Peter David Has Passed

Peter David has passed. He was 68. David wrote a ton of comics I loved. One of my favorite comic runs has to be his extended tenure(s) on, "X-Factor," with the one post-"Houe of M," being extra stupendous. He was also amazing anytime he wrote anything Hulk-related, 2099-era stuff, and the list just goes on and on. David had suffered a number of health issues, including a 2012 stroke, followed by a number of issues post-2022. David at times faced some controversy for very public spats with other comic creators, and once apologized for anti-Romni comments he made at a 2016 comic-con panel. Considering some of the fiascos comic creators have publicly faced (Ellis, Gaiman, etc.), these are relatively minor blunders, but they got a lot of attention at the time.

The most recent comic by Peter David I read and quite enjoyed was a, "Joe Fixit," mini-series published in 2023 that focused on Bruce Banner/the Hulk's time in Vegas as the gray-skinned Joe Fixit back in a previous David comic run. It was incredibly fun and also featured a good deal of Spider-Man and the Kingpin being written as superbly as David could write any character (others online agreed with me). David was one of my favorite writers, along with Grant Morrison, Christopher Priest, and such. He will be deeply missed and leaves behind an amazing body of work in comics, prose, internet musings, and so forth.

A GoFundMe Has Been Established For Peter David

Peter David is currently hospitalized having suffered a heart attack and a number of strokes. He previously suffered from a stroke in late 2012 and recovered. He now has medical bills building up due to these recent health complications. Therefore, a GoFundMe has been established to assist with all the expenses. I send Mr. David and his family my best wishes and hope everything works out okay.

With it's Final Issue, "Immortal Hulk," Sticks the Landing

The other day a friend and I agreed "Immortal Hulk," issues #1-#25 are a masterpiece of storytelling. Full of philosophy, body horror, and general weirdness I loved reading it. The comic was written by the amazing Al Ewing and had art often by the now-disgraced Joe Bennett (more on that later). My friend and I also agreed on how issues #26-#50 were at times a bit slow or meandering, but still managed to entertain a great deal. With its finale completed, we're left with one of the best runs of a Hulk comic ever. This is arguably up there with the original stuff by Lee & Kirby, what Peter David gave us in the 1990s, and the Planet Hulk/World War Hulk stuff by Greg Pak.

"Immortal Hulk," gave us a Hulk who was smart, scary, and either wanted to save the World, destroy it, or thought destroying it would save it. We saw different personalities of Bruce Banner/the Hulk, witnessed all kinds of fights and surreal imagery, dug deep into psychology, and in the end--sorta a spoiler--got to watch Hulk yell at God (or some version of him/her) about life and why the Hulk even exists if all the Hulk seems to do is annihilate all that exists around him. It was a fabulous run.

Bennett's art was often amazing. He, unfortunately, is hateful.

The one stain on this majestic comic would be that as these issues unfolded more and more was revealed about the comic's usual penciler, Joe Bennett. I turned out he had previously posted a number of homophobic, antisemitic, and generally offensive comments and drawings. It started being apparent there were problems as early as issue #43 of, "Immortal Hulk," itself which contained questionable imagery, encouraging folks to dig deeper and find some really unsavory stuff about Bennett. As more was learned Al Ewing said he would never work with Bennett again and Marvel said they were cutting ties with Bennett after, "Immortal Hulk." One could be a little snarky and point out Marvel waited until, "Immortal Hulk," was done to finally drop Bennett, but I said I could be snarky, not that I would be.

Controversy with Bennett aside, "Immortal Hulk," was a wonderful series that utterly amazed me for half its run and still was pretty great for its back-half before closing strong. I look forward to the inevitable omnibus in 2022 or 2023 and will save my pennies up for it. Now we get to see what Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley have in store for us in their unenviable position of following after this amazing run.

5 out of 5 stars (for the entire run).

A Comic Was Solicited With a Writer I Adore...and an Artist I Loathe

I am a big fan of the comic-books by Peter David. His run on, "X-Factor" from the early 2000's to the 2010's was among my favorite comic-runs ever. Even if he has at times said some tone-deaf things, he apologizes for them and grows as a person who I enjoy reading his thoughts online along with his stellar comic-work. Therefore, in latest Marvel solicitations in this month's edition of, "Previews," I was ecstatic to see he was going to be writing a Spider-Man mini-series set during the time Peter Parker had the black suit (which turned-out to be a Symbiote, and once he cast it off turned into fan-favorite character, Venom). Titled, "Symbiote Spider-Man," I was ready to tell my comic-shop to put me down for all the issues...and then I saw who the artist was. The artist is (insert a big sigh sound effect here) Greg Land.

Greg Land is of course notable for how instead of doing much actual artwork he just traces a lot of stuff and the finished product looks like a crappy pin-up as opposed to telling a story. He'll use other's art as well as pictures to create his supposed work. Perhaps he will trace a photo from a magazine, a sporting event, or (quite often it seems) porn, as all of his women are posed suggestively and usually have faces shaped as if they are in pure ecstasy even if they're supposed to be yelling or angry. Greg Land is just terrible and the last time I suffered through his artwork for a comic it was when Al Ewing was absolutely killing it on, "Mighty Avengers," and Greg Land was killing...almost all of my enjoyment of the book. I  honestly don't think I can take any more of Land's atrocious excuse for art and for that reason I'm going to sit-out, "Symbiote Spider-Man," just so I can keep my eyes from burning in pain upon glimpsing Land's work.

NYCC Thoughts and Observations Based on What I've Heard/Read

It is Done!

New York Comic-Con has come and gone. I would love to get to it some year but for now I can just observe all the news that occurred and comment on it, as I am wont to do.

Things that Happened

First some good news about Marvel, Miss America is getting her own series and it is about fucking time. I've been a fan of hers since she debuted in often-overlooked gem, "Vengeance," that Joe Casey did a great job writing and Nick Dragotta illustrated wonderfully. It is worth pointing out that the original creators are making their own pseudo-continuation featuring a character a lot like her so it is funny how it almost seems like Marvel is now ripping-off Image.

Some less-pleasing stuff in relation to Marvel occurred too; I always have been a big fan of Peter David (especially his  more recent Marvel work) but he really made an ass of himself at a panel where he insulted Romani/gypsy individuals. Axel Alonso also said how he was, "The furthest thing from an SJW [Social Justice Warrior]," using the phrase in a manner that is insulting and which even in context as this link from Bleeding Cool presents, rubs me the wrong way. Note that both of those links are Bleeding Cool and they seem very supportive of the creators. I guess Rich Johnson is trying to suck-up to Marvel after pissing them off. Other websites have pointed out that Peter David is looking pretty hateful, which sucks as I've loved much of his work and had a lot of respect for him. But wait, right before I posted this I saw that Peter David has full-on apologized and admitted he feels ashamed of himself. Can we find it in our hearts to forgive him? Maybe if he makes some more good comics with Madrox and X-Factor?

The folk at Saint Louis-based publisher Lion Forge have been quite busy between acquiring Magnetic Press and now announcing they will be launching a younger-readers imprint known as Cubhouse!

Batwoman will be getting her own solo book again. Most stuff featuring her I've ever read tends to be at least good and often great (thanks to some stellar creative teams) so this is cool news, especially with some great creators involved such as Marguerite Bennett on writing and art by Steve Epting.

I'm excited for the really cool-looking new show, "Legion," being made in a partnership with Marvel and Fox. I'm not that pumped that it actually ties-in with the X-Men movies, with David being Xavier's son. I would kind of prefer it is just completely separate.

The chances of, "Hellboy 3," ever happening continue to sadly disappear.

I like a lot of the stuff that comes out from BOOM! Studios and their panel sounds like it was cool, even if Frank Cho had to throw a fit.

Another panel that sounds like it was great? The, "Race and Sexuality," one with such great guests as Ta-Nehisi Coates, Steve Orlando, Roxane Gay, and more.

Black Mask will be publishing more interesting-looking books, including a 2nd volume of, "Space Riders," so that's good news.

NYCC of course had some amazing cosplay.

SCOUT Comics publishes some quality books and hearing they've got more coming makes me excited!

Frank Miller surprised people by signing comics for a very-costly $40, but all of it went to the honorable Hero Initiative, so that is admittedly a nice thing he did even though he's caused a lot of controversy in the recent years with some of his political comments.

Hearing that Sigourney Weaver will be the, "Big bad," for the Netflix, "Defenders," series is awesomesauce, as the kids say.

Apparently footage was shown of such films as, "John Wick 2," and the latest, "Power Rangers," reboot. I feel more comfortable getting excited for the former than the latter, at this moment in time.

Dark Horse will be putting-out more books involving, "Alien," as they have been doing for quite some time now. The handful of comics I've read with the infamous Xenomorphs weren't bad.

Good Times
That's what I found notable about NYCC. I hope anyone who attended had lots of fun!

The First Three Issues of "Gotham by Midnight" and the Last Three of "All-New X-Factor

Intro
Today I shall discuss a series that has just started (and what a start--in a good way!) along with a series that has concluded (and what an end--in a bad way!). Read on for my thoughts!

Strong Starts Via Gotham by Midnight

I will admit that I'm someone who gives DC plenty of grief for some of their actions. It may be rude, but dear God they often are doing horribly stupid maneuvers that bed the question, "What are they thinking?" That said, if DC's upcoming plan to make their comics have more unique voices has the first three issues of "Gotham by Midnight" as an example of this idea, then DC might just hit a few out of the park--because this series is just plain fantastic only a few issues in.

The concept is introduced quickly and efficiently with everything making sense just half-way through the first issue. There is a unit in Gotham that handles weird crimes, they find out about these crimes through one of their supernatural detectives getting help from Batman in a mutually beneficial relationship. Some people think the squad is at best a waste of money, at worst some kind of way to corruptly embezzle funds. The opening of each issue makes such a superb introduction however, pointing out these detectives know they lack trust, and they don't care:

It's a striking beginning to each issue and much of the thanks for this series being so startling belongs to Ben Templesmith and his ability to create artwork that is extremely disturbing yet gorgeous at once. I've seen/heard people say this reminds them a bit of Templesmith's work with Warren Ellis on "Fell" with its twisted tales of detectives, and I can see where that thought comes from but would argue this comic is a unique beast all itself. A fascinating mixture of police procedural and the supernatural, "Gotham by Midnight" is a delicious blend of artwork and writing (Ray Fawkes provides some solid characterization and plotting).

Despite being set in-continuity with the rest of the DC this really reads as something being allowed to exist in its own pocket-Universe of awesome besides some nods to the DC-Universe at-large (Batman, Detective Corrigan and his connection to The Spectre), and it benefits from it. Should the series continue to be as impressive as its start, this will be something fondly looked back upon in the future.
5 out of 5 stars.

Finishing Out With a Whimper Through "All-New X-Factor"

I've discussed on countless occasions the great deal of affection I have for the run of "X-Factor" that preceded this short run of the "All-New" version (seriously, it was one of my #fourcomics).  The 18th and 19th issues are wonderful too, with Peter David's usual trademark wit being spouted off by everyone between some cool adventures.

It wasn't a surprise I found myself greatly enjoying this series up through the 18th issue,and then the 19th issue...not actually the 20th issue. Why did I dislike the 20th issue, however? Well, to put it as politely I as I can, the first nineteen issues of "All-New X-Factor" made a nice bed for this series to go to sleep in with its final issue, and that final 20th issue goes and takes a dump in that bed in the most spectacular fashion imaginable.

Yeah, I have no idea what's being discussed here.

This series, which has had absolutely seemingly nothing to do with the Spider-Man 2099 comic that David also has written recently, suddenly has the main character of that series pop-up in this, and reveal that the CEO who our mutants have been working for is actually someone from the 2099 comic who wants to take down some corporation I've never heard of (because I don't read any 2099 comics) run by some other man I am unaware of (because, again, I've never read the books in this series that up until this issue had nothing to do with it, I thought). I'm not the only one who finds this last-minute story change annoying, and its really saddening considering how much I liked everything beforehand.

The first nineteen issues of this series were fun, well-written, exciting, and other words that mean, "Good." Then, the final issue goes and ruins any goodwill I had. Putting aside that spectacular fiery crash of a climax this was a series I loved, even if it turns out its end is more of a lead-in to a "Secret Wars" mini-series David is writing set in--you guessed it--2099.
The Series Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The Conclusions of the 20th issue: 1 out of 5 stars.

Closing Thoughts
A series can easily start strong and end poorly, or on the other hand start weakly and end amazingly. There are of course comics that can maintain their quality all the way through their run and other series that are just a mess from the word, "Go." With all these variables for the beginning and end--along with everything that makes up a series in-between--it is always interesting to see what we end-up with. "Gotham by Midnight" has started as a great comic and I hope it maintains its level of quality, and "All-New X-Factor" was a great series but found itself severely hampered by an inability to, actually give us a satisfying conclusion. Beginning and ends, they can be interesting, wouldn't you agree?

Explaining my "#fourcomics"

What is #fourcomics?

A bit ago I talked about how "#comicsforward" was trending, and there is another Twitter idea that came about recently which I thought I would comment about/join-in on. It is "#fourcomics", and was created by comic-writer Jim Zub. It started out as discussing four comics that influenced you growing up, but has morphed into being four comics that matter to you in some fashion.

I posted my "#fourcomics" on Twitter at the start of the month and thought I would share why they are my four comics that matter to me. I suppose it all comes down to how they really impacted me in life either when I first read them, or sometime after.

My #fourcomics

New X-Men #127

This could quite possibly be my favorite single-issue of a comic, ever. Yes, in all of time. I even remember how I picked this up, it touched me so deeply. It was from a local newsstand-store that back then sold some comics too, and it struck me with its weird image of a metal-headed man staring at a cheeseburger. I had been reading some of the "New X-Men" comics off and on but could not recall seeing this strange character, so I picked it up. It was amazing. I mean, all of Grant Morrison's run on this title was amazing, but this issue...just, wow.

The art was just the right kind of moody for its story of Xorn, the man with the metal head to contain the sun that served as his head, as he investigated a series of pets going missing around a part of New York City colloquially thought of as the mutant area of the metropolis. He writes in a journal we see excerpts of how he is trying to get a grasp of life here in America (he was a Chinese citizen locked in a prison due to fear of his power), and he stumbles upon a young teenage mutant in the process of changing, whose mother unfortunately has given him and herself an overdose of pills out of fear of how he will be treated when people learn of his changing and extreme hunger that led to eating local pets. Xorn tries to help, but it's all for naught. Life goes on though, as he remarks at the issue's end.

This all struck me as so deep and impacting when I first read it, and then of course later in Grant Morrison's run the dark truth came out that Xorn was Magneto in disguise all along. This should ruin the issue for me, but actually makes it even better. Xorn says things that hint at what Magneto would state--in the issue and others--and in a way this issue shows what a kinder, gentler Magneto would be like even though much of the journal entry he created could be fabricated.

This is just an amazing comic and one thing I hold up as a reason for why I read them.

Moon Knight #13

This is from the run on the title that happened not too long ago, but due to various cancellations and relaunches of the title character's series now was...three ongoings ago if we count the current one? Whatever the case, it doesn't really matter, as not since Doug Moench's early Moon Knight stories had I enjoyed a run as amazing as Huston's on Moon Knight. I came across a hardcover of the first six issues from his run, loved it, and proceeded to follow the second arc to this amazing 13th issue, the last one Huston wrote alone before passing writing duties to Mike Benson, and God, what a way to finish. Coming out of Marvel's "Civil War" and its aftermath, this issue focused on how in a world where heroes have to register, a normal human who happens to fight crime like Marc Spector might be a tough case to judge. 

A borderline psychotic character whose violent tendencies make Batman look like he uses kid-gloves on criminals, how would Spector possibly get government approval to be a hero? Well, this issue tackles that and it is glorious in its showcasing of how Spector's own instability could very well serve him in scaring enough folk to give him what he wants. This issue encapsulates why Moon Knight is arguably my favorite comic-book hero, namely, he is someone you don't always root for, but a character who is fascinating to witness the actions of.

Doktor Sleepless #13

Arguably the comic that introduced me to Warren Ellis, in a sense. I say, "In a sense," as I had read things by Warren Ellis before, but not necessarily his "big-name" works that really showed-off his personality. Therefore, having been unexposed to the unique madness that is Ellis, opening up and reading something that was quite possibly the most "Ellis-y" comic ever was quite the shock to the my system--in a good way--over its amazing uncompleted run. Yes, that's right, another Warren Ellis comic that ended suddenly and may never be completed (there are a number), with this last, and marvelous, issue literally ending with a grenade flying through the air at a riot, now seeming to never be drawn exploding--just perpetually floating. 

Full of radio-rants by the main character, Jon Reinhardt, that sound like mini-essays by Ellis, the comic concerns a future that has let people down. Graffiti covers the city with messages such as, "Where's my fucking jetpack?" and the populace finds themselves so disaffected with the world they've taken to physically modifying their own body with technology in an attempt to be able to feel again. Then the Lovecraftian monsters appear and its clear we are really dealing with something fascinatingly weird.

The fact that after the first arc our mad-scientist main character retreats into the background as various secondary characters attempt to make sense of the madness he has caused only makes things even more curious, with the mystery just possibly starting to be revealed a little bit more as it all suddenly ended on a cliff-hanger. I truly hope "Doktor Sleepless" comes back someday, but know it most likely won't. I treasure the issues I got though.

X-Factor #6

I've often discussed in the past just how influential "X-Factor" was in my life, with the series overall probably being my favorite run of a comic thanks to Peter David's amazing writing and great contributions from various artists. This issue itself may not be as incredible as some later ones in the series, but this was the start for me, i.e. the first one I read. I went back to enjoy the previous issues and "Madrox" mini-series that led into it, but this was the start of that magical journey.

"X-Factor" was a comic where every issue may not have been amazing, but enough were that you knew you had to follow the series. A big thing I appreciated was how Peter David didn't, "Write for trade," with his long-game being apparent in how he would have a character in one issue say they'd be back, and then 30-or-so issues later have it revealed they were behind a lot of events. Just that kind of thoughtful writing where you can see someone actually planned stuff out months and years in advance is something I like, especially in this era where it can feel like publishers don't have anything planned beyond an event or two.

Four Wonderful Comics of Many

It can be hard to pick just four comics, but these are prime examples of comics that make me proud to say, "Oh yeah, I'm a comic book fan." It is interesting and a bit sad three of them are older Marvel titles, with me reading less of that publisher lately, but so it goes. Anyhoo, what are your #fourcomics, my dear readers?

2014 In Review--My Favorite Cancelled Comics of 2014

Why Do Good Things Have To End?
I have two series I absolutely loved this year that sadly are not long for this world or have just ended. Interestingly enough, these are both Marvel titles and prove how while Marvel may be willing to take some risks with quikier titles, if they don't make enough bank they'll get canned just like any other book. Let's examine the duo now, shall we?

Two Awesome Comics That Shall Be No More

All-New X-Factor

Peter David of course was the writer behind one of my favorite comic series of all time, "X-Factor". I was horribly sad to see it end but was pleased when I heard how it would be kind-of rebooted as "All-New X-Factor", featuring some characters from the last iteration but a bunch of other ones too. The 18th issue came out just this week and I haven't read it, but I imagine it continues the trend set by the previous 17 of being just a joy to absorb. Peter David's writing is one thing that always shines in any title, with its mix of humor, drama, and sheer cleverness, plus the art has been solid throughout this series also. Basically, it has just been a consistently great comic.

I suppose the re-launch ended up hurting this title more than helping it, something Marvel and DC never appear to take into account, instead assuming a re-launch equals more money, somehow. In this case that didn't happen, and instead of a comic that went a bunch of issues as "X-Factor" did we will find this series ending with its 20th. I just hope Peter David goes on to do another comic even half as rad as his "X-Factor"-related work has been.

The Superior Foes of Spider-Man

Only a comic as strange as this could have the characters flipping off the reader,
and the result being readers such as myself loving it!

The writing of Nick Spencer and the art of Steve Lieber resulted in a series that was consistently incredible from start to finish, never failing to delight (what's that? Two mediocre fill-in issues? I can't hear you!). A superb mixture of super-villains, well-timed popular-culture references, humor, and some good ol' fashioned heist-planning-and-doing, "The Superior Foes of Spider-Man" was simply a treat to read. I always found myself laughing, emoting, and otherwise marveling at the clever twists in the plot Spencer would consistently spring on us, with Lieber contributing impressive art along the way too.

"The Superior Foes of Spider-Man" is the kind of comic you can love because it mostly stands alone from any other title (no need to read a Spider-Man comic unless you really want to), was great fun, and otherwise was just--as I said earlier--a treat. It had become a bit of a running-gag after the 12th-or-so issue how Marvel hadn't cancelled the comic yet, but well, as of the 17th they did, and here we are, with it out a tad ago and now this big hole in our hearts. I had discussed before about how Spencer can be a really good writer or a really bad one, and I had yet to see something from him at Marvel I loved. "The Superior Foes of Spider-Man" changed that, and clearly illustrated that given the right material and a chance Spencer can make magic for any company. Now it's over. Ain't that a shame?

No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk/Cancelled Comics

"...and he shed a single tear as the milk poured out of the glass onto the floor."

I suppose there really isn't any reason to cry too much over cancelled comics, especially super-hero ones. The creators often will go on to do something else enjoyable, and the characters might reappear under the pen of someone else and still be quite fun to read. It just is still a shame when an ongoing title you really enjoy ends up actually, you know, ending. At least I have all those older "X-Factor" comics along with the newer ones and the 100% amazing issues of "Superior Foes" (what are you saying about two miserable substitute issues? I still can't hear you!) to look back upon fondly. I guess it is better these titles end while they are still good as opposed to the worse fate some comics end of forever dragging along, terrible to read but too important or popular to be given the axe. Yes, better to go out on top than peter out at the bottom.

Rant-Review Mayhem Part 3: Marvel and DC

So, We Have Reached the End
We now of course come to the top dogs, the major players, the, "Big two." I am of course talking about Marvel and DC. While I have expressed more and more irritation with these entities for seeming to put out nothing quite new or great, there are of course still newer titles that look promising and some comics I still greatly enjoy. Then again, of the four comics that have been around awhile which I review, three are in fact cancelled due to low sales--with me actually reviewing the concluding issue of one. Perhaps there is a message there, in that the smaller and quirkier titles I enjoy seem to be the ones the ubiquitous force known as, "The market," chooses to reject in favor of the, "Same ol', same ol,'"of repetitive events and pointless relaunches. Well, having already gotten us off to such a cheery start in this final segment I suppose we should proceed to the reviews now.

Why Does Almost Everything I Love Die/Get Cancelled?
Thunderbolts #32
The 32nd issue of "Thunderbolts," is also its last, which sucks because I liked this comic even when a lot of people didn't, and loved it when it started to really get its groove going around when Charles Soule came on the book as the writer with issue #11 and did a great job for a bit until Ben Acker and Ben Blacker took over writing duties to see the book to this, its current end. This issue brings things full-circle, taking the team back to the island nation they had their first mission on at the start of the series and basically restores everyone's status quo to how things were before they joined the team--e.g. off doing their own things. The comic has a bit of meta moment where some characters point out to General Ross/the Red Hulk his idea for this team never was going to last as they were just characters that shouldn't work together--it's strange and almost feels like the old story of the fox declaring the grapes he's unable to reach as probably being sour. Regardless of that weird moment, this comic ends the series in a way that is moderately enjoyable and a bit funny in a dark and cynical way. It's too bad, but at least most of the characters who made up the team are doing fine in their own solo books or other team-comics (Venom left awhile ago to join-up with the "Guardians of the Galaxy" comic of all things). At least this got in 32 solid issues.
3 out of 5 stars.

All-New X-Factor #15
Remember how I said pointless re-launches bother me? Well, this comic is an example of how Marvel took a moderately successful and long-running series written by Peter David, the "X-Factor" that launched shortly after "House of M" and went a number of years, and proceeded to re-launch it for little reason, with the result being much lower sales that resulted in it being cancelled. I know the 16th issue is out already but I haven't picked it up yet, and therefore I am reviewing this one. I may not even read any more issues until the final 20th one comes out and I can gorge myself on the last four whilst sobbing as if I were downing a pint of "Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream." What, you think you have the right to judge how I spend my weekends?

Anyways, how was this issue itself? As always, a pleasure, if a bit hindered by the fact that it sort-of ties into all this "Axis" business which I have almost no interest in reading. It isn't officially a tie-in although when first solicited it in fact was. Therefore, I suppose this means this issue and however many after it that involve "Axis" won't appear in the "Axis"-related trade paperbacks, but this clearly was written with that event in mind, as it features the team trying to maintain calm throughout the Washington D.C. area whilst everyone freaks out due to the mind-altering powers of the evil Red Skull. Basically, we get another really good issue of the X-Factor team, but a tad hobbled by its kinda-sorta tying into "Axis". This makes for a comic that is still solid, but not quite at the level of other issues. Still, it's an easy...
3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #16
The penultimate issue of this series, depressingly. For awhile it was a bit of a running joke how everyone thought it would, "Get the axe," but somehow kept surviving, with solicits for some issues even proudly exclaiming, "Still not cancelled!" Well, with issue #17 this title is indeed over, and its a shame as this is yet another entry that showcases the talents of Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber wondrously. The artwork has moments that remind of "Acme Novelty Library" in their creative design, and to compare someone's artwork to Chris Ware is high praise, no doubt. That isn't to say Lieber's stuff doesn't stand on its own as a glorious piece of work, because it does, with its peppy style complimenting the fact that this comic is absolutely hilarious. Besides being hilarious, it also is super-clever, always introducing a new twist almost every issue in the series to a point where you aren't sure whom you can trust--which is sort-of the point as when it comes to this team, ain't any of them particularly trustworthy.

This has been one of the consistently best titles Marvel has put out (except for that weird two-issue break that didn't tie-in to the normal going-ons with a different writer whose name escapes me) and it is a shame to see it go. Spencer clearly is building up to something quite huge though and I for one am extremely eager to see what the conclusion will hold for our, "Sinister Six," which actually only has ever had five members. It'll be some quality stuff, I bet.
5 out of 5 stars.

Superior Iron Man #1
A newly-debuted title spinning out of the events of Marvel's earlier-mentioned latest event, "Axis," I picked up "Superior Iron Man" with some trepidation as I haven't been reading, "Axis," but hoped that the talents of writer Tom Taylor (whom writes another comic I love and review below) would overcome any hurdles being related to an event this comic would have, and possibly even utilize the events of, "Axis," in a way that results in an even better comic--the heroes are having their moral, "axis," twisted a bit, or something I believe? Well, having read this issue I can say that this stands on its own pretty well in regards to any events, but as just a comic is...okay, I suppose?

Basically we have Tony Stark, but as a bit more of a jerk than usual, being all self-interested and creating an app for the phones in San Francisco that lets people look gorgeous thanks to a modified version of Extremis (that virus that helped him out in the comics and was a part of "Iron Man 3"). The twist is how Stark is planning to charge them one hundred dollars a day for the privilege of looking and feeling good after a brief trial-period. This doesn't sit right with Pepper Potts and leads to her colluding with a mysterious figure at the end of the book. It's a pretty basic first-issue in that it simply establishes the initial idea (Tony Stark is being an ass), introduces some characters (Pepper Potts, oh, and Daredevil shows up because I think he's in San Francisco now too in his comic) and introduces a, "Hook," in the form of the aforementioned mysterious figure. This results in a comic that is perfectly fine but a bit by-the-numbers except for how it makes it clear that despite the book being named for him we aren't supposed to be rooting for the newly Superior Iron Man so much as all the folk who want to take this unpleasant version of Tony Stark down a peg. So yeah, it's okay.
2.5 out of 5 stars.

Injustice: Year Three #2
Another comic by Tom Taylor, and one of the incredibly small number of DC comics I'm still reading. I also greatly have enjoyed this series throughout its seasons and in a miraculous twist others have loved it enough that its sold to a degree that it isn't cancelled! I know, isn't that crazy how a mainstream book I love is actually doing okay in the market? That said, this issue continues the trend of carefully walking the high-wire of discussing the serious topic of Superman-gone-mad but also working in some funny moments--Harvey Bullock pointing out how awkward he feels as a regular cop standing in the room with people such as a talking Chimp who also is a detective is one example. If I were to have any complaints it would be that Constantine so far in this "Year Three" of "Injustice" has been written moderately well, but just never feels as authentic as the one we know from the Vertigo days when he could swear up a storm instead of just referring to Superman as a, "Motherlover." At least he still says, "Bollocks," and has his nasty habit of smoking, making him feel somewhat familiar. Still, that issue aside, this is a great comic that quite frankly has grown into something even better than the enjoyably off-the-wall video-game.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Concluding Comments
It may be depressing to see many of the mainstream titles I like end-up cancelled, but the occasional successful title that also happens to be good (such as "Injustice") allows me to not fully give-up hope. Plus, as my earlier rant-reviews of various independent publishers and Image have shown, there are still plenty of wonderful books out there to be found with companies who could be argued as possibly more willing to take creative risks. In the end I suppose as these reviews illustrate, all you can do is try new things out, support what you love, and hope enough other people like it too for it to keep coming out. Such is life.

Two Quick Thoughts on Marvel and One on DC/Vertigo

Thinking About the "Big 2"
I just have a few total thoughts today that I thought were detailed enough to put together in a post, but not nearly in-depth enough to stand on their own. As I have two thoughts about Marvel and only one about DC and its Vertigo imprint I think I'll post things in the order of Marvel, DC, Marvel, if for no other reason that my minor obsession with having things in a pattern will be sated that way.

Thought 1: Some of Marvel's Cancellations Are Really Causing Sadness

Marvel has been getting "props" for putting out more quirky or interesting books that don't fit into any sort of cliche "Marvel style". These titles are ostensibly in the Marvel Universe but still quite unique. Some successes of this style of letting the comics function more independently has resulted in some big critical and commercial successes such as "Ms. Marvel" and of course "Hawkeye", but other books apparently haven't performed well enough and are being cancelled. I heard a collective groan of sadness from the internet when it was revealed "She Hulk" was ending with issue #12 despite actually seeming to sell well, and you might have heard me cry out in despair when the announcement was officially made by Marvel and Peter David that "All-New X-Factor" was concluding with its 20th issue. There is a slight silver-lining to this very gray cloud in that Marvel clearly isn't yet giving up on at least trying to put out weirder titles, as the announcement of, "The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl" shows they are willing to let their freak-flag fly a little bit.

Thought 2: It Seems We Are Approaching A Vertigo Revamp

I've discussed in the past how I had concerns about the future of DC's mature-readers imprint, Vertigo. However, after expressing my worries in that 2012 blog post the imprint seemed to start having some more success, with titles such as, "The Wake" selling like hotcakes and other critical hits such as "Trillium" leading me to conclude I was wrong and Vertigo was doing okay after all. Well, interestingly enough my first post thinking that Vertigo could be in for a shake-up might have been right after all, if admittedly "calling it" it a bit too early. I say that because it has been hinted by the DC brass that come 2015 there are plans for an overhaul of the Vertigo line. How much this relates to DC moving their office to Burbank in 2015, the fact that more former Vertigo-creators are now making titles with other publishers (Brian K Vaughn and Scott Snyder with "Saga" and "Wytches", respectively, although Snyder is still writing plenty of super-hero stuff for DC), or any other reason I cannot say. Still, whatever the case for this plan to change Vertigo it will be interesting to see what is done in an attempt to draw in more writers and artists so as to boost the line--like perhaps DC will be more willing to offer creators ownership of their intellectual property if  they write for Vertigo, or something of that sort. We can only wait and see.

Thought 3: Marvel is Going Teaser-Crazy

Lately Marvel has been releasing teaser-images that mention past events with small changes in images of the past event or a name alteration. These have been ranging from Civil War, to Planet Hulk, to Years of Future Past, to what could be some kind of Marvel Zombies VS Age of Ultron comic. Apparently even creators of some of these past events have no clue what is going on with the man behind the original Infinity Gauntlet comic (Jim Starlin) remarking he had no idea that Marvel was planning to revisit the series until he saw one of these random promos for it. Now, unless Marvel is planning some sort of mega-event with weekly comics that will revisit past comic-events or such, I have a feeling this all relates to the earlier announcement of a "Secret Wars" event in 2015 which builds off of the events of Marvel's "Avengers" and "New Avengers" comics that have featured alternate earths coming into contact with one another and requiring the destruction of one to save the other.

Considering how the concept of alternate realities will play a huge role in "Secret Wars" I could see how these promotional images are in fact advertising other realities where past comic events turned out differently, and is building-up to the idea that these separate planes of existence are going to come into conflict with "our" earth, resulting in a "House of M" world fighting the main one, or such. That is my thinking at least. For all I know maybe Marvel just really wants to put out a bunch of random mini-series set in past events and figure enough people will be hungering for a new "Armor Wars" that it'll sell well. Again, as I said when wondering about what the future holds for Vertigo, we can only wait and see. All I know is with my eventitis I won't be in a huge hurry to read any huge earth-shattering events that will, "CHANGE EVERYTHING...at least until the next event."

Done Thinking...For Now
So there were my three scattered thoughts about Marvel and DC I had today. I look forward to what other quirky books Marvel puts out and hope they will do well, while at the same time I desire for Marvel to tone it down a bit with all these event-promos that may or may not be for an actual event. Also, whatever DC does with its Vertigo imprint is bound to be neat to see. If only I could glimpse into the future and then think on that, if only.

Rant-Reviews--Marvel Comics That Make an Effort

Effort Versus Barely Trying
There are some Marvel comics out there that feel like they are phoning it in, so to speak (Bendis' X-Men comics, for one example). It's just the usual bit of drama, a dash of action, some angry dialogue, a sampling of fighting, and so forth. Then we have the Marvel comics that seem to actually be making an effort. You know, they've got a solid story, great dialogue, well-done action and fighting that actually looks like fighting instead of character's just posing at each other, as awesome-writer Abhay noted DC and Marvel comics are wont to do. These Marvel comics I'm going to discuss are the ones that actually make an effort, and even if they don't fully succeed at least they are trying, so that counts for something.

"A" for Effort Comics, and Sometimes an "A" Overall Too!
Daredevil #36
Since he started his run of Daredevil with the assistance of various wonderful artists, Mark Waid has set out to make this a Daredevil comic very unlike the previous ones--you know, since Frank Miller made it seem the only way to do a Daredevil series was to have it be as grim as the reaper (yah, puns!). Waid gave us a Matt Murdock who despite all his struggles wants to be happy, and in this issue Waid removes that one last thing holding Murdock down--his non-secret "secret" identity. Ever since Bendis did the comic (and did a great job, even if it was the usual dark and depressing stuff) everyone has known Matt Murdock is Daredevil but been unable to prove it. Well, in this issue Murdock openly declares, under oath, he is in fact Daredevil. It's a big turn in the character's story and precipitates him moving out to California as he will be doing in the next issue...which is actually #1 as they are re-launching the series and charging an extra dollar for it (now it'll be $3.99).

While I've greatly enjoyed this series, I feel this 36th issue is a good stopping point for me as I've continuously been cutting  back on comics, as I've told you all often, and the book starting with a new first issue and costing more money just has me thinking perhaps it makes more sense to flip through the trade paperbacks of this now. Be that as it may, this was a great series, with Mark Waid making that ever-important effort to bring us a Daredevil we hadn't seen in a long time--a fun one.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Origin II #3
Kieron Gillen has the unenviable task of following up on "Origin", the comic that told us once and for all just where Wolverine came from. This 2nd series has been interesting and is clearly trying to fill in more of the story too, it just is having a little trouble getting everything to click into place. We're meeting characters such as Sabertooth (when he was just "Creed") and other interesting folk...but the comic has a few things that bother me. Gillen wants to jam Mister Sinister into the story and while it makes sense from a continuity standpoint (Sinister has been around forever), it just feels odd to have this story set far in the past with a character I can't help but think of with a big elaborate cape and super-hero costume--even if he is dressed down for this series.

 I also was worried about Creed's inclusion in the comic, but that actually works pretty well. Gillen is clearly trying very hard to make a quality story here, even if it is stumbling in parts. I feel if he can work out the kinks and have me get over the usage of Mister Sinister this may turn out to be quite a winning series. We will see though.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Hawkeye #15
Even though issue #16 came out first a few weeks ago, because of the way different characters have different stories happening in each issue it didn't horribly destroy the momentum this comic has had--and boy what momentum it is! Nobody expected a comic about a secondary-character like Hawkeye whom has failed to carry his own comic to be as good as, and successful as, this series has been. Issue #15 doesn't change any of that, continuing the matching of Fraction's stellar writing with David Aja's killer art.

This has been one of the best comics coming out for awhile, and it is always encouraging to see it continue being great. I just wonder how everything will work when collected if Marvel has to pull more release-order shenanigans and put out issue #18 before #17 now to give Aja more time to illustrate. The only thing that I'm really concerned about in this issue is if Clint and his brother Barney are going to be okay after the shocking end of this comic.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Mighty Avengers #7
While Al Ewing had been doing wonderful writing on this comic, Greg Land seemed to be putting forth little effort in his work for the series (he is just so mediocre). Well thankfully, as of issue #6 we haven't had Land doing any interior art, so now the story-telling is mostly matched in quality by the drawing. I say "mostly" because sometimes things can still look a little rough or hard-to-follow, but overall this is some quality comic-booking. This issue is snazzy in that at the end it starts to hint at how various plot-points will be coming together and shows us that all the little things are working in a tapestry to create a big mystery. Ewing supplies some great story-telling with a dash of humor and this is basically now the only book with "Avengers" in the title I'm reading...although I will be checking out "Avengers Undercover" when that comes out.
4 out of 5 stars. 

All-New X-Factor #3
The only vaguely X-team-related comic I'm reading, I clearly am already a fan of this series because it is a comic written by Peter David, and it involves a team with the title "X-Factor". This team may not be the same incredible group as the last iteration of the series had (and which I often expressed great love for), but still make for a quality comic, with David's trademark wit and interesting plot-reveals, of which there is one big one this issue about where a character's allegiances may lie.

I'm still not sure if the company X-Factor is working for, Serval, is evil, good, or something in-between, but that is just one of the many questions I imagine David will reveal to us as the comic goes on. This is already a great series with only three issues out so far, and a great issue on its own merit too. I look forward to a hopefully long run of this series.
4 out of 5 stars.

My Dropping of Comics Strikes Again!

Cutting Comics Redux
Not too many months ago I did a multi-part look at how I was dropping many comics, and keeping others. It had four parts and I'll link to that at the end of this article should you desire to read it. The basic message was that comics that were merely okay wouldn't be able to keep coming home with me, as for $2.99 I can maybe do "basically good," but once you hit a cost of $3.99 you have to be pretty damn snazzy to be something I want to keep buying. Well, I said then I would eventually get to cutting more stuff, and lo and behold I have. Let's examine some choice examples and how they represent what I do and don't want to keep. I know I'm cutting a lot lately it seems, but don't worry, I'll still review comics even as I keep cutting, along with all the other stuff I enjoy discussing. I just thought you all would find it interesting to see more of my thoughts on what is right and what is wrong with comics. Let's proceed!

Stuff I Kept:
Various One-Shots/Mini-Series/Series That are Ending

You're just three issues and a good read? Sold!

A one-shot is a short little tale, why not give it a chance? If I don't like it, I only lost that amount of money, so one-shots are quite appealing. Also, if something is a generally self-contained mini-series from an independent publisher, and the story is pretty good, I don't flinch at maybe getting the six-issue run and then being done with the comic. I don't have to commit a ton of time and effort to understanding back-stories, or a bunch of money to a whole bunch of issues for a series that I may not even like at some point. Through being just a small number of issues, I don't hesitate to read "Absolution: Rubicon" or "Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde".

By the same point, if there were a series I happened to be following and was considering dropping, but it has om;y a few issues left, I figured I would get those last issues and not replace it with something else, still clearing out space in my wallet, just at a later time. A series such as "Avengers Arena" which is nearing its conclusion is an example of this.

Beautifully illustrated comics

Yeah, "Green Arrow" is worth keeping.

"Green Arrow" and "Clone" may not have incredible stories, but Sorrentino and Juan Jose Ryp are killing it on each respective book. Therefore, as long as they are illustrating those two comics, I definitely want them.

Well-Written Stories with Great Concepts
This is kind of an obvious point, but it deserves stating that if a comic has a great "hook" and is written extremely well, I will of course want to read it. "Saga" springs to mind as a book I couldn't live without, and even though I'm not reading any other Spider-Man book I am loving "The Superior Foes of Spider-Man". Also, even though I dropped some books by Joe Casey, one of his current works, "Sex", is just spectacular in its weirdness and has some great art too. Also, "X-Men Legacy" is something I shall keep reading as long as it is coming out with Si Spurrier doing his amazing work.

Dumb but Fun Comics
The "Justice League" comics tend to be kind of dumb and silly, and "Forever Evil" is a bit absurd too, but they are a fun sort of stupidity that makes them worth reading because even if the comics aren't making a deep and insightful point, there still is something awesome to seeing super-heroes smash each other up.

Stuff I Dropped/Won't Start Getting
Boring/Impossible to Understand Comics

"Lazarus" makes even a cool scene of someone coming back to life from wounds boring.

A comic can be dumb and still be enjoyed by me if it is fun, if a comic is just boring though--regardless of how clever or stupid it is, I just would rather give it a pass. "God is Dead" was kind of a snore, and "Indestructible Hulk" was slowly losing me too. "Lazarus" started out with a great concept, but all the pages of people talking, and talking, and talking about little of interest made me want to pull my hair out. Also, some comics weren't boring, they just made no sense. I love Joe Casey but I was having trouble understanding much of "Catalyst Comix" so I gave up on that.

Comics that were just "okay" and therefore not worth the price
This probably made up the largest number of comics I cut. From "Superman Unchained" being decent but uninspiring, to "Uncanny" having some good ideas but just seeming to lack a spark, so many comics I cut were by no means bad, they just weren't at that level of "good" I need with the lesser amount of money I want to spend on comics. As much as "Fatale" could be interesting sometimes, there were plenty of issues that had me saying, "And, that's it?" so I had to let it go. "Suicide Risk" is a perfectly fine comic by the talented Mike Carey, but it just wasn't really leaving me satisfied in a way that had me feeling my money was well-spent.

Absurdly Over-Priced New Comics

Everyone has heard the big news that Marvel is going to start publishing the famous Marvelman/Miracleman comics again (which took forever, I mean they bought the rights how long ago?), but a point less discussed is how expensive these issues are going to be. We're talking something like 5 dollars for a comic that is a reprint of some admittedly great stories, but how can Marvel think charging me that much for a comic that lacks anything super-special (extra pages, some silly gimmick like fold-out pages) will make me want it? A comic such as this or others will not be in my pull-box, that's for sure.

Most New Comics
Part of the problem with cutting comics is that there will always be new things coming out I might want. However, if I make sure not to start getting new comics unless there is something really special about them--or I cut something I currently get if I add something new--then I can keep my amount of comics I read down to a more wallet-friendly level.

"All-New X-Factor" is one of the few upcoming comics I will be buying.

Marvel has announced a new "Punisher" series, and that sounds great, but unless I hear it is absolutely amazing I am probably going to skip it. The "All New X-Factor" comic by Peter David is of course something I want, however, because Peter David is awesome, but another "Ghost Rider" comic is a title I won't lose sleep over missing. As long as I avoid adding much and letting what I currently have run its course, I can be more fiscally responsible and still enjoy the comics I truly like.

So, What Does It All Mean (Again)?
The first time I did my big dropping of comics I got rid of many of the same sorts of things I cut this time. Comics that were okay but not really worth the time they took to read, boring comics, and of course things that cost way too much for what I was getting. I kept stuff that was  written well, fun, had good art, and basically made for stellar comics--which sounds so easy yet seems to be so rare.

As I continue to cut things and read only the stuff that I feel is really worth my time, I hope to get more enjoyment from reading comics as there will only be ones I really treasure, and I will save a lot of money too, which can be used for other things that I hate to admit is more important than comics, but are--like food, shelter, and clothing. Anyways, there you go with what else I decided to drop and why.

Articles from the first time I did a big cut of comics:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

My Life and the Amazing Comic "X-Factor".

Numerous times on this blog I've talked about the just-ended "X-Factor" which spent a number of years in circulation, getting up to issue #50 before reverting to "Legacy"-styled numbering as #200 and ran up until ending last week at issue #262. Oh, and there was an excellent mini-series titled, "Madrox" that led into the said character forming his detective agency, of course named X-Factor.

Peter David wrote this series the entire time, through Marvel's countless editorial events that would sometimes wrest characters from his control (such as when Rahne left the book for a bit to be in an "X-Force" comic), or even when suffering a stroke that happened toward the end of the comic's run--and which in the final issue he insists has nothing to do with the book ending as there were already plans for this title to conclude. I've loved "X-Factor" so very much, because it has been with me for many years of my life that were full of various experiences, but in which "X-Factor" remained a constant. If I may be a bit self-indulgent I will illustrate why this book has meant so much to me...

The first issue of this X-Factor series I ever read was issue #6. Shown here:

 I remember quite clearly how I stumbled across it, as this book quickly became my favorite. It was sitting on an ill-kept comics' spinner-rack at a Borders in the mall at Ithaca, NY. That's right, this goes all the way back to when Borders had not yet become defunct. Anyways, I was in high school still and didn't frequent any comic shops so much as occasionally pick up a trade at bookstores or a single issue of comics that looked neat. I remembered Layla Miller being in the "House of M" trade I had just read and wondered what had happened to her, so when I saw the weird cover to issue #6 with a person who looked like Layla and a strange wolf-monster I eagerly picked the book up.

I immediately fell in love with Madrox, Rahne (whom I learned was the wolf-monster) Guido, Monet, and everyone else. I started picking up the comic anytime I saw the new issue on newsstands, and when I went away to college I finally got around to  ordering the "Madrox" mini-series on Amazon and had it delivered to my tiny college mailbox where it was roughly forced into mail-crevice yet remarkably was unharmed thanks to good packaging.

I kept reading the series and adoring it, from all the twists and turns to the amazing characterization, I kept following the book as I graduated college, did AmeriCorps, moved out to Saint Louis, and saw the characters grow and develop just as I did. Madrox and Layla got married (she became much older when she traveled through time so it wasn't that weird), Guido went from a lovable lunk to the lord of Hell, Rictor came out as gay and reunited with his love, Shatterstar. Quicksilver went in and out of the book between his various adventures in other titles and each time he appeared was a bit more stable and well-adjusted, and the fascinatingly evil Tryp was there at the start of the series and fittingly appeared in the very last issue too. As I went from high school, to college, to AmeriCorps, to working towards my Master's Degree, and graduating with it shortly ago, I always could enjoy the comic, "X-Factor" as my life kept changing--sometimes for worse, but much often for better.

The last issue of "X-Factor", or this version of it, at least.

Now we are at a point where "X-Factor" has sadly come to a close, but clearly isn't truly done with something else in the making that will most likely answer a variety of the remaining questions this series left. I've gone from a single high-school student to a holder of a Master's Degree and living with the love of my life (plus two adorable cats), and as corny as it sounds, "X-Factor" was always there for me, through the good and the bad. Sometimes folk will ask why I read comics, generally not in a mean way, but out of curiosity as with the booming business of comic-book (and specifically super-hero) movies there is more interest in the form. The best answer I can usually give is that through the long-form storytelling I'm able to have those characters there with me, remaining a constant yet also evolving as my life changes too. Sort of the same reason some people like a particular series of books, or certain television shows. It is comforting to have that piece of entertainment there growing and changing with you, yet as I said, being a constant in that it is always there.

"X-Factor" and the "Madrox" mini-series that led into it were amazing books, and I'll miss this version of the series immensely. I am thankful for the all the time that this version of "X-Factor" did exist, and was able to be with me, growing and changing in new and interesting ways, just as I suppose I did. As I enter the next stage of my life, working and such, it'll be interesting to see "X-Factor" do the same. I look forward to it--both my changes and those of "X-Factor"!

Morning Rant Reviews--Four Marvel Comics Of Varying Quality

I of course read a variety of comics, but I thought I would kick-off this morning with some reviews of Marvel comics (as I suppose that is a chunk of what I read) and follow-up in the afternoon with a smattering of other stuff.

Avengers Arena #9
From the start a lot of people were against this book. From the whole thing with it being fan-favorite teen-characters forced to kill each other making those aforementioned fans angry, to the idea that Marvel is no way in hell actually going to let these characters stay dead. Still, this has actually been a pretty good series, and even if it turns out none of these characters are actually killed (or come back to life really soon) this comic has at least done one thing I thought impossible--namely, made the villain, "Arcade" a bit less of a laughingstock (which was cleverly acknowledged and discussed in issue 7), so that's impressive. All of that said, this issue left a little to be desired with more instances of us getting a character's back-story than actually seeing all the conflict in the present. This wasn't bad by any means, however.
3 out of 5 stars.

Uncanny X-Force #4
We are on the fourth issue and I still have little-to-no clue what is going on. Apparently this comic is going to work on hand-waving away why Bishop was trying to kill Cable's adopted daughter, Hope, by throwing in mind-control or something. I find this annoying because pretty much none of the Marvel comics pointed out that Bishop was basically right about Hope as the Phoneix-force-infused X-Men almost destroyed the world and then she came close too during AVX before instead reigniting the mutant race. Doing this whole, "Oh, Bishop was just being made to act weird," story-line sort of ruins all that. Besides that matter though, we have a team that doesn't seem to gel together that well besides the rapport between Storm and Psylocke, and Fantomex is fun but as we don't fill the whole comic with him/her (there are 3 versions now, it's complicated) that can only go so far. At least the art is pretty to look at, but I'm basically underwhelmed by this comic.
2 out of 5 stars.

The Fearless Defenders #4
I like Cullen Bunn as a person, I do. I really enjoyed interviewing him, and I'm a fan of his work on those "Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe/Deadpool Killustrated" mini-series along with his writing on "Venom". All of that said, I'm still just not really digging this series. New character Annabelle Riggs is fun, as she provides a viewpoint like that of what a normal person would feel surrounded by all these heroes, but I just don't really care about all this Doom Maiden stuff no matter how big a threat it is made out to be (and it doesn't help that the villain, Caroline Le Fay, talks like a big baddie but seems to keep screwing up and acting like it doesn't matter)--and the whole "everything you know about this character is wrong!" twist for Valkyrie is another played out technique comics seem overly prone to using. I'll give this another issue or two to come around but right now...eh.
2 out of 5 stars.

X-Factor #256
How many times did I have to tell you people this was one of the best comics out there? I said as much from the earliest days of my blog, all the way to today. I guess I didn't say it enough though for it to matter though because now the series is ending (ostensibly on writer Peter David's terms, and I hope that is true). This issue marks the end of the "Hell on Earth War" story-line and now we'll be going into the book's last arc, appropriately titled, "The End." All of that said, this has been one of the best series ever and this issue helps continue to illustrate that point with a twist ending I would have never seen coming, accompanied by the usual strong plotting and witty dialogue David seems to write with ease. The series will be ending soon but I'll always remember it fondly...and hold out hope that maybe David is ending this series just so he can do something else really cool with all the characters. This is just an awesome issue of a spectacular comic, why do good things have to end?
5 out of 5 stars.

There you have it, come on back in the afternoon for more comic-y goodness.

A Bunch of Rant-Reviews on Great, Good, and Terrible Comics--Breathe it in, Sucka

Been awhile...

I was looking over the site and realized it has been awhile since I did my smaller rant-reviews/capsule reviews/whatever you want to call them. When I do those I'm not always snarky or attempt to be funny, but for fun's sake let's try to return to form.

Avengers #3

I like Hickman when he does the big-idea stories full of grandiose concepts. This series started with that but this issue illustrated clearly the big flaw Hickman suffers from--namely, ending the story terribly. "The Nightly News," is an absolute joy until those last few pages with the supposed, "big reveal," being just plain stupid. His Fantastic Four mega-story-line kind of whimpered out when Hickman stayed on the book after what should have been the concluding issue (should have stopped with #604 and not gone to #611 or whatever it was), His time doing the, "Ultimate Comic's Ultimates," started with a wonderfully surreal concept of a bubble-world and an evil Reed Richards before it ended with Tony Stark's brain cancer forming a friendly psychic child....really. I still love Hickman's, "S.H.I.E.L.D." comic because he cleverly has never had the last issue come out, thereby preventing me from insulting him for it (seriously, that thing has got to be at least 18 months late). Therefore Hickman yet again starts strong and ends this arc with a resounding, "What the fuck?" Apparently the aliens on Mars who murdered countless earthlings with bio-bombs are going to be allowed to just chill on that planet and create stuff as long as they promise to leave Earth alone now. Um, since when have the Avenger's let mass-murder slide? Even if some super-being makes everyone chill-out and think things are cool...just...wow. This third issue doesn't just falter at trying to, "Stick the landing," this thing lands so abruptly and terribly it should give reader whip-lash. Hopefully the next arc won't do the same thing, but I doubt it. Oh, and Jerome Opena is one of the best artist's around so at least these 3 issues stayed stellar art-wise the whole way through.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

Saga #9

Brian K Vaughn is just so damn good. Even some of the best comic writers out there can only dream of getting to drink his bathwater in hopes that Vaughn's sweat contains a modicum of his writing ability. The man writes such good stories and Saga is shaping up to be an amazing tale from what we've seen so far. Even this issue which breaks away from our main characters to focus on some secondary ones is fascinating and advances some plot points I honestly didn't expect to be resolved as quickly as they were, but that's Vaughn for you, always surprising the reader. Fiona Staples delivers amazing artwork to go with this too and frankly if you aren't reading this comic you're missing out. Drop one of the sucky comics you buy only out of a feeling of responsibility to whatever character they feature and pick this up instead.

5 out of 5 stars.

Batman #16

I really hope it is revealed that it isn't actually the Joker wearing that Joker flesh-mask. I say this because Scott Snyder has pretty much gone too far with the idea of the Joker being evil in this issue. Snyder has taken the Joker from an intriguing foil of Batman to just a weird psycho-monster who makes living flesh-paintings in a comic that reads more like torture-porn than a Batman comic. By making the Joker too inhuman he just can't be as interesting. When there is that hint of a shred of humanity within the Joker he is more interesting. Even at what could have been his most evil in, "The Killing Joke," Alan Moore had that quiet moment of humanity right at the end where the Joker himself admits its far too late to change for the better, he has just been too ruined by life. This issue of, "Batman," however, it just makes the Joker over-the-top evil to a point of obnoxiousness. Please, please have that not be the Joker or have there be some twist that it was all a test, dream, or simulation. I normally hate those kind of story, "cheats," but I'll let it slide this one time, just to save everyone's enjoyment of the Joker.

1.5 out of 5 stars.

X-Factor #250

How can there be a God? Seriously, how? In what world with a deity who isn't a total dick does someone as talented and cool as Peter David suffer a stroke while meanwhile Rob Liefeld gets to swim in money and attempt to sell a shitty screenplay about the early days of Image comics (which Abhay Khosla hilariously thinks would go like this)? You probably now see my point about how God either doesn't exist or is a huge jerk, and this example of yet another stellar comic by David illustrates my argument even further. I just hope Peter David recovers as best he can and continues to make awesome comics.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Team 7 #4

This comic is better than that time I was trapped in an elevator with a rambling hobo and had to listen to his ideas for a comic series set before, "Watchmen." I later realized the hobo was in fact Dan Didio, and if I hadn't thought such a stupid idea were impossible I maybe could have saved us all. With that hindsight I also would probably have told the hobo/Didio to axe, "Team 7," before it ever could have existed. The reason is that the whole thing just feels so unnecessary--yes, this series started with some promise, but it has just gone down the drains. It's dull, written with awkward dialogue, and fails to make me care about any of the characters on the team other than for the fact that a bunch of them in the future of the DC Universe have important roles ("Team 7," takes place earlier-on in the DC Universe's 5-ish-years-of-heroes-being-around history). This is just a completely underwhelming book, but at least isn't so stupid as to be insulting...it's just stupid enough to be annoying.

2 out of 5 stars.

Caligula #2

David Lapham has arguably the most disturbed mind in comics when it comes to the things he thinks up. Murder, Mutilation, Violent Sex, and demonic body-parts are all shown in such graphic detail that while reading this in public I felt a need to look around and over my shoulder for fear that someone would view what I bought and think me a deranged monster. Fear of being ostracized for reading this comic aside however, it is a pretty good story. Just don't give it to any children or you will be having to go door-to-door anytime you move to inform your neighbors you're on a registry...and I don't mean bridal one.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Deadpool #4

The first issue of this didn't overly impress me. The second issue failed to get me really, "sold," on this new Deadpool series too. Then the amazing third issue came out with its hints of meta-awareness, clever historical jokes about our dead Presidents (who have come back as zombies), and otherwise awesomeness. Thankfully, that trend of great quality has continued with this fourth issue which moves at such a rapid pace in killing the lesser known zombie-Presidents that it is sheer mayhem, but good mayhem. Plus, Deadpool fights former President Lincoln in a mixed martial-arts cage-match. What else could you want?

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #5

This comic at once does things that are really fun and neat while simultaneously sometimes being teeth-grindingly hokey. I did my huge post about Peter Cannon some time ago and much of my points still stand, with the plot only thickening in some interesting ways while also getting sillier in others. Then that last-page reveal this issue makes me think things could be getting even more strange...whether for better or worse will be seen soon. I still think this is one of the best super-hero comics people are, "sleeping on," though.

4 out of 5 stars.

All New X-Men #6

I'm waiting, just waiting. Waiting for what, you may ask? I'm waiting for that point where Bendis will mess up writing a team book. When Brian Michael Bendis does a solo-tale such as his run on Daredevil it can be great stuff, but if I've said it once I've said it multiple times: The man can not do team books. When he first started up on New Avengers (his first run) it was okay, then got pretty subpar. Then his other Avenger's works and event books were so bad I just dropped the titles until this new run by the already-discussed Hickman. That is why I'm so surprised to see this series actually so far be good. The characters' stories are well-balanced, things are interesting, and...I'm waiting for it all to go wrong. Maybe things will stay good, but at the first sign of trouble I'm off this.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

There we go

If you had been missing my little-reviews you should now find yourself sated yet also regretting what you've spent your time doing. Sort of the same way I feel anytime I watch reality television.