What comic books have you read today? Part two.19596
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Quote:Originally Posted by HeinzDad That's IDW's MO. They'll ride a property into the ground if it sells decently. They did it with Transformers when they had the license. Started with three mini series, rolled into an ongoing, then two ongoing titles, the seasonal Spotlight issues, then at least two mini series every year until that license went to Image. By the time IDW soft-rebooted the series in 2019, the franchise was on life support and needed a creative reset. |
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Hello Darkness #12. No review b/c I already forgot what happened as I read it a couple weeks ago, but I think there was one or two good things in here.  Transformers #22. This is building towards #25 which will be Daniel Warren Johnson's last issue as writer. Creative team is trying some concepts out that may or may not be used later. Humans decide to help the Autobots and work on helping them lick their wounds as the Decepticons are working their way to them for a showdown.  Marvel Spotlight v2 #6-11. #6-7 present the origin of Star-Lord and it is a solid two issue story arc before moving back to Marvell for one issue and finishing out with three issues dedicated to Captain Universe. One thing I never knew was that Cap U is more of an entity that distributes itself to people. They get the power, then it goes when the task is complete, or the receiver becomes unworthy. Interesting concept.       My next review will come in the form of Secret Wars II (including the tie-ins). I feel I owe it to Shooter (RIP GOAT) to see what the love/hate is for the storyline because there does not appear to be a middle ground. |
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| Alright, here we go! Secret Wars II #1 + tie-in issues. I'll try to keep this to the main points. The Beyonder arrives on Earth and takes the guise of the Molecule Man before heading to LA. The Beyonder desires experience and what it means to be human. Once in LA, the Beyonder comes in contact with the X-Men, some New Mutants and the Avengers. The first issue of SWII is essentially the setup issue for what is to come. Some dorky TV writer is turned into Thundersword by the Beyonder and that is resolved in Iron Man #197. UXM #196 ties in a little bit to the Beyonder-Rachel dynamic, hinting that she'll be a part of this moving forward but hasn't really showed up since this initial meeting. The New Mutants and Cap tie-in issues just tie up some loose ends of from SWII #1.      Secret Wars II #2 + tie-in issues. Beyonder drops into NY looking for Reed Richards and has interactions with the FF, the Heroes for Hire and Spider-Man. I'm not going to lie, but Spidey teaches Beyonder how to take a crap. It was hilarious. Luke Cage tries to teach the Beyonder that money is amazing and worth gold. The Beyonder then turns a building into solid gold. The two Spidey issues tie-in with the ending of SWII #2 with Spidey dealing with the aftermath of the gold building. The FF issue really isn't necessary as Byrne was on a roll at this time with his FF run.     Secret Wars II #3 + tie-in issues. #3 is an interesting part. The cover doesn't lie. The Beyonder really does conquer the world. The Beyonder comes into a partnership with a mobster and learns the trade from him. He hordes into the Kingpin's territory and takes over the underworld followed by the world. My man was banging hookers and living his best life. Daredevil #223 is a direct tie-in to #3 as the Beyonder was attempting to retain Matt and Foggy as his personal legal representation to legally take ownership of Earth. Hulk #312 is a great issue on Bruce's childhood but not really necessary for the tie-in.     So far, I can see why this was a divisive event. It's definitely a different vibe than the first Secret Wars and some of the tie-in issues are more like cash grabs with the tie-in only being a few pages. I can also see how it interrupts the flow of the regular series storylines like in New Mutants and FF. Because of that, I would like to say how grateful I am for Shooter's mandate of recapping what happened in previous issues. It came in handy. |
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| Continuing on! Secret Wars II #4 + tie-in issues. The majority of this chapter is that Beyonder is attempting to understand love. He sets his sights on Dazzler and tries to woo her in the way any simp would. He gives her nonstop gifts and attention instead of playing it cool. In the end, he learns that his attempts to woo aren't the way it should be natural and not forced/created against someone's will. Dazzler #40 just ties up that plot thread. Alpha Flight #28 revolves around a plot point in SWII #4 where the Beyonder pops up in a shopping mall during a fight between AF and Omega Flight. It doesn't really add much. Rom #72 has the Beyonder attempting to understand desire but struggling to understand that when someone attains what they desire, they will come up with new desire thereby creating an endless loop of desire (and not always the good kind). Avengers #261 just kind of has the Beyonder pop in for a bit, then bounce out. He isn't really central to the plot of that story.      Secret Wars II #5 + tie-in issues. SWII #5 begins with a meeting between Boom-Boom (1st appearance for "key" guys) and the Beyonder. She has run away from home and is looking to go to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The Beyonder is still struggling to understand the human experience and becomes overwhelmed by feelings of emptiness and despair. He cannot find true purpose so he turns to Earth’s heroes for answers. He becomes frustrated and starts battling the Celestials. In a reckless demonstration, he unleashes vast destructive power, nearly destroying the entire universe before pulling back at the last moment. In Thing #30, Ben wrestles Beyonder in the UCWF b/c he has a grudge to settle regarding the events of post-Secret Wars I and a storyline in the Thing series. With Doctor Strange, he attempts to find purpose with Stephen attempting to help him come to a conclusion on his own, but he leaves still frustrated. In FF #285, the Beyonder performs the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past as Torch is overcome with guilt at a child's self-immolation. That was a good issue which didn't need the Beyonder.     Secret Wars II #6 + tie-in issues. In #6, the Beyonder sets up a huge citadel in the midwest and starts a service where he does all sorts of well-intentioned deeds but still struggles with loneliness and purpose. Some of the cosmic entities are consulted and while they all have a purpose, the Beyonder realizes he does not though he is still attempting to learn the human condition. In C&D #4, the Beyonder kills a bunch of drug dealers but after consulting with C&D, he restores them. He is learning the art of redemption. Power Pack #18 and Thor #363 deal with the heroes battling Kurse, who is Algrim revived by the Beyonder in an earlier issue. In Micronauts, the Beyonder visits the Microverse. Finally, he hangs out with Luke Cage and trades his Jheri curl for an afro.        |
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| The march to the end! It took me a while. I think I had almost a week where I didn't read a comic. Thanks a lot football season. Secret Wars II #7 + tie-in issues. Issue #7 sees the Beyonder just hanging out on an island thinking. Some other folks show up and begin just thinking as well. Meanwhile, Mephisto makes a machine to use the Beyonder's power against him. He also enlists the aid of almost all of the supervillains on Earth in his effort to eliminate the Beyonder. He even tricks Thing into fighting the Beyonder again. Mephisto is outwitted and the Beyonder takes off to search for fulfillment of his purpose which he believes is helping others to achieve their purpose. In New Mutants #36, Beyonder cures Ilyana of her Darkchilde persona. In doing so, the Soulsword is discovered by Kitty and they all fight some Limbo demons. In the Spidey issues, the Puma is sent by his tribe to kill the Beyonder. Not a bad two issue tie-in but more about the Puma and his motivations than anything else. UXM 202 sees Rachel traveling to San Francisco to kill the Beyonder, however he gives her some of his power and orchestrates a sentinel attack to provide purpose to Rachel. She was not amused. Personally, I like the issue a lot. Maybe more for nostalgic reasons than anything else. Defenders #152 has the Beyonder for a few pages to give Moondragon some power which she immediately uses for bad until redeeming herself at the end.       Secret Wars II #8 + tie-in issues. It seems like Shooter is realizing that this is turning into something of a mess so Beyonder just starts acting like a jilted woman and throwing a hissy fit how mankind doesn't deserve to live due to his inability to grasp humanity. Milgrom's art seems mailed in on the issue. Beyonder basically gives a threat that he will destroy the universe in 24 hours. Molecule Man turns into a sniveling coward when his girl pretends to leave him to try and beg Beyonder to spare them. The rest of the issue highlights some of the Beyonder's skirmishes with the rest of the Marvel universe which get touched on in the tie-in issues. NM #37 has Dani Moonstar seeing visions of the New Mutants deaths and lo, the Beyonder shows up to make it happen. ASM #274 sees Spidey as a pawn in a bet between Mephisto and the Beyonder to test Peter's sense of responsibility. The Avengers and X-Men both try to sneak up on the Beyonder in their respective issues and can't get the job done. Meanwhile in FF #288, there's a weird time loop of how a supposedly dead Doctor Doom put his psyche into another person and now the Beyonder shows up to set the timeline right. I don't know what the hell this issue is about. I had a hard time following that one.       Secret Wars II #9 + Avengers #266. The final battle between the heroes and Beyonder. Good grief, it took a while to get to this. The Beyonder is making a home video of himself recounting all the events and his motivations while also making a device to turn himself mortal. Mephisto shows up to kill time, then the Molecule Man joins the good guys against the Beyonder. At the end of the day, the Earth gets messed up and the heroes win. The epilogue in Avengers #266 is essentially the clean up in the aftermath of the final battle.   My overall verdict is that it isn't terrible, it does have an interesting theme, but ultimately falls short of what Shooter was going for. I would recommend it to readers but really just the main story. The tie-in issues don't add much in the way of continuity except for maybe some more detailed context on events touched on in the main stories. However, some of the tie-in issues are very good on their own. I'd give the complete story maybe a 3 out of 5. There is some material in there I think people will enjoy, but it might be a little much for a casual reader. |
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| Getting caught up on the pull list since reading Secret Wars II. Something is Killing the Children #43 continues the flashback story of Erica going to a small mountain town with her mentor to investigate kids getting killed. Not just a clever title, eh? Meanwhile in Undiscovered Country #32, we're learning more about Aurora and how it managed to Skynet its way to controlling the US and two of the characters are now looking for a way to defeat it. Just a few issues left before the series concludes.  Hello Darkness #13 + 14. #13 is all about zombies if you're into that sort of thing. Personally, I find zombies played out, but the issue was fine especially the first story. #14 finally brings that RL Stine story (first part anyways) that was hyped to appear several issues prior but never showed up until now.   Creepshow v4 #1. I think I was supposed to cancel this, but I got the new issue. The first story reminded me of a take on Rod Serling's classic Twilight Zone episode "Queen of the Nile" with a nice twist to the end. The second story has a really crappy main character who receives his just desserts from a Men in Black styled character.  Transformers #23 + 24. This storyline finishes up the first big arc and ends Daniel Warren Johnson's writing on the series. Robert Kirkman will take over in #25. The two issues deal with the big Autobot/Decepticon fight culminating in Prime and Megatron beating the crap out of each other. No matter the media or timeline, the writers love to drop lines in from the 1986 movie.   Out of Alcatraz #1-5. Historical fiction revolving around the escape of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers from the island. Essentially, the plot revolves around a backer helping with the escape in exchange for the men to work off the debt in the British Columbia. Interesting look at the dynamic between the escapees, not so much with the two fellers who like kissing each other but they become important for the ending.      |
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Wolverine and Kitty Pryde #1-5. Written by Chris Claremont with art by Damian Coucerio, the story is set in the immediate aftermath of the classic Kitty Pryde and Wolverine limited series from 1984. While still in Japan, Logan, Kitty, her father (Carmen), Amiko, and Mariko are staying with Mariko Yashida while Logan is working to break Kitty of Ogun's corruption from the prior series. The group is attacked by Ziggy Trask of the famous Sentinel-inventing family. While fighting, the AI of the mini-Sentinels takes over the corporeal forms of Kitty and Ziggy and causes their bodies to become bio-organic. Kitty and Ziggy fight back but end up trapped in the wrong bodies. To make matters worse, there is a giant snow Samurai that is posing a threat as well. Claremont is less wordy nowadays in favor of more to-the-point storytelling. That's not a bad thing, and it works for this as the pacing is fairly quick. Some good character work on Carmen, Kitty and Wolverine especially when dealing with trying to counter Ogun's influence. The art is ok done is what I assume is a Marvel's current house style.     Deadshot #1-4. The first issue starts rather generically as Deadshot is on a mission to capture el Jefe. The mission goes awry, and a bunch of people end up dead including el Jefe who was supposed to be identified and brought back alive. What follows is Deadshot's ex-wife informing him that their son has been kidnapped and Deadshot needs to kill his father in order to get him back. A pretty grim storyline which also sheds light on his upbringing and therapy sessions. A solid read from John Ostrander & Kim Yale with gritty Luke McDonnell art.     Daily Bugle #1-3. With a script by Paul Grist, pencils by Karl Kersch and inks by Greg Adams, this miniseries details the goings on of some of the staff at the Daily Bugle. The frame story deals with Betty Brant doing a food review of a new restaurant but stumbling upon a money laundering scheme which ties into Ben Urich's story which ties to Charlie Snow's story. The art is black and white with some occasional heavy inks resulting in some sometimes hard to comprehend panels. Overall, the story is solid and being different in that there really are no superheroes here. Yes, Peter shows up but he is Peter and never becomes a main character. Nice to see the supporting cast get some screen time.    |
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Predator Kills the Marvel Universe #1-2. It's not canon, and it might tie in with the previous Predator vs Spider-Man/Wolverine/Black Panther series that preceded it (I never read them). Essentially, Kraven has somehow become accepted into a Predator tribe and now he wants to take them hunting the heroes. First up was the Guardians of the Galaxy, followed by the FF, and then the X-Men. It's a lot of chaos, but I'll enjoy the ride while it lasts.  Justice: Four Balance #1-4. The former Marvel Boy (Vance Astrovik) is now part of the New Warriors and going by the name Justice. The story concerns Justice investigating the death of a runaway girl which leads him to uncover a plot involving a shady company taking runaway kids and doing genetic work on them to give them powers. Themes touched on involve child abuse. That's the big one. Confronting and doing the work to heal from the trauma. Kind of a darker tone. Interesting read with adequate art.     Cinder and Ashe #1-4. Excellent miniseries from Gerry Conway and José Luis García-López which combines a neo-noir style detective story which evolves into a political thriller. Themes of the Vietnam War's aftermath for both characters, racial prejudice, sexual violence, revenge, and redemption. García-López’s artwork is grounded and gritty, while Conway’s script explores abuse, trauma, and survival. Recommended.     Marvel Fanfare #1-4. As an anthology series, I'll try to keep to the A-story. For the first four issues, Chris Claremont takes the X-Men and Spider-Man to the Savage Land to track down Karl Lykos aka Sauron b/c his girlfriend is pining for his caressing touch. While there, they stumble onto a plot by Brainchild, Barbarus, Gaza and a few other neo-mutants to evolve or devolve their enemies with a wacky gizmo. Lykos sacrifices his humanity to save Angel and Spidey as his power to absorb life force reverses the device's effect. In return, he becomes Sauron again and teams with Zaladane and the neo-mutants to pose a threat to the whole Savage Land. Issue #1 also has a solid backup story featuring Daredevil saving Christmas and pretty sincere open letter to Stan Lee from Shooter.     |
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| @Studley_Dudley Quite a lot to talk about since I have been inactive for so long. Many of the late 80s mini series you reviewed are books that I have but haven’t got around to yet (so many comics, so little time!) I am moving Underworld and Cinder and Ashe up the list. I liked Wild Dog quite a bit back in the day. In addition to the mini and the special, WD was a regular feature in Action Comics Weekly for a while. Anyone who has never checked out ACW, I definitely recommend it. A good mix of features and most of the issues can probably be found at or below the original issue price if you are one to dig through the discount boxes. Marvel Fanfare is another book that I really enjoyed, even if the quality was a little uneven. I really liked that initial Savage Land story. I think the biggest problem I had with Secret Wars 2 was just how many crossovers there were. Not only that, these crossovers often felt like they interrupted the flow of the comics they appeared in, resulting in an issue that didn’t advance the storyline of the comics you were actually paying to read. The main story itself wasn’t great or terrible, but Marvel hit me so hard in the wallet that I think I had my back up about it a little at the time. Marvel seemed to feel like the reader had unlimited money to spend. Or maybe they thought that if we spent all of our money on Secret Wars 2 crossovers every week, there wouldn’t be anything left to spend with the competition? I think this mentality was a big part of why both Secret Wars 2 and the New Universe were regarded as disappointments and is ultimately what cost Jim Shooter his job. In the case of the New Universe, dropping a whole new line on the market in the space of a couple months was just too much to ask of the consumer. If they had added a new title each month over the course of the first year they may have gotten a different result. As I read them now, some of them were actually decent. I really like DP7 and I have also been enjoying Justice and Star Brand. (More hot tips for the discount box diggers out there.) As to what other comics I have been reading lately, I did almost exclusively tablet reading while I was away from home for several months. I did bring a couple of Phantom and Mandrake Newspaer Dailies hardcover collections, but no floppies. I have been rereading the Marvel universe from the very beginning for quite awhile now. Here’s where I currently stand: I am in the 60s of both Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four. Spidey is starting to level off a little at this point(though still good!) but the FF just keeps getting better and better! I am at the point where Journey into Mystery transformed into Thor and this book is really starting to hit its stride. I am up to around the late 30s in X-Men. There was a bit of a lull when Roy Thomas first came on as writer but he is starting to find his groove. Thomas is killing it in Avengers, however, where I am around issue 50. I am around Astonish 90 for both Hulk and Sub-Mariner. These may be the best issues of Hulk. Something about the series seems to lend itself to the 10-12 page cliffhanger format. For Captain America I am around Suspense 90. This book really improved when they gave up on telling WW2 era cap stories and moved things into the present. I am much farther ahead on Iron Man, where I am at the very end of the 1970s. In fact I reread the classic “Demon in a Bottle” storyline not too long ago. I have made less progress with Daredevil, where I am somewhere in the teens, and Dr. Strange, where I am still in the Strange Tales era. I am around 30 issues into Sgt. Fury, which is always an enjoyable read. For DC, I have been rereading the delightfully absurd Grant Morrison Doom Patrol issues and experiencing for the first time the 1990s reboot of Shade, the Changing Man, both of which I am really enjoying. Another comic I missed originally that I am really liking now is Night Force by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan. I highly recommend this one! Also, Tomb of Dracula by the same team, where I am about 25 issues in so far. I am also still reading the Perez Wonder Woman (currently in the 30s), Kirby’s Kamandi (20s), Suicide Squad (around issue 20) and the 1980 New Teen Titans series (around issue 25). There are others, of course, but that should give you a general idea what I’ve been up to. |
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