Hold them close

With the risk of sounding preachy or mushy, or however this post may sound, like most people I was devastated by the news of last Friday.  I don't need to go into details, you all should know the story by now, nor will I go into any political or religious debate.  All I have to say is that yet again we have seen another side of the face of evil and the horrors it has inflicted upon our most innocent.  My heart and prayers go out to the victims and their families.  If you have children, you couldn't help but hold them close and hold them tight.  Tomorrow as we all go back to school and work and try to live our normal lives, please keep the people of Newtown, Connecticut in your heart.  Nothing anyone can say or do will ever truly help them heal from these wounds, but as a Nation and a people, we must put our opinions and differences aside and show real solidarity.    

Marvel Now! More rants and reviews...

    Before I begin, I would like to dedicate this post to my friends Will Griffin and Ana Moscoso who are celebrating their impending nuptials.  Congratulations!   I know you two will have a very happy, comic book filled life together. And another thanks to Will for letting me read A+X at your place after your engagement celebration party!

    A few more books have released since I last posted a review, so this is catch up time!  Since the publishers, Marvel included love flooding the market, all of these books are still available at your local shops.  If not, your shop really needs to get on the ball.  Most shops will be fairly well stocked.  Before we dive back into the world of Marvel Now!, has anyone noticed that this new initiative is really molding the Marvel line to resemble the Marvel Movieverse?  The comic book Tony Stark is acting much more like the movie version.  Pepper Potts went from being Iron Woman wanna-be (During Matt Fraction's really bad run on the Iron Man franchise) to the headstrong business woman she is in the movies.  Thor is embracing more of his Asgardian side (Which will be heavily featured in the Thor sequel).  And most telling of all, the once Movieverse exclusive S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Phil Coulson is now part of the regular Marvel Universe.    
      Not only have they introduced Coulson in the horrible Battle Scars mini-series (Again, written by Matt Fraction, whom I will talk more about at length), but the Marvel powers that be have introduced Phil's good friend, Nick Fury II.  This Nick Fury happens to be the son of the original Marvel Nick Fury and a lookalike for the movie version of Nick Fury.  Perhaps the movies will reveal the Samuel L. Jackson Nick Fury has a father who is a dead ringer for the original, grizzled old WWII Fury.  I would actually like to see that as long as the "golden age" fury isn't played by this guy....

                                                   
                                                  It looks like even Hasselhoff is running
                                                  away from the giant turd of a movie.

I was thinking about putting a clip of this movie for all to witness, but I am not that cruel.....or am I...
 
                                     
This is David Hasselhoff singing Culture Club's "Do you really want to hurt me?" to scenes of his own horrific movie.  View it at your own risk.                

Moving as far away from that as I possibly can....

Review time...

Once again, here is our MARVEL NOW! scale:  Marvel Amazing! = A special designation for one book on the list.  This is my favorite book so far.  Read more to find out which book I'm talking about. Marvel Wow! = A must read, can't miss book. Marvel Now! = A good read Marvel Maybe! = Not bad, not great Marvel No! = Don't read this crap! Marvel Never = A special designation for one book on the list.  This is the worst book!

 FF # 1:  This is the companion title to Fantastic Four and features the team of subs whom will be filling in four the original Fantastic Four as they travel time and space in search of a cure for their unstable molecules.  With what was sure to be awesome art from Mike Allred of Madman fame, I was really excited to read this book.  The sad thing is that the barely serviceable script by Matt Fraction gave Allred very few cool moments.  Seeing a rag tag group of super heroes as the Fantastic Four fill ins should be a fun experience.  This story was just boring and took far too much exposition.  I really didn't like Fraction's Fantastic Four and for some reason I like this a lot less.  If you just look at the art it is almost enjoyable.  Maybe next issue Fraction will actually give Allred something cool to draw.  MARVEL NO!

IRON MAN #2 and #3:

Okay, these books are on a twice a month schedule, a fact that had originally escaped me.  Before I knew it, both books were released.  If you read my review on Iron Man # 1 then you know that I really liked it.  It was one of the best new issues to come out.  I really wish I could say the same for Issues # 2 and # 3.  Issue one gave us a really cool build up that presented Tony Stark with a dangerous new mission, retrieve the Extremis techno virus from a group of radicals and avenge his friend's murder.  That concept alone could lend itself to a large storyline of action, intrigue and adventure that would take Tony all over the world fighting new and old villains alike, all who are utilizing the Extremis threat.  Issues 2 and 3 give us a very bare bones, watered down version of that.  Instead of chapters in a larger story, these are essentially small, self contained stories that feature the lives of other people who have come across Iron man and the Extremis threat.  Of course these stories do tie in to the story as a whole, but the flow just doesn't work.  The art is very detailed and executed in both issues.  I really like the concept of Issue 2 and the megalomaniacs who are obsessed with melding Tony Stark's Iron Man concepts with the legend of Camelot and King Arthur.  The armor designs are very enjoyable, as are the small glimpses of characterization we get, but there is just not enough to really enjoy the book and see it as a continuation of the excellent first issue.  The same can be said for Issue 3.  The redesign of old Iron Man foes is well done, but there is just no meat to the story.  The "villain" is a repentant drug lord who has purchased the Extremis virus for a very noble and personal cause.  His story is perhaps the strongest aspect of the issue and we see far too little of it.  I hope future issues can be as strong and innovative as Issue #1 was.  MARVEL MAYBE!

DEADPOOL # 2 and #3

Like Iron Man, Deadpool is released twice a month.  This is still a really fun book that I can get behind and endorse.  It has no real substance or baring to the Marvel Universe as a whole, it is just a guilty pleasure meant for sheer enjoyment.  It is very graphic and violent, but that is what has made Deadpool such a fun character in the past.  As Deadpool readies himself for war against the zombie presidents, he finds an ally in the ghost of Benjamin Franklin.  This is the book to check out for a very well crafted brain break.  Put the continuity arguments aside and just read it.  MARVEL NOW!

ALL NEW X-MEN # 2 and #3

I really didn't care that much for the first issue of All New X-Men.  As much as I liked the art and the initial concept, there was just a flat, lifeless quality to the overall issue.  Issue 2 really picked up the ball and ran with it.  While I still think Beast was acting way out of character by deciding time travel was a good idea, issue 2 explains his motivations even further when we learn that he is apparently dying.  It is very logical that a desperate man (or beast) would try something illogical to achieve peace of mind.  The characterization of the Original X-men team is picture perfect and it is fun to see how powerful the past version of Jean Grey is becoming in our time.  This second issue is a vast improvement.  MARVEL NOW! (For issue 2)
Issue 3 on the other hand is quite a let down.  The issue primarily features Cyclops and his team of revolutionaries, a team that seems incredibly rudderless.  They spend the issue bickering as their powers spiral out of control.  The cause for this loss of control is explained away as being a result of coming into contact with the Phoenix force.  Magneto's power fluctuations are lumped in to this coverall explanation, even though he wasn't possessed by the force, he just fought people who were.  And then there is the horrible character of Magik  (The sinister magic wielding sister of Colossus).  I never liked Magik, she was always a poorly written character whom I could never feel anything for.  She's even worse here.  The fact that her powers don't seem to be bothered by the fact that she was once possessed by the Phoenix force make me like her even less.  Maybe she is being built up to be the master manipulator here.  It would make more sense if she was the one messing with everyone's powers and changing Cyclops' attitude.   The only hope of this issue is that it builds up a confrontation between the classic X-Men and Cyclops' revolutionaries.  Next issue should be a lot better.  For now issue 3 is a...MARVEL MAYBE!

X-Men Legacy # 2:  I am not going to waste much time on this book...issue one was bad, issue two is worse.  This is a bad character, a bad writer and an even worse artist.  This book should never have been pitched, let alone published.  MARVEL NEVER!

 Uncanny Avengers # 2:  This is what the MARVEL NOW! movement should be about.  All of the books should be this good.  This is a pretty good team of characters facing the Red Skull, a villain who never really went after mutants at this level before.  The fact that he is a Nazi who believes in genetic cleansing makes him a perfect fit for the inaugural villain of this Avengers/X-Men merger.  The Avengers have fought him plenty of times and he is focusing on wiping mutants out.  The things he does in this issue are vile, wicked and absolutely fitting.  That is the strong point of the writing, all of these characters are working in ways you would expect...or hope.  The art is amazing, just as one would expect from John Cassaday.  If you followed his work on Planetary or Astonishing X-Men, you will see that this is a major improvement.  Not that his work was bad then, he just got a whole lot better.  As Scarlet Witch struggles with being manipulated by Red Skull and his newly found Professor X powers, Cassaday masterfully depicts her internal struggle.  Who knows how long Marvel Now! will play out, but I hope this book stays long after the relaunch fades from memory.  MARVEL WOW!

Avengers # 1:  Johnathan Hickman and Jerome Opena take over the company's flagship title by taking us in a new and somewhat unexpected direction.  The story starts out showing us glimpses of what's to come.  We quickly see the return of old heroes, new anti-heroes and a grim look at what may come.  To be honest, the book really surprised me, which is rare for a comic book to do.  We see a troubled Iron Man, questioning his place in the ever changing world and decides that the Avengers have to think bigger.  When a strange new group of self styled gods begin to terraform Earth in an attempt to create a paradise, their Eco-terrorism cost countless human lives, sending the Avengers on a mission to stop them.  We are soon left with a situation that is not unlike the classic GIANT SIZED X-MEN that gave us the New X-men team.  (Can you name them all?  Even the dead one?)  The set up is very smart and well crafted.  A new group Avengers will have their chance to shine.  The writing style is pretty straight forward, but the story does dip its toe into pleasantly weird territory.  teh issue reminds me of the excellent Grant Morrison run on the JLA.  We see standard super hero action augmented with high concept set pieces and ideas that could only see life on the comic book page.  If any of Hickman's Avengers scenes were translated into film faithfully, it could bankrupt most studios, and this is just the first issue.  The art follows the story perfectly, never taking away from the flow of ideas, presented in the script.  That was my main problem with Grant Morrison's JLA.  the stories were so High concept that they needed a detailed artist capable of letting our imaginations take flight.  Instead, we got the cartoonish, IMAGE-esque dreck churned out by Howard Porter.  Avengers does not have that problem at all.  Opena does a great job here.  The art would rival the best summer action movie.  Avengers delievers the perfect introduction into the Marvel Universe.  MARVEL AMAZING!

A + X #2:  I didn't really like the first issue of this series.  I thought the Captain America/Cable story was fun, but poorly motivated and unnecessary.  The Hulk/Wolverine story was far worse.  A+X #2 Starts off with a very cool opening story that gives us a Rouge and Black Widow crossover.  The art for the story is some of Chris Bachelo's best.  Beyond his Vertigo work, I was never that big of a fan of Bachelo.  But work like this is making me a permanent fan.  I think Bachelo needs his own ongoing book.  The follow up story is weak by comparison, but still a good read.  We see Kitty Pryde going for a job interview at Stark enterprises.  Of course, the situation gets out of hand and the alien Brood species attack.  That happens all the time when I interview for jobs.  This prompts a Kitty Pryde, Iron Man cross over.  A team up that no one would ever demand, but it was fun nonetheless.  MARVEL MAYBE!

Thunderbolts #1:  This is more of a re-imagining than a relaunch.  Other than the name, this team of Thunderbolts has nothing to do with the original team or any other incarnation.  The Red Hulk, General Thadeus "Thunderbolt" Ross travels the world, recruiting a team of specialized professionals.  That translates to...The Red Hulk recruits a team of ass-kickers to annihilate any enemy that gets in his way.  It is a very quick read, but engaging.  I can't wait to see what a team of Elektra, Punisher, Red Hulk, and Dead Pool can accomplish.  There is also the mystery woman whom I have yet to identify, but I imagine she will be a major player.  This is a very good start for fans of the edgier books.  The art by Steve Dillon is incredibly fitting given who the major players on the team are.  We don't get much of Dillon's Red Hulk, but I imagine next issue we will be treated to a very detailed, monstrous version of the character. MARVEL NOW!         

Amazing Spider-Man 698 and 699:  MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!  While these books are not actually part of the Marvel Now relaunch, they are essentially a "Road to Marvel Now" storyline.  In issue 698 Spider-Man visits a dying Doctor Octopus in prison.  The good (bad!) doctor is in really bad shape.  Artist Richard Elson depicts Doc Ock as a wrinkly, shriveled piece of dried sea food.  That's a compliment.  Elson does a great job of driving home the point that the old Spider-Man villain is really on his last days now.  It seems that Octavius knows Spider-Man's secret identity as he continues to ask for Peter Parker.  The Avengers go along with Spider-Man to the prison and the web-slinger asks to have a moment alone with his dying old foe.  That's when we learn that.....Spider-Man is Doc Ock and Peter Parker is trapped in his dying old body.
       Somehow the old villain swapped bodies with Spider-Man and plans on leaving him to die.  It's a pretty goofy plot twist.  This issue doesn't do anything other than drop the plot bomb on our laps.   The reveal by Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus wasn't all that threatening or fascinating.  In fact there are moments up to the reveal that are so uncharacteristically non Peter Parker that it sort of gives the story away, or at least made me feel that something was amiss.  How many times have we seen Peter Parker check himself out in the mirror or think about how wonderful his life is?  He is a career pessimist, that is what makes us love him.  Sith these dead giveaways, it's easy to see that something is going on.    The surprisingly dull dialogue that Slott gave Doc Spider-Man just reminded me of a Saturday Morning Cartoon villain.  "Like a good Magician I will not reveal my secrets.  You will die, never knowing how I performed my last, greatest trick."  Just add a "HAHAHAHA." to that exposition and he comes off sounding like Mo-Jo Jo-Jo from the Power Puff girls.  It also doesn't help matters that there is a big retro Doc Ock floating around Spider Octopus after the big reveal.  The whole script just seemed like something we have seen a hundred times before.  When I first read this, my initial fear was that it would be a horrible 90s style twist like the Clone Saga and we would learn that Peter Parker was Doctor Octopus for the past year or so.  I know that wouldn't make any sense since previous storylines featured Peter worrying about his secret identity being revealed because of his work for Horizon Labs.  However, the Clone Saga didn't make any sense either and they still ran with that idea for a long time.  I really liked everything Dan Slott has done with Amazing Spider-Man, but this issue was a major disappointment for me.  (MARVEL MAYBE! For issue 698)
        My disappointment didn't really last long.  699 takes the goofball plot twist that has been featured in comics ad-nauseum and really stretches it to its limits, in a surprising way.  The storyline is essentially the classic Prison Break/Great escape story, but with a comic book, science fiction twist.  Yeah, it's initially goofy but the way Slott plays around with the idea is what makes this issue so much better than the previous one.  First of all, we learn right away that this switch had just happened after the events in Spider-Man 697.  So, thankfully it wasn't like the Clone Saga.  Secondly, we don't see Doctor Octopus in Peter's body at all in this issue.  That takes his goofy gloating out of the equation.  This story is just about Peter being stripped of all of his usual resources and left to die in a seemingly inescapable prison cell.  This prison just happens to be the decrepit body of a decaying old super villain.  All Peter is left with is his brain and the thought patterns and memories of Doctor Octopus.  Slott is back to his old self in this issue by portraying a very resourceful and smart Parker who is still cracking jokes and fretting all while being in a terrible situation.  While I gave a lot of the storyline away, I wont tell you how this issue ends, but it builds toward a great finale for Amazing Spider-Man 700, which will end the series and spin off into the new Marvel Now! book, Superior Spider-Man.  MARVEL WOW!

Marvel claims that Peter Parker will no longer be Spider-Man after #700, but I just don't see that actually happening.  I have a feeling they are just using misdirection.  Perhaps Peter will assume an all new identity.  Or in a big twist we may even see the regular Marvel Universe version of Miles Morales.  For those who may have missed the Spider-Men Mini Series, the regular Marvel Universe (616) Peter Parker is taken into the Ultimate Universe by Mysterio where he discovers that his Ultimate counterpart was a teenager who died in the line of duty.  The 616 Spider-Man meets the new Ultimate Spider-Man, Miles Morales, a young super powered boy who took over the mantle.  Once the villain is defeated and our Peter Parker returns home to the 616 universe, he is intrigued at the thought of who Miles Morales is in our dimension.  So he googles him and is shocked at what he finds.  Then the story ends and we never know who the 616 Miles Morales is.  Could he eventually become the Superior Spider-Man?  It's just a wild guess.  I would actually be pleased with that outcome.  

With new issues coming out tomorrow and throughout December, January and February there will be a lot more to review and critique.  Whether you hate the new direction of Marvel Now! or  you love it, there will be plenty to talk about.

Please comment and let me know what you think about the books and my reviews. 

       

 

   
                     

Word Sponge

     As the ripe old age of two rapidly approaches for our toddler it is becoming very apparent that as parents we really need to be aware of what we say around her.  Case in point, just the other day, I was holding the toddler as I walked into her darkened room, ready to put her into her bed.  Someone (I blame the teenager, but I blame  the contemporary teen for everything...the advance of bad movies, bad music, and the overall downfall of human civilization.) left a shoe in the middle of the floor and I stepped on it, nearly falling.  The first word that came to my mouth was...a somewhat colorful four letter word for feces that rhymes with fit.  Of course, the once sleepy baby immediately perked up.  She began spouting words like water from a leaky faucet.  "Shick!  Shick!  Shick!"  At that point I corrected her and told her how to properly pronounce the word and we took turns writing it down with giant crayons on a big sheet of lined paper.
     I always thought the whole concept of foul language being associated with "Talking like a Sailor" or "Talking like a truck driver" was rather unfair.  Are these the only two vocations to be connected to cursing?  No one ever says "Luna, you're cursing like a neurosurgeon!"  or "Goodness, you have the foul mouth of Queen Elisabeth the First!"

                                                           If his mouth wasn't covered, he
                                                           would be cussing you out!

     Whatever the case, yesterday my wife met her mother and our good friend/Luna's godfather-Nino at the Golden Arches Happy Time Family Restaurant (McDonald's) for some cheap eats and quality bonding.  A massive amount of apple juice and apple slices later and Luna required her mother's master diaper changing skills.  Since the bathroom was....well a McDonald's bathroom, my wife changed the baby on the trunk of the car.  Motherhood is quite glamorous.  Sadly, once my wife saw the result of Luna's apple fest and let me tell you, it was not pretty.  I imagine it looked like the aftermath of a truck hauling melted chocolate ice cream crashing into the play-doh-fun factory (Now I can never eat chocolate ice cream or play with play-doh ever again.) all contained in a toddler diaper.  When one sees such a traumatic event, certain words just fly out of your mouth, like doves in a John Woo movie (A Woovie, if you will.) 


                                                        
                                                         From Chow Yun Fat's personal dove collection.
                                                         Come on, watch the Killer or City on Fire.

Though these aren’t dove words, these are dirty, germ infested pigeon words that peck at your very soul.  So, our toddler used them like they were just spoken from the terrycloth mouth of Elmo himself.  “Itch!  Son of Itch!  Shick!”  Yes, those are essential neurosurgeon words. 
        My wife and I have both been trying really hard to use alternative words, but there are times when you just find yourself with your guard down and the dirty pigeon words just flutter on out.  As a society we have a double standard when it comes to the edgier words in our vernacular.  We shame others and ourselves for using foul language, but most of us have that guilty pleasure of watching movies or television shows laced with obscenities.  
       Could you watch a show like Dead Wood without all the cursing, it was accurate to the times?  These weren’t scholarly people being depicted, they were rough and tumble cowboys.  Imagine if you were watching a classic Robert Dinero movie and he said “Hey, you ducky little fluffer nutter, don’t you dare threaten me with that marmalade pie!”  Would he still have his tough guy image? 
Well for one thing, I don’t need a tough guy image.  I’m not Robert Dinero…even if I look like he did after gaining all that Raging Bull weight.  I am a guy raising two daughters and I rarely hang out with Joe Pesci.  (Not since I proposed a Home Alone reunion movie.  Come on, you’d watch it!)  I need to set an example, as hard as it can be at times.  Son of Itch!

By the way...please feel free to comment on any of the posts.  I welcome all feedback.  Thank you for reading!