Annihilation: Nova #1 - I had hoped that the Super Skrull #1 was a sign of a new day in comics. One where the first issue is more than just exposition, so that things can happen in the second issue. Apparently, that was a pipe dream. Mostly.Nova wakes up on a chunk of the Xandar Homeworld, most of which is falling into their star. Good news: the chunk Nova's on isn't falling into the star. Bad news: It's drifting away, and getting colder fast. Nova is the last of the Nova Corps left. . . again (Kyle Rayner?). The Worldmind is communicating with him, telling him that he needs to come find it, so that it can be downloaded and preserved with him. However, Nova would rather stagger around and talk about how terrible the loss of life is. Oh yeah, and pick fights with giant bugs. he likes to do that too. Still, with a lot of cajoling from Worldmind, and a little beating from aformentioned giant bugs, Rich finally gets to the Hub.
The sentient computer, which contains all knowledge, history, culture of the Xandarian race (Brainiac?) downloads directly into Richard. Good news: The Xandarian culture will be preserved beyond the extinction of the race. Bad news: Nova now has a computer voice in his head all the time. Good news: Richard also got all of the Nova Force, seeing as there are no other Novas to share it with, meaing he is sehr powerful. Bad news: That much power seems to have a deleterious effect on a person's mental state (Parallax?), as Ryder goes nuts, tearing apart several of the Annihilation Wave's ships before an explosion sends him plummeting back to the same chunk he started on.
So, this wasn't all exposition, and even so it does have the feel of an issue that wanted to get everything in place, so it could hit the ground running next issue, moreso than Silver Surfer #1 did. Hate the new costume though. 3.75 out of 5.
Wolverine: Origins #1 - I said I'd stop buying Wolverine, not books starring Wolverine. So James is on the loose and looking for answers. S.H.I.E.L.D. can't even find him, let alone stop him. And the President's Secretary of. . . really, I have no idea what her position is (is she supposed to be Condi Rice?), but apparently James wants to talk to her. And someone launched a cruise missile at the White House. And Shiva is inside. Oh boy, I haven't seen him since Wolverine #50! Has Shiva even been in any books since then?I fail to see what is so special about that sword. Perhaps this is because I don't feel Steve Dillon's art is doing a good job of expressing the action. The fight scene was short, but he didn't really draw in a way that "suggested" the movement to me.
On the positive side, James went with the old brown costume. It works for him, much more so than the yellow one. It's more conducive to stealth (man, I'm really busting out the word-a-day aren't I? Don't know why) . Anyway, it doesn't seem that James managed to get any real answers, so I guess he's back where he started, only with another blast from a bygone age getting set to come after him. Seriously, if a robot made of Adamantium, with past experience fighting James can't beat him, this druggie loser is going to? Weak. 2.5 out of 5.
Robin #149 - Alright, breaking and entering! Into a police station? Uh Tim? You and the cops are supposed to be on the same side, right? I'm joking, Tim's got to get that evidence. And he does, but he gets spotted, and now he's trapped in the police station, with dozens of cops who want to arrest him. Thus, the mad dash begins. *Cue Keystone Kops*It's nice to see a cop smart enough to tell the others not to just start firing when Robin runs through a room. As he noted, that's how crossfires get started, and crossfires aren't good for anyone, especially Tim, who lacks the superhuman reflexes. Watching Tim slip through with his variety of gadgets, and his little ruse to escape the shock troops of the G.C.P.D., highly enjoyable.
And we have a special guest pay a visit to Tim, and Tim oversteps his bounds a bit. Gotta remember who you're dealing with there, little bird. Trying to decide who's art I like better: Kerschel's (last issue) or Freddie Williams II (this issue). Kerschel's seemed a bit brighter, more suited for lighter-toned stories, which I wouldn't mind seeing in Robin, at least occasionally. But I'm more than satisfied with Williams. Leaps and bounds better than the previous year. Anyway, the issue ends with an ultimatum, but I want to go more in depth on my reactions in a later post. 4.55 out of 5.
New Avengers #18 - That cover is terrible. Seriously awful. As for the issue? Well, it burnt up the good will Bendis had earned with me last month. Mostly, the Avengers seem to be running around like the proverbial chickens with heads cut off.Stark gets owned. Fuckin' owned. I saw that! Carol Danvers does seem to have reverted to her "Binary" days, and she still gets dropped like it's no big deal. This may be due to the fact their enemy, this "Michael", has grown very large since the previous issue, with no apparent explanation for it. James plays counselor with Carol. Uhm, ok. Meanwhile, Captain America and Luke Cage. . . stand around? Direct traffic? Lame. Spidey keeps making jokes about how he doesn't even have a license for a car, let alone a helicopter or Quinjet. We get it Pete, you don't need a vehicle, you've got web-shooters (and glider wings). Really, Johnny Storm is sorry about the Spider-Mobile, alright? You need to let. . . it. . . go. And what happened to your motorcycle? That was cool.
Oh yeah, the Sentry showed up. hoo-ray. And he takes the fight into space, and. . . he gets smoked. Congratulations, you could have at least stayed in the atmosphere and provided some nice dialogue like "Unbelieveably powerful you may be, ne'er will I yield!" Oh wait, that's something a cool character would say. Like Thor. Never mind. At least he got out of bed.
And by the end of the episode, the good guys have figured out what the people reading the book have known since #16: this fellow is lost mutant powers incarnate. Great, figure out how to disperse him, and mutants get their powers back. Then House of M is worthless, and can be forgotten, HOORAY! Total suck. 1.4 out of 5. Bendis is not building a strong case for me to stay with the book beyond this arc.
And why does he have to follow Warren Ellis' idea of Iron Man? Suck squared.
7 comments:
"And why does he have to follow Warren Ellis' idea of Iron Man? Suck squared."
Because apparently the "man in iron suit that he built" concept just isn't working after 40 years. At least, that's Marvel's take.
Stupid Marvel.
See, and here I was actually going to follow through on my threats and not pick up New Avengers today. But after having read the review, (and you're right---that is one gawdawful cover) I'm inclined to get it just to watch the suckitude.
I am such a loser.
chris: if you can get if for free, then by all means, laugh at the suckitude.
If you'd have to pay real money for it, say yourself the pain.
What was wrong with Ellis' Iron Man? I thought it was a pretty decent origin retcon, tho' moving from Vietnam to Afghanistan would mean Iron Man was been around for five years tops.
hale: I don't think it's necessarily that they changed the circumstances that Tony created the suit under.
It's the fact that he's no no longer just a really smart guy in a high-powered suit he built.
Now he can make a gesture and his armor floats to him and attaches itself. And to quote him "I can see through satellites."
And that's without the armor. It's like he's a cyborg or something.
Okay, I can see that. If Tony Stark is a superhero WITHOUT the suit, then that changes the whole dichotomy. But I was under the impression that he can only see thru satellites and so forth when he has the armor on. Did I err? Also, the new powers seem to be making him into an asshole, so maybe there's a change coming...
hale: I'd say his becoming an asshole is probably Joey Quesada's fault. Part of some editorial mandate to set up Civil War.
You might be right about needing the armor to see through satellites, but they've definitely made him into more than a guy who uses his technological genius to stay on even or superior footing than all these superhumans.
It just goes in with several sucktastic developments with Iron Man over the last few years: being randomly outed in his secret identity several times, only to have it become secret again merely by pressing the Big Red Plot Device Button; becoming Secretary of Defense; making a big speech about how he doesn't have enough money to fund the Avengers, only to miraculously find the money to fund the NEW Avengers (Thanks, Bush Tax Cut!). And I see your point about Tony Stark as a guy dependent on technology: giving him superpowers outside the suit is the equivalent of making Peter Parker happy and successful, married to a supermodel, er, wait. Bad analogy.
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