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All New X-Men #11 – Review

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Matt Sargeson

ALL-NEW X-MEN #11

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Stuart Immonen (Penciler), Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker), Marte Gracia (Color Artist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

Review: The point’s been made by my fellow WCBR brethren that reviewing All New X-Men looks like an unenviable task. And they’re right. Not that it’s a bad comic; quite the opposite, as nearly a year in and I still find it to be one of the strongest all-round titles to come out of the Marvel NOW ‘situation’. Rather it’s the case that a lot of the time each issue feels filled to the brim with lots of great little moments between the many and varied members of its cast. Keeping track of all that over a few hundred words can get difficult, especially if you don’t want to make it look like you’re just transcribing the script wholesale. Woe is me, 1st world problems etc. I can deal. Once more into the breach dear friends…once more!
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All New X-Men #9 – Review

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Matt Sargeson

ALL-NEW X-MEN #9

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Stuart Immonen (Penciler), Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker), Marte Gracia & Rain Beredo (Color Artists), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

Review: My review of last month’s All New X-Men #8 was pretty awful; too many overly-long sentences and contrived compliments. Still, I blame it all on Bendis. After all, it gets difficult finding new ways to lavish praise on a book that’s still failed to put a foot wrong 8 issues in. Therefore it’s a little bit of a Godsend that #9 offers something of a hiccup. It’s not much of one, granted, but it’ll do.

So let’s get that criticism out of the way first: this issue does feel like something of a placeholder. The only characters whose story sees any concrete progression this month is the villains’, and even then they only appear on 4 of the book’s 20 pages (that’s 20%, stat fans). Irksome, yes, but a minor sin in the grand scheme of comics. I mean, I seem to remember 2009’s Cable series achieve the impressive feat of running for 25 issues without anything of note happening at all.
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All-New X-Men #8 – Review

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Matt Sargeson

ALL-NEW X-MEN #8

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), David Marquez (Penciler), Marte Gracia (Colorist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: They should re-name All-New  X-Men the X-Postman – it always delivers (*cue comedic groans*). Every issue features something new and exciting to sling your way; not in some glib show-off manner that seeks to hold your attention with illogical, grandstanding curveballs but in packaging its characters’ motivations and developments in a series of brilliantly executed flourishes. The latest installment is no exception.

Bendis has often made the great decision to begin each issue by focusing on one character at a time, then expanding the book to a crescendo with a winning performance from an ensemble cast. He moves seamlessly from the personal to the public; sound reasoning indeed considering that the X-Men are comprised of such a strong cast that you can’t move for bumping into interesting individuals and the richly detailed relationships that connect them. That format is continued here, though in this issue he chucks in the proverbial kitchen sink too; as you can see from the cover, now the Avengers are getting in on the action as well.
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Uncanny X-Men #1 – Review

Posted on February 15, 2013 by paladinking

UNCANNY X-MEN #1

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils & colors), Tim Townsend, Jaime Mendoza & Al Vey (inks), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story:  An inside man approaches Maria Hill with an offer to help take down Scott Summers.

The Review:  One of the concerns I had about this book going in was the way it would differentiate itself from All-New X-Men.  Yes, I realize it wouldn’t feature the time traveling teens, but Cyclops and his gang have appeared quite a bit in that book such that having them star in this one seemed to be some serious overlap.  Thankfully, Bendis quickly dispels this concern.  It’s not so much that Cyclops team are front and center, which they are, but rather that the tone of the book has been subtly altered.  While part of it may be due to Bachalo’s artwork, with its muddy colors and its lack of distinct, clean lines (as opposed to Immonen and Marquez on All-New), the big reason for this is the subtle change in tone.  The book feels more shadowy, more “underground,” and a touch more edgy.  The humour isn’t there and the soap opera of All-New is shifted into something that’s a little closer to twisty, spy-thriller dramatics.  All-New is the above-ground, flagship story.  Uncanny is what happens beneath and on the revolutionary fringes that Cyclops and his team currently occupy.
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All New X-Men #6 – Review

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Matt Sargeson

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), David Marquez (Artist), Marte Gracia (Colorist), Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: There’s something about this issue that feels just right. I think it’s a sense of everything starting to feel a bit more comfortable, of everything and everyone slotting into place. If we use a ‘Moving House’ analogy, the first 5 issues were the difficult bit; hefting the sofa, fridge and countless long boxes onto the delivery van and unloading them into your new digs. Now everything’s unpacked, the beds are made and (despite your girl’s best efforts) the Hot Toys have set up shop on the mantelpiece once again. Now it’s time to start living here. Of course, it’s also the time you start finding out that the heating is on the fritz and your next door neighbour has just started learning to play the drums…

Now the initial confrontation with Scott’s brotherhood is out of the way and the decision’s been made to stay and sort out the future, the original X-Men are settling into the 21st century, taking their first tentative steps towards building relationships with their modern counterparts. So far Hank’s situation has been fairly well documented and Iceman’s has been relegated to the (admittedly funny) joke of perpetually annoying his older self. As such, this issue largely focuses on Jean and Scott, with Angel getting a bit of time in the spotlight near the end.

For Jean this represents an internal struggle. As in, right inside her head. With her telepathic powers still blooming and causing nothing but torment, Kitty Pryde steps in to help mentor her in how to assert some control. They’re affecting scenes as they’re played out with a good deal of empathy between the former/future team mates; Kitty’s become a kind of elder statesman for the X-Men at this point and Bendis imbues her position with a pitch-perfect sense of humility. Rounding things off is a diplomatic (though slightly stiff) Storm who gently announces Jean as the de facto leader of her displaced team. It’s a winning display of Girl Power from some of Marvel’s most powerful ladies and it’s nice to see this side of things play out so maturely…

….because really, the guys were never going to play that nice. Still, Cyclops, what did you expect? Stealing Wolverine’s bike, cash and jacket was never going to end well. Bendis has given little tastes of the continued friction between the two leading X-Men but the relationship plays out on a bigger stage here. Having taken his leave of the school and its hostile, alien environs, Scott decides to take a trip into town with the aforementioned appropriated goods. It’s not long before Wolverine tracks him down and, following some terse words and faltering attempts at talking about feelings, the optic blasts and Adamantium claws soon get to popping. The hostility between Cyclops and Wolverine is one of the most enduring and entertainingly antagonistic relationships in comics and it is no less so under Bendis’ control. It’s also heartening to see that even when Summers is a snot-nosed, gangly, pre-pubescent kiddy-wink, Wolverine still wants to open him up like a tin of beans. Awwwwww.
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All-New X-Men #5 – Review

Posted on January 6, 2013 by paladinking

ALL-NEW X-MEN #5

By: Brian Michael Bendis (story), Stuart  Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger & Craig Yeung (inks), Marte Gracia & Jason Keith (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Jean Grey enters Beast’s mind to help young Hank McCoy save old Hank McCoy.

The Review:  All-New X-Men has been by far the biggest surprise for me thus far of Marvel NOW.  Despite generally being a fan of Bendis, I didn’t have high hopes.  The last couple of years of Avengers comics have been rough and I wasn’t sold on the concept.  I found the first issue “meh,” but then as the issues went by, I found myself continually wanting more as, gradually, the book crept to the top of my stack.  There’s something inexplicably addictive about this book that has led to me devouring each issue and it’s something I’ve been trying to puzzle out for these last couple of weeks.

With this issue, I think I know what it is, finally: Bendis has nailed the “soap opera” vibe and the result is a terribly addictive comic book.  He’s managed this through a combination of excellent dialogue (which is remarkably light on his usual tics), solid character-work, and FUN character dynamics, particularly with respect to the excellent use Bendis has made of the original five X-Men.  This month, the dynamics they share with their present-day selves positively crackle.  Iceman/Iceman continues to be absolutely hilarious and watching Beast argue and debate himself is a real pleasure.  Meanwhile, Bendis does a solid job of building up the dread for the inevitable day where Warren meets…”Angel.”
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All New X-Men #3 Review

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Matt Sargeson

ALL-NEW X-MEN #3By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Stuart Immonen (Artist), Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker), Marte Gracia (Colorist), Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: All New X-Men is enjoying a well-deserved reputation as one of the best Marvel NOW titles at the moment. This success is largely down to the fact that it’s not really traded on the gimmicks which first made the title a talking point – Jean Grey coming back, the original X-Men coming face-to-face with their future selves – so much as it has strong character work from Bendis (and some top flight artwork from Stuart Immonen). This issue’s focus is restricted solely to Cyclops’ new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, revealing a little of the workings of the team and more of the turmoil present within it. I haven’t found it quite as compelling as the previous instalments, but it’s still some better than average comic booking and an important step forward for the overall story.
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All New-X-Men #2 Review

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Matt Sargeson

ALL-NEW X-MEN #2

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Stuart Immonen (Artist), Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker), Marte Gracia (Colorist), Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: Believe it or not, I actually tend to judge most aspects of my life with 10 year old Matt Sargeson in mind. “Would my younger self be happy with the possessions I have accrued all these years later,” I ask myself. I take a glance at the comics, the action figures, the video games and my beautiful, beloved Hot Toys and decide that yes, his chubby little face would no doubt fill with joy at the sight of all these cool and geeky belongings. Would he mind that I spend my evenings writing about comics rather than writing them? I reckon so, just about. Would he be disgusted that I still don’t own a Goddamn Hoverboard yet!? Abso-frickin’-lutely. As such, when young Scott Summers hears that his older-self will go on to perpetrate mutant hate crimes and kill Professor X, I can totally understand why he’s ready to flip the %#!% out. Ah Scott, I feel for ya buddy.
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All New X-Men #1 Review

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Matt Sargeson

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Stuart Immonen (Artist), Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker), Marte Gracia (Colorist), Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: Even amongst a crowded week of high profile releases, All New X-Men easily stands out as the most controversial of the lot. Its grand concept alone raised a few eyebrows as soon as the title was announced – a time travel story seeking to bring the original first class of X-Men face-to-face with their modern day counterparts (a living, breathing, pre-Phoenix Jean Grey included). Then, as time wore on, it became clear that Cyclops’ role in proceedings would be far removed from the heroic leader and moral compass that fans and fellow X-Men alike had rallied around for decades.
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Avengers Vs X-Men: Consequences #5

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Roman Colombo

By: Kieron Gillen (wrirer), Gabriel Hernandez Walta (art), Jim Charalampidis (Colors)

The Story: Sigh…there’s a Prison break.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Review: Well, so much for “consequences.”  What were the consequences of Avengers vs X-Men exactly, as defined by this series? We got a lot of Cyclops in prison…which is now a moot point. Hope looking for Cable (he finds her, and leaves).  And…what? The only person to have any real consequences as a result of AvX is the Black Panther, and we only saw him for one panel in issue one. Hell, he didn’t even get any dialogue. Cyclops facing the consequences and changing? That would have been nice. Instead he just wants to be the new Wolverine. Logan has the school? Fine, Scott will be the one to do what is necessary. The bottom line from all of this is that Scott Summers DIDN’T LEARN A !@#$%^& THING!!! Wolverine telling him that he tries to emulate Scott when running the school? Not enough. Tony Stark revealing that he figured out how to use Wanda and Hope to restart the mutant race? Whatever. The little matter of Scott killing them man he saw as a father–NOTHING! It takes someone nearly sociopathic  to be able to go through so much and not change in the slightest. Which are basically the people he aligns himself with: Magneto, Magik, and Danger. So, on one side we have Captain America having this epiphany that he’s treated the mutant race in a hypocritical way (he’d do anything to save humans, or Americans, but ignored the struggles of mutants). And Scott, having kept his species alive long enough to become stable again, goes back to being the same person. Is he so jaded that he can’t acknowledge the miracle that happened for his people to come back from the brink? What happened to being a political prisoner?
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Avengers vs X-Men: Consequences #3 – 4

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Roman Colombo

By: Kieron Gillen (writer), Jim Charalampidis (colors), Andrew Hennessy (inks), Scott Eaton (pencils-3),  Mark Brooks (pencils/inks-4)

The Story: Cyclops is still in prison, the rest of the Extinction team are still at large, the Avengers won and the X-men lost. In case you didn’t get that before. The Avengers–Captain America said in Civil War half a dozen years ago, “won everything–except the argument.”

Issue #3 Review: Stuff happened. Kind of.

Issue #4 Review: Well, there are great things about this miniseries and very frustrating things. One of the most frustrating things is that Gillen is such a talented writer, but the shackles on the story are so strong, it’s sad. The Cyclops here doesn’t even match the one we saw at the end of 2 and 3, or the final issues of Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 2). Gillen’s development of Scott Summers post AvX was not only going well, but swift. It’s only been a month and we’ve seen incredible lengths of pathos in Cyclops–all at Gillen’s hands. Everyone else writing about Cyclops right now just paint him as a dick (or the the Cyclops of the 90′s animated series). Gillen was showing us a different side to the argument. He does this not just through Scott himself, but how he interacts with others. He tells a newly formed student how wonderful Wolverine’s school is, and that as soon as he finishes his sentence, he should go there. He agrees to help Tony Stark (more on him later) with some tests after Tony tells him he knew that Wanda and Hope would reignite the mutant race. Cyclops has been showing humility, fear, wisdom, and yes,  more than a little narcissism, but Gillen was writing him as a character going through a profound change. Keyword: was. Sadly, there is a very abrupt halt to this development, and the heavy handedness of editorial glares on the page. This is especially apparent after a wonderful scene where Wolverine–calmed down since their last encounter–has a heart-to-heart with Scott that could have rebuilt their friendship. After what Wolverine tells him, and the progress Scott has made, it makes absolutely no sense to do what he does.
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Avengers vs X-Men: Consequences #2

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Roman Colombo

By: Keirron Gillen (writer), Steve Kurth (pencils), Allen Martinez (Inks), Jim Charalampidis (colors)

The Story: FINALLY! Someone is exploring what happens to Scott Summers going to jail. I thought nobody was going to show this guy behind bars. And I’m really glad someone is there to remind us of what a horrible person is, because we just haven’t had enough of it yet.

The Review: Was the sarcasm palpable enough? Yes, this is yet more Cyclops in jail. In fact, it’s an entire issue about Cyclops in jail. Not one of the plotlines from Consequences #1 are explored other than Cyclops and Wolverine. And it doesn’t look like this is going to be the end of it either.  Yes, by now we all fully understand–the Marvel Editors want to punish Scott Summers. But the person who wants to punish him the most? Scott Summers.
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Avengers Vs X-Men Consequences #1

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Roman Colombo

Written by Kieron Gillen, Art by Tom Raney, Colors by Jim Charalampidis

The Story: Mutants are back, baby! Cyclops has fallen. Everyone needs a mission.

The Review: This certainly is one of those “set the stage” issues. We get a lot of introductions to the stories that will be told in Consequences, but nothing that is entirely concrete yet. Individually, each of these setups are pretty good, but when compiled into one comic, it gets a little tedious. So what are these setups? Well, we have what happens to Wakanda, and if Storm and Black Panther can ever patch things up (doesn’t look too hopeful). It also shows how screwed over T’Challa was in AvX. He actually wanted to remain neutral in issues 6 and 7, and then the Avengers brought an X-prisoner to his country, prompting Emma to prompt Namor to attack. Now his country is in ruins because of a war he wanted no part in, and he blames the mutants. I’m not sure if that is reasonable or not, but considering what happened to the poor guy, I think it’s better that we don’t see him rationalize everything. Who actually could? This shouldn’t be a debate about who he blames, we should just see a man who had something terrible happen to him and his country, and that’s what we get.

The next story has Cyclops in prison, which gets the most development in this issue. And it’s probably the story you will roll your eyes at the most. Basically, some organization is already trying to exploit the mutant phenomenon and want to test their technology on Scott Summers. And we’re back to the X-Men stories of old. It’s also really similar to the Osborn mini a couple years back. The only difference is that Osborn was an actual villain. Scott might need to be detained, but why SHIELD and the Avengers would send him to a privately owned prison who are clearly anti-mutant is completely unbelievable. At first it seems Cap and the others don’t know, but he sends Wolverine to to talk to Scott. Cap doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would send someone like Cyclops to a place like this. I think this is only thee to set up Wolverine and Cyclops teaming up again and taking the mutant-hating warden down. If that’s the case, this is very heavy-handed.

As for Hope’s part, it’s simply one of the best parts of this issue, since Gillen writes her so well. Duane Swierzcynsky deserves a lot of credit for everything he did to develop the character of Hope, and Gillen deserves equal credit for expanding and developing that character to the next stage. Now that she’s fulfilled her destiny, what’s next? This is what I am most interested in reading about, as we get hints of Cable, which is always nice.
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Uncanny Avengers #1 – Review

Posted on October 11, 2012 by paladinking

By: Rick Remender (story), John Cassaday (art), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story:  Cap tries to form a new team embodying Xavier’s dream of co-habitation as Havok pays a visit to his brother, Wanda and Rogue come to blows, and the Red Skull gets up to some really grotesque stuff.

The Review:  For those familiar with Rick Remender’s work, this title is very different from anything we’ve seen from him prior.  With John Cassaday’s slick, polished artwork, this is the big, flagship Marvel Comic sort of book.  Rest assured, however, that Remender nonetheless nails it, giving us an issue that almost feels like an issue from an event.  That said, while Remender’s usual weirdness takes a backseat, it’s still very much there, giving the book a real edge to it.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #12 – Review

Posted on October 4, 2012 by paladinking

By: Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction & Jonathan Hickman (story), Jason Aaron (story & script), Adam Kubert (pencils & inks), John Dell & Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin & Justin Ponsor (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story:  The Scarlet Witch and Hope take on Dark Phoenix Scott Summers for all the marbles.

The Review:  No one will ever accuse AvX of being subtle, nuanced, or even particularly smart writing.  That being said, it never really aspired to be more than it is.  So really, how much you enjoy it, and how much you’ll enjoy this issue, is really largely dependent upon your feelings about big event comics in general.  For myself, I honestly had fun reading this issue.  It wasn’t anything exceptional, but I enjoyed myself.  It was a solid, cathartic conclusion to the story and, yeah, AvX winds up being about a hundred times better than Fear Itself.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #10 – Review

Posted on August 16, 2012 by paladinking

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), Adam Kubert (pencils), John Dell (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Larry Molinar (letters)

The Story: Cyclops attacks K’un-Lun in an effort to bring Hope home.

The Review:  Well, good news.  This issue was actually…pretty good.  That’s largely owing to the fact that the Phoenix corrupted Scott and Emma turn out to be extremely effective villains this month.  They’re compelling, particularly given that they aren’t at all bland or derivative, instead managing to stay true to their characters.  It’s “evil Scott” and “evil Emma” in the truest sense in that they are still distinctly themselves, just in a much darker light.

Scott, for instance, is the sort of guy you can’t help but hate.  Sure, he’s done a lot of good things, but man does he love reminding you of that.  As a result, he comes across as condescending and arrogant throughout.  It’s basically everything Cyclops haters loathe dialed up to 11.  Emma, on the other hand, is downright creepy.  She’s turned Utopia into her own little kingdom with its residents as her slaves; she’s fickle and cruel in a way that suits the character quite well.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #9 – Review

Posted on August 2, 2012 by paladinking

by Jason Aaron (writer), Adam Kubert (pencils), John Dell (inks), Laura Martin & Larry Molinar (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story:  With their backs against the wall, the Avengers attempt a daring jailbreak.

The Review:  I’ve actually found the last few issues of Avengers vs. X-Men to be relatively enjoyable.  It’s something of a disappointment then that this latest installment felt a tad underwhelming.

Part of that, I think, is that this issue is another testament to the fact that AvX could easily have run the standard 8 issues instead of twelve.  The first two-thirds of the issue felt like a lot of wheel-spinning.  Perhaps that’s a little strong, as things DO happen, but it feels like little more than the pieces being shuffled around on the board.  It’s almost as though the book is on a holding pattern – minor consolidations of characters’ alignment are made, it’s hammered home repeatedly that the Avengers are stuck in neutral, and the end result is that, for all the action scenes, the book is surprisingly dull.

Moreover, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed by the portrayal of Magik and Colossus.  The strongest element of the “Phoenix Five” has been the way that the Phoenix hasn’t just corrupted them, but done so in a manner that accentuates each of their unique and inherent character flaws.  Magik and Colossus, however, just come across as evil, straight-up villains.  Well, with Colossus trying to resist his villainous side, anyway, while Magik is completely malevolent.  But the problem is there’s nothing unique in their corrupted behaviour – they’re just violent and nasty.  I wish it was a little more nuanced in the delivery.  It’s particularly strange given that Jason Aaron was also the guy behind last week’s issue of Wolverine & the X-Men, which did such a great job in its depiction of corrupted Colossus.

Thankfully, this isn’t the case with Aaron’s takes on the empowered Emma and Scott.  These two characters thankfully maintain that interesting element of the Phoenix’s corruption – they aren’t just evil, but rather, the corruption emphasizes certain character flaws.  The vengeful Emma Frost and her inner struggles were a great example of that and a major highlight of the book.  Aaron manages to make her perfectly monstrous, the Phoenix corrupting her in a manner that fits perfectly with her nature, but also a sympathetic figure, all in the space of two pages.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #8 – Review

Posted on July 19, 2012 by paladinking

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Adam Kubert (penciler), John Dell (inker), Laura Martin & Larry Molinar (colorists), and Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

The Story:  The Avengers try to stop Namor from burning Wakanda to the ground.

The Review:  One word describes this issue:  fun.

I’ll admit, I’m not one easily wowed by superhero punch-ups, but somehow, seeing Namor battle heavyhitters like Red Hulk, Thing, and Thor was pure, gleeful, comics bliss.  There was just something magical about seeing these heavy-hitters throw down (with one particularly brutal panel that particularly sticks out – that’s a pun that’ll make sense when you read the issue).  The fight was wonderful fun that had me really enjoying myself and flipping the pages, with the issue never dragging or boring me one bit.
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The New Avengers #28 – Review

Posted on July 13, 2012 by paladinking

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (artist), Rain Beredo (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer)

The Story: Spider-Woman, Hawkeye, and Luke Cage try to break out of the X-Brig.

The Review: This is a tough review to write, as I imagine that opinions will really vary on this comic.  The entire issue builds up to a big twist near the end and your enjoyment of it overall is thus largely contingent upon your reaction to that twist.

For me, I literally said, out loud, “oh, come on!” when I turned that page.  Bendis does a good job in tricking you, sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that the twist ending here is the oldest trick in the book.   That said, to his credit, Bendis almost, almost manages to sell it by making the scenario particularly hellish and twisted.  It’s actually surprisingly dark, and a little disturbing, for an Avengers comic.  Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the core concept of the twist is incredibly old, tired, and cheap.

The dialogue is also a mixed bag.  On the one hand, I liked the characterization Bendis does in showing the very different ways that Cage, Hawkeye, and Spider-Woman interact with their guards.  It showcased their unique personalities, and tactics, very well and was a really nice touch.

On the other hand, I could have done without the banter between Jessica and Clint.  Bendis and Deodato have established that this is a very dark issue they’re giving us and Hawkeye and Spider-Woman are in the middle of a desperate escape off of an island guarded by pissed-off gods and….Hawkeye is telling Spider-Woman that she smells nice, while Spider-Woman makes a joke about a birthmark/scar/something on Hawkeye’s butt?  It’s bad enough that the Hawkeye/Spider-Woman relationship still feels forced and underdeveloped, but this banter is really, really inappropriate and out of place.  This is only further evidenced by the fact that it’s really the only spot of humour in what is really a very grim issue, particularly given that dire twist.
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Wolverine and the X-Men #13 – Review

Posted on July 13, 2012 by paladinking

by Jason Aaron (writer), Nick Bradshaw (penciler & inker), Walden Wong & Cam Smith (inkers), Guru Efx (colorist), and Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

The Story: Get to know Warbird.  And, in other news, five phoenixes is a bit much even for Gladiator.

The Review: For the most part, the AvX tie-ins have ranged between mediocre to sucky and no title has been a greater disappointment than Wolverine and the X-Men.  It’s a painful situation that is every event-haters worst nightmare: a fantastic comic derailed by a forced event tie-in.

Given this, I was prepared to give another underwhelmed review but, much to my surprise, Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw churn out a fantastic issue here.  The reason why this one is different is obvious:  Avengers vs. X-Men takes a very distant backseat.  This gives Aaron a chance to focus on what’s made this series so great: the characters he’s created.

Here, he really pulls back the curtain on Warbird, probably the new character we knew least about.  Put simply, it’s fantastic.  You will leave this issue loving Warbird.  Her story is tragic, heavy stuff and she comes through it all a conflicted, three-dimensional character with a lot of depth and a lot more long-term potential.  Aaron has created a character that you can’t help but have a great deal of empathy for.

Part of this is Jason Aaron’s reversal of the stereotypical “tough girl.”  So many comics take the route of making a female character as hard-nosed and badassed as possible as the quickest, cheapest route to create a female “fan favourite.”  Aaron takes the opposite route.  Instead, he gives us character that is, on the surface, that stereotypica, female, 90s-badittude type of character, but that’s not what makes her so awesome or likable or unique.  Rather, it’s the softer, sensitive side of her that’s been so secreted away that makes the character shine.  In the end,  you’re cheering more for her to be able to emotionally open up and be herself than you are for her  to chop up some more aliens.  Essentially, Aaron gives us a character template that succeeds more than it fails, then turns it on its head to give it an entirely new depth.

While tragedy and emotion define Warbird’s story, there’s also something decidedly heart-renching about Kid Gladiator’s scenes.  Aaron does a great job depicting Kid Gladiator’s reaction to watching his dad get the worst of things against the Phoenix Five.  Most interesting is Aaron’s basically giving the character an emotional trajectory – he goes from wanting to be the hero in fighting alongside his dad, to crying out in despair and disbelief.  Better still, the fact that Warbird is restraining him, particularly in light of certain elements of her past, make the dynamic between the two VERY interesting and a lot more nuanced.
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Uncanny X-Men #14

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Roman Colombo

By: Kieron Gillen (story), Dustin Weaver (art), Jim Charalampidis (colors)

The Story: A déjà vu is usually a glitch in the Marvel. It happens when they copy something.

The Writing: (Oh, Spoilers ahead) While the story does echo a lot of Matrix: Reloaded, it isn’t a bad story. It’s actually quite interesting. Mr. Sinister has built an entire London underground, populated by thousands of (male only) clones of himself (Ms. Sinister wasn’t invited). One of these clones, a journalist set to do an interview with Sinister Prime (?) is very different from the other clones–he has free will. But not really. He’s actually designed to think he has free will so that Sinister can be challenged by…Sinister. This actually works quite well with the Mr. Sinister we’ve been following of late. He is so egotistical that not only does he want to interview himself, but he wants to test his own system by setting himself against it.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #6 – Review

Posted on June 20, 2012 by paladinking

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Olivier Coipel (penciler), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin (colorist), and Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

The Story:  The Phoenix Five begin to reshape Earth; the Avengers make a daring raid on Utopia to snatch Hope.

The Review:  I’ll admit that after last issue, I thought AvX had jumped the shark.  As a result, I was pretty worried when I started reading this issue.  Instead, against all odds, I had a reason to be excited.

Hickman has done some great work here with the Phoenix Five.  What we get is a story of gods among men and the resulting intersection and conflict between the two.  The result is a story that is much smarter, more meditative, and more global and nuanced in nature.  AvX has suddenly become a whole lot more than Avengers and X-Men punching each other.  Better still, Hickman muddies the waters at just how godly the Phoenix Five really are and the extent to which they are merely mortals gifted with godly powers.  The result is that the intersection/conflict isn’t just between gods and men, but also between the godly powers of the Phoenix Five and their human/mutant cores.

The result is a strange sort of antagonist: their acts are amazing and philanthropic, and yet they feel so alien that you can’t help but find them somewhat sinister.  Scott only continues to be more disturbing; while he acts and talks like a god, he still carries that vengeful chip on his shoulder.  This leads to scenes where he’ll drop his godly guise and seem like…Scott, with powers he shouldn’t have.  There’s also an especially strong scene where Scott plays the nasty, biblical God: teasing and tempting Hope only so he can chide and reject her for her lack of blind faith in some form of sadistic “test.”  For all the good the Phoenix Five do, it’s the hints like these that Hickman uses to suggest that men cannot and should not be gods.

Olivier Coipel’s art refreshes AvX just as much as Hickman’s script does, if not moreso.  While Romita Jr. truly was doing his best, Coipel blows him out of the water.  Coipel is everything you expect out of a “big event” type book, with an incredible sense of scale and drama and a polished, “big budget” feel to his work.  His art goes a long way to rejuvenating AvX and making the book an exciting one.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #5 – Review

Posted on June 6, 2012 by paladinking

by Matt Fraction (writer), John Romita Jr. (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker), Laura Martin (colorist), and Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

The Story: The Phoenix arrives.

The Review:  I really, really was starting to think that AvX was going to be a good, fun story, but after last month’s shaky issue, I’m getting the sinking feeling that this month’s issue could very well be the moment that this series truly jumped the shark.

Overall, the general problem is that this entire issue is devoted to the big, gigantic twist near the end of the issue.  This leads to around 15 or so pages of treading water, as Fraction basically kills time before dropping the bombshell on us, which is the sole notable thing to happen here.  This leads to more pages of Avengers and X-Men punching each other with very little emotional significance to their particular struggles.  Everyone is paired off and Hope makes it clear that they’re trying to kill each other.  So yeah, lots of hollow panels of action with heroes punching, grappling, and blasting each other.  Perhaps if I were 8 years old again, I’d find it awesome, but at this point, it just feels shallow and a bit meaningless, particularly given that we’ve already had so much of these characters punching each other.  Fraction tries to make these action scenes different by having Hope basically emphasize, through narration, how desperate everything is, but it feels like a case of telling rather than showing; the action doesn’t LOOK any different from what we’ve gotten before, regardless of what Hope tells us.  It doesn’t help that Hope’s narration is built around an extended metaphor on her part that, while a decent idea and well-intentioned, ends up being clunky and more awkward that it’s worth.

But really, this may all be forgivable if the big bombshell Fraction was building up towards was actually a good one.  Unfortunately, it’s not.  I can’t really go into WHY it isn’t without spoiling it, but this really feels like the one, singular moment where things really went wrong with this series.  I really, truly hope I’m proven wrong.  As such, I can guarantee that it’s a twist that you will NOT see coming.  However, upon turning the page, I literally said out loud “are you @$!@ing kidding me?”  It’s a real “facepalm” moment here.  It just feels really, really stupid.  There’s no other way to describe it.  It’s just…dumb.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #4 – Review

Posted on May 17, 2012 by paladinking

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: As the Phoenix streaks towards Earth, Hope tries to make a deal with Wolverine.

The Review:  In a twelve-issue maxi-series, issues like this are all but inevitable – the dreaded, treading water, transitional issue.

Much of this issue seems like it’s buying time for the huge development/cliffhanger on the final page.  As a result, much time is spent with Emma Frost checking in on each team of X-Men and each “battlezone,” often visiting what’s been going on in some of the AvX tie-in issues.  It’s honestly not very thrilling reading – if you’re reading those books already, it’s redundant, and if it you’re not, each arena is visited so briefly and so superficially that it’s basically devoid of any real significance anyway.  Even Emma’s purpose in doing this (attempting to seek out Cap in order to figure out where Hope is going to be next) is geared towards getting towards that final page.  It’s as though Hickman just needed to kill time to that big event, as the series is effectively in a holding pattern until that event occurred, having gone as far as it could go.

That said, while the middle of the issue is a bit tedious, the opening and finale are quite strong.  The finale goes without saying: it’s a huge development and a huge cliffhanger that’ll have you hankering for the next issue.  Mission accomplished.  More than that, however, it also involved a plot twist in which Logan does something that’s really heartless and quite a surprise.  It’s great how Hickman had us, along with Hope, believing one way in the opening of the issue, only for it to get all twisted up at the end.  Just an ice-cold move by Wolverine.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #3 – Review

Posted on May 2, 2012 by paladinking

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Cap and Wolverine have a “discussion” regarding his actions on Utopia.

The Review: I figure a lot of readers are going to have a different interpretation of this issue, one that ends up being much more negative.  Why are the characters behaving so stupidly and resorting to violence so easily?  Why are they going directly against their clearly stated principles?  For more cynical readers, this will no doubt be ascribed to poor writing and “event storytelling.”

But I don’t think it’s that simple.  Rather, much like in the first issue of AvX, we’re finally being given an event that has heart and character moments and not just heroes smashing things.   I think the ease with which Cap and Wolverine resort to violence is a testament to their fraying at the edges under the pressure of this impending cataclysm, as well as the pandemonium of friends having become enemies.  That Cap behaves stupidly in so quickly throwing his fists isn’t poor writing at all – rather, it shows that he’s human.  He’s not some unassailable paragon.  Under tremendous stress, with the X-Men now enemies and the world turned upside down, Cap is slowly losing his cool, instead becoming more like….well, Tony Stark in his uglier days.  Stress is breaking these heroes and seeing events take their toll on their psyches is what makes this story feel meaningful and rife with significance and desperation.
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