Man…I really wanted to get this post up before we went out of town for
Spring Break. Alas, I failed. My shame burns hotter than one who knows fear
in the presence of the Man-Thing. If
only there were someone who could motivate me through intimidation and constant
nagging mixed with a feeling of mild revulsion…
 |
| Move Ur Sorry Hide |
That’ll do.
Whether due to February being a
short month, or perhaps because I actually had more of a life than I typically
experience, I didn’t make it even halfway through my monthly stash before March
1st rolled around. I’m going
to have to really buckle down; this precarious stack looks like it might topple
at any moment! On to the books! Here’s what I read this last month:
Feb 2014
All-New X-Factor #1-2
All-New Marvel Now Point One #1
Avengers #25
New Avengers #14
Superior Foes of Spider-Man #6-8
Avengers World #1-2
Nova #12
ROM Spaceknight #9
Avengers A.I. #8-9
Uncanny Avengers #15-16
Indestructible Hulk #18
All-New Invaders #1-2
Comments:
All right, let’s get the “All-New”
stuff done up front. All of these
frequently recurring initiatives with their new titles, relaunches and reemphases
are pretty much par for the course now at Marvel. The frustration and bitter sorrow I used to
feel every time a long running, high number book got canceled and then relaunched
the next month with a new creative team and a new #1 has mostly subsided. Mostly.
As much as I love the idea of a decades-spanning volume, the reality is
that in today’s market publishers can more easily promote, publicize, and thus make
a lot more money on, a character/property following a “by season” model not
unlike what viewers of dramatic episodic television experience. All-New Marvel Now is just the latest of
these initiatives from the House of Ideas, and at first glance there appears to
be a pretty broad sampling of characters, genres, and new #1s to choose
from.
Of course, no launch would be
complete without the obligatory “first look” sample anthology with tenuous
framing sequence, thus we have “All-New
Marvel Now Point One” #1. It wasn’t
bad, but it wasn’t particularly great either.
The challenge this type of assemblage faces is allowing each of the
separate vignettes the chance to distinguish themselves and show readers what to
expect in the ongoing, while still maintaining the pace and semblance of tone
in the greater, overarching tale. It
succeeded well enough, but didn’t persuade me to pick up any of the featured
titles beyond what I’d already ordered, namely “Loki: Agent of Asgard,” “Silver
Surfer,” “All-New Invaders,” and
“Avengers.”
I’ve been a
fan of Peter David’s work on “X-Factor”
from the moment he took over the ongoing title after “The Muir Island Saga”
crossover. I remember picking up issue
#70 (vol. 1) back in the summer of '91 and quickly becoming devoted to then B
& C-list characters Havok, Polaris, Multiple Man, Strong Guy, Quicksilver and Wolfsbane. I squealed like a little girl when the "Madrox" mini was announced in
2004, and was ecstatic when that then led into the noir-toned new ongoing. Over the course of 20+ years and around 150 published
issues (over several titles and volumes), Mr. David's run has been one of
Marvel's most interesting and consistently entertaining offerings and is one of
my all-time favorite series. So
yeah, snatching up David’s “All-New
X-Factor” 1&2 was pretty much a given.
I’m excited about this new “corporate team” direction, though I’m of the
opinion that not everything at Serval Industries is on the up and up. Polaris deserves a chance to shine as leader
after years of playing “unstable girlfriend” to Havok. I am going to miss Madrox, Strong Guy and
Layla, but having David chart Quicksilver’s course once again makes me
incredibly happy. Gambit and other hinted
at teammates (Danger, Cypher and Warlock?) should make for an interesting team
dynamic and a fun ride!
While I like
Cap, Namor, Torch and Bucky, and am respectful of their exalted place in Marvel
history, the idea of them coming together again for yet another Invaders yarn
kind of smacked of tired desperation- not unlike an aging rock band’s 14th
“farewell” tour. However, James Robinson
has a proven track record with me when it comes to breathing new life into
Golden Age characters (“Starman”). His involvement in “All-New Invaders” was all it took for me to join up- at least for
the first arc. So far it’s primarily
been a beautifully drawn “where are they now?” and “let’s get the gang back
together!” story, which is to be expected.
He’s setting the stakes, naming the objective and introducing us to the
antagonist- a decidedly unlikable Kree Pursuer named Tanalth. As far as GA character appearances, thus far
we’ve seen the Vision (Aarkus) and Major Liberty in flashback, and I expect
there are more to come.
Over in the Avengers family of
books, A.I.M. seems to be stirring up all sorts of trouble in “Avengers” and the newly launched
companion title “Avengers World.” I suppose that after the recent intergalactic
brouhaha it’s only fitting that the sprawling team deal with some issues closer
to home. While they do, Doctor Strange is
busy biting off more than he will likely ever be able to chew over in “New
Avengers” #14 (love that cover!). I am
bummed at the news that “Avengers A.I.”
is getting cancelled; I’ve enjoyed it a lot more than I ever expected to. Doombot should totally get his own
mini-series. While I am still enjoying “Uncanny Avengers,” I kind of wish
Remender would pick up the pace a little bit.
I get that this is a long-form story, but this Apocalypse Twins/Kang
tale needs to wrap.
So, I didn’t get around to the “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “All-New X-Men” crossover this month,
though some of the big reveals were SPOILERed thanks to inconsiderate and
haphazard comic reporting sites. Lame. As for “Nova,”
it’s still sucking. I don’t think even
the appearance of Beta Ray Bill can diminish the sheer suckatude of this book.
Anyone wanting a quirky, refreshing
read should look no further than “The
Superior Foes of Spider-Man.” Seriously, it’s awesome. Nick Spencer, Steve Lieber and Rich Ellis
have put together a book that is a delightfully amusing- and sometimes
heartbreaking, peek into the lives and times of several of Spidey’s B and
C-list rogues. As they face scenarios
both mundane and preposterous, these previously (mostly) one-dimensional punching
bags endear themselves to the reader and before you know it you are rooting for
the bad guys! This book is a real treat.
As I was scanning pictures from my
old copy of “ROM Spaceknight” #9 for
an earlier post, I suddenly felt compelled to sit down and leaf through it. It’s probably been about 30 years since I last
read it cover to cover, but as I did, I was amazed at just how vivid my memories
of getting and reading through this issue were. I recalled my joy in discovering something foreign
and new, my anticipation and desire to know what came next, and that sense of
community felt amongst those who share a particular hobby. In short, it reminded me of everything I love
about reading and collecting comics.
Fans might not always be able to adequately express their fervor, but we’ve
all got our little tokens that remind us of why we are so passionate.
BEST of the month
All-New X-Factor #1-2
Superior Foes of Spider-Man #6-8
WORST of the month
Nova #12
What I’m looking forward to next month
Moon Knight
Loki: Agent of Asgard
Fantastic Four
Well, that’s
all for February.
