Captain America, Volume 5: The Tomorrow Soldier (Marvel NOW!)

    With the Super Soldier serum removed from his body, Steve Rogers rapidly aged to a man of 70. No longer able to wield the shield, Rogers will have to rely on his allies in SHIELD, The Avengers, and the Falcon to save the day when Armin Zola returns from Dimension Z. Zola seems to be in search of his long lost daughter who betrayed him when she fled to our dimension with Captain America. However, there's more to Zola's scheme than meets the eye and it will take some unexpected guests from Zola's pocket universe to save the day.
 
    In my opinion, the was the best Captain America story of all-time. If Steve Rogers never regained his youth or super-powers, I would be perfectly happy with how the story ended. I loved it. The art was very good. Artist Carlos Pacheco does a fantastic job capturing the style and feel of John Romita Jr. from the 'Castaway From Dimension Z' storyline. It's beautiful stuff!

    Now I want to talk about replacements. If you've kept up with pop culture news in the past few months that you know that someone else is the new Sentinel of Freedom. It's not much of a spoiler as it was on the news and many other news-type outlets, like Yahoo! Steve's replacement is the Falcon and at first I was disappointed about it.

    I don't care that the new Captain America is black. There was a great story published about 15 years ago called Truth: Red, White, and Black in which blacks are used as medical fodder in hopes of replicating the process that turned Steve Rogers into the Super Soldier.  One success becomes Captain America and is used in missions in Italy. It's an awesome chapter in the rich history of Captain America. Then in Young Avengers, the grandson of said Cap is inspired to become the Patriot. He's a great character and the perfect leader for that team.

   So a black Captain America isn't new to me. It's just that I didn't feel it was necessary to have a new Captain America again so soon. It's not even been 10 years since Bucky Barnes was Captain America. I felt that maybe Marvel had run out of ideas or something and I didn't want Steve Rogers to take a dirt nap again. But the way Sam Wilson is granted the right to become Cap while allowing Steve Rogers the dignity to become the new tactical advisor for the Avengers was the right way to transition these dynamic characters while tying up the latest Captain America series.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

New Avengers, Volume 4 (AVX tie-in)

   This volume of New Avengers takes place during the Avengers Vs. X-Men crossover event from 2012. Most books, that are tied into a crossover miniseries such as AVX, are considered filler just to make an extra buck. The theory is that if you slap the name of the crossover on the cover, then fans are going to swoop up and buy everything labelled as such, even if the reader has no interest in the title or characters involved. More often than not, the supposed supplemental crossover title has little to nothing to do the miniseries in question.  For many fans, this is the norm and it's an infuriating waste of time and/ or money!

   

   This volume is actually different from the norm!

    In volume 3, Jessica Jones took her baby and left the New Avengers, fearful for its safety. Now Luke Cage must decide where his allegiances lie- with his team or his wife and child. Meanwhile, Captain America has called upon the New Avengers to assist with the Avengers in the coming crisis- the return of the Phoenix Force! 

    

    The X-Men believe a young girl with fiery red hair is destined to become the next Phoenix and lead the mutant race into an era of prosperity. The Avengers fear that she may go all "Jean Grey" and destroy the earth. Added to the mix, the monks of the Order of the Iron Fist think she could be the next Iron Fist and is meant to defend the Earth from the Phoenix or an entirely different force of evil all together.

     The best thing about this book is that it does a very good job keeping the reader informed of the goings on of the AVX miniseries. After about 4 issues of a chronological progression of the storyline, the time line jumps. In one issue, Captain America summons the Illuminati in hopes of swaying X-Men ally Prince Namor to the Avengers side. Then there's a trippy single issue tale about the captivity of several New Avengers in the throes of the X-Men. The final story takes place days after the climax of AVX. It has an X-Man in custody and the New Avengers having to protect him from the holy rolling, mutant-hating Purifiers. 

 

    That story will culminate with Cage deciding once and for all where his loyalties lie. His decision will impact the future of the team. More importantly, it's going to have me rushing to the library for volume 5. Now if I can only get my hands on the AVX miniseries...

    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

   

Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow's Avengers, Volume 2

 

When the original Guardians of the Galaxy were cancelled in 1977 with issue #12 of Marvel Presents, many assumed that was the last of the team. I was one of those when I finished Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow's Avengers, Volume 1. I should have known if there's a volume 1 then there must a volume 2. But that's not always the case as some Marvel Essentials such as Marvel Super-Villain Team-Up were issued as a volume 1 without there ever being any material for a second volume. A couple of weeks ago I finally got my answer as I found volume 2 at my local library.
 
  Volume 2 is a cornucopia of different series and issues. It starts with an annual from the first series of Mighty Thor. That tale begins with a prequel of sorts to the Korvac Saga. In this issue, a man in the year 3000 is turned into a living computer and has his sights on conquering the world. Thor is transported to the future and ends up teaming with the Guardians.

    With the prequel to the Korvac Saga comes the complete Korvac Saga from the pages of the Avengers. Fans of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, take note, if you own this book and you're looking for the Complete Korvac Saga- stop right there! It's in this volume and you will not need to buy that series as the trade-only epilogue and the complete set of Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe entries regarding the Guardians and Korvac from that edition are included as well! Plus, every variant cover to the Korvac Saga trade and some cool sketch pages are added as well.

    In addition to the Korvac Saga ( sometimes referred to as the Michael Saga) are several issues from Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One. Most of those tales wrap up the end of the Adam Warlock Saga, exploring what happened to his body and the final fate of Counter-Earth. The art in those issues, especially of Warlock's potential mate, Her, and the High Evolutionary are some of the best of the late Silver Age I've ever seen. Yes, the artwork has been remastered but with it's vibrant colors and high-quality paper stock, this is museum level stuff. Then the Guardians re-team with the Thing in a two-parter that explores Lance Astro taking a risk with all of space-time by trying to prevent his teenage self from becoming an astronaut. It's probably my favorite story in this massive volume.

    These final tales wrap up the last of the Guardians appearances in the Marvel Universe until 1990. Well, there was a one-panel appearance of the team in the pages of Sensational She-Hulk. Fret not, that's included in this definitive guide to the second half of the Guardians first trip through the Marvel Universe.

     Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Treasury Special: Giant Superhero Holiday Grab Bag

The phrase 'Holy Grail of Comics' is used quite a lot lately amongst comic book collectors. Oddly enough, it's perhaps the most un-nerdy of films that coined the phrase. The film in question is a little gem that my wife just loves called 'Coyote Ugly.' In the film, the lead character meets a guy and for a date works at a fish market. For payment, the guys received a bag and is very secretive to let her know what's inside. After she accuses him of buying drugs, the guy pulls out a mint copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129- the first appearance of the Punisher, proclaiming that the book is the "holy grail of comics.

   Whether that particular issue is the holy grail has been up for debate. But now, fans of all ages will tell you of that one special book that would make their collection complete or at least until the next holy grail pops up. For me, it's Action Comics #252- the first appearance of Supergirl. It's not that I'm a huge fan of the hero but when I was younger, I actually got that issue for my 12th birthday. I've since lost it but would love to have my hands on it again one day.

   Action Comics #252 is expensive. I probably won't be getting my hands on it anytime soon. But a couple of months ago, I had the chance to purchase what many readers consider their holy grail. The book in question is the 1974's Giant Superhero Holiday Grab Bag.

   The book isn't so much hard to find as it's almost impossible to locate in good condition. There're several reasons for this. First, the book, published as part of the Marvel Treasury Series, was gigantic. It was about 3x the size of a normal comic. Roughly about the size of a Life Magazine, it was not easy to store. Finding a plastic bag in which to store it was even harder to find and most bags at the time weren't air tight or treated to prevent it from the elements or light. Secondly, the pages were stapled, but the stack was glued along the spine. After 40 years, that glue has all but dried up and to find a copy of the Grab Bag with the cover still attached without new glue or added tape is rare as well.

    The copy I found was in beautiful shape. The cover is pristine but also is no longer attached to the spine. Plus, the papers inside are nicotine yellow in color. For only $8.00 plus shipping on Amazon, it was a tremendous deal. When I got it in August, I shared some pics of it with my now jealous friends on Facebook and made a goal with myself to hold out on reading this book until Christmas Eve.

     The Marvel Grab Bag contains 5 stories, but they're not all holiday themed. This is actually forgivable even amongst the staunchest of collectors. By 1974 standards, a Christmas themed comic was rarely done by Marvel, but not unheard of.

    The first story is a Christmas-themed reprint of Marvel Team-Up #1 starring Spider-Man and the Human Torch who're both on the trail of the sinister Sandman. Then in a classic Daredevil story, the Sub-Mariner seeks Matt Murdock to represent him in a court of law in hopes of suing the human race for taking over all of known dry land. Then we get back to the holidays with a Black Widow story about a teen who seeks her help in fleeing a cult. That story is a bit of a downer, but the art was quite good.

     The final story was a two-parter from Fantastic Four issues #24-25. This story teams up the Avengers with Marvel's First Family against the might of the Incredible Hulk. For years, this issue was sought after just for this tale which was reprinted here for the first time ever.

    Lots of fans I know want this issue because it was under their tree when they were kids. I wasn't quite born yet for this issue to have been a gift, but I dreamed of this book as a kid, seeing it at conventions, shops, and in ads in back issues. There are a few other books in this format from both DC and Marvel and I want them. So what if not every story is holiday related or that I've read a couple of these stories before. This book brought back memories and above all, made me feel like a kid again.

     Hopefully, if you'll ever get your hands on this collection, you might get to enjoy some of that Christmas magic that I enjoyed when reading this.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Universe LIVE! A Reveiw, Part 2

The next Avengers film isn’t due till next year. That means roughly 3 years is going to span between the first movie and its sequel. What a way to keep kids and fans interested but by producing a live action show that keeps the Avengers, Loki, and the Tesseract in the minds of potential movie goers. I also loved that Marvel Universe LIVE! used the many of the voices of the characters from the cartoons. Drake Bell voices was dubbed for Spidey! Adrian Pasdar was speaking for both Tony Stark and Iron Man! Very clever! And the production made sure to use characters from recent Marvel films including the Extremis soldiers and Electro in order to bridge the gap between this show and the movie universe.

Before I sign off, I just want to let you know that you shouldn’t come to this show expecting things to be cheap. Parking was $15 a person and I expect some places like Chicago, Vegas, and New York will be even more pricy. But when you get inside is when things really hit you. For the same price of my parking, you can get a bag of cotton candy and a foam mask of Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-man, or Hulk. The mask is really cool but as my wife pointed out “the day I pay $15 for a bag of cotton candy is the day you need to get my head examined.” Super-hero themed snow cones, lollies, and other sweets are around the same price range.

If you’ve read my blog, you know I am a big fan of t-shirts. Marvel Universe LIVE! Was no exception. They had some sweet ones. But at $30 a pop for an adult shirt, I could buy 3 really nice tees at Wal-Mart (5 if I check out their clearance racks!)

  This doesn’t mean that there wasn’t some really cool merchandise that I wanted or that I didn’t buy anything. I highly recommend the Souvenir Booklet. It’s a full colored book that one part program and one part activity/ trivia book. There’s tons of great artwork but very few live-action shots. Actually, there aren’t any except for a ‘behind the scenes’ section. I would’ve liked to have a few pictures of the show in action. As you can tell, my pics are not the best quality. Maybe the show is too new for this. Another reason to get the book however is the free prequel comic book that comes with the booklet. It’s not available unless you buy the booklet. Plus, I give major kudos to Feld Entertainment for presenting the comics bagged and boarded.

Sure, you can see the wires. Granted, the one-liners were corny. Yeah, paying $40 for a stuffed Hulk is a lot of money. And there was a little controversy over the run time being about 20 minutes shorter than expected. But Marvel, Feld, and of course, the House of Mouse put on a great show. I left the show on a high, ready to save my little corner of the world.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Universe LIVE! A Review, Part 1

Last night for an anniversary present, my wife took me to go see the new live action production of Marvel Universe LIVE! My wife was a little concerned that it was going to be too childish and that I wouldn’t enjoy it. But I had a blast!

The show is about 2 hours and is a mix between the Circus, Circe du Soleil, a live action comic book, and a motocross competition! Produced by Felt Entertainment, the creative minds behind Ringling Brothers Circus, Monster Jam, and Disney on Ice, there’s tons of pyro, explosions, and great special effects too!

The story involves the cosmic cube. Thor, having snatched it from his evil brother Loki, smashes the cube into 3 pieces. In response to the loss of the cube, Loki has created a clone of the cube and powers it by having kidnapped some of the X-Men. This new cube forces the Avengers to Assemble and they are joined by Wolverine and Spider-man in the search and rescue efforts.

The Avengers determine that they must split off into 3 groups in order to finding the cosmic cube fractals if they want any chance of defeating Loki. This Justice League style move allows the viewers to see their favorite super heroes face some of their biggest foes- AIM, Hydra, and The Sinister Six are just a few of the biggest baddies in the Marvel Universe popping up in this production.

I don’t want to go into too much more detail about the plot as Marvel Universe LIVE! Is a fairly new production. My site city of Raleigh, NC was just the 2^nd stop in a tour that will travel to almost 100 cities nationwide over the next 2 years. But, I hope that these pics will inspire you to check out the show. However, the entire production was a stroke of marketing genius.

   

Damage Control (Series 3) #4 of 4

From the Big Screen to the Cosmic Theatre, the gang from Damage Control is summoned to the far reaches of space/time reality in order to bring down a threat that only someone with an eye for detail can fix. It seems that Edifice Wreaks has done such a great job cleaning up the asteroid belt that he’s now got his sights on cleaning up any and everything that isn’t perfect. That will mean the end of reality.

Featuring just about every major league cosmic biggie in the Marvel Universe, this issue signals the end of the original Damage Control miniseries. Galactus, Silver Surfer, Order & Chaos, The Collector, Death, and Infinity all form a tribunal with Damage Control in hopes of saving the universe. Sadly, this assortment of guest stars, including cameos from various Avengers and New Warriors, wasn’t enough to save the experiment that was Damage Control and earn it the permanent monthly series status it well deserved.

True, this isn’t the end of Damage Control. They’ll pop up doing guest stints in various series and mini-series for the next 15 years until they’ll get another mini-series shot during the Hulk: Aftersmash event.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Overall Rating: 8.25

Marvel Point One, Volume 1

 

Perhaps one of the biggest arguments for people NOT getting into comic books isn’t that it’s nerdy but that there isn’t a great place to just jump in. Unless a comic book publisher does an across-the-board reboot of all of its titles, there can be quite a bit of back story that makes it hard for new readers. DC has attempted reboots about every 6-15 years since 1985, thought only Crisis and New 52 really changed everything. As for Marvel, there really hasn’t been a ‘reboot’ unless you count the beginning of the Marvel Age of Comics in 1963-64. So, what is an up-and-coming comic book enthusiast to do when there’s not really a good jumping off point?

Marvel had a brilliant idea in 2011 to create the Marvel Point One project. The idea behind these books were to create those needed ‘starting points’ for those interested in getting into comics while still crafting an interesting story for established readers. These books weren’t reboots and they didn’t retell the origins of the heroes. What they did were created a well-rounded picture of the heroes or teams featured in the comics (with a possible blurb about their origin) in order to catch up readers as to what’s been going on in the Marvel universe. Even those who’ve maybe taken a break from comics and want to jump back into the pool could benefit.

I have to admit you can’t really just read one book and get caught up on everything that’s going on in the Marvel Universe. Thankfully, the Point One books have been collected into 2 volumes. These collections help to provide a mosaic of interweaving plotlines and title-spanning relationships that can be quite maddening, even for an experience comic book reader like me. With exception of Marvel NOW! and the New 52 Batman titles, the past 5 years of comic book history is my weakest area of expertise. (It’s mostly because you don’t find a lot of modern books in dollar bins or on sale unless you really look.) ((And it helps when your library brings in new titles to read every month as they’ve been doing for the past year.)) But, thanks to this volume, I’ve got a better overview of the Modern Marvel Universe.

 I’ve only found this first volume so far. But you can believe that I am on the lookout for volume 2. I expect to be even more informed when I find it.

Point One is the beginning of Marvel’s latest dominance in the medium. They’ve continued this genius with their Marvel NOW! titles, which seek to bring the comics more in line with the movies. Marvel’s even benefitted from this experiment in bringing about new readers. Thanks to the use of Deadpool in several Point One titles, as well as a hilarious romp versus the Wrecker in the pages of his own title, I am now a fan of Wade Wilson and have added his books to my wish list.

Well done Marvel and Joe Quesada. You’ve almost made up for killing Captain America and replacing half of the Fantastic Four with imitators. Almost.

 

Worth Consuming.

Rating:  (out of 10)

• Amazing Spider-Man (1999-2014) #654.1= 10
• Avengers (2010-2012) #12.1 =9
• Captain America (2005-2011) #615.1= 9
• Deadpool (2008-2012) #33.1 =10
• Hulk (2008-2012) #30.1 =9
• Invincible Iron Man (2008-2012) #500.1= 10
• Secret Avengers (2010-2013) #12.1= 8
• Thor (2007-2011) #620.1 =9
• Uncanny X-Force (2010-2012) #5.1= 7
• Uncanny X-Men (1963-2011) #534.1= 9
• Wolverine (2010-2012) #5.1= 10

Total rating: 9.1

Avengers By Brian Michael Bendis: The Heroic Age (2012)

This massive collection features 3 Avengers stories written by living legend Brian Michael Bendis. Set at the beginning of the Heroic Age, right after the fall of Norman Osborne’s Dark Reign, the Avengers big three- Tony Stark, Thor, and Steve Rogers- are tasked to reform the Avengers and to bring back glory and honor to the privilege of being one of earth’s mightiest heroes. The stories collected in the massive tome are: Avengers (2010-2012) #1-6, New Avengers (2010-2013) #1-6, and the Avengers Prime miniseries.

I had already read the Avengers story in another form before I bought this book. I’ve read it recently, so I didn’t feel the need to read or review it again. It’s a tale that involves the Next Avengers and the Maestro Hulk. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

The Avengers Prime story sees the Big Three whisked away to another dimension. It seems like all of Asgard has been warped into a single strange topography. But, with the Norse goddess of the dead, Hela behind this strange new world, it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s real and what’s illusion. It’s an okay story. I like the mistrusting banter between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, with Thor in the background literally banging his head up against a wall. The story wasn’t my favorite which is a shame as I am a huge fan of Captain America and Thor. It was lacking the “ummph” that I just love in their stories.

The ending was bittersweet with Rogers loving and then losing a Norse woman. I would very much like to see a conclusion to that opened ended plotline.

Then there’s New Avengers. First, Ben Grimm becomes an Avenger. Love it! Then Doctor Strange and Damion Helstrom become vessels for some other-dimensional horror that’s got his sights on the Eye of Agamotto and the destruction of earth. With the Avengers in the future fighting Maestro, the New Avengers are left to save the earth. With great characters such as Spider-man, Luke Cage, his wife Jessica, Wolverine, and the Thing and their classic quips and one-liners, I loved this story. I want to very much to get my hands on the rest of the series. It’s a must read for any Avengers fan!

Overall ratings:

Avengers: 9 out of 10

Avengers Prime: 7 out of 10

New Avengers: 10 out of 10

Grand Total Rating of Book: 8.7

Worth Consuming.

Marvel Adventures: The Avengers Volume 5 Some Assembling Required

WORTH CONSUMING!

I really enjoy the Marvel Adventures series. I know they are more geared for younger readers. But, like a Disney movie, it also has something to offer for the adults. This series, while not canon, culls from the vast 50 years of Marvel Comics lore to create some fantastic stories featuring classic Avengers such as Hercules, Hawkeye, and many others, which appear fresh for kids and a welcome friend for us “old fogies”

However, I must complain as to why Marvel feels that the need to add to the cast of MA: Avengers. The lineup of Giant Girl, Wolverine, Storm, Spider-man, Capt. America, Iron Man, and The Hulk is the best line-up I’ve ever had the privilege to read about. Their powerful, witty, and have great chemistry. Now, I am afraid with these new members, that’s going to change. Only time will tell if this series thrives or fails.

Until then, it’s worth consuming!