Amazing No More

Hello, everyone!  I hope that you had a great holiday season. Mine was particularly enjoyable, as I got a lot of good stuff, like 102 issues of The Walking Dead and an awesome Batman fleece hat/cowl. But, enough about me.  You came here for some reviews.  For those who somehow don't know, this week marked the end of The Amazing Spider-Man, one of Marvel's longest running series.  As I did with Amazing #698 a couple weeks back, I will post my other review before I go into spoiler mode.  However, you have been forewarned about spoilers, so read at your own risk.

Justice League #15

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The issue starts off with the US military out at sea, getting ready to test some missiles.  However, something or someone activates the countdown and changes the coordinates for the missiles, sending them straight towards Atlantis.  Meanwhile, back in Smallville, Clark continues his talk with Diana and gives her a pair of glasses for herself.  Back at the Watchtower, Cyborg is talking with his dad about the situation with the U.S.S. Mabus when Watchtower goes dark.  Now, in Gotham City, Batman is taking on a boatload of Scarecrow's men while talking to Cyborg.  Batman takes down almost all the guys and gets an unlikely assist from Aquaman.  Later, Batman and Aquaman talk about the problem with Atlantis, as Aquaman tells Bats that the fish aren't responding to his commands, which means that something is wrong.  Then, Mera shows up and Batman starts to inform them about the U.S.S. Mabus.  Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Clark and Diana are enjoying a nice date.  Just after they both admit that this is a nice night and that they hope to have more of these date nights, the power goes out and the U.S.S. Mabus is thrown into Metropolis via tidal wave.  Clark and Diana suit up and save Metropolis from being squashed.  Clark, however, cannot save Lois, but a man named Vulko saves her.  However, Vulko is weak and either passes out or dies after stating that he needs to find Aquaman or his brother will sink it all.  Mera tells Aquaman that this is a first strike against Earth and Aquaman realizes that this is the Atlantean War Plans, something that he had written.

The Shazam backup starts off with Billy and Freddy chowing down on some fast food.  Freddy really wants Billy to buy beer for them, but they only have $.75 left.  So, they decide to use Billy's powers to rob an ATM.  Just when the boys think that they are getting busted, it is shown that a couple other guys are shown robbing the same bank.  Billy stops them and the boys make off with the cash.  They make it to a liquor store where Billy stops yet another robbery attempt.  However, instead of getting booze, Billy, when asked how he can be repayed, asks for all the junkfood they can carry.  After stopping a guy from hot wiring a car, Billy talks to Francesca, one of the magical beings from the Rock of Eternity.  She warns him about Black Adam and to prepare himself.  After discovering he can fly, Billy and Freddy get into a heated argument about Billy changing back into kid form.  Freddy leaves in a huff and Billy finally meets Black Adam face to face.

First off, I would like to welcome Ivan Reis and Joe Prado to the book.  If this issue is any indication to their run on the book, then Justice League fans are in for a treat.  The art team is in their comfort zone, being the ex-Aquaman team.  It was nice to have a good issue from a new art team is always a plus.  This was the first issue of Justice League in a while that was well done all around.  While a lot of the recent issues were good (especially the Zero issue), this was the first one where everything was complete.  Everything connected nicely and I'm really looking forward to this mini-event in this book.  I'm going to have to figure out if I need to buy Aquaman for this story to make sense, but even if I do, I'm still excited to see this new story.

Grade: A

SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT

Well, I've avoided the spoilers so far, and I would like to help those who have not read Amazing Spider-Man #700 and Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 by blatantly telling you that THERE ARE HUMONGOUS SPOILERS UPCOMING. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ EITHER AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 OR AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #15.1, THERE ARE GOING TO BE HUGE, MONUMENTAL SPOILERS IN THE FOLLOWING REVIEWS.  

Amazing Spider-Man #700

The issue starts off with Potter and MJ, discussing their "relationship".  Potter admits to MJ that he wants to be in a relationship with her, but gets distracted when he receives news about Doc Ock escaping the Raft.  Potter then flies to JFK Airport, buying a ticket to flee New York, knowing that Ock's body will be dead by the time he returns from Belgium.  Back in Doc Ock's lab, Peter is working with hours left to live, and he has a near death moment, where he sees almost everyone who has died since he became Spider-Man.  His journey culminates in a visit with Uncle Ben, who tells Peter that he has to stop Otto one last time, then someone else can be Spider-Man.  Peter is rejuvenated and is ready to start his master plan.  Meanwhile, Jonah looks over the jailbreak from the Raft and publicly calls Octavius a loser, which Potter hears.  Peter and his band of unmerry men take on the 18th Precinct, where Peter retrieves the golden Octobot.  However, he gets delayed a tad when Carlie shows up.  He tries to tell her the truth about his situation, but she doesn't believe and opens fire, which ricochets off of Peter's tentacles and hurts Carlie.  Spider-Man then shows up and the houses and workplaces of everyone important in Peter's life, telling them that Doc Ock is on a rampage and that he is coming for them because of Peter's connection with Spider-Man.  When Potter has gathered his "loved ones", he gets into contact with Doc Ock, gloating that he has won and that Peter will be dead in a short period of time.  Scorpion and Hydro-Man slow down the police while Peter and Paste Pot Pete Trapster work on the Octobot, which leads to Trapster thinking that "Otto" is going to swap minds with him.  Instead, Peter captures Trapster while escaping with Scorpion and Hydro-Man.  Back at the safe room, the Jameson family finally reconcile while MJ goes to talk with Potter.  Even though Potter acts like a total dick to her, MJ admits her love for him, which leads to Potter making out with her.  Back with Peter, he and pals break into Avengers Tower, hoping that the Avengers will be there and willing to help him.  However, Otto, who shows up on the scene, has already thought ahead, deploying Octobots around the globe, thus drawing the Avengers away.  Scorpion and Hydro-Man attack Spider-Man, but Scorpion gets distracted when Spider-Man makes him believe that Otto is going to harm the Jamesons, leaving Peter facing Otto again, this time for the last time.  When Scorpion attacks the safe room, Spider-Man swoops in to save them, but starts having weird visions/flashbacks.  After Spider-Man attacks Peter's friends and loved ones, Peter grabs Spider-Man and throws them both out a window.  However, Otto spins a web airbag which basically stops Peter from doing anything physical.  Peter has one last plan, however, and puts it into effect when his golden Octobot tries to penetrate Spider-Man's brain.  However, Otto knew that something like that would be coming, and put plating armor on, protecting him from any Octobot attacks.  As Peter lays on the ground, mere seconds from death, his life starts to flash before his eyes, and he forces Otto to watch, but with Otto being Spider-Man instead of Peter, making Otto feel everything that Peter has felt over the years.  Otto instantly wants to quit being Spider-Man, but can't, as it is too late to do a mind change.  Almost suddenly, like magic, Otto has a change of heart and decides, as Peter dies, that he will be a better Spider-Man and Peter Parker than Peter ever was, proclaiming that he will be the Superior Spider-Man.

Ugh.  That's my opinion on this issue.  When I first read it, I had tears in my eyes as I threw it across the room in a pissed off rage.  I've never gotten this mad about a comic before, even when the other Peter Parker, the Ultimate one, died.  Mostly because I feel like that Peter died a hero.  He died saving his loved ones from his most deadly enemies.  This Peter, however, just handed the reins to arguably his worst enemy, just because he didn't want to kill him.  That is cowardly in my opinion.  He gave an enemy free range on his life without truly knowing that he had a change of heart.  I was so excited for this issue but I honestly felt let down by it and, in return, I feel less excited for Superior Spider-Man.  I'm hoping that this storyline only lasts a year or so, because if it lasts longer than that, I may lose my love for Spider-Man, something I never thought would happen.  Like many others have admitted, I love Peter because I can relate to him, something I cannot do with any other comic character.  Strapped for cash, terrible luck, not smooth with the ladies, and a true friend, that is what appeals me to Peter.  Now, with Otto in Peter's body, we are going to be getting a Peter who seems to be a huge dick.  If his dialogue in this issue, the Superior Spider-Man preview, or Daredevil is any indication, Otto is going to be a jerkwad to basically everyone, especially MJ.

Though I am miffed about this issue, there are good things about it.  First and foremost, I must give a huge amount of praise to Humberto Ramos.  When he was announced on the book when "Big Time" started, I was not enthused what so bit.  Now, he is one of my favorite artists.  I have nothing but love for his artwork now and he does a masterful job handling the emotional scenes as well as the action ones.  The end section with the life flashes was beautiful and it really helped nail the scene.  Though I do not like the story, I still must praise Dan Slott.  While I don't like the way that Potter is being written right now, I must admit it is sort of interesting to see this new spin on Spider-Man.  Plus, the end, while I don't really buy the sudden change of heart by Otto, is obviously powerful enough to bring me to tears.  I was very lukewarm on this issue the first couple of times I read it (by that, I mean the first 10 times I read it).  However, as I slowly start to accept that Peter has died for now, I start to think about the future of Spider-Man.  I will be checking out Superior Spider-Man when it comes out in a couple weeks, though it will be with a heavy heart for the first few issues.  However, as much as I dislike the ending, I do not think it is bad enough to warrant sending death threats to someone.  I know I've written about this before, but c'mon guys and gals.  It's comics, where no hero ever stays dead.  Peter will be back eventually (especially as there seems to be a back door for Peter to return some day) and, while I'm looking forward to that day, I guess you could say I'm anxious to see this new spin on Spider-Man.

Grade: B

Avenging Spider-Man #15.1

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This issue is the bridge between Amazing Spider-Man #700 and Superior Spider-Man #1.  It begins with Otto laughing at Peter's defeat and death (wonderful start, by the way).   Then, after setting up a date with MJ, Otto swings to Horizon to do some work.  While he works, he reminisces about his former life as Doctor Octopus and his "life" as Peter Parker.  The next couple days, Otto continues his work on a new, better Spider suit.  During one day, Otto recollects "his" memories of Mary Jane, and while he acknowledges that she is a liability, Otto admits that Peter was a fool to not have been involved with her more.  On Day Four, Otto is walking to Horizon when he instinctively stops a petty theft.  After blowing off Uatu and Grady, Otto determines that he needs tech from one of his personal labs, and goes into one.  However, he must fight one of his own inventions made to protect the lab.  While fighting the defense, Otto thinks about his situation, mainly how he lost no matter what and how he always failed.  The issue ends with Otto suiting up in his new suit, proclaiming that Doctor Octopus is dead and that he is the Superior Spider-Man.

This was a great issue.  It made me actually start liking Otto as Spider-Man.  If you can't tell, I wrote the Amazing and Avenging reviews on different days.  When I wrote the Amazing review, I was filled with anger and rage.  Now, after reading this issue, I'm more calm and a bit optimistic about the future for my favorite character.  Though I didn't like the beginning of the issue, as it was a complete 180 of the end of Amazing, where Otto was more somber, the rest of the issue was pretty good.  I'm still a bit upset about the ending of the Peter's life, but after reading this issue a couple of times, I'm gaining my interest in Superior Spider-Man back.  I must give kudos to Chris Yost for writing a great bridge to Superior and to getting me interested in Superior again.  However, the real star of this issue was Paco Medina.  His art was breathtakingly awesome.  I know that the amazing Marco Checchetto is going to become the new regular Avenging artist, but I would love to see some more Paco Medina Spider-Man work down the line.  Spider-Man is lucky to have such a great cast of artists on the book, something that a lot of books would kill to have.  So, even if you, like me, weren't sold on the ending of Amazing Spider-Man #700, check out this issue.  It's so well done that I promise that it will make you interested in Superior Spider-Man.

Grade: A

So that's it for this small, but very powerful week. Though I got a lot of my griping out of the way dealing with Amazing #700, I might have another post on that before Superior Spider-Man #1 comes out.  I'm currently working on a "Best of 2012" post, but I'm not sure when it will be out.  I'm currently under the weather and haven't been able to work on it as much as I would like.  Hopefully, it'll be out before or shortly after New Years.

Thanks for reading!

Two Weeks Reviews - Spoilers Abound

Below lay spoilers to one of the biggest stories of the past few years, Amazing Spider-Man #698.  If you have avoided spoilers so far and have not read the issue, please click away from this page.  I don't want to ruin the experience of reading such a monumental issue like people have done to others.  Thankfully, I powered down the Internet and ignored Tweets.  The only other time I had done something like this was before Ultimate Spider-Man #160 came out, which was the issue where Ultimate Peter Parker died.  Does Amazing Spider-Man #698 spell the same fate for 616 Peter? Read on to find out.

However, though Amazing Spider-Man is the most noteworthy issue, it isn't the only issue to come out.  So, because of that, I'm putting the Amazing review at the very end, so you don't have to read it right off the get go.

Captain America #1

This was the first issue of Captain America that I've ever gotten.  I was initially unsure if I was going to get this series but I decided to try it anyways.  Let's just say that I might be on board with this series now.  I've always liked Captain America, but I've never had the urge to pick up an issue until now. When it was announced that Rick Remender and John Romita, Jr. were going to be on the book, I decided to try it out.  It was a very good first issue, and I'm thinking that I'll be back at least for the first arc.  I really enjoyed the short but sweet moments between Steve and Sharon as well as the moment in the beginning of the book, with the Rodgers family.  While some people didn't like JR Jr.'s art in this issue, I enjoyed it.  John Romita, Jr., has always been a personal favorite of mine, so whenever he gets announced on a project or book, 9 times out of 10 I'll be picking it up. While I don't know much about the villain of the book so far, I am intrigued by him and the storyline that Remender is laying down, and I'm planning on pulling at least the first couple of issues now.

Grade: A-

Captain Marvel #7

Dexter Soy returns on art duties while the book gains a co-writer for this arc.  Coming off her adventures in space and in time, Carol decides to take on an underwater adventure.  And that allows her to beat up some sharks, without even using shark repellent.  For every good see adventure, one needs a skipper, and Carol's skipper for this adventure would be Monica Rambeau, the ex Captain Marvel. However, it wouldn't be a sea adventure without some kind of monster and, in this case, it is a giant robot made out of debris.  This was a pretty good issue, as Dexter Soy's art is really growing on me.  I'm thrilled to hear that he, along with personal favorite writer Christos Gage, will be doing the Age of Ultron issue of Superior Spider-Man.  Writing wise, I love the banter between Carol and Monica.  Kelly Sue and guest writer Christopher Sebela nail the conversation the two friends had as well as their conversation between Frank Gianelli. Though a little light on action, this was still a fun issue.

Grade: A

Daredevil #20

Another great issue from Mark Waid and Chris Samnee.  This issue gives us the origin of Coyote, showing his motives and some of the jobs he has pulled.  However, while Coyote gives DD's head the spiel, his body goes on an exploration, finding the device that is keeping his head and body separated.  We have a creepy scene where we see all the heads that Coyote has kept over the years, and we get to see him feed them.  We get a little bit of a view of what Kirsten is up to, but not much.  The big reveal of this issue is that Coyote isn't real Spot, I think.  We'll have to see next issue what is really going on with that whole situation.  Like I said earlier, this was another great issue of Mark Waid's run.  If you would have asked me two, three years ago if I could see myself enjoying Daredevil, I would say no.  The movie left a bad taste in my mouth and I sort of soured on the character.  However, what Mark Waid and his merry band of artists have done on the book is just marvelous.  I'm planning a DD love post somewhere down the line, so keep an eye out for that.

Grade: A

Deadpool #2

Deadpool versus more undead Presidents, round two.  This time, the Merc with the Mouth goes up against Teddy Roosevelt while starting his weird team up with the ghost of Ben Franklin.  This was another funny issue that was, yet again, drawn beautifully by Tony Moore.  The full page panel of Deadpool being skewered by the elephant tusk was just plain gruesome.  Then, of course, you have Deadpool electrocuting an elephant, setting it on fire and killing it in the process of killing Teddy again. The team of Brian, Gerry, and Tony are great for the book, as they cause the book to have equal levels of humor and epicness.

Grade: A-

Indestructible Hulk #1

Of all the first wave books that were announced when Marvel NOW! was revealed, this was the one that piqued my interest the most.  Marvel did one of the smartest things ever: they put Eisner winning Daredevil scribe Mark Waid together with superstar artist Leinil Yu.  That team could do a Groot book and it would be a best seller.  Thankfully, Marvel put them on Hulk, a character that had gotten a fresh breath of air under Jason Aaron, but another breath was needed.  These two pulled it off.  We have Bruce Banner, who is working with the Hulk. Sounds weird, right? Well, it basically equals down to the Hulk and Bruce share a mind and work together.  Banner seems to know what he is doing, enough to offer his service to Maria Hill, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Banner is upset that he isn't getting respect for being one of Marvel's geniuses.  That causes Bruce to blackmail Maria, and he offers the Hulk's service for his liberties.  We then get some beautiful Yu pages showing the Hulk doing what he does best: SMASH! One of the best first issues of the Marvel NOW! era.  If Mark Waid continues his success from Daredevil here on Indestructible Hulk, then we'll all be in for a treat.

Grade: A

Justice League #14

Picking up right where last issue left off, we see the League trying to defeat a Cheetah infected Superman.  For the remainder of the issue, the League splits up, with half dealing with the Cheetah while the others try to cure Superman from the infection.  The story also gives us the New 52 origin of the Cheetah, which is not the same as what it was in the old DCU.  There are three great scenes in this issue that I personally just love. The first one is Aquaman holding the Cheetah underwater with piranhas surrounding them.  The next scene was the one where Clark and Diana go to Smallville, eating at a diner and visiting the Kent house.  The final scene that I loved was the last one, where Batman is being all creepy and spying on the new couple making out.  The Shazam backup finally starts to pick up too, as Black Adam makes his way to the city while Billy buys clothes and looks to be getting food. We end the issue with the introduction of Sloth, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.  Overall, a good issue.  The main story actually felt really short; likewise, the Shazam backup seemed to be longer than it usually does.  The best part of the issue was definitely the Superman/Wonder Woman moments at the end of the main feature.  Geoff Johns writes the scene pretty well, and the backup was written well as well.  The art on this issue was phenomenal, with both Tony Daniel and Gary Frank doing great jobs on their segments.

Grade: B+

Ultimate Spider-Man #17

In what I believe to be the last tie in issue to the "Divided We Fall"/"United We Stand" event, Miles finds himself in his first battle with the Ultimates, where Spider-Woman is his chaperon, much to her chagrin.  Overall, this was a so-so issue.  It was still good, but it wasn't anything special.  Maybe having the knowledge that "Venom Wars" is coming up distilled my enjoyment of this arc, or maybe it was having different artists on the issues. I'm not entirely sure.  I do like the set up for the next issue, though; we end the book with Miles, out of web fluid, stranded in Wyoming.  However, the cover and solicitations for this issue and next are kind of misleading.  The solicitation for this issue mentioned the secret connection between Miles and Jessica, but it barely gets a mention in this issue.  And the cover for the next issue, which can be seen here, doesn't show Miles in Wyoming.  The art by Pepe Larraz was okay, though not as good as Marquez or Pichelli.  Thankfully, Marquez is back next issue and then, with "Venom Wars", Sara Pichelli is finally back.

Grade: B

Before I get into big time spoiler details, I want to thank you for reading my reviews.  Check out the next post for this weeks reviews.  As it is nearing finals times, I'm not getting to write as much as I would like, so busting these review posts, seeing as they were massive ones, was extremely difficult. I'm hoping to have another post out soon, discussing Superior Spider-Man, but I am, as of now, unsure when it will see the light of day. But, again, thanks again for reading!

Alright, here we go.

For the last time, SPOILERS LIE AHEAD

Do not read on if you have not read Amazing Spider-Man #698

Amazing Spider-Man #698

The issue starts out with the medical squad on the Raft rushing to Doc Ock's room, as he begun to say two words: Peter Parker. Speaking of good ol' Petey, we see him swinging around and stopping crime, exclaiming how awesome it is to be Spider-Man.  He seems to be a little more violent and blows off the police when they ask him to come downtown to do paperwork.  After a pit stop at his place to change into some fancy clothes, Peter heads to Horizon, where he and Max have a meeting about needing an invention, as the quarter is coming to a close.  Peter is confident, claiming that he'll put all his other inventions to shame.  After making some web fluid, Peter heads over to MJ's, where he meets up with MJ and basically tells her that he wants to start dating again.  MJ, a little shocked over the brashness Peter is showing, tells him that they must go visit Aunt May, who is still recovering from the Alpha accident.  However, when she leaves to get her jacket, Peter is seen checking out some other ladies.  While with Aunt May, Peter tries to initial talks with MJ again, but is interrupted by his Avengers card going off.  He attempts to leave, but Jay freaks out on him again.  However, MJ has his back and, while Jay is still pissed, May is fine with it, as she realizes that Peter and MJ may be getting back together.  At the Raft, Captain America tells Spider-Man that Doc Ock is asking for Peter Parker.  Peter unmasks, telling Ock that he is Peter.  That is when the bombshell is dropped: Peter Parker isn't really Peter; it's Doc Ock in Peter's body with all his memories.  While Doc is in Peter's body, Peter is in Doc Ock's dying body.  Doc Ock gloats, saying that he will never give up his secret and walks out as Peter/Otto flatlines.  Doctors try to resuscitate him while Otto/Spider-Man walks away with the Avengers none the wiser.

I, uh, I'm going to come out and say it. I hate what Dan Slott did. Yet, at the same time, I absolutely love it.  I knew that something was up with Peter throughout the issue, and I had no clue what it was until I finished the issue, my mouth gaping.  After rereading the issue, I finally got what happened and I'm unsure on how I feel about it.  I'm game for having Doc Ock as Spider-Man, though I'm not sure on how long I will enjoy it. This is the beginning of a three part story, though, so we'll have to see how Dan continues the story.  Plus, the preview art for issue #700 shows that Peter is still around and fighting, though a little differently than I expected.  I trust Dan Slott, as he has given us a great run on Spider-Man so far.  However, I'm not going to lie when I say that I hated this issue the first couple of times I read it after the "holy sh!t" reading the first time.  After the third or fourth time, though, I realized how monumental this issue is going to be.  The art by Richard Elson was very good, especially his dying Doc Ock/Peter Parker.  I may actually check out the first issue of Morbius: The Living Vampire because of his art.  This issue made me very nervous for Peter.  I've never been as nervous for a character before, so this is an odd feeling.  The preview art for the final two issues of Amazing show that Peter is not done fighting yet, but I'm not feeling too sure if he is going to make it out unharmed/alive.

Grade: A

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!

Avengers Vs. X-Men

Here it is, the big wrap up for Marvel's huge summer event, Avengers Vs. X-Men.  With a premise that seemed very much like Civil War, many were a little apprehensive when it was initially announced.  However, the story for AvX was very much different that Civil War.  Now, I'm not going to go play by play with this, as it would take me forever to write. I will, however, give my general opinion about the event as a whole.

Let me lead off by saying this: I was on the Avengers side.  From the moment this event was announced, I sided with the Avengers, as I had more ties with them than I did with the X-Men.  However, through the process of the book, I couldn't help but feel like the X-Men kept getting screwed over, being made to look like the villains of the event.  I mean, it's obvious in issue #12 that one X-Man, Cyclops, is the true villain of the story with Emma Frost being the Harley Quinn to Cyclops' Joker.  But, man, the X-Men got jipped during this event.  Especially in the AvX: Versus book.  Marvel had the Avengers winning fights they had no right winning, like Iron Man vs Magneto and Thing vs Namor especially, seeing as that fight happened under water. Namor should have kicked Thing's ass in that one yet the Avengers somehow one that one. Then there were fights that the X-Men won that the Avengers should have.  The one specifically would be Colossus versus Spider-Man. I already wrote about this, but to recap my feelings about that fight: Spider-Man won that fight. I don't care what Marvel says, Spidey won. The only reason Colossus won was because Spidey fell back when it was revealed that Hope wasn't in Latveria (plus the X-Men needed a win, as they were winless up to that point).  

Storywise, I really enjoyed the plot.  Surprisingly, there really wasn't any bad issue or, really, a slow issue.  Yes, there were issues where not as actiony as the others but those issues were the more personal, character driven ones.  The hook of the Phoenix Five was definitely an interesting aspect.  My favorite characters were, surprisingly, the two characters in the forefront towards the end of the event: Scarlet Witch and Hope. This strikes me as odd, because I've never really been a X-Men person (minus Wolverine), yet two of my three favorite characters for this event were mutants (the other one being, of course, Spider-Man).  Both the characters emerged as new favorites of mine, especially Hope.  I'm anxious to know where she ends up at in the Marvel NOW! era.  I do kind of wish that Cyclops didn't go all villain on the Avengers, yet I understand why he needed to be pegged as the villain.  Scott was already heading down the dark path, plus it gives the parallel between him and Jean.  But the death of Professor X is what I had the most issue with.  We all knew it was coming, but the death just felt cheap.  True, it showed that Scott was the villain of the story, but we had known that since the Phoenix Five showed up.  But the death was so quick and then they moved on just like that.  I know that it is a staple in Marvel events for someone to die, but I really wish they broke that chain with this event.  The story could have moved on just as well without Xavier dying. 

For the first time in a Marvel event, there was a rotating cast of writers.  The writing team for Avengers Vs. X-Men consisted of the usual suspects: Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, and Jonathon Hickman.  You would think that having a rotating cast of writers for an event would be terrible, with each issue being different from the others.  Shockingly, that was not the case.  Each issue connected smoothly together.  Most of the time, you could hardly even tell that the book switched writers between issues.  Sure, there were times where you can tell which writer was writing the issue (notably Bendis and his Bendis speak) but 99% of the time everything was nice and smooth.  

Artist-wise, the event had an A-list line up.  The first five issues were drawn by John Romita, Jr., Olivier Coipel on issues #6, #7, and #11, and Adam Kubert on issues #8, #9, #10, and #12.  Last, but certainly not least, Jim Cheung did the covers for all 12 issues, which were just spectacular.  Before this event, I really only knew JRJR, as he has been a Spidey staple for the past few years. I knew a little bit of Coipel's work, but this event really opened my eyes to how amazing his and Adam Kubert's art is. Before this event, I don't believe I've ever seen Kubert's art, but man, was it nice to look at.  I'm happy to see that Adam is going to be on the artist rotation for Jonathon Hickman's Avengers series. I'm equally as excited to see JRJR is going to be on Rick Remender's Captain America.  However, I really, really want to know where Olivier Coipel is going to be in the Marvel NOW! era.  His art was arguably the best in this event and he is primed to be Marvel's next superstar, go-to artist. So I just find it odd that he hasn't been announced on anything yet.  Anyways, the art on Avengers Vs. X-Men was top class, and it really helped me enjoy this series even more.

When it came down to deciding my favorite issues of the event, two stuck out to me. Obviously, issue #9 was a favorite, as it was the issue that had Spider-Man in the spotlight.  Seeing as Spidey is always the comedic relief in events as of late, it was great to see him actually do something in an event.  The team of Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert did a fantastic job on this issue, as they show Spider-Man making the ultimate sacrifice: letting the Avengers escape with the members that were taken prisoner.  Spider-Man takes on not just one, but two members of the Phoenix Five and puts up a fight, but eventually the fight turns bad for him, especially when Colossus basically breaks Spidey's face in.  Yet, somehow, Spider-Man is able to get to Colossus and Magik, causing the two to take each other out, eliminating two more members of the Phoenix Five.  Though it was a brutal issue for my favorite hero, it was also good to read him actually doing something in an event besides standing in the back making some quips about the current situation (which he did a couple times during the event).  This was my personal favorite issue of the entire series, making me happy to be a Spider-Man fan. Also, Jason Aaron is welcome to write Spider-Man whenever he wants.  He seems to be one of the few writers that actually gets the character and I would love to see him get a run on a Spider-Man book sometime in the future.

Though the Spider-Man centric issue #9 was my personal favorite, the best issue of the event was Avengers Vs. X-Men #6.  Written by Jonathon Hickman and drawn by Oliver Coipel, this was without a doubt the best issue of the series, in both writing and art.  Up until this point, the issues had been pretty well done; however, this was the perfect issue.  It was the first issue that explored the newly minted Phoenix Five, as we got to see their powers in effect, with Coipel drawn pages that were just stunning.  The pages where the Phoenix Five (minus Scott) are using their powers to eliminate the violent threats were just jaw dropping.  Then you also had the excellent sequence where the Avengers infiltrate Utopia to grab Hope.  We get the first fight between the Avengers and the Phoenix Five and, at first, you expect the Phoenix Five to mop the floor with the Avengers, just as they did before.  However, the tides turn when the Scarlet Witch shows up, revealing that the Phoenix Five actually have some kind of weakness.  The issue ends with the brilliant line delivered by Cyclops: "No more Avengers", setting the stage for an action-packed second act.

Overall, Avengers Vs. X-Men was a great mini-series.  Not only was the story itself great, but many of the tie-in issues were of equal greatness as well.  Ever since Civil War came out, Marvel has not put a mini-series that came close to its greatness.  Avengers Vs. X-Men is the event that does just that; it is the best mini-series Marvel has put out since Civil War.  Not only was it written extremely well, but it was drawn spectacularly as well.  Initially, I wasn't so keen on this series when it was announced, but now I can look back and realize how silly those thoughts were.  Hopefully, Marvel has learned something with this event; don't be afraid to have multiple writers on one project and to give Coipel more work.  I personally had a few gripes here and there with the event, with Professor X's death being the big one, but besides that, I really had no problem with this event and I hope to see more events like this down the line.

Flag Football, Anyone?

A week removed, but here are the reviews for Wednesday, October 10th.  And, man, was it a huge week.  With the culmination of Marvel's latest summer event and Detective Comics getting a new writer/artist team plus a couple of other comics, this week was a good one.  Just a little note, though I will be talking about Avengers Vs. X-Men here, the full review of the event will come in another post in a couple days.

Amazing Spider-Man #695

And the end begins.  With just a couple of issues before the "final" issue of Amazing Spider-Man, #700, the future of Marvel is revealed, at least a bit.  The issue starts off with Spidey and Hobgoblin going at it, with Tiberius Stone in the wings, ready to jam Spidey's spider sense. However, that backfires and helps Spider-Man defeat the Hand ninjas, forcing Hobby to flee. What Phil doesn't see when he flies away is that the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, is watching him.  Julia Carpenter, the all seeing Madame Web, sees this but get interrupted by her daughter, who is leaving to go to her grandparent's house in Colorado, sent there by her mom so she is safe from the impending doom.  Peter, believing that Stone has something to do with the Hobgoblin, attempts to talk to Max about the situation, only to be reunited with Daily Bugle reporter Sally Floyd.  Sally tells Peter that some of his coworkers have blabbed, telling the reporter about his relationship with Spider-Man. Peter begs her and, eventually, Robbie to kill that part of the story. Now back at the Bugle, Peter runs into Norah and Phil, the later immediately triggering Pete's spider-sense.  Back with the Kingpin, Stone works on his jamming device, hoping that it will work. However, it does not, as it amplifies not only Peter's spider-sense to extreme levels, but it also causes Julia to get a massive overload on her visions of the future (more on that in a bit). Julia sends her celestial being to find Peter, delivering him an emergency warning about the future.  Peter stumbles away only to be jumped by Hobgoblin, who might possibly outed Peter as Spider-Man.

Written by the team of Dan Slott and Christos Gage, "Danger Zone" starts off with a bang.  I'm really happy to see Hobgoblin (both of them) again, as he's (Phil) been missing for far too long. Also, Norah returns to the book, another character who has been missing for awhile (though she has made appearances in Punisher).  I also really liked the progression with Peter's spider sense getting super charged. The little arrows telling what the "threat" was was actually pretty witty.  Art-wise, the issue is drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli, returning after taking an arc off. He does a masterful job of illustrating the story, even though most of it was dealing with Peter's out of costume life.  However, the page that will get the most attention will be the double page spread where the future of Marvel is shown.  Almost every snippet shown deal with a Marvel NOW! book, so it was pretty interesting to see the new art.  It also caught me by surprise, as I was not expecting Marvel to do something like this, especially as Avengers Vs. X-Men had their final issue released the same day.  For the majority, I was interested in the panels, as they dealt with the future of Spider-Man (especially the Peter/Hydro-Man....thing? and the shadowy Peter/MJ scene), books I'm already reading (Captain Marvel and Daredevil), or NOW! books I'm interested in (Avengers Arena and Deadpool).  This was an excellent start for the end of Spider-Man, and I'm pumped to see where it goes (also, a little bit afraid).

Grade: A

Avengers Vs. X-Men #12

Ah, the finale of Marvel's big summer event has finally arrived, ushering in the Marvel NOW! era. I won't talk about the story or my feelings for the overall event here (see my next post for those). I will, however, talk about my feelings for this issue. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Adam Kubert, the finale is a double sized book of awesomeness.  The stakes were raised to extreme, as the Avengers and the X-Men teamed up to take down Cyclops Dark Phoenix.  During this event, Hope has become one of my favorite characters, which is surprising because I've never been a X-Men person.  I particularly liked the shots between the fight and Cap talking with Hope, leading to the end of the issue. Again, my full feelings on the event will be up in a few days, but I'm happy that I read this event.

Grade: A-

Avengers Academy #38

Guest starring Wolverine and the X-Men, this is the first issue to deal with the outcome of AvX.  And this has been the issue many Avengers Academy fans have been waiting for: the flag football game between the two schools. It was actually a clever issue, as it kinda sorta dealt with the outcome of Avengers Vs. X-Men, but very subtly.  The only time that AvX is mentioned is when Logan and Hank discuss their little scuffle on the Quinjet during issue #3 and when the teachers leave the game, making the Avengers Academy kids be on the teams with the X-Men kids.  Though little football is actually played, when it is played, the scenes are hilarious, a couple involving Jocasta and a taser.  AvX isn't the only subject discussed, however. X-23 and Finesse also discuss the end of "Final Exam", seeing as X-23 still believes that she killed Jeremy. Finesse tells her that it was actually her that killed him. Another sore subject brought back up is the "relationship" between Finesse and Reptil, with Reptil getting advice from the ladies man, Gambit.  However, the kids and teachers are shown getting along and having fun, with Hank getting an idea for the future and the kids admitting to needing to do this (the game) more often.

This is the penultimate issue of Avengers Academy, which makes me really sad. Though I jumped on after the Amazing Spider-Man issues where Spidey taught the kids, I've followed the books religiously, picking up the trades and every issue (minus two which I'm still hunting down). This is an issue which proves why this books was so popular among comic fans. It was just an overall fun issue, right after the issue where the AA kids have their arch enemy killed and so soon after the devastating events of Avengers Vs. X-Men.  This was just an issue where two schools, both devastated by the events of AvX, meet up for some fun.  It's issues like this one that made this series so much fun to read. Christos Gage gets major props for taking a series this far, as I'm sure not many saw this title, with a cast of new characters and B-listers, lasting 40 issues.  Also, sometimes you read a crossover comic and realize what you are missing out on, in my case with Amazing and AA. Well, this issue did it for me with Wolverine and the X-Men. I typically avoid anything X-Men like the plague for whatever reason. However, this AA issue might have piqued my interest in the book. I will definitely look into getting the trades in the future to see how it is.

Grade: A

Detective Comics #13

With an all new writer and artist team, why not check out the first issue of their run?  It starts off with Batman cracking some skulls as a sniper takes aim at him.  As Batman gets into the Batplane, the sniper is called off. The sniper is then shown to be working for the man on the cover: the Penguin.  However, the target is not Batman; it's Bruce Wayne.  Bruce, preparing to arrive late for a ceremony for a wing in a children's center named after his mom, gets sidetracked when he takes down a couple of thugs who are robbing an apartment.  After Bruce gets the info he needs, he radios to Nightwing, telling him to look into the situation.  Just as Bruce starts going towards the ceremony, he gets distracted once more, this time by the sniper, and the two get into a tussle.  While Bruce deals with the assassin, Penguin bribes/threatens his way into getting his name, not Martha's name, on the children's wing, just as Bruce arrives.  Before Bruce even has time to react, the assassin arrives, ready to take down Bruce.

For a first issue of a new direction, this was done really well.  I've never read anything by this team, either art or story.  So it was interesting for me to do that.  But that might be a problem within itself.  I've been wavering on whether to add Detective Comics on my pull list, as I'm pulling way too many comics for my own good now (even more complicated with all the new MarvelNOW stuff coming out soon). I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with this title, because the first storyline looks really interesting, as it looks to delve into the world of Batman's villains, including Poison Ivy and a tie-in with "Death of the Family".  John Layman and Jason Fabok do a fantastic job on this issue, as did Andy Clarke on the backup art (he needs to get more work, as his stuff is amazing).  I'm going to be pulling this title for now, and we'll have to see what the future holds.

Grade: A

Minimum Carnage: Alpha

Here we go again: another Spider-family mini-event that looks really promising.  The issue starts off with Venom, fresh off his situation with Daimon Hellstrom, helping out the military hunt down Cletus Kasady aka Carnage, who has escaped from his prison cell.  At a security checkpoint, officers discover Cletus, but the cops get killed by some unseen force.  Venom checks the footage, finding something really odd and really small on the bodies. After calling the Avengers, letting them know to be ready on a notices call, calls Katy, his reporter friend.  She gives him information about the Prometheus Pit, which happens to be located in Houston.  Speaking of Houston, its resident hero, Scarlet Spider, jumps into a burning building and discovers a horrific scene with only one survivor.  Kaine goes looking for the man's wife, who gets a visit from Carnage himself.  Kaine arrives and takes on Carnage, who believes Kaine to be Spider-Man initially.  However, after noticing Kaine's more brutal behavior and stingers, determines that he isn't actually Spider-Man. It doesn't matter to Cletus, as his friends attack Kaine. With Scarlet Spider immobilized, Cletus grabs Katy, who was in Houston to interview the doctor in charge of the Prometheus Pit, and heads into the pit with his friends.  Kaine tries to stop Carnage, but Carnage destroys the machine just as he jumps in.  Just as he does that, Scarlet Spider meets Venom, as they both threaten to either kill or shoot each other.

The start of another Spider mini event, this issue is written by both Cullen Bunn and Chris Yost, the normal writers of Venom and Scarlet Spider, respectively.  Overall, the story was done extremely well. I definitely enjoyed the way the two stories were written separately and then brought together in the last panel, setting up the beginning of Scarlet Spider #10. Though I did find it interesting to bring in Katy for this story, everything else was a-okay by me. Also a-okay was the art. Done by ex-Venom artist Lan Medina, the art was nicely done. However, it made me miss Lan's work on Venom just a wee bit. This was a strong first issue for the next Spider mini-event and I'm definitely looking forward to the next issue.

Grade: A-

Alright, these reviews are done. As you read this, I am working on between five and six other posts at the same time: Avengers Vs. X-Men wrap up, another weekly review post that may spin off into two separate posts, a "10 Things" post, a Marvel NOW post, and a couple of "30 Day Challenge" posts. Needless to say, I'm going to be busy over the next couple of days. Look out for the majority of these posts in the next week, with the "30 Day Challenge" starting in about a weeks time.  Here's a little tease about the next review post: one issue gets the elusive A+ grade...  Gotta go for now. Lots more to write and not a lot of time to write it.

Thanks for reading!!

Blogger's Back, Tell a Friend

And just like that, I'm back. I've been gone for too long (since the end of the school year in June) but now that school's back, I should have a lot more free time will be able to blog whenever I can, schoolwork provided.  To kick things off, I'm going to do a massive comic wrap up/ review.  At the end of this massive post will be news on my new project I will be tackling.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth

The spring/summer "event" in the pages of Spider-Man was a big difference from last year's event, Spider Island.  Not only was EotE more confined (it only had two tie in books, a one-shot and the epilogue in Avenging Spider-Man), but it pitted Spidey up against a more global and dangerous threat, this time the devious Doc Ock.  I kept on reading that people didn't enjoy this as much as they did Spider Island, but I really couldn't see that.  Yes, it is true that out of the two, I enjoyed Spider Island a little more, but I didn't think it was as big a gap between the two as others did.  I enjoyed the high stakes in this arc, especially when it was Spidey himself who knew that Ock was lying.  Also, I really liked the new suit developed for the story, designed by Stefano Caselli. Sadly, this was Stefano's last arc on Amazing, as he has since been called up to work on Avengers Assemble, which is fully deserved, as he is an amazing talent.  Thankfully, Amazing still has Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli, with a third artist more than likely being brought on after #700 (PLEASE, let it be Ryan Stegman).  Story-wise, I believe that it was a good story. I had a few nitpickings about it, but besides those I really enjoyed the story.

Grade: A-

The Amazing Spider-Man: No Turning Back

The story immediately following Ends of the Earth and also the tie in to the new Spider-Man movie, this arc was a very dark one.  I definitely enjoyed the first issue, as it gave us present time along with giving us flashbacks to hours before, eventually causing the two stories to meet up.  I loved the idea to put the Lizard in control of Conners' body, as it was a fresh take on the old story of Conners in the Lizard's body.  I do wish that Morbius had a little bit of a larger role besides secondary villain in the arc, but that isn't too much of a big deal.  I also enjoyed the scenes with the Lizard and Uatu.  It was interesting seeing the Lizard finally starting remorse for his killings as he saw Billy and eventually others that he has killed, including Conners himself.  The twist at the end, having Conners mind back but in the Lizard's body, was also an interesting move, especially seeing as it has been hinted that we will see the Lizard again soon.  Oh, and then there was the Hobgoblin reveal at the end of the issue, something that took me by surprise yet at the same time I kinda expected something like that occuring.  The art by Giuseppe Camuncoli was breath taking, as I am really warming up to his artwork.  I cannot wait for the Danger Zone arc, his next work on the title.

Grade: B+

The Amazing Spider-Man: 50th Anniversary Special

The on going arc right now, dealing with Spidey's new sidekick Alpha, got kicked off with the special 50th anniversary issue.  My, oh my, was it a good issue, as Humberto Ramos returned to the book for the first time since the Ends of the Earth chapters he did.  The main story dealt with a kid, Andy Maguire, getting powers in an accident not unlike Mr. Parker's.  After coming to terms with the fact that he caused them, Spidey, after consulting with some of Marvel's resident geniuses, decides to be a mentor to the snot noised brat.  This arc has yet to be concluded, so I can't give my full opinion on it yet, but I am loving it so far.  There were three separate stories in issue #692, and all of them were astounding.  However, my favorite one might just be the Fialkov and Plati "Just Right" story, as it shows just how relatable Peter Parker really is. I can't wait to see how this whole Alpha situation sorts out. Knowing the Parker luck, no matter what happens, it's going to lead to something worse for Peter.

Grade: A (so far)

Ultimate Spider-Man

The adventures of Miles Morales continue and they are getting really good.  The young hero has been through a lot in his short time as Spider-Man, as his Uncle Aaron, the Prowler, died during one of their fights, making Miles feel guilty about it.  Then, right after that, the world goes crazy.  Miles finally gets his web shooters and has some pretty funny experiences with them so far.  Not only that, but Miles asks to join the Ultimates.  Also, somewhere in there, Spider-Men occurs (though no one really knows where) and that was incredible, especially the interaction between Peter and Miles (duh) and Peter and Gwen. David Marquez is one hell of an artist.  He draws an amazing Spider-Man, but my favorite character that he draws is MJ. I love the way that she looks now and I definitely want to see more of her. The book that got me into comics years ago continues to impress and I'm really excited to see where the series goes from here, especially seeing that the return of Sara Pichelli and Venom are on the horizon.

Grade: A

Venom: The Savage Six

Rick Remender's last story on the title wraps up almost all the loose ends set in motion during his run.  Not only does he wrap them up nicely, but he also passes the torch to new writer Cullen Bunn.  Personally, I really enjoyed Flash's version of the Sinister Six, even though some of the villains used had more of a connection to Remender than to Flash himself.  Though I wished they would have done more with the new Toxin, I do see him coming back down the line. I was introduced to the villain Megatak and I really liked him, as he was probably my favorite villain in the arc.  Also, I liked in the lead up to the arc that it was hinted at a possible relationship between Flash and Valkyrie.  I really enjoyed the art by Kev Walker and Lan Medina, especially with the detail for the new Toxin.  There were only two things that I didn't like. One of them would be Flash's behavior towards the Human Fly. Yes, he had to get info out of him, but did it really mean ripping off his wings, right in front of his (Flash's) mom?  I just felt that that scene was a little unnecessary. The other scene I didn't really like was the reveal of who Crime Master was.  I understand why it had to be him, but I just felt like it was too expected. However, even with those two little problems, I thoroughly enjoyed this arc and it was a great send of for Rick Remender.

Grade: B+

Captain Marvel

The moment that this title was announced, I knew that I was going to love it. Boy, did I call that one correctly.  I've always been a fan of Miss Marvel, though I never got any issues of her solo run. I was first introduced to her in the pages of New Avengers and really discovered my love for her during the Spider-Man: Siege one-shot.  So, once I heard about this new title, I knew I had to get it. Written by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Captain Marvel is a great book about a great female lead.  I will admit, I tend to stay away from female-led books because they tend to only last a couple of arcs before being cancelled.  However, Captain Marvel is going to be one of those exceptions.  Not only is the book written superbly, but the art by new artist Dexter Soy is astounding.  I cannot be happier for trying out this book and I plan on following it for the long run.

Grade: A

Daredevil

Arguably the best book on the stands right now, Daredevil is the book that every seems to be loving, for good reasons.  Written by Mark Waid, this title has risen from the ashes that was Shadowland, which dismantled Daredevil and caused him to leave New York.  Not only has the title been written on an A+ level, but the book has been drawn by the best in the business. Initially, the book had personal favorite's Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin.  Soon after, both artists would leave the book but in return, the new main artist on the book is Chris Samnee.  When Chris was announced as the new ongoing artist, I was a little weary because I wasn't a huge fan of his based off his work on Ultimate Spider-Man. But he has quickly sky-rocketed towards the top of my favorite artist list.  Story-wise, I'm loving what Mark is doing with the book. He is making Matt seem like he's losing his mind, yet the reader knows that someone is behind it.  Though I'm not the biggest fan of the schism between Matt and Foggy, I'm loving this title so much.

Grade: A+

Batman: The Night of Owls

The finale of the year long Owl's arc in Batman, this arc was great.  Team Batman has been knocking this book out of the park.  This was the first DC book I've bought and it was like a gateway drug for me. I now buy Batman, Justice League, and will start buying Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Superman.  However, this post is about Batman. Dealing with a secret society of killers, Bats takes on the Court of Owls head on, taking them on not only in the Bat Cave, but also hunting them down in their own homes. Bats then faces off against Owlman, who turns out to be Lincoln March, claiming to be Bruce's younger brother who was given up to adoption when he was born.  Though Bruce denies it in the end, the initial shock of that claim was strong enough to make the reader think, realizing that this was the reason March and Bruce were drawn very similarly. Team Batman killed this arc and I believe they are the reason why I have rediscovered my love for Batman. I literally cannot wait for the Joker's return in "Death of the Family". I have not felt this excited for an arc of any comic more than I have this one. And I know that Team Batman will not disappoint.

Grade: A

Justice League: The Villain's Journey

Jim Lee returns to Justice League for possibly the last time in the arc "The Villain's Journey".  In an odd twist of fate, the author who wrote the book about them, Graves, is terminally ill and decides to take means into his own hands, going and getting some kind of twisted powers. In the beginning, the League are split up, with Green Lantern, Flash, and Wonder Woman taking on Weapons Master in Keystone City while Batman, Superman, and Cyborg take on the Key and a riot in Arkham Asylum. Both villains admit to be helping Graves, surprising the League. After regrouping and realizing that other villains are being involved, Graves arrives and attacks the League.  Graves reveals that he kidnapped Steve, which sets Wonder Woman off. Graves uses his powers to hurt them, using their loved ones for the pain. Eventually, Wonder Woman goes to blows with Green Lantern and, by extent, Superman. The League eventually discover where Graves got his powers and go there to stop him. Eventually, with the help of a still alive Steve, the League defeat Graves, who is sent to Belle Reeve. Back in Watchtower, Green Lantern quits the League with Flash possibly following, Aquaman challenges Batman for the role of leader of the League, and, elsewhere, Superman and Wonder Woman make out. Overall, I really enjoyed this arc, as it introduced a new villain to the Justice League's rogue gallery.  I really enjoyed Jim Lee's art on this arc and I'm really going to miss him on this title, though I am hoping that the rumors of him and Scott Snyder on a Superman title are true.  The only thing that I wasn't so hot for was the hookup between Supes and Wonder Woman. Though I have no problem with them dating, I will always be a Batman/Wonder Woman shipper, but that's just me being me. Overall, this was a really fun arc and I cannot wait for the next year in Justice League stories.

Grade: A-

The obvious missing entry on this review post is Avengers Vs. X-Men. The reason behind this is because I'm going to review the entire series when the finale comes out next month (plus it gives me a chance to reread them again).  Now, I am happy to talk about my next project that I'm going to do.  I am going to be tackling the 30 Days Comic Book Challenge, right here on the Random Blog as well as on the Random Blog twitter feed. For most of the days, I will be writing a blog post on the subject, though some days, it will just be a Twitter update, as I cannot write much about the topic or it is just a picture. This is going to be an interesting little project for me, as it will get me blogging more. During the challenge, I will be doing reviews, with more TV shows being brought into the mix.  Also, there is a chance that I will be writing Avenger here. What is Avenger, you might ask? Well, it is a potential comic book that I am plotting. Though it is in a very early stage (just the plots), I will possibly be posting the stories here, having the breaks where the issues would end. Avenger is something that I would love to get published one day, but I'm not sure if I ever will get the chance to have that happen, which is why I want to maybe post it here.

Alright, thanks for reading this massive blog post.  I'm going to have a review post on Wednesday and then, a day or two later, the Challenge begins. Comment or leave a Tweet if you like. I don't care either way.

Have a nice day!