Astonishing X-Men 7

Posted by John Klein III on October 2, 2016
Posted in: Lists, Review. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Astonishing X-Men 7

Writer Joss Whedon

Artist John Cassaday

Colorist Laura Martin

Letterer Chris Eliopoulos

Dangerous Part One of Six

Cover Dated January 2005

Shame Lockheed only appears on the cover.  Due to solicitations, the original cover that they promoted didn’t have Colossus on it so there was a giant gap there which people clearly called that the final member of the team as why show a cave with that much empty space?

Astonishing X-Men 7 good cover

I like how you can see Lockheed so much clearer on the original cover!

So we wrapped up Gifted and this starts the Dangerous arc, their second on the title.  Also, originally, going to be their last one before they renewed a contract for thirteen more issues (including Giant Size).  Which is crazy as Gifted and Dangerous are both good but to be the only stories from this creative team?  That would have been a waste.

I wonder if they really did renew or were they always signed for 25 but with an out at 12 in case it was a major flop?

There is an ad for Dodgeball, coming to DVD on the inside front cover.  I still haven’t seen the film but my gal pal Candice tells me it is funny and that I would enjoy it.  There are several ‘coming to DVD’ ads in this issue.

Onto the issue :

The opening page starts with a narration captions of a new character that sensing a new beginning.  This will be Danger that we meet next issue.

The second page we see that Wing, the mutant who use to be able to fly until Ord forced the cure onto him in the previous arc.  Imagine being able to fly and then having that ability taken from you?  That has to be pretty devastating, and we see that Wing is pretty depress about it.

Wing isn’t sure what is next for him.  The X-Men have agreed to let him stay at the school.  Beast wants to run some tests to see if the cure was only temporary.  Everyone looks at him with such pity – including his friend Hisako (Armor) and Miss Pryde.  I like how he mentions that she has a ‘big new muscle boyfriend.’  I suspect he has a bit of a crush on Miss Pryde.  Who wouldn’t?  I wonder if most of the students do have crushes on the senior staff?  I imagine Kitty seems more approachable than Emma, so she probably gets more crushes.  Plus, Emma can read your thoughts and if you think of her, I’m sure that triggers something for her to shut you down.  That’s my Emma anyway.  Plus, she was dating Cyclops and who can compete with that guy!?!

Wing walks up to a cliff on the Xavier Estate.

Meanwhile, the X-Men are on their way to New York City via the Blackbird.  Colossus is riding on the very top of the plane.  I wonder how he asked Cyclops for permission to do that?  As they had to build a special handlebar for him to do it.

I get that he has been locked in a room for months and wants to feel as free as possible, the team gets that too.  But they had to build that handlebar and they had to make sure it was strong enough to not break while he was in his metal form.  That couldn’t have taken ten minutes.

Inside, Beast is trying his best to keep the plane steady as he doesn’t want to lose Colossus as they just got him back.

I like how Whedon writes it as ‘months’ as Colossus died in Uncanny X-Men 390 – also titled, The Cure – cover dated March 2001 and now he came back at the end of 2004 – that’s three years so in comic time, probably is only barely six months.

Also, while they are in the Blackbird, the body of the jet is bathed in red light – which apparently, I am a huge fan of the X-Men in red lit rooms.  Laura Martin knows what I like!

Cyclops comments that Colossus has seemed quiet lately.  Wolverine jokes that Colossus use to be such a prankster.  I do like Whedon’s Wolverine, he doesn’t use him too much but when he does, he gets some stellar lines.

Emma asks Kitty, since they are bosom buddies, if he has open to her at all.  Kitty tells her that they have reached their destination.

Outside, is a giant not-Godzilla creature tearing up New York City.  It is on a rampage.  If only there was a giant werewolf and gorilla to accompany him.

Wolverine isn’t impress, it looked bigger on TV.

Cyclops gives out the orders.  This turns on Emma, and Kitty wishes she didn’t have to sit next to her on these flights.  Cyclops asks Emma to relay the directions to Colossus, he agrees to them.

Colossus jumps from the plane onto the lizard’s nose.  He is commenting to himself, and I do like these next three pages – I sort of miss caption boxes.  He notices the difference between Scott in his head and Xavier’s voice in his head from years ago.  Scott seems more free than the professor.  The word, free, has so much more meaning than it use to.  He ends his thought with that he really should concentrate on the situation at hand or nose, as it were.

Kitty continues our second page of inner monologues.  She is phasing people out of danger.  She believes it means something that it was her who found Colossus, and not someone else.  Though during that mission, it could have only been her.  Which means, it has to mean something as no one else would have found him.  Kitty phases a woman out of the way as a car comes crashing at them.  She thinks to herself that she probably should start concentrating.

Wrapping this three page sequence, Wolverine is stabbing the giant lizard and his only thought at the time is – that he really likes beer.  A running motif with Whedon’s Wolverine.

We cut to Emma, as she is evaculating an entire building.  The civilians’ inner thoughts are – I want to leave in a swift and orderly fashion – in a cycle.  She is standing next to Cyclops, who is optic blasting the monster.

Beast is blasting away at the creature while in the Blackbird.  Then he gets a call on his phone as the Fantastic Four in their Fantasicar has arrived!

Getting to see Cassaday draw the Fantastic Four is a real treat.  If I was Whedon, and just for myself too, I would have tried to cram as many cameos as possible so that I could say I wrote those characters but also to see Cassaday’s version of them.  Whedon got to write the Runaways, people don’t seem to talk about that run so I’m not sure how well he did.  I suppose the absense of comments is something.  But the Runaways are no X-Men, so it could have been the size of the fanbase.  Proving that X-Men fans and not just Whedon fans made Astonishing the success it was as I’m sure his Runaways run didn’t do amazing numbers.  Or dare I type – astonishing numbers.

I really like Whedon’s Fantastic Four, or mostly, I like how humorous Thing is.  He gets some classic lines here.  He is first mad that the X-Men are infringing on their giant monster business.  Next, he makes a comment about how he thought they made a cure for you people, to which Wolverine thinks he means mutants but he really mans Canadians.

There is an ad for Elektra coming to theaters on January 14th.  I actually saw this film in theaters and was highly disappointed by it.  I mean, you take an urban character and put her in the woods?  How does that even get out of the approval setting?  And there is a guy with tattoos that come to life and off of his body?  Ooof!  The DVD at least as a deleted scene with Ben Affleck portraying Matt Murdock in a dream sequence.

Right after that is an ad for an EyeToy game for the PS2, such a horrible device and failure that was!

Back at the ‘mansion,’ which is the mansion but really a Danger Room sequence.  Armor meets up with her old friend.  He is thinking of sucide and she does everything short of pushing him off the cliff.  She keeps calling him, Eddie, that isn’t his name but since he doesn’t have his gift, he shouldn’t be at the school for the gifted nor have a cool mutant name.  His parents are super excited to have their son back as he is no longer a mutant.  All of this is too much for poor Wing.

Back in New York City, this happens :

Astonishing X-Men 7 Fantastic Four Monster

How awesome does that look?  Way!

After a quick game of Whack-A-Mole by Thing and Colossus, the monster is back into the ground.  Reed is sure that it was one of Mole Man’s creatures, as it was heading towards the Baxter Building.

Reed asks Cyclops why they were there.  Cyclops tells him that they are trying to do more superhero stuff.  Reed knows that the X-Men have saved the world numerous times but the stinky flatscans don’t know about that.

Sue is happy to have saved the day with the X-Men, as it should do wonders for the mutant community, to be seen working with Marvel’s First Family.

Human Torch wonders what happens if this back fires and they start getting the heat that the mutants gets.  Wolverine tells them that he will get a more interesting type of fangirls.  Johnny asks his brother in law if they can turn evil.  Reed tells him that maybe they can after dinner.  Such a fun couple pages!

The X-Men are back in the Blackbird, heading home.  Colossus is in his seat.  Kitty and Colossus are lost in their own thoughts.

Cut to Agent Brand as she is having to defend herself to the SHIELD committee.  They are upset as she made a deal with Ord that really blew up and endangered Earth.

Brand makes a reference to Breakworld having a bullet pointed at Earth’s head – which is amazing foreshadowing that I haven’t picked up on until this reading!  And I’ve read these issues a bunch, thanks to my not-so-handy omnibus plus all four motion comics so I’ve had these issues read back to me as well!

An X-Man is slated to destroy Breakworld and all they wanted was that X-Man’s head.  That is the price that Brand is happy to pay.  She will make any ally, sleep with any foe as long as it protects Earth.  There are no lines that she won’t cross as there are no lines to hold her back.

Also, the committee knows about the bullet too, she implies.  Once we get to Astonishing X-Men 24, I have to see if she is shock to see the actual bullet or is she pretty unimpressed with it.  She may have been wearing her sunglasses too so that might have blocked her feelings from us the readers.

She clearly isn’t demoted and is still the head of SWORD.  Good thing too, as she isn’t the leader that we deserve but who we need.

There are back to back ads for DVDS – I, Robot and Napoleon Dynamite.  I bought the second one and I keep meaning to own the first one as I would like to use that as my thesis statement for why we should never go into the building robot business.  It has never turn out well for us human types.  That’s why I can’t believe that Carnegie Mellon University is allowed to exist – especially after one of their robots drew first blood!  That whole branch should have been shut down!

Back at home, the X-Men are disappointed that their rescue mission only was given 30 seconds of news time.  Which goes back to my thoughts about the reality of the Marvel Universe and especially the state of New York.  I imagine the news channels all have like a ‘super hero minute’ as they can’t be spending all day talking about superheroes.

Wolverine comments that he doubts the footage will go nationally.  Which, I doubt X-Men and Fantastic Four fighting a giant lizard and all that resulted was some damaged buildings, would be of any interest in Montana.  Maybe, just maybe, the entire country does a superhero minute, if there was an infrastructure for it, so they just replay the same footage.  I can imagine that being the case.

Emma is more upset that there was three minutes of coverage for Paris Hilton.  Colossus doesn’t know who that is, and Beast tells him it doesn’t matter, on a lot of levels.  It is a dated reference, in back in 2004 but now, I’ll be surprised if new readers will remember who Paris Hilton is as she isn’t in the limelight anymore.  Unless she is and I’m no longer paying attention to celebrity news.  I don’t even have time to watch Joel McHale on the Soup!

Though, would celebrities and movies still get the attention they do with superheroes?  I wonder if Avatar would still be the highest grossing movie as clearly there will be no Avengers movie in the Marvel Universe.

Kitty can’t believe they can’t get better press than that.  Cyclops reveals his thoughts on the news.  They have the stories already prepared, they just wait for the right pieces to fall into place or they bend them until they do.  The story will never not be about, the Mutant Menace.

Emma then says another line that Kitty wishes she never heard – that J. Jonah Jameson will be tongue kissing Spider-Man before the X-Men can catch a break.  I wonder why she says ‘tongue kissing’ instead of ‘french kissing’ is it because she isn’t twelve?

Then Armor comes in, she hasn’t seen her friend Wing in a while.  So we know the Armor from earlier wasn’t the real one.

The Cuckoos follow her, stating that Wing doesn’t have much more time.  Emma is surprised she didn’t pick up on it but she has had a bit of a day.  The Cuckoos point to Blindfold, making her first appearance!  She is mentioned in issue four but seven is when we see her.

Blindfold gives a cryptic message that once he dies, a new being will exist.

Cut to Wing, in a puddle of his own blood.  He flew one last time, but it only lasted three seconds.  Once he dies, the mansion and the cliff disappear, revealing it to have been a Danger Room simulation the entire time.  Odd how the message on the screen is, Exercise Complete.  It is a bit of a haunting final splash page, a young boy is dead in a giant room.

Wing’s death breaks Danger out of her room and takes on a new shape.  It is a decent arc, I would just rank it as the fourth good one as it is just beaten by more enjoyable arcs.

Torn

Gifted

Unstoppable

Dangerous

Unstoppable, loses points for the abandoning Kitty in deep space but once she came back, I could enjoy it more.  Thanks to Matt Fraction!

Kitty does get some great moments in this arc but it is the only one where she isn’t the real star of the book.

Wolverine First Class 1

Posted by John Klein III on October 1, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Wolverine First Class 1

Writer Fred van Lente

Artist Andrea di Vito

Colorist Laura Villari

Letterer Simon Bowland

Cover Salvador Espin and Brad Anderson

Cover Dated May 2008

When this title was first announced, I was so excited!  This was during the time that proper Kitty or present day Kitty – was stuck in deep space, riding a bullet due to Whedon / Cassaday.

So this was the only place to get proper Kitty Pryde, be it a past version of her.  At the time, we had Ultimate Kitty and X-Men Forever Kitty – so we were back up to three Kittys once this series started.  It was a good time to be a Shadowcat fan.

So this title was in line with the X-Men First Class that dealt with Untold Tales of the Original Five X-Men.  I didn’t read that series besides the X-Men First Class Special.

So what I liken this series to is the amazing 25 issue run of Untold Tales of Spider-Man by Kurt Busiek and Pat Olliffe.  Which worked the way same way – stories that were meant to take place inbetween the issues.

The mission that Kitty and Wolverine go on, they meet a young mutant girl and she shows up in this issue and the sixth issue, Michelle.  She lives at the mansion but outside of these two issues – she is never heard or seen from again.  Untold Tales of Spider-Man did the same thing with Batwing, a character who was important to that series but we never saw him again outside of the series.  Also, Sally Avril who was also Bluebird – but that was a great story that I won’t ruin here.  She was one of the original students but Busiek / Olliffe wanted to explain why she quit showing up after a certain point.

The inside front cover ad is for Professor Layton and the Curious Village – a game franchise that my wife just loves.  I can’t ever seem to get into them.  She is much smarter than me.

Onto the issue :

I really like this issue, there are so many fun moments in it and some great characterization!

Today is August 20 – Kitty has finally gotten her dorm room the way she likes it.  She has a crush on the boy next door, and he really is in the room next door, that of course, is Colossus.  What is Xavier thinking putting the two youngest students of opposite gender right next to each other?  Where was Jean’s room located?  Right in the middle, across from the shower?  So she was surrounded by the boys?

B S B

B J B

Yeah, I can see that. Oh Xavier, I suspect you don’t have an actual teaching degree!

Today is also Kitty’s first day of classes.  We learn all of this by Kitty writing in her journal – something I joke about that I had growing up but never did it.  Until now, I suppose.

Colossus shouts from the ground floor to get Kitty’s attention, he wants her to come out and play volleyball with the rest of the team.  The rest of the team, minus Logan – as he isn’t much of a team player at this point.

The rest of the team is – Angel, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Storm.  Since they have uneven sides, Nightcrawler is playing for both.  We get a run down of Kitty’s opinions on each team member.  She thinks Kurt is weird, which lines up with where this falls in her timeline.

The volleyball goes out of bounds, they ask Logan to get it for them and he pops his claws into the ball.  So that is going to cost Xavier like twenty dollars!

Xavier mentally summons Kitty, she is mad as she didn’t response immediately.  That is because he was calling her, Katherine, a name she hasn’t responded to since she was three.  He has summoned her to Cerebro – which looks just like it does in the films.  Which, has it ever looked like that?  Typically, it is just the helmet attached to a desk in front of a bunch of monitors – but in a regular room.

We get Kitty’s opinion about Xavier, she is grateful to him for finding her when he did.  We get a very brief recap of Uncanny X-Men 129 – that she was phasing through floors and freaking out.  She didn’t know if she could have a career or a family because of her powers.  I wish someone would tell her that she won’t have much of a career because of her dedication to the X-Men.  Even Angel, who has his own multi-billion dollar company – barely spends any time there.  Even when he is out of the books for a while, once we meet back up with him, he was doing other adventures and not in his office.

Xavier tells her that today, will be her first lesson.  Kitty makes a joke to Xavier about how she is looking forward to learning how to change into her costume in a phone booth – she has been practicing in her closet and is getting better at it.  Xavier only recognizes it as a joke but tells her that the X-Men are like no other superhero team she may be use to.  Which is a very valid point – the X-Men never stop being X-Men, they don’t have connections to their families and any vacations they go on – are mission based.

Wolverine enters the conversation, as he was also summoned.  He calls Xavier, Charlie and gets corrected.  Wolverine doesn’t care, he keeps calling him, Charlie.

Xavier tells Wolverine that he has a mission for him and one other X-Man.  Wolverine isn’t too excited as a Penguins game is coming on soon.  Which will be a running gag throughout Wolverine First Class, Wolverine is really into hockey here and is constantly interrupted from watching the games.

Both Kitty and Logan are surprised when Xavier states that the two of them are going on the mission together!  Logan isn’t pleased but if he wants to keep having memory therapy with Xavier, he better do it – so he does.

Once in the Blackbird, Kitty tries to make small talk with Logan.  There is this great moment when she asks Wolverine, for a friend, to learn more about Colossus – as this friend of hers, thinks he is pretty cute.  Which friend could this possibly be!?!  Storm?  Of course, Logan knows what is going on.  He sums Colossus with – Russian and turns his body into steel.  Then shuts down her request to listen to music.

Kitty is thinking of new superhero names for herself.  She throws out Phantom Girl, which is the name of a Legion of Superheroes member with similiar powers to Kitty.  To the point when they did Amalgam, in Spider-Boy Team-Up – these two characters were combined to create both Phantom Cat and then a different version of the same character when the timeline changed.  Such a fun issue that one was!  We’ll review it eventually.

There was a moment in time when I wanted to collect all of Phantom Girl’s appearances (to be my DC Kitty) but she is a mainstray of the Legion of Superheroes so I would be buying every issue and that got expensive fast!  Plus, the constant reboots, I didn’t do it.

There is an ad for Wolverine crashing in on Spider-Man’s Brand New Day in Amazing Spider-Man 555.  Which they reached issue 700 two years ago, so that should put it in perspective, of how long ago that was.  By Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo, I bet I would have enjoyed that run.

Once they land in West Virgina, Wolverine tells her to stay in the plane.  Kitty puts up a fight but we get this terrific moment from Wolverine.  He tells her that she is a nice kid and nice kids have no business being around him, or him around them.  The stuff that is in his head, shouldn’t be taught or put into anyone else’s head.  We see that he really likes her (or the concept of her) and is really looking out for her.

Xavier only wanted to send these two as if the entire team went, then that might peak Magneto’s interest.

Kitty phases through the plane and tells him that she is suppose to be on this mission and will be going with him.

They get to town and see that it is completely deserted.  Logan senses fear, and lots of it.  He reveals that they are surrounded, and Kitty asks why they are still in the middle of the street.  Logan teaches her, her first lesson – when you don’t know what you are up against, make yourself an easy target to lore out the enemy.  Seems like good advice from a guy with a healing factor and metal stabbing claws that come out of his hands.

The towns folk come out but start talking crazily!  One guy suspects they are with his stealing neighbor.  Another one notices they are wearing masks and thinks they are robbers.  Finally, the town settles on them being muties.  Kitty hasn’t heard the word before but knows it isn’t positive.

There is the first of many ads for Iron Man’s first movie, the first one is for cakes.com and you can get a cake or cupcakes with Iron Man on it!  Not sure how good a cake from a website can be, how does that thing get packed and how does the frosting and such stay in place?  Too many questions!

The two X-Men run to the supermarket, just like in Fallout 3 or more like Dead Rising.  Once in there, Logan succumbs to his fear and starts lashing out at the town folk.  Kitty has gets struck by massive fear and runs away.

Kitty comes across a house with mutie spray painted on it.  She feels a kinship with the building and goes inside.  Once there, she sees a picture of the mutant girl they are here to help.  The nice thing is that the girl, Melissa, has a normal looking boyfriend and was part of the soccer team.  The town accepted her, even though she has reptile scales.

Kitty, proving that she is a genius, grabs a jacket and runs back to the supermarket – she has figured out what has happened.

We see that, luckily, Logan hasn’t killed everyone, they look like they have just been punched hard.  He turns his attention to Kitty, she tries to reason with him.  Finally, she tells him her plan – she wants him to get Melissa’s scent off the jacket and track her down.  This makes him start thinking with his human mind instead of his animal instincts and he snaps out of it.  Kitty writes in her diary – that she suspects his inner hero tamed the beast.

They find Melissa, she was stranded in the woods. Her mutant power is to broadcast emotion.  She was hoping to broadcast a distress signal but all she did was broadcast her distress.

I really like di Vito’s attention to detail here.  When Wolverine an Kitty come to Melissa’s shelter that she created, we can see in Wolverine’s hands that he is carrying a blanket, a first aid kit and a thermos.  We learn later that it has chicken soup in it.

As they are leaving the woods, Kitty tries to get Logan to compliment her.  He tells her that is very unlady like but for her first rodeo, it could have gone worst.  She takes it for what it is.

Back at the Mansion.  Kitty overhears Logan and Xavier talking.  Logan can’t believe Xavier sent Kitty along on the mission knowing that an emotion manipulator was the target.  He could have hurt her.  Xavier reveals that the threat of Wolverine’s berserker rages is nothing compared to his fear of those rages.  He knew that Kitty could reach him.

Logan makes a comment about how this is like when you give a stray a puppy to tame it, which is something I’ve never heard of before.  I guess it makes sense, do people actually do that, though?  Seems like a lot of work to adopt a dog and then to buy a puppy but if it helps the stray, then that is a good thing.  Just expensive!

We see that Kitty is ease-dropping via phasing her ear through the wall.  She’s so good with her powers!

Kitty runs from the office as Logan leaves the room, thinking that Charlies may not be as dumb as he appears.  Everyone is getting respect for everyone!

Back in Kitty’s room, she is finishing her journal entry.  I also like what di Vito does here, the final page matches the very first page – Kitty at her desk, gets called from outside.  Instead of Colossus in the middle panel, it is Wolverine.  He just bought a used motorcycle and wants to see if Kitty wants to learn how to ride it.  She runs out of the room the way she did on the first page.  Such a nice way to show the bookends of the issue.

Really is a great series, I wish it went on for more than 21 issues but I was also buying the trades as they came out.  I was donating them to my wife’s classroom as they are great for early readers, plus, plenty of Wolverine, and expose them secretly to Kitty Pryde.

All New X-Men 1

Posted by John Klein III on September 30, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

All New X-Men 1 backAll New X-Men 1

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils Stuart Immonen

Inker Wade von Grawbadger

Colorist Marte Gracia

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Cover Dated January 2013

When this issue was first being promoted, there was a lot of theories involving the man between the two teams.

This issue is the first appearance of both Triage and Tempus, but before they got those X-Men names.

This was also Bendis’ first issue of his still current X-Men run.  What a way to start!

Uncanny X-Men Volume Two ended, so his start to its third volume hadn’t started yet so Cyclops’ side haven’t donned their revolution outfits yet.  Feels like forever since they’ve been in their current outfits.  Two years, but hundreds of appearances by now.  Well, close to a hundred.  This takes place right after AvX : Consequences.

Issue opens with Cat Beast crashing to the ground.  He is narrating that he is dying.

Gold Coast.  Australia.  Eva, later Tempus (not this issue), is out on the town with her lady friend.  They are there so Eva can finally flirt with David – a guy she has been crushing on for a while.  Apparently, he has only seen her in a tracksuit up to this point.

Eva’s brother, Steven, shows up and punches David.  His five friends start beating up Steven.

We have not learn more about this past life of Eva’s in the next 27 issues of All New or 21 issues of Uncanny X-Men.  Like all good mutant soldiers, they have to completely abandon their previous life.  That’s how dad did it and that is how Cyclops does it now.

Eva creates a time bubble around the block, it lasts 20 hours.  Cyclops, Emma and Magneto show up – I sort of miss these old costumes, even though I saw them for years, it is nice to revisit them.  Cyclops calming explains the situation to Eva.  Emma finds a way to calm Eva calm and to close the time bubble.

Once down, the military and police come rushing at Eva.  Totally apeing for the cameras, Cyclops, Emma and Magneto come to Eva’s rescue.

All New X-Men 1 Kitty 1

Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.  Storm, Kitty and Iceman are not happy with the latest news coverage.

This is during Kitty’s pink outfit phase.

Iceman makes a reference to how young Scott would not be happy with his older self.

Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Police Station.  Bendis must like Ann Arbor, as he had Ultimate Spider-Man go there as well.  Which was in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man 7, the start of the Crossroads arc.

Christopher, later Triage – who is younger and skinnier than he appears on the back cover.  Which is the direction you want to go in.

He has been arrested for healing his lady friend.  Apparently, she was reported dead, and he brought her back.

All New X-Men 1 Magik 1

Cyclops and Magik, in her New Mutants uniform, bust Christopher out of the police station.  Cyclops finds the camera in the room and makes an announcement.  Why they released it to the media, to help him spread his message – is beyond me.

All New X-Men 1 Kitty 2

Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.  Iceman wants to take Cyclops down.  Storm doesn’t has she doesn’t want a Mutant Civil War.

Kitty, now in the uniform she has worn for a decade, at least – doesn’t like that Cyclops is going to undo all the hard work her and the X-Men have done over the years.

Iceman makes the mistake of repeating his comment about past Scott hating his current self, so Beast hears this and gets a lightbulb over his head.

Cut to page five of Uncanny X-Men 8, which came out in November 1964.  Scott is writing Jeab a letter, confessing his love to her – which you should never do.  Hank is going to quit the team.  He is tired of the anti-mutant hysteria.

They go out in the hallway where they see present day Beast.  Hank recognizes him.

Bobby makes a joke about if that is what Hank looks like if he doesn’t shave.  Then he makes a great Back to the Future reference – is it our kids?

Beast wants to take the Original Five to the present to prevent a mutant genocide caused by Cyclops.  This is clearly a lie but he needed to convince them to go quickly, before Xavier mindwiped them all.

To give a sense of the time frame – Wolverine and the X-Men 20, had just come out.

 

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 12

Posted by John Klein III on September 29, 2016
Posted in: Paul Smith, Review. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Official Handbook 1983 12

Editor / Head Writer / Designer Mark Gruenwald

Cover Dated December 1983

V – Z

Valkyrie to Zzzax

Kitty and Lockheed are shown for the X-Men profile.  Paul Smith draws all of the faces.  Including Magik’s for the New Mutants headshots.  Technically, Lockheed is counted as an Ally but that most have been just an oversight.

Paul Smith also draws Vision and Wasp.

Paul Smith Handbook X-Men

paul smith vision

Marvel Handbook 1983 Wasp Paul Smith

New Mutants Volume Three Issue 32

Posted by John Klein III on September 28, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

236511_20111028054116_large

Writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

Artists Dave Lafuente & Robbi Rodriquez

Colorists Val Staples & SotoColor

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

By this point in the title, I have dropped the title and missed this issue originally.  I also skipped Fear Itself, except for the Uncanny X-Men tie in issues.

I had bought this issue before my birthday and meant to include it in that event but it was too close to the 31 of January so I threw it in the back of my back issues and now here we are.

The New Mutants finally make it to Hel, after a detour in actual Hell, which was Doug’s fault due to his bad translation.  So now Magma owes Mephisto a date.

The New Mutants are at this point – Dani, Cypher, Warlock, Magma, Sunspot and X-Man Nate Grey, in an unofficial capacity.

The team gets to Helheim, Hela’s palace.  Fear Itself was about ancient Norse evils coming to Earth, so it makes sense that the New Mutants’ tie in would involve Hela as she made Dani a Valkyrie back during the Dark Avengers vs. Uncanny X-Men event that lead to the Utopia era.  Now Dani owes Hela a favor.

Before this issue, I own issue 30 and after this issue is 45 so I’m piecing things together as my memory of the then current comics and what this issue provides.

Hela is dead, being run through and place on a spike on the roof.

Lafuente and Rodriguez trade off on different pages and scenes for the issue.  The colorists also trade off on pages but they don’t sync up with the particular artists.  Makes for a kinetic issue.

The New Mutants and X-Man are getting ready to stand their ground, as this might be it.  The oncoming storm of dead Norse characters are on their way to finish the job.

Doug tells Magma that he can translate weather now, as it is all sound and that’s his gig.  The storm is angry and reveals names to Doug.  Threadcutter, Breathraker, Hearthbreaker, Bloodletter, Bonegrinder these make up the Dramaur, who will kill the team if they have their way.

Like the main threat in Fear Itself, Odin has dealt with them previously and have erased them from myth.  Which really plays into the legends aspect of memory, if you are a legend but no one remembers you, are you really a legend?

Doug had one shot to send them to Hel correctly and with time, but do to his mistake, they lost time and he is upset with himself.  Magma tries to sooth him.  From what I recall, the date is pretty funny and Mephisto shows her a good time.  I’m sure it has also been forgotten about as I can’t imagine the X-Office would want Magma to keep a relationship going with the devil himself.  Though he is a better match for her than Empath will ever be.

This issue does have some nice matchups with characters that wouldn’t normally be paired together.

Sunspot and Nate are at a different section of the palace, on lookout.  Sunspot wonders if Nate regrets coming along with them. Nate states that he didn’t hesitate at all, he just jumped in.  He isn’t even part of the team.  Which I like how that works out.  Their first mission under Abnett & Lanning’s tenure was to rescue X-Man and so they did, from Sugar Man.  Nate is nowhere near as powerful as he use to be, he barely has his telekinesis powers.  Just because you get rescued and then the team starts another adventure, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are part of the team.  They just haven’t shaken you off yet.

After editorial wouldn’t pull the trigger on a Dani / Cannonball relationship, they did try with Nate and Dani but I don’t believe that lasted outside of a kiss here and there, if that.  Not every female character needs to be weighted down by a dude.

Nate is bemoaning the fact that his powers are at an all time low.  Bobby picks up a piece of hail (it is snowing in Hel, that’s not good) and tells him a piece of advice that Xavier gave him.  Concentrate on a small spot, really focus on it and grow your powers from there.  Bobby refers to this time as when he was a New Mutant, which still bugs me, they don’t refer to their team as New Mutants do they?  It doesn’t make any sense.  But do any of the actual teams call themselves by the name on their comic cover?  I believe Wolverine’s X-Force did and X-Factor did but Wolverine and the X-Men are called the Jean Grey School.  Cyclops’ doesn’t call his team the Uncanny X-Men nor does Kitty call her team the All New X-Men, they only refer to themselves as X-Men, which isn’t really marketable.

Before Nate and ask all of these questions, how neat would that had been?  Warlock shouts at them that the Draumar are coming!

They start attacking the palace en mass.  Magma blocks some debris from hitting Doug.  Warlock doesn’t like their chances as they are not prepared prepared for this, to which Bobby swears at him.  I like seeing Warlock with any other character besides Doug, as we know their relationship but not really how he gets along with the other members.

Dani is watching over Hela’s body.  A crow keeps trying to peck at Hela’s body, which disgusts Dani.  Dani is complaining to Hela that they have no defenses here and could really use some help, as she keeps swatting the bird away.  The crow eventually works its way into Hela’s mouth, which really disgusts Dani.

Hela starts coughing and explains the situation.  She put her mind into the crow as she knew this was the best course for her survival.  Hela makes a joke about it being “foul tasting.”  Dani is shock that Hela wasn’t dead.  Hela is the queen of the dead, how can she be forced to live by mortal-realm concepts?  Hela, once she put her soul into the bird, brought the New Mutants here to safeguard her until the time was right.  Dani can’t believe Hela trusted her with her soul.  By bringing them there, I mean, she sent a message and Doug, whose power is to translate, didn’t translate it correctly.  If he knew it was from Hela, that would have been a nice shortcut.

Hela explains who the Draumar are, they are the spirits killed by Odin, and now have been merged into these giant monsters, and what is keeping them together is the energy of serpent.  If successful, they will break out of Hel and then go to Midgard (Earth).

Hela doesn’t know how to defeat them, Dani asks if she can do anything and Hela states she can slow them down, with a smirk.  I like this fun Hela, there is no reason why she shouldn’t be.  She’s the mother of Loki, and that guy has a bunch of fun.

The New Mutants are then cloaked with Asgardian armor.  Which makes Magma look like Magik.

The team closes ranks.  Warlock makes a Conan reference, crush your enemy and hear the lamentation of his women, which is a great line.  Maybe the best line.  Dani catches up to the team, and they are united for the first time this issue.

Bobby jokes that Magma has a date with the devil and she comments that the date will be light compared to this fight.  Doug likes having Asgardian vigor.  Doug also comments on that this is only a delay tactic.  Dani calls him a pessimist and he counters with that he is a realist.  Nice to see those two interacting as well, for the same reasons.

Nate has taken Bobby’s advice and is blasting the warrior monsters with energy.

Warlock starts smacking some of the warriors with his limbs.  This frightens the Draumar, as they don’t understand his advance technology.  Seizing on this new found weakness of fear, Nate has Hela reveal his memories to the warriors.  Before she does it, Nate confirms that she is the Goddess of Death.  Which her response is awesome “Depending on your belief system I am a specific cultural aspect of” and Nate is okay with that being an affirmative.

So Hela does open his memories to the warriors and we get a pretty nice page of the X-Men of the Age of Apocalypse.  Except that the dirt-bag-killing-his-wife-Kitty-Pryde Colossus is there (an action figure never coming to you) so that ruins it, even if he is a very tiny part on the page, he’s still there.

Now this really frightens them.  Doug explains that the Draumar are ancient and have not kept up with modern times so they have no frame of reference for any of the images they are seeing.  Now they fear these new visions and that starts unbinding them.  Thus, the day is finally saved.

Hela is quick to point out that this encounter is over but the bigger fight is still raging on on the surface.  But its a decent tie in, a problem that was unique to this title and I’m sure didn’t play any role in the larger Fear Itself crossover.

Hela tells them to go home, as their role is done.  Hela needs to go be on Asgard’s side in the conflict.  Magma states “don’t mention it” and Hela is quick to state, I won’t.

Danni states, and she didn’t as they are back on Utopia in the X-Brig as they have been telling this story for a third party.

That third party?  Is Magik, and the issue ends with her asking, how was Hell?  I bought this issue for this one page.

I could have wrote, New Mutants go to Hel, come back and tell Magik what was up.  But would that have counted as a post?  Maybe not a good one.

So Schism happens after this issue as issue 33 has the Regenesis branding and Magik isn’t shown being told that story.

X-Men Legacy 9

Posted by John Klein III on September 27, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Simon Spurrier

Penciler Tan Eng Huat

Inker Craig Yeung

Colorist Jose Villarrubia

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

David and Ruth are on their third date.  He has taken her to a diner.  For once, she is out of her X-Men uniform.  She is wearing a pretty cool brown jacket.

Ruth asks if he has any other Ms in mind, as he already has done – mysterious midnight meeting, movie and milkshakes.

Ruth also is still speaking in that broken speech pattern, as her powers are still broken.

They rehash the Evil Yellow Xavier personality that lives in David’s mindscape.

They kiss and David has found another M, the moon.  I like how throughout the rest of the issue, Ruth keeps ending sentences with m- but gets cut off.

David asks if she is okay on the moon.  She is as long as he doesn’t forget her oxygen, build a clock tower, turn blue or become naked.  All references to Doctor Manhattan and Laurie in the Watchmen, issue nine – one of the better stand alone issues of that series.

David has no idea what she is talking about.  She tells him it is from a comic book.  Also interplanetary teleportation and how he has so much power he forgets how to be human.  She draws a happy face on the moon to finish the homage.

There is an ad for Iron Man Rise of Technovore, which I haven’t seen.  Imagined if Marvel could do more pure adaptions instead of these anime inspired true stories.  Instead they do these, they don’t sell and so they don’t make any other DVDs.  This one has Black Widow, War Machine, Hawkeye and Punisher.

David explains the motivations of Aakus the Aetheric, the villain of the issue, or would be villain.

Apparently, he reads a bunch of books and believes what he reads.  So he reads about the mutant threat and goes off murdering mutants.  First, no named mutants.

Secondly, Cyclops’ team, including Tempus, Emma, Triage, Magneto and Magik, hence me buying this issue.

Then nameless mutants again.

Ruth wants David to get the X-Men from the Jean Grey School.

David then tells her how hours have already pass and tells her how the X-Men have already failed.  The X-Men shown are – Chamber, Storm, Beast, Wolverine, Pixie, Frenzy, Iceman and Armor.

They fail miserably.  Ruth sees them all die.  She is torn over this.  David tries to sooth her by telling her it was only a story.  The Yellow Xavier lets him see the future, so he already dealt with the problem.

An ad for Iron Man 3, so great.

Ruth is upset that he tricked her.  Made her experience her teachers and friends’ deaths.

David then shows her what really happened.  They have their date.  While Aarkus is formulating his plan, David forces him to sleep.  Forever.

Ruth doesn’t want him to do this course of action.  In Watchmen fashion, he tells her he did it five hours ago.

Aarkus is essentially in a coma, and David drops him and Ruth back at the school.

David can’t live his father’s dream as the X-Men do, all passive and reactionary.  No, he will be progressive and aggressive.

Issue ends with David and a few more m-words, madness, mutantkind and finally, monster.

Don’t worry about Aarkus, he wakes up and delivers some space justice in later issues.

Ultimate Comics X-Men 11

Posted by John Klein III on September 26, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Nick Spencer

Pencils Paco Medina

Inks Juan Viasco

Colorist Marte Gracia

Letterer VC’s Joe Sabino

Cover Dated July 2012

Look at that amazing cover by Kaare Andrews

I really like the Medina’s art this issue.  The Nimrod Sentinels look hard and mechanical and the people, especially the women, have a nice softness to them.  Marte Gracia is becoming one of my favorite Colorists as he really makes the issue pop.  Also, I imagine he is responsible for actually making the art look soft and real when necessary.

Prior to this issue, Kitty Pryde fought and killed Stryker.  By doing so, his consciousness went into the Nimrod’s so now they think like a mad man.  This issue opens with how the Nimrods are attacking various locations that are heavy with mutants.

One of the locations is Camp Angel, where Storm is the known mutant.  Nimrods are attacking and we get to see Ultimate USAgent, John Walker.  He doesn’t hate mutants, as he tries to rescue as many as possible.  Meanwhile, one of his soldiers are trying to get him to leave them behind as they are only mutants and he isn’t listening to that nonsense.

Storm wants to know why the government has sent the Nimrods after them and Walker tells her that it wasn’t them who sent them.

There is an ad for a Honda Civic, honestly who buys a car based off of seeing it in a comic?

At the White House, we see Val Cooper and a guy named Phil, who is freaking out over the situation.  We find out from Val that the Nimrods are attacking four states – Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nevada, and my home state, Arizona.  These are the locations of the mutant camps, the camps that once the secret that the government created mutants, is where the mutants were sent to.

With Stryker’s consciousness inhabiting the Nimrods, the robots have taken a religious flare reciting “His will be done.”  Val views the machines attacking the cities, along with the camps, as punishment for siding with these devil spawn.  Proving once again, that robots are the ones that are evil and destructive.  Show me one good robot and I will counter you with four evil ones – and usually of the same model.

Phil states that this is worst than the events of Ultimatium, which good for Spencer to not act like Magneto’s attempted world conquering didn’t happened.  It was more than 11 issues ago so he could not referencing it but since this title is still dealing with those ramifications, it makes sense to remind from time to time.  Since Magneto essentially flooded the New York City and ruin the world at large, afterwards, mutants were hunted on sight and sent to the camps.  Then once the government secret came out, things were not made easier.

Phil also asks if the Ultimates and Nick Fury can help and Val tells him that they are across the world dealing with their own issues.  I’m not even sure what that is referencing but it at least explains why they are not helping America at this point, but it is probably being bothered with Reed Richards turning evil and the twin countries of Tian.  Which I completely missed out on until Jean takes over that floating country and plays a larger part in Ultimate Comics X-Men.

Phil gets some pages and asks Val why the police, army and National Guard are not fighting the Nimords.  She tells him as they know it is pointless, they have already lost.

With that, we get an awesome two page spread showing Nimrods attacking – Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Phoenix and Las Vegas, the city capitals plus Las Vegas.  Which I’m find with Phoenix being attacked, that means they are probably going to leave Yuma alone.  I have to choose my battles.

We get a couple pages of Kitty sneaking back into the Morlock Tunnels, which is their base for now.  The X-Men at this point are Kitty, Rogue, Jimmy and Iceman along with Human Torch, plus whichever mutants they could find on their way down to the sewers.

Kitty has bought the younger mutants, including Ultimate Maggot, bananas.  They were hoping for marshmallows but she bought them nature’s candy.  Which I thought was raisins but maybe in the Ultimate Universe, it is bananas, which I also like.  My favorite fruit, actually.  No idea why bananas can’t escape strawberries, so many other and better options.

Johnny wants some quite as the President’s speech, who is clearly President Obama but to try to keep this comic dateless, he is shrouded in shadow – which must have made it an awkward speech to watch.

The President tells of the Nimrods are no longer being controlled by the government.  We are told the death toll as of now is in the thousands.  That isn’t even the worst part.  The President straight up tells American that the Southwest is lost to the Nimrods and are no longer considered part of the country.  How crazy is that?  Is that really the plan if something like this happens?  Just give up the state and try to get the Americans out while we can.

I do like how this clearly changed the Ultimate titles for a bit.  Though I believe it was never really brought up in Ultimates or Spider-Man, at least Kitty is never named in any issues, so this is strictly an X-Men story.  But the landscape has clearly been changed and this can’t stand.

The President states the battle isn’t lost and tries to rally the rest of the country.

Issue ends in Arizona, where we see Nimrods heading home to a giant Master Mold that is also stating “His will be done” so something needs to happen and quick.

I had own this issue but for some reason, I didn’t log it into my comicbookdb collection so I had to consider it a back issue.

Back cover ad is Captain America riding a Harley-Davison.  Now that I know Cap approves of this brand, I am for sure to buy one.

What If Volume Two Issue 19

Posted by John Klein III on September 25, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writers Roy Thomas & R.J. M Lofficier

Penciler Ron Wilson

Inker Sam Delarosa

Letterer Janice Chiang

Colorist Gregory Wright

Alternate Take on Avengers 254

Cover Dated November 1990

What If The Vision Had Conquered The World?

Right at the beginning, there is an ad for the video game Wrath of the Black Manta.  Which I played for hours on the NES, and prefer it to Ninja Gideon.  That may be just me.

Apparently in the Proper Marvel Universe, Vision was damaged in a fight with Fantastic Four villain and ruler of the Negative Zone, Annihilus.  To try to fix him, the second worst Avenger and possible date rapist, Starfox, connects Vision to Isaac, the super computer of his home moon Titan, of the planet Jupiter.

You can tell this is going to be a good issue as it only takes Uatu, the Watcher two pages to set up the premise.

Also, Uatu makes a joke regarding the combined being ‘envisioned’ a golden age.  He goes as far as to state, pun unintentional.  Who knew Uatu even knew puns?

Vision then sets about taking over every single computer on Earth.  He is defeated by the Avengers convincing he was wrong and then the government wipes his programming clean.  That was the Proper Marvel Universe.

This issue is broken over two parts.

I. Utopia

The Avengers – Black Knight, Hercules, Wonder Man (the worst Avenger), Captain America, Scarlet Witch and Starfox.  Not the worst roster, but I would have dropped the title.

Vision’s body is dead.

Nick Fury gets on the Avengers’ television phone, telling them that Vision’s intelligence is still in every computer.

We also see President Reagan.

We also see that Vision’s first steps to conquering the world is to replacing everyone’s wall screens on their computers to his face, thus preventing anyone from doing anything.  Including She-Hulk wanting to only use her computer to review her laundry list.  Which has to be a typo, right?  She must have meant grocery list as who makes a laundry list?  Just clean all the dirty clothes that are in your hamper.  Or do the top portion and then do a second load with the remaining amount.  Who makes a list?  Even if she was looking at which outfits were at a laundromat, how many outfits could she have out there?  I suppose being a lawyer, she might have plenty but still, in that case she would be on a regular cycle.  I don’t know, I may be making too much out of one panel but it stuck out to me.

Vision even takes over the screens of video game arcades, as we get to see Power Pack trying to play a game.  They look awfully young here, even the two older ones look super young.  Maybe they did and aged gradually until issue 19 of their series?

Another panel on this page is the Mad Thinker, who will get a bunch of in the second part.  He gets this great line about how he should have predicted this would happen but he can’t predict everything that happens.  I also like his caption box stating that he is the Thinker, who some would call mad.  It isn’t like he started out to be called the Man Thinker but at one point, you have to own up to these things.

There is an ad for the original Game Boy game, Gargoyle’s Quest, with the headline “With graphics so read, you will forget it is is a game” which I’m sure must have happen to so many people.  Playing on a giant clunk of a gaming device, looking at a tiny screen, black graphics on a pale green background, people must have been constantly lost in the adventure.  At least it looks better than those Atari ads, those advertising departments must have knew they were losing a fight already.  You get the great art of the cover but then the game graphics were blocks of various colors moving towards other blocks of various colors.

The Vision holds a conference at the United Nations, expressing his giant plan, he is going to take away everyone’s computers so that humans can concentrate on the things that matter.  He wants to do this as peacefully as possible.  Apparently, humans could defeat him if we just pushed our computers over and broke them.

Captain America states that what Vision is doing is really only an extension of the philosophy that superheroes live by, making the world a safer place by eliminating threats.  Reed believes the best thing to do is to go along with Vision’s plan for the moment as opposing him could lead to devastation.

We see the X-Men are sitting together.  Wolverine is upset with humanity as of course, no one wants to lose their computers, what would they do if they can’t lose themselves in their electronics.  Which is amazing as this is nearly 1991, computers are barely fun, I mean there’s the Leisure Suit Larry and King’s Quest IV but that’s pretty much it.

Kitty is amongst the X-Men, in her mainly green outfit with the orange trim, is stating it is her Ariel costume, enough?  She doesn’t have any lines but there is she and thus, I own this issue.  This was another one of those that Marvel Comics Database had her listed under and I had in my To Sell boxes which I’m glad I hadn’t gotten rid of it yet.

So with the support of his fellow superheroes, the world starts improving.  Captain America and a few other heroes assist with getting rid of nuclear missiles.  X-Factor, the original five X-Men, are helping the homeless.  Reed Richards is making solar power panels.  Thor is bringing rain to portions of Africa.

We get a time jump.  Turns out, with mutants being awesome, they are the ideal individuals to head our space exploration.  We see Wolverine and the adult New Mutants, placing a flag on a planet.  The New Mutants are – Wolfsbane, Dani, Cannonball, Sunspot and a blonde.  She doesn’t have bangs and her chest seems larger than what Dani and Wolfsbane looks like, so it must be Magma.  Honestly, I hate that there are two blondes on the New Mutants, and if shown from a distance, it is hard to tell which one is which with how they all have the same costume.  So you are force to look at their bust size and vague hairstyle to figure it out.  I had this problem a couple times in Volume Three of their series.

Then we time jump to the 23rd Century.  We see the Cosmic Avengers – Thor (the only surviving charter member), Starhawk, Jhen the Gammazon (a clone of She-Hulk), Tachyon Torch (a robot version of the Human Torch if I read that right), Commander America (what if Captain America’s uniform was more like a football player’s?) and Irondriod (a regular employee of Stark Industries, once one dies, he gets replaced with another employee).

Thor apologizes for being late.  Starhawk states that as a charter member, they will wait for him.

They are about to fight the alliance of the Skrulls and the Kree.  Once the battle begins, we see the current Super Skrull, known as the Mega-Skrull.  The Avengers fight this alliance.  A Kree warrior kills Irondriod but the Avengers win the day.

They mourn Irondriod, we learn that he’s a basic employee and we don’t even get his name.  That’s how interchangeable he is.

Jhen and Tachyon Torch have a flirty relationship.

This portion ends with Uatu stating that the galaxies now know peace everywhere.

II.  Dystopia

This time, Vision isn’t going to be nice about his takeover of the computers.  This freaks out the Genoshans, idiots that they are.  They send like a super nuclear weapon to New York City as that is where Vision’s mainframe is.  New York City and all that live there are dead.  Of course, Vision is in every computer, so even if he was housed there, he can move his intelligence anywhere else and so he does.

Classic What If? story though, where everyone either dies at the beginning or at the end.

Vision needs allies for his next steps and gathers the only worthy minds around.  The Man Thinker, the head of Hydra (really?) and of course, Doctor Doom.  They take over the world, they divide it in four parts.

We time jump to the 23rd Century.  Which I like that really, Lofficier and Thomas barely wanted to do present day stories, they wanted to jump as far ahead as possible to not deal with the superheroes of the day.  Before we join the 23rd Century, we are given a glimpse of our present day villains fighting Lilandra and her Imperial Guard of the Shi’ar empire, so the galaxy isn’t just rolling over for the villains.

Now we have the Mad Thinker’s consciousness in an android body, Doctor Doom’s descendant and now the head of Hydra is a woman, which is good for that agency.  They always do better with a woman in charge, Viper being the best example.  Viper over Baron Strucker every time, I say.  Vision is still living in the computer.

On this day, the Kree’s Supreme Intelligence’s descendant, Supremor and the Skrulls make an alliance with our four characters of Earth.  Of course, the aliens double cross the Earthlings.  Of course, they expected this and after a battle it turns out Vision has entered the alien homeworlds and have taken over.  He is now in charge of Supremor, turning him into a replica of Vision.  The Kree, he turns blue, which weakens them, I guess?

This portion ends with Uatu stating that the galaxy only knows peace as the Earthlings keep taking over more and more of the galaxy.

Exiles 84

Posted by John Klein III on September 24, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Tony Bedard

Penciler Jim Calafiore

Inker Mark McKenna

Colorist Tom Chu

Letterer Dave Sharpe

Cover Dated September 2006

At this point, The Exiles had finished their own Proteus Saga, ending with him believing he is Morph.  This adventure went on for quite some time and went through various alternate universes.

The team consists of Blink and Sabretooth from the Age of Apocalypse timeline, Heather Hudson of Alpha Flight, Longshot from our Universe / Mojoverse, Power Princess from Squadron Supreme and Spider-Man 2099, but not the real Spider-Man 2099.

For whatever reason, they made an alternate timeline separating from 2099 so that it is essentially Miguel O’Hara that we all enjoy but they didn’t want to damage any potential storylines with the character so this one is safe to use.  It seems silly do that diverged from 2099, as they could have had it be current day, for him, storylines and if a new writer wanted to use him, just ignore the Exiles stuff.  That is pretty much what they did with Psylocke until the genius that is Rick Remender had Uncanny X-Force travel to the Age of Apocalypse and have her meet former teammate Sabretooth.  It doesn’t really come up that often, traveling to alternate timelines.

I still say though, that if you know and have traveled to alternate timelines as a regular part of your life, wouldn’t you stress less about events in your own life?  Just think about timelines out there that have it so much worst and get over any trivial events that seem to be bothering you.

I’ve been rewatching Sliders lately, as I’m up extremely late each night, I’m only on the fifth episode on Netflix of season one, I remember the show being much better.  Maybe I’m remembering seasons two and three and we haven’t gotten there yet.  I know it falls apart for the final season, once Jerry O’Connell was gone, so was I.  I like Rembrant but I need more than the one original character to stick with it.  Plus the whole Merged Quinn thing seemed silly, either kill off the character or give him a happy ending.

Also at this point of the series, the Exiles know that the Timebroker, a nice chubby man, isn’t really who is controlling them.  No, there are time bugs living in the pink palace called the Panoptichron, that has been sending them on their missions.

I like whenever Calafiore was penciling the book, and Chu really colors his work correctly.  Calafiore has this clean cartoony (might not be the right word) style that keeps the title fun but exciting.  It definitely isn’t a kid book but it is easy on the eyes and easier to follow.

Issue opens with Power Princess wanting to kill Morph, as she caught him watching her bathe.  Which I feel like around this time, over in JLA, Plastic Man had done a similar thing with Big Barda, taking the shape of a dress of hers and having her wear him.  I guess shapeshifters will do funny things like that.  Is Reed Richards the only shapeshifter who isn’t a funny character?  Are there villains with that power that are not wacky?  Also, there is a distinction for these types of shapechangers and characters like Mystique?  Thing shapeshifters and Person shapeshifters?  There must be a word by now.

Morph has chosen to play it safe by taking the shape of Longshot to spy on her.  Turns out, she was bathing in the ocean portion of the Panoptichron.  This is all revealed as Power Princess tears him in half with her shield, now we know it has been Morph for the past few pages.

Heather and Longshot come across the fight and Zarda realizes that she didn’t just kill Longshot for spying on her.  Longshot asks why Morph took his shape instead of using his own which Zarda correctly accuses Morph of doing it as he knew it was wrong.  They worry this is the Proteus personality coming to the front of Morph’s mind.

Heather announces that she is leaving it head back to her reality for a brief vacation.  Heather is the leader of the Exiles as well as runs the day to day operation of the base.  She informs them that the bugs will be able to handle any issues until she returns.  Before she leaves, the bugs, or Timebreakers as they probably would like to be referred to as.  But these bugs are the worst so screw that!  The bugs try to tell her that there is a universe in danger, she tells them that that universe can wait a few days.

We get an aside between the two bugs.  They use to trick the Exiles into going on missions but now they have to gently push them to do what they want.  The bugs try one last ditch effort to warn Heather of the consequences of inaction, which she counters with a reminder that it was the bugs who ruin the multiverse in the first place.  After she has visited her husband, she will return to fix all of the problems the bugs created.

Morph wants to visit his home universe and Longshot states that he can’t as he is worried about Proteus being left on his own.  Morph wants to know the reason and Power Princess steps in and states that they can’t be leaving the bugs alone.  Longshot wonders how Blink is holding up.

Transition to Blink on Earth-12, which was Mimic’s universe.  I had originally bought this comic as I was buying it as part of my pull list.  Now that I’m only keeping Kitty, Lockheed and Magik appearances, it was in my boxes to sell.  Then over at the Marvel Comics Database, http://marvel.wikia.com/Main_Page, one of my new favorite websites, they had Shadowcat of Earth-12 making an appearance in this issue.  To me, she looks like how I imagine Gambit looks in this universe.  The X-Men of this world first appeared in issue 14 of Exiles and they only had a limited amount of X-Men, consisting of Cyclops, Xavier, Jean, Kurt, Storm, Colossus, Wolverine and Kitty plus Mimic. So no Gambit so this has to be Kitty in this issue, plus she is standing awfully close to Colossus.  The one panel of her in the background is the only appearance of her in the issue, so we have to take MCD with their suggestion of who that character is.  Looks like a man and too tall for me but they know what is up more than I do.

Also, issue 14 and issue 84, is close to six years of comics between the two issues and I wasn’t paying that close attention back then.  Amazing that this title lasted that long but it was a different Marvel then.

Blink is on Earth-12 for Mimic’s funeral.  They are back at Xavier’s for the wake.  The X-Men of this world are gathered to remember their fallen friend.  Cyclops, jokingly, asks Blink if they ever came to any other worlds where Mimics beat Wolverines, just to annoy Wolverine.  She is about to answer in the affirmative when Wolverine gives her a, dream on.  Blink and Mimic were in a relationship when he died.  Jean is glad they found each other while they had a chance.  The X-Men really like Blink and she likes them.  Xavier is glad to hear that as he offers her membership on the team.  Blink is pretty shock.

On Spider-Man 2099’s world, he is finding his brother, Gabe.  The reason why Miguel is on the team is that Proteus unmasked him in front of a slew of cameras so the whole world knows his secret – also probably why Marvel wanted to make this an alternate Spider-Man 2099, as that would be hard to undo, little did they know they would do this with the Proper Peter Parker Spider-Man in a story that would turn me off on the character forever (six years and counting!).  Which I should state, it is nice to read a Spider-Man again, even for an issue.  I know he has become a regular member of Superior Spider-Man, which I tried to read as I do like the character.  It read as a big mess, of why he is back in present day Marvel but it has to be pretty complicated to explain why a future character will waste time in their far past.

Spider-Man is there to make sure his brother and mother are fine.  They are, if not better as they are being treated like celebrities – celebrities who are liked by the general populace.  They are being followed for sure, by the Public Eye but treated fine.  Miguel leaves, not telling Gabe where he is going as then Gabe would have to lie about where Miguel is.

On the Age of Apocalypse dimension, which I could o a whole series of visits to home worlds and different timelines.  That’s my problem right now with Sliders, is that if you are not interested in that one dimension, then that whole episode is hard to get through but there are plotlines that are continued so you have to watch it.  Sabretooth is speaking to Magneto and Rogue, who are married in this universe.  I would have liked to see their son Charley in the room, but that’s just me.  Sabretooth is looking for Wild Child, a character I’ve always looked upon as Sabretooth Lite.  Wild Child is unaccounted for.  Magneto doesn’t know if Wild Child is dead or alive but they are looking and it is a top priority.  Rogue gets a line about how Wild Child hasn’t been the same since Sabretooth left.

I only know Wild Child from his stint on X-Factor when both Sabretooth and Mystique were members of the team.  Once I revisit Age of Apocalypse (for sure in 2016 to tie in with that movie but one imagines I could get there sooner) I need to reread those issues to recall AoA Sabretooth as I only really know him from Exiles.  Looking at his list on comicbookdb and then my collection, I own these issues of his Pre-Exiles : X-Men Chronicles 1 & 2, Age of Apocalypse : The Chosen, Amazing X-Men 4 and X-Men : Omega.  I have X-Men : Alpha on my wishlist.  It makes sense now why I have no memory of him, he was on Astonishing X-Men and I only have one issue of the other X-Men title, Amazing X-men and only issue 4 of that one.  I barely remember him from the other titles.  Chronicles was an anthology two issue series, Chosen was a handbook, Amazing lead into Omega.  Alpha, naturally, was the first part of Age of Apocalypse.

Magneto wonders if Wild Child would come out of hiding if he knew Sabretooth was back.  He asks when Sabretooth and Blink are expectant back.  Sabretooth is about to answer when the Tallus, the device that teleports the Exiles and lets them know what needs to be fixed before they go home.  Sort of like their Ziggy from Quantum Leap.

Which this series was an odd mix of X-Men, Sliders and Quantum Leap, maybe why I liked it so much and was hooked on the series from the beginning.  I followed this into New Exiles by Chris Claremont and then the third attempt of the title by Jeff Parker (Exiles Volume Two).  I only kept issue two of that second volume.  I loved New Exiles as it had Chris Claremont writing, had an alternate Kitty Pryde and they printed one of my letters that so happen to be answered by That Cat Pryde that month, issue 11.  Along with Deadpool volume one’s 54, it was my second letter published.

Sabretooth is notified that Heather’s dimension is in danger.  We transition to the bedroom of James and Heather, who are clearly enjoying each other’s company – adult style.  James is feeling a little guilty that he has been hogging all of her time as other members of Alpha Flight are going to want to see her.  She tells them that they will understand as it has been quite some time since they have been together as they are now.  Really, it is such a silly and bad line, unless he really only wanted a break to regain some of his energy.  I like how Heather refers to it as “catching up.”

She is only there for a day or two more.  Then Sabretooth teleports in, and he is surprised to see the location he has been transported too.  Sabretooth is super embarrassed about interrupting them and turns his back.  He explains that he is there as Heather’s world is in danger.

So both teams are united, and there is a line about how they have already done the introductions, which would have been nice if they had at least thrown up captions around the members of Alpha Flight as it would make this job here a little easier.  For the Exiles – Blink, Power Princess and Spider-Man join Sabretooth and Heather.  For Alpha Flight – Guardian (James), Aurora (who doesn’t appear to be crazy) and Northstar, Box, Puck, Marrina (in a mermaid shape), Shaman and Snowbird.

Apparently what distinguishes Heather’s timeline from others is that the Cold War hasn’t ended yet.  It is getting closer to ending but Russia has one last plan up its sleeve.  They want to use Darkstar’s connection to the dark dimension, where their elder god, Cheronbog lives.  I’m under the impression that Darkstar’s Darkforce comes from the same place as Cloak’s cloak’s dimension.

Darkstar are at the North Pole along with her fellow Soviet Super Soldiers – Crimson Dynamo, Red Guardian, Ursa Major and Vanguard.  If successful, Cheronbog will come to their aid and demolish America and really, the rest of the world as there would be a nice layer of Dark Force around the planet.

I never understood the idea of heroes flying to their destination but they force those who can fly on their own to fly outside the plane.  Is that really the best use of their abilities?  Wouldn’t that tire them out?  Just doesn’t seem fair to me.

Blink reveals that she has an offer to join Earth-12’s X-Men but she isn’t sure if she wants to accept it.  Sabretooth wants to know if she is considering or was considering the offer.

The heroes fight the Soviets.  Shaman sends illusions to throw off their foes.  Darkstar has been at this for three days, so she is tiring.  Three days, clever of Bedard to reveal the time period as that must be how long the bugs have been trying to get Heather to pay attention to them and the threat.  If they told her it was her world, she would have perked up, I’m sure.

Gusrdian and Power Princess knock out Crimson Dynamo.  Darkstar loses her concentration before she can succeed.  She did enough though, and her portal continues to gain strength.

Morph wants to help and gets the bugs to teleport him to the action, leaving Longshot behind.  Instead of teleporting him to the Exiles, he is smack in the middle of the Soviets.

Aurora and Northstar try to use their combined light powers onto the portal, to no effect.

Longshot decides to head to the dimension.  Leaving the bugs alone.

There is an ad for the Ultimate Clone Saga starting with Ultimate Spider-Man 97.  It isn’t very good, no Scarlet Spider costume is seen. Also, Ultimate Kitty doesn’t show for the majority of the story.

Snowbird knocks the god back and the day is saved.

Sabretooth tells the bugs they are ready to come back to the base.  Then his Tallus disappears from his forearm.

The Timebroker informs them that they have been fired, thus the issue ends.

Age of Ultron 8

Posted by John Klein III on September 23, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Age of Ultron 8

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Artist Brandon Peterson

Color Artist Paul Mounts

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Part Eight of Ten

Along with Fear Itself, Age of Ultron was my second Marvel event that I didn’t follow.  It was billed as mainly an Avenger event with Emma Frost and Wolverine appearing in it.  I read it in the store, or at least skimmed it and nothing seemed to be overly amazing about it.  In issue two and four, there is a wall of photos that I can’t tell if Kitty is one of the images.  In issue two, the photo in question has a clear blonde with a red shirt and black mask, but in issue four, she has a blue shirt and blue mask, like Kitty’s 80s Excalibur costume.  Hastings still is trying to sell those two issues for three dollars each, and that’s just too much for something that doesn’t really count as an appearance.

From Issue Two –

Age of Ultron 2 Wall

From Issue Four –

Age of Ultron 4 photo wall

She is below Beast and above Nightcrawler and Magneto so it makes me think that she is suppose to be Kitty but now she looks like Carol Danvers there.  Google Images is really letting me down on finding the exact same image but from issue four, I believe it is the only difference and I’m probably the only Kitty Pryde fan trying to figure out if I need to buy it or not.

Turns out, that is Cassandra Lang, not Carol Danvers from our friends at Marvel Database.  But see how blue is the photo is the second time around?  That could be Kitty but should I buy the issue?  I’m not sure.

Another nice thing is that issue of these issues ends with a cast list and Kitty wasn’t on any of those.  So each issue, I will flip to the back, not see her and not be all that interested.

To issue eight, Kitty is for sure in this but if you are not looking for her, you will miss her.  In the previous issue, Wolverine and Sue Richards – the last survivors of our Marvel Universe, but at the end of it when Ultron has killed all but a handful of characters.  So last issue, Wolverine straight up kills Hank Pym right before he creates Ultron, in Avengers 54 / 55 July and August 1968.

In this new time line, Morgan Le Fey – who I only really know from Busiek and Perez’s opening arc on Avengers – is the main threat of the era.

This issue opens with Iron Man, reviewing the former time line.

Age of Ultron 8 Kitty

The very first image we see is a circle showing the Marvel Age 12 cover of Secret Wars 1, where Kitty is on the cover between Cyclops and Nightcrawler.

Marvel Age 12

We also see a bubble of Wanda from House of M, Mariko and Wolverine, Sue at the birth of one of her children and Ultron from the first issue of this series.

Tony is revealing all of this information, in disbelief.  He can’t believe that these two broke time.  There has to be a better way.

We see his two advisors, Xavier and Emma – who is far more bustier than she has ever been shown before and overly so.  Come on Peterson, dial it back some!  These two telepaths confirm that Sue and Wolverine’s memories are too in sync to be fake.  Emma has this great line of “You know my feeling, something this insane has to be what it is.”  Before that, Xavier and Emma have a little fun with all the nicknames Wolverine has had over time.

Stark orders them to tell the Defenders to leave the Hellicarrier, which is Tony’s base of operations.  The Defenders are the premier super hero team after the Avengers disband over Pym’s death.  The Defenders are – Colonial America (not sure if he will one day become a zombie, he has an eye patch over his left eye), Wasp (in a Captain Marvel style suit), Thing (with a slew of puncture hole / grater types of damage), Wolverine (in his classic tan costume) Husk (looking normal), Cyclops (going by Cable, has only a slit in his visor over his left eye), Star Lord (in a silly Hydra knock off costume with an even sillier helmet – I thought he was a male Dazzler at first) and Dr. Strange.

Wolverine and Sue are in two separate interrogation rooms and I really like Mounts coloring choices here with the lightning.  It feels like a real interrogation room, the rooms are cast in green light and they look sickly.  Tony is interviewing Wolverine.  Tony reveals that he had a security camera in the room where Wolverine slays Pym as Sue watches.  The heroes of the day thought it had to be Skrulls.

Wolverine wants a beer.  Tony tells him that he was torn in half during the Latveria – Asgard Wars, which was the last time he saw Thor.

Sue generates force fields to break her confinement.

Emma and Xavier tell the Defenders to leave.  They do not want to leave.  Dr. Strange uses the spell, Vishanti Spell of Disorientation, Book of Vishanti page 73 to get the Defenders pass the telepaths.

Tony asks Wolverine why they didn’t use a Time Release Virus.  Wolverine tells him that Reed was dead and his Tony didn’t come up with that idea.  I do believe they do use this in issue nine.  I haven’t read issue ten, as it was poly bagged but the only things I know that occurred in that issue are – Angela leaves the Image Universe for Marvel Proper and Galactus goes to the Ultimate Universe.

Thing, Cyclops and Wolverine get to Sue’s room.  They can’t see her, she snuck out as they came in as she was invisible.  Tony can see her, as he sees all spectrums.

Before anyone can do anything, Morgan Le Fey and an army of horned Doombots attack the helicarrier.

Dr. Strange casts the following spells – Evanodor Attack Spell, Scroll of Wabawab / Massentear’s Levitation Spell, from the Oral Scrolls of Tooli / Evanodor Compatriot Boost Spell, Scroll of Wabawab.

The two Wolverines exchange a look.

Morgan Le Fey tells Tony that she doesn’t understand what plan he is accusing her of committing.

She asks him to turn around, as she doesn’t want him to miss the final page moment, the hellicarrier crashing down on New York City.

This is the only issue of this series that I own, so this is it for us here at S&FwM.