Siege Volume Two Issue 4

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

Siege V2 4

Writer Kieron Gillen

Artist Filipe Andrade

Color Artist Rachelle Rosenberg

Double Page Spreads Pepe Larraz & Ian Herring; Gary Choo; Bill Sienkiewicz

Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles

Issue opens with a fun moment.  Brand and Kang confirm that the man, before them, is Thanos – as soon as he confirms that he is him, they pull guns on him.   Thanos tells them to stop attacking, he only wants to talk.  If they don’t want to listen, he will reactivate the Fury.  Thanos wants to be taken to a small cell now.

This issue, and maybe Old Man Logan 5 – seem to be the only two issues that actually tie in to Secret Wars 2015.

Thanos hints that he knows about pending attacks.  Brand will think about listening to him, and they leave to investigate some leads.  Once Thanos is alone, he asks to talk to Ben Grimm, who is ever present as he is the actual shield.  Grimm isn’t sure why Thanos calls him, “Ben.”  Thanos hints that this conversation will take some time.

Meanwhile, on the top of the shield – Leonardo da Vinci, Ms. America, Kate Bishop and Scott Summers, are chatting.  I like this moment of downtime, something comics could use more of.  They are talking about pizza and parsnips.  Kang gets Summars and da Vinci, as Brand needs their help with interrogation.

Thanos, essentially, wants to unseat Doom, he is a false god.  I believe that Thanos is making references to the Secret Wars 2015 Infinity Gauntlet series.  Now that there is peace, beyond the southern border of the shield – those armies can now turn their attention to Doom.  Thanos offers that they can try to kill him but the attack is about to start . . . NOW!

Siege V2 4 Kitty Pride Lockheed

I can only guess that Pepe Larraz & Ian Herring did the above double page spread.  Choo signed his page and the other double spread looks like Sienkiewicz, especially with the Warlock like things.

The poor Kitty Pride, having to fight on, even though poor Lockheed has fallen.  I do like how the Kitty Pride are either yellow cats or blue cats – great use of her color scheme.

Jack of Hearts has fallen, as have the Winter Soldiers.  Squirrel Girl was believed to be dead, but like she do, she got better.

The Thors showed up and start cleaning up the mess.

Thanos and Grimm get to keep talking.  From my understanding of Secret Wars 2015 6, is that Doom made Battleworld.  He made Human Torch, the sun and Thing into the planet (or at least, the southern hemisphere).  Sue he married and had two children, Val and Franklin.  They made up the Fantastic Four, but they didn’t last.  So this Thing, doesn’t believe Thanos, at all.  Thanos shares, that back in the old Marvel Universe, he loved one that he will see again, only when he died.  If he dies here, he will see Doom’s face, last.  Thing jokes that Thanos is attracted to Death’s cheekbones – there is a nice dark humor, with this series.

I do like Thanos talking, at length, about his respect for the Fantastic Four.  Even though, I don’t know how often the Fantastic Four have run up against Thanos.

I also like how Gillen / Thanos recognize that he will have to really spell this out to Thing.  Doom is pretty petty, when it comes to his rivalry with Richards and his clan.   So it makes sense that there is only one Thing and he is tortured, every day – due to the siege attempts.  There is only one Human Torch, and he has to shine down, onto the planet.

Thing is told how Battleworld is real but it isn’t how t should be.  Which makes sense, what type of planet would have specific realms?  It isn’t like different states, each realm is like an entire planet, unto itself.  Thing should stop protecting this bastardize planet and start fighting for whatever it takes to restore a Doom-less order.

I do enjoy how the enlightened canon has “ENLIGHTENED!” sound effect!  That is all types of fun!  The heroes are using the canon to fight back the Marvel Zombies, including Zombie Wolverine. Zombie Magneto, and Zombie Spider-Man.

Kate Bishop, realizing that arrows are not going to have much of an effect on the living dead.  That she fights on, is what makes her a hero.

Thing materializes where the heroes are, he wants Leo to shoot the canon at him, so that he can answer the age old question – why are we here?  The canon is fueled by the Vitruvian Man, who is actually, Michelangelo, which I’m not sure if this is all in that SHIELD title from a few years ago.

Thing now knows that Thanos was right.  With a powerful right hook, he knocks Thanos down.  Thanos stands, easily breaks his chains and tells Thing that they must fight back.  I’m not sure if Thing has all of his old memories but he knows that his life, that he knew, is a lie.

Thing, in his proper miles long form, stands and leaves.  Miles of the shield are now gone and the rest will crumble, Brand’s War Journal informs.  Thing’s final words, to his friends, were a sound so loud, none could understand.  Not until, Eardevil the Klawyer broke it down, for human ears can hear.  Three words, five syllables.  “It’s Clobbering Time” which is so great.

Thanos tells Brand, Kang and Scott Summers – that he is also leaving to confront Doom.  Kang offers to change history but Brand reminds him that is how the one version of himself died, in issue two.  Things have to play out this way, so that Kang can live.  Kang still attempts it, so he will still die.

I like how Brand and Summers can be friends, on this world.  They started so hostile, back in the Proper Marvel Universe.

This really was a great title!  These Secret Wars 2015 tie-ins seem to be making a point of having fantastic final issues.

X-Men Evolution 4 x 7

Posted by John Klein III on April 29, 2016
Posted in: Cartoon, Fun With YouTube. Tagged: , . 2 Comments

Ghost of a Chance

Thanks to YouTube Kids’ WB for hosting this video.

Also thanks to commenter, Daniel Gonçalves de Amorim, for the suggestion!

The episode that introduces Dani Moonstar and has her become friends with Kitty!

I sold my collection of X-Men Evolution to Hastings, as it was getting cluttered on our bookcase.  I’m hoping one day they will put out a Complete Series and I’ll snatch that up.  Though, the only time I think they could swing it, is when X-Men Apocalypse comes out, as season four was the only season to not be released and Apocalypse is all over that season.

Episode opens with Wolverine on a motorcycle.  Sam and Logan partner up.  Other students are there too.  They are all trying to enjoy the desert, before it sinks into the reservoir.

I don’t quite remember this episode, maybe I only saw the fourth season once.

Kitty and Rogue are a pair, and Kitty goes off a beating path.  Way off, as she falls off a cliff, along with her kart.  I did like the friendship Rogue and Kitty had, on this show.  The show really did do a good job of putting pairs together, we knew how all the students got along with each other.

The kart crashes and Kitty saves herself, she can do a pullup.

Wolverine knows someone had an accident.  Kitty is all by herself, until Dani Moonstar saves her.  My favorite X-Man with my third favorite New Mutant!  Dani is cool with Kitty being a mutant, as she is a mutant.  Dani believes Kitty has a better power than her own.  Wolverine and Rogue arrive.  Wolverine isn’t happy that Rogue left her partner behind.

Xavier is meeting with Dani.  Rogue apologizes to Kitty, they get over it, as they are friends.

I like the new outfits the students got.  Xavier introduces Danielle as a new student, Kitty is excited and shows her Kitty’s room.  Xavier and Wolverine talk about Dani, she has a form of telepathic powers but she is a troubled young lady.

In a Danger Room session, Jean tells the students the goal.  Iceman, Sunspot and Sam are on squad.  Dani is with them.  Kurt is part of the ‘surprises’ that the younger students have to work against.  Dani loses her focus and starts forcing people to see their nightmares.

Jean floats away, Kurt is in hell and Kitty keeps phasing through the ground.

Dani is freaked out, along with everyone else but they are cool.  Well, the faculty have a chat with her and Kitty takes Dani’s side.

Is Dani being angry and distrusting racist?  Dani has a nightmare so she forces others to suffer their own nightmares.  Wolverine is tied up again, Storm has her room crashing on top of her.  Xavier wakes up to the Sentinels coming for his kids.

Xavier wakes up Kitty, and has a chat with her along with Storm and Wolverine.  Like a good friend, Kitty defends Dani.  When Kitty wakes up, Dani is gone.  Not only gone but completely moved out.

So weird that they keep calling her, Danielle.  Kitty confronts Xavier, and no one has heard of this Danielle before.  The world believes she never existed.  Xavier tells Kitty that she’s been sleeping since her accident.

In Kitty’s dream, Dani reaches out to her.  There is water everywhere.  Kitty gets a phone call from Dani, it is dark (and most likely, wet) where she is.  Kitty gets Kurt to help her.  It doesn’t take Kitty long to suspect that Xavier mindwiped everyone.

Wolverine and Sam get time to do another race, they want to see who the winner is.  The students are creating obstacles.  Sunspot throws some boulders.  Magma creates a lava pit.

Kurt and Kitty get to Dark Hollow, and they find a deserted town, which Dani hinted that everyone left her, in the past.  Kitty answers a phone call from Dani, Kurt freaks out as there was no ringing phone.

In a phone book, they find the Moonstar’s address on Maggie Blue Road – who is the excellent voice actress for Kitty!  That’s pretty fun!  I didn’t even need to look that up, for this post, I only had to look up which episode number this was.  It is also the 50th episode of the series.

Dani’s grandfather tells Kurt and Kitty that everyone left, two years ago.

Cannonball loses the race.

Kitty and Kurt go back to where Kitty first fell and Kitty knows that Dani must be nearby.  Kurt teleports to tell reinforcements.

Kitty phases through the ground until she finds a cavern.  Poor Dani has been down there for two years!  That’s a very long time!  Too long!  Danielle is close to death!  How she isn’t dead, is beyond me.  They should have just said she was down there for two months or something.  Two yaers is so many days!

Kurt can’t teleport to where he hasn’t seen before.  Iceman freezes the reservoir. What has Dani been eating for two years?  Magma burns a path, as the water keeps rising.  Kurt teleports down and saves the ladies.

Kitty got to wear four outfits this episode!  That has to be a record.

Xavier explains to Kurt and Wolverine that Dani put herself into a sort of hibernation.  So that explains that, but not really.  Her powers made it possible for her to reach out to Kitty.

A neat little episode, this twenty minutes went by way fast!

The next two episodes are Ascension, Parts One and Two, also the final two episodes.  I hadn’t realized that the fourth season was only eight episodes.  Which would have been only two DVDs, I wonder why they didn’t just release it?

SHIELD Volume Three Issue 10

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

SHIELD V3 10

Writer Mark Waid

Artist Evan “Doc” Shaner

Color Artist Matthew Wilson

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

I’m one of those who stuck with ABC’s Agents of SHIELD, even when all the signs that the show will never bounce back were clear.  But bounce back it did, but those early episodes are pretty rough to watch.  They really took the opportunity to retool, with their Winter Finale that was also a Captain America : Winter Soldier tie-in.  So I’m a fan and been waiting for a chance to pick up this series.  I haven’t read a Mark Waid title, in forever.

I do wonder what the actors’ contracts are like, that they are now having their images portrayed in comic form.

SHIELD V3 10 Recap

This issue features, Howard the Duck!  Also in this issue, Leo Fitz and fellow SHIELD agent – Jeremiah Warrick – an expert on all things mystic (but has a head of an owl).  If they could get Warrick on the show, that would be outstanding!  Phil Coulson will be making an appearance as well.

I guess we don’t really need to know what has happened in previous issues, as the Past Mission paragraph is spent on introducing these agents.  I do know that Invisible Woman, has appeared in this series.

This issue opens with Fitz and Warrick, running towards the person they are meant to meet.

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Jeremiah_Warrick_%28Earth-616%29

I just read on Marvel Database , that Warrick’s first appearance is in issue six of this series and this issue, here.  He was in charge of Doctor Strange’s records and now has the body of a man and a man size owl’s head, for a head.

They are clearly talking about Howard the Duck, who we see is in front of, Duck Bucket, a restaurant. It clearly a SHIELD front, as they don’t even offer any duck related dishes.

We are introduced to Alphonse de Manger Beaucoup Ducanard, we will learn his full name later.  He speaks only in French, so we get some great translation boxes.  Ducanard tries to stab Howard but he uses his duck-fu and Fitz gets Howard out of the situation.  I like how Fitz says “psst! Howard!”  and how how Howard gives him shit for it.  Now that Howard has a SHIELD official’s attention, he confronts Fitz about the duck restaurant, as a meeting place.  Fitz asks the chef to make a duck dish and the chef doesn’t know what Fitz is going on about.

I like how SHIELD is dealing with fallout from Spider-Verse, even though that was from a while ago.  The mutli-verse is in jeopardy.  Fitz reveals that Jemma Simmons and Phil Coulson are tacking the problem on a different front.

Howard the Duck, who has seen practically everything, is startled by a man with an owl’s head, for a head.  Warrick gives Howard a crystal ball.  Warrick gives Howard an item that will restore the omniversal zipper.  Only Howard can fix the cosmic zipper.  As Howard is being cynical with Fitz, Warrick waves a wand and causes the other two to disappear.

Fitz and Howard find a dying alternate Howard the Duci.  Howard does not like watching a version of himself die.

SHIELD V3 10 Magik Reference

They teleport again.  Another Howard the Duck dies.  Howard can’t believe this, as it is a very short list of those people who have died, more than once.

The second group of heroes are –

Mr. Fantastic, Thing, Human Torch, the Original Human Torch, Psylocke, Quasar, Swordsman, Hercules, Professor X, Havok, Magik, Banshee and Elektra.

Magik’s two deaths, I imagine, one is during Inferno and other is by the Legacy Virus.  Or maybe Howard is counting her death at the hands of the Beyonder, during Secret Wars II, I bet that is what he is counting as only the character of Magik, died, during Inferno.  Illyana was fine, a child again but fine.

That’s right, I bought this issue, for a mere Magik reference, that is at the tail end, of a second list of Marvel comic characters, that have died twice (or more than twice).

Psylocke has died, as the beginning of X-Treme X-Men, at the sword tips of Vargas and maybe Howard is counting the body swap with Revanche, for a second time?  Or maybe the end of Fall of the Mutants, when the X-Men were believed to be dead.

Reed died once, along with Doom, but they were really both missing, together.  Well, he died at the end of Onslaught, if that’s what they are counting.  Same with go with Human Torch, his second death will be during Hickman’s Fantastic Four run, but he was really in the Negative Zone, and he died a bunch there.  Waid killed Thing, for an issue, during his legendary run on Fantastic Four, and he also died at the end of Onslaught : Marvel Universe, which may have been written by Waid, too, now that I’m writing about it.

Xavier has died, a couple of times.  Back in the 60s, though that was really Changling.  Legion killed him and sparked the Age of Apocalypse, and Cyclops killed him near the end of AvX.

Swordsman, I know died at least once.

Banshee died during Deadly Genesis, for sure.

I guess Havok’s “death” at the end of Fall of the Mutants, along with Psylocke, counts for one.  Oh and exploding in X-Factor 149 and launching Mutant X, that must be his two.

Elektra died during Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil, not sure about her second death.

Original Human Torch, probably just explaining his lack of being used, Post-WWII.  I know he was in the 1997 Heroes for Hire – which was awesome – that’s pretty much how I know about the character.

I’m not aware of hen Quasar or Hercules died, at all.  Did Quasar die at the end of Maximum Security, or did he just merge with the planet, Ego?  I think he only merged with Ego.

I don’t get Howard the Duck’s usage of “piano”  He uses it twice, at the end of two different sentences.  I’m not aware of the context of the expression.

Howard is so sad, he is willing to beat Fitz.  Just then, a lady dressed as Howard the Duck, introduces him to his own Duck-verse – Howard the RoboDuck, Howard the Duck (who is Thor inspired), the Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Howard the Duck (Thing inspired) and Strange-Duck (Doctor Strange inspired).  RoboDuck is a giant size duck in a suit of armor, a mix of Giant Man and Iron Man, maybe?  I imagine the lady is suppose to be Howard the Duck, mainstray, Beverly, but cosplaying as Howard the Duck.  Remember, Cosplay is not Consent!

We have a new arrangement of pull out ads.  Mighty Thor, with Jane Foster.  Ms. Marvel.  All New Hawkeye, with Kate Bishop and Old Man Hawkeye.  Illuminati, Hood and his villain crew.  Vision and his family title. Carnage, Nova and Deadpool.  I don’t get the theme of any of these titles, I think they were just the last batch.

There is also a Sister Howard the Duck.  Their group name is, Legion of Howards – they are a cross-existenial reality force that fights for hyperjustice.  Our Howard, wants to know why he was never invited to join their group.  The panel of awkward silence, is so great.

While Mighty Howard the Duck is trying to convince our Howard, to save the universe, he is forked to death.  His look of confusion and StrangeDuck’s utter shock, is pretty awesome.

I like how Waid has Ducanard speak in long monologues.  Typically, with a character that speaks another language, they either pepper their English with a few words of their native tongue.  Or they speak in one sentence turns.  Ducanard gets a full page of dialogue, which is amazing in this current age of comics.  We learn that he was born to create a perfect pate from the blended livers of one single duck who exists in many forms, across diverse realities.  Which is an odd power set or desire, but lucky for him – there are plenty of Howard the Ducks.  Who knew?  Ducanard only has one rival, in all of the dimensions.

Fitz pushes Howard out of the way and gets forked, but it is only a flesh wound.  This is enough for Howard to get really mad.  Fitz uses one of RoboDuck’s weapons to shoot Ducanard, in the back!

StrangeDuck starts to heal Fitz, but he reminds them that Ducanard hinted at a rival.  That rival is . . . The Liverer!  Galactus but with a craving for dimensional duck.  Also, his color scheme is green, instead of purple.  The Liverer’s role in the universe is to savor a cosmic pate blended from the livers of millions of possible parallel permutations of the same mallard.  Howard points out how that was Ducanard’s role.  Liverer corrects him, it is Liverer’s role, Ducanard was only born into it.  It is the small details.

While Liverer is preparing Howard’s liver, SisterDuck has the zipper attachment prime and ready to zip up the situation.  As the zipper closes, everyone starts fading to their own universes.  Fitz tells Howard to come with him, as they share the same reality.  Except that Howard doesn’t come from our Earth, so he is tempted to go back to DuckWorld.  Fitz gets distracted, seeing a world where he and Jemma are a couple.

Back on Earth, Warrick has been struggling to bring Fitz and Howard back, as he explains to Coulson.  Just then, the two materialize in front of Warrick.  Warrick explains that everything is back to how it should be.

This was a pretty great issue, I may have to track down the first trade and see how we got there.  Or at least, read issue six.

Bragging Rights : Classic Marvel Figurine Collection #45 Kitty Pryde and Lockheed

Posted by John Klein III on April 27, 2016
Posted in: Bragging Rights, Websites. Tagged: . Leave a comment

So this pretty fun website :

http://www.marvel-figurines.co.uk/

Has this cool figurines that come with a 30 page magazine that is essentially an “everything you may want to know” handbook of the figurine’s comic book history.  I of course got the the Kitty Pryde and Lockheed one, their number 45.

Before I bought it I would spend some time, and this is back, when they only had fifty of these things and just marvel at all of the figurines.

http://www.marvel-figurines.co.uk/figurines.html#figs

Eaglemoss Publications is the company that makes them.

I found three good images and I can’t tell which one is better so here are all three!

Classic Marvel Figurine Collection 45 Kitty Pryde Lockheed

Classic Marvel Figurine Collection 45 Kitty Pryde with Lockheed

Classic Marvel Figurine Collection 45 Shadowcat

I guess if I had to choose, I would have gone with the third one but then I didn’t like how you can’t do the magazine that came with it.

The company is in the United Kingdom, so it may cost extra to ship it to you but I say they are all worth the price based off of how great the Kitty Pryde and Lockheed one is.  Lockheed even gets a section in the magazine!

Here is the Wikipedia page that lists all 200 of these!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Classic_Marvel_Figurine_Collection

Years of Future Past 5

Posted by John Klein III on April 26, 2016
Posted in: Homage, Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Years of Future Past 5

Writer Marguerite Bennett

Artist Mike Norton

Colorist Fco Plascencia

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover Art Adams and Peter Steigerwald

One of the better Secret Wars 2015 series, comes to an end.

The Ruins of New York City.  The issue opens, very intensely, Cameron looms over his sister, Christina.  These two will be at each other’s throats, for the issue.  Cameron wants to kill President Kelly, so that mutants will be even more persecuted and ideally, wiped off the planet.  Christina, being a Pryde, doesn’t want that – at all.

Cameron retells the story, of the tigers and how they outnumbered the humans.  Once they got out of the zoos, they started breeding like cats!  Giant orange cats.  Cameron also reminds us of his kill list – Magneto, Blob and Pyro.  Which is impressive for any one person.

Cameron and Christina have a quick sparing match and he takes off to meet up (and ideally) kill President Kelly.

The Skies Above the National Plaza.  Storm is guiding in Air Force One.  On the ground, is Angel, Colossus, Rachel and Wolverine.  Colossus is completely confused by the misinformation that Rachel is feeding him.  While Angel is checking in on Kelley’s PR goons, Cameron shows up.  Colossus tries to talk to him but Cameron doesn’t respect the guy he was spawn from.

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 0

Cameron takes President Kelly out of his plane.  Before he can make any moves, he hears his sister’s voice.

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 1

Christina has brought reinforcements – Kate Pryde and mother loving Lockheed!  He lives and I am so thrilled!  Glad he didn’t die, in issue three.

Pull out ad has – All New Wolverine and All New X-Men, both I’m sort of interested in.  Next, we have the Guardians of the Galaxy umbrella of titles – Drax, Venom Spaceknights and Star Lord.  I’m tracking Drax and Venom, as I still suspect there will be another space crossover.  Star Lord, is a retelling of Quill’s origins – so I’m skipping that one, until it catches up to the present.  It has to, right?  Then there are some odd titles – Black Knight, Hercules and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.  Finally, there is The Ultimates – which is mainly just Mighty Avengers, retitled.  I still think it is an odd use of the Ultimates name.  Agents of SHIELD, using comic art, but promoting the television series.  Remember how great that episode, 4,722 Episode, was?  So good!

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 2

Kate Pryde straight punches Rachel, to her traitorous dumb face.  Rachel tries to explain, just like how Magneto tried, that Christina needs to die, for the cause.  That dumb sentence, gets her a second punch to her silly hound face.

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 3

Christina, not missing an opportunity, introduces herself to President Kelly.  Lockheed allows the president to climb on top of them and the two escape.  See how Lockheed is making Christina’s metal arms, red hot?  That is going to make sense, in just one page turn.  But how did he know to do that?  They didn’t exchange a look, or anything.

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 4

Cameron is not happy that the president is escaping.  He turns his attention to his sister and she burns his legs.  Now he won’t be able to phase.  I do like how these two power sets are the opposite gender parent’s powers.  So Kitty’s phasing powers went to her son, Cameron.  Colossus’ metal powers, went to his daughter, Christina.  I also like how the children got a tad power upgrade.

I like how cynical Christina already is.  She’s heard about the legendary battles of Xavier and Magneto.  She already knows that Cameron is too small time, for that.

Cameron will never stop trying to eliminate the mutant race.  Poor Christina has to make a decision, and since she knows nothing but losing, she straight up SHKs her brother, killing him.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 1

I do feel bad, that Kate has to witness the murder of her son, at the pointing arm of her daughter.  I do wish we got to see more of the combine family unit but I believe that is the point.  Cameron was never a Pride.

I also feel horrible for Christina, there are only a few hundred mutants and she just put one down, permanently.  Before him, three other mutant deaths had occurred.

Colossus pulls his wife away, so she never gets to give her murderous son, one last embrace.  Wolverine pulls Christina.

Two soldiers want to snipe the fleeing X-Men but President Kelly gives the order, to stand down.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 2

Colossus is doing a poor job of consoling his grieving wife.  Everyone is headed to Kurt’s church.  Rachel keeps trying to apologize.  I guess if Rachel had her way, Kate would be grieving her other child instead.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 3

Poor Kurt, instantly recognizing that Cameron is not around.  He only knew the child for a few brief hours.  Christina is still trying to justify her actions.

Wolverine, like a dick, tries to say that he lost a son today as well.  Even though we were shown that he barely paid Cameron, any mind.  Remember when Cameron kept saying “father” until he finally said “Wolverine” and got Logan to turn his head?  Imagine 18 years of that.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 4

The X-Men hear helicopters and assume that the government is coming to finish the job of wiping an entire race off the map.  Which, as we all know, is always a great sign of a successful country.

The mutants from the nearby concentration camp, have join the X-Men, willing to fight due to Christina’s heroic freeing of them.

Kate wants to have a moment.  Which I can only imagine, they get outside and some government official, is there to bring the X-Men out of the shadows and into their rightful place, being one with the rest of society.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 5

A tad weird to have Kate be the one to run into a tiger, as it was Christina who was told the tale from Cameron.

Pretty flipping fantastic series!  Also, grim as heck!

Comic Collector Live – Uncanny X-Men 141 Link

Posted by John Klein III on April 25, 2016
Posted in: Homage, Websites. Tagged: . 1 Comment

So this website is doing a great job of keeping track of Homage Covers for Uncanny X-Men 141!

http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/LiveData/StoryArc.aspx?id=7baffffd-18cc-437f-a742-a7bf1dee3f6e

But I hate having to Google for the website, so this may just be for me.

Typically, it is on page two but that is unacceptable!

Secret Wars Journal 4

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

Secret Wars Journal 4

Another Last Stand

Writer Sina Grace

Artist Ken Lashley

Color Artist Rachelle Rosenberg

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Secret Wars Journal 4 Uncanny X-Men 141 Homage Page

The Sentinel Territories.  I’m a big fan of Tolstoy, bigger fan of Anna Karenina than War and Peace.  I wish I had the chance to take a Russian Literature class, senior year of high school.  Instead, we had English Literature, which felt like Sophomore year, part deux.

I like the quote, attributed to Tolstoy – the two most powerful warriors are patience and time.

Great homage to Uncanny X-Men 141.  That would have been enough for me to buy this issue, but there are more reasons (two more!) but that’s a decent start.

Since this issue takes place in The Sentinel Territories, so this takes place within the same realm of the series, Years of Future Past.

Secret Wars Journal 4 Kate Pryde Mention

Kyle Jinadu, husband to Northstar, has found Psylocke – who is living a lie.  She is blonde and living in the suburbs.  Once he mentions, Kitty Pryde, he ruins Psylocke’s day.

Kyle wants to save Northstar, who is stuck in a concentration camp.  She tells Kyle that she won’t help.  Later that night, she erases her husband’s memories and takes off.  She has made a decision.

Psylocke has joined Kyle’s quest.  The two make short work of the soldiers, in the camp.  Psylocke has really missed, cutting loose.

We get a very touching panel, of the two husbands hugging.

Secret Wars Journal 4 Kate Pryde mention 2

A dumb Sentinel tries to ruin the moment, but Psylocke destroys it.

Kyle really does owe Kitty a giant gift basket!  It is the least they could do.

Eight more Sentinels are coming, and a dozen more guards.  Psylocke tells Northstar to fly him and Kyle out of their,  The poor guy only has enough strength to carry the two of them, and only a very short distance.

Issue ends with Psylocke fighting on, even though she (and we) know she doesn’t really stand a chance.  Since she doesn’t appear in Years of Future Past, I suspect she doesn’t survive.  Though, neither does Kyle and Northstar.

Not a bad ten pages.

There is another story, Primary Function, that stars Punisher and Iron Fist, it is the lead story.

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A – Z Update 1

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

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A - Z Update 1

Head Writers / Coordinators Jeff Christiansen, Stuart Vandal & Sean McQuaid

Coordination Assistants Mike Fichera, Markus Raymond & Mike O’Sullivan

Writers Stuart Vandal, Sean McQuaid, Michael Hoskin, Mike O’Sullivan, Rob London, Kevin Garcia, Madison Carter, Markus Raymond, Ronald Byrd, Chris Biggs, Gabriel Shechter, Eric J. Moreels, Jacob Rougemont & Mike Gagnon

Cover Artist Kalman Andrasofszky

Cover Dated April 2010

We lost Francis Tsai on this day, last year.  Sadly, I only own two comics that had his artwork within it.

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A - Z Update 1 Francis Tsai Colonel America

Even worst, his art was part of a smaller profile, and his was stuck in a corner of a proper costume shot.

Other profiles of note –

MC2’s American Dream, who I really liked

Black Fox, who I know from Spider-Man comics

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A - Z Update 1 Gus Vazquez Empath

Empath, with art by Gus Vazquez (who is the main artist for this issue – which I like that continuity) with Jim Muniz & Mary Wilshire.  Kitty is referenced in this spotlight and that’s why I kept this issue.

Probably why I couldn’t find that main image nor the Colonel America image.

Shi’ar’s very own, Gladiator

Gog, who I know from his very brief stint with the Sinister Six

The great dimension of K’un-Lun, gets four pages

Thor’s great villain, Midgard Serpent

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A - Z Update 1 John Romita Jr Nimrod

Nimrod, with art by John Romita Jr.  Kitty is also referenced in its entry.

Howling Commando’s Pinky Pinkerton

Sunspot’s evil twist, Reignfire gets a page

Marauder Scalphunter gets a spotlight but Kitty isn’t referenced in it.  Harpoon’s would mention her, I imagine.

Lyra got one, under the name of She-Hulk

Spider-Man foe from the Clone Saga, Judas Traveller

The Skrull Queen and orchestrator of Secret Invasion, Veranke

Fantastic Four old ally, Wyatt Wingfoot

New X-Men member, Wolf Cub, gets a quarter page spotlight

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3

Posted by John Klein III on April 22, 2016
Posted in: Fun With YouTube, Homage, Review, Songs. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3

Writer Sam Humphries

Artist Alti Firmansyah

Colorist Jessica Kholinne

Letters VC’s Joe Sabino

Cover Yasmine Putri

I had to add Kris Anka’s variant to my Wishlist.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 1

I really like Sabino’s commitment to making their speech balloons are upside down, along with them.  AoA Shadowcat and Peter Quill are blaming each other, for their present situation.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 2

Gambit corrects them, they are both to blame.  Gambit, correctly, assumes that Quill is Pryde’s sidekick.  He denies, this, though he is willing to be Thor’s sidekick.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 3

Gambit likes to remind Pryde of their time together in Higher Avalon.  I like how he wants to put a Spider-Man mask, on her.  They make references to the other domains, as they are in the know.

There is a huge KLANG and Gambit goes to investigate.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Lockheed

Shadowcat explains why she is powerless against Widget.  When God Doom created Battleworld, he knew he would be having duplicated heroes.  I guess he also figured they would eventfully meet and wanted to make sure that any fights, will have to be bad arse.

Look at those various Shadowcats!  A teenage one, maybe from House of M.  Ultimate Shadowcat.  Black Queen, from Mutant X – so great!  AoA Shadowcat, in the center, as she is the star of this series.  Widget, from the Proper Marvel Universe or that one from the Uncanny X-Force storyline when they went to the Captain Britain Corps (Otherworld).  issues 20 – 23.  Proper Kitty Pryde, from the costume and the awesome Lockheed!  Finally, there is a Tigra Shadowcat, which is pretty fun.

Quill gets a plan, since Widget is a Kitty Pryde, it should be attracted to him – so he starts a flirtmance.

He sings, as he always does, Once Upon A Dream – from Cinderella.

Thanks to YouTuber DisneyMusicVEVO for hosting the video.

It totally works and Widget and Quill kiss!

Gambit comes back, he couldn’t find anything except for a tacky white jacket.

Since it worked, Widget has let StarKat go.  Shadowcat tries to stab Gambit, we are told more about the actual mission in Avalon.  Gambit stole the Sword of the Knight Crawler (get it?) so that must be how he screwed her over.  The knife she tried to use, was one of the Longshot knives so it bounces off of Gambit.  It bounces from Gambit, off of Shadowcat, off the head of a statue of God Doom, nearly misses Widget and it slices Quill’s right arm.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Possible Uncanny X-Men 141 Homage

What a fun and soft homage to Uncanny X-Men 141.  At first, I didn’t think it was suppose to be that, but the posters of God Doom and Shadowcat’s outstretch arm, seals the deal.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 4

God Doom appears and scares Gambit.  I keep typing it “Gabmit” does anyone else do that?

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 5

With a nasty upper cut, Gambit is taken out.  Shadowcat starts trying to explain the situation.  I take it, that she deals more with Valeria, his daughter.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 6

God Doom was really Fun Loving Drax, which I’m sure must be super illegal!

Later.  Quill and Drax want to know what has been in the briefcase, this entire time.  She reveals what it is . . . A tail!  Quill instantly recognizes that it is his old pal, Rocket’s tail!  Apparently, there is a rumor that Rocket’s tail is fake, if that makes any sense.

Twenty minutes later, Quill is still hugging the tail.  Drax reveals that he left Gambit in front of a defaced God Doom poster, Doom Sux.  The Thors arrive, the penalty for defiling the image of God Doom, with a typo, is . . . DEATH!  I sort of love the concept of that rule book, with that cause in it.

Shadowcat wants the tail back.  Quill, in a very touching moment, doesn’t want to depart with it.  It is the only piece of home he has, plus of his friend, that he has seen in forever.  Shadowcat can relate, as she isn’t home either.  Quill tries to hand it over, but she lets him keep it.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 7

Look how happy he is!  This comic (and series) has been so great.  Quill proceeds to try to ruin the moment.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 8

Pryde can’t resist anymore, all of that disgust has turn around to attraction.  He guesses at what it was, that turn her.

Star Lord and Kitty Pryde 3 Shadowcat 9

It was his puppy dog eyes.  She does love that song, good thing Disney films are everywhere.  Pryde leaves, stating that she hopes he doesn’t get himself killed.

Drax hears Quill’s real name, as he was using “Steve Rogers” as an alias.  Drax knew he wasn’t a variant of Captain America, as Rogers has never had a singing voice.

Issue ends with the two guys joking, Quill wants an army of Rockets.

This has been one of the best series to come out of Secret Wars 2015.  From the writing, to the art, to the coloring, the atmosphere has just been pure fun.

March July 2016 Solicitations

Posted by John Klein III on April 21, 2016
Posted in: Solicitations. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

http://www.newsarama.com/28908-marvel-comics-july-2016-solicitations.html

CIVIL WAR II #3 (OF 7)
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A)
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO (APR160864)
CONNECTING BLACK & WHITE VIRGIN VARIANT D COVER BY KIM JUNG GI (APR160863)
CHARACTER VARIANT COVER BY PHIL NOTO (APR160865)
This is the one everyone will be talking about! One of the biggest heroes in the Marvel Universe will fall! Who it is and how and why will divide fans for years to come. Will the heroes of the Marvel Universe survive the unthinkable happening? The fallout to this issue is enormous!
40 PGS./RATED T+ …$4.99 (APR160862)

CIVIL WAR II #4 (OF 7)
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A)
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
CONNECTING BLACK & WHITE VIRGIN VARIANT E COVER BY KIM JUNG GI
CHARACTER VARIANT COVER BY PHIL NOTO
Sides are harshly divided as the Marvel Universe’s trial of the century reaches its shocking verdict! Now, the abstract issues are very real for the heroes of the Marvel Universe and battle lines must be drawn. Captain Marvel or Iron Man, who will each hero stand behind?
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

A death a legal drama, this might be interesting.

CIVIL WAR II: KINGPIN #1 (OF 4)
MATTHEW ROSENBERG (W) • RICARDO LOPEZ ORTIZ (A)
Cover by AARON KUDER
VARIANT COVER BY ESAD RIBIC
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
BLACK PANTHER 50th ANNIVERSARY VARIANT COVER BY JAMIE MCKELVIE
An Inhuman with the ability to predict the future has helped the heroes of the Marvel Universe clamp down on crime before it can even happen. While this thwarts most criminals, one man has found a way to keep doing what he does best. Wilson Fisk has managed to stay one step ahead of the good guys and his crime enterprise is BOOMING. But what’s his secret?! Rising stars Matthew Rosenberg (We Can Never Go Home) and Ricardo Lopez Ortiz (Wolf) present a gritty, street-level view of CIVIL WAR II starring the Kingpin in a world without crime!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

So Civil War II is about an Inhuman, and sounds like it could be the only from Agents of SHIELD, three episodes ago.  This seems super missable to me.

CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES #2 (of 6)
DECLAN SHALVEY, JEREMY WHITLEY, BRANDON THOMAS (W)
DECLAN SHALVEY, MARCO RUDY & MARGUERITE SAUVAGE (A)
Cover by JIM CHEUNG & DECLAN SHALVEY
VARIANT COVER BY CHRISTIAN WARD
• A major loss sends shockwaves through the super hero community forcing everyone to reexamine their alliances…did they choose the right side?
• Featuring Nick Fury, War Machine and Tom Foster, a.k.a. Goliath!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES #3 (of 6)
DECLAN SHALVEY, CHUCK BROWN & MORE (W)
DECLAN SHALVEY, CHRIS VISIONS & MORE(A)
Cover by JIM CHEUNG and DECLAN SHALVEY
VARIANT COVER BY JAMIE McKELVIE
• The trial of the century! Even with the eyes of the Marvel Universe upon them, neither side is backing down…
• Featuring Nick Fury, The Punisher and Kate Bishop!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Hey, Goliath came back!  Here is hoping he can survive this Civil War.  Was Nick Fury in the first issue?  I’ll be skipping these too but I do like the idea of the major death having fallout into other series – as it should.  Hopefully we don’t get delays with the main title and everything gets pushed back.

Marvel July 2016 Solicitations Civil War II X-Men 2 David Yardin
Art by David Yardin

CIVIL WAR II: X-MEN #2 (of 4)
CULLEN BUNN (W) • ANDREA BROCCARDO (A)
Cover by DAVID YARDIN
VARIANT COVER BY VICTOR IBANEZ
• An Inhuman with the power to profile the future has emerged, upsetting the delicate balance of power between the Inhuman and Mutant nations.
• And the mutant master of magnetism, MAGNETO refuses to allow his people to fall by the wayside.
• Now, Magneto rallies those who would follow him to even the scales…even if it means risking war with Inhumans and Mutants alike to do it!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Magik is on this cover too so I’m locked in.

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #10
TOM TAYLOR (W) • IG GUARA (A)
Cover by BENGAL
CIVIL WAR II TIE-IN!
• Which side will WOLVERINE choose when a terrible prophecy puts someone she loves into the crosshairs of her allies? How far is LAURA willing to go to protect her loved ones?
• Teaming up with OLD MAN LOGAN, Laura is prepared to fight the very future itself to change her destiny.
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

So is this Inhuman  just handing out fortunes?  I imagine that would help Iron Man’s cause – it also sort of sounds like the idea of Original Sin, but with future stories instead of fake past stories.

THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #8
GREG PAK (W) • ALAN DAVIS (A/C)
CIVIL WAR II TIE-IN!
• BRUCE BANNER was cured from his gamma-irradiated curse…
• AMADEUS CHO thought he was smart enough to handle
the curse!
• Is he one in a long line of HULKS that face certain tragedy?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

So Banner was cured by just handing it to Cho?  That’s one way to do it plus it sets up how easily Banner can become Hulk again.

DEADPOOL & THE MERCS FOR MONEY #1
CULLEN BUNN (W) • IBAN COELLO (A)
Cover by Iban Coello
VARIANT COVER BY GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
HIP-HOP VARIANT COVER BY TBA
BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
Deadpool is one of the best mercenaries on the planet. He may even be a passable Avenger—jury’s still out. But one thing’s for sure—Deadpool is a terrible team leader. Think we’re lying? Ask the Mercs for Money! Deadpool’s taken on a new high-paying mission to take out radioactive super villains…and his Mercs aren’t nearly as immune to radiation as his healing-factored heinie is. Deadpool veteran Cullen Bunn brings us mo’ mercs, mo’ money and naturally, mo’ problems.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

I’ll be passing on this series too.

SCARLET WITCH #8
JAMES ROBINSON (W) • TULA LOTAY (A)
COVER BY DAVID AJA
• A day in the life of WANDA MAXIMOFF!
• After coming face to face with her biological mother, Wanda explores her early memories and attempts to reconcile with the sins of her past.
• But meanwhile, little does she know that a traitor lurks in her very midst…!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Whoa, is Magneto’s dead wife back to life?  This should be a bigger story!

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #7
GERRY DUGGAN (w) • SCOTT KOBLISH (a)
Cover by DAN PANOSIAN
• Another guest issue while Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness get ahead on their epic story!
• In the Deadpool tradition, we present a “lost” issue of the Amazing Spider-Man!
• Flashback to the swinging ‘60s for one of Deadpool & Spidey’s earliest meetings!
• Don’t be a flake – beat feet to your shop and order now! This issue is a real solid gas!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Will Deadpool reference the amazing issue 11 of his first ongoing where he went back in time with Blind Al and visited 60s Spider-Man?  He really should!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #15
DAN SLOTT (W) • GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
DEATH OF X VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• “Power Play” comes to its rousing conclusion!
• Regent’s master plan is working until Mary Jane Watson gets into the fray!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Mary Jane in the Iron Spider uniform is pretty great.

Marvel 2016 July Solicitations Guardians of the Galaxy 10 Art Adams
Art by Art Adams

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #10
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • VALERIO SCHITI (A)
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
DEATH OF X VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• GALAXY’S MOST WANTED comes to its rip-roaring conclusion!
• The Guardians are rejoined by ANGELA!!!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Is that Kitty with the blue Western mask on?  I’m not really loving that, even drawn by Art Adams.  I do like Kitty and Angela on the same time, she can join the team and get some more ladies on the team, that would be great.  Also, what is with all of these Death of X variant covers?  Must be the X-Crossover after Apocalypse Wars.

SILVER SURFER #6
DAN SLOTT (W)
MICHAEL ALLRED (A/C)
SILVER SURFER #200!
Oversized anniversary issue!
• After Norrin Radd’s massive status quo change in the 50th Anniversary issue (no spoilers!), it’s now Dawn Greenwood’s turn. With one simple act of kindness, the Surfer may have forever changed her world.
• What’s going on? Why is San Francisco overrun by monsters? And what wall-crawling, web-spinning guest star is swinging by to help out? (Okay, we’ll tell you that one! It’s Peter Parker, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!)
• All this and tons of cosmic weirdness, surprise super heroes and special stories as we celebrate the 200th SILVER SURFER issue!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
USE THIS CODE TO ORDER: APR160955

Cosmic weirdness and surprise super heroes, this could have the Guardians in it!

GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #8
DAN ABNETT (W)
CARLO BARBERI (A)
Cover by Gary Choo
THE CONCLUSION OF THE HERMETIKUS SAGA!
• All three generations of the Guardians of the Galaxy, reunited and ready for action!
• It took two thousand years’ worth of Guardians of the Galaxy just to face Hermetikus, is there any hope of stopping him?
• The FINAL TRIAL approaches! If any Guardians SURVIVE, can they escape with their bodies and minds intact?
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

It states “all three generations” so could Kitty be coming back to this title?

ROCKET RACCOON & GROOT #7
NICK KOCHER (W)
Michael Walsh (A)
Cover by DAVID LOPEZ
PUTTING THE FUN BACK IN FUNERAL!
I’m SORRY — you found that poor in taste? Well, maybe we’re using humor to avoid facing our grief over the death of Rocket Raccoon’s mentor in con-artistry! Who’s insensitive NOW? Did you even KNOW Rocket had a confidence-man mentor? Look, let’s start over and try to be more understanding. It’s a new era for the Guardians of the Galaxy’s most non-humanoid characters, and we’re kicking it off with this story by NICK KOCHER of comedy duo BriTANicK, so of CORPSE it’s going to DIE-larious! We’re just going to miss this character — an all-new insight into Rocket’s mysterious past — so much!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

This paragraph has lots of highs and lows!

HOWARD THE DUCK #9
CHIP ZDARSKY (W) • JOE QUINONES (A/C)
• Howard is back in NEW YORK CITY! And on his strangest case yet: A missing person! His client? The missing person! WHAAA—?
• Join us as Howard encounters aliens, Brooklyn and network television with a SPECIAL GUEST STAR so SHOCKING that I am STILL SHOCKED that we’re ALLOWED TO DO THIS.
• SERIOUSLY.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I wonder who the shocking guest star is?

TRUE BELIEVERS

TRUE BELIEVERS: EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN – THE BURNING MAN #1
Reprinting Extraordinary X-Men #6
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$1.00

TRUE BELIEVERS: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – GALAXY’S MOST WANTED #1
Reprinting Guardians of the Galaxy #6
32 PGS./Rated T …$1.00

These two issues were pretty good and well worth the dollar each. 

VOTE LOKI #2
CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS (W) • LANGDON FOSS (A)
Cover by TRADD MOORE
VARIANT COVER BY DAVE JOHNSON
• Presidential candidate Loki Laufeyson is finding it hard to roll with the punches of the campaign trail. As if proving his eligibility isn’t hard enough, the media has started the HORRIBLE rumor that his Super P.A.C. is actually a cult under Loki’s control!
• Plus, the Marvel heroes finally figured out how to successfully fight Loki in his new role: attack ads. God bless (Captain) America, eh?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

This wasn’t a one shot?

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #10
RYAN NORTH (W) • ERICA HENDERSON (A/C)
• Mole Man has fallen in love with Squirrel Girl, and he’s holding the world hostage until she goes on a date with him!
• MOLE MEN, am I right??
• Watch as Squirrel Girl gains the help of an unlikely ally! Thrill as two people kiss! BUT WHICH TWO??
• You’ll have to buy the issue to find out, so all I’ll say right now is this:
• IN THIS ISSUE THERE IS A NON-ZERO CHANCE FOR EVERY MARVEL SHIP TO BECOME CANON!!
• “Ship” is short for “relationship,” in case you thought I was talking about, like, Galactus’ “Star Sphere” or Mr. Fantastic’s “Fantasticship” or whatever.
• Anyway, enjoy!!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Mole Man has to be, what, thrice her age?  Unimaginable!

ALL-NEW X-MEN #11
DENNIS HOPELESS (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
DEATH OF X VARIANT COVER BY TBA
“APOCALYPSE WARS” CONCLUSION!
• Destined to one day become the next host of the genocidal villain Apocalypse, Evan Sabahnur is determined to change his fate.
• And now, thousands years in the past, in Ancient Egypt, Evan has allied himself with En Sabah Nur, the boy who will one day become Apocalypse himself!
• But will the lessons Evan learns in the past seal his fate…or enable him to avert it?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #12
JEFF LEMIRE (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
DEATH OF X VARIANT COVER BY TBA
“APOCALYPSE WARS” CONCLUSION!
• Trapped a thousand years in the future on a world ruled by the genocidal tyrant Apocalypse, the X-Men are literally mutantkind’s last hope!
• With the fate of the next generation of mutants hanging in the balance, the X-Men square off against Apocalypse and his Horsemen one last time. But with some of their own in Apocalypse’s ranks, how can the X-Men hope to win the day?
• In what’s sure to be a battle for the ages, one thing is certain: not all of the X-Men will emerge unscathed!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

UNCANNY X-MEN #10
CULLEN BUNN (W) • KEN LASHLEY (A)
Cover by GREG LAND
DEATH OF X VARIANT COVER BY TBA
“APOCALYPSE WARS” CONCLUSION!
• The villainous Apocalypse, accompanied by his Four Horsemen, once preached the gospel of “Survival of the Fittest.”
• And now, the Son of Apocalypse has reared his ugly head, joined by an army of Archangels of Death, hell-bent on preaching a gospel of his own: the Survival of NONE.
• Can Psylocke and Magneto save their teammate Archangel and prevent the maniacal GENOCIDE from living up to his name?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

So All New takes place in the past, Extraordinary is in the future and Uncanny is in the present.  That’s one way to have them all be under the same umbrella but not make people buy the other series.  That’s what I’m hoping to do.

OLD MAN LOGAN #8 & 9
JEFF LEMIRE (W) • ANDREA SORRENTINO (A/C)
ISSUE #8 – DEATH OF X VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• The night the villains joined forces and overcame the world’s heroes was the night that Wolverine’s life irrevocably changed. He lost his friends, his purpose, and all that was left was the Wasteland.
• Now, Old Man Logan has found himself in the past, before the Wasteland, and he lives with the fear that the Villain Uprising may yet come to pass.
• And he just may just be right.
32 PGS. (EACH)/Parental Advisory …$3.99 (EACH)

So this solict doesn’t state anything but the mission statement, bold!

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS ADAPTATION #2 (of 5)
CHUCK WENDIG (W) • LUKE ROSS (A)
Cover by Mike Mayhew
SKETCH VARIANT COVER BY Mike Mayhew
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
MOVIE POSTER VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
• The saga continues!
• Desert scavenger Rey and ex-stormtrooper Finn are being pursued by the evil First Order!
• But can they escape Jakku in an old “hunk of junk” YT-1300 freighter?
• And what new threats will they find in a galaxy far, far away?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Now that I’ve seen the film, it is amazing they are going to squeeze that film into 64 pages. I see now that it is five issues now.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: GUARDIANS OF INFINITY TPB
Written by DAN ABNETT
Penciled by CARLO BARBERI
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
You know the Guardians of the Galaxy. You know the Guardians of the 31st century. But who are the Guardians 1000? Find out as the galactic protectors of three eras unite to face a threat to all of space and time! Past, present and future collide at the dawning of the age of Hermetikus! But what is Hermetikus’s strange connection to the Guardians of a previous millennium and their leader, Stella Nega? Rocket, Drax and Groot may be in over their heads, but firebrand of the future Nikki Gold is in her element! The centuries-spanning supergroup battles to save all the days — but Hermetikus, who was there at the very start of the Guardians of the Galaxy, is determined to be there at the end! Collecting the lead stories from GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #1-8.
136 PGS./Rated T …$17.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9587-0

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: TALES OF THE COSMOS TPB
Written by JASON LATOUR, ROBBIE THOMPSON, DARRYL “DMC” McDANIELS,
EDGARDO MIRANDA-RODRIGUEZ, GERRY DUGGAN, JEFF KING, ERIC PALICKI & MORE
Penciled by JIM CHEUNG, NELSON DeCASTRO, LEONARDO ROMERO, FLAVIANO ARMENTARO, PAOLO VILLANELLI & MORE
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
Your favorite Guardians of the Galaxy in glorious off-duty adventures! New buddies Ben Grimm and Rocket Raccoon grapple with a planet where culture is based on Earth-style professional wrestling — only on this world, the stakes are life and death! Drax goes missing! Groot and the Thing swap three-word catchphrases on the hunt for a powerful object in New York City! Venom and the Human Torch hang out in space! Rocket and Kitty Pryde get a gig as bodyguards for an interplanetary whistleblower! Then Kitty teams up with Gamora — but is there room for more than one deadliest woman in the galaxy? Plus: Meet Venom’s new teammates, the noble and mysterious Space Knights! Collecting the backup stories from GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #1-8..
136 PGS./Rated T …$17.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9588-7

I would skip the main feature (I did) and just buy the backups.  I guess the backups were the same amount of pages as the main story as these two trades have the same page numbers.

UNCANNY X-MEN VOL. 6: STORYVILLE TPB
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by CHRIS BACHALO, STUART IMMONEN, MAHMUD ASRAR, KRIS ANKA & FRAZER IRVING
Cover by CHRIS BACHALO
The final explosive story in Brian Michael Bendis’ epic X-Men saga! Cyclops’ revolution comes to a head! Will the morally compromised Scott Summers save himself from ruin — or will he make that fateful leap?! Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde and Illyana Rasputin take on an assignment neither of them thought they would tackle: facing off against a legion of monsters! And Mystique returns, out for vengeance against Cyclops’ revolutionary team! Will Magik’s soulsword be enough to halt the shape-shifter’s wrath? The Jean Grey School, the New Xavier School, the time-tossed young X-Men — it’s all going to change! The X-Men are at a crossroads. And not everyone will make it through in one piece. Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (2013) #32-35 and #600.
136 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9231-2

Bendis didn’t quite end his tenure with the X-Men on a high note but the Kitty and Magik issue was actually pretty great.

MACHINE MAN BY KIRBY & DITKO: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB
Written by JACK KIRBY, MARV WOLFMAN, TOM DeFALCO & ROGER STERN
Penciled by JACK KIRBY & STEVE DITKO with SAL BUSCEMA
Cover by JACK KIRBY
A military machine with a soul, a thinking computer in the form of a man — X-51 is the Machine Man! Abel Stack gave a government-created robot a human face, nurturing the man inside the machine and calling him son. But Stack’s death left that son, Aaron, alone and running for his life. The military wants to strip him apart, and mankind doesn’t understand him — but in exploits crafted by two of the medium’s greatest talents, he’ll still redefine humanity. Few comic books were lucky enough to be graced by the work of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Machine Man never saw an issue that wasn’t illustrated by one of these creative titans. Now, the complete MACHINE MAN epic is collected for the first time, and in one complete volume! Collecting MACHINE MAN (1978) #1-19 and INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #235-237.
440 PGS./Rated T …$39.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9577-1

Machine Man had both Kirby and Ditko as artist in his run, how come he isn’t more of a mainstray!?!  I liked him in Earth 2 and his ongoing in the late 90s.

BLACK PANTHER BY CHRISTOPHER PRIEST: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 4 TPB
Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
Penciled by DAN FRAGA, JORGE LUCAS,
JIM CALAFIORE, PATRICK ZIRCHER & JOE BENNETT
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Christopher Priest takes the Black Panther in a whole different direction! With T’Challa gone, who will inherit the mantle? Could it be…the guy with the trench coat and guns? Kevin “Kasper” Cole is out for revenge against the people who hurt his family, and his quest will bring him into conflict with corrupt cops and a brutal hunter. It’s the all-new Black Panther vs. the White Wolf as a crime novel in comic form begins — but nothing in a Priest tale is ever black and white. This gritty, street-level Panther saga will conclude with revelations about the fate of T’Challa — and set up Cole to join a whole new Crew! But can Cole, War Machine, Junta and Josiah X handle Big Trouble in Little Mogadishu? Collecting BLACK PANTHER (1998) #50-56 and #59-62, and THE CREW #1-7.
416 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90058-8

What happened  during 57 & 58?  This was such a great series.

THUNDERBOLTS CLASSIC VOL. 3 TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by KURT BUSIEK, KARL KESEL
& BARBARA KESEL
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY & GEORGE PÉREZ
Cover by MARK BAGLEY
The Thunderbolts return to Earth after an interdimensional journey to Kosmos, but there’s no rest for the weary as they find themselves pursued by S.H.I.E.L.D. — as well as a recovering Baron Zemo who’s out for their blood! Has this team of villains posing as heroes truly reformed? And even so, will anyone believe them? One person might — a surprising figure from the ranks of the mighty Avengers, who briefly went down a villainous road himself many years before: The Avenging Archer, Hawkeye! He could offer the T-Bolts redemption, but at what price? Plus: Atlas must face the mighty Hercules, who seeks revenge for injuries suffered in years past! Guest-starring the Masters of Evil, Captain America and the Avengers — and introducing the new Citizen V! Collecting THUNDERBOLTS (1997) #15-22 and #0, CAPTAIN AMERICA & CITIZEN V ANNUAL 1998 and AVENGERS (1998) #12.
288 PGS./Rated T …$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9687-7

This was also a great run!

. . .

Here is what I’m expecting to buy –

Civil War II 3 &4      $10
Civil War II X-Men 2           $4
Guardians of the Galaxy 10             $4
All New X-Men 11    $4
Extraordinary X-Men 12     $4
Uncanny X-Men 10   $4

Seven comics for $30, so that’s seven dollars off for a grand total of $23, not too bad – especially as I doubt I’ll be getting Civil War II properly. 

No new titles for me, which is also nice.