D23 Released the Latest, "Avengers: Doomsday," Teaser and a Surreal, "Visionquest," Trailer

Disney kicked off D23 last night and announced a bunch of upcoming projects, showed more of other things in the works, and so forth. As Marvel is a big part of Disney, that had some topics of discussion, including an official reveal (finally) of an X-Men movie coming in 2028 and the public release of a big, "Avengers: Doomsday," trailer that was previously only seen by attendees of CCI//SDCC. I am intrigued by what I've seen. Give it a look:

The part where Reed Richards asks Doom what he's done gives me vibes of when Johnathan Hickman's run on the, "Avengers," and, "New Avengers," comics was leading toward, "Secret Wars," and the Earths in different Universes were being destroyed by heroes as well as villains to try and save other realities. The flicks have hinted at these, "Incursions," being an issue before, so imagine with those X-Men around too, we'll be watching folks from different spots in the Multiverse trying to save their own homes as this all leads into the, "Avengers: Secret Wars," movie a bit after this one (just like the comic event/events)! Robert Downey Junior's take on Doctor Doom seems solid, although I am still unsure why they got the former Iron Man to play this role but imagine, "Avengers: Doomsday," will address this in some fashion. The release date of December 18th will bring many answers and probably raise even more questions!

Oh, plus we've got a trailer for, "Visionquest," which looks to be an absolutely absurd treat. Paul Bettany and James Spader's Ultron (now sporting more of a human-styled form) in a weird virtual World, arguing about concepts of humanity and morality whilst getting into various hijinks? I'm down for it and will check it out this October on Disney+. View that trailer here:

I've been iffy on what Marvel's got going on with their comics and have felt unsure about their movie/television productions, but it at least looks like this Fall and Winter will have some fun stuff. I'm hopeful, "Avengers: Doomsday," is great and its follow-up, "Avengers: Secret Wars," then sticks the landing.

The First Full Trailer for, "Avengers: Doomsday," Appears Nifty

I watched the first (of probably a couple) full trailer for, "Avengers Doomsday." Besides a bit of a teaser here and there, little has been shown/revealed. In the trailer, released yesterday, we hear what sounds like Robert Downey Junior with an accent speaking as Doctor Doom about a major threat. Then, we get a bunch of scenes of much of the MCU gathering together whilst a voice-over from Thor (Chris Hemsworth) discusses how the current threat facing everyone scares him more than anything he'd ever faced--and back then he had other friends by his side too...who died (one would assume this references Iron Man and Captain America, not so much the MCU's Pietro/Quicksilver). Have a look:

The footage gives us a good look at some Multiversal iteration of the Avengers fighting an X-Men team where Channing Tatum's Gambit is present (odd, but I'm not complaining) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) wears more clothing (which does have some of the internet that favors a nothing-but-blue-paint-style complaining). I mean, we get more James Marsden as Cyclops, and he's in a comic-style suit, so I'm happy about that and am fine with the other tweaks too--Magneto's got some long locks! I would imagine much of the movie is centered on the Avengers taking on this X-Men-verse as we saw with, "Incursions," when Jonathan Hickman wrote, "Avengers," and, "New Avengers." That eventually ended with Doctor Doom kind of saving the day and creating a new Universe in the 2015 version of, "Secret Wars," which also happens to be the second part of this filmic duology with, "Avengers: Secret Wars." 

The trailer got me curious enough about the movie I'd maybe check it out in theaters, even if the Chris Evans' Captain America return had already been spoiled before the trailer's reveal. I haven't really been able to say that about a Marvel production since the horror stylings of the Sam Raimi-directed, "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness," got me to buy a movie ticket. If I'm considering seeing this in theaters, I guess mission accomplished? Plus, it gives Marvel plenty to talk about this week at Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con!

This Doctor Doom Cover from the Latest, "Captain America," Run is Simply Rad

I've been reading the latest run of, "Captain America," and quite enjoying it. Marvel seems to be struggling, in general, to have much of note comic-wise lately, but I do continue to enjoy Jed MacKay's work on, "Moon Knight," and Chip Zdarsky has been giving us some stellar stories about Steve Rogers. The latest relaunch overcame how it annoyingly, "Reset," the continuity a bit, yet again, having Steve Rogers being found in the ice and brought back in 2001 shortly after 9/11. The initial arc involved Captain America's first meeting with Doctor Doom being retold/told or such, and some of the variant covers were done by Zdarsky as he is an artist as well (he's illustrated various series before gaining further renown as a writer). This brings me to my point of how I did not even know Zdarsky made a really cool variant cover with Doctor Doom and the American flag, but he did--and I stumbled upon it the other day and found it amazing. It is featured above.

This wasn't a ratio cover or anything, just one of the variants for the third issue. It is imposing, full of interesting subtext, and just looks cool. The minimalism is perfection, with Doom's usual green finding itself replaced by red, white, and blue, just working so well visually and as a commentary on Doom's style of imperialism versus...well, America's version. I rarely buy a comic just for the cover, but even though I have these comics with the main, "A," iteration, I bought this variant at the comic shop. "Captain America," is currently up past ten issues and remains a stellar read--perhaps I should check for any other cool covers I might have unwillingly missed!

"One World Under Doom," #1 Starts Perfectly Fine

"One World Under Doom," features Doctor Doom emerging from the nation he runs--Latveria--after some months of keeping it locked away in a magical dome he was able to create thanks to becoming Sorcerer Supreme (he took it from Doctor Strange during a vampire invasion event, you know how it goes). He appears one morning and announces he is now the ruler of the World. All leaders of nations pledged loyalty to him and now he's in charge of everything on Earth. The twist is he will let every nation run itself normally as long as there is no war and everyone is able to access healthcare and as much education as they want from Pre-K to Doctorates. Basically, Doctor Doom has taken over Earth but is ruling it in a very chill way as long as you don't challenge him--if you do he might sic a T-Rex monster on you.

Obviously, the World leaders were tricked/replaced/had magic done to them for this to happen. The Avengers know this but stumble over themselves to expose Doom and look reckless and useless compared to the World's new leader. It's all perfectly fine as this sounds like something Doom would do, but what's the twist? Is it that Earth is okay with Doom's dictatorship because it actually seems like it works even if he assumed power through malignant means? That could result in a story about free will versus safety and security, I suppose. That said, Doom is up to something, one assumes, we just don't know what it is. Did he just want to declare himself ruler of Earth and demand everyone get along, be healthy, and get an education?

The thing that makes this at least enjoyable even if nothing about the first issue leaps out at me is that Ryan North writes a great Doctor Doom. He's got that mix of intelligence, ego, and attitude nailed to a T, and artist Ben Harvey gives us some delightful scenes of the Avengers fighting or Doom pontificating across the World's airwaves with his imposing visage. Still, the issue was entertaining enough but unless we're going somewhere creative I don't see what makes it especially necessary for this to be a huge event with multiple tie-ins. Doctor Doom has taken over Earth and the Avengers will beat him...the end? If that's the case this will be a bit of a waste, but should something unpredictable or twisty occur, well then I'm quite interested in seeing where we're going. For now, however, the verdict is out. As I said, it is a perfectly fine debut issue, I just hope this turns into something beyond, "Doom fooled Earth and the Avengers have to prove he's evil!" We'll see.

3.5 out of 5 Stars.

Movie Announcement of the Year That Still Has Me Bewildered: Robert Downey Jr. Returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom--2024 in Review

It was Comic-Con International, AKA San Diego Comic-Con. There, in news that astounded and confused, we learned Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the MCU...as Doctor Doom. Not a Tony Stark variant, but Doctor Doom for a new " Doomsday" movie that would replace the now-canceled "Kang Dynasty." It is fun to see how RDJ is coming back to the MCU, but it is a bit odd as well. It feels a bit like Marvel throwing things at the wall to see what could stick, but if it works out then any of us with trepidation will have to eat our words, I suppose. Since that big announcement, Chris Evans has also been announced as coming back in some capacity (besides his recent return as Johnny Storm in the latest Deadpool--and Wolverine--flick).

Will these returns undermine how Iron Man and Captain America's stories wrapped up in, "Avengers: Endgame," or be a cool new twist that helps further reinvigorate the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I guess we'll know more all the way in May 2026 when, "Avengers: Doomsday," comes out. For now, though, it all still feels a bit odd.

Marvel Doing Zany Character Pairings? Sounds Fun!

The Marvel Universe is a big place. There are well-known characters who did not meet for years of existence or whom still haven't hung out. With this in mind,  J. Michael Straczynski is going to be writing a number of one-shots for Marvel featuring, "...characters who had either never been paired before, or only minimally," for the amusement of us readers! JMS returned to Marvel a bit ago to write, "Captain America," after previously leaving on less-than-stellar terms when Editorial overrode how he wanted to finish his, "Amazing Spider-Man," run. JMS's take so far on, "Captain America," has been a bit quirky, but still fun. Hence, it is interesting to think he'll write about Rocket Racoon and Doctor Doom, Nick Fury going against Fin Fang Foom, Hulk chilling with Doctor Strange, and so forth. 

The only story that made me scratch my head in that it doesn't sound like a strange duo is, "Spider-Man Vs. Doctor Octopus." I mean, they interacted enough that at one point Otto literally took over Peter's body and served as, "The Superior Spider-Man," for a controversial run--perhaps there is a twist to that story? Whatever the case, we get to enjoy some wild matchups this January with JMS scripting and a variety of great artists illustrating.

Possibly the Wildest News from CCI/SDCC: Robert Downey Jr. is Back in the MCU...as Doctor Doom?

Last night Marvel had a huge panel in the biggest possible room you can book from Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con--Hall H. They talked about a lot of upcoming movies but the biggest news from that panel and possibly all of CCI/SDCC is that we're not getting a Kang movie with the Avengers anymore--we're getting, "Avengers: Doomsday," in 2026 followed by, "Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. The Russo brothers are returning to direct and Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU...as Doctor Doom. Not Iron Man. I am a bit befuddled.

I honestly would have maybe predicted RDJ would come back to the MCU at some point with a good enough offer and story. I never would have predicted he'd somehow be Victon Von Doom. Is it some kind of multiversal variant? A different kind of reality-warping shenanigans? We don't know and probably will have to wait a bit for the exact details, but Robert's back, and he's gonna be a supervillain. I've seen reactions to this vary from excited optimism that Marvel is going back to talent that previously worked well to a bit of trepidation for the exact same reason--Marvel is going back to playing a bit of a nostalgia card for stuff that's not even two whole decades old yet. 

I guess sometimes we invent a reason to bring old stuff back because it worked the first time. After all, remember in the Star Wars flicks when they did the whole, "Somehow, Palpatine returned," gimmick? I've written extensively about the power of nostalgia/"weaponized nostalgia," and how it can give us great new stories that utilize the power of past tales but can also backfire horribly. I guess we need to let Kevin Feige (the well-known mastermind behind much of the MCU), the Russos, and Marvel cook so we can see just what happens.

Hot Comics Revue 17--Doomed I Say, Doomed!

Sometimes comics get hot due to movies or television shows. Thanks to, "X-Men '97," a lot of X-titles were getting buzz from the first appearance of Gambit to when Bastion debuted and so forth. I always find organic growth of a comic especially fascinating, however. When a book just seems to slowly gain attention and get hotter and hotter that is fun. I discussed such a case in my last installment of this segement with the newest iteration of, "Ultimate Spider-Man," and now have a really interesting comic for you, "Doom."

I honestly thought this was going to be a new series when I saw it solicited but, "Doom," is in fact a mega-sized one-shot written by Jonathan Hickman (same writer of, "Ultimate Spider-Man," actually) and illustrated by the amazing Sanford Greene. Hickman has clearly been on a roll lately with this being the second comic he's done this year to really blow up in popularity. Why is, "Doom," and its big one-shot so hot though? A chunk of reasons...

1. It's a Great Story. This comic is set in a future where all the Marvel heroes (and much of the rest of hte galaxy) have been wiped out by a superpowered Galactus and it falls to Valeria Richards (daughter of Reed and Sue) and Dr. Doom to attempt to save what they can of the Universe.

2. The Art is Amazing. Sandford Greene gives us some illustrations that are absolutely mind-blowing and this may be the best-looking comic we witness this year. His artwork is gorgeous and a feast for the eyes.

3. It's a One-Shot Set Outside of Continuity. In a time where we get these big epic series or events that are always advertised as changing the current Universe in wild ways forever, there is a charm to a relatively quick and self-contained story that realizes it can just be cool and do whatever it wants because it does not, "Count/matter," in the general comic continuity. Sometimes fans avoid a comic if it isn't a part of the big epic storylines, but the fact this is just a cool little yarn has touched a nerve with readers. You don't have to read anything before this or after (as of now unless we get a sequel story). It's just a damn good one-and-done comic.

4. Retailers May Have Under-Ordered. Even though I (and others I talked to) thought this was maybe the debut of a series, retailers probably saw it was a one-shot and giant-sized with a bigger price for the pages, seven bucks. That is a hefty price for a random one-shot set outside of continuity that comic readers may skip out on unless they really like Doctor Doom or the creators. The book is hot now but initially, it would make sense for retailers to be nervous and under-order the comic, resulting in fewer copies out in the public and the price going up in the secondary market.

5. The Opening Page References MF Doom. Seriously, the famous rapper who drew inspiration from Doctor Doom and sadly passed in October of 2020 gets a little homage/shout-out on the opening page with the text, "Living On Borrow Time...The Clock Ticks Faster..." which got a lot of people's attention and resulted in some fans of MF Doom seeking the comic out too. It's a nice little touch.

These factors have resulted in, "Doom," #1 selling for $30-$35 on eBay with the variant covers getting a little less scratch but still being hot. The fact it is a damn good comic all-around and was possibly under-ordered and has some extra buzz thanks to a musical homage all seem to have lit a fire under, "Doom," #1. A second printing is undoubtedly on the way if you want to read this awesome one-shot but would rather not pay too high above the cover price. Hickman keeps putting out hits in 2024 and Greene should be allowed to draw whatever he wants for Marvel because it is bound to be beautiful.

2020 in Review Mega-Post

One Big Post

The end of 2019 was fraught with emotion and busy so instead of making multiple posts looking back at the year, I made one big one. It worked out pretty well. Considering how this year has been I felt like doing another mega-post instead of a bunch of small ones would be easier for everyone involved. Read on for a look back at this year in all its, "Glory," as it were...

Overwhelming Focus of the Year:

The Pandemic

Ever since March, the pandemic caused by COVID-19 has been the main thing on many of our minds. It has been less of an issue in countries that handled it somewhat well, but here in America is just keeps getting worse. It is terrible how many people have fallen ill or died with countless morons denying this pandemic is a problem (and refusing to simply wear a facemask to protect themselves and others). 2020 was a pretty miserable year, and one big reason for many of us having such a bad time was COVID-19.

Best New Comic of the Year:

"The Other History of the DC Universe"

It was announced, then delayed, and finally, the first issue came out at the tail end of November. The wait was worth it, however, as, "The Other History of the DC Universe," is a fascinating take on the DC Universe from the eyes of characters such as Black Lightning and other heroes of color. It really is the best thing DC has put out in years and writer John Ridley and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli deserve much praise for their incredible first issue. I can't wait for more.

The Disappointment of the Year:

Warren Ellis

Warren Ellis is one of the best writers of comic-books to ever exist, and he excelled in other media formats as well from prose to television. Warren Ellis created some of my favorite works I've ever read. Warren Ellis is a genius. Warren Ellis also preyed upon many, many women and female-presenting individuals. He coerced them into sexual situations and manipulated them emotionally in a manner that is disgusting to read about. There are so many to read about too. The joy I felt once looking at my plentiful comics by Warren Ellis was replaced by feelings of sadness, dismay, and disappointment in a, "Hero," of the comics World being revealed as someone who hurt others many times. I sold almost all of my Warren Ellis-written works and the things I kept for one reason or another (his Moon Knight run so that I have a mostly complete collection of anything with the character) are now hidden away as I don't want to see them. As many have observed, Ellis being a creep doesn't undo all his contributions to the field of comics. That said, I personally don't get the same enjoyment out of his work anymore and have zero desire to buy anything else he may ever make in the future.

Food of the Year:

Anything that was a little spicy

I've been on a bit of a spicy kick this year. Spicy chicken nuggets were a treat, some mild-to-medium sauced wings always made me happy, hot chips sounded good now-and-then, I just was pleased if I could get some heat. Now, I didn't want my food to be incredibly spicy, but a nice gentle burn was appreciated. I'm not sure why I suddenly wanted spicy food this year, sometimes I just get a weird craving, like that year I constantly alternated between craving lemonade and hot chocolate.

Canceled Comic of the Year

"Doctor Doom"

It got 10 issues and will have a little, "King in Black," tie-in epilogue, but I still feel like that isn't enough of the current, "Doctor Doom," series which was written with an expert mixture of bleak humor and intrigue by Christopher Cantwell and illustrated by the love-him-or-hate-him Salvador Larroca (I like his stuff usually, myself). Cantwell gave us the story of a Doom who is robbed of the leadership of his nation (Latveria) by traitors and forced to be as resourceful and clever as he always claims to be whilst also being haunted by images of a possible happier World. A Doom who is a bit of a hero and still a bit of a jerk always being undone by his hubris is a more interesting Doom than the kind who simply grumbles about the Fantastic Four, but I guess, "Interesting," doesn't always sell enough comics to spare a book cancellation.

Funniest Comic of the Year

"Hollywood Trash"

Two trashmen in Los Angeles suddenly and unexpectedly find themselves targeted by a crazy retired actor who has used his millions of dollars and acclaim to form a cult of sorts. It is as weird and silly as it sounds, and manages to be funny in a clever way beyond, "Weird for weird's sake." Only two issues have come out so far, but I can't really think of any other comic this year that made me giggle as much as, "Hollywood Trash," did. 

Music-Listening Method of the Year

Bandcamp

I got into Bandcamp this year and am quite pleased I did. A wide array of unique and interesting music artists can be found via this website (which also has an app). Plus, unlike most other music options the artists actually are paid decently with Bandcamp. You get to enjoy music and support the people who made it!

Ongoing Comic of the Year

The Department of Truth

When this was originally solicited it sounded underwhelming, "Imagine if every conspiracy were true!" The comic we got was much more interesting than that, however. It brings us a World where there is truth and reality, but there is an issue where if enough people believe in something, it manifests into reality briefly or even permanently and can override the, "Truth," with messy made-up fiction becoming reality. That is where the Department of Truth comes in. They work to stop or destroy anything that threatens reality. They make sure the World stays round, Obama was born in Hawaii, and if too many people believe in Santa Claus with all their heart, they go kill him at the North Pole. It's an extremely clever concept and the four issues that have come out so far have been a fascinating trip down the conspiratorial rabbit-hole.

Game of the Year

Cyberpunk 2077--Yes, Despite Everything

It is so, so broken, but I have been having more fun playing it than any other games in a good long while. I am talking about, "Cyberpunk 2077," and my experience with it on the PlayStation 4. It is glitchy, the graphics warp and mutate into ugly ways, certain plot elements leave a bad taste in my mouth, but damn if it isn't fun and sometimes has great writing to counter the iffy stuff. The World sometimes feels fully realized and other times feels like a fake and plastic theme park with a paper-thin facade, but when things are working, I love the sneaking, hacking, interactions with other characters, zipping around on my motorcycle...and then the game crashes. "Cyberpunk 2077," is a big mess, but it is beautiful and keeps getting updates to make it function better and better. I already love it in its horribly shambling condition and know it will only improve. It is so messed-up stores are letting people get refunds for it--no questions asked--and Sony delisted it from their online store. I still am a fan, despite all this. "Cyberpunk 2077," could've never lived-up to the hype, but what we got is pretty damn fun when it isn't falling apart.

Hardest Part of the Year

Losing so many people

At the end of 2019, we lost our pregnancy. It was incredibly hard and upsetting. Little did we suspect just what 2020 would bring to add-on to our grief. During this year we lost Samii's Dad, her Mom, and her Grandpa. I was especially close to my mother-in-law, Kim, and continue to miss her deeply. 2020 seemed like it was just loss after loss, with a pandemic thrown in to just make things even more complicated and terrible. 2020 was rough.

Best Part of the Year

Valuing the wonderful people in our lives

Losing so many people in such a short span of time was hard and I am thankful for all the family and friends who have been there to show us support and love. My mother and father have been wonderful, our friends have shown how much they care in a myriad of ways, and at the end of the day, I am still so thankful to have Samii as my wife and Clarkson as my son. 2020 was a Hellish year, but my wife and son inspire me to do my best every day for them, and for myself.

I Really Want This Emperor Doom Funko Pop

Correction: I said this was a shared exclusive with C2E2 below. It is a shared exclusive with Emerald City Comic-Con

I don't collect too many Funko Pops these days outside of some favorite characters. There are just so many trying to keep up with any particular company or line is a great way to go both broke and mad. That said, I really want this Doctor Doom Funko Pop that features him as Emperor Doom from the solid, "Secret Wars," mini-series which Jonathan Hickman wrote and Esad Ribic illustrated some years ago. It looks a lot like the more recent Doctor Doom Funko Pop, but with his extra-regal white robes.

This Emperor Doom Funko Pop is a shared exclusive with the comic convention C2E2 that just occurred and will also be at Target here in America and other assorted stores or websites Worldwide. I think I'm going to buy one and look forward to having it look over my other Pops all imposingly.

Tom Scioli Doing a, "Fantastic Four," Comic? Yes Please!

Well, Marvel found a way to make me read a, "Fantastic Four," comic willingly again. Seriously, I don't think I've been excited to read a book specifically focused on the team such Jonathan Hickman's run started back in--lemme check my notes here--2009? God, it has been awhile (of course the book was canceled for a good deal of time too). I don't know why there are so few, "Fantastic Four," runs I like, but that just seems to be the case--I've always liked Doctor Doom though. Anyways, Tom Scioli, whom I have often sung the praises of, is going to be doing one of those, "Grand Design," mini-series where a whole bunch of Marvel history is summed-up. Ed Piskor did it with the X-Men recently and now Scioli is going to give us two big honking issues of his take on the Fantastic Four.

This has me ecstatic as Scioli  of course is amazing in the fact he basically he does everything with his comics. He writes them, illustrates them, colors them, letters them, and I suspect he may very well be down at the printing-press stapling his books too for good measure. I may not have too many, "Fantastic Four," story-lines I am a big fan of, but I know without a doubt I'll enjoy seeing Scioli's take on the team's legacy. Yeah, I'm pretty pumped for this.

Disney Might Buy Fox, What Does that Mean Though?

Thanks for the funny image, Slashfilm.

Update: The deal went though. We will see what the future holds.

We kept hearing about how for awhile there were rumors Disney wanted to buy Fox (at least a chunk of it including the film division, leaving the news and sports channels alone). The rumors faded but now it seems an announcement may be made tomorrow/Thursday that Disney and Fox intend to merge/let Fox be bought-out/etc. What does this mean though?

Well, Comics Beat has a pretty succinct summary of it all, explaining how this is a lot more than Disney being able to use Mutants in their Marvel movies. This is the kind of deal that could give a single studio 40% of the market for films, which as someone who isn't a fan of monopolies worries me a tad (and as director James Mangold AKA the man behind the good Wolverine movies has pointed out, this could very well hurt creativity in the film industry). I'm as excited as anyone else at the thought of Marvel properties owned by Fox now being accessible to the rest of the Marvel movies, and yes my heart gets aflutter at the thought of the Avengers fighting Doctor Doom, but the ethics and questions of a single company having this much power are troubling.

I love Disney, I have relatives who work for the company in various positions and they enjoy it greatly, sharing stories of both the challenges they face and fun they have. That said, Disney bought Marvel, Disney bought Star Wars, and now Disney may very well buy Fox. The House of Mouse will own Iron Man, Luke Skywalker, and Bart Simpson (that'd be an interesting cross-over). This happening would be an entertainment earthquake, and we all know how destructive earthquakes can be.

We shall soon see what happens and if the deal would even be able to go through after courts give it a once-over. That said, a lot of money and stock options may be soon exchanging hands with Disney very well be about to have even more power.

Rant-Reviews: Beginnings and Conclusions

The Start and End
I like to read the first issue of comics and also enjoy the satisfaction of following a story to its conclusion. With that in mind I shall review three books that are just starting and three that have recently wrapped.

Let's Begin (and Finish)
Batman: White Knight #1
Sean Murphy both writes and illustrates this interesting start to his take on the whole Batman Versus Joker mythos. The twist here is that he plays-up the aspects of Batman as a dangerous vigilante the police basically condone and support and argues, "Well, what if the Joker seemingly was cured and used his amazing intellect for good instead of mayhem?" That leads us to a fascinating comic that with Murhpy's stellar artwork shows Batman as something akin to a hulking and scary monster and the Joker--or Mr. Napier as he prefers once cured with some mysterious pills--as a man who is possibly more dangerous to Batman when he's helping Gotham than when he's harming it. After all, if the Joker can, "Fix," Gotham doesn't he arguably end any need for Batman?

Murphy's writing is strong but dear God is his artwork amazing. Whether presenting gorgeous splash-pages of the Batmoblie darting about the city, giving us a montage-image of times from the characters' lives, or simply showing Batman as a large and intimidating creature, Murphy is an illustrator who continues to be at the top of his game and always impresses. The story has piqued my interest and Murphy's art will always keep me paying close attention. This is stellar start and I am excited to see what comes next. You can buy, "Batman: White Knight," at Things From Another World, MyComicShop, or on eBay.
5 out of 5 stars.

4 Kids Walk Into a Bank #5
This book was delayed to high-heavens for months upon months as issues trickled out and with its conclusion we finally get to the part where the kids rob the bank only for it to basically fizzle-out into a huge anticlimax. A part of me gets an anticlimax is kind of the point, but another bit of me felt like going, "Wait, that's it?" This was a fun comic but after all the delays and how much the story seemed to stretch things out and build the excitement up only to just kind of shrug at the end just left a super-bitter taste in my mouth and resulted in my making a huge sigh at its end. Oh well. Should you want a copy you can alway use MyComicShop and eBay, or you can pre-order the trade paperback at Things From Another World.
2.5 out of 5 stars.

Black Hammer #13
This comic has garnered more and more buzz whilst winning awards and all for good reason--this is one of the best books with a super-hero theme around. Whether being a bit meta with its riffing on changes in trends, or taking the time to make us truly care about this assortment of heroes stuck in a strange otherworldly place, "Black Hammer," has been a delight to read. This issue is kinda the end of the series, but it ends on a huge cliff-hanger and it has already been announced that a follow-up series is coming before too long and a spin-off series is beginning as well, so clearly these characters aren't going anywhere. It is weird to read a conclusion that isn't really the end, but, "Black Hammer," has been fantastic enough that won't be protesting us getting more of it. Grab yourself this issue at Things From Another World, eBay, or MyComicShop.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Graveland #1
I mentioned this in The Hot Comics Revue and was finally able to read it as well! Anways, in the past I've complained in the past about comics that seem to move too slowly, and this comic is as far away from that concern as possible. This book throws-out ideas and story-elements almost too fast, but the assortment of concepts somehow manage to mesh together in a way that results in something pretty cool. Basically, giants exist and have been wrecking the planet recently. The Government has a secret program to make super-humans and sends them to fight the giants. That happens and all kinds of stuff blows-up. As I said and you can see, there are some ideas that could stand alone as their own story but this comic laughs at the idea of taking things slow. I was entertained a good deal by this book and its desire to throw things at the wall and see what sticks. I'll be checking out the next issue for sure which I believe comes out soon. You can purchase, "Graveland," at Things From Another World, on eBay or at MyComicshop.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Punisher: The Platoon #1
I would say this book shows a lot of potential. I'd read in interview that Garth Ennis joked he tricked Marvel into letting him write one of his usual war-comics by making it about Frank Castle in Vietnam before he became the Punisher. It's funny, but also arguably quite true as outside of a framing sequence where an unseen person talks to the men who went to war with Castle this is basically the story about a Platoon of men struggling to survive in the Hell of war. That isn't to say this lacks quality however, because Ennis is one of the best writers around and his oft-collaborator Goran Parlov is an artist who excels at portraying the grit and grime of war, with the restrictive heat of the jungle practically steaming off the page. This isn't an amazing first issue, but it without a doubt was a good read and Ennis has all kinds of story-telling tricks up his sleeve for this mini-series, I would bet. You can buy a copy on eBay, at MyComicShop, or via Things From Another World.
4 out of 5 stars.

Infamous Iron Man #12
Well that was a huge let-down. I just said how the new, "Punisher: The Platoon," comic shows a lot of potential, and I kind-of recall saying that about, "Infamous Iron Man," when it first started. I perhaps should be careful when I use those words as this has turned out to be basically be 12-issues of time wasted as a Mephisto talks to us readers for a bunch of pages about how he just wanted to fuck with Dr. Doom because he thinks Doom acting like a hero is stupid. Therefore, writer Brian Michael Bendis is saying, "Oh the devil did it," to close the series. The seeming alternate-reality Reed Richard kicking-around from the Ultimate Universe? The Devil was faking that. Doom's Mother apparently coming back to life? That was the devil as well.

We basically end the series with a few cliffhangers indicating that Doom might have a child on the way and that a bunch of villians are mad at him before being told we can see what happens next with Doom apparently as a supporting character in the re-launching and re-numbered, "Invincible Iron Man #593." Were it not for the fact I really like Alex Maleev's artwork I would call this issue a complete failure, but at least it looks good. I feel like this clunker of an ending just makes the whole series feel like a big, "Gotcha," to readers, and as I just said, this was a massive let-down. You can buy a copy and see for yourself with MyComicShop, Things From Another World, or eBay.
2 out of 5 stars (thanks to the artwork).

We Learned Something
I think from these reviews we can see we maybe learned something. Namely, it is often easier to start a story than end it. There are good conclusions out there, but sometimes we get endings that feel like more of an anti-climax than anything else ("5 Kids Walk Into a Bank,") horribly disappoint us ("Infamous Iron Man #12,") or are good, but not even really endings as follow-up stories are coming soon after ("Black Hammer #13"). Oh well, perhaps the point is that sometimes its about the journey of a story than it is how it finishes? That, or just that endings are hard.

A Small Number of SDCC/CCI 2017 Observations

San Diego Comic-Con/Comic-Con International has concluded, and frankly not a ton of note occurred. I can really just in a short number of paragraphs say what I thought was at least slightly worth discussing...so I'll do that now!

In regards to Marvel and DC, it frankly seemed like Marvel was just desperately trying to convince people, "Legacy," isn't terrible and when that failed simply went, "Fuck it, just enjoy this awesome trailer for, 'Thor: Ragnarok,' okay?" Meanwhile, DC had a decent-looking big trailer for their upcoming, "Justice League," and talked about a variety of stuff but the only thing that really caught my attention was seeing that, "Doomsday Clock," is going to be 12 issues and has a slightly confusing time-concept (which makes sense to mix time with a, "Clock," concept, but still). I'm less excited than when it was a short mini but still cautiously intrigued. Oh, and Noah Hawley of, "Legion," making a movie featuring Doctor Doom is something I'm 100% on board with.

Other stuff that caught my attention was reading that Michael Davis as well as some other friends are launching a comic-thing called, "Level Next," to assist creators of color with the creation and marketing of their stories, which sounds great! Also, after 24 years of being published by Archie Comics it was made public that, "Sonic," would no longer be a property there, before two days later it was announced as being a new property at IDW, so that has got to have some interesting drama behind it. It also sounds like there were some good panels that discussed gender and race in the field of comics.

Besides all that plenty of other things happened, but nothing else struck me enough to feel it was worth even expressing an opinion on (that or something interesting could have happened and I just missed it). It sounds like it was your usual SDCC/CCI--assorted movie and television news, lots of random exclusive comics or Funko Pops, and a bunch of cool cosplay. I imagine it was fun, crowded, and a bit overwhelming for those who attended and maybe someday I'll be able to get out there and report on the show for my blog, even if I honestly NYCC or TCAF are higher on my list of cons I, "Dream," about getting to report on. Anyways, another San Diego Comic-Con/Comic-Con International is in the books, I bet everyone who was there shall enjoy a long nap!

Rant-Reviews: Comics I Recently Enjoyed

Shall We Begin?
I have no particular theme this time other than these are all comics I read recently and enjoyed. Sometimes my doing a simple concept is the best one, I feel.

Review-Time!
Saga #43
After the heartbreaking conclusion of issue #42 where a world ends and the remaining pages of the comic are literally just pure black nothingness, we arrive at the start of a new arc featuring an issue that can be purchased for just a 25 cents. That's right, a single quarter can get you this amazing book that has continuously brought me immense joy and sorrow. I imagine that quarter-price is also meant to encourage new readers as we get a significant chunk of reviewing what's happened previously within the series during this issue, but plenty of immense interest to us current readers happens too, so I'm still very pleased.

Essentially everyone has gotten themselves into yet another mess, with a devastating miscarriage resulting in a surprising amount of humor (laughter in tragedy, as they say) as the members of two warring races who fell in love--Alana and Marko--have to figure out what to do considering the unborn 2nd-child they were going to have would raise a lot of questions if either of them went to their home-planets. Also, there are monsters made out of literal shit, so yeah, "Saga," continues to be one of the best books on the stands and at a price this good to start reading it, you don't really have an excuse for missing-out on this series.
5 out of 5 stars.

Infamous Iron Man #8
Brian Michael Bendis, you can be as enjoyable a writer as an infuriating one. Whether turning in amazing work on books such as, "Daredevil," and, "Alias," or the recent kinda-continuation of Alias, "Jessica Jones," you can tell some great solo-character tales (and mess-up sometimes too), but you honestly struggle at times with team books, either turning-in decent stuff like, "New Avengers," or absolute garbage such as...your other Avengers stuff. Also, you can't write events. In other words, you can be amazing or really suck, and, "Infamous Iron Man," has actually been...really good?

I picked-up this book as I still hold fond memories of when Bendis and illustrator Alex Maleev worked on the aforementioned, "Daredevil," so seeing he was doing the artwork made me pick-up this book that spins-out of the atrocious, "Civil War II," where Tony Stark apparently was beaten into a coma by Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel for...reasons? Anyways, it follows Dr. Doom who has a repaired face thanks to, "Secret Wars," and now wants to be a hero. The book has been enjoyable in its studying of both good guys and bad guys who just can't believe that of all people Victor Von Doom is trying to be heroic. It seems like he might actually be trying though, and its been a fun read (with awesome art) as he tries. So, of course we need to muddy things further with an evil version of Reed Richards from the now-dead Ultimate Universe. That aside, this issue was more good stuff of Dr. Doom (and an appearance by fellow Ironman-suit-utilizer Riri Williams). Now we just have to hope this book continues to be good and doesn't fall apart or get sucked into some event (I have really been hating the Marvel events lately).
4 out of 5 stars.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #104
I continue to read and enjoy, "Tarot," thanks to its delightful writing, and artwork brought to us by the talented Jim Balent and Holly Golightly. Ever since the big wedding issue a variety of challenges have come Tarot's way, as well as her sister, Raven Hex. That makes this issue where everyone goes to a big Pagan High-Ritual known as, "Beltane," more of a relaxed pause in the series as opposed to some of the more action-packed or plot-filled issues. It still is good fun however, and develops some ongoing stories, such as how the happy-go-lucky character of Jon/Skeleton Man may have actually kept a lot of darkness from his past hidden.

Balent continues to illustrate mystical creatures, scenes of fighting, and the female form beautifully, and colorist and letterer Holly Golightly expertly ties everything together as per usual. I can't brag and say I've read, "Tarot," from the start, but I have been reading it for a good deal of time now and always find it to be a highly enjoyable time. Over the years these characters have really grown on me and I look forward to hopefully many more years with them.
5 out of 5 stars.

'Namwolf #2
When I first saw the solicit for this series, I was basically sold on the idea of a Werewolf in Vietnam. I figured as long as this comic gave me that I would be happy. The first issue supplied that and then in this issue we get to watch our werewolf fight a weird green bat-monster too, so yes, I'm pleased! Fabian Rangel Jr. (who also was a part of the, "Tarantula," graphic novel I loved and recently reviewed) writes and Logan Faerber masterfully illustrates this tale of a young man going to Vietnam and discovering a monster lives inside him, eager to get out.

The whole concept (a werewolf in Vietnam) is itself silly, so the book thankfully doesn't play things completely serious, but it also manages to avoid seeming utterly silly. It is like those old 1980's action flicks with a dash of horror that were just self-aware enough to avoid seeming dumb (which the creators have said is in fact the intention). I wish we would get a little more characterization of everyone besides the titular 'Namwolf as outside of learning their names in the previous issue the rest of the platoon has been pretty undefined and just kind of, there. That slight aside, the second issue of "'Namwolf," is a fun read and one I look forward to reading the next issue of!
4 out of 5 stars.

The Divided States of Hysteria #1
Howard Chaykin is an interesting person in the field of comics. He's been making them for decades and almost everyone loves his, "Early," stuff but the material he puts out now later in his career gets him regarded as either a genius or utterly insane. I personally feel he maybe is a bit of both. As he says in an essay in the back of this first issue, when this comic was first announced and being made he and everyone else thought Hillary Clinton would be President and this book imaging a world full of terrorism, racism, homophobia, and people acting violent towards each other would be more of a tale saying, "Here's the worst-case scenario that could have happened," as opposed to being more of a reflection of current events with just a little bit of hyperbole (in ""The Divided States of Hysteria," there have already been more terror attacks on the nation and our President was assassinated in a failed coup of sorts, so thing aren't yet quite this awful).

Chaykin is both the writer and illustrator here, giving us some bloody violence and sex while presenting a narrative of a nation creeping close a tipping-point of utter chaos now that the myths everyone believed of American exceptionalism have clearly been destroyed and everyone seems to hate each other...God, it really is like a fun-house mirror of today, ain't it? At the issues' conclusion it is clear yet another terrorist attack has begun on America and things will only get worse. It is a brutally bleak comic considering how right now terrorist attacks are actively happening in other parts of the world and our whole country is holding its breath in hopes we aren't attacked and our horrifically incompetent President (seriously, fuck Trump) has to try and be effective. It is depressing to think a comic that was supposed to seem over-the-top now reads as uncomfortably plausible, but I would say no matter how horrific, "The Divided States of Hysteria," seems, it is a wholly necessary hard look in the mirror of the path our nation is on and desperately needs to get off of. Yeah, Chaykin is definitely both a bit of a genius and crazy.
5 out of 5 stars.

All Quality Reads
I like when I can just kick-back on the couch (or a smaller-but-comfy chair, whatever works), relax, and read a good comic. I'm happy these books helped me achieve that goal.

A Review of Secret Wars (The Most Recent One)

There of course was a, "Secret Wars," comic some decades ago. I haven't read that one (I did long ago check-out that Bendis-written event that referenced the name though, it was so-so), but I did just recently read and mostly enjoy the, "Secret Wars," comic that ran during 2015....and into 2016, embarrassingly. It was a good comic, with some things I liked  even if there was some problems. Time to break it all down!

Let's Start With the Biggest Problem AKA Confusion Reigns

All the, "Worlds," to know.
Good luck.

Without some background knowledge readers of this comic will be horribly confused  at the start, and even more-so when the comic shifts its focus early on to a place called, "Battleworld." It is essentially mandatory that you've at least read the, "Avengers," and, "New Avengers," issues Jonathan Hickman had going before this event, as they tie in with this so directly people who didn't read those or a background-primer will be utterly lost. Otherwise you'll be asking why Namor (of the "main" 616 Universe) and some other villains are in the Ultimate Universe, what all this, "Beyonder," talk is about, why one of the Reed Richards is evil, and so forth. Now, I said you need to have at least read those Avengers-related comics, but quite frankly it also would help to have read some or all of Hickman's, "Fantastic Four," run, a number of Ultimate-Universe comics--for example, Hickman's books set in the Ultimate Universe, "Ultimate End," and especially the comics that involve Miles Morales)--that, "Spider-Men," event where the 616-Universe Peter Parker met Miles, and you know what, this reading list helps you get a good idea of what you need to read.

However, should you really want to understand what is going on in Battleworld, the tie-ins that occurred with, "Secret Wars," and which took place in versions of various realities from past Marvel-comics, you would need to read everything from, "House of M," to, "Planet Hulk," to, "Marvel Zombies," to...screw it, here's another list that details the pocket-worlds and helps explain somewhat where they draw from.

It kind of makes sense zombies would hate robots.
I mean, not having a delicious brain kind of ruins things.

You may be asking why all this reading is necessary, and there is an answer that is cynical and one that is more optimistic. The cynical answer is that Marvel wants you to spend all your money to buy every one of the comics that relate to, "Secret Wars," in the slightest. The optimistic answer is that writer Jonathan Hickman has always been a fan of making huge epic stories full of complicated elements best expressed in those flow-charts he likes to make, and therefore of course he would incorporate all of his Marvel stories from the start, other stories stretching back decades, and whatever else he feels like tossing-in to make his gigantic story. I've written all these thoughts so far but not yet actually told you the general story, have I? Let's correct that.

A Clever Story

So much started with (and even before) those two words, "Everything Dies."

It is admittedly quite a clever story.  Basically in the first issue the destruction of the universe that Hickman has been teasing for years actually occurs. "Everything dies," just as he said way-back-when in his earlier comics. Yet then we open in a new reality, ruled over by the living-God Doctor Doom who is assisted by his Sheriff/2nd-in-command, Stephen Strange. Suddenly the Universe is this patchwork of zones separated by borders that few denizens of one world are allowed to cross into the other. This world has a police force of Thors, kingdoms that are full of mutants in one place and robots in the other; realms that are familiar to the earlier-mentioned Marvel events yet still a bit different.

Oh, and absolutely no one seems to recall what came before until we learn that Doom and Strange do remember, they think they are quite possibly the last survivors of the past, and that when Doom was able to destroy the Beyonders despite their amazing power it was he who didn't shy away from taking their power and becoming a God (unlike Stephen Strange who utterly freaked-out at the responsibility), and single-handedly remade the world. Basically, it took the Universe ending for Doom to get his wish--to be the ruler over everything he always felt he was best qualified to be.

Some heroes and villains survived the world ending in their, "Life rafts," however, and are understandably aghast at this new Universe. In one of my favorite moments from this event Stephen explains why he has actually been pretty much cool with everything, stating how, "He [Doom] is very good at playing God." These hold-overs from the previous world lead to a whole bunch of trouble for Doom and the rest of the event basically follows everyone trying to best figure out how to take him down. It is at this point it feels really apparent the mini-series are useful reading, as at times certain characters seems to shift their allegiances with only minor explanation, and I imagine related mini-series, "Fill in the blanks," more as it were--for example: Doom's police-force of Thor's discuss how a Thor from the previous world has convinced them to fight against Doom, but we don't actually see this Thor ever telling them anything, it is just implied another comic will help us understand it all better.

A Visual Feast

I've gone all this time without talking about Esad Ribic and the stellar artwork he provides, and I apologize for that. His immense talent allows him to draw epic fights or everyone standing around talking with the same intensity and gravitas that it always maintains a satisfying visual narrative for the reader. His Doctor Doom (once Doom achieves God-status) is drawn with his metal outfit and a stunning stark-white robe. This Doom is one who won't suffer challengers much like the Doom of the previous Universe, but this one has the power to back-up any problems he has to face. Much like Doom all the other heroes are portrayed in an impressive fashion, be it a newly Phoenix-powered Cyclops, A gigantic version of The Thing stomping across the country-side, or Black Panther wielding the Infinity Gauntlet in hopes of causing Doom's power to waver.

Ribic's style has always been one I liked, carrying with it a feeling of intensity and specificity that compliments this story well, as lord knows Hickman needs someone with an attention to detail for all the various worlds and characters who play a role in this event. This series of course suffered some awful delays to the point that the big re-launch of the Marvel Universe had to occur before this series even ended. The end result of Ribic's finished artwork running throughout the whole event however is awesome, even if the shame of the delay hangs over Marvel's head.

Solid Entertainment

Never let it be said Marvel goes light on the tie-ins for their events.

While Marvel may have gone kind of crazy with all the tie-ins that required an encyclopedic knowledge of the Marvel Universe, and a main event that required a not quite as big but still significant amount of understanding of recent marvel comics, I would say that, "Secret Wars," is definitely some solid entertainment. Between a story that is quite clever and visuals that seriously please, "Secret Wars," is by no means perfection, but it is a great piece of entertainment without a doubt. I would for sure recommend you read it, just maybe prepare yourself for a whole lot of background reading beforehand so you aren't utterly lost upon cracking open the book.
4 out of 5 stars.

Rant-Reviews--Avenger Annual, Young Avengers Whine, War Machine's Book Dies A Painful Death, I Cry Myself To Sleep

Just Three Books getting the ol' ranting treatment today. 2 of them involve the Avengers in some form but only one is really fun, and another of them-thar books is about James Rhodes suffering a terrible death--not in the comic, but in a publishing sense as his book grinds to a halt suddenly as Marvel decided to kill it painfully. Good times all around.

The Avengers Annual #1 (for 2012, I suppose)
Hm, I didn't expect to enjoy this. Simon Williams has been written so woefully, horrendously, miserably, and out-of-character by Brian Michael Bendis in the Avenger's books and the other "New Avengers Annual" leading up to this. The thing is, when Wonder Man speaks this time, he makes some good points and the Avengers don't really have an argument against him. He says the Avengers has done some good things but really have just caused a ton of harm--Bendis tries to make Simon Wiliams look crazy while doing this, but really the man of wonder is right.

All the other Avengers can do is ask if Williams is under some form of mind control and try to attack him, which he very well points out they are going to do. Bendis in the process of trying to make the Avengers look good actually proves Simon William's point. They kind of just come off as big bullies--even if our "antagonist" and his friends caused some damage. Williams even says to his best friend, Beast, when he's locked up at the end that he loves Beast (still, after all this!) and hopes when Beast realizes the facts he brings this whole "Avengers" thing down.

It's almost as if someone set out to make a movie mocking something and instead made something that was a really good version of it--see "Robocop and violence in movies". Like if Bendis tried to make fun of a horror movies but whipped up the best horror movie ever. He tries to make the Avengers look good and Williams look crazy, but in fact...Williams just looks right, even if his team of friends is a little wonky. This takes place before Fear Itself #1 even happens though, however, so really none of it matters at all. Sigh.
4 out of 5 stars

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #8
Wow, in this comic we get teens whining, and Doctor Doom carrying on about how wonderful he is before of course everything goes wrong and it turns out he actually isn't a kind-hearted as he would have you believe. And oh...oh no....is there a hint in there about a huge continuity ret-con where the Scarlet Witch isn't responsible for the whole, "No More Mutants," thing but instead was somehow controlled by Doctor Doom into doing it? That better not be what I think is being hinted at, or else I will spit. Seriously, I will purse my lips and shoot out saliva in the middle of wherever I am when/if this suspicion is confirmed. Be it a cafe, day-care, funeral home, or whatever else.

At least the art looks good even if this is just constant whining. I swear, if I wanted this much whining I would go to the aforementioned day-care--which would be odd because I don't have any kids. Well, I mean there is that hybrid human-cheetah I created in a lab one night, but the government came and took it, saying something about, "Crimes against nature." Yet another sigh.
2.5 out of 5 stars.

Iron Man 2.0 #12
Nick Spencer came to Marvel with a gleam in his eye. He had an exclusivity contract and all these ideas. Iron Man 2.0 started so strongly but then Marvel told him he had to tie it in to Fear Itself for no apparent reason and for a good number of issues the complicated plot Nick Spencer was creating became all but derailed.

Nick Spencer was writing a comic about War Machine, but it was called Iron Man 2.0 and sales still weren't going strong, but he kept the intriguing plot churning along once the terrible Fear Itself bits ended and he could make something of quality again. Then Marvel brought the axe down on his baby, killing it with issue #12. Those last few issues were clearly rushed as the art would shift without warning in a style clash that made the eyes' of readers bleed. Plus, the story didn't get a strong conclusion really after those 12 (and a .1) issues of build-up, not counting the Fear Itself side-tracking bit. No, the comic just sort of abruptly ended.

This is a bad comic, I feel let down after all the development to have things just peter out so weakly like this, but I actually kind of know it isn't really Nick Spencer's fault. Marvel made him do the tie-in, I'm all but sure, and they killed this series on him. I see hints of what could have been a great ending but instead we're stuck with this. It's like the difference between the picture you see on the box of your new toy and what's actually inside that box--the world of difference. Nick Spencer wanted to deliver what was on that box, but he wasn't able to, he just gave us the disappointing junk that falls out once you rip open the packaging.

Another victim of this is the character of James Rhodes, War Machine. Yet again another interesting character will be relegated to the background. Also, considering how few comics have protagonists that are of color there is of course all the people on the internet asking, "Did the comic not last because he was black?" There is that argument that maybe people don't want to read about black characters, and I don't buy that. I think people want to read about interesting characters and if you have an interesting character that is black you might just have some success. I really blame the Fear Itself tie-in causing the comic to lose the momentum it had going.

Who knows what other fun stories we could have had, instead we are left with this weak ending of a comic. For what it's worth, Nick Spencer, I forgive you for this. As I said, I don't really blame you. Plus, if you keep making T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and keep it awesome I'll let almost anything slide. And one last sigh.
1.5 out of 5 stars.

We went from good, to okay, to just plain sad. You never know what's gonna happen when it's comic-reviewing time.

Two "Important" Marvel Books I Read Recently.

One Was Just Previews For Other Comics, One Was Straight-Up Crazy. So...Yeah.

That was interesting. I read Marvel Point One and Fantastic Four #600 and have some thoughts. Yes, they came out a bit ago but I didn't get around to talking about them one here until now and still want to. Sorry for the delay, I baked you these cookies as an apology, but be warned of the five I made, two have poison.

Read This Then Buy The Main Comic--Or Else We Will Cry

You're still conscious, so that must mean you picked one of the "good" cookies. Speaking of something where you get a sampling of options and some of them are really terrible and could kill you, Marvel Point One. You see what I did there? Seriously though, this comic was basically an excuse to show previews for future comics that will coming using a framing device in the form of everyone's favorite voyeur, The Watcher.

It seems some people have broken into his little palace and are absorbing information, which we get to see. Hence, ads--excuse me--stories, to promote a comic set the the Age of Apocalypse Universe, that weird Ultron event Brian Michael Bendis has been hinting at occasionally off and on for awhile, and so forth. The story that actually stands the best on its own is probably the most blatant, "Read the main comic to see what happens next," type-tale, but its so good I don't mind. It's a Doctor Strange yarn and its done so well--which seems hard for most writers (besides Brian K Vaughn when he did that excellent mini-series)--that it's all good. Other stories happen, but they aren't too great, involving new characters whose intro-story doesn't make me care about them at all, Scarlet Spider being a huge dick even though I used to like the character of Kaine (google it, but not the video-game vampire one), and Nova apparently says, "Epic Fail" when planets explode behind him...okay?

 Yeah, it was okay, but was really just snippets of stories, or short vignettes that scream, "Buy the main comic, pleaseeee!" and Marvel charged me how much for this--even if some stores sold it at half-price because it was double-shipped? Really, how much? I don't remember. $5.99? God damn that's absurd for something they could give away for free considering its all one big advertisement like those giveaway "sketchbooks" for their event comics. Ugh.

Everyone Loves A Love Story--But Prefers One About The World Ending

You know what I had a ton of trouble understanding because I quit reading the series awhile ago, but still enjoyed a fair amount? I would hope you know because I only mention two comics in the post's title and I just discussed one. For those who need a refresher, it's the 600th issue of The Fantastic Four.

I don't want to spoil it--even though everyone else has. But it's pretty intense with all these plots coming together and twists and a huge reveal that is explained in the second story. Oh, and some other cool tales occur too. There isn't a lot of Doctor Doom in here sadly, and I loves me some Doom, but that's cool.

Sky-writing with fire only leads to trouble.

You know, when I think about it, that Marvel mini-series, "Fear Itself" spent so many issues trying to convince us of some huge threat and that the world was in danger, etc. etc. This issue of Fantastic Four makes you feel the world is in actual danger within a few opening pages, and carries a sense of scope and gravitas that a whole 28 issues of Fear Itself (were there that many? I quit it because I got sick of the damn thing) couldn't summon at all. Jonathan Hickman's writing can be really good to me, or rub me the wrong way something fierce (hence my quitting Fantastic Four awhile ago), but in this thing he is firing on all cylinders.

As I said though, I haven't been reading this thing, so I was kind of lost on some of the finer plot details....okay, most if not all of it. Certain characters were hanging with other ones for reasons I did not know, people were spouting stuff that sounded cool but was over my head...basically I felt like most people do who don't read comics when they try and pick one up. I still enjoyed the heck out of this though, which is speaking to its quality. You know what? Fuck it, I'm going to spoil the big reveal:

That's right, Johnny Storm is back! Plus, he has a ton of power now, putting the big-baddie from the Negative Zone on his knees before the might that is the Human Torch. Pretty hardcore, eh? That is just so killer, and another instance of what I call, "awesomesauce," in this comic. Plus it only cost me...$7.99? Dear God, $6.99 wouldn't have been too bad for this, but that is just a bit much. Sigh.

Suck Down These High Prices. Seriously, You'll Gasp For Air

We had two comics, both absurdly priced. One was not really worth it, the other....hm. You see, I can't bring myself to say Fantastic Four #600 was worth it because just a cent under eight bucks is so crazy. I guess if you don't mind the steepness you should pick up everyone's favorite super-family trying to save the world. Skip the Point One though, you ain't missing much at all.

Scores Before Taking Into Crazy Cost:

Marvel Point One: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Four #600: 5 out of 5 stars

Scores After Taking Into Account The Cost:

Marvel Point One: 1.5 out of 5 stars (Just not worth the price)

Fantastic Four #600: 4.5 out of 5 stars (Still too high, but more worth it).