Review - Amazing Spider-Man #555

Spider-Man’s Brand New Day continues and this time, he’s bringing friends! Would a cameo from not only Doctor Strange, who’s not even a part of the New Avengers anymore, and an appearance by Wolverine be enough to save Amazing Spider-Man from the humiliation of the last couple issues? Let’s find out.

This month, Zeb Wells takes a shot at Spider-Man. His previous work, which includes Heroes for Hire, New Warriors and some of the older Peter Parker: Spider-Man comics were pretty solid which should make for a pretty good read…right? Well, they do actually. This issue is much more entertaining to read than the issues by Bob Gale. The story flowed very well and was, somewhat because of the art, fun to read. Wolverine and Spider-Man’s interaction was a welcome sight as we had yet to see the “new” Spider-Man interact with anyone else in the Marvel U which, in my opinion, was giving off the appearance that he was in his own world and completely cut off from the rest of the regular continuity. Granted, it’s a little weird seeing Doctor Strange there as he’s been off the New Avengers roster for a couple months already but, for the most part, Zeb Wells gets it right.

Chris Bachalo, on the other hand, is a little bit off target. His art isn’t the issue here. It’s his style that I had a problem with. While most of the other artists who have been on the creative team for Spider-Man since it’s “restart” in January have gone with a more realistic look, Bachalo’s zanny cartoonish style doesn’t work well in the pages of ASM. That’s not to say that he isn’t a great artist, I just think his art belongs in a different title. Although, to be honest, the comic had a much more easy-going tone to it because of the art which wasn’t really a bad thing.

While this issue is a huge improvement on the past couple issues that came before it, there’s still something that just doesn’t sit well about this Brand New Day anymore. The creative team needs to start dropping the tagline and distancing themselves from the past as soon as possible. I know I’ve been saying that for a while now but I guess I keep hoping that if I say it enough times, it’ll actually happen. On the plus side, there’s only 13 more issues to go until JRJR’s return!

Amazing Spider-Man #555
POA Rating:
7.8/10 (How’d you get that?)

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Review - Secret Invasion #1

Marvel’s latest epic kicked off this week with the release of Secret Invasion #1. There’s been a lot of hype over the past couple months as so much time, effort and planning has been put into this one event. Would Brian Michael Bendis’ idea pay off or would this long road towards the event reach a dead end?

I’ll save you all some time and tell you that Secret Invasion doesn’t just meet expectations, it shatters them to pieces, retcons them out of continuity and throws them into the sun. Bendis’ writing succeeds on all fronts and creates a feeling of anticipation for the next issue that I personally haven’t felt from one of his Avengers titles for a long time. There’s no drawn out moments either. It’s right down to business as soon as you crack open the comic. S.I. #1 features non-stop Action and Skrull reveals aplenty from page 1 to…whatever number the last page is and really does a great job of showing that Bendis is arguably the best writer working for Marvel.

I’ve been rather harsh on Francis Yu in the past as I didn’t really think his art had a place in New Avengers…or really in any comic for that matter. That being said, his work on Secret Invasion is very impressive and I have to give some credit to the inker for the brilliant colors and fantastic visuals that they’ve added to the comic. Most importantly though, Yu redeems himself in my eyes with this comic and I’m really hoping that his work stays this good for the remainder of this mini-series.

With the past couple events from Marvel, the opening shot has left me fairly disappointed and wanting more. With this first issue of Secret Invasion, we’re teased with a handful of great reveals and shown a quick glimpse of things to come that leaves me wanting more…in a very good way. I’m only hoping this caliber of comic continues as we get further and further into the invasion.

Secret Invasion #1
POA Rating:
9.1/10 (How’d you get that?)

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Reviews - New Avengers #39 / Mighty Avengers #11

It’s been a long time since both New and Mighty Avengers were released on the same day. It’s also been a long time since New Avengers wasn’t terribly painful for me to read. Coincidence? Maybe. With both of Bendis’ books being released last week, now seemed like the best time to throw the two books together in one review and see what comes of it. I’ve compared the two titles in the past but things have changed since then. Would Mark Bagley’s final issue as a Marvel artist do him justice? Would New Avengers…not suck? Let’s find out.

New Avengers #39
I’ve had my own issues with this comic over the last little while because of a number of things. For starters, Bendis’ writing was really falling flat compared to the earlier issues of the comic. Back in the first couple arcs, the action was nonstop and the stories were interesting to read. Following Civil War, it felt like New Avengers became an entirely different book and I wasn’t overly pleased with the results. Since then, it’s been up and down but with issue #39, for whatever reason, things got a lot better. Bendis’ writing seems like it’s back on track with Secret Invasion looming on the horizon. I never thought I’d say this but Echo is actually a pretty decent character to read about…assuming she’s working with Wolverine and the two are fighting a Skrull that’s trying to attack and replace her. Great story by Bendis in this issue that gives readers a much better look behind the scenes of the Skrull invasion.

David Mack is an artist that I’ve heard a number of things about but, to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never had the chance to see in action. That all changed with this issue of New Avengers and, to be honest, his art is very good. I’ve really enjoyed this monthly change of artists on the title as it’s given me a chance to check out some of the lesser used talent at Marvel. Mack happens to be one of those talents that is rarely used but is definitely comparable to some of the best artists in the industry.

New Avengers #39
POA Rating:
7.9/10 (How’d you get that?)

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Mighty Avengers #11
Bendis seems to always give the Mighty Avengers a little bit more attention that the other group. This is fairly evident from all the stories he’s written so far as he manages to keep this team very true to the classic Avengers mold that longtime readers can probably see. Fighting villains like Mole Man and Dr. Doom help prove that point. As with the issue before this one, the action is non-stop and manages to clean up all the loose ends from the Venom Virus / Dr. Doom time travel story that’s been playing out over the past couple months. The ending of the book also makes way for the upcoming Secret Invasion story which is fairly convenient.

As I’ve said in the past, Bagley just doesn’t work for me. There’s something rushed about his art that seems very “DC”. I guess it makes sense that he leave Marvel for them. He should be right at home doing the art on the new weekly series from the company. Anyway, Bagley’s art is the lowest point in this issue for me but, to be fair, it’s not the best but it’s also far from the worst. I suppose it’s passable. I’ll be much happier when issue #12 rolls around and we have someone new on pencils.

Mighty Avengers #11
POA Rating:
8.4/10 (How’d you get that?)

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And the winner is…
While New Avengers managed to get back on what appears to be a somewhat decent path, the awesomeness of Mighty Avengers just can’t be ignored. The final showdown between the Avengers and Doom really sealed the deal for me and seeing him manhandled by Sentry and then thrown in prison was pretty entertaining. That being said, New Avengers was a solid read compared to most of the issues that have come out in the last couple months. It’ll be interesting to see how this new fling between Echo and Hawkeye plays out with Secret Invasion kicking off this week.

So, make sure you grab Mighty Avengers #11 when you head to the local shop. If you’ve got the coin, grab New Avengers #39 too. Both great books this month and perfect leads into Marvel’s Secret Invasion.

Review - Thor #7

Thor #7 was the highlight of a pull list that included not only the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man but also the latest outing from the Justice League of America. This fact really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Thor’s been the best thing going at Marvel since the relaunch actually took place back in 2007. With a new artist on board, could Thor #7 keep the momentum going?

The quick answer is yes. The momentum is still entirely intact. Staczynski may have had a rough run during his time on Spider-Man for the simple fact that he was trying to establish Spider-Man as a totemic, ancestral character that was destined to become what he is because of a legacy that was created long before he ever even existed. The good thing about Thor is that he doesn’t need establishing. He’s the God of Thunder and son of Odin. The mythological traits are already there so that Staczynski can spend his time creating great mythological stories, which is one of the things that he’s really go at, rather than trying to change the core character. Thor #7 further explores Thor’s mythological background by establishing the state of the relationship between himself and Odin. As with the previous issues, Straczynski’s writing carries the story to the point where it’s almost more of a fairy tale rather than a superhero comic book.

With Oliver Coipel out, Marko Djurdevic is handed the reigns in the art department. My first thought on the matter was disappointment as I’ve been very pleased with everything Coipel’s been bringing to the series however, Djurdevic is a really solid substitute to the regular art of Coipel and, after checking out the couple great fight scenes near the end of the issue, I’m sure most people would agree with me.

Overall, Thor #7 was exactly what I thought it would be. Artistically, even with Djurdevic on the pencils, it’s still one of the better looking comics Marvel is pumping out each month and, thanks to the great writing by Straczynki, it’s also one of the best stories being written. If mythology and gods are your thing, Thor’s a solid choice for you. The God of Thunder keeps the momentum going for at least one more month.

Thor #7
POA Rating:
8.6/10 (How’d you get that?)

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Review - Wonder Woman #18

Once again, it’s time for a new two-part story in the world of Wonder Woman!

As usual, the writing by Gail Simone is fantastic, giving Wonder Woman the personality and voice that has been thrown around a lot for some time now. It’s like a match made in heaven; it’s always making me say, “Oh, Wonder Woman would so do that.” Simone brings a great balance of action, great dialogue and stories interesting enough to keep me hooked on this series. The humor makes me laugh and giggle. For example, when she meets a Khund called “Neko” - which is her iSpace handle - who is a fan of Wonder Woman. Her father introduces her as the daughter who watches “the MTV”, and I thought that was a real riot.

Bernard Chang is the new artist for this two part story, and I must admit that I was a bit skeptical that anyone could do the same justice as the Dodsons did, but I was quite impressed by what he drew. I had a few irks with some of her facial expressions; for example, in the last panel, she was supposed to be shocked, but instead she looked like she was about to go to sleep, and her head seemed bigger than usual. Other than that, he did capture her facial expressions well in other panels, and the action scenes were drawn very nicely.

Overall, I’m happy with this issue. #19 gives us a clue of who she’ll be fighting, and I’m pretty psyched right now to find out how this showdown will go down. Last time Wonder Woman fought a Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) she ended up getting throw into the sea, so I’m eager to see how this pans out.

Wonder Woman #18
POA Rating:
9.4/10 (How’d you get that?)

Review - Amazing Spider-Man #554

The Brand New Day keeps on rolling in Spider-Man #554 but just how long will it last? Seriously, this day is starting to drag on and, if the writers don’t start to distance themselves from not only the tag line but the whole idea in general, it could cost them. As for Amazing Spider-Man #554, it basically wraps up whatever mess was started at the beginning of March but, like you’re about to find out, it’s not really done the way most people would like.

Bob Gale’s been keeping the BND alive this month with the new Freak villain playing the antagonist to Spider-Man. Freak is, apparently, one of Guggenheim’s creations but to be honest, I would have thought he was smarter than…this. Freak is a pretty awful villain and much too boring to have to read about for an entire month. With Menace last month, at least we were offered something remotely evil. Freak, on the other hand, is just a junkie on a bender. I have to blame this on Gale at least a little bit as his writing this entire month has been significantly weaker than Slott and Guggenheim. This issue is no exception to that.

Like I said in my previous reviews of the ASM comics this month, Jimenez just doesn’t do it for me. He seemed to be picking up steam in issue #553 but, probably because of the bad mood the writing put me in, after reading this issue I realize that he’s not a very good artist for this title. His drawings of Spider-Man just don’t seem to work since he, for whatever reason, feels the need to draw Spider-Man with an extremely disproportionately long face which just looks bizarre. Having been spoiled the first couple of months with the art of McNiven and then Larocca, Jimenez’s work seems to fall a little short of the line drawn by the previous artists.

Overall, this month has been the most disappointing that ASM has seen since the relaunch back in January. With Wolverine guest-starring in next month’s issues, hopefully things will pick up. Otherwise, it looks like this Brand New Day has pretty much run out of steam.

Amazing Spider-Man #554
POA Rating:
6.4/10 (How’d you get that?)

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Review - Thunderbolts #119

If you didn’t know it was coming, you should have. Thunderbolts #119 came out last week and, much like I expected, was the highlight of my pull list. In my opinion, Ellis and Deodato can do no wrong when it comes to this title. I guess I should have saved this for the end of the review. Still looking for the details? Read on.

Warren Ellis, like in the issues before this, seems to be getting better and better at juggling the whole story and keeping the focus on each character one at a time. The comic has almost evolved from a story about a team of misfits into several small stories about the individual characters that make up the team. What seems to be happening now is that everyone’s stories are starting to clash with one another which is leading us, the readers and the Thunderbolts members, down the road of destruction. Ellis’ T-bolts continue to dazzle in my opinion.

Mike Deodato’s art is the same as it always has been. That’s not a bad thing, for the record. Deodato’s work still stands as a great contrast to all of the other much friendlier comics that I usually read. It’s grisly, violent and completely out of control. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Deodato’s art still, as always, meshes with Ellis’ writing to paint a wonderfully scary picture.

I know that by now my reviews of Thunderbolts seem to be fairly repetitious but it’s just such a consistent series that the T-bolts team of Ellis and Deodato seem to be completely unstoppable. They’re still, in my opinion, one of the best things going at Marvel right now. Thunderbolts #119 proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Thunderbolts #119
POA Rating:
8.9/10 (How’d you get that?)

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