Marvel Events: “House of M” & “Secret Invasion”

Another dual-review, this time for two Marvel Events. I’m always wary of Marvel Events – they have a tendency to disappoint or prove a little pointless for those who are not devouring most/all of Marvel’s ever-expanding line of titles. The end of Avengers vs. X-Men at least had the benefit of shrinking their overall line, at least. It doesn’t appear that any of the big events that came before did. (I’d still like to read Siege, I think…)

Both of these two titles were included in a Marvel sale on ComiXology (which is pretty much the only way I buy Marvel titles, now, actually), so buying them and catching up with this Marvel backstory didn’t prove too costly. One of the titles was very good (much better than expected, certainly), and one just mediocre (and just a little bit of a struggle to keep reading)…

***

HOUSE OF M (2005)

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis | Artist: Olivier Coipel | Inks: Tim Townsend, Rick Magyar, Scott Hanna, John Dell | Colors: Frank D’Armata, Paul Mounts

The Avengers and the X-Men are faced with a common foe that becomes their greatest threat: Wanda Maximoff! The Scarlet Witch is out of control, and the fate of the entire world is in her hands. Will Magneto help his daughter or use her powers to his own benefit? Starring the Astonishing X-Men and the New Avengers! You know how sometimes you hear the phrase: and nothing will ever be the same again? Well, this time believe it, buster! Nothing will ever be the same again!

Collects: House of M #1-8

The book starts with Wanda Maximoff, also known as “The Scarlet Witch”, in a happy setting. Sadly, as Professor Xavier wheels in, we learn that it is not real – rather, a manifestation of Wanda’s power to bend and alter reality at will. What makes her power so deadly, though, is her mental instability. She’s clearly been spiraling into a much worse state, which forces the Avengers and X-Men to meet to discuss what is to be done about her. Some call for her termination, others call for restraint and understanding. A compromise is reached: they will go to the devastated land of Genosha to assess her state of mind, despite neither Prof X nor Dr. Strange able to help her retain (or, perhaps more accurately, attain) a grip on reality.

At the end of the first issue, Spidey walks off and wakes up... Only, nothing he sees is the same as it was… For one thing, there are a lot more apparent-mutants, too: they’re pretty much everywhere. They seem to be as numerous as humans, if not more so (later, it becomes clearer).

There are a number of funny moments in the book, too – not laugh-out-loud funny, but at least enough to make me chuckle. Here, for example, is Kitty Pryde, teaching a history class: “Who was the first mutant?” she asks her class. “And don’t say Moses or Jesus. I’m talking officially.”

Over the course the series, we are taken through this new reality for all the key players (too many to go through individually in a review, though). It’s pretty good, actually, and Bendis has chosen very well for most of the characters.

The spanner is thrown into the works, though, after Wolverine wakes up and knows something ain’t right... As Wolverine remembers his entire life in the “real” Marvel reality/timeline, he starts to seriously freak out. In a stroke of bonkers logic, he decides to launch himself off the Avengers’ Helicarrier... He flees from his former team-mates on the “Red Guard” (an elite S.H.I.E.L.D. unit), and gets scooped up and taken in front of the Human Resistance. And so begins his recruitment drive, collecting mutants and others to his side, as he realizes what Wanda’s done: given mutants what they always wanted, acceptance and a place in the world.

The chapters have a brief prose intro that is rather info-dumpy (I read this as individual issues, so I’m not sure if this is the case in the collected book). This is also probably because there were a lot of tie-in issues across Marvel’s titles at the time, all of which fed into and effected what happened in this book. I wasn’t prepared to buy and read them all, though (even with comiXology’s 99c sale).

In the sixth issue, we get this statement from Cyclops:

“I’ve – uh – I’ve been team leader of the X-Men since I was a teenager... And in that entire time, I’ve prided myself on my tactical restraint. Taking a moral high ground where violence is concerned.”

This from the mutant who will bring the world and community of mutants and super-heroes into a war so costly and devastating, that it will forever mess up the Marvel universe. What difference a couple of years make, huh?

At the end, we learn of what really happened, wrapping things up rather nicely. But then Wanda says those now-immortal words that forever changed the Marvel Universe…

After the pleasantly strong start, the book maintained its quality and pace. The artwork is also excellent throughout. Although, in an unusual twist: while the women are the comic-book ideal, it is the men who look deformed, as if their all suffering some steroidal gigantism. Sometimes, in the less-sharp or more-busy panels, it looks really wrong… On the whole, though, it was quite well realised on the page. Some of the pages were a touch too busy, which could make them unclear, and a handful of panels were sadly indecipherable. This didn’t have much of a negative impact on the book, however, as Bendis’s writing was strong and quite gripping.

This book was, therefore, much better than I had expected. I’m always wary of the Marvel Events, but this was well-written and fun. I would certainly recommend this to fans of any/all Marvel titles.

*

SECRET INVASION (2008)

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis | Artist: Leinil Francis Yu | Inks: Miles Morales | Colors: Laura Martin

SECRET INVASION IS HERE The shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls has secretly infiltrated every super-powered organization on Earth with one goal – full-scale invasion In this collected edition, page-after-page unveils reveal-after-reveal and shocking moment-after-shocking-moment Brian Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu leap off the pages of mega-hit New Avengers and deliver a story that will change the Marvel Universe forever.

Collects: Secret Invasion #1-8

This ‘Event’ collection was a bit of a disappointment. I read it after House of M, and only because I rather enjoyed that book. Something about the rapid-fire dialogue made me wonder if Bendis had been watching a lot of The West Wing in the run-up to writing this. Sadly, though, the dialogue in here has nothing on Sorkin’s style, and instead just felt choppy and rushed.

The story in general felt simplistic, overloaded with telling-rather-than showing (which has been a frequent complaint of mine lately, I know). The book then becomes a riotous mess. I had a vague inkling of who the Skrull were, but had difficulty following what was going on and, as a result, never really came to care.

I would not recommend this to people who haven’t been following the overall, web-like Marvel chronology and story. There are a lot of hints and allusions to what has come before, but without knowing much of the back-story, I imagine I missed a lot. I include myself in that group. I was lost and, despite Yu’s excellent artwork, ultimately bored.

Reading Round-Up: Marvel Comics

A strange combination of having had a ton of spare time to read and a new job means I probably won’t be able to write my usual-type of review for many of the books and graphic novels I’ve read over the past couple of months. For some books, I will still write longer reviews, but for many (if not most) I’ll include them in occasional round-/catch-up posts with mini-reviews. Today, I take a look at recently-read Marvel titles.

Reviewed: Amazing Spider-Man “Red-Headed Stranger”, “Return of the Black Cat” & “The Gauntlet Vol.1”; Rick Remender’s Venom Vols.1-3, Ultimate Comics – X-Men Vol.1, Ultimate Comics – Hawkeye, Daredevil Yellow

Disturbing New Marvel Cover Art…

There’s something wrong with this cover. Cyclops looks real bad-ass, sure, but part of me wants to make inappropriate jokes at “Daddy’s Home.” The other part of me thinks it’s a really sinister piece of art…

This is the cover of Cable & X-Force #7, which will be published April 17th 2013. The issue is written by Dennis Hopeless, with the cover and internal artwork by Salvador Larroca.

Marvel Tries Something Novel with She-Hulk & Rogue…

On February 7th, Marvel Entertainment and Hyperion Books announced that they were teaming up to release two novels set in the Marvel Universe. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this…

Unlike previous books, however, these will not be mere novelizations of existing Marvel storylines (for example, Civil War). Rather, these will be “two action-packed novels featuring… strong, smart heroines seeking happiness and love while battling cosmic evil.” Both of the novels are scheduled for release in June 2013 – one will feature the Avengers’ She-Hulk, the other the X-Men’s Rogue.

Also different from other Marvel novels in the past, these seem to be aimed for the “chick-lit” market (for want of a better term). The fact that they’re not your typical “lad-lit” or super-hero action-adventures shows some welcome out-of-the-box-thinking from Marvel. The idea of this genre with added superheroes… is kind of intriguing. The plots do sound just a tad derivative, though, and whoever wrote the synopses basically had one general premise in mind. (There is much juggling and navigating of normal-life challenges and relationships…)

“Indestructible Hulk” & “Uncanny Avengers” (Marvel NOW)

Managed to get my hands on a couple more issues from Marvel’s latest re-launch/-boot/-branding: Mark Waid’s Indestructible Hulk and Rick Remender’s Uncanny Avengers. Two pretty noteworthy titles, one was excellent while the other has some way to go before I’m fully convinced.

Caution: If you haven’t read Avengers vs. X-Men and don’t want certain moments of that Event spoiled, I strongly advise that you do not read the review of Uncanny Avengers. Just sayin’.

“Curse of the Mutants” (Marvel)

Vampires vs. X-Men?

Writer: Victor Gischler | Artist: Paco Medina | Inks: Juan Vlasco | Colours: Marte Gracia

A human bomb explodes in San Francisco’s Union Square. Dozens are covered in blood. Jubilee is one of them.

The former X-Man soon falls victim to a strange manufactured virus – all part of the plan of Xarus, son of Dracula. Xarus is the new lord of the vampires, having slain his father, and he has an ultimatum for the X-Men: join his ranks as vampires, or perish. The X-Men enlist the aid of vampire-hunter Blade and even bargain with a resurrected Dracula himself, but who will win the ultimate battle between mutants and vampires in the streets of San Francisco?

Collects: X-Men #1-6

I’ve been wondering about this book for a while. I always thought it was just some gimmick – Marvel attempting to tap into the vampire-loving zeitgeist that seems to have swept genre fiction, YA, movies and TV. As it turns out, Curse of the Mutants is more than that. It has a pretty cool premise, but I’m not sure it’ll be for everyone.

Guest Post: Living With The Consequences (or Why I Can No Longer Read the X-Men) – by Jonathan Wood

Jonathan Wood is the author of No Hero and Yesterday’s Hero. I invited him to write a guest post, and he has decided to get something off his chest about Marvel. It’s a grumble we have in common…

As a general rule, I try not to wish death on anyone. I’m not always successful (I’m looking at you jackass, singing along to your MP3 player on the crowded subway car. You can be taken down by a herd of horny wildebeest and I will stand by, cheering them on), but I try.

That said, man did I want Jean Grey to die.

Ultimate Comics: “X - Origins” (Marvel)

Writer: Jeph Loeb | Artist: Arthur Adams | Colours: Peter Steigerwald | Digital Inks: Mark Roslan

Wolverine is dead. The X-Men are no more. Captain America is a fugitive. The Fantastic Four disbanded. Lives have been destroyed and nothing can ever be the same-is there any hope left? It all begins with a search for a brand new character whose identity will leave jaws on the floor and change the Ultimate Universe forever.

This is the first post-Ultimatum X-Men title. It was apparently meant to be a new series in itself, but due to less-than-stellar sales, it became an introduction/prequel to Ultimate Comics X-Men. I actually really enjoyed this. Given that this series is set in a new, seriously anti-Mutant world, with a radical new premise for the X-Gene, it ran the risk of being too jarring and disappointing. Thankfully, however, it turned out to be an engaging, addictive and beautifully rendered graphic novel.

“Save the Date”, a Landmark: ASTONISHING X-MEN #51

Wrap-Around Cover, by Dustin Weaver

Astonishing X-Men #51 will be released next month, and it promises to be pretty interesting, significant issue: it will include the first gay marriage in Marvel comics – between Northstar and Kyle.

I’ve not been following this series, but it is one I’ve been wanting to read for some time. The first 24 issues were written by Joss Whedon (now collected into two large TPB as well as a fantastic, if pricey, hardcover omnibus), and as far as I’m aware his run, as well as the issues that have followed, have received a good deal of praise from readers.

Northstar was first introduced in Uncanny X-Men #120 (1979), a member of the super hero team Alpha Flight. The French-Canadian “gold medal winning Olympian and successful businessman” hero became one of the most popular members of Alpha Flight when its on-going series launched in 1983. Northstar became the first openly gay super hero when he announced his sexual identity through national media, in Alpha Flight #106 (1992). Since then, he has not only joined the X-Men but become one of their most popular new members. Northstar and his rather-mundanely-named-partner Kyle have been a couple since 2009.

Said writer Marjorie M. Liu,

“The story of Northstar and Kyle is universal, and at the core of everything I write: a powerful love between two people who have to fight for it against all odds... This is the quintessential Marvel story, one that blends the modern world with the fantasy of super heroes in order to tell an exciting story that begins with a wedding—and continues in ways you can’t imagine.”

I think this is a pretty cool development for the series, and it will certainly be interesting to see how fans react. Personally, I think this is an important step forward for comics in general, and can only help the cause of equality (even if just a little bit) going forward.

Astonishing X-Men #50 is released tomorrow, and includes the proposal (below):

Comics Round-Up (Mar.28) the Second

A great collection this week, as more of the DC New 52 move into their seventh month – Batman throws down with Bane, more 19th Century Gotham adventures, the rise of the Vampires, and Superman squares off against a new villain and troubles in his ‘day job’. A handful of Zenescope titles continue in fine form. Zombies in London. And Marvel’s series-spanning mega-event finally kicks off.

I’m going to be adding more images from the previews available for many of these issues, in order to give people a better idea of what the artwork is like – I’m starting to wonder if the limited vocabulary I have to accurately and appropriately describe some of the artists’ styles isn’t broad enough. So, a bit more of a work-in-progress, but I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do these round-ups.

Reviewed Herein: All-Star Western #7, Avengers vs. X-Men #0, Batman: Dark Knight #7, Grimm Fairy Tales #70, Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends #14, I Vampire #7, Jurassic Strike Force 5 #3, Justice League Dark #7, New Deadwardians #1, Superman #7

Preview: “AVX: VS #1” (Marvel)

To go alongside Marvel’s upcoming mega-event, Avengers vs. X-Men, the publisher will be releasing an “explosive, high-octane action packed tie-in”, simply called “AVX: VS”. A six-issue mini-series, it features “cover to cover battles” that won’t appear in Marvel’s other title. The mini-series will be handled by the creative teams of Jason Aaron & Adam Kubert and Kathryn & Stuart Immonen. I’m not really sure which series I’ll be reading in this big event – having not read many of the titles that will feature Avengers vs. X-Men content and story, I worry I may be a little lost… Ah well. Regardless, this looks like it could be a lot of fun.

		AvX: VS #1 Preview VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Comics Round-Up & Catch-Up (Feb.15)

As I’m back in NYC, I’ve been able to get hold of DC and Marvel titles again, so some will be reviewed in the round-ups again, but there are going to be some changes. I’ve decided to only review up to issue six of the New 52 (or, at least until the end of the first story-arc in each), as this is the end of their first volumes. There are just too many that I like, which means it’s becoming financially impossible (not to mention irresponsible) for me to keep on top of them all. I’ve already cut six titles since I got back to New York. Now, whether or not I am able to stick to this decision is another matter entirely, and if I become gainfully employed, this could change. (Please let me get gainfully employed! For more reasons than feeding my comics addiction, of course…)

So, what does this mean for the Comics Round-Ups and New 52 reviews? I’m going to wait for the collected editions. Some of the money that I save will instead go to other collected series, which offer a lot more bang for your buck. I will post three catch-up posts, dealing with New 52 Batman, Superman and the Dark/Edge titles. I will, of course, still be reviewing Boom!, Zenescope, IDW and a few Image titles, as well as some other DC, Marvel, Dynamite and Dark Horse series. (If I get review copies, on the other hand, I’ll definitely feature anything and everything.) I’ll also post a special Star Wars-related comics review this week.

So, back to the reviews – here we go with a big, bumper edition…

Reviewed Herein: Infestation 2: Dungeons & Dragons #1, Ninjettes #1, The Occultist #2-3, The Ray #1, Road Rage #1, The Shade #3, Thief of Thieves #1, Winter Soldier #1-2, Wolverine & the X-Men #3-4, X-Sanction #1-2

Comics Round-Up (Dec.7): Marvel & Dark Horse

A small clutch of fun, recent comics from Marvel and Dark Horse Comics

Because the other review posts were getting rather crowded, I decided to group the Marvel reviews together, and added the lone Dark Horse review as well. All of them were bought on a whim – The Defenders just because it was a #1 and I wanted to see if it was better than the new line of X-Men titles (which seems to be growing still!); Villains for Hire because it’s written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (who are also handling DC’s Resurrection Man – one of my favourites in the New 52); and X-Club because it’s written by Simon Spurrier, who I’m familiar with because of his work for Black Library. So, not particularly intellectual reasons, but never mind. The Occultist I tried because it sounded interesting and has an awesome wrap-around cover:

[Question to ponder: Is it ok to judge a comic by its cover? Especially with all the damned variants some titles get?]

Reviewed herein: The Defenders #1, The Occultist #1, Villains for Hire #0.1 & #1, X-Club #1

Comics Round-Up (Nov.30): Marvel X-Titles

A bumper-crop of Marvel titles

So, this week there were no new issues in DC’s New 52, but there were a number of new Marvel issues that I’ve been considering. Long-time readers will know that I’ve not been too impressed by some of the Marvel collections I’ve reviewed this year, and was also recently disappointed by the new Wolverine & The X-Men series that began a couple months ago. With the extra time, I’ve decided to focus on non-DC titles this week, and because there were a number of X-Men-related issues, I’ve grouped them into a single review (with another, more general post to come this weekend).

This week, I’ve read: Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine, Magneto, and X-Men Legacy.

This Week’s Comics Round-Up (Nov.9th)

The latest DC New 52 & Marvel releases

This is a great week for the DC New 52 comics. Four of my favourite series enter their third issues: Demon Knights, Grifter, Resurrection Man and Suicide Squad. The latter, if you read my previous round-up of these series, was actually on probation after a bit of a weird second issue, while the other three were very eagerly awaited. Another series I decided to catch up on was Deathstroke, which I didn’t pick up last month because… well, I’m not entirely sure why, now.

(An aside: Considering how much I’ve been enjoying an ever-growing number of these titles, it’s becoming difficult to say which are actually my ‘favourites’, as often issues wax and wane depending on their overall story’s progression…).

Finally, as promised in last week’s round-up, I tracked down the two new X-Men titles: Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine & The X-Men, which each track a different half of the now-split X-Men team. I also got hold of the Regenesis one-shot, which is meant to fill in the gaps for newcomers to the series and events therein.

Bumper Comics Round-Up (DC Comics/Dark Horse)

In this instalment of comic reviews, I catch up on some series that I’ve not been following on a month-to-month basis, as well as a new issue in a series I thought had come to a complete close years ago. All of the titles are new to me, except for one – Star Wars: Crimson Empire III (I read the first two series, what feels like a very long time ago). The three DC New 52 titles I decided to finally try out are Aquaman, Justice League Dark, and Batman: Detective Comics (the first two were just spur-of-the-moment reads, while the first issue of the last has been frustratingly difficult to get hold of).

“X-Men: The Complete Onslaught Epic #1” (Marvel)

The Start of one of Marvel’s Momentous Cross-Title Events

The saga that literally re-made the Marvel Universe of the 1990s. The psionic force of nature known only as Onslaught sprang forth from the fractured psyche of mutant mentor Charles Xavier and the genetic terrorist called Magneto – touching off a cataclysmic conflict destined to deprive a world of its most revered icons.

My journey into Marvel’s X-Men comics continues, this time with the ‘event’ that took place before the series I read as they were released. This book collects a good number of the issues that started off the Onslaught era, from some of Marvel’s best writers and artists. While the book was enjoyable, it was not excellent. I’m also starting to notice a bit of a pattern in Marvel’s bad-guys, which I found a bit frustrating. [There are some spoilers in this review.]

“X-Men: Prelude to Onslaught” (Marvel)

The Stage is set for one of Marvel’s most Momentous Events

The prologue to the saga that literally remade the Marvel Universe of the 1990s.

Onslaught unnerved the X-Men and their enemies even before he entered the game, leading killer mutants and mutant killers alike to start the fight for survival early. Already edgy from the Age of Apocalypse, good, evil, and neutral wage war as the nemesis of the Nineties rears his telepathic head. Guest-starring Cable, Domino, and Nate Grey the X-Man.

As I’ve mentioned previously on the blog, I started reading X-Men and other Marvel comics during the Operation: Zero Tolerance ‘event’ (as Marvel terms the story arcs that can span their entire catalogue). The Onslaught Saga is the event that took place immediately before Zero Tolerance, and directly after the Age of Apocalypse (which I have also recently started). While spotty, this volume suggests it will be an interesting read.

“New X-Men: Ultimate Collection, Book 1” by Grant Morrison et al (Marvel)

A gripping X-Men reboot (of sorts)

Sixteen million mutants dead – and that was just the beginning. A sinister force has embarked upon a mission of revenge and hatred, targeting Earth’s mutant population. Everyone and everything is expendable, as it works towards its ultimate revenge.

In this, the second X-Men omnibus of my re-introduction to comics, Grant Morrison (All Star Superman, We3) has penned a bold forced-reboot of the X-Men world. And it’s really very good.

“X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, #1” (Marvel)

A Fan-Favourite Alternate Reality X-Men storyline

In a cracked-mirror world ruled by the genocidal mutant despot Apocalypse, only one hope remains: Magneto and his Astonishing X-Men!

This is the second graphic novel I’ve read, as part of my attempt to get back into reading comics and reacquainting myself with some of my favourite characters from my youth. While I was disappointed by All Star Superman, reading this was an entirely different experience. It’s only book one-of-four, but it’s a considerable tome, and one that was enjoyable throughout.