The Marvel Thread

[marhawkman]

So... X-men vs. Vampires.

I'm liking it so far.  Vampires have been cliche and over used for 100 years, so I don't see any reason to count that against the story.

The new Queen of the Undead is certainly entertaining to watch.  And Wolvie as a vampire. Can you say "YESSS!!!!!"?

[kkhohoho]

So... X-men vs. Vampires.

And Wolvie as a vampire.

[Podmark]

The Origin of The Species arc wrapped yesterday in Amazing Spider-Man.

Spoiler

It is revealed that the father of Menace's baby is not Norman but Harry. Not really a surprise but possibly a good development. Lily never finds out and runs off thinking she'll be a danger to her child, so now we'll presumably see Harry as a single father. I wonder how Normie will react to his younger brother?

Worked out to be a pretty decent arc that touched on almost every past aspect of Brand New Day. Next week is the final issue which is supposed to feature all of the writers of BND, then the week after Dan Slott's run begins.

The one issue I had with this arc is that it pitted Spider-Man against almost all of his rogues. Spidey didn't come off as worn down by the end so it really made the villains seem much weaker than the would be in an individual story. But that's what tends to happen in stories like this. I did like that they touched on so many villains as it made the arc a better finale for BND, I just wish more of them could have been portrayed more dangerously.

[daglob]

So... X-men vs. Vampires.

I'm liking it so far.  Vampires have been cliche and over used for 100 years, so I don't see any reason to count that against the story.

The new Queen of the Undead is certainly entertaining to watch.  And Wolvie as a vampire. Can you say "YESSS!!!!!"?

Hmmm... they don't have an "upchuck" icon.

'Sides, X-Men vs. vampires has been done. Dracula survived.

[cmdrkoenig67]

Yep...Been there, read that...Especially in the What If series (What If Wolverine Was Lord of The Vampires)

http://www.comicvine.com/what-if-what-if-wolverine-was-lord-of-the-vampires/37-34113/

It's old hat.

Dana

[marhawkman]

ah, well, did they do a "What if Jubilee was Queen of the Vampires?" 

I like it because Wolvie kinda bores me.

[Previsionary]

Before Dan Slott's solo run on Spider-man can even properly begin, guess what Marvel decides to promote: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29333

I'd love it if the big two would actually let a storyline to play out just a little before promoting the next "big" thing.

[BlueBard]

Before Dan Slott's solo run on Spider-man can even properly begin, guess what Marvel decides to promote: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29333

I'd love it if the big two would actually let a storyline to play out just a little before promoting the next "big" thing.

Bleh.  I nearly don't even care.  In this case, it would be an act of mercy.

[Podmark]

Before Dan Slott's solo run on Spider-man can even properly begin, guess what Marvel decides to promote: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29333

I'd love it if the big two would actually let a storyline to play out just a little before promoting the next "big" thing.

Interesting...

[Podmark]

Read some of my comics today.

Slott solo Spidey run started pretty good. But the new job is pretty silly.

Spoiler

Peter was basically handed a spot on an exclusive super think tank that sets it's own hours. There wasn't even an interview, the job was just his basically.

And Hobgoblin is:

Spoiler

Kingsley.

Also interesting to me:

Spoiler

Phil Ulrich (Green Goblin, Loners, Spider-Girl) was reintroduced. I foresee evil in his future. Perhaps even Venom.

----

However bigger news comes from the Thanos Imperative:

Spoiler

Nova and Starlord died at the end 
It seems this may truly be the end of the DnA cosmic era. I really didn't believe it would be true.

Also I have no idea how Secret Avengers fits into continuity.

[Talavar]

So this big "Death of Spider-man" thing Marvel is promoting is actually referring to Ultimate Spider-man.  Did they finally realize Jeph Loeb ruined the Ultimate line and are closing shop on it?  Only time will tell.

[Previsionary]

Avengers #7 (2)

At AA's negative urgings, I cracked open this book. I immediately realized that I hadn't read this series in ages, but I was assured I didn't need to know what happened in issues 1-6. This information was correct. Upon seeing The Hood, I immediately groaned. It's no secret that Bendis is in love with this... character he's twisted and shaped, but enough is enough, and Bendis must learn to let his pet characters lie! What started out as a mild annoyance transformed into full on head scratching as I witnessed scene after scene of implausibilities that dared me to remove even more of my sensibilities than I normally would. I'm sorry, I can only suspend so much of my disbelief, and this book pushed me to a point that threatened to make me believe the Earth was flat. Anyway, Marvel promoted this issue specifically as a Red Hulk biggie, and that was not the case at all. The character was in 2 pages at best, and he got to experience what many of his past victims did. I suppose it's karma, but it did nothing for me because The Hood is to Bendis what Red Hulk was to Loeb... and that's all I will say about that.

Avengers #7 gets a 2 from me. It's clear to me that Bendis has no real idea how to go about reaching a "classic" feel and is just resorting to his old tropes. At least there was no Hawkeye scene this time around (New Avengers reference). Regardless, i feel I'm being generous considering Bendis messed up his own continuity and even the supposed editor (Hi, Brevoort) failed to correct something that could have been easily caught if, I dunno, they'd go over their past books.

[Previsionary]

Ono! Did you all die?

Well, I caught up on a few books this week, after being behind 4-5 months. I'm going to briefly talk about each one. There may be spoilers, and this is your warning.

Chaos War #1-3 & Chaos War: Thor

As much as I love Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente's work on Hercules, I really can't endorse this event. The first issue was as corny as it could be, and Hercules ascending into god hood was mostly played for laughs. Having a bunch of heroes doubt and pinpoint reasons why they should never believe in anything Herc has to say as if he's a giant screw up all the time is a little too much for me, considering they've all seen how dedicated he can be when faced with trouble, and they all know of his path for redemption. It just didn't ring true and seemed to be more for humor. To me, it came off as a time waster and filler. The Chaos King himself hasn't done much of interest and comes off as a generic villain. Everything about the series is just mediocre, and thanks to Marvel's hype machine, I expected more. Heck, because of the creators involved, I expected more. They're not living up, and I've been mostly disappointed. However, if you're a fan of fallen characters like Ares and Zeus, you get to see them back in action at the end of issue #1 and throughout the majority of issue #2.

The Thor tie-in was a bit... of a major miss to me. Not only can I not pinpoint when this book takes place, but it's more about a woman getting over losing her family than it is about Thor, who has been beaten by a creature named Glory and has left an amnestic Donald Blake in his place. That would be fine if, oh, I dunno, three issues of Chaos War didn't go out of its way to tell us that everyone who didn't have some sort of connection to a god was left in a coma due to the Chao's King's powers. That's just messy, but we'll see what issue 2 does to tie this up.

Overall, the event is mediocre, but at least it doesn't have a lot of unnecessary tie ins like the last few X-men and Avenger events have. As it stands, it ranks a disappointing 3.

Black Widow #6 & 7

Once Marjorie left this book, I was worried that it'd begin to descend. This, however, has not been the case for the most part, and the latest issues, despite historical fallacies and some off art, have kept up some of the steam the Majorie issues provided. Centered on Natasha putting her life on the line for a man that thought she killed his father, the whole tale focuses on Natasha trying to figure out who the man's sources are while she attempts to protect him from another spy that has used her visage to pull off murders. It's a little bit of Cat & Mouse + a case of stolen identity, but it works, imo. Unfortunately, Duane S-long name decides to habitually rely on some of the most cliche and boring cliffhangers known to fans of literature, the spy genre, and comics in general. 3.

Daken #3

Still trying to figure out how this landed in my pile, but since I'm an equal opportunist, I read it with an open mind. Continuing from the last few issues, Daken has actively put into action his plan to become the next Romulus and that involves making everyone think he was killed by a possessed Wolverine, who goes on to chase after Mystique for the remainder of the book. The last portion of the story centers on the Fan 4 and their ties to Daken, which I assume will be covered in the next arc. I don't have anything good or bad to say about this book. It's nice to see Romulus finally get some depth, but if you weren't a fan before, you're not going to be one now. That's just the way it is. 3.

Antman and The Wasp #1:

I almost forgot about this book that focuses on the fun, little character known as Eric O'grady, and his predecessor Hank, the original Ant-man, as they're forced to align themselves with one another in other to stop AIM from using one of Hank's experiments, which was intended to give Bill Foster an artificial heaven to live in. Honestly, it's an entertaining book, and this is the closest to the REAL Eric O'grady we've seen since his role in The Initiative was marginalized and eventually ended when he finally found his way to T-bolts... and then boring Avengers (Secret). The book also manages to work in characters from Eric's past, Reed Richards, Tigra, and some of the Avenger Academy characters, so it feels like it's taking place in actual rich continuity and not just another useless mini. The only problem this book has going for it, and it's a MAJOR one, is that it's 4 dollars for a bunch of C & D-list characters. If we actually look at Marvel's prices for the next 4 months, it seems they're holding steadfast to this 4 dollar pricing point as a bunch of books are going up to that price by March, and only a few books not featuring A-listers will remain at 2.99. It seems completely contrary to what C.B and Marvel were putting out in the news a few months earlier when they were complaining about DC's decisions. Regardless, it's a very enjoyable book so far, so if you don't have the dough, trade it. 4.

[Podmark]

I read Ant-man and The Wasp too. It's a fun little book.

Amazing Spider-Man came out this week, the second issue of Dan Slott's run. The most interesting stuff involves the Hobgoblin:

Spoiler

Last issue the Kingpin hired the original Hobgoblin Roderick Kingsley. In this issue we learn that while Osborn was in charge he stole Kingsley's fortune forcing Kingsley to come out of retirement. Kingsley goes to one of Osborn's cache's and finds the wings and flaming sword we've all seen on the covers. He also finds Phil Urich, the former good Green Goblin. As he's about to kill him, Phil uses his sonic scream and then takes the flaming sword and decapitates Kingsley while laughing like a maniac. Phil becomes the new Hobgoblin and goes on to attack Peter's new workplace for as yet unrevealed reasons.

I knew Slott was bringing Phil in to be a new villain or at least rival of Peters, but I didn't expect him to decapitate Kingsley. And Phil's totally nuts, which if memory serves fits well with his last appearance in Loners. Now I just want to see if Slott mentions Hollow at all.

Liking Slott's run so far. The new job is still ridiculous though.

Also read the newest X-Men Legacy which deals with Hellion and the loss of his hands. Pretty good so far but nothing really noteworthy.

[cmdrkoenig67]

Chaos War: Alpha Flight....Loved it!

Spoiler

Great premise for this story...Sasquatch/Walter Langkowski makes a deal with the Great Beasts to bring his friends back from the dead (Guardian/Mac Hudson, Vindicator/Heather Hudson, Shaman/Michael Twoyoungmen, Marrina and Puck).  Puck doesn't make it back, as he is trapped in hell...But the rest do.  The Great Beasts also call Snowbird, Aurora and Northstar together to complete the team.  This felt like an actual issue of an Alpha Flight comic, rather than just a One-shot...It also felt very much like the Byrne years classic Alpha Flight.  

It has a few flaws, but the story is touching, exciting and made me want more.  I hope they are back for good.

I'd give this book a solid 4 out of 5.

Dana

[deano_ue]

honestly i face palmed at the big shocker moment, in spidey 649 that is so gonna bite them in the arse

[Courtnall6]

Chaos War: Alpha Flight....Loved it!

Dana

Holy amateur hour Batman!

Was the art throughout the book as bad as the preview pages I saw at CBR? It would be nice if they had an artist that can actually draw these characters properly.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I thought the art was pretty good (it did have a few rough spots, though)...Maybe it was the inker?  I dunno.

Dana

[lugaru]

I read Ant-man and The Wasp too. It's a fun little book.

The art and story are somewhere between average and above average, but given that I love those two characters I could not be happier.

[AfghanAnt]

I haven't read an Alpha Flight comic in years (frankly because all of the relaunches look dull to me) but I really thought Chaos War: Alpha Flight is exceptional.

C6, you thought the art was bad? I think Reily Brown's art is pretty good but I've been a fan of his work since Hercules - http://reillybrown.deviantart.com/#/d33hzvw

[herodad1]

havent read the book but ive always liked the original Alpha Flight team!

[cmdrkoenig67]

havent read the book but ive always liked the original Alpha Flight team!

You might like this one-shot then, HD...It's the original team with the original team feel.  I feel Jim McCann and Reilly Brown did a very good job with this book.

Dana

[Podmark]

I've liked Reilly Brown since his run on Cable and Deadpool. Can't say he's the best artist but I always like seeing him get work.

[AfghanAnt]

Secret Warriors Spoilers:

Spoiler

So they killed Alex too. It seems Marvel hates Greek gods of war and their demigod children...

[Courtnall6]

C6, you thought the art was bad? I think Reily Brown's art is pretty good but I've been a fan of his work since Hercules - http://reillybrown.deviantart.com/#/d33hzvw

It mostly has to do with it being the original Alpha Flight roster (minus Puck )...if John Byrne isn't drawing them...they just look wrong . It is nice to that Marvel finally gave AF fans back the original team.

Now they just need Heather to hang up the suit. We don't need two "Guardians" on the team.

[cmdrkoenig67]

C6, you thought the art was bad? I think Reily Brown's art is pretty good but I've been a fan of his work since Hercules - http://reillybrown.deviantart.com/#/d33hzvw

It mostly has to do with it being the original Alpha Flight roster (minus Puck )...if John Byrne isn't drawing them...they just look wrong . It is nice to that Marvel finally gave AF fans back the original team.

Now they just need Heather to hang up the suit. We don't need two "Guardians" on the team.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Heather rocks!

[daglob]

One Guardian, one Vindicator?

[Courtnall6]

I just find she's a redundant hero now with Mac back in the saddle. She chose to lead as Vindicator after Mac's death and after John Byrne left the book. Byrne has stated that if he had stayed on AF Heather would have lead the team...but he never would have put her in the suit. I think it would have been more interesting to see her deal with that task rather than becoming just another Guardian "clone".

[herodad1]

i'm just glad we're getting back the original sasquatch.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I just find she's a redundant hero now with Mac back in the saddle. She chose to lead as Vindicator after Mac's death and after John Byrne left the book. Byrne has stated that if he had stayed on AF Heather would have lead the team...but he never would have put her in the suit. I think it would have been more interesting to see her deal with that task rather than becoming just another Guardian "clone".

John Byrne already had her leading the team (for several issues), when he left Alpha Flight.

Dana