wktf
04-29-2010, 10:17 AM
Dawg’s Review
Invincible Iron Man #25
Marvel Comics
Written by: Matt Fraction
Drawn by: Salvador Larroca
A double sized issue of Iron Man goodness. I have mixed feelings about this issue. I think it was the usual quality fare turned in by Fraction on this title, but it feels as if lately there is an awful lot of talking heads from left to right in the pages of this book. It feels like there was twice as much of it actually given the extra pages.
Tony Stark has a lot to atone and answer for. His company is broke. His memories only go back to when he last backed up his brain right after he acquired the Extremis formula and armor. He doesn’t remember anything that occurred during the Civil War, he doesn’t remember Norman Osborn being in power, which is the very reason he deleted his brain in the first place. There is a metaphor in here somewhere for “save early, save often” I just know it.
Given that Tony is unable to remember his “sins”, you would figure this would be Fraction’s “out” in making everything peachy between Tony and the other heroes that he has wronged, especially his friends in the Avengers Captain America ad Thor especially. I will give mad props to Fraction though because he does not use this as an excuse and Tony is unflinching admitting to his mistakes and yet saying he’d do it all over again because he felt it was the right choice.
This comes to a head when Thor comes to pay Tony a visit. Thor flat out asks Tony if he is not the same person he was before and if indeed he doesn’t remember his questionable decisions. The Thunder God tells Tony that while they are not done working out their issues by a long shot, they still are friends and if Tony needs money he can take whatever he needs from the coffers of Asgard. Tony refuses but is thankful. He wants to make his money back his own way using his massive brain.
As a side note, if I was loving Salvador’s art in this issue, that completely came to a halt the moment I saw his rendition of Thor. Speaking as a Thor geek, I absolutely hated it. Thor looks to be about 5’11 when standing next to Tony and his build is that of a normal man. It is NOT a good look for the God of Thunder and completely put me off to this whole scene as I couldn’t stop focusing on the art rather than what should have been an epic confrontation/talk.
Tony sets off to see Reed Richards and discuss his options for a new suit of armor now that his Extremis brain has been rebooted and is actually functioning even better. When Tony deleted his brain, it wiped out most of the man himself actually. The repulsor tech that is in his chest now functions as a rechargeable power supply equivalent of a star. Imagine that feeding the pipeline of your brain and you realize how much more advanced and powerful Tony’s newest suit will truly be.
The military meanwhile is excited that Tony is back to help them develop more defense weapons. They are quite sorry to see that Stark has no interest in weapons now that he has a new lease on life yet again. This in turn makes Justine Hammer’s offer to develop weapons for them a bit more palatable. Only problem is, she’ll give the designs to the highest bidder even if it means terrorists.
On top of all of that plot, we finally get to briefly see Tony’s new armor in the last few pages as an enraged Pepper Potts leaves him behind because in typical Stark fashion… for every act of good, there’s usually an act of scoundrel proportions behind it.
So I will say it was a quality issue, but at times getting through Larroca’s talking head stuff is hard. You can even see a couple of “copy and paste panels” where he re-uses his own art. I mentioned before, I though his depiction of Thor was awful and in fact I think this issue really exposed his new “referenced” style a bit too much. There wasn’t a lot of life to it given that we see 32 pages or however many of Tony’s head and shoulders, Pepper’s head and shoulders, Thor’s head and shoulders, Justine Hammer, some General, Rhodey, etc… head and shoulders… finally at the end… the armor.
That boys and girls makes it tougher to get through a book regardless of how engaging the story is… which it was. It’s still a great book, just not my favorite issue. It is my hope that this will kick off the next arc and once again dazzle as it usually does.
Wktf’s Reviews
New Avengers #64
Marvel Comics
Written: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Mike McKone
Cover by: Stuart Immonen
This was quite the week for Siege tie-ins and, with all these books telling different perspectives on the same story, I have to say I’m feeling some confusion about a couple of points. I’m really not sure where within these reviews to voice these but I’ll start here with Loki. First, though, the core of this book isn’t so much about The New Avengers themselves, with the exception of resolving the Clint/Bobi cliffhanger from the end of last issue, as it is about The Hood/Osborn/Loki triumvirate with special focus on The Hood. We know that the power loss The Hood suffered at the hands of Dormamu was subsequently replaced by Loki through his gift of the Norn Stones. These ancient rune stones not only reempowered The Hood but have allowed him to augment the power of his super villain gang. Osborn, having learned of The Hood’s good fortune seeks an audience with his lieutenant and evidence of his good fortune. And it’s here that McKone, whose art I’ve loved since his work years ago on Fantastic Four, really shines. This meeting is full of shadows and mystical lights, and McKone manages to make both villains seem supernaturally evil just by the way he plays the light reflecting off both mens’ eyes through the murky shadows of their surroundings. Very cinematic.
But in short order the scene switches to the Siege battle proper and the focus shifts to The Hood and his new squeeze, Madame Masque. But, of course, in the heat of battle Parker learns that any gift from Loki comes at a price. And that price is enacted at a moment that seems most uncharacteristic as the god of mischief actually implores the good graces of his deceased father to shift the tide of battle against The Void, comparing one panel with The Avengers on the prior page to a second panel of them on this page, in a most unexpected way. Not only is Loki’s action unexpected, which in and of itself may yet be explained, but it presents a wholly different scenario with Loki seen both in Mighty Avengers and in the pages of Thor. I don’t know if this is a timing issue or simply an editorial oversight but it’s certainly distracting from what should be a cohesive set of stories around the main event.
Regardless, things go especially badly for The Hood and Whitney and their escape is equally as cinematic as the opening scenes with Parker and Osborn, except this time I’m reminded of Bonnie and Clyde. It’s looking like this title’s going to finish out next issue with a resolution to The Hood’s story. Maybe. But for this issue, aside from the weirdness going on with Loki, it’s got more jump an energy as a side story than any of the Siege satellite issues to-date. Bendis really knows how to take characters and make them his own, as he did with Luke Cage and he’s now done with The Hood. And McKone’s art is as crisp and sharp as ever. A real reading pleasure.
Siege: Secret Warriors #1
Marvel Comics
Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Drawn by: Alessandro Vitti
Cover by: Marko Djurdjevic
The single best of the Siege One Shots is right here with a dual story of Phobos on the one hand and a team up of Nick Fury and Captain America on the other. To start with Phobos, the Greek god of fear and son of Ares, god of war, we know from the Siege storyline that Fury has denied Phobos’ joining his Secret Warriors as they and Cap’s rag-tag team of Avengers joined the battle against Osborn in Broxton. But we also know the most shocking moment of Siege was the absolutely brutal slaying of Ares at the hands of The Sentry. What, many of us wondered, will Phobos’ reaction be to this? Here’s where we find out.
Hickman who, frankly, shocked me with his stellar inaugural issue of S.H.I.E.L.D. a couple of weeks ago given how baffled I am with his Fantastic Four work, takes us inside Alex’s head and even his memories of this father to bring us full circle back to the present and an intensely angry and determined stare. Vitti’s art is really stunning, evoking the sensibilities of Coipel in the opening scene, Scott Kollins in the scenes with Fury and Cap, but Barry Windsor Smith in a serious way as we see Alex and Ares together on a hilltop overlooking a sunrise. The different styles really seem to work and suit the scenes for which they’ve been deployed. And the scenes of Phobos in action, essentially wearing the mantle of god of war, is something to behold. He has a message he wants to deliver to the “Mortal Head of State,” and deliver it he does. In spades.
To the second story element, running in parallel with the first, it’s a total geek moment to once again see Nick Fury and Captain America in battle together. But again, we readers are given an inconsistent treatment of Fury between this issue and in New Avengers, just as with Loki in New Avengers, Might Avengers and Thor. Plus, the little interlude in the battle when Nick decides to take a break and hit the sauce and reminisce a bit with Cap seems startlingly out of place. Still, I found myself devouring these pages as I flipped forward, wondering what was going to happen with Phobos and really feeling Fury and Cap directly to Osborn. Frankly, the one page with Fury’s little message to Osborn and their back and forth dialogue alone was worth the price of this issue. My pick of the week.
Thor #609
Marvel Comics
Written by: Kieron Gillen
Drawn by: Billy Tan & Rich Elson
Cover by: Mico Suayan
Once again we are given an issue of Thor without the title even in evidence within these pages. But that’s alright because we are again treated to a spotlight on Thor’s stellar supporting cast. One of the deepest and most versatile supporting casts in all of superhero comics. As we all know, The Sentry has toppled Asgard and, fortunately for voluminous Volstagg, the very base of the Eternal City has come down on top of Ragnarok, the cloned version of Thor from Civil War that was dealing all kinds of hurt on the Lion of Asgard. Indeed, this vile clone is nowhere to be seen in this issue.
Instead, we focus on Baldar who has led Asgard since exiling Thor for the unwitting killing of his grandfather, Bor. It seems that Baldar has made one wrong move after another over these last several months. First banishing Thor and then bringing his people to Latveria only to have had many of them butchered for Doom’s sinister purposes. The master manipulator, Loki, fresh from his Siege One-Shot visit with Mephisto and Hela, seeks to play on Baldar’s doubts to make him give up the throne for a new Asgardian order. Fortunately, the clear eyes of Heimdall, Baldar’s strong heart, and the loyalty of Asgard to their new king force clarity on the trickster’s motives. Tyr himself, the Asgardian god of war, knows who must rally the broken and scattered forces of Asgard. And, exhibiting abilities I’ve not seen Baldar use in more than 40 year of reading Thor, Baldar does just that in the most impressive of ways.
Running in parallel is the resolution to the conflict with HAMMER’s forces and Fair Kelda who, had come to visit her murdered but beloved Bill’s parents. Though having given up in her grief, Kelda finds new strength throught the touching words of Bill’s mother as well as the helping fists of that voluminous Lion of Asgard once again. These last several months, the formerly cowardly Volstagg has been replaced by a genuinely selfless and brave hero who is beginning to find his way in the mortal world. And one of the cops he’s befriended seriously reminds me of Andy Sipowicz from NYPDBlue. As such, I can’t help but like him a lot and hope we see more of him in later months. Next month promises a conclusion to this storyline and all its moving parts. I think I’m most interested in how, if at all, Loki gets his just deserts beyond the serious beating and expulsion he received this issue at Baldar’s hands. The frenetic pace, powerful characters, stellar storytelling and consistently strong art by Tan (and here augmented by Elson in Kelda’s scenes), not to mention the much appreciated consistent monthly publishing schedule, has made Thor the title to buy whether you’re looking for Siege tie-ins or just plain great comics.
Invincible Iron Man #25
Marvel Comics
Written by: Matt Fraction
Drawn by: Salvador Larroca
A double sized issue of Iron Man goodness. I have mixed feelings about this issue. I think it was the usual quality fare turned in by Fraction on this title, but it feels as if lately there is an awful lot of talking heads from left to right in the pages of this book. It feels like there was twice as much of it actually given the extra pages.
Tony Stark has a lot to atone and answer for. His company is broke. His memories only go back to when he last backed up his brain right after he acquired the Extremis formula and armor. He doesn’t remember anything that occurred during the Civil War, he doesn’t remember Norman Osborn being in power, which is the very reason he deleted his brain in the first place. There is a metaphor in here somewhere for “save early, save often” I just know it.
Given that Tony is unable to remember his “sins”, you would figure this would be Fraction’s “out” in making everything peachy between Tony and the other heroes that he has wronged, especially his friends in the Avengers Captain America ad Thor especially. I will give mad props to Fraction though because he does not use this as an excuse and Tony is unflinching admitting to his mistakes and yet saying he’d do it all over again because he felt it was the right choice.
This comes to a head when Thor comes to pay Tony a visit. Thor flat out asks Tony if he is not the same person he was before and if indeed he doesn’t remember his questionable decisions. The Thunder God tells Tony that while they are not done working out their issues by a long shot, they still are friends and if Tony needs money he can take whatever he needs from the coffers of Asgard. Tony refuses but is thankful. He wants to make his money back his own way using his massive brain.
As a side note, if I was loving Salvador’s art in this issue, that completely came to a halt the moment I saw his rendition of Thor. Speaking as a Thor geek, I absolutely hated it. Thor looks to be about 5’11 when standing next to Tony and his build is that of a normal man. It is NOT a good look for the God of Thunder and completely put me off to this whole scene as I couldn’t stop focusing on the art rather than what should have been an epic confrontation/talk.
Tony sets off to see Reed Richards and discuss his options for a new suit of armor now that his Extremis brain has been rebooted and is actually functioning even better. When Tony deleted his brain, it wiped out most of the man himself actually. The repulsor tech that is in his chest now functions as a rechargeable power supply equivalent of a star. Imagine that feeding the pipeline of your brain and you realize how much more advanced and powerful Tony’s newest suit will truly be.
The military meanwhile is excited that Tony is back to help them develop more defense weapons. They are quite sorry to see that Stark has no interest in weapons now that he has a new lease on life yet again. This in turn makes Justine Hammer’s offer to develop weapons for them a bit more palatable. Only problem is, she’ll give the designs to the highest bidder even if it means terrorists.
On top of all of that plot, we finally get to briefly see Tony’s new armor in the last few pages as an enraged Pepper Potts leaves him behind because in typical Stark fashion… for every act of good, there’s usually an act of scoundrel proportions behind it.
So I will say it was a quality issue, but at times getting through Larroca’s talking head stuff is hard. You can even see a couple of “copy and paste panels” where he re-uses his own art. I mentioned before, I though his depiction of Thor was awful and in fact I think this issue really exposed his new “referenced” style a bit too much. There wasn’t a lot of life to it given that we see 32 pages or however many of Tony’s head and shoulders, Pepper’s head and shoulders, Thor’s head and shoulders, Justine Hammer, some General, Rhodey, etc… head and shoulders… finally at the end… the armor.
That boys and girls makes it tougher to get through a book regardless of how engaging the story is… which it was. It’s still a great book, just not my favorite issue. It is my hope that this will kick off the next arc and once again dazzle as it usually does.
Wktf’s Reviews
New Avengers #64
Marvel Comics
Written: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Mike McKone
Cover by: Stuart Immonen
This was quite the week for Siege tie-ins and, with all these books telling different perspectives on the same story, I have to say I’m feeling some confusion about a couple of points. I’m really not sure where within these reviews to voice these but I’ll start here with Loki. First, though, the core of this book isn’t so much about The New Avengers themselves, with the exception of resolving the Clint/Bobi cliffhanger from the end of last issue, as it is about The Hood/Osborn/Loki triumvirate with special focus on The Hood. We know that the power loss The Hood suffered at the hands of Dormamu was subsequently replaced by Loki through his gift of the Norn Stones. These ancient rune stones not only reempowered The Hood but have allowed him to augment the power of his super villain gang. Osborn, having learned of The Hood’s good fortune seeks an audience with his lieutenant and evidence of his good fortune. And it’s here that McKone, whose art I’ve loved since his work years ago on Fantastic Four, really shines. This meeting is full of shadows and mystical lights, and McKone manages to make both villains seem supernaturally evil just by the way he plays the light reflecting off both mens’ eyes through the murky shadows of their surroundings. Very cinematic.
But in short order the scene switches to the Siege battle proper and the focus shifts to The Hood and his new squeeze, Madame Masque. But, of course, in the heat of battle Parker learns that any gift from Loki comes at a price. And that price is enacted at a moment that seems most uncharacteristic as the god of mischief actually implores the good graces of his deceased father to shift the tide of battle against The Void, comparing one panel with The Avengers on the prior page to a second panel of them on this page, in a most unexpected way. Not only is Loki’s action unexpected, which in and of itself may yet be explained, but it presents a wholly different scenario with Loki seen both in Mighty Avengers and in the pages of Thor. I don’t know if this is a timing issue or simply an editorial oversight but it’s certainly distracting from what should be a cohesive set of stories around the main event.
Regardless, things go especially badly for The Hood and Whitney and their escape is equally as cinematic as the opening scenes with Parker and Osborn, except this time I’m reminded of Bonnie and Clyde. It’s looking like this title’s going to finish out next issue with a resolution to The Hood’s story. Maybe. But for this issue, aside from the weirdness going on with Loki, it’s got more jump an energy as a side story than any of the Siege satellite issues to-date. Bendis really knows how to take characters and make them his own, as he did with Luke Cage and he’s now done with The Hood. And McKone’s art is as crisp and sharp as ever. A real reading pleasure.
Siege: Secret Warriors #1
Marvel Comics
Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Drawn by: Alessandro Vitti
Cover by: Marko Djurdjevic
The single best of the Siege One Shots is right here with a dual story of Phobos on the one hand and a team up of Nick Fury and Captain America on the other. To start with Phobos, the Greek god of fear and son of Ares, god of war, we know from the Siege storyline that Fury has denied Phobos’ joining his Secret Warriors as they and Cap’s rag-tag team of Avengers joined the battle against Osborn in Broxton. But we also know the most shocking moment of Siege was the absolutely brutal slaying of Ares at the hands of The Sentry. What, many of us wondered, will Phobos’ reaction be to this? Here’s where we find out.
Hickman who, frankly, shocked me with his stellar inaugural issue of S.H.I.E.L.D. a couple of weeks ago given how baffled I am with his Fantastic Four work, takes us inside Alex’s head and even his memories of this father to bring us full circle back to the present and an intensely angry and determined stare. Vitti’s art is really stunning, evoking the sensibilities of Coipel in the opening scene, Scott Kollins in the scenes with Fury and Cap, but Barry Windsor Smith in a serious way as we see Alex and Ares together on a hilltop overlooking a sunrise. The different styles really seem to work and suit the scenes for which they’ve been deployed. And the scenes of Phobos in action, essentially wearing the mantle of god of war, is something to behold. He has a message he wants to deliver to the “Mortal Head of State,” and deliver it he does. In spades.
To the second story element, running in parallel with the first, it’s a total geek moment to once again see Nick Fury and Captain America in battle together. But again, we readers are given an inconsistent treatment of Fury between this issue and in New Avengers, just as with Loki in New Avengers, Might Avengers and Thor. Plus, the little interlude in the battle when Nick decides to take a break and hit the sauce and reminisce a bit with Cap seems startlingly out of place. Still, I found myself devouring these pages as I flipped forward, wondering what was going to happen with Phobos and really feeling Fury and Cap directly to Osborn. Frankly, the one page with Fury’s little message to Osborn and their back and forth dialogue alone was worth the price of this issue. My pick of the week.
Thor #609
Marvel Comics
Written by: Kieron Gillen
Drawn by: Billy Tan & Rich Elson
Cover by: Mico Suayan
Once again we are given an issue of Thor without the title even in evidence within these pages. But that’s alright because we are again treated to a spotlight on Thor’s stellar supporting cast. One of the deepest and most versatile supporting casts in all of superhero comics. As we all know, The Sentry has toppled Asgard and, fortunately for voluminous Volstagg, the very base of the Eternal City has come down on top of Ragnarok, the cloned version of Thor from Civil War that was dealing all kinds of hurt on the Lion of Asgard. Indeed, this vile clone is nowhere to be seen in this issue.
Instead, we focus on Baldar who has led Asgard since exiling Thor for the unwitting killing of his grandfather, Bor. It seems that Baldar has made one wrong move after another over these last several months. First banishing Thor and then bringing his people to Latveria only to have had many of them butchered for Doom’s sinister purposes. The master manipulator, Loki, fresh from his Siege One-Shot visit with Mephisto and Hela, seeks to play on Baldar’s doubts to make him give up the throne for a new Asgardian order. Fortunately, the clear eyes of Heimdall, Baldar’s strong heart, and the loyalty of Asgard to their new king force clarity on the trickster’s motives. Tyr himself, the Asgardian god of war, knows who must rally the broken and scattered forces of Asgard. And, exhibiting abilities I’ve not seen Baldar use in more than 40 year of reading Thor, Baldar does just that in the most impressive of ways.
Running in parallel is the resolution to the conflict with HAMMER’s forces and Fair Kelda who, had come to visit her murdered but beloved Bill’s parents. Though having given up in her grief, Kelda finds new strength throught the touching words of Bill’s mother as well as the helping fists of that voluminous Lion of Asgard once again. These last several months, the formerly cowardly Volstagg has been replaced by a genuinely selfless and brave hero who is beginning to find his way in the mortal world. And one of the cops he’s befriended seriously reminds me of Andy Sipowicz from NYPDBlue. As such, I can’t help but like him a lot and hope we see more of him in later months. Next month promises a conclusion to this storyline and all its moving parts. I think I’m most interested in how, if at all, Loki gets his just deserts beyond the serious beating and expulsion he received this issue at Baldar’s hands. The frenetic pace, powerful characters, stellar storytelling and consistently strong art by Tan (and here augmented by Elson in Kelda’s scenes), not to mention the much appreciated consistent monthly publishing schedule, has made Thor the title to buy whether you’re looking for Siege tie-ins or just plain great comics.