Thought Balloon: What If Marvel Launched The New 52?

By Uatu, The Watcher

I am Uatu, known to some on your world as The Watcher. For countless eons I have observed the planet you call Earth from my home on its solitary moon. Over the millennia I have witnessed innumerable events that have shaped the course of history, for better or worse. Of late I have taken interest in the comics publisher DC and the audacious relaunch of its entire line of comics which they have called ‘The New 52’.

But ours is not the only reality I am able to view. There exists an infinite number of alternate Earths where history has diverged at a crucial juncture to create a new timeline, one similar but entirely different than our own. On one of these alternate Earths exclusive contracts as we know them may not be in place; long running disagreements between creators and publishers may not have manifested themselves at all. On such a world, perhaps we could dare to find the answer to the question:

What if Marvel launched the New 52?

Behold! I can now reveal to you the 52 titles that the House of Ideas of another reality would choose to unleash upon their expectant audience this September:

Incoming... 31/08/2011

New comics are released Wednesday in the States and guess what, in the UK too! Here's a brief look at our expectations for the books we're picking up this week.

Stewart R: The old DC Universe is dead. Long live the new DC 52! Having given Flashpoint something of a wide berth in recent months, now even my head turns back towards DC’s big barn doors to see what will burst through this week and how it will change the very fabric that holds the DC Universe and the multitude of characters within it - be they heroes, villains or Jimmy Olson - together. I have to say I like DC’s style when it comes to events and times such as this. Back at the end of 2009 when the Blackest Night event was drawing to its close they put everything else on hold for that final week of the year and ensured that the climax - admittedly one that I found to be a touch underwhelming at the time - was the only comic to ship that week to eager and panel-hungry readers.

With their latest, and boldest move they are bringing the Flashpoint event to a close with #5 and then throwing back the curtains, which until now have been hiding their shiny new playground like some Copperfieldian (we’re talking David here folks) illusion of wonder, and thrusting Justice League #1 into our eye sockets. My first proper DC comics experience of the 21st Century was actually Justice League of America vol 2 from Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes some 5 years ago to the very month. It initially grabbed me with the promise of adventures of epic scope that incredibly skilled and powerful superheroes such as the JLA should be able to deliver but ultimately disappointed with a strangely intimate and claustrophobic look at a a team and an ideal in crisis. By the time the late Dwayne McDuffie came on board the dye had already been cast and the wider title-spanning events and creative machinations occurring in the DC boardroom had already taken the heart, the founding members and the enthusiasm out of the title. I dare say that I wasted my time picking up about 20 further issues just hoping that it was going to get better, that the Justice League would get the book that they deserve, but that book was not forthcoming in that particular guise.

So here I stand (who am I kidding, I’m sat on my ass!!), some 3 years on with bunch of JLA titles growing dusty and slightly resented in a storage box, wondering if DC can finally get it right? My gut feeling is that they may just nail it this time.

Geoff Johns is the guy steering the creative vision of the new DC era having seen Green Lantern Hal Jordan through his ‘rebirth’, guided us through Blackest Night into Brightest Day, thrown us over, in and around the War of the Green Lanterns and broken out the fingerpaints of ‘what ifs’ and reinvention’ with Flashpoint... and that’s just the past six years! And of course Jim Lee is an artist with a career spanning three decades, helped to launch Image Comics and his own Wildstorm imprint and who to this day is still credited with having illustrated the best-selling comic book of all time in 1991’s X-Men #1. I’d say that these guys have the pedigree to make Justice League #1 a success!

Fair enough the news of the week is going to predominantly focus on the two titles that DC are flinging at the shelves but there are still same damn fine efforts in need of deserved attention this very Wednesday and by Jove I’m going to tell you about them! Image as usual have a healthy handful of titles out and of them all I think Butcher Baker Righteous Maker #6 has to sit atop my excitement-o-meter as Joe Casey really is coming up with entertaining and interesting plot twists each and every issue. In this latest instalment it appears that we’re going to get a look at the origin of one of Baker’s deadliest and most calculating foes in the form of Jihad Jones which I imagine could be an eye opener! Image also have Last Mortal #4 dropping in to say ‘hello’ as this miniseries draws to a close. Having got caught up in the relative hysteria of Image’s big push for new comics earlier in the year I had found the first issue of this crime mystery to be a touch underwhelming but as it’s progressed it’s actually turned out to be quite the page turner as Alec King has been beset on all sides by corrupt policemen and criminals all aiming to put a bullet in his head yet not realising that the down-and-out has recently developed an immunity to death.

Right, let us dive quickly into the swimming pool that is the Marvel solicitations list and have a paddle around shall we? Olivier Coipel, Matt Fraction, Galactus, Odin, Mighty....Thor...#5. Not sure much else needs to be added there, well apart from Volstagg taking on a tiny town of belligerent and unappreciative humans of course! Uncanny X-Force #14 is definitely going to be unmissable this week as Rick Remender and Jerome Opeña - yes, he’s back on art duties after Mark Brook’s brilliant stint - cauterize the wound that is the Age of Apocalypse and leave Wolverine and the rest of X-Force with a terrible choice to make in order to save their friend and their world. As far as I’m concerned this is the most consistent book in terms of tension that Marvel have on the shelves presently and I suspect that this issue is only going to reinforce my belief on that!

Finally, I’ll draw some attention to Cullen Bunn who’s giving us a double-dose of his writing in comic book form this week as Sixth Gun #14 and Fear Itself: The Deep #3 grace the shelves with their presence. Sixth Gun is the comic I turn to for my fix of the Wild West with an added hint of the supernatural and it’s been a pleasure month in, month out to read the ongoing adventures of Drake Sinclair and Becky Montcrief as they try to keep the six guns of apocalyptic power away from evil hands. Meanwhile, The Deep has been giving a much needed boost to the Fear Itself event as Bunn and artist Lee Garbett have been doing a great job of showing how Namor and his kingdom has been affected by the Serpent’s plan and giving these creators opportunity to play around with a new Defenders line-up at the same time. Good stuff!

Mini Reviews 28/08/2011

While we may not always have the time to review all the comics we get every week, we do try and provide a snapshot of the latest releases, mixing the good with the not so good.

ULTIMATES #1
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Esad Ribic & Dean White
Marvel $3.99

James R: A long time ago, back when Mark Millar used to write comics rather than extended movie pitches, I loved The Ultimates. The first two 'seasons' of the title were outstanding, and brought about a new sensibility to Marvel characters that ended up informing the look and feel of the Marvel movies that have reigned supreme over the box office in recent years. If you've read comics for a while, you'll know where it went wrong - I'll just say 'Ultimates 3' and 'Jeph Loeb', shudder a little, and move swiftly on. I would have been happy to leave my Ultimates experience there, but Marvel's relaunch of the book certainly got my attention - I'm a fan of Jonathan Hickman (with the exception of FF and Secret Warriors) and after his striking art on Uncanny X-Force Esad Ribic seems a fine choice to illustrate the book. So, what do we get in our polybag? (And Marvel - please, please stop doing that. It's not 1994 anymore!) It's a solid start, but there's a striking feeling of deja vu here. There's a huge coordinated strike by (as yet unidentified) science-villains leaving Nick Fury perplexed, which reads fine but a lot of the elements you will have seen before - the attack reminded me of early issues of The Authority, the Tony Stark parts were very similar to the Knauf’s Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. run... and that's your lot! I came away feeling a tad underwhelmed given the talents involved. I'll take a look at issue #2, but at $3.99, I'll be expecting something more original, and a little more substantial than 20 pages of story. 6/10

Matt C: This book was solicited as Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1, which is just about the stupidest name for a comic I’ve heard in a long while, but fortunately the indicia shows this is simply Ultimates #1, which makes a lot more sense. Anyway, while I keep announcing I’m done with the Ultimate Universe, when Marvel hire a creative team that catches my eye, I find myself trotting back to see what they have to offer, and this relaunch, with Hickman and Ribic at the helm, is a case in point. Hickman’s got a habit of being as ambitious as he possibly can when tackling any project, and while on occasion it can feel like his reach exceeds his grasp, for the most part it’s impossible not to admire what he sets out to achieve. Ribic is capable of bringing real dramatic weight to the page backed up with thrilling action, and he impresses here, putting across the worldwide nature of the storyline, where essentially Nick Fury’s Ultimates team find themselves at the centre of a coordinated attack from an unknown force. Hickman brings his smarts to the story, pacing the rapid deterioration of the situation very well, but even though there’s a lot to be positive about on the surface, I still couldn’t help but be curiously unmoved. It’s a well put together book, but while I might still consider coming back for a second helping I’m still not seeing my enthusiasm for the Ultimate Universe being reignited any time soon. 6/10


MARKSMEN #2
Writers: Michael Benaroya, David Baxter & Dave Elliot
Art: Javier Aranda, Gerry Leach & Jessica Kholinne
Image $2.99

Stewart R: After an interesting and promising debut I can see what the writers are trying to do in this rather blood-thirsty second instalment as the seemingly under-powered Lone Star army of Duke and the Deacon’s make an initial attack upon New San Diego and as a plot point it helps to establish that this is far from a clear ‘good vs evil / right vs wrong’ conflict. They also show that the citizens of New San Diego are incredibly media-hungry and slightly removed from reality as a result, despite the post-apocalyptic nature of their world, and that’s a neat parallel with the Western world’s thirst for 24-hour entertainment and slowly developing immunity to scenes of violence. Unfortunately by painting such a raw and honest picture like this the writers have managed to make it difficult to really want either side to come out a winner. The macho New San Diegan Marksmen come across as gun-totting ‘jocks’ who are far too willing to decimate their foes, while the Lone Star army fly under the banner of religious zealotry, and neither are really groups a reading audience wants to throw support behind. The hero is blatantly supposed to be Drake McCoy but he’s reduced to odd appearances scattered throughout and I feel an opportunity was missed to see this lop-sided fight from his perspective. A bit of a shame and at such a bulky time for my pull-list I’m afraid this isn’t strong enough for me to continue with. 4/10


FLASHPOINT: PROJECT SUPERMAN #3
Writers: Scott Snyder & Lowell Francis
Art: Gene Ha & Art Lyon
DC $2.99

Matt C: The finale of this Flashpoint-related mini is actually the strongest episode until it undoes all its good work in the final couple of pages. Subject Zero’s confrontation with Kal-El is well handled as the two battle across a decimated Britain, now ruled by the Amazons. Also of note is the way Kal’s relationship with Lois is portrayed, an emotional bond manifesting itself even though they are dramatically different from their regular DC Universe counterparts. Ha turns in his strongest work for the series, with the exciting carnage exploding against a familiar backdrop. Then it drops the ball in a confusing sequence where one character perishes without it being entirely clear how. Add to that, it all feels rather rushed, robbing the ending of its impact. I didn’t really venture into the world of Flashpoint tie-ins too much, but from what I’ve seen I would say you would have been perfectly fine just sticking with the main series. 6/10


CAPTAIN AMERICA & BUCKY #621
Writers: Ed Brubaker & Marc Andreyko
Art: Chris Samnee & Bettie Breitwieser
Marvel $2.99

Matt C: Maybe it’s the after effects of watching Captain America: The First Avenger at the cinema, or maybe it’s because I've been looking for something like this ever since Brubaker included those Invaders-centric flashbacks in his early issues of Captain America, but this WW2 set series is proving to be far more fresh and entertaining than the regular Cap book following it’s relaunch. That might sound strange, describing something so steeped in nostalgia as “fresh”, but it truly is a breath of fresh air when most other Marvel books seem to be caught up in Fear Itself, as it harks back to an age when cynicism wasn’t the order of the day, and the villains weren’t vaguely depicted and their motivations were clear. It helps to have the right artistic team to capture the correct tone for the period, providing a retro visual style without coming across as too cartoony, and Samnee’s evocative images coupled with Breitwieser’s washed out colours fit the bill. I like to think this is how a reader might have viewed Captain America comics back in the 1940s but with the addition of contemporary storytelling sophistication to suit our modern sensibilities. Adventure, excitement and derring-do never go out of style. 8/10


XOMBI #6
Writer: John Rozum
Art: Frazer Irving
DC $2.99

James R: I feel as if my reviews have been maudlin of late - with the imminent rebirth of DC, it’s like I've been writing sad-faced 'last issue' reviews forever! I must say that this is the one that hurts the most, as it's a definite full stop. One of our fine readers (That One Guy - that's his name, not that he's our only… ah, you know!) informed us that Xombi's writer, John Rozum, has confirmed that there won't be any further issues. Bah. My dreams for a Vertigo relaunch dashed, I'm now just left with six issues of insane and brilliant comic invention. This issue ties up 'The Ninth Stronghold' with typical aplomb as David Kim and his gang of mystics race to foil Roland Finch's scheme. Rozum continues to bombard the reader with cool concepts - ideas that are worthy of whole arc in other titles (such as the Sisterhood of the Blood Mummies) are introduced for just a few pages - before being replaced by something just as creepy and inventive. I've mentioned before that Frazer Irving is an artist who needs the right book to properly display his talents, and with the exception of the now aborted Gutsville, I can't think of a better showcase for his work. Flicking back over this title, it is astounding to see how many novel and smart ideas were crammed into the six issues. I guess the old maxim about the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long is true, but I'll be offering all kinds of sacrifices to arcane powers in the hope that we see Rozum and Irving back together somewhere in the future - the world of comics will feel a little duller for their absence. 9/10


GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES #2
Writer: Mark Sable
Art: Paul Azaceta & Matt Wilson
Image $2.99

Stewart R: It appears that my slight criticisms of the first issue may have been heeded as the very first page gives us a breakdown of all of the characters - be they American forces or local Afghans - which really does help to clarify who has been doing what so far and who appears in this issue! Very helpful indeed! That allows us to follow the soldiers of Combat Outpost Alamo’s desperate attempts to fend off the gathering masses of the undead who not only threaten them but the local populace as well. Sable resists the urge to go into the depths of why the zombies have risen and instead uses flashbacks to highlight the incredible difficulties and pressures felt by some Afghans in the face of demands and requests placed on them by both the Taliban and the Western forces. It’s this attention to the finer details of the general Afghanistan campaign being waged for the past decade that elevates this above the usual zombie-laden comic books and the writer also finds a nice line on clashing personalities amongst the various troops fighting for their lives which adds yet another dimension. Azaceta’s art is well suited to the jumping back and forth between the subtler moments of the flashbacks and the explosive action of the outpost siege. It seems that my doubts following the first issue have oozed away like so much decaying zombie flesh... 8/10


KILL SHAKESPEARE #12
Writers: Conor McCreery & Anthony Del Col
Art: Andy Belanger & Ian Herring
IDW $3.99

Matt C: The conclusion of this series plays out in a predictable manner – in other words, there aren’t really any surprises – but it’s delivered with such vigour that it’s hard not to get caught up with the events presented on the page. Sure, some of the dialogue is clumsy at times with an overreliance on ‘thees’ and ‘thous’ and some elements feel a little too contrived, but overall it succeeds because the writers have taken an ingenious idea and put a lot of thought into it, spinning it out into a cleverly constructed, engaging story. Belanger has kept things lively in the visual department, introducing some real invention into his panel layouts, and this issue sees a marvellously choreographed decapitation as its possible highpoint (and there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write!). Tackling the Bard in this way could very well have been doomed to failure had the creative team not had complete confidence in what they were doing. There’s no question of this having anyway near the longevity of the source material, but there’ also no question that many readers will find much to enjoy in this tale for many years to come. 7/10


X-MEN #16
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art: Jorge Molina & Guru EFX
Marvel $3.99

Stewart R: When I saw early solicitations for this new arc I really did roll my eyes a fair amount. The Future Foundation involved? A Bermuda Triangle mystery? Oh dear. Thank Beast’s stars and garters then that this actually turns out to be a very entertaining first chapter of “Betrayal in the Bermuda Triangle”! It’s clear that Gischler is going for fun from the get-go with an amusing educational trip for the FF as Spider-Man tries to act as wise-cracking teacher to the kids, who despite being genius-level intellects themselves still want all the excitement and mystery that involves going through childhood. From here we’re quickly into team-up territory as the two groups come together for a common purpose and an impending cross-dimensional adventure. There’s a good amount of recognition of the changing alliances that both sides have been making in recent times and it’s done with a decent amount of tongue-in-cheek humour thanks to the involvement of Ben Grimm and Wolverine. I won’t spoil any of the neat scenes containing both these iconic Marvel characters but if Gischler carries on with the great levels of banter and humour shown here I’ll definitely have to start a campaign for a Wolverine and Thing spin-off title soon! Jorge Molina really excels himself with pencil and ink getting across a similar feel established on this title by Paco Medina previously but clearly making it his own; that double-page spread is simply superb! With Marvel packing in the X-related titles each month it’s great to see that the quality seems to be remaining high across the board! 8/10


BATMAN: INCORPORATED #8
Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Scott Clark & Dave Beatty
DC Comics $2.99

James R: Ugh. Just ugh! I was tempted to submit a one-word review for this, but I feel it's my responsibility to be more constructive in my criticism! Alright, this issue takes place inside the ‘web 3.0’, an “incredible” virtual reality environment, masterminded by Waynetec/Batman Incorporated. Trouble is afoot when it's infected by a virus that threatens to kill everyone logged on - including Bruce Wayne. The problems here are twofold - one is Morrison's writing, which (and I say this as a man who loves Final Crisis) has lurched back into inexplicable again. For example, the Billionaire hostages are told: "If your avatar is hurt or killed you can say goodbye to your entire fortunes." Er... how?! There's also a sequence with a digital dog, and I'm tempted to tell you to pick this issue up just so you can see how bad it is! The larger problem is the art though - the whole issue is illustrated as if we were in a computer simulation, which jars on every page, and makes it hard to see what the hell is going on. With the DC relaunch imminent, this feels like a filler, and hopefully when Morrison re-spawns, he comes back as his talented self... 3/10


FF#8
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Steve Epting & Paul Mounts
Marvel $2.99

Matt C: Issue #8 sees this title back on target after the two-issue diversion into the world of the Inhumans that left many scratching their heads wondering whether they’d picked up the right book. Yes, I understand that Hickman needed the Inhumans in play for his grand narrative, and that meant getting them from the position they were left in following War Of Kings to where he wanted them to be, but really, two issues?! Back in the day they used to do that kind of thing in a couple of pages! Anyway, this is more like it, with the main plot driving forward as Reed, his dad and the assembled villains set forth to defeat the remaining Reeds of the Interdimensional Council, and it’s generally exciting, although the pacing gets a bit too frantic at times, with a feeling that there’s almost too much going on. The characterization is strong though, and the way the cast interact together results in some of the issue’s most memorable moments. The other huge plus point here is having Epting back onboard as he brings a sense of epic urgency that has been missing since he left. So long as Hickman doesn’t get sidetracked again things should get back to normal i.e. this will be one of Marvel’s best superhero books again. 7/10


LOOSE ENDS #2
Writer: Jason Latour
Art: Chris Brunner & Rico Renzi
12-Gauge $3.99

Matt C: Perhaps the most important element for a successful crime comic is the atmosphere. Obviously the writing and art have to be good, but if they don’t combine to create a feeling that danger lurks around every corner, that the cast are living in a world where violent death is a day to day possibility, then chances are the reader won’t get sucked into the story. Loose Ends doesn’t have that problem because each page appears to be soaked with a sense of doom: doomed situations, doomed lives – characters may be living life in the fast lane, but there’s really only one destination they’re headed towards. While the bulk of this issue is taken up with various flashbacks, even there you can see fate starting to take hold, slowly wrapping itself around the members of the cast. The mean, moody art electrifies the script, adding occasional flashes of innocence (usually corrupted innocence at that) and staying one step ahead of the reader. 12-Gauge aren’t a household name (so to speak) but it they can publish more material of this calibre then their reputation will surely grow exponentially. 8/10


IRON AGE: OMEGA #1
Writer: Rob Williams
Art: Rebekah Isaacs, Livesay & Andres Mossa
Marvel $2.99

Stewart R: Well, this time-travelling extravaganza finally reaches its conclusion and you know what, it’s one of the best self-contained stories I’ve read from Marvel for a good while. Rob Williams - with help from a handful of other writers - ensured that every character involved in the time-hopping chapters contributed to the story as a whole and at the end their influence is really felt as Williams brings all of the plot strands together and ends Tony Stark’s desperate mission that spans years for him. Okay, so thanks to the chronological nature of the plot this could be seen as something of a throwaway ‘What If?’ venture, especially as it is unlikely to sow many seeds into the greater Marvel Universe, but it still grabs us with Tony’s plight and continuing fight in the face of adversity and also shows us once again that any team of makeshift Avengers can work better together than alone as individuals. Isaacs finishes what she started at the beginning of the series and while her art is pretty decent she seems a touch rushed in places and I can’t help feel that Livesay has also been a little heavy-handed in a couple of places to take something of the sheen away from her pencil work. Aesthetic grumbles aside this is a fitting end for a great series. 8/10

Incoming... 24/08/2011

New comics are released Wednesday in the States and guess what, in the UK too! Here's a brief look at our expectations for the books we're picking up this week.

Stewart R: There’s quite a lot to discuss this week so let’s jump straight in shall we?

It’s the last week for the ‘old guard’ of DC as the Wednesday where Flashpoint ends and the new 52 begins is now but 7 days away. Funnily enough I’m only picking up three, full-blood DC titles this week and they’re all relative new comers in the grand scheme of things. One of them will not be returning in September, one will be folded in amongst its peers and the other gets a fresh reboot and a new #1.

The one that is drawing to a proper and unfortunate end is John Rozum and Frazer Irving’s Xombi which reaches its conclusion today with #6. I was late to the party with this title and really wish that I could’ve done a better job at promoting it when I did find it - thanks to James R’s recommendation - as it really has been something special. David Kim is not your regular hero and the gang of comrades and supporters around him are not your run-of-the-mill teammates. In fact, everything about this book has something very special about it. The supernatural/paranormal settings and storyline have been brilliantly conveyed by Frazer Irving who really has turned my opinion of him around 180 degrees with his work on this and may even get me looking at his future works with a keener interest. At a time when DC is closely looking at its financial position and taking something of a large gamble, it’s understandable that some things had to face the axe, but when a few months have passed and certain titles may possibly be struggling - I’m looking at you Deathstroke, Demon Knights and OMAC! - I’ll be there cheering for the return of Xombi!

The title I mentioned that will be folded amongst its peers is Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors which ends at (unlucky for some) #13 but for all intents and purposes will return in a few weeks time as Green Lantern Corps as the original creative team of Peter J. Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin make the move, along with my favourite human Lantern, Guy Gardner, to that title. In the meantime we get the last of the rejigged creative rosters for the post-War of the Green Lanterns titles as DC’s solicitation has Pasarin touching pencil to paper for this issue when in actual fact Ron Frenz has been charged with that task now. The story is still written by Tomasi so I’ve every confidence that it’ll be an entertaining read, not least because it involves Guy having to team up with Batman and the two don’t often see eye to eye - though it hasn’t been made clear if it’s Bruce or Dick who’s wearing this particular cape today!

Of course we know it’s Bruce wearing his trademark pointy ears and utility belt in David Finch’s Batman: The Dark Knight #5! I have to say that while reading this series Batman has seemed a little secondary to the plot and other characters involved at times, much in the same way that he was during the Batman movies of the '80s and '90s, although under Finch’s hand the contents of each comic have looked sumptuous. I also have to say that things were going well up to the introduction of demonic forces and then my attention did start to waver slightly; I prefer Batman to be fighting gangland bosses, hired goons and Killer Croc if the occasion calls for it - demons and the like are Zatanna’s bag. baby!

So what else is arriving in stores today? Well Mark Sable and Paul Azaceta’s Graveyard of Empires #2 finally hits the stands and I’m looking forward to seeing how the American soldiers fare against the uprising of zombie Afghans and fallen comrades that are headed their way! I expect we’ll see a siege mentality and fight for their lives as I also expect to see in Marksmen #2 when the The Duke and Deacon Glenn arrive at the walls of New San Diego with their horde of religious marauders! Seems like a week to batten down the hatches and get reading some Image comics!

Over at Marvel, Rob Williams wraps up the thoroughly entertaining Iron Age time travelling saga that has been unfolding these past few months with Iron Age: Omega #1. Will Tony Stark be able to salvage a hopeless situation where he appears stranded in the Hellfire Club at the dawn of the Dark Phoenix crisis, Dr Doom’s time machine crippled and the chances of him being able to prevent Dr Birch’s eventual destruction of the entire planet looking minuscule at this time? I have to thank Andy H for putting me on to this series and mistaking Tom P’s love of Rebekah Isaacs’ art for my own - she IS actually very good I’ll admit, though not pencilling here - as each instalment has been terrific fun to read and a delightful nostalgia-fest. It’ll be interesting to see how everything is wrapped up and whether this will well and truly sit as a standalone story - at this late stage Williams has the opportunity to end things any which way he chooses and edge this towards an alternate reality finale should he decide too. Oooh, the possibilities!

Zooming over the rest of this week’s comic drop like a Nato fighter buzzing a Gaddafi compound I have high hopes for Uncanny X-Force #13 as we reach the end of the team’s danger-infused trip to the Age of Apocalypse in search of the means to bring about Warren's salvation. Jonathan Hickman's FF #8 will hopefully edge away from the Inhuman interlude which has robbed the series of much of its impetus in recent months and get back to focusing on how Reed and his team of invited villains can avert the global disaster that the Reed's of various realities are threatening. And thanks to IDW my inner child of the '80s gets another treat as Mainframe and a couple of Joe scientists will get into a close quarters gun battle - and by the looks of the cover potentially lethal fistfight - with Firefly and Crystal Ball in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #169. Guilty pleasure a-go-go people!

Cover To Cover: UNCANNY X-MEN #542

UNCANNY X-MEN #542
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art: Greg Land, Jay Leisten & Justin Ponsor
Marvel $3.99

Stewart R: I’ll level with you: I’m quite gutted about the timing of Schism and what it’s likely to deprive us of in terms of a unified X-Men all working towards one goal together. Gillen is obviously working within the boundaries that the story as well as the current, big Marvel event will allow him to (and he will take control of half of the X-Men from October) but the quality of his writing in recent months really makes me wish that the powers that be at Marvel could have held on for just 12 more months to let him bed in and craft his Uncanny the way he envisioned it.

Where last month’s excellent issue dealt with the rampage of Kuurth: Breaker of Stone in a more direct fashion as Cyclops assessed San Francisco’s enemy, this month’s still takes brief glimpses of the continuous and varied assault that the mutants pour down upon their unstoppable opponent but focuses more on the the wider effect that the Juggernaut’s attack and ultimatum is having on the team and their relationship with the authorities of the city. The tension is well and truly high as Cyclops and Mayor Sadie try to keep the alliance between their people strong in the face of adversity but the tendrils of suspicion start pulling away at the foundations of their relationship. Gillen sets about showing the fear and paranoia gripping the human populace and how that is then being used to target hatred at the mutants in one particularly great little sequence involving Scott Summers and an armed assailant.

But Gillen doesn’t stop there and casts his net wider to show that the interactions with the Asgardian enemy has sewn the roots of fear closer into his team than he could imagine and a hidden grudge that has been months in the making may be on the verge of boiling over in disastrous fashion. He also then turns his attention to the events that brought about Cain Marko’s initial transformation into a living Juggernaut and so we get a brilliantly grim and atmospheric audience between the powerful Cyttorak and three mutant ambassadors - Colossus, Kitty Pryde and Illyana Rasputin - who are there to inform the god of annihilation that his avatar has gone astray. It’s a keenly written piece that shows us just how much Magik has been affected by her trials and years of dark influences, leaving behind a cold and sullen being behind in place of Peter’s once youthful and vibrant young sister.

And of course all of this fantastic story from Gillen needs to be transferred to the illustrated page and it seems with each passing month I’m forced to praise Greg Land on an ever increasing scale. Gone is much of the posing and misplaced provocative posturing done by the female cast - though the odd pout does remain to remind us it’s Land - to be replaced by dramatic action, effective use of shadow and the ability to vary scope of scene and yet keeping the comic feeling like a whole. Cyclops - a character where the artist doesn’t get to use the eyes to convey emotion or feeling - has been giving ‘looks’ for months under Land’s hand and I’m very impressed.

Thanks to the Marvel publicity wagon we knew where a meeting with Cyttorak was likely to lead us months ago and with Schism edging ever nearer to its conclusion we know that post-Fear Itself things won’t be quite the same again but one thing is for sure, Marvel definitely have the right combination of writer and artist tackling the title in the here and now and I urge you to take a look at this and the past few issues if you'd left this title some time ago! You may not come back to it full time but I reckon you'll get an X-kick out of what these guys are doing! 9/10

Mini Reviews 21/08/2011

While we may not always have the time to review all the comics we get every week, we do try and provide a snapshot of the latest releases, mixing the good with the not so good.

STUFF OF LEGEND: A JESTER’S TALE #1
Writers: Mike Raicht & Brian Smith
Art: Charles Paul Wilson III, Jon Conkling & Michael DeVito
Th3rd World Studios $3.99

Matt C: This marvellous series returns for a third volume and as you might gather from the title the spotlight shines upon a certain character this time around. After Max’s revelation at the end of the previous volume the group of toys have abandoned their search for the boy and have gone their separate ways. Percy, Harmony and Quackers look for a way about of the dark while Jester begins another quest, to find the Princess, but it looks like that may prove difficult due to a case of mistaken identity. While it is essentially taking us away from the core narrative, the world Raicht and Smith have concocted is so wonderfully realised that a diversion is welcome rather than superfluous, and in all honesty I doubt the writers would take us down this path unless it tied into the main storyline somehow. The art is up to its usual extraordinary standard, Wilson conveying with ease a world where innocence has been corrupted by darkness, and the sepia colouring adds layers to the emotional depth as well as helping to set the tone. Unique in the current marketplace, The Stuff Of Legend carries with it all the ingredients that help make the greatest fairytales timeless. 8/10


CAPTAIN AMERICA #2
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Steve McNiven, Jay Leisten, Dexter & Justin Ponsor
Marvel $3.99

Matt C: Back when Brubaker helmed his first relaunch of Captain America it very quickly became my favourite superhero title on the stands with its gripping espionage-tinged 21st century superheroics. Lightening doesn’t appear to have struck twice as already this storyline is in getting dangerously close to being tired and predictable. It feels like he’s covering ground he’s already been across before, in a far superior manner, and I guess I was hoping for something a little less obvious to warrant the renumbering. Yes, the art’s pretty special but even that can’t eradicate the feeling of déjà vu. After the ‘Gulag’ arc that wrapped up the previous volume, coming into this seems like a step back. I’ve invested too much in Brubaker’s work on the Sentinel of Liberty to be too dismissive, but for the first time since he came onboard this is no longer a sure thing on my pull-list. 6/10


SUPERBOY #11
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Art: Pier Gallo, Jamie Grant & Dom Regan
DC $2.99

James R: Another week, another farewell. Once again, with the advent of DC's reboot, it is time to say goodbye to a title (in its current state). With Detective Comics, the finale was tempered by the knowledge that Scott Snyder is carrying on his Bat-duties, whereas here it's a true farewell from Jeff Lemire. I'm hugely excited at the prospect of him taking on Animal Man and Frankenstein after the reboot, but this issue felt a little curtailed. It's a fitting end to the 'Hollow Men' arc but it did seem as if there were many more tales to tell here - for example, the truth behind Psion's trip back from the future won't ever be resolved! Bah. Superboy has been great as it showed Lemire's talent at expertly mixing up the rich tableau of the DCU, from Superboy, to the Phantom Stranger to the Legion of Superheroes. It's a bittersweet farewell then, but you can bet your line-held $2.99 Lemire's new books will be on my pull-list come September. 7/10

Matt C: This series started with a lot of promise but has kind of petered out with a largely formulaic finale. There’s a strong feeling of Lemire rushing towards the conclusion to make way for the New 52, which makes you wonder what he may have had up his sleeve if he was given more time to work with these characters. It’s the characters that have proven to be the most enjoyable aspect of the title since it started, with Lemire nicely capturing the dynamics between the main cast, and when they drove the action – rather than the action being shoehorned in – it really worked. The whole Hollow Men idea was sound but again, it all became a little too predictable in this ‘final’ issue, offering nothing unique to a setup we’ve seen played out countless times. At the end, in hindsight, it’s been a diverting read, but I do wonder how much further I would have continued with it if it had carried on in it’s current state. 6/10


DAREDEVIL #2
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera & Javier Rodriguez
Marvel $2.99

James R: One of the most common discussions amongst the gents of the Paradox Group is: should a character (or book) be written in a certain way? For example, the recent Thor series isn't beloved by some because they say Thor isn't speaking or behaving “like Thor should”. It's a tricky one - when you're reading characters that you've liked for years (nay, decades!) a sudden shift in how they're portrayed or written can be harsh. For the most part, I believe that a good character can stand up to multiple interpretations, but I have to say - damn, it's good to have the old Daredevil back! After Ed Brubaker left the book it dived into a tailspin of insane plotting - even for superhero comics I have to roll my eyes whenever demonic possession/deals with the devil get trotted out! Hats off then to Mark Waid for getting the book back to basics and to Paolo Rivera for his beautiful pencils. This month sees Matt Murdock having to dodge arrest at the hands of Captain America (in a nice echo of Frank Miller's 'Born Again' arc) while continuing to investigate the clandestine case of Nelson & Murdock's client, Ahmed Jobrani. At every level this comic 'feels' right - Rivera excels at showing DD's radar senses, and conveys action in a brilliant way. If you had been scared off by Daredevil's previous run, now is definitely the time to repent. 8/10


X-MEN: SCHISM #3
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Daniel Acuna
Marvel $3.99

Matt C: This different-artist-each-issue approach isn’t working for me. They should have stuck with Carlos Pacheco for the whole mini to keep some visual consistency. I’ve liked a lot of Daniel Acuna’s work in the past but here it feels a little too stiff and is so different in terms of tone and style that it almost reads like a completely new book rather than a continuation of an ongoing story. I’m not sold on this new pre-teen Hellfire Club either. Having one super-smart, evil child in play works but adding several more makes it harder to suspend disbelief. I’m still enjoying some of the character interplay, and will see this through to the finale, but I’m not convinced I’ll be sticking around to see what happens in the X-Universe (Uncanny X-Force aside) afterwards. 6/10


JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #626
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art: Doug Braithwaite, Ulises Arreola & Andy Troy
Marvel $2.99

Matt C: I don’t think I’ll be alone in saying that, in recent years, the best things to come out of Marvel’s big crossovers have been certain tie-ins which have ended up being far superior to the main events themselves. That’s pretty much an admission from me that I consider Marvel’s major events over the last five years to be, in general (there have been some exceptions, like Planet Hulk), duds, and I can’t see Fear Itself redeeming itself with two issues remaining. However, the Fear Itself concept is coming alive in Journey Into Mystery; not only does Gillen provide an infinitely more engrossing read than the main series has offered thus far he also seems to be able to make the crossover aspect work in his favour, thriving rather than giving the impression he’s been lumbered with a storyline against his will. His take on Loki continues to excite as the Trickster Teen (can I coin that?) manipulates various players in the realms of the undead for what could possibly be a good cause, or possibly something else - you’re never quite sure. The art is sumptuous and I will stand by my assessment last month that this is the best ‘superhero’ title Marvel are currently publishing. Glorious. 9/10

The Indie Club: RONIN DOGS Books 1 & 2

The Indie Club is an irregular feature where we take a closer look at any small press or self-published books that have crossed our path.


RONIN DOGS #1 & #2
Writer: Mark Pearce
Art: Mark Pearce
Available here

Stewart R: This year’s Bristol Comic Expo offered up the usual bumper offering of writers and artists who are already entrenched in the comics industry but for once I spent a larger portion of my time in the Mecure hotel, delving in and amongst the tables hosted by the small press and independent creators - when I wasn’t having my ass handed to me on the large screen X-Men: Children of the Atom gaming fun!

Having seen some of Mark Pearce’s art online before, I resolved to swing past his table and purchase some of his offerings this time around. And thus Ronin Dogs books 1 & 2 did come into my possession and how very glad I am of that! Book #1 is a 26-page introduction to Derek and Jen, two friends in some future time who carry with them a Generation X attitude as well as a hefty supply of guns and ammunition. They love drinking, fighting, playing video games and it would seem raining a heap load of pain to anyone who attempts to ‘off’ them. Pearce alludes to a spot of unfortunate and devastating ‘trouble’ that the weapon-toting duo found themselves in at some former date and they're now on the run through the various worlds of the galaxy. To be honest there’s not much we need to know beyond that; they’re wanted and there are a host of strange factions and ferocious characters out to get them.

Dotted in and amongst the bone-crunching action are some great comedy distractions such as one bounty-hunter’s fading dreams of becoming a chef and the weird delicacies that he would have put on the menu. It brings something else to the party and sets the tone for where the rest of Derek and Jen’s adventures may take them and the readers. Book #2 then rolls in at a juicy 74 pages cover to cover and follows Derek and Jen on a fairly harmless visit to a film hire store only for things to descend into explosive and entertaining anarchy before too long. We’re introduced to a platoon of armoured mercenaries and their robotic, transforming carrier space-ships, all quirky to the last man/bot, who then chase the duo all over town with many an exchange of gun-fire and witty retorts.

It’s all very well writing a fast-paced, funny and action-filled comic but this has to be backed up with an art style that can portray frenetic punch-ups and missile fire aplenty while also capturing subtle characterization to carry the comedy. Luckily Mark has himself available to draw and ink Ronin Dogs then! The interiors are rendered incredibly cleanly in black, white and grey and the scope of what this artist is accomplishing is very impressive. From orbital descents to facial close-ups, bullet storms to robotic martial art dust-ups, these books have it all. The variety in the angles used really helps the story shift along at break-neck speed and I don’t think it’s misplaced to say that there’s definitely a small amount of Adam Warren influence to be found in Mark’s style on these comics.

Each book contains nice little bonuses like character profiles and adverts for fictional products featured in the story itself and the attention to detail is terrific. There's a great deal of potential here for future stories and the fact that Pearce is volunteering these teasers and expanding the universe that these characters exist in at this early stage has me hopeful that we'll be getting lots more. I’ll admit that I was very surprised by just how much I’ve enjoyed these books and the number of times I’ve ended up reading them back through, start to finish, when just trying to flick through for the purposes of this review. The humour and style may not be to everyone’s taste but if you’re looking for a jovial tale of two friends running for their lives and dishing out an ass-whooping with a cheery smile then look no further. Now to wait for Ronin Dogs #3... 9/10

Ten Forward: October 2011

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the ten titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the August issue of Previews which includes comics scheduled to ship in October 2011.

ORCHID #1
Writer: Tom Morello
Art: Scott Hepburn
Dark Horse $1.00

Stewart R: Yup, THAT Tom Morello! The lead guitarist of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave is switching music paper for script pages in October as Dark Horse help him to deliver the first of a 12-part series looking at societal and political imbalance in a dystopian future. With the raw intensity and unblinking worldview of his bands' music it seems that Orchid - whose protagonist is a 16 year old prostitute trying to find a future in a bleak world of haves and have-nots, powerful and powerless - will carry a message familiar to fans of his other media work and that has to be worth a punt in my opinion. We shall have to see whether Morello has the ability to deliver a cohesive and entertaining story over the run but Dark Horse's decision to go with a series length of this size surely suggests that they believe that there's more going for it than the celebrity name at the helm.


DOC BIZARRE M.D. HC
Writer: Joe Casey
Art: Andy Suriano
Image $12.99

Matt C: Usually a tale of a doctor who specializes in treating supernatural beings wouldn’t really catch my eye, but the writer involved is someone well known for smart, madcap, irreverence in comics, so as it’s Joe Casey’s name in the credits this grabbed my attention with ease. Casey’s been putting out some great books for Image of late, whether it’s his current ongoing Butcher Baker or one-offs like Officer Downe. This is one of the latter projects and sees Casey back with his Charlatan Ball collaborator Andy Suriano. 72 pages for $12.99 isn’t a bad deal so those in the market for some more of Casey’s unique brand of inspired lunacy should probably set a little bit of cash aside for this come October.


SPACEMAN #1
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Art: Eduardo Risso
Vertigo $1.00

James R: After their stunning Flashpoint miniseries, Batman Knight Of Vengeance, I'm delighted to see that the creative team of Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso and Patricia Mulvihill haven't been resting on their laurels, as October sees the launch of their new series, Spaceman. The story centres on Orson, a man created and genetically altered by NASA to withstand the rigors of space travel, but at the start of the tale we find that he's making a living salvaging junk on an environmentally ruined Earth. The preview pages in June's Strange Adventures were fantastic and promise a blend of Azzarello and Risso's trademark noir style with a post-apocalyptic twist. This looks like being another must-read from Vertigo, and another classic from the people that brought you 100 Bullets.


AVENGERS 1959 #1
Writer: Howard Chaykin
Art: Howard Chaykin
Marvel $2.99

Rob N: Despite my ageing hippie/psychedelic sensibilities I also have a love of two other periods of the 20th century: the ‘between the wars’ era of the politically-charges 1920s and ‘30s and the mid ‘50s to early ‘60s, the latter period most recently popularised by the TV show Mad Men, and now the setting for a new miniseries written and drawn by Howard Chaykin. Looking back with the advantage of hindsight, the late Fifties seems to be the ‘last hurrah’ of the old world order before it fragmented and gave way to a more permissive and ‘modern’ age. It’s also a defining era of sharp Italian suits, the Christian Dior ‘New Look’ for women, classic James Bond novels and bespoke Hollywood glamour of the Talented Mr Ripley/French Riviera style. This series has its roots in recent issues of Bendis’ New Avengers where he showcased a pre-Sixties Avengers team assembled by Nick Fury to hunt down Nazi war criminals in hiding throughout the world. I’m not normally a fan of revisionist storytelling (where a writer adds retrospective continuity that begs the question, why hasn’t any character ever mentioned this before?) but I did enjoy the late Fifties setting, and its retro look. Howard Chaykin is of course the artist you turn to first to draw any period between the early Twenties to the late Fifties, and he simply can’t be beaten when it comes to period detail, be it clothes, architecture, cars or (bearing in mind this is Howard Chaykin we’re talking about!) women in old fashioned lingerie.


INCREDIBLE HULK #1
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Marc Silvestri
Marvel $3.99

Matt C: Another big, iconic character is given the Number #1 reluanch treatment (again!) and this time it’s everybody’s favourite green-skinned goliath, the Incredible Hulk. Aaron seems to be on the up at Marvel now following his move into the world of mutants to help steer the X-Men over the coming months, and obviously the House of Ideas are pleased with what they’re seeing if they’re giving him a chance to take charge of the continuing adventures of Bruce Banner and his ill-tempered alter-ego. It says ‘classified’ in the solicitation but from what I can gather we’ll be looking at how Banner deals with the fact that the Hulk has become a physically separate being. I’m certainly interested to see how Aaron will approach the character but I I’m not so keen on the choice of artist. I loved Silvesrtri’s Uncanny X-Men stuff back in the day but he mostly seems to stick with covers nowadays, and going by past experience this title is already in danger of seeing delays and potentially a new artist sooner rather than later. Benefit of the doubt is in place though so I’ll wait on the first issue to wow me before thinking too far ahead.


SHADE #1
Writer: James Robinson
Art: Cully Hamner
DC $2.99

Rob N: James Robinson’s Starman title was a groundbreaking comic that emerged from the DC Zero Hour reboot in the 1990s. For the first 40 issues at least it was one of my favourite titles at the time, especially the issues drawn by photorealistic artist Tony Harris. One of the standout supporting characters was the Shade (not to be confused with Shade the Changing Man of Steve Ditko and Pete Milligan fame). A seemingly immortal character of complex morality, the Shade switched between playing the villain and the hero as the different roles suited him. The series floundered once Robinson sent Starman into space, but even so I have very fond memories of the comic. Returning to the scene of earlier triumphs can sometimes be a writer’s undoing (Frank Miller did his legacy no favours by writing a sequel to the Dark Knight Returns, for example) but I’m hoping in this case Robinson still has enough mileage in the Shade character to justify the miniseries.


WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #1
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Chris Bachalo
Marvel $4.99

Stewart R: Okay, so the main draw for me is the fact that Chris Bachalo is the regular artist for Wolverine & The X-Men and has been given a healthy head start to make sure that the first half dozen or so issues are pure Bachalo without the need for anyone else to fill in when time gets tight. Aaron is the 'Architect' behind this huge fracture between the mutant heroes of the Marvel Universe and he seems to be plucking at Wolverine's caring and emotional side now that we're three issues into Schism. I'll be interested to see how he develops Wolverine as a leader of a larger mutant population compared to, say, Remender's close and personal delivery with Uncanny X-Force. The danger is of course that we, as a reading public, will end up with far too much of one character on our plate being written in two very different ways, but that's one to wait an see on. It does seem that Marvel are developing an X-Men braintrust of sorts so there should be optimism that this move to two main titles - amongst seven specifically dealing with mutant teams - can work.


X-MEN: REGENESIS #1
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Art: Billy Tan
Marvel $3.99

Stewart R: With the end of Schism a few weeks away yet it's hard to tell just what sort of X-Men story we will be walking in to when Uncanny X-Men reaches it's (temporary?) end and the two new titles pop up in its place in October. While a Wolverine-centric title tends to scream of one direction it's harder to gauge where Gillen will lead us with Regenesis, not least because any and all previews released so far have been completely void of Scott Summers. Certainly at this time Emma Frost looks to be one of the leading voices and a look at Marvel's teasing silhouette images suggest that Magneto will be there too. While both have been showing their heroic sides in recent years they're certainly 'well-rounded' when it comes to their motives and aren't opposed to the occasional dubious moral decision. Gillen has really impressed me with Uncanny X-Men in recent months and Tan's style is certainly maturing so I suspect this could be a winner.


FEEL BETTER NOW
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Jonathan Hickman
Image $3.99

Rob N: Jonathan Hickman first came to my attention with his inspired miniseries Pax Romana (so good I nicked the central premise for a roleplaying game I ran!) but since then he has mostly been working as one of the ‘Architects’ of the Marvel Universe (a phrase I have problems with as I’d argue that Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko are the architects of the Marvel Universe, and that current writers are essentially a maintenance team, if you want to use that kind of analogy). I can hardly fault him for taking a well paying writing job with Marvel, but it is good to see he hasn’t forgotten his strength as a writer/artist of creator-owned material. Hickman has a unique art style that I really like, and early promo art for this book exceeds expectations. This then is the first of three self-contained projects that we’re going to see published by Image. Billed as a tale of rogue psychiatrists in a near future/now Silicone Valley who manipulate their patients, simply because they can, it sounds like it occupies the same satirical counter culture space as books like A Scanner Darkly.


SNARKED #1
Writer: Roger Langridge
Art: Roger Langridge
BOOM! Studios $3.99

Matt C: Issue #0 is currently in the shops and I would implore you to part with a single dollar (or local equivalent) for the taster of Roger Langridge’s latest endeavour. A classic dunderhead comedy duo (one a walrus, the other a carpenter!) spinning out of the works of Lewis Carroll, such as The Hunting Of The Snark and, er, The Walrus and The Carpenter, this should see Langridge at his most inventive and comedic best. Basically, if you like both comics and laughing then I would suggest this might just be up your street.