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!