Marvel Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #661: Dan Slott is taking a couple of issues off and ASM is having a semi-crossover with Avengers Academy. Sadly the book isn't as good as it could have been.
While helping out the FF, Spidey and the team come across Giant Man, who asks Spider-man to be a substitute teacher. Spidey is quickly proven to be an old school person, as the students think up scenarios to destroy whatever he says. What does Spider-Man do then? Go on patrol. The kids prove to be confident until they come upon Psycho Man.
On paper this issue should work. One of the best things that came out of the JMS run was turning Peter into a high school science teacher. Sadly the issue is bogged down in heavy exposition. Christos Gage (the regular writer for Avengers Academy) writes this issue, and treats the viewer like they have never heard of the Avengers Academy before. If this was last year and Academy was a young series, I wouldn't fault Gage for doing this. But the series is going strong and just had #14 released recently. The average reader knows about the Academy enough that this exposition could have been avoided. The set up is really good though. I'm interested enough in the kids that I have checked out a few issues of the series. Psycho Man is an odd choice for a villain though.
Reilly Brown handles the pencils on this issue, and does a decent job overall. Some of the faces look a little off. The teen girls seem a tad beefcake to me. I'm in the boat that teenage superheroes shouldn't be hyper sexualized. The recent Spider-Girl series has done a good job of this.
Amazing Spider-Man #661 gets 3/5.
Marvel Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #662: After the sub par #661, I was hoping this issue would find it's footing. Sadly it's of the same quality.
Psycho Man is toying with everyones feelings, making the Avengers Academy turn on each other. Spider-Man finds a way to break it and has to talk them out of the trance. Reptil is the only one who listens to Spider-Man and helps him stop the rest. After stopping Psycho Man, the group realize they learned a lot from Spider-Man. Although Spidey doesn't think he should be teaching anymore, and neither do the students.
Much like #661, the book never finds a consistent stride. All the dialogue feels hokey and forced. The concept is really good and I would like to see the two books interact again some time. I'm guessing this was a filler issue(s) to give Slott some time off from the fast shipping rate. If that is the case, it's a decent story for what it is.
Reilly Brown does a better job this issue than #661. While there is still a problem with faces, his work is better. The action scenes flow better and the transition from Reptil to raptor look really good. The beefacake issue from #661 is gone, as the girl are a little more proportioned.
Amazing Spider-man #662 gets 3/5
Marvel Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #663: Now this is more like it. With Dan Slott back to writing ASM, the book is back to the brilliance we know and love.
Wraith is taking down a lot of Mr. Negative's men. Eventually Anti-Venom bumps into the new Wraith and her (that's right, her) secret identity. Peter is finding that being Spider-Man is taking up a lot of his time, but it's making his job at Horizon's profitable. Aunt May has a run in with Mr. Li (Mr. Negative's alter ego) and remembers what happened to her during the Mysterio arc of The Gauntlet. Peter comes to the rescue, but is interrupted by Anti-Vemon attacking Mr. Negative. Spider-Man doesn't know that Anti-Venom, actually Eddie Brock, is a good guy, so the two start fighting. Spider-Man loses his abilities, as being in the vicinity of Brock weakens his powers.
The story is top notch. It makes a lot of call backs without feeling bogged down or explaining everything to the reader. While the power angle was used back in the New Ways to Die arc, it has a punch here that makes me excited for the next issue. The back up tale leading up to Spider-Island makes me even more excited for the upcoming Spider event.
Giuseppe Camuncoli does a great job on pencils. His faces are hyper expressive and realistic. His Anti-Venom is amazing. Look at Brock changing into the white monster and it just pops off of the page. I wouldn't mind Camuncoli staying around.
Amazing Spider-Man #663 gets 5/5
Marvel Comics
Avengers #13: Brian Michael Bendis has had a slightly sub par run of late with the Avengers. The second arc of the series was all smash no content. The Fear Itself tie in though seems to be putting the book on track.
This book takes place after Fear Itself, with most of the Avengers talking about what happened during the event. It starts with a party at Asgard and Ms. Marvel and Spider-Woman realize they haven't been on a date in a while. Spider-Woman seems to be the object of interest for Hawkeye, which Ms. Marvel doesn't support at all. Most of the Avengers talk about how they don't trust the Red Hulk, and how he played a big role in the event.
I have hated the oral history of the Avengers that has been in the back of the Avengers book for the past year. They aren't interesting and just upped the price. This way though seems natural and fluid. There is a good amount of exposition in this issue, but it doesn't feel like it. And while the Spider-Woman and Hawkeye love angle is completely out of left field, I'll allow it to play out and see what happens.
Chris Bachalo takes over for pencils for this issue, give John Romita Jr. a rest. Bachalo does a great job, although I wish he had more room during the conversations. Sometimes it was a little hard to figure out who people were.
Avengers #13 gets 5/5
Marvel Comics
Deadpool #37: With the Deadpool hating done, it's time for the book to shine. While #37 is good, it's not as good as past reflective Deadpool issues.
Deadpool realizes he wants to die. As he is the Regeneratin' Degenerate, he doesn't die very easily. Or at all. He provokes Bruce Banner into turning into the Hulk to kill him. This is seen as a game to Wade, who keeps nuking the Hulk to provoke him. The Hulk continually takes the high road and walks away. Until Deadpool finally provokes him to far and he attacks.
There have been a few reflective issues during Daniel Way's run on Deadpool. They have usually been the better issues. This issue doesn't take advantage of the somber mood and goes more for laughs. While this is a book based on humor, some reflective moments should be more serious. Wade has been shown to grow a lot in Uncanny X-Force, so why not bring that tone over to his main book? Deadpool isn't going to break down and cry, but some type of issue where he realizes something about himself would be nice. Maybe we will get that with #38. Way does make the issue enjoyable though, don't think it's all bad.
Common Deadpool artist Bong Dazo takes the pencil reigns in this issue. His art is very cartoony, but maybe to cartoony for this issue. Like I said, it seems like the story is suppose to be a little more serious, and Dazo's art is anything but. I loved his art on Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth. But here it seems out of place.
Deadpool #37 gets 3.5/5
Marvel Comics
FF #4: FF has been a big hit for Marvel. While #4 keeps up that trend, it's slightly sub par compared to the first three issues.
Reed Richards is talking to his greatest enemies to figure out how to stop all the Reed Richards from other universes. None can seem to think of a way to stop them, as they don't care for their families like the Reed of 616. Mole Man has also started some fighting up on Old Atlantis, which Sue, Spidey, and Alex Power go to take care of. Sue is surprised to see another Reed.
The story is typical Jonathan Hickman. And by that I mean great. But for some reason the story didn't seem to be as great as the past three issues. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on the issue. I found the ending a little odd as how could Sue not know about the other Reeds. I'm excited to see what the group of villains come up with as a way to destroy the Reed's, as it will no doubt make Reed rethink himself. The slow burning of the four cities fighting is starting to make it's way to the front burner, which will pay off well for long time readers.
Barry Kitson fills in on art. His characters look great, with each being very expressive and realistic. There is one complaint on art though, as the inking wildly changes in some scenes. And I'm not talking scene to scene. I'm talking page to page. We are still in the same room and the inking style wildly changes. It's not necessarily bad, but it pulled me out of the story a little bit.
FF #4 gets 4/5
Marvel Comics
Ghost Rider #0.1: I'm not a real fan of Ghost Rider. I haven't read a lot of his back issues, but I have read enough to get a feel for the character. With Ghost Rider #0.1, I am fully hooked and can't wait to see what happens next.
Johnny Blaze is talking to a bartender about why he hates his life. He saves a beautiful girl and she turns out to be a vampire. A strange man, named Adam, offers him a way out. Blaze rejects his offer and tries to help out a woman being bother by her angry ex husband. He is beaten to a pulp, as he doesn't understand the power of the Ghost Rider. The woman heals him, and Blaze expects her to want something from him. He doesn't believe her when she says no and storms off. Johnny Blaze takes Adam's deal, and the Ghost Rider isn't attached to Johnny Blaze anymore....
Rob Williams deserves some type of award for the writing. He paints Johnny Blaze as a witty smart ass who is somehow relatable. That is an achievement in it's own right. Not only that, Blaze is sympathetic. It's kind of sad to see him go, although the teaser at the end seems to hint he will be be playing some sort of role in the series. Williams opens up enough threads to keep the new series afloat for a while if written well.
Matthew Clark gives the issue a grind house feel. This is an angle that will only help the series as it moves forward. The Ghost Rider looks menacing and awesome at the same time. The scene with Blaze driving through hell looks amazing and I can only imagine the fun Clark had penciling those pages.
Ghost Rider #0.1 gets 5/5
Marvel Comics
Invincible Iron Man #504: The previous issue put some doubts in my mind that a Fear Itself tie in was going to spell the doom of awesomeness Matt Fraction has been planning. #504 gets rid of all those fears.
Tony heads to Paris to deal with the Grey Gargoyle, one of the Serpent's Worthy. He has turned the entire city to stone. Tony has a very hard time taking this in stride, and Grey Gargoyle almost kills Tony. While this is going on Pepper is off in the Rescue gear to hire a new chief of security for Stark Resilient. Tony wakes back up form his savage beating to see a ghastly sight.
Fractions writes his usual smart ass Tony, but it comes across as being funny because he is scared. It's very subtle, but works very well. It's not often we see Tony scared shitless and not being able to handle the situation. The last page reveal will no doubt haunt Tony for issues to come. The Tony-Pepper plot line is starting to heat up, and by heating up I mean they aren't happy with each other. It's classic soap opera storyline, but Fractions adds Tony flair to it.
Salvador Larroca does his usual work. The fights look really good but the talking head panels are something to be desired.
Invincible Iron Man 3504 gets 4/5.
Marvel Comics
Journey Into Mystery #624: It's simply stunning what Kieron Gillen is doing with this book. The Thor part of the Marvel universe is no doubt the strongest.
Volstagg helps Loki get out of trouble (see Fear Itself #3 to see how Loki got in trouble with Odin). Loki heads to Hell and Hel to trick Mephisto and Hela to fight so that they won't side with the Serpent. Loki find help in the recently fallen Tyr. Using his silver tongue, the young Loki gets his way.
Journey Into Mystery is the real companion piece to Fear Itself. It's very tied into the overall plot without being dragged down by the big event. This is mostly due to Gillen's writing abilities. Most of the story is based of hiss time on Thor, and it's a great pay off from long time readers. Young Loki is a very interesting character. It's obvious he wants to help, but he is going through bad ways to get it. No doubt this is a long term plan by Dead Loki, but damn if I'm not excited to see this all play out.
Douglas Braithwaite's pencils look great for this type of book. I wasn't a fan when he was on Wolverine: Origins, but his pencils have found a home here. The monsters have the grandiose they should in this type of book.
Journey Into Mystery #624 gets 5/5
Marvel Comics
The Mighty Thor #2: Fraction seems to be the guy to go to when starting a new volume of a book after a movie is released.
Thor and Sif are training the Brigade of the Realms. A giant rock creature is their target. While Loki is one of the few brave enough to fight, they need to be saved by Sif. The Silver Surfer is slowly making his way towards Asgard. Odin puts the World Seed into a new Destroyer, and Odin starts what seems to be some sort of conspiracy. The Surfer threatens Asgard and Thor teaches him not to do that again. Fight time.
Fraction's trademark dialogue is on display here, and it's a blast to read. Thor doesn't say to much in the opening scene, but it's hilarious. Fractions has said he will work in JMS' Odinsleep thing soon, so the conspiracy no doubt has something to do with that. Sif is a character that hasn't been used much recently, and I like what Fraction is doing with her. She is coming to the front of the story, although this might be due to her role in movie.
Olivier Coipel is a force to behold. The first few pages are just beautiful and every comic book artist should look at them. The page layouts looks chaotic, but once reading, it flows like a dream. The giant rock monster thing is amazingly detailed.
The Mighty Thor #2 gets 5/5
Marvel Comics
Venom #3: I have always been a Venom fan, and my fandom has only increased because of this book.
Flash Thompson is still working his way through the Savage Land after his run in with Kraven the Hunter. The symbiote is taking over and making the mission that much harder to control. Betty is kidnapped by Jack O' Lantern. Flash takes a helicopter back to NYC, loaded with the vibranum that he was suppose to take for the military. Spider-Man bumps into Venom and starts to lay into him, when the symbiote takes full control of Flash.
I'm surprised that Spider-Man is making an appearance so soon in this book. But hey, it doesn't feel forced so who am I to complain. Rick Remender writes Flash as a hero in a villain suit, and it's great to read Flash try to rationalize everything. It's something that was never done enough with Spider-Man and the symbiote. It's almost as if Flash wants to redeem the symbiote. It's sad to see the symbiote take completely over, and this is all due to Remender. He gives the reader hope that Flash will finally be the person to control the symbiote, then pulls the rug out from under us. Kudos to him.
It stinks that Tony Moore couldn't pencil this issue. While Tom Fowler does a good job, his art does bring down the review by a point. His talking head panels and action panels look great, but the second the symbiote starts to take over Flash, everything is out the window. The jawline on Venom is wacky as all hell and doesn't even look attached to Venom at some points.
Venom #3 gets 4/5.
Marvel Comics
Wolverine #10: Here we go, it's another Wolverine revenge arc. Oh wait, Jason Aaron is writing it, so it will be awesome. For the most part
Wolverine is making his way to the Red Right Hand. He is stopped by a villain named Cannonfoot. Most of the issue focuses on the leader of the Red Right Hand and how he came to hate Wolverine so much. It had to do with the Leader's (the reader isn't told a name) father being killed by Wolverine. After this, he continually tried to kill the Canuckle head. He soon realizes he isn't the only person that has a grudge against our favorite Canadian. Wolverine makes quick work of Cannonfoot, and then another villain appears.
Jason Aaron gives us some much needed backstory for the Right Red Hand. Sadly the story doesn't seem any different than anyone else that Wolverine has wronged in his long history. The only real difference is that the guy is being proactive and bringing everyone together into one place. This doesn't completely bog down the story, but it doesn't help. While Cannonfoot is a one note villain, it's funny to watch Wolverine get the crap kicked out of him them kill the guy.
Renato Guedes is back on pencils. He seems more at home here than he did Wolverine Goes to Hell. The fight between Wolverine and Cannonfoot looks great. I wish more of the issue had been devoted to that.
Wolverine #10 gets 3.5/5
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