ROM Spaceknight 32

Posted by John Klein III on January 13, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments

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Writer Bill Mantlo

Penciler Sal Buscema

Inker Joe Sinnott

Letterer Rick Parker

Colorist Ben Sean

Cover Dated July 1982

What is happening to Rogue, and what is she doing on the cover?

Issue opens in a cabin with Mystique, Destiny and Rogue meeting Hybrid.  This is during Rogue’s old lady phase, though she only looks like she is in her late 30s now.

This issue takes place after Avengers Annual 10, and last issue, this may be Rogue’s third appearance.  Using comicbookdb, I confirm it is her third.  Her fourth appearance is Uncanny X-Men 158.  This is her second adventure, and her first two parter.

Rogue attacks Hybrid,he is too strong for her.  Mystique knows she will be useless against him, but she has to do something.  She jumps at him, and somehow when their heads touch, it unleashes Hybrid’s back story.

He is half human on his mom’s side, and his father was a Dire Wraith – ROM’s archfoes. For some reason, Marvel doesn’t own the rights to ROM, but they do own the rights to the Spaceknights concept and to the concept of the Dire Wraiths.  Must be a solely appearance and name issue, due to ROM starting out as a toy.

Then we get to part of the issue that I bought it for :

ROM 32 Kitty Pryde 1

ROM 32 Kitty Pryde 2

The Hybrid Origin from issues 17 & 18 that we will review, eventually.

So Jimmy Marks started out looking like a young.  Other Dire Wraiths showed up, and showed him his true form.  He then killed both of his parents.  The X-Men showed up, and it took Kitty using ROM’s neutralizer to take Hybrid down.  That gun sends Dire Wraiths back to their dimension.  The problen is, is that they can change their appearance to look human.  So from time to time, it looks like a seven foot tall robot just shot and killed a human.  Thus, ROM gets blamed for lots of murders.

Hybrid back hands Mystique.  Rogue charges at him.  Destiny states they need to move on and find their actual foe, ROM.  This causes Hybrid to state he also hates ROM.  They decide a little enemy of my enemy works sometimes, and make an alliance.  I have to say, Hybrid’s design makes for a great villain but as a fourth person in a room, just standing around and talking?  He is very unsettling to look at.

We cut to ROM and his human allies.  ROM reveals that he mistakenly let some convicts escape last issue.  We see Brandy, who ROM use to have a relationship with.  Apparently, he started out as a man inside the suit but now he is just the suir.  His fellow spaceknight also reveals that he ran into Hybrid near a cabin.

Cut to that cabin.  The convicts show up.  Hybrid comes outside and straight up kills them.  This disgusts the ladies.  They get it together in time for ROM to show up.

ROM sees Mystique in distress.  Her costume is torn and her hair is a mess.  In a fantastic use of her powers, she instantly reverts back to her classic look.  This startles ROM to open himself up to an attack from Rogue.

ROM is much stronger than her.  She decides to kiss him.  This awakens human emotions again in ROM, that he thought were gone.  This also causes Rogue to experience feelings of nobility and righteousness.

Hybrid takes this moment of distraction to attack ROM.  Since Hybrid is focus on the attack, Destiny can now see his future.  Hybrid plans on using female mutants as his personal breeding ground.  This naturally upsets and disgusts the ladies.

Rogue attacks Hybrid.  He counters and eventually touches her face, giving her his telepathic powers.  She gets sick and ROM comforts her.  ROM attacks Hybrid again and eventually shots him with his gun.  It takes a lot of shots, like three pages of shooting him and Rogue absorbing more power from Hybrid.

Issue ends with ROM stating that mutants are just humans with powers from birth.  Which we already know.  The ladies go their own way, Rogue thinking of trying to be good.

Cataclysm Ultimates’ Last Stand 3

Posted by John Klein III on January 12, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Cataclysm Ultimates Last Stand 3

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Penciler Mark Bagley

Inker Andrew Hennessy

Colorist Jason Keith

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Last issue ended with the X-Men having to decide if they were going to the East Coast.  That is not followed up in this issue at all.  The X-Men only show up for this cover and that is it.  Pretty disappointing.

Also disappointing?  Miles Morales and Reed Richards go to the Proper Marvel Universe and they don’t meet anybody except for Val, Reed and Sue’s daughter.

Before that, there is a moment, still in the Ultimate Universe, where Sue uses a force field to choke Reed, which I’m pretty sure they made a big point to show that Reed has no internal organs or anything at all inside.  Iron Man takes Spider-Man to the roof and gives him a repulsor ray, in case Reed goes crazy on the other side.

Once on the other side, we get a pretty awesome splash page of the two of them looking at a framed wall size picture of the Fantastic Four family.  Great to see Bagley drawing the Fantastic Four.  Franklin is wearing a shirt with a five and Val has a shirt with a six, very cute.

I like how our Reed’s only real defense mechanism is that, to get inside of his lab, you have to be able to stretch your arms, that Reed is a genius.

The two of them mention “purple planet eater guy” and the get a complete dossier on Galactus.  You would think that they would have taken a few more minutes to figure out how to defeat him and grab the Ultimate Nullifier, which you would think would be the perfect item for this miniseries.

They are stopped by Valeria Richards, who has mistaken Reed for her daddy.  Until he turns around, and then she is very angry.  She unleashes an army of HERBIEs and they chase Spider-Man outside.  He takes a fast turn and the robots see the Superior Spider-Man and chase him.  Cool to see Bagley draw the current proper Spider-Man.

Miles gets back to the Ultimate Universe.  Reed soon follows, he apologizes to Sue for screwing everything up.

Next issue’s cover promises a death but one would have thought this issue promised the X-Men, so who can trust anyone in the Ultimate editorial pool.

New X-Men 32

Posted by John Klein III on January 11, 2014
Posted in: Lists, Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writers Craig Yost & Chris Yost

Penciler Mike Norton

Inker Dave Meikis

Colors Brian Reber

Letterer Dave Sharpe

Cover Dated January 2007

I really never understood why comics have advertisements for cars.  Who is enjoying a comic and is in the mood for a new 2007 Chevy Aveo.

Wither thought he had lost his powers after M-Day.  He ran to his lady friend, Laurie, grabbed her arm and withered it.  He ran from the school soon after.

After that, Laurie and other depowered mutants got on a bus and that bus was destroyed by Reverend Styker and his Purifiers.  Wither doesn’t know any of this.

Wither now lives in a shelter in Mutant Town along with an old lady.  He is also having recurring nightmares.

Mercury wants Emma to inform Wither about the deaths.   Emma tells her that she has Wither being observed.

There is an ad for the miniseries, Bullet Points.  A miniseries I had no interest in, until I found out the X-Men show up in issue five.  Including both Kitty and Lockheed.

Elixer killed Styker and now has black spots on his golden skin.  During that battle, Cannonball and Husk’s younger brother, Icarus, was killed.  His sister, Melodie, lost her powers on M-Day and is there for his funeral.

Cyclops and Rogue meet Mrs. Guthrie at the door.

Turns out, Wolfsbane is the one watching Wither.  She is being blackmailed into because while she taught at Xavier’s, she had a bit of a relationship with Elixer, a student.

A second car ad, two page spread, for a Nissan Sentra.  I mean, really, who even sits on their couch, sees a car ad on television, and goes to a dealership the next day?  Who?  Typically, something bad happens, you need a new car pronto, you go to dealership, and try to find a car within your predetermined price ranged.

We find out with the old lady friend of Wither, that someone has killed nineteen people in three weeks.  Someone is draining the bodies of their life.

X23 shows up in Hellion’s room.  The credit page states that she was created by Craig Kyle.  I checked All New X-Men 20, and he is credited there so maybe it only showed for the first year or something.  Anyways, Hellion has been sleeping for 34 hours.  In his sleep, he mutters, Sofia, this does not amuse her.  I am not sure when this takes place in their relationship, I know they become a real couple at one point.

We cut to Rickslide talking to Anole and Match along with Dust.  He is bragging about how he has died once already.  This takes place before Anole lost his arm and regrew a bigger one.  Dust is still upset, apparently she was there when Icarus died.  She feels responsible for some reason.

We cut to Mrs. Guthrie, making a speech and making people cry.  Dust takes iff her face shroud and begs for forgiveness.  Mrs. Guthrie tells her no forgiveness is necessary.

A third ad fir a vehicle, this time a Honda Element SC.  They use a cut out picture of a dog.  Even if my son walked up to me with this ad, and wanted the car, I would, at best, say maybe one day.

The old lady tells Wither what happen to his former classmates.  He calls Mercury to confirm.  She just wants him to come home.

For whatever reason, police show up to the place Wither and the lady are.  She stands up, she absorbs a few of them.  One of the remaining ones shoot her.  Wither kills the last two.

Turns out the old lady is . . . Selene!  And in her classic Black Queen outfit.  So of course, the teenage Wither wants to do whatever she wants.  How could he think otherwise?  She kisses him and that seals the deal.  He would do anything for her after that.

If my time line is right, we don’t see Selene for a couple years after this, for her X-Necrosha plot.

We get another speech by Mrs. Guthrie.  Her two eldest children start crying.

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New X-Men 32 Kitty Pryde Funeral 2

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Issue ends with Kitty reading the names of fallen X-Men, both old and new.  She mentions both Doug and Illyana.  She stops the list to say she misses them.  Then continues the list.

Not sure what Carol Danvers is doing there, was she near by already?

Here is the list :

John Proudstar, Thunderbird, still dead

Sean Cassidy, Banshee, resurrected Horseman of Apocalypse

Jean Grey, still dead

Sarah Vale ?

Max Jordan ?

Mark Sheppard ?

Andrea Marguiles ?

Floyd Carter ?

Callie Betto ?

Brian Cruz ?

Sammy Pare ?

Jeffrey Garrett ?

Esme and Sophia Cuckoo, did not know that was their actual last name.  Those poor gals never had a chance.

Doug Ramsey, Cipher, alive

Illyana Rasputin, Magik, alive

Joshua “Jay” Guthrie, Icarus, dead

Laurie Collins, Wallflower, dead

The names I don’t recognize must be those depowered mutants.

New X-Men has the same titled letters page as New Mutants Volume One, Report Cards.  The column promoting the other comics out that month is actually funny.

   Astonishing X-Men 18 : It’s the end of Torn!  An ending so amazing you won’t believe your eyes!  Plus, it should come out this month!  For truth!

   Uncanny X-Men 480 : Vulcan continues his Jerk Tour ’06.  This month’s stop, The Imperial Guard!

   Cable / Deadpool 34 : It’s Cable and Deadpool vs. Six Pack!  Vs. Six Pack?  Leave my stomach alone!

   New Excalibur 13 : Juggernaut is weakening!  What could be the cause?  My money is on the fact that he spends all of his time eating chocolates and watching Caroline in the City reruns.

   X-Men : Phoenix Warsong 3 : Who are the parents of the Cuckoos?!

   Wolverine : Origins 7 : Omega Red and Wolverine meet up in Berlin!  Boys, you’re late!  It’s not called Novemberfest!

   New X-Men 32 : Hey Wither, where you at?  Hanging out with an older woman?  Nice!

   Exiles 88 : Honey, the Imperial Guard are dead.  The Silver Surfer and your incessant nagging killed them.

   X-Men First Class 3 : Professor X needs his students’ help!  Could it be…the dreaded spiral-staircase?!

   Wolverine 48 : A Civil War Epilogue!  Epilogue!

   X-Factor 13 : It’s back to the therapists’ couch for X-Factor!  Sound familiar?  It is!  Added bonus : Layla Miller!

   Nextwave : Agents of H.A T.E. 10 : Nextwave is not an X-Book.  It’s in this on-sale column.  Just buy Nextwave.

   X-Men 193 : The X-Men have their final battle with the Children!  But don’t the X-Men know the Children are our future?

Some fun energy there.

I almost forgot!  The back cover is an ad for a 2007 Dodge Caliber.  This time it has Green Goblin on the car with him about to be attacked by Reed Richards, Iceman, Spider-Man and Iron Man.  Like adding those characters would add to my interest in the car.  I guess, even if they only sold ten cars based on the ad, that must at least pay for the ad.

Savage Wolverine 13

Posted by John Klein III on January 10, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writers Phil Jimenez & Scott Lope

Breakdowns Phil Jimenez

Finished Art Jimenez, Palmer, Florea, Olliffe & Green

Colorist Rachelle Rosenberg

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Come Conquer The Beasts Part Two

Issue opens in the past with a Russian hunter named, Sergei.  Which, as a long time Spider-Man, I instantly though it was Kraven the Hunter.  I like how you have to turn the page before Logan confirms that he is Kraven.

I wonder which of the two writers don’t like Kraven, has he really comes down hard on Kraven’s character.

Savage Wolverine 13 Kitty 1

In the present, Doug is explaining to Kitty how elephants communicate.

We cut to Tyger Tiger explaining to Wolverine why she is okay with poaching.  It is only murder of animals.  She rather have that than child prostitution or adult prostitution.  She makes references to how Viper and Draken, both, dealt with poaching.

Savage Wolverine 13 Kitty 2

We cut back to Doug and Kitty, and I wish we got character work with these two.  I enjoy what we got, but I want more now.  Doug now shows Kitty what the world of elephant communication looks like.  Page ends with Quentin Quire overhearing the plight of the elephants.

Cut to Wolverine yelling about how people view him as an animal.  He then starts to scalp himself.  Good thing he has that healing factor.  Tyger Tiger can’t handle it, I imagine due to getting a bunch of his blood on her.

Doug tells Kitty how one African elephant is killed every fifteen minutes.

Wolverine burns the three warehouses with the poached by products.

Quentin Quire walks to Kitty, confessing he overheard her and Doug.  He has a plan to help.

We now see Logan back, and he has found his elephant.  He is very old and tired now.

Two days later, Kitty and the gang show up to deliver extra guns, vests and supplies to the good rangers.

Good job on Rosenberg’s part, remembering that at this time, Kitty was always shown wearing pink when out of her uniform.  That’s some tight continuity!

By default of this being the first new comic of 2014, this is my my favorite comic of the year.  Let’s see how long I can remember that I was keeping track of this.  This will help when at the end of the year, when I can’t recall the good comics of January through March as I can the end of the year comics.

Will not be getting the next issue has it takes place during 1930s Chicago.

New Mutants Volume One Issue 32

Posted by John Klein III on January 9, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Chris Claremont

Artist Steve Leialoha

Colorist Glynis Oliver

Letterer L. Lois Buhalis

Cover Dated October 1985

Back around issue ten or so, the team lost Karma and presumed she was dead.  The team never got over it, especially Sunspot.  He had to make a choice between Karma or Cannonball, and he chose Sam.

Now, they located Karma, she is large and in charge of Madripoor.

On the plane to Madripoor, Doug is explaining what they can expect to find there.  Warlock, Doug and Magik were not on that mission when Karma went missing, neither was Magma.  Only Dani and Wolfsbane and the boys were there that fateful day.

Dani is the leader of the team at this point.  Cannonball and her usually share leadership but she is typically the go to leader.

There is a picture of the original five New Mutants, Cannonball’s head us cropped out if the picture.  He is one lanky guy.

There us an ad for the film, The Heavenly Kid.  I never even heard of it before.  Jane Kaczmarek is in it, she is the mom from Malcolm in the Middle.  Jason Gedrick from Boomtown is the young kid in it.  One great show, and one not as good show.

Once in Madripoor, the team does some scouting and plan formation.  Doug is upset that he has to stay behind on the mission.  He is back up with Warlock.

Do they even make Nestle Quik any more?   They use to make va Banana flavor, I used to love that.

On the mission, I have forgotten how often they referenced that Dani is Wolfsbane’s soul mate, and that is why they can communicate with each other when Rahne is in her wolf form.

Illyana offers to just teleport the team to Karma’s estate. Dani states it is too risky.

Back at the beach, Doug and Warlock get captured.  Karma has been recording their moves since landing.  She knows their entire plan.

The team beeaks into the estate, and Wolfsbane runs up the stairs.

This breaks the team’s concentration, and Karma possesses their minds, rather quickly.  Dani is knocked out, so she avoids the initial attempt.  We see Karma, and she has to be 500 pounds.

Magik teleports Dani to Limbo.  Professor X can’t read Illyana’s mind, thus Karma can’t take it over.

The two ladies, and probably my favorite New Mutants members plus Doug, regroup.  They come back to the estate, with Magik’s second in command, Sym.  The police are already there, and the ladies see dead guards everywhere.  What is worst, is that their teammates killed the guards.  Karma had no need for them, now that she has super powered teenagers.

The police spot Magik, and open fire.  She teleports the new team back to Limbo.  Doug told the team that Karma has a second base in Cairo, Egypt.  Magik doesn’t want to teleport there as her powers are risky at long distances.  Even the last jump, they were a week later.  Which I love this about early Magik, she had only a decent control over her teleporting powers.  She was great with a sword and a fantastic ruler of Limbo, but no guarantees with the when aspect of her stepping discs.

There is an ad for Tootsie Rolls, a product that I don’t even see anywhere outside of Halloween.  I use to love the other flavor packs.  There was Vanilla that was in a blue and white wrapper.  I remember a green wrapper and a yellow wrapper, both of those were good too.

Magik teleports the two of them to Cairo.  Of course it is many generations ago Cairo.  The ladies are spotted, and they run to hide.  Magik is out of juice, so they can’t try a second teleport just yet.  They hear someone in English tell them to come over here, so they do.  They see an African lady with white hair and blue eyes, and assume it is Storm.  Xavier only teaches them about racism, so what do you expect?  She is an ancestor of Storm, her name is Ashake.  She is a sorcerer.  She felt Magik’s presence and wanted to help.

She gives them a place to rest.  During this time, Magik’s tie in issue of Mystic Arcana takes place.  I will have to review that issue one of these days.  I haven’t reread this issue, so I have been curious if there was a time gap for that adventure to take place.

Magik gets some rest, and teleports her and Dani to the present.  Well, she tries.  She misses the present by maybe three decades. We see old, crazy and super evil versions of Sunspot, Magma. Cannonball and Wolfsbane.  Through their rapport, Dani knows these are her former friends.  Dani says aloud, The New Mutants.  I didn’t think or recall them actually referring to themselves as that name.  Pretty sure they don’t in the third volume.  I always took it as the name we call them here in RL, and they call themselves something else past the first few issues.  At one point, they are not ‘new’ anymore.  It is a marketing name for the group at this point.

Magik teleports the two of them again.  She believes she got it right this time.  Before they can check, Dani has herself a good cry.  Poor Illyana, she doesn’t have it in her to console Dan, plus there was a part of her that wanted to stay in that future.

Dani pulls herself together, wondering if they can even change the future.  This has happened before, when the team saw themselves as members of Emna Frost’s Hellions.

While they bicker, Warlock shows up with Storm.  This is after she lost her powers due to Forge.  She is in Egypt due to taking some time off after Life Death.

Uncanny Avengers 15

Posted by John Klein III on January 8, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Rick Remender

Penciler Steve McNiven

Inkers John Dell with Dexter Vines & Jay Leisten

Colorist Laura Martin

Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles

Issue opens with Captain America wanting Havok to lead again, and then admitting that his hearing is coming back.  Havok makes a reference to wanting to call it a day, get some In an Out Burger and play sone Grand Theft Auto.  I wonder if in the Marvel Universe, they have East Coast In and Out Burgers?  I imagine with how easy it is for Avengers to travel the globe, he can get to California easily.  I also wonder, in a world with super powers, does the Marvel Universe have the same movies and games that we do?  I would imagine not.  Maybe it is just Watchmen’s influence on my thinking, as they lived in a world of superheroes, so why would people want to read or watch things with superheroes, you want something new that you can’t get on the news, such as pirates.  I imagine video games would have special levels too.  Such as Call of Duty : Ghosts, probably would have a Captain America or Iron Man level, and they can get away with it as it would be based on a public figure in-universe.

While Cap is talking to Havok, Alex disappears.  Turns out Wanda’s plan as a success.

Uncanny Avengers 15 Magik 1a Uncanny Avengers 15 Magik 1b

All mutants are being teleported to the Twins’ ark.  Including from The New Xavier School – Magneto, Magik and Cyclops.

We see Grim Reaper beating on Wolverine.  We get a shot of Rogue’s charred corpse.  I am not counting Rogue to be dead dead just yet.  I have this feeling we will be getting a bit of a reset button at one point.  Though Rogue is not appearing in any other titles, so maybe she really is dead.  Maybe this is why Anna Paquin has been cut out of X-Men : Days of Future Past.  Which must be very awkward, as she did all that press at the San Diego Comic Con.

We see Wasp holding her own against Sentry.  Then Thor shows up to help.  We get a gross moment when Jan shoots Sentry, and his response is to just rip his entire skull apart, leaving only his brain and eyes.  This starts his healing process.  That fight ends with Wasp summoning a sand worm from Beetlejuice.  We get a nice moment with Jan asking Thor if he knows of a god of thunder who wants to fight a set of twins.  I know Wasp and Thor are long time and founding members of the Avengers, I am not sure how much actual interaction the two characters have had.  I do enjoy seeing their friendship.

We see Captain America overhearing the twins talk about Wonder Man and Scarlet Witch, both being dead.  I also suspect both of these deaths to be reversed.  At least Wanda’s for sure.  Wonder Man has died so many times, what is one more?  Such a lousy character.

Cap feels in his gut, that his friends are dead.  Then he fights the Twins, and Eimin cuts him, revealing where his guts are.  Uriel states that Cap is known as a great Tactician, which is why that is his original class on Avengers Alliance on Facebook.

Then Eimin gets super creepy like quoting the Bible, the Noah story.  How come, whenever someone starts reciting scripture, outside of a regilous ceremony, it always comes off as that person being crazy and frightening?

During all that, Cap is getting a beating.  There is a reference / hint, that if you can separate the twins from each other, you might be able to defeat them.

Eimin tells Cap, that instead of “No more mutants” she is going to say “No more humans.”  She shows Cap a window, where we see a Celestial is hovering over Earth.

We cut to Thor and Wasp, as they make their way to the moon.  Thor speaks to Uatu the Watcher, so things are officially now on.  This Celestial is called, Exitar the Executioner.  He is there to destroy the planet.  All due to that time Thor made an axe that could kill a Celestial.  That axe is called Jarnbjorn.  Which the Twins found and used to create their massive plan.

Next issue, looks like we might get Thor versus Uriel.

Marvel Comics Presents 32

Posted by John Klein III on January 7, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Michael Higgins

Penciler Erik Larsen

Inker Terry Austin

Letterer Tim Harkins

Colorist Tom Vincent

Having A Wild Weekend Part Two of Eight

Cover Dated Late November 1989

Look at that wonderful cover by Todd McFarlane.

It isn’t often you get two Image founders involved in a single comic.  I know Larsen, mostly from his work on Spider-Man, Wolverine and of course Savage Dragon.

This story opens with Kitty falling through a tube.  Turns out, some Looney Tunes knock offs have captured Excalibur, including Lockheed.  They threw Kitty away, as she was messing up their machine.

Kitty has to fight Rochester, the Sylvester Cat parody.  Adding to the problem, Rochester is gigantic and robotic.  Which wouldn’t be a problem, except her phasing powers are not working.  She eventually works her way to his top and turns him off.  While looking over her handy work, she sees her reflection.  She us wearing earrings that are inhibiting her powers.  She makes a comment regarding how she never wears earrings, which I have nevet noticed but it is true.

The other stories star :

Black Panther, Part Ten

Coldblood, Part Seven

Sunfire, a done in one

All New X-Men 20

Posted by John Klein III on January 6, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Art Mahmud Asrar and Brandon Peterson

Color Artists Israel Silva with Marte Gracia

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Issue opens with Laura, X23, waking up on a slab.  She instantly notices she is in a Weapon X facility.  She is super suspicious of the people in the room.

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Her senses tell her X-Men are in the room, but her eyes see those X-Men as teenagers.  So she believes this is a trick.

There are two artists for this issue.  From what I can see, Asrar does the home pages and Peterson does the misson pages.

Bobby makes a joke about wanting to marry her.

Kitty tries to calm Laura down.  Some great use of shadows for these first two pages.  We also get to see that Lockheed is there!

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I do like how Scott takes the lead in trying to ease Laura.  Kitty is the supervisor, and Scott is the team leader.

Laura runs outside.  Bobby can’t believe someone would actually, on purpose, create a Wolverine.  Much less create a teenage girl version of him.  Jean reveals that Scott fancies Laura.  Now would work as a time to mention that the cover image does not occur in the issue.  I was hoping, for whatever reason, that it would be her being attracted to him.  Maybe due to how the cover makes her to be the aggressor.

Poor Laura is outside, in the snow, bare footed and wearing an undershirt and short shorts.  Scott is already out there, waiting for her.  He has the difficult task of explaining the past nineteen issues to her.  She needs a bunch of explanation.

Jean starts to read Laura’s mind, Kitty tells her to stop.  Laura’s mind isn’t one that should be read, she should open up to the team.

Scott sees a hugging opportunity and takes it.  Laura states she doesn’t do hugs, and definitely not in front of an audience.  At least he made a move, it took a decade for him originally with Jean.  Though Laura is no Jean Grey.

We cut back to the Purifiers in Ocala, Florida.  Turns out, Reverend Styker had a son, which I am sure was not been referenced before.  Probably Bendis trying to get that coveted X2 audience.

Peterson definitely draws these last pages.

We see that Laura got a matching outfit.  Now if only Kitty can get a new outfit.  Also, if Lockheed could have made the field team.

Kitty short circuits the power.  Bobby seems like this is the first he has seen her power or knows what her power set.  Kitty dictates that they follow Laura but answer to Scott and lusten for Jean.  She is such a great field commander.

The X-Men attack and then get knocked out. Turns out Stryker Junior has a power himself, just like in X2, but it is more of a force power instead of a mental power.

Next issue, looks like either Jean and X23 are either fighting or working together.

Marvel Age 32

Posted by John Klein III on January 5, 2014
Posted in: Paul Smith, Review. Tagged: , . 4 Comments

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Cover Dated November 1985

Look at that amazing Paul Smith cover!

Issue opens with the results of  the Comic Buyer’s Guide Awards for 1984 and boy are they interesting!

Favorite Editor : Jim Shooter

Favorite Writer : Chris Claremont – Runner Ups include Alan Moore and Walter Simonson

Favorite Artist : John Byrne – Runner Ups include George Perez, Bill Sienkiewicz, John Romita Jr. and Paul Smith

Favorite Cover : New Teen Titans 1 – Runner Ups include  Secret Wars 1 and New Mutants 18

Favorite Comic Book : X-Men – Runner Ups include New Teen Titans, Saga of the Swamp Thing and New Mutants.

Favorite Story : The Judas Contract by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Tales of the Teen Titans 42 – 44 and Annual 3.  Runner Ups include Anatomy Lesson by Alan Moore in Swamp Thing, Lifedeath by Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith in X-Men, Secret Wars by Shooter and Mike Zeck and the Kid Who Collects Spider-Man by Roger Stern, Ron Frenz and Terry Austin in Amazing Spider-Man.

Favorite Book : Marvel Graphic Novel 12 – Dazzler the Movie.

Favorite Character : Wolverine – Runner Ups include Spider-Man, Batman Cerebus and Swamp Thing.

Favorite Supporting Character : Raul the Cat – Runner Ups include Beta Ray Bill, Abigail Arcane, Mary Jane Watson, Ambush Bug and Wolverine.

Favorite Publication About Comics : Amazing Heroes – Runner Ups were Marvel Age, Comics Collector, the Comics Journal, Comics Interview, Comics Feature and the Comic Reader.

Favorite Writer About Comics : R.J. Jones

Favorite Fan Artist : Fred Hembeck

Favorite Direct-Sales Only Title : New Teen Titans

This is why I enjoy Marvel Age, such a great time capsule in what was happening at the time.  August 1985, just 1985 was the beginning of modern comics with what the industry was about to unleash.

Marvel Coming Attractions

On Sale August 27

The New Mutants 34 – The team is going to free Karma of the Shadow King.

Squadron Supreme 4

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe 1

On Sale September 3

Marvel Heroes for Hope Starring the X-Men – The team fights hunger with the aid of 54 creators

The Vision and Scarlet Witch 3 – the mini that confirms Magneto is Wanda’s father.

On Sale September 16

Nightcrawler Limited Series 2

Uncanny X-Men 200 – Trial of Magneto

The X-Men and Alpha Flight Limited Series 1, that the cover is promoting.

On Sale September 17

Spectacular Spider-Man 109, the Death of Jean DeWolff is in full swing

Secret Wars II 6

Doctor Who 15, the 5th Doctor, Peter Davison makes his appearance!  By far, my favorite Doctor.

The New Mutants Special 1, the sequel of X-Men / Alpha Flight.

Packing in the Power

An article promoting Power Pack, included is issue 19, the Thanksgiving issue.  Issue 20 guest stars The new Mutants – Cannonball, Dani and Wolfsbane.

The Top Ten

1. Secret Wars II 3

2. X-Men 197

3. Web of Spider-Man 6

4. Fantastic Four 282

5. Cloak and Dagger 2

6. Amazing Spider-Man 268

7. Alpha Flight 26

8. New Mutants 31

9. Web of Spider-Man Annual 1

10. Squadron Supreme 1

When Teams Team Up : X-Men and Alpha Flight

Great article about the Paul Smith drawn, Chris Claremont written limited series.

200 Issues of Mutants

Another great article regarding the build up to Uncanny X-Men 200, and what will come afterwards.

Also, some great unused Art Adams designs for Kitty.

Marvel Heroes for Hope

So many famous writers and artists helped make this one shot happen.  This is another great article.  One of these days I will have to review it.

Kurt Busiek and the Letter Column of Doom

How great must it have been for people who follow Marvel Age, and then see Kurt Busiek’s career expand from there.

Back Cover has The Marvel Age August 1985 Calendar

August 9 is the birthday of Bob McLeod, Rick Leonardi and Alycce Gordon

August 10 is Christie Scheele’s birthday

August 13 is Jim Mooney’s birthday

August 17 is John Romita Jr.’s birthday

August 19 is Georg Roussos’ birthday

August 21 is Marie Severin’s birthday

August 23 is Terry Austin’s birthday

August 26 is Rick Parker’s birthday

August 27 is Don Perlin’s birthday

August 28 is Jack Kirby’s birthday

1985 is Marvel’s 24th birthday.

Happy Birthday to all above!

Wolverine Volume Four Issue 12

Posted by John Klein III on January 4, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Paul Cornell

Penciler Alan Davis

Inker Mark Farmer

Colorist Matt Hollingsworth

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Killable Part Five of Six

Issue opens with Wolverine’s reaction to Silver Samurai’s cut to his eye.  I do like how the creative team tells and shows that Wolverine got a cut across his eye, yet the reveal if the damage done takes several pages to be shown.

Wolverine continues to be beaten by The Hand.

He stumbles away from that encounter, to surprise a lone Hand member.  That guy surrenders but Wolverine doesn’t give a dman and kills him.  An easy kill, and an unnecessary death.  This is the page that shows Wolverine’s eye bleeding.  I forget he has blue eyes.  Just like Captain America, Batman and Superman.

We cut to Kitty Pryde, the mall cops and the rest of the mall shoppers.  We get the name of one of the lady officers, Kathy Stubbs.  This group is held up in a safe place.

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Wolverine comes in, badly injured and he reveals to everyone in the room that he killed killed the ninja that tried to surrendered.

This upsets Kitty, as X-Men don’t kill.

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The mustached mutant hater officer gets angry over the revelation.  Pointing fingers and calling Wolverine an animal.

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This engages Wolverine, and he cuts the officer’s hand.

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Kitty rushes over to the injured officer, asking anyone for a tourniquet.  Turns out, the officer was Mystique!  I didn’t know that she can have a hand cut off, and then still have a hand when she shape shifts.  Mystique taunts Kitty and Wolverine, then crashes through a window.

Kitty tries to sooth Wolverine, telling him that he must have known on some level that he knew it was Mystique.  I reckon that he didn’t, and would have permanently injured a man, whose real crime was name calling.  Though he was prejudiced, so he probably had it coming to him.

Wolverine leaves the room, searching for Sabretooth.  Once he finds him, we see him wearing a sharp business suit.  Then we see Sabretooth just straight up beat Wolverine.

Issue ends with Sabretooth very awkwardly standing over Wolverine.  Sabretooth might just win next issue.