Uncanny X-Periment # 160: Sisterhood

Uncanny X-Men # 506-512

The story kicks off with the Red Queen and the Sisterhood stealing Kwannon’s body.  They take the time/space displaced Pyslocke and put her into the rejuvenated body of Kwannon and hence, under the Red Queen’s control.

The Sisterhood attack the X-Men’s base in Marin and Maddie gets a lock of Jean’s hair to use to . . . uh . . . rejuvenate Jean’s body (right?  Does this make sense?).  Emma also gets a little visit from Jean whilst she is under psychic lock-down.  No real reason given.

Anyways, they over to the school to get Jean’s body from the grave.  Scott, Logan, and some other X-Men follow, but luckily, Domino happened to be in the area and she puts another body in Jean’s grave for Maddie.  Maddie is able to take over and rejuvenate Jean’s body and dies.

Meanwhile, the X-Men battle the Sisterhood in San Francisco.  Eventually, thanks to Dazzler, Psylocke returns to her normal body.  Uh, her original body.  Uh, I mean, the body that’s Japanese and really hot.

Then, the X-Club travels back in time and battle a Steampunk Sentinel and meet Doctor Nemesis’ parents.

Sisterhood sounds like a great idea – having Maddie Pryor as the Red Queen gather some of the vilest femme fatale Muties out there and lead them against the X-Men.  Sure, outside of the Mastermind girls and Chimera, the roster was very human-heavy.  But hey, we can let Lady Deathstrike in.  She has a score or ten to settle.  And Spiral, what the heck, she was in Freedom Force.  Even bringing Psylocke in?  Sure.

But it lost itself.  It was all wrapped to tightly.  It suffered from an over-abundance of dues ex machinas, like Elixir and Domino.  The story just didn’t do anything for me.  I didn’t care about anyone I was reading about.  Moments that should have been elaborated on are cut sadly short, such as Scott’s obvious feelings about Logan having a lock of Jean’s hair.   And the Red Queen, a very legitimate villain that seems to have been waiting in the wings for a while, was dismissed far too easily.

Worst of all?  The art.  Greg Land is terrible.  All of his characters look plastic and silly.  No one seems to fit into the scene.  He grabs random X-Men and shoves them in the background, while at the same time, making the main characters look excessively glamorous.  And at least three-fourths of each issue has at least one person inappropriately smiling per page.   At least.

Ultimately, I’m disappointed.  Story potential lost.  Characters muddled.   Shitty art. 

Oh yeah, the Steampunk issue . . . it was okay.  Nothing fantastic, despite my interest in Steampunk.  It was okay, but nothing to write home about.

Uncanny X-Periment # 159: War of Kings

Secret Invasion: War of Kings, X-Men: Kingbreaker # 1-4, War of Kings # 1-6

The Inhumans, fed up with being confronted by Skrull and Earth forces, head out into space to finally deal with deal with their enemies and embrace their destiny with the Kree.  They wipe out the retreating Skrull forces, then head to Hala, intercepting some Shi’ar ships on their way.  They arrive on Hala and Ronan the Accuser hands over the empire to Black Bolt and they all arrange a marriage of power between Ronan and Crystal.

Meanwhile, Marvel Girl, Korvus and Lilandria finally locate the Starjammers.  They go to rescue the Starjammers just as they themselves break free.  A battle ensues, of course, during which Deathbird is gravely injured and Phoenix Force leaves both Korvus and Rachel.  The Starjammers flee and head to Kree space.  The Inhumans allow them to take refuge on Hala – however, the Imperial Guard strikes Hala during the wedding, injuring Ronan and taking Lilandria back to Shi’ar space.  Open war breaks out between the Kree and Shi’ar.

Vulcan is talked out of killing Lilandria by Gladiator and Admiral Ka’Ardum, as she would serve a martyr for those that still supported her.  Vulcan stays his hand and focuses on both the expansion of the empire and the war.  Soon after, the Starjammers and the Guardians of the Galaxy rescue Lilandria.  Gladiator eventually turns his back on the throne and pledges himself to her.  With Vulcan on the frontlines, Lilandria, the Starjammers, and Gladiator return to the Shi’ar homeworld to reclaim the throne.

However, her arrival is met with a riot between supporters for her and Vulcan.  Akkari and the Death Commandos arrive and the conflict grows.  Darkhawk, one of the last members of a warrior clan that was created to serve the empire and now backs Vulcan, manages to kill Lilandria.  Riots overtake the homeworld.  Gladiator is soon seen as the true source of power on the planet and the Shi’ar declare him emperor.

Meanwhile the Inhumans create the ultimate weapon – a sonic-powered version of the Terragin Mists.  It would give all the Shi’ar powers and make them equals, thus making the war moot.  Vulcan learns of this and intercepts Black Bolt and the weapon.  Black Bolt manages to defeat Vulcan just as Crystal and Lockjaw arrive.  Crystal, angry that the weapon is being used this way instead of helping the evolutionary-impared Kree, comes to Black Bolt’s rescue.  Unfortunately, just as they are teleporting away, Vulcan returns and attacks Black Bolt.   The weapon overloads and the power inside rips a hole in time and space, called the Rift – and it also takes out most of the Shi’ar military.  The Inhumans and Kree declare a very costly victory . . .

This was epic.  Having taken an interest in recent cosmic events, this was one was perhaps the best.  It actually has caused major change in the Marvel Universe, (hopefully) forever altering the political and geographic landscape of the cosmic world. 

Lilandria’s death was very brutal and I’m very disappointed to see a lack of follow-up.  But at the same time, it was nice to have things wrapping up in space.  Vulcan’s dead; Polaris, Havok, and Marvel Girl are headed back home; and the Shi’ar Empire is a mess.  Again. 

It definitely left me wanting more.

Uncanny X-Periment # 158: Dark Reign

Uncanny X-Men # 504-505, Secret Invasion: Dark Reign, Uncanny X-Men Annual: Emma Frost, Uncanny X-Men # 506-507, Dark Avengers # 1, Wolverine: Origins # 33-40

Norman Osborne is running the show now.  As Emma begins to understand that Scott is keeping secrets, she goes off and joins the Cabal alongside the like of Namor, Doom, Osborne, Hood, and Loki.  It’s pretty cool to see them all together and certainly makes me wishes they had just gone off and fought the Illuminati.  Oh well.

While they’re in the city, she and Namor head off and snag Shaw for crimes Shaw helped commit to Atlantis back in the day.  Shaw is then taken prisoner by Emma Frost and is held in the X-Men’s basement/brig.  Meanwhile, word breaks that Cooperstown was wiped out due to a Mutant being born there.  Former Mutants show up at the compound looking for refuge.

Colossus, to help clear his head, goes off and joins a Russian mob and eventually finds some former mutants who had been brought to America illegally as slave labor and hookers.  Colossus takes them back to the compound, and then he and Emma stomp the mob.

Meanwhile, Maddie is gathering together a Sisterhood which includes Spiral and a being-repaired Lady Deathstrike. 

As this occurs, Beast and Archangel begin to assemble the X-Club, including Doctor Nemesis, Box, and Doctor Yurkio Takiguchi.  They fight Godzilla-lit.

Back in New York City, Osborne assembles his Avengers – Sentry, Ares, Spider-Man (Venom), Marvel Boy, Ms. Marvel (Moonstone), Hawkeye (Bullseye), Wolverine (Daken), and himself, the Iron Patriot.  Nick Fury goes to Logan in a bar about this.  In exchange for information about Daken, Fury promises information about the Weapon X Project.  Logan agrees.

Fury reveals that Logan’s mother was part of the Hudson family – a name that’s been haunting him for years (honestly, it’s insanely complicated – head over to UncannyXmen.net for a better and fuller review).  One of the Hudsons fathered three sons: the Weapon X Professor; Victor Hudson; and James Hudson, the Alpha Flight guy.  The Hudsons have been the pawns of Romulus for generations.  Weapon X was eventually built to control Wolverine and make him better.  Stronger.  And when Wolverine joined the X-Men, Romulus focused his attention on Daken.

Daken is looking to get a hold of the Muramasa Blade and use it become the next Weapon X.  Using his place as an Avenger, he draws Cyclops and the X-Men to New York.  Frost confronts Osborne about calling Daken off, but he claims to not know what he’s up to.  Daken fights the X-Men and (eventually) Wolverine and beats ‘em.  The swords breaks and Daken takes part of it.  Cyclops gives the sword back to Wolverine, damning his mission.

Fury tracks down the Tinkerer, who uses the sword to lace Daken’s claws ala Wolverine.  Wolverine goes after Daken, but is confronted by Victor Hudson.  They fight for a while and Wolverine tracks Hudson to a train.  This train leads him to Daken, who reveals that Romulus is on the train.  Wolverine tells Daken that he let Romulus go to save him.  Daken stabs Logan and leaves.

Wolverine tracks the train and Victor Hudson and he is eventually led to a prison in Russia, where he finds the recovered Carbonadium Synthesizer – and Omega Red.  They fight for a while before Omega Red gets taken down and Wolverine leaves.  Injured, Wild Child shows up to finish him off.   Wild Child tells Wolverine that the past few events have been a competition of sorts to find Romulus’ successor.  All that’s left are the two of them, Daken, Cyber, and Omega Red.  Wolverine, of course, gets the advantage of Wild Child and kills him.  Two days later, he gets a package from Black Widow: the Muramasa Blade.  He uses this to kill Omega Red and then finds himself face-to-face with Romulus himself.  They fight, Wolverine eventually loses, and Romulus leaves him to continue to be tested.

We’ll start with Wolverine Origins portion first.  I liked that Way has found a way to bring in the X-Men and the current state of the Marvel Universe that progresses the story.  While I’m not completely fond of the overall Origins story, I found this to be a nice step forward and it’s great to have some momentum going.  Romulus was a major disappointment overall and I’m actually wondering if he was supposed to be from the beginning.

The X-Men stuff . . . hmm . . . well, I liked the X-Club even though they’re pretty snotty.  I liked that Emma and Scott both have secrets and it’s creating tension between them.  I like that stuff.  But I’m not excited by any of the subplots.  The lack of focus and clarity on the characters harms the issues.  I’m not pleased with the way Cyclops just told Colossus to “hit something and get better.”  The scene where Nightcrawler and Colossus were going to sit down and talk was something I was anticipating – and then Cyclops walks in with Emma and they act like snobby assholes towards him.  Like I said, I’m not impressed.

The Uncanny Return

Those few that follow this blog should be interested in this bit of news -- the actual Uncanny X-Periment will be returning very shortly!

Basically, after the January 2008 release of "Messiah Complex," the X-Periment slowly began to come to a halt.  A lot of this had to do with needing to keep to up with current books.  As you can imagine, getting stories into chronological order as they're being released is very difficult.  Plus, family and financial demands had slowed my ability to get anything done.

So that being said, I feel I'm in a place where I can start up-dating again.   I still have some back-issue catching up to do, but my goal is to be done at AvsX by the end of the year.   I know this seems awfully silly, but I'm the sole provider for a family of four and I need to make sure that my money is going to my family first.   December 2013 seems like a solid goal for this.

Now, I want to lay down some ground rules.  First and foremost, some clarification.   In the beginning, the Uncanny X-Periment's goal was to focus only on the core X-Men titles -- Uncanny X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, X-Men (Legacy/New), and X-Treme X-Men (Volume One).  We would go and focus on the spin-off titles only when it's a critical story and/or would lead into or affect the core X-Men narrative.  A good example of this is the ramp-up to "Operation: Zero Tolerance."  Because of Jubilee getting kidnapped by Bastian and playing a semi-large role in the crossover, it was important to include issues of Generation X. 

Things have certainly changed in the past few years, as using the name "X-Men" to just about any X-related title seems to be the current trend.   I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all; it's just that we need to kinda determine which ones I'm  going to stick with and which I'm not.

To that end, here's what will be focused on, pre-AvsX:

- Wolverine and the X-Men
- Uncanny X-Men

Uncanny X-Force, X-Men Legacy, Astonishing X-Men, and, uh, other X-Men will receive some of the spotlight.   But these titles will mostly be regulated to the aforementioned, "spin-off" status that the actual spin-offs occupied before.  Don't worry -- key stories such as "The Dark Angel Saga" and "Age of X" will still be covered.  Just not every story will be covered.  This is mainly due to financial reasons, but also because I don't want to go insane from having to figure out how these all fit into the overall chronological narrative.

So, post-AvsX and NOW! titles will (tenatively) include:

- Wolverine and the X-Men
- Uncanny X-Men
- All-New X-Men
- Uncanny Avengers

Astonishing X-Men, X-Men Legacy,  X-Treme X-Men (Volume 2), Cable and X-Force, and Uncanny X-Force will not be included, unless we come across a critical event or storyline.  I will probably pick up some of the trades or back issues as time progresses, but we'll see.  This is another reason why I'm sticking with just getting to AvsX this year.  X-Men X-Men (the all girl team) hasn't come yet, but I haven't made up my mind about it.

My logic behind just picking those four title is pretty clear: Wolverine and the X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, and All-New X-Men focuses on the central X-Men team(s) and continues the core narrative of the X-Men's universe.   Uncanny Avengers is a pretty cool experiment unto itself - I like the idea of Xavier's dream in practice.  It feels like the "big story" title, which the biggest and hottest Marvel stories will be told.  It should be interesting.

With all this being  said, it's important to note that there will be, eventually, I hope, non-X-Periment X-Men posts made here.  Possibly.  If I have the time.

Suggestions, arguments, disagreements, complaints, thoughts, theories, criticisms, please feel free to share!

OOPS

Sorry things kinda fell apart.

Mrs W and I had a baby . . . about two months before she was supposed to be here.  So we're dealing with our new baby in the NICU and all that.  On top of that, my adapter died, so I couldn't access my laptop for a while.  Well, until last Friday.

All this being said, I will be up-dating this blog on as regular a basis as possible.  

I hope.

A Comic A Day # 10 -- Avengers Infinity # 1 - 4

Avengers Infinity # 1-4

Quasar discovers that a Rigillian colony has been destroyed – its population mysteriously wiped out.  He finds Jack O’Hearts in a coma state and then proceeds to contact the Avengers for help.  Instead of the team currently lead by Wasp, Quasar brings together Photon, Moondragon, Thor, Starfox, and Tigra.  They regroup on the Rigel colony and Moondragon scans Jack’s mind to discover who was behind the attack – creatures called Servitors, minions of the mysterious Infinities.

The Avengers battle the Servitors, but are forced to retreat when Photon discovers that they are breaking the world down.   The Avengers shove off at just the right second.  A much larger being appears and begins to reshape the planet into a cylinder.   The Avengers attempt to enter the being to understand what it’s doing, but Photon gets trapped.  The Avengers mount a rescue – but as they do, other beings with other worlds-turned-cylinders show up and link them forming a giant.

Then the hand of the true Infinite appears to grab hold the ring, to pull all of the stars of the galaxy away to form a weird wall.   To combat the Infinites, the Avengers contact Eternity and enlist him in stopping the Infinites.   Eternity channels the Avengers, proving to the Infinities that the universe contains worlds that rife with diverse and prominent life-forms.  The Infinities realize the error of their ways and stop what they’re doing.   The colony world is reformed and an Infinite dies to restore the world ecology.

I absolutely loved this mini-series.  It was more fun than I’ve had in some time with Avengers, to be honest.   The dialogue is snappy.   The themes of humanity vs cosmic beings is laid out well.  I love the idea of size being such a big selling point for this series – the comparison of ants that Thor goes on about.   It might be about the cosmic aspects of the Marvel Universe, but it illustrates the relationship with the tiny beings (we humans) with the amazing massive (the Infinites).   It works really well.

I also enjoyed Photon being in command.   The way she talks to Thor is amazing.   Her closeness with Tigra, the uneasiness with Moondragon, and her familiarity with Quasar and Jack all help Monica steal the show.

A Comic A Day # 9 -- Avengers/Thunderbolts

Avengers # 31

The Avengers are contacted by the Vision, who has learned that the crime organization the Maggia are meeting in Chicago.  Having completed some training and some inconclusive medical scans on Hank, the Avengers head out and meet with up with Vision.   They ambush the Maggia, whose ranks include Madame Masque, and find that the group is trying to be united by the Grim Reaper.   A battle ensues, with all but three of the crime bosses being captured.  Grim Reaper tries to use Madame Masque as a bargaining chip, but she explodes (!) and the Reaper escapes

I liked this issue a lot.  It was great to see Vision back in the saddle and I enjoyed his dialogue with Wanda.   The tension between Duane and Tony and the others is a little hard to deal with and I’m hoping to see a break-through soon.   While their first outing was unexciting, this new team really shined in this mission.  I’m actually excited to see what’s next!  But first, off to Thunderbolts # 42 to find out what happened to Simon . . .

Thunderbolts # 42

Atlas, wallowing in his misery, is suddenly attacked by Wonder Man.  The two of them duke it out.  Atlas tries to talk villain-in-hiding Man-killer into helping, but she laughs at him and runs away.  The other Thunderbolts get involved, but just as Wonder Man is taking Atlas away.  Hawkeye decides to contact the Avengers.

Also, a lot of other things are going that I don’t understand nor do I think matter.   These flashbacks hurt my head.

Um, well, this issue was fun.   Maybe it’s just my mood, but I enjoyed it.   Now, I did skip over all of the weird, confusing, inconclusive flashback stuff.   It just didn’t make any sense.  The Wonder Man vs Atlas fight, on the hand, was cool.  Bagley’s art is always a pleasure to look at it.

Avengers # 32

She-Hulk leaves the Avengers now that Vision is back.   On her way out, Black Widow shows up with a coin given to her a while ago by a robot kidnapping Masque, a Madame Masque clone-thing that joined the Avengers back in the crazy days of the mid-90s (but she doesn’t have a jacket, so she was spared that).   As Iron Man and Black Widow try and uncover Madame Masque’s location, Triathlon makes it clear to Jonathan Tremont that his Avengers responsibilities take precedence.  Eventually, the Avengers track down Grim Reaper, who is about to attack Madame Masque’s butte (not butt) and fisticuffs follow.   Madame Masque launches her own attack – but it’s all interrupted by the arrival of Count Nefaria, who has Wonder Man and Atlas in tow!

While the last issue was a breeze, this one stumbled.  She-Hulk, who had been such a fun character, leaves.  It’s disappointing.  I do like the arrival of Black Widow, though.  And there are some great scenes – like Vision’s awkwardly asking Carol out and Triathlon giving Tremont attitude.  But Madame Masque acts like a complete and total nutjob and the constant flashbacks are just out of control.  Sometimes, it’s okay to just tell a story without having to show us everything that’s come before.  On the other hand, maybe Madame Masque needed this issue to just help clarify her history.  I dunno.

Thunderbolts # 43

Black Widow goes to the Thunderbolts headquarters and recruits the Thunderbolts in sneaking into Baron Zemo Sr’s old base.  The Maggia are looking for information regarding Ionic Energy or some such.  They encounter Cyclone and fight it out.  They quickly learn that this is all moot; Count Nefaria has apparently used all of this information all ready and has used to take control of Wonder Man and Atlas.

Also, other things happen that don’t make sense.

Thunderbolts is a dense read.  Aside from the story that’s going on, there’s about five or six other subplots running around that just don’t have any interest or relevance for me.   It’s difficult to follow under the best of circumstances and I think read as part of an Avengers crossover, it becomes a chore.  So I skip that stuff.  Ultimately, though, this issue just feels pointless.  There was no real reason for it other than to crossover to Avengers.  The Thunderbolts did nothing important other than confirm that they were too late.  There’s very little to the Black Widow/Hawkeye meeting.   It’s a snooze-a-thon.

Avengers # 33

The Avengers, Count Nefaria, Grim Reaper, and Madame Masque’s forces all battle it out in front of Madame Masque’s butte.   Madame Masque believes it’s all a ruse to lure her out into the open, but as the battle because heated, she questions that scenario.  Egged on by Masque, she initiates an evacuation.  Count Nefaria has Atlas and Wonder Man destroy the butte and captures Madame Masque.  The Avengers interviene, and Count Nefaria eventually decides to book it with his ionically controlled minions in tow.  The Avengers regroup at the mansion with Grim Reaper in shackles and Madame Masque being interrogated.  She and Tony have a few moments where he tries to convince her to help them.  Soon after this, the Thunderbolts and Black Widow call in, claiming they’ve found evidence that Count Nefaria is out to build a huge Ionic Bomb!

I’ll say off the bat, I’m not a fan of Count Nefaria and Madame Masque.   I did like the appearance of Masque, as I never quite understood this character.  I did also like the moment between Tony and Madame Masque.  It wasn’t a terrible issue, but it wasn’t a homerun either.  

Busiek does a good job of making Count Nefaria into a dangerous threat.  Madame Masque, for all her paranoia and a little whacky for me, calms down as the issue goes on.  It was okay.

Thunderbolts # 44

The Avengers and the Thunderbolts meet up at the mansion and discuss their recent missions.  Captain America and She-Hulk rejoin them for this mission. Madame Masque, Doctor Malus (captured by the Thunderbolts), Goliath, and Iron Man proceed to build a weapon to stop the Ionic Bomb, called the Ionic Lock.  The two teams them locate Count Nefaria and engage Atlas and Wonder Man.   This eventually leads to Iron Man using the Ionic Lock on them and changing them back into their human forms.  Suddenly, though Count Nefaria shows up and activates his bomb.  The Ionic Lock, surprisingly, doesn’t work.

This felt like just another installment in this crossover.  I’m really clueless regarding the Thunderbolts, so that stuff is completely lost on me.   But I did enjoy the suggestion that Songbird and Mach-2 could be Avengers.  I also loved the scene where Cap tells Clint he’s proud of him for standing by the Thunderbolts and keeping with his convictions.  Beyond that, this was rather ho-hum.

I did want to comment on the rather pointless appearance by She-Hulk and, to a certain extent, Cap.  She-Hulk’s absence from the team lasted one full issue and now she’s back.  Cap, on the other hand, was back just a little bit ago and seems to really just pop in whenever he felt like it.  With the rigidity of the Avengers membership early in the series, things have certainly become more relaxed.

Avengers # 34

The Avengers and the Thunderbolts duke it out with Count Nefaria, trying to wear him out.   Masque then emerges, but is quickly killed by Count Nefaria.   Madame Masque, in shock over her father’s ruthless killing of a woman that she could have been, fires the Ionic Lock at the Count Nefaria.  It hurts him enough for him to leak Ionic energy and the Avengers and Thunderbolts pile it out.   Meanwhile, Wonder Man and Atlas wake up and have to race the bomb into space.  The bomb explodes and the pair have to absorb its energy.  Count Nefaria goes after them, but explodes with power and is defeated.  Madame Masque escapes, Count Nefaria has been defeated, the Ionic guys are safe, and the Avengers and the Thunderbolts leave on good terms.

Except Yellowjacket just spotted his wife on TV . . .

An excellent conclusion to an otherwise uneven story.  Busiek does an amazing job making Count Nefaria into a real, impossible to beat bad guy.  I loved seeing the good guys just pour it on him – and not take him down!  I also enjoyed the scenes with Madame Masque and it saved the character for me.

I Suck at Up-Dates

Sorry guys.  I'm having trouble getting this thing up-dated.  Friday night, we had no internet.  Saturday and today has been occupied by family things.  I will have a big up-date for you tomorrow, because even though I've been sucking at up-dates, I've been reading everyday.  Trust me.

A Comic A Day # 8 -- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe # 1

Meanwhile, in another He-Man canon . . .

Adam, a simple woodsman, has dreams of being a hero of good and fighting evil enemies.  Every morning, he wakes up to the same reality - his father is a dying, confused old man and Adam himself is a woodsman.   But after a few visits from a falcon who Adam realizes is named Zoar, he comes to terms with the fact that he must act on these dreams.  Leaving his father in the care of a neighbor, Adam leaves the woods.  He encounters Beast-Man, who tells him to return, but Adam scrapes with him and wins!  Beast-Man whimpers back to Skeletor, who wants everyone to know -- Adam must be stopped!

***

This issue is mainly just set-up for the first of the series.  It took me a few reads to enjoy it.  After the greatness of MVC comics in the early 2000s, I had some high expectations for this one.   I think once I got over the drastic changes, it made for a better read.

I'm curious to see how this saga unfolds.  I like that Adam is the central figure, not He-Man.   That this is a heroic quest to become He-Man again, not just an origin.  I like that Skeletor is clearly in charge.  There's a lot to like.

I'm not the biggest Phillip Tan fan, but the art isn't that bad.  Beast-Man looks different, but a far less departure than the '87 movie.   Skeletor is imposing.  Adam is scrawny, which I really like.   He looks like just a woodsman.  Nice and simple.

Eternia doesn't exactly pop for me.  The backgrounds lack the exotic texture of Eternia from all of its previous incarnations and I hope that changes.

Overall, not a bad start at all.

A Comic A -- WHOOPS!

Sorry everyone.   Didn't get a chance to write up my review blurp yesterday.   Mrs. W is preggers and some times, that takes precedence.    That being said, I'll hopefully have TWO reviews for y'all tonight!  Thanks!

A Comic A Day # 7 -- Avengers Annual 2000

Patsy Walker (aka Hellcat) goes on TV and talks about her experiences, including her recent return to life.  Her ol' pal Heddy then shows up and drags her back to Centerville, which we reveal has been turned into an amusement park -- being run by the Sons of the Serpent and the Salem Seven.   Hellcat reaches out to Moondragon, who assemebles the only available Avengers (Cap, Iron Man, and Scarlet Witch) along with Hawkeye and Songbird.   The team goes to Centerville, fight the bad guys, and then get captured.  Heddy saves the day and the Avengers depart, leaving Hellcat happily in Centerville.

***

This felt really pointless, other than to establish the Hellcat is back.  The bad guys were dull, the Avengers felt disposable (though I liked the nod to Avengers Forever) and the art was bad.

That's all I really have to say about that, I guess.

A Comic A Day # 6 -- Masters of the Univeser Minicomic # 2 of 3

Does a mini-comic count as a comic?  It does today!

In the previous issue, Adam/He-Man was taken back into the past by the Sorceress (whose role has been taken up by Teela).  His mission was to uncover the secret to defeating the Snake-Men.   Upon arriving (and being followed by Skeletor), He-Man took on a disguise and battled some Snake-Men.

In this issue, He-Man is recruited by He-Ro to join in the war with the Snake-Men.  Join by King Grayskull and a host of other Preternian heroes, He-Man and the gang engaged the Snake-Men at the Great Towers.  During this battle, Hordak arrives and threatens King Hsss with the Spell of Spereation.  The Snake-Men retreat and He-Man realizes that this is the key to defeating the Snake-Men.   Hordak proceeds to fight King Grayskull and He-Ro.  He-Ro dies and passes the uber powerful Sword of He to King Grayskull.  King Grayskull fights Hordak and lops off his hand.  Meanwhile, with He-Man fighting Skeletor, Eldor sinks the Great Towers, effectively ending the battle.  He-Ro is laid to rest and a castle is built in his honor.  He-Man then departs of the present with Skeletor in tow, saying "Good journey" to King Grayskull.

These mini-comics have been fun and nostalgic, but seriously lack the depth I would rather see.  It's need to see He-Ro, He-Man and King Grayskull in action.   Hordak and King Hsss add some fun to the mix.  Skeletor, as always, brings his own agenda and we see that get spoiled.   The art is excellent and the script conveys a lot.

But we get moments.  We don't get an all out, in-depth story.  It's just a quick flash of art and story points, with very few moments of characterization.   I understand the constraints, however, and for what it is, I can live with it.   I'll certainly looking forward to the next one, that's for sure!

A Comic A Day # 5 -- Legends of the Dark Knight # 1

Woo!  Batman!   Also, joining us today, is a guest reviewer, the lovely Mrs. W!  Her review will be after mine.   I thought it would be interesting to get an "outsiders" point of view every now and then.  So, without further ado . . .

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 1

We open up with a young Bruce Wayne teaming up with a bounty hunter to catch a criminal in the northern Alaska mountains.   However, the criminal gets the better of them, kills the bounty hunter, and attacks Bruce.  Bruce outsmarts him and fights back, but the criminal falls to his death and takes Bruce's coat and supplies with him.  Delusion, freezing, and exhausted, Bruce nearly dies, but is rescued by some Indians.  They tell him the story of healing and he eventually recovers.   He leaves Alaska and returns to Gotham to start his war on crime.  His first night goes wrong (as detailed "Batman: Year One"), but his second one goes well.  He attacks some thugs breaking into Leslie Thompkins clinic and proceed to try and kidnap a pregnant woman.  Batman stops them, but the women calls Batman "Chubala!" and kills herself.  But why?

***

My Review:

I really enjoyed the issue.   It serves as an excellent bridge between Wayne's pre-Batman days and his career as a crimefighter.  The story takes a moment to touch on the origins of Batman, and does the right thing by not pounding away at all the overly familar imagery (thanks in part to Frank Miller, whose "Year One" takes place within the general timeframe of this one).

This issue mainly serves as set-up.  We see Bruce's beginnings, his endeavors to be the Dark Knight.  We see him become the Batman, almost literally.  We, as the reader, are drawn the line between Bruce's time with the Indians, his transformation into Batman, and the possibility of a connection between the suicide and imagery of the bat.

The art fit well and provided plenty of detail and made it all look very grounded.  Looking forward to issue two!

***

Mrs W's Review:

 As far as Batman origins/early year stories go, this one is more of the same. All of the basics are covered; you’ve got Bruce somewhere exotic and dangerous, being mentored by some coot with wilderness or survival skills as they face up against an off brand of homicidal maniac.  The only real unique take I can see in this comic was the origin of the “bat” persona that Bruce adopts, giving it some ancient tribal flair rather than relating it to the bats beneath Wayne Manor. The mention of Selena Kyle as a hooker was amusing, but other than that you have the same old story that even casual Batman fans know so well. The ending of this comic, however, took a somewhat disturbing twist that perhaps can at least pique your interest long enough to see what the writers have in store for issue two.