Avengers (by Brian Michael Bendis), Volume 3

From the pages of New Avengers, the Captain Steve Rogers lead Avengers have reassembled with a new lineup in hopes of taking Norman Osborn and HAMMER down. But with public opinion of superheroes at an all-time low, will earth's mightiest heroes continue to serve the public good? Of, course they will but with a snake in the grass like Osborne, there's no limit to how low he'll stoop and how much collateral damage will be heaped upon this new team.

   I had spent so much time focusing on finishing Bendis' amazing run on New Avengers that it's been a while since I returned to his Avengers title run. I love Bendis and he can craft the hell out of anything. So, my initial lapse of memory of the previous storyline is all my fault- not his.

   The art by Daniel Acuna is phenomenal and I am convinced that I don't read (or view) enough of his work. He's got a great color palette up his sleeve and his expressions of characters are vivid and unique. It's not like looking at a Kirby piece (while still amazing) has all of the characters bearing the same face.

   This volume is full of adventure and excitement- not to mention a few jaw-dropping surprises.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

In the not too distant future, the fate of all sentient life on earth rests in the hands of the X-Men. The sentinels, a group of robotic mutant hunters designed by Bolivar Trask have become the de facto rulers of the planet. Originally design to seek and eradicate all mutant kind, the androids turned on humanity when they finally became sympathetic to the mutant plight.

    Professor X, teamed with former foe Magneto has a plan. He will transfer his consciousness back in time into his younger self in order to prevent Mystique from killing Trask and initiating the Sentinel Program. However, Kitty Pryde has never sent anyone back into time more than a few days and she doesn't believe that Xavier's highly developed brain can stand a 40 year trip through time. Thus, the rapid healing Wolverine is sent back to 1973 in order to reteam Xavier with Magneto in a combined effort to stop the shape-shifting mutant.

 Days of Future Past is based on the 1981 Uncanny X-Men storyline of the same name developed by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Except for possibly the Dark Phoenix Sage, that time traveling adventure is perhaps the most iconic X-Men tale of all time. I know the cover for Uncanny X-Men #141 surely is the most copied and tributed cover to feature Marvel mutants. Quite a bit of that seminal work is used in this film. But since when has Kitty Pryde had the ability to send people back in time? I've never seen this occur in any X-Men title and I've read my fair share!

  The film is heavy on action and adventure. I saw this film on DVD and unlike Amazing Spider-Man 2, I didn't feel like any of the CGI special effects looked fake. Even it's choreography was quite good. Especially, the character Blink and her ability to create portals in order for mutants to evade the sentinels. It was like watching poetry in motion.

   One aspect that this film got a lot of grief was over some of the casting. While we get the best of both X-Men series in this movie, including the younger and older versions of Professor X and Magneto, along with fan-favorite Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus, many hated the character of Quicksilver. The character, played by Evan Peters was criticized for being too young and immature. But, that kinda was the point of the character and his super-speed abilities were really needed to help speed up a very stagnant part of the movie. Plus, I liked that it's alluded to the Magneto might be Quicksilver's dad as in the comics.

   While I overlooked the casting choices, I did have some issues with plotting. The futuristic parts of Days of Future Past are set some time after the events of X-Men 3. We know this because, in one scene, Wolverine has flashbacks to having killed Jean Grey at that movie's end. So, how come Professor X is alive and in his Patrick Stewart body?  Didn't Jean vaporize him into a billion atoms in X3? I know that it's hinted in X3 that the Professor X took over someone else's body during the chaser scene, But wouldn't he then look different? To the film's fault, it's never explained how he got his new body back.


   There is supposed to be a director's cut of this movie, called the ' Rogue Cut' as a good 20 minutes of the character Rogue played by Anna Paquin was cut out due to time constraints. (The film is almost 2 and a half hours long.) So, maybe Xavier's return along with Magneto regaining his magnetic powers are going to be revealed in that edition on the film. I look forward to it when it drops sometime this summer.

    The ending of this film takes the X-Men franchise into two different directions. The New Class cast is due to appear in a third film, rounding out that trilogy. But I feel that the story of the original X-Men film trilogy's cast isn't over. Since Wolverine was essentially the main character link between both film franchises, hopefully, Hugh Jackman's swan song as Logan will explore just how the timeline has changed. (I hope not to spoil too much but I will say that if like me, you were angered by a certain character's death in X3, then you're going to love the end to this film.)

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #5 (1978)

  Firestorm finally battles the Hyena in this, the final issue of the first series of Firestorm. But wait, there was a cliffhanger and it told me to tune in for issue #6! What the frick?

  See,  Firestorm: The Nuclear Man was a victim of the DC Implosion of 1978. Due to poor customer sales, blamed on the dominance of Marvel and a series of blizzards that affected the Northeast, DC's sales plummeted. DC was also suffering from a bit of over indulgence, adding a whopping 57 new titles to its line-up from 1975-78! With the drop in sales, the publisher cancelled 40% of its titles as well as laying off that same percentage of employees. It's also how GI Joe scribe, Larry Hama and Marvel Fanfare genius and Firestorm co-creator Al Milgrom ended up at Marvel for their storied tenures in the Bullpen.

   If you read this blog enough, you'll know that I hate unexpected cliffhangers. But, I was prepared this time. I knew that this was the final issue in the series but that the adventures of Ronnie Raymond and Dr. Martin Stein didn't end with it. So, in a few days I'll be reviewing the remainder of this series and explaining how I was able to finish up the storyline.

   Now back to issue #5. In this supersized issue, not only does the Nuclear Man battle the menacing Hyena (and fail miserably), he's reunited with his most deadly foe- Multiplex and his seething revenge threatens to tear our hero apart.  Meanwhile, the mystery of why Ronnie's father has had to switch jobs often deepens with Ronnie discovering that his old man might not be the journeyman newspaper he's always believed him to be.

    Now with a growing conspiracy involving the Raymond family (and possibly behind mom's death), a missing teacher's assistant applicant, and the newly combined threat of the Hyena and Multiplex, it's going to take all of Ronnie and Stein's combined might as Firestorm to save the day.

To Be Continued...

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

She-Hulk, Volume 1: Law and Disorder (Marvel NOW!)

Jennifer Walters has decided to branch out and start her own private law firm. Tired of being used as a bargaining chip to lure the superhero crowd into some prestigious firms as clients, She-Hulk decides that enough is enough and that she's ready to tackle some real cases. But with a reputation of being a hot head and in possession of  only one potential case- a mysterious brief called the Blue File, it's going to take everything in her arsenal to make it on her own.

    I love She-Hulk and this collection of Marvel NOW! issues written by Charles Soule builds upon the quirky nature of the past She-Hulk series crafted by John Bryne and Dan Slott. She's funny, sexy, and brilliant in one muscular green package. But unlike her previous series, this She-Hulk is a superhero who happens to be a lawyer instead of the other way around. What I mean is that Jennifer's law practice is more of the focus of this series than her superhero antics. If you like the Batton Lash series, 'Supernatural Law' then this is a series for you just replace the monsters with superheroes.

   'Law and Disorder' is filled with some fun new characters such as Jen's new paralegal and her capuchin monkey Hei-Hei and the wacky inventor type neighbors in the business complex that She-Hulk rents her office. There's also great support added to the mix with Patsy 'Hellcat' Walker as Jen's private investigator and the feline Tigra for added muscle.

The book was perfectly written and plotted with some crafty cases. First, Jennifer attempts to settle a lawsuit for copyright infringement with ex-lover Tony Stark. Then she motions for asylum for Kristoff Vernard, the son of Doctor Doom and finally she makes time to get to the bottom of just what is the Blue File. The document lists She-Hulk and several other members of the super-powered community as defendants. Only Walters doesn't remember ever being sued by some mystery man from North Dakota. When She-Hulk and her legal team manage to go investigating they uncover that whoever behind it has taken deadly steps in preventing the case from ever being reopened again.

   Though this volume closes the lid on the Blue File, I doubt that that's the end of it. Just last week volume 2 dropped and I hope to get my hands on that really soon. This series of She-Hulk was a great read to unwind to and not be pressured with too dramatic of a story line. I just hope that the art gets better.

   The first 3 or 4 issues were drawn Javier Pulido. His style evokes that of one of my personal favorites of all-time, Mike Allred. Even the inking and color scheme was similar. But the issues involving the Blue File were penciled and inked by a different artist, one Ron Wemberly. I was not a fan and nowhere near impressed.

   Wemberly's She-Hulk looked more like an office casual Gamora, complete with those dark green eyespots that are iconic of the most lethal woman in the cosmos. I might overlook such a thing if it wasn't for the fact that just about every other character is drawn like that too. An even worse offense is that the normally sexy Tigra is drawn in such a way that she looked like my cats when I give them a bath: like a wet rat. Like I said, not a fan- and I hope the series went back to Pulido's handiwork. I guess I'll be finding out soon.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Scenes from the Raleigh Comics Show.

After having a broken foot and nursed my wife back to health with two knee surgeries, I had a much needed day to myself in my element. I went to the Raleigh Comic Book Show at the Crabtree Mariott in Raleigh, NC today. It's the first show/ con I've been to almost a year. I got to see some good friends, have some laughs, and, of course, get some good deals on comics. I also meet artist Richard Case and got my 3-issues Flash run of Legends of the DC Universe signed today! He was a really nice guy.  Below is a few pics from the show today. I'll be back tomorrow with a new review.

By the way: and would like to attend the next show, here's a link to their Facebook page.

If you live in the Raleigh, NC area,

Barnaby and Mr O'Malley FCBD 2012 (Family Comic Friday)

Created by Crockett Johnson of Harold and his Purple Crayon fame, Barnaby and Mr O’Malley is an early work comic strip about a young boy and his cigar chompin’, poker playin’ fairy godfather.

This free comic book offering from 2012 was a preview of a series of treasuries published by Fantagraphic Books. The art is clumsy, the stories ramble, and often a strip ends with a head scratcher instead of a belly laugh.

The book also ends in the middle of a tale about coffee smugglers. I hate a book to end in a cliffhanger, especially if I don’t have part 2. But, this book is aimed at little ones and I am not sure if this was a smart marketing move on the part of the publisher.  

There are two groups that I think the treasuries are aimed at. The first group are kids under the age of 10. Harold and His Purple Crayon is a brilliant series in which a young tyke creates worlds of wonder with his tiny crayon. So, building on the popularity of that series, Fantagraphic took a gamble assuming that if kids liked that Crockett Johnson series then they're going to love Barnaby. But the jokes are outdated and there are references to things like fuel rationing and nazi spies that today's kids probably wouldn't understand.

Group number two is the nostalgia crowd. Series like the Carl Banks' take on Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck have small but loyal fan bases comprised of older readers who remember those comics from childhood. With cover prices of the Barnaby books ranging from $35-$40, young folk won't be able to afford these collections. But the nostalgia crowd who have more expendable income probably can. Honestly, I really don't know of very many Barnaby fans, so I'm not sure if Fantagraphics' wager behind these books' publication paid off or not.

(Barnaby Volumes I and II are available on Amazon.)

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Countdown to Free Comic Book Day 2015

We're only 4 weeks away from Free Comic Book Day 2015. As I do every year, I will be reviewing some awesome selections from years past to build up anticipation for the greatest day of the year for comic book fans. Check in every Friday for a Family Comic Friday review. Also from time to time, I'll be posting more info and other cool stuff about free comic book day.

Enjoy!

 Here's Gotham's Robin Lord Taylor AKA the Penguin to tell you more about FCBD.