What I Bought 6/4/09 - Part 1

Hey, comics, whoo! Dance of Joy! Actually, maybe I'll save the Dance of Joy for another day. Let's just get to this.

Agents of Atlas #6 - The Agents travel to Namor's new kingdom to learn about Osborn's little Cabal. Instead they have the obligatory fight all comic characters must have when Namor guest-stars. Namor wants Namora to stay there with him and help rule, and it seems she's going to take him up on the offer. Oh, and they're not really that closely related, so no reason to be worried about the making out.

I kind of miss the interludes in the past. Maybe because they were a welcome escape from anything even remotely Dark Reign related. This is still free of that, and that certainly helps, but for an issue that I thought was supposed to be about learning about Osborn's plans, they learned precious little. Well, we learned Bob is entirely too attracted to sea anemones, but I don't think I needed to learn that.

Gabriel Hardman's art is nice, but I feel like the coloring style is washing out some of the details.

Deadpool: Suicide Kings #3 - Deadpool teams up with Daredevil to learn who set-up Wade up, and who's pulling that person's strings. The Punisher attack again, having prepared for Daredevil this time, Wade does a little better against Frank this time. Deadpool fails to maintain a low profile, and Spider-Man shows up. Then Deadpool's head explodes.

There are some moments I laughed at. Wade's hatred for Plexi-Glass, and how he found out who placed the ad that set him up. I guess Deadpool picturing the Punisher as various tough guys types is going to be a recurring theme in this issue. I can't figure out what Frank did to blast Deadpool out the window like he did. I know it involved the Grim Reaper's scythe, but I'm not sure what.

Exiles #3 - The unified X-Men/Brotherhood in this universe are kind of a bunch of dicks. Especially Cyclops. Oh wait, that's nothing new. I know, "You wouldn't be so friendly if a bunch of weirdos showed up to undo your peace and tranquility!" To which I would say, "Yes I would. I'm very friendly." The Exiles manage to escape imprisonment. Then they convince all the X-Men/Brotherhood suckers to peek inside Magneto's head and learn the terrible secret he's hiding. Which they do, which Blink does not think fixed things, but no time, on to the next reality.

This book is not exciting me as much as I would like. I don't know why precisely. I don't feel much connection to any character besides Blink, and thus far, there doesn't seem to have been much opportunity for character moments. I would like to know why things are different from what Blink was expecting, and I like Espin's art, but I'm not sure whether that's enough to hang around for much longer.

Guardians of the Galaxy #14 - Nothing goes well. Adam Warlock gets his butt kicked by Vulcan, turns purple and unfriendlier, nearly kills some poor Imperial Guard mage, and leaves. The Inhumans declare they can't be bothered to care about what will happen to the rest of existence, even though they'd be destroyed along with the rest of existence if they aren't careful. Inhumans = Morons. Phyla goes a little nuts and holds Crystal hostage, Star-Lord tries to defuse the situation by apologizing, then leaving. Except. . . Phyla didn't release her hostage, and the Shi'ar mage marked Warlock, so surprise! Big party at Robot House, I mean, Knowhere!

Well, if Phyla's trying to serve Lord Oblivion and bring about the end of everything, she's being a subtle as a brick to the head about it. Oh well, maybe being obvious about it is the only way she can try and defy her new responsibility. I don't know what to make of Warlock turning purple. Purple + Adam Warlock = Magus, but that raises the question of who's in that coccoon the Church has. Oh crap, don't let it be Goddess. Magus is bad enough, but I don't think even Abnett and Lanning can make me care about the architect of Infinity Crusade. Note to Messers. Abnett and Lanning: Please do not take that as a challenge.

Immortal Iron Fist #26 - Danny and the Immortal Weapons try and escape, which plays into Changming's hands. He actually makes it out, and there's Davos, ready to take care of business. But Danny won't let him, which seems like a bad idea when all the demons start pouring back out into the world. However, Danny's being a swell guy who believes in people and in taking responsibility for past misdeeds actually pays off. Doesn't that beat all. Crisis averted, Danny heads home, and something has gone very wrong.

So that's nice. A symmetric story. Quan saved K'un-Lun by bringing hundreds of people their to replenish the city after the plague. Now Danny brings Quan, and all the people ever thrown into the 8th City back home to. . . make K'un-Lun embrace their past and move forward. Rather than banishing threats, rehabilitate them. Something artwise I can't figure is Juan Doe. I get the two pages he drew, since they take place in the past, but not the fact he was colorist for two pages. Especially since they aren't the two pages he drew, but two of Travel Foreman's pages. It's interesting because I think his coloring eliminates some of those little lines that Foreman likes so much, which I tend to consider a good thing.

And that's it for today. See you tomorrow.