Busy Bee

I'm sorry that I have not been updating the blog as much recently.  I've been bogged down by a lot of school work and it doesn't look like it will be letting up anytime soon.  I've got a huge music history project that I've been slowly working on while working on about 10 other things.  I'm hoping that once Thanksgiving is over, I'll have a brief period of down time before finals.  However, you didn't come here to read about my boring personal life; you came here to read some awesome comic reviews.

This was a HUGE week for releases, with a plethora of Marvel NOW! titles got released as well as the next chapter of the Batman epic "Death of the Family".  Seeing that there are going to be a good deal of comics this week (plus having a lot of school work I should be doing instead of this), I won't be giving a story recap as I normally do.  Instead, I'll just be giving my thoughts on the book with grades.

All New X-Men #1

 

And so begins my trek into the X-Verse.  Sure, I've gotten a few issues of Wolverine & the X-Men in recent weeks, but this was my first "true" X-Men title.  With Marvel NOW!, I wanted to explore the X-Men a bit, as they've always been the line I ignored like an ex-girlfriend.  So, what a better way to try the characters than in a book by one of my favorite writer/artist teams.  I loved what Bendis and Immonen did on Ultimate Spider-Man back in the day, so when it was announced that they would be on the "core" X-book, I knew I had to at least give it a look.  I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the book. Sure, the price could be a factor in the future along with my interest in the relaunched Uncanny X-Men, but this book started off with a bang and I'm looking forward to exploring the X-Verse.

Grade: A

Amazing Spider-Man #697

This was a great conclusion to the Hobgoblin story and it sets up the end of the title nicely.  I only wish that we had a little bit more time before Superior Spider-Man because I would have loved to have seen this arc drawn out a tad bit more, with maybe just an extra issue, because it was really fun to read.  Obviously, there is a bit of foreshadowing here, as "Dying Wish" is now upon us, so we see the golden Octobot again, this time in New York City.  However, there are a pair of cliffhangers that seem to be setting up something huge in Superior.  One of them would be Rodrick setting up a villain version of Batman, Inc., with villains all over the world in action and under Rodrick's control.  The other cliffhanger is the reappearance of the Osborn family.  Not only do we get a a glimpse of Harry and Stanley, but we also get an update on Norman as well, something I was not expecting at all.  The Spidey team, with welcomed guest Christos Gage, pull off another spectacular issue, and I'm pumped to see all this start to wrap up next week.

Grade: A

Batman #14

Somehow, this issue was better than Batman #13.  I mean, this was just spectacular.  My LCS owner told me to wait and read this last, and man, was it a great decision to do that.  It's amazing to think that we are only two issues into a five issue storyline.  The way that Scott and Greg along with the rest of Team Batman tell the story is just masterful.  "Death of the Family" is shaping up to be an epic story, with not only the Joker, but a bunch of Bat rogues seemingly being involved.  And Joker's master plan is just pure evil: he wants the take out the Bat family, but he's going to make Batman himself do it.  The whole scene on the bridge between Batman and Joker was just perfect.  Also, the panel that made me laugh yet stare in awe was one of the simplest of the issue.  The panel would be the one of the radio Bruce uses to listen to the tape Joker left behind.  The radio looks like the Joker, with his eyes/knobs all crazy, the sound bars as his hair, etc.  That was just so darn clever that I laughed the first time I read it.  Again, Batman just continues to amaze me and I love Team Batman so much for putting out such great books month after month.

Grade: A+

Batgirl #14

I've decided to get Batgirl during the "Death of the Family" storyline, as the premise of the arc seems really, really interesting.  Not only does it have Barbara going up against the man who paralyzed her, but he seems to have "fallen in love with her".  I'm skeptical about the Joker's new found love for Barb, but it definitely is interesting.  Having Joker propose to her on the last page of #14 was definitely a shocker, especially when you realize that it is Barb's mom's finger he cut off to propose with.  Add in the fact that James Jr. makes a slight appearance in the book foreshadowing something even bigger on the horizon, and you got a good comic.  Plus, Barbara makes a sandwich. There's a woman in the kitchen joke somewhere in there, but I think it would be best if I don't try to find it. But c'mon, Barb. No meat on the sandwich? Just lettuce, tomato, and bun. How hard would it have been to put some turkey or salami on that, huh?

Grade: B+ (D- for sandwich making)

Fantastic Four #1

A new era for the Fantastic Four has begun.  Written by Matt Fraction with art by Mark Bagley, the book looks and sounds right up my alley.  I've always liked the Fantastic Four, but Hickman's run was way too daunting for me to tackle at first.  Eventually, I'm going to work my way through it, but we are talking about NOW!  The premise of the book seems interesting enough, with Marvel's First Family leaving to go on an intergalactic adventure for a year, which will end up being for only a minute or two by the end of it, as Reed put a time machine on the ship.  Also, it's pretty interesting to see why Reed needs to go on this mission, as it is something that I don't think we have ever seen him deal with.  This book was a blast to read and I can see myself getting it for the long run.

Grade: A-

Thor: God of Thunder #1

Yet another Marvel NOW! #1 issue out this week.  This time, we have the Asgardian god Thor and his adventures through time, though not in the traditional manner.  Typically, when there is a story detailing an adventure through time, time travel technology is utilized.  However, that is the nice spin that Thor: God of Thunder provides; we instead get to view Thor's life at different points.  The story shows Thor trying to figure out who or what is killing a bunch of gods.  The story mostly takes place with young and current Thor, though King Thor makes an appearance at the end.  Though we don't get to see Gorr, the God Butcher in this issue, we feel how big a threat he is, especially on the last page, as King Thor takes on the Butcher's army as the last Asgardian alive.  Another great start for a Marvel NOW! book and I can definitely see myself following the tales of Thor.

Grade: A

Venom #27

The penultimate chapter of the "Minimum Carnage" storyline finally brings Scarlet Spider and Venom together to fight Carnage, something that has not happened since Minimum Carnage: Alpha and Scarlet Spider #10. Not only does that happen, but there is actually a great deal of action in this issue as well.  Seeing the unlikely duo going up against a ton of symbiote charged zombies was definitely a lot more interesting than most everything that has occurred in this crossover so far, sadly.  I still have hope for the end of this crossover, but I'm actually a tad disappointed about it.  Not a lot has happened story-wise, though this issue helps ease that.  Having such nice artwork (at least in Venom) definitely helps to help cure the feelings, but that can only go so far.  I'm not bagging on the crossover, though it seems like I am.  I'm just, as I said, a bit disappointed with the mini-event.  However, the finale could quickly change that view, as it looks to be not only action packed, but also jam packed with murder and death, just what you expect from a book with Carnage, Venom, and Scarlet Spider.

Grade: B+

So, was that a good week or what? Honestly, it might have been the best week of comics for me personally in a long, long time.  Somehow, my pull for next week might even rival it.  However, I do not know when my reviews for next week will be posted, as it'll be Thanksgiving. I'm hoping to have them done that Wednesday night/early Thanksgiving morning.  If that does not happen, they'll more than likely be up Friday or Saturday evening.  As you can tell, I have a busy schedule, so I should get going now and start doing some work. If I don't talk to you before then, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for reading!

Rolling Out the Red Carpet- Double Feature

For the second installment of Rolling Out the Red Carpet, I decided to do not one, but TWO films.  Because of this, I won't be delving too deeply into each story, though I will get into my thoughts on the film. The two films are more recent, having been made in 2011 and 2012. The films I'll be writing about this time are The Raven and Grave Encounters.

The Raven is a film that delves into the last days of Edgar Allen Poe's life, showing him solving a murder mystery that uses his works.  The killer literally takes a page out of Poe's book, killing people in the exact same way that Poe writes it.  Poe is one of my favorite writers and I've been dying to see this film for the longest time.  I must say, I was very impressed with the film.  John Cusack plays Poe and he does a great job at it.  I really enjoyed seeing the intelligent side of Poe, as he was able to identify his stories and determine what the killer was up to next.  It was really cool to see some of Poe's popular and more unknown works given the live action treatment.  The ending was really well done too, as it parallels the beginning of the film.  The reveal of the villain, too, is something that you don't expect, especially from the character that it is (though once it is revealed, the character becomes really creepy looking). However, as much as I loved Cusack as Poe, I loved Luke Evans as Inspector Emmett Fields almost as much.  He was a really cool character that delivers the ultimate justice to the killer in the end. Being a big Poe fan, I didn't want this film to be a bust, seeing as it had such a promising story.  Thankfully, it did not disappoint, and it turned out to be a really good film.  Out of 5 stars, I give The Raven a 4 out of 5.

The other film that I watched (I watched these films back to back) was Grave Encounters.  The film is a knock off of the Paranormal Activity line, with the TV show Ghost Adventures mixed in.  The movie details a team of ghost hunters who have gone to locations and faked their results. They decide to go to a mental hospital, expecting another routine show.  What they get, however, is the exact opposite.  Though the story is a tad slow in the beginning, it helps you get a little more attached to the characters as the activity starts to happen around them.  When the activity starts, though, it goes balls to the wall. There are a few moments where the activity is small, like doors opening or sounds happen, but for the most part, the scares are hard core.  There is one scene with a little girl that just gave me chills.  Also, the scene with the tongue freaked me out too.  The deaths are pretty good, minus one that occurs late in the film.  The acting was eh, though the actors did a decent job of acting terrorfied when they needed to be.  Grave Encounters has quickly become one of my favorite scary movies, though I might need to watch it again when it is bright out so I'm not as scared to watch it (yes, I was a chicken when I watched it).  Again, out of 5 stars, I give Grave Encounters a 4.5 out of 5.

Alright, I'll be back in a day or two with some fresh comic reviews, including Deadpool #1 and a couple others. I hope that you will check them out.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day.

Graduation

With the release of Avengers Academy #39, I've had something new happen to me. In my entire comic reading life, which is about 7 years long, I've never had a comic cancelled on me.  Sure, some series like Ultimate Spider-Man got "cancelled", only to be relaunched under the same name a month or two later. However, this is the first time that a title that I have followed has ended for good. Sure, some of the kids will be seen in Avengers Arena, but anyone who knows anything about that title knows that the Academy kids will eventually be killed off.  Having such a beloved title be canned for a book about killing off the characters we have grown to love is extremely frustrating. There are different levels of reaction coming from people on Arena; some are at code red, state of emergency level about the book while others are willing to give the book a chance, hoping for the best. Where do I stand? Well, I'm honestly not sure at this moment. While I understand the interest in the book and I want to check it out, at the same time I'm terrified about the fates of some of my favorite characters, mainly X-23 and Reptil.

How did I come across this little book? It was initially the crossover with The Amazing Spider-Man where I was first introduced to the characters.  I fell in love with them automatically as I looked high and low for back issues for the book. My first official issue was #14.1, which brought me up to speed about the characters nicely.  Honestly, I bought the book on a whim; it was a small week and I enjoyed the kids in the crossover, so I decided to try the book out. It was a decision that I am so happy to make, as the book as become one of my favorites on the stand.  After that, I started to pick up the issues and went back and got the trades collecting the issues that I was missing.  I am only missing two issues and I'm trying like crazy to find them (issues #14 and #29, though I might have found #29 at my LCS back home, so I'm hoping they have it when I return this weekend).

So, here it is. My review of the end of Avengers Academy. It's been a hell of a ride that all culminates here.

Avengers Academy #39

This issue begins with a confrontation between the students and the teachers of Avengers Academy.  We then jump to the day before, where the majority of the story takes place. We start off with another confrontation between X-23 and Finesse, who Laura still is upset at for killing Jeremy using her claws. In New York City, Veil is helping Striker get ready for prom, as he was asked by a guy who was inspired by his "It Only Gets Better" speech.  Back at the Academy, Hank and Tigra talk with Mettle and Hazmat about curing them. Pym tells them that though he cannot cure them at the moment, as Jeremy's cure makes them immune to any dose of it now, he is working on a way to cure them.  The couple talk a bit and then consummate their relationship (FINALLY!!).  Walking around campus is Finesse, lonely.  She sees Lightspeed and Karolina from the Runaways kissing, as well as Humberto and Ava, who come this close to kissing on the beach, which seems to affect Finesse.  She runs into Quicksilver, who gives her a little talk while she cries.  Back in NYC, Striker and his date kiss at the prom and, despite distractions like his mom, Striker seems happy, going to go dance with his date.  Jump back to the beginning of the book, where the students seem to be confronting the teachers.  Pym explains to the students that they have moved up in the ranks, and they are now "Avengers Third Grade".  Hank explains that they are two grades away from becoming full blown Avengers.  After a little bit of convincing by the teachers, the students realize how good this is.  Hank tells the kids that they will still be working with the teachers, but on the students terms.  However, the only one who isn't involved with the program (at least right now) is Veil, as she is now just a normal person who must graduate school before being allowed to work in the program.  We bookend the series with a scene just like the opening scene, with Veil in high school, being bullied.  However, instead of taking the bullying and turning into smoke, Veil fights back and seems to be happy to be normal again, knowing that no one is going to mess with her anymore.

Just a fantastic ending for the series.  So many stories are brought full circle in this issue, including the Mettle-Hazmat relationship receiving its happy ending (not an intentional sex pun).  I also loved the graduation of the students to the next level of the Avengers hierarchy and I hope that we get to see some of the students move up the ranks even further.  The kind of surprising twist that occurred in the issue is the possible beginning of a Reptil-White Tiger relationship, which I was not expecting to see, though I enjoy the prospects of it.  However, it does not look like it will be expanded on, as Reptil is going to be in Arena, which doesn't bode well for him.  I do question what this means for his future with Finesse, as she seemed affected by what she saw, showing that she still has some feelings for him, despite rejecting him for the past number of issues.  I have one or two immensely small gripes with the issue, but they are so small that they aren't even note worthy.

Grade: A+

I want to thank everyone who has ever worked on the book for making it such a fun one.  Whether they be the editors, colorists, artist, editors, or the main man himself, Christos Gage, they all deserve credit for making the book one of the best that Marvel put out.  Mr. Gage, I commend you for doing something so rare in comics these days; you took a book filled with either new characters or lesser known characters and made it into a hit that made it to an unbelievable 40 issues. You wrote the book perfectly, nailing the angst that teenagers have, despite them being superpowered. Mr. Gage, you have cemented yourself as one of my favorite writers of all time because of this series and I will read whatever book you put out next.  Again, thank you and the entire team for putting together such a fun book.

I'll be back in a day or two with my reviews for the other books I got this week, including (hopefully) Deadpool #1. Hopefully, you'll join me then too. Have a good day.

Thanks for reading!