry, but that storyline has been done already during the DC Comics Bloodlines storyline of the 1990s. I’m glad that only one issue was devoted to that ‘original’ idea despite this volumes cover having the word ‘Inhumans’ in the title.)

After the girl’s had their fun, we see where Magneto went and he’s not happy with what’s been going on in Madripoor. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the anti-hero so vicious. But it’s a great story. But it’s not as good as the issue in which various members of the All-New X-Men get a chance to air some grievances with the adult Cyclops. It’s perhaps the best issue in the entire run of both series thus far!

Lastly, a student is kicked off the team but the Uncanny X-Men lose much more than that when the events that kicks off the All-New X-Men/ Guardians of the Galaxy crossover! I’m syked. I was looking forward to the tale at the end of No More Humans and here, I got a little taste of it.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

New Avengers, Volume 2: Infinity (Marvel NOW!)

When I read Avengers: Infinity, I thought that was the name of the volume. I didn’t know there was actually a mini-series named Infinity that that Avengers book was tied into. Why, the volume before was titled Prelude to Infinity, so I figured I wasn’t missing anything. Then I found New Avengers: Infinity. I know Marvel is really gung-ho about anything Avengers thanks to the success of the film. So, my new feeling was that Infinity was a cross-over event in all of the Avengers title. But after reading this volume, I now know that I was wrong.

I didn’t know that there was a cross-over event called Infinity- not until last night. But after finishing this volume, I was very confused and decided to research just what the heck’s going on. I got really lucky with Avengers: Infinity. The plot focus was that parallel earths were destroying each other in a sort of multi-verse battle royal. To prevent our earth from being destroyed, the Avengers went into outer space and it looked like the crisis was averted- for now.

Then I finished New Avengers. Here’s what I’m confused about:

Where did Thanos come from all of a sudden and why is he invading earth? Why are the kingdoms of Atlantis and Wakanda at war with each other? Why is the Inhuman king Blackbolt back from the dead? Better yet- why is his brother Maximus helping him rule the Inhuman kingdom? And why is Mr. Fantastic on earth?

Those last two questions are tied in to each other. The last I saw Maximus, he was being held prisoner by the Freedom Foundation and someone remarks to Reed Richards “Aren’t you supposed to be in space?” The answer is yes- Richards and his family are supposed to be lost in space and time right now, so how did he come back? The Marvel Now! books have in the past done a spot-on job of keeping continuity straight across the board from the Avengers titles to X-Men to Daredevil, Thor, and everything in-between. So, either somebody dropped the ball in the continuity department or all of the answers to my questions can be found in the pages of Infinity. I’m leaning towards the latter.

Usually when DC or Marvel has a big sweeping epic like Infinity or Secret Wars, the publisher in an attempt to cash in, will tie-in as many titles as possible to the mini-series event that they are hosting. But the rule has almost always been that you could follow your favorite comics with very little actually having to do with the events transpiring in said mini. It’s supposed to be so seamless that loyal reading would not have to read the mini-series to stay caught up. Well, it that theory worked very well for the Avengers series but it does not comply at all with New Avengers. You have to read Infinity. There’s just too much missing info to skip it.

I got this volume at my library but as far as I can tell not only does the Library not have Infinity in a collected format, I could not find evidence on stashmycomics.com that this series has been reprinted yet.

If you happen to know the answers to any of my questions please feel free to tell me. I won’t call ‘spoiler alert’ this time. I’m lost and I can’t find where I parked my car. Any help would be gladly appreciated.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Inhumans Special (The Untold Saga)

So, if you’ve ever read the early run of Fantastic Four (I’m up to about issue 150) then you’ll known that the fiery red head on the cover of this comic, Medusa, first appears as a villainess at least a dozen or so issues before the first appearances of the rest of the Inhumans. She’s not really a baddie and later will join the ranks of the FF from time to time.  I’ve always wondered why she was first a foe to the Fantastic Four and not with the rest of the Inhumans living in exile from their homeland of Attilan.

     Well, this special seeks to answer that longing question. The Inhumans Special also chronicles the fall of Blackbolt and how his traitorous brother, Maximus, claims the throne. It also goes into depth why several of the Inhumans willingly go into exile instead of kicking some Maximus butt.

   I enjoyed this book very much. I liked its ‘Secret Origin’ format. Crystal, Blackbolt, Medusa, Karnak, Gorgon, and Trigon are all here, but despite 48-pages of great storytelling, there’s so much more Inhumans lore that’s waiting to be told.

   It’s a rare time that I thought Marvel squandered a chance to insert a Marvel Handbook series of articles on the various Inhumans or chronicle the history of the race as a whole. Those articles often tire me out with voluminous entries and endless details. But this time I was clamoring for it. If this book is ever reissued, I strongly suggest Marvel include some OHBOTMU materials. It will make for an even more exciting trip through the annals of the Inhumans.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #14

   It's the Avenger Vision vs. the Fantastic Four as the android hero is manipulated into believing the quartet is hurting the love of his life, Wanda Maximoff. The story goes from fantasy to reality pretty quick with multiple shifts in the Vision’s perception filter. It makes for a hard read with some very conveinent plot devices. I’ve read better.

The second feature has Quicksilver as he learns of another type of mutant prejudice when accused of theft amongst his in-laws, the Inhumans. This story, along with the art is much better. Plus, I like the irony that a race of people subject to prejudice (the Inhumans) are more than willing to dish it out on someone different from themselves. Marvel does such a great job being preachy without being too in your face. That parable is this issues saving grace and prevents it from not being worth consuming.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.