Writer: Ian Edginton Artist: Davide Fabbri Publisher: Wildstorm/DC
Review by Warren
Victorian Undead is one of those concepts - pitting the world’s greatest consulting detective against zombies - that you think: “why did it take so long”?
In a conventional, if enjoyable prologue, a meteor lands near London (or maybe just passes over, it’s hard to tell) in 1854, resulting in a noticeable body count and the dead starting to rise, although it’s clear this is not widely known. About the only real criticism you could raise is the dialogue, which seems to be trying just a bit too hard with the accents, to the point where we get the faintest whiff of Dick Van Dyke. (Don’t get the reference? Watch Mary Poppins; all will be made clear.)
Cut to 1898 and a Conan Doyle-esque sequence of Holmes in the final stages of uncovering the truth behind some high level, completely unrelated…maybe…skullduggery. The resolution is a bit iffy, but does cement the tale’s Victorian world and neatly alludes to an unknown behind the scenes villain; possibly starting with “M”…?. It also has the best visual gag in the comic, turning a classic horror image on its ear. I’m expecting a similar visual, different context, later in the tale.
The presentation of Holmes and Watson is all important, and they’ve done a pretty good job of establishing this version of the characters. Holmes is fine, but their slightly older Watson is a bit worrying; there’s not enough to go on yet, but it looks like they may be veering towards a slightly less cluey Watson, which is a pity. At least the dialogue is a vast improvement on the prologue, especially Holmes, who displays an admirable arrogance that should come into play down the line.
The two strands are brought together with Holmes being called in when the construction of the London underground unearths something that should have stayed buried, with the real movement story-wise not kicking in until the very last page. Despite the “Sherlock Holmes vs Zombies! cover blurb, anyone after immediate Sherlock Holmes/zombie action may be a bit disappointed, but the Sherlock Holmes and zombie action are nothing to complain about, with the issue maintaining a neat balance between the two.
Writer Ian Edginton has a good handle on the material overall and has clearly done his homework, while David Fabbri’s art ideally conveys the period, down to some enjoyable minutae to keep panel studiers happy. And yes, the cover is fun, but it is misleading when it comes to tone of the contents. But this doesn’t turn out to be bad thing. Far from it.
I’m not too sure how long Victorian Undead is set to run; I’d guess it’s about a six parter and this issue reads just like the first installment of something that’s going to take a few issues to sort everything out. In other words, it’s all (nicely effective) set-up with in a cliff-hanger that should have most readers waiting eagerly on part two. Just what a part one should do, really. The game, as they say, is most definitely afoot.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Strange Tales #1 (of 3)
Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Marvel
Review by Warren
The original Strange Tales ran for…well, that’s a bit confusing. It started in 1951 and for the first 100-odd issues it was a supernatural anthology series, then became a superhero book until issue 168. Its name then changed to Doctor Strange with issue 169 and stayed that way until Doctor Strange was cancelled with issue 183 in 1969.
Strange Tales returned in 1973 with issue 169 and ran until issue 188 in 1976. It returned with a volume 2 in 1987, but that only lasted 19 issues, finally pulling down the shutters in 1988.
Now, 20+ years later, Strange Tales is back under the Marvel Knights imprint as a humour magazine taking aim at mainstream Marvel icons. While this might seem (or more specifically, Marvel would like us to see it as) a bit radical, it’s not the first time Marvel has tried this.
Back in the late 60’s, the legendary “Not Brand Echh” ran for 13 issues, gleefully, and mercilessly satiring not just Marvel, but any and all other comic brands as well. It was more or less Marvel’s version of “Mad” (and is long overdue for a reprint, if only to see Forbush Man again). Then, 20 years on (more or less) in the late 80’s, Marvel went back to the well with “What The-?!”, which continued the “Not Brand Echh” tradition, and managed to last for 26 issues up until 1993.
“Not Brand Echh” and “What The-?! “, like any sketch comedy, was often a bit hit and miss. So it is with Strange Tales, only this time, unlike its predecessors, it’s more miss than hit and there’s a real ‘trying too hard’, almost desperate feel to the whole thing.
It’s also a wildly uneven package, but it’s only to be expected with 14 different tales from 11 creators. Some tales, like The Punisher, Spider Town and John Jameson/Jennifer Walters aren’t bad at all, others like The Incorrigible Hulk and Inhumans, are fun enough but stretch the joke out way too long. The rest can charitably be described as “eh”.
The first page more or less sets the tone – not so much for the humour as the irreverence level - so if you think having Uatu the Watcher wearing Y-fronts and high heels is edgy… Of course, humour is entirely subjective, but for what it’s worth I didn’t laugh once with Strange Tales, although I did smile now and then. To be honest, reading Strange Tales felt like spending time with a group of people who want you to think they’re cool and cutting edge but they’re not; some are funny, but most of them are just kind of embarrassing.
Can I recommend Strange Tales? Not really, although it’s probably worth checking out for curiosity value. But take this with the above ‘humour is subjective’ caveat; just because I didn’t like it much doesn’t mean the person next to me won’t cry with laughter.
Rating: 4 out of 10 (very rounded up percentage of pages found funny)
The Amazing Spider-Man #600
Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Marvel
Review by Warren
I haven’t regularly read of Spider-Man for a number of years and, from the last half of One More Day on have found it a bit, well, naff (for those not into Brit slang, that’s uncool, unfashionable, lame… you get the idea). Yeah, making a deal with the devil to get Peter unmarried, and everyone in the world forget his identity was a real good move…
But, as a way back fan, Spider-Man #600 just had to be checked out, even if does ‘luckily’ coincide with Hulk #600 and Thor #600.
Spidey #600 is like a lot of anniversary slash milestone issues, a mix of the really good bordering on great and the not so good.
The bulk of the – refreshingly advert-free - issue is taken up with a tale that flits between the latest conflict with the new look, tragic and surprisingly sympathetic Doctor Octopus, and Aunt May’s nuptials with J. Jonah Jameson Sr. It rather neatly celebrates Spider-man’s history with many an affectionate nod to the past, such as Spidey’s quip-laden exchanges with the Torch, which will take older readers back through the years. It also efficiently encapsulates the present status-quo; even those checking in after some time will find they’ll easily get up to date. The central Spidey vs Doc Ock story isn’t bad and the rest of the vignettes hang together well, making for an effective tale that works equally as a standalone and as part of the ongoing story.
There are some niggles, though. Some of the dialogue, particularly Spider-Man’s, is pretty ropey, the art by John Romita Jr, Klaus Janson and Dan Slott just misses the mark and the final twist is no “face it tiger... you just hit the jackpot”. Luckily, these and other things only slightly diminish, not ruin the overall enjoyment of the thing.
The rest of the issue is a good value, inevitably hit and miss collection of shorts. The best is “Identity crisis”, a great Stan Lee penned recap of the last 40 plus years; it’s almost worth getting the issue for this alone. The covers you’ll never see are fun, but only about half of them work. “Fight at the Museum” is an enjoyable homage to the legendary Spider Mobile (well, I thought it was cool back then). “If I Was Spider-Man” is a canny little deconstruction of the concept. “My Brother’s Son” and “The Blessing” show how good and cringingly bad the supporting character stuff can be. It winds up with “Violent Visions”, which more or less shows where things are gong to be heading for the next six months and beyond. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s a bit, well, naff.
So, okay, the issue might have finished with a bit of a whimper, but overall The Amazing Spider-Man #600 does what it sets out to do, celebrate the character and give readers a fun nostalgic ride. If they were also hoping to get new readers in or convince lapsed readers that they should re-enlist, let’s just say the jury’s still out on how successful that will turn out to be.
Rating: overall, call it about, say, 8 out of 10
Green Lantern # 43 – Blackest Night Prologue
Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Doug Mahnke Publisher: DC
Review by Warren
Blackest Night is DC’s latest uber-arc slash un-missable cross-over event and the third and final part of a Green Lantern trilogy, following Green Lantern: Rebirth and Sinestro Corps Wars (thanks, Wikipedia!).
All of which is well and good, but for those of us who haven’t read any of the above, all we have to go on is a bunch of “The Dead Will Rise” adverts and this issue of Green Lantern. In this case, though, that’s enough, as Green Lantern #43 is one impressive attention getter.
The issue concentrates mostly on William Hand aka The Black Hand, chronicling his final minutes of life and his rebirth as the first Black Lantern. This is interspersed with cannily structured flashbacks that skillfully balance details from William’s past, précis the Green Lantern mythology up ‘til now and recount the major deaths in DC over recent years. William’s death (courtesy of a jaw-dropping splash page…bravo!) and subsequent rising is told in a grand horror style seldom seen in superhero comics; I can’t recall it ever being done this well.
So, technically, there’s little to fault Green Lantern #43. Geoff John’s story works exceedingly well and the artwork by Doug Malanke (pencils), Christian Alamy (inks) and Randy Mayor (color) is stunning. And it may be a stand-alone issue, but even for those of us who are coming to it stone cold, it’s brilliantly self-contained; you never get the feeling that you’ve missed out on any details by not reading all the other associated comics. Let’s be honest, that hardly ever happens.
Still, as a concept, Blackest Night lacks the Crisis arcs’ grandeur, Battle for the Cowl’s fun, Civil War’s buzz or Secret Invasion’s intriguing potential for greatness (not that they all delivered, mind). And it sure lacks the deranged goofiness of Dark Reign’s Norman in charge. But…
But… thanks to this prologue, there’s something edgier and, yes, scarier about Blackest Night. No, not that’s it’s going to quote change the DC universe forever unquote, but there’s a real, almost chilling feeling that this time round that not everyone is going to make it. The Black Lanterns have been set up in a frighteningly dangerous way that goes far beyond the usual super-villain vibe. You can’t help but feel that this time even the biggies are in trouble. That’s a great feeling to have and something that’s been all too rare over the last few years.
Unnerving, surprisingly powerful, even a tad confronting at times and a genuinely enjoyable page-turner, I really can’t think of anything this issue does wrong. As both a stand-alone and a prologue that gets us up to speed for the bigger picture it works quite brilliantly. It even makes this non-Green Lantern fan (don’t dislike it, just have always felt ‘eh’ about the whole thing) care about what’s about to go down.
Rating: 10 out of 10 (yes, that good, I reckon)
Batman and Robin #1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely Publisher: DC
Review by Warren
Batman and Robin issue 1 – courtesy of the All Star Superman team of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely - is the first issue of a genuine new era in Batman comics. For the first time we have a contemporary Batman who isn’t Bruce Wayne. (Yes, I know Jean-Paul Valley wore the cowl in Knightfall, but that was very different.)
Dick Grayson is now Batman and Damien Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s son, is Robin, and the dynamics are completely different from anything we’ve seen in the Batman canon.
For, well, ever, the dynamic of Batman and Robin has always been father and son; here it’s big brother and little brother, or more precisely big brother left to bring up little brother after the death of their parents. This is a huge and defining change to the characters and it works brilliantly.
Dick Grayson’s Batman is Robin grown up, by way of Nightwing. In fact, his Batman more strongly echoes his Robin days, as he seemed noticeably more serious as Nightwing. You get a genuine sense of someone at complete ease in the cowl; arguably even more so than Bruce Wayne. Then again, he doesn’t have Bruce’s baggage (not to mention getting Bruce’s guidance in those vital formative years). What’s more, he’s actually funny.
Damien, on the other hand, is everything that Dick wasn’t as Robin; antagonistic, driven and seemingly bereft of a sense of humour, not to mention more of a technical whiz than Dick will ever be.
Grant Morrison’s writing focuses strongly on character, almost at the expense of action. There is some action, wonderfully illustrated by Frank Quitely, but it’s more about setting things up. He introduces, at least to me, some new villains that, like the tone of the issue, faintly echo the 60’s TV series, but in a good way. The main villain, Pyg is an audacious mix of the hilariously lame and the genuinely disturbing, if not downright scary.
Although Frank Quitely’s artwork isn’t quite as smooth as in All Star Superman, it is still of a very high standard. In fact, he performs a masterpiece of characterisation with his artwork; the body language and expressions on the faces of characters conveying as much, if not more than Morrison’s words. He even manages characterisation via the costumes. Dick as Batman is more laid back than Bruce Wayne and his slightly retro batsuit is ever so slightly rumpled, almost casual. Damian on the other hand, is intense and serious and his Robin outfit is noticeably neater and that bit more formal. Great stuff.
The only real fault with the first issue is that it is so short. By the time you get to the last page, you can’t help feeling “that’s it?” even though you get a full 20 (okay 19 and 2/3) pages of story. If this is how Batman is going to be from here on, long may it last.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3
Writer/Artist: Tony Daniel Publisher: DC
Review by Warren
In Batman: Battle for the Cowl issue 2…
Bruce Wayne is dead (until his inevitable return) and, without a Batman, Gotham City has gone into meltdown. The Black Mask has returned, launching an explosive attack on the city and, with the help of recently freed inmates of Arkam Asylum, assassinating the DA. In the process he has framed Two-Face and The Penguin, his major rivals for control of Gotham’s criminal underworld. To make matters worse, Jason Todd has declared himself the new Batman, one who is all too willing to kill. After shooting Damien, Bruce Wayne’s son, and escaping from Nightwing/Dick Grayson, Jason battles, and appears to mortally wound, Tim Drake.
Batman: Battle for the Cowl – Last Man Standing brings the three-part story-arc to a close. As a finale, it has a bit to do: resolve outstanding matters from the first two chapters and set foundations for a number of new Batman-related titles. Oh yeah, and tell us who the new Batman is. All in all, it does all of this pretty well.
The story threads of Two-face, The Penguin, Commissioner Gordon and The Black Mask are given a neat enough closure for now. But the main job of the plot is to resolve the semi-Shakespearean (check out King Lear) 'brothers vie for their father’s empire' angle, with the most time spent on the fight between Jason and Nightwing.
At first read, there’s a sense of ‘is that it?’ to this instalment, but after thinking about it for a while, it grows on you that yeah, this is the right way to end things. Sure, there are problems; some too artfully wordy narration, Tim’s frankly appalling expositional dialogue, the finale of the Dick/Jason battle is a bit too tritely formulaic and, once revealed, the reason for Dick’s initial reluctance to take on the role of Batman feels a tad iffy. But these are niggles that, in the greater scheme of things, don’t detract too much from the overall good work of the issue, and even less from the over-reaching story. Not a perfect finale, but more than acceptable.
The new status quo is Dick Grayson is Batman, Damien is Robin, Jason Todd is “I’ll be back”, The Black Mask is the main villain, Two-Face (and The Penguin) are in revenge mode and Commissioner Gordon has been shoved aside by the feds. As for Tim Drake, well, “Robin” has finished its run, but “Red Robin” is about to start, so…
All up, a good shake-up and an enjoyable journey getting there, so mission accomplished for “Batman: Battle of the Cowl”.
Rating (issue 3): 7.5 out of 10
Rating (series): 9, 7 & 7.5; or an average of 7.8 (call it 8) out of 10
Captain America #50
Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Luke Ross Pubisher: Marvel
Review by Jesse
This marks the second time an ongoing series of Captain America has reached issue number 50, only this time it's not as momentous as we might like to think. The last time Cap hit fifty was during Marvel's month of silent comics, namely comics without dialogue, just simply art work (it was called 'Nuff Said for the trivia buffs out there), this time around Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross are telling a story featuring the new Cap, also known as Bucky or you may know him as the Winter Soldier. Since Bucky took on the role of Cap way back in issue #34 of this series the one thought nagging me at the back of my mind is that this hasn't felt right for some reason that until now I've yet to put my finger on.
The thing is, the stories are classic Captain America, nothing out of place there. The artwork is nice to look at, but what doesn't work is the choice of character to take over the role of Captain America after the death of Steve Rogers. The choice to make it Bucky, while on one hand does seem to fit after all these two have been like chalk and cheese since the days of World War II. What my problem is, is that the decision to make Bucky into a gun toting tough guy seems to do nothing but make me think that this isn't Captain America. Effectively it's a square peg in a round hole and this has now been going on for almost 20 issues and I'm starting to think that the gimmick is starting to wear a little thin. If the character doesn't fit the stories then the stories aren't as enjoyable as they can be and if rumours are true and that Marvel's upcoming 'Reborn' mini series (which Brubaker also happens to be writing) serves as the comeback for steve rogers then I look forward to his return (hopefully) within these pages.
Rating: D
Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2
Writer/Artist: Tony S. Daniel Publisher: DC
Review by Warren
In Batman: Battle for the Cowl issue 1…
Bruce Wayne is dead(ish). Two-Face and The Penguin are at war over Gotham City. Various heroes (Nightwing, Robin etc) are fighting an increasingly difficult battle to keep a lid on things. Then The Black Mask returns and frees a busload of Arkham’s worst.
Gotham needs Batman, but Dick Grayson is reluctant to take on the mantle. So someone else, with far less qualms about killing criminals, has declared themselves to be Batman and is, in turn, being tracked down by Tim Drake. As issue one comes to a close Nightwing and Damien are surrounded by armed criminals when, suddenly, a handgun-wielding Batman crashes the party…
The thing with second acts is that nothing much really happens. Okay, that’s a bit harsh; it does, but everything is geared towards setting up the ducks so everything can be resolved in the third act.
Batman: Battle for the Cowl - Army of One is no different. It’s not a bad read; far from it. It just isn’t as gripping or attention grabbing as the first issue. And for all the running around and frantic activity, over-reaching story-wise the pace is notably slower.
Still, the individual bits are fun. In the secondary strands, Two-Face and Penguin get the idea there’s a third player in town, Gordon and the DA exchange criminal philosophies and The Black Mask makes his move. In the principle story-line and action Dick Grayson faces down the new, gun wielding Batman, who then gets to confront a blue cape/yellow symbol Bat-suited Tim Drake.
The odds are narrowing on who the new Batman will be (don’t bet on the obvious choice just yet) and the killing-is-fine Batman’s identity gets revealed in short order. Although the character isn’t as intriguing as in issue one, it works well for the story they’re telling, and someone clearly knows their Shakespearian plot devices.
So, all up, we get all that can be asked of a middle act. The characters may not be quite as rich or the plotting as compelling, but they keep the story moving and, courtesy of a cliff-hanger that positively screams for resolution, leave the reader wanting to see what happens next. The fact it’s not quite up to its predecessor is no fault of the writer/artist, it’s just the nature of the beast.
Even so, it confirms that Batman: Battle for the Cowl is one of the best arcs currently produced by the Big Two. Roll on part three.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1
Writer/Artist: Tony S. Daniel Publisher: DC
Review by Warren
Bruce Wayne AKA Batman is dead. Dead dead dead dead dead.
Well, actually, he’s not; he’s in some alternative reality and will probably return in another “unmissable” multi-tie-in event. But let’s assume for the moment that he’s deader than A-line flairs with pockets in the knees (gratuitous Red Dwarf reference).
This brings us to the latest, and one of the more interesting, DC story arcs / mini-series of late, “Batman: Battle for the Cowl”. Slightly naff title aside, it’s an intriguing concept that appears to almost impossible to cop-out on. Let’s face it; by the end of this thing someone is going to be the new Batman.
With no Batman, Gotham City has fallen into chaos, with Two-Face and the Penguin at war, other gangs appearing and, as issue one progresses, The Black Mask has re-appeared with Arkham Asylum’s biggest and baddest under his control. The Network (Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Oracle and various others) has attempted to keep a lid on things, but what’s really needed is Batman.
Dick Grayson (Nightwing) seems reluctant to don the iconic costume, but Tim Drake (Robin) realises that Gotham has to have a Batman, even going so far as to drag the old gold and black bat-symbol costume out of mothballs.
But the real kicker is that someone out there has already declared themselves to be Batman and they know their business.
Artist/writer Tony S. Daniel has wisely decided to tell the tale through a series of fast-cut, inter-woven vignettes, concentrating primarily on the two obvious candidates, Dick and Tim. Now and then the onslaught of characters, some appearing for no more than a panel or two, threatens to get out of hand, but the story’s sheer momentum keeps things moving smoothly. The only real flaw is Tony Daniel’s art; sure, it’s fine and ideal for the story he tells, but it’s sometimes difficult to tell characters apart (and mixing mask designs up in a few panels doesn’t help matters). Luckily the cannily placed and formatted narration helps keep track of who’s who.
Still, the plusses definitely outweigh the minuses, as Batman: Battle for the Cowl is one of the more enjoyable, effectively written and exciting arcs to come out of the Big Two for a while. And that great final splash page, which brilliantly merges the Bob Kane character with his pulp-style predecessors in one jaw-dropping image makes that one month wait for part 2 too long.
Rating: 9 out of 10 (if only for the last page; now that’s a Batman!)
Final Crisis #7 of 7 "New Heaven, New Earth"
Writer: Grant Morrison Artists: Doug Mahnke, Alex Sinclair, Pete Pantazis and a whole passel of inkers Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewed by Adam White
The skies turn red! Humanity is enslaved! Our greatest heroes fall while desperate reservists hold out to the very end! This year's Universe-Shattering Company-Wide Superhero Crossover Event reaches its epic conclusion!
Controversial virtuoso Grant Morrison has been pushing the story-telling envelope throughout the FINAL CRISIS mini-series and the final issue exemplifies his chosen style. Even at 37 action-packed pages, there's too much going on for any of the elements to receive sufficient attention. Pacing, structure and drama are sidelined as events and plot-twists fly past at a frenetic rate, leaping from one scene to another and back again like an interpretative dance on fast-forward. It's not so much a narrative as an explosion of ideas, thrown up directly into your face. It's a real mess, like the opposite of Pro Hart dupont Stain Proof collage - an assembly of coherent elements that ultimate resolves into nothing recognizable. A thrill ride which is all thrills and no ride, like a rollercoaster with car or tracks.
There's a lot to love about this comic, but nothing you can really hold on to. So many great ideas are under-developed or so poorly explained the mini-series could easily have warranted twelve or more issues to properly express itself. Many critical plot points occur off-panel, either in one of the tie-in miniseries or merely hinted at. It's a brave technique which tries to intrigue but can just as easily frustrate - audiences expect to be shown not told about these exciting and dangerous moments. In the end, you know something has happened but understanding exactly what or why is almost impossible. Important plot twists may have been addressed in some other tie-in, or just as likely not at all. What we get in print is almost a random sample of pages from a much larger work, like a fragment of art discovered in an ancient ruin.
DC Comics has made the interesting choice of producing a cross-over event comic which doesn't actually cross-over with anything. The rest of the company's titles, supposedly part of this much-vaunted shared Universe of Continuity, have happily chugged along following their own paths and mini-events with no involvement in the FINAL CRISIS plotline. On one hand this is a good thing, because it allows the creators of these comics to control their own output without being slaves to another writer's vision, and create stories which will (ideally) stand the test of time without becoming obsolete fodder. Perhaps Morrison insisted on this approach himself after having to derail his BATMAN run to tie-in with the forgettable RETURN OF RA'S AL'GHUL cross-over? On the other hand, FINAL CRISIS could have done with some extra room to manoeuvre its monstrous plot beyond the seven issues provided. Was this month's issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA really that important that it couldn't have been replaced by a tie-in explaining just what the hell happened during the big fight on the JLA Satellite?
It's not confusing in the sense that you won't understand what happens, but you won't understand why you should care. For all its experimental writing techniques, this is, in the end, just another Superhero slugfest. There are few great themes at work or engaging subtexts to explore. Or rather, if there are they are buried beneath the mess along with everything else. You really have to want to get in there and dig them out to examine them more closely. And in the rubble, it's hard to distinguish the trash from the treasure.
The sheer scope and wonder of the potential on display implies an experience which is always just beyond the grasp of the comic. It's chock full of fuck yeah! moments, outlandish concepts, and gorgeous art. Taking any element in isolation makes it sound like a chronically good idea, a moment of sublime Superhero sci-fi fantasy brilliance, but the whole is somehow less than the sum of its parts.
To summarize the new status quo:
The New Gods of New Genesis are all alive again, but no more Apokolips
Aquaman is back for no adequately explored reason
Captain Marvel is back for no adequately explored reason
Batman is alive and well and living in a cave in the distant future (past?) with the corpse of Anthro the Caveboy
Martian Manhunter is still dead but at least he doesn't have to wear that stupid costume
No More Monitors!
Kamandi the Last Boy thinks it was all a dream
There was some talk about a Fifth World which may represent the New New Earth, or the triumph of the New Gods (who didn't seem to do anything) or it could just be a cool sounding term that was bandied around for no good reason
Compare that to the fallout from the recent Marvel cross-over event titles and you can see this series is all about DC Universe mythology, and has little to do with the day-to-day lives of the ongoing characters and their struggles. There are very few concrete changes, and nothing "real world" about it. Running through it all is the idea of properly integrating the many ideas of Jack Kirby's own personal Universe, the Fourth World, with the DC Universe it always seemed to uncomfortably straddle. Diverse elements of Kirby's creations are resurrected or repurposed in a way that strives to gives them greater relevance and importance, but in the end just seems to fizzle out. Whether this was a successful venture, or even a necessary one, depends what happens next - will the creators behind the rest of the DC line run with the ball? The aftershocks SECRET INVASION or CIVIL WAR, on the other hand, have naturally reverberated throughout the Marvel Universe.
There is one theme that does seem to lurk beneath the ruins here, perhaps inspired by the prodigious imagination of the great myth-making King of Comics: the idea of storytelling, of imagination itself, as a crucial element in the story. From the word-symbols of the New Gods, to the song that saves the Universe, to Supergirl’s bedtime story narration, to the final issue of the Daily Planet escaping a doomed world in a rocket ship, the power of ideas and the telling of tales is the true Superpower. This is the central conceit behind the storytelling-without-storytelling style. The best stories are the ones that make you think; FINAL CRISIS #7 tries hard but doesn't quite pull it off - it merely invites you to think, to create your own understanding of the off-panel and briefly glimpsed developments. The whirlwind approach leaves much to the imagination, but perhaps fails to provide enough incentive to complete the circle of ideas. The central character of FINAL CRISIS, if it has one at all, is the exiled Monitor Nix Uotan. A fallen angel living amongst the germ-people of Earth, Uotan represents both the reader and writer. A despondent youth who doodles fantasy figures on napkins is ultimately transformed by the power of a magic Word, into a leather-clad saviour to bring forth all the heroes of all possible worlds for the ultimate showdown with evil.
What Morrison is trying to say here is, is FINAL CRISIS any good? That's up to you to decide.
Rating: 7 out of n
Incognito #1
Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Sean Phillips Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Incognito is the latest collaboration between writer Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, who have previously given us the acclaimed “Criminal”. Incognito, like Criminal, is published under the Marvel’s creator-owned Icon imprint.
Told via occasionally clumsy, but always compelling first person narration, the premise of Incognito can be described in one sentence: a one time super villain, who is now in the witness protection programme, finds his past starting to catch up with him. It’s a concept that’s both simple and inspired.
Through a series of non-linear, razor-sharp edited vignettes, some no more than a couple of panels long, the basic set-up is bedded down while giving plenty of hints about the pieces of the puzzle yet to be revealed.
This rapid fire unveiling may provide the pace and pure enjoyment of Incognito, but it is the characterisation that really gives the book its strength.
The central character, the wonderfully named Zack Overkill, is simultaneously familiar and intriguingly different, and his presentation represents quite the unique synthesis of writer and artist. Brubaker’s writing makes no attempt to soften him or make him likeable, while at the same time Phillips’ artwork does the opposite, a glance or shadowed expression belying the cynically bitter tone of the narration. Together, it brings a depth of character seldom seen in the super hero genre, particularly in so short a span of pages.
In addition to characterisation that borders on the brilliant, Incognito also delivers the expected mix of violence, profanity and sex we’ve come to expect with the ‘edgier’ imprints of the Big Two. However, unlike many of its ‘mature’ title counterparts it is incorporated seamlessly into the story rather than feeling like a kid trying to shock his parents by swearing.
Best of all, the story is just getting started and Brubaker winds it up with a classic old-school-type cliff-hanger.
Incognito makes no secret of its affection for pulp-style storytelling, so it's apt that the first issue comes with a fascinating two page history of The Shadow (ah, so that’s the story with Kent Allard, Lamont Cranston and the radio/pulp versions). It just makes this package all the sweeter.
Looks like Brubaker and Philips have given us another winner.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Secret Invasion – Issue Eight
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Leinil Fancis Yu Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Previously in “Secret Invasion”…
The Skrulls have invaded Earth, declaring it part of the Skrull Empire. First, they planted undetectable duplicates from who knows how long ago then launched an attack on Earth’s super-beings.
Surviving the blow and now, called together by The Mighty Thor, the combined might of Earth’s heroes and villains have engaged the invading Skrull army in one final battle for supremacy.
The tide of battle has turned against the Skrulls, with their mightiest warriors falling and their queen felled by an arrow. Playing their final card, they trigger a hidden weapon in the form of The Wasp, who grows to giant size, becoming a biological bomb that will destroy human and Skrull alike.
Now: “Secret Invasion” issue eight.
The opening page performs a peculiar service, for once explaining in prose what should have been clear, but wasn’t, in the previous issue. The character gallery is more random than ever, giving the Skrull count as Spider-Woman, Sue Richards, Hank Pym, Jarvis, Dum-Dum Duggan and Mockingbrd. Rather odd, really, as at least half have already perished over the course of the series.
The best thing you can say for issue eight of Secret Invasion is that it ties the story up. How well it does so…well, that’s another story.
Issue seven’s cliff-hanger is dealt with in somewhat perfunctory and confusing fashion. If anyone can tell me just what Thor does to save the day, I’d be grateful, as Leinil Francis Yu’s art is no help and all the narration offers is statements like “Thor happened”.
And as for the narration itself…for a start, we’re not told who is speaking. Add to that its clumsy structure and mid-issue disappearance and it comes across as a lazy way of shoving the narrative forward; it’s almost as if they had to rush the ending and this was the easiest, most expedient way of doing so.
The sledge hammer or analogy is wielded without mercy, with forced, clunky dialogue labelling the Skrulls “terrorists” and giving us the sight of the Skrull queen – the second time the series has used the ‘shot through the head but still the alive next issue’ trick – seeking pitiable, single-minded solace in her religion. It’s only the laughable, heavy-handed obviousness of it that stops it being offensive, but it’s a very close run thing.
As a finale, issue eight of Secret Invasion is a bit of a damp squib.
With the Skrull invasion itself dealt with barely 10 pages in, the final 17 pages are about wrap-up and laying the ground-work for “Dark Reign”, the next big ‘unmissable’ event. Some things are done well, others – like the return of Mockingbird – are glossed over. Yes, the issue has a strong ‘missing child’ cliff-hanger and finishes on a nice lead in to Dark Reign, with a major shift in the balance of power and Norman Osborne becoming the most interesting and quirkily likeable character in the saga. But there’s no sense of a conclusive ending, just a vague feeling of ‘may as well finish it here, I guess’.
When Secret Invasion started, the possibilities were legion. Who was a Skrull and for how long? How much of Marvel history would be changed? Where were the original heroes (a question that the series, oddly, didn’t seem to worry too much about)? What was the Skrull master plan? As the series progressed, we had dissention in the Skrull ranks and some on Earth supporting the invasion. What about the captured heroes? How would they view the world now? How would they feel about their friends and loved ones being deceived? How would their friends and loved ones feel? Would the Skrulls who believed themselves the real thing still fight for Earth? Would they be accepted? The story seemed to be writing itself.
Now it’s all over, the question is: was Secret Invasion a success?
Stephen King wrote a novel called “Insomnia” (stick with me here, there’s a point to all this). The whole story was finally revealed to have taken place so one peripheral person would survive to, in turn be in the right place to ensure the survival of someone else really important to King’s Dark Tower meta-story. It made the characters in the novel seem unimportant and inconsequential; the story itself felt like it had little, if no meaning in the greater scheme of things.
Secret Invasion is like that. The whole reason for the story seems to have been to set the ducks in a row for Dark Reign and before issue eight is half over the invasion itself feels like an afterthought.
At one time it looked like writer Brian Michael Bendis was holding aces with Secret Invasion. The sad truth is that he was bluffing.
Secret Invasion is just another in a long line of major events that promise so much, but don’t deliver. The hype screamed ‘nothing will be the same’; but the reality is, deep down, nothing really changed. It’s been a fun, exciting read but, in the end, it’s a disappointment.
Rating: 6 out of 10 (thanks to Norman and the Dark Reign set up)
Secret Invasion – Issue Seven
Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Previously in “Secret Invasion”…
After infiltrating their sleeper agents undetected for who knows how many years, the Skrulls have invaded Earth, declaring it part of the Skrull Empire and that they are here to save humanity from itself.
When they struck at Earth’s heroes across the globe in a series of co-ordinated attacks, the blow was devastating. With the heroes in disarray and unable to trust each other, and STARK industries and SHIELD decimated, the Skrulls clearly had the upper hand.
But the heroes survived the first strike and started to regroup. Reed Richards, who can now see through the Skrulls’ disguise, all the Avengers, Nick Fury’s resistance force and just about every other super hero and villain have now been called to Thor’s side in order to face the massed forces of the invading Skrulls.
And the Skrulls have answered the challenge, along the way revealing that the mysterious “He” who “loves you so much” is God.
The closing pages of Secret Invasion issue six ended with Earth’s mightiest beings and the army of invading Super Skrulls coming together in one final almighty battle for supremacy.
Now: “Secret Invasion” issue seven.
The opening page doesn’t have much to do this time round, other than to say the Skrulls attacked, the heroes regrouped, put aside old enmities and are now fighting the Skrulls as one unified force.
The character gallery shows the same old faces with the usual Skrull suspects: Yellowjacket, Spider Woman and…Jarvis? But Jarvis bought it in issue five. Which of course means that, if you pay attention to this page, the issue comes with its own built in spoiler.
And that’s not issue seven’s only problem.
Ignore for a moment the simple minded plotting that sees a world-wide invasion suddenly coalesce into one pitched battle in New York’s Central Park, where apparently the complete forces of both sides are now conveniently located.
Not to mention the more or less complete absence of any other sub-plots and mysteries that have been threading through the series to date, or the overly easy expedient of forgetting all Civil War and post-Civil War fracturing of the super human community.
And let’s not go into how the Skrulls have somehow become an extremist sect readily willing, if not eager to die in the name of their religion; an analogy that could verge on the offensive if it wasn’t so heavy handedly, laughably obvious.
The biggest problem is that the whole issue, except for literally 11 panels, is nothing but the Big Fight.
That’s right, one of the most intriguing of Marvel’s ‘major events’ for, well, years, is nothing but one extended battle with the visuals crammed full of as many characters as artist Leinil Francis Yu can squeeze in and still have us keep track of the action. Even then he has to give us sub-titles telling us who’s who among the chaos.
In a very real way, issue seven of Secret Invasion is nothing more than a more violent version of ‘Where’s Wally’, with writer Brian Bendis upending the box of ‘cheesy battle dialogue’ and vigorously shaking it so every cliché is brought into play. Bendis even manages to riff on the old ‘well at least it’s not raining’ gag, heftily swinging the Sledgehammer of Plot to prove it is all So Very Important.
Sorry, but that’s not good enough.
Yes, the action is a lot of fun, your eyes skip eagerly to the next panel and, as a stand-alone issue it’s a genuinely enjoyable read.
And yes, there are moments to treasure, like the hilarious exchange between Fury and Osborn and the gloriously deranged bit with Reed and his wives, but these flashes are few in a sea of mediocrity. Engaging mediocrity to be sure, but mediocrity all the same.
But as the penultimate part of a saga that genuinely looked like it was going to change so much, it’s deeply disappointing and borders on being an insult given what has come before; even the ‘big death’ screams status quo rather than changing a damn thing.
At the end of issue six, it looked like Bendis and co were holding some aces behind their backs. As issue seven ends, it looks more like a couple of fours at best. But they might still surprise us as, if the final pages are any indication, it looks like they’re going to take this thing out on a high note that could still shake things up, even if it’s not in the way we hoped when the series first began. And, as usual, they’ve got us eager (enough) to see what happens next.
To be concluded.
Rating: fun as it is, this one’s struggling for 5 out of 10.
Secret Invasion – Issue Six
Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Previously in “Secret Invasion”…
The Skrulls have invaded, striking a decisive blow against Earth’s super-heroes and declaring that Earth is now part of the Skrull empire. Although the heroes have survived this first strike, they are in disarray, unable to tell if their comrades are the real thing or Skrull agents. Even the Skrulls themselves believe themselves to be the real heroes, so determined is the Skrull effort to spread paranoia among the heroes.
But the heroes have started to fight back.
Nick Fury and his new commandoes have struck against the super Skrulls invading New York, allowing the heroes to re-group.
In some of the worst plotting the series has given us so far, Maria Hill wiped out Jarvis and his team of Skrulls.
The Hood is uniting villains to join the fight against the Skrulls.
But most importantly, Agent Brand – with the unexpected assistance of enraged Skrull sleeper Captain Marvel attacking the Skrull armada – has freed Reed Richards. Brand and Richards, who now has a device that can reveal who is a Skrull, make for the Savage Land and pick up the Avengers (both Mighty and New).
To make matters even worse for the Skrulls, it looks like they have finally pushed the heroes too far and now they are really mad.
Now: “Secret Invasion” issue six.
In one of the best summaries so far, the opening page gives us the essential details, bringing us up to speed on what we need to know.
Sadly, the character gallery seems to have dispensed entirely with a meaningful ‘Skrull count’, only showing Yellowjacket and Spider Woman, and ignoring Captain Marvel. It’s now just a ‘look who’s in this issue’ type of thing. Nice layout, but ultimately pointless; and that's a shame.
With the series now 75% through, writer Brian Michael Bendis appears to be moving the pieces into place for the end game, and Secret Invasion is now quite the different beast from how it started.
The intrigue and, yes, excitement at the thought of anyone in the Marvel Universe being a Skrull has pretty much disappeared. And matters aren’t helped by giving Reed Richards the big, kind of disappointing ‘get out of jail free’ card of being able to see through their disguise. In other words, unless Reed has been dumb enough to not check out his fellow heroes, there’s no more surprises of the “they were a Skrull all along…wow” variety.
At this point the story has boiled down to The Big Fight, as the heroes take on the Skrulls in one almighty battle. And they take two character-packed double splash pages (three if you count the ‘return home’ splash) to hammer the point home.
Sorry; been there, done that. It’s what Civil War ultimately became, and was the lesser for it, and now it looks like we’re going through the same motions with Secret Invasion.
But maybe, just maybe, there is hope, as there's some good stuff happening on the side lines.
Some Skrulls are beginning to rebel against their programming. The Hood and his army of villains are playing a wait and see game. And the Skrull Queen is continuing to speak enigmatically about battles already lost, things already written, bringing change and winning as a last resort. Okay, the enigma-speak is getting a bit much, but it keeps things interesting, and gives the distinct impression of holding Bendis and co holding an ace or two behind their backs.
Also, for the first time in a while, the eight part Secret Invasion series itself is able to stand alone on its own merits. In earlier issues, you had the impression of missing a bit, but not this time. The great six page opening flicking between Mar-Vell and Noh-Vaar, the various ongoing battles and Skrull head command really emphasise the scope of the story. It’s even good enough to overcome the stodgy plotting and dialogue of the ‘heroes preparing to fight’ sequences, which are as wooden as Leinil Francis Yu’s strangely static artwork. Even the clumsily written sequence with the Skrull supporters transcends its hackneyed premise.
So at the moment, the real strength of Secret Invasion lies in what it promises rather than what it has actually managed to deliver; but it’s enough to keep us hanging on to see what happens next.
To be continued…
Rating: 4 out of 10 for the main ‘big fight’ story line; 9 out of 10 for everything else. Call it 7 out of 10.
Secret Invasion – Issue Five
Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Previously in “Secret Invasion”…
As undercover Skrull agents reveal themselves, the Skrull Armada attacks New York, Stark Industries and Iron Man himself are devastated by a computer virus and, in the Savage Land, the New and Mighty Avengers battle Skrull duplicates of themselves.
The invasion has also struck deeply on a psychological level, as no-one is absolutely sure who is human or Skrull, with Iron Man being told by the Skrull Queen that he is a deep undercover Skrull agent.
But the fight back has begun. Agent Brand is aboard the orbiting Skrull armada and has found a captive Mr Fantastic. In the Savage Land, Black Widow has saved Tony Stark from the Skrull queen, in the process killing numerous Skrulls. The Hood has started to gather super villains to fight the invaders. And in New York, Nick Fury and his new Commandos stage a successful counter-attack.
However, just before disappearing, Fury shoots Ms Marvel, who he believes to be Skrull. But was he wrong? Have the Skrulls finally driven the Marvel heroes to unknowingly attack each other?
Now: “Secret Invasion” issue five.
The opening page gives us the usual ‘Cliiff’s notes’ summary of the above, but more and more incidental detail is getting omitted with each passing issue.
And the character gallery Skrull count yet again only shows Edwin Jarvis, Yellowjacket, Captain Marvel and Spider Woman as Skrulls. This is where we start to have problems.
After five issues, we still haven’t had any major Skrull reveals of note since issue one. For a series based around the premise of anyone can a Skrull, they’re not doing much with the concept.
And to be honest, that’s the general feeling you get after reading issue five. There was plenty of good stuff at the start of the arc, but there’s no real sense of things being built on in any meaningful way. Instead, the series seems to be dissolving into a series of battles and sub-plots that are getting less interesting as they go along.
Secret Invasion has also started to cheat.
In issue three, they played the “now things are serious” card. When the Vision was spectacularly taken out of the picture, it looked like the series was going to be shaking up the Marvel Universe.
That feeling lasted up until a few pages into this issue when The Vision, albeit a bit worse for wear, is clearly still with us.
Issue five also has the nerve to use, paraphrasing Maxwell Smart, “the old robot double decoy trick”. Sorry, but this is sloppy and unsatisfying writing.
And for all those of us that were hoping that the Skrull ship full of old heroes and loved ones would be more than just a too easily scripted bunch of Skrull duplicates, well, that gets dashed, too.
At this stage, what started out as a fresh, exciting series that was going to shake things up (even if was of the “Big Old Reset” variety) is now starting to look a bit worrying.
But if the mystery and intrigue element is now little more than a faintly glowing ember, the ‘it’s war, let’s make things go “Boom!” ’ storytelling is taken up a notch. In fact, the main theme of this issue is “alright, now I’m angry”, as the heroes start taking the whole invasion very personally, as shown in the final splash page.
As in previous issues, there’s no shortage of enjoyable action. Captain Marvel goes into full attack mode, Maria Hill takes care of business with Jarvis and co and Agent Brand rescues Reed Richards, leading to the unveiling of a convenient device that feels like it could be just is bit too close to a convenient Deus Ex Machina.
Fun as it all is in an action-y sort of way, given the original concept, it’s still kind of, well, disappointing.
The only true glimmer of hope that the series might eventually deliver is the brilliant, and blackly witty ‘familiar faces double page spread as the Skrulls try to sell the idea of their Invasion being a good thing. And remember: He loves you so much.
But we still have three issues to go, and there’s plenty of time left for writer Brian Michael Bendis to pull it all together. And as usual, he’s left us wanting to see what happens next. So, mission accomplished so far.
To be continued…
Rating: 7 out of 10
Secret Invasion – Issue Four
Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Previously in “Secret Invasion”…
The Skrulls have invaded Earth and previously undetected Skrulls, posing as both humans and superhumans are now revealing their true identities. No-one can be certain if the person standing beside them is human or Skrull.
The Skrull armada has reached Earth, with New York being the first point of major attack, with most of the Fantastic Four being sent into the Negative Zone.
In The Savage Land, both Mighty and New Avengers are fighting Skrull duplicates of themselves and their loved ones, Spider Woman reveals herself as the Skrull queen and tells Tony Stark he is a Skrull sleeper agent who has laid the groundwork for the invasion.
Back in New York, the attacking super Skrulls have started to execute heroes; the first major hero to go is The Vision. But suddenly Nick Fury and a new team of super-powered Commandos have arrived and struck the first major blow against the Skrulls.
Now: “Secret Invasion” issue four.
The opening page recaps the above, neatly covering most of the highlights, but ignoring some of the interesting elements of part three, such as Captain Marvel's attack on Thunderbolys Mountain.
The character gallery Skrull count continues to stall at Edwin Jarvis, Yellowjacket and Spider Woman.
The biggest annoyance with the recap page is that it almost completely destroys one of the series' best angles by more or less stating that it was only Skrulls in the downed ship; a fact reinforced by subsequent events in issue four. Removing the idea of returning heroes makes the Savage Land events notably less interesting. Pity.
On the other hand, thanks to some clever Skrull narration, they have managed to turn the intrigue up a notch or two higher.
Not only is it a given that anyone could be a Skrull, but some heroes may be unaware they are Skrulls, and the Skrulls themselves are willing to fight, and kill, each other to further spread disprupt resistance. There is also a less than subtle indication one of the results of all this subterfuge is that real heroes are going to be mistaken for Skrulls and end up being taken out by their own side.
In terms of uber-story, it's one step back, one bigger step forward.
Issue Four continues the style of the previous issue, flicking back and forth between several plot threads. This time round concentrates on three main locales: The Savage Land, New York and the Skrull Armada above Earth.
The main Skrull reveals are in The Savage Land, and thanks to the aforementioned recap, they have a decided ‘foregone conclusion' feel them, although the action itself is well visualised. The mind games of “is Stark a Skrull or not?” continues, but with noticeably less impact than in the previous issue.
New York is one big action sequence, only hampered by the fact that, however cool it is to see Nick Fury taking names, the heroes in his new team of Commandos feel strictly B, or even C grade.
The sequence with Agent Brand and the Skrull Armada (see the “Secret Invasion – Who Do You Trust?” one-shot for more details) is okay, but has a hint of pedestrian plotting on the horizon.
The best part of issue four, however, lies in the single page confrontation between Jarvis and marina Hill on the downed S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Very nicely done and a reminder of why the whole ‘Secret Invasion' concept works so well.
Sadly, Captain Marvel and the Thunderbolts get bumped yet again, and the whole invasion feels limited to a few places rather than the worldwide event it started out as in issue one. There's also a slight feeling of ‘treading water' going on.
And, as has been the pattern with all the instalments so far, issue four finishes with a major “to be continued” moment, even if it is the least intriguing one so far.
Taken on average, issue four is good, but not quite up to issue three. On the bright side issue four works noticeably better as part of a stand-alone series and, for a change, it doesn't feel like you're really missing anything by not getting all the tie-ins.
So, as the series hits the half-way point, it has managed to more or less maintain the tension, despite a continuing tendency towards over-saturation of heroes, with more arriving each issue. And there are a couple of faintly worrying signs that the ending won't be as good as the beginning. But overall, it's doing okay and definitely holds our attention well enough to keep reading.
To be continued…
Rating: 7 out of 10
Secret Invasion – Who Do You Trust? (one shot)
Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Secret Invasion – Who Do You Trust? Is a one-shot companion to the eight part Secret Invasion series.
While not essential reading, it does provide a bit of colour to the main series and, in one instance, makes the events in the main series even more interesting.
Secret Invasion – Who Do You Trust? contains five short stories, of varying quality taken from different stages of the Skrull Invasion.
Captain Marvel: Farewell (written by Brian Reed, art by Lee Weeks), is a prequel, taking place just before the events in issue one of Secret Invasion. It shows how and why the Skrull turned Kree (well, more or less) Captain Marvel joins the Skrulls and launches an assault on Thunderbolts Mountain. Well written and illustrated, this story is one of the two best in the collection and instantly makes the Marvel/Thunderbolts story, which has been a minor sub-plot in the main series, one of the most interesting of the concurrent plot-lines.
Agent Brand: In Plain Sight (written by Mike Carey, art by Timothy Green III) takes place after the events of issue one, and just prior to issue four, of Secret Invasion and picks up with Agent Brand floating in space following the destruction of the Peak. Facing imminent death, Brand recalls the clues that were overlooked preceding the Skrull Invasion. Whilst an effective enough vignette, it pretty much treads water between Brand's appearances in the main series, but adds a tiny bit more depth to things.
Wonder Man & The Beast: Seems Like Old Times (written by Christos N. Gage, art by Mike Perkins) vies with, and probably just tops Captain Marvel: Farewell as best story in the collection. Starting with the dinosaur attack in issue two of Secret Invasion, it follows Wonder Man and The Beast (who arrived in the Skrull ship) as they try to work out which of them, if either, is a Skrull, while they fight off the dangers of The Savage Land. Dialogue heavy with a background of near-continuous action, this neat little story goes straight to the heart of what makes the concept so interesting: anyone can be a Skrull and not even know it.
Marvel Boy: Master of the Cube (written by Zeb Wells, art by Steve Kurth) is set just before the events in issue one of Secret Invasion and shows the events that took place in The Cube immediately preceding the Skrulls making their simultaneous attacks. Vaguely interesting but completely non-essential is probably the best way to describe this one.
Agents of Atlas: The Resistance (written by Jeff Parker, art by Leonard Kirk) is set sometime after the issue two or three of Secret Invasion and deals with one the many super-teams starting to mount a counter-attack against the invading Skrulls. Blandly written and occasionally indifferently drawn, aside from showing the extent the heroes are willing to go in order to repel the Skrulls and a good last line, this is forgettable, surprisingly boring stuff.
So, all up, Secret Invasion – Who Do You Trust? gives us two strong stories that definitely add to the main series, if not surpass it, and demand to be read, one pretty good story that adds some interesting colour to things and two stories that are, frankly, no loss if you don't read them. On the whole, a reasonable strike rate.
Rating:
Captain Marvel: Farewell – 9 out 10
Agent Brand: In Plain Sight – 7 out of 10
Wonder Man & The Beast: Seems Like Old Times - 10 out of 10 (caveat: blue furry Beast is probably my favourite Marvel hero)
Marvel Boy: Master of the Cube – 5 out of 10
Agents of Atlas: The Resistance – 3 out of 10
Average: 7 out of 10
Nightly News TP
Writer: John Hickman Artist: John Hickman Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewed by Ben Bullock
This is a comic I picked up late last year. I had never heard of John Hickman before.
I purely picked it for the art at first. IT was amazing. Hickman has an amazing style of graphic design melded with honest art. Turned out amazing. The writing was interesting, involving an underground cult with a vendetta against the media and corperations.
Some of it I didnt understand fully...(cause im a dullard)...regarding the American references. My favorite part was the info-scrolls he put in periodically which included which corperations owned what subsidary and how much those subsidaries had to do with government schools. Each chapter seemed to ghost around a different issue and was not only very educational but was also a great revenge story.
Violence, education, and great art. My kind of book. I say buy it.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Secret Invasion - issue 3 of 8
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Leinel Yu
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Previously in “Secret Invasion”…
The Skrull invasion of the Earth is underway.
Undercover Skrull agents posing as humans and superhumans, undetected until now, have started to reveal themselves.
The Mighty Avengers and The New Avengers are fighting earlier versions of themselves and other heroes in the Savage Land. Neither side knows exactly who is human and who is Skrull.
S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark industries, including Iron Man himself, have been devastated by a computer virus.
In New York, a rift to the Negative Zone has been opened, enveloping at least some of the Fantastic Four, followed soon after by a group of Super Skrulls unleashing an all out attack.
And Tony Stark has begun to fight back by attempting to refashion his technology from scratch.
Now: “Secret Invasion” issue three.
The opening page recaps the above, as well as giving a convenient reminder of events in issue one that were ignored in issue two.
The character gallery Skrull count now stands at Captain Marvel, Edwin Jarvis, Yellowjacket and Spider Woman. For some reason The Invisible Woman, shown as a Skrull in issue two's gallery, is absent.
“Secret Invasion” issue three is a noticeable improvement on issue two, possessing a pace and excitement that was missing from the previous instalment. Instead of, basically, one long slug-fest, we get a return to the ‘swapping between parallel stories' style of the first issue, making for a stronger, more satisfying read.
Issue three picks up a number of threads from issue one, cutting between the Savage Land battle, Thunderbolts Mountain, a downed S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier (nice one-liner here), Camp Hammond and the pitched Times Square battle between the Super Skrulls and The Young Avengers (how many Avenger teams are there???).
It even succeeds in making the overall saga somewhat more interesting by introducing the notion of Skrull agents who aren't even aware they are Skrulls. Of course, this could simply be more mind games on the part of the Skrulls to keep Earth's heroes off-balance. Either way, things are suddenly more intriguing.
As with the nature of “Marvel Universe changing events”, we've reached the point where the heroes are beginning to fall. And to put a ‘no-one is safe' stamp on things, a big name, if not really an A-lister per se, gets wiped out with a spectacular “ZZRRKKKTTTZZZ”.
Or maybe not. As the series has a potential problem it will have to tread carefully to overcome in later issues.
You see, by the story's very nature, we are regularly seeing more than one version of various Marvel heroes. And not just the original and their Skrull duplicate; there have been three versions of The Invisible Woman in the saga so far (take a peek at the “Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four” series for the third version). Add in the idea of Skrulls not knowing they're Skrulls and there is no absolute guarantee that when a hero gets killed it's actually that hero.
So you have the possibility of diluting the impact of characters being taken out and any later ‘they're still alive' reveals looking like a huge cop-out. Not to mention that having numerous versions of characters running around could end up being just a bit, well, silly.
Another thing to dilute the impact of heroes falling is their sheer number, with more arriving every issue. Casual readers will probably only recognise about 30 per cent of the heroes on show. It's a lot harder to go “wow” when a character gets offed if you don't know who they are. See ‘Star Trek: red shirts'.
Hopefully writer Brian Michael Bendis has got all this covered.
But so far things are progressing nicely and the “Secret Invasion series continues to work well as a stand-alone series, even if you get the feeling you're missing out on some important stuff in the tie-in editions.
In and of itself, issue three of “Secret Invasion” has pretty much the right mix of action, intrigue and plot development; and unlike issue two, the (still annoying) lesser page count doesn't leave you feeling disappointed. Even the absence of most of the Mighty/New Avengers is excusable, as we still have five issues to go.
And to cap things off, for the third time in the row the series has delivered an impressive final page that ups the story's ante even more and increases the anticipation for the next instalment.
To be continued…
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Secret Invasion - issue 2 of 8
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Leinel Yu
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
Previously in “Secret Invasion”…
The Skrull invasion of the Earth has commenced.
The Mighty Avengers and The Secret Avengers have converged in the Savage Land to investigate a crashed spacecraft, only to discover that it contains a collection of heroes, many of them earlier versions of themselves, including Captain America.
Not only that, but when the ship is opened, Skrull agents in human disguise unleash a simultaneous wave of devastating attacks.
A Skrull Dum Dum Duggan destroys The Peak, the orbiting headquarters of S.W.O.R.D., clearing the way for a massive space armada on its way to Earth.
A Skrull Jarvis releases a computer virus that disables Stark Enterprises worldwide. In addition to rendering Iron Man helpless, it means the super-criminals imprisoned in The Raft and The Cube are now free.
A Skrull Sue Storm breaches the Negative Zone, sucking in a good portion of the Baxter Building.
And, in the final pages, Mr Fantistic discovers how the Skrulls were able to remain undetected for so long, only to be shot by a Skrull Hank Pim.
All of these acts were preceded by the cryptic statement “He loves you”.
So issue one contained a lot of set-up.
And issue two gets the unenviable job of following this up.
Helpfully, the opening page recaps the events in issue one, as well as providing a gallery of main players, the Skrull agents highlighted in green. This will probably be how every issue starts, and it's not the worst way of keeping track over the long haul.
What is a bit irritating for those of us only reading the eight issue “Secret Invasion” series is that the blurb tells us that Captain America, who attacked Thunderbolts Mountain in issue one, is a Skrull.
This is something that obviously got revealed outside the pages of the central “Secret Invasion” series. Meaning, of course, that if you want to keep track of everything that happens, you'll need to get all the tie-in titles. Or wait for “Secret Invasion Chronicles” sometime in 2009.
As for how the story progresses from the insanely stacked first issue…well, it doesn't, really.
Basically, the Mighty/Secret Avengers fight the returned heroes and, in the final few pages, the Skrull armada reaches Earth and the now not-so-Secret Invasion turning into a full-scale super-powered Skrull attack on the streets of Manhattan.
The bulk of issue two is taken up with the brawl between the two super groups in the Savage Land, where we learn that at least a couple of the new arrivals are Skrulls; but as for the others, they could be who they claim to be. And Marvel is really teasing some major ret-conning with Captain America, who they wisely keep silent.
Aside from that, there's not much to report other than some banter between the opposing forces that will probably mean a lot more to those who have following the characters' over the last few years.
The most intriguing aspect of the whole issue is the brief scene where Tony Stark begins the fight back.
The rest is the art team of Yu, Morales and Martin getting to cut loose with some well choreographed mayhem, even if it is a bit hard to buy the dinosaur causing that much havoc among such powerful combatants. But what the hell, it looked great.
If anything, issue two of “Secret Invasion” suffers most from being half the length of issue one. There's not a lot of time or space to do much of note and it ends up feeling like they're just treading water. So, in comparative terms, it's a bit of a disappointment really.
Not only that, but it leaves you with an even stronger feeling that this whole mega story-arc is really all about hitting the Big Reset Button.
On the other hand, it is only the second issue, and we've got a long way to go yet. In terms of what it had to do, it works well enough, the action is a lot of fun and it succeeds in getting you reasonably pumped for what comes next, even if the level of excitement and anticipation has noticeably slipped.
To be continued…
Rating: 6 out of 10
Secret Invasion - issue 1 of 8 (review #2)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Leinel Yu
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Ben Marton
The element of this comic which encapsulates my ambivalent response must surely be the cover.
On the one hand, my attention was initially captured (and my current inclination towards cynicism for Marvel ‘event' books momentarily suspended) by the title font, beautifully evocative as it is of a hundred 1950's saucer invasion epics. Imagine the disappointment, then, when the eye is drawn downwards to…another ‘homage' cover which ill-advisedly associates itself with the continuity-mandated hatchet job that was ‘Avengers Disassembled', the mean-spirited and pointless ‘Great Lakes Avengers' and the even more mean-spirited and insulting ‘Marvel Zombies.'
The narrative skein which begins to tear and unravel inside tempts the longtime Marvel reader with many promises, not the least of which is a jaw-dropping splash-page revelation towards the end (fiendishly seductive, until one recalls a similar sweet nothing whispered into the ears of nostalgia-inclined DC Comics fans a couple of years ago, only to become nothing more than a cold slap in the face. You know what I'm talking about) If you are tempted, as this reader was momentarily, to think of this ‘event' as a possible salve to deaden the sting of the horrendous cheese-grater scars inflicted by ‘Civil War', you may find yourself waiting just a little longer. Oh sure, several Big Names talk a good fight; “I'm so sick of hiding”, mutters a Luke Cage dialed up to eleven on attitude, “I'm sick of not trusting each other” (then put some spandex on, Power Man, and show your colours! Nobody likes a lapsed Hero-for-Hire), and Dum-Dum Dugan puts in a brief appearance, albeit addressing SHIELD's finest as ‘Y'all' (I may be mistaken, but I had always assumed him to be a Yankee), but when it comes down to it, and where it really matters, this first issue is far too mired in recent events to be able slip free and really soar. One's sense of impending threat (and credit where credit is due; Monsieur Bendis jams his finger very hard on the button marked ‘looming') tends to be compromised by the cheerful thought that this eight-parter might pull the supports away from all that ‘Initiative' nonsense; please, oh please, bring the chaos, in other words.
Oh, and Mr. Bendis? A word about dialogue, if I may; the opening two-page panel spread is a masterpiece of chilling, weirdly alien foreshadowing…until the last two lines by the architect of the piece. She is the Queen of an awesome, galaxy-spanning empire and we are treated to…contractions? (‘you've' and ‘here's', for the record).
Yu's and Morales's art lends itself to just this kind of story, at least as far as serious tech is concerned; the greatest elements of the Post-Lucas School of starship design are on display here. Their rendering of human faces, however, won't (sorry; will not) make a fan out of me anytime soon. The glower and scowl count per page is alarmingly high (and by that I mean ‘90's Image Comics alarming) and every human profile is all hollow cheek and pointy nose; even the irrepressible Wonder Man looks starved and miserable. But who can blame him? Marvel's current ‘cinematic' trend in comic storytelling leaves no room for ye olde caption or thought-bubble (“Take our story seriously, dammit! And a few more inches on Iron Fist's upturned canary-yellow wing collar, please”) and the result is a bleak hollowed-out universe of word and action without thought or feeling. (Yes, yes. I know; broadcasting characters' thoughts would be a dead giveaway for Skrull identification, but Stan the Man or Roy Thomas would have found a way).
On balance, ‘Secret Invasion' may be a better continuity fix than, say, making a Selective Amnesia Deal with The Devil, and the stakes are high enough to make any number of Marvel Handbook entries obsolete, but on the whole, this old fan prefers his Luke Cage with hair, his Skrulls melodramatic and goofy, and his covers well lit, thank you very much.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Secret Invasion - issue 1 of 8 (review #1)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Leinel Yu
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Warren
According to the “Cliff's notes” at the end of issue one, Secret Invasion is the culmination of three years' hard work. It started with Roy Tomas and Neal Adams' The Kree-Skrull War, then writer Brian Bendis continued it with Secret War, The New Avengers, House of M, New Avengers (Illuminati, issue 31 and The Trust), and finally Secret Invasion: The Infiltration. For good measure, the uber-story also encompasses Annihilation and Civil War.
I haven't read any of this stuff, except for the basic Civil War arc, which came across as just another in along line of ‘major unmissable events' that promised much but, ultimately, wasn't able to deliver.
And now we get Secret Invasion.
Another disappointment in the making, not to mention a coldly cynical attempt to get us to buy all the tie-in comics?
Or might they, this time, have finally got it right?
Well, one issue in, and Secret Invasion is looking a lot more like the latter than the former. In the aftermath of the death of “Elektra”, who turned out to be a Skrull, Tony Stark calls on Hank Pym and Reed Richards to find out how a Skrull could have remained undetected. Not to mention how long it was in place and who else out there is a Skrull? As the Skrull master plan is put into effect, cataclysmic events take place in the orbiting headquarters of S.W.O.R.D., across the length and breadth of Stark Industries. The defences of The Cube and The Raft are breached, unleashing super villains. Thunderbolts Mountain is attacked. The Negative Zone is breached. A massive space armada is closing on Earth. And in the Savage Land the Secret Avengers and the New Avengers face…well, let's just say that as of now, almost nothing that has happened in the last few years can be taken as a given. One appearance in particular is going to cause more than a few jaws to drop. And then there's those last couple of pages…
Issue one of Secret Invasion is all about set up, set up and more set up. The full speed narrative neatly balances humour and gravitas as it cuts back and forth between a series of tightly paced, interconnected events, leaving us with a whole bunch of cliff-hangers, any one of which would have you wanting to follow the story. But put them all together and you have something extraordinary.
And kudos to Bendis and co for so cannily, and effectively updating classic 50's cold war slash your friends, family and colleagues aren't who they appear paranoia to contemporary times. Civil War was a not so thinly veiled commentary on post 9-11 politics, but Secret Invasion plunges straight into visceral post 9-11 fears of terrorists amongst us and the devastation they can bring. The result is something that resonates far more strongly than any other 'big event' arcs of recent times.
Of course, it's not quite perfect. The full speed ahead pace leaves you feeling a bit short-changed in a couple of the sub-plots and, while the artwork by Leinil Yu is impressive, there is a slight tendency to have heroes posing artfully rather than naturally, which hinders rather than helps the story at times. And a small, suspicious part of the brain can't help suspecting its ultimate purpose is simply that of a spectacular, Marvel universe-wide reset to get them out of corners they've painted themselves into and correct a whole bunch of bad decisions and goofs (cough*onemoreday*cough).
But if the aim of a first issue of any series is to get the reader hooked, then issue one of Secret Invasion is a hands down success. Fun, exciting and intelligently written, long time readers should be well pleased with it, and even casual readers - those who have no idea what the deal with S.W.O.R.D., The Cube and so on is - should be impatient to find out what happens next.
There's still seven issues and a lot…a lot…of tie-ins to go, but Secret Invasion might just end up delivering everything its first issue promises.
To be continued.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Captain America #34
Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Steve Epting Covers By Epting & Alex Ross
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewed by Jesse
Captain America is dead.
Steve Rogers was killed by an assassin's bullet, but America needs Captain America.
Enter: the Winter Soldier.
Acting on his friend's last wishes, James 'Bucky' Barnes (with the help of Tony Stark) takes on the role, while at the same time the Red Skull's plans enter a new deadly phase.
The title character may have been missing from this book but that hasn't stopped Brubaker from utilising the support cast to their fullest extent and still making this a must read title every month.
Epting provides a beautiful cover, along with Alex Ross this month featuring the new Captain America and while if you've been reading this monthly you're not going find the identity of the new Cap that much of a surprise, it's still a good enough read to keep me coming back each month.
